Gotta have a system...

Playlist

Roy Harper - Flashes From the Archives of Oblivion

Peter Hammill - Patience

Cloudland Blue Quartet - Disquietmusik (Remixes)

Brian Eno - Rams: Original Soundtrack

Schubert - The Symphonies

Up unfeasibly early to do some WFH...

Down for coffee first though - scenes...

Initially soundtracked by a couple more random LPs of the day, taking me up to yesterday...

A 2LP set from Roy Harper...

Unfortunately (although the music is exactly the same) not on the green Harvest label - instead, an American pressing from the late 70's, on Chrysalis...

Then Peter Hammill - not sure exactly when I got this but it was a reasonably recent (in the last 5 years) acquisition and is actually quite good...

Post these two, my listening for the day was three other items...

The Record Store Day release from Brian Eno, of his soundtrack to a documentary on German Designer, Dieter Rams -  a very interesting character indeed...

Almost everyone in the Western world will have owned or will own something which he has either designed or which has been influenced by his 10 design principles...

1. Good design is innovative

The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can never be an end in itself.

2. Good design makes a product useful

A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasises the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.

3. Good design is aesthetic

The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products we use every day affect our person and our well-being. But only well-executed objects can be beautiful.

4. Good design makes a product understandable

It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product talk. At best, it is self-explanatory.

5. Good design is unobtrusive

Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression.

6. Good design is honest

It does not make a product more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.

7. Good design is long-lasting

It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even in today’s throwaway society.

8. Good design is thorough down to the last detail

Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the user.

9. Good design is environmentally-friendly

Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimises physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.

10. Good design is as little design as possible

Less, but better – because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials.  Back to purity, back to simplicity.

Then, Schubert's symphonies - a discussion on Twitter yesterday led me to find that I don't actually have all his symphonies, never mind a specific cycle, of which there are many...

And so, on the advice of Classical Music Critic and Twitterchum, Jens F Laurson, I downloaded Frans Brueggen and the Orchestra of the 18th Century's 1990's recordings and spent much of today listening to those too...

And, thirdly, later on, to re-recording and tweaking the lyrics for two of the five new CBQ songs, based around four rhythm tracks (so far) from Edward Spark and samples of Disquietmusik III" - and remixing all five, including some new input by Mr Spark on the song "Swear to God" - re a fifth beat sent over late doors, initially Eno-esque and bell-like, but transitioning into a thumping house beat....

Spent a lot of time sourcing a suitably 90BPM beat of my own to fit with the first section of his...

I re-recorded the vocals for the first two (and did some judicious re-writes) and double tracked the vocals on all five and also made some changes re when things come in, drop out etc...

I probably need to re-record all the vocals before I put these out with singing - what usually happens is I listen over and over and then get used to them and then I can actually sing them like an "actual song"...

We'll see...

At the end of the day, I had a fourth version of the proposed Extended Play, now with five rhythm beds instead of four with one doubled up...

Also today, discussions with Creeker Craig who, yesterday, I reappointed as my Webmeister re the laggardly website crispycat.co.uk which has been going since 2002 and fallen into slight disuse...

Today the initial revamp move of moving to a new, better host was undertaken...

Further steps forthcoming...

For tea tonight, another top notch offering from the Executive Producer - who had been out to the botanic gardens earlier, enjoying the good weather with chum Debbie...

Tonight, a superb sirloin steak and sesame seed teriyaki stir fry...

Yumtastic...

On "University Challenge" we were on fire tonight scoring 160 - just pipped by Imperial College but trouncing a woeful St Andrews...

Later, I worked on, on mixes and discussions with Sparky, as Anne enjoyed "Who Do You Think You Are"...

Lights out towards midnight...

Busy day...

Highlight of the Day : New music work; and Dieter Rams...