RhoDeo 1303 Byron 17

Hello, Earth still spinning for it's Earthlings, and Kim Dotcom has risen from his ashes as MEGA, never the man to be shy about anything. Well have't been able to register yet, clearly all the media attention has made connecting on the first day rather difficult, but expect to see some links here soon.

Meanwhile you can listen to the continuing saga of The Byron Chronicles season 4 ...NJoy

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From The Byron Chronicles Introduction

“Imagine if the world as you know it… was nothing more than an illusion. What if creatures like elves, dragons, vampires, zombies and werewolves walk amongst you every day… But you never see them.”

“This is the world I walk in.
 I am called Byron
 And these are my chronicles…“

The Byron Chronicles is a dark urban fantasy written and produced by Darker Projects, an audio drama company with an extensive website.  The site is well laid out and all of their shows can be heard free of charge direct from the website or  as podcasts, while your on  the go. The Darker Projects website hosts many shows, but I have chosen to focus on The Byron Chronicles for this review.

The Byron chronicles center around a being simply called Byron, who is something “other than human”. Byron lives in the shadows of our modern world, where vampires, werewolves and other creatures of fantasy are very real, but kept hidden from human eyes. The separation of  the supernatural world from the human world is an important element through out the entire series. We quickly find out that when the two worlds mix violence  seems to ensue, usually leading to bad things for humans and supernaturals alike. In fact, the only person who seems to think humans and supernatural beings can get along is Byron himself, who tends to act as a mediator between the two.

Joining Byron on these adventures is Miss Chris Sparrow, who once led a “normal life” as a Barrista at a local Portland Oregon coffee shop before being turned into a half vampire in a freak accident. Chris turned to Byron reluctantly at first, but the pair quickly became fast friends as Chris came to rely on Byron for guidance while supernatural world revealed itself to her. Byron in turn, seemed to rely on Chris in helping him better understand humans as a whole. There were several plot lines in the first season, including Byron saving the life of Lazarus the First Zombie, and preventing a worldwide zombie outbreak in the process. Then Byron had to hunt down a vampire lord named Branlaven, who was selling a super drug called “rush” on the streets of Portland. It was the drug Rush which caused Chris to become a half vampire, and it was here that Chris Sparrow made her first appearance in the series. Next, Byron was taken hostage by two different secret societies; each one trying to save the world from “monsters” like Byron.

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1-401 Furnace
Trapped on a world haunted by spirits of the dead. Byron comes face to face with a foe from his past.

2-402 In Blood and Ash
The boundaries between worlds have broken down. Earth is being torn apart. And even Byron is powerless to stop it.


The Byron Chronicles 4 (1,2) ( 56mb)

01 The Byron Chronicles 401 Furnace (19:02)
02 The Byron Chronicles 402 In Blood and Ash (22:01)

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previously

Byron's Tale ( 63mb)
The Byron Chronicles 1 (2,3) ( 67mb)
The Byron Chronicles 1 (4,5) ( 45mb)
The Byron Chronicles 1 (6,7) ( 42mb)
The Byron Chronicles 1 (8,9) ( 90mb)
The Byron Chronicles 2 (1,2) ( 90mb)
The Byron Chronicles 2 (3,4a) ( 90mb)
The Byron Chronicles 2 (3,4a) ( 66mb)
The Byron Chronicles 2 (5,6) ( 44mb)
The Byron Chronicles 2 (7,8) ( 49mb)
The Byron Chronicles 2 (9,10) ( 49mb)
The Byron Chronicles 3 (1,2) ( 76mb)
The Byron Chronicles 3 (3,4) ( 58mb)
The Byron Chronicles 3 (5,6) ( 66mb)
The Byron Chronicles 3 (7,8) ( 47mb)
The Byron Chronicles 3 (9,10) ( 42mb)

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Sundaze 1303 Inside Out 11

Hello, Sundaze time again as the winter hits home in the Northern hemisphere,  Australians keep getting fried at the other end, take your pick.  Here today another Inside Out for you all, I want to point out the 2 PDF's on The Flower Of Life, it contains a lot of information on Sacred Geometry, something which has been waved aside by the powers that be as ancient superstitions, but which produces a much clearer picture of reality then our machine scientists can come up with, if anything they end up at the same sacred geometries.... go figure. As well as more binaural beats for you, copy them to your tablet, plug in your headphone and assume a comfortable position.... N'Joy

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The "Flower of Life" can be found in all major religions of the world. It contains the patterns of creation as they emerged from the "Great Void". Everything is made from the Creator's thought.  After the creation of the Seed of Life the same vortex's motion was continued, creating the next structure known as the  Egg of Life.  This structure forms the basis for music, as the distances between the spheres is identical to the distances between the tones and the half tones in music. It is also identical to the cellular structure of the third embryonic division (The first cell divides into two cells, then to four cells then to eight). Thus this same structure as it is further developed, creates the human body and all of the energy systems. If we continue creating more and more spheres we will end up with the structure called the Flower of Life.

The flower of life shape contains a secret shape known as the fruit of life that consists of 13 spheres that hold many mathematical and geometrical laws. These laws represent the whole universe. Giving the flower of life to someone is like giving them the whole universe in one jewel.

The Flower of Life can be found in all major religions of the world. In Egypt, the source of all the monotheistic religions, the "Flower of Life", can be found in the ancient Temple of Abydos. In Israel, it can be found in ancient synagogues in the Galilee and in Mesada.

The complete flower has the other two layers added, making it three dimensional. If you relax (sit three feet away from the screen) and let the flower slowly draw your eyes out of focus, the flower will open. Try and not focus on any one point, blankly stare, take the flower in as a whole. You may get a headache and itchy eyes, this will quickly disappear. We do not see with our eyes, we see through our eyes. Let your mind focus, don't fight it.

Once, all life in the universe knew the Flower of Life as the creation pattern - the geometrical design leading us into and out of physical existence. Then from a very high state of consciousness we fell in darkness and forgot who we were. For thousands of years the secret was held in ancient artifacts and carvings around the world, and encoded in the cells of all life.

Here Drunvalo Melchizedek presents in text and graphics the first half of the Flower of Life Workshop, illuninating the mysteries of how we came to be, why the world is the way it is and the subtle energies that allow our awareness to blossom into its true beauty.

Sacred Geometry is the form beneath our being and points to a divine order in our reality. We can follow that order form the invisible atom to the infinite stars, finding ourselves at each step. The information here is one path, but between the lines and drawings lie the feminine gems of intuitive understanding.

Melchizedek - The Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life Vol 1 + 2 (2xPDF 15mb)

This book is not for those who think "in the box." It is for those desiring to expand their mental horizons. In this book the author talks about the 5 levels of human consciousness, the MerKaBa(the energy field which surrounds all living things), and explains with geometric diagrams, a very interesting interpretation of the Biblical story of Genesis. And there is a lot more in this book to blow your mind. It is information that you can apply in your life to see if it works for you. I have had personal experiences with some of this material that makes it real for me. It is written in a conversational tone, because the book is an edited transcript from a series of lectures the author gave. The subject matter is very deep. Don't pick up this book if you are looking for a light read, but if you are a seeker of truth, you will surely enjoy this one.

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Binaural Beats - A technique used with brainwave entrainment that allows a person to perceive tones that are below the range of human hearing (or pretty damn close to it.) For a more elaborate explanation, read the definition for Brainwave Entrainment in its entirety.

Brainwave Entrainment - This is using stimulii (such as sound, light, or EM fields) to influence the rate of our brainwaves, which in the process affects our mental state.

Our brain plays "monkey see/monkey do" with stimulii in the proximity. If you have lights flashing at 4 cycles a second, our brain will begin to mimic that with its own brainwaves. When our brainwaves are at a certain frequency, our body will do whatever it normally would do -- we normally produce brainwaves of 4 cycles a second when we're sleeping - so pulsating light at this rate would put a person to sleep. Say you want to do this with sound instead of pulsating light - since most brainwave entrainment frequencies are below 30 HZ, and are often below human hearing range, you (usually) can't just generate the tones using a wave generator. There are two methods that are typically used to generate these ultra-low tones in a way that humans can perceive them and feel their effects :

1) Binaural Beats - Using a computer or synthesizer (and a good pair of stereo headphones), generate two tones, one in the left ear, one in the right - your brain imagines it hears a third tone equal to the difference between the two tones. (For instance, if you had a 400 HZ tone in one ear, and a 404 HZ tone in the other, you would perceive a third tone of 4 HZ.) And this would have the same effects that a pulsating light at 4 cycles per second would. In order for this to work, the two tones need to be below 1000 HZ. There are two good programs for creating Binaural Beats : CoolEdit from Syntrillium Software and Brainwave Generator. The latter is probably the most user-friendly, and is good for people new to brainwave entrainment, since it has presets that come with it. (I found it to work very well, since it incorporates a strobe light into the mix as well.)

2) Modulation - While a tone at 4 HZ would be too low to hear by itself, if you generate noise and then fluctuate its pitch or volume at 4 times each second, this can also be used for brainwave entrainment, and would affect us the same way a 4 HZ binaural would. CoolEdit from Syntrillium Software is the best software to use with this method. (Although, he uses a slightly more complicated technique than just fluctuating the pitch or volume.)

As far as which of these two methods are better - binaural beats probably work better for brainwave entrainment, but the second method will work from speakers - headphones aren't required. That can come in handy - especially when you want to experiment with brainwave entrainment while sleeping or meditating - ever tried falling asleep wearing headphones? I have a cordless pair, and even with those, it's not that comfortable.

Brainwave Ranges - In talking about brainwaves, they are typically broken up into ranges, each range being associated with different mental states. The five common brainwave ranges are listed below (although I really simplify what they're associated with here - for more specific mental states these ranges are associated with, consult the brainwave frequency list itself.)

Delta Range - 0.5 to 4 HZ (associated with deep sleep)

Theta Range - 4 HZ to 8 HZ (seen in dreaming sleep, and other mental states where the mind is wandering, like daydreaming and imagining)

"A person .. driving on a freeway & discovers .. they can't recall the last five miles, is often in a theta state--induced by the process of freeway driving .. [It's] .. a state where tasks become so automatic .. you can mentally disengage from them."

Alpha Range - 8 to 13 Hz (relaxed but awake)

" [There is] .. more alpha wave functioning when we listen (but it edges up into beta when we do extremely active listening, as in the cocktail-party effect when we consciously narrow attention to one voice amidst a babble.)" http://www.enformy.com/dma-chin.htm

Beta Range - 13 Hz to 30 Hz (normal awake state/aware)

There is an abundance of betawave functioning when we speak ..

Gamma Range - 30 Hz to 60 Hz (associated with consciousness - the brain stops producing gamma waves when we're put under for anaesthesia, for example)

"Gamma rhythms appear to be involved in higher mental activity, including perception and consciousness. It seems to be associated with consciousness, eg it disappears with general anaesthesia .. Synchronous activity at about 40Hz appears to be involved in binding sensory inputs into the single, unitary object we perceive."

Note that there's a LOT of disagreement over where Beta range ends and Gamma range begins.


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Sound Sleep Ambient Binaural (@320  137mb)

Use this Binaural Beat Session to help induce safe and natural deep sleep.
(Please Wear Headphones)
About This Session:
Duration 1 hour
The base frequency for this session is 197Hz.
Associated with heart (Effects=love,warmth) (higher octave of 6.15); Associated with hara (3cm or 1.5 inch below navel, balance of pelvis)
Binaural Frequencies:
 (15 Min) 4.9 Hz – Introspection; Induce relaxation, meditation, & deeper sleep
 (15 Min) 2.5 Hz – pain relief, relaxation; production of endogenous opiates. Use for sedative effect [ESP];- reported use on bleeding, bruises, insomnia, and sinusitis.
 (30 Min) 3.4 Hz – Sound Sleep
For more great information about frequencies visit:
http://www.lunarsight.com/freq.htm

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Lucid Dream Ambient Binaural (@320  137mb)

About This Session:
Duration 59:58
Left Ear – 207.54 HZ
 Right Ear – 211.44Hz
 Binaural Frequency of 3.9Hz
3.9Hz – (a remedy for) unsociable behavior; Theta/Delta brainwave range – crystal clear meditation, lucid dreams, enhanced inner awareness, “facilitates easy access to inner resources & creates space for inner peace + self-renewal”.
211.44Hz – the unconscious, secrets, imagination, spiritual love; frequency associated with orbit of Neptune (Note=G#) (Color=orange) (Tempo=99.1 BPM) (Effects = supports intuition, the unconsciousness, and enhances the dream experience)

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Astral Projection Isochronic Binaural (@320 134mb)

About this session:
This session uses isochronic tones and binaural beats to induce brainwave entrainment for astral projection OBE.
About the binaural beat -
Left ear: 63Hz (Astral Projection)
Right ear: 70Hz (Mental & astral projection ; Endorphin production/used with electroanalgesia. )
Binaural Beat: 7Hz (Mental & astral projection, bending objects, psychic surgery; Increased Reaction Time; Mass aggregate frequency (can deaggregate matter), alleged to resonate & rupture organs at excessive intensity; Treatment of sleep disturbances
About the isochronic tone:
Base Frequency: 147.85Hz ( Frequency associated with orbit of Saturn – enhances concentration and the process of becoming conscious + shows very clearly karmic connections, brings structure and order – is considered to be a cosmic controller)
Isochronic Pulse: 6.3Hz (Mental & astral projection [SS seconded this]; accelerated learning & increased memory retention; (reduce) Anger + Irritability)


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B-Tribe's combines this dreamy, floating vibe of relaxation with pleasant melodies and worldbeat. Claus Zundel, the mastermind behind this appealing sound, recorded this effort in Ibiza, Spain, and Miami, and so it's no surprise that many of the tracks incorporate the mystical, exotic flamenco guitar weavings of Paco Fernandez. The "Intro" finds Fernandez noodling as if in search of a theme as a wash of synth mood and spacy energy wafts into the background. "Adagio in G-Minor" is a slow, brooding seduction that begins purely atmospheric but then incorporates a dreamy guitar melody. On "La Guitarra," there is a blend of low and high acoustic guitar lines with a soaring wordless female vocal moving in and out in the background. "Sketches of St. Antoni" features the lazy flügelhorn of Mark Smith, and sounds like a sweet little outtake from a Chris Botti project. The tempo pretty much stays at the meditational pace throughout, sometimes drawing upon combinations of Eastern textures and medieval church flavors. Definitely soothing.

B-Tribe - Spiritual Spiritual (flac 250mb)

01 Intro 2:48
02 Adagio In G-Minor 4:11
03 La Guitarra 4:28
04 Sketches Of St. Antoni 4:52
05 Las Salinas 5:44
06 Spiritual Spiritual 6:55
07 Es Vedra 4:55
08 Matador De Sa Pena 5:33
09 Reprise: Spiritual 1:55
10 Sunset In St. Carlos 5:49
11 She Moves Through The Fair 5:00
12 The Sun 3:05

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RhoDeo 1302 Beats

Hello, the beats go on....and today these are extra big beats.

Norman Cook is one of the biggest names in the UK dance scene not just from the studio but his live shows have drawn large crowds Here's some of his starters. .. .... N;Joy

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Norman "Jack-of-All-Genres" Cook, in addition to his former occupations as bassist for the Housemartins and one-third of acid house hitmakers Pizzaman, is also the man behind one of the most popular of the new flock of English "Brit-hop" producers, Fatboy Slim. Releasing his Fatboy material through club staple Skint, Cook's raucous blend of house, acid, funk, hip-hop, electro, and techno has added to his already formidable reputation as one of the foremost all-around producers on the U.K. club scene.

Quentin Leo Cook was born in Bromley, and raised in Reigate, Surrey, England, and was educated at Reigate Grammar School. He played drums in Disque Attack, a British New Wave-influenced rock band. When frontman Charlie Alcock was told by his parents that he had to give up the band to concentrate on his O levels. At 18, Cook went to the Brighton Polytechnic to read a B.A. in English, politics, and sociology. Although he had begun DJing some years before, it was at this time that he began to develop his skills on the thriving Brighton club scene, known as DJ Quentox, laying the base for Brighton's hip hop scene.

Cook joined the Hull-based pop group the Housemartins in 1986, replacing founding member Ted Key. After the group split the following year, Cook became involved with the burgeoning acid house scene, pairing with producers Tim Jeffrey and J.C. Reid toward the end of the decade to form Pizzaman. The trio nailed three Top 40 hits together ("Trippin' on Sunshine," "Sex on the Streets," and "Happiness") before Cook splintered off to record with similarly styled outfits Freak Power and Beats International in the early '90s.
 He shut most of his other production activities down in the following years to focus on his latest incarnation, Fatboy Slim, which began with a trio of singles and the full-length Better Living Through Chemistry. Cook was also called in to add his remixing skills to Jean-Jacques Perrey's proto-electronica classic "Eva," released as a 12" and CD single in 1997. In addition to his FBS work, Cook also recorded the Skip to My Loops sample CD, a popular studio tool sporting a mélange of sample-ready drum loops, analog squelches, and assorted noises. In early 1998, his remix of Cornershop's "Brimful of Asha" spent several weeks at number one in the British charts.

Fatboy Slim's eagerly anticipated second LP, You've Come a Long Way, Baby, followed later that year. The album went platinum in the U.S. and spawned two international hits, "The Rockafeller Skank" and "Praise You," which also boasted a Spike Jonze-directed video that earned three MTV Video Music Awards as well as two Grammy nominations. "The Rockafeller Skank," "Praise You," and other songs from You've Come a Long Way, Baby ended up on countless soundtracks and commercials, cementing Fatboy Slim's unique position as a critically acclaimed and immensely popular act.

Cook also recorded several mix albums, including the first disc of the Radio 1 compilation Essential Selection, Vol. 1 and his own On the Floor at the Boutique. The latter was released domestically in the U.S. in early 2000 to help fans withstand the wait for his third album, Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars, which arrived that fall. Two mix albums -- Live on Brighton Beach and Big Beach Boutique II -- appeared in 2002. During 2003, Cook and his wife -- popular British TV presenter Zöe Ball -- separated for a brief period. They soon patched things up but the split was a heavy influence on 2004's Palookaville, the most laid-back and moody Fatboy Slim album yet. Collecting his singles along with a couple of important remixes, The Greatest Hits: Why Try Harder appeared in 2006.

In 2008, Cook announced he would be retiring the Fatboy Slim name and launching a new project, Brighton Port Authority, or the BPA for short. As of 2009, the Fatboy Slim name was still appearing, such as on the 2009 mix CD Dance Bitch, and as BPA, Cook released I Think We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat in 2009. His next project, released in 2010 as Fatboy Slim, involved production work, collaboration, and co-billing with David Byrne on the Imelda Marcos concept release Here Lies Love. In 2011, he continued to tour across the globe and in 2012 he was asked to perform at the London Olympics closing ceremony. It was also this year he created The Brighton Port Authority, a musical concept group which contain special guest acts such as David Byrne,Iggy Pop, Dizzee Rascal, Martha Wainwright and many more. They released the single ‘Toejam’ in July 2012 and their debut album soon followed.


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Cook enlisted help from producer friends Tim Jeffery and JC Reid to create a house music album under the name Pizzaman. The 1995 Pizzamania album spawned three UK Top 40 hits: "Trippin' on Sunshine", "Sex on the Streets", and "Happiness". "Happiness" was picked up by the Del Monte Foods corporation for use in a UK fruit juice ad.

Pizzaman - Pizzamania (flac  347mb)

01 Sex On The Streets (Radio) 3:49
02 Trippin On Sunshine (Radio) 3:52
03 Happiness (Eat Me Edit) 3:25
04 Hello Honky Tonks 5:41
05 Sans Bateaux 5:47
06 Just Height The Ball 5:33
07 The Feeling 6:37
08 Babyloop 5:39
09 Gotta Man 5:24
10 Sex On The Streets (Pizzaman Dub) 7:32

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Fatboy Slim is one of DJ Norman Cook's many aliases, and has proven to be his most popular and successful yet. Although he consistently racks up dance hits in his native England (each under a different surname), he didn't achieve global success until the re-release of Better Living Through Chemistry (a variation of a DuPont advertising slogan) in 1996.On the insistence of his friends the Chemical Brothers, Cook released the track "Going out of My Head" as the album's first single. Due to its popular video and instantly catchy sample from the Who classic "I Can't Explain," Cook earned his first U.S. hit. Another unlikely sample used to great effect was featured in the track "Michael Jackson," which used a snippet of Negativland's "Negativland." "The Weekend Starts Here" is similar to the Beastie Boys' funk instrumentals, featuring distant organ and lazy harmonica blowing (which sounds an awful lot like the harmonica phrase at the beginning of Black Sabbath's "The Wizard"). The album cover features the image of a 3.5-inch floppy disk, paying homage to the cover of New Order's "Blue Monday" single, which featured a 5.25-inch disk. The song "Give the Po' Man a Break" is featured in the 2000 film Traffic. The song "The Weekend Starts Here" is featured in the first episode of the British sitcom, Spaced.

Fatboy Slim - Better Living Through Chemistry (flac  450mb)

01 Song For Lindy 4:49
02 Santa Cruz 7:29
03 Going Out Of My Head 5:14
04 The Weekend Starts Here 6:40
05 Everybody Needs A 303 5:48
06 Give The Po' Man A Break 5:52
07 10th And Crenshaw 4:19
08 First Down 6:17
09 Punk To Funk 4:58
10 The Sound Of Milwaukee 6:16
 
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Fatboy Slim's debut album, Better Living Through Chemistry, with it's hard-hitting beats and catchiness, not to mention consistency, o was a shock, and it raised expectations for Fatboy Slim's second album, You've Come a Long Way, Baby. And that record itself was something of a surprise, since it not only exceeded the expectations set by the debut, but came damn close to being the definitive big beat album. The difference is, Cook is a record geek with extensive knowledge and eclectic tastes. His juxtapositions -- the album swings from hip-hop to reggae to jangle pop, and then all combines into one sound -- are wildly original, even if the music itself doesn't break through the confines of big beat. Then again, when a record is this forceful and catchy, it doesn't need to break new stylistic ground -- the pleasure is in hearing a master work. this is a seamless record, filled with great imagination, unexpected twists and turns, huge hooks, and great beats.

The album's title is taken from a marketing slogan for the cigarette brand Virginia Slims, similar to how Fatboy Slim's debut album Better Living Through Chemistry borrowed chemical company DuPont's tagline for its title. You've Come a Long Way, Baby faced issues regarding the use of profanity, most notably on the track "Fucking in Heaven" where the word fucking is spoken 108 times by DJ Freddy Fresh. The word "shit" is used in "Gangster Tripping" 57 times, which makes a total of 165 profanities. Because of this, the album was given a Parental Advisory sticker.

Fatboy Slim - You've Come A Long Way Baby (flac 388mb)

01 Right Here, Right Now 6:27
02 The Rockafeller Skank 6:54
03 Fucking In Heaven 3:55
04 Gangster Tripping 5:20
05 Build It Up - Tear It Down 5:05
06 Kalifornia 5:54
07 Soul Surfing 4:57
08 You're Not From Brighton 5:21
09 Praise You 5:24
10 Love Island 5:19
11 Acid 8000 7:28

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Fatboy Slim - You've Come A Long Way Baby bonus ( flac 321mb)

01 Cowboy 5:33
02 Radioactivity 3:42
03 Because We Can 3:30
04 Always Read The Label 5:52
05 Tweakers Delight 3:08
06 The World Went Down 6:43
07 Jack It Up (DJ Delite) 4:06
08 Don't Forget Your Teeth 5:41
09 Praise You (Original Version) 6:21
10 Lounge Island 3:14

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 from a deleted page way back and now in glorious flac, enjoy that memory lane..just be good to me

Beats International - Let Them Eat Bingo (flac  352mb)

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RhoDeo 1302 Goldy Rhox 91

Hello, today the 91st post of GoldyRhox, classic pop rock, in the darklight a US star, nicknamed "The Boss," a singer-songwriter who's widely known for his brand of heartland rock, poetic lyrics, Americana sentiments centered on his native New Jersey and his lengthy and energetic stage performances, with concerts from the 1970s to the present decade running up to an uninterrupted 250 minutes in length. His recordings have included both commercially accessible rock albums and more somber folk-oriented works.

He has sold more than 65 million albums in the United States and more than 120 million worldwide and he has earned numerous awards for his work, including 20 Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes and an Academy Award as well as being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked him as the 23rd Greatest Artist of all time

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Most of the albums i 'll post made many millions for the music industry and a lot of what i intend to post still gets repackaged and remastered decades later, squeezing the last drop of profit out of bands that for the most part have ceased to exist long ago, although sometimes they get lured out of the mothballs to do a big bucks gig or tour. Now i'm not as naive to post this kinda music for all to see and have deleted, these will be a black box posts, i'm sorry for those on limited bandwidth but for most of you a gamble will get you a quality rip don't like it, deleting is just 2 clicks...That said i will try to accommodate somewhat and produce some cryptic info on the artist and or album.

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artist quote
"the album where I left behind my adolescent definitions of love and freedom-- it was the dividing line."

Todays mystery album is the artist's third album is the third album by, it was released on August 25, 1975 through Columbia Records. It captured the heaviness of the artist's earlier releases while displaying a more diverse range of influences. The album was a critical and commercial success and became his breakthrough album. It peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, eventually selling six million copies in the US by the year 2000.

The album is noted for its use of introductions to set the tone of each song (all of the record was composed on piano, not guitar), and for the Phil Spector-like "Wall of Sound" arrangements and production. Indeed, the artist has said that he wanted "the album" to sound like "Roy Orbison singing Bob Dylan, produced by Spector." Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" ranked todays mystery album at number 18, and it's listed in the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry of historic recordings.



Goldy Rhox 91   (flac 242mb)

Goldy Rhox 91   (ogg 82mb)

previously

Goldy Rhox 49   (flac 488mb)

Goldy Rhox 49   (ogg 199mb)


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RhoDeo 1302 Aetix

Hello,  snow is a rarety around here, yet today there was plenty to go around, one of those magnificint side effects of it is not just the pure white blanket of it but the wonderful silence that goes with it. Alas it never lasts long in the city.

Meanwhile, it's Aetix time and as I didn't fancy presenting a new act but instead chose to complete last weeks act discography and  re-rip and re-up the one i posted 6 years ago. Here are 3 remasters  .....  N'Joy

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The band began as a group of friends. Brothers David Sylvian (guitar and vocals) and Steve Jansen (drums), keyboardist Richard Barbieri and bassist Mick Karn studied at the same school. As youngsters they played Sylvian's two-chord numbers mainly as a means of escape; sometimes with Karn as the front man, sometimes with Sylvian at the fore. The band, who were initially nameless, opted to call themselves Japan just before their first live gig in the mid 1970s. The name was intended by Sylvian to be temporary until they could think of something else, but ultimately became permanent.

After winning a label-sponsored talent contest, they were signed to Germany's Ariola-Hansa Records in 1977 and debuted a year later with the 1978 album Adolescent Sex and followed up with their second album, Obscure Alternatives, the same year. Both albums, produced by Ray Singer, sold well in Japan (where the band's name helped them to gain a devoted cult following) and the Netherlands, where the single "Adolescent Sex" was a Top 30 hit. They also gained some popularity in Canada, however, in their native UK those albums failed to garner public attention and did not chart. Though influenced by artists such as the New York Dolls, Roxy Music and David Bowie, both albums were widely dismissed by the UK music press as being distinctly outmoded at a time when punk and New Wave bands were in ascendence.

In 1979, the band briefly worked with the successful Eurodisco producer Giorgio Moroder, who would co-write and produce a one-off single, "Life in Tokyo". The track was a significant change in musical style from their earlier guitar-laden recordings, moving them away from their glam rock roots and into electronic new wave dance music. This style continued on their third album, Quiet Life (1979), which was produced by the band with John Punter and Simon Napier-Bell. It showcased Barbieri's synthesisers, Sylvian's now baritone style of singing, Karn's distinctive fretless bass sound and Steve Jansen's odd-timbred and intricate percussion work, with Dean's guitar playing becoming somewhat sparser and atmospheric. Quiet Life was their last studio album for Hansa-Ariola.

After leaving Hansa-Ariola, the band signed with Virgin Records who released their last studio albums, Gentlemen Take Polaroids (1980) and Tin Drum (1981). The albums continued to expand their audience as the band refined its new sound, however the combination of their newer sound and the band's stylised visual appearance led to them unintentionally becoming associated with the early-1980s New Romantic movement. The band had always worn make-up since their inception in the mid 1970s at the tail end of the glam rock era, many years before the New Romantic movement had begun. Regardless, it had a positive effect on the band's record sales in the UK and they slowly began to gain chart success. After a couple of lower charting singles, their first UK Top 40 hit was a re-release of the "Quiet Life" single, which peaked at No. 19 in October 1981. Three of the singles from the Tin Drum album also peaked in the UK Top 40, with its unconventional single "Ghosts" reaching No. 5, becoming Japan's biggest domestic hit. The Tin Drum album itself peaked just outside the UK Top 10, and was the band's first record to be certified by the BPI, reaching Gold status within four months. The album is often seen as one of the most innovative of the 1980s, with its fusion of occidental and oriental sounds.

The group's final UK performances came in November 1982, culminating in a six-night sell-out stint at London's Hammersmith Odeon. During this period, guitarist and keyboardist Masami Tsuchiya performed with the band on stage. Japan's last ever performance was on 16 December 1982 in Nagoya, Japan. The band's final Hammersmith concerts were recorded to produce Oil On Canvas, a live album and video released in June 1983. Ironically, the band decided to split just as they were beginning to experience significant commercial success both in their native UK and internationally, with Oil On Canvas becoming their highest charting UK album, reaching No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart, a rare feat for a live album. By this time, the band's back catalogue had begun to sell steadily.

However, Tin Drum also proved to be Japan's swan song: Long-simmering differences among the bandmembers came to a head when Karn's girlfriend, photographer Yuka Fujii, moved in with Sylvian and the individual members proceeded with their own projects. Rob Dean had already departed after the release of the Gentlemen Take Polaroids album, as his electric guitar work was increasingly regarded as superfluous. Dean subsequently formed Illustrated Man. Karn released his first solo album, Titles, at the same time the band announced their split in late-1982. Sylvian began a successful solo career and also entered into a series of collaborations with performers like Ryuichi Sakamoto, Holger Czukay and Robert Fripp, while Karn  founded the short-lived duo Dali's Car with Bauhaus' Peter Murphy. In 1986, meanwhile, Jansen and Barbieri issued Worlds in a Small Room under their own names before recording together as the Dolphin Brothers.

In 1987, Karn released Dreams of Reason Produce Monsters, a solo LP which featured contributions from Sylvian and Jansen, spurring rumors of a reunion which came to fruition in 1989 when the four principal members re-teamed under the name Rain Tree Crow. By the time an eponymously-titled album appeared in 1991, however, relations had again dissolved in acrimony, and the musicians went their separate ways; while Sylvian continued working independently, as the decade wore on Karn, Jansen and Barbieri occasionally reunited in various projects while also maintaining solo careers. Sadly Mick Karn died of cancer July 2011.

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Partially growing out of their success in the country they were named after, as well as growing friendship and affiliation with such bands as Yellow Magic Orchestra, Japan, on Tin Drum, made its most unique, challenging, and striking album. It was also the final full studio effort from the group, and what a way to bow out. Rather than repeat the sheer restraint on Gentlemen Take Polaroids, Tin Drum is an album of energy, Sylvian's singing still the decadently joyful thing it is, but the arrangements and performances tight, full, and active. The fusion of exquisite funk courtesy of Karn and Jansen's joined-at-the-hip rhythm section and a range of Asian music influences, from instrumentation to subject matter, combined with an even wider use of technological approaches to create the dramatic, sly songs on offer. To top it all off, the band was more popular than ever, with "Ghosts," an appropriately haunting ballad notable for its utterly minimal arrangement, almost entirely eschewing beats for Barbieri's textures and Jansen's work on marimba, becoming a Top Ten hit in the U.K. The wound-up dancefloor art grooves of "The Art of Parties" and especially "Visions of China," the latter featuring what has to be Karnand Jansen's eternal highlight performance were also notable efforts. Meanwhile, the evocation of Chinese culture in general continued with such songs as "Canton," a slightly martial, stately march with clear inspiration from the country's classical music tradition. In 2011, thirty years after its release, Tin Drum was awarded BBC Radio 6 Music's 'Goldie' award posthumously for the best album of 1981.

Japan ‎- Tin Drum (flac 224mb)

01 The Art Of Parties 4:12
02 Talking Drum 3:36
03 Ghosts 4:37
04 Canton 5:35
05 Still Life In Mobile Homes 5:35
06 Visions Of China 3:39
07 Sons Of Pioneers 7:09
08 Cantonese Boy 3:51  
 
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The final Japan release was sold and marketed as a live album, though actually it's a bit of a catchall -- it is indeed mostly from concerts, but also includes a variety of studio instrumentals and a re-recorded version of "Nightporter" mixed in to sound like it's part of the show. The various re-releases of the albums over the years confused matters further, with resequencings, the excision of cuts, and more adding to general confusion about the release (not to mention the fact that some reissues completely omitted where the shows were recorded anyway!). Two of the instrumentals, "Oil on Canvas" itself and "Temple of Dawn," are brief, gentle pieces by Sylvian and Barbieri respectively. "Voices Raised in Welcome, Hands Held in Prayer" is a more involving effort, combining a quiet, gamelan-inspired rhythm with found-sound samples from what appears to be a religious ceremony. As for "Nightporter," it's a nice enough new version but isn't notably different or varied from the earlier studio take. The remaining live cuts show that the exquisite tension and serene sounds in the studio were easily transferred to the stage in all their elegant complexity. The Tin Drum selections, which make up most of the release, make the case even more that Japan was as much a prog band as a glam one, Sylvian's captivating vocals flowing over Asian-derived scales and melodies, the guitar parts handled by guest performer Masami Tsuchiya, who also plays some keyboards. "Visions of China" sounds especially grand, Jansen's entrancing drumming seemingly impossible to be created and yet clearly existing. Although the album was released some months following the band's much publicised split in late 1982, it was ironically Japan's highest charting album in the UK (where it reached #5). The album was certified "Gold" by the BPI in 1988 for 100,000 copies sold.

Japan ‎- Oil On Canvas   ( flac 432mb)

01 Oil On Canvas 1:26
02 Sons Of Pioneers 4:59
03 Gentlemen Take Polaroids 6:42
04 Swing 5:36
05 Cantonese Boy 3:46
06 Visions Of China 3:35
07 Ghosts 6:23
08 Voices Raised In Welcome, Hands Held In Prayer (Studio) 3:30
09 Nightporter 6:49
10 Still Life In Mobile Homes 5:38
11 Methods Of Dance 6:08
12 Quiet Life 4:35
13 The Art Of Parties 5:28
14 Canton 5:44
15 Temple Of Dawn 1:47

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Recorded in 1989-1990 and released in April 1991, the majority of the material on their eponymous album was written as a result of group improvisations (aside from 'Blackwater'). There were no pre-rehearsals and the music that emerged was a hybrid of atmospheric ambient ballads in the style of lead singer David Sylvian's contemporaneous albums and more dissonant experimental styles that sometimes echoed the work of Tom Waits and King Crimson. All members of the band aside from Sylvian wished to retain the Japan moniker which was last used when the band split in December 1982. However, Sylvian levered increasing artistic and production control over the project (including his insistence on using the RTC name instead of Japan, much to the other members' bemusement and annoyance), to the point where the recording developed from a band effort into a what was essentially another Sylvian solo project, leaving the other members as mere sessioners for the front man.

Like a mellower, new age-oriented version of Japan, Rain Tree Crow explores stark soundscapes that sound alternately beautiful and desolate. Although it is a bit too challenging to provide a good introduction to Sylvian and Karn's music, the album remains fascinating for their fans.

Rain Tree Crow ‎- Rain Tree Crow  (  flac 198mb)

01 Big Wheels In Shanty Town 7:08
02 Every Colour You Are 4:45
03 Rain Tree Crow 2:06
04 Red Earth (As Summertime Ends) 3:39
05 Pocket Full Of Change 6:08
06 Boat's For Burning 0:45
07 New Moon At Red Deer Wallow 5:13
08 Blackwater 4:20
09 A Reassuringly Dull Sunday 1:22
10 Blackcrow Hits Shoe Shine City 5:15
11 Scratchings On The Bible Belt 2:46
12 Cries And Whispers 2:36

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re-rip-up

Japan - Gentlemen Take Polaroids ( 132mb)

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RhoDeo 1302 Roots

Hello, Since the mid eighties, UK was established as the new center of dub production, with originators Mad Professor and Jah Shaka, paving the way for a all new open minded generation of producers, DJs, soundsystems and studios, followers of steppers approach, and willing to preserve and pass on dis tradition. Embodying in the sound a whole new kind of digital and electronic musical variations, like drum n bass, jungle, techno, dubstep…they keep on to perpetuate and recreate the diversity and originality within the style till present days.The UK dub scene keeps on going, regardless of the little media exposure that it has. Following in the footsteps of the sound systems that inspired him, Stevie Vibronics's dubs have been built for the Sound System, and the Scooped bass bin is by far the best way to achieve the kind of foundation-shaking bass. Time to try some at home  .... N'joy

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It was the joint discovery of the Aba-Shanti-I Sound System and digitally sequenced music which first inspired Steve Vibronics to try his hand at building dub tunes. A minimal studio was put together at home during 1995 using the most basic of equipment - a dilapidated 16 track mixer, reverb and echo units, a couple of synths and a an Atari computer - all mixed - all mixed down onto cassette tape.

From Leicester, England, the mysterious Stevie Vibronics initially appeared on the Egg Experience '97 shows, where his enigmatic stage presence inspired Zion Train to sign the arranger. He initially experimented with music programming at home, producing dub sounds that surfaced on dub plates for sound systems. His major influences came from attending Jah Shaka and Abashanti sessions. With the advent of sequenced music in the 90s, Vibronics created a digital dub sound that resulted in "Universal Love", a particular favourite with the Abashanti crew. His sessions with Zion Train led to the release of "Jah Light, Jah Love", which proved popular within the UK roots scene. Following on from numerous dub-clashes on the Universal Egg Experience tour, 1998 saw Vibronics team up with dub activist Jah Free for the ‘Outernational Dub Convention’ album. Jah Free introduced the conference with a set of uplifting vocal tunes and Vibronics answered with six raucous lo-fi bass-heavy dubplates.

Jah Free was notorious for his penchant for booming out the basslines, and Vibronics was an ideal partner. The duo performed on a series of dub conferences across Europe, and, inspired by the original "Dub Conference" organizer Winston Edwards, they recorded Outernational Dub Conference Volume One. Acclaimed as "the Roni Size of reggae', Vibronics played his original dubs through his Atari, which he mixed live on stage utilizing his Soundcraft desk.

The album set the scene for a year of live dub conventions with Jah Free and MC Richi Rootz, taking in venues all over the UK and Europe from Southend to Summerjam and London to Lowlands. The Vibronics studio had by now evolved into the Bathysphere - a joint venture with like-minded associates in Leicester where collaborations with Alpha and Omega, Wayne McArthur, The Disciples, The Dub Factory, Jah Free and Zion Train have now taken place.

By 2000 it was about time that Vibronics released an album in their own right - enter ‘Dub Italizer’. Working in the Bathysphere studio with a G4 Mac, a Soundcraft Ghost mixer and a host of equipment previously unimaginable, ‘Dub Italizer’ was recorded in February 2000, taking the cream of the crop of dubs tried and tested during the last two years live sessions. The album was greeted with unanimous praise, with Boney’s sublime ‘Jah Music’ rightfully taking the crown as the most talked about track.

Steve + Richi was beginning to turn toward ideas they had been forming together, ideas centred on starting their own record label. The SCOOPS label was created whilst on tour, on long, long journeys between venues in France in late 2000. Vibronics music has always been built for the Sound System, and the Scooped bass bin is by far the best way to achieve the kind of foundation-shaking bass. The SCOOPS label has always been about contributing too, and maintaining a presence in the UK Roots scene. The success of the first 12” has led Steve + Rich to turn SCOOPS into one of the Uks most reputable nu-roots labels. Every limited edition vinyl release has sold out.

Vibronics put together a  new slice of roots thunder called ‘Dubliftment’ early in 2004. This long player displays a more matured approach to the dub sound, featuring a range of lush musical contributions from the long-time crew of Madu, Boney, Vitamin ‘M’ and Stevie Splitz. It was mixed and produced in the all-new-Vibronics-Vibrations studio, a humble but vibrant base, equipped with an array of the latest computer hardware and vintage dub effects alike.

Today Vibronics is one of the top names in the field of UK/Euro Dub and Roots.

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Working in the Bathysphere studio with a G4 Mac, a Soundcraft Ghost mixer and a host of equipment previously unimaginable, ‘Dub Italizer’ was recorded in February 2000, taking the cream of the crop of dubs tried and tested during the last two years live sessions. The album was greeted with unanimous praise, with Boney’s sublime ‘Jah Music’ rightfully taking the crown as the most talked about track. The success of the Italizer long player led to live bookings as far a field as Helsinki, Warsaw and Lisbon.
Vibronics had, at that time, released four singles on the Deep Root label to great critical acclaim and two of those singles are featured here in the shape of 'On Jah Side' (Root003) and 'Positive Direction' (Root004). On this LP project the voice of Boney L and the melodica talents of Vitamin M add a natural flavour to the distinctive electro dubs of Stevie Vibronics, special thanks to Zion Train, Richi Rootz & Jah Free, vocals by Boney L, melodica by Vitamin M.

Vibronics - Dub Italizer (flac  395mb)

01 Rastaman's Story 5:20
02 Dub Advance 4:01
03 Jah Music 3:40
04 Jah Dub 3:39
05 Samsara 4:12
06 Vintage Dub 4:16
07 Positive Direction 3:27
08 Positive Dub 3:28
09 Beat Down Babylon 4:50
10 Dub Crisis 4:07
11 Kali Mountain 4:58
12 Rosetta Stone 5:08
13 Congo Natty 4:18
14 On Jah Side 3:20
15 On Jah Dub 2:57
16 Mother Earth 4:49

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Over the past couple of years Leicester's Stevie Vibronics has forced himself through to UK's major dub league through a succession of leading edge nu roots sides built for maximum sound system damage, many inna that speedy steppers' style that leads one to wonder if new substances are being abused on the dancefloor or is it a super strain of weed. On this new one, the follow-up to their debut 'Dub Italizer', Vibronics (Steve, Richi Rootz and vocalist Madu) are supplemented by Mark Iration, Wayne McArthur, on militant horns Stevie Splitz and melodica Vitamin M. The mix is tough as might be expected but there are constant flourishes, the opening acapella horns on 'Only One Dub', the dubbed Spanish guitar on 'Dub Forever' and the harmonised vocal intro on 'Mount Zion I'.

Vibronics - Dubliftment (flac  291mb)

01 Only One Dub 4:08
02 Mount Zion-I 3:58
03 Dub Forever 3:49
04 Deep Root Dub 3:57
05 Red, Gold & Green 4:02
06 Highland Dub 3:56
07 Dub Herbs 4:43
08 Volcano 3:13
09 East End Dub 4:02
10 Dub Struggle 4:01
11 Sound Minded 4:22
12 Dinosaur 3:43

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Throughout the 12 tracks that make this new, UK Dub Story, we can find it all! UK Dub trademark is, as always, the everlasting presence of the heaviest basslines, so be sure to switch ON the humble BASS option in your player! The spatial echoes, vintage dub sound effects and a warfare like drum display resonate all over the set, creating one of the most clear dub atmospheres from the latest times.  The “opener” Fistfull of Dub, brings an experimental tribal approach to Vibronics sounds, and the “closer” Digital Revolution rounds up the full diverse approach that UK Dub Story has to offer.

Guests on this set include the Mad Professor's old spar Macka B, UK's answer to Brigadier Jerry or Charlie Chaplin but confining himself to conscious lyrics and its great to hear his distinctively smokey voice on "Tired of the War", Vibronics in-house DJs Echo Ranks and Jah Marnyah appear on "Long Time Dub" and "King's Highway Dub" respectively – so expect the full vocal to appear on 7" format later in the year. The pace is slowed down with atmospherics rather than explosions on "Night Storm" and "Dub Lalibela" with the set being rounded off with "Digital Revolution" a tribute to the technology that gave dub its extended life span.

Vibronics - UK Dub Story (flac 274mb)

01 Fistful Of Dub 3:30
02 Dawn Chorus 3:51
03 Tired Of The War Feat.Macka B 3:46
04 Silver & Gold 3:49
05 Night Storm 3:42
06 Long Time Dub Feat.Echo Ranks 3:39
07 Flying Dub 4:09
08 King's Highway Dub Feat.Jah Marnyah 3:55
09 Dub Lalibela 3:37
10 World Of Dub 4:18
11 Safe In The Dub 4:03
12 Digital Revolution 4:03

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RhoDeo 1302 Byron 16

Hello, Earth still spinning for it's Earthlings, but for how long rumors are it's about to flip it's magnetic field in the near future followed by a shift of the northpole (by then southpole) into Siberia which will not go unnoticed... Not to worry we are all immortal.

Meanwhile you can listen to the continuing saga of The Byron Chronicles season 3 finale ...NJoy

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From The Byron Chronicles Introduction

“Imagine if the world as you know it… was nothing more than an illusion. What if creatures like elves, dragons, vampires, zombies and werewolves walk amongst you every day… But you never see them.”

“This is the world I walk in.
 I am called Byron
 And these are my chronicles…“

The Byron Chronicles is a dark urban fantasy written and produced by Darker Projects, an audio drama company with an extensive website.  The site is well laid out and all of their shows can be heard free of charge direct from the website or  as podcasts, while your on  the go. The Darker Projects website hosts many shows, but I have chosen to focus on The Byron Chronicles for this review.

The Byron chronicles center around a being simply called Byron, who is something “other than human”. Byron lives in the shadows of our modern world, where vampires, werewolves and other creatures of fantasy are very real, but kept hidden from human eyes. The separation of  the supernatural world from the human world is an important element through out the entire series. We quickly find out that when the two worlds mix violence  seems to ensue, usually leading to bad things for humans and supernaturals alike. In fact, the only person who seems to think humans and supernatural beings can get along is Byron himself, who tends to act as a mediator between the two.

Joining Byron on these adventures is Miss Chris Sparrow, who once led a “normal life” as a Barrista at a local Portland Oregon coffee shop before being turned into a half vampire in a freak accident. Chris turned to Byron reluctantly at first, but the pair quickly became fast friends as Chris came to rely on Byron for guidance while supernatural world revealed itself to her. Byron in turn, seemed to rely on Chris in helping him better understand humans as a whole. There were several plot lines in the first season, including Byron saving the life of Lazarus the First Zombie, and preventing a worldwide zombie outbreak in the process. Then Byron had to hunt down a vampire lord named Branlaven, who was selling a super drug called “rush” on the streets of Portland. It was the drug Rush which caused Chris to become a half vampire, and it was here that Chris Sparrow made her first appearance in the series. Next, Byron was taken hostage by two different secret societies; each one trying to save the world from “monsters” like Byron.

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1-309 Christmas 2011
In collaboration with The Leviathan Chronicles

2-310 Phantoms
Good luck, Mister Knox... I fear you're going to need it soon enough...


The Byron Chronicles 3 (9,10) ( 42mb)

01 The Byron Chronicles 309 Christmas 2011 (12:32)
02 The Byron Chronicles 310 Phantoms (18:14)

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previously

Byron's Tale ( 63mb)
The Byron Chronicles 1 (2,3) ( 67mb)
The Byron Chronicles 1 (4,5) ( 45mb)
The Byron Chronicles 1 (6,7) ( 42mb)
The Byron Chronicles 1 (8,9) ( 90mb)
The Byron Chronicles 2 (1,2) ( 90mb)
The Byron Chronicles 2 (3,4a) ( 90mb)
The Byron Chronicles 2 (3,4a) ( 66mb)
The Byron Chronicles 2 (5,6) ( 44mb)
The Byron Chronicles 2 (7,8) ( 49mb)
The Byron Chronicles 2 (9,10) ( 49mb)
The Byron Chronicles 3 (1,2) ( 76mb)
The Byron Chronicles 3 (3,4) ( 58mb)
The Byron Chronicles 3 (5,6) ( 66mb)
The Byron Chronicles 3 (7,8) ( 47mb)

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Sundaze 1302

Hello,  we'll continue the new Sundaze year with Keith Kenniff an American composer, multi-instrumentalist, and electronic music producer. He's been very prolific this last decade and i thought it was time to share some here, last week Helios, this week Goldmund.

Post-classical piano music ...  N'Joy

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which compositions belong to Goldmund and which to Helios?
 It’s a pretty clear line for me; the Goldmund material is basically just solo piano, and even though I use some piano in Helios, there it’s more centered around traditional song structure and electronics/guitars and beats. The Goldmund material is written and recorded very quickly, and there is a lot of improvisation involved; but the Helios material is really detail orientated, and usually is pretty measured, compositionally.

Keith Kenniff is an American composer, multi-instrumentalist, and electronic music producer. He composes ambient/electronic music under the moniker Helios and post-classical piano music under Goldmund (the latter’s music once described by Ryuichi Sakamoto as “...so, so, so beautiful...”). At a young age, Keith Kenniff started playing drums, guitar and bass. His musical journey took him to the prestigious Berklee College of Music, where he graduated with honors in 2006 with a B.A. in percussion and composition.

Keith also records and performs music for solo piano under the name Goldmund for which he has six releases on Unseen Music, Type Records and Western Vinyl. In 2005 Corduroy Road Keith's first album under the moniker Goldmund, was released followed by the mini album ‘Two Point Discrimination’ in 2007. His 2nd full album ‘The Malady of Elegance' was released in 2008. In 2010 'Famous Places' saw the light followed by Goldmunds's 4th and currently last album 'All Will Prosper' in 2011. Keith has toured and performed extensively throughout the US, Europe Japan and Canada.

Keith has an indie rock/shoegaze band with his wife called Mint Julep. In January, 2011 they released an EP called "Adorn". The band will release their first full-length album, "Save Your Season" in 2011. The Kenniff's also have a children's music project, Meadows, (inspired by the couple's young son), whose debut longplayer, "The Littlest Star" was released in the summer of 2011.

Keith Kenniff's music has been featured on programs for NPR, the BBC, and can be heard in a number of documentaries and films, including celebrated indie filmmaker Harmony Korine's film 'Mister Lonely', a trailer for the 2009 film "Revolutionary Road" by Academy Award winning director Sam Mendes and his track 'The Chosen' has been used on America's Next Top Model. Keith has also composed music for web advertising by clients such as Facebook, Honda, MTV, Canon, T Mobile, American Express, Audi, Levi's, AEG, Vinamilk, and Christie's.

In 2011, Kenniff's "Orchestral – Goldengrove v2" was the featured soundtrack for several Apple commercials promoting its iPhone 4S.

"I try and issue a lot of restraint in the material I write, but music is a way (sometimes the only way) for me to reflect on, or release, my emotions fully. I think invariably when I write music or perform there's this wellspring of feeling that I might otherwise suppress that desperately wants to come out."


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Kenniff lives and breathes music, something that is very obvious when hearing tracks under any of his pseudonyms. As Goldmund, Kenniff has disregarded the electronic elements of his music almost entirely in favour of just a piano, a microphone and occasionally a guitar. ‘Corduroy Road’ is thirteen tracks of pure recording, the sound of the piano being opened and the feet on the pedals, the sound of fingers pressing lovingly onto the keys. This is a record of rare and unusual beauty, so shocking and yet unpretentious in its simplicity. When the guitar does emerge from beside the delicately touched piano, it serves as a balancing point for the record. Weaving in and out of the melodies, it adds another layer to what is already incredibly moving music.

‘Corduroy Road’ is rooted in Kenniff’s love of folk music from the American Civil War. We can hear this directly from his rendition of Civil War era classic ‘Marching Through Georgia’, but the influence carries throughout the record. There is an unheard voice which propels each track through history, maybe the ghosts of dying soldiers whispering in a long forgotten bar. Every haunting note drifts deep into the psyche and is lost in the ether of nostalgia. In this way it is a concept recording of sorts, it certainly has a narrative and has to be listened to in sequence. The story has clear themes; loss, history, friendship, camaraderie, forgiveness and hope, all clearly marked out by musical segments. It is no surprise that Kenniff’s passion for cinema shines through so strongly.

It would be hard to draw comparisons to music so rooted in folk traditions, but the music evokes traces of Ryuichi Sakamoto, Mark Hollis, Keith Jarret or even Eno’s more piano based compositions. Yet influence seems unimportant when listening to this deeply personal work. Just let it sink in and drift into the psyche.

Goldmund - Corduroy Road (flac  138mb)

01 Ba 1:33
02 Door Of Our Home 3:27
03 Marching Through Georgia 1:11
04 Downward To Darkness On Extended Wings 2:13
05 My Neighborhood 4:47
06 The One Acre 2:07
07 25 Thousand Miles 4:14
08 Methusela Tree 4:48
09 Larrows Of The Field 3:01
10 Provenance 2:56
11 Parhelia 6:05
12 Yamase 3:54
13 Anomolie Loop (1960-1969) 7:09

Goldmund - Corduroy Road (ogg  96mb)

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Sometimes, music doesn’t need to be interesting, genre-defining, or even that good to be moving. And in all honesty, Goldmund’s Two Point Discrimination doesn’t really do all that much. This is an EP stripped of all complexities, which doesn’t mean to say it’s boring. No, Goldmund is doing something rather subdued with his music. Consisting primarily of simplistic stabbing piano notes, uncluttered harp plucking, and seemingly sporadic chord strikes, Goldmund is working on a much more spectral level and achieving.

From the moment ‘Leading’ opens this record, to the second the final note is plucked on ‘One’, you get the sense as a listener that this album was assembled purely to accompany a film, a really beautiful and epic bohemian drama, as every song lends its symphonic resonance to illustrious and rich imagery. Again, nothing very interesting is happening, but it’s this nothingness that’s so engaging, allowing listeners to fill in the gaps which Goldmund so strategically places on Two Point Discrimination with whatever they wish.

This music is a confusing but beautiful mess of sound. Goldmund almost seems to be playing whatever the hell he likes, allowing discordance to slowly blend with melody. Not only does Goldmund really understand how to weave and construct simplistic-yet-catchy melodies, but he also excels in delivering songs that never outdo themselves in length – as do so many similar artists of his vein. All of his songs seem like perfectly packaged vignettes constructed with care and devotion.

'Leading Them From Light To Shadow They Will See As One'  Hmm, i suppose Keith considered that to be too pretentious a title for this mini album. Still it is...

Goldmund - Two Point Discrimination (flac  095mb)

01 Leading 1:59
02 Them 1:55
03 From 1:34
04 Light 3:01
05 To 3:10
06 Shadow 2:11
07 They 1:58
08 Will 2:51
09 See 1:45
10 As 2:28
11 One. 1:27

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‘The Malady of Elegance’ is the second poetic full-length from Boston-based composer Keith Kenniff, better known to some as Helios. Taking cues from ‘Corduroy Road’ Keith again restricts himself to the piano in conjuring up his humble soundscapes and again we are pulled into a deep, meditative and filmic world as the notes glide to a slow, pensive meter. Keith’s last release was the challenging ‘Two Point Discrimination’ EP, released on the Western Vinyl label as part of their portrait series, but where that record was a collection of haunting experiments in form and sound, ‘The Malady of Elegance’ sees us back into the warming, homespun territory of ‘Corduroy Road’. That’s not to say these compositions are upbeat, far from it in fact, but there are lines to be drawn to folk music, and while Keith no longer draws on the American Civil War as a primary influence there is still the sense that the ghosts of old America haunt the keys.

On top of these references we see Keith tripping somewhat fittingly into a flickering filmic world somewhat in line with his taste in European film. There is a delicate narrative on show throughout the record from the opening hopefulness of Image-Autumn-Womb through the melancholy of Now to the sensitive romance of the album’s closer Evelyn. Listening to the record almost creates its own cinematic accompaniment in the minds eye, and this is simply a testament to Ketih’s incredible talents as a composer.

Fans of Erik Satie, Sylvain Chauveau and Hauschka need look no further, ‘The Malady of Elegance’ is a deeply personal meditation which you cannot help but get lost inside.

Goldmund - The Malady of Elegance (flac 229mb)

01 Image-Autumn-Womb 3:05
02 In A Notebook 2:12
03 Finding It There 3:40
04 Subtle The Sum 1:59
05 Threnody 4:41
06 Now 3:54
07 The Winter Of 1539-1540 2:17
08 Ouendake 3:32
09 John Harrington 6:04
10 Apalachee 4:58
11 The Gardener 1:25
12 Mound Builders 2:51
13 Gifts 4:13
14 Clement Danes 4:11
15 Evelyn 6:55

Goldmund - The Malady of Elegance (ogg 123mb)

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Recorded live in Seattle Washington 2009.

Goldmund - Live At The Triple Door (flac 154mb)

01 Equus 3:55
02 Door Of Our Home 3:45
03 Threnody 3:41
04 In A Notebook 2:31
05 Brown Creek 3:45
06 Saranac 3:28
07 Hope Avenue 2:48
08 Soft Collared Neck 3:34
09 Ba 1:27
10 Parhelia 4:16
11 My Neighorhood 3:36

Goldmund - Live At The Triple Door (ogg 80mb)

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