Obviously, it is with great pride that we report to the world that the Speaking in Code DVD is officially available for pre-order at the official website: speakingincode.com. For those of you that have been following this saga for nearly 5 years, this is welcome news indeed!

We have finalized the list of appropriate DVD extras and they are as follows:

Extras:
Modeselektor Live at Sonar 2006 Uncut

Deleted Scenes:
Kompakt Tour in Köln
Modeselektor Talks About the Berlin Wall
Monolake at the Berlin Wall
Backstage at Muna Club in East Germany
Who is Jimmy Johnson?

Extended Interviews:
Wolfgang Voigt
Ellen Allien
The Wighnomy Brothers First Interview
Wighnomy Brothers After Speaking in Code

Outtakes

Each specifically selected extra is not only related to the film itself, but they are also quite hilarious and interesting. We have other extras that will be populating the web in the weeks ahead. Watch for them!

The price is $19.95 + $4.95 S&H. This price will most likely go up as we balance the costs of shipping and packaging and so forth in the week ahead, so order your copy now.

If you have seen the film, the extras are worth the price and you know what all was gone through to make the film in the first place! The more pre-orders we can manage, the more DVDs we can make. Your pre-order means a lot.

If you have yet to see the film, well, I can’t offer you a guarantee, but here’s what other people have said: “The personal edge really makes it stand out as something different,” (press kit) “I was very impressed with the unexpected layers,” “Brave rather than exploitative,” “Had an amazing look,” “I loved it, truly!” “Electronic Music’s Most Important Documentary?” (beatportal.com)

There is no end to the news in Boston, either. Not only is Basstown chugging along (Facebook site) but these last few months Boston stepped up and hosted it’s first electronic music festival, called, Together.

(Click for a .pdf of the huge guide to the Together Festival).

As the Creative Director I worked ceaselessly alongside Managing Director Mike McKay (who literally worked without sleep for days) to make it happen. Coordinating a music festival is a LOT of work. Fortunately, we had a huge team of supporters that saw it through.

It got press coverage in both the Sunday Boston Globe and Sunday Boston Herald (combined circulation over 600,000) prior to launch and some nice coverage from the biggest daily newpaper: Boston Metro on Thursday and a sweet wrap-up on the following Tuesday. There was even a letter from the Mayor of Boston himself.

I cannot write enough about the experience and what it meant to me. To say it was a dream come true is an understatement.

There was tons of music that got me through what amounted to the hardest I’ve worked in my life.

One was this track by Reagenz called, appropriately enough, “Keep Building”:

Reagenz - “Keep Building”

Kompakt still holds considerable sway in these parts, and their Pop Ambient 2010 was always a soothing relief from all the pounding music of the day. Especially the mammoth closing track from Brock Van Wey:

Brock Van Wey - “Will You Know Where to Find Me”

Then there were crowd favorites that became something more:

Fleetwood Mac - “Never Forget (Cut Copy Lifelike Remix)”

Together organizer and friend DJ Die Young continues to be one of Boston’s more unsung new producers. His dub seemed to always pop up on random at the right times:

DJ Die Young - “Back Around (Dub)”

And the Together Steering Committee, especially Alexander Maniatis of Dopamine Records, coordinated the Together 2010 sampler of regional producers, a stand out being, once again, Christopher Wade of Providence, RI crew Lovelife:

Christopher Wade - “Falling In”

For the latest in DVD updates, stay tuned to the Twitter (@sicfilm) or of course the Facebook group. Thank you for your years of support and patience!

 

 Reagenz - Keep Building: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Brock Van Wey - Will You Know Where To Find Me: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Fleetwood Mac - Never Forget (Cut Copy Lifelike Remix): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 DJ Die Young - Back Around (Dub): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Christopher Wade - Falling In: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Speaking in Code second screening was another success and another indication that we are in ownership of a film that has tremendous worldwide potential (it is screening again in China this weekend).

Very special thank you to the Wighnomy Brothers, Soren and Gabor, who not only were able to share in the film with us, but played for the first time ever in America at the after-party at Make It New. Words simply cannot describe how much such a confluence of events impacted my life. I am truly at a loss.

But now, only 4 days later, events appear to be repeating.

Modeselektor is playing Boston on Sunday, May 24th and by special request we are screening the film in the hours before their show at the Paradise Rock Club in the front room of the club.

It’s somewhat poignant that the movie which shows Modeselektor playing at the very small Enormous Room to around 85 people is screening before their show at the Paradise, which describes itself as “Boston’s Legendary Rock Club: Celebrating 30 Years of Rock.” The movie screens at 6:30pm, Sunday, May 24th at 969 Commonwealth Ave. in Boston. View the Facebook invite here.

They are playing as Moderat with their good friend and BPitch counterpart Apparat. As of this posting tickets are still available. We posted about Apparat a few months back but he remains a vital cog in the new music machine. And as a collaborator, whether with Ellen Allien or Modeselektor, he appears to be inscrutable.

Consider this extended track with Luomo which was put up by Rayna at Modifyer Modifying (we’ll get to a mix for you, Rayna, promise!):

Luomo Feat. Apparat - “Process Part 2 (Love You More)”

There’s even his collaboration from beyond the grave with Johnny Cash:

Johnny Cash - “I Heard That Lonesome Whistle Blow (Apparat Remix)”

Buy Apparat music at Beatport here.

When such a force joins up with bounce-enthusiasts Modeselektor expect crazy sparks, as represented in both of Boston’s weekly publications: The Dig and the Phoenix.

Updates on movie developments will come fast and furious as director Amy Grill is taking the month of June to work on submitting to the film festival circuit.

Keep staying tuned!

 

 Luomo Feat Apparat - Process Part 102 (Love You All): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Johnny Cash - I Heard The Lonesome Whistle Blow (Apparat Remix): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In the recent profile on, er, me in the Weekly Dig (click above for the large scan, complete with Terrordome make-up), editor/champion Michael Brodeur makes special mention of the old Other Music Cambridge location, a store which spun off of the New York branch in 2000 and was the reason sQuare productions came to Boston in the first place. A lot of folks were surprised or did not know we had anything to do with Other Music.

The shop hosted numerous in-store performances from the Clientele, Aesop Rock, Arab Strap, Ken Vandermark, Simian (pre Mobile Disco) and everyone in-between.

More importanly, the amazing staff included some of Boston’s leading lights: Casey Keenan and Sandra Barrett (now of Major Stars, who’ll have some big news soon!); Dan Hirsch, now music director at the Museum of Fine Arts; Gibby Miller, formerly of START! and owner of makeoutclub.com, resident music genius Tim Haslett; guitar maestro Chris Brokaw; J. Dennis, still with Other Music and still visits to DJ the Enormous Room once a month; Alise Upitis, formerly an unlockedgroove DJ and who’s wedding to friend Ben Macri is coming soon, and many others who helped out.

Ironically the storefront was replaced by a restaurant called “OM,” which looks like it can afford Harvard Square (which, by some accounts, has the most expensive retail real estate in the entire country). What began at Other Music continues at events like this Friday at the Milky Way:

Baltimoroder once recorded as State-Music, a project once carried on consignment (by Nick Follett) at the location, and Brad Rhodes, idol/friend of Morgan Louis (Hearthrob) states it was “one of the best record stores he went to and ‘they always had the coolest sh*t,’” which is true, thanks to Haslett, Follett, Hirsch et al.

Baltimoroder - “Wile Out (VIP Mix)”

Don’t sleep because DJ Chris Devlin of Spank Rock and the BBC DJs opens. Here’s a couple of mixes he grabbed from his hard drive:

Mr. Devlin - “Fabric Free Mix” (.zip)

BBC DJs - “Mix 1″

Hearthrob has long been out of stock of their amazing DVD presentation, but it is still available on Google video in all its 49-minute glory. The video was made live by Louis and Red Foxxx and the mix is Baltimoroder LIVE at the sQuareone studios. Take a listen, and a peek, here:

This is quickly followed by an event Saturday with Basstown’s long-lost father of the beat: DJ /rupture at BOUNCEMENT 2.

One of Other Music’s most popular CDR mixes was from Rupture and his “Gold Teeth Thief” mix, now available for download via his website (right click to download):

DJ/ rupture - “Gold Teeth Thief Part A”

DJ/ rupture - “Gold Teeth Thief Part B”

The other featured DJs:

DJ Flack - “Beyond the Valley of the Smurfs Mix”

Baltimoroder and Daviday - “Live Mix from PanAm Fridays”

Wayne Marshall - “Another Crunk Geneology”

In a town that continues to present itself as a rock ‘n roll bastion, this weekend will be filled with music that makes you sweat, jump, shake and bounce. And here — that will always be other music.

Sign up for their Digital site here, and their still-amazing newsletter here.

Don’t sleep: Local Satellite Radio don Paul Dailey works the decks at Make It New this Thursday with resident DJs Billy Kiely and Alan Manzi.DJ David Day at the Berwick Fundraiser up the street at the Enormous Room. Thursday 28 December.

Next week, a guest appearance from new techno firebrand DJ Die Young:

DJ Die Young - Minimix 2006

Make It New.

Sorry about the delay in posts, quite a bit to tackle these days. The Phoenix Circuits column is going well, thanks to people who shout out to us over there. Makes things a lot easier (there’s 3 great mp3 mixes up there right now). We also did a story on the newest local label Cozy Music, which is really about the record label of the future.

The big news is that this Thursday Masha Qrella (pictured above) come from Berlin to play some excellent electronic pop music. Masha records for the Monika label in Berlin (home of the excellent Barbara Morgenstern), along with the Morr Music label, known for their releases of bands like Styrofoam, Lali Puna and Guther). She’ll play a live set of her music and spin some music for us. Joining her are residents Erik Pearson and Billy Kiely. Entry is $5.00 for the plane ticket.
Then there’s this:

Party we’ve been planning for some time. $7.00 for two live local acts and, yes, 7 DJs. Some of Boston’s finest in the mix.

Masha’s music is a dazzling blend of sweet songwriting and developed electronic expertise. For years, she’s been blending her songwriting with electronics and this Thursday she’ll take it up live at the Middlesex Lounge (315 Massachusetts Ave.) Here’s one of her earlier tracks, which found it’s way back on one of our first sQuare sound compilations, something people still cherish to this day. It’s blend of off-kilter mood and rhythm will make you think your MP3 player is skipping. Don’t worry, it’s not.

Masha Qrella - “I Want You To Know”

Next up at Make It New: Thursday, November 30th with international DJ Quenum.