b r o w n d w a r f
陈 高雄
m u s i n g o n m u s i c :
as far as i can remember, i have always loved computers, sci-fi stories and space movies. to me, electronic soundscapes sit at the congruence of the three and my earliest encounter with a synthesizer (a friend's roland d-20) and a computer (my first was an apple iic when i was 12) began a lifelong exploration and companionship. my early musical influences came mainly from british new wave in the likes of depeche mode, new order, tears for fears, howard jones, erasure, simple minds along with electronic film music from vangelis, ryuichi sakamoto and kitaro (and not forgetting a large dose of chinese traditional and popular music my dad loved to listen to). while my peers admired lead singers, lead guitarists and drummers, I was the geeky kid who thought the keyboard player hidden away in the corner was cool.
some 20 years later, i find that i'm still spending a large chunk of my savings and free time playing with synthesizers, computers and drum machines. audio technology has come a long long way and it's great that us amateur home tinkerers can now easily access tools which previously only the privileged could afford. most importantly for me, i am glad to be able to enjoy the best of what digital and analogue technology have to offer all at once.
by the laws of diminishing returns, the limits of digitalism cannot be breached by the strength of numbers but only by the embrace of the irrational. our towel of babel is erected on quick sand and the cracks are showing. the age of aquarius is upon us and it is time to take a close look at the institutions and beliefs that are erected on obsolete systems. make the effort to verify "facts" ourselves. question our beliefs - how much we know is truly our own and how much is conditioned by media and external forces. don't compare ourselves with others - there really is no basis for comparison - find our own true paths.
be vigilant of:
capitalism and profit-making
usury (money lending)
statistics
mass media
people who tell you they have a solution to your problems
a change in the world begins with a change in the self.
m u s i n g o n n o t h i n g :
one thing i know for sure is that i really don't know much about many things. i may think i know, but i don't. oh well.
s o m e b o o k s w h i c h f l i p p e d m y w o r l d :
tao te ching (translated by stephen mitchell)
bhagavad gita (translated by eknath easwaran)
the upanishads (translated by eknath easwaran)
the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy by douglas adams
the compass of zen by seung sahn soen-sa
paradise lost by john milton
art & physics by leonard shlain
the temple of man by r.a. schwaller de lubicz
the kybalion by three initiates
timaus, critias by plato
last night a dj saved my life by bill brewster & frank broughton
the last days of socrates (euthyphro, apology, crito, phaedo) by plato
sacred geometry by robert lawlor
the wisdom of insecurity by alan watts
the lord of the rings by j.r.r. tolkien
study in consciousness by annie besant
this is your brain on music - the science of a human obsession by daniel j. levitin
pedigree of man by annie besant
the chronicles of thomas covenant by stephen r. donaldson
knowledge of the higher worlds by rudolf steiner
the art of checkmate by georges renaud
the third wave by alvin toffler
ishmael by daniel quinn
my ishmael by daniel quinn
good vibrations - a history of record production by mark cunningham
electronic and experimental music by thom holmes
the alphabet and the goddess - leonard shlain
c a u g h t t h e w i n d w h i s p e r i n g :
听风
s o m e a l b u m s w h i c h r o c k e d m y h e a d p h o n e s :
depeche mode - black celebration (1986)
tears for fears - everybody loves a happy ending (2004)
seu jorge - the life aquatic studio sessions (2005)
alphaville - forever young (1984)
王菲 - 天空 (1994)
the beatles - the white album (1968)
new order - substance (1987)
the androgynous amorphous - the isness (2002)
vangelis - blade runner (1994)
deetron - twisted (2006)
pink floyd - the dark side of the moon (1973)
babble - the stone (1994)
marc almond - enchanted (1990)
u2 - the unforgettable fire (1984)
the chemical brothers - exit planet dust (1995)
the beatles - sgt peppers lonely heart club band (1967)
s o m e f i l m s i d o n ' t m i n d w a t c h i n g o v e r a n d o v e r a n d o v e r :
labyrinth
zoolander
the lord of the rings
get shorty
moonraker
lost in translation
the gods must be crazy
dude where's my car?
highlander
tron
princess mononoke
the lost city
the blue planet
bladerunner
叶问
adaptation
ninja scroll
sacred planet
m y m u s i c d i s c o g r a p h y & r e m i x e s :
(as fluid in motion, with miika kuisma)
sniper (worldwide ep, hook recordings)
transatlantic / insurgency (ug)
docomo (subtraxx) [available on audiojelly.com]
lost tapes ep (subtraxx) [available on audiojelly.com]
soul dimension (subtraxx) [available on audiojelly.com]
labworks - ibiza sunrise (fluid in motion remix) (activation)
christopher lawrence - nitro (fluid in motion remix) (ug)
(as ar52, with miika kuisma and janne mansnerus)
timegate / hibernation (joof recordings)
enigma / air traffic (joof recordings)
(i also recorded as optone project in the late 90s, some of these old tracks are downloadable online)
s o m e o f m y f a v o r i t e n o i s e m a k i n g b u d d i e s :
apple imac running ableton live and a bunch of plug-ins
motu midi express xt - my old workhorse
clavia nord lead - the red warrior has been a friend since '96
roland jupiter 8 - finally, the beast has landed
a few other old roland synthesizers and drum machines
future retro mobius - drives my older synthesizers
jomox xbase 999 - rough and dirty
atomo mochika - this handmade peruvian box played a big part at my experimental improvisation gig in '08
s o m e l i n k s o f a r a n d o m n a t u r e :
bozman website - as bozman says on his site, "soulful sound 4 soulful people"
cherhim.com - i like his random photographs
gardensilly - ee shaun has two favorite past-time: biting his nails and doodling
casewoo.com - a kindred spirit in singapore
underground resistance - detroit techno is alive and kicking
freestate - russel loves his 8mm and doing the caterpillar
sonic sunset - deep, soulful dj mixes for download (thanks for sharing the good music!)
dropbox - if you, like me, frequently share large files with friends
electro-music forum - discuss experimental electroacoustic and electronic music
the legendary tiger man - he lives
chessworld.net - why fight wars? let's play chess
weekhim.com - he sees things i miss
oblique strategies - even the most creative hit a rut sometimes?
kraftwerk - never imagined i would have a chance to catch them live in my life-time...what a treat!
furryfish - check out their furry-brown christmas greetings and lacklustre lucy clips
bluesynths - this guy really respects his synthesizers
astrolabe - do you know your rising / ascendant horoscope sign?
miika kuisma - a kindred spirit who lives in helsinki
feathered serpent - did you know the mayans have three different calendars?
beats in space - mister sweeney plays his eclectic selection of soulful music
art squash - lucky charles!
togu audio line - thank you for your generosity and amazing stuff
brown dwarf at myspace - listen to my current electronic music after taking a 5 year break
inwardgaze - my website sharing meditation and healing crystals
shunt - in another reality, depeche mode is 4 guys still
roland product manuals - the roland folks love trees...alive
brown dwarf at flickr - some pictures of my evolving sound studio at home
rebeccakamen - breath-taking sculptures, sit back comfortably, clear your mind and enjoy her work
ron paul - truth, courage and service!
s o m e o f m y d j m i x e s f o r d o w n l o a d :
1322 mix (right-click and save as)
system 7 & derrick may - altitude (mayday mix)
david alvarado - auburn
dj 3000 - sangita
los hermanos - birth of 3000
esteban adame - maravilla
dj 3000 - face your fate
slam - lie to me (dave clarke full vocal version)
dj bone - the freak
hot lizard - big air (stacey pullen remix)
kevin saunderson featuring inner city - till we meet again (carl craig remix)
xpress 2 - kill 100 (carl craig remix)
system 7 - alpha wave (plastikman acid house remix)
robert hood - and then we planned our escape
david alvarado - blue dub
rennie foster - devil's water
los hermanos - tescat
rennie foster - good time charlie
birdland - shake
chymera - valerian (orlando voorn remix)
rennie foster - falling skyward (gary martin remix)
scan 7 - vicious cycle
dex & ray 7 - escape
gerald mitchell & dj 3000 - alia (perception remix)
deetron - i cling
morgan geist - detroit (c2 rmx1)
ican - pa' mi gente (c2 dub mix)
raiders of the lost arp - beyond the dark (dj s2 / los hermanos mix)
c o n t a c t b r o w n d w a r f :
you are welcome to email me at b r o w n d w a r f a t i n w a r d g a z e d o t c o m
" m a n , k n o w t h y s e l f . "