I am presently experimenting with Twitter, the most talked about social networking application since Facebook. Twitter is a micro-blogging platform that allows you to write short (140 character) updates that are beamed out to “followers,” entities that have chosen to track your activity. If you’re interested, click here to follow me on Twitter (or check out my mindstream, still under development).

With that preamble out of the way, I admit that I remain somewhat apprehensive of Twitter. Does it add real value to your online experience? Some people are crazy about it but others are sure to find it completely useless. I am somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. I see how it can be of service to some people–particularly the tech-savvy crowd–but what about everyone else? Forget the hype; Twitter is not a universal social necessity. It will, however, improve your ability to articulate yourself in telegraphic sentences.

Misgivings aside, Twitter has a number of things going for it. Take the streamlined interface, for instance. Much like the Google homepage, Twitter is unencumbered by the kind of flashy widgets and annoying gizmos that plague MySpace and Facebook. Still, it can be difficult to figure out just what to do with it once you’ve signed up. This is more a matter of learning the social conventions than sorting out the technical underpinnings. For that reason, if you are keen on opening an account I would suggest reading an introductory guide to familiarize yourself with the site.

Recently I retrieved the metal stamper plates used to press the first and only vinyl record I will ever have a hand in making: the Liquid Neon Sky EP. Until recently, these stamper plates were stored in a warehouse somewhere in Toronto, set aside after the production run in November of 2002. For whatever reason the plant held on to them and–six years later–emailed me to ask if I would like to pick them up. The company was shutting down their vinyl manufacturing division due to lack of demand. The world has moved on. Or so you might think.

Allegations of a vinyl comeback can be found almost anywhere you look. It is very hip to make the assertion that a new generation of music lovers is falling in love with the authenticity and warm sound of a classic medium that cannot be reduced to bits flitting through the ether. The major labels express delight at the prospect, of course–vinyl cannot be copied (i.e. pirated) as conveniently as the compact disc. And the media loves an underdog story. But is the hype warranted or is this just a fad? The audiophile demographic might not be going anywhere but new buyers might not stay with vinyl for very long. I suspect a lot of what is going on comes down to social posturing: experiments in identity formation. Buying vinyl in the age of iPods is making a statement. And I should know.

Flashback to 2002. Psytrance on vinyl is increasingly rare; many labels have stopped putting it out altogether. Moreover, little of what is released on wax has that cherished old school magic. An idealistic young psytrance fan from Canada decides to do something about this situation by licensing a pair of storming tracks from a popular UK Goa trance act for release on vinyl. Distributors display some interest in the project but wish to see something they can get their hands on. Brashly ignoring the risks of the venture, production begins after the master CD is sent to the pressing plant. White label test pressings are received and approved. The record goes into production at a cost of several thousand dollars. All for the love of a dying medium.

The distributors decide to pass on the release after seeing the final product. Both the style and the format are deemed to be obsolete. And so our intrepid protagonist has no options left but to sell the record independently. Hundreds of vinyls are individually packaged up and shipped to buyers around the world over the next several years but the release never sells out, never comes close to breaking even. Such are the consequences of rash action and idealism in business.

Fast forward to the present day. The glimmering metallic stamper plates reside in my working space, a constant reminder of the lessons learned from my early experiences in the recording business. Never again will I mistake the medium of delivery for the music that it carries. Nor will I commit to expensive projects without just cause. It is so strange to think that I revelled in the past to such a degree; I am, after all, a man of the future. And to try and stave off the inevitable rise of CDs and physical media–such foolishness! What came over me? I was possessed by the ineffable qualities of vinyl: its tactile aspect, imposing size, rich history, and timeless charm. But records are mere vessels. And I am not in the business of pandering atoms though they may serve as a means to another end. It is music that I am interested in, not the medium. I won’t ever forget it.

In case you are interested in what it takes to make a vinyl record, Razorcake has a great photo essay describing the manufacturing process. A more technical description of the history of vinyl pressing can be found here.

~* SACRED EARTH, OPEN AIR 2009 *~
~* May 29, 30, 31 – Black River Falls, WI *~

The Chilluminati present an open air camping festival brought to life with consciousness, harmony, mind-expanding music, and visuals

Three days and two nights of psychedelic music, art, performance, workshops, and community.The cost for the event is $40 in advance and $50 at the gate.

WE PROVIDE: 2 stages of sound and light, 3 days of camping in a beautiful natural environment (rain or shine), running water, bathrooms and hot showers, full vending (including alcohol for those 21+).

YOU PROVIDE: a tent, enough food and beverages for the weekend (or some cash – food and beverages will be available for sale), NO GLASS, NO DRUGS, NO PETS, NO FIREWOOD (firewood can be purchased on-site). Please respect the venue by keeping the grounds free of litter. **This is a LEAVE NO TRACE EVENT** Become part of the community.Help the planet, and help us. Pick up after yourself. Leave the site, and our reputation as a community, better than you found it.

// OUR VISION
This is the first of two weekend-long camping festivals the Chilluminati will be creating in 2009. Sacred Earth, Open Air will be in western Wisconsin, close to the heart of the psychedelic tribes of that state and those of Iowa, Minnesota, Ontario, and Illinois.

The Native Americans of western Wisconsin built huge sacred earthworks that we now know as effigy mounds. These immense earthen symbols, carved into the earth, were symbols of the Divine. Just as they built their mounds, we create these parties as Cosmic Condensates; our Music, Dance, Light, and Love form a sacred structure in Space and Time, a microcosmic celebration of the Infinite.

Come join with us this year by helping us to invoke the Five Elements:

Earth – our beautiful new party location near Black River Falls is known and loved by many
Air – The Music, both Psychedelic Trance and
Chill/Downtempo/Ambient, is the air we breathe Fire – Deco in three Dimensions: Art, Light, Projection. As well as Fire and Kinetic performances.
Water – Healers, the psychedelic people, the ambiance, community, the beautiful something that you can’t put your finger on…
Spirit – the Unseen, the Energy Field, Imaginal Realm Manifest

featuring…

// MUBALI – LIVE
(San Francisco, CA – Trishula Records)
A midwest favorite, Mubali is the trance project of Greg Farley. He has been producing and releasing psychedelic trance since 2003 and has many releases on various labels including Mistress of Evil, Trishula, Parvati, Insomnia, and Psycircle Records. His style varies from being slightly funky to slightly mental, but his hard hitting sets have reached some of the far corners of the globe. Get ready to blast off with Greg’s interpretation of hard psychedelic madness with a little twist of funk.
http://www.myspace.com/mubalitrax

// PROGRESS – LIVE
(NYC, NY)
PROGRESS, the project of Yuriy Vaskevich, is an evolution of sound that brings a world of fantasy and imagination to its listeners. Based in New York City, an energetic hub, the music is a reflection of its physical origin as well as the mental evolution of its composer. With a strong foundation in classic music, mainly of piano and guitar and a post-modern ambition, the sound is both organic and electronic. The project began in the late 1990s with an exploration of personal identity and experimentation with various styles of electronic music. Today, PROGRESS, ranges in style from psychedelic trance, ambient and chill-out, to avant-garde and experimental. Having played at several live venues in the United States and written film scores, PROGRESS has a rapidly growing acclaim. As the name implies, the music is always progressing with the common denominator being its inspiring melodies and a strong tendency to take its listeners on a colorful journey.
http://www.iprogress.us

// EKOPLEX – LIVE
(Toronto, Canada – Ektoplazm)
One of Canada’s most well-respected psytrance producers. Ray Vincent’s music is infused with an original style and unmistakable energy, it flows through dark and driving techtrance, quirky melodic full-on, and richly atmospheric progressive. Ray has been thrilling dance floors across North America for more than half a decade, playing at many major festivals and indoor events. Some highlights include the Eclipse Festival in 2006 and 2008, Gaian Mind in 2008, Harvest 2008, and the Soma 2008 New Year’s event.
http://www.myspace.com/ekoplexx
http://www.ektoplazm.com/profiles/ekoplex/

// TATNALL & BERZOWSKI – LIVE
(Milwaukee, WI)
Consisting of members of the critically acclaimed electronic fusion jazz group Alpha Transit: Milwaukee electric guitar virtuoso Kirk Tatnall and keyboardist Adam Berzowski present improvised live instrumentation and looping along with electronic and dance driven grooves. Effects-laden guitar and keyboards solos race through carefully crafted beats and atmospheres. Able to improvise melody, bass, and chord rhythm simultaneously both players churn out layer after layer of trippy dark harmonies and sound.
http://www.kirktatnall.com
http://www.myspace.com/berzowski
http://www.myspace.com/alphatransit

// PRIMORDIAL OOZE – LIVE
(Chicawaukee, WI/IL – Divine Balance – Kabrathor)
The Primordial Ooze project was created by DJ’s Kaiser Soze and S.O.T. Flowing sounds that seem to bubble and evolve like primitive life forms. These bundles of frequencies collaborate in a swarm like manner, creating intelligent patterns and movement. The Ooze sound creates a unique twist on the ever changing sound of psychedelic music.

// BASILISK
(Toronto, Canada – Ektoplazm)
Founder of the Ektoplazm web site and netlabel. Basilisk been deeply engaged in the psychedelic trance counterculture for more than a decade now—first as a record collector, then as a DJ and event organizer, and more recently as a label owner, free music advocate, and digital distribution magnate. He authors almost all of the content on the site and selects the releases that appear in the free music section. He is also responsible for the design of the site and much of the artwork for the label itself.

Basilisk spins an eclectic variety of styles covering all points of the psychedelic trance spectrum. Although most of mixes tend to focus on the deeper sound of progressive psytrance, sets vary from blistering psycore, darkpsy, and the more sophisticated side of full-on, all the way down to cold and mechanical techtrance, deep and funky progressive house and minimal techno, psybreaks, morning trance, downtempo, and much more. He also has an enduring appreciation for the old school sound of mid-nineties Goa trance, which he plays out occasionally. Basilisk mixes with harmonics in mind and enjoys building a story through the music he loves.
http://www.ektoplazm.com/profiles/basilisk/

// MIST
(Arlington, TX – Acidance Records)
Mist is an established veteran of the Texas psy trance scene. After playing in bands his entire life, he moved on to DJing and the production of electronic music in 1997. It was during this time that he co-founded the seminal Texas psy trance production company, Mistical Productions (1997 – 2007). Over the years that followed, his flawlessly mixed high energy sets left dance floors across North America quaking, as he performed alongside such well know psy trance names as Vegetal, Talamasca, Grapes of Wrath, Neuromotor, Infected Mushroom, and Penta (to name just a few). After a brief stint as an Inpsyde Media label DJ, he joined forces with Acidance Records, a psy trance label based in Athens, Greece. For them he compiled the two very successful releases Dirty South and A Violent Reaction.
http://www.myspace.com/mistacidance

// BIRD OF PREY / INTERGALACTOID – *LIVE/DJ*
(San Fransisco, CA – Hypergate, Celestial Dragon)
Torin Goodnight, a San Francisco bay area native. From an early age he was intrigued by the textures of electronic sound, and began learning about computer music production. Starting with his early influences of industrial and ambient, now moving towards saturated forms of trance and mid-tempo breaks and dubstep. Combining aggressive bass lines, twisted leads and colorful atmospheres to create a diverse, immersive soundscape.
http://www.myspace.com/birdofpreysf

// SCATTER
(CA – Audiognomes)
This former fro-dawning Audiognome is coming back to the midwest to lay some fat beats on us to start the weekend out right. An experienced member of the psytrance community, you can always expect excellent track selection and superb mixing skills.
http://www.audiognomes.com

// HARDKORENATE
(Minneapolis MN – The Rift, UncensoredUs)
One of the driving forces behind the Minneapolis crew “UncensoredUs”, HardkoreNate has also been actively infecting the city with psytrance, throwing parties under the organization “The Rift”. Nate plays a unique blend of psytrance and is sure to mix in some surprises for everyone to enjoy.
http://www.myspace.com/hardkornate

// KT
(Chicago, IL – T.O.U.C.H. Samadhi)
KT specializes in nite-time trance that is reminiscent of the sound baby aliens make when they are getting their tummies tickled; and high energy morning music that makes smiling girls in bikini tops dance and blow kisses at her. She enjoys ravey ravey girl cheese, neuro-trance, and some other stuff in between. her two biggest musical influences are BSM and Kri, and her current favorite artists are: Electrypnose, Double REL, Hujaboy, Azax Syndrom, Skazi, Slug, and Shapestatic (and no, she’s not just saying that as a stipulation of her contract with T.O.U.C.H. Samadhi, she really does love Shapestatic.)
http://www.touchsamadhi.com

// AKTIF
(Cedar Rapids, IA – Mindoutpsyde)
No language can describe the fury of sonic pummeling procured by this wicked dj. His music is as intense as he is behind the decks. Your ears will be thanking your for being within range to enjoy this saucy set. Abstaining from dancing and smiling are prohibited.
http://www.myspace.com/aktifsound

// ASCENSION vs ENERGON
(Dubuque, IA / Chicago, IL – Chilluminati)
Two recent additions to The Chilluminati family, these two psy slingers are a force to be reckoned with. As likely to put a smile on your face as they are to twist your brain into goo, be ready for a melodic, but powerful trip into the morning.
http://www.myspace.com/energon
http://www.myspace.com/dj_ascension

// SHAI
(Chicago, IL – Divine Balance, dbsonic)
Trained since she was a girl by the Bene Gesserit sisterhood, Shai is now a DJ, medical and Ayurvedic doctor, producer and founder of the Divine Balance label. Her Indian fusion electronica is changing the planet. Her beats pry your Third Eye open with a sonic crowbar. Boom shanti!
http://www.myspace.com/divinebalance

// STROOYA – Iowa City IA
Originally from Croatia, Zlatan Krizan is a Ph.D Professor of Psychology at Iowa State University in Ames, IA. Strooya began his dj career spinning progressive trance, but after discovering psytrance, shifted his focus to morning psytrance. In addition to djing, Strooya has also begun producing morning psytrance. His love of the pure trance sound is apparent in his dj sets as well as his productions. You will think that his music is holding the sun up in the sky.
http://www.myspace.com/projectstrooya

// DERBY
(Chicago, IL – T.O.U.C.H. Samadhi, Chilluminati)
In his life as a traveler, Derby came upon the sounds of psychedelia in Europe. Settling soon thereafter in Chicago, he became a resource that pulled those with similar musical tastes together. Derby has since proven to positively affect the Midwest Psy/Goa music scene by being a driving force behind T.O.U.C.H. Samadhi & a founding member of The Chilluminati. You can expect to hear a skillful set of funky melodic soundscaping electronica.

// MACHI -
(Milwaukee, WI – Xcience)
Machi’s style is a constant evolution of beats and melodies oscillating between groovy and relaxing progressive sounds and uplifting melodies of morning full-on psy trance. Now, freshly recruited to Xcience, he is uniting the efforts with some of the most talented artists in American psychedelic music scene for the ultimate party experience.

// DOUG IRELAND, JOHN B, JASON HOFFMAN
Jason Hoffman, a professor at Lincoln College; John B, a regular name at several nightlife hotspots; and Doug Ireland, a staple in the Midwest scene, this progressive trio from Central Illinois continue to make their rounds stopping in Black River Falls for a special extended DJ set. Each having over a decade of experience, they combine their forces to create an unparalleled trip into the future of progressive sounds.

// THE PAKA PAKA LIGHTSHOW
(Milwaukee – www.pakapaka.org)
The Paka Paka Lightshow consists of the father & son team Jerry and Reuben Fortier and long time collaborator Dale Kaminski. In 1968, Fortier founded the Eyes of Khamphalous Lightshow in Madison, WI. As the visuals behind the Broadway production of “Warp” and the resident lightshow for the Melkweg and Paradiso clubs in Amsterdam from 1969 to 1972, the Khamphalous Lightshow created a unique psychedelic visual experience. The Paka Paka Lightshow brings this experience into the digital age.

(((~* FULL LINEUP AND DETAILS INCLUDING CHILLOUT ARTISTS, LIVE PERFORMANCE, AND WORKSHOPS TBA!!!! *~)))

// WHEN:

May 29, 30, 31, RAIN or SHINE (enclosed pavilion keeps us dry if it rains) ; gate opens at NOON on Friday (no registrations can be accepted before that time).

// WHERE:

Venue address:

NCN North Campground
N8390 US Hwy 12 & 27
(When using Mapquest enter: N8390 US Hwy 12) Black River Falls, Wisconsin 54615

Longitude: -90.67328
Latitude: 44.20615