Friday Downloads (A Load for the Weekend)

This week has been quick. I have written a lot and I am happy. Here is my finds on the net for music and vision this week. Enjoy the weekend.

Maja Ratkje live Paris 2008
Personal recording at Maison de Radio France,
During GRM 2008 ‘Présences Electroniques’ festival
Vocal sounds only+live electronic processing by an enchantress of the genre, Norvegian Maja Ratkje. Expect undecipherable utterings, abstract sound treatments, extreme dynamics, and total mastery of up-to-date audio trickeries (real-time sampler, sound effects a go-go and what not). Beauty arises amid chaotic voice samples, from angelic whisperings to grotesque Karius & Baktus impersonations. But let it be said, this is more in concrete music territory than sound poetry or improvisation. As with many young musicians touring Europe nowadays, the level of technicity is impressive, but virtuoso Ratkje has her own agenda and never forgets what makes music unforgettable: to be moving and to be going somewhere.

Hugh Cornwell 's Torture Garden
I used to really like The Stranglers. The singer is still going strong and is offering his recorded material for free download from his website. Excellent. Hooverdam is the latest.

Meadow Music
New music from Sweden as free and legal Mp3s.

hippy-djkit
A delightful new blog with lots of weird downloads. Seems to specialise in obscure 70s albums. I noticed "The Incredible String Band-U-1970 UK" and was happy.

Four Corners - Undercover in Tibet

When the Olympic torch and its harried security detachment finally reached Tibet last month, all went peacefully and according to script… traditionally-dressed locals danced, waved flags and cheerfully applauded, with not a protester to be seen.
Rewind three months and contrast the scene, as the streets of the capital Lhasa erupted in brutal clashes between protesters and police and attacks on Chinese-owned businesses.
Was this outpouring of violence – arguably the biggest challenge to Chinese rule in two decades – an aberration, or was it perhaps a sign of more turmoil to come? And what did it say about life for Tibetans under Chinese authority?
There is no simple answer; foreign journalists cannot freely report from Tibet. But this film from Britain’s Channel 4 gives a unique glimpse into the heavily controlled lives of Tibetans, especially those who chafe at such control and dare to question it.

Black Eye Records Jukebox: Kim Salmon And The Surrealists - Just Because You Can't See It... ...Doesn't Mean It Isn't There
A great record from the 80s Australian garage swamp punk scene. Its all here:
This title has been out of print since 1989 and was the 2nd LP for Kim Salmon And The Surrealists on Black Eye. These tracks were taken from the Black Eye Records
1: Melt Pt. 1
2: Measure Of Love 3: Undying Love 4: Sundown, Sundown 5: Melt Pt. 2 6: Weren't We Bad 7: Sunday Drive 8: Je T'Aime 9: Your Viscous Omnipresence 10: You're Gonna Die 11: An Articulation Of The Thoughts Of One Of Society's Bastards

Tribe of Noise
Tribe of Noise was co-founded by Hessel van Oorschot and Sandra Brandenburg in January 2008.
They had been considering the idea of a free and open music community for two years, but were convinced that the market was not mature enough for this innovative approach.
Both of them were inspired by the open source community in IT, which they embraced during their eight years of creative knowledge sharing. With their books, interaction workshops and films, they inspired entrepreneurs to put new technology and business models into practice. Now it was time for a new challenge.
In 2006, all the pieces of the puzzle fit together: social networks, consumers becoming producers, the negative spiral in the music industry, a massive lack of content, the development of alternative intellectual property approaches, a worldwide increase of bandwidth, peer-to-peer sharing. But they felt the market was not ready yet for their idea. And admittedly, they could not believe the idea had not taken root yet.
Alongside their regular work they began putting together a strong worldwide team to address the technical, legal and creative issues. In the course of 2007 they saw the market change rapidly, and they decided to give Tribe of Noise the green light in 2008.

YouTube - Non Profit Channels
YouTube has started a not-for-profit channel which seems to make for more intelligent progamming. But then again that may be just my impression.