Meeting the creators of the Volca series, Just Jam show cancelled after police concerns, UA and NI release a plethora of premium plugins.
On the birth of acid house. In promotion of Luke Bainbridge’s forthcoming book on the topic, the Guardian publishes a gallery of iconic photographs of some of the raves that changed British culture forever. Check it out here.
Richie Hawtin’s New Year’s 2014. An eight-minute video documenting a night with the Minus boss, who played to four cities, in three countries, over two days. Watch it below.
Universal Audio releases the Dangerous Bax EQ plugin collection, created by award-winning developers Brainworx in conjunction with hardware console makers Dangerous Music Digital to “shape and enhance the tonality and character of your music”. It is said to sweeten up material by “simultaneously employing broad, open curves and gently sloping cuts”. Check it out here.
UA model their founders’ milestone preamp. Years in the making, the 610-A tube driven preamp “famous among record producers for its startling harmonic detail, and rich clipping characteristics, and its ability to overdrive in a warm, ultra-musical fashion” has been recreated in plugin form. The preamp was integral in the production of legendary records including Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds and Johnny Cash’s At Folsom Prison. Find out more here.
White-hot tube compression. Native Instruments releases a brand new tube compressor plugin – SUPERCHARGER GT, which enables users to sculpt their tracks with a highly nuanced, rich and harmonically-driven sound using saturation and character controls.
Just Jam at the Barbican cancelled. The underground music broadcaster’s first show in Europe’s largest multi-arts centre has been called off after concerns raised by the City of London police. More info in this press release.
Meet the makers of the Volcas. RA tell of their meeting at Korg HQ in Japan, with Tatsuya Takahashi (the engineer who headed the creation of the Volca series of analogue instruments) and Tadahiko Sakamaki, a product designer with whom he works closely. The due discuss the “link between the creativity of music production and the very different sort that goes into designing a synthesiser” here.
Defected Records profile and interview Chicago house luminary Roy Davis Jr, on creative integrity over the temptation of big EDM money, and the creation of the artist’s forthcoming album, Destroy And Rebuild, a stripped back revisitation to the roots of house music described as “‘soul electrica’ – Davis Jr’s own long-cherished term for the soulful, electronic-spiced melting pot of house, garage, disco, R&B, soul, funk and hip-hop”. Read it here.
Avid Technology delisted from the NASDAQ stock exchange after failing to issue timely financial statements. The makers of many industry-leading music and audio production technologies including Pro Tools reassure their loyal user-base that the company is committed to these products, and has the cash to fully support this commitment. An in-depth report can be found here.
The Copyright Alliance podcast an interview with the CEO of Digital Citizens Alliance, an organisation that unites individuals, organisations and businesses dedicated to making the internet safer and crime free, on the protection of creative work and the prevention of ad-supported content theft. Stream it below.