The new batch of Samantha James ‘Waves of Change’ remixes are here! Soulstice’s Andy Caldwell gets busy with an electro groove, Richard Grey takes the mix on a lap through his Pacha residency, Nikola Gala creates a potential track of the conference at WMC, and Valentin Huedo takes the track to the sunset at Cafe del Mar. Stay tuned for the new Samantha James album, “Subconscious” – coming on Om in June!
Click Here To Listen to “Waves of Change part 2” on iTunes
Posted by: Gunnar Hissam on March 16, 2010 @ 11:10 AM
Posted in: Music
Australian funk heavy hitters The Bamboos are recording their 4th album for one of my favorite imprints Tru-Thoughts and they were kind enough to share this little video from behind the scenes in the studio. Looks like they’re having a good ol time! If this new song ‘Like Tears in Rain’ is any indication of what we’re in store for, a lot more people will be knowing about them real soon!
Hailing from Portland, OR, Rocket Empire is the next wave of Om’s midtempo chilled out roster. Think early Thievery Corporation mixed with Boozoo Bajou and you’re getting close to the vibe. Their track ‘Montezuma’s Revenge’ is the #1 most played track on SIRIUS ‘Chill’ (Channel 35).
Groove Armada are coming to the USA for a select group of shows with the full band to celebrate their new album ‘Black Light’ (out on Om on March 2nd). These shows are not to be missed, check back soon for more info!
The 2nd single from Groove Armada is finally here! Following the success of ‘I Won’t Kneel’ (single #1) comes ‘Paper Romance’ also featuring vocalist SaintSaviour in a duet w/ Fenech Soler. If these two singles are any indication, the new Groove Armada album is going to be an epic smash. Playing heavily on KCRW, ‘Paper Romance’ is an alternative electronic rock smasher issuing in a new era in Groove Armada!
Click Here To Purchase Groove Armada “Paper Romance” From iTunes
Posted by: Gunnar Hissam on February 9, 2010 @ 11:29 AM
Posted in: News
We’re tickled pink to announce a very special new addition to our blog family, long time friend and one of our favorite music scribes, Jen Boyles! Om fans will recognize her name for in depth interviews w/ Mark Farina and Derrick Carter, Kaskade, King Kooba, Rithma, Afro-Mystik and many more. She’s been covering electronic music for over a decade! We’re honored to have her writing for us, she’s already uncovered music from New Order produced indie rockers The Scanners and quite possibly the last magazine still standing worth reading Self Titled.
Boyles has been fighting in the trenches of electronic music since there were such things as JNCOs, and for that matter, vinyl. Getting her start at super-hip alt-weekly City Pages in Minneapolis as a nightclubs and dance music reviewer, she went on to work for a whopping eight years for the now all-digital URB Magazine, and has enjoyed stints with BPM, CNET, and Chicago’s New City. She enjoys thrift stores and finding deals on cool street wear far more than the average person should and is partial to UK comedies and a bit of cheese. Her favorite interview of all time was with Mike D of the Beastie Boys. You can email her if you want at Jenboyles(at)gmail.com or find her on Facebook.
Posted by: Gunnar Hissam on February 8, 2010 @ 12:02 PM
Posted in: News
Awaken Cafe and Slow-Gin present a “First Friday” love songs and photography exhibition in The Town!
When: Friday, February 5th, 2010, 5-8pm
What: Slow-Gin DJ Set + Meet & greet with photographer Winston J. Dong Jr.
Where: Awaken Cafe (414 14th St, Oakland, CA – between Broadway and Franklin)
More on the exhibition from Winston himself:
What I look at in my photography—and how I take my photographs — is about pausing and taking a closer and slower look at the juxtapositions and quirkiness of everyday places and objects, how people use them, and how they change us at a particular time of the day.
I’m attempting to start a story with a picture: think about how a radio piece or a country song can give you such a strong image; I’m trying to achieve the inverse, not by focusing on portraits, but on places and parts of places and how people move through them and see them and are affected by them.
Growing up in New York, “catching the sun” was the phrase I used in my mind to describe racing through the West Village down to the Hudson River to catch the setting sun and looking at all the places and people I passed in that late afternoon light.
Posted by: Gunnar Hissam on January 29, 2010 @ 1:13 PM
Posted in: Events
It’s been a tad over 2 weeks and the delicious GPA (Gunnther’s Pale Ale) has been chillin’ in the secondary fermenter AKA The Glass Carboy! The term carboy comes from the Persian word qarabah or qarrabah, meaning “large flagon.” It is thought that carboys originate from the Near East, where drug sellers used large glass vessels, filled with coloured liquids, especially rosewater and wine, in their stalls. While I type this, I am in the process of preparing the bottles (thank you Peter, Dimas, Megan and Heinold’s for your generous contributions). My lovely brewing assistant and myself will be bottling the GPA tonight, so if all goes well, we should be tasting this nectar of the grains on Valentines Day weekend. Keep you posted. If you live in SF and are interested in trying a brew and some new hand selected Om beats, leave a comment.…
Behold the Carboy, and the GPA begins to flow from the Deluxe Fermenter!
That’s right!
Soaking the tube in hot water softened it up so I could get it on. Nice trick, thank you Griz!
Happy NEW beer! To celebrate, I am documenting my first beer brewing experience. In a little over a month’s time, the delicious GPA (Gunnther’s Pale Ale) will be ready to taste! Thought you’d enjoy a peek into the process below…
The glorious grain BAG! Full of delicious ground up barley (that smelled like grape nuts)
The 5 gallon pot, purchased on Clement Street for $40 (a startling value).
After bringing 3 gallons o’ SF tap water to almost boil, in goes the BAG, with a heavy towel to retain warmth.
Out comes the BAG after 45 minutes of steeping to make the “WORT” – AKA Beer before fermentation AKA grain tea.
Next, 6 lbs of sweet and sticky malt extract is added to the WORT and the heat is turned up to HIGH!
…also added at this time, the UK Challenger. This is essentially hops, picked fresh, mashed up and frozen w/ liquid nitrogen (to retain freshness) into pellets. They look like rabbit food.
After 30 minutes of a firm steady rolling boil, ½ oz of the 2nd hop pellets are added along w/ something I like to call an Aflac clarifying tablet and then after another 20 minutes, the rest o’ the hops are added.
Now, 60 minutes in, the WORT has bubbled into a very FUNKY smelling hoppy soup.
Time to cool the WORT down, dipped into a cool refreshing ice bath of U LINE gel packs in the sink for 45 minutes.
Ahhh…check out Billy Dee in the background. Behold the Deluxe Fermenter (sanitized and dry).
After filling the Deluxe Fermenter with 2 1/2 gallons of cool water, 1/3 of the WORT is added and then my lovely Brewing Assistant Riya ceremoniously PITCHES the yeast!
This is then followed by a vigorous pour of the remaining 2/3 of WORT to activate the yeast w/o stirring.
The lid of the Deluxe Fermenter is snapped on, and the Italian made air lock is inserted.
Ahhh…5-6 days of primary fermentation and then out of the Deluxe Fermenter and into the secondary fermenter AKA the glass CARBOY! To be continued….
Check out this added bonus video of the air lock doing its thing:
