HARRY | RANSOM

black_square

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:27:02 -0700

FBC

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 12:31:24 -0700

Are you down with the Fancy Beer Crew? We have our own cooler.

Ransom & Benko

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 12:31:21 -0700

We used to destroy dancefloors as a drum'n'bass tagteam. Now we just 100% expert mode Guitar Hero II stages... ok, ok, I clear 90% on medium mode while Ben is 100% expert mode. But I still Dj drum'n'bass!

This was taken NYE 2006/2007 at Ben's house out in Phoenix, AZ.

30th birthday

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 12:31:17 -0700

Yes, drunk in my own house, hanging out with friends. Me and Dana, cheese.

Starting over.

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 17:16:38 -0700

Some of you know me in real life and a lot of us share common musical interests. Some of you even write music. I would say I dabbled in production for several years as well, probably doing the most and learning the most from about 2001 up to late 2003. But then I stopped, completely stopped touching production gear and programs in the spring of 2004. I never quit, I just said I was taking a break. I would get way too hard on my self, and kept comparing what I was doing to the works of the artists I was in to, and the peers I had around me. I was watching people go from rank amateurs to very advanced, and it was exciting, but it also made me fairly jealous because I was not keeping up. So here we are, a little over three years since I started this break, and I finally got all of my studio gear moved home. And now I am a bit intimidated by it all; the process, the techniques, the need for ideas and the execution. I am also wondering if I am going to make a real go at this and just try to progress as an individual with this. It is not going to be about what others are doing, I am trying to go about this about me and relearning about what I can, without the hang ups I got the last time. That all said, I have my massive sample library, I have Logic 6 but it keeps crashing (legit, but the old G4 I have is not working out, will be upgrading to a MacBook Pro through work), I have an EMU e6400 Ultra, I have a MOTU 828 soundcard (analog and ADAT connections to the EMU), I have Recycle 2.0 (legit), I have monitors and now I need to figure out what else I should look for. I want to update Peak (for sound editing), I would like to play with Abelton Live, and I actually want Reason as well. I am not sure what else I should look in to for the Mac, probably plug-ins, maybe soft synths if anyone has any ideas. Fingers crossed.

Music purchases.

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 18:43:02 -0700

CDs: * !!! - 'Myth Takes' LP (Warp) : I didn't even know !!! had a new album lined up, but saw it on Turntable Lab and bought it with a couple other things (new belt and an art book). Only listened to it twice, but I liked what I heard. * Bloc Party - 'Weekend in the City' LP (Vice) : Been looking forward to this. Took a few listens, even had a little road trip with Bryan out to Strangeland Records and we listened to the album * Circa Surive - 'Juturna' LP (Equal Vision) : I don't know what genre to call them, they're a band. I liked the few tracks I heard online and picked this up. Maybe I am making up for a lack of angsty youth soundtrack? Then again, in high school I listened to a random mix of stuff, and I guess this purchase continues that trend. This might lead to getting Saosin's album... * The Roots - 'Game Theory' LP (Def Jam) : Only listened to it once. Will have to hear it more before I have any real opinion, but I have always liked the albums I've picked up by them and their live show is one of my favorites. * TV on the Radio - 'Return to Cookie Mountain' LP (Interscope) and 'Young Liars' EP (?) : I heard "Staring at the Sun" a year ago and had no idea who it was by. Then I started hearing about this band, and a week or so ago I found out that song was by them. Bought two CDs, really like what I've heard so far. VINYL: * SKC - 'Vandalism' EP (Social Studies) : 4 track EP promo, it has this one track that has a great old hip hop loop in it. It's like techy and funky all rolled in to one. * Concord Dawn & Chris SU / Chris SU - "Sacrifice / To Heal" (Critical) : The CD & Chris SU track is great, love the pads, the drums, the texture and the vocal sample interweaved in it. Can't wait to get a copy of their track "Scream to the Stars" or whatever it is. * State of Mind & Chris SU - "Deeper / Hangover" (Advanced): "Deeper" vibey vibey vibey. Reminds me a little of some of Klute's older stuff, I guess the vocal use mainly. "Hangover" is on some drunk Universal Project type tech funk. - v/a - 'Ultra Violence II' EP (Violence) : I mainly got it for the Optic & Gridlok tune that is a destroyer, but the Phobia and Upbeats (omg rave sirens!) tunes were great, and while I first did not give the Invaderz track a good listen, I think it would sound great in some situations. There is a Phobia track on Renegade Hardware, off his EP, that I really need to track down too. I think he's a sleeper artist for me, just dropping a tune here and there that grabs my attention. - Commix - "Electric / Talk to Frank (remaster)" (Metalheadz) : oh hi Jonny L style tech fun time. "Electric" is awesome, I want more stuff like this. - NAPT - "I Need Your Love / Have to Know" (Pocket Rockets) : breakbeat tune that I had to buy on vinyl. Most of the breaks I have are MP3 releases, but this one was vinyl only. "Have to Know" is one of my favorite breakbeat tunes ever, great vocal and flow to the whole track. "I Need Your Love" is good too. - 2 Sinners "Upskidoo" (TCR) : This had to be from 2001 or 2002, can't remember though. It's early tech funk type of breakbeats, great tune. Really catchy IMO.

Fancy beer

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 02:43:26 -0700

If I remembered the names of all the stuff I tried this weekend, it would destroy you. Between dropping a bill at Total Wine & Beverage to stock up on the home supply, and then all the things I tried at Birreia Paradisio, o m g. I do remember I had a Saison Dupont and an Ommegang Hennepenny. Can't remember what else. And next week is shaping up to be amazing. Here is to the big glass of water I am working on right now!

The weekend.

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 12:35:43 -0700

And I am skipping class today. Got my tax refund, going to get some new jeans, stop at the post office and also pick up some lunch. Booked my tickets for my trip out to Phoenix, AZ and San Diego, CA, and the trip could not get here any sooner. Sat through 'Beginning XML' yesterday, and did not pick up anything new. It was all straight from the book the instructor was using, and the only difference between this class and the online one I took was that I had to sit there and do the exercises, and there were twenty nine other people in the classroom. I have not done much work today, just checked the usual sites, did see some interesting things: - Dalek interview : over on fecalface.com. I have a few Dalek prints, really like his stuff, but I see no one ever ask about the influence of The Simpsons' Halloween specials on his space monkeys, which were really aliens on his earlier pieces. And if you're on fecalface.com, you might as well check out Mike Giant's and Jeff Soto's blogs. - Speaking of Soto and Giant, both have gallery shows in New York in the next few months. Going to have to go up to check those out. - Gentei : cool shop in Baltimore, they're closing for a week to install their next theme. I wish I got an Animalize t-shirt before they went to the silver & gold print, would of really liked the white & purple or orange print. - Birreria Paradiso : going there tomorrow night to drink fancy beer with some friends. Can't wait. - upcoming shows I am going to: MSTRKRFT @ 930 Club (3/30), The Upbeats @ Mass Transit out in VA (3/31), Mayhem & other dnb and dubstep @ Rock'n'Roll Hotel (4/14), Soulwax @ 930 Club (4/15) and maybe Ghostland Observatory @ Rock'n'Roll Hotel (4/16) Anyways, going to dip out of work now.

I am a drum'n'bass Dj from the Washington, DC area.

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 13:51:56 -0700

That's right, I am another drum'n'bass Dj. Think of me as that local hero type that could of gone far, but let things faltter a bit and ended up falling out of the picture. I started collecting vinyl and learning how to mix records in 1996 when I was 19 and in college. Most of my friends at the time went to raves and clubs, listened to all kinds of electronic music, and a group of us were really in to drum'n'bass. Mainly techstep. You remember techstep, right? That dark, gritty sound that was mainly a two-step beat, invoking visions of science fiction and future fact. I was hooked. And with the obsession over the music came collecting mixtapes of national Djs coming up, making tapes of my own, buying tape packs of big dnb raves in the UK, trading tapes with people I met via the internet. 1998 I started getting booked to play at local events. I was even getting involved with throwing events. The web was not just the internet, it was the connections I was making to other people in to the same music. It was taking on this DiY feel, crashing on couches in other cities, offering up a place to stay to other people traveling. By 1999 I had played three of the major events I was aiming for; Buzz in DC, Eklektic in SF, and Platinum in Philly. I had no production out, I was just meeting the right people at the right times, and having a blast. By 2002 I had traveled out to California six times to play events, hang out, meet people, have fun. I was playing in DC and Baltimore regularly, I had events lined up for nearly three years, bringing in lots of talent to the area as well as supporting local talent. I got to play in NY, Boston, numerous times in Philly, Pittsburgh, down south in Charlotte and Atlanta, even played in Phoenix. Things kind of slowed down in 2003 for me. I had studio gear I had purchased over the years, I even had a couple tracks finished on my own, with my friend Matt/MRN, a few collabs with other locals (Sinthetix and Marcio from Corrupt Souls), even did some stuff with Ed/UFO! from SF. But I lost the drive to continue working on production, citing it as frustrating and by 2004 I decided I was taking a break. Logic did not break me, but my inability to sound out my ideas really threw a wrench in to things. I still Dj a little bit. I have been trying to reconnect with some people. I still go out to parties to hear music. I like a lot of different genres, so I listen to a lot more nowadays too. Sometimes I dream about tunes, ideas in my head, but I still have not developes those ideas more. My enthusiasm for the music still catches on with people not familiar with it. I can still geek out with friends about events and music and adventures. I think break time is coming to a close.