The demise of Company Flow left a sizeable hole in hip-hop, but that hole is now well on it’s way to being filled with the birth of El-Producto’s DefJux label. Figurehead signing Cannibal Ox have just released their debut album, Cold Vein. Rappers Vordul and Vast Aire carry on the vocal stylings carved out by the Co.Flow MCs, while El-P’s production brings the Funcrusher flavour.
Tron was an under performer at the box office on its release. Like many cult classics though with hindsight it can be appreciated in a different light. Pre-dating Gibson’s Neuromancer by 2 years, Tron tells the tale of hackers battling inside a computer system to free it from the control of a meglomaniacal corporation with an AI behind them.. Sound familiar? Writer and Director Steven Lisberger, along with artisitc help from the likes of Moebius and Syd Mead, produced a Sci-Fi classic. VFXpro have a good article entitled Tron Revisited which takes an indepth look behind the scenes of its making. Steven Lisberger is currently reported to be working on Tron 2.0 for Disney, lets hope it lives up to the standards set by its forebear..
If this sort of thing takes your fancy then Gamewallpaper.com has a huge selection of gaming related desktops for download. A lot of them are pretty cheesy but some of the Japanese ones are quite nice..
The LA Times has a weird/interesting interview with Shigeru Miyamoto. Instead of grilling him on game design or Nintendo they delve into what gadgets he owns..
Bjork is back with her finest work yet. Her new Album “Vespertine” is due for release on August 28th. The Japanese version is already out though and can be picked up on import. Vespertine sees a shift of direction for Bjork, gone are her previous pop trimmings and in their place comes a darker, harder electronic edge that was hinted at on “Homogenic” . Matmos have done a fine job, adding minimal techno rhythms under Bjorks tragically beautiful melodies. The influence of Dancer in the Dark can be felt too throughout this album as Bjork delves into a far more mature, painfull, but paradoxically warm and intimate sound. Your average pop fan will see this a step backwards, but this album pushes Bjork over a creative barrier. She has always tried to maintain a pop outlook while her own musical tastes lie more to the avante garde. Vespertine sees her cast off these pop allusions as she ploughs straight towards her own musical influences and contemporaries. I can’t recommend this album highly enough. Bjork has come of age and it is a privilege to be here to see it..
IGN is reporting that one of the most anticipated Gamecube titles may be in big trouble. Lets hope Nintendo take firm control of the project before the Gamecube loses one of the potential jewels in its crown..
Square are to release 2 DVD versions of Final Fantasy The Spirits Within. The first will be a full blown SE version of the movie. The second however is a PS2 edition with game elements built into the movie. Lets hope its a bit more advanced than your standard Dragons Lair fare..
There’s a new Squarepusher cd on the shelves (Go Plastic). And according to the (annoyingly difficult to link to) warprecords site: “the new Aphex Twin 30 track double album ‘drukqs’ was mastered last week in London.” Life is sweet…
Tendobox have a cool trick you can perform with your Gameboy Advance. Lets see what damage Nintendo says this one will do to your poor machine :)
VideoSenki have the translation of a dengekionline interview with Tetsuya Mizuguchi about his new game Rez. This game looks truely incredible, mixing shooter and music maker into a new hybrid gameform.