So I was hanging out last Thursday at home working on my laptop with my boyfriend on his reading Fark.com. Suddenly he laughs out loud and reads me this line from a comment on a post about the House Subpoenas:

I heard “House subpoenas” on the radio, and for a split second I thought they said “House of Penis”.

It was the first words of the story, so there was no context. It went “House of Penis might be on the way to the White House…”

Then I laughed like Beavis.

/then I think “House of Penis delivers?”
//then I think “why am I thinking about penis?”

- Shocktopus

While laughing about it I quickly checked to see if houseofpenis.com was available. I was totally expecting a Chinese Food / Gay Sex Toy 24-Hour Delivery & Carryout service or something similar. But it was available–so I registered it. Then I quickly got a Drupal site up and running as an aggregator of news stories on a few topics related to the House subpoenas, still giggling every few minutes. Then I tossed up a little Cafepress store, complete with underwear that says “House of Penis.” Yep.

Here’s a more detailed version of the story.

And here you can find the latest news on the House Subpoenas at House of Penis, with news feeds updated every 15 minutes. Try to keep a straight face.

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“Free music? A record label is giving away all of its releases? And it’s legal to download? Well it can’t be that g—whoah, hold on– this is really excellent stuff here… free you say? C’mon, there’s got to be some catch…”

Nope, there’s no catch, people: quality underground music can be yours for a total cost of zero dollars ($0.00). Witness the power of the Netlabel—the new, super niche-y music distribution platform with an instant delivery, grab-it-while-it’s-fresh aesthetic that’s only possible because of the Internet. While it’s similar to a traditional independent label, the main difference is that a Netlabel has no physical component to any of its releases—everything is digital and free to download. iTunes, eMusic or any other digital download broker is never part of the picture, proving that the power of the Internet, combined with pure DIY spirit can bypass the traditional system of music distribution.

It’s fitting that most Netlabels feature IDM and experimental electronic releases, seeing as the genre is produced on computers likely to be connected to the Internet at some point. The most established Netlabels include Kikapu & Monotonik (IDM), Textone (minimal techno), and 8bitpeoples (8bit / Chiptune). While they oftentimes feature a mixture of higher profile and less-established artists, one thing is consistent: they’re always focused on bringing quality music to a larger audience.

Enter Xynthetic [pronounced “Synthetic”], the Netlabel that’s intent on blowing out your eardrums as well as your musical preconceptions with releases by such talented producers as Mochipet, Phylum Sinter, Mercury Effect, Zainetica, and Ramp Chicago resident, Emulsion.

You owe it to yourself to see and hear the innovators behind Xynthetic in their first Chicago appearance. Josh Garrett (Xyn) a native of Detroit / Ann Arbor has contributed remixes and tracks for labels like Component and en:peg, while Graeme Foote (Pyxis) is a respected Vancouver club DJ. Both are convinced that traditional music distribution channels have failed musicians and believe that a Netlabel that connects the music of talented artists with an appreciative audience will only bring great things. Building upon their eclectic-but-excellent theme, local celebrity selector Ianhixxx will shake the subwoofers and your expectations with his genre-bending forays into electro, Italo, growly techno, acid and IDM.

• Tuesday, April 10th at Sonotheque
• 1444 W. Chicago Ave.
• $5
• 21+
• 9pm to 2am

The Xynthetic Netlabel founders Xyn and Pyxis treat Chicago to the sensibility behind their label—IDM, breakbeat, techno, experimental, acid, and more, but always with an ear towards absolute quality. Local celebrated DJ Ianhixxx supports along with a DJ set from resident Emulsion.

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More Seals with Buckets after the jump! (Including the originals)

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I’m finally playing a free event! This Tuesday come out to watch Danger: Diobolik and listen to some cutting edge electronica.

Diabolik is the story of a skilled thief living out of a ritzy hideout who steals incredible riches from the Italian government- including $10 million in cash, a highly prized set of emeralds, and an enormous gold ingot. Based on an Italian comic book series, it’s Mod, kitschy, culty, and pretty funny.

Laptop-DJ Liz Revision (aka Quantazelle) selects experimental ambient, IDM and glitchy techno in response to the aura of each night. As her production alias, Quantazelle, she combines complex percussive programming, sonic innovation, and engaging sound design together with an approachable melodic sensibility and often booty-shaking result. She holds a residency at Ramp Chicago’s 2nd Tuesdays at Sonotheque, writes for Createdigitalmusic.com, owns the subVariant record label, and spends way too much time in front of her laptop.

lizrevision.com
quantazelle.com
rampchicago.com
subvariant.com

Celebrity
1856 W. North Ave
Chicago, IL 60686
(773) 365-0091

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In the ever-growing trend of creator-sanctioned fan art, the people at Battlestar Galactica have instituted the Videomaker competition. Publicly supplying audio and video from the show (battle scenes, the sound of airlocks opening and closing, etc), they’ll pick the best fan-created video and air it on a future Battlestar Galactica episode. Fun! [via]

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Here’s an article I wrote for Createdigitalmusic.com to help other electronic musicians get publicity. The first part lists common pitfalls to avoid when choosing your project name and the second part lists ways to come up with a cool name. While it’s targeted toward electronic musicians it also applies to bands.

read more | digg story

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If Ramp Chicago needed a poster boy it would be Scott Hansen—equal parts audio and visual, he executes both with finesse. As Tycho he’s a master of swirling, sun-drenched melodies and as the much-lauded graphic designer, ISO50, he’s equally stunning and mines a similar aesthetic. Having just shared a bill with Matmos, Tycho is at work on new material for Ghostly International, having recently released Past is Prologue on Merck records. Hansen will be performing and displaying artwork from his ISO50 guise, as well as his live set as Tycho.

You’ll regret it if you miss Chicago DJ, Mr. Automatic, a long-time veteran of collectives like Metropop Media, Retropop!, Boutique Sound and Iconoclast. He’ll be spinning an eclectic mix of downtempo, 60’s pop and disco. Also look out for our new resident DJ Liz Revision (a.k.a. Quantazelle), who recently appeared with a live set in January, as well as live video artist Spiderback, returning to Ramp Chicago with his distinct blend of synthesized visuals.

* Tuesday, March 13, 2007 @ Sonotheque [MAP]
* 1444 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago IL
* 9pm - 2am, 21+, $5

* BassUpTrebleDown presents Ramp Chicago featuring:
* Tycho (Live)
* Mr. Automatic
* Liz Revision [aka Quantazelle] (Resident)
* Emulsion (Resident)
* Live Visuals: Spiderback

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