Just a quick post about Pulse Emitter's recent LP on Aguirre Records, "Aeons". This has quickly become my favourite release of 2012 so far. Absolutely stunning record. It kind of reminds me of outtakes from "Blade Runner", but it does not feel like he is trying to imitate Vangelis. I think it is more a case of him channelling similar cosmic forces. With each release Pulse Emitter is raising his game, and here you can here him creating something very powerful and beautiful. His music has real majesty and beauty. Trust me, do yourself a favour and get a copy of this release. You can purchase it digitally at Aguirre's bandcamp for €6.
For more information on Pulse Emitter I'd recommend this excellent recent interview with him on bleep43. Keep an eye on Pulse Emitter, I think he is on the path to somewhere very special.
We might like some old Kevin Saunderson, but no, we don't have a mix from that Inner City... ThisInnercity (no space) is someone making some very weird and wonderful synth music on some excellent labels such as Aguirre, NNA Tapes, Not Not Fun and a range of other labels. While much of his output has been on cassette or CDR (much of which has been available through bandcamp), he has also released a number of records, and it was his "Future Life" LP on Aguirre that first grabbed my attention. There is something incredibly demented and warped about that record, especially the B side. It sounds like a very hazy, foggy dream after having a few too many painkillers. More recently Innercity put out a 7" on NNA, and again the B side was the winner. "The Pyramids Of Northeast Belgium", which is reminiscent of a very demented Legowelt track. His music has a certain weirdness to it that instantly attracts me, I like how he is creating his own little world. He is continuing along this path, as you can see in this a video for his upcoming "Clone Dinner" cassette on Ikuisuus.
Innercity has kindly put together a live recording for his ssg special, which shows off his otherworldly synth sounds. Compared to some of his releases, I find this recording more meditative, I have been enjoying listening to it at the end of a long day at work when my head is feeling rather sore and tired. I think where there is a strong similarity is that it is music you get lost in, you feel like you are entering into Innercity's world (or brain perhaps). Enjoy.
For more info on Innercity, check his blog. You can hear and purchase more of his music on his bandcamp. And right now he has a free album for download, "Cyber the last grind", which is a good entry point into discovering more of Innercity's world. He also has a LP coming out in a few months on Further records, and is part of a double split on Aguirre. So plenty more goodness (or weirdness) on the way. Big thanks to Innercity for this recording.
Monolake is one of the golden cows of techno, he is someone you are not really supposed to criticise. He has a legion of fanboys that jump to his defence anytime anyone breaks ranks. And the devotion of many people to Monolake is understandable. He has made some amazing music. And for plenty of us he has been one of those figures that played a pivotal role in shaping our understanding of techno. Saying that, when the history of techno is being written, it is not going to be his work as a producer or as a performer that will be most important. The most significant legacy Robert Henke is undoubtedly his role in the creation and advancement of Ableton, a software that truly revolutionised electronic music, for better and worse. And in some ways I kind of feel like the price paid for the development of Ableton has been a lack of development in Henke's musical alter-ego. While he has continued to refine the Monolake sound, the template for his new album is not that far removed what you can find on "Cinemascope". That album was released in 2001, and I don't think it is a coincidence it was also the same year that Ableton Live first came out... It was also the last album of his I really loved, even though I did like "Silence" more than most of his other work in the '00s. It was a bit of a return to form, though short lived it seems, at least based on "Ghosts".
So what about "Ghosts"? Of course there are the golden cow-style reviews, but I really do struggle to work out what such writers can find to love in this rather sterile album. I find the title all too appropriate - it feels like the ghost of Monolake - you can see the shape, you recognise who it is, but there is no life. It just exists in an awkward netherworld somewhere between good and bad. But for me the defining characteristic of the album is ultimately how deeply boring it is. Considering Henke's incredible talents and depth of knowledge I find it strange he could create something so uninteresting. I cannot quite put my finger on it, but it really feels devoid of life, feeling, passion. In some ways I kind of feel like Henke has taken the Kraftwerkian man-machine to its extreme, removing too much of the man from the music. One of the great charms of Kraftwerk has always been precisely how human their music is! But listening to Monolake's album it feels so removed, cold and distant. It does not excite me, it does not interest me, it does not annoy me, it does not even disappoint me. I guess this is what surprises me - how completely it fails to elicit an emotional response.
To these complaints about "Ghosts" I can imagine some of the replies. First is the common refrain about the amazing production quality of Monolake. And "Ghosts" is definitely very well produced. But even if the production is of a much higher grade (and certainly it is), so what if the music itself is not that interesting? I have listened to this on proper earphones and on proper speakers. It still left me cold. It kind of reminds me of those old Dutch paintings of bowls of fruit. Great, it is incredibly accurate painting of a bowl of fruit. In the end it is a still a bowl of fruit, which is something that bores the shit out of me. On a general note, the more time I spend listening to music on really high end systems, the more sceptical I am about many people passing judgement on production quality. Lots of people are listening to this music in 320kbps mp3 (or lower quality) generally on shitty earbuds or mediocre speakers. And for many of us, the standard would probably be the HD25s or something similar. These earphones are good enough, but I am increasingly doubtful about how much you can judge in terms of production on something like these. From what I have heard, it is only really listening to this stuff on high end systems that differences in production quality become clear. Listen to Mika Vainio or Alva Noto in 320 on HD25s and yes, of course it sounds good, but it is only when I heard them on a proper system that I could start to understand just how much better their sound design is compared to most other artists. So when all these people are complementing Monolake on his production quality, I have a feeling a lot of it is because of his reputation as a master sound engineer, rather than because it is so obvious that his production is of a much higher quality than most. I simply doubt most of us are in a position to be able to judge this.
The second objection that may be raised is that much of Monolake's oeuvre has had a cold, icey feel to it, so it should not be a surprise if that is the response that the new album elicits. Of course, it is a distinguishing feature of his music. But I think what distinguishes "Ghosts" from his best work is that it lacks a certain power and gravity that grabs you. Take what I would say is Monolake's last amazing track, "Alaska", or one of my other favourites, "Bicom" (from "Cinemascope"). Neither are that far removed from what he is doing on "Ghosts", except there is a certain something - a spark, some life, a groove - that captures and captivates your attention, and it is this magic 'something' that is totally lacking from "Ghosts".
In many ways "Ghosts" feels like the culmination of a process that began back with "Cinemascope" and Ableton. I really hope it is, but considering this is the second album of a trilogy, I doubt that will be the case. Robert Henke is an amazing talent, a genius who played a fundamental role in shaping electronic music today, but perhaps the price for all of his innovations has been his Monolake alter-ego. I do hope he can rediscover that human spark in his music, but based on "Ghosts" I wonder if it has been extinguished forever. ___
PC's two cents: a lifeless alcan laps ceaselessly against the edge of the monolake
Chris and I agreed to do a double blind double post on Ghosts. That is, we haven't spoken about the album at all (okay, a tiny tiny bit). Chris was worried we would say similar things. In substance, I think that's true, but in form and style... well, you'll see. I've taken the 'first thoughts, best thoughts' route here. What follows below is a stream of consciousness, written in real time, as I was listening to the album (in 320kbps, on HD25s!). It is my third listen to the album, and second careful listen. The 'rule' here was that all tracks would be played through at high volume, no fast forward, no interruption. One last thing. I notice above the cover: are these ghost gums? There is so little of the arboreal in Ghosts. I was longing for some trees. It's all liquid and metal. It's a very arid soundworld, and lifeless. Ghosts are undead, but they are absolutely the spirits of the living, among us because of anger, or pain, or unfinished business. You cannot be haunted by lifelessness, and that which is lifeless cannot be haunting. And this is such a huge contrast to the Alaska Melting EP, which, independently of Chris, I gave a recent re-rub, on the urging of Max (of London's COLONY parties) fame. Alaska is amazing, and driving, and angry, and dark.
For fuck's sake, listen carefully to this, all the way through. Don't stare at the picture of Robert H though, you're liable to enter an internet k hole...Also, technically, it is still unsurpassed, I think. What has followed from that is privative, it lacks. Monolake has become Monolack. On to the stream. NB: the 'pipe' between each series of comments denotes a silence between tracks.
~
Everything Monolake writes these days is somehow a metallic tunnel.
As a lyrical refrain, 'you do not exist' seems like a very *literal* way to think about ghosts, and it's at odds with the 'd'n'b lite' rhythmic structure. This is to d'n'b what Coke Zero is to cola drinks. In an aluminium can (once again back in a tunnel).
Actually, no: everything monolake writes is somehow in relation to an aluminium can. Monolake is the audible process of making Ableton rhyme with aluminium.
~
I've heard this ping-pong ball before. Monolake makes ping-pong balls sound… aluminium. Oh dear, 'spooky' sounds (once again, way too literal an interpretation of haunted tropes in recent music). It's as if Demdike Stare hosted a theme party, and the theme was 'haunted', and Henke… has just showed up dressed as a Halloween child's interpretation of Bela Lugosi (ie: without knowing Bela Lugosi, but having seen, I dunno, Leslie Nielson's Dracula, Dead and Loving It).
I take it this is his poltergeist track (checking song title). Toku. Crickets! Aluminium crickets!
~
A wood block tapping against the edge of an empty grain silo; very little drive, force, or evocation (where are the 'spooky' ping-pong balls?! Where's baby Bela?). Not ghost in the machine, machine without ghost. Not dead, just lifeless.
I'm realising as I listen to this that music 'must' strike out in some direction (eg toward the heart), or remain in the inertness of its own directionless inertia.
~
Whoa, aquatic! Now our aluminium can is…washing up on a beach somewhere in Italy, like would-be European North Africans (ie, in search of a better life, but soon to be crushed by the Frontex reality of contemporary Europe (=Henke is a drone or a drone pilot)… actually, I don't get that from Monolake, that's just me riffing.
….okay, now we have a long, slender metal tube, being hit with firm rubber mallets. But we're still beside the ocean, somehow… perhaps a storm water drain - yes, that's it!
A woman or mermaid is counting…. aluminium cans? Waves? Arrivals? ...whoa, key change… whoa… gosh, I really have to concentrate on concentrating on this one, there is very little to concentrate on, to give yourself to.
A large ship has sounded its horn on the horizon. Perhaps it's the Costa Concordia, warning us about its captain's navigation skills (maybe he uses Ableton… maybe he's too busy listening to Monolake?)
Summa: Spinal Tap were 'treading water in a sea of retarded sexuality and bad poetry', Monolake is an empty aluminium can lapping against the polluted northern shores of the Mediterranean. Somewhere below is the sunken hulk of ferry, filled with nuclear waste. But nobody knows. More tuna!
~
Okay, this time the metallic tunnel is much, much larger; cavernous, but still metallic. This could be a derelict Ford factory in Detroit; you can hear the ghost of Drexciya in here somewhere… but no: where's the rough concrete and grit? Where's the dirt and darkness? Everything here is parenthesised, 'dirt', 'darkness', like 'ghosts'.
Only the aluminium cans are real. 'In the night of the world, all the aluminium cans are grey.'
What is the point of this track? Does a track have to have a point? It could be a formal exercise, but por que? Movement without moving parts? Or just the aluminium simulacra of movement. If this was a bike frame, it'd be a Giant – *that* bland. This is the site of an abandoned Giant bicycle factory, now occupied by the ghosts of alloys past. Deathtopia photography series, edition Monolake.
~
Alva Noto soundalike! Bauxite: smelted, exported, processed; dead, buried, cremated. Carsten Nicolai still doesn't understand that he doesn't understand Berghain and techno, and this is an approximation of Nicolai's recent approximations (facsimile of simulacra of imitation of approximation… Xerroxed, oh indeed!)… river pebbles hitting riverstones half immersed in cold river water. …what's that floating down the river? Is it the corpse of minimal? …okay, this groove isn't too bad now… first one where I've nodded my meat-made head…. this one is long… (checking title) 'the Existence of Time' – what would ol' Heidegger say about this river? Heraclitus might say: you never see the same aluminium can float by twice…… No, Heraclitus would say: what the fuck is aluminium, get fluxed! I like the outro…
~
ping-pong balls are doing sonar pings now: ping ping balls. Synth 'voice', once again cold, in a large metal cathedral now.
Ping pa ping pi pi pipipi... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz pa pa papapapapapappapa (whooooooooo….. aaaaaaaaahh………) another sound like bamboo being wound up, but when it's released, the sound of the emitted tension has become… metallic - ?!- Shit, everything is metallic…. whooooooooo…. aaaaaaaaaahhhh…… whoooooooo…….
(check song title: Phenomenon). Hmm… something like a phenomenon…. ah, nice synth wail: aluminium banshees! Oh, they've been forced into a long metal pipe… that'll serve dem dykes right for staring at ol' Ghos'master Henke. There is one master here, and that is the man with the control surface, alles klar? Vorsprung durch technik. Oh, bamboo windups again, releasing metallic… this track is actually pretty dire… …and is taking ages to die (can something lifeless die? Maybe this is the problem). Actually, the outro makes me laugh. Not quite a ROFL, but a CHUCKL, he he he….
~
Metal *and* glass percussion…. perhaps if you got an audi S8, deconstructed it, and used all its bits to make a track, Einstürzende Neubauten style, it might sound like this. But then, Blixa would be screaming in a way both genuinely harrowing and deeply '80s West Berlin'. Metal and glass typewriters… the sounds computers make in 'cyber'/spy movies. Now there is a ute, and there are metal pipes rolling around in the tray… a cyborg is burping into an aluminium can, and as he does, the can turns into a cavern… back to the ute… – what is the point of this conflagration of metallic/classy/cavern sounds? – now a larger pipe is rolling around in a bigger ute, and it is raining (but not that heavily).
Maus: 'and the rain came down/ down, down, down'. John, if you're reading this, this proves it: the dead zone *is* a sign of the times. Gosh, like the last one, this one takes ages to expire. Terrible composition.
~
Breakbeaty! Jump up and look out Aphrodite, the King of the BEATS gonna ROCK the PLACE'. rrrrreewind, my selecta…..' the percussion in the background reminds me of the scenes from the Blue Man in Arrested Development…. but front stage it is d'n'b time. But again, if Henke was one of the metalheadz, he'd be made of you know what… Yes, he aluminium can. Dong! Gong. Whoa, big solo from the Blue Man group.
This is a 'hen' (weird/strange) track: I think d'n'b types would hate this, and so would techno and minimal cats. but there is none of the rhythmic microexcitations you get from, say, T++. I don't know who/what this is for, or what to do with it. It isn't interesting (it's very cliche as a composition), the sounds aren't that involving, and it's not really appropriate for DJs… wow, the total pursuit of the most useful technologies ends up producing something… superbly useless. Just because you aluminum can, does that mean you aluminum should? Forbid this man computers and give him the children's Bach (worse than their byte).
~
Hissy bits…. these beats are bit heavier… Okay, now we are in the Audi factory… but there has just been an earthquake… no! We are aboard a container ship carrying Audis to market in China. We are back on the high seas. You can hear the ocean… we are close to the Great Gyre… flotsam bumping against the hull…. But wait a second: someone left a pipe organ out in the rain! That infernal engine of popery, it's playing on the poop deck. I sorta like the juxtaposition of the creaking boat, the shiny cars, the sea spray, the pitch and yaw, and JS Bach…. hmm, it's gone a bit Dracula now, and the cabin boy is tapping his mechanical pencil against a you-know-what. I like the deep hum of the diesel engine, its mammoth power. I just heard a bunch of squid below the hull. Popery again!
~
Back w/ the breakbeat stuff – really, Robert? Not quite as bad as the Francois K remix of Rhythm and Sound, but nearly... Okay, this groove has much more propulsion. Gregorians in the background, chanting (what else do Gregorians do?) 44 gallon drums full of stones, rolled toward the pulpit. Whispers down a marble - actually marble! - chapel. The drums are rolling; they are being rolled by a young apprentice who has a dubstep track stuck in this head, headphones secreted under his cassock. One of the monks keeps tapping his tuning fork on the edge of his dinner plate – a porcelain plate! Whispers of vespers, stomach grumbling - tap tap tap! He must be hungry, he keeps tapping; whoa, cacophonous! Heavy metal falling from the sky – wow, including the kitchen sink. This one is all metallic balls out, but manages to be somehow too minimal AND too busy. So many elements: monk, plate, 44 gallon drum, kitchen sink, marble &c, &c (repeat, repeat). Control is a surface. Now the monks have turned into an airport announce-stress. Flights are delayed. Fuck it.
~
Ah, this one has a nice sub-bass; somehow more 'organised' and purposive. Even kick, nice… hang on, conventional drum machine… ping-pongs all under control. This one is really moving forward. Instantly this is heaps better. It's simpler, but far more expressive… whoa, this sounds like proper techno! Oh, vocal, oh shit, I know this, this isn't Ghosts...… it's the Dettmann re-rub of Morphosis, next folder on my player. Oops! Egad: 'what have we learned?' indeed...
was on the radio again on Monday evening (neither the d&b nor the Tom Waits that bookend the set are mine, surprisingly). Unfortunately, for a bunch of complicated reasons, we can't offer this show as a downloadable mp3; it's streamable in 'high quality' from here.
Inverted commas aggressively intended: it turns out that PBS' turntables were *not* in good condition. It's hard for me to agree they're a 'progressive broadcaster' given the state they were in. Tracks played from vinyl are mostly mono - inc monolake*, hah! - I listened through though, and it's bearable, though not the seamless presentation of past/present/future that we expect in the contemporary world. Also managed to feature a couple of tracks of Ukkonen's gorgeous forthcoming album, so this is a bit of a sneaky treat.
Many thanks to James for 'avin me on (not that he's the kind of Englishman to swallow his Hs).
Oh, and here are the lyrics for David Byrne's 'In the Future', worth following as you listen. Hilarious, prescient, and a bit frightening (just like David Byrne). Or you can watch and listen, here.
Tracklist:
Closer Musik | 1, 2, 3 (No Gravity) Kraftwerk | Spacelab
Ukkonen | Seventy Three Days of Radiance | The Isolated Rhythms of Ukkonen
Pulse Emitter | Spaceship | Aeons Andreas Reihse | LA (feat PIB) | Romantic Comedy
Monolake | Alaska Thomas Brinkmann | Karin
Ukkonen | Tellervo | The Isolated Rhythms of Ukkonen FRAK | Choosing Format | Muzika Electronica
Equalized | 002 Hieroglyphic Being | Space is the Place (Intro)
Pulse Emitter | Immortality | Aeons David Byrne | In The Future | Music from the Knee Plays
* textedit keeps on trying to change monolake to moonlike; seems like even the computer is off its spaceface today. Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Just a quick note to say that the "Composure: Ambient Techno for Japan" compilation is now available to purchase through bandcamp, in both digital and physical formats. There were some unexpected delays and problems with organising distribution for this outside Japan, which meant until now a lot of people have not had a chance to get this release. Very glad this has now been resolved and everyone has access to this great compilation. I would strongly recommend purchasing it - not only is it for a very worthy cause (all profits go to the Tohoku Kids Project) - there is also some really excellent music for you to enjoy. The contributions by Donato Dozzy and Donnacha Costello alone make this worth buying, easily two of my favourite tracks from 2011.
Today is the one year anniversary of the 3/11 disasters, so it is a very appropriate time for Mindgames to release this compilation through bandcamp. It has been a difficult 12 months in Japan, but I have been consistently impressed by the way most of this country has responded. I say 'most' because unfortunately too many politicians, bureaucrats and big businesses have been more concerned with protecting their own interests than in properly responding to the situation in Tohoku. I really hope Japan does not lose this chance to learn from what happened and build back stronger.
Respect to Mindgames for putting this compilation together, and thanks to the techno community that has been so supportive over the last year.
We have had a very good week or so of music here in Tokyo... Last weekend, natural/electronic.system. made sure the first MNML SSGS club party in Tokyo was a massive success. The following night, INNEN + AUSSEN gave an impressively diverse selection and created a fantastic vibe at our Sound Garden party. It continued on Monday with NES delivering a quality 3 hour session at Dommune. Then on Thursday it was Svreca's turn... His set at Dommune was very impressive. He started with Prurient and never looked back, delivering a very diverse and exciting 90 minutes of experimental techno. Well proper. This left me with very high hopes for his club set last night, which he more than exceeded... Over 3 hours Svreca crafted one of the most impressive sets of techno I have seen in years. What struck me the most is that he has something which PC and I have been feeling is really lacking from much of the techno music we listen to today: daring. Svreca's selection and approach to DJing was seriously ballsy. His selections, his mixing, his willing to test and push the dancefloor was courageous in a way that we rarely see these days. He started with a dead dancefloor, got things moving with some quality deep house grooves, then when he felt it starting to move in the wrong direction, he spent about 15 minutes resetting the dancefloor. After that he delivered an incredibly diverse, exciting set of techno - he was never afraid to change the BPMs (which he did repeatedly), drop non 4/4 tracks, and break things up. It was, quite simply, one of the most inspiring sets I have heard in a long time. Massive respect to Svreca.
Semantica has built a very strong reputation in recent years for its high quality output of techno, electro, IDM and related sounds, but the label owner Svreca has not received too much attention yet. I thoroughly expect this to change. This guy is a hidden gem. Part of the reason perhaps not many people know about him is that unlike most other artists, he has almost no mixes online. His only podcast was for Clubbing Spain, and even though it is almost 2 years old, the mix still sounds very fresh and current. I strongly recommend checking it. The good news is that there should be a new mix appearing from Svreca in the coming months, I will let you guess where that will be appearing...
You may have noticed that things have been a bit quiet here at MNML SSGS. The major reason is simply that PC and I have been incredibly busy, and we have had much less time and headspace for the blog. For me, at least, a secondary reason is that certainly with techno I have been really struggling to find music that excites me. Yes, there is plenty of good techno around, but for me too much of it is too safe, too conformist, too conservative. I crave for more daring, for more courage! For me techno should be opposed to conformity and complacency, but this is too often what it becomes... The music and experiences I have had over the last week - especially Svreca's two performances - have really given me some fresh inspiration that I thoroughly needed. Thanks to Antonio, Valerio, Andy, Jenus, Enrique and everybody else who contributed to a really fantastic week of music in Tokyo. My cup is full!
Thanks to NES and everyone who came or tuned into Dommune last night. It was a really fantastic session from Antonio and Valerio. A fantastic way to finish off 3 amazing days of music. But we only have a very short rest before there is more... Svreca from Semantica records is coming to Tokyo and we've helped to organise a Dommune show with him on Thursday night. For us Semantica has been one of the most interesting, high quality techno labels over the last couple of years and we are very happy he is coming to Tokyo. Svreca is playing at the Frue - Etheric Uprise party at Unit on Saturday, which should be an excellent venue for his sound, along with Raz Mesinai aka Badawi, who is playing live. Steven Porter - a Japanese techno act that has released on Semantica - is also playing live, and ssg favourite C_Olvrin is playing in the second room. So it should be a very interesting night of music. Thoroughly looking forward to it. And beforehand, Svreca will be playing Dommune, with local DJ A Taut Line, who will be putting together a downbeat set to start the night. Thoroughly looking forward to both parties. Details are:
Dommune
Thursday 8 March, 21:00 - 24:00 (Japan time)
Svreca (Spain / Semantica), A Taut Line (Japan / Diskotopia) Register to attend here
Frue - Etheric Uprise
Saturday 10 March, Unit
DJ: Svreca, Inner Science
Live: Raz Mesinai aka Badawi, Steven Porter
And after these two parties hopefully we will have a bit of rest. But plenty more techno coming through Tokyo in the next month or two...
We wanted to make sure that ssgs elsewhere in the world could enjoy natural/electronic.system., so we are doing a Dommune session with them on Monday. They will be playing the whole 3 hours. Make sure to tune in! And if you are in Tokyo, please come and join us. NES for 3 hours on Funktion Ones... It is going to be quality.
For people in other timezones, according to my calculations, you should tune in at these times (anywhere else, I suggest using this timezone converter):
Melbourne 23:00 - 02:00
Moscow 16:00 - 19:00
Berlin 13:00 - 16:00
London 12:00 - 15:00
New York 07:00 - 10:00
Also on Thursday night we are helping to put on another night at Dommune, with special guest Svreca from Spain, who heads the very excellent Semantica label, and A Taut Line, a Tokyo based DJ and producer who runs the Diskotopia label. Register for the Thursday Dommune here. Svreca is town for the Etheric Uprise party at Unit next Saturday, which we are very excited about and thoroughly recommend going to. But first we suggest coming to Dommune on Monday and Thursday. This is going to be a big week of music in Tokyo!
Thanks to Ukawa-san for having us at Dommune. Make sure to come down or tune in!
Thanks to everyone who came down to Module last night! That really was a special night. Thank you so much. And if you want to recover with some quality downbeats, join us this evening at Orbit. Our special guests from Berlin are INNEN + AUSSEN, otherwise known as ND_Baumecker and Jenus Jackman. NES might spin some records too, if they are awake after last night's party. This is going to be a very fun session... Here is a rough timetable:
