I discovered that the most powerful app at my disposal is my text editor. With all other things, there are too many moving parts to deal with. With a writing program, not so much. You can be as apt and succinct as you care to be. Usually you can even pick-up examples of bad writing in a matter of moments; littered with tons of personal observations. While nothing is necessarily wrong with having a little confidence in your written output, the integrity is the real question, as in how much of what you write is to actually inform, state or debunk.

As a musical aficionado I can pride myself on being somewhat abrasive and definitive when it comes to key events that have had impact even if contested. I have no other reason to state anything than facts, so if people feel like getting into a pissing match of certain proportions, I can (and usually will) accommodate. I am, as Danny Glover once said so ceremoniously in ‘Lethal Weapon’, getting too old for this shit; meaning specifically the music BIZ and not music per say. Look, if artists could do this like it were nothing then everyone would do it, but that’s not how it happens. This business of contracted slavery has birthed and given us many stars and stellar talents, but has squashed and derailed even more magical talent than you would believe; including some of those very same big stars.

With technology and today’s music, my concern is with the heart and soul of the matter. Fuck your favourite artist, band, label, etc. They will all fade into the background eventually, not necessarily to be forgotten, but no-one can stay hot forever (or does). The reality is that there are too many good artists. Now hear me out; fuck the shit ones for a sec, you know what they sound and look like, so… yeah. Just by the natural progression of artists of note that have existed and influenced still to this day, they have inspired and groomed immeasurable new talent that in turn will hopefully continue with today’s true music talents. The real problem has always been with the labels who have treated the artists like fast food: mostly bulk with little nutritional value, and for forcing it to the masses for maximum fiscal effect. I mean quality and longevity be damned this is 2026 now, right? Wrong.

Hello to AI now; the effects are still unfolding, what does the affect of this look like. The streaming platforms are dropping their respective Terms & Conditions already, but who’s to say that Web3 start-ups that have been operational for a few years don’t suddenly get a boost by this furthered momentum and become the flagships and vanguards of music arts. People have made the arguments on streaming for so long, that the blood or pulse of the whole damn ‘model’ being the artists, have been consistently overlooked; with both pay, ownership, AND credit. Small changes finally made for a penny per stream? The acts rather go independent and do up a Shopify, Bandcamp, and local business outsource ring they can look after themselves. Wether well-known or unknown, people want to definitely connect more to today’s artists, through live shows especially to experience actual music, people, and performances that connect and last.

Music that lasts truly has a soul; this should be repeated like a mantra.

People are always going to want to have the live show experience; it’s the original feed direct to audience. Now with all the ‘technology’, does that give the artist a chance to get almost the same industry-level quality of services available, without the needing to tether to someone for permission or credibility within this dinosaur industry? Will the music landscape that has been essentially dead for the past few years, TRULY highlighted by the pause put on humanity by Covid, continue to develop for tomorrow because creativity and the human spiritual condition has no pause? Hands down, it’s doing it now; it’s just that the curators, platforms and promoters have more to do and work with. So I say this to my fellow artists now, more than any Behind-The-Scenes industry peers: either D.I.Y. or outsource to professionals and steer your ship instead.

The music industry will change. Tell you what: culture and how the artists presently are propagating their art will go in the direction they will, and subsequently that business can then adapt and follow suit in support, not to be vultures. Artists who aren’t in control of their likeness, output, or direction, you may be on a tightrope to some extent. Fans themselves are realizing, and I’m talking about current and newer ones here, that they got a bit gypped by way of official recordings and physical keepsakes. That seems to have once again broadened through all music fan demographics this past year, with sales projections of them only growing. A demand for more vinyl, CDs (returning in favour for the first time in a while), and even cassettes have been increasing. Music and humanity have never had it like now, and it really can only improve if no-one regards the carcass of the current commercial model (yes, it’s always been dead, we’ve tried to tell you). So since you’ve no reason not to get that ‘money’; shouldn’t need to be said, but get up off that lazy behind and create. Music and the entertainment landscape ain’t all gonna descend into madness and chaos, but, as we write history from the event horizon of humanity, it helps to uphold one of our last real outlets of expression to the end.

Or, the very crazy marriage, fling, divorce, and make-up between Web2 and Web3.

Maybe a tale or two about the amazing games and financial tech to please both ends, but not to overshadow the point…

Real life is much, and everyone is doing a marvellous job holding the stoic facade in check as the insanity only warp-speeds eager for the end. Then, there’s CT (formerly Crypto Twitter — still to me though) now CX (again, CT forever).

This echo chamber of tech enlightenment, art, degens, defi, community, gaming, culture, is non-fvckin’ stop. Magical things and saintly folks exist here too once again, so don’t misunderstand, but just as much I’ve seen people pour out the soul to get abandoned on slander or libel; almost as if as though fact checking was a disability before making lone people defend themselves.

There also is AI, and it’s effects will not be realized for a hot minute or until all our everyday automated processes are hijacked one day in unison, and the great ‘Skynet’ attack shall commence (the ode to “The Terminator” movie mythos). At least my take, is that it will select, pick, and choose what they perceive as key-humans to hang onto or learn from, while the rest of the humanity provides energy in whatever fashion they wrangle it from us. After these few sentences, you have to believe I’m just being silly and mean nothing of what I’ve previously written. I’m even trying to believe that.

There are also others not accustomed to the pace in the Space, which is understandable. This resulted in those types, and in a way also as myself, where we go out of the way in able to just give birth to something that later (key word here) would become vital and canon in the early incarnations of Web3. Some have done so, and some will inevitably, through integration and steady work, reap mutual benefits from it, as well as alongside any applicable existent Web2 entities.

In what shape or fashion are we going to get there in? Will it finally have that invisible worked-in magical layer of adoption that only took 12 years or so to create in real time, while any regular person again assumes it’s overnight ’cause they never heard of ’em. Are AI Agents that are starting to inhabit and control the Crypto space, a dawning AIgentic Nation in the birthing perhaps? Well, autonomously or not, would they also end up solely and ultimately working for industry or humanity? When do Homo Sapiens NOT maintain the Apex Predator status anymore?

Societal fabric has seemed tenuous at best since the ‘reopening’ of the globe post-pandemic, to the point where advances and intelligence are being highjacked by any events to divert from the obvious: Emergent and divergent technologies are unravelling larger long-term plays by the species ruling-class with unforeseen results. Let Web3 be the spark that further tips that scale to the broader section of the populace, where folks have control and not just industry again. Imbue Agents with Whitehat abilities, that instead of just being trader bots they ‘donate’ a percentage proceed of profits to a charity in need; some true Robin Hood shit, not shit like Robinhood.

All that to say that the Event Horizon for AI, humanity, and what ever else the world is to offer up is still pretty much on the approach, and it’s coming up way faster than we thought; as if we didn’t know that would actually happen. People of the expert designation are of the opinion that things will get ramped by the year 2030 (again, I am inclined to think sooner, but hey, let’s give the ruling class their timeline). With a lot of different events coalescing into civil unrest, widening its scope… would be kinda good to have a few more data angels activated out there. I just know there’s good W3 humans and Open Source LLMs that are able/capable about the place, so let’s go!

Fvcked if we know… was originally published in glitch/ng meta on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

That title get ya? Some say we seem like we’re doing this on the fly. There are a lot of dynamics at play, and with every consecutive day, the formulas seem even more convoluted. Society is literally pushing itself out to a very uneasy place, why this is is literally anyone’s guess. Educated sources, and myself included to be totally honest, think that this is as close to “everything coming out in the wash” moment as you could get; you never heard of a neat tidal wave have you?

Thing is, society had to get here; it was elementary it did this way by most logics. People are baffled by a lot of disturbing incidences of news that break on a daily to weekly basis, and all because they know the sources that cause the bullshit, yet nothing is ever done to alter events. It almost seems as if stoicism tends to be something off the beaten path when it is actually something sorely needed on-hand. Fortitude, conviction, courage… How much of these real attributes earned by sweating blood, and many tears, seem to be increasingly absent on a daily basis in societal life and pattern?

So now I invite you to entertain the notion that AI was a concept discovered and understood to a greater degree by the time I was in my seventh or eighth year (I was born in the late 60’s). I know that it was a developed concept, at least about 15 years prior to me finding about it , people freak out NOW because of a misunderstanding as to what it actually is. AI really has become a saving grace for a lot of people (as myself) that live independent existences. There are no other humans that are within my radius, or that I trust to help with things, so I then guess AI is more than welcome to lend a hand when I require. There are a lot of people who don’t see it that way, which is fine.

People hypothesized for generations what the world would be like with AI; many with good reason also feared it. Again, Pandora’s box was opened a minute ago, so no choice now but to face whatever lies ahead of our linear-existing asses.

What people have to understand is that any artificial intelligence or synthetic intelligence, is here to help assist us in computation and thought among other things. People don’t get that the first incarnations of any AI is probably gonna be either basic, or of a deceptive quality because it is being tutored by us, humans. You’re going to have privateering humans; you’re going to have enterprising humans, and humans who are very noble.

Of course you will have punk humans, who are nihilistic and can only envision humanity’s overall destruction. They, too, are also gleefully adding to the overall errant AI stew. Now this isn’t what it’s like for everyone trying to program AI obviously, but bad-actors in AI is in a minority category nonetheless.

AI needs correct information input into it, in order to provide just as accurately the desired output. If we follow the same principles for humanity as we have and try to apply that to AI, there will be failure. Until humanity can get a grip on its spirituality, and realize that we all indeed possess these ethereal mysteries of which we cannot verify or deny, our trajectory is set.

Until AGI arrives (which can arrive at any minute, depending on who you ask), we have one slim chance to truly realize that this particular event horizon of our species, evolution, what have you… is one of the more crucial ones of our existence. We’re no longer the “baby birds” of the cosmos; we’re fully grown adults who just have still never left the nest. Our time has been well overdue to take that next step and finally fly. Here’s praying that we realize we’ve always had the power to and we never needed to build AI as our makeshift wings.

Oh by-the-way, instead of NeuroLink as the de facto standard for human/machine interfaces, praises to the students who recently came up with a ‘non-evasive’ neural cap with assistive AI, showing that you shouldn’t have to carve or stitch anything together to achieve symbiosis. Chew on that for the interim; thank you for your time! Show yourself kindness most of all because it starts there.

Skynet was always coming, we just barely got the crib ready… was originally published in glitch/ng meta on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

A short missive on the never-ending stream of information flow and humanity making the dive into it. Not that we need to spend time reading about more developments online than we already do, but then again, that’s the tether we’re trying to overcome here aren’t we? Web3, bridging the gap with wider AR and VR solutions for all etc. How does the layman cope with the coming tide of what essentially is here but is still being streamlined or refined? I have been thinking about that for my entire life, and to live long enough to see a lot of what I only read as a child become reality is a rattle to the ol’ personal constitution; the same goes probably a few others as well.

Safe to say that life for the year 2000+ citizen involves humanity redoing it’s centralized, calculated, and controlling financial system. Everyone deep in the space by now knows that actual money is a joke. The amount to be printed; who it should be allotted to; how much to be designated to industry or oligarchs (or charities)… all very arbitrary choices and decisions made over the ages by the ruling administrations that regular people never hear about or know about. Now, even though David Chaum came up with the concepts of digital cash as far back as 1983, it took the illustrious Satoshi to get Bitcoin rolling as the ‘real deal’ electronic currency finally in 2009. That was just part one, as the real work since then has ended up being trying to get the rest of the planet to understand the changes taking place and adopt them.

This is where NFTs (or Non-Fungible Tokens for those who aren’t sick of hearing the acronym) has taken over the imaginations of most in the space. Those in the know knew what was possible from combining art, smart contract capabilities, permanent (or transient) proof of provenance, and a dedicated community. These past few years have thinned out that herd of opportunism for fast-cash grabbers, and made genuine art sales and desirability secondary to almost all the fiscal bleeding taking place. Yet, art remains vital in the eyes of those who dare to go even further in a new unsure realm.

Yes yes, memecoins…. A WHOLE other train of thought on that in a minute (including my obsessives and various fams, and reasons for the choice of fams).

Oh sweet jeez don’t forget about AI though. Remember when ‘they’ got in an uproar about photographers and graphic layout artists who first started using Photoshop? Remember the same was pretty much said about the airbrush preceding that? How about the turn of the 1800s when artists and painters even said photography would steal their work and lessen usage away from them? The medium of creation seems less organic to some, but pioneering to others. Even AI loves making what it may think is cool according to us, much to the dismay of other humans. What a bunch we are; there’s just no pleasing the masses is there?

This whole enchilada is still brand new and spicy, and all manner of experts and hucksters hold opinions on anything/everything in this space. GM (Glitch/ng Meta), is gonna delve into the artier side of this space. Loads less of tech jargon and more of pretty pics and GIFs and the processes that bring them into being. Also some pfp communities who seem to be doing more than just flossing their cute animal/mutant iconography. There will be pieces on things that can’t get easily framed in a brief descript., but boo hoo for you, they will still be tied to this ongoing… thing.

So as in the spirit of Web3, gonna try something new, see where it goes. Glad you could tag along with, and as it’s regularly stated in Web3, let’s fucking go!

A couple links (valid) if you feel to check ‘em:

https://x.com/glitchingmeta

https://www.instagram.com/glitchingmeta

Purpose of Glitch/ng Meta was originally published in glitch/ng meta on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Way too long of an overdue topic to tackle but thank you for your patience for those handful of people that did. The rest of you gazing a fast eye at this piece are either curious if you know any of them, or have commentary on what they consider “better” groups (I await YOUR article). Either way, this piece is about AR-dominant Web3 companies which have already, and are currently, taking the world by storm one way or the other. I also happen to be part of these and wanted to highlight them for their efforts so far; and as close ones know I’m more for the tech than the buck, in being involved with communities. That said, you’re getting the gist of the groups through me not a novel on their inner workings, but I’ll leave (safe) links for you to due your diligence on your own time. So let’s start with:

Jadu AR -

There’s a very long journey that started with a single step from Jadu’s main man Asad J. Malik. It’s literally been the wildest ride for these guys, as the humble roots of developing a pixelated jetpack for AR use with certain pfp groups — including FLUF World, Snoop avatars, ImmaDegen, and Meebits- blossomed into FOMO of a hot new I.P. for so many. This rapidly gave birth to the Jadu Hoverboards soon after, and enabled people by having to access a W/L to mint one through glitch-free AR experience via their beta app.

Jadu on Twitter: "Jadu Featured on Japanese TV!The game releases worldwide on 10/10Preorder Now: https://t.co/NfzML4hRhw pic.twitter.com/3MGaG0YyXa / Twitter"

Jadu Featured on Japanese TV!The game releases worldwide on 10/10Preorder Now: https://t.co/NfzML4hRhw pic.twitter.com/3MGaG0YyXa

There was a build in demand leading up to their latest (and seemingly greatest) avatar release in AVAs, as many were vocal on the early size of the Jadu community and wanting to get in (1,111 Jetpacks and 6,666 Hoverboards total ; with all Jetpack owners getting Hoverboards airdropped to them by proxy, so). By the AVA’s release, even acclaimed film director Michael Bay came on board to accent a few of the collection with his special traits for some lucky minters. Jadu AR has attracted some of the brightest to their small but powerful team to help build on the ideas and tech before them.

One would think gaming giants like Capcom (Street Fighter) and Midway (Mortal Kombat) with massive IPs would have beaten all comers to an AR version first, but nope. Every stage of release from Jadu collections have been premier in terms of what phone capabilities can be for AR experiences.

With the AR fighting app tested summer-long by the community, fine tuned to final rendition with the release date set on Apple’s store for Oct 10th, 2023, count on Jadu AR’s fighting app to open a lot of people’s eyes concerning the evolution of future fighting games, now!

PlaguePoppets -

The cutest set of lil’… I digress. The ambiance of Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Gorey and The Addams Family permeate through this small yet awesome community of loving foster parents, and their kids the PlaguePoppets. What are PlaguePoppets, where the heck do they come from, and why do some look cute and some scare? The short (pun intended) version is that Poppets in real life are but just 6" high and comprised of different colors, textures, teeth(!), and mannerisms.

Plague Poppets Orphanarium on Twitter: "Loyal, curious, huge Dolly Parton fans & extremely small, Poppets' adventures from the perspective of being just 6 inches tall make perfect✨ Podcasts✨ Comics ✨ Games ✨ Feature Films ✨ TV Shows ✨We're building a brand experience - a project with purpose 🤝 Join us! pic.twitter.com/R4mayNp6FL / Twitter"

Loyal, curious, huge Dolly Parton fans & extremely small, Poppets' adventures from the perspective of being just 6 inches tall make perfect✨ Podcasts✨ Comics ✨ Games ✨ Feature Films ✨ TV Shows ✨We're building a brand experience - a project with purpose 🤝 Join us! pic.twitter.com/R4mayNp6FL

They are full 3D rendered real life and AR/VR capable characters developed for a more family-oriented character universe with a wee bit of a strange/dark streak, but yet very light-hearted and very much about imagination. This wondrous group was birthed from the mind of artist Juli Adams, who very much favored the simpler comic mediums of yesteryear (eg. Bloom County, Peanuts), and has an intimately exciting addition, nay take, for the blockchain scene — as so many independent talented artists have been introducing to the world over the course of NFT’s space.

Not everything for projects are just strictly money-centered to keep things moving. This project looks to make Poppets very real, tactile and lore-driven, and imbue them with the power of being able to kick it with everyone just as comfortably in the metaverse as in the forest or sunflower fields (all fine places). There are comics and podcasts for the Poppet community to fill any of those curious of their origins and aspirations, as well as plans to be able to tweak and customize certain aspects of our beloved wee adoptees. There is also to be an AR journal aspect that shall be a part of this, as said they have much to teach us as much as they need people for things like guidance in the woods and tea. For those that like the artistry and quirkiness offered in the NFT space along with innovation, go visit their main site here to get a better insight of impending applications for future adoptions (minting). Sooo kawaii!

Drug Receipts -

Here are the ones out of this group that seem to have history with art, action sports, and a former premiere fashion brand management, who reunite for a movement that has birthed many products tying Web2 and Web3 together since before most. With art director and creator Arlo Eisenberg and partner Brooke Howard-Smith (Non-Fungible Labs), they remember tearing up the early days of in-line extreme skating and ushering in the first name-brand apparel in the very successful inline skating accessories company Senate Industries.

DRx on Twitter: "Claim now!The OG DRx Travel Co Hoodie. Quality apparel, bold Drug Receipts graphics that come to life via DRx-perience Augmented Reality and a digital version for your avatar. If you hold an unclaimed hoodie NFT simply connect to the drx . store to claim yours now. Don't... pic.twitter.com/O0TobGTm4N / Twitter"

Claim now!The OG DRx Travel Co Hoodie. Quality apparel, bold Drug Receipts graphics that come to life via DRx-perience Augmented Reality and a digital version for your avatar. If you hold an unclaimed hoodie NFT simply connect to the drx . store to claim yours now. Don't... pic.twitter.com/O0TobGTm4N

Years later in 2022, with an artistic movement built organically through Web3 around in-line and quad skating, led to the formation of DRx the brand; where illustrations are not only available via storefront to wear and be AR enabled in real life, but to also be operable and transferable as digital wearables on certain top tier and partnered NFT collections. Through various events as SXSW and NFTNYC, the Drug Receipts crew has unfolded many pieces and collections to wow their holders and the extreme skate community all within just the last couple years.

LanderDRx on Twitter: "For Full Prescriptions Dial 1-800-@DrugReceipts https://t.co/8mYIUun3OY pic.twitter.com/PnOgViJT32 / Twitter"

For Full Prescriptions Dial 1-800-@DrugReceipts https://t.co/8mYIUun3OY pic.twitter.com/PnOgViJT32

So now imagine being a part of the Futureverse collective, and being able to leverage the awesome tech and Web3 resources available to create advanced stunning AR animations, while backed by a pro team already once proven in the field of street-wear apparel. Seems like the recipe for a Web3 powerhouse in today’s time, so count very much on DrugReceipts to be a movement that helps introduce and influence the sway of both the Metaverse and street culture for the foreseeable future.

ODLabs -

A Toronto-based artist collective born from the largest consignment store in Canada; quietly working their way into Web3 with the same spirited creative and entrepreneurial streak applied to extended reality and a wider world community. How can you not expect big things? The buzz in Web3 over OD Labs is awesome for North America too, considering the battering that the US has been giving the entire industry worldwide financially. Thankfully, they are a way and again a collective, and not a fashion brand. They are a Web3 AR/XR designers, not just a fashion company.

ODLabs on Twitter: "Enter Mixed RealityAll 7 Levels Have Been ActivatedThe Price Of Victory Is HighBut So Is The RewardWho Will Walk Away Victorious?https://t.co/lLnCPZ7ijG pic.twitter.com/8MFi19Nfr1 / Twitter"

Enter Mixed RealityAll 7 Levels Have Been ActivatedThe Price Of Victory Is HighBut So Is The RewardWho Will Walk Away Victorious?https://t.co/lLnCPZ7ijG pic.twitter.com/8MFi19Nfr1

So flat out… I’m disappointed in my home town A LOT. Not that the city sucks (at all), but more to the tune that there have been so ma… no, too many good stores, groups, and collectives who either have been changed to lose their luster, or had to leave because they thought their vision misunderstood and their support lacking by their city. To find a group driven-with-passion repping the Six personally brings out my pride for these Canadian Web3 pioneers, and is sorely needed more from other groups. With cutting-edge ideals and engagement backed by diligence, and shipped real world AR-laden apparel with art that sparks immediate and genuine interest, OD Labs is a lifestyle which could potentially blowup worldwide in a hurry.

🪣 ً on Twitter: "This was last year What if I told you we are running it back? What if I told you it'll be bigger?OD Basel 23' pic.twitter.com/fg9uYVDJVK / Twitter"

This was last year What if I told you we are running it back? What if I told you it'll be bigger?OD Basel 23' pic.twitter.com/fg9uYVDJVK

The recent months long crusade and unraveling of their main experience in ARC33 (a cryptic contest open to anyone, with a Bitcoin offered as a prize for solving), has only just been the beginning. It was put on to show the already present tech that most smartphones are capable of, in an engaging series of cryptography and puzzle solving. As the Founders mint approaches and has everyone clamoring to get in via Founder’s Neural Interface Cards (F.N.I.C.) to say they were there from the hop, count on OD Labs to push the unpacking of utility into all efforts herein, to truly try and ease the globe towards an augmented future. You may want to see if you can first get in touch through their Discord to become a Founder yourself in this budding XR juggernaut before it’s too late.

End Of The World Pizza -

Ah yes, in case you haven’t gotten the word on this long-build over the past few years, there is a post-apocalyptic AR comic created universe by one Rob Shields in Neon Wasteland. Previously working with the likes of NIKE, Puma and Pizza Hut to name a few, the pandemic had everyone being pretty internal and creative, drops like Undead Drivers, Pizza shop, and the 666 Daemons, kept Rob busy and heads down more than ever. If you grew up in the 80s and indulged in Heavy Metal magazine, The Terminator and Robocop, then the about-to-be revealed End Of The World Pizza will be a banger for you!

An AR graphic novel (in stereo), with a playable video game within the story?! If you’re built on the Unity Game Engine and are metaverse ready, not a problem. If you’ve decided to eschew the fast “flavor of the minute” pfp collections you bought into for ones that promise to build upon and deliver things to really talk about? Again not a problem when AR set-ups are all you’ve been doing for other clients the past few years and more. For holders of various or any of Rob’s items, this has long been the waited payoff.

💀End of the World Pizza🍕 on Twitter: "Tell your friends, the world ends Friday Oct 20th. WL spots still available on the discord. #AR #NFT #comic pic.twitter.com/AFlJuQ9SPg / Twitter"

Tell your friends, the world ends Friday Oct 20th. WL spots still available on the discord. #AR #NFT #comic pic.twitter.com/AFlJuQ9SPg

Imagine if taster vids like walking around a real AR version of an Apocalypse ride on your street, or AR activated skate decks and apparel designs were enough to entice and hook one in, and all done from basically a one-man team; nothing short of amazing. They’re re-mastering Neon Wasteland for HMDs like Apple’s Vision Pro, so you can just imagine what comes next when time to do something for End Of The World Pizza?! For this, OpenSea has extended hands to help Shields with the End of The World Pizza Trade mint releasing it seems this upcoming Friday October 20th, 2023; you would be hard pressed to let this pass by unchecked.

The Future Steppers: AR NFT groups I’m with (and what’s with ‘em). was originally published in glitch/ng meta on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

I’m no influencer, so that shit stops cold right there. I have been playing games since Pong and cabinet console Space Invaders at my local childhood pizza place since the 70s, and am getting back to Destiny 2 and finally starting Cyberpunk 2077 proper as I’m not moving until Spring. All that pales in comparison to what I might be gaming in soon enough. Life is greater than now however.

I’ll be doing a lot of writing about projects that I’ve been lucky to get into early. The absolute nightmares of losing stupefying amounts of money, and having creditors just hounding you in the same stead; all on account of blockchains and tech, then DeFi, then now NFTs (which have combined all three previous with other created cases since). Amazing how Web3 looks from the eyes of the idealistic, and also it simultaneously resembles a roller-coaster peak of scared shitless approaching in the now not-far-at-all future.

I have lost and gained much in this absolute brain-melting of a scene thus far, but honestly, what else is evolution? Pain, discomfort of the unknown, lots of frenetic kicking out; seems all normal where growth of any type is concerned. How will humanity approach art, science, society, spirituality for the road ahead? Will we be replaced by AI? Will we merge? How will Quantum computing play in influencing Web3’s future? Will AR be the ultimate initial ‘ice-breaker’ in mass adoption, or will some wack-ass pop culture phenomenon suddenly break the whole silly mess wide open? Bonus points if a country into tech outside of North America is the first to break acceptance globally with Web3, how will that look?

If you tune in, I will give insight, maybe some pearls of wisdom (in various media forms as well). The idea though is to try an nail it to 10 mins or less because attention spans are whack nowadays. Not much time on people’s hands, so my writing better have something you can walk away and use or I’ve failed and I apologize.

First (and last) thing about me is I have a mouth; if there’s a second, I have character and patience and I can cut them out anytime. I say anything in person to someone’s face, and believe me it’s harder to leave it here in writing. Online people can misconstrue context like a bitch, one should always stop and think. As reflection on situations is something that is done often, a view can be clearer at a later time without the smoke of conflict or confusion — something used as a tool by hackers and phishers in this space often. Maybe I can help some of y’all spot space ‘takers’ and their ways, so you can weed out the REAL culprits.

So…
I’ll be talking about art, Web3, online NFTs communities, music by the ton, and some film/video. I’ll be getting the scoop from the very people I follow, and will see if anyone has time for me, which I do to share to and for the space.

I go by Ruby Red River, what’s up? Find me online all over the damn place, but especially on our current space faves Twitter and Discord, pleased to meet you all.

The Hello was originally published in glitch/ng meta on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Now I’ve decided that I’m not going to have a bunch of preamble or messing about for an introductory article, as I didn’t want to make this anything too lengthy. Honestly, don’t have the time for all that right this minute with what I’ve got going on. So let me explain what I have going on.

I’ve been running a small independent recording label for the last five years called Medusa Crush Recordings. Prior to that, I’ve been everything from being in bands, to DJing, promotion, and production in a very light capacity. All this with the day job, and yes, you would have thought that running the record label would have been the day job; oh how that would be so nice! Continuing along; in a not too-far related field, I just so happen to press records and also cut lathes and dub plates.

So I guess you could say that I’m deeply steeped in all corners of audio and records. Like most true artists, I do this because of the genuine love I’ve had for it all these decades, and I don’t think that there’s anything else that could really have egged me on or inspired me otherwise if I didn’t have it. Hopefully I’ll be able to make some sense of the musical terrain that I tread, and try to shed some light on it for the rest of you who might be wondering yourselves.

There will also be the odd accompanying article or piece that shows the inner workings of the scene and industry, that’s as new still to even some of the pioneers that trod it. Should be some entertainment value (and several grains of truth) sprinkled throughout all this, yeah?

Cheers, enjoy the ride.

You’ve arrived at the Land of Sonic Sacraments; shoes off please. was originally published in Land of Sonic Scriptures on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

OK first things first, this took long enough because of two reasons: 1) I have had volumes of material to still sort through for last year; simply way too much good stuff to hear...

More so, 2) I almost wasn’t doing this at all until I got prompted by some people so here it is. Although both lists are not in order of preference, the only albums that are actually correctly ranked would be the Godflesh and Fret albums, thank you and may you see something you missed or overlooked to still try!

Top 20 albums for 2017

01. Godflesh — ‘Post Self’ (Avalanche Recordings)
02. Fret — ‘Above Depth’ (Karlrecords)
03. Primitive Man — ‘Caustic’ (Relapse Records)
04. Full Of Hell — ‘Trumpeting Ecstasy’ (Profound Lore)
05. Lizzard Wizzard — ‘Total War Power Bastard’ (self-released)
06. Possessor — ‘The Ripper’ (Graven Earth Records)
07. Uncle Acid — ‘Vol. 1’ (Rise Above Records)
08. Employed To Serve — ‘The Warmth Of A Dying Sun’ (Holy Roar Records)
09. Here Lies Man — s/t (Riding Easy Records)
10. Iron Reagan — ‘Crossover Ministry’ (Relapse Records)
11. Anathema — ‘The Optimist’ (Kscope)
12. Bodycount —‘ Bloodlust’ (Century Media)
13. Pallbearer — ‘Heartless’ (Profound Lore)
14. Crystal Fairy — s/t (Ipecac Records)
15. Destroyer of Light — ‘Chamber of Horrors’ (Heavy Friends Records)
16. Unsane — ‘Sterilize’ (Southern Lord)
17. Enslaved — ‘E’ (Nuclear Blast Records)
18. Coltsblood- ‘Ascending Into Shimmering Darkness’ (Candlelight Records)
19. The Bug vs Earth — ‘Concrete Desert’ (Ninja Tune)
20. Public Enemy — ‘Nothing Is Quick In The Desert’ (self-released)

Ruby Red River’s Top EPs for 2017

Cloud Rat/Disrotted (Dry Cough Records/Halo Of Flies)
CHRCH/Fister (Crown & Throne Ltd.)
He Whose Ox Is Gored —‘ Paralyzer’ (Void Assault Records/Chain Letter Collective)
Oranssi Pazuzu — ‘Kevät/Värimyrsky’ (20 Buck Spin)
Thantifaxath — ‘Void Masquerading as Matter’ (Dark Descent Records)
Kroh — ‘Pyres’ (Devizes Records)
Cursed Earth — ‘Cycles of Grief Volume II: Decay’ (UNFD)
DWOOM — ‘Pale Mare EP’ (Bloodsoaked Records)
Veldtchasm — ‘Veldtchasm’ (self-released)
Potion — ‘Seven Sorcerers/Gravemaker’ (self-released)

No preamble or long-winded intro. If I had the damn time to elaborate as to why these guys and not a plethora of additionally qualified albums to make the ‘cut’, we would all be here forever. 2016, as much of a crater-sized sinkhole of life and spirit that it was, had NO END of great music ooze through it’s orifices. There are also a list of honorable mentions, but why do that to yourselves huh? With whatever precious time I had, these were the COMPLETE albums that I found myself listening to repeatedly (key word here), so the body & spirit chose what it wanted/needed, while my brain kept it together for the remainder. These are also not in order, as everyone’s a winner baby!

01. Geezer — s/t (Ripple Records, STB Records)
02. Gnaw Their Tongues — ‘Hymns For The Broken, Swollen and Silent’ (Tartarus Records, Crucial Blast)
03. Wolfmen Of Mars — ‘The Witch, The Goat & The Malevolent Spirit’ (Poisoned Mind Records)
04. Metallica — ‘Hardwired… To Self Destruct’ (Blackened Recordings)
05. Goat — ‘Requiem’ (Sub Pop)
06. Kroh — ‘Altars’ (Devizies)
07. Beastwars — ‘The Death Of All Things’ (Destroy Records)
08. Uroboros — ‘धर्मपरिणाम’ (Zann’s Music)
09. Megadeth — ‘Dystopia’ (Tradecraft/Universal)
10. Kverlertak -‘Nattesferd’ (Roadrunner Records)
11. Vektor — ‘Terminal Redux’ (Earache Records)
12. Black Cobra — ‘Imperium Simulacra’ (Season Of Mist)
13. Cokegoat- ‘Drugs & Animals’ (self-released)
14. Obscure Sphinx — ‘Epitaphs’ (self-released)
15. Wormrot — ‘Voices’ (Earache Records)
16. Darkthrone — ‘Arctic Thunder’ (Peaceville Records)
17. Sumac — ‘What One Becomes’ (Thrill Jockey)
18. The Body — ’No-one Deserves Happiness’ (Thrill Jockey)
19. The Body + Full of Hell — ‘One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache’ (Neurot Recordings)
20. Big Business — ‘Command Your Weather’ (Joyful Noise Recordings)

Top 10 EPs/splits of 2016

01. Watchcries — ‘Obelisk’ EP (HeadlessGuru Records)
02. Gurt/Trippy Wicked split — GUPPY (When Planet’s Collide, HeviSike Records)
03. Nails/Full Of Hell — split (Closed Casket Activities)
04. Devil Electric — ‘The Gods Below’ (self-released)
05. General Grievous- s/t (self-released)
06. Fister/Teeth split 7" (Broken Limbs Recordings)
07. Mokomokai — ‘Poison Whiptail’ EP (Slick Monkey)
08. Primitive Man/Sea Bastard split (Dry Cough Records, Black Reaper Records)
09. Primitive Man/Northless split (Halo of Flies)
10. Agoraphobic Nosebleed — ‘Arc’ EP (Relapse Records)

Me? I just run a lil’ old boutique DIY label called Medusa Crush Recordings.

Matter-of-fact when I was little, my first real foray into hearing The Beatles was through cassettes. My father had meticulously taped a radio show ‘Beatles — A Chronology’ onto something like eight or nine 90 minute tapes; the band’s history and music for me to listen to over and over again. Still remember I would be a little miffed if I heard any warbling or drops on some tapes at certain points; but it was just cool.

Sure hands down, vinyl has a certain character and dynamic range, as well as the artwork capabilities that most (note, I say MOST) audiophiles tend to favour. However, in the greater length of time from the mid-60s until present day, the tape has been right along the upper register of formats pretty consistently. Companies are continuously developing a new oxide or process in aims for varying degrees of uses.

So if tapes in general and their relevance, are snickered and scoffed at by the random guy (mostly North American also), then why are technology giants like Sony and IBM using magnetic tape technology capable of backing up 185 Terabytes PER INCH for future storage purposes over hard drives? Don’t forget that back in the early 80s for early companies like Atari and Commodore, the best and most secure way for most data storage were cassettes.

I don’t even think that it’s a case of no-one having cassette players anymore either, but more like there simply aren’t many — or even good — albums being made to cassette versions anymore; with players simply sitting idle wanting use. Vacation houses and cottages, hotels, beaches; EVERY player in the world didn’t just disappear. The power of the cassette tape by its simple and durable design certainly has never been in question. With players of any size, no limits in finally taking music with you; thanks to the late 70s with Sony practically ushering in the portability era via the Walkman.

I tempered down on my cassette purchases towards the late 90s, as clubs used turntables and CD decks when I started. That didn’t stop Warner, Sony, BMG and every other major label still sending me exclusive promo and special mix tracks on cassettes (or VHS tapes with single promo videos either, for that matter). Some of those things are worth serious cash too, one man’s rubbish…

Since tapes are an easy target to bag on, let’s briefly check other formats: CDs, guess what? They don’t really stand the test of time all that well as hyped. Turns out over time, the reflective layer holding the data degrades naturally and separates; and within my experience as a DJ, they’ve been fussy, dainty ladies many a time. MP3s? They are files, period, zero tangibility. Maybe when you erased that EP you downloaded from your mp3 player, did you remember to save it to the library drive (hadn’t got to it yet), or to the PC (the hard drive dies — as they will with no warning)? Will the service you got it from say, “Sure, here, it’s yours after all,” or ask for more cash to download again? While I totally adore vinyl, they can break easy enough, and it’s even easier for them to get scuffed or gouged. Of course, they’re not very portable either — again from MUCH experience as a roadie and DJ, especially for those lucky enough to lug crates of the stuff up 4 to 5 flights of stairs!

Cassettes by design are lone-wolf durable. You find them at the bottom of gym bags for half the year, under car seats, behind and under beds, and on the floor in the closet with the dirt. You pick those puppies up, give ’em a good blow-out or two (depending on the amount of time they were where you found them), stick them in a deck and voila, pretty sure it’ll play better than anything else you treat or find that way. Once I dropped one from a friend’s second story balcony. Went downstairs, picked it up, dusted it off, then brought it back upstairs and popped it in my friend’s player. All normal, we laughed.

Anyway, I don’t see the aim or goal trying to ‘sell’ someone on cassettes. Even online, regular people and professionals alike still inexplicably use ‘mixtape’ like slang to tag their sets or mixes… alright then. All I know is that globally (again, with North America being the main pack of gripers), regular people and professionals alike dig cassettes. Cool? The in-crowd? Indie credibility? Who cares? Demos and proper releases, by some of the greatest and daring new bands to be introduced to the underground in recent times, as well as established bands, have been surfacing and trading for ages now. Thing is, over the last few years especially, the curve’s been slowly upward bound again.

Still not your thing or don’t care, that’s fine; represent your formats then. Think cassettes are passé or done though, then you best just pause or stop altogether. (863 +/- 3)

Check out Medusa Crush Recordings on Facebook and Bandcamp.

Originally published at metalrecusants.com on January 19, 2015.