Almost over with so much left to do…

Written by Kirkwood West. Filed under Deep Thought. Comments Off.

We are still killing it at the game studio. The game is almost done.

In the meantime, I’ve been stocking up the studio with some new gear and practicing for live performance. I cannot wait to share the new and classic sounds I’ve been piecing together.

Upcoming my good friend Myles Egner is flying out in a month from SF to do some studio sessions. We are planning to post videos of the sessions as we build.

And of course more projects will be coming back online as the earth turns and the sun rises.

Working 24/7

Written by Kirkwood West. Filed under Uncategorized. Comments Off.

We are doing a last big push on a project here at work. Finding it difficult to find the time to do the things at home which make everything worth it. I was able to wake up early this morning and jam out some chords and rhythms. Its a quick piece with little complexity but with a full track layout.

http://soundcloud.com/kirkwoodwest/work-vibe

Enjoy.

Re-Blog: How the cloud killed the era of tangible intangibles

Written by Kirkwood West. Filed under Deep Thought. No comments.

I was cruising the internet for some tape references and found this commentary from Jazy.nets blog:

“Software’s rather brief commercial history, as even if extremely loosely defined, is only a hundred years or so old at most.  This short run seems to be rapidly evolving into the oft-theorized brave new world: an end-state of medialess-ness.  Most people and companies who have been involved in software development, up until very recently, have pushed their “soft” product in an oxymoronic “hard” shrink-wrapped box of some sort – all to generate traceable revenue at the cash register.  Even the mighty (and once-mightier) Microsoft still sells physical license key cards for its software products, all the while clinging to whatever other shrink-wrapped products they can continue to push on their customers, even as they pivot and shift to the digital economy and distribution methods with their Xbox live services and others…”

Interesting commentary… it makes sense but i don’t think the era is dead by any means… more here.

http://blog.jazy.net/2011/04/26/the-era-of-wasting-resources-on-intangibles-seems-to-be-rapidly-coming-to-an-end/

All about the love

Written by Kirkwood West. Filed under Deep Thought, Uncategorized. Comments Off.

Space Police was djing tonight at Redstar and the vibe was just right. It’s great to hear him play because he is always playing new tracks, re-inventing the old, integrating it with his digital setup. In my mind it was perfect.

Then there was this guy calling him out on music. Wasn’t sure why at first because the music was incredible classic tracks mixed with newer and still tasteful sounds. He was complaining about something, maybe it was the format(digital djing)? Yet the groove was there, the sound was fresh and the music was flowing. I couldn’t really understand it until we sat down and had a couple words.

He told me stories about…

Waiting 2 hours for the record store to open, so he could purchase the new records.
Working and saving up for weeks, so he could buy the new jams.
Learning the art of mixing using turntables on an old realistic mixer.
Learning how to use classic equipment to make beats.
Meeting with heads one on one, sharing information which would introduce an element of culture.
How its so easy to do these days because its all instant access via computer, internet and software.
How people can now get all this stuff for free.
How all the new methods of doing music ruins the love behind it.

I could see his point of view. I started out at this level of “analog” because I lived it and did these exact things. This is what I grew up on and over time it evolved into what it is now. However, one thing he made clear was that doing in the old days was needing to have the love and passion to make it happen.

This passion and love is crucial for anything to be worthwhile. Times have changed because of new technology, but this still doesn’t mean you can leave the love behind. Love is about putting in the time. Love is about the effort. Love is about patience. Love is about the passion. True love is unconditional, not wanting or needing anything in return.

I too miss these old ways of doing things and will always reflect on them. I’ll reflect on them here on this website, with friends from back of the day and with new friends of the future. They were important stepping stones for me and the rest of the world. Everyone will continue making those steps. I know my passion hasn’t burned out and I’ll continue doing the music and continue loving every moment of it.

To Space Police Radio, keep doing what you do. Digital or vinyl this seems irrelevant in modern days. You dig for hours on end for music, you can hear this in your sets.  You know whats up, keep at it, keep making this music new and fresh to inspire the younger generations about house music.

To the guy calling Space Police out, take a step back. This music and its format will continue to evolve. History shows us that we are constantly in a transition phase for music. Before house/disco records of your generation came out, the real musicians were being replaced by DJ’s who didn’t know what middle C is. My message to you, is to keep loving what you do, stop trying to call people out because they aren’t doing it like you used to. Inspire people with your message by love and devotion to your craft.

Inspired by Kenneth Scott

Written by Kirkwood West. Filed under Inspiration. Comments Off.

Kenneth Scott has been living in San Fransisco over the past 8+ years and continues to perfect his skills as a dj and musician. He contributes regularly to one of the most amazing techno scenes in America, works out incredible music on an all hardware live PA with EO and their band Moniker, pushes drinks at the legendary 222 Hyde and has releases on various San Fransisco Labels including Night Light Music and Smash Hit Music Co.

I find kenneths choice of music to be pretty timeless, and this is why this mix is still in my rotation…

Kenneth tracks and sets are always pushing my musical boundaries and tastes. In his rotation is a cycle of mind melting techno, deep teshed out house, and sounds that you’ve probably never heard before. I’m continually looking forward to what he comes up with next.

Check out his latest release Untitled 13 which was mastered by John Tejada.

Keep up with updates from Kenneth on Facebook and enjoy the tunes.

Getting You Hot

Written by Kirkwood West. Filed under SoundCloud. No comments.

Getting You Hot by kirkwoodwest

Still working this one out… but it is available for download in the meantime. I’m working on mixing this in the studio and sending it out as a 2nd demo to labels.

http://soundcloud.com/kirkwoodwest/kirkood-west-getting-you-hot

(Update: I’ve had some interest from labels on this one, so I’m taking it down for now…)

Subtrak Promo Video

Written by Kirkwood West. Filed under Video. No comments.

Subtrak 24 Promo Video