Ava Sophia Duke born March 28, 2007
Category: Life

http://www.andrew-duke.com/AvaSophiaDuke_for_web.gif

I'm now a dad!
Ava Sophia Duke was born at 1:20am
Wednesday March 28, 2007.
7 lbs 8 ounces; 21 inches.
Mom Jennifer and baby Ava are doing great (pic link
above and below).

Take care.
Andrew

http://www.andrew-duke.com/AvaSophiaDuke_for_web.gif

8:48 PM - 5 Comments - 7 Kudos - Add Comment

Consumer vs. User remix contest update
Category: Music

After much listening and contemplation, we've decided
that the grand prize winner in the
Andrew Duke--Consumer vs. User remix competition
is Hrdvsion.  In addition to his remix being released
on Stratagem Musik's
Andrew Duke--Consumer vs. User remixed
(http://www.stratagem-musik.com/stmnet006.htm),
Native Instruments will be sending
Hrdvsion a copy of Reaktor 5 as his grand prize.

Thanks to everyone who participated. It was not easy
picking a winner.

Also being released on
Andrew Duke--Consumer vs. User remixed
and being mailed a prize are
Area, Boyronin, Max Breslow, Every Kid On Speed,
Tomas Jirku, Eliot Lazor,
naw, Near Earth Object, and Xynthetic.

As runner-ups in this remix competition, the following
artists will be mailed a prize:
Kurt Bose
Jerzz
Jorg Koch
Matt Littlewood
Logickal
Matthew & Junko
Lee Mender
Mindoc
Richard Parker
Andy Smith
Talpa

See http://andrew-duke.com/contests.html
for full list of who won what.
And don't forget, the deadline for entering the Chain Reaction
remix competition (grand prize is a copy of Steinberg's Cubase SE3
and release on Germany's FOEM) is September 30, 2006:
download 30 free samples from Chain Reaction
(http://audiobase.com/product/SACR) and see contest info here:
http://andrew-duke.com/contests.html

--
NSCC courses I teach
http://andrew-duke.com/course.html

Chain Reaction remix contest ends Sept 30, 2006:
http://andrew-duke.com/contests.html

Andrew Duke--Consumer vs. User album:
http://www.phthalo.com/cat.php?cat=phth40

artist features & column:
http://cognitionaudioworks.com/read.html

http://myspace.com/andrewduke

10:28 PM - 4 Comments - 1 Kudos - Add Comment

next NSCC courses start in 2 weeks
Category: Music

Andrew Duke teaches sound design, music composition & production, and Digital DJing at the Nova Scotia Community College (Institute Of Technology campus);
courses are 10 hours in length (5 nights @ 2 hours each night); next available    classes start in 2 weeks;
these courses fill early (sometimes up to 2 weeks before the start date), so don't delay in registering;
maximum number of students per course is 10; demo material is provided; you just need to bring headphones, pen and paper,
and an eagerness to learn; location: NSCC (Inst. of Tech. campus) 5685 Leeds St Halifax; bus route 7 Gottingen/Robie

register by phone with credit card (Monday to Thursday 8am-6pm, Friday 8am-4pm) on 491-4911 or 1-866-679-6722
walk-in registration available at these campuses: Akerley (21 Woodlawn Rd Dartmouth) and Inst. of Tech. (5685 Leeds St Halifax)

Please pass on to anyone you think might be interested:

I'll be teaching:
Making Music With Computers (Introduction) (new course)
Making Music With Computers (Intermediate) (12th edition)
The Digital DJ (new course; *not* just for DJs!)

http://andrew-duke.com/course.html

has more info.

I'll post more details when time permits.
Thanks.

Take care.

Andrew

feedback from students who have studied with Andrew Duke:

"This class was exactly what i was looking for; I really appreciate all the knowledge and guidance."
Jen Carmichael (420Jenny)

"I had a great time in the course and have learned some invaluable information. You are a great instructor! Thanks a million."
Janice Jackson (Vocalypse Productions)

Thanks for teaching the course! I enjoyed it *very* much. Although I had some experience with Ableton Live, the way I was using it was pretty much as another multitrack sequencer. I would never have had found out the "other" ways, especially in this short period of time by myself!
I'm really happy to have taken the course with you!
Yasushi Akiyama

Really enjoyed the course. Glad now to hear how a pro does it.
Dan MacCormack (Grassmarket)

I've really enjoyed the class; your enthusiasm for music is nothing short of inspiring.
I've already endorsed the course to a few friends.
Charlie Coolen (Folds Of Policy)

I really enjoyed taking MMWC. I cannot thank you enough for teaching it.
Jarrett Coomber

The class was awesome. I've been pumping the class up to friends.
Loukas Crowther (Root! Studios)

Andrew Duke will be taking these courses to other campuses in Nova Scotia; for those outside the area, online versions of the courses are forthcoming.

7:58 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Andrew Duke's Chain Reaction samplepack out now
Category: Music

Andrew Duke's Chain Reaction: Sonic Atmospheres 1--a samplepack featuring 606 exclusive royalty-free FX as 24bit 48kHz WAV and Apple Loops--is available for download now on Audiobase.com; direct link: Andrew Duke's Chain Reaction

This downloadable samplepack includes 450 FX loops and 156 FX hits. Description: With sounds and themes as diverse as traffic, industrial, buzz, helicopter, haunting, alien landscape, and many, many others, the variety in this pack is simply huge. Master producer Andrew Duke's music and sound design have been heard on many TV networks including BBC Channel 4, Discovery, CBC, CTV and Much Music to name a few. With over a gigabyte of loops, the sounds in this pack will add flair to any producton.

Here's what some of those who have downloaded have to say about the pack
(all gave the download 5 stars out of 5):

Testimonial from Dave O Mahony (producer; http://www.fizznchips.com):

Since downloading this Sample Pack I've been playing with the sounds Non-Stop! This is a wonderfully inspirational set. Loads of musically usable loops and almost all of them lead to a jumping off point for new tunes! The quality is outstanding - anyone that has used your free loop packs would be highly advised to check these out... there are so many run of the mill samplesets about that finding a collection like this is like striking gold!

I'm a HUGE fan af Andrew's work and this set has just confirmed in my mind the mans talent... I cant wait to get back to play with these...

It's a shame there isnt a higher rating than 5 :)

Testimonial from Nick Dundas (DJ/Producer; http://www.nickdundas.com):

Chain Reaction by Andrew Duke is another top notch sample pack which proves useful for all kinds of production. The samples are original, organic and sit across the spectrum from minimal to heavy. Personally I've never found a sample pack which offers so much variety and complexity while still staying in context. The sheer size of Duke's sample pack makes it an irresistible deal. If you are looking for a large, solid addition to your sample collection Chain Reaction is for you. I'm looking forward to new, quality releases from Duke which I would buy in a second.

Testimonial from Blake Jarrell (DJ/producer; http://www.myspace.com/blakejarrell):

wow what a great sample collection! anyone into to minimal and idm or anyone who just wants to add some techy complex and sometimes plain nasty sounds to their work, this collection is a great pool to draw from. these sounds also work great in live improv jams.

Testimonial from Mr. Tunes (Composer & Sound Designer for Film):

At $30, Andrew Duke's Chain Reaction is quite the steal. There's A LOT of content in here to pick from and most of it's very usable to me. This pack would be ideal for anyone making IDM/Tech music as Blake mentions but it's good to point out that these sounds would be just as useful to sound designers for film and video games. I've worked on a few different indie projects in the past and sometimes the deadlines are too tight to design all the sounds from scratch. Sonic Atmospheres Vol. 1 makes for the ideal starting point in these situations when the pressure to deliver quality sounding tracks is on.

My critique is that i'd like to see some longer sustained soundscapes here. The ones in this library are loopable but my guess is that Andrew will release a 2nd volume eventually that will fill in the gaps in this one. My other critique is that when working on 'lighter' projects it's hard to find calmer sounds that have a nice musical quality. There are softer tones but you just have to search more for them. The sounds in this library can be quite abrasive at times (hence the title Chain Reaction). In general I think having this sort of edge to the library is great and gives it a unique character.

I love the different types of sounds here, and the range of having sounds from the real world vs. the bizarre synthesis techniques that Duke employs. My favourite are the ones that are really staticy and clicky, subdued textures. There's also a nice dose of obnoxious synth effects that will wake you up. The one-shots could be fun to load into a sampler and play them with a keyboard.

All in all this library is a fantastic starting point for people looking for a palette of bizarre and far-out sounds to start painting with. With a price this low you can't go wrong. Much respect to Andrew for releasing his gems for us to use.

10:05 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Consumer vs. User reviews
Category: Music

reviews are starting to come in:

Andrew Duke--Consumer vs. User (Phthalo/USA)

If industrial robots have their own blend of funky music to listen to during their breaks on the assembly line, then Consumer vs User is likely to make fluids boil in their servovalves. Glitchy and groovy are indeed two words that go together well in the music of Andrew Duke on this release (published 2006 on Phthalo Records), and it had been a long time I hadn't listened to somethingwith a feeling both as mechanical and dancy at the same time--maybe since Cabaret Voltaire, but it was aeons ago, and in a quite different genre.At first, this album won't sound funky or groovy at all. Raw distorted beats, some weird sounds, and when you think that's all then you realize that all this is deceivingly repetitive, and there is definitely something more. Andrew Duke starts where minimal techno ends, and against this minimalist background (a heavy bass--sometimes very heavy, like in d'n'b or dub--saturateddrumloops and sequences) something else is slowly built, through weirdly vocoded voices, electronic noises imperceptibly coming up, lots of processed samples that seem to be based on audio electronic interferences, and almost unnoticeable at first hear variations. But, though this could read quite experimental, the way it is done gives us 11 tracks that qualify as real idm since it is both intelligently done and sometimes catchy as hell.Well, this won't come as a real surprise for those of you who already know Andrew Duke: an audio activist based in Halifax, Canada since nearly 20 years, he has gained international recognition through the years both as a musician and for his consistent investment in the worldwide development of the idm scene (see for instance the Cognition Audioworks label he rules at http://www.cognitionaudioworks.com/). Again he proves here with this very good and coherent album that he deserves all the praises for what he does best: electronic music, both as a producer and as a composer. Groove ex Machina. (Cyrill Duneau/Igloomag/USA)

ANDREW DUKE--CONSUMER VS. USER (CD by Phthalo Records)

The career from Andrew Duke started in 1987 and has never been quiet in any way since then: his own releases, his remixes (Aaliyah, Pink Floyd, Chicks On Speed to mention a few) and his concerts, plus the fact that he is since 1981 writing about music. It's a vast amount of work that I must admit don't know in every possible detail, but that I off and on follow throughout the years. Here he has a record of rhythm based music. Important to know, since Duke sometimes does also more experimental drone based ones. But it's rhythm here and Duke plays not just one kind of rhythm oriented music, but from several different points of view. Some of the pieces are quite minimal along the lines of Kompakt or Plus8/Plastikman, but also beat stuff that involves a lot more, fucked up rhythm pieces that we found in the past on the Phthalo label itself. I must admit that the minimal pieces were the better ones, but perhaps the more chaotic, somewhat disorganized beats is just not my thing, and minimalism is. Music by Andrew Duke is always well produced, full of sound (perhaps the only thing not minimal!), and perhaps not always full of surprises, but quality is guaranteed. (Frans de Waard/Vital Weekly/The Netherlands)

Andrew Duke
Consumer vs. User
(Phthalo)
Halifax's Andrew Duke has been producing electronic music for almost two decades now, generating a voluminous and varied discography. A quick glance at his New Music Canada page reveals that, over the past couple of years alone, hes made everything from ambient drone arrangements to bumping tech-house tracks. And though Duke generally tends to put the I before the DM, much of his music would find a welcome audience on the dance floor of some all-night party in a derelict factory. For Consumer vs. User, however, Duke seems to have led us into the still-active electronics manufacturing plant next door to said all-nighter. We can still hear the muffled bass through the walls, but the snare drums have been replaced by hydraulic spurts and the high-hats with electronic sizzles. Tracks like Raven march on with a perseverance only factory machinery could maintain. With the exception of some delayed treble loops echoing through the open skylight from next door, most of the songs melodies are made up, not of different notes, but of variations in sound texture.The album sits on the border between IDM and ambient, and so it shouldnt be surprising that there are few to no hooks throughout. But what Dukes latest cut lacks in catchiness, it makes up for in its evocation of a cold yet fascinatingly intricate landscape. This is definitely not your summer barbecue soundtrack, but it makes for a fantastic listen at 3AM on your basement surround sound system.(Peter C./Discorder/Canada)

10:31 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Consumer vs. User remix contest now "live"
Category: Music

The Andrew Duke--Consumer vs. User remix contest is now officially "live" on http://andrew-duke.com and http://stratagem-musik.com and running until August 31, 2006. The best resulting remixes will be released on Stratagem Musik and great prizes are up for grabs including software (grand prize is a copy of Reaktor 5 kindly donated by Native Instruments), magazine subscriptions, books, CDs-ROMs, and CDs.

Even if you decide not to enter the contest, there are 385 WAV samples (available as 24bit and 16bit) from my Consumer vs. User album ( http://www.phthalo.com/cat.php?cat=phth40) available for free download on http://andrew-duke.com as well as a full preview of the album's lead track.

I do hope, though, that some of you music-makers here will enter the contest. And please spread the word to any producers and composers and sound designers you think might be interested in entering the contest and in playing with the samples.

Thanks.
Take care.
Andrew

10:13 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Andrew Duke--Consumer vs. User out now
Category: Music

I am thrilled to announce that my Consumer vs. User album is out now and available
on CD on California's Phthalo:
http://www.phthalo.com/cat.php?cat=phth40

Phthalo has always been one of my favorite electronic music labels, and it is a
priviledge to be on an imprint with faves of mine including Phthalocyanine, OST,
Kit Clayton, Vladislav Delay, Massaccesi, Mimi and Boyd (ie Vapourspace and
Punisher), Eight Frozen Modules (ie [a]pendics shuffle), Blectum From
Blechdom, and many many more.

Consumer vs. User is rugged and rhythmic and raw, yet detailed and open and
spacious, sort of like a distant cousin of my Sprung album--which was released
on Bip-Hop and went on to be nominated for Album of the Year (Electronica) at
the Canadian Independent Music Awards. There's even DJ-friendly material
on here, too (some straightforward, some more adventurous).

This album is mastered by Mark "Vapourspace" Gage, one of my early techno
heroes, and features two collaborations with the USA's Massaccesi and a
remix of a track from the UK's Tristan "Phonopsia" Watkins (a long-time
313-Detroit mailing-list member).

In part, the album is titled in a nod to I-F's wonderful and inspirational Fucking Consumer album released in 1998 on Disko B.

The album is dedicated to the memory of three whose artistry touched me
deeply: Aaliyah Haughton, Jose "Chep" Nunez, and James Stinson. It is also
dedicated to the memory of mygrandfather Aldran Stewart and my best
friend Jason Trenholm. So sad that so many we love and cherish leave us
at such a young age.

Here is what Phthalo's Phthalocyanine writes about this album:
"Consumer vs. User is Andrew's first appearance on Phthalo. It is a focused
study, filling out unlikely accent schemes with abstract DSP techniques. The
aesthetic is semi-derived from something reminiscent of classic Detroit
minimal techno (I think of Terrence Dixon, Kevin Saunderson, and early
Plus 8 stuff like the stark, controlled acid bass stabs of Heinrich Tillack AKA
Sysex). I also however hear our label, Phthalo, embedded in this work,
particularly references to the extensive exploration of heavily processed,
raw, beaten-up drum machines given to us by O.S.T. (Chris Douglas) (e.g.
Phthalo#09: O.S.T. Live @ Static) and Phthalocyanine (e.g. Phthalo#05:
Phthalocyanine: Zacks e.p.) in the late 90's. These ideas work here as the
point of departure for a music that is meticulously arranged and much richer
in variation than vernacular minimal techno, though much more 'moderate'
than O.S.T.'s work. "

Stay tuned for details on a remix contest that will involve remixing one of the
tracks from Consumer vs. User. The best remixes will be released and there
will even be some prizes involved.

You can hear one of the tracks from this album--an electro/idm-ish song--in
the player on http://myspace.com/andrewduke

Thank you.
Take care.
Andrew

9:16 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Andrew Duke + i8u--Symbiotic album out now
Category: Music

Andrew Duke + i8u's collaborative album, Symbiotic, is out now on Quebec's Pertinence label: http://www.beatport.com/pertin_nce (go to page 2 and click on "Symbiotic" to hear previews)

11:45 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Andrew Duke--From The Deep End double CD (Afe/Italy)

Italy's Afe Records will release a double CD from Andrew Duke entitled "From The Deep End" (named as a tribute to Drexciya's James Stinson) in early 2007; stay tuned for more details as they become available.

9:11 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Strongbad *still* f***in' rawks!

My favorite online cartoon character is Strongbad. If you haven't checked him out (I liken his humor to Ren and Stimpy), check: http://www.homestarrunner.com/vcr_sb.html (for an intro) http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail.html (for him emailing on various topics) In my opinion, f***in' hilarious stuff. Wish there were new Ren and Stimpy episodes being made, but this is my replacement. What do readers who like Ren and Stimpy also like? First discovered Strongbad about a year and a half back or so. Used his email re: techno to intro my set at the Labyrinth Lounge in Toronto which you can check out, if interested, here: http://andrew-duke.com/listen.html Hey, if anyone knows how to do HTML in their blog on myspace, please let me know. Thanks. Take care. Andrew

9:45 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment