Olam Qatan is a spiritual books and world music store in Emek Refaim St, Jerusalem, Israel. I spoke briefly with it's owner Ya'qub ibn Yusuf, who explained some of the music and books available in his store. Sounds like there's a fusion of East meets West happening in Israel and Turkey, which is really interesting to hear. It's great to speak with Independant store owners - their passion for music & books is contagious and it's great to discover new sounds and genres.

If you can't make it personally to the store, take a look at their website, http://olamqatan.com/. From September (2007) the music will be available to preview online. The Articles and About Us sections are of particular interest as they explain more about the store and it's history. They used to run classes after hours, at the "Olam Qatan School" at the store, where people could hear lectures, attend workshops and listen to concert performances. Now the store is branching out to publishing books and spreading the word of the local music releases and performers. So if you're not familiar with Israeli, Turkish and Middle Eastern sounds, check them out.

The videos below are of Ya'qub ibn Yusuf, the store owner, explaining the music & books that can be found in the store. He also gives a brief summary of independent music in the region today which is interesting to hear. And he gives plenty of recommendations if you're looking for some sounds to listen to or books to read.

There are 3 videos discussing music and some of the music releases, and one discussing the books.

(I had to lower the video quality slightly to make the file sizes more managable so apologies for the quality of the video. I have higher res versions)

You can find out more about these books & music albums by visiting the Olam Qatan website or emailing info@olamqatan.com

video part 1 : music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPc_RyRjw0w

video part 2 : music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5hkF6BtnJ8

video part 3 : music

http://youtube.com/watch?v=CG3m5GS4Wrc

video part 4 : books

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jffklfWlL-4

KOG 30/10/2003 phone interview with Mark from KOG label.

http://www.kog.co.nz/

this is the full transcript for reference. so excuse the ums & ahhs & spelling / transcription errors and incoherency on my part.. I had a shorter, edited version on Pulse Radio site a few years back but I've lost the copy and the content's changed on their site now.

an audio recording of a chat with Mathematics @ QBert Scratch Tour, Sydney, 19/12/2002

click on the image to goto the video player page

click here to download the audio file

A cylcing 74 Interview With Andrew Schloss

With a set of experiences that includes playing with Tito Puente, touring with Peter Brook's theatre ensemble in the 70s, and recently playing percussion with Rickie Lee Jones for the opening of the Experience Music Project in Seattle, it's clear that Andrew Schloss has been all over the map for the past 30 years. In the mid-80s, shortly after discovering the radio drum, an electronic instrument created at Bell Labs, he went to IRCAM where Miller Puckette and David Wessel introduced him to Max. The young program's power and flexibility bowled him over, and since then Schloss has been working with Max to make the radio drum respond with the same subtlety as a traditional percussion instrument. On a warm summer day at his home in Seattle he and Ben Nevile talked about the challenges that a performer faces when trying to take advantage of the enhanced possibilities of computer music.

As the cold winter chill begins to lift and the body starts warming up, it`s time to leave the annual state of hibernation and head out and about to see what new adventures await. As Brisbane Exhibition is just around the corner, people will be looking for a place to escape from the westerly winds and catch up with friends in a cosy atmosphere. With the current shortage of club venues in Brisbane, a new one on the market, The Winery could be the next place to take off. Situated in Davies Park, South Brisbane, it has a a couple of levels and a deck which overlooks the Brisbane River - no longer do the great views belong exclusively to the city crowd!

Vision Four 5 announce new gigs and releases

When word reached me a week ago that Vision Four 5 were back on the gigging scene again, a shiver went up my spine and a rush of excitement went through me. This was the band that way back in 90-96 or so belted out tracks such as "Everything You Need", "Cyberphobia", "Purple Lamp" and released two albums "Texture" and "Humid" on Volition, the Australian label that typified the Australian electronic / dance music sound at the time. Vision Four 5 were one of the forerunners of this period, combining both music, lyrics and undeniably amazingly interactive graphics using the Amiga 'Mandala' system which provided real-time triggers for sounds and visuals during their energetic live performances. The interactive component of their live performances set them apart from all other Australian bands of the time, and I would even go far as to say from the majority of bands who currently perform these days. I spoke to Noel Burgess from the band about his upcoming gigs, music and some ideas about what makes him who he is today.

This online 'book' will hopefully be a collection of Australian electronic music and arts interviews to help highlight some of the innovative projects people are working on as well as give some insight into the person behind the art that is created.

If you have any submissions please feel free to contribute! Login so your submission is recorded under your user name, and please leave a link to your website or details so readers know how to find you should they want more information.

Interviews with international artists are also listed here.

Some articles are text based, others audio and or video chats.

TKCB - Its Not a Drug, It's a Light Show

Travelling KaleidoscopiK Candle Bonanza, or Damo as he is known by his friends has being hiding behind the scenes in Brisbane for longer than most of us have being listening. Specializing in light as an artistic medium, Damo started out by doing "cans" and "spots" for some of Brisbane's more rock and punk orientated bands before moving into rave and dance culture. Responsible for many shows at some of Brisbane's earliest "old school" parties, he programmed lights and rigged bank upon bank of strobe and other rave orientated effects at parties such as NASA, Creation, Adrenalin and Black Out at venues such as The Site, B.E.C (Nasa/Adrenalin) and The Roxy.

briz:b:e:a:t:s ::: on today's show is a hip hop and broken beats mix from AliaK