Sometimes the YouTube Algorithm really just *gets* you. The Atari samples are hard to deny but there isn’t a bad one on the bunch.

Hard to argue against

For the month of February, I've a lot of new music planned for release via yk Records. The first treat drops today - the debut single from General Trust. Before reading further, just go ahead and hit play... Who is General Trust? It's the new pseudonym of Jay Leo Phillips. I've been a fan of Jay for a long time now - from his post-punk band Apollo Up! to his solo full-length to his pair of ambient EPs. He's always been a virtuoso guitar player but with this new project, he's taken on a whole new suite of tools... quite intentionally.

The double single - "Blue Ride" / "Coal Futures" - is much more synth and drum machine based than his previous work but he's still able to work in some of his recognizable guitar sounds. If you wanna put a genre on it, you might call it Synthwave, Cold Wave or Synth Punk. Those are all pretty niche but it gives you an idea of what to expect.

Jay's been working on this for a long time - learning the new instruments, recording, refining and putting together a live show that only requires himself to perform everything. I'm quite excited for this new phase of his output.

Pick it up on Bandcamp or stream it. Most of all, enjoy.

Quick little non-technical piece. Love seeing early synthesizer work like this.

Watched M3GAN recently and rather enjoyed the usage of this song. Love the comment that calls them The Serious Village People.

Imagine if Google was caught so blindsided by AI that it sank them. Seems like click bait but stranger things have happened. Worth a thought or three.

Great series of chats from various actors and comedians. This one is real good but the series is a treat.

Tuned in for Cringe but was genuinely impressed. Also, still got some Cringe.

Unique website builder compatible with mobile drag n drop. Nice little util keeping the web weird.

TRY not to enjoy this. You can’t do it.

well played, Youtube. well played.

Back in early 2022, I knew that the 100th release for yk Records was around the corner. I wanted to do something special for it and just decided to throw caution to the wind and lob a Hail Mary to one of my favorite bands to see if they'd be interested in working together. It actually worked!

To rewind a little, waaaay back in the late 90's I worked at an indie record label called Spongebath Records. They had a small roster that included Self, The Katies, Count Bass D, Fluid Ounces and The Features (to name a few). Not unsurprisingly, early mixes and unfinished recordings would float around the office on various CDRs. One such treat was a full-length album from The Features recorded with Matt Mahaffey of Self. It was 10 songs and hit the sweet spot for the band's songwriting and Mahaffey's production style. I anxiously awaited its final form for release. But it never happened. The early 2000's rolled around and the album was mixed but Spongebath was dissolving quickly. The band had no label, no means of self-distribution and the tech was too immature to make it a meaningful digital release.

The recordings made their way outside of the Spongebath office and circulated amongst fans in crappy MP3 form for years. As YK-100 approached, I thought... what if those recordings were finally released properly? So, I sent my Hail Mary to The Features and they responded positively. For the entirety of 2022, I plugged away at getting all of the pieces in place for The Mahaffey Sessions 1999. This album has been locked in the vault for 24 years and I'm happy to report it has stood the test of time.

We sourced the original DAT tapes from Matt Mahaffey, got the whole thing mastered for digital and vinyl by John Baldwin at Infrasonic Sound, had artwork put together by Sam Smith and then actually got it pressed at PMP Vinyl; a plant that is about 20 minutes outside of Murfreesboro, TN where Spongebath (and the original recordings) were actually spawned.

I'm glossing over a lot of the details but it's been a fantastic ride. I'm proud that my little record label managed to release 100 things and I'm still blown away that the 100th is from one of my favorite bands.

If you are a fan of The Features, you probably already know the infamy of this record. It's streaming and on vinyl. If you're not familiar with The Features, I still feel confident that you'll enjoy the songs. They don't sound dated in the slightest - a real testament to everyone involved. I'll go as far as to say that I think "33 1/3" shoulda been a hit and still should be!

Having the 100th release out in the world is a big celebratory moment for me and it also unlocks the floodgates for a lot of additional releases I've had pending. I'm invigorated by the response to this release and looking forward to the future.

How one developer emulated a CRT display. It’s a nerdy deep dive and incredibly satisfying even if you have no idea what’s really being discussed (like myself).

Can’t say I’m upset by this

After dipping my toe into the realm of absurd DEA patches, I was sent a much deeper dive in the form of I Could Tell You But Then You Would Have To Be Destroyed; a publication from Trevor Paglen all about "emblems from the Pentagon's Black World." If that doesn't intrigue you, I dunno what possibly could.

HT Brandonnn

from 1969 to 1973, Rod Serling had a TV series called Night Gallery. It was very similar to The Twilight Zone but a bit more horror focused. I've been taking a deep dive lately and enjoying. The intro is particularly compelling imo.

Absolutely loving this collection of patches from various DEA agencies depicting reapers and skeletons having a blast. The Cocaine Intelligence Unit and the Ecstasy Informants are clearly having a blast.

Legit fascinating read covering hardware and software decisions at NYCTrainSign.

It’s only a plan but at least it’s a plan!

You fucking love to see it