Tis the season for a little reflection, so it's all too appropriate for a quick look back on my own personal project - yk records - and the releases from the past year. I put together this Sampler Mix for anyone looking to get familiar. I'm incredibly happy with all the music that I was able to help come out this year and am equally excited for the year ahead. The project may have started as a hobby but, for me, the music has always been incredibly compelling. I'm proud to say I worked with these folks and I hope to keep pushing forward and elevate everything even more in 2015.

Over the remainder of the year I will do some longer form posts about each record but, in the meantime, just go listen.

KS project for Amigo/Amiga records release. Teaser looks pretty damn cool

you know all those terrible things you assume the MPAA is doing about the Internet and Net Neutrality? they are.

Holiday Obscura! count me in.

good taste, good mix.

loving everything from this new Ronson album. Tame Impala collab? Yes pls.

I would generally recommend listening to the Harmontown podcast but last weeks episode deserves some particular attention as it features a rather lengthy bit of dialogue between Dan Harmon, co-host Jeff Davis and one of my favorite writers - Graham Linehan. The Irishman is responsible for, first and foremost, The IT Crowd but he also created Father Ted, directed Black Books and more.

It's fascinating to hear such creative minds talk through their process. I particularly enjoyed hearing Linehan talk about Twitter, accessibility and, most of all, the "light being turned on" metaphor for the amount of information we're inundated with these days.

It's seriously great. Get the audio or video version.. just get it.

There's a lot going on with the work of Guy Billout. It has a vintage feel akin to the early 50's Rin Tin Tin comics or possibly great travel illustration from the same era. Subdued color palettes depicting landscapes and various people observing the world but almost always with a slight twist of something a little off. Window blowing off of buildings, reverse reflection pools, symmetrical cloudscapes or misbehaving shadows are all par for the course. There is a ton of work to see over in this gallery but it never falls flat.

via Kate

Rather enjoying the portfolio of Tim Lahan. You may remember his work from the previously posted Prize Pins and it's rather fascinating to see his original illustrations that inspired those pins.

He's done extensive work for some big names but all of the work still feels authentic to his style. It's simple but incredibly fun.

note to self: pre-order this once you're done with Christmas obligations

absurdly detailed and equally fascinating read on Google Maps vs Apple Maps design

a beautiful videogame story from @waxpancake

Greetings! As far as I can tell, the above image is from Robocup - a robot soccer tournament. I just can't bring myself to look up videos of it, as that gif is just too perfect.

Was a good week! Lots got accomplished and I'm looking forward to ending the year on a high note. Be sure to check these VHX Gift Guides for some great insight on things to watch for yourself or something nice to give to a friend.

Enjoy your videos!

• Girl Dancing To Pump Up the Jam - caught this on Facebook and lost it. It's an excellent ebb and flow of intensity. I need to take a few of these moves with me.
• The Intense Dancing Child - this is the most perfect look of intensity for anyone to have while dancing but this kid nails it best.
• Captain Picard sings "Let it Snow!" - a Christmas classic!
• PizzaVideo.Biz Trailer - If you find the idea of pizza footage in space set to relaxing music an alluring notion, this is perfect.
• Wanderers - absolutely stunning piece of work depicting space exploration. Words don't sell it very well.. just watch it.
• Heavenly Bodies Trailer - in the Stephen Merchant episode of the Jeff Garlin podcast, Merchant mentions a time in the 80's when movies were absolute nonsense. They had to be made by aliens trying to emulate what they assumed our cultures were about. This is one of those movies.
• A Group Of Sheep Respond In Unison When A Man Speaks - the title sells it well.
• Starstruck - a full length TV pilot from 1979 featuring a lot of British robots, amazing green screen ships and more sci-fi tropes than you can shake a stick at. It's baffling in all the good ways/

Have a great weekend!

The NYTimes has posted 9 Kisses - a series of short video vignettes featuring "this year's best actors paired up in a series of intimate encounters." I think John Lithgow + Julianne Moore win for most ridiculous but despite the hit-or-miss nature of these things, I enjoyed them all. It's nice to see actors just playing around with their craft - be it indulging their silliness or going full drama. Like their more longform works, you know they're putting on but somehow they still make you believe it.

via Kate

While recently nerding out on early Foo Fighters memories* I ran across the name of Seattle, WA's Jaq Chartier. His paintings strike a beautiful balance between a seriously scientific, DNA-esque vibe and blurred water samples. It's tough to pin down but these seemingly sequenced pieces have me entranced.

* had totally forgotten about this

Loving this series from Raw Color of photos shot through various perforated screens. The idea is incredibly simple but the outcome is striking. I particularly enjoy that gray one on the right... it feels almost pixel-y in nature. You can see many more variations here but I do recommend skipping the video version.. takes a little bit of the magic away.

via

The divide between established media and next gen is clear.

Pontificating Serials success

Over at VHX we're doing a handful of things to make gifting digital gifts easier this year. First and foremost, you can send a gift to someone and have it delivered on Christmas. So, buy a gift copy of any movie on VHX and it can show up on Christmas morning.

That's great and all but maybe you don't know what to send. Sure, Indie Game is a phenomenal choice but VHX has a lot more to offer. Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of our ongoing Gift Guide that points you in the right direction. Lots of movies broken down into the film fan type in your life - Video Game Lovers, Music Lovers, Cinephiles, Makers, Smarties and even kids.

Turns out, VHX has a ton of content and lots of it would work quite well as a surprise email present (or just a treat for yourself).

I have been playing Mini Mansions latest track Death is a Girl on heavy repeat since it's release and they have now released the official video for it. I suspect I will keep this one in heavy rotation as well.