Brutalist

 

Designed in 1978 by Kazuo Shinohara—and home to poet and filmmaker Shiroyasu Suzuki for decades—the "House on a Curved Street" is now on the market. 

It stands as a domestic manifesto by an architect who saw a new form of beauty in disorder.

Tinnitus, anyone?

 

A groundbreaking treatment pairing auditory tones with mild electrical shocks rewires the brain to quiet chronic tinnitus.

Chronic tinnitus, the agonizing perception of ringing in the ears without an external sound source, affects millions worldwide and has long eluded effective medical intervention.

However, innovative research in neuroscience shows that bimodal neuromodulation—a technique combining audio tones with gentle electrical stimulation delivered directly to the tongue—can effectively quiet these phantom sounds.

By stimulating touch receptors on the tongue while simultaneously playing targeted acoustic signals through headphones, the treatment leverages the brain's natural neuroplasticity. This dual-sensory approach encourages the central nervous system to reframe its sensory processing, essentially retraining the brain to ignore hyperactive auditory signals.

In a landmark clinical study involving over 300 adults suffering from chronic subjective tinnitus, more than 86% of compliant participants experienced a significant reduction in symptom severity following 12 weeks of daily treatment.

Remarkably, these therapeutic benefits persisted for up to 12 months post-treatment, representing a major leap forward in long-term tinnitus care. Described by patients as feeling like a mild fizzing sensation on the tongue, this non-invasive therapy offers a promising and safe alternative to traditional management strategies, bringing renewed hope to millions seeking lasting relief.

Sources: Conlon, B., Langguth, B., Hamilton, C., Hughes, S., Meade, E., Connor, C. O., Schecklmann, M., Hall, D. A., Toal, P.D., & Lim, H. H.. Bimodal neuromodulation combining sound and tongue stimulation reduces tinnitus symptoms in a large randomized clinical study. Science Translational Medicine,

Robert Wyatt’s Sea Song

 

It was first love song for Alfie 🌸

Here is the original lyrics, handwritten by RW himself.

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Donal Lunny passed away 🌸

 

I’m so, so sorry to hear that Donal Lunny left us today.

🖤 

Donal left his body aged 79, and left a huge mark on the Celtic Music world ♾️

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A Love Supreme

 

What else?

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John Abercrombie - Characters (ECM)

 

When you think you intimately know one of your most beloved labels, ever, and you own hundreds and hundreds titles… something happens and you discover a gem you simply missed and passed over while browsing in second-hand shops and record-fairs for years.

This record is really wonderful and am so happy I discovered it: John’s playing is so inspired and unique.

Better late than never!

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Never, ever!

 

Thanks to Robert Crumb 🙏

Mark Rothko

 

Was lucky enough to see… better: experience some of these masterpieces in museums around the world.

I love MR, his mystical and mysterious vision, the vibe and shivers he’s able to give so magically and naturally.

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Jon Hassell or the smooth operator 💫

 

This record is a journey!

The smoothest horn on the planet, after Chet Baker.

Here are the master-tapes of this amazing disc.

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Healing Time 💫

 

This humble disk on Telarc is - truly is! - pure fresh air and an ear-pleasure!

Music, musicians and recording are all awesome… it’s not Muzak, or easy-listening, MoR or… it’s good, honest music.

… as a plus, it’s a first rate audio system demo-quality disk.

Sometimes an Hammond organ and an electric guitar masterfully played is all you need.

Enjoy… life is good.

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New Stephan Micus album on ECM

 

The new album by Stephan Micus, “Traces in the Sand” will be released on next November 13th.

You can listen to the first track off the album, “The First Light”, and pre-order the CD here: https://ecm.lnk.to/TracesInTheSand 

Stephan Micus is an extraordinary musical traveller, collecting instruments around the world and then making his unique musical compositions from them. 

This album features a dozen instruments from Borneo, Japan, India, Armenia, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Botswana, Morocco, Ireland, Switzerland and Bavaria. 

Celebrating the richness of the sea, it’s his 27th solo album for ECM. 

Micus has always been influenced by the natural world and his music has been inspired by deserts, forests, thunder and more. Traces in the Sand doesn’t attempt to depict the sea, but reflects on the feelings its continually changing state evokes.

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Robert Fripp about practicing 💫

 

“Practising: the first foundation of a practice is regularity. Six recommendations for regular practising: 

Know your instrument; 

Know your vocabulary; 

know your subject; 

know your repertoire; 

listen; 

play. 

Whatever value any advice given at a GC course may hold, the juice is in the event, experiencing what is available.”

[Excerpt from RF’s Diary - Sunday 10th. February, 2008]

Photo: Robert practising. Wednesday 30th. July, 2008. Basement Belewbeloid, Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Answers come through the guitar. (Guitar Craft Aphorism)

EMT R80S ser. # 17

 

A beauty!

Africa’s treasure 💫

 

A rastrum 😳

 

An historical music pen, known as a rastrum (or ruling pen), which features five parallel nibs designed to draw a complete five-line musical staff in a single stroke. 

Before pre-printed staff paper became widely available and inexpensive, composers, copyists, and musicians used specialized fountain nibs or dip pens like this Charlet-Mottie model from Paris to manually rule consistent musical lines on blank parchment or paper quickly and efficiently.

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Steve Tibbetts’ “Northern Song” (ECM)

 

The nice, strange, even weird cover of this awesome, much beloved record always intrigued me…

Read here:

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A Stefan Grossman’s book which changed my life…

 

… as a guitar player.

Eric Schoenberg (with a sought-after pre-war Martin 00-45 at his right) and his cousin, David Laibman with a Martin D-18.

I learned so much from this book!

Thanks, Stefan.

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Accuphase’s founder audio system 😉

Accuphase founder Jiro Kasuga in his home (1977)

Notice Goto’s drivers and horns with the cool curtains to (eventually) hide the loudspeakers… and a lot of Accuphases’

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Shirley Collins’ “Lodestar” (2016) 💫

 

I’m listening to this humble masterpiece after some years and it sounded timeless.

The CD comes from a brief, blessed time when vinyl discs were nicely pressed (also if coming from digital recordings) and contained a complimentary disk, just in case, much appreciated.

I love this music: the recording happened at Shirley’s home, a lovely cottage in the countryside and birds singing in the garden are well present in the background.

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Luxman AT-3000 Ultimate 💫

 

I recently made a fast run - it was a few months since last time - with a couple of my passive line-stages… I’m not surprised the old, trusty Luxman’s is the winner: its unsurpassed musicality and introspection is so pleasing to be addictive.

The Audio Consulting isn’t bad, of course… it’s a bit slow in comparison - i.e. not promptly changing at music genres changing, at dynamics requires and detailing.

The AT-3000 is… the ultimate 😉 in natural sound and flawless matching with my beloved workhorse, the Hiraga Class A 20W amp.

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