Miles Davis' Bitches Brew turns 40; somebody's gonna make a buck

By Nobodaddy on Sep 30 2010

Steve Albini — the hunky dreamboat behind such top-40 balladeers as Shellac and Big Black and proprietor of the famed Electrical Audio recording studio on Chicago’s northwest side — is seemingly always down to help struggling bands make records on the cheap… apparently, even to the detriment of his own finances. He’s a regular Jimmy Stewart from It’s a Wonderful Life. It’s not that his studio is in any immediate danger of closing like Stewart’s character’s bank was in the movie; it’s just that the man has reportedly racked up an outstanding mortgage balance of $230,000 (er, and I guess there’s also the Stewart parallel that he might jump off a bridge at any moment, too). But thankfully, Tim Midgett (of Silkworm and Bottomless Pit) is kinda like Jimmy Stewart’s hot-ass 1940s wife from that movie, because he has single-handedly launched a campaign to pay off Electrical Audio’s mortgage!

As A.V. Club Chicago points out, Midgett has launched the “Pay Off Electrical Audio” online campaign. The idea is beautiful in its commie simplicity: if 2000 people donate $115 a piece, the total will cover the rest of the mortgage, thus freeing Electrical Audio from the shackles of The Man for good, allowing Albini to focus more on “making art,” yadda yadda yadda. As Midgett wrote on the donation page, “I think the place should be paid off by now, and I think we have the ability to do it.”

The campaign, which just launched today, has already raised almost $15,000 in donations. And to answer your annoying questions, no, no one has to pay unless the goal is met, and no, there’s no minimum donation amount. So throw in a couple bucks if you’ve got it. Who knows, maybe Albini will give you naming rights. I can see it now: Tiny Mix Tapes Presents Electrical Audio. Nice.

• Electrical Audio: http://www.electrical.com
• Steve Albini: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Albini
• Shellac: http://www.myspace.com/shellacband
• Silkworm: http://www.myspace.com/silkworm
• Bottomless Pit: http://www.bottomlesspit.us

By Shane Mack on Sep 30 2010

From Resident Advisor (via The Daily Swarm):

Wallshaker Music founder Aaron-Carl Ragland, best known simply as Aaron-Carl, died earlier today of cancer.

The acclaimed Detroit house producer had been very candid about his health over the past few weeks, using various social media channels to keep fans informed. After canceling his European tour, he wrote an entry on his MySpace blog explaining his trials in and out of the hospital. Earlier this week, he posted a video on his homepage discussing his official diagnosis. All the while, he let out a steady stream of Twitter messages and Facebook updates, the last of which read “Finished the bone marrow biopsy. Ouch! Now I’m preparing for the lymph node removal. Surgery, here I come!” The first notice of his death came earlier today when his friend and like-minded artist Piarahna Head wrote on his on Facebook page “Just lost one of his best friends, Aaron-Carl, and my arms are far too short to box with GOD. One of the best Human beings in the WORLD is gone. I have no words. Music is Silence.”

Over the course of his nearly two-decade career, Ragland’s music saw release on some of house and techno’s most respected labels, including Ovum and the Underground Resistance sub-label Soul City. In 2002 he launched his own imprint, Wallshaker Music, which served mainly as a platform for his own soulful house records. Our thoughts are with Ragland’s friends and family at this time.

• Aaron-Carl Ragland: http://blogs.myspace.com/aaroncarl