From Joe to Felix
October 22, 2012 4:39 PM Subscribe
The old and the new videos for Dayvan Cowboy by Boards of Canada. Old (Joe Kittenger's 1960 jump) and new (Felix Baumgartner's 2012 jump). As previously followed on MetaFilter.
I guess this is a fan video? I was looking forward to this, hoping it would come from BC, but this is very good. Love where they put the drop.
posted by Area Control at 4:52 PM on October 22, 2012
posted by Area Control at 4:52 PM on October 22, 2012
this makes me glad I hadn't got around to watching the video of the jump yet. Great way to see it for the first time.
posted by mannequito at 4:55 PM on October 22, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by mannequito at 4:55 PM on October 22, 2012 [4 favorites]
PG - I've pretty much given up all hope. I just have to accept that I may never ever hear another song from them again - which saddens me so. I mean - I guess I haven't really ... I do have hope, but ... I certainly don't expect it. *Sigh*
Yeah - AFAIK it's a fan vid... When I first saw it on, I think, /r/idm, I didn't expect much from it, but it definitely turned out very very well, and I agree that the drop was spot on.
posted by symbioid at 4:56 PM on October 22, 2012
Yeah - AFAIK it's a fan vid... When I first saw it on, I think, /r/idm, I didn't expect much from it, but it definitely turned out very very well, and I agree that the drop was spot on.
posted by symbioid at 4:56 PM on October 22, 2012
Damnation, forgot to include this in the FPP. Both videos spotted on the Boards of Canada YouTube channel, amongst other goodies.
posted by Wordshore at 4:57 PM on October 22, 2012
posted by Wordshore at 4:57 PM on October 22, 2012
More BoC coming. I have it on good authority (from a big pal! Of Luke Vibert and Richard D James! Who knows these things! She would not lie to me!) .
I must... keep... the... faith....
posted by Devonian at 5:13 PM on October 22, 2012 [8 favorites]
I must... keep... the... faith....
posted by Devonian at 5:13 PM on October 22, 2012 [8 favorites]
It would have been cool if he had landed on a surfboard in a wave pool or something. Cool video, but the original, thanks to its grainy footage and retro spacesuit gear, is preferable.
posted by KokuRyu at 5:15 PM on October 22, 2012 [7 favorites]
posted by KokuRyu at 5:15 PM on October 22, 2012 [7 favorites]
The original Kittinger jump holds way more emotion for me for some reason. In Kittinger I see a man trying to push the limits of human capacity, with no notion of fame and notoriety. In Baumgartner I see a man just trying to break a record, with a ton of tried-and-true technology backing him up.
posted by Brocktoon at 5:21 PM on October 22, 2012 [6 favorites]
posted by Brocktoon at 5:21 PM on October 22, 2012 [6 favorites]
Wow, that's a great fan video for Baumgartner. Honestly the drop to the ocean is what makes the official video so awesome, but I respect they stuck entirely with the skydiving footage for this Baumgartner tribute. Particularly like the use of the spinning video against the brushes in the percussion
posted by Nelson at 5:22 PM on October 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Nelson at 5:22 PM on October 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
I don't know if this is heresy to even mention (or if it's a well-known fact), but if you're hungering for more BoC, you should probably check out Tycho (San Francisco's Scott Hansen). When one of his tracks came on last year (I think it was "Dictaphone's Lament") I would have sworn it was BoC.
Of course it's not exactly the same, but at times it has a *quite* similar nostalgic analog feel.
posted by scamper at 5:26 PM on October 22, 2012 [3 favorites]
Of course it's not exactly the same, but at times it has a *quite* similar nostalgic analog feel.
posted by scamper at 5:26 PM on October 22, 2012 [3 favorites]
I would pay so much money for a new Boards of Canada album. So much money.
posted by Bookhouse at 5:28 PM on October 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Bookhouse at 5:28 PM on October 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
Funny you should say -- I've been listening to a lot of Tycho, though I haven't found anything I like as much as Cloud Generator and was wondering what else I should try. BoC, apparently.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 5:28 PM on October 22, 2012
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 5:28 PM on October 22, 2012
I have been looking for that stupid Kittenger BoC video ever since Baumgartner's jump but I had no idea where I had seen it, who the band was, or basically anything. I have been into the Kittenger jump since forever and hope they are going to reprint Long Lonely Leap now. Thanks for the post.
posted by jessamyn at 5:37 PM on October 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by jessamyn at 5:37 PM on October 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
Boards of Canada HAVE TO COME THROUGH. Hell, man, even Mariee Sioux released a new one this year.
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 5:40 PM on October 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 5:40 PM on October 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
if you're hungering for more BoC, you should probably check out Tycho (San Francisco's Scott Hansen). When one of his tracks came on last year (I think it was "Dictaphone's Lament") I would have sworn it was BoC.
I've had this experience with Ulrich Schnauss, too.
posted by asterix at 5:45 PM on October 22, 2012 [3 favorites]
I've had this experience with Ulrich Schnauss, too.
posted by asterix at 5:45 PM on October 22, 2012 [3 favorites]
I'm not sure about the whole comparing Joe's jump to Felix's jump thing, to argue which was better or not. Both were pretty spectacular, and the highest of their time.
And either or both could have ended, as many other high altitude jumps and experiments did, with death through one of many different ways. They both took risks.
So, to me, both Joe and Felix did pretty awesome things. And generated some great footage. Now we just need to run a Kickstarter to launch user one from an even higher jump point in just a mankini, and MetaFilter immortality awaits...
posted by Wordshore at 5:53 PM on October 22, 2012
And either or both could have ended, as many other high altitude jumps and experiments did, with death through one of many different ways. They both took risks.
So, to me, both Joe and Felix did pretty awesome things. And generated some great footage. Now we just need to run a Kickstarter to launch user one from an even higher jump point in just a mankini, and MetaFilter immortality awaits...
posted by Wordshore at 5:53 PM on October 22, 2012
You might try some Christ. as well. (That's Christ. with a period at the end.) An early collaborator with BoC.
posted by shortfuse at 5:53 PM on October 22, 2012
posted by shortfuse at 5:53 PM on October 22, 2012
Ahhhh, I too thought that this might be new BOC, although these videos are definitely cool -- thanks! Also, the band 1991 has recently put out an EP which you can hear here; it comes the closest of anything I've heard in a while to capturing that woozy, nostalgic BOC aesthetic (see this video as well).
posted by Frobenius Twist at 5:56 PM on October 22, 2012
posted by Frobenius Twist at 5:56 PM on October 22, 2012
I don't gauge the jumps on a "better" or "worse" type of scale. I judge them on the level of emotion they evoke in me. Kittinger's jump is to me a perfect symbol of the inherent human urge to push the limits. Baumgartner not so much.
posted by Brocktoon at 7:13 PM on October 22, 2012
posted by Brocktoon at 7:13 PM on October 22, 2012
I like the Kittenger version better as it's non-linear, more surreal, and really captures the "edge of space" feeling with the pitch-black horizon. I don't think the original Dayvon Cowboy video is supposed to be about the Kittenger jump anyway. It's about something else - it's not a soundtrack.
posted by KokuRyu at 7:45 PM on October 22, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by KokuRyu at 7:45 PM on October 22, 2012 [3 favorites]
Orange!
posted by porn in the woods at 8:08 PM on October 22, 2012 [6 favorites]
posted by porn in the woods at 8:08 PM on October 22, 2012 [6 favorites]
Yeah, both jumps are astounding, but the original Dayvan Cowboy makes a much much better video. Because it's perfect, from the film grain to the pacing, to the ridiculous edge-of-space-to-a-surfboard thing.
posted by aubilenon at 8:32 PM on October 22, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by aubilenon at 8:32 PM on October 22, 2012 [4 favorites]
Just dropped in to say that original Dayvan Cowboy video is one of my favourite things. Ever. Thanks for reminding me.
posted by N-stoff at 9:16 PM on October 22, 2012
posted by N-stoff at 9:16 PM on October 22, 2012
Aw, where has this thread been all my life? Seriously, I've found it so hard to find anything remotely like BoC 'til now. (Pandora did take me as far as Ulrich Schnauss, but that's pretty weak gruel after BoC's sensory feast.) Thank you all.
All I can offer in exchange is a handful of tracks by Belbury Poly:
The Willows
Thorn
A Warning
Moonlawn
Enjoy!
(p.s. and how cool that Christ. has a track called Vernor Vinge!)
posted by otherthings_ at 9:49 PM on October 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
All I can offer in exchange is a handful of tracks by Belbury Poly:
The Willows
Thorn
A Warning
Moonlawn
Enjoy!
(p.s. and how cool that Christ. has a track called Vernor Vinge!)
posted by otherthings_ at 9:49 PM on October 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
Few combinations of sound and image bring me to joyous tears, but this... this was one of them, really unexpectedly.
Thank you.
posted by phylum sinter at 10:22 PM on October 22, 2012
Thank you.
posted by phylum sinter at 10:22 PM on October 22, 2012
Really, nothing is quite like BoC, but there are plenty of artists who'll scratch similar itches, depending on what you like about them.
Like whirling percussion and arpeggiating synths? You'll like Lone's remix of Radiohead's feral.
Like the mournful chord progressions and ambiguous, tremulous synth sounds? Try Bola's Aguila!
Like the intricate drum programming and playful, child like melodies? Brothomstates' Mdrmx, Viimo, or Autechre's Rae.
Like the electro of Hi Scores? Try Claro Intelecto's Breathless...
that's just a few off the top of my head - there are lots of genuinely amazing BoC inspired artists out there.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 10:24 PM on October 22, 2012 [3 favorites]
Like whirling percussion and arpeggiating synths? You'll like Lone's remix of Radiohead's feral.
Like the mournful chord progressions and ambiguous, tremulous synth sounds? Try Bola's Aguila!
Like the intricate drum programming and playful, child like melodies? Brothomstates' Mdrmx, Viimo, or Autechre's Rae.
Like the electro of Hi Scores? Try Claro Intelecto's Breathless...
that's just a few off the top of my head - there are lots of genuinely amazing BoC inspired artists out there.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 10:24 PM on October 22, 2012 [3 favorites]
Other bands that have either been influenced by BoC or have influenced BoC:
Tarwater - Especially the album 'Silur', the track 'The Pomps of the Subsoil' especially. Some of this band is vocal.
Bibio - Bears a strong resemblance to BoC in use of crunchy sources, sometimes vocal but always weathered, highly recommend the album 'Ambivalence Avenue'.
Four Tet - Though as his releases have progressed, the influence has lessened in light of his own sound, the earlier albums 'Rounds' and 'Pause' have a strong BoC sense of atmosphere and groove.
Arovane - Hits that combination of barely electronic sources and live ones that BoC use, and is great in his own sense - the albums 'Lilies' and 'Tides' are definite standouts in this vein.
But like others have said, there's nothing quite like these guys... i think you'll find enough similar here in these bands that you might enjoy them if you're enjoying the type of mood BoC encapsule though.
posted by phylum sinter at 10:33 PM on October 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
Tarwater - Especially the album 'Silur', the track 'The Pomps of the Subsoil' especially. Some of this band is vocal.
Bibio - Bears a strong resemblance to BoC in use of crunchy sources, sometimes vocal but always weathered, highly recommend the album 'Ambivalence Avenue'.
Four Tet - Though as his releases have progressed, the influence has lessened in light of his own sound, the earlier albums 'Rounds' and 'Pause' have a strong BoC sense of atmosphere and groove.
Arovane - Hits that combination of barely electronic sources and live ones that BoC use, and is great in his own sense - the albums 'Lilies' and 'Tides' are definite standouts in this vein.
But like others have said, there's nothing quite like these guys... i think you'll find enough similar here in these bands that you might enjoy them if you're enjoying the type of mood BoC encapsule though.
posted by phylum sinter at 10:33 PM on October 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
I'm happy that this introduced me to Boards of Canada.
I'm not sure about the whole comparing Joe's jump to Felix's jump thing, to argue which was better or not. Both were pretty spectacular, and the highest of their time.
I'm happy to compare. Joe jumped before man had been to the moon. Certainly not before we had some knowledge of space suits, but before we had most of what we know today, to be sure. He jumped from a mere 18k feet short of what Felix did. He still holds the record for the longest skydive, sorry Felix.
Simply put, Joe went up into an unknown in a way Felix or any other human will never be able to, because Joe did it first, and lived to tell. Felix has big brass balls, no doubt, but he couldn't lift one of Joe's.
posted by allkindsoftime at 1:05 AM on October 23, 2012
I'm not sure about the whole comparing Joe's jump to Felix's jump thing, to argue which was better or not. Both were pretty spectacular, and the highest of their time.
I'm happy to compare. Joe jumped before man had been to the moon. Certainly not before we had some knowledge of space suits, but before we had most of what we know today, to be sure. He jumped from a mere 18k feet short of what Felix did. He still holds the record for the longest skydive, sorry Felix.
Simply put, Joe went up into an unknown in a way Felix or any other human will never be able to, because Joe did it first, and lived to tell. Felix has big brass balls, no doubt, but he couldn't lift one of Joe's.
posted by allkindsoftime at 1:05 AM on October 23, 2012
Kittenger also ended living in the Hanoi Hilton for a few years, too.
posted by KokuRyu at 1:26 AM on October 23, 2012
posted by KokuRyu at 1:26 AM on October 23, 2012
For ease of viewing, here are the five YouTube videos from the new video's credits:
1. (unknown) [ "10-14_22-09-25_ServusTV HD Stratos Onboard", now blocked by Red Bull and DashGo/Audiobee, but a screencap is seen here ]
2. Redbull (short official clip)
3. Kraikolin (video from Redbull, so it might yet disappear)
4. ABCNews (short official news clip)
5. smallsdude3 / Tyler Smallwood (sport.ro Romanian newscast video, an hour and 45 minutes of coverage of the jump, but it may disappear as it's another unofficially posted video)
And I heartily agree that Christ. is a great artist to check out if you like BOC's warm analog electronics sound. He has a bunch of his material on Bandcamp, each release for ₤0.50! Sadly, the John Peel uploads were removed from Soundcloud, so it's a bit harder to track down his Dec 17, 2003 set, which was the first time John Peel asked an artist or band for an encore.
posted by filthy light thief at 1:27 AM on October 23, 2012
1. (unknown) [ "10-14_22-09-25_ServusTV HD Stratos Onboard", now blocked by Red Bull and DashGo/Audiobee, but a screencap is seen here ]
2. Redbull (short official clip)
3. Kraikolin (video from Redbull, so it might yet disappear)
4. ABCNews (short official news clip)
5. smallsdude3 / Tyler Smallwood (sport.ro Romanian newscast video, an hour and 45 minutes of coverage of the jump, but it may disappear as it's another unofficially posted video)
And I heartily agree that Christ. is a great artist to check out if you like BOC's warm analog electronics sound. He has a bunch of his material on Bandcamp, each release for ₤0.50! Sadly, the John Peel uploads were removed from Soundcloud, so it's a bit harder to track down his Dec 17, 2003 set, which was the first time John Peel asked an artist or band for an encore.
posted by filthy light thief at 1:27 AM on October 23, 2012
I made a homage to BoC and posted it to MefiMusic yesterday (also using Felix footage).
Great minds?
posted by Acey at 2:12 AM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
Great minds?
posted by Acey at 2:12 AM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
Those who are missing the BoC (I know, I know) might check into the Ghost Box label... and the whole Hauntology thing which has been getting some press lately.
Check out Murcof. Also Internet Archive (archive.org) recently added a HUGE collection of netlabels; *many* netlabel artists, struggling to find an audience, are into quiet ambient.
Because two guys in north Scotland can't keep up with the demand all by themselves.
posted by Twang at 7:40 AM on October 23, 2012
Check out Murcof. Also Internet Archive (archive.org) recently added a HUGE collection of netlabels; *many* netlabel artists, struggling to find an audience, are into quiet ambient.
Because two guys in north Scotland can't keep up with the demand all by themselves.
posted by Twang at 7:40 AM on October 23, 2012
<bJORK> Book you are cute and nice, would you like to make moosic with me and perhaps cuddle aftar?
<_BoC_> ORANGE!!
* bJORK pouts
posted by stannate at 12:59 PM on October 23, 2012 [2 favorites]
<_BoC_> ORANGE!!
* bJORK pouts
posted by stannate at 12:59 PM on October 23, 2012 [2 favorites]
That's great somebody did this.
I prefer the original video so much more. In my mind, it's about coming home to something you love, and how beautiful our planet is. It might trigger the strongest emotions of any music video I've seen.
My contribution of BoC-inspired music: Abyssal Plains's Pictures in Sound album. Here's a track to get you hooked:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40BT6Lq9s_4
posted by probu at 1:12 PM on October 23, 2012
I prefer the original video so much more. In my mind, it's about coming home to something you love, and how beautiful our planet is. It might trigger the strongest emotions of any music video I've seen.
My contribution of BoC-inspired music: Abyssal Plains's Pictures in Sound album. Here's a track to get you hooked:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40BT6Lq9s_4
posted by probu at 1:12 PM on October 23, 2012
Murcof is fantastic! Hands down my favorite music for riding the bus on a rainy NorthWest morning. I highly recommend his collaboration with trumpeter Eric Truffaz.
posted by mannequito at 1:49 PM on October 23, 2012
posted by mannequito at 1:49 PM on October 23, 2012
Bookhouse: "I would pay so much money for a new Boards of Canada album. So much money."
Don't give them ideas! They might end up holding it hostage!
posted by symbioid at 8:22 PM on October 23, 2012
Don't give them ideas! They might end up holding it hostage!
posted by symbioid at 8:22 PM on October 23, 2012
asterix: "if you're hungering for more BoC, you should probably check out Tycho (San Francisco's Scott Hansen). When one of his tracks came on last year (I think it was "Dictaphone's Lament") I would have sworn it was BoC.
I've had this experience with Ulrich Schnauss, too."
I think Tycho is really great (and I have some of his, and the aforementioned Lone, as well), but man -- Ulrich Schnauss, I get so sick of that same *sound* of his... It's just like - ok, yeah yeah... I'm not sure why it bothers me so. There is one song of his I like (and I think it might be a remix... Love Movement? yeah - that one).
Bibio has some interesting stuff, not totally BoC, but definitely filtered and somewhat dreamy-retro, if a bit more analog.
posted by symbioid at 8:25 PM on October 23, 2012
I've had this experience with Ulrich Schnauss, too."
I think Tycho is really great (and I have some of his, and the aforementioned Lone, as well), but man -- Ulrich Schnauss, I get so sick of that same *sound* of his... It's just like - ok, yeah yeah... I'm not sure why it bothers me so. There is one song of his I like (and I think it might be a remix... Love Movement? yeah - that one).
Bibio has some interesting stuff, not totally BoC, but definitely filtered and somewhat dreamy-retro, if a bit more analog.
posted by symbioid at 8:25 PM on October 23, 2012
Ulrich Schnauss is awesome, and if you ever get to see him live, do it; for his shows he makes his tunes danceable as all hell.
posted by Lucien Dark at 11:39 AM on October 27, 2012
posted by Lucien Dark at 11:39 AM on October 27, 2012
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