Miniature Airlines is a Seattle based producer of melodic yet experimental electronic music, with influences ranging from new wave, hip hop, IDM, glitch, and pop styles. Armed with a laptop and some MIDI controllers, he's released several free EPs, and plays the occasional live PA set in the Pacific Northwest.
You may have heard already, but you may not have, so I’ll tell you here: my new album is out. It’s called And Everything Collapsed, it’s a joint release from <a href=”http://d.iscontent.com”>d.iscontent</a> and <a href=”http://pleasureboatrecords.bandcamp.com”>Pleasure Boat Records</a>, and you can get it right now on <a href=”http://miniatureairlines.bandcamp.com”>Bandcamp</a> for free (or a donation of your choosing). Also, make sure to pick up the 1985 EP as well. The EP contains a track from the album, plus remixes by Specta Ciera, Crown Hill Repeater, Hjalti, and myself.
Shameless is proud to present a special LIVE edition of “The Social.” This month we’re unleashing amazing Seattle artists & producers from their studios for an inspiring evening of cutting edge local music and remember no cover before 11pm!
At the Living Room Bar
The Living Room
1355 E. Olive Way
Seattle, Washington
Show And Tell, one of the only nights in town solely dedicated to electronic music made here in the Northwest, kicks back for a night of DJ sets from S & T regulars Miniature Airlines, Hjalti, Naturebot, and host Verse. We’ll be spinning mostly local music all night, previewing upcoming releases from up-and-coming Northwest producers.
Come join us, talk shop with other like-minded producers, grab a drink, and listen to fine beats.
Well hello. It’s been a while. Long enough, that it’s time for a quick update.
So I’ve been laying low for a while, not producing a whole lot, but definitely laying some groundwork. I’m currently working on a couple of releases, that will hopefully see light of day this year. The first, main release, is going to be an EP of new material (well, mostly new…you may have heard some of it in my live sets over the last year). At around the same time, I plan to release a companion EP of older tracks that have never been released, or were released in limited ways, along with a few remixes that many of you probably haven’t heard. I’m pretty excited about both of these projects, as I’ll finally get a chance to clear out the archives and get a clean start afterwards.
Speaking of clean starts, I’ve finally upgraded to the new version of Jeskola Buzz, the quirky tracker software I’ve been using for the last 10 years or so. The new version is just as obtuse and just as powerful, with a few handy interface updates that make it a joy to work with. If you’re into tracker-style sequencing and hexadecimal code, that is. It feels like a new beginning, and I’ve been working much faster using the updated version.
I’m also working on integrating a custom MIDI-fighter controller into my workflow. If you haven’t seen one of these before, they’re awesome. My girlfriend built one for me for my birthday, and I’ve got some great ideas for it. I can’t wait to unleash it in a live show!
Oh yes, and I have a DJ set coming up soon. Details forthcoming. No live shows planned as of now, but that’s OK because I want to massively revamp my live setup, to be ready to play new material when the new EPs are released. Not to say I won’t play before then, of course…
So that’s what’s up. Expect more updates, and audiovisual goodies as work progresses. Like this recent track!
Hey all! I’ve been taking it easy since the release of the LP and remix album earlier this year (not to mention playing more shows in one year than I ever have before). But that doesn’t mean I’m rasting on my laurels for 2010. In fact, here’ a couple of bits of news:
First! On Saturday, December 4th, I’ll be playing a split set with Hjalti at the Emerald City Supporters year end part, Let’s Go Mental!. We’ll both be playing new material, some written specifically for this event and possibly never to be heard again.
Then, on Saturday, Decmeber 11th, I’ll be returning to the ring for this year’s Laptop Battle at Chop Suey. After getting eliminated last year’s champion Vincent Parker, I plan to step it up a bit for this year’s brawl. Make sure to come out on cheer me on against the Icarus Kid, The Googly, Potatofinger, Tron Sister, and more. I might even have some physical copies of Arrivals & Departures available.
And finally, for those of you who will still be kicking around town the night before Thanksgiving – make sure to stop by the Living Room. It’s usually Show & Tell night on the 4th Wednesday of the month, but since everyone will likely be out of town, we’ll be having an all-vinyl DJ party for as long as they will let us play. Come on down and drink, dance, and be merry with the rest of us nerds.
I have a show coming up this Saturday (August 21st). I’ll be playing alongside Hjalti, DJ Veins, and Ill Cosby at Occidental Park, right in the middle of Seattle’s Pioneer Square. It’s a free outdoor afternoon show, and the music should kick off around noon, so make sure to get there early. There will be plenty of vendor tables to browse, and street cuisine available as well.
After this set, my upcoming musical obligations will be limited. I have a couple of remixes to work on, but no major releases upcoming (save for a possible split EP that’s in the works…more on that later). It’s a weird feeling. This has easily been my busiest year, musically speaking, since I started playing as Miniature Airlines (or Airliner, for that matter). The momentary break will give me a chance to finally upgrade to the new version of Buzz, with it’s massively updated capabilities – something I’ve been hesitant to do when I have upcoming live sets to play. And I’ll also be able to work behind the scenes a bit on d.iscontent. So it’s not like I’ll be slacking. There will just be a small shift in priorities for a bit, while I ruminate on what shape my next big project will take. Hope you’ll all join me for that ride.
Hot on the heels of the recent Arrivals & Departures LP from Miniature Airlines, d.iscontent is proud to announce the release of the Arrivals & Departures Remixes. Kicking off with a short ambient outtake by Miniature Airlines, this series of tracks takes you an a journey through wildly divergent styles, showcasing the imagination and skill of a variety of talented producers. Made on everything from analog synths to Palm Pilots, these new tracks truly reimagine the originals. Gauzy ambience, anthemic house, squelchy motorik – you name it, it’s on here.
For more information on the participants of this project, and some of their original music, follow some of the links below:
Last Wednesday’s installment of Show and Tell at the Living Room has to be one of my favorite shows I’ve played so far. I mean that both from the perspective of the quality of the set I played, and the atmosphere and reaction of the crowd. I felt really good about how I played, and got to debut some newer material to a room full of smiling friends. You can’t ask for anything better than that. Hjalti also threw down a brilliant set of entirely new material (including a cover of Poison!!!), some of which you should be hearing on d.iscontent later this year. Heartfelt thanks to Verse for putting this night together, and the Living Room for being great hosts.
Quick tracklist for my set:
Last Leaves of Spring (live debut) The Distant You Untitled (w/ glockenspiel) Our Hope Is Limitless Horses Never Know The Odds Skirt (live debut) Cankles (Slender Wrists remix written about one week ago, live debut) Unmoved by Jazz (live debut) Survive to See Tomorrow (excerpt) Untitled (w/vocals – brand new track written about one week ago, live debut)
I neglected to record te set, but I may do a “live in the studio” version, and throw it online. Unless someone would like to invite me to play their house party or something, and I’ll record that (nudge nudge, wink wink).
I may have another show lined up soon, but I’ll wait for confirmation to tell you those details.
I may have neglected to post full details for this here, but I’m playing a live show on Wednesday, June 16th. Yes, that’s tomorrow night. The show will be at the Living Room Bar on Capitol Hill, hosted by DJ Verse, and Hjalti will be performing as well (assuming the sickness he’s currently fighting doesn’t get the best of him first). The Facebook event page is here, and there are details at the d.iscontent website as well. Sorry for not giving you all a heads up earlier.
I know it’s short notice (unless you’ve already seen this elsewhere), but I hope to see you there.
It’s finally here. My debut full-length album, Arrivals & Departures, is now available as a free download. It’s been a long time in progress; some of these songs have been around for years, and the vague blueprint for the album itself has been evolving ever since my previous release, First Snows & Last Leaves. Eleven tracks, clocking in at about 57 minutes from start to finish. How to describe it? Good question. I feel like I’m so close to these songs that I can’t say anything objective about them, but some of the adjectives that have been tossed out so far: blissful, nostalgic, melancholy. I think those are all pretty fair.
So please, go download the album now and give it a spin. Spread the link, share it with your friends, post it wherever you’re inspired to post it. I hope you enjoy. And if you do, be sure to stay tuned for the forthcoming remix EP. I’ve got some really great artists reinterpreting these songs as we speak, and I can’t wait to hear what they come up with.
And finally, I’ll be playing live at the Living Room Bar in Seattle’s Capitol Hill on June 16th, and some of these new songs are sure to show up in my set. See you there…
