The TMA-1 takes its name from a magnetic anomaly in Arthur C. Clarke's science fiction classic 2001: A Space Odyssey, with the designers hoping to replicate the durability of the underground monolith that created the disturbance in the novel. This should come as good news to DJs who've gone through multiple pairs in the past due to inevitable mishaps in the booth. The new cans boast a frequency response of 20Hz - 20.000Hz.
The TMA-1 has also been designed alongside Tomas Barfod AKA Tomboy of WhoMadeWho, and Fredski, who together run the Tartelet label. With the help of the Tartelet guys, they've managed to rope in a diverse array of product testers, with Kode9, Michael Mayer, Erol Alkan, Flying Lotus, Matthew Dear, Pilooski, Luciano, Hudson Mohawke and DFA's James Murphy all giving their feedback and advice along the way.
You won't be able to pick up the TMA-1s in any old store, however, as AIAIAI will only be providing stock to Apple stores and retailers, boutiques such as Colette and Bodega, and a select group of record shops that include Phonica, Rotation Records, Hard Wax, Sounds of Universe and Turntable Lab.
Take a look at the below video for a short look at the making of the TMA-1s.
TMA-1 cutdown B/W from AIAIAI on Vimeo.
Compiled by Alex Stevenson (one third of London-based DJ/producers Patchwork Pirates and assistant to Gilles Peterson) and proudly featuring cover art by KARBORN, Brownswood electr*c celebrates the spirit of invention and commitment to experimentation intrinsic to the Worldwide underground in the face of the fusion and hybridity that characterizes contemporary sound system culture. The boundaries between so-called “hip-hopâ€, “houseâ€, “technoâ€, “dubstep†and “drum & bass†have never been so blurred, and it’s at these crossings, junctions and awkward intersections where the most inspiring and stirring sound clashes occur. These are the sounds that we commemorate on Brownswood electr*c – the music that occupies the grey areas… that lives in the spaces in between… that falls between the gaps.
Digging duo Kon & Amir occupy a select corner of the DJ world, with radio, mix-CDs, live sets and compilations on their radar. Theirs is a slowly-but-steadily growing catlogue crammed with timeless releases: six volumes of their widely celebrated On Track mixtape series, a highly regarded compilation The Cleaning (2004), a breaks-heavy instalment called Kings of Digging (2006) with DJ Muro from Japan and now the third volume of five in their Off Track series for BBE. Not to mention tours spanning the US, Europe and Far East taking in appearances at clubs, festivals and weekenders, in addition they have a strong affiliation with record diggers' bible 'Wax Poetics', and have just completed an 18-month residency of their own monthly show on online music 'zine Spine Magazine's radio station.
Off Track III finds the New York/Boston-based pair shining light on another diverse array of underexposed vinyl. The eclectic African disco and soul cuts Amir highlights on his disc are Americanized by style but inherently authentic in feel, demonstrating the very best of the region's dance music from the period following Fela Kuti's mid-70s creative peak. Some standouts: Tee Mac's 1980’s insistently catchy 'Living Everyday', Effi Duke's percussive materpiece 'The Time Is Come', and Christy Essien's glorious 'You Can't Change', which features famed bandleader Geraldo Pino's Show Train outfit. Also in the mix are a couple of cuts from unsung Nigerian star Dizzy K. Falola aimed at sophisticated dancefloors.
Kon's disc opens with an extended edit of Donny McCullough's 'From The Heart' from a pricey 1981 album. Rudolph Baker's little known album track 'Getting Next To You' is a floor-filling anthem in the waiting. Edge of Daybreak were a prison band whose punchy title track from their rare Eyes Of Love album provides a solid argument for subsidizing more music programs behind bars. 'Tin Top' is another cut with a Kon edit, but Kenny Mann & Liquid Pleasure are the antithesis of mysterious indy-label group, the veterans performing to this day and maintaining a comprehensive website loaded with videos and resumes.
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