Ethan Kath of Crystal Castles walked past me at Mr. Smalls venue before their Pittsburgh, PA show. It’s true. Pictureplane had just finished his opening set and it happened. No one noticed. No one flinched or bothered to take a second glance. It just happened. I followed him with my eyes, then looked at my brother, my accomplice for the night, who hadn’t even thought of it until I made mention of it.

What’s interesting about this is not the anonymous persona that Kath is able to keep despite being one-half of the duo. The interesting part about this is also not how the story would’ve been different if the band’s more recognizable member, Alice Glass, attempted to walk through the venue. But, what is this intriguing side-fact here for? More on that in a second.

Journalists seem to give this band a reputation of encouraging mayhem. For example, on a 2011 review of a Riviera Theater Chicago show, mosh pits were apparently so out of hand that security was bracing themselves and leading people up to the balcony to ensure safety. Glass has punched fans and hit them with her microphone, afterward defending herself stating “I’ve never punched someone that didn’t deserve it.” Fans feed into this frenzy as well with countless YouTube comments sharing stories of seeing ears being bitten off and attending one of the most high energy shows they’ve ever experienced.

The funny thing about everything in the aforementioned paragraph is that nothing was out of control at the Pittsburgh, PA show. The energy? It was raw and it was present with a vengeance to sing, dance, jump, and cheer, but not one mosh pit or inconsiderate attendant was present. This is known because I b-lined it to the very back of the venue to avoid any hostility, which tends to happen in the middle and front sections of lively slows.  I’ve wanted to see these two perform since their debut record and I was not about to have some asshole disrupt my celebration of it finally happening. I wanted to see it all.

Alice Glass crowd surfed several times, even having a few audience members hold her up so she could completely stand (see the above picture), but all the while the singer still remained cautious; watching where she would step and who she would climb on.

Now, remember with Ethan Kath walked past me? The most mesmerizing part of all of this is that when Crystal Castles take the stage they’re both equally present. They’re one entity, a band with lots of lights, synthesizers, live drummer Christopher Chartrand, and a message. In the picture above, Glass is having the crowd hold her up while Kath mans the music, but he’s obviously present and an extremely recognizable character inside the photo.

During the hour and a half set, the live trio plowed through their three album catalog and straying for more heavier versions of the songs than what the album versions give away. It’s an intricate set up, with vocoder and vocal effects varying in and out of the songs,  ”Suffocation” is a great example of this as it features less of a high-frequency cut off on it’s leading synth-bass, which opens up the song for a more hard-hitting, harsh version of the track.

At times, Crystal Castles stray for difference, with a stripped sound as well. The painful, emotional callouts that end “Wrath of God” on (III) have vanished, as have the frontwards and backwards calls on “Plague”. Instead of these manipulations, the crowd is left with Glass’ insane amounts of energy as Ethan and Christopher continue on with the composition of the song. These absences are not to be complained about, but rather justified as it brings a more live feel to the show instead of relying on copious amounts of pre-recorded material that may or may not sync every night (the band does switch up their setlist quite often).

The live rendition of “Doe Deer” is also a treat for longtime fans. It’s pretty obvious that the album version of the song’s lyrics are not really deathray, deathray, deathray. At least, they aren’t straight on. However, the live version does contain these lyrics and much of the heavy, purposefully distorted mixing techniques of this song are traded in so that the melody and rhythms can flourish. The result? Just as hard of a punch as the studio session.

Speaking of Alice Glass, her stage presence is absolutely insane. The amount of effort it takes just to watch how much she does on stage can be exhausting in and of itself. She’ll smoke a few cigarettes, pour whiskey in her mouth to spit all over the crowd, bounce all over the place, and do the things she’s known for. However, there is a segment of the show that gets experiemental. The two of them come together and play with the oscillation and manipulation of various synthesizers on stage. They stand next to each other and stare down at their gear, focused, motivated by the music and what the other is doing. They look like two playmates with a strong bond that’s completely driven and fueled by the other.

This bond became apparent during the encore of the set. At the end of “Intimate,” which is quite the serious song considering many fans equate the lyrics to being about an HIV+ man who is purposefully having unprotected sex and spreading the disease he has, the left speaker seems to blow out. It’s at the catalyst of the track and while it would seem like a bummer to everyone, it was actually interesting that this would happen. Musically speaking, and traveling a bit too far down the rabbit hole, it was as if the meaning of the song transpired through the speakers and became physically too much that it had to give.

Eventually the sound was fixed and “Yes No” followed. Presumably some sync issues happened between communication with Kath and the sound men, that caused a small skip. Ethan looked frustrated, but Alice looked back at the employees handling the sound and gave a big smile that almost read thanks for the effort. The engineers were professional, afterall. Half the crowd was looking back at them when trouble was happening and the two men troubleshot without breaking a sweat.

Alice did, however, take another swig of whiskey after the smile. She didn’t spit it out this time. She swallowed it, showing a bit of vulnerability as well. Regardless, they had nothing to worry about. The serious dance music Crystal Castles presented blew the speakers out and blew the heads up of everyone attending the exuberant, inspiring, light-filled and enthusiastic Pittsburgh show.

Plague
Baptism
Suffocation
Wrath of God
Telepath
Pale Flesh (Interlude)
Crimewave
Alice Practice
Black Panther
Insulin
Celestica
Vanished/Untrust Us/Transgender/Cryptocracy
Reckless
Sad Eyes
Not in Love

Encore:
Doe Deer
Empathy
Intimate
Yes No
Cut from the set, most likely because of issues with the the left speaker being blown out is the “Vietnam/Kerosene/$$ Troopers” medley.

Available physically and digitally now, the article goes on to reflect on released musical projects, touches on 2020k’s remixes, draws humbling musical comparisons to Depeche Mode, covers Kozain’s recent Boards of Canada coverage, and even allows RJ to open up about the struggles of being an unsigned musician in today’s world.

Below is an exclusive excerpt from the feature:

Being a one man band, how difficult is it to perform live?

It’s pretty difficult right now because of the budget. I don’t have a budget. When I was performing, everything was completely free. I had no set up. I had a laptop that I’ve owned since 2008, so it’s very outdated. I had some turntables for playback and manipulation purposes and I had a keyboard and an MPD for drum sampling. As far as playing live, the biggest problem is that a lot of things do need to be pre-recorded and manipulated. I don’t have the funds for a band. It is limiting to my performance because I am in control of every aspect of the show. I have to keep my eyes on what I’m doing at all times and in every aspect of what I’m doing. If I am singing, I’m also playing instruments and making sure everything is going okay with the sync of the aspects of the music that I’m not playing. Sometimes I wish I had a band to back me up for the human element.

Anyone who follows Daggervision Films knows that I am adamantly opposed to remakes. To a musician, remixes are similar to film remakes. What are your thoughts?

I was just thinking about this because I knew that you were going to ask this. You really liked the “Enemies” remix (Hannah Georgas) that I did. On the way here, I was actually thinking about this. To me, there are really two types of remixes. There is the type where someone commissions you to do a remix. And this is what a lot of big electronic musicians do – they take something that they have never finished and they put it in the key to whatever remix they are doing, and they just make it off of a couple of loops. They string them together and make it sound progressive. They put it out there and there is no soul to it. It’s very commercial and to boost sales. On the other end of it, there are people who will remix things and they will listen to the song – they will understand the song and they will take portions of the song and will reanimate the song. They do it in a way that speaks the original purpose of it, and also the artists own personal spin on it. I think that version of the remix is definitely much more of an integral way to go. I understand the commercial part of it; I wouldn’t necessarily want to be a part of it, but I also wouldn’t necessarily turn it down if it was offered to me. As an artist, you can tell the difference between something that is progressive for the sake of being commercial, and progressive for the sake of being progressive.

Grab your copy of SykoMindz Magazine Issue #3 as well as the 2020k EP and Contagion single over at 2020k’s Bandcamp here. You can also click the respective covers below to be taken to the specific download page for it’s release.

WOW! Sykomindz Magazine crowns me The Future Of Electronica!!!! twitter.com/twenty20k/stat…

— RJ (@twenty20k) May 9, 2013

Imogen Heap’s massively successful 2005 Speak For Yourself release, which has sold 500,000 copies worldwide and contains songs featured in countless TV/film scenes, as well as sampled by dozens upon dozens of artists will be available for the first time on vinyl which will be sold exclusively from SaintNovember.com.

The first pressing of the vinyl will be limited to 500 copies. The first 300 copies will be printed on solid light blue vinyl, with the rest of them having their imprint on clear red vinyl.

Considering that Imogen Heap engineered and mixed the entire record in a seemingly digital world, as far as we know, we’re interested to hear how it will translate to vinyl land. Though for the most part digital, subjectively speaking Speak For Yourself is her most well produced and engineered effort, containing tight, but punchy mixes that combine with unorthodox samples and brilliant song craft. The original release sits at a modest average of 8dB dynamic range throughout its run.

The Grammy’s would tell you differently though. Her follow up to this record, called Ellipse, won the best engineered, non-classic album award in 2010.

Just what are some of those peculiar samples on her sophomore record, you ask? The beating of carpet tube made it into one of the tracks, and of course, the unforgettable frying pan and trains outside of her studio at the time which were incorporated into the mix of her classic, massively successful “Hide and Seek”.

Last year, Heap released the instrumentals of Speak For Yourself through her official website. You can still purchase these digitally here.

Pre-orders start at 9AM BST time, which would be 4AM EST for those in the states.

Pre-order the Speak For Yourself vinyl here. Orders will ship on the release of June 10th, 2013.

Most music that comes out of the vaporwave scene seems to thrive on nostalgia. It plays upon samples from older urban music, spun to sound like some sort of warped elevator music that pries upon the familiar sounds in which it was build upon. It has fascinating mixing techniques that seem to build a landscape of which actually sounds like vapor trails and obscurely familiar structures. Nyetscape follows these rules, but gets extremely dark, vastly experimental, and sometimes quite un-nerving on his third release, titled Nyetscape 3.0.

Starting with the record’s second track, “Tumbling Down,” it’s built off of a sample from the anime Evangelion and throws itself in circles with the string arrangement, through the stereo mix. It’s spiral never lets up, sounding like a drowning of the childhood dreams of which it was built upon. A bit crusher distorting effect, some buffer play, and lots of panning play into the track, and while it’s seemingly a scary piece, it’s charm rubs off in a sort of light at the end of the tunnel fashion.

“Only In Time” is the hardest track to follow as it sounds so schizophrenic and droned-out in the beginning, so the heartbreak based upon the actual production of the song is extremely confrontational. Pitch bending is there, slowed down vocal effects are vast, and the sound is so warped, filled with long delay effects and percussion that’s shoved into the backend of the mix that it goes against everything the original Nyetscape vibe has brought. Once the song settles down, the outro brings in a more spacious scene with pitched down vocal samples off of “Ragged Wood” by Fleet Foxes that are just as lonely and forlorn as the record gives off. A turn afterward brings in heavy guitars that lay against distraught rhythmic elements.

It’s not until “In [Our] Life” that things start returning to normal. While it’s still pretty desolate, there’s inklings of some female sirens in the background of the track, bringing a cool Hip-Hop vibe that recalls the straight forward, self-titled debut from Nyetscape. However, it’s quickly squashed by the following song title “ただの友達であることができます” or roughly translated to “You Can Be Just a Friend”. In fact, the Japanese track title is filled with children’s giggles, against a lethargic landscape that’s just down right spooky. It ends just before the one minute mark, where the song takes a drastically classical tone, that fades in and out through nice analog techniques.

Nyetscape comments, “I made “ただの友達であることができます”  when I was thinking about a life to death transition, or witnessing divine intervention. Not that I’m religious, but I still find that fascinating and kind of scary to think of when I think of an omnipotent being.”

The last track is about a minute and a half long, but most of the songs on this effort are short. “Heaven” is sort of an ironic title for the song, seeing as though it’s not that sampled, like the rest of the tracks on this effort, but instead is using parallel compression techniques to squash down the mix on kick drum hits. It leaves abruptly, wishing more to be bestowed upon the listener, but it seems as though the song is cut short because since it’s not really heaven after all, why keep trying?

It’s unclear of what the motives are behind Nyetscape 3.0 but when 2020k was able to catch him for a quick questioning on what inspired this record, his response was “The main inspiration behind Nyetscape 3.0 was to drive away from the beat driven expectations of electronic music. I wanted to make washed out pieces of music too prove that, just really weird tracks. But when I started too make the music, I noticed it started to get way more introspective.”

While it’s short, it is, in fact, the most inward looking we’ve seen Nyetscape, or in this case, we think we’re seeing more of the man behind the moniker, Chris Kamas, more than ever.

Download Nyetscape 3.0 over at Nyetscape’s Bandcamp

ATTENTION: This review is part of the extravagant 2020k giveaway. Click here to see all of the goodies we’re giving away. Win copies of Freezing Thoughts Creates Stability and Air is Movement by Wet Eyes, as well as other goodies by tweeting “#2020kgiveaway Wet Eyes Engulfs Self in Solo Projects, Collaborations, and Future Postcard Album @Twenty20k http://tinyurl.com/weteyes” or retweeting any corresponding tweets from the Twenty20k account with this hashtag! You can also like and share this article on Facebook for respective entries into the contest.

Ross Auger, aka Wet Eyes has had his ears dipped in a lot of different sonics since we saw him last in our infrasound and double-sided interview features at 2020k. He’s lent himself toward an interesting turn with the ambient rap scene called cloud rap and his Wet Eyes Productions imprint is flourishing with releases from himself, as well as the Contagion EP from 2020k.

Silver Lining [bandcamp]
First and foremost, a solo effort from Auger called Silver Lining was released in February 2013 and seems to be the tightest effort from his Wet Eyes moniker yet. Sometimes sounding a bit like a more dense version of something Akira Yamaoka would do on a Silent Hill soundtrack, it’s filled with eight experimental tracks that feature standard post-rock structures, the record spans over organic instrumental landscapes and interweaves with overlying guitar ambiance.

It’s a record that oozes mysterious sensuality and psychedelic-isms. “Matinee At Dawn” is the perfect example of how Silver Lining operates in that the delays on almost all instrumentation is delicately honed in to the source of which it derives from, while a spring reverberated rimshot takes it’s on the 2 & 4 beats, causing a warm downtempo vibe, while quiet sixteenth note hi-hat sounds and off-beat cymbal hits subtly ensure that the groove and vibe of the track are promptly carried on.

The glitchy “If Happens” recalls drum sampling of that on Moby’s Hotel: Ambient series,  while “Modesty Lost” strives for a repetitious melodic adventure of which rides on top of various drones. On the flip side, there’s a great experimentally mixed track called “Forceful Pond” that’s broods in its muddiness and utilizes muddy vocal samples to give it that dirty pond sound.

Contagion EP [bandcamp]
Ross was kind enough to allow me to release my “Contagion EP” through his imprint in March. It features a remix by him, as well as mastering work. There are also remixes by Kinesthetiac, Kamas (aka Nyetscape), and myself. All information in regards to this project can be viewed through an article I wrote upon the release. You can click here to view this.

Abstract Hat [bandcamp]
In the world of sub-genres, cloud rap is akin to a more conscious and delicate version of the derivative in which trip-hop music comes from hip-hop inspirations. It’s a downtempo spiral full of atmospheric sounds and urban percussion that Wet Eyes conquered in collaboration with emcee MonoPoleJoe on his record entitled Abstract Hat.

The song to look out for on this project is “Drunk (The Teeth)” which features a very trippy outro to the song that plays upon filtering, imaging, and distortion to bring a real life drunk feeling that is witnessed during the height and initial comedown of consumption. It’s insane, a path not taken musically by too many as it technically breaks down the entire mix of the song into an obscure path, but is brilliantly executed by the two and is one of the more interesting aspects of the rap project.

Although sometimes the flow and rhyme can be sub-par, the majority of this release is solid. In fact, “Messed Up” comes off a very folk sounding track without being forced, borders on a flow equivalent to the Dilated Peoples crew, and being one of the more straight-forward and sincere tracks of in this broad hat in the abstract.

Wolf Fluorescence/Wet Eyes Split
Ross Devlin is known under the name Wolf Fluorescence and released a split cassette release with Auger with a 28 minute track called “Bleach” as the A-side. The result of it is one lovely ambient piece, filled with a distorted piano sound that follows through the majority of the piece. It’s classical sounding at heart in the way aspects of the song come and go, and makes for an emotional ride that’s to be experienced in its entirety. It eventually drifts off into more brooding territory, using its oscillating synthesizers as a terrifying scene to build moods and vibes off of.

On the B-side, three Wet Eyes original spanning on the more experimental side to keep with the cohesive mood created by Delvin. There’s not much percussion, but instead focusing more on mood and affected sonics for the song to wander upon and find it’s own path.

Postcard Record [Fall 2013]
In a very unique approach to releasing, Wet Eyes is gearing up for the future and is looking to release his next record via post card. We’re wondering if this one will wind up making it to the front page of Postsecret.com, as Auger’s work does sound extremely true to the secretive heart, but regardless, it is definitely a great approach to releasing. What more information we have isn’t much, but when 2020k asked Ross to shed more light on the situation, we received the following response: “The postcard will present itself differently in a certain light.”

Fair enough. Start collecting your various light sources so you’re ready for this tentatively scheduled fall release.

Well, guys. 25 edits later, a whole lot of tweets, comments, and email messages later, we have the finalized 2020k version of events that unfolded during the viral marketing techniques to promote the first Boards of Canada album since 2005′s Warp Records release The Campfire Headphase. In case you missed it, but I’m sure you didn’t, here’s the entire article that was put together on this website and edited in as the back story behind this record unfolded. Click here.

The new record is called Tomorrow’s Harvest. It’s filled with seventeen tracks that clock the record in at just under an hour according to iTunes, and is to be released June 10th, 2013 on digital, CD, and vinyl.

01. Gemini
02. Reach For The Dead
03. White Cyclosa
04. Jacquard Causeway
05. Telepath
06. Cold Earth
07. Transmisiones Ferox
08. Sick Times
09. Collapse
10. Palace Posy
11. Split Your Infinities
12. Uritual
13. Nothing Is Real
14. Sundown
15. New Seeds
16. Come To Dust
17. Semena Mertvykh

You can pre-order the new record over at bleep.com (along with some new BoC T-shirts), iTunes, or Amazon.

I’d like to extend a huge thank you to Pitchfork, SPIN Magazine, The Guardian, FACTmag, Bocpages.org and all of the other blogs who have referenced and helped out. You guys have contributed to this story more than you know. To everyone who emailed, commented, contributed, and shared this story, all of the new followers and likes on Twitter & Facebook, to all those who have been listening and downloading my music from Soundcloud & Bandcamp, and Boards of Canada for putting together this new project. To my the people in my life who understood when I needed to quickly read a tweet or update the blog with the latest news. It’s been a great ride to share with all of you and I will be sure to update the site with the latest happenings with not only Boards of Canada, but other great projects of interest.

Since this blog has started, I’ve found it funny to bring up the fact that there is no new Boards of Canada album in sight for any entry that I’ve found it suitable to mention it in. It’s brought giggles to the readers, and now since it’s released and since Daft Punk have announced their return as well, I find it suitable to pick on the next culprits in the Electronic music scene: The Avalanches. Where’s that new record, guys?! HUH?! WHERE IS IT?!?! We’ll be watching closely…

Tomorrow’s Harvest will be released June 10th, 2013. More information will be posted as soon as it becomes available.

On April 28^th, the surviving members of TLC, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas were announced by Donnie Wahlberg as a slew of artists to be featured on the 2013 Mixtape Festival which is held over a period of two days in Hershey, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. July 26th-27th, 2013 to be exact, with the girls hitting the stage on the latter date 26th.

What we can see from these women so far is uncertain. In the past, we’ve mostly seen a shortened set filled with several different sections filled with hits from their four acclaimed and top selling albums Oooooooohh…on the TLC Tip, Crazy Sexy Cool, Fanmail, and 3D. However, on the biggest message board for news on the trio, Cybertlcforums.com, we see Nathan Histed, a member who works closely with Tionne Wakins and designed the single cover for her 2013 release “Champion,” has made several threads surrounding the touring aspects that fans would like to see from the girls. Suggestions on further locations and songs fans would like to see inside the sets have been noted on the respective forum, so there may be some changes along the way? Nothing is confirmed.

Speculation that there will be screens behind them projecting the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes is wide, as they’ve done it for every performance together since the passing of their group mate in 2002.

TLC is currently celebrating 20 years in the music business. Technically, this is their 21st since their blow up with their debut single “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg” in 1992.

A biopic on the group is in the works with VH1, which will air in fall of this year. Watkins and Thomas have also posted Twitter and Instagram updates showing them in the recording studio, recording new material for a project to accompany this film release.

New Kids on the Block, Hanson, The Script, Jonas Brothers, OneRepublic, Gavin Degraw, and Boys II Men are also some of the top names announced yesterday. 2020k will keep you posted on this festival as news becomes available.

Tickets go on sale May 10^th, 2013 and start at $50 for the two days. Click here for the festival’s website.

Note: Major thanks to @Officialchilli for the retweet and Totally T-Boz’ Facebook page for the share.

On Friday, Crystal Castles unveiled a music video for “Affection” from their third record, appropriately titled (III). 

Inside the two and a half minute track, we see backward fireworks, live looking shots, experimental VHS play, and a whole lot of Ethan and Alice. While it doesn’t hold the terror in which the “Plague” video viciously unleashed with it’s play on the footage from the 1981 Andrzej Zulawski film Possession, it’s a simplified piece that blissfully focuses on the duo behind the project.

Along with the video, two “Sad Eyes” remixes have been uploaded and made available for free download over at the official Crystal Castles Soundcloud page. Invisibles and Huoratron take their stab on the acclaimed song off the record. Click here to stream & download.

2020k will be attending the Crystal Castles concert at Mr. Smalls in Pittsburgh, PA on 5/9. Can you say ecstatic?! Check back here for a review of the show. For now, the review of (III) went live right after the record’s release. You can read it here.

On “Q.U.E.E.N.”, brilliant shades of brass instrumentation fill the stereo image of the track, and even the jazzed out “Ba-bom-ba-bomp!” create a vibe so influenced by the groove of the track that the mood of movement in both the physical and sociological sense is forced to be recognized.

Like a lot of Janelle’s music, the lyrical content covers overcoming repression, celebrating your inner outcast. Mostly, and this is no exception, it’s done in reference toward a cyborg world. In pure funked out style, she questions “Is it peculiar that she twerk in the mirror?” Continuing, “And am I weird to dance alone late at night? And is it true we’re all insane?” before finally closing the first part of the second verse out with “and I just tell ‘em, ‘No we ain’t’ and get down.” Throughout the verses lies a great sense of vocal doubling, harmonies, and various delays. All together, the vocal production on Jane’s vocals are just as lively as the instrumentation itself.

Erykah’s presence rests through the background vocals of the track, riding along adlibs and callouts that are mixed lower in the stereo mix. Interestingly enough, the vocals aren’t too focused on with production techniques. Toward the middle of the track, we can’t help but think of the song “Booty” on Badu’s Mama’s Gun. She begins her verse, still mixed in a more modest tone, bringing a chilled out feel toward the breakdown section she’s wildly a part of, ending her verse telling us that “Come home and sing your song. But you got to testify because the booty don’t lie.”

“My crown too heavy like the Queen Nefertiti. Gimme back my pyramid, I’m trying to free Kansas City,” she raps in spoken word format. You’re out, dear. If this is what we have to look forward to on the always eclectic Janelle Monae’s next effort, we’re absolutely bracing ourself to trust our booty, serving face, and refusing to dream of electric sheep.

Purchase “Q.U.E.E.N.” on iTunes. Released April 23rd, 2013

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY NOT A DRILL.

It seems as though Warp Records took to National Record Store day today to let us know that Boards of Canada’s follow up to their 2005 release The Campfire Headphase is well on its way!

Hidden throughout several record stores today was a 12 inch vinyl for sale. We’re not sure how many of these have been pressed, or what’s on them. However, information will be edited into this post, equipped with edit tags on them, as we sift through the details that are being provided.

Currently, we know that @Imnopandabear from New York City, known as Lilcakey on Reddit found and purchased one of these promotional vinyl from Other Music. His account of the product lets us know that the packaging dates this as a Warp 2013 release and contains 20 seconds of audio on one side of the vinyl that says a six digit number one time, then cuts out.

This purchaser goes on to describe more information that he gathered from the store itself. “Clearly I have one of six similar Boards of Canada records released today and distributed “randomly” around the world (Other Music said they received the record with no word / acknowledgement of its existence, it was just there in a shipment they received). I think that if all of the numbers are gathered and arranged in a proper order, we might be able to figure something out, so we just need the other 5 people who found the record (or maybe they haven’t been found yet) to reveal their numbers and where they fit in the sequence, and then of course, have to decipher what the numbers together mean.”

Regardless, the devil is in the details right now, guys. So if you happen to have acquired one of these vinyl records, please leave a comment below with what’s on them so we can compile all the information we can! Everything is pure speculation at this point, but this does seem very legitimate and we are piecing together the puzzle…on the date of the fifteenth anniversary of Music Has a Right to Children, no less!

Keep the 2020k Twitter page on check, too. We’re following information closely and retweeting as necessary. All information will ultimately be reported on this blog.

EDIT #1: Youtube video of the vinyl playing is up. Watch it here. 936,557 is the number on this copy. The music is beautiful. Thank you, Lilcakey for posting in our comments. Please keep us posted!

EDIT #2: Boards Of Canada do have a page on Recordstoreday.com.

EDIT #3: This one is to be taken with a grain of salt. A YouTube video on Boards Of Canada’s official playlist show “Julie and Candy,” from Geogaddi, with a strange video description. Click here to see the full playlist. The video is number eight. While this playlist compiles fan made videos, for the most part, the video description is interestingly  ”——/——/——/——/——/—–­-”.

EDIT #4: The video description to edit #3 seems to have changed again. It now reads “1977 snow computing amateur footage beards synthesizer”. But, YouTube user wentingtonful left it as a comment on the video. Presumably just to note that it was there at one point in time. Please keep in mind that the “Julie and Candy” video was uploaded by user Ataalantafugiens, who only has this video on their channel. The version of this song seems to be a soundboard recording from one of Boards of Canada’s only live performances. We’re still unsure, since its upload, how this user got a hold of it.

For notes: The year in the description has also altered several times in the last few minutes. 1976, 1977, 1978. Seem to be staying on ’77 now. However, the dashes are back. Go to 4:20 on the video and pause. No, wait. The placement has changed. Go to 4:19 and pause. (A rumored, possible countdown?)

It is also noteworthy that the description of the video used to read “1977 snow computing amateur footage beards synthesizer salopette endtimes uaevuon yera”

EDIT #5: Album out in June according to Tweet from Iain Stewart, who is a friend of a friend of the band. Tweet dated 4/11/13.

EDIT #6: Warp Records has just followed Other Music on Twitter.

EDIT #7: The record is number stations influenced (The Conet Project is a good place to start for beginners at this). So, there are a few number theories floating around. They’re only theories, but the number 6 keeps popping up quite a bit, and with the Tweet from Iain Stewart mentioning a possible June release, I will keep all number theories inside this edit.

Theory 1: The Julie and Candy video. Presumably, the position of the dashes and slash marks started at 4:20 on 4/20. Today, they were moved down to 4:19. Tomorrow, if they move to 4:18, this could possibly be a countdown of some sorts to something. This positioning has not moved. Theory debunked.

Theory 2: The full video description on the “Julie and Candy” video and the six set of numbers correlate:

——/——/——/——/936557 /——
1977/snow/computing/amateur footage/beards/synthesizer

Theory 3: Each of the vinyl records will contain a different set of numbers. So far, we have the fourth set since this looks like the fourth copy of the vinyl made, judging by the X’s. So far only one vinyl has been found. A second set of numbers came from a YouTube video. See Edit #12

EDIT #8: krs from the Twoism.org message board spoke to Other Music who confirmed that there is only one Boards of Canada Record Store Day vinyl released in the United States. A Warp Rep brought in the vinyl to the store. This has been obtained. The rest of them? Apparently they’re in other countries. Get searching. Update in the comments section if you obtain one. You can listen to the phone conversation here. Voice in the phone recording isn’t board member krs.

“Just got off the phone with the guy from Other Music again, and he said they DID INFACT have it at the store!!!!!! He said a warp representative brought it in at 3pm the day before record store day. He also said that the one found in their store is THE ONLY ONE IN THE U.S.!!!!! THE OTHERS ARE IN FACT IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES!!!! He didn’t specify, but they way he said it, I imagine this is what the representative from warp told him.”

EDIT #9: Pitchfork (twice!) & The Consequence of Sound have linked 2020k as a main source in their articles for this Boards of Canada mystery. I am a huge follower of both publications. Thank you for spreading the word, guys. A thank you to bocpages.org as well. Updates to this article will continue as information rolls in. Pitchfork has apparently confirmed that this is a legitimate Warp release. The Guardian has picked up this article. Shout out to Jakub over at Tycho’s blog. Thank you. Thanks to FACTmag too (check your Tweets). SPIN has also reported.

4/22/2013

EDIT #10: The “Julie and Candy” video has not been altered today, debunking the rumor that the annotations were a countdown to something. The source of the video and affiliation with Boards of Canada to the user is still noteworthy, as the video is reportedly a backdrop used for their ATP performance, and the version of the song is presumably the soundboard recording of the live performance (or a live, studio version of the track).

EDIT #11: Also relevant, Other Music tweets out that they did receive a copy of this vinyl, finally confirming that this is an official Record Store Day release by Warp and Boards of Canada

EDIT #12: The official Hell Interface Youtube channel (which is the name Boards went under before they were Boards of Canada) posted this three second video, which links to this video that plays a new jingle. The video is called “csch” by tarekeys. More numbers. This time, the numbers are: 717228

Edit #13: Hellinterface YouTube account just posted a comment under an “Everything You Do Is A Balloon” YouTube video. Points to the same hellinterface YouTube account video as the numbers in edit #12. Also, Youtube Video name is CSCH. Well look what happens when you add a .ca after it. The link is speculation at this point and seems more coincidental at this point, than anything. The 3 second video shows images when you hover over the timeline and drag. click for pic!

Edit #14: The new placement for the 717228 number seems to be the following: ——/——/717228/936557/——/—— The  reasoning behind this being that the text “—— / —— / XXXXXX / —— / —— / ——” appears on the csch video at approximately 0:40 for exactly two frames.

An enhanced picture from the 3 second YouTube video can be seen below. Thank you to the Boards of Canada (unofficial) IRC for figuring this edit out. Also, it seems as though the stills are from The Little House On The Prairie, Episode 69 68, “Times of Change”, aired Sept 19 1977. [Source needed for airing date].

EDIT #15: The order of the videos on the Boards Of Canada YouTube playlist has been changed. The Felix Baumgartner “Dayvan Cowboy” video used to be the starting video. Now, three others are on top of it. The “Julie and Candy” video which contained the first hint, the “Everything You Do is a Balloon” video which contained the second hint, and below those two videos is a video for “Trails”. Speculation is that “Trails” will contain the next hint.

4/23/2013

EDIT #16: Rough Trade reports a second vinyl has been sold from their store. Posts three pictures. We don’t know the numbers. I playfully yelled at them on Twitter. The xxxxxx’s are in the same spot as the first vinyl sold.

Rough Trade has tweeted the number: 936557 and the audio from their copy. The same number as the vinyl found in New York.

Edit #17: Looks like BBC Radio 1 is in on it too! Here’s a screencap taken at 3:20PM EST by us. It was played on the Zane Lowe show. Did anyone tune in? Playlist reads: Unknown —— / ——- / —— / —— / —— / XXXXXX

The clip is now DOWNLOADABLE on BBC’s website. Click here for the MP3. New numbers: 519225

So, now we have ——/——/717228/936557/699742/519225

EDIT #18: NPR have posted a string of numbers on All Things Considered. These numbers are 699742.

——/——/717228/936557/——/519225

Theory: All of the numbers, except the NPR number have a double digit in the last three numbers. 717228, 936557, 519225 However, if you reverse the NPR number completely backwards so that it reads 247996 instead of 699742, it follows suit with the double digit theory.

Then, after the NPR number is reversed, take a look at the last number following the double digit. 717228, 936557, 519225, and if we reverse the NPR number we get 247996. With this theory, the string of numbers would be ——/——/717228/936557/699742 (or, reversed 247996)/519225. So, the first set of numbers should theoretically end in a double digit, followed by a 0 (or possibly xxx110). The second set of numbers should theoretically end in a double digit, followed by a 9.

No word on what this all means or if this theory is legitimate in the long run. Extraordinary thanks to @cydoniac for this! If anything, it’s good thinking. After finding the Soundcloud numbers, unfortunately this theory seems void.

EDIT #19: Background on Boards of Canada’s Youtube page has changed to a snowy/sky blue background and the annotations have changed on the “Julie & Candy” video. At 4:19 and 4:20, where the annotations are, there are now boxes. You cannot click them, but they are small, new editions.

4/26/2013

EDIT #20: Looks like Twoism.org is in on the fun! On Youtube, the infamous playlist on Boards of Canada’s profile updated so that a video for “Twoism” was in the number one spot. The website’s banner altered, leaving six hints:

“GIF89a
csch,hexagon sun,boc,hell interface,boards of canada,music70,boctransmission,hexagonsun,fyt,twoism
http://snd.sc/11W7vpv
http://snd.sc/11W726Q
there is another…
GIF89ai”

which lead to a Soundcloud page which held two audiofiles (Audiofile #1 called “∑” & Audiofile #2 entitled the same thing).

The album art shows a diagram of a signal mixer which sums two inputs. By summing the two Soundcloud files we’ve received the new number: 628315.

EDIT #20.5: It look as though when viewing the ID tags of the .WAV files on these uploads, we find some great information. Audio#1 is entitled “AAAA.wav” and the second being “BBBB.wav”. However, what’s even better is that in the description it mentions these files being clues for “Cosecha,” which is spanish for the word harvest and is being speculated as the album’s title. This would make sense, seeing as though the Youtube “csch” links to a video called “neuvas,” which is spanish for new seeds.

The website’s banner on Twoism.org also linked to .gif files that, when manipulated, will display where the new number from the Soundcloud files will go. Click for the picture.

699742/628315/717228/936557/——/519225

EDIT #21: Rough Trade, the record store in which one of the vinyl releases was found has been posting some cryptic Twitter status updates, including a “Boards of Canada loop” playing outside a building across the street at the Loading Bay Art Gallery. A video has been posted, along with a time stamp of “20:35?”, but no more information has been released as of yet beyond the loop. Video has also been posted, but while it showed a sunny desert, only X’s have been broadcasted so far, no number. There is audio that is being broadcasted as well, changing once, but nothing new.

The #BoC loop from outside Rough Trade East is here >>> youtube.com/watch?v=uZXFSn… Thank you @aertime!!

— Rough Trade (@RoughTrade) April 26, 2013

EDIT #22: Adult Swim aired an advertisement in the United States. No new number, but confirms the 699742, which is the number NPR also gave on their broadcast a few days ago.

EDIT#23: http://www.boardsofcanada.com currently redirects to http://cosecha-transmisiones.com/ and is asking for a password. Viewing the page source displays the code in a huge Hexagon with X’s where the missing numbers in our string of code is.

EDIT #24: Your password, thanks to Noby at Twoism.org (how he obtained this is to be determined):. 699742628315717228936557813386519225. Upon entering the password, you see a video that confirms a June 10th, 2013 release date for a new Boards of Canada album titled “Tomorrow’s Harvest”, which you can pre-order on Bleep.com (CD or Vinyl) by clicking here.

EDIT #25: The missing numbers seem to have been coded into the header of the source code on Boardsofcanada.com. The missing numbers? 7813386.

699742/628315/71722/893655/7813386/519225

We did it, guys.

All information on the release can currently be seen via the new entry, which you can see by clicking here.

5/21/2013

EDIT #26: Coverage continues. Boards of Canada have just updated their Facebook with a status! Let the more traditional promotion begin? Or is this some more cryptic goodness? The status reads: “May 22nd 24:00 @ 1-23-10 Jinnan Shibuya-ku Tokyo”

EDIT #27: A new song and some visuals from Tomorrow’s Harvest was debuted in Jinnan Shibuya-ku Tokyo on a large screen. Unofficial Ustream captured it live for us. Upload and song title are pending.

EDIT #27.5: Video is up.