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Studio Ellen Allien
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VIEWS: 206
   
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Studio since: 27 June 2008


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Bpitch Control
Ellen Allien

STUDIO ADDRESS
http://www.pulseradio.net/studio/Ellen Allien

SESSIONS
PROFILE

I grew up feeling surrounded by the Wall. I lived on the small island of West Berlin. Border controls on Sunday excursions, the rummaging through bags, the military. It was scary. The island of West Berlin was a destination for creative minds in search of alternatives. Music was and still is my outlet. Alongside tinkling on the electric organ, teaching myself how to read notes and my jukebox with a collection of singles in my room, my ears were first intrigued by the revolution of Neue Deutsche Welle. It was fantastic! For the first time people were singing in the language, you could hear out on the street: Ideal, Grauzone, Nina Hagen pop meets punk. Things happened so fast. Minimal sounds made from machines entered the charts.

For me Kraftwerk’s Model changed everything. I discovered that pop also worked without any frills. My side of Berlin provided a home for the curious, those who were going against the flow. However, it was only when the Wall came down that Berlin became Berlin again - the city that lets me breathe. After spending a whole year in London I realized that despite the acid jazz house euphoria there, only one place felt like home Berlin, the city of possibilities. Being able to breathe, to drive and walk wherever and with whomever I wanted. And no more borders. I was immediately fascinated by East Berlin, by this atmosphere of curiosity and get-up-and-go. There was room for experiments. Electronic music united East and West.

I started to focus on music and art. At first that meant playing the saxophone, learning about fashion, hanging out in rehearsal rooms and train as acrobat. To finance it all, I worked behind the bar in the Fischlabor, which happened to be the meeting point of the up-and-coming music network. I mixed my first tapes and suddenly became part of the emerging Berlin techno scene, which started out in empty industrial buildings, houses and cellars. Ellen became Ellen Allien. Courage Berlin nightlife. I had my own radio show on KISS FM, worked at the Delirium record store and finally founded my first label Braincandy. It felt as if music had swallowed me whole. With Braincandy I made a serious attempt at releasing the kind of abstract techno I liked best. Id had enough of compromising. Some of it was just the courage to pave my own way. The closing down of the first big Berlin techno clubs was a setback for the scene, though I interpreted it as a sign to get something new going in the midst of disorientation. The party series BPitch Control was a good start. I wanted to hang on to the music, to materialize it, so I founded BPitch Control Records. The parties were no longer just memories; now people could take them home, too. The label was mainly an organ for me and other people who I found talented and worth supporting. To me, BPitch control is glamour, community and exchange platform all at the same time.

Traveling with my record case, living out of the suitcase. The hotel is my home. Experiencing new worlds and cultures and accepting them; understanding, how things work in other places. Sharing views and politics. A club unites people without words. The music speaks. Recognizing the beauty of the world and absorbing the otherness. Home is far away and not important. The unknown attracts my attention - and I want to know it!

History of House music
FEATURES 25 August 2008

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DIGITAL NEWS
26/08/08 Developing: Apple Investigating Chinese iTunes Store Block

Apple is now examining why its iTunes Store is inaccessible to Chinese users, according to information emerging Friday.  "We are still investigating," a representative told news service AFP.

Earlier this week, users started noticing that the store was inaccessible from inside China, and subsequent traceroutes pointed to a governmental block.  The reason for the block is not entirely clear, though the presence of a pro-Tibetan album download is strongly suspected.

The next moves are likely to set the tone for future content "discussions," specifically those tied to albums like Songs for Tibet.  In most cases, the Chinese government demands compliance with various censorship rules, a pill that most American companies must swallow.
26/08/08 Terrestrial Radio Revenues Down 6% In July...
 Terrestrial Radio Revenues Down 6% In July...

US-based terrestrial radio revenues slid 6 percent in July, according to figures published by the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB).  The tally, published late last week, showed a 5 percent decline in local advertising revenues, and a 15 percent decline in broader, national advertising.  That was offset by a 6 percent increase in off-air revenues, though the pace of that growth has slowed.  The revenue information is based on a sample of one-hundred stations, collected by accounting firm Miller Kaplan Arase & Co.

The July assessment follows a string of declines during earlier months, according to RAB reports.  In June, the group reported a broader decline of 9 percent, and May produced a drop of 8 percent.  In fact, the industry has been posting declines for the past fifteen consecutive months, a trend that predates the current economic malaise.  "Radio has entered and seems stuck in a new, discouraging territory with the combined challenges of a secular slide and cyclical recessionary times," commented CL King & Associates analyst Jim Boyle.
26/08/08A Bull Among Bears: Newbury Comics Expanding...
 A Bull Among Bears: Newbury Comics Expanding...

Most companies cut costs, shed employees, and table expansion plans during economic downtimes.  But for some ambitious players, economic malaise sets the perfect backdrop for an expansion - and market share grab.

In Boston, Newbury Comics is now adopting that aggressive, and more risky, approach.  "Every time the economy goes into a recession, that's when you want to invest," company cofounder and chief executive Mike Dreese recently told the Boston Globe.  "Virgin just pulled out of town, Tower is bankrupt. If we're going to expand, we should do it now."

Indeed, the company just opened a mega-store in the Boston suburb of Norwood.  The massive facility, a former car dealership, offers the perfect space for shows and latte bars, as well as merchandise like clothing, vinyl, DVDs and games.  The company also added another store in the city, at Faneuil Hall, a move that cuts an aggressive profile.  

Some executives would have trouble stomaching that level of risk, and Newbury is feeling its share of pain.  The company pointed to flat sales during the past four years, and a profit dip of 10 percent last year, though Dreese confidently pointed to a diversified product set.
26/08/08 ...And Vinyl Sales Keep Increasing..

The CD is leading the plunge in recording sales, though the decades-old vinyl keeps showing strength.  The latest positive report comes from Newbury Comics, part of a broader profile in the Boston Globe.  "There’s a huge resurgence in vinyl," chain chief executive Mike Dreese reiterated, while pointing to turntable sales of 600-800 over the past two months.*

In total, the company projected vinyl-specific sales of $1.5 million this year, up 70 percent from 2007.  That is part of a steadily ramping format.  In June, Newbury pointed to monthly vinyl revenues of approximately $100,000, or $1.2 million annualized.

The trend is being sparked by a number of factors, including nostalgia, more involved product packaging, greater collectability, and the availability of lower-priced turntables.  Dreese noted that CDs now account for 43 percent of the broader product mix, down from 75 percent ten years ago.
21/08/08 The iPhone Connectivity Issue: Is Apple on the Case?

The second-generation iPhone is easily the hottest device of the summer, though connectivity issues are now softening the hype.  A number of buyers worldwide have been complaining about 3G-specific connectivity problems, including spotty reception and dropped calls.

Now, Apple appears to be addressing the problem through a firmware update, without publicly admitting the issue.  The company recently issued the upgrade - OS 2.0.2 - while reservedly pointed to a 'bug fix' release.  Just recently, reports suggested that the connection issues were linked to a chip from Infineon, though neither company has confirmed the cause.

The firmware update is automatically triggered during an iTunes sync.
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