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Minnehaha Tunnel Jam (2/14/25)

2/21/2025

5 Comments

 
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You can listen to the audio of this jam session by clicking on the player below:

On the morning of February 14th, 2025, I made an impulsive journey by myself up to Lake Minnehaha in Maitland, FL right outside of Winter Park and Orlando.

As I mentioned in my previous EC article, my friend Syoma Flora recorded an improv session inside this tunnel there a while back and released it on her Bandcamp page (also on home-made CDRs!). It inspired my previous article, and then it inspired me to trek on out to where this tunnel is to experience it for myself.

After about 90 minutes of taking the toll roads to get there (Interstate 4 is notoriously bad, especially around the Davenport/ChampionsGate exit, so I try to avoid that area whenever possible), I finally arrive at my destination.

Before encountering said tunnel, I walked along this nature trail and took a bunch of pictures, mainly of the signs that have seen better days. I then found the tunnel, which is this really narrow path under this overpass, and next to a waterway. Of course, there was a lot of graffiti and stickers plastered on various surfaces.
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I didn’t bring any instruments this time, but there were these metal poles and rails that I’d bang on with my knuckle (don’t worry, I washed my hands afterwards) to make these clanging sounds, and I used the KQ Unotone synthesizer app on my phone again to make additional noises. The reverb there was fantastic.

Every few minutes or so, someone would walk past me while walking their dog. Most of them were friendly, with one even exchanging “hellos” with me on the recording here.

Overall, it was worth the trip out there, and I look forward to coming back there with a friend or friends and doing more recording. If you’re ever in this area, I recommend stopping by there as well.

Here’s some of the photos I took while I was there:
5 Comments

Dylan Houser - Carport Jam (February 7th, 2025)

2/8/2025

6 Comments

 
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You can hear this recorded piece by clicking on the audio player below:

​On the morning of February 1st, 2025, I found this metallic barrel-looking thing at a thrift store in Kissimmee, FL, and I’ve been using it as a drum. It makes this clanging sound when it’s hit.

Fast-forward to February 7th, 2025: the highlight of my entire day was at around 4:28am, when I went outside under my carport and spontaneously recorded myself (using a Sony ICD-PX470 digital dictaphone recorder) playing a rhythm on my new drum, while simultaneously playing with one of the synthesizer apps on my phone. 

I played the drum by rhythmically tapping the surface with my index finger.
​As of this writing, I have since invested in a pair of mallets.


Occasionally, some dump trucks, sirens, and other assorted nearby vehicles would make their own noises, inadvertently contributing to the recording process.

This recording was inspired by an album I heard recently, titled “Caroling,” by Syoma Flora and Anthony Cole, which consists of melodica and accordion improvisations inside of a tunnel at Lake Minnehaha in Winter Park, FL. It's an excellent album and I can't recommend it enough. You can listen to that album here: syoma.bandcamp.com/album/caroling
6 Comments

Cashew and Spot in... "Case of the Gromps”

9/6/2020

9 Comments

 

Good morning, fellow ECers!

I present to you a brand new audio-visual adventure titled
​"Case of the Gromps!"

The stars of this riveting short film are Spot (the white fluffy nimbus kitty) and Cashew (the angry-looking tortoiseshell panther).

This isn't your typical "cute animal" video on the internet: there is NO upbeat ukelele-xylophone-fingersnapping music of any kind to be found here. Begone with your devil music!!!

All of the video and audio footage was created during the summer of 2020, and cobbled together using the iMovie app.

Enjoy!

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Above: not-so-theatrical poster
That's Spot on the left, and that's Cashew GROMPIN' on the right

9 Comments

Dylan and Rafael present an audiovisual collaboration!

5/13/2020

18 Comments

 
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Below is an audiovisual collaboration between Dylan Houser and Rafael González, titled “Xogoblogobak.” Dylan provides the sounds, whilst Rafael provides the visuals (including some mailart of Dylan’s). 

After the video, each individual explains their creative process behind this audiovisual work. Enjoy!

​Rafael González: 


“I make the videos in a very artisanal way, almost like the old animation movies were made, taking a good amount of photographs and sometimes creating GIFs, using for all of this the mobile camera and a  free app.  I finally build the video on my old laptop using the Windows video editor.
Dylan's track inspired me a lot when creating the different paintings and drawings, trying to visually reproduce his music, a perfect mix of Zen meditation and phonetic poetry, spiritual peace and babbling.
In this audiovisual trip I have also incorporated something about I am investigating lately and about my next surgery that I am going to have due to an inguinal hernia.  My research and my pre-surgery emotional state fit perfectly with Dylan's music.”


Dylan Houser:

“The audio was recorded on the morning of April 28th, 2020. I had just gotten home from work, and cooked some mozzarella sticks and jalapeño bites. After I was done eating, I threw the foil away, and found myself ritualistic banging on the pan that I had cooked in. I then started speaking in tongues, reminiscent of my 2012 shitnoise project DER LAAGEN SKAAGEN, and carried this on for 2 minutes. I made sure to record it on my trusty Sony ICD-PX470 field recorder. After I was done recording, I sent the audio to Rafael for him to add his excellent visuals to, and...well, the rest is history, so to speak.”
18 Comments

Mail Art from Mindaugas Žuromskas

1/28/2020

2 Comments

 
On Saturday, January 25th, 2020, I received an envelope full of amazing mail art courtesy of Mindaugus Zuromskas, from Lithuania!

This is some of my favorite art that I’ve received in the mail recently. Thank you, Mindaugus!
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Dylan Houser Wants YOU! To Become a Mail Art Recipient Penpal

1/12/2020

7 Comments

 
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Back in 2011-2013, I enjoyed a great period of prolific recording, and mailing tapes and CDRs to people all across the globe. 

Unfortunately, due to a combination or things, my output had gradually decreased to the point where I had ceased production altogether for a while. These various reasons include: the increased expenses on international shipping rates; shortage of materials to burn/dub audio and/or print the artwork; my increasing amounts of live performances; personal matters; and of course, being burned-out in general.

Fast-forward to early 2017: after having contributed to the then-recent issues of HalZine, I was inspired to put together my own “visual noise” zines. But even these proved to be somewhat costly in the long run. I decided to become even more efficient, and start making postcards.

Lo and behold, they became a success! Multiple recipients would gladly post them on social media, and even send me their own mailart in return.

It was just like the good ol’ days of 2011-2013, except it was limited to just the visuals (which I felt was the centerpiece of a majority of the releases I did anyways).

But now I have decided to go a step further: I will be incorporating audio with my future mailart, without having to compromise the amount of postage. How, you may ask?

By slapping a QR code on the postcard!

For those who may not know: you can scan a QR code by opening the camera on your phone and holding it up to the code until a tab drops down with the link embedded into the code.

For example: here’s a screenshot of our good friend Hal McGee scanning the code (on a postcard I had recently sent him) with the camera on his phone:
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Voila!

I understand there are some potential drawbacks: most notably this feature is not incorporated in every cellphone (specifically Android, which I think requires an app). Regardless, this is all in good fun.

I am planning on making more of these and being quite productive with it throughout this year, as I greatly enjoy creating and mailing these out.

If you would like to receive any future postcards from me, feel free to email me your address or PO BOX and I will add you to my mailing list.

And in the event that you can’t open the contents of the QR CODE with your phone, let me know and I’ll be more than happy to copy-paste the link your way!

Cheers,
​
-Dylan Houser
January 12th, 2020

Further reading:
​
Free QR Code generator

QR Code Wikipedia page

7 Comments

EC Concert Report: Mike Watt and the Missingmen at Levitt Pavilion

6/21/2019

6 Comments

 
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June 20th - 23rd, 2019. I am visiting Los Angeles, CA for the first time ever.
I am here to perform at the INFINITE NOISE OUTRAGEOUS LOUD festival, curated by my dearest friends Verge Bliss (Dendera Bloodbath, Clandestine Ritual Records) and Brandon Gould. I perform on the second day of the festival: Saturday, June 22nd.
I fly in a day early, on June 20th. I am completely unfamiliar with the area and only know a handful of people, not realizing Los Angeles is split up into so many different sub-communities...I joke that it might as well be it’s own state, while another says it’s enough to be it’s own country, completely independent of the not-so-United States of American’t.
I hit up somebody I’ve known online for years: Katz Seki, who is one half of the noisecore legends GORGONIZED DORKS, as well as a longtime veteran of the SoCal punk and goth scenes, going as far back as the 1970s. He knows literally everybody and has lived through it all. Got any questions about your favorite old school punk or deathrocker? I guarantee you, he’s got stories. 
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Anyways...I hit up Katz, asking if he knows of any events going on that evening. He lists three: the first one is at an “ask a punk” location; the second one is a free show in MacArthur Park; and the third one is a Gothic DJ dance night. 
I chose the second option, because, well...free concert in an outdoor setting...that MIKE FUCKING WATT is playing (with his band the Missingmen), along with local psychedelic punks Bastidas!....and erstwhile Germs drummer Don Bolles, DJing vinyl obscurities in between bands. Yup, that’s right.
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I arrive at the park, and, following the music in the distance, make my way to the Levitt pavilion. After meeting up with Katz, The first thing I see upon arrival is this bearded chap on stage, spinning records and making hilarious anecdotes every few seconds or so. My initial thoughts: “This guy looks like a fisherman who roadies for Hawkwind. Wait, is that actually Don Bolles?!”
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Turns out it was! Katz was even saying: “I’ve known Don since the early days, and the first time I’ve seen him with a beard was over about a month ago...”
Anyways, I’m not that big on DJ sets, but watching Don have so much fun on stage with his record collection was a highlight of this trip. Even if it was just Don DJing and no other performers that night it still would have been totally worth it.
After Don’s DJ set, local trio Bastidas! hit the stage. I don’t know much about them, but they put on one hell of a show, complete with psychedelic guitar effects, harmonized vocals, punchy bass lines, and the drummer wearing a luchadore mask all throughout. The bassist and the guitarist swapped instruments for the last two songs. After their set, I went to their merch table, talked to the drummer for a bit, got a cd, and asked if there were any plans for touring in the near future...and forgetting they had announced that their guitarist/frontman recently became a father.
Following another Bolles DJ set, Mike Watt and his band the Missingmen hit the stage. In addition to Watt (who clearly needs no introduction), the Missingmen also includes guitarist Tom Watson, and drummer Raul Morales.
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They kicked off their set with a cover of “Fun House” by the Stooges, followed by endless barrage of classics such as “Sweet Honey Pie” by the recently departed Roky Erickson, “E.T.I.” By Blue Oyster Cult, “Surfin’ With the Shah” by the Urinals, “Little Johnny Jewel” by Television, and of course a bunch of Minutemen staples such as “Beacon Sighted Through Fog,” “Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing,” “Anxious Mo-Fo,” among many, many others...and capping it all off with a scorching rendition of “We Are Time” by the Pop Group.
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All in all, it was one of the best concert experiences I’ve had this year. And it was FREE...well, there was a donation bucket going around, which goes towards helping keep the free concerts in the park going. Of course I donated, and so should you!
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After the concert, Katz and I hung around the park for a bit before going back to his place, where he showed me his endless supply of original concert flyers that he had collected throughout the 80s, 90s and beyond. 
And right above his bed is a frame containing flyers related to Rozz Williams and Christian Death...including a gig with Pompeii 99, which had some guy named “Valor” in it....
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Day 1 of my 2019 L.A. trip was a blast. Now I get ready for day 2: attending the first day of INFINITE NOISE OUTRAGEOUS LOUD festival at Coaxial Arts....!

​————--


GORGONIZED DORKS 
(Katz Seki’s noise project with Ben Aggromosh)
https://gorgonizeddorks.bandcamp.com

Bastidas!
https://fantasticabastidas.bandcamp.com

The Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts
https://levittpavilion.com

(Picture of Katz used with his permission; all other photos taken by Dylan Houser)
6 Comments

The Quaint - Political Songs

4/11/2019

8 Comments

 
The second album by central Florida minimalist acoustic punk band THE QUAINT. 

11 songs in roughly 4 minutes. The longest song is 36 seconds. The shortest song is 1 second (spoiler: it’s about Jen Sändwich’s friend Dougie Jones).
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​This makes the first album by the Quaint sound like a Bull of Heaven album, and the first EP by the Meat Puppets sound like the Grateful Dead (that’s because they are and junk. also "Jesus" by the Velvet Underground is actually by the Grateful Dead, just ask Hal McGee himself).
Recorded at the tail end of March 2019. Produced, mixed, and mastered on a rainy day inside of a black hole by the son of a hearing aid salesman.

"Kopp Out" was originally "Kopp Killer" but then Rob Lorei got his job back at WMNF the day after the song was written, so I guess he's alright.

"Burgled" is about eating brown Kool-Ade and why you shouldn't do that and junk. By the way, it was FLAVOR-ADE *pushes glasses up against my face* That's like saying Converse sneakers will get you a free ride on a hippie van trailing behind an asteroid or some shaving cream. This song was conceived while stuck in traffic on the way to the grocery store.

"Sugar Cubs": even Satan is terrified of them. Another song originally conceived in a car while waiting at a red light.

"Ordinary Guy" was originally written in 2005 and has been in developmental hell since 2006 until just a few days before it was re-recorded for the umpteenth time some 13 years later.

"Water is Wet" - Did you know that the president known as Donal Trum is a BAD PERSON? Here's your minutely reminder.

"Dougie Jones" - Dream Theater could never dream of writing anything as lengthy, complex, and intricate as this here song.

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On a side note, every track from the Quaint's self-titled debut (written and recorded the year before) has been remastered and sounds less like it was recorded in a potato in a beehive in a trashcan in a dishwasher on the moon inside of the sun. You can stream it here:

https://thequaint.bandcamp.com/album/the-quaint


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YA KNOW, ONE OF THESE DAYS THESE RELEASES MAY SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY ON EITHER A LATHE-CUT OR EVEN FULL BLOWN WAX!!!
8 Comments

Dylan Houser - Dismal King

3/11/2019

4 Comments

 
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Recorded from January - March 2019.

Dylan Houser: guitars; loops; distortions; splicings; ice cream trucks

So far 2019 has been a very productive year. The combination of the Sony ICD-PX470 recorder (I'm not sponsored, I swear) and finally acquiring a looping pedal last summer (it only took me, what? 15 years?!) have opened up an entirely new can of worms for me, creatively speaking.

Nearly everything you hear on this album is a guitar, except for the last song, "Tinker Galute," which is a looped toy keyboard riff and manipulated noise coming from the well-aged toy, plus what sounds like the occasional radio interference from having so many things plugged in. I originally wasn't going to include it on the album, but I re-listened to it and laughed all the way through. It was too hilarious to NOT have it be the closing piece.
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I've also started trying to incorporate odd timing signatures in my music again for the first time in over a decade. So far there seems to be a lot of 15/8 or 15/4 or 4/4+4/4+7/4 or whatever the heck it might be.

"Molting Riviera" is one of my favorite pieces that I've ever recorded. On that I used the "Rock On Esteban" acoustic-electric guitar that I had played at Apartment Music #29:
​Tracks 2 - 4 were recorded during the first week of March and then the entire album was mixed down and edited on March 8th.

The album cover is a found picture I had laying around while I was putting the album together. The cover, the album and track titles...basically everything came together very spontaneously, which is my preferred method. Nothing beats that, really.

Enough of my rambling: I HOPE YOU ENJOY LISTENING TO THIS ALBUM AS MUCH I AS I DID CREATING IT!!!

XOXOXOXOX
4 Comments

Dylan Houser - "Over the Moon With You!"

3/3/2019

8 Comments

 
over_the_moon_with_you_.wav
File Size: 78943 kb
File Type: wav
Download File

Improvised and recorded on the morning of March 2nd, 2019 after a long and busy but yet somehow enjoyable night at my day-for-night job.

Vinci Signature strat knockoff guitar run through a BOSS looping pedal run into the "vocal" channel, and then the guitar run through the "instrument" channel, on a Roland Cube Street EX amplifier.

Recorded on a SONY ICD-PX470 dictamaphone and tweaked around in Audacity.
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Artwork made in Instagram stories.
To me, album artwork is important, almost as much (sometimes if not more so), than the music itself.
Album artwork is still very important, especially now more than ever in the 21st century information age.
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Thanks as always to Penny Grune-Fae for the awesome Hanukkah present, and to Hal McGee for having Electronic Cottage be the perfect platform to share and express our various creations.
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    Dylan Houser

    Recording since 2004
    Releasing since 2008
    Performing since 2012

    2025 and no end in sight....

    AND THEN MY MIND SPLOT OPENNNN

    EMAIL ME
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    My dang Bandcamp page, full of NOISE and even some ACTUAL MUSIC (or close enough anyways)

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Electronic Cottage is a webzine covering independently-produced Experimental & Electronic Music, Space Rock, Audio Art, Video Art, Mail Art and more.