Synth pioneer Thomas Dolby blinds us with the science behind his music with pictures of gear in his studio. A lovely collection of switches and knobs.

Thanks to Doyle for alerting us of this. A true example of why web video owns.

Less than four months away. For the unexperienced, Current TV's got a well produced overview of the yearly festival.

Sexy new ad from Campari. Enjoy!

Ladytron Update: Stop by the Standard Hotel on Sunset tonight, Thrusday 5/4 for a special end-of-tour party from 10-2am. Ladytron will be DJing. No cover.

Star Wars purists rejoice. George Lucas is fixing the miscarriage of cinema otherwise known as the Star Wars DVD boxed set by releasing special editions of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi from Sept. 12 to Dec. 31 that will contain the original, unmolested theatrical versions of the films. Each one will feature Dolby 2.0 Surround sound, closed captioning and subtitles in English, French and Spanish. Finally, Han will shoot first again.

LA Robots, don't forget Ladytron are at the El Rey tomorrow, Tuesday 5/2. Tickets here.

There's a giant (no pun intended) new Shepard Fairey and Blake E Marquis mural near the corner of La Brea and Melrose. Very cool, worth checking out if you have a chance. And speaking of Shepard Fairey, his show at Groundworks cafe in the Arts District downtown is in its last week. If you want to pick up some of Shepard's artwork now would be a good time.

Mute Records has signed Sweden's dark electro-pop duo the Knife for a US release, making the band's new album, Silent Shout, available stateside for the first time. The CD will appear on June 27 along with a 12-inch and CD EP featuring remixes from Shinedoe, Troy Pierce, and Get Physical's Williams. Silent Shout has earned praise for its acidic, goth-inclined songs and uneasy atmospheres from both The Wire and Pitchfork — which gave the album a coveted 8.6 rating. The duo's debut live performance at London's Scala sold out in a stiletto's flash. [thanks, Earplug]

The ultimate tag. Marc Ecko tags Air Force One. Turns out the whole thing was an elaborate hoax.

The new Headhunter T-Shirt by Syndrome is a must have for anyone who wants to show off their 80's industrialness.

Join the Brothers Quay Friday 4/21 for their first speaking engagement in the United States as they discuss the influences on their work and screen several of their acclaimed films. Prepare for a unique experience of handcrafted animation that manages to push the boundaries of art. Details at oscars.org.

Free Dabrye MP3
Courtesy of the good folks at Ghostly International, you can get your electro-hip hop on with an exclusive 12” remix of Dabrye's Air free of charge, but only for one week (thru 4/24) so get over there and get some.

Oh, and Happy Easter.

British art terrorist Banksy takes it to a new level with his newest piece in Soho Square, London. More info available at Wooster Collective.

The Fight Sounds video by Circlesquare (Directed by Bienvenido Cruz) is beautifully shot and brilliantly compliments the song's slow intensity.

Prepare to be amazed. Presenting the Robotergestÿtzter Graffitikurs.

If being a Grup means being 36, and having a job, and using a messenger bag instead of a briefcase, and staying out too late too often, and owning more pairs of sneakers (fifteen) than suits (one), and downloading the latest Codec & Flexor song from iTunes, and generally being uneasy and slightly confused about just what it means to be an adult in these modern times—in short, if it means living your life in fundamentally the same way that you did when you were, say, 22—then, let’s face it, I’m a Grup.

Phaidon has just released Phaidon Design Classics. A 3 volume set containing the ultimate selection of design classics, chosen by a panel of designers, architects, auctioneers, critics and curators. Each object is beautifully illustrated and accompanied by text written by a design expert. The set is presented in a unique carrying unit.

Calling all LA Robots! Be sure to head over to The Stone Bar (5221 Hollywood Blvd) this Wednesday for the minimal house and electro stylings of M.A.N.D.Y., one of Berlin's hottest live acts. They've made quite a name for themselves as performers, recently opening for the likes of Royksopp and Mylo, and now's your chance to catch them live in this exclusive Los Angeles performance. More information at Droid Behavior.

It is a splendid experience to watch someone say what needs to be said. In this case, it's James Spader on the show Boston Legal. He may be talking to a fictional jury, but he's really talking to every American. Never was the case for democracy so articulately and compellingly -- and entertainingly -- distilled into an argument that lasts just a few minutes.

Video here (Mac users will need Flip4Mac to play Windows Media Format)

Morrissey fan and celebrated author Douglas Coupland flies halfway around the world to meet the singer in Rome and records his impressions after 105 minutes spent with him.

... He's 46 and makes no attempt to 'young himself up'. Admirable.

... He doesn't mind being recognised in public but doesn't like the notion that he has to look 'good' or a certain way.

... His head (this is really weird, and I hope it doesn't go outside the boundaries of taste) is enormous. It's like a huge Charlie Brown parade float head. I walked into the bar to meet him and I saw this guy across the room with this massive head and I thought to myself, 'Man, that's one massive head', and it was Morrissey.

This and many more insightful observations in Coupland's exclusive interview for the Guardian UK.

Via burnlab

For your Friday listenting pleasure, LA's very own Matt (a.k.a. "Mount") Sims and his Jewel Hinged Jaw mix. Enjoy!

Sony's New ICFM-1000, aka "The Radio" is an elegant table radio that is far more striking than any fun new products released out of Cupertino. Designed by Hemant Jha at Sony's Santa Monica Design Center with input from yours truly, the ICFM-1000 was a study in adherence to function and simple form, and inspired by the work of Dieter Rams, Henry Kloss and other design pioneers. Surely destined to become a classic.

Finally, the world of Katamari is going portable. Me & My Katamari ($40 Amazon; March 22) brings all the excitement and adventure of Katamari Damarcy to the PSP with a new storyline and several new features including wireless multi-player for up to four people.

Santino was robbed! I'm so angry I could spit. Ugh! On the upside, over 2,700 people have voted on Santino's blog and feel his next venture should be a sitcom with Andre. Andre? Where's Andre?

Friday night started off with a bang thanks to the talented and humorous London electro-pop quintet otherwise known as Hot Chip. In spite of the jet lag, they performed an excellent set at The Echo including several songs from their as-yet-unnamed new album coming out later this year. If you missed the show, you can check out some Real streams of their live sessions at the BBC.

Also, living in LA affords one plenty of opportunities to bump into so-called celebrities, but typically I'm just not interested. Sure, there are some insteresting folks we run into all the time, but this weekend I bumped into a couple who I really admire and consider a creative tour-de-force, not once, but twice both in Santa Monica and in Silverlake. I have to admit, I was a little verklempt! Ladies, gentlemen and autonomous beings I give you Mike and Miranda.

Weekly Pick: The Presets

From Modular People, the same Aussie label that brought you last year's brilliant Bright Like Neon Love from Cut Copy come the electro punk sounds of The Presets. Their new single from their album Beams, Are You The One? has been described as “English Soccer Hoodlum meets Brazilian house music.” A must listen for anyone wanting a ruckus on the dancefloor. In fact, rumor has it that Soulwax have also invited them to play with them in April.

Check out the video for Are You The One? (Quicktime)
Read an interview
Buy from Amazon
See them live in LA on 3/21 at Cinespace

And while you're marking your calendar, don't forget to mark of 5/2 when Ladytron will be performing at the El Rey.

They Love Me Not

Thanks to Jupiter for setting me straight on the aforementioned Lexus Flower. As I had previously posted, Lexus did in fact lease the flower for its PR event at the Chicago Auto Show, however the flower’s origins had nothing to do with Lush Camp’s beautiful but relatively simple bloom. In fact the fully mobile Giant Flower was created by Los Angeles-based Burning Man artists at The Do Lab (a collaboration with Patrick Shearn and Abundant Sugar) and is a remarkable feat of engineering featuring color changing LED's, full robotic articulation capabilities and the ability to mist overheated admirers with a welcoming blast of cool water. There are plenty of gorgeous shots worth checking out at the Burning Man website.

Pictures of the new Saab Aero X concept car, plus VW wants to help you un-pimp your ride.