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Lush (band)

Lush were an English rock band formed in London in 1987. The original line-up consisted of Miki Berenyi (vocals, guitar), Emma Anderson (vocals, guitar), Steve Rippon (bass guitar) and Chris Acland (drums). Phil King replaced Rippon in 1991. They were one of the first bands to have been described with the "shoegazing" label. Following the death of Acland, the group disbanded in 1996.

The group reunited for a short time between 2015 and 2016 with Berenyi, Anderson, King and Justin Welch. They toured and recorded an EP of new material.

Formation and early sound (1987–1988)
The band was formed in 1987 in London, initially named the Baby Machines (after a line in the Siouxsie and the Banshees song "Arabian Knights"), with a line-up of Meriel Barham (vocals), Anderson (guitar, vocals), Berenyi (guitar, vocals), Steve Rippon (bass guitar) and Chris Acland (drums). Their influences were diverse; they were inspired by the garage rock scene of the Nuggets series, Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine, Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Beach Boys and the Byrds.

Anderson and Berenyi had been school friends, having known each other since the early 1980s, and together published the Alphabet Soup fanzine. In 1986, Anderson joined the Rover Girls as bass guitarist and Berenyi joined the Bugs, also as a bass guitar player. Neither band lasted long, and in 1987, they joined Barham and Acland in the Baby Machines. Rippon joined shortly thereafter and the band members decided on a change of name to Lush, making their live debut at the Camden Falcon on 6 March 1988. Barham left the band and later joined Pale Saints. Berenyi then took over on lead vocal.

Anderson said of the band's beginnings, "We were kind of punk rock in one way. We did think, 'Well, if they can do it, why the fuck can't we?' Basically, our idea was to have extremely loud guitars with much weaker vocals. And, really, the vocals were weaker due to nervousness – we'd always be going 'Turn them down! Turn them down! Berenyi said, "We started by writing crappy riot grrl anthems... which was probably charming in a juvenile way. But there was a very rapid shift from the minute we started to write for records. The music, the lyrics became much more thoughtful and expressive, more important, really. I remember that change beginning when Emma wrote Thoughtforms, it certainly made me think I needed to get my act together."

Scar, EPs and Spooky (1989–1993)
In 1989, the band signed to 4AD Records and released their first recording Scar, a six-track mini-album. Critical praise for Scar and a popular live show established Lush as one of the most written-about groups of the late 1980s/early 1990s UK indie scene. Anderson told Everett True in Melody Maker, "I remember when I couldn't play, I wasn't in a band, didn't know anyone else who could play, and now we've got a record out on 4AD. I sometimes find it impossible to come to terms with what's happening."

Not long after, the British music press tagged them with the "shoegazing" label. The following year, the EPs Mad Love (produced by Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins) and Sweetness and Light (produced by Tim Friese-Greene) were released. All three releases were eventually combined into the Gala compilation album, which was produced mainly for the US and Japanese markets. The band recorded a live session for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show in 1990 and contributed a cover version of "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" later that year to the anti-poll tax album Alvin Lives (In Leeds).

The band's profile was raised by extensive touring, including an appearance at the Glastonbury Festival in June 1990 and tours of Japan in late 1990 and the US (with Ride) in the spring of 1991. Preceded by the Black Spring EP issued in October 1991, Lush's first full-length album of completely new material, Spooky, was released in January 1992. Again produced by Guthrie, Spooky featured a sound very similar to Guthrie's band Cocteau Twins, with walls of sound and a great deal of guitar effects. Reviews were mixed and critics of the album held that Guthrie's production brought the sound away from the band's original creative vision, although it sold well, reaching No. 7 in the UK Albums Chart. The album was preceded by the band's first UK top 40 single, "For Love", which was partly re-recorded and remixed by Mark Freegard. He also produced the single's B-sides: the original recording of "Starlust", Wire cover "Outdoor Miner" and the only Lush track with lead vocals by Anderson, "Astronaut". Gil Norton remixed "Superblast!" for the Japanese single release.

Rippon left the band after recording the "For Love" EP to concentrate on writing, though his book Cold Turkey Sandwich — a fictionalised chronicle of his time touring — was rejected by publishers. He was replaced by Phil King. During the summer of 1992, Lush toured America as part of the second edition of the Lollapalooza festival. Lush were added to the roster by Lollapalooza organiser Perry Farrell, the Jane's Addiction/Porno for Pyros frontman, who personally requested Lush.

Split, Lovelife and break-up (1994–1997)
Lush approached Bob Mould to produce their second album. The band stated that Mould was too busy to produce them, but Mould said in a Spin article that he backed out because "I kept picking the wrong girl's songs... I had to get out before I broke up the band!" The band found completing Split frustrating. It was recorded by Mike Hedges at Rockfield Studios in Wales. Then Hedges along with the band went to mix the recordings, first at Abbey Road Studios, and then at Hedges' studio in Domfront, France. However, neither the band nor Ivo Watts-Russell of their label 4AD were satisfied with the sound; eventually Alan Moulder was hired to remix it. Unusually, the band released two EPs from the album ("Hypocrite" and "Desire Lines") both on the same day (30 May 1994). Neither single broke into the UK Top 40. Released on 13 June 1994, Split was less successful than Spooky.

The band concentrated on the American market, on the advice of their management, but failed to make a breakthrough. A third EP from "Split", planned for release in the autumn of 1994, was to have featured "Lovelife" as the lead track along with a version of "The Childcatcher" recorded during the "Split" sessions; but the release was shelved by management. This first version of "The Childcatcher" was released three times: on the Secret Tracks 2 free cassette included in the May 1994 issue of Select magazine, on the 4AD compilation All Virgos Are Mad and as part of the double 7" compilation EP From Greer to Eternity, issued on Fierce Panda Records later that year. They suffered further setbacks when tours of Japan and the UK were cancelled. They decided to break from their manager, Howard Gough, and begin work on a new album. However, the new management also prioritised achieving success in America.

Lovelife, the band's fourth album, was released in March 1996. It was produced by Pete Bartlett, the band's live engineer. Lovelife represented a change in production, with less reliance on heavy guitar effects. It became the biggest seller of their career, possibly as it was more in step with the contemporary Britpop style. Lovelife included the hit singles "Single Girl", "Ladykillers" and "500 (Shake Baby Shake)", and also featured a guest appearance by Jarvis Cocker of Pulp duetting with Berenyi on the song "Ciao!".

Instead of capitalising on their success in the UK, the band's management sent them on an ill-conceived American tour with the Gin Blossoms. With the band members feeling pressured and tired, Anderson discussed leaving. She stated she could not make another Lovelife but would rather make a smaller, more personal album. The other band members were amenable to this idea, with Berenyi, in particular, being keen to keep the band together.

In September 1996, the band played their last performance, prior to reuniting, in Japan. A month later, tragedy struck the band when drummer Acland died by hanging himself in his parents' garden on 17 October. The band effectively went on an extended hiatus, officially announcing their break-up on 23 February 1998.

Post-breakup (1998–2014)
Berenyi went on to work as a production editor at two major magazine publishers. In 1998, Anderson formed a new group, Sing-Sing, with singer Lisa O'Neill. Sing-Sing released two full-length albums, but in January 2008, announced they were disbanding. Anderson lived in Hastings and has held various jobs in the music business in management, PR, accountancy and at a booking agency. King played bass for the Jesus and Mary Chain and also worked for Uncut magazine as a picture researcher.

Reformation and second break-up (2015–2016)
In September 2015, the music press suggested a reunion might be planned after Anderson posted a cryptic "7 day." message on social media and an official band website appeared. On 28 September, Lush announced their reunion on their Facebook page. The reunited band consisted of Anderson, Berenyi and King with the addition of Justin Welch (Elastica) on drums, an old friend of Chris Acland.

We wish it could have been sooner but, for many years, it was just too painful to contemplate without Chris, and then all kinds of life-changing commitments made it impossible. Now, at last, the three of us are in the right place at the right time to play music together again.

To celebrate their return, 4AD released a limited red vinyl double LP of their compilation Ciao! Best of Lush on 7 November 2015, followed on 11 December by Chorus, a CD-only, 5-disc box set containing almost all of their released material along with a selection of rarities, radio sessions and demos. For Record Store Day 2016, 4AD released a limited edition 5-LP colour vinyl box set titled Origami, comprising Gala (clear vinyl), Spooky (silver vinyl), Split (red vinyl), Lovelife (pink vinyl) and the first vinyl release of the Canadian version of Topolino (yellow vinyl), with revised artwork by Chris Bigg. The UK/European version was packaged in a white cardboard "pizza box" emblazoned with three different Lush logos from 1990, 1994 and 1996.

Lush also announced a show at the Roundhouse in London on 6 May 2016, and later added a second date, 7 May 2016, after the first show sold out in six hours. They alluded to further dates in North America, confirmed on 19 January 2016 when their first North American tour in 20 years was announced.

On 15 April 2016 the band announced the release of the Blind Spot EP, the band's first new material since 1996. It was produced by Jim Abbiss and Ladytron member Daniel Hunt. On 18 October 2016, the band announced the departure of bassist King on their official website. On 15 November 2016, Lush issued a statement announcing that Michael Conroy of Modern English would play bass for the final show at Manchester Academy, and confirming the band would split after the show.

It's been a fantastic year for Lush. We received an incredible reception to our Blind Spot EP and the three beautiful career-spanning 4AD releases, sold out two Roundhouse shows, toured North America with great success and had a ball at our European festival appearances. It's been wonderful to revisit our old music and to create new material. However, it is now time for us to return to our families and homes, and bring our time together as a band to a close. We offer heartfelt thanks to all our fans – this reunion would never have happened without your overwhelming support and dedication.

Recent developments (2018–present)
In September 2018, the formation of new band, Piroshka, was announced; A quartet including Berenyi, Welch, Conroy and former Moose member K.J. "Moose" McKillop. Their debut album, Brickbat, was released by Bella Union on 15 February 2019. A second album, Love Drips and Gathers, followed on July 23, 2021.

Lovelife was one of the albums jointly listened to by followers of #TimsTwitterListeningParty with accompanying written commentary in the form of tweets by Berenyi on 14 May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On September 29, 2022, Berenyi's memoir Fingers Crossed, which included her account of Lush's story, was published by Nine Eight Books. Berenyi promoted the book with live author talks as well as a set of performances in 2023 under the name Miki Berenyi Trio opening for Gang of Four.

On August 11, 2023, 4AD released new vinyl pressings of Spooky, Split and Lovelife.

On October 20, 2023, Anderson's debut solo album Pearlies was released by Sonic Cathedral.

Members

 * Meriel Barham – vocals (1987–1988)
 * Miki Berenyi – vocals, guitars (1987–1996, 2015–2016) percussion, melodica (1996)
 * Emma Anderson – guitars, vocals (1987–1996, 2015–2016) percussion, melodica (1996)
 * Steve Rippon – bass (1987–1992)
 * Chris Acland – drums, percussion (1987–1996; died 1996)
 * Phil King – bass (1992–1996, 2015–2016) vocals (1996)
 * Justin Welch – drums, percussion (2015–2016)

Non-album tracks included on singles and EPs
Non-album tracks:

 * Mad Love EP: "De-Luxe"	3:26 / "Leaves Me Cold"	2:55 / "Downer"	2:39 / "Thoughtforms"	2:43
 * "Sweetness and Light" [b/w "Sunbathing" 2.47 / "Breeze" 3.09]
 * Black Spring EP: "Nothing Natural" 5:58 / "Fallin' in Love"	2:44 / "God's Gift" 4:13 / "Monochrome" 5:08]
 * "For Love" [b/w "Starlust"	4:21 / "Outdoor Miner" 2:46 / "Astronaut" 2:37]
 * "Hypocrite" [b/w "Love at First Sight" 5:12 / "Cat's Chorus" 3:23 / "Undertow (Spooky Remix)" 9:13
 * "Desire Lines" [b/w "White Wood" 4:14 / "Girl's World" 4:56 / "Lovelife (Suga Bullit Remix)" 8:15
 * "Single Girl" CD1 [b/w: "Tinkerbell" 3:06 / "Outside World" 4:05 / "Cul de Sac" 3:39]
 * "Single Girl" CD2 [b/w: "Pudding" 3:56 / "Demystification" 3:39 / "Shut Up" 3:46]
 * "Single Girl" 7" [b/w "Sweetie" 2:39]
 * "Ladykillers" CD1 [b/w: "Matador" 3.01 / "Ex" 3.14 / "Dear Me (Miki's 8-Track Home Demo)" 3.06]
 * "Ladykillers" CD2 [b/w: "Heavenly" 2:53 / "Carmen" 3:19 / "Plums And Oranges" 6:19]
 * "Ladykillers" 7" [b/w "I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend" 3:19]
 * "500 (Shake Baby Shake)" CD1 [b/w: "I Have the Moon" 3:52 / "Piledriver" 3:07 / "Olympia (Acoustic Version)" 3:16]
 * "500 (Shake Baby Shake)" CD2 [b/w: "I'd Like to Walk Around in Your Mind" 2:19 / "Kiss Chase (Acoustic Version)" 2:54 / "Last Night (Hexadecimal Dub Mix)" 6:31]
 * Blind Spot EP: "Out of Control" 4.22 / "Lost Boy" 3.18 / "Burnham Beeches" 3:07 / "Rosebud" 3:59

Other appearances

 * "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" was included on Alvin Lives (In Leeds) Anti Poll Tax Trax, released in 1990 by Midnight Music.
 * "Tiny Smiles" was included on the Volume Two compilation, released by Volume in November 1991.
 * A live version of "Starlust", recorded on the NME Stage at the Glastonbury Festival on 27 June 1992, was included on In a Field of Their Own, released in 1992.
 * A demo version of "Desire Lines" was included on The 13 Year Itch compilation, released in 1993 by 4AD.
 * The original 1993 recording of "The Childcatcher" was included on the All Virgos Are Mad compilation, released in 1994 by 4AD.
 * A demo version of "Tinkerbell" was included on the Volume Ten compilation, released in 1994 by RTM/Pinnacle.
 * "All This Useless Beauty", an Elvis Costello cover, appeared on the 1996 Elvis Costello & the Attractions maxi-single for "Distorted Angel".
 * "Undertow (The Spooky Mix)" was included on the Doom Generation soundtrack, released in 1995 by Warner Bros.
 * Lush recorded a cover of Wire's "Mannequin" for the 1996 tribute album Whore: Various Artists Play Wire, and their cover of that band's "Outdoor Miner" appeared on the 2004 tribute album A Houseguest's Wish.
 * "I Have the Moon" was included on Nowhere: Music from the Gregg Araki Movie, released in 1997 by Mercury Records.
 * "An instrumental version of "Light from a Dead Star" and "Desire Lines" were included on the soundtrack to Joyride, released in 1997 by 4AD/Warner Bros.
 * "Last Night (Darkest Hour Mix)" was included on the soundtrack for City of Industry, released in 1997 by Polygram.
 * "Sweetness and Light (The Orange Squash Mix)", remixed by My Bloody Valentine, was included on the Splendor soundtrack, released in 1999 by Astralwerks.
 * "Undertow" was used in the 2002 Levi's commercial "Atlas Bakery".
 * An instrumental version of "Light from a Dead Star" appeared in the trailer for the 2002 movie Solaris.
 * "Monochrome" was included on Late Night Tales: The Flaming Lips, compiled by the Flaming Lips and released in 2005 by Azuli Records.
 * The Sing-Sing version of "Sunbathing" was included on the compilation Never Lose That Feeling Volume Two, released in 2005 by Club AC30 Records.
 * "Sweetness and Light" was included on 'Sci-Fi-Lo-Fi Vol. 3 (Shoegazing 1985 – 2009)'', compiled by Rob Da Bank and released by Soma Records in 2009.
 * "Ladykillers" was included on the soundtrack for the video game NCAA Football 06.
 * "De-Luxe" and "Sweetness and Light" were included as playable tracks, available for download, in the Rock Band series of video games.

title: Lush (band)


text:
The Boo Radleys

The Boo Radleys are an English alternative rock band who were associated with the shoegazing and Britpop movements in the 1990s. They originally formed in Wallasey, England, in 1988, with singer/guitarist Simon "Sice" Rowbottom, guitarist/songwriter Martin Carr, and bassist Timothy (Tim) Brown. Their name is taken from the character Boo Radley in Harper Lee's 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. The band split up in 1999.

In their 11-year-long career, the band had one top ten single, the 1995 single "Wake Up Boo!", which charted at no. 9; and a number one album, Wake Up!. The band reunited in 2021, without original guitarist Martin Carr, and released a single, "A Full Syringe and Memories of You", their first new music since 1998. Paul Banks of Interpol has cited the band as an influence.

Beginnings
In 1990, the band's first album Ichabod and I was released on a small British indie label, Action Records. Although not a commercial success, this release brought the band to the attention of Rough Trade Records, to whom they signed. Around this time, Hewitt was replaced on drums by Rob Cieka. He then went on to drum for Placebo until 2007.

Almost immediately after the release of the Every Heaven EP in 1991, Rough Trade collapsed and the Boo Radleys were signed by Alan McGee's Creation Records. Their first for Creation was Everything's Alright Forever in 1992, and Giant Steps (1993) followed. Giant Steps was awarded 9/10 by the UK music magazine NME, which stated, "It's an intentional masterpiece, a throw-everything-at-the-wall bric-a-brac of sounds, colours and stolen ideas. That The Boo Radleys (of all people!) have decided to accept their own challenge and create a record as diverse and boundary-bending as this is, at first glance, staggering. Isn't this the job of the U2s and the leisured idols of rock, unable to do anything without the tacit approval of history? Fortunately not. The Boo Radleys are sifting through time (the mid-'60s, mostly) and conjuring up something that's as cut-up and ambitious as anything you'd care to mention". Reviewing the album's re-release in 2008, Sic Magazine wrote, "For 64 minutes they were the greatest band on the planet."

Giant Steps placed second to Debut by Björk in the 1993 NME album of the year list, voted by the paper's contributors, although it came in first place in the subsequent NME readers' poll. The now-defunct Select magazine declared Giant Steps their album of the year for 1993. The Boo Radleys also appear on the original motion picture soundtrack to the 1993 film So I Married An Axe Murderer with their cover of The La's song "There She Goes".

Wake Up! and beyond
Despite critical acclaim and a cult fanbase, the Boo Radleys were still largely unknown to the general public by the time the Britpop phenomenon broke into the mainstream in 1995. This changed when the band released the upbeat single "Wake Up Boo!" in the spring of that year. It made the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 9. The single remained on the chart for two months, by far the band's longest run for any of its singles; later, on 26 October 2009, BFBS Forces Radio launched its live Afghanistan studio output with the track after it topped a listeners poll seeking a suitable first track. Carr describes writing the song watching The Big Breakfast after a night on acid. The follow-up release, "Find the Answer Within," was the band's only other single to chart for more than two weeks. Their fourth album Wake Up! (1995), was their commercial peak. Interviewed in 2005 by the BBC, Carr said: "I tried to have nothing to do with what was being called Britpop. Our whole career was spent trying not to 'fit in'. We just carried on doing what we had been doing. I didn't like most of the new bands or the flag-waving. I didn't like New Labour or idolise Paul Weller and I hated media-generated movements within music". The same year the band featured on Help with "Oh Brother", exclusive to that release. Help was a charity album aimed at raising funds for War Child, also featuring various other artists such as Radiohead and the Manic Street Preachers.

In 1996, the Boo Radleys released their fifth album C'mon Kids. As explained by Rowbottom in an interview in 2005: "We didn't want to scare away the hit-kids, we wanted to take them with us to somewhere that we'd not been before. All we wanted to do was make a different type of album than Wake Up... All we wanted to do was try something new - to keep ourselves fresh and interested. We were very surprised to find that it was seen as a deliberate attempt to scare away newly created fans. That would have been an extremely foolish thing to do."

The Boo Radleys' final album was 1998's Kingsize. One single was released from the album, "Free Huey!". The title track was due to have been released as a second single, but the band decided to split up. Sice later told Time Out magazine: "It was such a relief when Martin phoned me and said he didn't want to make any more records. We'd been wanting it to stop for quite a long time, but I couldn't do it – I didn't want to leave. I wanted the band to end and only Martin could have done that. There was always the fear if I left, that they would just get another singer in and I didn't want that. Never mind not having the heart to tour – I barely had the heart to go down to the studio while we were making Kingsize."

A compilation album, Find the Way Out, was released in 2005, and a further compilation The Best of the Boo Radleys appeared in 2007.

Disbandment
The Boo Radleys disbanded in early 1999. Brown built a popular recording studio before going on to John Moores University for teacher training. He progressed on to teaching information technology at St Louis's Grammar School in Kilkeel, County Down, in Ulster, and also taught at Park High School in Birkenhead.

Under the name Bravecaptain, Carr has since released six albums, including The Fingertip Saint Sessions Volume 1, Go with Yourself, Advertisements for Myself (2002) and All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace (2004). His most recent album was titled Distractions. Carr has since announced that he will be retiring the Bravecaptain name to work on new projects, but these will not include reforming the Boo Radleys. His first solo album Ye Gods (And Little Fishes) was released in mid 2009. Cieka is now a member of the band Domino Bones, alongside Mark "Bez" Berry, formerly of Happy Mondays.

After an album in 1996 (First Fruits) under the name Eggman, while still a member of the Boo Radleys, Rowbottom walked away from music for several years after the split. Then, following a guest vocal on Bravecaptain's, All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace, and also two songs with the Japanese musician Ryo Matsui's solo project, Meister, he formed Paperlung. The band featured Rowbottom on vocals, Simon Gardiner on bass, Ben Datlen on guitar and Guillaume Jambel of Transcargo on drums. They released two singles, "The Days That God Sold You" (2006) and "Do What Thou Will", and an album, Balance (2007).

Reunion and new music
In 2020, it was reported that some members of the Boo Radleys were coming together to record new music to mark 25 years since the band's heyday.

In July 2021, the band released their first new single in 23 years, "A Full Syringe and Memories of You", part of an EP of the same name. Upon the single's release, it was confirmed that original guitarist Martin Carr had not taken part in the reunion.

The band's seventh studio album, Keep on with Falling, was released on 11 March 2022. Eight was announced in January 2023 to be released on the same year alongside the new single "Seeker".

Discography
The discography of the Boo Radleys consists of seven studio albums, three compilation albums, six extended-plays, and eighteen singles one of which ("Lazarus") was released twice, along with remixes of the same song, and their final single ("Kingsize") which was cancelled before release.

Current lineup

 * Simon "Sice" Rowbottom – vocals, guitar (1988–1999, 2021–present)
 * Tim Brown – bass, keyboards (1988–1999, 2021–present)
 * Rob Cieka – drums, percussion (1990–1999, 2021–present)

Former members

 * Martin Carr – guitar, vocals, keyboards (1988–1999)
 * Steve Hewitt – drums (1990)

Session musicians

 * Roddy Lorimer – flugelhorn, trumpet (1992)
 * Steve Kitchen – flugelhorn, trumpet (1993)
 * Chris Moore – trumpet (1993)
 * Lindsay Johnston – cello (1993)
 * Margaret Fielder – cello (1993)
 * Jackie Toy – clarinet, bass clarinet (1993)
 * Meriel Barham – vocals (1993)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: The Boo Radleys


text:
Joey Beltram

Joey Beltram (born 6 September 1971) is an American DJ and music producer, best known for his pioneering singles "Energy Flash" and "Mentasm" and for remixing Human Resource's "Dominator".

Rave recordings
"Mentasm" (is inspired by the title "Acid Rock" by Rhythm Device released in 1989 and the title "Do That Dance" by The Project released in 1990), co-produced with Mundo Muzique and released under the artist name Second Phase in 1991, became iconic within rave culture, as it was the track that gave birth to the "mentasm riff" (also known as the "hoover sound"): a churning, dirgelike synth pattern that wormed into techno's communal genome and has since been mutated and reused in thousands of records. The "mentasm riff" is also strongly associated with drum and bass, the Belgian techno scene (with the titles "Le Seigneur des ténèbres" by Pleasure Game released in 1991 and "Destiny" by Insider released in 1991), and the R&S record label, as well as hardcore/hard house in their various permutations since 1992 (with the titles "Fuckin Revenge!" by Friends Of Django released in 1992 and "Cosmic Trash" by Vitamin released in 1993). Beltram was referenced as a pioneer in the late 1990s house music scene by Daft Punk, in their song "Teachers" off their 1997 debut album, Homework and author, Simon Reynolds, credited Beltram with having "revolutionized techno twice before the age of 21, " when describing both "Energy Flash" and "Mentasm" in his book Generation Ecstasy.

Throughout the years, Beltram has continually toured at major festivals around the globe. He has also continued releasing techno, with his 1993 and 1994 tracks "Aonox" on Visible and "the Beltram re-releases" on Trax, the "Caliber" EP on Warp, and his 1995 LP Places and 1996 single, "Ball Park" on Tresor counting among his work in the 1990s. He was also invited to release another album, Close Grind, on Daniel Miller's Novamute imprint under the JB³ alias.

In 1999, he launched his own label STX with Arena, while he continued to release under Code 6 and JB³, as well as headlining events such as Awakenings, Coachella, Nature One, Mayday and Dance Valley. Returning to Tresor in 2004, he released the album Rising Sun. And he has kept up a busy release schedule ever since, with tracks on Womb, Harthouse, Drumcode, MB Electroniks, and Bush. Perhaps his best-selling single of recent times is his remix of Oliver Huntemann's "Shanghai Spinner," which hit the Beatport Top 10 in 2009. It was also included in Simian Mobile Disco's Essential Mix at the beginning of 2010.

Singles

 * "Energy Flash" (1990)
 * "Mentasm" (1991, as Second Phase)
 * "Cop Car" (1994)
 * "Caliber" (1994; UK #96 )
 * "Game Form" (1995)

Compilations

 * Classics (1996)
 * "The Sound of 2AM" (1999)

title: Joey Beltram


text:
Carding

Carding is a mechanical process that disentangles, cleans and intermixes fibres to produce a continuous web or sliver suitable for subsequent processing. This is achieved by passing the fibres between differentially moving surfaces covered with "card clothing", a firm flexible material embedded with metal pins. It breaks up locks and unorganised clumps of fibre and then aligns the individual fibres to be parallel with each other. In preparing wool fibre for spinning, carding is the step that comes after teasing.

The word is derived from the Latin Carduus meaning thistle or teasel, as dried vegetable teasels were first used to comb the raw wool before technological advances led to the use of machines.

Overview
These ordered fibres can then be passed on to other processes that are specific to the desired end use of the fibre: Cotton, batting, felt, woollen or worsted yarn, etc. Carding can also be used to create blends of different fibres or different colours. When blending, the carding process combines the different fibres into a homogeneous mix. Commercial cards also have rollers and systems designed to remove some vegetable matter contaminants from the wool.

Common to all carders is card clothing. Card clothing is made from a sturdy flexible backing in which closely spaced wire pins are embedded. The shape, length, diameter, and spacing of these wire pins are dictated by the card designer and the particular requirements of the application where the card cloth will be used. A later version of the card clothing product developed during the latter half of the 19th century and was found only on commercial carding machines, whereby a single piece of serrated wire was wrapped around a roller, became known as metallic card clothing.

Carding machines are known as cards. Fibre may be carded by hand for hand spinning.

History
Science historian Joseph Needham ascribes the invention of bow-instruments used in textile technology to India. The earliest evidence for using bow-instruments for carding comes from India (2nd century CE). These carding devices, called kaman (bow) and dhunaki, would loosen the texture of the fibre by the means of a vibrating string.

At the turn of the eighteenth century, wool in England was being carded using pairs of hand cards, in a two-stage process: 'working' with the cards opposed and 'stripping' where they are in parallel.

In 1748 Lewis Paul of Birmingham, England, invented two hand driven carding machines. The first used a coat of wires on a flat table moved by foot pedals. This failed. On the second, a coat of wire slips was placed around a card which was then wrapped around a cylinder. Daniel Bourn obtained a similar patent in the same year, and probably used it in his spinning mill at Leominster, but this burnt down in 1754. The invention was later developed and improved by Richard Arkwright and Samuel Crompton. Arkwright's second patent (of 1775) for his carding machine was subsequently declared invalid (1785) because it lacked originality.

From the 1780s, the carding machines were set up in mills in the north of England and mid-Wales. Priority was given to cotton but woollen fibres were being carded in Yorkshire in 1780. With woollen, two carding machines were used: the first or the scribbler opened and mixed the fibres, the second or the condenser mixed and formed the web. The first in Wales was in a factory at Dolobran near Meifod in 1789. These carding mills produced yarn particularly for the Welsh flannel industry.

In 1834 James Walton invented the first practical machines to use a wire card. He patented this machine and also a new form of card with layers of cloth and rubber. The combination of these two inventions became the standard for the carding industry, using machines first built by Parr, Curtis and Walton in Ancoats, and from 1857 by Jams Walton & Sons at Haughton Dale.

By 1838, the Spen Valley, centred on Cleckheaton had at least 11 card clothing factories and by 1893, it was generally accepted as the card cloth capital of the world, though by 2008 only two manufacturers of metallic and flexible card clothing remained in England, Garnett Wire Ltd. dating back to 1851 and Joseph Sellers & Son Ltd established in 1840.

Baird from Scotland took carding to Leicester, Massachusetts in the 1780s. In the 1890s, the town produced one-third of all hand and machine cards in North America. John and Arthur Slater, from Saddleworth went over to work with Slater in 1793.

A 1780s scribbling mill would be driven by a water wheel. There were 170 scribbling mills around Leeds at that time. Each scribbler would require 15 - 45 hp to operate. Modern machines are driven by belting from an electric motor or an overhead shaft via two pulleys.

Cotton manufacturing processes

Carding: the fibres are separated and then assembled into a loose strand (sliver or tow) at the conclusion of this stage. "The cotton comes off of the picking machine in laps, and is then taken to carding machines. The carders line up the fibres nicely to make them easier to spin. The carding machine consists mainly of one big roller with smaller ones surrounding it. All of the rollers are covered with small teeth, and as the cotton progresses further on the teeth get finer (i.e. closer together). The cotton leaves the carding machine in the form of a sliver; a large rope of fibres."

In a wider sense carding can refer to the four processes of willowing, lapping, carding and drawing. In willowing the fibres are loosened. In lapping the dust is removed to create a flat sheet or lap of fibres; Carding itself is the combing of the tangled lap into a thick rope or sliver of 1/2 inch in diameter, it can then be optionally combed, is used to remove the shorter fibres, creating a stronger yarn.

In drawing a drawing frame combines 4 slivers into one. Repeated drawing increases the quality of the sliver allowing for finer counts to be spun. Each sliver will have thin and thick spots, and by combining several slivers together a more consistent size can be reached. Since combining several slivers produces a very thick rope of cotton fibres, directly after being combined the slivers are separated into rovings. These rovings (or slubbings) are then what are used in the spinning process.

For machine processing, a roving is about the width of a pencil. The rovings are collected in a drum and proceed to the slubbing frame which adds twist, and winds onto bobbins. Intermediate Frames are used to repeat the slubbing process to produce a finer yarn, and then the roving frames reduces it to a finer thread, gives more twist, makes more regular and even in thickness, and winds onto a smaller tube.

The carders used currently in woollen mills differ very little from machines used 20 to 50 years ago, and in some cases, the machines are from that era.

Machine carders vary in size from the one that easily fits on the kitchen table, to the carder that takes up a full room.

A carder that takes up a full room works very similarly, the main difference being that the fibre goes through many more drums often with intervening cross laying to even out the load on the subsequent cards, which normally get finer as the fibre progresses through the system.

When the fibre comes off the drum, it is in the form of a bat – a flat, orderly mass of fibres. If a small drum carder is being used, the bat is the length of the circumference of the big drum and is often the finished product. A big drum carder, though, will then take that bat and turn it into roving, by stretching it thinner and thinner, until it is the desired thickness (often rovings are the thickness of a wrist). (A rolag differs from a roving because it is not a continuous strand, and because the fibres end up going across instead of along the strand.) Cotton fibres are fed into the machine, picked up and brushed onto flats when carded.

Some hand-spinners have a small drum carder at home especially for the purpose of mixing together the different coloured fibre that are bought already carded.

Tools
Predating mechanised weaving, hand loom weaving was a cottage industry that used the same processes but on a smaller scale. These skills have survived as an artisan craft or as a art form and hobby.

Hand carders
Hand cards are typically square or rectangular paddles manufactured in a variety of sizes from 2 x to 4 x. The working face of each paddle can be flat or cylindrically curved and wears the card cloth. Small cards, called flick cards, are used to flick the ends of a lock of fibre, or to tease out some strands for spinning off.

A pair of cards is used to brush the wool between them until the fibres are more or less aligned in the same direction. The aligned fibre is then peeled from the card as a rolag. Carding is an activity normally done outside or over a drop cloth, depending on the wool's cleanliness. Rolag is peeled from the card. This product (rovings, rolags, and batts) can be used for spinning.

Carding of wool can either be done "in the grease" or not, depending on the type of machine and on the spinner's preference. "In the grease" means that the lanolin that naturally comes with the wool has not been washed out, leaving the wool with a slightly greasy feel. The large drum carders do not tend to get along well with lanolin, so most commercial worsted and woollen mills wash the wool before carding. Hand carders (and small drum carders too, though the directions may not recommend it) can be used to card lanolin rich wool.

Drum carders

The simplest machine carder is the drum carder. Most drum carders are hand-cranked but some are powered by an electric motor. These machines generally have two rollers, or drums, covered with card clothing. The licker-in, or smaller roller meters fibre from the infeed tray onto the larger storage drum. The two rollers are connected to each other by a belt- or chain-drive so that their relative speeds cause the storage drum to gently pull fibres from the licker-in. This pulling straightens the fibres and lays them between the wire pins of the storage drum's card cloth. Fibre is added until the storage drum's card cloth is full. A gap in the card cloth facilitates removal of the batt when the card cloth is full.

Some drum carders have a soft-bristled brush attachment that presses the fibre into the storage drum. This attachment serves to condense the fibres already in the card cloth and adds a small amount of additional straightening to the condensed fibre.

Cottage carders
Cottage carding machines differ significantly from the simple drum card. These carders do not store fibre in the card cloth as the drum carder does but, rather, fibre passes through the workings of the carder for storage or for additional processing by other machines.

A typical cottage carder has a single large drum (the swift) accompanied by a pair of in-feed rollers (nippers), one or more pairs of worker and stripper rollers, a fancy, and a doffer. In-feed to the carder is usually accomplished by hand or by conveyor belt and often the output of the cottage carder is stored as a batt or further processed into roving and wound into bumps with an accessory bump winder. The cottage carder in the image below supports both outputs.

Raw fibre, placed on the in-feed table or conveyor is moved to the nippers which restrain and meter the fiber onto the swift. As they are transferred to the swift, many of the fibres are straightened and laid into the swift's card cloth. These fibres will be carried past the worker / stripper rollers to the fancy.

As the swift carries the fibres forward, from the nippers, those fibres that are not yet straightened are picked up by a worker and carried over the top to its paired stripper. Relative to the surface speed of the swift, the worker turns quite slowly. This has the effect of reversing the fibre. The stripper, which turns at a higher speed than the worker, pulls fibres from the worker and passes them to the swift. The stripper's relative surface speed is slower than the swift's so the swift pulls the fibres from the stripper for additional straightening.

Straightened fibres are carried by the swift to the fancy. The fancy's card cloth is designed to engage with the swift's card cloth so that the fibres are lifted to the tips of the swift's card cloth and carried by the swift to the doffer. The fancy and the swift are the only rollers in the carding process that actually touch.

The slowly turning doffer removes the fibres from the swift and carries them to the fly comb where they are stripped from the doffer. A fine web of more or less parallel fibre, a few fibres thick and as wide as the carder's rollers, exits the carder at the fly comb by gravity or other mechanical means for storage or further processing.

title: Carding


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Hayes AT command set

The Hayes command set (also known as the AT command set) is a specific command language originally developed by Dale Heatherington and Dennis Hayes for the Hayes Smartmodem 300 baud modem in 1981.

The command set consists of a series of short text strings which can be combined to produce commands for operations such as dialing, hanging up, and changing the parameters of the connection. The vast majority of dial-up modems use the Hayes command set in numerous variations.

The command set covered only those operations supported by the earliest 300 bit/s modems. When new commands were required to control additional functionality in higher speed modems, a variety of one-off standards emerged from each of the major vendors. These continued to share the basic command structure and syntax, but added any number of new commands using some sort of prefix character –  for Hayes and USR, and   for Microcom, for instance. Many of these were re-standardized on the Hayes extensions after the introduction of the SupraFAXModem 14400 and the market consolidation that followed.

The term "Hayes compatible" was and as of 2018 still is important within the industry.

Background
Before the introduction of the Bulletin Board System (BBS), modems typically operated on direct-dial telephone lines that began and ended with a known modem at each end. The modems operated in either "originate" or "answer" modes, manually switching between two sets of frequencies for data transfer. Generally, the user placing the call would switch their modem to "originate" and then dial the number by hand. When the remote modem answered, already set to "answer" mode, the telephone handset was switched off and communications continued until the caller manually disconnected.

When automation was required, it was commonly only needed on the answer side; for instance, a bank might need to take calls from a number of branch offices for end-of-day processing. To fill this role, some modems included the ability to pick up the phone automatically when it was in answer mode, and to clear the line when the other user manually disconnected. The need for automated outbound dialling was considerably less common, and was handled through a separate peripheral device: a "dialler". This was normally plugged into a separate input/output port on the computer (typically an RS-232 port) and programmed separately from the modem itself.

This method of operation worked satisfactorily in the 1960s and early 1970s, when modems were generally used to connect dumb devices like computer terminals (dialling out) with smart mainframe computers (answering). However, the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s led to the introduction of low-cost modems and the idea of a semi-dedicated point-to-point link was no longer appropriate. There were potentially thousands of users who might want to dial any of the other thousands of users, and the only solution at the time was to make the user dial manually.

The computer industry needed a way to tell the modem what number to dial through software. The earlier separate dialers had this capability, but only at the cost of a separate port, which a microcomputer might not have available. Another solution would have been to use a separate set of "command pins" dedicated to sending and receiving commands, another could have used a signal pin indicating that the modem should interpret incoming data as a command. Both of these had hardware support in the RS-232 standard. However, many implementations of the RS-232 port on microcomputers were extremely basic, and some eliminated many of these pins to reduce cost.

Hayes' solution
Hayes Communications introduced a solution in its 1981 Smartmodem by using the existing data pins with no modification. Instead, the modem itself could be switched between one of two modes:
 * 1) data mode in which the modem sends the data to the remote modem. (A modem in data mode treats everything it receives from the computer as data and sends it across the phone line).
 * 2) command mode in which data is interpreted as commands to the local modem (commands the local modem should execute).

To switch from data mode to command mode, sessions sent an escape sequence string of three plus signs ("+++") followed by a pause of about a second. The pause at the end of the escape sequence was required to reduce the problem caused by in-band signaling: if any other data was received within one second of the three plus signs, it was not the escape sequence and would be sent as data. To switch back they sent the online command, "ATO". In actual use many of the commands automatically switched to the online mode after completion, and it is rare for a user to use the online command explicitly.

In order to avoid licensing Hayes's patent, some manufacturers implemented the escape sequence without the time guard interval (Time Independent Escape Sequence (TIES)). This had a major denial of service security implication in that it would lead to the modem hanging up the connection should the computer ever try to transmit the byte sequence "+++ATH0" in data mode. For any computer connected to the Internet through such a modem, this could be easily exploited by sending it a ping of death request containing the sequence "+++ATH0" in the payload. The computer operating system would automatically try to reply the sender with the same payload, immediately disconnecting itself from the Internet, as the modem would interpret the ICMP packet's data payload as a Hayes command. The same error would also trigger if, for example, the user of the computer ever tried to send an e-mail containing the aforementioned string.

Commands
The Hayes command set includes commands for various phone-line operations such as dialing and hanging-up. It also includes various controls to set up the modem, including a set of register commands which allowed the user to directly set the various memory locations in the original Hayes modem. The command set was copied largely verbatim, including the meaning of the registers, by almost all early 300 baud modem manufacturers, of which there were quite a few.

The expansion to 1200 and 2400 baud required the addition of a small set of new commands, some of them prefixed with an ampersand ("&") to denote those dedicated to new functionality. Hayes itself was forced to quickly introduce a 2400 baud model shortly after their 1200, and the command sets were identical as a time-saving method. Essentially by accident, this allowed users of existing 1200 baud modems to use the new Hayes 2400 models without changing their software. This re-inforced the use of the Hayes versions of these commands. Years later, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)/Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) raised the 2400-baud command set into a formal standard with the title Data Transmission Systems and Equipment – Serial Asynchronous Automatic Dialing and Control, TIA/EIA-602.

However, Hayes Communications were slow to release modems supporting higher speeds or compression, and three other companies led the way here — Microcom, U.S. Robotics and Telebit. Each of these three used its own additional command-sets instead of waiting for Hayes to lead the way. By the early-1990s, there were four major command sets in use, and a number of versions based on one of these. Things became simpler again during the widespread introduction of 14.4 and 28.8 kbit/s modems in the early 1990s. Slowly, a set of commands based heavily on the original Hayes extended set using "&" commands became popular, and then universal. Only one other command set has remained popular, the U.S. Robotics set from their popular line of modems.

Description
The following text lists part of the Hayes command set, also called the AT commands: "AT" meaning 'attention'. Each command string is prefixed with "AT", and a number of discrete commands can be concatenated after the "AT".

The Hayes command set can subdivide into four groups:
 * 1) basic command set – A capital character followed by a digit. For example, M1.
 * 2) extended command set – An "&" (ampersand) and a capital character followed by a digit. This extends the basic command set. For example, &M1. Note that M1 is different from &M1.
 * 3) proprietary command set – Usually starting either with a backslash (“\”) or with a percent sign (“%”); these commands vary widely among modem manufacturers.
 * 4) register commands – Sr=n where r is the number of the register to be changed, and n is the new value that is assigned. A register represents a specific physical location in memory. Modems have small amounts of memory on board. The fourth set of commands serves for entering values into a particular register (memory location). For example, S7=60 instructs the modem to "Set register #7 to the value 60". Registers usually control aspects of the modem operation (e.g. transmission strength, modulation parameters) and are usually specific to a particular model.

Although the command-set syntax defines most commands by a letter-number combination (L0, L1 etc.), the use of a zero is optional. In this example, "L0" equates to a plain "L". Keep this in mind when reading the table below.

When in data mode, an escape sequence can return the modem to command mode. The normal escape sequence is three plus signs ("+++"), and to disambiguate it from possible real data, a guard timer is used: it must be preceded by a pause, not have any pauses between the plus signs, and be followed by a pause; by default, a "pause" is one second and "no pause" is anything less.

Syntactical definitions
The following syntactical definitions apply:
 *  Carriage return character, is the command line and result code terminator character, which value, in decimal ASCII between 0 and 255, is specified in register S3. The default value is 13.
 *  Linefeed character, is the character recognised as line feed character. Its value, in decimal ASCII between 0 and 255, is specified in register S4. The default value is 10. The line feed character is output after the carriage return character if verbose result codes are used (V1 option is used); otherwise, if numeric format result codes are used (V0 option is used), it will not appear in the result codes.
 * <...> Name enclosed in angle brackets is a syntactical element. They do not appear in the command line.
 * [...] Optional subparameter of a command or an optional part of AT information response is enclosed in square brackets. Brackets themselves do not appear in the command line. When the subparameter is not given in AT commands which have a Read command, the new value equals its previous value. In AT commands which do not store the values of any of their subparameters, and so have not a Read command, which are called action type commands, the action should be done on the basis of the recommended default setting of the subparameter.

Modem initialization
A string can contain many Hayes commands placed together, so as to optimally prepare the modem to dial out or answer, e.g. . Most modem software supported a user supplied initialization string, which was typically a long concatenated AT command which was sent to the modem upon launch. The V.250 specification requires all DCEs to accept a body (after "AT") of at least 40 characters of concatenated commands.

Example session
The following represents two computers, computer A and computer B, both with modems attached, and the user controlling the modems with terminal-emulator software. Terminal-emulator software typically allows the user to send Hayes commands directly to the modem, and to see the responses. In this example, the user of computer A makes the modem dial the phone number of modem B at phone number (212) 555-0100 (long distance). After every command and response, there is a carriage return sent to complete the command.

Compatibility
While the original Hayes command set represented a huge leap forward in modem-based communications, with time many problems set in, almost none of them due to Hayes per se:
 * Due to the lack of a written standard, other modem manufacturers just copied the external visible commands and (roughly) the basic actions. This led to a wide variety of subtle differences in how modems changed from state to state, and how they handled error conditions, hangups, and timeouts.
 * Each manufacturer tended to add new commands to handle emerging needs, often incompatible with other modems. For example, setting up hardware or software handshaking often required many different commands for different modems. This undermined the handy universality of the basic Hayes command set.
 * Many Hayes compatible modems had serious quirks that made them effectively incompatible. For example, many modems required a pause of several seconds after receiving the "AT Z" reset command. Some modems required spaces between commands, while others did not. Some would unhelpfully change baud-rate of their own volition, which would leave the computer with no clue how to handle the incoming data.

As a result of all this, eventually many communications programs had to give up any sense of being able to talk to all "Hayes-compatible" modems, and instead the programs had to try to determine the modem type from its responses, or provide the user with some option whereby they could enter whatever special commands it took to coerce their particular modem into acting properly.

Autobaud
The Hayes command set facilitated automatic baud rate detection as "A" and "T" happen to have bit patterns that are very regular; "A" is "100 0001" and so has a 1 bit at the start and end and "T" is "101 0100" which has a pattern with (nearly) every other bit set. Since the RS-232 interface transmits least significant bit first, the according line pattern with 8-N-1 (eight data bits, no parity bit, one stop bit) is 01000001010001010101 (start and stop bits italicized) which is used as syncword.

The basic Hayes command set
The following commands are understood by virtually all modems supporting an AT command set, whether old or new.

Note: a command string is terminated with a CR (\r) character

Although not part of the command set, a tilde character ~ is commonly used in modem command sequences. The ~ causes many applications to pause sending the command stream to the device (usually for half a second), e.g. after a Reset. The ~ is not sent to the modem.

V.250
The ITU-T established a standard in its V-Series Recommendations, V.25 ter, in 1995 in an attempt to establish a standard for the command set again. It was renamed V.250 in 1998 with an annex that was not concerning the Hayes command set renamed as V.251. A V.250 compliant modem implements the A, D, E, H, I, L, M, N, O, P, Q, T, V, X, Z, &C, &D, and &F commands in the way specified by the standard. It must also implement S registers and must use registers S0, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, S8, and S10 for the purposes given in the standard. It also must implement any command beginning with the plus sign, "+" followed by any letter A to Z, only in accordance with ITU recommendations. Modem manufacturers are free to implement other commands and S-registers as they see fit, and may add options to standard commands.

GSM
The ETSI GSM 07.07 (3GPP TS 27.007) specifies AT style commands for controlling a GSM phone or modem. The ETSI GSM 07.05 (3GPP TS 27.005) specifies AT style commands for managing the Short Message Service (SMS) feature of GSM.

Examples of GSM commands:

GSM/3G modems typically support the ETSI GSM 07.07/3GPP TS 27.007 AT command set extensions, although how many commands are implemented varies.

Most USB modem vendors, such as Huawei, Sierra Wireless, Option, have also defined proprietary extensions for radio mode selection (GSM/3G preference) or similar. Some recent high speed modems provide a virtual Ethernet interface instead of using a Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) for the data connection because of performance reasons (PPP connection is only used between the computer and the modem, not over network). The set-up requires vendor-specific AT command extensions. Sometimes the specifications for these extensions are openly available, other times the vendor requires an NDA for access to these.

Voice command set
Modems with voice or answering-machine capabilities support a superset of these commands to enable digital audio playback and recording.

title: Hayes AT command set


text:
Impasto

Impasto is a technique used in painting, where paint is laid on an area of the surface thickly, usually thick enough that the brush or painting-knife strokes are visible. Paint can also be mixed right on the canvas. When dry, impasto provides texture; the paint appears to be coming out of the canvas.

Etymology
The word impasto is Italian in origin; in which it means "dough" or "mixture"; related to the verb, "to knead", or "to paste". Italian usage of impasto includes both a painting and a potting technique. The root noun of impasto is pasta, meaning "paste".

Mediums
Oil paint is the traditional medium for impasto painting, due to its thick consistency and slow drying time. Acrylic paint can also be used for impasto by adding heavy body acrylic gels. Impasto is generally not used in watercolor or tempera without the addition of thickening agent due to the inherent thinness of these media. An artist working in pastels can produce a limited impasto effect by pressing a soft pastel firmly against the paper.

Purposes
The impasto technique serves several purposes. First, it makes the light reflect in a particular way, giving the artist additional control over the play of light in the painting. Second, it can add expressiveness to the painting, with the viewer being able to notice the strength and speed by which the artist applied the paint. Third, impasto can push a piece from a painting to a three-dimensional sculptural rendering. The first objective was originally sought by masters such as Rembrandt, Titian, and Vermeer, to represent folds in clothes or jewels: it was then juxtaposed with a more delicate painting style. Much later, the French Impressionists created pieces covering entire canvases with rich impasto textures. Vincent van Gogh used it frequently for aesthetics and expression. Abstract expressionists such as Hans Hofmann and Willem de Kooning also made extensive use of it, motivated in part by a desire to create paintings which dramatically record the action of painting itself. Still more recently, Frank Auerbach has used such heavy impasto that some of his paintings become nearly three-dimensional.

Impasto gives texture to the painting, meaning it can be opposed to more flat, smooth, or blended painting styles.

Artists
Many artists have used the impasto technique. Some of the more notable ones including: Rembrandt van Rijn, Diego Velázquez, Vincent van Gogh, Jackson Pollock, and Willem de Kooning.

title: Impasto


text:
Eric B. & Rakim

Eric B. & Rakim were an American hip hop duo formed on Long Island, New York, in 1986, composed of DJ Eric B. and rapper Rakim. They first received acclaim for their 1987 debut album Paid in Full, which featured versions of the popular singles "Eric B. Is President" and the title track. They followed with three successful albums: Follow the Leader (1988), Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em (1990), and Don't Sweat the Technique (1992).

AllMusic wrote that "during rap's so-called golden age in the late '80s, Eric B. & Rakim were almost universally recognized as the premier DJ/MC team in all of hip-hop." Tom Terrell of NPR called them "the most influential DJ/MC combo in contemporary pop music period." The editors of About.com ranked them as No. 5 on their list of the 10 Greatest Hip-Hop Duos of All-Time, and Rolling Stone ranked them No. 5 on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time. The duo have been nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 and 2024.

Early years and Paid in Full
Eric Barrier was born and raised in the East Elmhurst section of Queens, New York. He played trumpet and drums throughout high school, and later switched to experimenting with turntables prior to graduation. The newly dubbed "Eric B." soon began DJing for radio station WBLS in New York City, including WBLS' promotional events around the city. Barrier wound up meeting Alvin Toney, a promoter based in Queens. Eric B. had been looking for rappers and Toney recommended he use Freddie Foxxx, a Long Island MC. Toney took Eric B. to Foxxx's home, but Foxxx was not there, so Toney suggested another option: William Griffin, a.k.a. Rakim.

Griffin had begun writing rhymes as a teenager in Wyandanch and had taken the name "Rakim" as a result of his conversion to The Nation of Gods and Earths. Eric B. borrowed records from Rakim's brother, Stevie Blass Griffin (who worked at a plant pressing bootleg albums) and began cutting them in the basement for Rakim, who was down there drinking a beer and relaxing. Said Eric B., "I took Fonda Rae's "Over Like A Fat Rat" and said 'This is the bass line I'm going to use for this record.' Rakim spit the beer all over the wall and thought it was the funniest shit in the world. I told Rakim, just like you laughing now you going to be laughing all the way to the bank and be a millionaire one day because of this record."

Eric B. & Rakim decided to record together and came under the tutelage of Marley Marl. Stories vary over who actually produced their first single, 1986's "Eric B. Is President" (often cited as "Eric B For President" because of a mistake made when licensing the recording). Built on the Fonda Rea bass line sample, Eric B. later told AllHipHop, "I took the records to Marley Marl's house in Queensbridge and paid Marley Marl to be the engineer. Marley got paid. That's why he's not a producer; that's why he is not getting publishing. I brought the music. I just couldn't work the equipment because that's not what I did..."

The duo recorded their debut album, Paid in Full, at Power Play Studios in New York. The album was named in part after the Paid in Full posse, a notorious New York collective of gangsters and rappers: including the original 50 Cent, Killer Ben, Kool G Rap and Freddie Foxxx. The Paid in Full posse are featured on the back cover of the album. In 1987, 4th & B'way Records issued the album. After the success of "Eric B. is President", the album climbed into the Top Ten on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Eric B. would later admit that the album was rushed. "The reason Paid In Full is so short is because we stood in the studio for damn-near a week. The whole album came together in a week. Listen to the lyrics on it and listen to how short they are. That's because Rakim wrote it right there and we'd been in the studio like for a whole forty-eight hours trying to get the album finished." Rakim agrees: "[I] used to write my rhymes in the studio and go right into the booth and read them. When I hear my first album today I hear myself reading my rhymes - but I'm my worst critic. That's what I hear, though - because that's what it was. I'd go into the studio, put the beat down, write the song in like an hour, and go into the booth and read it from the paper..." Marley Marl stated that his cousin MC Shan was an assistant engineer on some tracks, including the single "My Melody," though Eric B. denies this. MTV listed the album as the greatest in hip hop history: "When Paid in Full was released in 1987, Eric B. and Rakim left a mushroom cloud over the hip-hop community. The album was captivating, profound, innovative and instantly influential. MCs like Run-DMC, Chuck D and KRS-One had been leaping on the mic shouting with energy and irreverence, but Rakim took a methodical approach to his microphone fiending. He had a slow flow, and every line was blunt, mesmeric. And Eric B. had an ear for picking out loops and samples drenched with soul and turned out to be a trailblazer for producers in the coming years." The record has sold over a million copies and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it platinum in 1995. On the heels of the album's success, the duo signed a deal with MCA.

Follow the Leader and Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em
Follow the Leader, the duo's follow-up to Paid In Full; saw their production move away from the blunt minimalism of their debut. The title track and "Lyrics of Fury" were two of Rakim's most acclaimed lyrical performances. In 2003, comedian Chris Rock referred to Rakim's rhymes on the "...Fury" as 'lyrically, the best rapping anyone's ever done...' Rock also listed Follow the Leader as 12th on his Vibe magazine's list of the Top 25 Hip Hop Albums of All-Time. At the time, the record went largely unnoticed by the mainstream music industry.

In 1989, the pair teamed up with Jody Watley on her single "Friends" from the album Larger Than Life. The song would reach the Top Ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was one of the first notable collaborations between hip hop and dance pop. Eric B. & Rakim rarely collaborated with other rappers. This was evident in early 1990, when KRS-One's Stop the Violence Movement put together the charity single "Self-Destruction". The song featured numerous notable rappers, but Rakim was noticeably absent from the proceedings. He told HalftimeOnline.net years later, "I don't think they hollered at me or they hollered at Eric B. and he didn't say anything to me. I was a little bitter with that shit because I felt I had something to do with bringing consciousness in hip hop to the table. I came out and did what I did in '86 and then you know people started running with it. Then when it comes time to do something they didn't holler at me so I was a little bitter. At the same time a lot of reasons I didn't do records with people is because I never wanted their light to reflect on me. I don't have a problem with it but everybody who knows at that time knows they were trying to say I was responsible for gangsta rap, too. They thought I was that dude in the hood so maybe they didn't holler at me for a reason. I love Kris, though — he definitely contributed a lot to hip hop. I've been on tour with him and I know him as a person. He's a good dude. I like Kris, but they definitely didn't holler at me for that man because I would have definitely did it."

Their 1990 album Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em was not as successful commercially as their first two LPs. Rakim referenced his enigmatic reputation on the song "Set 'Em Straight": "Here's the inside scoop on the fiend/They want to know why I'm seldom seen/'Cause who needs the TV screens and magazines/Or shooting through the city in fly limousines/'Cause one thing I don't need is a spotlight/'Cause I already got light..." He later said about his relative lack of commercial success: "You could sell a couple records and keep your integrity or you could go pop and sell a bunch of records and be gone tomorrow. I was trying to stick to my guns at that point."

Mark Coleman of Rolling Stone stated: "'There's nothing trendy about this impassive duo, no Steely Dan bites or bits of Afrodelic rhetoric here. Eric B. and Rakim are hip-hop formalists devoted to upholding the Seventies funk canon and advancing rap's original verbal mandate. Almost every track on their third album is built on poetic boasts and wicked J.B. samples, but dismissing Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em as some sort of conservative reaction – a gold-chain throwback – completely misses the point. Masters of their appointed tasks, rapper Rakim and Eric B. are also formal innovators. They both can riff and improvise like jazzmen, spinning endless variations on basic themes and playing off each other's moves with chilly intuition. The resulting music is as stark, complex and edgy as Rakim's stone-cold stare on the album cover.'" The album was one of the first to receive the honor of a 5 mic rating in The Source. But, much like their debut album, there is controversy over the production credit.

Don't Sweat the Technique and split up
The duo made an appearance on the soundtrack for the 1991 comedy House Party 2, ("What's On Your Mind") and also recorded the theme for the film, Juice. Both singles were included on what would become the duo's last album together. Don't Sweat the Technique was released in 1992. The album was not supposed to be the last; but their contract with MCA was due to expire. During the recording of the album, both members expressed an interest in recording solo albums. However, Eric B. refused to sign the label's release contract, fearful that Rakim would abandon him. This led to a court case involving the two musicians and their former label. The legal wrangling eventually led to the duo dissolving completely. Eric B. has clarified that the monetary problems stemmed from labels like Island and others claiming ownership of the masters — not from any financial disputes between him and Rakim: "'The money got split 50/50 from the door, because I remember people would try to keep shit going. When we first came out, people were saying 'Eric was getting all the money' and 'he was trying to shine more than Rakim,' but that's not true. [I] would go to all the interviews, [because] Rakim didn't want to go to the interviews. He didn't like that part of the business. [But] we split all the money from dime one. I don't care what money I spent in the past, that money is never coming back. Whatever money we made, we split 50/50. Even up until now, we split every dime 50/50.'"

Post-breakup and legacy
Eric B. released a self-titled solo album in 1995 on the independent label 95th Street Recordings. Legal issues continued to delay Rakim's solo career, but he finally released The 18th Letter in 1997. In 1999, Rakim's second solo album The Master was released to less favorable reviews. By the turn of the millennium, Eric B. was pursuing other business interests outside of music. Rakim signed with Dr. Dre's Aftermath label in 2000, but the expected album never materialized. Since then, Rakim has made guest appearances with numerous other artists such as Jay-Z ("The Watcher, Part 2"), Truth Hurts ("Addictive"), Nas, KRS-One and Kanye West ("Classic"). In 2002, "Don't Sweat The Technique" appeared in the video game Aggressive Inline. In November 2009, Rakim released The Seventh Seal.

Ownership of the duo's catalog consolidated in 1999, when PolyGram (which owned Island Records, which released Paid in Full) merged with Universal Music Group, an outgrowth of MCA Records, which owned the rest of the duo's albums.

Eric B. & Rakim were announced as one of fifteen finalists to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in September 2011 and are nominated for a second time in 2024.

Reunion
On October 20, 2016, Eric B. announced via Twitter that he and Rakim reunited as a duo after 23 years and would tour in 2017. This was confirmed by Eric B's business representative Uncle Louie during an interview with Rolling Stone.

The duo's first reunion concert was held at the Apollo Theater in New York City on July 7, 2017. In 2018, they announced a 17-date American tour for that spring.

Rapping technique and jazz influences
Rakim's rhyming deviated from the simple rhyme patterns of early 1980s hip hop. His free-rhythm style ignored bar lines and had earned comparisons to Thelonious Monk. The New York Times' Ben Ratliff wrote that Rakim's "unblustery rapping developed the form beyond the flat-footed rhythms of schoolyard rhymes". While many rappers developed their technique through improvisation, Rakim was one of the first to demonstrate advantages of a writerly style, as with for instance his pioneering use of internal rhymes and multisyllabic rhymes. Unlike previous rappers such as LL Cool J, KRS-One, and Run-D.M.C., who delivered their vocals with high energy, Rakim employed a relaxed, stoic delivery. According to MTV, "We'd been used to MCs like Run and DMC, Chuck D and KRS-One leaping on the mic shouting with energy and irreverence, but Rakim took a methodical approach to his microphone fiending. He had a slow flow, and every line was blunt, mesmeric." Rakim's relaxed delivery was inspired by jazz; he had played the saxophone and was a John Coltrane fan.

Rakim's subject matter often covered his own rapping skills and lyrical superiority over other rappers. AllMusic editor Steve Huey comments that "the majority of his lyrics concern his own skills and his Islamic faith." He also notes Rakim for his "complex internal rhymes, compounding, literate imagery, velvet-smooth flow, and unpredictable, off-the-beat rhythms." Pitchfork writer Jess Harvell described his rapping as "authoritative, burnished, and possessing an unflappable sense of rhythm".

Musical style
Paid in Full, which contains gritty, heavy, and dark beats, marked the beginning of heavy sampling in hip hop records. Of the album's ten tracks, three are instrumentals. As a disc jockey, Eric B. had reinstated the art of live turntable mixing. His soul-filled sampling became influential in future hip hop production. Music critic Robert Christgau noted that Eric B. had incorporated "touches of horn or whistle deep in the mix" of his sampled percussion and scratches.

Discography

 * Paid in Full (1987)
 * Follow the Leader (1988)
 * Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em (1990)
 * Don't Sweat the Technique (1992)

title: Eric B. & Rakim


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Lanolin

Lanolin (from Latin 'wool', and  'oil'), also called wool fat, wool yolk, wool wax, sheep grease, or wool grease, is a wax secreted by the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals. Lanolin used by humans comes from domestic sheep breeds that are raised specifically for their wool. Historically, many pharmacopoeias have referred to lanolin as wool fat (adeps lanae); however, as lanolin lacks glycerides (glycerol esters), it is not a true fat. Lanolin primarily consists of sterol esters instead. Lanolin's waterproofing property aids sheep in shedding water from their coats. Certain breeds of sheep produce large amounts of lanolin.

Lanolin's role in nature is to protect wool and skin from climate and the environment; it also plays a role in skin (integumental) hygiene. Lanolin and its derivatives are used in the protection, treatment, and beautification of human skin.

Composition
A typical high-purity grade of lanolin is composed predominantly of long chain waxy esters (approximately 97% by weight) with the remainder being lanolin alcohols, lanolin acids and lanolin hydrocarbons.

An estimated 8,000 to 20,000 different types of lanolin esters are present in lanolin, resulting from combinations between the 200 or so different lanolin acids and the 100 or so different lanolin alcohols identified so far.

Lanolin’s complex composition of long-chain esters, hydroxyesters, diesters, lanolin alcohols, and lanolin acids means in addition to its being a valuable product in its own right, it is also the starting point for the production of a whole spectrum of lanolin derivatives, which possess wide-ranging chemical and physical properties. The main derivatisation routes include hydrolysis, fractional solvent crystallisation, esterification, hydrogenation, alkoxylation and quaternisation. Lanolin derivatives obtained from these processes are used widely in both high-value cosmetics and skin treatment products.

Hydrolysis of lanolin yields lanolin alcohols and lanolin acids. Lanolin alcohols are a rich source of cholesterol (an important skin lipid) and are powerful water-in-oil emulsifiers; they have been used extensively in skincare products for over 100 years. Approximately 40% of the acids derived from lanolin are alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs). The use of AHAs in skin care products has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years. Details of the AHAs isolated from lanolin can be seen in the table below.

Production
Crude lanolin constitutes about 5–25% of the weight of freshly shorn wool. The wool from one Merino sheep will produce about 250–300 ml of recoverable wool grease. Lanolin is extracted by washing the wool in hot water with a special wool scouring detergent to remove dirt, wool grease (crude lanolin), suint (sweat salts), and anything else stuck to the wool. The wool grease is continuously removed during this washing process by centrifuge separators, which concentrate it into a waxlike substance melting at approximately 38 °C.

Applications

Lanolin and its many derivatives are used extensively in both the personal care (e.g., high value cosmetics, facial cosmetics, lip products) and health care sectors such as topical liniments. Lanolin is also found in lubricants, rust-preventive coatings, shoe polish, and other commercial products.

Lanolin is a relatively common allergen and is often misunderstood as a wool allergy. However, allergy to a lanolin-containing product is difficult to pinpoint and often other products containing lanolin may be fine for use. Patch testing can be done if a lanolin allergy is suspected.

It is frequently used in protective baby skin treatment and for sore nipples from breastfeeding although health authorities do not recommend it, advise against nipple cleaning and rather recommend improving baby positioning and expressing milk by hand.

Lanolin is used commercially in many industrial products ranging from rustproof coatings to lubricants. Some sailors use lanolin to create slippery surfaces on their propellers and stern gear to which barnacles cannot adhere. Commercial products (e.g. Lanocote) containing up to 85% lanolin are used to prevent corrosion in marine fasteners, especially when two different metals are in contact with each other and saltwater. The water-repellent properties make it valuable in many applications as a lubricant grease where corrosion would otherwise be a problem.

7-Dehydrocholesterol from lanolin is used as a raw material for producing vitamin D3 by irradiation with ultraviolet light.

Baseball players often use it to soften and break in their baseball gloves (shaving cream with lanolin is popularly used for this).

Anhydrous liquid lanolin, combined with parabens, has been used in trials as artificial tears to treat dry eye. Anhydrous lanolin is also used as a lubricant for brass instrument tuning slides.

Lanolin can also be restored to woollen garments to make them water and dirt repellent, such as for cloth diaper covers.

Lanolin is also used in lip balm products such as Carmex. For some people, it can irritate the lips.

Lanolin is sometimes used by people on continuous positive airway pressure therapy to reduce irritation with masks, particular nasal pillow masks that can often create sore spots in the nostrils.

Lanolin is a popular additive to moustache wax, particularly 'extra-firm' varieties.

Lanolin is used as a primary lubricating component in aerosol-based brass lubricants in the ammunition reloading process. Mixed warm 1:12 with highly concentrated ethanol (usually 99%), the ethanol acts as a carrier which evaporates quickly after application, leaving a fine film of lanolin behind to prevent brass seizing in resizing dies.

Lanolin, when mixed with ingredients such as neatsfoot oil, beeswax and glycerol, is used in various leather treatments, for example in some saddle soaps and in leather care products.

Standards and legislation
In addition to general purity requirements, lanolin must meet official requirements for the permissible levels of pesticide residues. The Fifth Supplement of the United States Pharmacopoeia XXII published in 1992 was the first to specify limits for 34 named pesticides. A total limit of 40 ppm (i.e. 40 mg/kg) total pesticides was stipulated for lanolin of general use, with no individual limit greater than 10 ppm.

A second monograph also introduced into the US Pharmacopoeia XXII in 1992 was entitled 'Modified Lanolin'. Lanolin conforming to this monograph is intended for use in more exacting applications, for example on open wounds. In this monograph, the limit of total pesticides was reduced to 3 ppm total pesticides, with no individual limit greater than 1 ppm.

In 2000, the European Pharmacopoeia introduced pesticide residue limits into its lanolin monograph. This requirement, which is generally regarded as the new quality standard, extends the list of pesticides to 40 and imposes even lower concentration limits.

Some very high-purity grades of lanolin surpass monograph requirements. New products obtained using complex purification techniques produce lanolin esters in their natural state, removing oxidative and environmental impurities resulting in white, odourless, hypoallergenic lanolin. These ultra-high-purity grades of lanolin are ideally suited to the treatment of dermatological disorders such as eczema and on open wounds.

Lanolin attracted attention owing to a misunderstanding concerning its sensitising potential. A study carried out at New York University Hospital in the early 1950s had shown about 1% of patients with dermatological disorders were allergic to the lanolin being used at that time. By one estimate, this simple misunderstanding of failing to differentiate between the general healthy population and patients with dermatological disorders exaggerates the sensitising potential of lanolin by 5,000–6,000 times.

The European Cosmetics Directive, introduced in July 1976, contained a stipulation that cosmetics which contained lanolin should be labelled to that effect. This ruling was challenged immediately, and in the early 1980s, it was overturned and removed from the directive. Despite only being in force for a short period of time, this ruling did harm both to the lanolin industry and to the reputation of lanolin in general. The Cosmetics Directive ruling only applied to the presence of lanolin in cosmetic products; it did not apply to the many hundreds of its different uses in dermatological products designed for the treatment of compromised skin conditions.

Modern analytical methods have revealed lanolin possesses a number of important chemical and physical similarities to human stratum corneum lipids; the lipids which help regulate the rate of water loss across the epidermis and govern the hydration state of the skin.

Cryogenic scanning electron microscopy has shown that lanolin, like human stratum corneum lipids, consists of a mass of liquid crystalline material. Cross-polarised light microscopy has shown the multilamellar vesicles formed by lanolin are identical to those formed by human stratum corneum lipids. The incorporation of bound water into the stratum corneum involves the formation of multilamellar vesicles.

Skin bioengineering studies have shown the durational effect of the emollient (skin smoothing) action produced by lanolin is very significant and lasts for many hours. Lanolin applied to the skin at 2 mg/cm2 has been shown to reduce roughness by about 35% after one hour and 50% after two hours, with the overall effect lasting for considerably more than eight hours. Lanolin is also known to form semiocclusive (breathable) films on the skin. When applied daily at around 4 mg/cm2 for five consecutive days, the positive moisturising effects of lanolin were detectable until 72 hours after final application. Lanolin may achieve some of its moisturising effects by forming a secondary moisture reservoir within the skin.

The barrier repair properties of lanolin have been reported to be superior to those produced by both petrolatum and glycerol. In a small clinical study conducted on volunteer subjects with terribly dry (xerotic) hands, lanolin was shown to be superior to petrolatum in reducing the signs and symptoms of dryness and scaling, cracks and abrasions, and pain and itch. In another study, a high purity grade of lanolin was found to be significantly superior to petrolatum in assisting the healing of superficial wounds.

title: Lanolin