Category Archives: Music

Spleeter

Spleeter is an Open Source library written in Python that uses TensorFlow to separate the different components of a song.

For the less technically inclined: the folks at Deezer trained an artificial intelligence program with the ability to separate the voice and instruments from a given song; then they made the software freely availabe for anyone to use.

Given a bit of computer know-how, it was pretty easy to install and run on my Mac. Below is one of my tests using one of the all time greatest songs. It sounds pretty good, but not quite completely natural.

Soda StereoPrimavera 0

Any songs you’d like me to try out?

Illya Kuryaki and The Valderramas @SXSW

Last SXSW 2014 post. Argentinian duo Illya Kuryaki and The Valderramas was in town. Since they don’t sing in English, most locals have no clue who they are. I credit my coolo shaking skills more to them than I do to Miley.

The concert was at The North Door. Great venue: Excellent sound, good pizza, short lines for beer. The rest of the lineup for the night:

  • Los Petit Fellas: I missed them but was told they were very good.
  • Rebel Cats: Odd Mexican band than plays 50s rock. Rarely do you see a bass being abused so badly.
  • División Minúscula: Reasonably well known Northern Mexican band that play indistinct generic rock.
  • Porter: Guadalajara based electronic rock. Lead singer seems like a nice guy.

Enough, cellphone videos from my excellent vantage point:

Jaguar House (IKV):

Coolo (IKV):

Peggy Sue (Rebel Cats):

Austin City Limits Festival 2013

We went to ACL this past weekend. People were not excited about it because

  1. It was broken into two weekends with exactly the same lineup.
  2. The lineup felt weaker than past years.

But I’m very glad I went. I had a blast. The weather was perfect for it. And most importantly, it’s the first ACL in many that allergies aren’t killing me and/or I’m stoned out of my mind with allergy medication.

Also, the crowds felt lighter (but I heard it was the usual 75,000 souls). Lines for food, bathroom, beer were quick and painless. Getting in and out of the park was a breeze. It was relatively easy to get close to the stages as well. Maybe they’ve been improving the logistics, maybe it was something else, but it really helped enjoy the weekend.

Disclaimer: Lots of photos below. But this year I decided not to carry my excellent MFT camera, instead using my puny little iPhone 5. This means the photos suck.

Also, I assumed that others would bring good cameras, take some decent videos, and post them to YouTube. I was wrong, it turns out my incredibly steady hand is unique among concert-goers. Oh well…

Read more for lots of photos.

Continue reading Austin City Limits Festival 2013