Based on the amount of white pages that stared back at me on January 19 from my computer screen, this day can be called a blank new page in human’s history, not less.

In that bizarre and epic day/night I was watching Anonymous bring down sites like the FBI, U.S. Department of Justice website, DOJ, RIAA, Universal Music, and MPAA faster than I could tweet about it.

A quick peek at the twitter’s tag for it can reveal many of the stories behind the “World War Web”, including the link to the application that will enable you to be part of the process. Like Pearl Harbor there was a catalyst this time as well - the arrests of the owners and the closing of Megaupload.

It was a sheer excitement for me to witness the new voting method – instead of passively choosing representatives in the government millions united to protest against SOPA / PIPA (DOING something about a SPECIFIC issue) with blacking down their sites on January 18 (including Wikipedia, Hype Machine and yours truly among many others) and thousands united to bring down sites of organizations that represent the old way of doing business, a philosophy that can be summarized in form of “this is MINE! MINE! MINE! And that’s why YOU will pay how much I want.”

I still feel however that in the midst of glorifying Megaupload as the martyr, the wide protest overlooked one issue, which is WHY it was closed in the first place. Certainly the method is barbaric, meaningless, and not efficient - the site was back again in matter of few hours, only this time it had an IP instead of a name AND actually turned out to be a SCAM website trying to get money from premium accounts (a fact that the authors of the real megaupload supposedly have confirmed), but there are always different sides to a story.

So my question to #Megaupload is: If you provide content freely why not provide it for FREE?
Wikipedia and other sites are operated with the help of the users themselves with donations, which is actually investing money in themselves and the things that matter to them. So why putting limitations on content, like the 72 mins restriction? Why providing subscription services for content you do not own?

Though you easily could bypass the restriction by using a proxy, or download files at slower tempo, Megaupload is still a business that restricts content or to be exact TIME on using that content, or downloading. AND THEN AGAIN, servers cost money, bandwidth costs money etc. I enjoyed the services of Megavideo not less than anyone else. Most important, the service made it possible for me to actually CHOOSE what to watch, and to say NO to the television screen forever. I could watch the movies and tv shows I WANTED TO WATCH at a high speed thanks to the enormous amount of servers they could afford to buy. And I guess partly it was the subscription accounts that payed for it (let's not forget the ads). So if I go with logic that makes sense. But if I go with my heart, I FEEL that all content should be FREE.

In fact, it already IS.

Charging money for it (in some way or another) is so 90's. Surely there must be another way. This an open question, more than a statement.  Tell me what you think.

And to end this with a good ending here's the victory letter that me and millions of others who opposed sopa/pipa got on January 20 from Fight for the Future, which ran the largest organizing sites for the recent SOPA protests (sopastrike.com and americancensorship.org);

"Hi everyone!

A big hurrah to you!!!!! We’ve won for now -- SOPA and PIPA were dropped by Congress today -- the votes we’ve been scrambling to mobilize against have been cancelled.

The largest online protest in history has fundamentally changed the game.  You were heard. 

On January 18th, 13 million of us took the time to tell Congress to protect free speech rights on the internet. Hundreds of millions, maybe a billion, people all around the world saw what we did on Wednesday.  See the amazing numbers here and tell everyone what you did.

This was unprecedented. Your activism may have changed the way people fight for the public interest and basic rights forever.

The MPAA (the lobby for big movie studios which created these terrible bills) was shocked and seemingly humbled.  “‘This was a whole new different game all of a sudden,’ MPAA Chairman and former Senator Chris Dodd told the New York Times. ‘[PIPA and SOPA were] considered by many to be a slam dunk.’” 

“'This is altogether a new effect,' Mr. Dodd said, comparing the online movement to the Arab Spring. He could not remember seeing 'an effort that was moving with this degree of support change this dramatically' in the last four decades, he added."  

Tweet with us, shout on the internet with us, let's celebrate: Round of applause to the 13 million people who stood up  - #PIPA and #SOPA are tabled 4 now. #13millionapplause"

B3, B1, 1Love

Sasha

 

Personally for me it was the year when I finally started releasing my music. With the enormous support that I never really expected from strangers I’ve met on Twitter , Facebook and Youtube I fulfilled my biggest dream since I was 13 years old. Big part of them became true friends, with whom I shared much more than music, and vice versa. 

First release: “7” by various artists

 You can get the free compilation here

The first release was the song “Breathe In” which was featured in “7” by various artists. The album was released by DIYM Netlabel who asked me if I'd like to contribute a song. It was the time when I was working on finishing the Debut EP (FOR 8 YEARS) but there always was something else to change, fix, to add another hook, to lower down the volume of some part. And then came this opportunity to break the psychological barrier I guess I had. Putting a dot seemed to be much harder than starting a sentence. So I’ve sent the one song from the EP I knew is finished. And I gave it away for free, which was another issue I was struggling with. Should I put a price tag on years of work? If so, how much should it cost? And will people even buy music they haven’t heard before? While all those thoughts span in my head and took my focus away from making music, releasing that one song in a free compilation felt good and right. I was relieved. From that moment it was clear to me that I will release my music free of charge, and if anyone would like to contribute, he’ll have the option to do so. I decided to separate income from making music forever. I had (and still have) a great and creative job which isn't related to music and I'm studying psychology in order to become a therapist. Giving away the most sacred without expecting return gave me the freedom I was so longing for. The dam was open and while still working on the EP I started working on another project. 

Second release: A Drowning by How To Destroy Angels (Sasha Raskin Remix)

Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails, The social network soundtrack) was probably the biggest hero of my teen years and in many ways still is. His music was full of sounds that just couldn’t exist but thanks to him they did, and the best thing he made everything by himself. He was an enigma to me, as well as a stamp of approval – THIS can be done. You can write your own songs, play all the instruments and magic can happen. Magic certainly WASN’T happening when I just started experimenting with the techno sounds of a program called Rebirth on MAC with a very thick screen. But in my mind it did. I spend the days in my art high school drawing oil paintings to the sounds of nine inch nails, and nights at that high school’s studio, with a synth, probably the first version of Cubase, huge speakers, and various instruments I was borrowing for the night from musicians from the music department (I played electric guitar for the first time while recording add-ons to a horrible techno track I made called Slow death of a bird II).

Back to Trent Reznor, the song I remixed was actually a collaboration of him with his wife and Atticus Ros, under the project name How To Destroy Angels. Drowning is a beautiful song, and in fact very different from everything that Reznor did before. It’s much gentler, has enchanting female vocal, but still on top of a heavy beat.

Third release: Joga by Bjork (Sasha Raskin Remix)

Truth to be told Bjork for me is like olives, eggplants and pizza. When I was a kid I used to hate it and now I just can’t get enough. The song that made me fall in love with her was unsurprisingly the song Hyperballad (from Post). Her next album Homogenic was a starship that came into my life and brought with it shimmers up my spine, colors and parallel universes. And the Joga song was especially sacred. With its dreamy lyrics, superb melody, shimmering vocals and those immortal violins parts composed by her, it was the definition of inspiration. When doing the remix I took the vocals and the violins and tried to hug them with a different arrangement. I can now honestly say that I’m proud of the result. 

Fourth release: Interference by Romeo’s Fault (Sasha Raskin Remix)

Joseph AKA Romeo’s Fault is an amazing artist who’ve I had the pleasure to remix. He had a full trust in what I’m about to do and it led not only to a remix I really like but also to a friendship. 

Fifth release: The Debut EP Only Music  

When I was 13 years old I had I mini nervous breakdown slash epiphany. It happened when I heard a band rehearsing for the first time. I sat there while they were creating magic and I felt emotion I’ve never felt before. Joy, fear, appreciation, excitement, sadness, and let’s be honest enormous envy, all in one. I was writing poetry, prose, drawing but I couldn’t create THIS.

Music became the ultimate form of art in my eyes at that very moment, being able to transform in a second mood and emotions (which we do every day so professionally by listening to our favorite music). I got up and went out of the room because those feelings were too strong, and I didn’t want the band to see. I found a room outside where I could hear the music from, I set down on the floor and started crying. It lasted for hours. When it ended I knew I found what I was looking for.

It was recorded with the participation of amazing musicians (specially Adaya).

It survived a fatal hard drive crash (40 other songs were lost forever because I was too lazy to make a backup), it's accompanied by photos I've took mostly on my meditation retreats through 2011, and while it took 8 years to finish the EP, I'm extremely proud of it - it is EXACTLY how I wanted it to sound. 

And maybe the most important thing is that writing this music saved my life. But that's a story for another time...

B3, 1 Love

Sasha ۞

 

 

#6 ON ITUNES PODCASTS CHART  - May 9, 2011

Free download at my new site: http://sasharaskin.com and here:

Original song written and composed by How To Destroy Angels and can be downloaded as part of a free EP @ their site: http://howtodestroyangels.com 

How To Destroy Angels is the new project of Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails, Social Network soundtrack) with his wife Mariqueen Maandig and Atticus Ross.

Remix, additional vocals, orchestral score and artwork by yours truly.

 

 

 

Compilation 7 brings together seven compelling examples of indie music from across the globe. 

Click this to automatically start the FREE DOWNLOAD: 

 http://ia700608.us.archive.org/1/items/diymVA07/7-ipod-friendly-tags.zip

 

Or go to http://www.archive.org/details/diymVA07 to download from there.

It features song of mine - which makes it my first official release 

website: http://www.diymnetlabel.com
blog: http://diymusicians.wordpress.com

 

Share it if you like it,

one love, Sasha

Truly good films can change human life forever in about one hour and half, but even a great synopsis can destroy a good movie in about one minute. 

Here's a second recommended list of 20 amazing and totally different movies from my private collection. They WILL make you fly. I've provided only names and movie posters, which are actually the only bits of information that the creators wanted you to see before watching their movie.

Hope you'll enjoy.

 

1. Greenberg

2. The squid and the whle

3. The road

4. The assassination of Jessy James by the coward Robert Ford

5. Moon

6. Southland tales

7.Man from earth

8. Punch drunk love

9. Amelie

10. The wrist cutters

11. 2046

12. Jacob’s ladder

13. The nines 14. Choke

15. The fall

16. Old boy

17. The prestige

18. The thin red line

19. Peaceful warrior 

20. Enlightenment guaranteed

 

For "20 movies, part A" press here . 

 

 

 

 

When living at the age of countdown one must understand that the constant changes in the social and scientific spheres are forever changing the economics as well. Simply put, new economy has emerged, the economy of FREE.   

This one is for all the musicians, creative entrepreneurs, and music 2.0 content sharers out there. It's a truly inique list of FREE ebooks which are a essential, empowering and motivating in the new world of web music marketing. They are not dealing with making more money per se. The bigger idea discussed is the option of living more creative and pleasurable life by communicating and cooperating.

Discovering today I've hit 200,000 views on my music page since I've started it 2 years ago seemed like a good idea for celebrating by sharing these pearls of knowledge from some of the best thinkers on the subject of our time. 

Though most of the books deal with music, the principles discussed are touching the elements of reaching a broader audience by creating ANY creative product.  

 

1. MUSIC 2.0 by Gerd Leonhard

2. THE 20 THINGS YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT MUSIC ONLINE by Andrew Dubber

3. FREE by Chris Anderson 

4. UNLEASING THE IDEAVIRUS by Seth Godin 

5. FREEDOM, MONEY, TIME AND THE KEY TO CREATIVE SUCCESS by Mark McGuinness

 

 

 

stay 3, 1 love, 

Sasha ۞

 

 

 

 

I admire cinema for it's ability to combine almost all sorts of art into one.

Truly good films can change human life forever in about one hour and half, but even a great synopsis can destroy a good movie in about one minute. 

Here's a recommended list (first in a series) of 20 amazing and totally different movies from my private collection. They can change your life if you let them or at least provide a freash look at life from a different perspective. I've provided only names and movie posters, which are actually the only bits of information that the creators wanted you to see before watching their movie.

Hope you'll enjoy.

1. Waking life

2. The Cook The Thief His Wife And Her Lover 

3. State and Main 

4. Roger Dodger

5. Pi

6. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

7. Mr. Jones 

8. Franklyn

9. Far from heaven

10. Death And The Maiden

11. Das Experiment 

12. 12

13. 500 Days of Summer

14. Astronaut Farmer 

15. In America

16. Yi Yi - A One And A Two

17. Watchmen

18. Up In The Air

19. Towelhead

20. The Social Network

This movie was actually the topic of my previous post http://dld.bz/God_is_a_network

 

 

 

I admit.

Yesterday I saw “The social network”.

And liked it. And if you still haven’t, I think you might want to consider spending two hours to find out how exactly was created that nice monster called Facebook you’ve spent hundreds of hours on.

Before watching the film I’ve twitted about the irony in twitter, and now I’m writing a blog post, about which I’ll notify in the same twitter, myspace, as well as in my 3-rd time reopened facebook profile, and by email.

So yes, I admit, more than I am part of these networks, these networks are part of me. So I thought about why people get addicted to social networks in the first place.

Conclusions:

One. Networks simplify and reorganize human perception of other humans. It's easy to think of somebody in terms of one profile picture, his latest post, the friends he communicates with, and his status. This specially applies to our age of knowing more people than we ever knew before.

Two. Networks give us sense of control. We talk how much we want (really?), when we want, and with whom we want. And this pleasant illusion neatly hides behind the fact that networks actually organize interactions in a way that’s easy to grasp by following pretty strict rules. We call this “comfortable”.

Three. Social networks work like human brain. The brain’s enormous network of neurons sharing information in an instant way, finds comfort in looking at the world though the eyes of its kind. Our nervous system feels at home being a part of a bigger nervous system. And it sure does feel at home. Your brain is a part of bigger brain now. These are just a few (clickable) examples:

* Facebook Overtake Google To Become Most Visited Website In 2010

* Social Networks Dominate Online News Distribution

* 92% of U.S. Toddlers Have Online Presence

* Number Of Virtual World Users Breaks 1 Billion

* 60% Of Web Users Visit Social Networks

* More than 500 million active users on Facebook, 50% of our active users log on to Facebook in any given day

Four. Networks have fractal structures. They have the capability to endlessly spread in two dimensions (by growing number of users), as well as in three dimensions (depth; by creating sub – networks within sub – networks). It makes us feel that we’re part of something big, and even more than that, that we’re part of something that’s constantly growing. Mom, come see, I’m endless.

Five. Networks strive on human impulses and drives; being a reflection of the physical world populated by humans, the forces behind the success of social networks are sex, gossips, and escapism, which are tightly interconnected with more positive human needs like the need for knowledge, self actualization, and self growth.

Six. One second, I just got a friend request.

 

stay 3, 1 love, 

Sasha ۞

 

 

 

 

Ok. Here’s another no-brainer-self-explanatory-pics-of-quality-innovative-artists post.

Click on artists' names to enter their worlds. 

Explaining music with words makes me dizzy. Hear for yourself.

1. Moderat

Quote: "Unbroken speech You tricked me on shaky ground"

 

2. Young gods

Quote: "With your broken car Lost in the atmosphere"

 

3. Ian Brown

Quote: "Forget everything and remember For everything a reason”

This is a follow up to 3 FREE (NOT A MISTYPE) ARTISTS THAT MADE MY WEEK (#1)

 

 

stay 3 2, 1 love, 

Sasha ۞

 

 

Did you ever ask yourself why you love music so much? Even more important, why does everyone?

The answer is simple. We literally can’t live without it. Our body is operated by its inner beats and notes (frequencies). That is also the reason why our bodies so easily respond to music from outside.

Here are few facts that I discovered through many years of studying, recording and teaching music:

- Your body has an equalizer. The sound of your heart beating is the bass. The sound of your blood swooshing in your veins is the middle (like the mid button on the hi-fi systems or the media player). The zzzz sound of the nervous system is high. There are special quiet rooms (totally isolated, much more than hearing tests booths) that exist with sole purpose to allow people to hear these sounds.

- If you’ll put your palms on your years you’ll partly be able to hear your body work.

- Heart and breath rhythms have the tendency to synchronize themselves to repetitive beats (as well as brainwaves, more about these next). That’s where the power of the tribal drumming, the chanting, and the modern club music comes from. Music literally brings people together – it can synchronize their bodies to one source if they are listening to the same music at the same time.

- Our brain uses frequencies in order to operate. More lower (more bass) frequencies are used in sleep and relaxed states, middle frequencies are used in normal states, and high frequencies are used in very alert states. So there’s an equalizer at work here as well, although these frequencies are much lower than those we can actually hear.

- Music that you enjoy releases dopamine (the happiness chemical), which makes some parts of your brain function better. In others words, good music makes your brain sing (happily).

- Some music lowers things like heart rate, blood pressure and muscle tension. In others words, music can make your body turn it’s volume down.

- Listening to music helps increase the efficiency of the immune system, reduce stress, and prevent seizures.  In other words, music not only runs our systems, it also heals it.

 

Now you can play again your today’s favorite song for the 8-th time.

Your body will like it.

And the mind will follow. 

 

 

Ok. This one will be short and sweet, as well as a start of a new series of posts.

Click on artists' names to enter their site. 

I won't even try to explain music with words. Hear for yourself.

1. Florence and the machine

Quote: "I was a heavy heart to carry / my beloved was way down"

 

 2. Lynx 

Quote: "She opened her arms, arms, to the world that's around her"

 

3. Shapeshifter

Quote: "The system is a vampire"

 

1 love, stay 3 2,

Sasha ۞

 

I think I can almost remember the last time I went to buy a Cd. 

I knew which music I like, but while entering that long forgotten music shrine called music store (the one that actually had walls), I knew at the same time I'm going to experiment musical oblivion of discovery. I didn't need recommendations to find new music I'll like - it was simply laid out in front of me. 

I picked those Cd's which art work touched me, and usually there were no surprises. Seems like there always was an obvious correlation. I went out of the store with a big smile on my face and a couple of Cd's by new artists in a bag.

Little did I know that this was the last time. End of an era. The “music on a shelve” industry died at the second I went out of that store. Well, not exactly, but it was around that time.

Today the music that’s for sale lies on the shelves of the server. And it feels like I’m walking in a new breed of mega stores, as huge as a park. Internet didn’t kill the Cd star. It turned him to an invisible god of endless opportunities. 

Yes, Johnny the musical genius you never heard of, sells music at 300 stores now. That’s the good news. The bad news is that you’ll never going to hear about him, even if he’s living next the corner.

Luckily, Johnny, and we - the starving for new quality music to feed our I-pods listeners, we still have hope.

First – there are the bloggers. Yes, I know. It’s also the same mega land and there are no maps to buy. Still, there are couple of really good one (pitchfork is one good example), and they usually don’t sell, the recommend. Which is a huge difference.

Second – there’s Bandcamp. Let me assure you I don’t work there and even don’t have my music for sale there. But I know I will have (you can listen to it for now here).

And the reason is this - It’s not the fact that it’s the best service for artists on the whole web, it’s not the clean and simple design, and even not their rare sense of humor (“FAQ Question - But lossless files are freaking huge!  Answer: Please phrase that in the form of a question.”)

No. Though this is what makes them sweet home for musicians, the main reason for me falling in love with them was that when I entered the site I found myself in that real Cd store once again. The sweet nostalgia… 

 

 

In a matter of seconds I could again browse my way through the endless jungle of new music just by looking at the covers, just the way I like it, and just like I’m used to. No long descriptions, no advertisement, just plain self explanatory art leading to music at a speed of a click. And the music almost always matches the same level and style of the cover.

And there are bonuses: there’s huge amount of free Eps and Albums, lots of incredibly good music to download (really) in any format you want, and you can listen to everything that there is there for free in amazing quality (yes, you don’t need to buy it if you don’t want – just click the first song of the album and let it run, no 30 seconds previews, and no buffering problems).

Conclusion: The music industry is not dead. It’s just getting less industrial.

 

1 Love,

Sasha ۞

 

 

 

 

This is a comment I posted to Dubber's post The time has come: It’s ‘Quit MySpace Day’! and wanted to share with you because I think it is important. 

It was originally posted here as part of an important discussion concerning the future of MySpace in an abundance of social networks.  

Let’s say there’s a country, nice little strip of land with couple of millions of souls in population. Some of them work, and some don’t. Some are more communicative than others, and some are less. Some wear nice clothes while others put on themselves pink dresses with vampire prints, some spam while others don’t, and some multiply their play numbers to millions for the sake of their ego. You see where I’m getting at.

Let’s also say that the taxes in that country became high, the streets are dirty, and the natives can’t go outside without being attacked by blood thirsty salesmen.

So, will they all leave that country? Go on a strike?

I know, I know. Web page is not a country, nor it’s a home. Leaving a social network is much easier then packing A LOT of suitcases.

If just could they start living in elsewhere, without actually leave their old neighborhoods, without the need to leave their communities ,as well as the few really good friends they came to meet there over the years. And most important, without BURNING THEIR OLD APPARTMENTS TO THE GROUND WITH EVERYTHING INSIDE IT?

To make it short, why SIMPLY not be present in whatever network you want?
Why should you choose?

Social networks are communities, some better, and some worse, and it changes, as well as the trend, but they are by no means countries.
Now you can live everywhere at the same time, baby.

 

1 LOVE

Sasha ۞

 

 

 

Yes, you read it right (which is exactly what I'm saying to myself right now). 

7 years. And still not finished.

And it's not that I'm that lazy. I guess it's just hard to let go. Every day I find something I can improve, dirt keeps piling up on these well known sounds and I find myself never leaving the polishing wax (...maybe only that little vocal and that's it).

And it never is. 

Which is actually not so bad by the way.

I must admit that I really enjoy the process and that I'm sure I’m actually going to be proud of the result for a long time after it's out (already proud, only that little vocal…).

So I guess it's not really the most productive thing career wise, but who cares really?

The point is this. It is the glorious time of the age of countdown. We never had as much freedom as we have now. 

 

1 love. You have it, so share it! 

Sasha ۞

 

 

Two days ago Doug, a new friend, asked me what represents the "countdown" in the slogan on my music site. 

And the truth is I never really thought about it before he asked. It was all about a feeling, and a feeling can be described with words only in a blurry fashion. But I’ll try to elaborate.

I think we're living now in a very special time (AKA age) when the background is filled with constant and abstract certainty that something REALLY BIG is about to happen. Be that some unthinkable technological revolution, the end of the world as some ancient cultures and new age scientists claim, the inception of colonization of space, a real step towards immortality, or just a nice simple quantum leap in the human consciousness.

It all sounds like HUGE clichés, doesn't it? Well, it’s because we’re already used to all the possibilities above, even before they came true. Think about THAT for a second.

I'm personally in favor of the last scenario

I think you'll agree that the seeds can be seen everywhere.

People are generally much more friendly, cooperative, and less cruel to each other, and it's not happening only in one little movement like the hippies in the 60-s (I know - popular and noisy, but still rather tiny amount of people).

I’m talking about wide spread phenomena that will be seen clearly and everywhere. On a large scale, at a size of a planet. 

So the countdown is towards that, and I guess my goal is to try and make a soundtrack for this process, to that slow but unstoppable stream that will never reach its end, with its suffering that is still there, and the hope that no longer hides between the lines.

I know you can feel it too.

1 love,

Sasha ۞

 

 

Hello dear friends!

I'm proud to announce that I'm a soon to be father. 

The electronic child will weight 13 songs, part of them instrumental, and will be named "Planet". The far too long pregnancy took about 7 years now, so i guess it's about time. 

About half of the songs from "Planet" are presented here on my Myspace page in their demo version (as well as some previews from the album to follow). 

The album is now currently in the mix stage.  

I promised to myself to release this album until the end of 2010. Writing this down kind of makes it official. 

I want to thank all of you that look, hear and tell me what's on your mind. 

 

1lov,  b3,

Sasha  ۞