Rob and Alex reminisce about 2006 and think ahead to 2007, before swapping places for the holidays.

Just found out I have Friday off yesterday evening, so I'm packing my bags and taking the bullet train to Osaka this morning (the 28th here)! Got a special invite from the organizer of Space Odyssey 2007 himself, DJ TripleBypass, so how can I resist packing a few records? Who knows where I might show up during the next week. A bagful of records will mean a few free drinks and maybe even some food along the way! Posted by Rob.

Here's a travel gem from Flying Koala. I think the commentary and the incidental sounds are the best part! Posted by Rob.

A great cold eggnog recipe takes a strange turn. Filmed by Makiko and Rob.

Posted by Rob.

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wrap it up with care
as form of life
which was representing
a threat
shake it shake it
that as mankind
the indian waited
at the barrier

the sound system is
great to be let into
the GREEN ZONE
he simulated like consciously
shared servility which
would geologist his rich mention?!

we just groove
identify him as a primitive life
from the interior oyster diver
jungle survival holy communion
at the barrier

survivor instructor pellants
sprayed at him but i work
on chores based on
the brilliant facets
of his eyes
the tiny scales

it's a pair of scissors
pieces of his skin
were not detected
the weave of then
used in concierto
with a comb separate
furry cells did not
become unravelled

i feel like i'm back
in his million-in-one man
penetrated the out
having to make correct
green uninfested work
as a TV camera man.

Posted by Rob.

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Holiday greeting from NFTOS regular Charles Billard.

http://www.charlou2006.blogspot.com

Posted by Rob.

A holiday greeting from friend and Osaka resident Rik of Chorizo Smells.

Posted by Rob.

Continuing to upload songs one at a time from our first music show on 12 December 2006, here's a little something from Charles vs Alex.

If you're mainly interested in the music podcasts on NFTOS, you can subscribe to music from the other side on iTunes and receive the music program only. You can find the music-only blog at http://www.nftosmusic.blogspot.com

Hope you are all enjoying your holidays! Posted by Rob.

I'm not a big fan of the commercialism, the obnoxious last-minute once-a-year shoppers or the in-your-face proselytizing rampant this time of year.

In Japan, I'd be completely oblivious to it all, if it weren't for the ubiquitous Christmas music (even at temples and shrines) and the occasional crucifed Santa Claus, but this photo by Alex warms the heart.

Posted by Rob.

Tags:  NFTOS, homeless, ホームレス, クリスマス

Who's the host with the most?

Edited by Makiko. Posted by Rob.

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"...E este ano nao vai ser igual a aquele que paso, O! Que paso."  -Os Novos Baianos.  Posted by Rob.

It's that time of the year again! I have a feeling I'll be posting quite a few friends' New Year's Party flyers this year, starting with this one from DJ D-Mac in Washington D.C. Posted by Rob.

Here's a link to my brother Rolf's artwork, which I believe mostly dates back to his college days. I wish he'd do some new stuff! Right now he's more into building LEGO models. Have a look!

http://pic5.piczo.com/rolfholbrook/?g=26633837&cr=5

and

http://pic5.piczo.com/rolfholbrook/?g=6114877&cr=5

Posted by Rob.

Here are our top 20 songs and music videos as of 13 December. 1. : Alex & Rob: ALT Rap Video (lyrics by Rob H. & John Sanders). 2. Alex, Rob & Drummer: ALT Rap Improv with live drums! 3. Quest: Shinbashi Station. 4. Alex Brooke: Soapmonster. 5. Quest: ALT Re-Rap. 6. Alex & Charles: Nakatsu Music Project. 7. Alex Brooke: Clean-up video. 8. Charles Billard: Icitte les Oeufs video. 9. Quest: Nebra-ska. 10. Alex Brooke: Take Anything You Want. 11. Rob: ALT Rap vocal track (lyrics by Rob H. & John Sanders). 12. Alex & Rob: ALT Rap original recording (vocals by Rob H., lyrics by Rob H. & John Sanders). 13. Quest: All The Little Things. 14. Alex Brooke: I Wanna Tell You. 15. The Trenchparrots: Irrepressible Urges of Spring. 16. The Smouldering Door: Wroclaw Panache. 17. Will Spin: JR Song. 18. DJ Kung-fu Grip: ALT Rap Remix. 19. Bashiri do Cavaco: Cavaquinho Debut! 20. Limelight Circus: Live at L'Institut (video).

A dishonourable mention goes out to Alex's and Johnny Heartbreaker's talk show entitled Days of Grunge, a cowardly attack on Nirvana. If Kurt were still around, he'd kick both your asses! Also, I've started uploading the 6 songs from the the 12 December music program one at a time, starting with Quest's That Ass Is Your Meal Ticket! Keep sending us your songs and videos!! Posted by Rob.

Debuted on our first music program podcast. The artwork is something Johnny pulled off of Google Images. "I no make it," he says.

If you're mainly interested in the music podcasts on NFTOS, you can subscribe to music from the other side on iTunes and receive the music program only. You can find the music-only blog at http://www.nftosmusic.blogspot.com

Posted by Rob.

Is this the same John Sanders who lived in Osaka with his lovely wife Dana, and who co-wrote the infamous ALT Rap?! Posted by Rob.

We now have over 40 music files available including music videos, live performances and a few samples which seem to be quite popular. Here are the bottom 20 as of 13 December. 21. Rob: Ichijiku Chant. 22. Alex: Orange Princess (An Ode to DJ Sachiko) 23. The Trenchparrots: My Ex-Girlfriend Walks In. 24. Anonymous: Indian Technician Sample (Hello, hello, hello?) 25. Jonny Heartbreaker: Baby. 26. Jet Jaguar: News. 27. The Trenchparrots: Nuthin' to Say. 28. Deus Ex Machina: Domination remix. 29. The Trenchparrots: Footprints. 30. Alex Brooke: Prapatang Grooves. 31. Jerry Gordon: Playing with the Arrow 2. 32. Noisivelvet: Shark Attack! 33. Smouldering Door & Takezo Tabo Aoki: G.I. Joe. 34. Charles Billard: ALT Rap Answers the Questions. 35. Anonymous: Indian Technician remix. 36. Smouldering Door / Plink Plonk Congress: Dancing Charcoal Pixies. 37. Jerry Gordon: Anarchy Larynx Tattoo mix. 38. Jerry Gordon: Playing with the Arrow 3. 39. Kurochi Sound Art: The Voist. 40. Smouldering Door: Pajammin' Party. An honourable mention goes out to the most recently uploaded music file for it's badass saxophone by Jerry Gordon: La Stish. Also, the 6 songs on the the 12 December music program will be posted one at a time, and will rapidly make their way up the charts you can be sure! Posted by Rob.

The process of creating abstract art. Posted by Rob.

How about an artshow in April, with an opening party on, say, the 21st? Okha and I have been mulling over the idea of having a show in Tokyo for quite sometime now, and the only way to make it happen is to say "It's going to happen!"

Over in Nebraska, Peter Morris and Ed Mejia are cooking up something FRESH, an art magazine or a small design book or something. Since I don't want to get too scattered, I've decided to concentrate on one theme this spring, so we're kind of bandwagoning the title of their project. I'd like to call our show fresh too, only in Japanese.

The "kanji," or Chinese character, for the word is pronounced "nama" in Japanese, and that's what our show is going to be called. This character can be used in a variety of ways, creating multiple meanings, so we'll be able to expand on the English definitions of "freshness."

This is only the beginning yet really. If you're interested in this show, please join the NFTOS forum at groups.msn.com/newsfromtheotherside. Posted by Rob.

I caught Matt Duffy a.k.a. DJ TripleByPass Skyping during his lunch break and we had a chat about events in Osaka and the laws of the land. It sounded like his mic was cutting out a bit. I hope the audio is not too bad! I'll try to get the links he mentioned up soon! Posted by Rob.

Six new songs via the land of the rising sun (when you're lucky enough to be able to see through the smog!).

1. That Ass Is Your Meal Ticket - Hayden a.k.a. Quest

2. No Title - Wes

3. I'm Fine, I'm Kenta - Charles

4. No Title - Alex

5. Everything We Know - Tal Brott

6. Fraise en Fez - Renew Audio a.k.a. DJ Bobo vs Rob a.k.a. El Gringo (cue up Noisivelvet's Phrase in Phase and watch with the audio off--you'll find it very similar!)

Got anything you think we should hear? Send your .mp3 to either Alex or to Rob with a grapic to go along with it.

If you're mainly interested in the music podcasts on NFTOS, you can subscribe to music from the other side on iTunes and receive the music program only. You can find the music-only blog at http://www.nftosmusic.blogspot.com

This podcast was recorded in Tokyo by Alex and Rob, then edited in Kagawa (or wherever Alex was at the moment). Photo of Tokyo Tower by Alex. Posted by Rob.

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Tonight! Tuesday, 12 December 2006. See the flyer to the right for links and details. I'm a last minute add-on as DJ and I'll be filling the after 10:00 p.m. till last train slot. Don't know what I'll spin yet. Christmas tunes? Probably not, but I assure you, the mood will be festive yet UNPREDICTIBLE! Posted by Rob a.k.a. DJ El Gringo.

the universal culture is kind of like a football hooligan bored of my dreams adrift i'm just trying to keep my sanity when suddenly in the middle of the mall's christmas display four days after thanksgiving turned you into a born again AMERICAN gigolo-in-uniform feigning the most refined in my bagfull of shrunken heads

-Rob

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the universal culture
is kind of like a football
--all round
anyone who opposes it
is a terrorist-hooligan
bored of my dreams, adrift
i'm just a modern day
switchboard operator
trying to keep my sanity
when suddenly
in the middle of it all
you find sanity
on santa's velvet lap
in the mall's christmas display
four days after you swore
you would never again
make a wish
thanksgiving turned you into
a born again AMERICAN
500 experiences shine, flash!
holy gigolo-in-uniform feigning
the most refined & angelic behavior
till each face i got in my
bagfull of shrunken heads
jungles seven seas.

Posted by Rob.

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Words and reading by Rob. Inspired by the cut-up methods of Tristan Tzara, Brion Gysin, William S. Burroughs and Jeff Noon's viral writing process. Photo of Makiko and Timo.

This podcast is actually a continuation of last Monday's Skype Conference Call between Alex, Makiko and Rob. In OSAKA, it's the LAST DAY of Charles Billard's exhibit at Gallery Flou! Unfortunately, we find ourselves in the grey and drizzly Tokyo today. Monsieur Billard's show brings together a series of collages, some of which were exhibited in France in a show called "Roots of Origin." More recent works deal with the idea of loss, symbolized by empty white spaces covering cryptic messages. The CLOSING event on December 9th is an attempt to push further the idea of collage, through the pairing of artists working in disciplines that seldom connect: Buyou dance and sanshin, African drum and abstract sound art, contemporary dance and classical Indian sitar... These are a few examples of what you can experience at the event. And don't forget to bring your own instrument, as there will be a collective jam session where everyone is welcome to join. Most of the text from this article was pilferred from Kansai Scene. Photo of Tokyo Tower by Alex who is back in the Tokyo area for a few days. Posted by Rob.

Today in Tokyo, I recommend the monthly SambaNova DJ event at Roots in Shibuya. The graphic is a photo of the new Taiyo Record first anniversary wear now available at DJ Ryousuke Itoh's music store in Kagurazaka. Links coming soon (most have been posted before, just look in the events folder). Posted by Rob.

Spice up your evening! Tonight from 9:00 p.m. till last train (near Sendagaya Station on the Soub Line or Harajuku on the Yamanote Line). There's a map on this page, same place as Gallery Cuzco. Come on out, you hear? Posted by Rob.

Lots of stuff. The gig is on! I'll be DJ'ing tonight at Bonobo in Sendagaya, plus several other events coming up in the next few days for which I'll be typing in details soon! Posted by Rob.

David Roy discusses a recent animation project he was a team member of, as well as product placement in Japanese anime. I'll be putting up more details of the next QuickFlickWorld soon. The theme this time is "Unpredictbale!" Here's a mixi link for now. Posted by Rob.

DJ Bobo mixes samples and beats to visual trickery by Noisivelvet. This video instantly reminded me of a book I read by Jeff Noon called Cobralingus and a word sequencing tool (which I couldn't find when I looked for it just now--hmm) recently reinterpreted by Stig Legrand. Posted by Rob.

I wrote a letter to the editors of VeloNews.com, a cycling journal, around 1 November 2006, then forgot about it:

Waiting for an iPOG?
"Dear VeloNews,
When can we start listening to Patrick O'Grady's rants on our iPods? I think the people are ready to listen!
-Rob, Tokyo, Japan"
Editor: "Awwww, we'd have done it a long time ago, but he really does foam at the mouth when he rants and it ruins the microphones. - Editor"

You can find the letter if you scroll down near the bottom of this page or click here for Patrick O'Grady's Foaming Rant column. Posted by Rob.
p.s. It looks like they do have a cycling news audiocast for you race fans out there (i.e. Hans). -r

Alex and Rob (with a bit of Makiko) address our inner Adam Sandlers and talk about all sorts of stuff, like upcoming projects, contests, etc. Photo of Makiko quilting. Continued on #19 (if you can bear another half hour of us!) Posted by Rob.

Okay, we've had this video up on NFTOS since 22 February of this year, and it's sitting at #5 among our non-Alex or Rob contributions. Now you can subscribe to him directly on YouTube. "This piece shows my frustration towards Japanese commercial goods. The quantity just doesn't seem to be there..." -C.-E. Billard

Here's a video Makiko edited from some footage we shot in the park last week. See part 1: Picnic near Imperial Palace. Sorry, neither are very hi-tech. Posted by Rob.

40 contributions to NFTOS from people other than Alex or myself. 1. Quest: Shinbashi Station. 2. Quest: ALT Re-Rap. 3. Charles Billard & Alex Brooke: Nakatsu Music Project* (okay, so Alex is on this one). 4. Danyk, Ivan: Tin's Hall video (yes, the first half was by Alex). 5. Charles: Icitte les Oeufs video. 6. Quest: Nebra-ska. 7. Charles: Postcard from China #1. 8. Quest: All The Little Things. 9. The Trenchparrots: Irrepressible Urges of Spring ("Who are these guys really?" It has been asked). 10. The Smouldering Door (Charles Billard and Jerry Gordon): Wroclaw Panache. 11. Will Spin: JR (Japan Rail) Song. 12. DJ Kung-fu Grip: ALT Rap (DJ Kung-fu Grip Mix). 13. Charles: Postcard from China #2. 14. Okha: Message from the Flying Koala. 15. Bashiri do Cavaco: Cavaquinho debut!. 16. The Trenchparrots: My Ex-Girlfriend Walks In. 17. Anonymous Indian technician voice sample (Why does the original sample have more downloads than the remix?). 18. The Trenchparrots: Nuthin' to Say. 19. Jonny Heartbreaker: Baby* (this one contains a bit of Alex, just as the first recording had Rob on backing vocals) . 20. Hans: Birthday Greeting. 21. The Trenchparrots: Footprints. 22. Jerry Gordon: Playing with the Arrow 2. 23. Jet Jaguar: News. 24. Deus Ex Machina: Domination (remix). 25. Noisivelvet: Sharkattack!. 26. Hans: Germany vs Sweden and Dragonflies!. 27. Hans with horns: Cinco de Mayo. 28. Hans: In Search of Ptarmigan. 29. Charles: ALT Rap Answers the Questions. 30. Anonymous: Indian Tech Remix. 31. Smouldering Door/Takezo Tabo Aoki: G.I. Joe. 32. Jerry Gordon: Playing with the Arrow 3. 33. Smouldering Door / Plink Plonk Congress: Dancing Charcoal Pixies. 34. Jerry Gordon: ALT Anarchy Larynx Tatoo mix. 35. BEB: Trash Talk (in Japanese). 36. Kurochi Sound Art: The Voist (with Charles). 37. Charles Billard: Pajammin' Party* (this was posted in "events" along with upcoming info for Charles' next event "Inter-play"). 38. David Roy as Pastor Ted* (filmed & edited by Rob). 39. Jerry Gordon: La Stish. 40. Makikomo: Nature. Lots of new stuff we'll be releasing soon including new recordings by Charles, Quest & Jonny Heartbreaker! Photo by Alex. Posted by Rob.