A brief history of electronic music
Grab some magnetic tape and a splicing block and go make music, or wave your hands in front of two antennas, just like the pioneers of electronic music used to.
But the craft of making an electronic tune is vastly different today.
The history of electronic music has been constantly changing, according to Nathan Wolek, an associate professor of music at Stetson University in De Land, Fla., who teaches a course called The History of Electronic Music.
Mercury Lounge hosts DJs and breakdancers
The dance floor bounced on Oct. 8 as DJ Mari Rossi of São Paulo, Brazil joined local veteran DJ Lance Baptiste at Ottawa’s Mercury Lounge, offering thumping rhythms to an approving crowd of club-goers.
Local breakdancers and musicians added their styles to the mix, showcasing a collage of dance and electronic music cultures from across the globe.
DJ Baptiste started the party with a selection of jazz influenced electronica while a local breakdance crew known as the Capital House Sessions warmed up the floor.
The devil in the medical cabinet
Mike remembers what he was doing when actor Heath Ledger died.
He and his friends were speedballing — chasing lines of cocaine followed by crushed-up OxyContin, a pain reliever.
Ledger supposedly died by mixing the same pain reliever Mike and his friends were using with other drugs.
Mike, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, says he and his friends had laughed about it at the time, but he admits Ledger’s death scared him.
Digital classrooms
The dulled vibration of a cell phone or the whirring of a laptop fan are all too familiar sounds in university lecture halls today.
Technology has been on the rise on campus for both students and professors, and that begs the question: is technology distracting students from learning?
There are two sides to the debate of technology in the classroom.
This is your brain online
The Internet is often called the hallmark of the information age, bringing all of the world’s knowledge to our fingertips.
But some researchers argue that ease of access is destroying our ability to focus and changing the way our brains process information — consuming it at a rapid pace without proper reflection.
