My good friend and fellow artist James McGuire (aka J.Marcus) has just released his latest electronica album “Automat Collider”. It’s 15 tracks long, and each track is uniquely distinct from the next.

The album reflects his versatility as a musician, and his open taste as an artist. You can download his album from jmarc.uc. Sapphire Dancer and Stilt Groove two of my favorites from the album.

Colin Delargy is a long time friend. Back in 10th grade and around 9 years ago, we dove into the world of computer-based art and electronic music, and ever since have been feverishly creating work of our own.

Now working as a software developer for Intuit, he continues to make time for his passion for electronic music. Lately he’s been cutting together some really fantastic mixes. Check them out at rem-ember.org

Warning: Psy-trance may harm your mind.

Lastly, Owen, Chris, and Dan from OCD Productions have released the soundtrack to their film The Nightingale Princess. As some of you already know, myself as well as several other friends / musicians scored the film. So be sure to check it out. Wish them the best as they migrate to LA. I’ll be missing them from the eastcoast.

Last night I was inspired take some photographs at the top of Mount Pollacks, which is only a two minute walk from where I live. Here are the few that came out well. I desperately need a tripod… Below I am posting a few other long exposure photos from about a year ago.

Here are a few photos from my last week in Beijing. The first two are of my students, ATAP1 then ATAP2. And the third is of some colleagues; TAs, teachers, and staff. Digging through these photos makes me miss everyone very much. The batch of photos below were taken at a bar during my last weekend in Beijing.

After visiting my sister and friends in NYC I have returned to the valley. It’s been a couple days being back, and so far so good. I can’t get enough of the trees and fresh air. Although Beijing has considerably impacted my life, it now feels like a distant dream. Some of my friends still there have said that the relations between foreigners and government have only gotten worse. Apparently, officials have been performing random visa and residence permit inspections. Bars have been shutting down all over the city and the population of foreigners continues to drop. I am relieved to get out when I did. But I already miss the city, for all the people I know there, and for the insanity that runs through it.

Now that I am back, I am excited to be here. There are a couple of projects that I’ll be involved in immediately, and another much longer one, if it is able to get off the ground. Over the next couple of months I’ll retrospectively be posting pictures and stories from Beijing, and also hope to show some of the artistic influences that have affected me since living in Beijing. But right now, I need to get situated. Look forward to seeing those of you that I haven’t already.