The three terrible turntablists Martin Tétreault, Yoshihide Otomo and Philip Jeck will rock the 3rd Göteborg Art Sounds (GAS-Festival) (Sweden) on October 14, 2003. Tétreault and Otomo then moves to North America for concerts in Québec October 28, Montréal October 29 and at famous Tonic (New York City) October 30.

Headliner for the CMJ and Mental Monkey Recordings’ night in NY, Books on Tape will perform live on October 23, 2003 alongside bands Stars As Eyes, Midstates and Mixel Pixel.

Recent releases by c74, a CD label run by American software company Cycling ’74, is now available throught electrocd.com! Discover fascinating works by Sarah Peebles, Kim Cascone, Inoue Tetsu and Amnon Wolman.

Vivienne Spiteri will present three new works between October 10 and 12, 2003, at Totonto’s Soundplay festival: Anahata, an electroacoustic drama by Vivienne Spiteri; Lessening Stillness Growing by Micheline Roi and also And her Mind Moves upon Silence, a mixed work by Amnon Wolman.

Robert Normandeau will travel to Victoria and Vancouverto premiere two new works. Puzzle will be presented at Victoria’s Open Space Arts Society on October 9, 2003. The concert will also feature the compositions Chorus, Le renard et la rose et StrinGDberg. October 11, Vancouver will host the second premiere, Hamlet-Machine with Actors, commissioned by the Vancouver New Music. The Vancouver concert will also feature the compositions Si c’était du jour by Philippe Mion and Vol d’Arondes by Francis Dhomont.

Headphone Science is Dustin Craig’s hip-hop-informed IDM project, and We Remain Faded is a debut of sorts, although Craig has put out other, web-only releases. If you’ve followed this guy at all, you’ll know of his sharp knack for beat programming as well as his skill at creating ambient soundtracks.

We Remain Faded is a major evolutionary step for Headphone Science’s sound. The title track kicks things off with sumptuous melodies reminiscent of Boards Of Canada, suggesting all of the Scottish outfit’s lovely, environmental hallmarks, but with more pronounced beat work. Craig fills his tracks with a dense percussive onslaught, a rat-a-tat-tat cadence that follows the booty-shaking downbeat as much as leads it into a smooth, prickly hypnosis. It’s a Warp meets Ninja Tune aesthetic, crossing Autechre’s austere electro-pop with Cold Cut’s b-boy savvy.

Things get a bit radical — at least for Headphone Science — on the tracks that incorporate lyrics. Games brings in rap vocals chopped into barely recognizable bits (think Amon Tobin’s Verbal) and strewn in time with the track’s stripped-down, ghetto-level IDM. Larcenous (with its drum ’n’ bass meter) and Life Struggles Constant continue in this vein, offering plenty of cushiony tones and staccato lyricism — an effect that I love. After all, once you get past their message, rap vocals become part of the percussion section; Craig understands this, and has embraced his vocals’ rhythmic role. To Dine in Distance gets a special mention; a fantastic jazzy jam, it replaces the aforementioned lyrics with swooning acid trumpet and guitar-laden grooves. It’s a welcome change of pace, with an amazing payoff.

While We Remain Faded doesn’t offer new insights into music, the album furthers the thread of futurist hip hop in deliciously accessible ways. Something like this would be at home on the Lex (Warp’s sister label) imprint next to Boom Bip and other boundary blurrers. Don’t be surprised to hear Headphone Science make just such a debut in the future.