David Temkin & Josh Klenert – In Formation

How about this for an arresting tagline “Every day, computers are making people easier to use”. David Temkin came up with it for In Formation, a very different kind of tech publication. “It’s not the place to read about the business of tech, or how to get the most out of that new product, or how to optimize your Linkedin profile” explains David who happens to be the Editor-In-Chief of In Formation. This isn’t a new publication. The first issue was published 25 years ago, during the dot-com boom. The internet was just emerging from its academic cocoon and beginning to sink its teeth into society. “The hype and absurdity were off the charts, and we mocked it all relentlessly”, adds David. “But where the era’s promoters hoped to take us was no laughing matter; we saw the warning signs and took a wild swing at what their utopia could mean for all of us”. A quarter of a century later, Temkin teamed up with Creative Director, Josh Klenert¹, together they have assembled a talented crew to reintroduce In Formation. 

With Temkin on the west coast and Klenert on the east coast we met via Zoom for a conversation on why In Formation is back. A fascinating and informative chat entailed. The enthusiasm, (if not passion) David and Josh show for their project is compelling. With much more to learn and discuss about In Formation we invited Temkin and Klenert back to Life Elsewhere for a future in-depth conversation. 

But wait, there’s more! Such a lot to read and digest with In Formation, you can also listen to The LayOffs who are redefining what it means to make music in the age of absurdity. A flexi-disc is included for your “meatspace ear holes” we are told. The Layoffs are Jerry Business (Jeremy LaCroix), D-Rob (David Robinson), and J-Kay (Josh Klenert). They are real musicians, laid off from real tech jobs. According to the publicity blurb, “Amid the analog grit and digital madness, The LayOffs embrace the absurdity of it all. One track features a vocoder AI narrating a breakup with its WiFi router, backed by a slide guitar solo played through a dial-up modem filter. Another song, Space Karen, is a meditation on identity in the era of disappearing truths. We’re holding a mirror up to a world glitching between the sublime and the ridiculous, using tech to poke fun at tech — and doing it with guitars, DAWs, and a little help from HALsie”.

We’re All In Formation by The LayOffs airs directly the conversation with David and Josh. 

Steve Brodner – Living & Dying In America

The unstoppable cacophony of Manhattan’s ambient soundtrack – police sirens, a building’s gurgling water pipes, the banging and crashing of who-knows-what fail to stymie Steve Brodner’s gentle, yet acerbic comments. We are recording via Zoom, it’s around 8.30 pm, the famed political cartoonist appears to have the windows open, with no intention of allowing the outside racket to interfere with our conversation on his new book, Living & Dying In America. This is the type of scenario that Brodner is so apt to illustrate. Getting a point across while creating the ambiance of a “situation”. Living & Dying In Americais a daily graphic diary of the covid-19 years, conceived, written, and drawn by the award-winning caricaturist. It is a testament to those who died, a chronicle of the hardships and the pain suffered by those who lived through it, a grim indictment of political and civic leaders who failed us, it’s a profound moral document of our times. 

Adrian Sherwood – The Collapse Of Everything

To take us up to the closing credits a small taste of new music from the Dubmaster himself, Adrian Sherwood. Long hailed as a leading dub mixologist the London-based producer has a new LP, The Collapse Of Everything. A meticulously constructed album, pushing his ever adventurous sound into new frontiers, featuring Brian Eno, Doug Wimbish, Keith Le Blanc, Cyrus Richards, and more. Mastered and cut by Frank Merritt at The Carvery. With curiously charming artwork by our good friend Peter Harris.