Here’s my 3rd Spotify playlist and this time I thought I’d go for something of a theme, that being “Alternate 80′s”. Therefore then all tracks I’ve featured hark from that era. Ok so maybe there not all alternate, and actually one isn’t from the 80′s at all (although in spirit is) but once again there all pretty much synth driven.So a couple of notes on this selection:

We kick off with an obscure Eurythmics B-Side from 1982 before moving into several familiar cuts from some of the UK’s seminal acts of the time. Then moving uptempo swoop into a more club oritentated angle with offerings from Pete Shelley (Buzzcocks) & Depeche Mode before swerving southbound into Italo Disco mode with Aeroplane’s ( They’re better than Daft Punk) recent remix of Sebastian Tellier and then Peter Richards “Walking in the Neon”. The last segment moves to electro-pop with Tim Simenon’s Bomb The Bass Project, followed by some early Moroder-esque-euro-disco from Belgium. The selection ends with, for me, one of the greatest pieces of electronic music ever produced, the totally timeless and therefore completely amazing “Dead Eyes Opened” composed by Aussie industrialists and synth pioneers, Severed Heads.

Here’s the full tracklist:

1. Eurythmics – Monkey Monkey (1982)
2. Talk Talk – Such a Shame (1984)
3. Brian Ferry – Don’t stop the Dance (Special 12″ Mix -1985*)
4. Japan – Quite Life (1979/1980)
5. Sharpe & Numan – Change Your Mind (1984)
6. Pete Shelley – I don’t know what it is (1981)
7. Depeche Mode – Get the Balance Right (Combination Mix – 1983)
8. Sébastien Tellier – Kilometer (Aeroplane “Italo 84″ Remix – 2009)
9. Peter Richard – Walking in the Neon (Dub Version – 1986)
10. Bomb the Bass – Don’t Make Me Wait (7″ Mix – 1988)
11: Sue Ann – My Baby My (1981)
12: Severed Heads – Dead Eyes Opened (1984)

Here then is the link for the playlist: http://bit.ly/h9rZFX hope you enjoy!

*Note that you must have the Spotify App installed, and of course be signed up to the premium service to dodge the Adverts. Artwork once again – as is custom – from Eric Carl’s fabulous Flickr Photostream: http://bit.ly/e18NTx

*Quick note on “Don’t stop the Dance” – John Daly (fave producer of mine) has done an excellent re-edit that’s not too hard to find …

Spotted this breathtaking selection of abstract space photography earlier today and thought it’d make a good meander to the flow of the blog…

This post then is something of an expanded retweet which I first saw linked via We Are Build’s Twitter feed http://twitter.com/BuildsBlog. The full article comes via Wired Magazine and that’s where you can see a complete set of 12 images. Here’s my thoughts and notes on the selected imagery…

All 5 photographs have been taken this year by NASA’s enduring Cassini probe which started it’s long mission to Saturn and it’s many moons back in 1997. Cassini–Huygens was developed as a twin NASA/ESA venture, with NASA constructing the Orbiter and the Europeans building the Huygens Probe (lander) which touched down on the surface of Titan (Saturn’s largest moon) on January 14th, 2005 transmitting data (via Cassini) back to earth for 90 minutes. Whilst not without some glitches both probes have been a phenomenal success making many significant discoveries such as confirming the existence of liquid hydrocarbon lakes, cryovolcanoes and mysterious “spokes” in Saturn’s rings, plus with plans to potentially run Cassini through to 2017 there is of course scope for learning so much more…

Top Image: The Icy moon of Tethys in silent transit around the enourmous gas giant. Tethys is just one of sixty two discovered Moons in orbit of Saturn.

2nd Image: The moons of Rhea (large in frame) and Epimetheus, despite the deceiving appearance these moons are in fact 250,000 miles apart. Rhea with a diameter of of 946 miles is Saturn’s second largest moon whilst at just 70miles across Epimetheus ranks 16th largest.

3rd Image: The dark side of Saturn cast’s a long heavy shadow across it’s rings – stunning! – the aforementioned moon of Thetys can be seen top right whilst Enceladus spins away bottom right.

4th Image: Perpetual storms on Saturn can feature wind speeds in access of 1000 mph and can be interspersed with violent cracks of lighting, amazingly Cassini managed to capture this phenomenon on film, check it out. Though unimaginably fast Saturn’s wind speeds are in fact trumped by those of far flung Neptune which can clock over 1300mph!

Bottom: Dione (Saturns 15th largest moon) is dwarfed by the looming Titan. Titan appears yellow in colour and is the only moon known too have a dense atmosphere, consisting of 98.4% Nitrogen with Methane making up the remainder… possibly not a holiday spot then.

**

As I mentioned do check the full post at Wired for another 7 images, or indeed try the NASA source.

A further selection of the work of Mark Weaver, the master of found collage & montage…

Top image ‘Avenge’, 2nd image ‘Transmission’, 3rd image ‘Memory’, Bottom Image ’1963′. All art is via Mark’s Flickr Photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/markweaver/. Well worth following!

A quick feature on French Illustrator Julien Pacaud who specialises in playful Surrealist Photomontage, often underpinned with subtle darker tones, here’s two examples of tinged with mid 20th century sauciness.

I’ve been meaning to feature Julien for a while, but didn’t know where to start, it’s all superb. If your interested in the craft of Photomontaged Illustration and would like to see a a demonstration of how to construct with Laser-Guided Precision definitely check out Julien’s site: http://www.julienpacaud.com a fantastic portfolio and an extremely impressive client list.

A selection of wonderful photomontage collage, the unmistakable style of American Graphic Artist Mark Weaver. I’ve been meaning to do a feature on Marks work for a while, though I’m sure you may already be familiar with him as samples from his Portfolio have (rightly) done the rounds on all the major design feeds.

So what makes Marks work so great? well it’s a marriage of several elements; muted palettes, subtle abstraction, striking typography, but most obviously it’s all founded in the selected use of great source material – makes me want to ram-raid a jumble sale!

See more at Marks Portfolio Site: http://markweaverart.com/ and his Flickr Photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/markweaver/

As spotted via FFFFound.com these excellent doctored Photo Illustrations from Designer/Illustrator Eric Zelinski aka OBNX MUTE. Original source material for these pictures I believe comes from NASA / NARA – a really classy demonstration of what’s achievable with the right found imagery.

These images are sourced via from the Flickr set “SPACE & MSCED” see the rest of that here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericzelinski/sets/72157614801147240/

OBNX MUTE Portfolio site: http://obnxmute.com/

More than a hint of Babarella here with this kitsch Photo/Montage, taken from a feature  than ran in “Harper’s Bazaar Magazine” – some time ago by the looks of it!

Image originally featured here via Flickr User: Lady Detektive plenty of other interesting vintage illustrations & photography in her Paper Fetish Set.

This striking Photomontage/Collage from Dutch illustrator and painter Karel Thole (April 20, 1914 – March 26, 2000) is an example of one of his many covers commissioned for the long running Italian Science Fiction Magazine “Urania”.

Read more about Karel Thole here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karel_Thole and Urania Magazine here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urania_(magazine)

A really good resource for an extensive library of Karel’s Retro-Scifi-Surrealism is here http://www.mondourania.com/index.htm recommended!

Image Sourced via flickr User Leekelso http://www.flickr.com/photos/leekelso/384042879/

El Lissitzky – Poster for the Russian Exhibition in Zurich, 1929, and the original photomontage prep work.

Lazar Markovich Lissitzky (1890 – 1941), better known as El Lissitzky was a Russian artist, designer, photographer, teacher, typographer, and architect. His work greatly influenced the Bauhaus, Constructivist, and De Stijl movements and experimented with production techniques and stylistic devices that would go on to dominate 20th century graphic design. Read more…

This inspiring image combines several of Lissitzky’s aforementioned skills, but best of all I really like the androgynous male/female illustration looking out of the frame – future gazing – in a way that typifies much of Constructivist Photomontage.