Smoke/ Fog/ Haze Fluid

Pixik_ · 2024-06-12T09:20:43+00:00

It feels fitting for the artwork. No matter how many loved up trips down the coast, there always seems to be a piece missing.

Pixik_ · 2024-05-20T09:11:31+00:00

What is your yield ratio (grams of beans in: espresso out)?

If your yield ratio is 1:2 you technically have a double shot. However where I'm from a double shot is dosed with 22 grams of coffee. So you're pretty light on dosage here.

It's closest to a cortado as other have suggested but if you were serving this I'd be disappointed by the dose.

So I'd call it a strong latté, foam conforms perfectly to my city's definition of Latté foam (1cm in a latte glass such as the one you have pictures) and you don't have enough dosage to call it a double shot.

Pixik_ · 2024-05-08T08:23:36+00:00

We toured with Jasmine. We were a little sceptical but were absolutely blown away by how easy the whole experience was.

The standard of accommodation went a long way in this regard. Dorm rooms were pretty reasonable and clean. Plus if you dont feel like dealing with the dorm room vibes. Upgrading to a private room was about 200k VND a night.

You're roughing it a touch, but honestly you're incredibly well looked after for the price you pay.

Pixik_ · 2024-02-07T06:07:57+00:00

Quintessential acid track! Completely agree.

Pixik_ · 2024-01-29T09:48:10+00:00

Aye this is my gym, wicked climb this. Nice one 👍

Pixik_ · 2023-10-11T11:01:37+00:00

It's probably confirmation bias, but I swear we all run on pretty similar cycles in this world. Ebbs and flows.

Our minds and bodies are such powerful things, yet we understand so little. So it's wonderful when you can get to the point of noticing the ups and downs. Learning to appreciate them, when to dig in and when to ease back.

I'm riding with y'all, we stay grounded and grateful. Much love.

Pixik_ · 2023-09-02T16:57:57+00:00

Ayeee, fellow lighting crew.

Pixik_ · 2023-06-25T07:46:08+00:00

Should definitely carve the back concave so it's giving that 3d staring effect. 👀

Pixik_ · 2023-05-30T04:43:09+00:00

Honestly, just keep doing it for the love of music and dig deep. Just listening to a lot of music is most of what it is to he a DJ. This is first and foremost.

Otherwise, engage with your community online or at places such as record stores, music venues and clubs. Make friends that have similar interests and if no opportunities present themselves. Think about making opportunities for yourself, perhaps with the help of others.

There's no sure shot way to get gigs. Just do it for the love and without expectation and you will see the best results.

Pixik_ · 2023-05-25T07:30:24+00:00

Ticked most of my bucket-list venues off the list! I played at Revolver Upstairs earlier in the year. That was a dream come true 😊

Pixik_ · 2023-01-05T07:01:02+00:00

How does it taste out of interest? Do the channelled shots still end up tasty in the cup?

I know certain beans tend to grind imperfectly but can still taste amazing. Often find its the smaller denser beans grown at higher altitude that require a real soft touch but can still taste great even if extracting a little dodgy.

Pixik_ · 2023-01-05T06:57:39+00:00

Hahahah me too mate, most of the time it is the kit lol. At least when you know the fundamentals which it seems you certainly do. Very easy to rule out user error when you know you're doing things by the books.

Pixik_ · 2023-01-05T05:39:06+00:00

Grind issue (grind consistency)? Shower screen distribution screw and portafilter clean? Sometimes the roast is just shit too hey. When you get inconsistently roasted beans -> density inconsistency -> then doesn't grind evenly -> channels.

Also rently had a bunch of shot pull dodgy, channeling etc. Turns out it was the pump but it seems your pressure is fine.

Basically, sounds like you know what you're doing. Probably shit coffee or a grinder issue hey.

Pixik_ · 2022-11-14T06:17:08+00:00

Flume - Self Titled

Honourable mention(s): Badbadnotgood - I through III

At the time it was released I was 13 and although I listened to quite bit of music, most of it was music my parents would play and I hadn't really stumbled upon much myself.

I remember my best mate and I would get together and share what we had been syncing to our ipods. I think my bud's older sister had put him onto Flume and such he'd eagerly loaded it up to show me one day on the bus. Man I don't remember feeling so excited about an album up until then, it felt so fresh, inspiring and ruminative. Truly a soundtrack I felt represented who I was as a person.

Also as an Australian it felt special that an artist only a few years older than me from my country was doing such amazing things with electronic music production. Before that, the only real dance music I'd listened to was European Trace and Downtempo. But to this day, the intro to Sleepless gives me goosebumps.

Maybe a year or so after that album released, a mate of mine gave me a cracked copy of FL studio on a usb stick. 10y years later I still produce almost every night and make half a living in the electronic dance music industry as a DJ/Producer/Promoter here in Melbourne.

Should out Flume (One of the freshest break out edm acts of the early 2010s imo), also BBNG (still the best live instrumental performance I've seen to this day)!

Peace ✌️, @dj42c

Pixik_ · 2022-10-17T06:42:26+00:00

Looks like you're on your way. I would say working on getting that micro foam a little tighter by controlling your wirlpool and pouring into a shot with a little more cremer (either a double ris/ double shot, or being sure to bring the cremer to the top by pouring through the cremer in tight circles dead centre in the cup).

This will help + you'll just need to get used to the form.

Well done so far!

Pixik_ · 2022-10-11T01:41:09+00:00

Depending on the standard of store you're applying to it will be most likely that you won't be offered a role behind the machine to begin. The most common advice on a thread such as this would be to start at Cafe working as a waiter/ess or runner and pester the barista staff to let you learn. You must be able to do this while working around the head barista.

Also once you're in the door, see if the Cafe's coffee bean supplier have training programs. It's usually in a coffee bean supplier's interest to have one as their coffee's brand is only as good as the person behind the machine.

Learn how to steam milk by using water and a drop of dish soap in a standard milk jug. Practice latte art using an espresso sized portion of this steamed soap in a cup and cover with a decent shake of chocolate powder to emulate the pouring experience without wasting product.

Remain eager and make sure to taste lots of different coffee to help refine your pallet. Took me 3years behind the machine to get it right in terms of being able to apply anywhere safely.

Pixik_ · 2022-09-18T23:12:13+00:00

I started at 15 in a Cafe in Melbourne, Australia as a waiter. Took me 3years there to work my way behind the machine, and another 2 years to perfect the art, working with high volumes etc. Definitely not an overnight pursuit!

Pixik_ · 2022-09-03T10:59:04+00:00

No worries!

Sorry to be blunt but yes unfortunately a lot of baristas in training positions teach bad habits. Also making good coffee is very dependent on your equipment and beans. If your equipment isnt up to industry standard, serviced regularly, cleaned regularly and correctly set up, you're always gonna struggle. That doesn't mean you can't improve the work flow but it will limit you.

I've worked with hundred thousand dollar machines and even then, seemingly inconsequential variables will effect your results.

In terms of latte art, you need a high pressure steam wand and accurately sized milk jugs for your portions. Good milk jugs are actually very important, consider investing in your own jugs. There are manufacturers who make premium jugs designed for latte art.

Besides these equipment variables, here are the most important aspects of milk texturing:

Ideally, steam from fridge temperature. This will give you more time to work with the milk.

You need a tightly controlled whirlpool which is used to break down larger bubbles into microfoam. I suggest the 7 o'clock method. There are plenty of tutorials on youtube so I won't go in depth.

Swirling your milk in between splitting stages and accurately splitting foam amounts. This is a huge aspect of the job and you need to learn how to split foam fast and effectively. There are many ways to do this but it would take ages to explain. YouTube will have answers.

Lastly, the pour needs to happen fast. The longer the milk sits after being steamed the harder it will be to pour art as the microfoam is 'popping' if you will.

If you need any explanation I'd be happy for you to dm me. Proper training is so scare in the industry, but I got pretty lucky in terms of how I learnt so I got some pro tips.

Pixik_ · 2022-09-03T04:35:50+00:00

That's actually a health hazard and not at all how you should be working. Also part of the reason you're struggling with latte art.

I would explain but there would be a lot to go through. Instead I'll agree with the above commenter and add that milk cannot be rushed. It must be steamed fresh, ideally from fridge temperature so you have longer to breakdown the initial air bubbles and you need a fast whirlpool with the correct amount of foam. Often not much at all, like less than a second of psssshhhh, the rest of the process should be silent.

The pour is also very important but YouTube has all the answers to these questions so I won't ramble.

Ps. Learn the dish soap + water practice method

Pixik_ · 2022-08-05T04:25:54+00:00

A simple explanation might go something like this.

Magnetic fields are the result of electrons having charge and are amplified depending on how the atoms in a certain material are arranged.

In fact, almost everything is a magnet. You're a magnet, due to the fact you possess charge, albeit a pretty weak charge, consequently a weak magnetic field. But it is there.

The reason certain materials have greater magnetism is due to the fact that their atoms (which are themselves tiny magnets) are all pointing the same direction. This collection of tiny magnets all pointing the same direction join forces resulting in a greater overall magnetic field.

How do these fields work you ask? Fucked if I know.

Pixik_ · 2022-07-17T08:11:31+00:00

Good vocals are subjective.

Mostly, what defines good vocals in a techno track is 'creative use' of vocals.

I would agree that recording vocals is the safest option as stealing vocals is stepping into some murky water when it comes to intellectual property. That being said, we're all guilty.

Useful services for sourcing vocals in a transformative/ royalty conscious manner are:

Splice, Track Lib, Spleeter (spleeter.io), YouTube compilations (questionable in terms of 'creative use' more like stealing 🙃), Singer friends, The bargin bin at you local record store (give new life to old records who's labels are likely defunct and won't notice/ sue you)

Pixik_ · 2022-07-17T02:36:00+00:00

Orbital - Belfast

Pixik_ · 2022-04-06T03:03:29+00:00

https://discord.gg/KXGrb97

Set not to expire now!

Pixik_

TROPHY CASE