The Pansentient League is a blog from Edinburgh-based technical writer Jer White (also known as Afront). It’s mostly about music-streaming service Spotify, synthpop music and Google Android, with the odd post or two about science fiction and books.
Find me on Twitter @afront or email me at afront@pansentient.com
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Notables for this Blog
- The Pansentient League currently receives over 7,500 unique visitors per month and has between 10,000 and 16,000 page views per month
- This blog was described by Paul Lamere (director at The Echo Nest) as “the ultimate Spotify blog“
- Topped the Blog Roll: Spotify list in the Guardian (both online and print)
- Afront writes and maintains the Spotify resources page on the official Spotify website
- Over 240 readers subscribe to the content here through RSS
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Afront’s Pansentient League
When I was a kid in the 80s, I wrote and presented a speech called A Man’s Best Friend is His Computer. Shortly afterwards I sold my first computer program (a music composer for the ZX Spectrum) and discovered synthpop. I’ve been using the Internet since 1992 and started blogging in 2005. My other websites include:
- Pansentient.net – My main site from 2001 thru 2008, pansentient.net is my tribute to the synthpop group The Human League. It includes free mp3 downloads of the dozen-or-so League remixes I made, as well as a database of many unofficial Human League remixes from a variety of semi-professional artists and DJs. You’ll also find an assortment of multimedia, including my sci-fi comedy webcomic The Superhuman League.
- Pansentient League on MySpace - I’ve had this page on MySpace since late 2005. Most of my “friends” here are bands or artists I like, as MySpace remains the best place to meet and chat with musicians, writers and other talent.
- The Rame – My other (non-Human League) remixes and even a bit of poetry. The Rame first appeared on the 1974 compilation StarForce ALPHA CENTAURI. Since then, they have been busy recording a follow-up.
- Afront on Last.fm – I find my Last.fm account invaluable to find out about new bands, especially coupled with the Spotify recommendation services. I also admin a group called the Discophonic Workshop, which caters for fans of space- and italo-disco.
- Afront on YouTube – My YouTube channel has been serving up my crazy video-mashups since 2006. Many are based on the remixes I’ve made for pansentient.net and most feature samples from my favourite sci-fi shows. My most-popular video (over 117,000 views!) is the one below, featuring one of my Human League remixes synced to a mashup I made of 80’s spooky sci-fi show Sapphire and Steel.
Why Afront?
My nickname “Afront” goes back to my Quake III Arena days, when I loitered on irc and fragged on Barrysworld for my clan Lost Souls Rising. Back then I was known as The Affront (Iain M. Banks fans will appreciate the name), but seem to have lost some letters along the way. My avatar is now merely a front for my mischievous machinations and attempts at pan-sentience. Also for those asking, my avatar is indeed a lobster: an Ibacus peronii. I chose it mostly after reading the short-story Lobsters by Charlie Stross, a strange tale about an uploaded brain-scan of a lobster looking to escape from humanity’s interference. The Pansentient League originally featured in the sci-fi wargame StarForce Alpha Centauri, which also starred The Human League.
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Disclaimer
This is a personal site, and the views expressed do not represent or reflect the opinions of any other person or organization. I do not receive payment or services for any reviews or editorial.
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What I’ve Been Listening To Recently
- Joel Goldsmith – Stargate: Atlantis – Main Title
- Joel Goldsmith – Stargate: Atlantis – Main Title
- Joel Goldsmith – Main Title
- Joel Goldsmith – End Title
- Dennis McCarthy – Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Main Title
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