Understanding BlackBloc Tactics:

capriciousyetconstant:

Blocs, Black and Otherwise

As one middle-aged mother observed while members of the Quebec Black Bloc hugged each other before going off to battle the cops, “I always thought this was going to be sinister, but these are just brave kids!”

Materials:

• Matching clothing that conceals the wearers’ identities
• Trust and communication
• A mission

Optional Materials:

• Provisions: water (plenty, especially if you’ll be dressed in hot gear or expect chemical weapons attacks), food (don’t rely on shops or shopkeepers in contested zones), etc.
• Camouflage: different layers of clothing for different purposes or stages of the action
• Defensive gear: banners, shields (possibly disguised as puppets or placards), steel-toed shoes (should still be comfortable for running!), body armor or padding, gas masks or goggles and bandannas soaked in lime juice (store in ziplock bags until necessary), rain coats or chemical protection gear (if there is a risk of chemical attack), whatever relevant medical supplies you know how to apply, etc
• Offensive gear: spraypaint, projectiles, slingshots, signs or flags on thick poles (or just plain poles), molotov cocktails, bright lights (to obscure police or camera vision during night actions), ladders and/or bolt cutters for scaling or breaching barriers, etc.
• Communications equipment: hand radios, cell phones, police scanners, flags, drums, shared codes for making internal announcements
• Transportation: bicycles, enough change for the subway, keys to your SUV (easy there, killer, it’s just a joke!)

Action:

What is a Bloc? Are there other kinds besides the Black Bloc?

You may have heard of the notorious Black Bloc, a venerable, if not doddering, anarchist tradition in which a mass of direct action enthusiasts gather, all wearing black clothing and masks, and engage in some level of illegal activity. This tactic has won some famous victories in the past couple decades, and failed utterly more times than anyone can count, too. The specific cultural characteristics that are associated with the Black Bloc tactic today can make it easy to overlook the long history of the Bloc tactic and the wide variety of applications for which it can be used. The Boston Tea Party, for example, was a perfect example of a Bloc at work: the participants organized secretly, wore matching disguises (though their choice to costume themselves as “Indians” wasn’t exactly politically correct), and engaged in a mass act of provocative property destruction; presumably their strategies for communication and mutual defense weren’t much different from those used by the famous Black Blocs that, a couple hundred years later, attacked similarly noxious coffee corporations in Seattle. Those who practice direct action would do well to keep in mind the wide range of scenarios in which a version of the Bloc approach can be useful.

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(Source: crimethinc.com)

How To Use Traktor Pro Effects For Better Mixing: Autobouncer

pushmorebuttons:

This video series will help demystify some of the effects that are within Traktor that can sometimes be confusing or intimidating. This video focuses on the Autobouncer effect. The Autobouncer is a powerful effect that when understood and used correctly can greatly enhance your live remixing or effects glitching.

Read after the jump to get an in-depth explanation of the Autobouncer and a detailed description of my preferred settings.

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