Distance, member of the famous pc demogroups orange and tpolm, of the mono211, and level-d musicgroups is a prolific and very good tracker. His style evolved with the years, but he's mostly fighting in the territories of Ambient Music, IDM and other experimental genres with simple but powerful melodies.
He's currently using the name lackluster for releasing commercialy, in for example the Focus label. Some people report he may be finnish and even called esa ruoho.

Although units of length are normally most appropriate for measuring distance, with urban congestion taking over more and more of people's living space we often refer to distance in units of time. In the Los Angeles area, this has been true for years:

"How far is it from here to your grandmother's house?"

"About 40 minutes."

In San Francisco, it takes me about 20 minutes to get between any two points. If they're close together, I walk. If they're far apart, I ride my motorcycle or take a taxi.
Sample C code to find distance between two points on a single coordinate system, in the form:
point1 = (X1,Y1)
point2 = (X2,Y2)


#include <math.h>
distance = sqrt( pow((X2 - X1),2) + pow((Y2 - Y1),2) )


Note that this is only effective for two dimentional coordinate systems, though can be easilly modified to accomodate more.
Distance was Utada Hikaru's third album, and her second in Japanese. It's also one of my favorite albums ever, and definitely one of the best albums in the history of Japanese pop. This is evidenced by how well it sold: into the millions, both in Japan, throughout Asia, and even as an import in Europe and North America.

It was released in March of 1999, when Hikki was sixteen.

  1. Wait and See - I have never heard a song quite like this one come out of any singer's mouth in my entire life. The best way I can describe it is: imagine an Evanescence vocal track, backed by about fifty different MIDI instruments playing at almost random intervals, with a funky pop drum beat in the background and some solid acoustic-sounding bass, and being sung by a Japanese teenager. It was a classic the moment it was created, and the last cymbal of the song can turn into an orgasm if you listen too closely. A+
  2. Can You Keep A Secret? - This is slightly more standard R&B fare. Your average TLC/Destiny's Child-type girl group could sing it as album filler. Utada's voice carries it: the beat and instrumentals might as well have been lifted from any hip-hop DJ. It's still a solid track, though. B
  3. Distance - It's kind of hard to classify this one. In Moodlogic, I would rate it as "somewhat sentimental," but the peppy, softcore execution of the song really belies the yearning message behind it. Hikki ended up making a slower, orchestral, ballad-like version of the song for her Deep River album, called "Final Distance," which was much better. So Distance's title track came out slightly flat. B-
  4. Sunglass - First of all, this song has great bass and pads. I love it just for the backing track: Hikki's singing doesn't come out as strongly in this one. The overall effect is very subdued and relaxing, making it a great track to mellow out to. B+
  5. Drama - And then everything changes again! "Dorama" has a very strong rock influence, but it's still essentially R&B: the beat and the bass drive it along, not the distorted-out guitars. Hikki wails a bit toward the end, but the combination of styles is pretty nice, whether you're a rock fan or an R&B fan. B
  6. Eternally - They don't have prom in Japan, but if they did, every teenaged couple would be dry humping to this song on the dance floor. "Eternally" is Distance's trusty patented love song, and Utada, who made her splash onto the scene with another love song ("First Love"), sings it perfectly. Good orchestration. Good beat. Put together very well. You can't listen to it without at least thinking of making out with your unrequited love. A+
  7. Addicted to You - This one was famous in Japan because Sony used it in commercials for batteries and MiniDiscs. Hikki keeps her voice low, and the beat shuffles along. It's a pretty mellow song, but it moves along at a good pace, and it has good (but not awesome) backing tracks. B
  8. For You - This picks up a lot from "Addicted To You." The beat still sort of maracas along (if that makes sense), but the drums are stronger, and the instrumentation is much more dynamic, making it a more danceable and rock-out-able song. It's very jazzy, with piano riffs here and there and some serious acoustic bass work, and Hikki sings damn well. A
  9. Kettobase - "I want your baaaaaa-byyyyyyy!" It's absolutely insane, and I love it. After a series of slower songs, Utada comes back with a fast-paced and wonderfully quirky track, backed by an array of electric guitar samples. Her voice is still pretty: it's just surrounded by a breakneck jam band, to great effect. A+
  10. Parody - This is one of the best uses of pizzicato strings I've heard in a while, and it's probably where Hikaru's singing hit one of its high points. Her voice is just pure on this track, which goes back to the jazzy shuffle mode, but feels much more lighthearted. It's not memorable, but it's a good listen. B+
  11. Time Limit - Now we've got a true R&B track, the sort of thing you could break dance to on a street corner in the ghetto. The entire song is an extended metaphor comparing a relationship to expired food, and in the refrain, Utada says to order it with someone else "because I'm not paying." It's simply awesome: in a world of campy J-pop songs, it's unusually poetic and extraordinarily funky. A+
  12. Kotoba ni Naranai Kimochi - Then we slow down again to another R&B track that proceeds along at walking pace. Honestly, if Hikki had left this track off the end of the album, I would have enjoyed the album just as much. In comparison to the series of songs before it, "Kotoba" is pretty blase, although it's still well-made and good to dance to, or just to mellow out to. B-
Overall rating: astronomical. Just buy it, or download it, or borrow it, or do whatever you have to do. Every audiophile will find something that's likable about Distance.
The song goes like this:

Ki ni naru no ni kikenai
Oyogi tsukarete
Kimi made muguchi ni naru
Aitai no ni mienai
Nami ni osarete
Mata sukoshi tooku naru
Togirenai you ni
Keep it goin', baby
Onaji kimochi ja nai nara
Tell me, muri wa shinai
Shugi de mo sukoshi nara
Shite mite mo ii yo

I wanna be with you now
Futari de distance shijimete
Ima nara ma ni au kara
We can start over
Hitotsu ni wa narenai
I wanna be with you now
Itsu no hi ka distance mo dakishimerareru
You ni nareru yo
We can start sooner
Yappari I wanna be with you

Hitokoto de konna ni mo
Kizu tsuku kimi wa
Kodoku wo oshiete kureru
Mamorenai toki, keep on tryin' baby
Yakusoku toori ja nai kedo
Trust me, muri wa shinai
Shugi de mo kimi to nara
Shite mite mo ii yo

I wanna be with you now
Futari de distance mitsumete
Ima nara ma ni au kara
We can start over
Kotoba de tsutaetai
I wanna be with you now
Sono uchi ni distance mo dakishimerareru
You ni nareru yo
We should stay together
Yappari I wanna be with you

Dis"tance (?), n. [F. distance, L. distantia.]

1.

The space between two objects; the length of a line, especially the shortest line joining two points or things that are separate; measure of separation in place.

Every particle attracts every other with a force . . . inversely proportioned to the square of the distance. Sir I. Newton.

2.

Remoteness of place; a remote place.

Easily managed from a distance. W. Irving.

'T is distance lends enchantment to the view. T. Campbell.

[He] waits at distance till he hears from Cato. Addison.

3. Racing

A space marked out in the last part of a race course.

The horse that ran the whole field out of distance. L'Estrange.

⇒ In trotting matches under the rules of the American Association, the distance varies with the conditions of the race, being 80 yards in races of mile heaths, best two in three, and 150 yards in races of two-mile heats. At that distance from the winning post in placed the distance post. If any horse has not reached this distance post before the first horse in that heat has reached the winning post, such horse is distanced, and disqualified for cunning again during that race.

4. Mil.

Relative space, between troops in ranks, measured from front to rear; -- contrasted with interval, which is measured from right to left.

"Distance between companies in close column is twelve yards."

Farrow.

5.

Space between two antagonists in fencing.

Shak.

6. Painting

The part of a picture which contains the representation of those objects which are the farthest away, esp. in a landscape.

⇒ In a picture, the Middle distance is the central portion between the foreground and the distance or the extreme distance. In a perspective drawing, the Point of distance is the point where the visual rays meet.

7.

Ideal disjunction; discrepancy; contrariety.

Locke.

8.

Length or interval of time; period, past or future, between two eras or events.

Ten years' distance between one and the other. Prior.

The writings of Euclid at the distance of two thousand years. Playfair.

9.

The remoteness or reserve which respect requires; hence, respect; ceremoniousness.

I hope your modesty Will know what distance to the crown is due. Dryden.

'T is by respect and distance that authority is upheld. Atterbury.

10.

A withholding of intimacy; alienation; coldness; disagreement; variance; restraint; reserve.

Setting them [factions] at distance, or at least distrust amongst themselves. Bacon.

On the part of Heaven, Now alienated, distance and distaste. Milton.

11.

Remoteness in succession or relation; as, the distance between a descendant and his ancestor.

12. Mus.

The interval between two notes; as, the distance of a fourth or seventh.

Angular distance, the distance made at the eye by lines drawn from the eye to two objects. -- Lunar distance. See under Lunar. -- North polar distance Astron., the distance on the heavens of a heavenly body from the north pole. It is the complement of the declination. -- Zenith distance Astron., the arc on the heavens from a heavenly body to the zenith of the observer. It is the complement of the altitude. -- To keep one's distance, to stand aloof; to refrain from familiarity.

If a man makes keep my distance, the comfort is he keeps his at the same time. Swift.

 

© Webster 1913.


Dis"tance (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Distanced (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Distancing (?).]

1.

To place at a distance or remotely.

I heard nothing thereof at Oxford, being then miles distanced thence. Fuller.

2.

To cause to appear as if at a distance; to make seem remote.

His peculiar art of distancing an object to aggrandize his space. H. Miller.

3.

To outstrip by as much as a distance (see Distance, n., 3); to leave far behind; to surpass greatly.

He distanced the most skillful of his contemporaries. Milner.

 

© Webster 1913.

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