Eclectic Vibes - March 2012
by Andrew Frey
Matthew Kratz, AKA, Kraddy
Find Your Kraddy
Kraddy (born Matthew Kratz) is a Los Angeles-based electronic musician and from the time when he was a founding member of the Glitch Mob though his solo efforts of today, he has been innovating and blasting through preconceived genre barriers between dancehall, dubstep ,and hip hop with a rock n’ roll attitude. For your chance to catch the buzz, find him on 3/24 appearing at Segredo in Madison, WI and on 3/26 at the Debonair Social Club in Chicago.
Myspace Relevant Again?
Yes, you read that right, MYSPACE.
Since the flagging mega-site site was sold in June of 2011 by News Corporation for a mere $35 Million (after purchasing the site for $580 million in 2005) to Tim and Chris Vanderhook and their Specific Media company with Justin Timberlake as a major investor (I guess the Social Network bug bit him), the site has seen notable revamping and improvements. At the top of the list is the vision by the new owners to reframe the site as a destination for music and entertainment, rather than a social networking platform. In this light, the new owners have managed to turn their sagging, slacking traffic issues around. It still had a respectable 35 million visitors a month in the United States, but with the recent revamp, which includes a nifty new music player that capitalizes on the site’s amazing catalog of 42 million audio tracks, the broken behemoth has started signing up subscribers again! MySpace announced last month that it had over 1 million new sign-ups in the last 30 days and is receiving an average of 40,000 new registrations daily. What was my old user ID again?
Turntable.fm
Clever URLs sometimes actually have really cool things behind them. Case in point is turntable.fm. This is a site that realizes that music is better with friends and seeks to bridge this concept with DJing, siting that the digital music revolution so far has been defined by a solitary experience. Turntable.fm‘s claim is that they are bringing the social value of music to the digital music experience.
So how does it work? Once you get inside a Turntable room, you find a place for both DJs and their audience. The participating avatars cluster together and can chat while listening to tunes spun by up to 5 DJs. Bobbing heads mean they like the song and then the playing DJs get points. Claiming a spot at the decks is pretty self-explanatory too — wait for a slot to open, then hit the “play music” button when it appears. Nothing could be simpler. Let’s go find a room! turntable.fm
Bandcamp Shakedown
Sometime over the last month or s,o I started really checking out Bandcamp.com and have dedicated the Micro Review section this month to artists from the site. Obviously, a ton of bands are aware of the site, but on case you aren’t, Bandcamp.com hosts a ton of independent and small label bands. It’s free for bands to sign up and they can upload individual tracks, EPs, or full-length releases while either allowing name your price, set price, or free downloads. At the time of this writing, artists on the site made over $1 million in the last 30 days and almost $15 million total.
The feature I like best is a band can allow viewers to preview some or all of their release before purchase. (the whole song, not just a snippet) but missing is any type of rating or feedback for a release. Bandcamp’s front page also shows which bands are most popular and what bands are selling at any given moment (watch them scroll!).
MICRO REVIEWS:
This Month's Rating Scale is from 1 Clammy to 10 Blissful
Akara - Extradimensional Ethnography
Akara
Album title: Extradimensional Ethnography
Record Label: self-released
Rating: 10
A palette of sensational ethereal compositions created by a conservatory-trained classical composer turned electronica producer. These mystical meanderings are as delightful to the ear as the cover art is to the eye. Experience what are described as reality unveiling extradimensional symphonies.
(2210) Page Views
Akara online:
• Website • Facebook
• Download Extradimensional Ethnography from Amazon
• Purchase Extradimensional Ethnography on Amazon
Kalya Scintilla - Dance the Spiral Never Ending
Kalya Scintilla
Album title: Dance the Spiral Never Ending
Record Label: self-released
Rating: 10
Claiming to be “a benevolent being incarnate from the star system whomp” this Australian outfit manages to convey to mere earthlings the many wonders of life by displaying a musical combination of Gypsy, Middle Eastern, Tribal, Dubstep and Glitch Hop electronica in a most seductive manner.
(2077) Page Views
Kalya Scintilla online:
• Website • Facebook
• Download Dance the Spiral Never Ending from Amazon
Kaminanda - Gateways of Consciousness
Kaminanda
Album title: Gateways of Consciousness
Record Label: Kaminanda
Rating: 10
As our collective consciousness evolves, we seek new and noteworthy landscapes of reflection. Kaminanda provides a playground for this with their confluence of trip hop, dub, downtempo, tribal and chillout atmospheres in a structure that is invigorating and inviting to all seekers.
(1458) Page Views
Kaminanda online:
• Website • Facebook
• Purchase Gateways of Consciousness on Amazon
Kayla Scintilla - Dance the Spiral Never Ending
Kayla Scintilla
Album title: Dance the Spiral Never Ending
Record Label: Kayla Scintilla
Rating: 10
Claiming to be “a benevolent being incarnate from the star system womp” this Australian outfit manages to convey to mere earthlings the many wonders of life by displaying a musical combination of Gypsy, Middle Eastern, Tribal, Dubstep and Glitch Hop electronica in a most seductive manner.
(1524) Page Views
Kayla Scintilla online:
• Website • Facebook
• Download Dance the Spiral Never Ending
Phutureprimitive - Kinetik
Phutureprimitive
Album title: Kinetik
Record Label: Native Harmonix
Rating: 10
Phutureprimitive is the moniker of producer/song writer Rain who utilizes hypnotic grooves and lush bass heavy textures to provide listeners with dense and detailed electronic compositions. One of my first ‘finds’ on Bandcamp, but one with a huge future thanks to scoring the opening slot for part of Shpongle’s summer Stateside tour. Appearing May 10 at the Majestic Theater in Madison.
(1708) Page Views
Phutureprimitive online:
• Website • Facebook
• Download Kinetik from Amazon