Monthly Archive for December, 2009

FREE Holiday Mash Ups

Spice up your holiday party with something different. ENJOY the following FREE holiday mash up downloads from Adrian & the Mysterious D by clicking the bootie skull and crossbones below.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!


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MobBase Round-Up: 34 iPhone Apps Now Live!

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It’s been a busy few days for MixMatchMusic, as 34 MobBase iPhone apps are now live in iTunes! The apps turned out rather pretty, and they include a lot of great content that covers a wide variety of genres and styles. More importantly, artists will be updating their apps using the MobBase dashboard, so things will be kept super fresh! So what are you waiting for? Visit iTunes or check out the list below to download your favorite artists’ MobBase app!

Everclear: http://apps.mobbase.com/everclear
Ioda Promonet: http://apps.mobbase.com/ioda
Pepper: http://apps.mobbase.com/pepper
Rx Bandits: http://apps.mobbase.com/rxbandits
Greg Laswell: http://apps.mobbase.com/greglaswell
Zion-I: http://apps.mobbase.com/zioni
the Jacka: http://apps.mobbase.com/jacka
Rebelution: http://apps.mobbase.com/rebelution
Easy Star All Stars: http://apps.mobbase.com/easystar
Town Thizzness: http://apps.mobbase.com/thizz
Silverback Artist Management/Controlled Substance Sound Labs: http://apps.mobbase.com/sbsound
Killer Mike: http://apps.mobbase.com/killermike
Shanghai Restoration Project: http://apps.mobbase.com/srp
Jennie Laws: http://apps.mobbase.com/jennielaws
Throw Me the Statue: http://apps.mobbase.com/tmts
Black Gold: http://apps.mobbase.com/blackgold
The Blakes: http://apps.mobbase.com/blakes
Big Light: http://apps.mobbase.com/biglight
Enzyme Dynamite: http://apps.mobbase.com/enzyme
Eoin Harrington: http://apps.mobbase.com/eoinharrington
El Desayuno: http://apps.mobbase.com/desayuno
Life Love Misery: http://apps.mobbase.com/lifelovemisery
Gavroche: http://apps.mobbase.com/gavroche
Dee: http://apps.mobbase.com/deecrazylove
Kent Welton: http://apps.mobbase.com/kentwelton
The High Five Revival: http://apps.mobbase.com/thehighfiverevival
The Sleeping: http://apps.mobbase.com/thesleeping
Wink Sound: http://apps.mobbase.com/winksound
Joey Lenze: http://apps.mobbase.com/joeylenze
Street Credit: http://apps.mobbase.com/streetcredit
Roy Tal Music: http://apps.mobbase.com/roytalmusic
Kick Drum Decade Improv: http://apps.mobbase.com/kddimprov
My Boxing Fans: http://apps.mobbase.com/myboxingfans
Home Spa Goddess: http://apps.mobbase.com/ihsg

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SF MusicTech Summit 5: Google Music, API Aficionados, and Pandorable Cars

SF MusicTech has come a long way since its inception less than two years ago. It’s kind of a big deal now – even Google was there this time. The media has become increasingly interested in the discussions happening at SFMT since they happen, you know, at the bleeding edge of music/tech. Naturally, SFMT founder – the ineffable Brian Zisk – is more than happy to chat with the cameras. You can truly see the passion in his eyes and hear it in his voice. This guy is the personification of music/tech.

If you’re new to Evolving Music or SFMT you might want to read our reviews of the previous four summits below for some context.

SanFran MusicTech Summit 1: Rockstars, Lawyers, Nerds and Me
SanFran MusicTech Summit 2: Guestlist Wish, Artist Activism, and Label Survival

SanFran MusicTech Summit 3: Albums Die, Social Media Kicks Ass, and Songs Find a Home
SanFran MusicTech Summit 4: Singalongs, Video Interviews, and Twitter Gossip

Google’s involvement this time around could be the harbinger of a new chapter in the music/tech saga. With their recent foray into music search, Google has presented the confused and conflicted music industry with a powerful new ally. While their new service is definitely still bumbling about in the dirty diapers of its infancy, it’s clear that Google has grand plans for it. At the summit, they emphasized a “search-driven, partner-delivered” strategy.

Another theme, especially among the geekier of the attendees, was that APIs can set you free. Not only do APIs enable the ever-increasing plethora of clever mashups out there (e.g. JamBase + iTunes music library = iConcertCal) to be born, but ultimately they help blur the line between content and context and serve up what the end-user has (knowingly or unknowingly) wanted all along: cool ways to experience music.

Whereas social media was a big talking point at past summits, it seems now to be a foregone conclusion. It’s not about convincing music people they need to use social media. Everyone pretty much gets that now. And if they don’t… well, “If your label and your manager don’t get digital or social media, FIRE them,” was one way to put it. Here’s another savvy social media quote overheard by the Hypebot folks: “Facebook doesn’t need a music strategy, music needs a Facebook strategy.”

The always cool Pandora admitted to working on what will hopefully be built-in Pandora capability in cars. Plenty of auto makers already offer built-in iPod adaptors. Why not built-in Pandora?

In addition to Google, a host of other cool sponsors were to thank for SFMT #5. Of note: Heatwave Interactive, which is seeking to “fundamentally revolutionize the entertainment landscape by creating innovative cross-media properties for gaming, film, music and television,” the web domain extension dotMusic, which is exactly what it sounds like, and Collecta, which offers real-time search through popular blogs and social media.

Once again, the SanFran MusicTech Summit brought together the thought leaders of music, tech, and that living breathing intersection of the two for hours of heated debate, deal-making, and good vibing. One can only wonder what cool new ideas and companies will be born as a result of conversations had and relationships built that day.

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FREE Holidaze Joints From Slightly Stoopid, Load Up & Pass it On

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Slightly Stoopid is giving away 7 of their classic joints this holidaze season. Included is the Stoned Saga, a four-track journey from The Longest Barrel Ride released as a one-track epic. Get involved and don’t forget to pass this joint along!!

FYI… this FREE download for the holidaze is only available till 11:59pm on Christmas Eve (PST) so get to downloading.

On a personal note, I just downloaded and am already on joint #5. It’s melting my brain, in a good way. :)

DOWNLOAD JOINTS & PASS TO FRIENDS HERE: http://tra.kz/joints

Slightly Stoopid:
slightlystoopid.com
facebook.com/slightlystoopid/
twitter.com/slightlystoopid/
youtube.com/slightlystoopidtv/
flickr.com/photos/slightlystoopid/
myspace.com/stoopid/

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Remix Inspired Flight

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Inspired Flight. This band has a sound that is hard to describe. And yet, looking at the artists they list as influences on their MySpace page, their sound just makes sense. They’ve really learned how to incorporate some of the subtle and intangible things that make those musicians great musicians.

Their bio says it well. “Rooted in hip-hop and dipping into elements of indie rock, downtempo, dub and dance, Inspired Flight is taking your pre-conceived notion of what a band and DJ are and merging them into something new and quite hypnotizing.” Though their sound clearly incorporates a myriad of different elements, including vocals, keyboards, other exotic instruments, and laptops, this band is made up of just two people -  master turntablist, OpenOptics, and accomplished guitarist/songwriter, Chavez. To learn a little more about their respective musical backgrounds and inspiration, click here.

The duo wants you to join their remix contest, powered by MixMatchMusic. Go on. Have a long hard listen to their song, “It Always Takes,” feel it, breath it, internalize it. (This, by the way, is easy to do because the song is beautiful. It has a haunting melody and something generally mesmerizing about it.) Then, take it apart and re-envision it as your own. Add, subtract, multiply, magnify, simplify, or otherwise modify the song to your liking.

To do so, you can download the stems (for free) and use your own software to remix them, OR if you want to keep things even simpler, click on the MixMaker button and make your mix online. Most importantly, UPLOAD your remix so that you can get credit for your masterpiece! Other people can listen to it, vote on it and share it.

This remix contest runs until January 31st, 2010 and Inspired Flight will choose their favorite submission. The lucky winner will be the featured bonus track on their album, coming in March 2010. Nice! Oh ya, and you’ll also get a limited edition T-shirt and poster, as well as an Eyeball HD Webcam from Blue Microphones. Read the complete contest rules here.

Go. Be inspired!

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Give Your Favorite Musician Their Own iPhone App For Only $50

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Looking for the perfect gift for the musician in your life? Something thoughtful but not too over the top. Something useful but not ordinary. Something exciting but not short-lived.

Custom iPhone apps are quickly becoming a ‘must have’ for musicians looking to build and cultivate their fan base. Now, Holiday shoppers with a musician on their list can give the gift of a custom iPhone app for just $50, with the MobBase Holiday Gift Pack. With MobBase, musicians share music, recording session out takes, photos, videos, info about gigs, tweets, merchandise and more. And because it’s all on their iPhones, fans get the info and content they want where and when they want it. Talk about the the gift that keeps on giving!

MobBase is the fast, easy and inexpensive way for musicians to build and manage their own iPhone app. MobBase is priced so low every artist can have one. And now for the Holidays, a special package makes it even less expensive — and super easy — for shoppers to give the musicians in their lives their own custom iPhone app.

The MobBase Holiday Gift Pack includes:
* One custom iPhone app ($20 value)
* Exactly the features and functionality musicians want & need
* Infinite customization (for all practical purposes, anyway)
* Three months of basic MobBase service ($45 value)
* Unlimited love from suddenly connected fans
* A MobBase gift certificate to put under the tree

All for only $50!

See full details here

Happy Shopping!!

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Souls of Mischief – Montezuma’s Revenge Review

Montezuma's Revenge, Steven Lopez

When you approach a decade between albums, especially in a genre as fluid and fickle as Hip-Hop, you run the risk of falling into irrelevance. Hieroglyphics Imperium’s Souls of Mischief, however, isn’t worried about perception. They’re worried about putting out what they consider quality music on their time schedule.

This isn’t to say that the past nine years have been absent of new music for the crew. Opio and A-Plus have both released solo albums and Tajai has remained consistently busy with solo and collaboration projects. After the 2003 release of Hieroglyphic’s sophomore album, Full Circle, the rumors of a new Souls of Mischief album kept building, but nothing seemed to surface. Even after an early 2009 interview where Opio and Tajai mentioned plans for a new song for download every week from Hiero Imperium, the only news of new Souls was more rumor. After such a long hiatus, it wasn’t surprising to see the release date for the long-awaited album pushed from November 10th to December 2nd.

It’s worth the wait.

Sporting cover art from renowned artist Steven Lopez, Montezuma’s Revenge drops today and should provide a healthy reminder of why this crew has retained credibility and a solid fan base despite the lack of regular releases in the flavor of the month hip-hop industry. Cover art isn’t the only place they brought in talent though, and the results are fantastic.

You only need a minimum of knowledge of Hip-Hop to have heard the name Prince Paul. Over the past 20 years, he has carved out a spot as one of the innovators, creators and most well-known producers in the industry. He has participated in groups from the ’80s pioneer Stetsasonic to the horrorcore originators, the Gravediggaz. With Paul announced as the primary producer for the album, it was anyone’s guess what direction the sound might head towards.

Prince Paul has chosen to take the backbone of the Souls of Mischief sound and amplify it with his personal flourish. The heavy basslines, creeping melodies, kicked back beats and slick guitar and string loops the Hiero crew members favor are all here, combined with catchy hooks, clever samples and seamless production in vintage Paul fashion. The resulting tracks are audio canvases that provide Tajai, Opio, Phesto, and A-Plus room to roam lyrically while sounding completely at home. Under Paul’s production, the group finds a consistency and energy missing from their solo efforts and reminiscent of the debut album.

“Postal” offers a lush string background and uptempo beat as the group raps about heartbreak and break-up, effortlessly making a down topic into a head-nodder. “Proper Aim”’s addictive and naked bass line follows the one rapper at a time format and makes a good introductory track to new listeners still attempting to attach voice to group member. “Dead Man Walking” utilizes the constant keys and scales of West Coast rap to back lyrics dealing with vengeance and the street.

“Home Game” is an old-school cruising track with music, weed, driving and women as focus, lyrics finding the blend of relaxed flow and taut tempo. The album closer “LaLaLa” features quick back and forth between the group members over a drum and guitar sample combination and interspersed tambourines. The quick jigsaw exposes the chemistry of these four, never missing a beat or word between complex rhyme schemes and multiple voices.

And in between all of these songs? Tracks that show Prince Paul boosting the rich history of sound and style native to Souls of Mischief while letting Souls of Mischief effortlessly demonstrate the tenacity, chemistry and complexity of lyricism that has been their calling card since ‘93. This one could be around for a while too.

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