Archive for February, 2006
Absolut (yes, the Swedish spirit brand) is back with its latest cross-promotion: a new Lenny Kravitz track offered as a FREE MP3.
The song, “Breathe“, is now available for download at AbsolutKravitz.com. (You can also view the video for the song there, too.) It’s a funky, deep disco-tinged ditty that’s sure to please readers of the Guide. For diehard Kravitz fans, be prepared… it’s a departure from his signature sound. I happen to really like it.
From all appearances, it looks like there will be 11 more Absolut Tracks offerings – but I’m unable to ascertain from the press materials if they will all be from Mr. Kravitz solo or from (or with) other collaborators. Either way, I’m excited to hear what Absolut will come out with next. I’ll be sure to update you when the next song is released.
UPDATE:
Please see the Bits ‘n Bobs post for more on this topic!
February 20th, 2006
Continuing my love affair with Immi, a friend of mine pointed out all the “iNspired” remixes featured on the ImogenHeap.com forum, iBabble. Now the legality of all this is a bit sketchy, but I have to believe that if Immi is allowing and/or encouraging remixing of her songs through her own site, that in and of itself is some kind of endorsement. And thus, I’m featuring the best of them here:
My favorite has to be the four-minute Beatcave remix. It ever so slightly improves on the original version of “Hide And Seek” by adding delicate piano to the intro and then going into full-tilt radio pop mode around the one-minute mark. You can find that remix at Beatcave’s home page (on the right hand side).
Next up, the OptiK remix which is heavy trance version. Great for a totally different take on the tune. You can find that here.
The next remix by Agatha, which can be found and downloaded from his MySpace page, is mellow electronica but just different enough to stand out from the other remixes listed here.
And lastly, the least re-worked version is the Strings remix by Ciaran Hamilton. Technically, the song is structured the same as the originally but has the addition of gorgeous, mellow synth strings and subtle guitar underneath. It really compliments the song nicely… then it revs up around the three minute mark.
Not all of these remixes appear to be the work of professional remixers and, in that case, a discerning ear might find fault with pieces and parts. But overall they are very well done reworks by fans of the original. Each interpretation has moments of genius. And while I am not tired of Immi’s original version, it’s nice to have choices! Of course, as Guide readers know, I’m partial to the terrific Morgan Page Bootleg remix found at Knobtweakers.net.
BONUS:
If you’re a fan of the last song on the SPEAK FOR YOURSELF album, “The Moment I Said It“, I present the fantastic Scarab remix by Airbase.
February 18th, 2006
I know, I know. Where the hell have I been, right?
Well, there’s lots going on in my world, kids. There’d have to be to keep me from posting. The truth is, I’m a little burnt out. My Guide To Free Music started out with such a bang after the mention on Lifehacker but there’s been diminishing returns for quite some time now. Readership has dropped off, I’ve been deluged with comment spam and I’m facing a five inch stack of backlogged links that I’m not sure I even want to go through. There is SO MUCH good free music out there. And I do want to discover and share. But it eats up sooo much time. I have over 200 sites to check in the ‘music’ section of my newsreader alone. If i can’t get to that at least once a week… well, do you know how long that takes?!
Frankly, I just don’t know who someone like largehearted boy manages to do it every single day; he reads a book once a week and writes a blurb about it, he’s got his finger on the pulse of music news and he manages to find free concert bittorrents (even though no one can download them because dimeadozen.org won’t accept any new members! I still haven’t been able to find the Imogen Heap concert torrent from last month). He must spend all damn day in front of his computer. That or he’s just especially efficient at gathering news/music sources and blogging about them. But I digress…
I do know that most of the problems I’m complaining about are a direct result of me not posting regularly. And I’ve found that in the past when I promise to post every day or every other day, I’ll only break that promise, as life gets in the way. So I’m not making any outrageous promises I can’t keep. In the meantime, Subscribe to my feed! That way you can be alerted to posts as they occur. And they will occur. I promise that much.
February 16th, 2006