Back with a few mini-posts – ‘little bites of different things instead of lots of one!’
The inimitable Tom Middleton is out with a new disc, his debut solo album “LIFETRACKS”, from our friends at Six Degrees Records. The DJ, producer, remixer extradordinare and recording artist in his own right offers up a taste of what we can expect with this release by saying: “”Eno, Vangelis and Tomita are big inspirations. In the same breath, I’d name check the likes of electronica producers The Boards Of Canada, early Aphex [Twin], Black Dog, Zero 7, Air, Massive Attack and The Orb. Classical, electronica, jazz and pop, all clues to my musical personality and those apparent subconscious influences.” Check out the very pretty and swirly Shinkansen instrumental for yourself. It’s a FREE MP3, naturally.
(Former?) Dirty Vegas frontman Steve Smith has a new solo album out, and the good people at Frantic are making the bangin’ electro/retro track “Hit Me Up” available as a FREE download. Grab it here.
Guide reader Manuel from Belgium kindly directed me to not one –but two!– FREE MP3 compilations from German site trndtunes. The site’s not in English but the tunes can be easily accessed by clicking on the “1.0″ or “2.0″ album images in the lower right-hand corner. I’ve downloaded them both but have yet to give them a good listen. As soon as I do, I’ll update this post. Thanks, Manuel!
Incidentally, have you heard the new Seal track “Amazing” yet? It’s all that and a bag of chips! The Thin White Duke mix in particular is really spectacular. Damn that Stuart Price can do no wrong and it’s a nice return to form from a ‘killer’ artist who got a little too ballad-y for my taste in recent years. NOT FREE but soooo worth it! (I will say this though, “Amazing” has a very similar sound to Madonna’s “Get Together”.)
Almost forgot about this one… Mrs. Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson has recorded a single for her directorial debut, a short film entitled “The Trap”. The song, “Lessons Learned” isn’t bad, all things considered. Sounds an awful lot like an Indigo Girls tune to me. It’s all part of of Glamour magazine’s Reel Moments project that funds films for women, by women and directly benefits Film Aid International. But it’s FREE and that’s what I’m here for! And for every download, Glamour magazine will donate $1to Big Brother, Big Sister organization. You can download it here.
Back with another edition of Bits ‘n Bobs – ‘little bites of different things instead of lots of one!’
SAMANTHA JAMES » “Breathe You In”
I am loving this! It has to be one of my more favored tracks to come through my inbox in a long, long while. Heretofore unknown to me, DJ Samantha James, is following in her labelmate DJ Colette’s footsteps by being in front of the mic. This silky smooth house number is pitch perfect in every way. It’s simple, classy and utterly listenable. Get the FREE MP3 here.
AMAZON.COM launchesAMAZONMP3beta
Online superstore just launched it’s (supposed) iTunes killer, AMAZONMP3beta, featuring cheaper songs at a higher bit rate that are also DRM-free. I haven’t tried it out yet ’cause none of the big name artists featured actually float my boat but I’m curious to know what you think. Specifically, how well it works with a Mac. I’m also curious to know if you think their launch was “quiet” or covered everywhere; right now, I feel like it was a 5 out of 10 in terms of coverage. I definitely heard about it from several different sources but I didn’t feel beaten over the head… which was nice for a change.
10.3.07 UPDATE:
Be sure to sign up for the weekly AmazonMP3 newsletter! They’re already offering FREE tracks.
And lastly, as mentioned in this post, one of the best tracks of the summer finally arrives at the iTMS. Grab ROGUE TRADERS’ “World Go ‘Round” here.
It’s been a while, but I’m back with another edition of bite-sized posts-a-plenty! Let’s dive in, shall we?
• New (to me) store BeatsDigital.com has an abundance of FREE tracks for you to download, 14 MP3s in all. More than half I actually find listenable – and more than half is always good odds when it comes to digital music in my opinion. I’m really digging “Supergirl” by TINYLOU with it’s plucky intro and mainstream 2-step sound (take a listen below). Other tracks worth taking a listen are “Cupcake” by Chicken Skin, “Getcha Talkin” by Rex Kwondo, “High Radiate” by The Evil Crew, the downtempo “Missing Time” by SySteMic, the evocative “M.A.S.H.” by TNT, “Open Minded” by Cristian Paduraru and “Strict Rulin” by Da Funk. There’s also a sweepstakes for a trip to Ibiza which you can tell your “friends” about by giving out their email address to give you additional chances to win. I simply used 3 of my junk mail addresses to give myself a total of 4 chances.
• Domino’s Pizza is getting into the FREE music downloads game, for reasons that are beyond me, with dTracks. (If they try to proclaim that fast pizza is a “branded lifestyle”, I’ll know the end is neigh.) But hey, free music is free music so I’m not complaining. It’s probably no surprise that of the three genres they offer, I’m partial to the Campus Mix. Hoops Mix (hip hop/rap) and Race Day Riffs (country) are the other two genres). I found “Hello California” by Salme Dahlstrom and “Sleep Is On The Way” by Arthur Yoria to be the best of the bunch. I wasn’t really expecting edgy electronica from Dominos given that it’s more of niche but it woulda been nice to have some true variety. Registration is required but that serves a dual purpose… now you can order pizzas from your computer as well.
• The Fox station in Los Angeles is offering FREE music downloads, videos and behind-the-scenes vids from Fox shows at the Fox Digital Lounge in conjunction with wantmymusic.com. I wish I could tell you that they had great, recognizable artists to offer but unfortunately the registration process is wacked. There’s a promotion going on for free AppleTV and iPod Shuffles but no where is there a “promo code” which is required to be entered in the contest at the time of registration. After I registered, I was greeting with the “Success!” page to download the app but there is no hyperlink where the download button is for Mac software. Not only a bummer but severely irritating as well. If it’s not Mac-compatible or even Mac-ready, they should really take it down or not have put it up yet. And there’s no way contact either corporate entity for support question or problems. If anyone out there has success with the Fox Digital Lounge, please drop me a line or post a comment!
• Simply Audiobooks is offering FREE MP3s of another kind. There are several full audiobooks to choose from, including classics from Mark Twain, Jack London and T.S. Elliot. Be literate and download some books! In this lazy, convenience-driven world, the very least you can do is have someone read TO you and still consider it reading.
• Here’s a sneak peek at an upcoming full-length post:
Apparently, FX Networks gives away 5 FREE tracks each week after the airing of Nip/Tuck episodes to the first 2000 visitors… but they don’t make it easy to get there. Navigation is convoluted (be sure pop-up blocker is off) and the downloads are not available to residents of California and Texas for some inexplicable reason. I’m not recommending that you lie if you live in one of those areas, but it’s easily circumvented. I guess it depends on how badly you want the tracks. The link below is the most direct link to the music I could post. Here’s my run-down:
Marz “What’s Really Going On?” fairly run-of-the-mill hip-hop.
Livstrompet “Widestreet” is mellow and smooth.
Shaper “World of Pain” is pretty good, in that dark, synth-goth style circa early Goldfrapp before they went more mainstream.
Re Dog “Force” is not bad but just another in a long line of static-y, hard thrash sounding bands who probably think their sound is somehow revolutionary. (For the record, none of these tracks breaks any new ground; Some are just more pleasing to the ear than others.)
Tom Quick “Honey Drew” is prolly the track that Guide readers will like the best. Very light and lounge-y.
Mazzini “Dubeaster” reminds me of my old favorite b e t a f i s h.
Hurry up and grab yours before they disappear like froth from a pour of good beer.
The latest edition of the Mercedes-Benz Mixed Tape series is out today. Number 15 promises another round of quality surprises from around the world. I somehow managed to miss the release of 14 until I remembered it just yesterday. Luckily, I was able to download it before it was replaced with No. 15. Whew!
• A final note: I can tell that some visitors are trolling the archives for free music still. Please feel free to drop me a note or make a comment if links are no longer functioning. I’d like to find a current/better link or strike-through it so you don’t waste your time.
Howdy, kiddies. Yes, it’s another Bits ‘n Bobs post that I’ve grown oh-so-fond of lately.
• MO’P favorite Morgan Page offers up more of his remixing genius… all for FREE. Download Morgan’s remixes of Shine’s “Ashbury“ and “One Day“. Dang it, if I haven’t learned my lesson about waiting to post about something! Someone else always beats me to it!! This time it was those no good kids at Knobtweakers. Also, Morgan has re-released his fantastic CEAST AND DESIST remix compilation in “hi-res”. Previously it was only available as 128 kbps AAC files. The bigger, the better I always say! Grab that here and hear for yourself.
• Here’s an oldie but a goody. In preparation for the release Moloko’s “best of” compilation entitled CATALOGUE, those nice people at World’s Fair are offering up full FREE MP3 of “Sing It Back“ for you to reminisce this summer. Is it any wonder why Moloko made such a huge impression awhile back?
6.29.06 UPDATE:
“Sing It Back” is streaming slow for some reason; it almost sounds as if it’s at half speed. Maybe the source file is vbr? It sounds fine when opening the link in your browser though.
• If you haven’t read all the same blogs I have, then this will be new to you: Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim continues to surprise with yet another full EP offering for FREE. Take a dip in CHOCOLATE SWIM and bask in the nougat-y goodness of Mos Def, Lady Sovereign and others artists from the Chocolate Industries roster. Get more information about it here, including a commercial about its release.
I’m reminded of the old School House Rock guy, Time for Timer, who reminded kids to “eat little bites of different things instead of lots of one.” Such is the case with my Bits ‘n Bobs posts.
• Fantastic and reliable remixer The Scumfrog offers up a FREE one-hour Summer Mix available for download from the front page of his site. It kicks into high gear around the 40 minute mark.
• Summer always seems the right time to dust off trance records and give ‘em a whirl. Here’s some new ones to add to your jukebox player: 4 very good trancey tracks by DJ Light available for FREE at Download.com Music. No one in particular stands out more so than the others. They’re all great for blasting from an iPod boombox while poolside.
• The Darla.com label posts FREE MP3s from each of their artists. Perennial MO’P favorite I Am Robot And Proud offers the title track of his latest “The Electricity In Your House Wants To Sing“. He consistently manages to craft superb instrumental electronica.
• Lots of media files (MP3s, video and audio streams) are available at prefixmag. I’ve done very little exploring here so if there’s something that you think might catch my ear, leave me a comment (I’ve finally gone through and approved the valid comments from the last four months or so).
• I don’t want to veer too far off my stated course, but since I featured music magazines, I figured I could reasonably post about this by another car manufacturer. BMW offers up 4 FREE MP3 audiobooks for download. Should be a nice diversion for when you’re not blasting trance and interested in stimulating other parts of your anatomy (your brain, silly). I haven’t had a chance to listen to them yet so let me know what you think.
It seems I’ve gone an entire month without posting again. And in an effort to make up for my transgression, I’m making another Bits ‘n Bobs posting (short takes on lots of music). Enjoy your long holiday weekend and I hope your eardums enjoy the tunes that follow. Some of it is not so new anymore but they’re all worthwhile. And on a personal note, I appreciate your continued interaction with my Guide; I’m getting emails from all over the world with tips to music that you’ve found and would like to share with me and my readers. Cheers!
• Beatport has 10 FREE tracks available in their newest promotion that coincides with DEMF (Detroit’s Electronic Music Festival). Direct link to those ten tracks is here. Feel free to skip right over the dreadful “Late Night Freaks” by the cleverly named Starski, Clutch. It’s too bad their song isn’t as good as their name. “Beyond Seven” is prolly the best of the bunch.
UPDATE
Be sure to subscribe to the Beatport podcast. I find it a tremendous value in sorting out the gems from the junk.
• Along the same lines as my Gate Keyz post, another Italian hip-hop tune, this time by a guy named Zizzed, can be downloaded for FREE here. I may be mistaken but I believe the name of the song is “0.5%“. Even time I listen to it, I’m reminded of Moulin Rouge! for some reason.
• The newest Mercedes-Benz Mixed Tape (No. 12) snuck up on me. I’m giving it a good listen-thru now and will post an update with my favorite tracks. The tastemakers at MB continue to impress.
• Rockin’ girl group Client has lots MP3 and video downloads available at their official site under the free music downloads section. (Their album, CITY, available at the iTMS ain’t bad either; check out these two stand-out tracks: Come On and Radio.) [linkage found via p3dro.co.uk]
• James Blunt has a made a demo of “Out Of My Mind” available at his site.
• Travis Sullivan’s Björkestra has two orchestral versions of Björk songs “Cocoon” and “Army of Me” available under the downloads section. This is just another example of Björk’s influence and artistry on the music community. I’m fascinated by this.
• MO’P favorite J-Punch has three FREE MP3s available showcasing his talent. “Temple” has been a mainstay on my playlist ever since it was featured on this post.
– From superb French label F Communications (co-owned by Laurent Garnier): You can select French or English at bottom right of screen. Here also you need to register (free), then in Free Trucs (meaning Free Stuff in Frenglish), you have 20-30 MP3’s, sorted by artist.
– From German label Compost (home of Jazzanova and Minus8): 15-20 MP3s available in the downloads section - you need to fill in a form each time, then you get the link by email immediately.
– From UK label NinjaTune: 3 FREE MP3s in the downloads section.
Thanks, Manuel! So much great stuff here! I feel compelled to say (since it is my blog, wink, wink), that I much prefer the Luke Chable Vocal Breaks Dub of Trafik’s “Your Light” as opposed to the instrumental version offered up by Global Underground (but for free I’m not complaining!). You can find that remix at Beatport but it’ll only set you back a measly $1.49.
UPDATE:
Be prepared to spend some time fixing the ID tags on songs downloaded from the F Communications site.
• Niche netlabel Nishi offers up the delightfully unusual album by Cagey House called “OCTOPUS TWO” for FREE. Described to me as “psychedelic-pseudo-post-synth-rock-exotica”, it’s a melange of interesting Far East sounds and western influences. I highly recommend you grab it today. “Aristotle Bombay“, the short “The Ming Thing“, and the subtle “Tuesday Was A Swan” are the stand-outs for me.
• The Verve Pipe (remember them?) have four live tracks available for FREE download at their site.
• Reggae quartet qr5 sent me an email with a link to their latest single “Revisited Gone” which can be found here. It’s a short and smooth ditty. I don’t think I’ve ever spotlighted a reggae track… there’s a first time for everything apparently.
• Future Appletree Records’ artists Chrash and The Multiple Cat have new albums out. Get a taste of their guitar/folk-tinged pop rock sound by checking out “All Roads“ by Chrash and “I Like a Bridge“ by The Multiple Cat.
• Get a Blue Note label jazz sampler of here by joining their mailing list.
Since my last post was several weeks ago, I thought I’d post short notices about a few free items that have been keeping my eardrums busy.
• Go to AbsolutKravitz.com to grab the 10 available remixes of Lenny Kravitz’s exclusive “Breathe” song; you can download them individually or altogether (including the original version) as a .zip file… all for FREE naturally. The star power of these remixers is a veritable who’s who: Ashley Beedle (one of my favorites), Chromeo and Jazzanova. The best of the bunch, in my opinion, happens to be the (unknown to me) Nikko Patrelakis remix. It gets “Breathe” to exhale just right.
UPDATE:
The AbsolutKravitz.com link in this post and the one just below it are now fixed and send you directly to the music. Sorry ’bout that.
• Beatport is still graciously offering 10 FREE tracks under the guise of SOUNDTRACK TO MIAMI. I like the Def E/Beginerz, Junior Caldera and Gary Martin tracks in particular.
• The new installment of the excellent Mercedes-Benz Mixed Tape series, No. 11, is out now. Do yourself a favor and grab it here. As usual there’s at least one gem in this edition: “Poetic License” by Kani. Wow. But it’s driving me crazy who she sounds like (or maybe who she’s sampled); I can’t put my finger on it but I know I’m familiar with that haunting voice! Any guesses readers? “Scars” by Misha has a neat sound about it, too.
3.26.06 UPDATE:
Got a nice note from Kani and the voice of “Poetic License”, Fusako, thanking me for my post. I hope to be featuring some of Kani’s other tracks in the very near future. (I finally figured out who Fusako sounds like to me… Jem, anyone?
A qwik “shout out” to Searching For Euphony blog for mentioning my post on Imogen Heap remixes. Thanks guys! That sent a lot of nice traffic my way!
UPDATE:
Comments have been disabled as I’ve been drowning in comment spam. If you need to contact me, please drop me a line thru the Comments tab.
