Ok, this is soooo not the post I intended on making today, but you can’t beat the drawing power of Her Madgesty!
The Lady M. has an exclusive remix of her now-old song “Hung Up” by Archigram. Frankly, I thought this was the weakest single/song on the superb CONFESSIONS album but it’s a pretty good, different sounding take on the song, with a James Bond-ian heavy bassline (not that it sounds like the 007 theme or even remotely like “Die Another Day” in any way). I have to say it’s nice for an artist of her calibre to offer something for nothing. That’s so rare these days. It’s usually the smaller guys needing the exposure who go out on a limb and give stuff away. Hell, she can certainly afford it.
Make your way to Madonna.com, click the EXTRAS square at the top and then scroll down to just underneath “Madonna Timeline”. There you’ll find the link to the remix.
p.s. She kicked some serious ass in concert… for a 47 year old or even a 20 year old! Sounded better than I’ve ever heard her live before.
Downliners Sekt make their 9 track “STATEMENT OF PURPOSE” available for FREE download. I know practically nothing about them except for what little is mentioned on their website (mostly, where the songs were recorded). “Benz” is glitchy, dark and fast, “Disable” (listen below) and “Disable (Part 2)” are shorter more traditional techtronica numbers and “La Nueva Escuela” is probably the most accessible piece. “Weather Underground” is really a beautiful piece with fantastic vocals (sounding a bit a Morecheeba-esque) but the modulation shifts of the music make it more of an acquired taste. It took more than a few listens to hear it and recognize its beauty. I think it could be a stunner in the hands of the right remixer. [found via p3dro.co.uk]
Well, it’s taken me almost three months to connect with Takeshiro Kani, the talented artist who’s cut “Poetic Licence” came to my attention from Mercedes-Benz Mixed Tape 11, but we finally did. He’s graciously supplied me with three gorgeous tracks off his latest, “MINIMAL MEANINGFUL UNIT” to share with M’OPGTMFM readers.
The delicate “Functional Space”, “Left Prefrontals” and the smooth “Qatsi” are all available for download. When I listen to “Left Prefrontals,” I somehow get the vivid image of rain dropping on beats and “Functional Space” makes me think of crystals for some reason. (It’s strange what powerful music can associate with in your mind’s eye.) I think Kani confirms a theory of mine: That some of the best music is coming out of two places these days – Japan and Sweden. All three songs are available for streaming, one after another, in the media player below. As a bonus, the second media player is streaming “Poetic Licence” (featuring the haunting vocals of Fusako, aka Cokeshi, who sounds like eerily like Jem) to jog your memory as Mixed Tape 11 is no longer available for download.
Be sure to check out Kani’s site where you can stream tracks off all three of his albums. I wish him all the success in the world!
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.
Whilst wanderlinking (my new favorite term for the hours I spend looking for music), I managed to find the hard-to-navigate but feature-rich site of MUTEK which boasts a zipped-up 10 track compilation of electronica, all for FREE.
Mutek bills itself as “an organism dedicated to the showcasing and development of emerging forms of electronic music and sound creation in the era of digital technology and new media. Its mission is to familiarize the general public with this particular genre of music production while acting as a springboard for a new generation of the field’s most innovative and visionary artists from here and abroad.” So… is it a netlabel?? I have no idea.
My absolute favorite song of the ten is the decidedly un-P.C. titled “I Rike To” by Love_In_Tokyo. Take a listen for yourself down below in the new in-line media player. I’m at a loss how to describe it exactly, other than to say it’s not chill but it has a trance-inducing melodic vibe and, at one point, features the most subtle electronically altered dog barking in the most pleasing and unique way. I’ve been listening to it incessantly since downloading! Most of the other tracks in the compilation are glitchy/noisy abominations, but I did happen to like “Fluxathon” by Yara and “Just People” by Echo Model.
There’s other compilations and media files to be had here, although Virtual Compilation 01 was not self-contained but rather individual files. Go listen and explore!
The Songbird Media Player for OS X is almost here and I’m chirping with delight. For those not in the know, Songbird is/will be a FREE, open source competitor to Apple’s iTunes app in the same vein as Firefox (extensible, skinable, etc.). I, for one, can’t wait. Now, don’t get wrong idea… I think what Apple has done is incredible and it is my media player of choice currently, but I am always worried about monopolies and what the future holds. As I am in the process of importing my entire CD collection (3000+) in preparation for a massive eBay auction, I want to make sure that the music that I so diligently sought-out (and paid for) will not be held hostage to one proprietary format/player in ten, even twenty, years time. I hope Songbird will make a sizable dent in the iTunes/Windows Media Player+Urge battle that is heating up, just as Firefox took a bite out of the horrible Internet Explorer in the browser wars.
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.
I’ve somehow managed to find two fantastic music ‘zines that are well-produced and packed with artists from genres I’m interested in. And naturally, they’re FREE. Download the PDFs and check them out for yourself. Happy reading! Oh, and if you know of any others that have slipped under my radar, drop me a line so that I can feature them here.
OK, this is probably one of the strangest places to find some mainstream music but there you have it; Adult Swim has never ebbed and flowed with the tide! As you probably know Danger Doom took the hip-hop world by storm late last year but what most don’t know is their connection to Adult Swim (and to my current favorite single “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley). You can read about DD at their wikipedia page.
But I digress, [adult swim] has FREE MP3s of 2 Danger Doom songs plus tons of other MP3 files from some of their more popular shows, like “Sealab 2021″ (R.I.P.), “Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law” (dig the jazzy, Vic Fontaine vibe, man!) and my personal favorite, “The Venture Bros.”.
6.07.06 UPDATE:
Huge news! [adult swim] is hosting a new 6-track Danger Doom EP, “OCCULT HYMN”, available for FREE download for an unspecified limited time. Props to the always excellent Free Albums Galore blog for beating me to it. Even better is the fact that album artwork and ID tags are included correctly. Love that!
As you can see, gone is the MP3 player that I hadn’t refreshed since December. Because it’s Flash-based, I had no way to tell how many people where actually using it, besides me of course (I found it handy for listening to the entire playlist when I was on freelance assignments). Plus, it was a big ol’ pain in the ass to have to update it each time I made a post. Right now, I’m looking for a solution that allows me to play the version I’m hosting or linking to without having to make a a second, reduced-quality MP3 for streaming purposes and then upload a new playlist just for the player. I found one on joomla.com but apparently it would only work as a module to the joomla system and not as a free-standing, add-it-to-your-own-blog type thing. So, if anybody has a suggestion…
I’ve added a direct click-thru link to iTunes FREE Single of the Week. I figured, why not have one place where the most consistent FREE stuff is available to you? Even if I don’t happen to like this week’s single or genre, maybe others will. And of course, since it’s FREE, I’m not making any money off you so you’re safe to click thru here like everywhere else.
Here’s something you probably won’t find elsewhere – Italian hip-hop. After I happened upon their site, I contacted them about the instrumental song that’s used as background music. Mauro (a.k.a. Deal The Dihlyo) nicely wrote back and included the vocal version of the track “Stai Tranquillo (Stay Cool)“ for me to post. I’m generally not a huge fan of the genre but I really dig their sound and it seems, well, not as angry as American hip-hop (not that I know what they’re saying, mind you). Click the link to hear for yourself.
There are four other songs for you to download for FREE from their site (under the downloads section). You can also learn a bit more about the Gate Keyz team via their blog which happily posts in Italian and English here. As Mauro told me, “I hope you appreciate the flava.”
I thought this post was appropriate for tax day, especially, if like me, you’re going to owe the government a chunk of change, why not get something FREE in return? It also seemed easier to quote the email I received than to come up with something new to say:
Been aching for some more medicinal Morcheeba? World’s Fair has been working with the Godfrey Bros. to shell out a series of remixes of the recent “ANTIDOTE” (which is still saving souls across the world). The first experiment, courtesy of New York’s up & coming producer Cassettes Won’t Listen, is now available for download through the World’s Fair site, and will soon be available via Morcheeba’s myspace page.
You already know how much I loves me some Morcheeba, so go grab it here for FREE or take a listen below!
I’m trying to make up for the lack of posts with lots of material. So here goes… [You may have to click links twice to be taken to the song at the iTunes Music Store –where applicable– even if you already have iTunes open.]
“I’ll Call You (Kaghoul mix)” by Soul Mekanik : Just smooth, lush and beautiful. Let it take you to another place. Find it at Beatport.com. (Sorry no direct linking available!)
“Breathe (2am)” by Anna Nalick : Not new… but you’ve heard it almost everywhere forlorn lovers need to run in the rain to tell their beloved something of extreme importance.
“Loitering” by Harold Budd & Robin Gutherie [Music from the film Mysterious Skin] : Just one select off this entirely haunting score. It seemed strange and also so familiar when I watched the film. That’s because it features a prominent member of Cocteau Twins. I feel like it could be the perfect musical companion piece (sequel?) to Gustavo Santaolalla’s Brokeback Mountain score.
“Can’t Take It In” by Imogen Heap : Didn’t see Narnia so I had no idea Immi was featuring during the end credits until she sang it in concert. The opening chorus almost struck me dead. She can do no wrong apparently.
“You’re A User” by Beverly and Larry : God, so damn good! And FREE to boot! I’m find myself just saying, “You’re a user” at random times during the day. I think it puts my co-workers on edge. [found via the excellent Knobtweakers]
“Ele” by Dumb Dan : Even more tastiness from the BEVLAR netlabel. Remember “Swamp Thing” by Grid? This reminds me of a more accessible version of that groovy track. If you haven’t picked up on it yet, it’s FREE. [also found via Knobtweakers]
My Room Is White (Flying Lotus remix) by Mia Doi Todd : Unusual eastern-flavored beats but strangely rhythmic and soothing. [Apologies. The link takes you to another remix. Sometimes Apple doesn’t list remixes names so it’s impossible to tell which mix you’re linking to!]
“Keep It Down” by Ben Crea : Just one track off his great EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH internet album. This one slyly works in a sample of “Voices Carry” from Til Tuesday. Another track, “Time Goes By” features a sample of “Hung Up” by Madonna. I dig the cover art, too! Available for FREE at the Internet Archive. [via Knobtweakers]
“Feel the Beat (Satie)” by Najwa : Older goodness from this Swede. Her new song “So Often” is slow to build but oh so good. Keep an eye out for it as it’s not available at the iTMS yet.
I haven’t been this excited about a FREE net-release since discovering Cuebism and Emorej. This young and talented great Dane graciously offers up a mini LP with original and reworks of his minimal ambient/techno pieces. The original version of “Pheno” and the Theodor Zox remix of “Abank” steal the show. There are also additional FREE MP3s available from his personal site in the downloads section.
Australian rockers sofamecca have made 7 FREE MP3s available at their website featuring tracks off their albums SOFAMECCA and follow-up COMMUTERS. I like their look, particularly the album artwork, and their mellow sound. I think “Omar Sharif” and “Poster of You” off their self-titled debut are the stand-outs here. Visit sofamecca.net, then navigate to music and then click on the “load” button which brings up an MP3 browser. Just choose your “lobe”, listen and download!
From the good folks at Capitol Records comes a new track that’s making the rounds. As long-time readers know, I’m generally all about the electronica sound but I’ve been know to rock out on occasion. So given Capitol’s impressive roster of discoveries (Duran Duran, Cocteau Twins to name two, in addition to unleashing the early 90s classic “3 Strange Days” by School of Fish on an unsuspecting and grateful public), I thought I’d give this one a listen with an open mind and ears. And let me tell you kiddies, “Your Eyes Are Liars” really grows on you (and you all know I’m no shill… otherwise my little ol’ Guide would be as successful as some of the other guys!).
Grab “Your Eyes Are Liars” and 2 other FREE MP3s from the band’s myspace page and be sure to check out their official site for more info.
Beatport and Playstation DualPlay have teamed up offer 5 FREE MP3 (or MP4) tracks in their latest promotion. It all ties into a gig with DJ AM and Pete Tong at the Winter Music Conference going on in Miami. Go grab your five free fly songs here.
There’s also a contest being held over at Playstation.com where you can win a PSP, games and Beatport downloads.
One more free thing at Beatport: “Big Case” by Silversufer. You can grab that via the main screen.
