Shades Of Gray – Soul Machine (Originals – CD1) (Beef Records) (Preview Clips) by Kahua Music

Shades Of Gray – Soul Machine (Remixes – CD2) (Beef Records) (Preview Clips) by Kahua Music

After 18 months of intense work in the studio Shades of Gray emerge with their debut album ‘Soul Machine’. The duo of Michal Schwa and Nick West have progressively established themselves over the years producing consistently solid tracks and remixes for labels such as Neurotraxx Deluxe, Om Records, Salted Music, Dark Energy, Tronicsoul and of course their home label Beef Records on which ‘Soul Machine’ is released.

Released as a 2 CD set, vinyl and digital download, ‘Soul Machine’ includes 11 original tracks and 11 remixes from an all-star cast including veterans The Timewriter, Jef K & Gwen Maze, Soul Minority, Fiord and Lexy (Lexy & K-Paul) as well as some of the hottest emerging producers such as Peter Horrevorts, Steve Ward, Uone, LuRob and Londonground.

Shades Of Gray was born following Czech national Schwa’s move to Australia in 2005. He soon teamed up with local Nick West both in the studio and as a partner in Beef Records. They quickly gained a reputation as one of the hottest acts on the Sydney underground scene and it wasn’t long until they were touring internationally performing from Tokyo to Moscow and Paris to Prague. With support from the likes of Shur-I-Kan, Miss Kittin, Jimpster, Pezzner, Laurent Garnier and Miguel Migs SOG have clocked up over 50 releases including the sales chart topping ‘Moog in the House’.

The album is a definite progression for SOG, heading deeper into sampling territory and drawing on what’s come before to define their vision of the future sound of house music. Reinterpreting influences from soul to disco through the sharpened lens of 2012 production, SOG have delivered a stunning collection of tunes that have that instant classic feel that will remain relevant for years to come.

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Cee Lo Green: Making Millions Even If His Albums Don’t Sell

Picked this up from Techdirt and had to post it up as another “see, I told you so” story. I’ve been arguing for years now that the money in music business isn’t in the music at all, but rather in everything else.

You can’t measure artist “success” by album sales anymore. Piracy, digital downloads, single song purchases, and other factors have all chnaged the game in terms of hard numbe sales. But the establishment still hasn’t caught on.

Sure, this means less money for the artist. At least from that piece of the pie.

But it’s a new age where music isn’t scarce anymore. So you need to charge for what is. Live shows. Merch. Collectables. And as this article focuses on, the key is the person (or personality). After all, there’s only one Cee Lo Green.

(continue reading…)

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Morgan Page – In The Air 073 by morganpage

If you missed the last Morgan Page show at Beta Nightclub in Denver, you’ve got some ‘splainin’ to do. But worry not, dear friends, because this week he’s back! Another year, a ton more music, a bunch of new remixes and originals and plenty of energy, this is a show not to be missed. And don’t forget to check out some of this award-winning producers music on Beatport!

• morgan-page.com
• facebook/morgan page
• twitter/morganpage
• myspace/morganpage

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http://www.techdirt.com/dubstep-producer-bassnectar-talks-iracy-leaks-making-it-easy-your-fans-to-support-you.shtml

Came across this article by Tim Cushing on Techdirt… And as much as I despise Bassnectar for his musical activism, he’s spot on when it comes to piracy. Don’t have too much to add to this one…

California dubstep/bass artist Bassnectar has built a solid following over the past decade, culminating in appearances at major music festivals, including Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo and the Ultra Music Festival. Despite his loaded touring schedule, Bassnectar (a.k.a. Lorin Ashton) still keeps in touch with his fans (30K on Soundcloud, 550K on Facebook) via his regular Fan Bass Q&A feature.

An anonymous fan recently asked a question that’s on the minds of artists all over the creative spectrum:

What do you think about the people that leak and download your music (or any music) without paying?

Bassnectar’s thoughtful (and amazing) response runs an entire page and is quotable all the way through. He begins by addressing the “leaked album” situation:

When we sent out promos of “Divergent Spectrum” we knew without a doubt it would get leaked. It is kind of an honor that enough people care, that they want to get it and share it as soon as possible. Instead of worrying about it, we just figured “Let’s let people decide what they want to do.” If they want to support me, let’s make it easy for them to do so. We created a presale option, and added a stack of exclusive Bonus Material (loops, bits, outtakes, sketches, …kind of like the “Special Features” on a DVD) as a gift to everyone who did this, knowing it was an act of love and support for them to pre-order something they could just download for free.

There are two key points to this statement, points that other artists (or more often, their default representatives — label spokesmen, royalty collection agencies, etc. ) tend to ignore when discussing piracy. One: a leaked album is a si gn of interest. Very few people will track down a leaked album from an artist they have no interest in. Two: make it easy for fans to support the artist, preferably directly. The more paranoid you are about leaked albums and “lost sales,” the less likely it is that your music is easily found and purchased.

Bassnectar goes on from there, letting his fans (both paying and non-paying) know how thrilled he is with being Bassnectar:

For me, I am so incredibly grateful for everything in my life right now, i can’t really ask for more. We have sold out nearly every single show in the past year, and the legion of bass heads is growing every day. I am honored that people want to explore my music. I am honored that they want to share it with their friends. I am not worried about being supported, because I feel so much support each day, in so many different forms.

On principle though, I do think it is important for ALL ARTISTS to make it easy for people to support what they love. And it is important for those who love the art to decide how they can support art and artists, and allow it to continue.

There it is again: “make it easy for people to support what they love.” Hitching your music to major label’s whims, proprietary systems, various rights agencies and digital rights management “tools” does nothing but make it harder for fans to support you, much less share the experience with others.

He also hammers home a point made over and over again here at Techdirt: spending time and energy attempting to prevent piracy will only leave you tired and frustrated. The m usic world doesn’t work the way it used to, relying on “top down” distribution. At the same time, he makes a genuine request: if you love an artist, find a way to support them.

In 2011, art and culture exist as DIGITAL MEDIA, and it is naive to think it will not be leaked or downloaded or shared or “stolen” repeatedly. It is just a fact of life. People need to decide for themselves if they want to steal or not. And if they *DO* then they can decide if and how to follow up with support. If you download leaked music, and you enjoy it, why not go buy an official copy? It seems fair. You are not obligated to do this, it is just a choice. Do you enjoy the artist? IF YOU ENJOY, THEN SUPPORT. If not, then simply carry on. It takes a LOT of time and energy for artists to create their craft, and even more time and energy for them to prepare a release, and to distribute it. You can support what you love in man y ways, and in a sense you vote with your dollar.

It’s that simple. An artist’s best weapons against piracy aren’t takedown notices and legislation. The best weapon is still an honest connection with your fans (paying or not). Simply talking to them directly about you and your work does more for your bottom line than a million anti-piracy screeds. Even better, give them a reason to buy and as many ways to buy as possible.

I’ll leave you with this choice clip of Bassnectar in action, sporting the finest head of heavy metal hair to ever find itself in front of a tableful of electronic noisemakers:

Oh, and his discussion has spilled over onto his Facebook page as well, which is worth checking out.

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It’s that time again! Prepare for the spamming and whoring out of all your favorites! Not as bad as DJ Mag poll, but still, these polls don’t really mean much anymore. It’s all about marketing! But then again, it seems that the music industry as a whole has become more about marketing and social networking and less about the music. How did Pauly D get into the top 10 last year?

So who are my top 5 American DJs? Stay tuned!

http://www.americasbestdj.net/bestdj/index.htm

2010 Winners:
1.DJ QBert  2.Kaskade
3.A-Trak
4.BT
5.Wolfgang Gartner
6.Jazzy Jeff
7.Steve Aoki
8.DJ Pauly D
9.Roonie G
10.Scotty Boy
11.Mix Master Mike
12.Diplo
13.Skribble
14.Markus Schulz
15.DJ Theo
16.Mark Farina
17.DJ Craze
18.DJ Shiftee
19.Bassnectar
20.Sticky Boots
21.Saeed Younan
22.DJ Enferno
23.Cedric Gervais
24.DJ Shadow
25.Armand Van Helden
26.?uestlove
27.Grandmaster Flash
28.Bad Boy Bill
29.Girl Talk
30.Robbie Rivera
31.DJ Vice
32.Erick Morillo
33.Moby
34.Cut Chemist
35.Crystal Method
36.Joe Bermudez
37.Oscar G
38.Danny Tenaglia
39.Morgan Page
40.Rob Swiftge
41.Felix Da Housecat
42.Roger Sanchez
43.Dubfire
44.Derrick Carter
45.DJ Icey
46.DJ Irene
47.Dennis Ferrer
48.Sharam
49.Colette
50.Annalyze

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Do you suffer from any of the following symptoms: Depression? Anxiety? Fear of being alone? Or are you introverted or antisocial?

If you answered “yes” to any of these (or if you just want a shot of audio endorphins), then it’s time for a little Group Therapy. And who better to write the prescription than one of the world’s biggest electronic acts, Above & Beyond? They are pulling out all the stops for this tour, and the trailblazing trance trio is making a triumphant return to the Rocky Mountain Region.

The new Group Therapy album (out early June) carries on the legacy of their Anjunabeats label; it’s the sound which has come to epitomize the genre: Heavy synths, uplifting vocals, slammin’ beats and peaktime energy.

Sure, you could still book a seat on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo to hear the newest Above & Beyond music, but the $200,000 price tag is a bit steep. Worry not, trance addicts, because it’s easier than that. Just clear your calendar for this coming Thursday, May 19^th and come early to Beta Nightclub. Opening honors go to local hero Jaytech before A&B take the helm. A mile high doesn’t seem like much compared to the orbital altitude of Spaceship Two’s 51,500 feet but hey, we have the Funktion One sound system. Take that, big money!

Tickets are still available but going fast.

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techdirt.com/articles/why-are-police-going-after-mixtapes-why-are-they-bringing-along-riaa-reps

Interesting article here. If you don’t want to click thru the above link, I’ve quoted the best parts at the bottom of this post. But will this story (or others) change the way the DJ culture works with mixes?

Mixtapes have been around since the 70s (but didn’t become widespread until the 1980s). I’ve put together dozens of mixtapes myself. Remember when we were told ”If your mix is labeled ‘For Promotional Use Only’ you’d be safe? Not necessarily true. Or that nothing could happen if you weren’t making any money, if you weren’t actually selling your mix… I know people that would “give away” their mixtapes “for donations” or maybe charge the cost of materials for the disc (or cassette) but say the mix was free. Little things like that. None would really hold up if the situation got taken to court, but local DJs are relatively small beans in a big pot.

And now as a blogger I’m getting free music thrown at me daily from the labels and the artists themselves. Will the RIAA demand money from me for the use of this? It’s a different situation, these people are giving me music to help promote them. But does this matter to the money-hungry RIAA? Apparently not.

(continue reading…)

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http://www.beatportal.com/feed/item/the-4th-annual-beatport-music-awards/

Before I show just how jaded and out of touch I am, let me preface this by saying congrats to all the winners. These are all good tracks, but some are just that: Good. Not Great. Not Amazing. The Top Tracks were based on sales, the other awards were voted in my the Beatport community. What are your thoughts on the winners?

(continue reading…)

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techdirt.com/how-copyright-filters-present-serious-challenge-to-dj-culture

A few months ago, we wrote about how the super popular (and very useful) SoundCloud service implemented a copyright filter, which resulted in a bunch of DJs (who are some of the biggest users of SoundCloud) to have their work go missing. It’s not hard to figure out why SoundCloud put in place a filter. The entertainment industry has decided to pretend that copyright law in the US requires such a filter, to avoid falling afoul of the DMCA’s “red flag” clause. Yet, as many people have pointed out, if the DMCA was designed to require filters, it would have said so. Of course, because of this, many companies who host works have felt compelled to use filters, not just to avoid a lawsuit, but to keep the entertainment industry happy, because most of these companies want to work with the entertainment industry (contrary to the claims of some that these services just want to “ripoff” the entertainment industry).

However, there are all sorts of problems with these filters. Contrary to the claims of some, determining copyright infringement is not an easy call for humans, let alone computers. Computers, for example, have no algorithm to determine fair use. The end result is that the system defaults to blocking way too frequently, taking down works that are legitimate. David Collado points us to yet another example of this happening with SoundCloud. Apparently a DJ from Brussels, DJ Lowdjo, recently was listening to a lot of Turkish psychedelic rock, and noticed that American artists The Gaslamp Killer & Gonjasufi apparently copied a bunch of these same tracks, with very minor edits, on the album they released last year. Lowdjo tried to upload his own work, based on the same Turkish psychedelic rock songs… and it got blocked by SoundCloud’s copyright filter, claiming that the copyright on the song belonged to the Gaslamp Killer’s rightsholder, Milan Records.

Of course, Lowdjo’s work was similarly inspired from the same source, so the copyright claim seems questionable. But a computer apparently can’t make that distinction. Unfortunately, it appears SoundCloud also refused to respond to Lowdjo’s counternotice. Some argue that the DMCA requires companies to put works back online following a counternotice, while others point out that sites are free to refuse to put the works back up at their own discretion. At the very least, SoundCloud should have responded, though.

Either way, the situation is unfortunate for both SoundCloud and DJ culture. The supporters of filters will simply brush off DJ culture as if it doesn’t matter, or if it’s “just copying,” rather than any real art form, which is pretty insulting (as an aside, why is it that the folks who insist that copyright is needed to “defend culture” are always the first to mock any sort of culture they don’t like?). The reality is that DJ culture is an art form, whether people like it or not, and copyright law (and the way the entertainment industry interprets the law) is clearly getting in the way of that culture. SoundCloud, and other services pushed to install filters, are sort of caught in the middle of all of this, trying to stay on the right side of the law and appease the entertainment industry, while also helping DJ culture. At some point, something has to give.

This is not only a follow up to the original Soundcloud issue (which has kept me from signing up with them), but opens up another hotly debated issue: Is DJing an artform in itself?

I’d say yes. And no. This is a tough one, but it could go either way. Playing other peoples’ music back to back to back isn’t very creative (or hard). But programming a set, making the songs tell a story, that takes skill. Reading a crowd takes talent. If pissing in a jar with crucifix or hanging dildos from the ceiling can be considered art, I suppose DJing could, too…

But that was the old generation of DJ. Nowadays the disk jockey hat is interchangeable with that of the producer. DJs don’t just play music. They chop it up, re-order it, remix it, mash songs together, and sometimes completely rework the tunes to fit their own style. This is most definitely an art form. Right?

But are DJs really musicians? Producers, yes. Straight DJs? No.

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http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110302/14244913326/moby-says-major-record-labels-should-die.shtml

Despite the idiocy that comes from Moby’s mouth about all things related to politics, economics, social issues, etc, one thing he does know is music.

And I can (finally!) say I agree with him about something: Big Labels need to adapt or die!

Today’s music doesn’t need the majors. The biggest draw to the labels used to be distribution, but the internet has cut out the middleman (the big labels). Sure, there are other benefits that the majors offer, but is it worth it for a young artist? No. The negatives outweigh any type of benefits you might get from signing your soul away to the big players.

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