Bad Panda Records

Free-download label releasing a new Creative Commons licensed song every monday

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May 21, 12:06 PM

Tommy Toussaint is the vintage-pop moniker for the Harlem-based songwriter Jesse Thompson. Since 2008, Toussaint has been a frequent collaborator/band member of Dent May.

He recently released the Summer USA 7” on Make Mine Records (also available via Rough Trade), after having released the majority of his music via the Cats Purring collective (on free download the Cosmic Caverns EP) and Chill Mega Chill.

Here’s a brand new track apt for late spring period. Be sure to check out the – full of interesting thoughts – interview (after the jump) and to stay tuned for his upcoming music.

Tommy Toussaint – I Don’t Wanna Cry [mp3]
(thanks to Andre Sousa for mastering)

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Where do you live actually?

Harlem, NY

What is the last thing you ate?

Moonpie

Your addiction ?

Baths

What do you collect?

Bytes

What is your favorite word?

Precocious

What sound or noise do you love?

The SP-303 Tape Echo effect

What is your most recent extravagance?

Box wine (Rosé)

Who is the most interesting person you’ve ever met?

Mr. Bhattacharya, one of my next door neighbors growing up. He claimed he had the cure for AIDS and was working on the HIV vaccine, but according to him, the US govt was giving him problems. All the families and kids on the block talked about it. I got to see it in his basement one day. I was playing basketball in my driveway and he invited me over to check it out, which is super sketchy in hindsight, but sure enough, he had a fully functioning laboratory down there with boiling vats of both clear and pink liquid. We found out years later that he had been arrested for practicing medicine on humans with only a veterinarian’s license. I still believe that I saw the real cure though.

One book?

Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino

Which song do you listen to when you wake up?

It varies. Lately they’ve been, “When the morning comes” by Hall and Oates, “Gotta Get Up” by Harry Nilsson, or “Our Prayer” by The Beach Boys

A song you wish you wrote yourself?

No Diggity by Blackstreet

Your sunday morning track?

“One Bad Habit” by Micheal Franks

One website?

I can’t choose one. RHIZOME.ORG or Wikipedia will do me just fine.

What do you think about music industry in 2012?

Industry and art are a funny combination, but I think with all the advances in digital technology and the broad scale of the Internet, the state of music distribution and creation is currently at its most democratized. Artists have the ability to produce and share what they create with less financial and political constraint and labels such as this (Bad Panda) serve as a perfect example of how sharing art should work. Of course, even online, especially in the blogosphere, there are still plenty of vain political mechanisms operating in the realm of PR and coverage, but the music “industry” is in a hopeful place.

What about Creative Commons?

Viva la revolution

Favorite venue?

Watt Club in Athens, GA

Favorite concert?

Hmmm…I’d say either Group Doueh at the Animal Collective curated ATP in May, 2011 or the Beach Boys reunion tour concert at Beacon Theatre in NYC.

Favorite place in the world?

The Greek isle of Hydra. There are no cars there, only donkeys and boats. Jump off cliffs all day and drink ouzo all night. Pretty much paradise.

Where would you wish to wake up tomorrow?

Beside agent Dana Scully


May 14, 01:10 PM

21 years-old Pandreas comes from Bergen-Norway and creates sample-based electronic in the style of Gold Panda, The Field or Pogo.
Recently chosen as “unknown artist” of the week on norwegian national radio, he was booked to debut live at Gut Feelings festival (with acts like Digits, Twin Shadow and Basia Bulat) in Oslo, 30th of june and Slottsfjell Festival (with Tortoise, Wild Beasts, Nils Petter Molvær and many more).

Pandreas – Sirkel(Sag) [mp3]

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Where do you live actually?

I come from a town in Norway called Ulsteinvik, but i currently reside in Bergen.

What do you collect?

I try to collect camera equipment, but it’s quite expensive!

What sound or noise do you love?

Nothing better than a good sample.

Who is the most interesting person you’ve ever met?

Can’t really come up with anyone, i prefer normal uninteresting people.

One quote?

Anything from Michael Scott of The Office US.

One movie?

Anchorman! Or maye The Life Aquatic of Steve Zissou.

One book?

Harens År by Arto Paasilinna

One website?

Hypetrak.com

A song you wish you wrote yourself?

Spaceship by Kanye West

Which song do you listen to when you wake up?

Lately, Thirtheen by Big Star has been playing a lot on my way to school.

A song for relaxing on a beach?

Toro y Moi – Imprint After. Perfect summer song.

Your sunday morning track?

Bon Iver – re:stacks.

What do you think about music industry in 2012?

So much good music! But i suppose it’s hard to make any money.

What about Creative Commons?

Very clever, digital art should be free and available.

Favorite venue?

I really like the Øya festival in Norway.

Favorite concert?

Honestly, i have no idea, there’s so many! But seeing Kanye West last summer was crazy.

Favorite place in the world?

My hometown, Ulsteinvik.

Where would you wish to wake up tomorrow?

Hawaii? That would be nice.


May 09, 12:04 PM

We’re glad to announce our 2nd physical release and introduce you Indian Wells. His first track “Deuce” [mp3] just debuted on XLR8R and was likened to Shlohmo’s lo-fi textures and Actress’ gritty techno mantras.

Debut LP “Night Drops” will be out in june, meanwhile pre-order one of the 100 numbered CDs before they’re gone forever and follow Indian Wells on FB or SNDCLD or sign up his mailing list for more news/mp3s.



May 07, 11:32 AM

Introducing London’s Hypermagic, a forest of echoes and polychrome phonographic vibrations inspired by acts like Grouper, Emeralds, Do Make Say Think and Teen Daze. Layers of rustic beats, rusty clicks, shrouded voices, kaleidoscope reverbered guitars and rheumatic feedback. After 4 well-received EPs and a full-length (everything on free download) here are new sonic textures and rhytmes that will ride you along a time warping tunnel headed straight for the moon. Stay tuned for more music at Magic Rub Cassettes and check out the interview below.

Hypermagic – Piffy On A Rock [mp3]

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Where do you live actually?

In the middle of the middle of one side of middle England.

What is the last thing you ate?

a chocolate biscuit

Your addiction ?

Uk skate videos

What do you collect?

Small change

What is your favorite word?

sssshhhhhhh

What sound or noise do you love?

guitar feedback

What is your most recent extravagance?

moving out of London

Who is the most interesting person you’ve ever met?

my baby daughter – everything she does is new.

One quote?

“I’ve learned from my mistakes, and I am sure I can repeat them exactly.” Peter Cook

One movie?

The Wicker Man

One book?

Narcissus and Goldmund – Herman Hesse

The song to be played at your funeral?

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down – The Band

A song you wish you wrote yourself?

River Man – Nick Drake

Which song do you listen to when you wake up?

Bird song

A song for relaxing on a beach?

Candy Shoppe – Emeralds

Your sunday morning track?

Desert Island Discs theme

What do you think about music industry in 2012?

Amazing – you can do anything you like on your own terms and find anything that has ever been recorded in an instant. How can you argue with that?!

What about Creative Commons?

A neat idea, but remains to be seen how effective it will be. Intellectual property rights are dying (except broadcast royalties), and cannot be salvaged. If anyone would like to be a patron of the hypermagic world then every quid will be gratefully received.

Favorite venue?

The Bastard Club, Berlin.

Favorite concert?

A tough choice between Do Make Say Think at Tanned Tin, Santander 2003 and Enablers @ Bardens Boudoir, London 2005

Favorite place in the world?

The edge of the water at South Queensferry.

Where would you wish to wake up tomorrow?

The possibilities are infinite…how can I possibly choose?


April 30, 10:05 AM

Anon is blooming. This mysterious London-based producer is making experimental electronic sounds dipping into trip hop beats and the new track is all about heavy delays and bassy sounds. After having remixed Young Magic (mp3 via Clash Music), he’s just put out an exclusive mix for Dazed Digital. Look for the debut LP soon and listen to the other tracks on his website.

Anon – Jungle Rag [mp3]

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 Jungle Rag video directed by Oliver Jennings.

Where do you live actually?

North London, just near the Arsenal.

What is the last thing you ate?

Toast – with my coffee – still waking up.

Your addiction ?

My computer – sad but I am hooked to it – on the internet, working, making music.  I wish it wasn’t so but there we go.

What sound or noise do you love?

Crumpling leaves at the moment. I have got into a new habit of walking around with my headphones plugged into my field recorder, turned up really loud, so you’re ears become hyper-sensitive. Then just hitting shit, standing on stuff and listening in on people. It’s a bit weird and voyeuristic but you can get lost and everything draws your attention . I really recommend it.

What do you collect?

Records, Books, shit facts.

What is your favorite word?

This changes regularly – today its ‘meek’

Who is the most interesting person you’ve ever met?

John Peel – no doubt. A legend.

What is your most recent extravagance?

An electronic drum kit – especially as I hadn’t learned how to drum yet. I am learning at the moment.

One quote?

“Blessed are the Cheesemakers”

One movie?

In reference to the above – Life of Brian

One book?

The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat – Oliver Sachs. Fascinating.

The song to be played at your funeral?

Always look on the Bright Side of Life – Monty Python. I fucking hate dark funerals. Make them laugh.

A song you wish you wrote yourself?

Too many to choose – so an epic one I suppose – Paranoid Android – Radiohead.

Which song do you listen to when you wake up?

Sorry – I am Radio 4 all the way (BBC talk radio) then I have no repeat patterns. That would be a shame. I need change musically as everything else is exactly the same each morning

A song for relaxing on a beach?

All this music stuff changes daily – today – Beirut – Postcards From Italy (and the Italian reference is a coincidence)

Your sunday morning track?

Probably something classical, Sibelius? I don’t know that much about classical music but if there is a time meant for it, it is Sunday morning whilst making a roast.

One website?

Guardian.co.uk

What do you think about music industry?

Its a bit fucked but on the way back from massive turmoil. I went to see Flying Lotus in the Roundhouse in Camden, London, which was sold out and if that’s happening then at least good music is getting through. It’s just a shame the UK mainstream is so focused on reality TV stars and nostalgic reformed bands. I suppose really though there’s almost so much choice that it is overwhelming.

Favorite venue?

In London – Corsica Studios.

Favorite concert?

This is the hardest question. I have no idea. Clubwise – Aphex Twin @ Sonar in 2003? As for a  band gig – as I am forgetting everything I am going to say Chic @ Bestival on a Sunday hangover when the sun was out listening to disco. It wasn’t the best gig I am sure, but it was what I needed right then. The ego on Nile Rodgers was a show in itself but after what he’s written that’s fair enough.

Favorite place in the world?

I was going to say somewhere like Tuscany, but really it would have to be London. I love to get away and there are better place, but I always want to come back, it’s home.

Where would you wish to wake up tomorrow?

In the southern hemisphere – somewhere. I feel like I need summer again already. Just not antartica.


April 26, 01:15 PM

The Jaws vs Paws project is more than an album. It is a fantasy told through hundreds of narrative voices culled from sources new and old, blending violence with humor, time travel with spiritual awakening. The universe comes to life with sounds indebted as much to dub and hip hop as musique concrete and breakfast at Berghain, woven together with a love for classic soundtracks. This is the first chapter of the Jaws vs Paws story, which sees our protagonists go from the Wild West to a prehistoric jungle and back – revealing a tale of immortal spirits and time travel, betrayal and revenge, heroism and villainy.

(free download below)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11


April 23, 03:00 AM

Miró Belle (a.k.a. San Diego-based Jeff Tuyay) is dropping today his new EP , six short and playful tracks that will remind you sounds a-la AraabMuzik, Stereolab or Monster Rally. Premiered on PRTLS, Kiss This (Vol. 0) is the final episode after the (free downloads!) Vol.1, Vol.2 and Vol.3. Get them all and follow him wherever you can, you won’t regret it.

Miró Belle – Kiss This (Vol. 0) [zip]

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01 In Fielder [mp3]
02 Penny’s For Lame Thoughts [mp3]
03 La La Lava [mp3]
04 Visions Of Eclairs [mp3]
05 Here Comes The Sheeple [mp3]
06 February (Jones) March [mp3]

Where do you live actually?

California

What is the last thing you ate?

My trifecta (Beans/Fries/Guacamole)

Your addiction?

Water

What do you collect?

Knowledge?

What is your favorite word?

Trill

What sound or noise do you love?

Water

What is your most recent extravagance?

Shooting a film on 16mm

Who is the most interesting person you’ve ever met?

Thou shall not name drop.

One quote?

“Me, We” (by Muhammad Ali)

One movie?

Inland Empire (by David Lynch)

One book?

The Book (by Alan Watts)

One website?

Wikipedia

Which song do you listen to when you wake up?

Sweet Road (by Animal Collective) it’s my ringtone/alarm

A song you wish you wrote yourself?

El Scorcho (by Weezer)

The song to be played at your funeral?

Shampoo Suicide (by Broken Social Scene)

A song for relaxing on a beach?

Blessa (by Toro y Moi)

Your sunday morning track?

This Must Be The Place (by Talking Heads)

What about the music industry?

No Comment!

What about Creative Commons?

I’m all for it!

Favorite venue?

Henry Miller Library

Best concert attended?

Animal Collective

Favorite place on earth?

I’ll get back to you once I’ve gone everywhere.

Where would you wish to wake up tomorrow?

Somewhere new? I’d also be fine with just waking up


April 21, 11:08 AM

It’s Record Store Day! Please go out and support your local indie!
Our web store is celebrating too and just for today, Dumbo Gets Mad debut LP 40% off!

.,

“I trust no one who hasn’t time for music. What a shame to Leave a child, or worse, a generation orphaned from one of life’s great beauties.” (Jack White)

“Folks who work here are professors. Don’t replace all the knowers with guessors keep’em open they’re the ears of the town” (Tom Waits)

“A proper record shop reminds us why we got into this in the first place – a place to be reminded of old friends, still in their spots on the shelves, a source of unexpected magic and lucid memories – a place that reminds us that music is more than dumb file sharing and the management of dead data by faceless sociopathic corporations, but a storehouse of dreams, both possible and impossible.” (Max Richter)

“Every time I am in a different city on tour, I make a point to hit the indie retail record stores to see what they’re spinning and selling, because i just LOVE being there…my own personal and sometimes anonymous church. You can’t get that feeling sitting behind your computer, ever.” (Amanda Palmer)


April 16, 03:30 PM

Coming out from Paris, Andrea is the winner of our Kodak To Graph contest and he’s putting out an impressive EP featuring remixes from emerging and talented artists as Kodak To Graph, Kyson (who just released an EP on Moodgadget), Chester-based Real, Grobbie and Splinter.

Andrea – Bedtime Stories EP [zip]

1. Work the Middle [mp3]
2. Going Down [mp3]
3. Work the Middle (Kodak to Graph Remix) [mp3]
4. Work the Middle (Kyson Remix) [mp3]
5. Work the Middle (Real Remix) [mp3]
6. Work the Middle (Grobbie Remix) [mp3]
7. Work the Middle (Splinter Remix) [mp3]

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Check out the interview with Andrea after the jump.

Where do you live actually?

I’m actually based in Paris. It’s not the best city to be making my kind of music, everything is techno/dubstep here, but i believe that internet makes frontiers disappear.

What sound or noise do you love?

There a lot of weird noises and sounds i hear threw the day that are worth loving, closing a door or even opening a can of coke are sounds that should get recorded ! unfortunately i dont own a small recorder or convenient mic to record all those noises, but someday i might work on that !

Which song do you listen to when you wake up?

Funny thing, Kayvon’s (Kodak to Graph) remix from my track ‘Work the Middle’ is my alarm clock song haha. I’ve got so much trouble waking up in the morning, i’m changing it very often but this one seems to work for me for now !

A song you wish you wrote yourself?

I’ve got a lot of issues with that, more than a single song, there’s full albums i wish i did, goes from early Bonobo or Portishead stuff to newer artists such as Mount Kimbie or Gold Panda.You could ask me that question day after day and the name of the song/artist would change.

What do you think about music industry?

It’s quite extraordinary, things are really changing, i’m pretty young but i can see things moving. Big music record companies are sinking, small ones are getting bigger, i think there’s a lot to do and i’m thrilled about the years ahead of us.

Favorite venue?
I play a set in a huge church in Paris last year. Even though it’s not the venue where i had the biggest audience, it was amazing to play in that kind of place, really magic, the natural reverb would make all my tracks have a whole new atmosphere.

Favorite place on earth?

The first that always comes to mind is Portishead, i’ve been a huge fan since i’m little, and seeing them was a dream become true.Phantogram was also really really good, i was listening to them non-stop for a year thinking they would never come to Paris, they’re even better live !

Where would you wish to wake up tomorrow?

Anywhere that blows my mind, gives me time to wonder around, and have people i love near me


April 10, 05:04 AM

As a preview from the upcoming Bedtime Stories EP by Andrea (winner of the Kodak To Graph contest) out on 16/04, here’s one of his new track remixed by Kodak To Graph.

Below you can listen /download the winning remix of the KDK remix competition + a couple of the many great runners up. Thank you so much to everyone for participating.



Tracks

  • Tommy Toussaint - I Don't Wanna Cry
    9776 plays
  • Indian Wells - Wimbledon 1980 (CD out in June)
    13233 plays
  • Pandreas - Sirkel(Sag)
    19395 plays
  • Indian Wells - Deuce (CD out in June)
    45513 plays
  • Hypermagic - Piffy On A Rock
    56219 plays
  • Anon - Jungle Rag
    25522 plays
  • Jaws vs Paws - Challenge
    13902 plays
  • Jaws vs Paws - Medicine
    35548 plays
  • Jaws vs Paws - Jungle Wild
    62188 plays
  • Jaws vs Paws - Limbo
    38561 plays
  • Jaws vs Paws - Somebody New
    31902 plays
  • Miró Belle - In Fielder
    113660 plays
  • Andrea - Work the Middle (real Remix)
    4577 plays
  • Andrea - Work the Middle (Kyson Remix)
    4642 plays
  • Andrea - Work the Middle
    8512 plays
  • Andrea - Work the Middle (Kodak to Graph Rmx)
    81283 plays
  • Taquwami - Ƒắη†Δ§ỷ
    19114 plays
  • Digits - Because It's Wrong
    139172 plays
  • Ghostandthesong - Ou Inme [from Escapes EP]
    13973 plays
  • LIFE & LIMB with SAROOS - Mirrored Selves
    68477 plays
  • Skeleton Zoo - More Various Flavors of Chip
    85422 plays
  • Dumbo Gets Mad & Venice - Viaje Astral
    52806 plays
  • Falcon Lake - Shores (from Drown EP)
    12824 plays
  • FELIX - Shades
    33867 plays
  • Youthless - The Beasts
    87436 plays
  • Beat Culture - Memory (Cassettes)
    45478 plays
  • Ricky Eat Acid - A Smoothie Robot For My Moon Mansion
    86160 plays
  • Silver Wren - Fall Sky
    11690 plays
  • Berlinist - Ollie Falls Asleep (Xmas single)
    12271 plays
  • Kodak To Graph - He / Basement - Original
    16920 plays
  • Running In the Fog - Know When to Run
    25393 plays
  • Beat Culture - Midori
    49643 plays
  • Anon - Bite The Hand
    26600 plays
  • Plastic Heart - The Day Is Done
    6926 plays
  • Felix Green - Knight of Swords [BadPanda106]
    6387 plays
  • Kodak To Graph - Zolembu
    8381 plays
  • Kodak To Graph - Express / Cause (Visio'l EP, free limited download)
    7444 plays
  • Jiony - Waiting For The Sun
    15011 plays
  • Monday Night Fever - Sunday Lovers
    5553 plays
  • Steven Smirney - Deeply Wrong Merits (Venice Remix)
    9192 plays
  • Steven Smirney - Deeply Wrong Merits
    16114 plays
  • Handbook - Been A While Since You Spoke (Bad Panda #100)
    7004 plays
  • The Parish of Little Clifton - It's Okay, Roseanne
    6202 plays
  • RocketNumberNine - You Reflect Me [BadPanda#48]
    6821 plays
  • memotone - Fractal
    7774 plays
  • Flamingo - Superpalm
    5927 plays
  • Dumbo Gets Mad - You Make You Feel (DIVA Remix) - REMIX CONTEST WINNER!
    6365 plays
  • Monster Rally - Island On Fire [BadPanda77]
    4730 plays
  • Dumbo Gets Mad - You Make You Feel (Click for the remix competition!)
    19735 plays
  • Dumbo Gets Mad - Raymond Play
    2062 plays

Favorites

  • Kimbra - Settle Down (Kodak to Graph Remix)
  • Love & Light (Tom Croose Remix)
  • The xx - Shelter (Beat Culture Remix)
  • BJØRN TORSKE - Langt Fra Afrika (Todd Terje's Enda Lengre Miks (Fra Afrika Altså)))
  • Dumbo Gets Mad - Palomar 1
  • Nick Drake - From the morning (performed live by Nicked Drake)
  • Cécile - Il Corpo
  • Field Recordings from Teufelsberg Listening Station Berlin, Germany
  • The Units - Zombo (I-Robots Rework)
  • Monster Rally's Mixtape for Kassette Klub
  • Lights out
    by ori
  • Undomondo NYE 2010
  • Steven Smirney - Ultrarobotch (List of Personal Thoughts Ep Preview)
  • Fruit of Love
  • Rocketnumbernine - Matthew and Toby (TEXT008)
  • George Benson - Give Me The Night (AC Re-Edit)
  • It takes a muscle-get a room! edit
  • Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!
  • The Triumph Of Our Tired Eyes
  • Could've Moved Mountains...
  • Disco & Haze
  • His Belly Burst
  • The Beatles - A Day In The Life (unknown mix)
  • Johanna Billing vs Arthur Russell - This is how we walk on the moon (Bogdan edit)
  • Curses - The Deep End (Holy Ghost! Day School .. )
  • The Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows (Leftside Wobble Edit)

Posts

Indian Wells: "Wimbledon 1980"

vinylweekend:

      Using bouncing tennis balls and tennis rackets as beats, hearing cheering audience and a referee and a tennis commentator throughout the song, “Wimbledon 1980” is another cut taken from Indian Wells‘ upcoming debut LP titled Night Drops after he dropped “Deuce”. Stream it below.

Facebook makes about 1/10th of Google’s revenues even though they have 2x the pageviews. Some estimates put Google’s search revenues per pageviews at 100-200x Facebook’s.

…The bad news is that, if there is one consistent theme in both online and offline advertising, it’s that ads work dramatically better when consumers have purchasing intent. Google makes the vast majority of their revenues when people search for something to buy or hire. They don’t have to stoke demand – they simply harvest it. When people use Facebook, they are generally socializing with friends. You can put billboards all over a park, and maybe sometimes you’ll happen to convert people from non-purchasing to purchasing intents. But you end up with a cluttered park, and not very effective advertising.

(via Chris Dixon)

The Charts TED Doesn’t Want to Share
—By Dave Gilson, motherjones.com

If you want to learn about top­ics like cli­mate change, sex slav­ery, glob­al pover­ty, or solv­ing the world’s prob­lems with video games, there’s a TED talk for you. But income inequal­i­ty in the Unit­ed States? Keep look­ing. Nation­al…

headunderwater:

Darkside - A1

Who said music videos were dead?

Directed by Ryan Staake (Pomp&Clout)
Director of Photography: T.S. Pfeffer
Timelapse: Peter Corina
Pyramid: Santa Monica Plastics
Shot in Arizona and California

thesoulelectronic:

In June, Bad Panda Records will release 100 hand-signed copies of Indian Wells’ debut album, Night Drops. From what we can gather, Indian Wells appears to be a relatively anonymous electronic outfit— though perhaps this will change as the Night Drops release date approaches. In the…

Information overload is not the problem; you want all the information. It’s filter failure.
We little humans are defined by our (sometimes painfully) selective memories; the web is defined by its promiscuity. It doesn’t sleep; it doesn’t process; it never, never rests. And while we humans can control our experience of the web — just because everything’s archived doesn’t mean that we’re forced to consume it — its own lavish memory changes the way we users think about remembering itself. We become cavalier about preservation, not just because Google serves as an outboard brain, but because we are conditioned to assume that the stuff we care about will automatically stick around.

Album of 2012?

patricfallon:

Unable to secure a proper interview with the enigmatic London-based producer known as Actress, I wrote what is basically a feature-length review of his excellent new album, R.I.P. I wrote about its themes of death and the afterlife, as well as the delicate sounds that flow throughout the nearly hour-long record. Actress’ new LP is easily my favorite to be released in 2012 thus far, which you may gather from the liberal comparisons I make to another landmark record, Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works Volume II

Amazing Q&A with Drowned In Sound founder, Sean Adams. If you’re into music, please have a deep read.

seaninsound:

> In a recently published article by The New York Times, Alexandra Molotkow stated that,
>
> “staying current is now a wild game of whack-a-mole. And knowing one thing about everything is much more important than knowing everything about one thing.” - This sums up pretty well how I feel, and I think this will be a main reason for artists struggling to set up a relationship with fans. In the 15 odd years that you have been running Drowned in Sound, can you expand on how things have changed or progressed, keeping this comment in mind?

I dunno, I can see the logic of this statement, and it’s certainly true that some music fans now seem to say “I like a bit of everything” but there’s definitely still niches and stars that people and publications dedicate themselves to (i.e. Gaga and Pete Doherty).

As I was saying, we like to repeatedly mention acts to underscore how much we like them, and hopefully this provides an increasing depth of knowledge for people. There’s so much music around and I guess there are people who know a bit about everything, but you’ll find the most influential people are the ones who are masters of their sphere of taste. I know it totally baffles people that I love Elliott Smith and recommend things like Tim Hecker and then rave about Paramore, and I know if I was just into “one thing” then I’d probably be far more a reliable guide for people who are into one sort of “thing”.

Additionally… Over the past decade, publications have become less and less important as way artists communicate with their audience (and reach a new audience). Social media has ramped up the one-to-many dynamic for acts to fans, and gives a one-to-one artist-to-fan sense of connection that a magazine interview would never allow (this direct-to-fan spread of information is kinda killed the point of “news” for sites like ours). Whether this is a good thing for the mystique and magic of an act remains to be seen, and obviously the depth of these interactions is not going to be as great as reading Lester Bangs vs Lou Reed or picking up a book about Tom Waits.

Obviously it isn’t a great thing for music if most fans have a fairly shallow relationship with a lot of people. I mean, just compare Gotye’s YouTube views with his “fans” on Facebook and Twitter. The metrics of that are baffling, but then there’s the 1000 true fans concept, of being able to make £50 a year from a 1000 people in terms of a ticket, merch item (and maybe an album), whereas it’s far harder to get the scale to obtain £1 from 50,000 people. The dynamics of it all are baffling, and I’m not sure any of it is good for musicians or music as a whole ecosystem…everytime someone buys an mp3 by a band on Bandcamp is a lost album sale for Coldplay, which is a bit less a label can invest in a band, etc, etc…

Kickstarter founder Perry Chen celebrating his company’s third birthday. Definitely changing lives and the art creation process. Amanda Palmer giving the definitive entreprenurial pitch of the 21st century on the future of music and reaching almost $500k in just 4 days is just the last of the examples. 

8east4west:

[…] and the absolute best thing has been the art that is being created. art, real art — things that people can’t get out of their head — is bursting out. to be connected to the creation of things like mysterious letters, the music box, girl walk, grassroots mapping, and tens of thousands of other projects is indescribable.

i want to end with a quote that i heard about a year ago, but have (certainly) misremembered.

the point is still the same… “my great grandfather worked in a factory so my grandfather could be a teacher, my grandfather was a teacher so my father could be a lawyer, my father was a lawyer so i could be an artist.”

What Your Klout Score Really Means | Wired.com

futuristgerd:

the author of You Are Not a Gadget, hates the idea of Klout. “People’s lives are being run by stupid algorithms more and more,” Lanier says. “The only ones who escape it are the ones who avoid playing the game at all.”

— [What Your Klout Score Really Means | Epicenter | Wired.com]

Can It Really Be Happening?

Yes, it is! The contents of one of the most important and eclectic modern music collections in the world - John Peel’s personal record collection, is starting to be made public for the first time through an online archive.

John Peel’s family, The John Peel Centre for the Creative Arts, Eye Film and TV, and website company Klik, are working together to create an online archive of John Peel’s record collection, including specially created videos of key artists, John Peel’s home movies, John’s hand-typed note cards, and other content.

John Peel’s personal record collection consists of over 26,000 LPs, 40,000 singles and many thousands of CDs.

The project will release the names and song titles of 100 records a week from the collection, for 26 weeks between May- Oct, featuring the first records from one letter of the alphabet each week. People will be able to listen online to many of these records via links compiled by the project.

Each week, one artist will be chosen for a video interview, which will feature alongside the collection- these artists are being chosen by Sheila Ravenscroft (John Peel’s wife) and their children.

Releasing the contents of the whole collection and digitising it is a long term goal. The John Peel Centre for the Creative Arts will therefore be looking for further funding to continue the project after October when the Arts Council funding finishes.

The John Peel project is one of 53 creative arts projects being funded by Arts Council England with BBC partnership, as part of a new digital arts and culture media service called The Space. People will be able to access the John Peel archive and other creative arts projects on The Space by going to www.thespace.org

good:

Our friends at dublab, the nonprofit web radio collective, are having their annual “Creative Cultivation” fundraiser dinner this Thursday. It promises to be a blast, so if you’re in Los Angeles, consider picking up a ticket (they’re $100 each, but well worth it). You can listen to dublab no matter where you are, of course.

Thanks shufflerfm

Actually we don’t believe that all music should be free. We rather think that the best way to be heard nowadays is giving away music but we totally respect musicians who don’t agree with that and in any way hope fans keep supporting them how they can. Moreover downloading illegaly tracks from bandcamp or soundcloud or in any other way means you’re not understanding that behind that music there’s lots of works, there is a life, dreams, passions and sacrifices.

shufflerfm:

Check out the Blog of the Day, Bad Panda Records on Shuffler.fm!

You can listen to Bad Panda Records’s Music Channel HERE.

Bad Panda is a free-download label releasing a new Creative Commons licensed song every Monday. They love music and believe music should be free. They have released music from hundreds of artists and genres, so there is something for just about everyone. Really cool project. Check them out!

Check out Bad Panda Records’s latest sounds:









Want your blog to be Blog of the Day? Drop us a line: we@shuffler.fm

Not on Shuffler.fm yet? Add your blog HERE. (It’s easy and customizable).

The most important thing a creative per­son can learn professionally is where to draw the red line that separates what you are willing to do, and what you are not.
Wisdom from Hugh McLeod and other great thinkers on how to find your purpose and do what you love. (via explore-blog)

Audio

  • egyptianmaraccas: ANDREA * WORK THE MIDDLE Time for some tasty liquid beats ( Oh my fucking lord I melt with liquid beats you know ) Now via Bad Panda Recs ( where incredible Kodak to Graph released his latest stuff ) we can get this frenchy ( but not the french style your thinking ) warmy wavy dubbbs “Bedtime Stories Ep” is the perfect thing I need to hear now ,and at this hours here.Feel the warmth ! ♫▼load
    50 plays
  • flashlighttagmusic: Wondr- ” What Memories “ the spaces in between. Here is another deliciously smooth ‘post-dub’ style beat from the upcoming LA based producer and 6bit collective affiliate Wondr (aka Kyle Hamon). He’s hard at work on his debut EP, so make sure to keep your eyes focused on his soundcloud page to see what he drops next. Download Here
    1262 plays
  • runninginthefog: the lovely folks at bad panda just released a new track of mine along w/ a lil’ interview: http://badpandarecords.wordpress.com/2011/12/06/badpanda110/ bad panda records is an awesome blog that releases a new track every monday. it’s obviously run by pure love and devotion to artists and listeners from all over the world. check it! <3
    25208 plays
  • goodpopbadpop: They called him Midori even though that was normally only a name used for females. It wasn’t at all to make fun of him though. The name described his trade and he was in fact very talented in his field. With quick hands he delivered his products to his customers in back alleys and bars. Their hands passed the money he left the small bag that everyone in Japan would kill to get their hands on. I know he is called Midori but I’ll never know if it was because of the drug or because of the huge piles of green money that he made selling it. 17 year old beat prodigy Beat Culture first came onto my radar earlier this year after hearing a compilation of his remixes. As with each of those remixes and his string of releases in between, his latest single Midori which was recently posted up on the Bad Panda Records Soundcloud is more of the same stunningly large meticulously handcrafted beat wizardry. A smooth smoked out bar piano line opens the scene for hazy synth work and head nodding beats. Out of the haze a Beyoncé sample drops one of the most emotion charging hooks of the year and the ride only continues to get better from there. Check the single out here and be on the look out for his upcoming release Tokyo Dreamer on January 15th. More Beat Culture info here facebook | soundcloud | bandcamp | twitter | tumblr
    20 plays
  • thatsoundmakesmehigh: Steven Smirney: Deeply Wrong Merits [Venice Remix] - MP3/[FREE]EP - Great remix by Venice for Steven Smirney’s first EP “Deeply Wrong Merits” on Bad Panda Records. The EP is on free download just for an email address and it features another remix from Acid Andee. &lt;a href=”http://stevensmirney.bandcamp.com/album/deeply-wrong-merits-ep” _mce_href=”http://stevensmirney.bandcamp.com/album/deeply-wrong-merits-ep”&gt;Deeply Wrong Merits EP by Steven Smirney&lt;/a&gt;
    1 plays
  • Bert Jansch & John Renbourn - Stepping Stones [Bert And John, 1966]
    11 plays
  • Nicolas Jaar - Ishmael (Abdullah Ibrahim cover live at Maida Vale BBC Studios in London) 21 years old comparative literature student at Brown University, son of chiliean conceptual artist (Alfredo Jaar), already well-known in the dj scene but inspired by Mulatu Astatke and Erik Satie, his live is officially one of my favorite new shows.I bet on him.
    41876 plays
  • Iròi - Usual Pop Line (Populous remix) summer - summer - summer! Andrea Mangia (as Populous) is an eclectic italian musician who so far released three albums on beloved Berlin-based Morr Music (Mùm-Lali Puna-ISAN-Seabear-etc). Combining electronica, hip-hop and pop, he also started another project with Matilde Davoli (who is also featured in this track) called Girl With The Gun. Iròi is Pietro Iannuzzi, a “non-musician”. An electronic composer and remixer (listen to his take on Dumbo Gets Mad – You Make You Feel), with a strong preference for violins, pianos and post-rock, who recently released his 1st LP, Where You Were Now.
    4773 plays
  • Efrim Manuel Menuck - i am no longer a motherless child [Plays “High Gospel”, 2011] From the almighty Constellation Records, solo album by (A Silver Mt Zion/Godspeed You Black Emperor member) Efrim Menuck came out yesterday and it’s streaming here. And it’s beautiful.
    None plays
  • Phil Cook and His Feat - Ballad Of A Hungry Mother [Hungry Mother Blues, 2011] Phil Cook from Megafaun. Free download on bandcamp. “Providing us with unaltered instrumentals, Cook creates a score that invokes a polite nod to John Fahey, Elizabeth Cotton, and the finger-picking, slide stylings of early 20th century country and blues. With guitar, banjo, and dobro in hand, Phil Cook and His Feat offer up Hungry Mother Blues.” (aquarium drunkard)
    10 plays
  • The Orange Alabaster Mushroom - Tree Pie [Space And Time: A Compendium, 2001] Psychedelic sounds from the-not-so-far 00s.
    98 plays
  • David Byrne & Marisa Monte — Aguas de Março (Waters of March) (Antonio Carlos Jobim Cover) [Red Hot + Rio, 1996] Probably one of the best cover ever, recorded for the benefit compilation album Red Hot + Rio, who paid tribute to the Brazilian Tropicalia sounds. On June 28 will be released “Red Hot + Rio: 2” that will feature Dirty Projectors, of Montreal, St. Vincent, Neon Indian, Beck, Beirut, Devendra Banhart, Madlib, José González. The Red Hot organization is also the group responsible for 2009’s “Dark Was The Night” compilation that was curated by the Dessner Brothers (The National).
    50 plays
  • The Andrew Oldham Orchestra - The Last Time (Rolling Stones Songbook, 1965) Also known as: The Verve - The Bittersweet Symphony
    22 plays
  • Blonde Redhead - For the Damaged Coda (Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons, 2000)
    30 plays
  • Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers - Egyptian Reggae (1977) Riot like an egyptian!
    80 plays
  • Bot’Ox - Slow Burn (feat. Mark “Bogus” Kerr) [Babylon By Car, 2010] Bot’ox debut (= Cosmo Vitelli + Tekel, french touch alert ) is easily in my top 10 album of last year. No big hype, except their Blue Steel in one famous ad. Mix krautrock, electronic french music and epicness and you have Bot’Ox debut album.
    11 plays
  • Depeche Mode - Freelove (Bertrand Burgalat Version) Discovering the genius of Bertrand Burgalat, head of Tricatel label (house of Donna Regina, Pizzicato Five, High Llamas and tons of other great music). Burgalat is well-known for his cool, breezy 1960s-style pop sound, something he has lent to his production work with Air, April March, A.S Dragon, Dalcan, Jad Wio, Mick Harvey, Louis Philippe and the French writer Michel Houellebecq. Amazing atmospheres between french touch and jazzy psychedelia. Check it out.
    10 plays
  • Le Orme - Ad Gloriam (Ad Gloriam, 1969) Colas at 42records / stereogram reminded that Caribou closed his dj-set in Rome with this italian psychedelic gem (recently re-edited for the Ocean’s 11 soundtrack) at 5am creating a super-surreal atmosphere. Play and Repeat.
    180 plays
  • Azari & III – Into The Night (Nicolas Jaar Remix) Nico never fails.
    10 plays
  • The Divine Comedy – At The Indie Disco [Bang Goes The Knighthood, 2010] Not in love with “best of the year” lists, but this is one of the winners.
    21 plays

Updates

  • in Madrid with other 3 Bad Pandas, will check out tomorrow this new band called Arcade Fire
    18 months ago
  • so much music, so little time! coming next on bad panda, new tunes by: James Yates (from epic45/The Pattern Theory, minimal techno god Anders Ilar, jazz-electronic-rock trio KRIGET!, Matt Valerio aka Bomarr (from Restiform Bodies on Anticon), turkish electronic pop duo Fuji Kureta and "post-everything" duo Civil Civic. more great news coming soon, stay tuned!
    19 months ago
  • just received a funny email message : "All your bands are mediocre". Should we put it in our guestbook page ( http://badpandarecords.wordpress.com/guestbook ) next to Jessica Baliff, Tex La Homa, Lullatone, Fanfarlo, John Kaada, Efterlkang, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Peter Broderick, Jason Siegal and Lawrence Lessig?
    20 months ago
  • just received an awesome email from the Free Music Archive! Yes!
    22 months ago
  • while my vuvuzela gently weeps
    23 months ago

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