Lang geleden, in de jaren negentig, was ik een groot fan van MTV’s Party Zone. Het programma, met vooral underground dance, werd zaterdagnacht uitgezonden. Ideaal om te kijken na het uitgaan.
Op YouTube staat een geweldige vintage uitzending uit 1996. In deze aflevering staat Aphex Twin centraal. De kwaliteit van de video is niet best, maar de alternatieve dance video’s, de onaangepaste, maar toch sympathieke Aphex Twin en de altijd charmante VJ Simone Angel maken veel goed.
In de jaren tachtig werd het publiek op de dansvloer van de Stratus Dance Club in Zuid California gefilmd. Een aantal video’s hiervan staan op YouTube. De filmpjes geven een prachtig tijdsbeeld van de extravagante punk muziek en mode uit die tijd.
I like this song from David Lynch. It has something purifying. At the end of the year legendary director David Lynch amazed everybody by releasing his own electronic song Good Day Today.
Of course this kind of experiments makes him subject to a lot of critisism of the purists, but I think it’s not very hard to hear the surrealistic approach which is so characteristic in all of his work. A nice tune to start or end with, depending your situation this morning.
The supporting video is made by a fan.
Good Day Today on Soundcloud:
Red Bull has released a dj app which turns the iPhone and iPad into a dj console. The release of Red Bull BPM consists of a series of three apps with both full as free versions.
Toy
I tested the free version and it didn’t really convince me. The lack of loop functionality, no storage for hot cue’s and the need of extra software and hardware for monitor output makes the app more a toy than a professional tool. For this, the price of the full iPad version of 24,99 € is far too high.
More time
Still, it’s a good try. The basic functionality like cueing, bending and syncing works quite good. Also the effect section is nice. Red Bull should take more time to develop the app and offer an attractive price plan. Then the dj app could be appealing for rookies as well as pro’s. For now, djing on the iPad (and iPhone) is just a gimmick.
Check it out yourself:
The coming holiday season Walt Disney will present their new blockbuster movie Tron Legacy. The movie is a so called 3D high tech adventure. After Avatar this will be the next big thing you need your 3D glasses for.
Daft Punk
Much more interesting is that French filter house legend Daft Punk is writing the score as well as the soundtrack for the movie. It’s even stated they will do a support tour. Parts of the soundtrack and the score have mysteriously shown up on YouTube and Soundcloud.
Viral
Disney has already confimred the soundtrack is fake. But al lot of people say they dont give a ****. Cause it really rocks. And I agree. Personally I think this is Daft Punk material. It sounds too good. And if someone made this to fool everybody, this person is a genious.
From a pr perspective, this is the way a viral ought to be excecuted.
Unconfirmed Soundtrack Tron Legacy by Daft Punk
Score material Tron Legacy by Daft Punk (unconfirmed)
Usually I don’t like Dutch urban or hiphop. It’s got something to do with taste, I guess. But one track keeps playing in my head since I heard it: Next Level Shit from Dutch hiphop collective Flinke Namen. Two things stand out: nice lyrics, and very creative use of that old vocoder.
O yeah, and the song fits great in this category. Click here for the song. Label TopNotch doesn’t allow me to embed. Oh well…
On May 18th Janelle Monáe (1985) made her debut on national television on the Dave Letterman Show.
Funky
She is a fresh and very talented singer-song-writer. She makes music in the spirit of James Brown and Michael Jackson. She stands out from the predictable contemporary R&B artists with her energy, great voice and funky dance moves.
Back in the nineties I was a drum ‘n’ bass dj in Amsterdam. My career didn’t really take off, most likely because of my taste in quite abstract beats and the lack of mixing skills.
Lately I found back one of my old mixing tapes. It’s clear this kind of music will never be a hit on the dance floor and the mixing is too rough. Nevertheless, I still like the sounds!
Check it out: Altered Course-Fresco (30 minutes mix/256 kbs mp3)
Playlist: