With all the hundreds and thousands places to discover new music online, it was inevitable that some clever clogs would come up with a way of injecting some mystery and excitement into what , is now, a fast-paced information-heavy music stream. Step forward, the actual clever clogs operators of Unknown-Untitled.com who of course, are themselves anonymous internet mischief-makers.
The concept is a simple and welcome one. Using a Soundcloud page, the Unknown Untitled project organisers upload a song from an electronic artist with no artist or track info. After 14 days, the artist info is announced meaning you listen to the song without any preconceptions or notions. It’s like radio except you deliberatly have to wait two weeks to find out what that song is you liked. Artists involved so far are drawn from London scene with names like Mak & Pasteman, Beau and Blacksmif but quality is high even if artist names are not. Team #Unknown, as they call themselves are hoping to expand the concept into an old school vinyl release next year.
Speaking of novel ideas, the latest Music Hack Day where developers get together and build cool music apps for the future took place in Boston last week. 56 notable, useful, small and silly apps were generated in the short timeframe. For example: Mustachiness creates a moustache images out of song waveforms just in time for Movember, Spartify makes Spotify party playlists easy, Snuggle synchronises the internet’s greatest medium the Animated GIF to music and Bohemian Rhapsichord turns Queen’s famous hit into an instrument. You can see all 56 Music Hack Day ideas and apps at bit.ly/bostonhacks.
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Rock’s Backpages marked its 10 year anniversary by posting audio and feature interviews with Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Johnny Cash, Bo Diddley and more with some in audio format dating back to 1961.
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Sean Coughlan is an aspiring stand-up Irish comedian who is taking a year off to try and make it pro and crowdfunding the money required to make a documentary film of his experiences.
Last November, this column covered 10 Irish releases that were given away for free in our new link and social music economy. Albums, EPs and mixtapes continue to be offered freely on Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Facebook and official band sites. Here are the 10 best releases from the last 12 months that you have to hear:
1. SertOne
Portadown-born Liverpool-based producer is as prolific as they come this year with an EP of original material and dozens of high-quality remixes of tracks from Feist, Busta Rhymes, Halves and Laura Sheeran available for free on Bandcamp.
2. Bear Bones
Former members of promising band 8Ball get back together and make more encouraging music, this time in jangly pop Morr Music vein. The 6-track Ursa Major EP is a perfect intro to their sound.
A Dublin-based bunch of producers, rappers and artists who are united in eclecticism: from hip-hop to post-dubstep and electronic, the roster runs the gamut of future music with names like The Bastard, C.F. Meister, Bingo, Exxon Valdez and Archetype featuring on two compilations and many of their own releases.
Curated by online music site, Drop-D, this compilation contains a whopping 39-tracks will get you acquainted with Cork’s alternative and rock music scene before you can say “Adebisi Shank” (last year’s was an excessive 69 songs).
Sunny Galway folk from a band that only recorded these five songs to get their new drummer up to speed (the Mosey of the title). Is the west coast the best coast? The Mosey EP makes a compelling argument.
