Linear notes: Young Guru lecture

You (almost) can’t read the linear notes of a Jay-Z album and not fail to notice the name of Young Guru crop up.  Engineer and ad-lib reference for Mr Carter spends just over 2hrs talking about his career and work to date. I have listened to every Jay-Z song and yet much of the work is done by folk like Young Guru who we know almost nothing about. I love the internet for gems like these.

One of my favourite moments is when one of the audience asks:

If you love underground hiphop why doesn’t Jay-Z rhyme to underground beats? peep the video to discover the answer!

Follow Young Guru.

Lecture: Young Guru (Madrid 2011) from Red Bull Music Academy on Vimeo.

Watch the Throne

What kind of album is this? well I just walked to the pub listening to it and had to do a U-turn to come home to listen to it in full on my “real” speakers. Excited, and this is exactly what music should do!

Music – Patterns Break EP

Fellow JISC Digital Media staffer Joel Eaton has just released an EP that I implore you to give a listen to.

These songs were made in Dec 2010/Jan2011, and aside from the odd radio, field recording from the forest, an analogue synth, and some drums, it’s all sounds from my guitar which have been mangled and processed, as far as my computer can manage.

Listen and download to the EP

In defense of Spotify

I just saw via a Daring Fireball post that a music exec says the music from Spotify is –

The income from Spotify is MICROSCOPIC – LAUGHABLE – PATHETIC.

Yet how come all the rap acts/bands and CDs I saw and purchased in 2010 were a direct result of me checking them out on Spotify?

And all the acts I want to see in 2011 at gigs and festivals have all been on rotation via my Spotify at some point.

I buy more music and see more gigs because of Spotify.

Oh and if your music is rubbish I will find out on Spotify before wasting my time on your over priced CD and waaayy over-priced digital album.

Step up or step off.