12 MUSIC TECH STARTUPS TO KEEP ON YOUR RADAR

Digital music ventures are nothing new to the tech scene. Napster established the movement in the late ‘90s, Apple followed suit with iTunes, and nowadays, we’ve witnessed upstarters like Rap Genius and Spotify dominate the landscape, which in turn has sparked massive growth in music startups. More and more of them continue to emerge, each one boasting the confidence to revolutionize the way we create, listen to, and share our music with the world. Some are creating new opportunities for up-and-coming artists to gain notoriety, whereas others are streamlining the process of how we consume our musical tastings. From crowdsourcing platforms to music-streaming aggregators, these are the music tech startups to keep on your radar.







NAGUAL SOUNDS

Transforming your body into a musical instrument, Nagual Sounds tracks gestural movements on a 3D camera and coverts that data into music. And it’s all done in real time. It’s capable of generating harmonies, melodies, and rhythms by assigning sound elements to certain parts of the body. Word is the technology is also being pushed to encourage disabled users to create music as well.







SPLICE

Look at Splice as an on-demand music studio. The platform creates a directory on a user’s computer, and then automatically saves creations and dependent sample files in the cloud. This in turn allows musicians to edit their work whenever they want online. Collaborators can share work as well by inserting their email address into the project creator.







JUKELY

The social concert app groups friends together based on their musical tastes and recommends shows to check out in their area. It grabs all data from your music apps to create an algorithm that pairs you with other potential matches. From there, users can communicate and share their favorite acts, and even book concerts together directly from the app. Notifications are also present, recommending live music shows and suggesting other friends to attend with.







MOODSNAP

Take a look at the “world’s first” photo playlist app. Uniquely programmed, Moodsnap caters to a person’s musical preferences by devising music stations based on emotive photographs. Pull up a New Year’s photo and expect Top 40 radio, or scroll through your somber selfies and take in nothing but Sam Smith songs. Upon logging in through Spotify, you’ll be met with a series of photos from a stream that can be selected to pull up a music player with an aggregated playlist. Mood music!







INDILOOP

Ever hear a record and think to yourself, what if it was remixed with this specific beat, loop, or sample? Indiloop empowers users to play DJ by letting them create mash-ups of their favorite tracks. A time stretching algorithm is used to blend songs together and produce mixes, eliminating the need for ProTools and other digital audio workstations. Call it the Instagram of music programs.







TOMAHAWK

Switching between streaming services and transferring playlists isn’t cool. This open-source media player becomes your all-in-one music hub by integrating all tunes, online and offline, into one place. Pretty much everything on your computer as well as songs and playlists from other outlets like Rdio, Spotify, and YouTube are fair game. Sharing the same network with others will let you connect to their libraries. Users can embed the player into blogs or digital promos, too.







SOUNDKEEP

An open-source music community, Soundkeep gives users the opportunity to upload their own samples and stems for feedback purposes. That means having a track evaluated by several listeners before laying down any final details. In addition, you can download, share, and utilize other people’s samples for personal use. The program will backup and store each version of a track, allowing users to revert back to a previous version.







EARBITS

Different than your average Pandora or Spotify clone, this commercial free music streaming service focuses solely on promoting independent artists. Musicians are blessed with ad free space to promote a variety of services, including music, live show info, and merchandise. The service even features a currency system that rewards users with what it calls Groovies for supporting artists, which can be cashed in for prizes. Recently securing a new round of funding, the company is back up and running.







GIGIT

Indie bands looking to get some gigs under their belt have a platform to call their own. Gigit is a digital booking service that helps undiscovered talent earn their stage performing stripes. Artists can search for paid gigs from major festivals to office parties without the need of a manager. On the other side, event planners can hire popular local acts for upcoming parties.







BOP.FM

The music streaming aggregator serves as a remote control for your music apps by grabbing tunes from other popular sources like Beats, Rdio, Soundcloud, Spotify, and YouTube. It does so by automatically detecting what services are available, making songs accessible to a user no matter their location or subscription. You also have the option to import playlists and share them across Facebook, Twitter or other platforms. Additionally, Bop.fm offers curated playlists made by verified artists, providing insight on what Tiesto and other popular acts are bumping these days.







MUZOOKA

A cross-platform music discovery tool, Muzooka basically links independent artists with music producers through crowdsourcing. Musicians can upload and share their music library with listeners and industry execs, increasing their exposure. Standard users have access to create streaming playlists and share tracks on social media. Furthermore, aspiring bands can make money selling their music on the service.







SOFAR SOUNDS

This music discovery community invites performers to your living room for a more intimate listening experience. Sofar Sounds is a private gig service that curates live concerts in unique spaces. Big-name artists and emerging acts can list themselves for hire and work a small crowd for a substantial payday. Local bands are tearing it up on here at the moment, so sign up A.S.A.P

Jaden Smith/Willow | Melancholy

Jaden Smith continues to prove that he’s wise beyond his years. After releasing the tracks “Blue Ocean,” “Trophy,” and “Fast,” the 16-year-old rapper-actor explores the dark side of fame on “Melancholy.”

Over a sample of Pink Floyd’s ’70s classic “Breathe,” Will and Jada’s son mocks his haters with lines like, “You guys are just some rich kids, how dare you call yourselves the MSFTS” and “You messin’ up a classic like how you did with The Karate Kid,” while his sister Willow provides backing vocals (“Run, rabbit run”).

Hear him trip out on the psychedelic song and look out for his mixtape Cool Tape, Vol. 2.

Tricky ft. Tirzah | Sun Down

Sun Down' feat. Tirzah is taken from the new Tricky album 'Adrian Thaws' - Out Now!

iTunes: http://smarturl.it/TrickyATI • Amazon: http://geni.us/TrickyAdrianThaws

With his latest album Adrian Thaws, out now on his own False Idols imprint, Tricky unveils the striking music video for the single 'Sun Down', which features guest vocals from Tirzah. Actor Norman Reedus of the hit television show 'The Walking Dead' co-stars with Tricky, along with actress Mizuo Peck (Night At The Museum, A Case of You).

The music video, which Tricky directed himself, was shot in Brooklyn and features Reedus and Tricky playing fictionalized versions of themselves dealing with the ugly fallout of a domestic dispute.

The introduction to the video is soundtracked by the Young Fathers remix of Tricky's "Nicotine Love."

Video credits:

Director: Tricky / Adrian Thaws
Co-Starring: Norman Reedus, Mizuo Peck
Camera: Jay Sprogell, Lee Jaffe, Patrick Carroll, Jordan Levine
Production: Risa Knight, Lee Jaffe, Stephen Bolles
Production Assistant: Marrissa Williamson
Editing: Patrick Carroll, Mike Macalincag
Post Production: Jordan Levine, 11th Dimension Media

Club scene interiors shot at Cameo Gallery, Brooklyn:
http://www.cameony.net/ • https://www.facebook.com/cameony

--

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Star Your Calendars | David Bowie Day Is Tuesday

by:Gina Provenzano/Chicagoist

Over his career, David Bowie has been awarded countless accolades including Grammy Awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And now Chicago will honor Ziggy Stardust with a day of his own. Declared by an official proclamation from the Mayor’s office, September 23, 2014 will be dedicated to the 67-year-old iconic glam-rocker.

The newly instated holiday coincides with the opening of David Bowie Is, a retrospective exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art featuring more than 400 objects from the singer’s long and influential career opening Sept. 23 and running through Jan. 4, 2015. Look for our own preview of the show on Chicagoist's site on Monday as well.

What can you do to celebrate on Sept. 23? Well, besides perfecting your lightning bolt face painting technique, you can catch David Bowie tribute band, Sons of the Silent Age, on your lunch break from noon to 1 p.m. at Daley Plaza. In the evening, rock duo White Mystery will play all Bowie covers at the MCA starting at 6 p.m. You can also grab something to eat off the new Bowie-themed menu at Puck’s Café.

And if you feel like just one day isn’t enough to honor a career spanning 26-studio albums and countless futuristic outfits, then check out one of the many events curated by the MCA to celebrate.

Pitchfork Music Festival 2014 Live Stream + Day One Review

*Pitchfork Music Festival runs this weekend, July 18 through 20. Though Union Park is sure to be full of music lovers, not everybody can make it out to the windy city.

If you're one of the unfortunate ones, worry not! The festival is streaming live via LiveOne’s CrowdSurfing® platform. Watch the stream over at Pitchfork.com starting at 3:35 pm Central Time.

Live streams of Pitchfork Music Festival will also take place at 1 p.m. Central Time on Saturday, and 1 p.m. Central Time on Sunday.

The stream is sponsored by Choose Chicago and Goose Island.

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by:Chicagoist

Pitchfork Music Festival 2014 Day One Review





The opening day of the 2014 edition of the Pitchfork Music Festival was a mostly quiet one. The weather was the loveliest it’s ever been and the crowd was in a mellow mood. While earlier acts had their moments, the music was still mostly in a muted mood throughout the earlier parts of the day. On one hand, this was terrific, since it allowed many attendees to ease into the weekend. We have lots of friends that come in from out of town, and while Fridays are usually marked by a rush to Union Field after work to see a particular act, the early afternoon this year was spent chatting and reconnecting instead of rushing. And that was lovely. So the earlier portion of the day say music providing a pleasant background rather than a focal point for much of the crowd. But there certainly were a few moments where attention was rapturously turned to the stage. — Jim Kopeny / Tankboy

“It begins,” Neneh Cherry solemnly purred as she took the stage Friday afternoon with RocketNumberNine. Starting the set with “Across the Water,” Cherry’s clear voice rang out across Union Park only accompanied by a stark drumbeat. Cherry played most of Blank Project, her excellent 2014 album, heating things up with the title track as she shook her curls and swayed in a denim jumpsuit along with the tribal percussion and light synths that beckoned your hips to shake. It’s hard to believe that this was Cherry’s first performance since 1992. She commanded the stage like the seasoned musician that she is, her powerful vocals matched by her playful exuberance. “I don’t’ know about you, but this feels really good,” she said. “It’s a thrill.” Cherry’s recent work stands on its own, but she delivered the audience another thrill in closing with a modified version of her erstwhile smash “Buffalo Stance.” — Jessica Mlinaric

SZA’s late afternoon set got lost in the fog that flooded her stage, or maybe it was the smoke coming from the crowd. Sipping whiskey, the St. Louis native repped her Midwest roots and the Top Dawg Entertainment family. Taking requests from the crowd, she crooned “Ur, “Hiiijack,” and closer “Sweet November” off of her recent release Z, while mixing in earlier EP tracks like “Ice.Moon.” SZA was captivating to watch up close, grooving to the bass in an oversized Leaders cut off, all curly hair and big smiles of charming naiveté. “She’s such a positive presence,” said a nearby fan. SZA’s luster was lost on the back of the crowd, where her unsure vocals weren’t strong enough to extend. I was hoping for a set of sizzling R&B but settled for SZA’s quiet simmer. — Jessica Mlinaric

Pitchfork isn’t usually the summer festival in Union Park where you expect to see a major dance party go down, especially one lead by an adorable elderly man leading the audience in synchronized hand moves. But if any festival offers up one of the founding fathers of electronic dance music and disco, the current and former club kids will shimmy their way to the dance floor (or field in this case) and boogie on down. Giorgio Moroder started out singing pop music in the ‘60s in Europe, but he first garnered International fame when he brought to the spotlight a backup singer known as Donna Summers singing “Love to Love You Baby,” a breathy but more danceable homage to Serge Gainsbourg’s “Je t’aime.” The iconic track that revolutionized disco (and helped conceive a good handful of kids in the 70s) opened Moroder’s DJ set at Pitchfork Festival Friday night.

Moroder’s set went on to be a nice mix of “best of,” spotlighting his long career as a producer and songwriter, along with some remixes of current pop cuts, proving that even at the age of 74 he still has a keen ear for finding that catchy hook. Case in point, he isolated the best part of summer earworm “Fancy,” showcasing the sugary, addictive Charli XCX parts before merging into a more pop friendly version of Junior Caldera’s EDM bass rattling banger “Lights Out (Go Crazy).” Once you have a solid knack for finding the sweet spots in pop music, you apparently don’t lose that skill over time.

As much fun as it was hearing Moroder rework artists that owe a good amount of gratitude to the foundation he created, the classics were what got the crowd really bouncing along. “Flashdance… What a Feeling” and Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away” were met with cheers, while a good dose of Donna Summer delights (“Hot Stuff,” “On the Radio” “Bad Girls”) had a diverse crowd ranging from toddlers to couples who could clearly gain membership to AARP dancing steadily along. His latest work, the Adult Swim single “Giorgio’s Theme” meshed perfectly into “I Feel Love” and for a moment you could almost feel the disco ball shining down on the crowd. The only minor hiccups were a few technical glitches and Moroder not sure of his timing at the end, but it isn’t totally unexpected for a man who only started his live DJ career a few years past celebrating his 70th birthday. If you had the gumption to dive in and actually dance along, it was a spirited set that took a joyful crowd through a modern pop and electronic dance history lesson. Music that likely wouldn’t exist as it is today if not for Giorgio Moroder. — Lisa White

Beck, the once young weirdo rocker of the '90s, is aging gracefully, mellowing out in some instances but never losing his edge as evident by his headlining set Friday night. Sure, he isn’t diving into the crowd as much these days but you’ll still find him gyrating around the stage during danceable classics, which were the choice cuts of what was a setlist heavy on fan favorites. Opening with the crunchy guitar tones of “Devils Haircut” off his classic album Odelay immediately won over the audience. It’s such a great heavy wall of guitars with a retro sound, you can’t help but be on board immediately.

The pace kept at a fast clip moving right into the jangly “Black Tambourine,” but the slightly too quick pace was a bit noticeable with a sped up performance of “Gamma Ray.” After chatting about the lovely mild weather (“The Pitchfork Gods must be smiling down on us”) Beck caught his footing with the always sweet and endearing “Think I’m In Love,” which included a mildly twangy breakdown mid-song of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love,” a nice little partial cover he has been performing recently live and an obvious perfect pairing playing it right after Giorgio Moroder’s set.

Moving on, we got our first track off his latest album, Morning Phase with the downtempo “Blue Moon.” Personally I’m not partial to the more somber world of Beck. My favorite Beck album is Midnite Vultures so obviously when the phrase “we’re gonna play some stuff off the new album” was uttered, I politely waited for party Beck to return. It’s not that the new material isn’t good or pleasant, but in a festival setting I really just want to dance to the solid gold hits. Patience paid off, as Beck delivered “Loser” back-to-back with “Get Real Paid,” still bringing forth that funky odd side that makes Beck so delightful. After another round of cool down music, including the always hauntingly beautiful “Chemtrails” Beck capped off his set on a high note with “Sexx Laws,” the always smooth “Debra” and taking it back with “Where It’s At.” Beck delivered a set full of enough hits to more than make up for any downtime, proving that the lovable “loser” might have gotten a bit older and introspective but still knows how to have a damn good time. — Lisa White

So while the day may have started off slowly, it certainly built into a sonic boom by the end of the evening. We heard minor grumblings about insanely long lines to purchase beer tickets as we exited the park but what we didn’t hear was more telling: there were no sound issues or bleed between stages, an event that usually plagues the first day of the fest.

In our opinion, this was a true triumph for fest organizers. So we went out into the night exhausted by Beck’s set but in high spirits after a lovely day of pleasant music, wonderful weather and mellow crowds. It looks as if the weather will hold through today, but the music promises to be a little more invigorating—and we are more than ready to jump into that scene. — Jim Kopeny / Tankboy

West Fest Full Lineup | July 12-13

By: Emily Morris/DNAinfo Chicago

WEST TOWN — West Fest's full lineup now includes pop-punk group Ssion, punk band Protomartyr, post-punk act Pink Avalanche and more.



The 10th annual event, which takes place in West Town July 12-13, previously released headliners Lee Fields & The Expressions and Death along with the DJ lineup.

Among those spinning during the fest are house music staples Mark Farina and Derrick Carter.

Other than the music, festgoers can also check out roller derby demonstrations from the Windy City Rollers and mechanical bull rides.

Organizers expect 60,000 people to fill Chicago Avenue between Damen Avenue and Wood Street during the event.

For the little ones, the Kids Fest will feature train rides, bouncy houses, bean bag toss, ring toss, balloon darts, football toss, bottle toss, photo booth and an obstacle course from noon to 7 p.m. that Saturday and Sunday, according to a statement from the festival organizers.

The West Town Chamber of Commerce, which manages the event, asks for a $5 donation.

Main Stage, from Empty Bottle:

Saturday, July 12

Lee Fields & The Expressions - 8:30 p.m.
Ssion - 7 p.m/
Pink Avalanche - 5:30 p.m.
Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band - 4 p.m.
Sabers - 2:30 p.m.
Chicago School of Rock - 1 p.m.

Sunday, July 13

Death - 8:30 p.m.
Protomartyr - 7 p.m.
Turquoise Jeep - 5:30 p.m.
Turn To Crime - 4 p.m.
Ryley Walker - 2:30 p.m.
Mannequin Men - 1 p.m.

DJ Stage:

Saturday, July 12

Mark Farina - 7 p.m.
Jevon Jackson - 6 p.m.
Jesse de La Pena- 5 p.m.
Dj Sushi - 4 p.m.
Andrew Emil - 3 p.m.
Dj Striz - 2 pm

Sunday, July 13

Derrick Carter - 8:30 p.m.
Diz - 7:30 p.m.
John Mork - 6:30 p.m.
John Simmons - 5:30 p.m.
Karl Almaria - 4:30 p.m.
Miguel Martin - 3:30 p.m.
Justin Reed - 2 p.m.

The Stepkids | Wanderers

The Stepkids a trio of vocalist/guitarist Jeff Gitelman, vocalist/bassist/keyboardist Dan Edinberg, and vocalist/drummer Tim Walsh released a new three song EP of tracks recorded during the sessions that ultimately made up last year’s Troubadour.

These songs embody the same open-minded vibe of that album but with a heck of a lot more experimentation and the jazz/psych influences that the band just cannot hide.



Wanderers is available for free download at the Stones Throw site and for purchase with instrumental tracks at the Stones Throw store.

The Neighbourhood feat. Casey Veggies & 100s | Jealou$y

The Neighbourhood is gearing up to drop their first hip-hop-infused project on us with their forthcoming #000000 & #FFFFFF mixtape, and, so far from it, we’ve only heard the previously released “Lurk“; but where that track was just a solo, the LA-based group now brings in Casey Veggies and 100s to the fold to settle in to the more familiar posse-cut-style that we all associate with rap mixtapes. We’re not sure who else is going to be featured on the upcoming project, but based on ”Jealou$y” and the names it’s drawn, we’re betting the release is going to be anything but another run-of-the-mill rap-tinged body of work.
via Noisey

Dios Mio | Stories

​Dios Mio up their game on new single “Stories”, released on 30 June with a launch party to follow at London’s Old Blue Last on 4 July.

After the band introduced themselves with a couple of raw but highly promising demos last year, the London quartet are back with their full debut release this summer.

In a marked progression, Dios Mio benefit from warm, rounded production on “Stories”, which sees that their brand of grunge-tinged pop is effortlessly accentuated.

What’s more, built on a rigid rhythm section in which the drums and distorted bass allow for a brash intro, the melodic swells of guitar combined with Helena Coan’s delicate vocal means that “Stories” is perhaps a more diverse song than it might initially appear.

Flamingods | Hyperborea

Flamingods started life in a defined place - someone's bedroom, in fact.

Hinging on Kamal Rasool, the experimental five piece were suddenly thrust into a strange, stressful situation. Rasool was asked to leave the UK following a change to Visa rules, meaning that the songwriter was left in a curious, strenuous form of limbo.

Drifting into his imagination, Flamingods began inhabiting the dream-world of Hyperborea. Using instruments collected from around the world, the group used these strange sounds to craft something entirely new.

New album 'Hyperborea' is due to be released on July 21st and it is, simply, incomparable to almost anything you've heard. Gilded baroque pop melodies mixed to Eastern drones and all manner of bizarre noises, the title track is now available to stream online.

Obeying no rules but its own, you can listen to 'Hyperborea' below.



Flamingods are set to release new album 'Hyperborea' on July 21st.

KID SMOKE | In My Jean | Shot by @flyty773

KID SMOKE | In My Jean | Shot by @flyty773

Santana Ft. Miguel | Indy

The reunited band Santana, lead by Carlos Santana, team up with Miguel for their new single ‘Indy’.

This will appear on their upcoming album ‘Corazon’, which will be released on May 6th. It is available for pre-order on iTunes.

The Roots | When The People Cheer

The Roots come back to us with a new cut, "When The People Cheer."

It's a good thing when we say that the brand new Roots joint sounds exactly how you would expect a Roots offering to sound like... amazing.

This song will appear on The Roots' next album, …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin. The album will serve as a follow up to their critically acclaimed album, Undun, in that both LP's will be conceptually minded. Meaning all of the tracks will be thematically related, telling a story of sorts as you progress through the album.

It's good to see The Roots back in the studio, as much as we like seeing them on late night TV. Check out the remix of their song, "The Fire," with B.o.B and John Legend on the track.

Jungle by Night | Attila

Jungle by Night consists of nine young lads from Amsterdam who use their musical upbringing, taste, backgrounds and unstoppable eagerness to produce a unique mix of Afrobeat, Ethiojazz, funk, dub and rock.

Enjoy there latest track!



Jungle by Night - Attila (from the forthcoming album The Hunt)

JAMES BROWN BIOPIC | GET ON UP | OFFICIAL TRAILER

Get ready to "get down" in the movie aisles this August with the James Brown biopic, Get On Up.

Telling the life story of the founding father of funk music, the film stars Chadwick Boseman in the lead role, with production being handled by 8 Mile's Brian Gazer and Mick Jagger filling in as co-producer.

Get On Up goes into the details of the many highs and lows of Brown's career that eventually led to his iconic status in the music world.

Check out the trailer below, also co-starring Nelsan Ellis, Lennie James, Tika Sumpter, Jill Scott and Dan Aykroyd.



James Brown, the "Godfather of Soul," was a prolific singer, songwriter and bandleader, as well as one of the most iconic figures in funk and soul music from 1956 to 2006.

The Hardest-Working Man in Show Business

Swans | "Oxygen" | Pitchfork Music Festival 2013

Swans - "Oxygen" - Pitchfork Music Festival 2013

Art Talk: Michele O'Marah

90s video artist Michele O'Marah talks about "For Those About to Rock," her series of extremely low-budget trailers for fictitious music documentaries about The Velvet Underground, Pussy Galore, The Germs and other underground notables.