GO FORWARD, MOVE AHEAD
Jan 1, 2007 12:00 PM
32 Artist Albums, Products, Services, People and Music-industry Predictions for 2007
THE EVER EVOLVER: UNKLE
If three tracks from UNKLE's forthcoming 2007 album confirm anything, it's that the brainchild of Mo Wax label founder James Lavelle is continually morphing and moving forward. Accompanied by The Cult's Ian Astbury, guitarist Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), L.A. drummer Jonesey and longtime collaborators Richard File and Pablo Clements, Lavelle still pursues his penchant for ominous spoken-word diatribes and atmospheric soundscapes, but he insists that much of UNKLE's as-yet-untitled release (on his new Surrender label) rocks like a hurricane — with live instrumentation taking the place of samples.
“I am much more interested in working with live instruments now for the freedom,” Lavelle says from his Surrender Studios in Edgeware Road, London. “We originally made records that were based around samples. That can be very limiting. The whole sample/breakbeat thing has been so played; it just doesn't appeal to me to do a record that way now. On the electronic side of things, I didn't want to make a house record or a Timbaland record, and I wanted the freedom of working with a live drummer. So this time we went with a more hardcore drumming approach, as in American hardcore rock but with a slightly slicker, more electronic bite so it sounded more like an UNKLE record.”
The album was recorded and mixed using Digidesign Pro Tools, Apple Logic Pro and Ableton Live, “which was embraced for its editing capabilities rather than for its normal functions,” Lavelle reports. “There has been a lot of new plug-in technology as well, mostly Native Instruments and FXpansion BFD software, which is great for backing up drums. We recorded all the drums live and then spent a lot of time backing up sounds so they had an electronic edge. The new technology has been really good for programming.”
The three tracks available for download to the press feature a fast-changing menu of sounds. “Hold My Hand” begins with an electronically induced locomotive building up a head of steam (Homme's guitar through a Roland Space Echo) before settling into a mammoth glam groove. “Restless” drops a Daft Punkish beat under a pub-shouting vocal and a noise-drenched street symphony. “Burn My Shadow” is the most epic of the three, a gorilla of a groove pummeling synth stabs, anxious acoustic guitar, an Exorcist-like piano loop and Ian Astbury singing “Standing on the edge of the future as my dreams all fade away.” In each track, not a verse or chorus passes without a new sonic element entering the mix.
“Some tracks would start out around a sampled loop,” Lavelle explains, “then the loop would be removed; that gave us an idea to start from, a basis point. Then we could create more melodic ideas or parts with different instruments; then the tracks would mutate. ‘Burn My Shadow’ is based around a sample from a glam record. A lot of the tracks that we sampled on this record were not from our traditional sources. We used to sample a lot of funk and soul records, but this record is from glam, psychedelic rock and odd Euro-rock records.
“Like our past records, this is a journey,” Lavelle concludes, “some upbeat stuff, some more beautiful string-led down moments and more electronic moments. It takes you on an emotional rollercoaster ride, but this is more an organic record, ultimately.”
— Ken Micallef
2007 PREDICTION: FREE SONGS FOR AD DOLLARS
The year 2006 ushered in a new era of purely ad-supported digital-music distribution. Though not particularly novel or original (ad-supported online services have been around for years), 2007 will be the year in which the model becomes more widely accepted in the digital-music distribution space. SpiralFog — the new company behind the first ad-supported, conditional download-distribution business — made a lot of noise in 2006 with news of its plans. However, this is likely only the beginning. 2007 will bring a broadening of a growing trend: Giving the audio/video content to the user for free, but paying the rights holders with ad dollars. It is surprising that it took the players so long to get to this point where all win, but now that they finally have, we should all expect to see more free content and ads as content licensors, distributors, search engine-powered services and advertisers cooperate to make music free and legal.
— Cecily Deane Mak
SOUND CHASER: AMON TOBIN
For years now, sample-based music seems to have enjoyed a series of creative rebirths with each new advance in digital recording technology; it's a dichotomy that promises even more radical extremes as producers in experimental hip-hop, techno, drum 'n' bass and other styles get their legs with the latest versions of what's on the software market. But for those who are really out on the edge — like cut-up guru Amon Tobin — sometimes it takes a look back to make a leap forward. Case in point: his forthcoming seventh album Foley Room (Ninja Tune, 2007), which owes as much to the musique concrète of John Cage as it does to the Cubase-generated beat collages for which Tobin has become known.
“This record is all about sampling,” the Brazilian-born mixologist explains from his new studio digs in Montreal. “That's nothing new for me, but this time I'm mixing all different kinds of recorded sounds — a lot from field recordings that were put down on tape and brought together. My soundman Vid and I toured around the country in search of different locations and source material, and with a couple of mics and a Nagra tape machine, we recorded lions, tigers, insects, trains, motorbikes, machines — basically everything we could think of.”
Using a pair of high-definition Earthworks Audio microphones, Tobin was able to capture sounds as quiet as an ant scuttling across tinfoil and as loud as an industrial bottling factory operating at full capacity. “Plus the mics have almost no handling noise,” he says, “so I could run around with them in my hands and get right where I needed to be.” Appropriately, home base for the quieter work was the Foley room at Ubisoft Entertainment, whose video game Splinter Cell spawned a separate soundtrack CD that Tobin released in early 2005 on Ninja Tune.
Tobin also recorded bits of performances by the Kronos Quartet, sound designer Patrick Watson, cellist Norsola Johnson (from Godspeed You Black Emperor!) and cult rap icon Sage Francis. The Nagra allowed Tobin endless options for tape manipulation (such as flanging and low-end pitch-shifting, without the digital artifacts), which he pushed to the max before bouncing the results to Cubase. Once in the computer, the tracks were combined with other vinyl sources, chopped and edited further, processed through varying degrees of outboard analog compression and EQ, and eventually made into finished songs.
“Everything went through the wringer, really,” Tobin quips, “but one thing that's important to say is that these are meant to be tunes. The only difference between this and the other records I've done is that these particular tunes were made with unusual sources. And it's not some arty piece either — a lot of the time, you wouldn't be able to tell that a specific sound was a train or an umbrella or something. All the sounds on the record definitely serve a musical function.”
— Bill Murphy
ALT-POP CHAMELEONS: VHS OR BETA
“As a band, we have done so many things soundwise,” VHS or Beta vocalist/guitarist Craig Pfunder muses from his Louisville, Kentucky home. “We started as this no-wave noise band. Then we discovered dance music and made an homage to French house with our EP, Le Funk (On!, 2002). Then with Night on Fire (Astralwerks, 2004) we returned to our roots, incorporating new wave and vocals. The next record will get down to VHS or Beta becoming true songwriters.”
Currently working in the demo phase of what will be the band's second full-length release, Pfunder says, “This record won't be too synth heavy,” but he allows that his current favorite VST plug-ins for the task (used through Steinberg Cubase SX3 on a laptop PC through Mackie HR824 monitors) include Arturia Minimoog V, Edirol's Super Quartet Concert Grand preset and Korg Legacy Collection synths. Propellerhead Reason's ReDrum handles beat-making duties until drummer Mark Guidry programs more detailed rhythms, and guitarist Zeke Buck and bassist Mark Palgy assume their positions. Pfunder's bedroom studio is also loaded with hardware, including Fender Telecaster and Gibson SG guitars (into a Line 6 POD) and Shure SM57 and KSM137 microphones, which get an assist from Antares Microphone Modeler.
Fans of VHS or Beta's schizophrenic style can't be sure what to expect. Will the band's second offering feature Daft Punk grooves or Cure-like new-wave warbles? Will they rework the dance angle or fatten vocals and guitars for another '80s-styled synthesis? “This album is about finding all the things that make a good pop song great,” Pfunder boasts. “I'm writing the vocals alongside the music, so I think it will be more concise. On Night on Fire, we approached it backwards; we wrote all the music then added vocals.”
While Pfunder's demo method is typical, his more impressive goal is to create a memorable melody, a far cry from the purely groove-oriented glamour of Le Funk. “Pop music is what I grew up on,” Pfunder maintains, “from rap to top 40. Songs on the radio used to be awesome, and that day is gone. You could turn on the radio, and it wasn't some weird college station, 'cause they didn't exist. But you could hear a great song you could love on the radio, then go out and buy the record. For instance, Devo's ‘Whip It’ was a single, and that just doesn't happen anymore. Bands should still be writing pop songs that a multitude of people can enjoy.”
— Ken Micallef
2007 PREDICTION: GETTING (PUBLISHING) ISSUES OUT IN THE OPEN
Most people who work in the online music business know that the mention of publishing rights can be the end of an otherwise positive and productive meeting/negotiation. Not only is music publishing widely misunderstood, but there are also numerous unanswered questions with regard to what rules apply to the ever-broadening range of digital-music distribution models. As the law struggles to catch up with the pace of product and delivery innovation, 2007 will be a year in which many of these issues hit the mainstream. Whether it is selling your content as a ringtone, licensing your hit song to an ad agency for a car commercial or merely signing a deal with a label/aggregator for digital distribution of your content, publishing must be addressed and cleared. As the various parties with their hats in the ring in D.C. duke it out, we can expect to hear and read more from those with a stake in the outcome.
— Cecily Deane Mak
BIGGER THAN KANYE: JUSTICE
Ten years ago, Daft Punk exploded out of France to conquer the world's dancefloor with its thrilling combination of Detroit techno, Chicago house and classic disco influences. The glare of the duo's success illuminated a burgeoning late-'90s electronic scene percolating across its home country, rich with artists such as Motorbass and Cassius. Today, it's a parallel situation as dynamic DJ duo Justice (Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay) leads a new sonic scene out of France, giving shine to its label Ed Banger Records and other French acts like Uffie and SebastiAn.
“It's really hard to say if there's something unique or special happening in France right now,” shrugs de Rosnay the afternoon after a wildly received show in Brooklyn for the 2006 edition of the CMJ conference. “We've only been together for three years, so this is all new to us.”
In those three years, Justice has earned a lofty reputation as remixer du jour with its big, abrasive bass blasts and crunchy, distorted rhythms. The remix of Simian's “We Are Your Friends” is a worldwide underground smash, made even more notorious when the video won the MTV Europe award for Best Video over Kanye West, who rushed the stage in protest. The duo's first proper single, “Waters of Nazareth,” is a grinding dance track powered by heavy-metal energy and decidedly religious overtones.
“I don't know how our music ended up sounding the way it does,” de Rosnay ponders. “We are not big fans of techno music. We're much more into pop music, really. But when we make tracks, what comes out sounds like the guys from Chic getting their asses kicked by Slayer. As for ‘Waters of Nazareth,’ the idea was to blend electronic music with Christian music, since both are powerful and made for the masses. We wanted it to be big like that.”
Currently putting the finishing touches on the group's debut album, expected by the middle of 2007 on Vice, de Rosnay says to expect “lots of disco, given the Justice touch.”
“We make dance music on computers because it's easier than struggling with a guitar,” he reasons. “We tried to do pop music, but it just didn't sound right on a computer. We have lots of drum machines and classic pieces like a Roland Juno-106, but everything is run through the computer. Most of our music is done on Cubase and GarageBand. Those programs work really well for us.”
— Scott T. Sterling
SPICY AUSSIE RAPPER: MACROMANTICS
Lady Sov better watch her back, ‘cause Romy Hoffman, aka Macromantics, has a fast, addicting flow that, if slowed down, would reveal rhymes as creative and smart as MF Doom, Nas, Del the Funky Homosapien or KRS-One. And whether she's dissing or talking about stem-cell research, Hoffman's smooth cadence — and the catchy tracks courtesy of producer Buchman (aka Tony Buchen) — should help the Melbourne, Australia-based rapper infiltrate the U.S.
Not that she hasn't already: At age 15, she was touring the U.S. as the guitarist for Ben Lee's band Noise Addict, so she knows a thing or two about being a musician and playing live. “I know, from that experience, what to expect when on the road,” Hoffman says. And her guitar playing has spilled over into her rhymes, too. “I like to make multilayered, dense guitar music, which I guess my raps pertain to as well — things that take multiple listens to fully grasp.”
Buchman himself is a bass player and played most of the bass on Macromantics' debut album, Moments in Movement (Kill Rock Stars, 2007) on a 1965 Hofner Beatle Bass. “It has a strange acoustic quality that gives huge subs while still sounding vintage and samplelike,” he says. He does sample as well, but he refuses to use sample CDs: “I mean what better way to sound unoriginal than to use someone else's sounds?”
For vocals, Buchman uses a combination of a Neumann U 87 mic, Avalon Vt-737sp preamp/compressor/EQ and an Empirical Labs Distressor on Hoffman's voice. “It's all about a good mic, a good preamp and good mic technique,” Buchman says. “Without these, it's a battle. In the mix, it's about sitting the vocal low enough so the beat sounds big but present enough so you can understand every lyric.”
To avoid songwriting ruts, Hoffman and Buchman welcome all kinds of inspiration through the door. “I'll be listening to an old Hoagy Carmichael song with a whistling solo or a Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry dub track or Common and get different bits of inspiration that I'll bring almost subconsciously into the studio,” Buchman says.
Meanwhile, Hoffman treats hip-hop like fun homework. “When I am given a beat, I study it, like an actor would a script,” she says. “I listen to it over and over in all sorts of environments and spaces, until I hear a voice and a gist that I want to get across. I am constantly moved by all sorts of wonderful ideas, concepts, art and chaos, so I simply collage and critique everything into one spiraling tumbleweed. And Tony always gives me something fresh and interesting to work with. He, too, is constantly inspired by new sounds, so the possibilities of creation are endless.”
— Kylee Swenson
For more on Macromantics, go to remixmag.com
2007 PREDICTION: THE BIG GUYS HELP OUT THE CRIMINAL KIDS
It may not be a new idea, but 2007 will be the first year in which we see some familiar sites previously accused of copyright infringement going legit. Whether it is Kazaa, YouTube, LimeWire or other distant cousins of the original Napster, the biggest and the best of these allegedly illegal services will be rewarded for the traffic they were able to generate, making it easy for people to consume copyrighted content without charging for it. As was shown with the Google/YouTube deal, legitimate, large companies (such as Google) can partner up with smaller, allegedly infringing companies (such as YouTube) with the blessing of the content owners (the record labels, in many cases). All three parties benefit from the incredible volume of traffic by selling advertisements, keeping the sites free and paying the rights holders some share of the ad dollars. These companies all need each other to survive, and a new era of cooperation will make its widespread debut in 2007. Better late than never.
— Cecily Deane Mak
CHAMPION MC: BROTHER ALI
If it weren't for Brother Ali's relentless touring schedule, heads may have started to seriously wonder what happened to one of the Midwest's most commanding voices in hip-hop. No doubt Ali's electrifying stage show is a sight to behold, but when it comes down to it, the masses have been waiting for another album from the self-dubbed “champion.” It's been a few years since Ali and his producer Ant (of Atmosphere) dropped the breakout 2003 LP Shadows on the Sun (Rhymesayers). But just this past August, a glimmer of light became visible when Ali leaked an online exclusive with the fiery banger, “Original King.” Soon after, the arrival of his new album, The Undisputed Truth, was announced for a late-February 2007 release.
So what prolonged the completion of what Ali calls his “most focused” piece of work ever? As Ali can attest to, life happened. “I got divorced, got custody of my son, was homeless, moved around a little bit, went on tour a lot, got into another relationship and just grew up in a lot of ways,” Ali says. “And so I wanted to make an album that reflected all of that.”
As a good friend, Ant remained patient while Ali tried to figure out how he was going to articulate via hip-hop the drastic transitions he faced. When the time was right, Ali started recording tracks in Ant's basement studio, in which all of the preproduction was created with only a vintage Ensoniq ASR-10 and a Tascam four-track recorder. Admittedly, Ant is a sonic perfectionist. So when Ali brought such heavy subject matter to the table, Ant had no problem taking his time crafting music for The Undisputed Truth. “For me, [the recording process] is strictly making sure that the songs are completely his truth,” Ant explains.
Ali, who makes beats himself (try to find his out-of-print, self-produced 2000 cassette from Rhymesayers, Rites of Passage), especially appreciates the extra effort. “[Ant] pushes me to bring my realest, rawest, most honest self to my music,” he says. And this stringency explains why tracks like “Walking Away,” which is about his divorce, took so long to get right. Instead of taking a predictable downtrodden approach, Ali flipped the script and hired psychedelic/funk guitarist Jef Lee Johnson to help create an atypical mood.
While there will also be a number of battle-oriented, braggadocios tracks, Ant, for one, is most proud of the last third of the album, which includes the political-minded forthcoming single, “Uncle Sam Goddamn.” “The last five songs are about who we are as friends and how we see music and how honest and gifted [Ali] is at saying exactly how he feels,” Ant says. “I think the music I did for those [songs] accompany that well, and I honestly am proud of that.”
— Max Herman
PIMPED-OUT PMP: TAVI 030
Only the most on-point Poindexters can keep up with all the geeky gadgetry coming out of Mountain Dew can-littered California boardrooms, but we know a true player when we see it. Possibly the coolest portable media player (aka PMP) we'll see this year comes from Long Beach, California's New Media Life. The TAVI 030 is well qualified to represent the LBC. Its 3.5-inch flip-up screen stays protected when not in use, and you'll appreciate that because the TAVI 030 is the world's smallest device to support satellite TV reception, as well as HDTV resolution. This Wi-Fi-capable contraption also supports wireless video on demand (VOD), IPTV and podcasting.
The TAVI 030 is so new, not all of its details were available at press time. However, it will do all the usual tricks, including video and music playback with many optional EQ settings, voice recording, FM radio, photo slideshows, e-books and USB 2.0 connection to a computer. The TAVI 030 replaces last year's award-winning TAVI 020 ($450), so it will probably improve on the numbers of the previous model, which included a 30 GB hard drive, 5.5 hours of battery life and 5.1 surround sound.
— Markkus Rovito
2007 PREDICTION: MORE ROCKING OUT ON THE PHONE
It is getting harder and harder to define the nature and character of our personal devices, and 2007 is sure to bring even greater consolidation. Anybody with a cell phone knows that the lines are already blurring. Sure, it is a phone, but it also takes pictures, plays music, wakes you up with an alarm, captures video, manages e-mail, keeps an updated calendar and even provides games on the side. For most of us, however, the music-playback features are more of a novelty than a primary source when we are on the go. As devices get better, smaller and more tightly integrated with the music services we love, we are all going to ease into using our phones as music sources sooner than later. If you are not buying downloads over the airwaves or giving a ringtone/ringback a try yet, you probably will in 2007. It will not be a surprise if Apple leads the way; the rumor mill suggests that they are fighting pretty hard for the trademark in “iPhone” — of course.
— Cecily Deane Mak
THE ANTI-CELL: SONY MYLO
Playing the music game comes with many time sinks that can take you away from your connected life: sitting in a studio, driving or flying to gigs, making videos, clocking the ladies or the fellas. So when you're feeling played out, whip out the Sony Mylo ($349.95) to get back in touch with the rest of the world. The handheld Mylo connects to any 802.11b Wi-Fi network to supply Web browsing, instant messaging, e-mail and phone calls over the Skype Internet phone service. The full, slide-out keyboard makes typing a breeze, so you can key in your location and see a list of the nearest hotspots in a database of more than 20,000 public Wi-Fi networks in the U.S. Mylo also plays music (MP3, ATRAC or WMA) and videos (MPEG-4) and displays photos stored on a Sony Memory Stick.
Now, if you're crazy busy, you can at least send an IM saying you're too busy to talk or leave a voicemail saying you're too busy to IM. It's nice to have options. Despite all this great stuff, the best feature may be the classic Off switch, so you can get peeps off your jock and get back to work.
— Markkus Rovito
SPEED FREAKS: KLAXONS
Their music has been dubbed new-rave, disco rock, electro punk, neo-wave and “grunge with glow sticks.” Over the past few months, their highly energetic, frenzied shows have been selling out all over the UK. In just a short amount of time, Klaxons — aka James Righton (vocals, keyboards), Jamie Reynolds (vocals, bass), Simon Taylor (vocals, drums) and unofficial band member Steffan Halperin (drums) — has been generating more buzz than the Fukuoku 9000. And these young British lads have been together as a band for only a year.
“The past year has just been such a fucking crazy year,” Righton says. “A year which I can't even try to think about too much, or insanity will set in. We've done a lot, we've seen a lot, and I've just been so exhausted, but I'm so excited at the same time.”
It's true, Klaxons have done a lot over the past year, including releasing a handful of singles (“Magick,” “Atlantis to Interzone” and “Gravity's Rainbow,” all on Polydor) and an EP, Xan Valleys (Modular, 2006); touring Europe like madmen, including shows for the Leeds and Reading festivals in the UK; and writing and recording the band's 11-track full-length debut, Myths of the Near Future (Rinse, 2007).
“I think debut albums should have a kind of momentum to them,” Righton says. “It has to really drive. That's what we aimed for. It's kind of like we're saying, ‘You're gonna have to listen to this.’”
The Klaxons' frenetic beats, thick bass lines, indie/psychedelic rock guitar riffs and new-wave synths are accompanied by pop lyrics delivered in unison with soaring, sing-a-long melodies (see “Gravity's Rainbow”). While that might sound like a twisted genre-splicing lab experiment, there's no denying Klaxons' infectious energy. Most of the band's songs are 140 bpm and, according to Righton, even the ballads are 130 bpm.
“There's an urgency to everything we do,” Righton says. “From day one, we always wanted to be a big band and to sell lots of records. Most people in indie circles kind of frown upon people who want to be big. But we think you can make credible, alternative, interesting music and penetrate the charts.”
Righton cites artists such as David Bowie and Roxy Music to prove his point. “They have incredibly interesting, creative music that went right into the charts. They sold lots of records. [There's an attitude now that] you can't do that, and we couldn't really see why.”
— Lori J. Kennedy
Read more about Klaxons' gear, music-making techniques and the band's experience working with producer James Ford at remixmag.com.
WEB RADIO WITH A Ph.D.: PANDORA.COM
A staff of 100 Californians — 45 of them musicians — dutifully runs Pandora.com, a Web radio station that uses compiled data points to help customize a perfect listening experience for individual users. Four million listeners are loading their e-mail addresses into the fields at Pandora.com every month, after having heard about it from a friend, a somewhat reliable blogger or message-board posts that are usually home to foul-mouthed elitists who overhype bands at CMJ. Pandora doesn't advertise, and after only a year into its distinctive operation, it broadcasts the third largest online radio in the world. At the heart of its program, Pandora founder Tim Westergren has one simple aspiration: to help even the smallest of bands find an audience.
“The inspiration for starting this really grew out of my own experiences,” Westergren says. “I spent the first 10 years or so after college playing in bands and traveling around the country and experiencing firsthand the challenges that faced musicians in finding an audience. I became interested in trying to solve that problem — the sort of sea of great music that never, ever finds an audience.”
What came next is something that Philip K. Dick might have devised for a 1950s short story. The Music Genome Project, the undercurrent of Pandora.com, is a program that Westergren founded seven years ago. The core group of analysts started by collecting data elements of songs and categorizing/identifying them as similar to other pieces of music. The company eventually licensed its program out to other companies, and it served as a recommendation engine for places like AOL's music services. The hundreds of song attributes (actual pieces of a song's textural base) that were being analyzed at the Music Genome Project then found a home as a part of the streamlined playlists that power Pandora.com.
Listeners can click on the “thumbs up/thumbs down” feature to approve or disapprove the Pandora-provided selection. That builds the customer's playlist and helps guarantee that John Mayer doesn't follow something from Sasha's Airdrawndagger.
For the past six months, Westergren has traveled extensively, engaging in discussion with Pandora users in a town hall-style forum. But the users aren't there to read off scripted note cards as they would in a theatrical Republican-crafted publicity stunt. They bounce ideas and comments off Westergren so that he can better understand where Pandora is headed. He considers the user community an “invaluable source of feedback,” one that is evidently also responsible for Pandora's new “Backstage” feature, which implements song/artist/album data from the All Music Guide.
And as far as finding an audience goes, people are buying records like it's the '90s again. “The evidence is unambiguous that Pandora is promotional,” Westergren says. “Forty percent of people who listen to Pandora are buying more music since they started listening to it, and only 1 percent are buying less.”
— Dominic Umile
TWISTED PRODUCER: XXXCHANGE
“Baltimore club was just a sound on the radio when I was growing up,” mumbles XXXChange (born Alex Upton), the production side of Baltimore's latest underground-gone-global sensation, Spank Rock. “I was more into a lot of hip-hop and anything out of the ordinary I could get my hands on.”
Originally a drummer who ended up in the New England Conservatory to study, XXXChange dropped out to make his way to New York City, where a chance run-in landed him a gig interning at the recording studio of DFA Records, home to such dance-centric indie acts as LCD Soundsystem and the Juan McClean.
“I didn't know that much about production at the time,” XXXChange continues sheepishly. “My experience with making music had only been on the computer, so when they asked me to clear the board my first day there, I didn't know what they were talking about. I did know how to play, so I was able to hang out and learn. It helped me get out of that strictly digital mindset and learn how to set up a microphone. A lot of people in my generation don't know how to do that. They can work Acid or Fruity Loops but are clueless when it comes to real engineering.”
When his internship at DFA didn't result in a full-time gig, he drifted through various odd jobs and toward making his own music with an older version of Pro Tools preloaded on a computer purchased from a former bandmate. It's the same $500 setup that he used to record Spank Rock's debut album, YoYoYoYoYo (Big Dada). Combining License to Ill-era Beastie Boys braggadocio with insistent, 130-plus bpm beats, the Spank Rock sound comes from a panoramic whirlwind of influences.
“Our stuff has a couple elements of club music, mixed with the weirder parts of post-punk rock and bits of people like Dizzee Rascal and that whole UK-garage scene,” XXXChange explains. “It's just us trying to fit all of our favorite music into something that's our own.”
When quizzed about his favorite gear, he's quick to hype Arturia software. “They make a clone of the old ARP 2600 that's great. It sounds really good, has a flexible sequencer, three oscillators and this whole weird matrix section. It's fun to use. It's on pretty much every track of the album.”
Already a few songs into the follow-up, XXXChange says to expect the same dirty Spank Rock energy with an added caveat. “The idea being the first album was to make rap music you can dance to. Now we want to do that with really tight song structures,” he muses. “We want to have bridges, choruses, that whole package. The next record will be a lot more structured in that way.”
— Scott T. Sterling
BIG BUSINESS: HUSTLE.
If this were the early '90s, Hustle. (aka “Hustle Period”) would be likened to the budding dynasty of the young Chicago Bulls. You'd be hard-pressed to find a company with a more calculated plan to take over the industry. The brainchild of industry renaissance man John Monopoly (who is also co-CEO of G.O.O.D. Music) and fellow trendsetters Happy and Don C., Hustle. has taken what was once a mere seed and built a bean stalk. Since its beginnings as a party/concert promoter in Chicago, boasting being the first to bring major acts like Jay-Z to the Windy City as well as hip-hop heavyweights like Cam'ron, Redman and Lil' Kim, Hustle. is now one of the premier marketing and management companies in the business. How have they done it? By hustling. Period.
“I always wanted to build a boutique, multimedia lifestyle company,” says Monopoly, who once managed the group the Go Getters (which included Kanye West in his pre-Louis Vuitton days). “Anything having to do with urban, youth culture-related aspects, we were about it. It was always just about us being involved with the things we loved, and we always knew that we could do them just as good or better than anybody else.” And Hustle. definitely did it all at an accelerated pace. In just 10 years, Hustle. has seen tremendous growth, encompassing a record label, marketing and advertising division, clothing line and film division, with even more expansion in the works.
“We've got a ton of projects coming in the next year,” says Datu Faison, COO of Hustle. “The clothing line will be street and luxury, so we call it ‘street-lux.’” The company also recently signed pro skater Stevie Williams to its list of clients and is gearing up to release a compilation album aptly named Can't Knock the Hustle Vol.1. Hip-hop fans can also anticipate new projects slated for '07 releases from Naledge, GLC, Really Doe, Ghetty Boy and Slim da Mobster through the label arm of Hustle., as well as a DVD magazine with DJ Whoo Kid entitled Pow TV, which features a who's who list of celebrities including Donald Trump and Pamela Anderson. If that wasn't enough, Hustle is also partnering with Violator Management, executive producing Tweet's newest project and closing a deal for a movie venture as well.
Having already carved out a niche market and further expanding the reaches of its audience, Hustle. is looking more and more like Phil Jackson's old Lakers squad with each passing day. “Hustle is where the heart is,” says Billy J., who handles the bulk of the A&R and management for the company. “We have a team that won't be denied, and we're trying to touch every market that there is.” Spoken like a true hustler.
— Anthony Roberts
2007 PREDICTION: ARTISTS GET CREATIVE TO BRING IN THE DOLLAZ
The new year is bursting at the seams with new licensing and commercial opportunities for the educated and diligent artist. Commercial opportunities abound: Record/download sales just won't cut it anymore. Whether it is distributing music videos on ad-supported sites (and hopefully getting part of the revenue), selling ringtones/ringbacks or licensing content for use in various forms of media, there is a range of new revenue streams for artists to tap into. Really understanding the business and the manner in which an artist's content is being distributed is more important than ever. Business models are evolving, and the landscape is much different than it may have been three years ago. If you are an artist, this is the time to update all agreements, check on any distribution deals, talk to your peers and hired professionals (lawyers/managers) and ensure that you are making the most of your efforts — licensing in particular. There is a lot of revenue to go around; if you are on the frontlines, connected and prepared, you can benefit from some of these evolving revenue channels.
— Cecily Deane Mak
VISUAL EXPOSURE: MUSIC NATION
It used to be the case that you could get a record deal if you had some combination of talent, tenacity, connections and luck. But unless you were able to fly out to New York or L.A. from your tiny hometown outside of Halifax, you had little chance of getting the ears and eyes of an A&R rep. Nowadays, with the affordability and ease of computer recording, there's a hell of a lot more competition out there. There are also more ways to get signed (MySpace being one such catalyst).
Come January 1, 2007, there's a new way for the world's talent to rise to the top. Music Nation is a company of music-industry experts hell-bent on getting great music the recognition it deserves. By entering quarterly contests with videos of their rock, pop or urban songs, unknown artists can possibly score a major-label deal and be showcased on Clear Channel Radio.
“We want to break down the barriers associated with being discovered and give all artists the tools they need to create the attention they deserve,” says Music Nation co-founder and CMO Lucas Mann. “The penetration of video sharing on the Internet has created an enormous comfort with its use. We want to help people harness emerging technologies to help achieve their dreams.”
Granted, contestants could half-ass their submissions by singing into hairbrushes in front of Handycams (hey, people on YouTube are doing it), but because the Music Nation contests are about the visual as well as the aural, it's not just songwriting and production quality that counts. “My only advice to an artist is to express yourself,” Mann insists. “I feel strongly that a great song comes through, no matter how flashy the performance may be. Conversely, a great video may help carry a song. We want the people to decide how they feel about the package the artist is putting forward.”
Voting begins for the first contest on January 15. From there, Music Nation plans to launch in other countries and roll out competitions every 15 weeks. To create your own artist page and submit videos, go to musicnation.com.
— Kylee Swenson
INDIE-ELECTRO REMIXERS: WEIRD SCIENCE
“I'm influenced by a lot of the current European remixers and producers, like Justice and Does It Offend You, Yeah?” says Steve Aoki, one half of L.A. DJ/production duo Weird Science but better known as ubiquitous celebrity DJ Kid Millionaire and owner of the relentlessly cool Dim Mak label. He's going on about the current proliferation of quirky superclub dance tracks coming from overseas, with a particular appeal for the American hipster party scene. “But sometimes the music from Europe is way too out there for most crowds. We always want our sound to be really catchy and simple. There are only a few North American acts that really combine forward sounds with memorable melodies, like Junior Sanchez and MSTRKRFT. I want to produce remixes that anyone can play out.”
Taking a spin through the duo's growing catalog of reworks for the likes of Bloc Party, Peaches and Mindless Self-Indulgence, their simple-but-catchy ethos is readily apparent. “Our sound has an indie-rock sensibility, since that's where we both came from,” reasons Blake Miller, the other half of Weird Science, who's also the singer/guitarist for scrappy L.A. post-punk outfit Moving Units. “Besides the aesthetic, the best thing about indie-rock is just good songs. It's essential that our music have really sick hooks. The other thing is that people's tastes have become so diverse. It's cool to be able to marry indie-rock songs with dirty electro beats.”
“Ultimately, it's all about getting people to just go off at a party,” Aoki surmises. “We want to see people freaking out on the dancefloor.”
Both take pride in their relative lack of experience on the decks and behind the production board but are exceedingly confident in their abilities to churn out bomb tracks, with a full-length album expected in 2007 featuring guest vocals from the likes of French crooner Uffie, Lady Tigra from '80s electro-rappers L'Trimm and Steve Bay from new wave rockers Hot Hot Heat.
“Not to geek out, but my favorite piece of gear is an old Roland W-30 sampling workstation. I've never seen anyone else use one, but I love it,” Miller raves. “The sample memory is really limited, and when you sample at that rate, it has a really trashy, cheap sound to it. We like to take certain vocals, chop them up and repeat them throughout the track. It's become something of a signature. I can't think of any plug-in that could replicate that sound. I like bastardizing technology to get really awesome results. That's kind of our approach in general. We try to rely on our imagination and just force cool things to happen that aren't necessarily conventional.”
— Scott T. Sterling
CDs BABY: DISC MANUFACTURING
The CD is like a guy who started break dancing in the '80s: a little weak in the knees. In case you hadn't heard, CD sales were way down in 2006, and that trend doesn't show signs of stopping. However, 2007 is not yet the year that the CD will go the way of MC Hammer. Even with more groups putting out digital-only releases, most artists will still want to press CDs for selling at shows and giving out to the labels, clubs, music supervisors, DJs, press, managers and lawyers who still want them.
The good news for artists is that even though CD sales are down, disc manufacturers seem to be stepping up their services to compete for the skeptical artist's dollars. For example, Disc Makers has introduced DigStation, a digital-music download service exclusively for Disc Makers customers to sell music from their own Websites. A band receives a code for easily setting up a link from its Website to an individual page at www.digstation.com. From there, people can buy single tracks or albums, including digitized liner notes, and Disc Makers handles all the e-commerce and credit-card processing for the artist. For each 99-cent download sold, the artist receives 70 cents (compare that to the lousy deal MySpace wants to give you) or a maximum of $7 per full album.
In a different sort of twist, Odds on Recording (www.oddsonrecording.com) in Las Vegas offers a one-stop facility for recording and mastering your music, as well as manufacturing pro-level CD packages. Owned by Tom Parham, a 20-year music industry veteran who has worked with Ice-T, Sublime and many others, Odds on Recording started four years ago but recently upgraded its recording facility with an SSL XL 9000 K Series SuperAnalogue console and other state-of-the-art gear. The 35,000-square-foot facility off the Vegas Strip also offers DVD replication, video editing, custom packaging, graphic design and Web design — pretty much everything you need to get your project off the ground. “It adds a lot of flexibility,” says Parham. “A customer can be working on mockups and approving art and other parts of the project while they're recording or mixing. I don't think there's anywhere else in the world where you could go to do that.”
— Markkus Rovito
BRINGING SEXY BACK: DELL XPS M2010
The gist of the Dell XPS M2010 goes like this: Dell took desktop-system power, put it in a laptop format and then converted the laptop into a portable desktop. Confused yet? Don't be, because the bottom line is this: the XPS M2010 is a portable multimedia behemoth that, according to Dell, can multitask with ease, whether you want to record music, play games or make movies.
The XPS M2010 looks like it comes from the year 2010, Terminator style. It's ready to school other wee laptops in the ways of power, design and flexibility. It's got a 20.1-inch widescreen monitor with 1680 x 1050 resolution, eight built-in speakers, a subwoofer and 7.1/5.1 audio-out ports. It runs on Intel's brand-spanking-new Core 2 Duo processor and is upgradable to 4 GB of DDR2 dual-channel memory and 240 GB of storage across two hard drives. The system, when folded up, looks like a small portfolio case, complete with leather handle. Flip open the screen, detach the wireless remote keyboard with integrated touchpad and voilà! You have an instant desktop system with full-size keyboard and monitor. The XPS M2010 also comes with a built-in video camera and digital-array mic.
While the XPS M2010 is a processing fiend, you're gonna have to pump up with Hanz and Franz to lug this bad boy around: It weighs a whopping 18.3 lb. By comparison, other Dell XPS laptops range from 4.37 to 8.71 lb., while Apple MacBook Pro laptops range from 5.6 to 6.8 lb. But you don't want to be a flabby waste of a girlie man anyway, right?
No need to choose between laptop and desktop anymore. Now you can spend your time thinking about who K-Fed will knock up next. Ha ha! Just kidding. (Sort of.)
— Lori J. Kennedy
MR. MPC: ROGER LINN
Roger Linn created the first sampled-sound drum machine in 1979 with the Linn Electronics LM-1. Later he perfected the sampler/MIDI-sequencer/rubber-pad workstation with the Linn 9000 (1984), Akai MPC60 (1988) and Akai MPC3000 (1994). “You could argue that the 4-by-4 pad matrix is in fact a new musical interface that's taken root in contemporary culture,” Linn says. Recently, his Roger Linn Design company wowed critics with the AdrenaLinn II beat-synced effects processor/amp modeler/drum machine and the co-designed M-Audio Black Box. Remix could think of no one better than Linn to talk about what the future of electronic music gear holds.
“People don't play traditional instruments so much anymore, but rather, they play computers,” Linn says. “Everyone uses loops, manipulating objects that they found the same way they do in the art world. I like to call it OOC — object-oriented composition — where the art is in your combination of the objects. It's all about concept and not so much about craft.”
Linn sees the challenge for equipment makers to come up with better user interfaces for this emerging type of music composition. “Ableton [Live] is a very good stab at turning basically a tape recorder into a musical instrument and making it very real time in its manipulations,” he says. “And all these wonderful products coming out like Novation's ReMote SL controllers give you a variety of different ways to control DAWs. Now the recording mixer, which started out as just some slide controls and some knobs, is in a sense a musical-creation interface.”
“Still, you have a problem when working with loops,” Linn continues. “You can filter them, but you can't deconstruct them. But that's something that's coming.” Linn mentions a common mathematical formula called fast Fourier transform that can be used to analyze a single note, break it down into its harmonic components and then resynthesize it, which will lead to exciting new possibilities. “As computers get faster and algorithms get smarter,” Linn surmises, “you'll be able to have a plug-in that could take a loop off an old recording with a major chord and turn it into exactly the same loop, except with a minor chord or a 7th — or turn the piano into an electric piano or brass but leave all the other instruments unchanged.”
To best exploit such new technologies, Linn wants to see entirely new instrument interfaces that combine the polyphony of keyboard instruments with the fine solo expressivity and fine pitch control of guitar. “Alternate music interfaces have always been important to me,” Linn says. “What I like to do is try to imagine the future way, way out and then take a step in that direction. If you look 50 years out, what will people be using to make music besides piano and guitar? Somebody's got to think of something great, and I'd sure like to be a part of that decision.”
— Markkus Rovito
For the full interview with Roger Linn, go to remixmag.com.
INTELLIGENT DESIGNS: VJING EVOLVES
The power of VJing continues to grow by leaps and bounds as performers find new ways of configuring gear for all-encompassing, mind-blowing audio/visual experiences. MIDI controllers are being mapped to control visual instructions such as position, color and filters in VJ software like GarageCube Modul8, Edirol Motion Dive. Tokyo, ArKaos VJ, Resolume and Vidvox Grid. Clips and effects are triggered in real time, manipulated and output to multiple screens. For superportability, the laptop QWERTY keys are mapped to individual controls, clips and effects. The built-in iSight camera on Mac laptops or an external video source fed into the software can really put the “live” into live visuals.
For VJs who can do their own programming, modular object-oriented programming tools such as Cycling '74 Max/MSP — which allow the control of any kind of synchronized object — will provide great flexibility for multimedia performances. Modul8 allows users from beginners to scripting wizards to create their own effects modules.
VJing's future will hold more joysticks, game controllers, drawing pads and even motion-control body suits (now in experimental stages) being used to trigger and manipulate clips and effects in a fluid, organic manner. A motion-control glove, in development to facilitate tactile sensing and fine-motion control in robotics and virtual reality, could easily become the VJ controller for x-y-z coordinates. Although still in experimental phases, vocal joysticks will be able to exploit continuous vocal characteristics that go beyond sequences of sounds to include parameters such as pitch, vowel quality and loudness, which would then be mapped to continuous control parameters. You'll also see more multicomputer VJ rigs. VJs who create clips with sound as well as image can load media into VJ software on one laptop and send the sound out via stereo mini-plug or an audio interface to another laptop or effects units for further brain-damaging audio manipulation. Further beyond 2007, laptops will be powerful enough to run notoriously processor-heavy VJ software and simultaneously effect multiple tracks of audio, but for the moment, a multiple laptop system is the best way to create the ultimate portable one-person show.
— Kasumi
CRACKED KILLS: GROUP SOFTWARE BUYS
Many people who are good at heart have given in to the lure of using at least one cracked software program. They do it as a dirty little secret that they know is not really positive for the world, like illegally downloading free music or enjoying episodes of America's Next Top Model. It's true that software companies have to jack up prices to make up for people cracking software, further tempting honest people to crack. But let's face it: crackers be trippin'. They can't expect to take great products for free and not hurt the chances that software developers can survive and make more great products.
Luckily, there is a new group called Don't Crac[k] (www.dontcrack.com) that is searching for a compromise in which everyone wins. The Don't Crac[k] site contains a huge repository for PC and Mac freeware programs, but it is also an authorized dealer for many different software developers. In a concept called Group Buy, Don't Crac[k] organizes a deal for the developer of a certain piece of software. The offer starts by giving customers a guaranteed discount and then taking order commitments from buyers over a certain period of time. The more buyers commit, the higher the discount goes.
For example, the first Group Buy was for Nomad Factory's various signal-processing plug-in bundles. The guaranteed discount started at 30 percent, and they took buyers' commitments for a month. After that month, 25 buyers would push the discount to 35 percent; 60 buyers pushed it to 40 percent; and so on until a maximum discount of 60 percent would be reached with 300 or more buyers. Five Nomad Factory bundles were included, giving buyers of all budgets an option. For instance, the Vintage Studio Bundle, with many tube gear-emulation plugs, carries a retail price of $899. With the Group Buy, the guaranteed discount was $629 and the maximum discount was $359.
This method encourages buyers to urge friends, colleagues and fellow chat-board members to join the group rather than cracking software. Buyers receive discounts that are potentially much higher than they could get if buying individually, as well as the benefits of true ownership: tech support, stable operation, guilt-free conscience, etc. Group Buys may not wipe out software cracking in 2007, but it's a great, progressive idea and sure beats the hell out of USB dongles.
— Markkus Rovito
GENRE WATCH: DUBSTEP
Although the term has been around for a while now, dubstep is now poised for its big takeover: The mutant South London sound that fuses 2-step, grime, dub and other influences has become the premier playground for some of the UK's most innovative new producers.
If drum 'n' bass is a supersonic fighter jet, then dubstep is the armored-tank division. Originally centered in garage's 138-bpm mark, the possibilities exploded when the tempo halved — providing room to play with cavernous dubbed-out sounds, breakbeats stripped and clipped into half-tempo heaviness and the signature bass sculptures that pick up where jungle left off. This heaviest of low-end sounds is massive and articulate, and it makes the bass bin bounce off the dancefloor if not bolted down.
Yet despite simple shared elements, which loosely define the current style, the real appeal lies in the differences among the main players making dubstep. Each has its own distinct feel, and influences run the gamut, from Indian and industrial to crunk and heavy metal, but all are infused with dub's core ethic of studio as both instrument and imaginary space. “At the moment, dubstep has no boundaries, no set formulas or clichés,” says H.E.N.C.H. crew's Komonazmuk.
Some acts to watch for include Kode9, founder of the seminal Hyperdub label. With a sound equal parts collage, atmospherics and abstraction, alongside MC (something rare in dubstep) Spaceape, Kode9's tunes are often downright cinematic in scale. Meanwhile, young heavyweight Skream produces irresistibly catchy head-nodders, including the first UK-charting dubstep song, “Midnight Request Line.” Another serious contender, Loefah, offers tunes that seem simple initially but offer something new with each listen — and all produced impeccably. Digital Mystikz, the collective behind London's successful DMZ club nights, offers minimalist dub that's equally dark and eerie. Then there's Shackleton (half of the Skull Disco imprint with Appleblim), who could be easily and seamlessly played back-to-back in a set including traditional Middle Eastern music, French avant-garde and uptempo club beats. Vex'd, on the other hand, is like some unimaginably perfect mash-up of hip-hop and industrial and Edgard Varèse.
And there are many more up-and-comers out there, such as the two-man act Cloaks, which has a sound like rust: the organic decay of man-made metals. “We like the idea that our tunes can destroy a sound system as well as satisfy the ears of an experienced producer,” says Cloaks member Carl J. “The emphasis being that we produce music; we don't make beats.”
For now, dubstep is safe from being pillaged by the mainstream, at least according to Hyperdub's experimental artist, Burial. “The music is in good shape because everyone's in splinter cells,” he says. “They're in the ditch — there's no highway to attract the rubbish producers. The lights of the highway, that's when it goes wrong. But right now it's just darkness; everyone's just off wandering.”
— Eric Becker
TWO DOLLARS!: LIVECONTROLLER
The new frontier for software development is customer participation, where user feedback and beta testing contribute in a big way to the development of the product. Ableton resides on the forefront of this movement. It conducts heavy beta testing and fulfills many user requests for its Live updates, the latest being Live 6. Now, users such as Jason R. Kramer are taking the participation to the next level. Kramer designed his own application called LiveController ($2; http://homepage.mac.com/deadrat/), which can transform a Bluetooth mobile phone into a remote control for Ableton Live.
LiveController works in conjunction with Salling Clicker ($24; www.salling.com), a program for PC or Mac that lets you use more than 100 compatible Bluetooth mobile phones or handheld devices as remote controls for various applications, such as music players or presentation software. With LiveController installed on a Bluetooth-enabled computer, you can use one of those devices to control up to 15 user-assignable commands (plus toggle play and stop) in Live. Kramer says the range equals the range of your Bluetooth devices — usually around 30 feet. “It was built and tested with Live 6,” Kramer says. “The latency depends on your Bluetooth connection, but in my experience latency isn't an issue whatsoever.” Kramer also has Salling Clicker remote scripts available for Logic and Pro Tools. “Unlike the other two apps, which were made to assist in tracking, LiveController is made to assist in performing,” he says. “And it's just fun!”
— Markkus Rovito
FRENCH LABEL ON FIRE: ED BANGER RECORDS
Ed Banger Records' artists have wreaked havoc in nearly every “this is the shit” discussion in recent months, and 2007 should offer even more in regard to what is happening at little ol' 10 Rue Ramey in Paris, France. Kanye West-bred pissing contests aside, acts like Justice are part of a thrilling, eclectic roster at Ed Banger Records. The 4-year-old label, with an ample spread of electronic music and more, was started by Pedro Winter, who's incidentally also the manager of dance mainstays Daft Punk.
“I've learned all I know about the music business with them,” Winter says of Daft Punk. “I was happy to start a new adventure and try to bring my new artists to the top. Most importantly, the Daft boys are proud of the label; that was really important to me.”
Ed Banger Records has earned fashionable cred with releases from the likes of Mr. Flash, DJ Mehdi and SebastiAn. Fans of Justice's Waters of Nazareth EP, an Ed Banger essential that hit stateside in 2006, will probably prattle on for ages about the duo's heavily disintegrating synth sounds and nearly vomit-inducing percussive battle ram of a beat, while the gripping, sexed-up electro on SebastiAn's “Smoking Kills” 12-inch will memorably dent congregating ass shakers if it hasn't already. It all seems to happen by accident for Pedro Winter.
“SebastiAn, Mr. Flash, Vicarious Bliss and Krazy Baldhead sent me demos, and I signed them,” Winter explains. He signed Justice when he met them at a French cheese party. Count Justice in among Ed Banger's forthcoming full-lengths, with 12-inches on the front burner from Krazy Baldhead, Uffie, Vicarious Bliss, DJ Mehdi, and Busy P (Pedro Winter). “I sign artists for their music, of course,” says Winter. “But if an artist is talented and is an asshole, too, then he will never enter the Ed Rec family! I need cool people around me. I need trust.”
— Dominic Umile
HIP-HOP WHIZ KID: NALEDGE
Some may know Jabari Evans as the stay-in-school type. He's the son of two Ph.D.s, and he skipped two grades in elementary school, self-published a book entitled The Straight Jab while still in high school and graduated from the prestigious Ivy League school, University of Pennsylvania. But those in the realm of hip-hop know Mr. Evans as Naledge, the would-be savior of the newly revamped Rawkus Records that once housed underground royalty including Mos Def and Pharoahe Monch. Introduced to hip-hop as a youngster through his cousin Corey (also known as Memo of the Chicago-based production team Molemen), Naledge has since seen his stock in the hip-hop world rise tremendously.
“I used to rhyme in ciphers and freestyle, but it wasn't until people really started investing in me — and vocalizing that what I had was something that could potentially blow up — that I started to take this seriously,” he says. After graduating with a degree in communications in 2004, the Chicago native then began to communicate to the masses that he was a dope MC. After a string of well-received independent mixtapes, he landed a deal with Hustle./Rawkus to put out what he calls “classic hip-hop music.” The first in what he hopes to be classic material is the recently released School Was My Hustle (Rawkus) as one half of the group Kidz in the Hall with friend and fellow UPenn grad Double O. With a textbook's worth of rhymes, the duo is attempting to break the misconception that rock-hard images and thug vocabulary are the only way to make it in the hip-hop game. “I'm not the first rapper to graduate from college, nor will I be the last, but I feel like I will be the first to bring it to the forefront.”
Now prepping to tag hip-hop's wall as a formidable solo act, Naledge is gearing up to release Naledge Is Power, which is slated for a March release on Rawkus. With an impressive yet limited number of guest MC appearances and an even more impressive list of producers — including Just Blaze, 9th Wonder and Pete Rock — providing a sonic canvas for Naledge's colorful rhyme schemes, the upcoming year is looking bright for Mr. Evans. “I think Naledge is one of the smartest new MCs to come out in quite some time,” says John Monopoly, CEO of Hustle. and Co-CEO of G.O.O.D Music. “He's just a versatile, exciting guy who represents the future of real hip-hop.”
With a deafening buzz surrounding his soon-to-be-released project, one might think that such pressure would begin to weigh heavy on the young man's shoulders. Think again. “I feel like pressure is only in theory. I feel like what I'm doing is revolutionary and something that hasn't been brought to the masses on a large scale. I'm bringing good music to the table, and good music always finds a place.”
— Anthony Roberts
¿CÓMO SE DICE KINGDOM COME?: VOXONIC
If at some point you hear a track that sounds like a German doing a perfect Jay-Z impersonation, don't start looking online for concert tickets in Berlin. That really is Jay-Z… sort of. A developing technology called Voxonic can take audio vocal recordings and translate them into any language. The trick is that you don't get a corny computerized voice for the translation; you get what sounds just like the original speaker.
Voxonic works by first taking a spoken-voice sample of about 10 minutes from the “target” voice (the voice that will be re-created). Then a second speaker records the same words from the target's 10-minute vocal sample. This person is the “source” voice, meaning the person who will speak in another language. From there, Voxonic creates a “voiceprint” of the target that can be laid over anything the source voice says to make it sound like another person said the words.
The company started out a few years ago being used for corporate communications and film dubbing, so that translated voices for the foreign market would sound like the original actors. However, last year the founder of Voxonic, Fred Deutsch, randomly met Andre Harrell, a music mogul who founded Uptown Records and broke Mary J. Blige's career. Since then the two have formed a partnership aimed at spreading hip-hop and other music even further around the world using Voxonic to translate hot rhymes into flawless French, German, Japanese, Spanish, Russian and other languages.
All the evidence shows that Voxonic is serious and making progress. Last September, the company hired Edward “Eddie F“ Ferrell as executive director of production — an in-house producer/mixer for Voxonic. Ferrell has worked with Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Heavy D, Mary J. Blige, LL Cool J, Destiny's Child, Run-DMC and others.
While Voxonic stays reticent about whom it's working with, it's likely that in 2007, artists from Roc-A-Fella Records, Blige and others will be using Voxonic to gain further exposure worldwide. In late 2006, Jay-Z and Russell Simmons used Voxonic to translate a public service announcement aimed at combating anti-semitism into several languages.
— Markkus Rovito
For the remaining “Sure Things for 2007,” go to remixmag.com
| Want to use this article? Click here for options! |  |
