Muxtape

Muxtape is a new site, created by Jstn which allows users to share mixtapes via a rather nice flash interface. The site is very simple. It allows you to upload up to 12 songs of up to 10mb each. To share your mix you just send somebody the link to your profile i.e yournickname.muxtape.com



The simplicity of the interface reminds me of a lot of cool sites like instapaper (which lets you save articles to read later in a newspaper format) and writer (the internet typewriter).
To try out the service I've uploaded a mix. This was a pain free exercise which is great especially when you consider that it was launched today.
My mix is similar to the one I posted previously via lastfm in that it is more of a mix tape than a DJ mix. In fact the main overriding theme is that the songs are all great but don't necessarily go together.
Listen here Thomaz.muxtape.com

1. Biffy Clyro - Now I'm Everyone
2. The Crimea - Loop A Loop
3. 3 Inches Of Blood - Goat Riders Horde
4. Jens Lekman - A Postcard To Nina
5. Burial - Archangel
6. Hot Chip - Don't Dance
7. Antipop Consortium Ghostlawns - (Original Version)
8. Le Tigre - Deceptacon
9. Lil' Wayne - Seat Down Low

The Rip Off Artist.

I'm currently listening to The Rip-Off Artist. There isn't that much information about him out there, so I can't be too specific. From his website I discovered that he is called Matt Haines and he has " retired from the music business." The album I'm listening to is called Pump and features 13 songs split over 69 tracks on the CD. If you are familiar with the record label, Mille Plateaux you will have some idea how this album sounds. It's more catchy and less minimalist than your average Mille Plateaux release however. Pitchfork describe it thus:

"electronic to be certain-- there isn't a single organic sound to be found here-- but outside of that broad disclaimer, it's hard to peg. Pump's roots are clearly in house music: more often than not there's a clearly discernable 4/4 beat, marked by repeated drum patterns and sounds which creep in then back out a few times over the course of a song; minute details that appear, then disappear, one by one. Meanwhile, Haines cycles through a seemingly endless catalog of goofy electronic noises which suggest everything from 60's library music to old-school Warp Records to kids' toy samplers. "

If that doesn't interest you then I give up! More info and some mp3s here.

Ashley Dupre, call girl and pop singer.

Governor Eliot Spitzer's little indiscretion with Ashley Alexandra Dupré (see photos) has created quite a buzz on the internet. Bloggers have been posting like crazy from the news of the scandal breaking, to Spitzer's resignation and now they are focusing their attentions towards Ashley Dupre. Dupre, or 'Kristen' as she was known has become an unwitting internet star. Or perhaps not so, unwitting as she hasn't yet set her myspace profile to private.



Dupre's page has a song on it which has been played 2068901 times, and I'm fairly sure that's not due to it's quality. It seems her work at the Emperors Club came second to her dreams of being a singer. Her encounter with the governor of New York may well help to launch her career. I would bet that she has a recording contract by the end of the week. The song, called 'what we want' is standard R&B, the beats are a bit dull and the vocals basic. With a bit of a remix it could become a hit, which says a lot about the state the charts are in.




The song is produced by Simon Illa of Unbreakable Music Group, who is, I'm guessing somewhat pleased about all the publicity.

Ashley Dupree myspace page
Spitzer Scandal news
Ashley Dupre, Millionaire?

Marnie Stern

If you liked my last post, you should check out Marnie Stern. Her guitar style is similar to Mick Barr's: full-on, layered noise as fast as possible. She also reminds me of another Barr due to her use of spoken-word passages and meta-narratives. “Nothing I do is esoteric,” She says. “I have constant references in mind for everything. Everything’s intentional.” This, combined with a guitar technique which can only be described as 'shredding' makes for quite a mix.

Stern's last album 'In Advance of the Broken Arm'
features Hella's Zach Hill on drums and production. Her sound reminds me of the bass and drums duo lightning Bolt although it is perhaps a bit more accessible as you can actually comprehend the lyrics which are looped and layered. As Brandon Stosuy put it in his review for Pitchfork.com:

"she sets up her own call-and-response (musically and lyrically), her sing-talk style cutting across the strings like a rogue auctioneer or cheerleader."

Here is the video for the single 'Every Single Line Means Something'



More songs and information can be found at Marnie Stern's Myspace page.

Octis - Mick Barr, guitar hero.

Mick Barr of Octis, Orthrealm and Ocrilim.