MRR-ADM the 10" still waiting for more......

I was lucky enough to pick up a copy of MRR-ADM's 10" vinyl a couple years back when Stones Throw Records released this post. My ears never get tired of hearing it. It has amazing drumming, funky bass, and makes me look like a bobble head when listening to it. You can listen to a couple tracks on YouTube, if you enjoy it you can still purchase five of the six tracks via Mp3 format here. They signed with Now-Again records back in 2009 but I still have not heard of a full length release. This 10" is so good I can wait a couple more years for more, however, I am getting anxious!

"Seeds"

"Seeds" a new collaboration from The Beat Konducta, Madlib and Georgia Anne Muldrow. Madlib's musical output is ridiculous, just last year he released nearly 6 albums and 6 mix tapes while still working on side projects and his Jazz group(s) Yesterdays New Quintet. But this project will be his first full length release with a female artist. Georgia Anne is a great producer in her own right, however for this release she has given full production responsibility's to Madlib so she can focus on the vocals. This is the first time she has ever given up this role! “Not handling production and focusing strictly on the lyrics and vocals was a very different experience for me. It was as if I walked into someone else’s world and built a hut. But I’m very proud of the hut we built and am excited about the release.” –Georgia Anne Muldrow
With both of these seasoned musicians trying something they have never done before makes this upcoming release more exciting. Check out these two tracks, Seeds and Husfriend from the 7" they released earlier this month. It sounds like they are both at their best for this one. I can't wait to hear the LP which is set for release on March 27th 2012.

Guillaume de Machaut, a French poet & composer.

"The last great poet who was also a composer." Daniel Leech-Wilkinson


Although Guillaume's ("the first true genius of Western Music") early life is not well documented, most people date his birth at the year 1300 in Champagne. More than 130 of his musical works have survived to this day, he composed both liturgical and secular music, a great list can be found here. Though the greater percentage of his work is secular, his greatest work and the most well know work of all Medieval music is the Messe de Nostre Dame (Mass of Our Lady). Messe de Nostre Dame is the earliest complete Mass attributed to a single composer, it has 5 movements, check out the Gloria. He is also one of the first to compose polyphony music, unlike chant (monophony) which uses one voice, polyphonic music is two or more simultaneous melodic lines. He greatly impacted the music that followed him. He was a great innovator in both music and poetry. The thing that makes Guillaume so great, is his music still sounds current, it was beautiful music then and still is today, I don't think any amount of time will subdue his works. He passed in 1377 but left us with wonderful art, so enjoy!

Copyright Criminals - The Movie

Copyright Criminals is an hour long documentary detailing the controversy of sampling previously recorded music, to add to your own sound production. Interviews and comments come from both sides; the artist on one side and the law on the other. Focusing primarily on sampling in hip-hop music, issues come up like: Is sampling as creative as playing ones own instruments? Is it possible to take a prerecorded sound and change it  so much that it is no longer owned by the original artist? Can you tell if a hi-hat sound came from Clyde Stubblefield, Malcolm Catto, Ringo Starr or the artist making the new music? These and many more questions are discussed and answered in this short but extremely entertaining film. If you already have a Netflix subscription, you can stream it for free, if you would like to purchase it afterward or do not have Netflix you can order a DVD and special features from the movies website. Whichever format you choose, I recommend you watch it, if you are at all interested in hip-hop music or if you are interested in copyright laws and bylaws, this film is worth your time.

Buying music by the recently deceased?

After Whitney Houston departed from this world on Saturday February 11th 2012, her album sales soared, and continue to climb. Her "The Greatest Hits" album (if you can call it her greatest hits, almost the entire second disc is remixes) reached #1 on both Itunes and Amazon Mp3's Bestsellers list. The available hard copies of her albums are also flying off the shelves. " 'Greatest Hits' posted a 10,419% gain over its previous week's sales, when it shifted just under 1,000." Many of her other songs and albums saw ridiculous sales growth as you can see at Billboard.com.


Why are these albums not bought at such an extreme rate when an artist is alive? In Whitney's case, do people do it to remember her great music? Don't these "fans" already own her music? Maybe they are younger people, or someone that does not have a much music. They may be struck with curiosity from the headlines and purchase a couple songs or an album. Do people think her music will become collectible? Mp3's are worthless they have no re-sale value and CD's are next to worthless because they are mass-produced. I could maybe understand finding some collectible vinyl pieces, but with someone like Whitney, who was already popular when vinyl was one of the main listening formats of music; her vinyl is not limited in number and therefore, they are not worth much money.


My best guess, to why musicians records fly to the top of the charts after they pass, is promotion. If an album gets enough promotion, it will sell well. Whether an album is good, or bad, press sells records. If a celebrity dies, it's free promotion, it will be talked about everywhere and people will buy. Interesting how our society works, especially in the music industry, if you can advertise it, it is Popular.


Whatever the exact reasons are for an increase in sales right after an artist dies is a mystery to me, it probably is a combination of the above and many more. I do know, that for myself, although Whitney Houston is a great artist and has influenced many people and Pop music it self; her music has never touched me, therefor I have not purchased her albums in the past, I will not now, nor will I in the future.


May God bless her soul, my prayers are with her family.

Music

Like most people starting a music blog, I am not exactly sure what I will write about; there are so many possibilities, album reviews, music theory, biographies, musical instruments, sound art, Mp3 and video samples, et cetera. Whatever I choose to post, it will be posted so that I can gain a greater understanding of the music of which I am interested in. My other hope is, that others can be introduced to new genres of music and share with me love for the music they already enjoy.