Today, YouTube has announced that it now has 1 billion subscriptions, a real milestone for the online video sharing service.
This reaches a lot more people than any TV channel, and the figure of one billion is a bit misleading - not every YouTuber bothers to create an account, so who knows how many people use YouTube.
This goes to show just how influential YouTube can be, and how you really can Broadcast, yourself. YouTube is one of my favourite website for a number of reasons:
Play Music on Demand If I want to listen to a song, regardless of whether I have it or not, it is highly likely that I can play it on YouTube.
Essential to the Running of my Blog I heavily rely on YouTube to find the latest music to share here on my blog, and I am eternally grateful.
Broadcast my own Mixes Without YouTube, the mixes I make would not reach anywhere near the amount of people that they have. The feedback I get through comments helps me to improve, and watching videos from others inspires me.
So why is YouTube so successful?
The reasons I have given for loving YouTube surely aren't the same reasons a billion other people subscribe to the service. Something as simple as uploading a video for others to watch has evolved so much since its launch.
Every serious music artist today needs a YouTube channel to grow their fan base. Vevo is a service that most artists use to create a high quality YouTube channel, this allows HD videos, and fancy HTML banners linking to the artist's other material. I think Vevo is great as it guarantees high quality video that you know will not be removed for copyright reasons. The downside of Vevo is that the viewer has to sit through a 30 second advert first, but this was inevitable, right?
Advertising is where YouTube makes its money. YouTube needs this money to run, and to grow, so without this we wouldn't see the improvements they are constantly making. I'm happy to put up with an advert here and there.
The movie industry is exactly the same. If your trailer isn't on YouTube, you are seriously limiting your reach. YouTube helps spread trailers, it's so easy for people to share them on their Facebook, their Twitter, and the embedding options mean you won't even need to leave the page you're looking at.
What has YouTube done for others?
YouTube has the ability to propel people to stardom. We are living in a talent-contest age, where it is a lot easier for someone with talent to get noticed. X-Factor, and Britain's Got Talent are examples of this. YouTube has so many users, uploading their music, mixes, short films - hoping to get noticed. One little Canadian lad did get noticed - Justin Bieber. I'm not really a fan of Bieber myself, but he's a great example of what YouTube can do for people. The kid can sing, so he uploads videos of him singing cover songs - fair enough. Thing is, Scooter Braun saw these videos, and liked what he saw. This subsequently resulted in a joint venture with Usher, and now Bieber is one of the most well known names on the planet, making millions.
Where now for YouTube?
It will continue to grow. The cyber generation is relatively young, and a lot of older people do not use services like YouTube. YouTube has evolved so much since the launch, as users continue to give feedback, and the environment changes, YouTube will adapt and become better and better.
Currently YouTube offers TV catchup services for Channel 4 and Five in the UK - this can only expand and the possibility of broadcasting live television will surely be on the cards for YouTube. I can see a premium YouTube service coming in if it were to grow that much.
If you don't have a YouTube account - why not? There are so many advantages, allowing you to comment and rate videos, subscribe to users you find interesting and keep up with the latest content.
If you like dubstep, then take a look at my channel here.
Katy B is huge at the minute and she has followed up the popular Katy on a Mission and Perfect Stranger, with this collaboration with Ms. Dynamite - Lights On.
The official video has been uploaded on the Rinse.fm YouTube channel, and shows how dubstep is continuing to evolve and expand, while crossing over to other genres. This track isn't quite dubstep, but does take influences and has a similar tempo.
Ms. Dynamite has been doing a lot of MCing, shying away from the mainstream scene that she burst on with "Miss Dynamite-tee-hee", from what I've heard she absolutely hates people branding her with that. Can we blame her?!
I have been using the Vestax PMC-07 Pro for around 18 months now, so I feel I am in a position to give it a well balanced, in-depth review.
It's a popular, high end scratch mixer - aimed at turntablists that like to scratch and beat juggle. It's so much more versatile than that, though. The curves, and EQ settings allow any DJ to wow his crowd with whatever he chooses to play.
Features
Being predominantly a scratch mixer, the face is quite minimalistic and clean. There's a lot of room to manoeuvre the faders, and all the controls are spaced out well to allow fast movement when mixing. The EQ levels take some getting used to, as they are controlled by faders rather than the common twisty knobs. Once you get used to the change though, it becomes a lot quicker to switch the EQ up or down. It also has balance control, allowing you to switch your sound from one speaker to the other. When this is done well it is a great effect to use, although I definitely haven't perfected it myself!
If you compare the face of the mixer to that of my VMC-004 XL I reviewed here, you will see the differences.
Four Faders This leaves the face a lot more cluttered, not allowing for quick movements. It does give you twice as many inputs, though.
EQ Knobs The EQ levels are controlled using the standard knobs. This is fine, if you have more time to adjust your EQ levels.
I was lucky enough to buy the PMC-07 Pro, second hand from DJ Skully, a pioneer in UK hip-hop and twice DMC UK Champion. Although I'm not quite sure why I look miserable!
Skully sold me the mixer at a decent price, and also threw in some needles, and the mixer itself was fitted with a pro-x fader, bargain!
Quality
Now if it's good enough for Skully, it's definitely good enough for me. The main selling point of this mixer is quality, and robustness. The fader has worn out with previous mixers I have used, purely because they weren't built to take the amount of scratching I was doing at the time. The PMC-07 is different, particularly with the pro-x fader in there. I've done a serious amount of scratching on it, and the fader still glides smooth, with no bleeding or crackling. The sound quality from the mixer is also worth shouting about. When you have so many pieces of equipment working together (turntables, mixer, amplifier, speakers), each one needs to be spot on. This mixer doesn't let down the team and lets a great quality of sound boom out of my set.
Versatility
The picture above shows the curve control for both main faders and the cross fader. This is what makes the mixer so versatile. You can control - on a very fine level - just how sharp you want the cut to be. Have the middle curve (cross fader) set completely to the right as I have, allows a very sharp cut for scratching. I must add this is an incredibly sharp cut, and allows for easy crab/transformer scratches. On the flipside, setting the curve completely left will have the opposite effect, allowing a smooth fade from one channel to the other. This is much better for mixing, and I have the fader on that setting for all of my dubstep mixes.
Aesthetics
I couldn't ask for much more from this mixer, I think it looks great. It's a smart bit of kit, and does a good job of lighting up when the music is playing. (This is also useful for making sure volume levels aren't going to blow your speakers!) It has a stainless steel cover which reassures the quality of this mixer, no corners are cut here.
Conclusion
I would recommend this mixer to most DJs. If you're anything like me, then you'll enjoy all elements of DJing - scratching, juggling, mixing and blending. This mixer allows for all of that, if you feel you're quite experimental, this mixer is for you.
The only thing I would change about this mixer would be to give it two outputs. This makes recording easier as you can play what you're doing through your speakers, while recording it through to your PC. Currently I have my PMC-07 Pro running into my VMC-004 XL, which then runs into my amplifier, as well as my laptop. Bit of an expensive way to get around it but I had the VMC-004 XL laying around anyway.
Spotify has denied that is in talks with Apple over a takeover.
Back when I compared Spotify with Grooveshark last year, one of the main things I noticed about Spotify was its similarities with iTunes. This was one of Spotify's main advantages as it made it very user friendly for an existing iTunes user like myself.
Would it benefit music lovers if Spotify was taken over?
Yes and no. I feel the Spotify experience would go global if Apple were to take over. Currently, Spotify is available in some parts of Europe, but the rest of the world is unable to access the service. This was one of the main disadvantages I found with Spotify. Giving Spotify the ability to reach more people can only be good.
However, I feel Apple would change Spotify a bit too much. I feel there would be more pressure to buy the tracks you stream, and I think the days of Spotify free would be gone. This is purely my speculation, I don't know what their plans would be, but I really can't see them keeping Spotify as it currently is.
I was thinking of doing a new comparison between Spotify and Grooveshark, given the updates that both services have implemented since last year, but I think I will wait to see how this story pans out before revisiting that one.
The news article about the denied takeover is from the BBC and can be found here.
Tron is coming to cinemas 17th December, and soundtrack duty has gone to French electro outfit Daft Punk.
I saw the trailer for this film around a month ago, and it didn't excite me until I saw the soundtrack was courtesy of Daft Punk. I really enjoy the feel good music that Daft Punk produce, from One More Time to Robot Rock. The soundtrack for this film sounds a lot more dark, and fits the action that we will expect to see from Tron.
I'm undecided as to whether I'll go and see the film, but I will definitely keep a close eye on the soundtrack that comes from it. Tron is in 3D and is set to be a blockbuster, I'm just not sure it's my thing.
I heard Wiley's collaboration with MJ Cole a few weeks ago, and was really excited about it. A few days ago, the video dropped. The flashing images are quite distracting, making the video hard to watch. Having said that, it suits the mood of the track well. I'm really looking forward to hearing more of Wiley's new material.
Duck Sauce shared this on their Facebook page this morning. It's a cut and paste job from Circus Circus, a bootleg remix of Duck Sauce's unforgettable Barbra Streisand.
Circus Circus are an outfit from Australia, and mainly do bootlegs of popular tracks, well worth checking out their Soundcloud.
They've done a really good job with Barbra Streisand and made it sound really original. I've heard a few attempts from people trying to remix this track and they are just too similar. This is the first remix I've heard worthy of blogging about, so enjoy.
Hadouken have uploaded this amazing video to their YouTube Channel. Entitled People Are Awesome it features a compilation of all the incredible stunts and tricks people have done that have made it onto the internet.
It's all to promote their new song, Mecha Love which is now available! I'm a big fan of Hadouken, and this song sounds more dancy, a little like Deadmau5 - but to tell the truth - the song was just backing music for the outstanding video.
At time of posting, this has had 28,563 views since it was uploaded, and I'm sure it'll go viral as it features everything the internet craves for - stunts, tricks, and music.
You can buy their new album For The Masses on Amazon:
Bashy has a single coming up for release on December 6th, featuring funk specialists, Napt. I'm a massive fan of both artists so was excited to hear they were collaborating. Gotta Have More Cowbell has to be my favourite Napt track, sampling the voices of Christopher Walken and Will Ferrell - I even had a go at beat juggling the record, but the less said about that the better! Who Wants to be a Millionaire is probably the most iconic track from Bashy for me, a bootleg featured on Toddla T's Fabriclive mix which I really enjoyed. It was really catchy and made me take notice of Bashy.
I'm sure you'll realise, it samples Technotronic's 1989 hit Pump Up The Jam. Typically funky from Napt, and typically catchy from Bashy, this is sure to be a hit in the charts. Bashy doesn't have a reputation as a chart musician just yet, and I reckon this will be the song to propel him there, same for producers Napt.
As with any track at the minute, the opportunity has arisen for a dubstep remix. Specimen A have taken on the challenge, and done well I feel. Make My Day - Specimen A Mix by Bashy
It keeps the classic sample, while also throwing in a nice wobble, and classic echoing snare. It samples Bashy's lyrics well to fit in with the tempo, and it's a lot easier to listen to than a lot of dubstep "trash" that is clogging up my YouTube feed at the moment!
Next up, a jumpy house remix from Future Freakz. I really like this remix, it kind of reminds me of Herve or Jack Beats. Make My Day - Future Freakz Mix by Bashy
It retains all the lyrics from Bashy, and just offers an alternative backing track. I actually think this track works a bit better than the original, but that's just my taste. I have to say this is the track I would most like to hear played in a club.
This isn't really my taste in music so it's hard to give an opinion on it. It retains the lyrcis, while also throwing in samples to give a cut up feel. This is more lounge stuff in my opinion, and something you would throw on at a quiet party where you don't want to music to be the focal point of the evening.
There is also a "making of" video, for the video of Make My Day, although the video isn't available yet!
Remember, this single is out December 6th, so keep an eye out!
Kanye's gone and brought out a half hour long music video entitled "Runaway". Really looking forward to his new album dropping, but for now, we can enjoy what YouTube has to offer us! This feature length movie was premiered on MTV, and is now on YouTube for us all to enjoy.
I was a big fan of Power and Monster, and Runaway only helps add to the expectation by showcasing some of the tracks we will find on the forthcoming album, My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy.
The Dirtyphonics have taken and remixed one of my favourite tracks here - Warp by The Bloody Beetroots.
I'm always fairly sceptical when I like the original, and I don't this is a patch on it. That being said, it's a lot better than I was expecting, and might just be a grower.
This album has been out for a couple of weeks so I've been able to give it a good listen - and I'm impressed.
I had first heard of Tinie Tempah when he featured on Killa Kela's album Amplified. I had no idea that he was on the brink of something very special. He had made mixtapes before, but nothing that had earned plays on Radio One, or come close to the charts. Pass Out - Which features on the album - Launched Tinie Tempah to stardom. An iconic tune, it took electric hip-hop, and drum and bass influences with catchy lyrics that you will hear people repeating for a long time to come.
So fair enough. Anyone can have a one hit wonder right? This wasn't the case for Tinie Tempah. A strong follow up Frisky came out shortly after. A similar format, Frisky took the same influences and was equally as iconic as Pass Out. I actually prefer Frisky and it is one of my favourite tracks from the album. Would You Risk it for a Chocolate Biscuit?
So now with two strong singles under his belt, Tinie Tempah really caught my attention. I can honestly say that when I first heard Pass Out I thought Tinie had one hit wonder written all over him. I am so glad that he has proved me wrong; there is not a bad song on Disc-Overy.
This is currently my favourite track from the album, Miami 2 Ibiza. I am a massive fan of Swedish House Mafia, and I loved One (Your Name) which they collaborated with Pharrell Williams for. Miami 2 Ibiza is a jumped up, feel good house track that is massive in clubs. It's one of those tracks that makes you want to dance, and never fails to put a smile on your face.
Another single worth mentioning is Written in The Stars. Featuring Eric Turner, this track features guitar solos, clever lyrics, and a catchy hook. All the ingredients needed for a great hip-hop track. I think it's quite incredible just how successful each track has been, and the album itself is very strong.
Where Now for Tinie Tempah?
The PR and promotion for Disc-Overy is far from over. There are concerts, signings and appearances to take care of I imagine, and then work will start on new material.
I hope that Disc-Overy isn't a sign of peaking too early for Tinie Tempah, although the way he proved me wrong with follow ups to Pass Out, I feel he will prove me wrong again. The success of Disc-Overy is sure to attract attention from bigger stars, he managed to get Kelly Rowland to collaborate on the song Invincible, which is extremely impressive for a debut album. Who's next, Beyonce? Lady Gaga? Dare I say it... Cher Lloyd?
Jokes aside, I expect some high profile collaborations in the future, and I think Tinie Tempah is UK hip-hop's best chance of truly breaking America. I would love to see Tinie Tempah work with the likes of Jay-Z, Eminem, or Dr Dre. I could also see him taking the electric route and working with Chase & Status, Jack Beats, or even Magnetic Man.
This just came up on my YouTube subscription module, and I'll be honest, I'm not a fan. The latest uploads I'm seeing seem to be a competition on how "dirty" or "ridiculous" these songs can sound. It seems in order to make a dubstep track at the moment, you just have to lace some female vocals over a collection of out of tune noise.
I prefer the direction Magnetic Man are taking, more free flowing songs with melodies. The bass is strong but subtle at the same time. Hangin' by Genetix just seems to give me a headache.
This is trending on YouTube right now, and I think it's a bit unfair. It's slamming Cher Lloyd for claiming to have written lyrics, that were actually those of Swizz Beatz, Professor Green, and Coldplay. The way this video is spliced together I'm not sure what to make of it. It does show her saying she had written lyrics, and then gone on to prove that the lyrics were actually those of an existing artist.
This may be the case, but I don't think it should damage Cher's credibility too much. The video uploader seems angered that Cher claims to be original, when in fact she is not.
Every contestant on the X Factor is performing covers, but I feel Cher is performing her covers in an origjnal way. The way she performs is definitely different to any of the other contestants, and I feel she still has an outstanding chance of winning the competition. In my music-journo opinion however, I feel it would be better for her to come 2nd or 3rd, and be picked up by a hip-hop label where she can really develop her talent and be big in the genre she appears to be such a fan of.
Essentially, I am trying to build a brand here, the brand of Strictlywax.
Without social media, I wouldn't even have that name, no one would have heard of it, I wouldn't have an audience. Social media is about reaching people quickly, and speaking to them on their level. It has allowed the public insights to celebrities lives, and made it easier to engage with them.
How Did I Get into Social Media?
I was straight out of school, having studied business to A-Level. I had excelled in the marketing module, and felt it would be a good idea to start work in that area. Step in 1000heads!
I had used Facebook and YouTube before, as well as being a member on the Birmingham City fan's forum, but 1000heads really introduced me to what social media was about. I began to find the whole concept fascinating, realising the potential of it. It continues to grow now, which is why I see a huge career in the sector. I was introduced to a host of new venues, places where people could share interesting articles, or even write their own. It was at this point that I decided that I wanted to be active across these venues.
I have been DJing since I was 16, and I started to record mixes to put on CD and give to my friends. I even put them on my phone and started using bluetooth spread them around. Thanks to social media those days are gone. Enter YouTube.
YouTube is a real game changer for me, and one of my favourite venues. Not only does it mean you can watch your favourite videos on demand, but it means that you can share your own.
I already had a YouTube account, in order to post comments and make favourites, but I decided to make a new account for my aspiring DJ career here.
My first real mix video. I had seen a lot of "10 Minute" mixes on YouTube, and knew I had something to offer the crowd. This managed to get over 1,000 views, and reached more people than I ever could by giving out CDs.
This was a defining moment for me in social media as it was the first time I was getting feedback from subjective people about my mixes. It has received 10 comments, some of which were very constructive, and helped me to progress.
So what did I do with the feedback? I took it, and improved!
My second go at a recorded mix. This was my masterpiece, there are no mistakes in this set, and it has attracted over 2,000 views. It has generated a good amount of debate too, as I had titled it a "progressive" mix. The viewers of my video were debating what "progressive dubstep" is, and if it exists. The point I was trying to make was that the mix was progressive, not any of the individual tracks.
Naturally, I wanted to give these videos as much exposure as possible. In the hope that some day a big name in the music business would snap me up and offer me a big contract, of course.
So I set up "The Disc Jockey Blog" - I set this up for two reasons;
1. To share my mixes with the blogger community
2. To post reviews on DJ equipment
I also joined the Dubstepforum, to target my videos, and share debates with like minded people. I started the thread Post Your 10 Min Minimixes to share my videos, and to encourage others to make them.
At school, I always enjoyed writing in English lessons, and composing short stories. Blogging allowed me to creatively write my thoughts down, and share them with the world.
My thoughts that got a particularly large amount of attention, were those on Spotify Vs Grooveshark.
I had been using Spotify to stream music, and a friend of mine had recommended Grooveshark, so I checked that out too. I had been using these for a while when I thought, "has anyone compared the two?". At that time, nobody had so I thought, "why don't I do it?".
I found it very easy to write extensively about the two services, and included pictures to demonstrate the points I was making. I wrote the post in July 2009, but it only started generating hits in June of this year. At the time of writing this it has had 3000 hits since then, and the blog itself generates 50-150 hits a day.
I was astounded when I looked at the Blogger stats and saw how much of a hit it had started to become, so I drew my attention to maintaining the blog more often. I took steps to improve the design, and signed up for Google Adsense in order to make money, and for the Blog to have a more professional, sponsored look.
Now, the blog is used for sharing the latest music I find online, and voicing my opinions on it. It still remains the hub for all the online content I generate myself, and I continue to post reviews on products and services where I see fit.
Why do I Want to Work in Social Media?
First of all, I have a huge passion here, both personally and professionally. I have seen the effect it has on brands, advocates, and even detractors. Detractors tweet their disgruntlement all the time, which can be a big problem for brands. However, if the social media strategy is right, that brand can engage, help the detractor, and over time that detractor can change their opinions, and even become an advocate.
Where Have I Seen Examples of This?
Professionally, I have worked in social media for Three Mobile, Nokia, and Microsoft. The best example I can think of was when a key advocate for Three was having signal problems in Westminster. Disgruntled as I'm sure you can imagine, he wrote a blog post, threatening to leave Three Mobile. So while I was monitoring online conversations concerning Three Mobile, this blog post appeared in my search.
This was a crisis situation. The advocate in question had a large following and was a key influencer, a lot of people took what he said very seriously. When I came across this blog post, I not only alerted it to Three, but I also emailed the advocate to let him know we were on the case. Thankfully, Three were able to fix the problem quickly, and the advocate remains a customer today.
Another reason I want to work in social media, is effect I have seen it can have. It's an opportunity for brands to reach people instantly, and the ripple effect is incredible. At 1000heads, we had an event for the launch of MiFi2, and the response was fantastic.
You can see from the reactions towards the end of the video that the advocates we had engaged were so impressed that Three had listened and made the appropriate improvements.
It was my job to track all the response to MiFi2, and it was a pleasure as it was all positive conversation! The real key thing to take from this was that Three had listened to consumer feedback from blogs, and social updates. At 1000heads we had given them the chance to do that, in this was a fantastic example of how social media can bring brands and consumers together.
I really don't think the MiFi2 launch would have got anywhere near as much coverage had it not been for social media. The most important thing here was that the coverage was targeted, and the news was reaching people that it would directly affect. This was not a television advert, where people leave the room and make a cup of tea, this was an advert specifically aimed at you and was something you would genuinely be interested in.
This is able to happen through the method of profiling. With people constantly making updates about their lives, talking about things that influence them, it makes it very easy for brands to build a consumer profile.
You could profile me at Strictlywax for example. I am active on the following venues: Twitter - Tweets about electronic music, Birmingham City, and the gym. The Disc Jockey Blog - Blogs electronic music, product/service reviews (music related) YouTube - Uploads mixes and tracks Soundcloud - Uploads mixes and tracks for download
Now that's only four of the venues I'm on, but you can already see a consumer profile building. If a brand spotted me talking about them, they may want to know what my interests are, so that they can help me, and build a relationship with me. A brand can't make those sorts of assumptions about me purely from what I've bought from them.
Now the absolute main reason I want to work in social media is that I want to learn more about it!
There's so much I want to learn, inevitably new venues will come into play. Foursquare is becoming more and more popular, and would have sounded ridiculous a couple of years ago. I've learnt so much over the two years I have spent in social media, it's been such a fast process that I know there will be a lot more to learn in years to come, I don't want to miss out on that.
I have shown in the past two years that I can adapt in this profession. When I originally started, the role involved a lot of data entry, but it evolved from that. I became a lot more involved with the creative side of the team, and had a lot more interaction with clients. At 21, I can offer a wealth of experience in social media, particularly for someone of my age. I have such a strong passion for this area of marketing that I will strive to succeed in it. I am an outgoing person that likes to get involved with everything.
I enjoy variety in my life, and variety in my work, but I have also proved in my time at 1000heads that I can stick to one task and do it well for a long time.
What Makes me Special?
I think the initiative I have shown, to create and maintain my own blog says something about me. Working at 1000heads, I was not encouraged to write my own blog, I just felt it would aid my work. I also had personal motives for starting my blog, and have developed the passion I now have for it.
My whole move into social media has been so organic and a natural move for me, that I can't see myself wanting to leave it. The fact that I have been able to link my passions outside of work to social media has made it a lot easier to fall in love with.
It's worth noting that when you Google the words "Spotify" and "Grooveshark together, my Blog is the top result, this is also the case for a Bing search.
My job at 1000heads was to identify trends, deliver insights and give recommendations where possible. Whereas with my blogging and social activity, I have shown that I can equally generate buzz around topics and stimulate conversation myself. This shows that I actually have quite broad experience within social media and would be a versatile, and valuable member to any social media team.
My mixes have reached Russia, where I have developed a fan base here. I have managed to spread the brand of Strictlywax fairly globally, and I'm not even selling anything. If I can do that then surely there's potential for me to help brands that are.
What Makes me, me?
The only time I am away from social media, is sport, and face to face social gatherings. I keep in touch with the social space on the move through my Nokia N86, and the Gravity app. I find this great when I'm watching a television show, I can run a quick search as to what people are saying about it. This is particularly interesting to follow while watching "The Apprentice" or even "The X Factor".
The only times I am away from social media is when I'm away from my phone. I don't take my phone to the gym, I go to the gym to work out and exercise, not to check my online presences. When I am with people, I have them to talk to, so there is less need for social media.
In sport, I am an athlete and have competed at county level for Oxfordshire in cross-country. I was lucky enough to run in the national championships, which was televised on Sky Sports 3!
In football I am a mad Birmingham City fan, and you will see that from my tweets @_Tmo_, constantly complaining (and sometimes praising) how they are playing.
As I have mentioned extensively above, I am a keen DJ and play local house parties with friends, it's great because it requires a great deal of concentration, and can take my mind off anything that may be bugging me at the time. I love to get in the zone and just mix for hours, only concentrating on the beat matching and the blends of different sounds.
If you are still reading this, then I must have done something right. Don't hesitate to leave a comment as I always appreciate the feedback. I am living in Oxford, and am currently looking there as well as in London.
Brand new from Wolfgang Gartner. A lot of people compare this guy to Deadmau5, and I can see why. It's the same pace, would be played by the same DJ's, in the same clubs - but that's where the similarities end.
I find that Wolfgang is a lot more experimental with his music, I think he takes more dubstep influences, his samples and loops are a lot more complex. There's a lot more going on in his tracks, and that is what I like about his music.
This one is called Illmerica, and I'm going to be listening to it a lot this week, enjoy.
Soundtrack:
00:00 - 00:46 - Force of Nature, Nujabes, Fat Jon - Kodama (Interlude)
00:49 - 01:46 - Junior Senior - Move Your Feet
01:50 - 05:02 - Ali B vs. The Jungle Brothers - Beats on a String
05:02 - 05:22 - The Chemical Brothers - Galaxy Bounce
05:22 - 06:08 - Ghost, Kashmere, DPF - Flip It
06:27 - 09:06 - The Beatnuts - Hot
09:42 - 11:49 - Visionaries - Blessings
12:00 - 14:18 - Steam - Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
I first saw this video just over a year ago, and I was blown away. This is without doubt, the greatest video I have ever seen on the internet, or even anywhere.
Now, I usually like to keep the videos I share as up to date and new as possible, but this video is the exception to the rule.
It follows Oleg Vorslav, a Latvian master of parkour. This video was mainly filmed in Latvia, on a climbing structure, which also features in an earlier video he made (Quest of Movement, link below). Out of Time also features parkour performed in locations in Portugal.
There are so many reasons why this video is special to me.
The Soundtrack is Hip-Hop Focused
I a massive fan of hip-hop, and it fits in so well with the movement on screen. I am also a firm believer that the summer was made for hip-hop, the hot climate and sand creates a real summery mood for me, the video makes me want to go on holiday.
The Strength and Power Shown
I am a keen athlete myself, and frequent the gym 5-6 times a week. I really admire the athleticism these guys show, and the sheer strength a lot of these moves require is staggering.
The Camera Work/Editing
I am so glad that this video was posted on Vimeo, because it is so much better in HD. As I said above, the athleticism and moves are incredible, but the camera shots make them look so much better. Some of the video is clearly scripted and set up and this adds a story element to the video, rather than it just being a set of clips.
The Humour
What I really like about these guys is that they don't take themselves too seriously. From the outset, Oleg Vorslav almost falls from a tree, showing that he is actually human like the rest of us. There are also clips between the moves of the guys joking together, I like this because it shows they aren't robots that do parkour all day.
Word of Warning
Now kids, JUST IN CASE you were about to try this at home, I strongly suggest you watch this.
Gorillaz have uploaded a brand new track to YouTube! This track, featuring Daley, is out 22nd November this year.
In their own words:
"Recorded just a few weeks ago, Gorillaz were so excited about this stunning new cut, they wanted to unleash it onto the world as soon as humanly possible! All bouncing beats, deep funk grooves and sumptuous soothing vocals (courtesy of hot new British talent Daley), this track just makes you want to move. And in case you're wondering; inspiration for the track and the title comes from The Donca Matic - the groundbreaking Japanese-designed drum machine which started the Korg Musical Instrument Company in 1963!"
Magnetic Man (Skream, Artwork, Benga) have uploaded a video, describing how dubstep began. I found it really interesting, paticularly with how I was looking at it the week when I wrote my Evolution of Dubstep post.
Gemini is a newcomer to the mainstream dubstep scene and we can expect this track to be released later this year, with another track "Feel Stronger" on the B-side.
Here we go, the Jakwob remix of Lassitude by DJ Fresh & Sigma. Have to say, on first listening I'm not too impressed. Jakwob's remixes are all starting to sound very similar and one dimensional. But who knows, it might be a grower.
Heard this on Radio One while I was driving last week. Following the success of "Goldust", DJ Fresh has now brought out Lassitude with fellow producer, Sigma. We also have a Jakwob remix to look forward to so I will post that later!
Thanks to UKFDrumandBass for uploading the offical video, which has a parkour theme, as well as some sneaky Nike product placement that I spotted.
The official video for Eminem's latest release from the Recovery album, "No Love" featuring Lil Wayne, is available to watch on YouTube now!
I bought the Recovery album when it came out, and this was one of my favourite tracks on there from the start. Should be a big hit like "Love The Way You Lie", and "Not Afraid".
Just been surfing SoundCloud and came across this Daft Punk remix from Sam Roney. I've not heard of this guy before but I really enjoyed this remix and he's got some great stuff on his page. Check him out!
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