The Verge: Listen to Spotify on this nostalgic iPod-style web music player. “In an era before multitouch displays, the iPod’s click wheel was the king of music playback control. Now, a new project from frontend software developer Tanner Villarete has attempted to emulate its classic controls as a web app, complete with support for your Spotify and Apple Music library.”
Google Blog: Exhibits and experiments that are music to your ears. “Today is World Music Day, also known as “Fête de la musique.” It’s an annual celebration of music that encourages amateur and professional musicians to play and perform outside in parks or in the streets. At Google Arts & Culture we took the name ‘Fête de la musique,’ which translates to ‘music party,’ literally, and made sure the internet also will celebrate, with music created by you. Our artists in residence at the Google Arts & Culture lab created two new experiments, ‘Paint with Music’ and ‘Assisted Melody,’ to offer you an easy and fun way to get creative with sound.”
106.3 The Buzz (no relation): Sammy Hagar + Michael Anthony Launch ‘Van Hagar’ Era Online Archive. “Former Van Halen members and current Sammy Hagar & The Circle rockers Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony have jointly launched an archival social media destination saluting their time together in Van Halen, the period known as the ‘Van Hagar’ era to fans of the rock band co-founded by the late Eddie Van Halen.”
Chicago Crusader: Proposed ‘house museums’ continue to get momentum. “Museums have the power to share the history, lived experiences, culture, myths and voices of a community, era or people. With that in mind, many are keeping a watchful eye on proposed developments slated in the former Bronzeville homes of blues legend Muddy Waters and journalist Lu Palmer and his activist wife, Jorga.”
I was searching YouTube when I came across a channel called Mrs. Reid, the Science G. From her About page: “Me and my sisters would remix songs when we were younger (waaay before YouTube), so it’s safe to say, I have had years of practice on how to create songs. As a science educator, I get to blend my two loves: music and education and I’m so EXCITED to share this journey with you!!!” I don’t know any of the music she’s redone because I’m old, but I did enjoy a remixed Cardi B called BODY PARTS AND BODY REGIONS; her music tends to focus on Anatomy & Physiology topics. She also has some A&P lectures available. Really good and recommended.
The Guardian: The push to archive the history of jungle and drum’n’bass. “Chingford Sainsbury’s may be an unlikely setting for an encounter that helped capture a key part of British cultural history, but MC Navigator’s weekly shopping trip to his local supermarket would prove crucial. Navigator, one of the leading figures in the jungle and drum’n’bass scene in the 1990s, bumped into Uncle 22 – another important player – who had been under the radar for years and was picking up some bits with his mum.”
9to5 Mac: Spotify for iOS adds new ‘Only You’ feature for personalized playlists and more. “Spotify announced today a new global campaign called ‘Only You,’ an in-app experience with personalized playlists to celebrate its users’ uniqueness. The new feature is accessible via the Spotify for iOS application and it comes with six different in-app experiences.”
Tribune India: Punjabi rapper Jazzy B’s Twitter account blocked on India’s request. “Microblogging platform Twitter has ‘withheld’ the accounts of Punjabi singer Jazzy B, hip-hop artist L-Fresh the Lion and two others in response to a legal demand in India, even as it draws flak over delay in complying with the new IT rules in the country.”
Milwaukee Record: MKE Punk saved from extinction, updated with new features and more releases. “Much like the shuttered bars and restaurants we mourn, the bands that break up after years of struggling for support, critically acclaimed TV shows that are done in by poor ratings, or discontinued Taco Bell menu items (we miss you so much, 7-Layer Burrito!), MKE Punk almost became one of those things we didn’t realize how lucky we were to have until it suddenly vanished. ‘Almost’ is the operative term.”
uDiscoverMusic: Tears For Fears, Portishead Celebrated In New Project About Bath And Bristol Music Scene. “The new website features historical information on over 250 venues in the regions, alongside interviews with artists and producers. Users will also be able to access the information from a phone app in what developers are deeming ‘a location-based digital museum project taking you on a musical journey through Bristol and Bath.’”
EIN Presswire: New Aussie dance music website ‘The DJ Revolution’ officially launches (PRESS RELEASE). “Based out of Sydney, The DJ Revolution is essentially a network of established DJs, producers and dance music enthusiasts. Focussing on the more underground side of dance & electronic music, they produce industry news pieces, festival updates and feature articles. They also provide various free resources for DJs.”
Gothamist: First-Ever And “Long Overdue” Hip Hop Museum Groundbreaking Draws Luminaries To The Bronx. “Hip hop royalty converged on a large tract of empty land in the South Bronx, overlooking the Harlem River, for the ceremonial groundbreaking of the Universal Hip Hop Museum on [May 20]. The event drew a who’s who of legendary hip hop artists including Grandmaster Flash, Slick Rick, Chuck D, Nas, LL Cool J, and Fat Joe. City and state officials joined the hip hop luminaries to plant shovels on the ground for the $80 million, 52,000-square-foot museum financed through city, state, and private monies.”
University of Arkansas: U of A Launches New Razorback Band Digital Archive. “The U of A recently launched its new Razorback Band Digital Archive, which is a collection of almost 500 video files consisting of over 700 performances since 1963, catalogued in chronological order.”
National Library of New Zealand: Download Now… Free!. “Today we are very excited to cut the ribbon on a new born-digital collection donated by Luke Rowell, one of New Zealand’s foremost computer musicians. Over the last 20 years, Luke has performed hundreds of gigs around the world and released over 15 albums of popular electronic music, either as Disasteradio or Eyeliner. Among Luke’s best-known tracks is the synthpop hit ‘Gravy Rainbow’, while his Eyeliner albums are considered among the essential works of the vaporwave movement.”
PC Gamer: The latest Google Doodle is a stylish jazz swing rhythm game. “I’m a bit of a rhythm game fanatic, always looking to sink my teeth into a new musical experience. So imagine my surprise when I saw that the latest Google Doodle was, in fact, a rhythm game. The doodle celebrates swing music and the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, an iconic venue during the swing era and one of the first public spaces in the United States to be racially inclusive with a no-discrimination policy.”
