Also published in Spanish by Articmist

Heather Dale is a fantastic canadian singer and producer, able to take us to places long ago forgotten while she tells us stories with her wonderful voice.

J:Thanks for your time, Heather… Give us a global vision of your musical trajectory.

I am always looking for new stories to tell… I enjoy studying legends and stories from around the world. I think that every story, no matter how old it is, or how strange it seems, can tell us something about ourselves — it can help us Read the rest of this article »

I am proud to announce that from tomorrow on this site will feature interviews by Jorge Sergio. Here´s a little about him:

A passionate synthesist and music connoisseur, Jorge is a reference in the field of “independent new musics” -quite broad term!-, and he regularly writes articles on new releases and interviews musicians from every corner of the world. Jorge is currently managing the site Articmist.

Look forward to Jorge´s articles, starting with his interview to canadian artist Heather Dale.

Subliminal messages allow us to communicate something without being direct, and are usually quite effective in reaching the target. Let´s practise!

Imagine there are rumours of a vacancy in the executive bureau of the company where you work. You want to make your boss understand that you are the most capable person for the post. Your boss has his/her car in the repair shop, and you offer to lift him/her (because it’s on your way home). How can you tell her her/him about your aptitudes without saying anything, but only playing five songs? Read the rest of this article »

Yesterday I heard the umpteenth version of the Righteous Brothers’ song “You’ve lost that lovin feeling”, a huge hit from the middle 60’s. They say it’s the most versioned song ever (even more than Beatles’ “Yesterday”).

Many song versions are made by not very popular singers or groups, but sometimes there are well-known artists that decide to make their contribution. Oops! But what a contribution sometimes! It’s like a photocopy.

I think that versions must add something to the original piece. It’s not a matter of respect to the original, but a question of being creative. I remember when, for example, Nirvana was going to version the great David Bowie’s “The man who sold the world”; I expected a new powerful song, but Read the rest of this article »

or this synth is da Bomb!

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~concuss/concussor/vostok.htm

a powerful amount of modular synthesiser power into one small suitcase.

The Vostok is a sort of modular analog synthesizer with a cover that doubles as a suitcase: add a handful of solar cells and you´ll have the companion of choice to make noises on the field for synthesizer lovers and nans alike. The synthesizer is certainly appealing and promises endless hours of modular patching or EMS pinning, plus tons of weird cool sounds. Drawbacks? maybe the price, £1499 -modular synthesizers tend to be expensive. Also, an article in the sound-on-sound magazine pointed out some other issues, especially the behaviour of the digital oscillator, but the last version has replaced it with an analog one. This said, the Vostok looks superb as a portable semi-modular synth and I would take it everywhere, except airports: it wouldn´t be easy to convince the person behind the scanner that that thing actually is a music instrument (let me show you -I just have to switch it on, connect this pin, and it´ll make awesome sounds! the bass is so powerful, it can blow… the speakers I mean…).

ps. I have just found another modular-in-a-box (second thumbnail from the left). It´s not as sexy, but the case looks much more reliable.

I like Pink Floyd very much. They have handed down to Rock music history not only a fistful of memorable albums (the indisputable “Dark Side Of The Moon“, “Wish You Were Here”, the visionary “Ummagumma”, a less known gem titled “Meddle”, etc), but also a worldwide influential style due to their music, lyrics, performances… Very few times has a band been so unanimously acclaimed by public and critics.

But that symbolism which Waters and Gilmour liked so much (I think) has three great exponents: “The wall” album, the song “Wish you were here” and my favourite album, “Animals”. All of them full of that nonconformity (sometimes naïve nonconformity, but never unnecessary). Read the rest of this article »

Subliminal messages allow us to communicate something without being direct, and are usually quite effective in reaching the target. Let´s practise!

Imagine you want to leave your girlfriend/boyfriend because you have discovered something you don’t agree with. Now imagine you have to take her/him home in your car. How can you tell her/him your feelings without saying anything, but only playing five songs? Read the rest of this article »

This is a great video featuring Giorgio Moroder playing one of his most famous hits, “From Here to Eternity”. Moroder was one of the greatest contributors to the electronic music scene in the seventies and eighties, producing music for countless artists (i.e., donna summer) and a handful of soundtracks, like The NeverEnding Story, Top Gun or Midnight Express, for which he was awarded an Oscar. In some aspects his music hasn´t aged very well, but he was a pioneer, and many of his songs will remain fresh forever. My personal favourite: chase!

There´s no doubt that Goldfrapp is one of the most interesting groups in the current music scene. But let’s start by the beginning. In the late 90’s, Allison Goldfrapp, alter having collaborated with some indie artists, joins Will Gregory so as to Read the rest of this article »

It is curious, this of trends. I remember the synthesizer boom around the second half of the eighties. And I say it is curious because the “synthesizer phenomenon” is much older. More than fifty years ago, avant-garde composers (Ussachevsky, Subotnick, etc…) were already using electronics in their music. However, I recognize that I identify myself more with the seventies´ boom and Schulze, Tangerine Dream or the megapopulars Vangelis and Jean Michel Jarre. Read the rest of this article »

http://www.dprp.net/proghistory/index.php

The albums featured will either be milestones in the history of progressive rock, other influential albums, or just good examples from the catalogue of a certain band. Each article is designed to offer an insight into the background of the band, the musicians, the writing and events surrounding the recordings. Not so much a review but more of an in-depth feature assessing the impact made by these particular recordings.

“Counting out Time” is a site, part of the dprp (Dutch Progressive Rock Page), which offers a collection of articles on selected Progressive Rock music albums from the sixties to the nineties. Some of the articles focus on analyzing the music (my friend Ángel will probably Read the rest of this article »

Let’s start the second and last chapter dedicated to Portuguese singer Dulce Pontes, in which we pay attention to ten outstanding musical moments (for different reasons) of her discography. Read the rest of this article »

The fado is the Portuguese music par excellence. And I should add: it´s a feeling, a way of understanding life, a deeply felt expression of the inward voice of these people. If we try to find a synonym for the word “fado”, we will be talking about homesickness, nostalgia, melancholy, etc. But all of them are terms that don´t fit into the complexity of the original one.

The fado is displayed through the music by means of the melodies, the lyrics and, above all, the performances of the musicians and singers. The voice is usually feminine. We may search for the reason in the sociocultural context: womens’ situations in Portugal have been linked to the Land (the work in the fields) and the Sea (the loneliness generated by the emigrational phenomenon). And that voice has distinguished performers throughout time. Maybe Amalia Rodrigues is the major reference in this sense.

But, how has the fado evolved? Nowadays we can Read the rest of this article »

This past Saturday I took the bus to Montreal, Quebec for the 4th annual BASSOON DAY. I got a chance to try out different bocals and instruments, as well as shop for bassoon accessories including everything from mandrels and awesome reed cases to bassoon pliers and several different types of cane. The day also included a free master class with Laurent Lefèvre (principal bassoonist of the Paris Opera) and the “Bassoon Extravaganza” concert which included the ensemble comprised of the bassoonists in attendance. I even got to have lunch with 8 other bassoonists! I have to say that the highlight of the day was trying out the mini bassoon (I would like one for my future children, please)!

This article has been contributed by Stephanie Briana Unverricht. Stephanie is currently studying music performance (Bassoon) at the University of Ottawa in Canada, and she´s also our editorial advisor, who proofreads the articles and corrects every mistake and typo with endless patience.

Hello everybody. This morning I was listening to the radio and heared the tune “Don’t cry for me Argentina”. Then I asked myself a question: Why do some people use the term “rock opera” when talking about some affected musicals created by Weber, Rice and company? Is it logical? I don´t think so.

In case you don´t agree with me, let’s bring up the first works of this genre. The Who’s “Tommy” represents the opening title of this rock style music, and it was followed by distinguished albums (“The Wall”, for example). “Cats” is not rock, but a mixture of pop and soft rock.

I have been searching for some current equivalent to those previous extraordinary conceptual rock pieces. It has to Read the rest of this article »