Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Christmas preview

I know it's a little bit early. But tonight I was coming home from the hospital where I study and I realized that the streets were already decorated with christmas lights and stuff... By the way, I'm going out for a little travel next week, so when I'll come back it will be totally christmas pre-time. And I'll be totally unprepared, like every year. So I thought that it would be alright to take a first look for some good christmas music. And I found this:


A string quartet playing a nice folk and jazzy version of holiday music. Very well played, very enjoyable, very christmas time. It almost made me desire a snowy landscape, a fireplace, and a christmas tree... almost.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Accents of: children's music

This post starts with the Bulgarian voices. Yes, those incredible choirs that are capable of sounds that no other human vocal chord can produce. I just was in the mood for the Bulgarian voices and was listening to some tracks. And in the middle of the tunes I opened I found an album of bulgarian children's music. I was curious and pressed play. My little ones started to dance like crazy saying "more" everytime a track stopped... So that's more or less how this all started. And I guess it may just be the beginning.


I didn't know that bulgarian voices were amazing from the very beginning...


Brasil. Sao Paulo, rhythm and fun and the story of an elefant and a little ladybird. This is good for grownups too.


A children's version of the classics of pop and rock? In Brasil it's possible. And sometimes it's better than the original.


Canticuenticos is a nice project from Argentina that mixes music, visual art, and education. The songs are composed on latin american rhythms and atmospheres, are beautiful and funny. And I love the muñequitos.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

The presidential mixtape

Week-end, time for mixtape. I searched something fresh and funky to make this sunny week-end run with the right pace. And I found this one. It's exactly what I was looking for and it's free. It's a nice mix with almost everything you could think of when you want to listen to soul and funky and r'n'b. So what are you waitin'for? Click, download, dance.

Monday, November 7, 2011

The Floyd's still pink

Some days ago I started thinking of some names that really really changed the music of our era. I came up with a few names and one of the first was Pink Floyd. I can't say I am a big fan of their music, but there's no way to underestimate their greatness. I started to wonder what could have been made with their music in these last 20 years, year more year less. And what I found out totally amazed me.


When I saw the title of this album I stopped, stared, and thought "what the hell...". I read all the story and started to do some research on the Internet. Is it true? Is it a big fake? Is it even hypothetically possible that Marvin Gaye and Pink Floyd recorded together? I know this thing's been around for a while, but I still have no answers. What I can surely say is that this album is amazing. Definitely amazing. And free. And if somebody happens to know something, please, please, tell us!


Another great finding. A classical guitar rendition of some of the most popular Floyds tracks.
Boring? Not for a single minute. Wonderful idea on excellent fingers. And Money is my fav.

Moving to the dj's & co places, I found out that dubstep community has an unconditional love for Pink Floyd and has produced some high quality tracks that could all be included here. But I had to choose and I did it just following my taste. If you're curious you could spend a night surfing on Floyd dubstep renditions.

Pink Floyd - Welcome To The Machine - IDeaL & J-Break dubstep remix by JBREAK

Comfortably Time - Pink Floyd DUBSTEP RMX (Pretty Lights v Pink Floyd v Stylust Beats) FREE DOWNLOAD by djstorms

Bonus Track, the odd mashup:
Pink Floyd vs Stevie Wonder - Another Brick In The Superstition (DJ Prince) by djprince

Friday, November 4, 2011

Accents of: trip hop #1

I like Trip Hop. I remember the time when Massive Attack, Portishead or Tricky were on the top. I had a particular eye for Tricky; I was living in Milan and Maxinquaye has been my soundtrack for many single nights and metropolitan working days.
Their popularity had been slowly fading, but I think they left an important inheritance in music. An athmosphere, an aura, that can change it all in a track history. I can't tell exactly what it is. It's like being in a dark room and look at a little source of light, and start seeing something without totally understand what it is. Uncertainty, possibility, that's what I find in trip hop. Don't you? So I found some new excellent names that are keeping the style alive, among the most known many others. My little tribute to all of them:

And The Forest Began To Sing[skän] by [skän]
Almost an hour of the best trip hop of all times. Played around the theme of nature and flowers, it's totally hypnotical, and enjoyable. And download is free. Want more than this?

New York City Slut (Up for download) by Recess!
I'm going to follow the work of these australian guys. I like almost all the tracks I heard, and this one is my favourite at the moment.

Le Passage Des Traboules by Mindpleasure & Friends
From France, the art of mixing styles. Can Swing be twirled around a trip hop line? Yes it can, and it's nice and cool.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Say Blue! third part: the feminine.

I think it's because I miss singing so much. I feel like in my throat there were tons of notes and sounds crowding and pushing to get out. But, matter of fact, a day's got not enough hours to make everything I'd want. So, I listen, and actually I prefer listening to somebody I can relate to or sing on, at least in my shower sessions ;) And when I look for female music I always come out not only with good artists and musicians, but also with peculiar persons, with a story to tell and a personality that comes out of the crowd.
So, what about soul and blues in feminine? Nothing better for my ears, and for my showers...


This artist is an eclectic, soulful, magnetic woman that can surf over different music styles and always be at the top of them. Maimouna Youssef is a Grammy nominated artist with coolaborations that scream out loud "she's damn good". Unforgettable voice, a must have album.


On this side of the Atlantic Ocean there's this beautiful young and talented woman with a deep and velveted voice and an album that can be heard again and again and never gets boring. Somewhere between jazz and reggae and soul. An actual patchwork.


This woman plays the guitar in a way that remembers Steve Ray Vaughan with a plenty of female soul and poetry. Deeply american, somewhat country and blues, but with something special that makes her different from everything I heard before.


Do somebody remember Suzanne Vega? Well I didn't. But it came up in my mind when I found Molly Bryant. Ok, I have to be onest, I'm not exactly euforic about this finding. It's nice, but not my favoured style, nor was Suzanne Vega. But my little one loves her. She dances and sings and smiles, so... do I have to say more?