Mixcloud

Another cloud floats across the horizon. Will it drift on by or cause a thunderstorm?

Internet-radio isn’t new, but Mixcloud tries another approach by giving you, the user, the power to choose who or what you want to hear. DJ-mixes, radio-shows, podcasts, it’s all possible and very easy for both user and producer. “Re-think radio”, as the tagline states.

The adventure starts by typing keywords in the search-bar or taking a pick from a selection on the front-page. Techno, Hip-Hop, Podcast, showcase and even talk-show, it’s all possible. A lot of well known artists are already strutting their stuff on the website along with new deejaying talent and radio hosts. Everything is linkable to your Twitter or Facebook page to keep friend, fiend and followers up-to-date with what you are listening to. But, you can also embed your favorite show or mix anywhere by means of copy/pasting some HTML code.

From the producer side of things: When uploading a ’show’ you get to set a slider (in percentage) how much music and talk is used in your episode. During the upload you can fill out some extra details like tags, the tracklist (or chapters, whatever applies to you), album-art and some extra information like a background story or a short description. when done it’s just a matter of embedding HTML code to share your latest show/mix. The only limitation is the file size as shows are not allowed to be bigger than a hundred megabyte, no matter how long it’s total playtime. This could still change as Mixcloud is still in beta-stage and my guess is that they’ll offer a paid subscription to suite your digital footprint.

Soundcloud might have become the standard for sharing music in “the cloud” but Mixcloud is the perfect solution for DJ mixes, podcasts and radio-shows. Mixcloud is totally free and in that perspective beats Soundcloud which is only free up to two hours of sound, which is Soundcloud’s biggest drawback in my opinion. (I don’t intend to pay $30 a year for a little server-space.) But then again, Mixcloud and Soundcloud are two different websites. Mixcloud is NOT intended for uploading single tracks and Soundcloud was intended to host single tracks only, even though many DJ’s upload their mixes there.

Below you’ll find my promotional mix KIX Arrivals. If you like what you hear you can also download it for free over at Prowess Records.

The good ol’ days

The times, they are a-changing…

I’ve been a DJ for quite some years now. I’m not very famous as of yet, but I just love mixing music and seeing people dance to it. Because I’ve been DJ’ing for longer then a few years I still own a huge amount of vinyl records. And call me melancholic if you wish, but mixing music using records, two turntables and a mixer is still my favorite way of performing. Applications like Traktor DJ and Ableton Live make it a lot easier to perform, since I don’t have to worry (much) about beatmatching and I can make loops to make the mix suite my taste. It makes it easier to focus on the set itself, instead of having to worry about two records running out of sync. Sure, I prefer vinyl, but the times have changed.

Now that I’ve learned a lot about the production of my own tracks, I still dream (like I’ve been doing since the ’90’s) about having my own vinyl records cut, producing mix CD’s and releasing white-labels to give to other (more famous) DJ’s. But again, the times have changed and actually pressing my own records is becoming less and less likely every month. Even if I would fork-out the money to press records, the number of recordstores are ever declining. I’ll just have to settle for iTunes, Beatport, Amazon MP3 and the likes if I wish to sell my music.

But this is where rights & collecting agencies like RIAA and BUMA start to piss us artists off… They are desperately trying to hold on to the “old world” of music: CD’s, vinyl, tapes and stuff. These companies made sure that you’d get whatever money you where entitled to when, for instance, your music was played on-air or was used in a TV show or was placed on a compilation. These days they are actively trying to stop the use and embedding of youtube video’s, wanting bloggers like me to pay €130,- a year for embedding six Youtube video’s. But guess who’s profiting from this move? It’s not the artists I can tell you, ’cause we artists profit from the free promotion that Youtube video’s has to offer. On top of that, most of the video’s I embed on here are Creative Commons. No one makes a profit from Creative Commons, so where does the money go then? The cake is a lie I tell ya.

KIX Arrivals on Digitally Imported’s Minimal channel

JordyVision created a mix called KIX Arrivals not too long ago. That mix will be aired on DI.FM’s (Digitally Imported) Minimal channel!

The first broadcast is on the tenth of November at 22:00 CET. Tune-in and hear how he felt when arriving at Kansai international airport. (関西国際空港)

Prowess Records: New look, first release

Our web-designer has worked on the website using our wishes, input and his own imagination and has rolled out the resulting web-code. Go to Prowess Records to view the public beta! (And feel free to sign up to our RSS-feed.)

Soon, Prowess Records will release it’s first EP featuring yours truly using my new pseudonym: JordyVision. The first release will be called “Van Charles De Gaulle Naar KIX” with tracks such as “Kittens”, “ソフィ ＆ フェリシア” (Sophie & Felicia) and “んゆー！” (Nyu!). I’m currently mastering these tracks and sorting-out the artwork. In about six weeks these tracks will be available in the iTunes store!

Also, this is my hundredth blog post! And to celebrate the event I want to show you the talents of 電気グルーヴ の プェール瀧 (Denki Groove’s Pierre Taki):

ピエール瀧の体操42歳 (Pierre Taki’s 42 year old gymnast)