spotlightonpod

spotlightonpod, 2 days ago to Goth

"Ahead of their headline set on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury, Ed Power looks back on how drugs, drink, and the recording process turned goth-rock troupe into ‘a powder keg ready to explode.'"

How Pornography brought The Cure to the brink: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-cure-pornography-album-robert-smith-glastonbury-festival-pyramid-stage-a8977831.html

#TheCure #goth #80sMusic #GothRock #RobertSmith

spotlightonpod, 3 days ago to random

"The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer discusses 'Georgia on My Mind'—and the highly improbable pairing and production that gave birth to Willie’s quintuple-platinum masterpiece."

Booker T. Jones on Why He Recorded Willie Nelson’s ‘Stardust’ in Emmylou Harris’s Living Room: https://www.texasmonthly.com/podcast/booker-t-jones-on-willie-nelson-stardust/

#WillieNelson #BookerTJones #songwriting #MusicHistory

spotlightonpod, 6 days ago to jazz

"John Coltrane, one of jazz history’s most revered saxophonists, released 'Giant Steps' in 1959. It’s known across the jazz world as one of the most challenging compositions to improvise over for two reasons - it’s fast and it’s in three keys."

The most feared song in jazz, explained: https://youtu.be/62tIvfP9A2w

#JohnColtrane #jazz #GiantSteps #JazzMusic
https://youtu.be/62tIvfP9A2w

spotlightonpod, 6 days ago to random

"The peculiar technology of the lo-fi, crappy cassette tape exemplifies the inherent contradictions of popular music better than any other medium."

For the Love of the Crappy Cassette Tape: https://www.popmatters.com/love-of-crappy-cassette-tape

#cassette #TapeLabel #LoFi #AnalogTape

spotlightonpod, 8 days ago to random

"The legendary producer and musician, who died this week at age 61, believed in a better music industry—and a better version of himself."

Steve Albini Was a Hater to His Core. And We’re All Better for It: https://www.theringer.com/music/2024/5/9/24153032/teve-albini-died-legacy-nirvana-in-utero-big-black-shellac-tweets-pixies

#SteveAlbini #MusicIndustry #MusicProducer

spotlightonpod, 9 days ago to random

"'Underground' as the operative component, a young songwriter named Lou Reed scraped New York sludge from his boot of shiny, shiny leather to reflect the city on a sonic canvas. Meanwhile, a classically trained Welsh export named John Cale cast a dark spell of avant-garde discomfort to nourish the hearts and minds of the afflicted."

The story of The Velvet Underground: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-story-of-the-velvet-underground/

#TheVelvetUndergound #JohnCale #LouReed #MusicHistory

spotlightonpod, 12 days ago to newmusic

"The creative voices in his head prevailed: Instead of evoking a tropical island, Scales conjures sounds that are introspective, melancholic and brooding, yet also forcefully delivered on his bright, kinetic contraption."

The steel pan has a legacy. Jonathan Scales is redefining it: https://www.npr.org/2024/01/25/1226345784/the-steel-pan-has-a-legacy-jonathan-scales-is-redefining-it

#NewMusic #JonathanScales #SteelPan #SteelDrums

spotlightonpod, 14 days ago to random

"The singer and songwriter with a silky-smooth voice has written a memoir with Paul Reiser that recounts his story of pain and redemption with dashes of humor."

He Sang ‘What a Fool Believes.’ But Michael McDonald Is in on the Joke: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/09/arts/music/michael-mcdonald-what-a-fool-believes-memoir.html?unlocked_article_code=1.q00.60Vu.arKD9g9ItCac&smid=nytcore-ios-share&sgrp=c-cb (gift link)

#MichaelMcDonald #70sMusic #YachtRock #GiftLink #GiftArticle

spotlightonpod, 16 days ago to Beatles

"In 1970, it looked like a portrait of the Beatles breaking up. Now it looks like the first rock 'n' roll reality show — and a vision of them coming together."

Restored and Rereleased, the Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’ Is Revealed to Be the Joyful Documentary It Always Was: https://variety.com/2024/film/columns/let-it-be-restored-and-re-released-the-beatles-1235988430/

#TheBeatles #cinemastodon #MusicDocumentary #Beatles

spotlightonpod, 18 days ago to techno

"Released on 1st January 1994, Robert Hood’s ‘Minimal Nation’ saw the pioneering Detroit producer distill techno’s futuristic intent, creating a stripped-back, raw, and percussive record that became a defining work of the minimal techno sound."

How Robert Hood’s ‘Minimal Nation’ became the defining work of minimal techno: https://djmag.com/features/how-robert-hoods-minimal-nation-became-defining-work-minimal-techno

#techno #MinimalTechno #DetroitTechno #MusicHistory

spotlightonpod, 19 days ago to random

"Forty+ years after its release, the ingenious studio gurus behind the robot-funk masterpiece talk about how it came to be."

Song from the Future — The Story of Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder’s “I Feel Love”: https://pitchfork.com/features/article/song-from-the-future-the-story-of-donna-summer-and-giorgio-moroders-i-feel-love/

#DonnaSummer #GiorgioMoroder #disco #MusicHistory

spotlightonpod, 20 days ago to ExperimentalMusic

"Partch was profoundly idiosyncratic. To play [his] music, he built a series of string and percussion instruments tuned to his scale, and even re-tuned pump organs. Because his music is so specialized—requiring Partch’s own instruments to play it—his discography is small but complete."

There Will Never Be Another Harry Partch: https://daily.bandcamp.com/lists/harry-partch-album-list

#HarryPartch #ExperimentalMusic #MusicHistory

spotlightonpod, 21 days ago to classicrock

"A pioneering record-label owner and engineer, she played guitar in a raw and unapologetically abrasive way. 'Whatever song it was,' she said, 'I always creamed it.'"

Overlooked No More — Cordell Jackson, Elder Stateswoman of Rock ’n’ Roll: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/06/obituaries/cordell-jackson-overlooked.html?unlocked_article_code=1.L00.TiAG.TqFnqYV8l7FO&smid=url-share (gift link)

#MusicHistory #CountryMusic #ClassicRock #CordellJackson

spotlightonpod, 29 days ago to Eurovision

"Fifty years ago, a remarkable chain of events set in motion by the broadcast of a series of songs led to the fall of a dictatorship."

How Portugal’s 1974 Eurovision entry toppled the country’s fascist regime: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/21/how-portugals-1974-eurovision-entry-toppled-the-countrys-fascist-regime

#Eurovision #Portugal #MusicHistory #ProtestMusic

spotlightonpod, 1 month ago to minimalism

"She pivoted from painting to lighting exhibitions, performance art, graphic design and minimalist music, performed with her husband, the composer La Monte Young."

Marian Zazeela, an Artist of Light and Design, Dies at 83: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/17/arts/design/marian-zazeela-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.mE0.F-2g.3FKTxDzo5JA9&smid=url-share (gift link)

#MarianZazeela #RIP #LaMonteYoung #DreamHouse #minimalism #GiftLink #GiftArticle

spotlightonpod, 1 month ago to jazz

"Nine years after the release of the album that changed his life, the saxophonist is bringing new collaborators and new parts of himself into his work."

Kamasi Washington Wants to Remain Unstoppable: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/23/arts/music/kamasi-washington-fearless-movement.html?unlocked_article_code=1.mk0.P_gj.gE2znUZZ5RY0&smid=nytcore-ios-share (gift link)

#KamasiWashington #jazz #saxophone #JazzSaxophone #GiftLink #GiftArticle

spotlightonpod, 1 month ago to random

"In Rebel Girl, the punk frontwoman reveals the story of her life — the men who tried to stop her, the women who kept her going and the boy who made her a mother."

Kathleen Hanna’s Music Says a Lot. There’s More in the Book: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/23/arts/music/kathleen-hanna-rebel-girl-memoir.html?unlocked_article_code=1.mk0.pvQP.ReVJ2dQpP4x5&smid=tw-share (gift link)

#KathleenHanna #BikiniKill #memoir #GiftLink #GiftArticle

spotlightonpod, 1 month ago to random

"A groundbreaking audio engineer, he provided the large-scale systems that brought tours by the Who and the Grateful Dead to life."

Bob Heil, Whose Innovations Enhanced the Sound of Rock, Dies at 83: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/22/arts/music/bob-heil-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.mU0.STtA.e2RvqBo38tmn&smid=nytcore-ios-share&sgrp=c-cb (gift link)

#SoundSystems #LiveMusic #MusicHistory #TheWho #GratefulDead #GiftLink #GiftArticle

spotlightonpod, 1 month ago to vinyl

"A 12-inch vinyl record can hold about 44 minutes of music. But manufacturing one can take multiple days — a complex but delicate process involving sapphires, rubies and silver."

Artists are all-in on vinyl. See how records are made in 2024: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2024/how-vinyl-records-made-taylor-swift/

#Vinyl #RecordCollector #VinylRecord

spotlightonpod, 1 month ago to random

"There [used to be] regionalism in music. You knew where your band was from the same way you knew your sports team. We knew The Cars were from Boston. We knew R.E.M. was from Athens. We knew The Ramones were from New York. When you went to Minneapolis, Soul Asylum would be on the radio."

How Deregulation Destroyed Indie Rock Across America: https://lithub.com/how-deregulation-destroyed-indie-rock-across-america/

#radio #deregulation #90sMusic #IndieRock

spotlightonpod, 1 month ago to climate

"Artists who use natural sounds in their recordings can choose to list 'Nature' as a featured artist - and a share of their profits will be distributed to environmental causes."

Nature officially becomes a musician, earning royalties for environmental causes: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68820241

#ClimateCrisis #environment #EnvironmentalCharity #ClimateAction #nature

spotlightonpod, 1 month ago to jazz

"Nearly all of the inclusions are from musicians whose current recording is a departure from what came before. In some instances, it’s a small change and, perhaps, even foreseen. For others, it’s out of the blue."

The Best Jazz on Bandcamp, March 2024: https://daily.bandcamp.com/best-jazz/the-best-jazz-on-bandcamp-march-2024

#Bandcamp #jazz #JazzMusic #NewMusic

spotlightonpod, 1 month ago to random

"Who is Dr. Fiorella Terenzi? Here's how she worked with space sound, and how she collaborated with Thomas Dolby, with some classic vintage clips."

In the 90s, this astrophysicist made trippy pop from star sounds: https://cdm.link/2024/04/in-the-90s-this-astrophysicist-made-trippy-pop-from-star-sounds/

#cosmic #MusicOfTheStars #CosmicMusic #ThomasDolby

spotlightonpod, 1 month ago to NewOrleans

"A local hero in his hometown, he was best known for his hit 'Ain’t Got No Home,' which showcased the vocal versatility that earned him his nickname."

Clarence Henry, New Orleans R&B Star Known as the Frogman, Dies at 87: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/09/arts/music/clarence-henry-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.jE0.mluV.b7VWiJAa4nT1&smid=tw-share (gift link)

#NewOrleansMusic #Frogman #MusicHistory #NewOrleans #GiftLink #GiftArticle

spotlightonpod, 1 month ago to random

"'Musical, vocal and choreographic' works will be limited to a tempo of 80 to 116 beats per minute (BPM) to 'conform to the Chechen mentality and sense of rhythm,' said Dadayev, according to the Russian state-run news agency TASS."

Chechnya is banning music that's too fast or slow: https://www.npr.org/2024/04/09/1243632570/chechnya-music-ban-bpm