Turntable.fm is changing the game for online social media. If you haven’t heard of Turntable.fm you should probably be warned it’s VERY ADDICTING. The site is fairly new and currently still in Beta from my understanding but quite complete as is already.
Ever want to DJ and play music for others? Turntable.fm gives you the opportunity to do just that. There are rooms that you can join that have a specific theme or you have the option to make your own. The rooms can have up to 5 DJ spots when created. Create or join a room that suites your mood.

Once you’re in a room you’ll notice there are tons of fun avatars of people with points and fans. Depending on how many DJ spots there are you’ll find people on the stage with one person having a spotlight on them showing that they are playing a song. The name of the song and artist scroll across the screen of the stage giving you the option to add the song you’re listening to any of the more popular music social sites to share or buy.

The bottom of the room you’ll find a meter with a Lame button and Awesome button. This is where the whole social media thing comes in. You’ll be able to vote Lame or Awesome for each song playing. Every time you hit Awesome the DJ who is playing the song gets 1 point. Now if you hit Lame the meter will tip closer to the Lame side. No points are deducted from the DJ if someone hits Lame but if the meter gets too close to Lame it will skip the song.

The major success and appeal of the site is that you can create your own custom que of music from the existing library that Turntable.fm has hosted by Medianet. You can search a particular song or artist and a list of music related to your search appears where you can preview the songs and easily add the song to your que list. Now this is where it gets good. If you’re a producer or have songs that are not contained in the library you have the option of uploading your own music!!! That is right! You are limited to 40mbs and MP3 format but besides that you can upload your own music, works in progress, or favorite song not listed in the library. A huge concern is that if once uploaded will the song be added to the Turntable.fm library. The answer is NO BUT keep in mind that any user can add the song you play to their list. I’ve uploaded a few dubs that I have and realized later that others have added it to their list. No one can download it but I can see how some artist and people might be upset that some of their unreleased music is being played. The major plus of the que list is that Turntable.fm saves everything you’ve added to your list including the MP3 you’ve uploaded so you can have a giant list of music ready to go for whatever room you’re in.

The more points you get from people hitting Awesome allows you to unlock some sweet new avatars. Also keep in mind that you can tell who Awesome’d the song you are playing by seeing who is bobbin’ in the room. There’s nothing like the rush you get from seeing the whole room just bobbin’ to your tune. You can also become a fan of someone in Turntable.fm. Right now it doesn’t mean much but the feature enables notifications to your e-mail about when someone you’re a fan of takes a DJ spot in turntable.fm. This allows you to know when someone you follow is in a specific room so you can go listen to them DJ.

The last thing I want to mention about Turntable.fm is how there are Owners and Mods for rooms. If you create a room you’re allowed to Boot people from the room or remove them from the DJ spot. The owner of the room also sets the room description and creates the rules. The mod of the room is usually the owner of the room but if the owner leaves the room the person who has been in the room the longest is assigned as the mod. If the owner returns he still maintains authority without having to worry about it. If the mod leaves the room it is passed on to the next person who has been in the room the longest.

Why is Turntable.fm so addicting?! The chat room, hearing new music others play, seeing what people enjoy, talking crap to people who play terrible music, networking with other similar likeminded DJs or producers, and most of trying to acquire as many points as you can and flex your musical taste. I’ve been recommending Turntable.fm to everyone I know because it’s a great way for producers to connect and network with their fan base. I run a run a room on Turntable.fm that has guest appearances by Mexicans with Guns, +verb, Ben Samples, Elfkowitz, Michael Menert, Protohype, Subsynthesis, etc… Overall it’s a great way to connect with other people who enjoy the same style of music. My room is: Glitch / Chill Dubstep / IDM you can generally find me in there throughout the entire week while I’m at work. Come out and check it out! Be warned though… Only rule implemented is NO BROSTEP! So no aggroo basslines! Keep it chill for the most part so we can all jam and enjoy music while we work or hanging out online.

Things I’d like to see added to Turntable.fm:
iPhone APP
Owner/Mod can skip a song
Avatar add-ons: hoola hoop, poi, glowsticks, etc…
More Avatars

David Sugalski aka The Polish Ambassador takes us on a funky glitchy ride with his latest release, “Future, Sex, Computers.” Reflecting a sense of maturity and directed vision, Future, Sex, Computers incorporates some of the slower, more spatial sounds of Sugalski’s downtempo alias Ample Mammal, while maintaining the high-energy, ass-shaking, electro madness that The Polish Ambassador is known for. The production is so clean and the tracks have so many elements that you can really just zone out and get lost in them. The album is amazing all the way through so it’s really hard to choose a favorite. I always look forward to when he posts a new track on soundcloud and already can’t wait for the next release!  Make sure to catch him on tour this spring. Thanks for keepin it fresh David!

The album was released through STS9’s heavy-hitting electronica imprint, 1320 Records. You can preview tracks and grab the release at thepolishambassador.bandcamp.com.

Check out his other sounds too at soundcloud.com/davidsugalski.

Here’s a bonus free download of an amazing Radiohead remix he did recently:

Much love and respect!

-EA (EA@afromonk.com)

soundcloud.com/djeamusi

Lokid, a glitch-hop producer out of Paris France just released his latest ep, “Fear of Heights.” This is a really fun ep and well produced.  Def throw this one on at your next party. I’m digging the M.S.D. (Mon Saigneur Demoiseau) dubstep remix of the title track a lot too!

You can download and stream the album for free from http://lokid.bandcamp.com/

Lokid’s Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Lokidmusic

Much respect!

-EA (EA@afromonk.com)

soundcloud.com/djeamusic

Sugarpill is a glitch/bass producer out of Los Angeles. I’ve been bumping his latest release “Mind Machine EP” in my car a lot lately.

My fave track off the ep is “Peeing on the Seat” which opens at a slow burn, combining 808 snare rolls, a glitched out Hammond, and a deep bass line before the drop where party moves into full throttle with heavy lazer bass, soaring synths, and one of the more colorful hiphop vocal samples used in recent memory. Here’s previews of the tracks from the release:

You can grab a copy of his debut ep for Simplify Recordings through addictech.com: Mind Machine ep

He also has just posted this dope track which is coming out March 20th on the Bass from Above compilation through subsynthesis.com and glitchdrop.com.  I highly recommend you grab this free release which features brand new tracks from some of the best glitch/bass producers on the scene right now.  Straight up fire! Grab it here: Bass From Above

If you want to know more about this talented producer, check out the interview Kate did with Evan (aka Sugarpill) last month: Sugarpill Interview

-EA (EA@afromonk.com)

soundcloud.com/djeamusic

Asa is a dj and producer out of Southampton, UK. I’d say that he is probably my favorite producer right now when it comes to the chill side of glitch and dubstep music. The detail that he uses in his production is absolutely mind blowing and the composition is stunningly beautiful. When I’m having a stressful day, I’ll throw on my headphones and listen to Asa’s music and it instantly calms me and puts a smile on my face. His upcoming  “Sweeter Things ep” is due out March 14 via all major online download sites. Here’s previews of the tracks and you can pre order the release now via i-tunes: Sweeter Things ep – pre order

He has a few amazing remixes that he is working on too. Here’s a preview of his Adele remix:

And, here’s a preview of his Garden Walls remix which he says will be a ten minute long piece when it’s finished:

Make sure to follow Asa on his facebook too as he is constantly posting updates on his various projects and even music from other producers that he has worked with or is a fan of.

There are a couple of full version previews of tracks from the album up now at his bandcamp page and he will be uploading more leading up to the release date.

Much love and respect!

-EA (EA@afromonk.com)

soundcloud.com/djeamusic

I’m proud to bring you info on the new enabl.ed release Saccharine Morning. This is one of the first upcoming releases that I’ve completely been taken back by. Why? It’s IDM, yeah that music tons of you make fun of by saying “ohh because other music isn’t intelligent” or “IDM sounds so elitist”. Guess what who cares what it’s called but thank God there is a genre that encompasses this type of sound. It’s been awhile since I’ve followed IDM but as of the past few weeks I’ve been venturing into the deep abyss that surrounds sounds like this along with glitch, beats, and ambient.

Global Vortex brings you this stunning release. It’s great to see a label putting out something like this. It’s not often you run into quality production like this along with much press behind it. The good people of Global Vortex sent this over and glad they did. It fits perfectly into what my style is evolving into. You can expect that entranced fun state when you hear every track. Enabl.ed brings some serious emotions into this one and hope you all check it out.

The single drops today and the full release is February 18th!
If you are remotely interested in IDM I suggest you check this out.

BUY: Single

Decided that last nights live mix should be online. There are some issues here and there since was hijacking my audio stream and sending it out to glitch.fm server but ohh well it’s all about sharing music with you. I had a real good time recording this mix. It showcases more of what I’ve been doing in live sets. There is more of a chill feel to this one but that’s sorta the mood I was in last night. Lately my live sets at clubs have been way more hype but this is the sorta stuff I’ve been listening to on my free time when just hanging out.

Expect anything when I’m playing out live though. The middle of the mix I just wasn’t feeling to progressive build I had started and brought it back down to how I was feeling. All I play really depends on how I’m feeling in the moment. I have no problem forcing drastic bpm changes. It’s always going to be about where I want to go.

Hope you enjoy!

Pixelord and +verb have officially teamed up on a hella of a collaboration. American and Russian producers working together on a tune, got to love the internet!  I was graced with a message the other night about posting a blog post about this track late at night. Ended up openning it first thing in the morning since homie +verb always sends over fresh tunes. Notice the collab with Pixelord and wonder what the two producers have put together. BLISS is what they’ve done. This track is what I’d call Future Garage meets Glitch Hop. It’s got a chill garage feel yet elements of hip hop and funky glitch groove. These two producer are on the way to the top. +verb has 3 EPs about to drop on different labels and Pixelord has just put tons of new goodness on his Soundcloud so expect some new ish from him as well.

Check out the tune below =)

+verb solo tracks:

Pixelord solo tracks:

Glitch-Hop | Crunk | Bass

I’ve decided to start my first Soundcloud group. I spend many countless hours searching the internet for tunes that will make me dance around, cruise while driving, and dance floor bangers. I’m all about sharing with everyone the latest tunes when I play out. Take serious pride in supporting my producer friends. Time to create something for them to unite and share in on location along with all the other groups.

I will be moderating the tracks that get posted in this group. I love all the groups on Soundcloud that I’m part of but sometimes all the tracks don’t have that crunk glitch hop feel to them. This is what I’ve created where you can unleash the maddness and rage. I’ll most likely be putting together another group if this goes well where it’ll be surrounding more of the downtempo chill glitch feel.

Glitch Hop | Crunk | Bass
Please join and contribute!

Bil Bless has released some new tunes! The Life Mechanism 2 is a follow up to the first. I can’t get enough of the first installment. I was just jamming to it over the week-end while prepping a set together.

Bil Bless is a pioneer in the glitch / idm community. This release is nothing short of amazing. He has put it up on Bandcamp and has selected a “Name your price” option which includes FREE. Support Bil Bless by giving some amount so he can continue to fund these releases. I promise it’s worth something.

Thank you for being such a huge influence and releasing your art of music with the world.