During lectures at Nomadic Marketing last week at the UCT Graduate School of Business, one band that almost all the lecturers referred to was Radiohead. This isn't because they specifically liked the band (although Colin Daniels did confess to being a fan) but more specifically because of the way that the band released their latest album online.

Here's the short version of what the band did

On 1 October 2007, Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood announced in a brief post on Dead Air Space (the band's blog) "Well, the new album is finished, and it's coming out in 10 days . . . We've called it In Rainbows". Bypassing a traditional physical release in stores, Radiohead released the album as a download available for order from inrainbows.com on 10 October 2007. In a Wired interview, Yorke explained that "every record for the last four—including my solo record—has been leaked. So the idea was like, we'll leak it, then. Radiohead'

The download, packaged as a ZIP file, included the ten album tracks encoded in 160 kbps DRM-free MP3 format. Upon purchase, the buyer was prompted to type in their desired price. The staggered online release of the album began at about 5:30 GMT on 10 October, but on 10 December 2007, the official digital download was no longer made available. A special made-to-order "discbox", available for pre-order through inrainbows.com, was released on 3 December 2007.

(source - www.wikipedia.com)

One of the questions that was raised in the lecture was whether this business model was a viable one for bands, or whether it only worked for Radiohead because they were Radiohead. On the other hand, to quote Colin - "if the album was crap, this wouldn't have worked." Madonna soon followed suit by making digital downloads of her album available on line to similar success, and in his lecture on New Media Law Paul Jacobson also pointed me to the Nine Inch Nails free download case study which was also a success for the band.

Now it seems that we have the first South African take on this give-your-work-away-for-free model. Jet Black and the Multi Colours have decided to distribute their new seemingly untitles EP for free on the net with their overtone record label. When I first saw the post up on www.muti.co.za, I dismissed it without realising what it actually was - a record label collaborating with a local band to make their music freely available online. This goes some way to validate something that Rafiq Philips mentioned on the WebAddiCT blog a while back: "We’re seeing the shift from the commoditisation of music to the commoditisation of attention in the music industry (...)"

I for one think that he's right and will be keeping my eyes on JetBlack to see a) whether their attempt at the new community focussed business model yields positive results and b)whether they will follow Radiohead's lead a step further and make the album available for purchase as a CD if the download campaign is a success. If this model does yield positive results, I think that we'll see many more local bands and artists following suit, especially in Cape Town where there's a wealth of musical talent with no real form of monetizing their gift (anti Joburg flame suit on,lol)

If anyone from the band or from overtone is reading this, drop me a comment and let me know how things are going.

Lester
P.S. - I'm downloading the EP now and will post a review up here in the next day or two.

I haven't seen Felix in a while, and it's been far too long. For many followers of the scene, South African ambient and chill starts and stops here, with Mr.Felix Laband. As an artist his records smack of perfectionism and are all lovingly crafted with a love of glitch and a respect for all things acoustic, from flutes to vibraphones.

I recently picked up a copy of 4/4 down the stairs after my first copy went missing a few years back, and what a welcome reunion it was. Like visiting an old friend who you've spent so many days and nights with. Who you know as well as they know you. The record moves from the barren "Jesus at the table" through to the undeniably funky "Donkey Rattle" with its delicious bad ass bassline all the way to the almost mischievous "Wilddogs." As an album, there's a depth to it that's not often found in producers of Laband's young age (he's still in his twenties). Seemingly random samples suddenly make sense after the third of fourth listen of a track and suddenly a whole new layer is added to the soundscape.

Out of habit I've been trying to classify this album from the word go, but I'm having quite a bit of trouble doing so. Where will it sit in the CD rack? Somewhere left of Charles Webster and The Cinematic Orchestra is my guess, but not too far from Kid Loco or Kruder and Dorfmeister. While Laband displays some of the hallmarks of these genre defining artists, he falls into a genre all of his own. Lovingly constructed audio panoramas filled with hints of modern technology, snippets of the SA police force and drips and draps of well, Felix.

If you can find it, be sure to get your hands on a copy.

Respek,
Brown

When i first got my mits on a Cinematic Orchestra album, I was blown away. I hadn't heard anything like it, ever, and for a long time after i never did again. Now there's Nostalgia 77...by no means a new band (just new to me) Nostalgia meanders down the sample jazz sampled orchestra inspired groove that the Cinematics do so well. With releases picked up by Gilles Peterson and the backing of the BBC, you can bet that this is a class act.

Right now I'm jamming to Nostalgia 77 - Sevens and Eights and i've been swept away by the rich textures and the odd dirrty groove that it throws around. Check it for yourself, it's well worth it.

Following on from the podcasts provided below, here's an interview Jose James, a fresh recruit to Gilles Peterson's Brownswood label. Playing full length tracks of his debut album, James' sound is soulful, sultry and classic all at once. With a voice that sways halfway between Bill Withers and Nina Simone and references to jazz greats such as John Coltrane and Miles Davis standing firmly forward in his music - this is a great jazz album.

If you're looking for something to take along on your long country drives or a something smooth to help the bubbly go down on a special night - this is the album you've been looking for. Unfortunately I can't find anywhere to purchase a digital copy, but don't worry - I'll keep an eye out for it and let you know the second I find it. For now though - enjoy the podcast.

Gilles Peterson interviews Jose James

Respek,

Brown

I was sniffing around on Gilles' website today and found the podcast section which has proven to be seriously detrimental to my bandwidth! Jam packed with previews of his newer albums such as Digs America volume II and Brownswood volume II, there's loads to keep any jazz, funk, brazilian or soul fan happy.

You can get to the podcast section here:
http://www.gillespetersonworldwide.com/podcasts.php

My favourite (at the moment) is the Cinematic Orchestra special podcast which has live versions of many of their tunes as well as an interview with GP.

These broadcasts are available as standalone downloads or you can subscribe via itunes.

While I'm on the topic of podcasts, Times Online has a great interview with Chicago legend Common available for download in their podcast directory. To get to it, search for Times Online in your iTunes store.

For now, that should keep you musically busy for the next week or two. Hopefully the next time I write I'll be able to give some news on my own musical projects, which are slowly picking up speed here in Cape Town.

Respek,

Brown

An Open Letter to Oprah

From Saul Williams' MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/saulwilliams

Dear Ms. Winfrey,

It is with the greatest respect and adoration of your loving spirit that I write you. As a young child, I would sit beside my mother everyday and watch your program. As a young adult, with children of my own, I spend much less time in front of the television, but I am ever thankful for the positive effect that you continue to have on our nation, history and culture. The example that you have set as someone unafraid to answer their calling, even when the reality of that calling insists that one self-actualize beyond the point of any given example, is humbling, and serves as the cornerstone of the greatest faith. You, love, are a pioneer.

I am a poet.

Growing up in Newburgh, NY, with a father as a minister and a mother as a school teacher, at a time when we fought for our heroes to be nationally recognized, I certainly was exposed to the great names and voices of our past. I took great pride in competing in my churches Black History Quiz Bowl and the countless events my mother organized in hopes of fostering a generation of youth well versed in the greatness as well as the horrors of our history. Yet, even in a household where I had the privilege of personally interacting with some of the most outspoken and courageous luminaries of our times, I must admit that the voices that resonated the most within me and made me want to speak up were those of my peers, and these peers were emcees. Rappers.
.
Yes, Ms. Winfrey, I am what my generation would call "a Hip Hop head." Hip Hop has served as one of the greatest aspects of my self-definition. Lucky for me, I grew up in the 80's when groups like Public Enemy, Rakim, The jungle Brothers, Queen Latifah, and many more realized the power of their voices within the artform and chose to create music aimed at the upliftment of our generation.

As a student at Morehouse College where I studied Philosophy and Drama I was forced to venture across the street to Spelman College for all of my Drama classes, since Morehouse had no theater department of its own. I had few complaints. The performing arts scholarship awarded me by Michael Jackson had promised me a practically free ride to my dream school, which now had opened the doors to another campus that could make even the most focused of young boys dreamy, Spelman. One of my first theater professors, Pearle Cleage, shook me from my adolescent dream state. It was the year that Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" was released and our introduction to Snoop Dogg as he sang catchy hooks like "Bitches ain't shit but hoes and tricks…" Although, it was a playwriting class, what seemed to take precedence was Ms. Cleages political ideology, which had recently been pressed and bound in her 1st book, Mad at Miles. As, you know, in this book she spoke of how she could not listen to the music of Miles Davis and his muted trumpet without hearing the muted screams of the women that he was outspoken about "man-handling". It was my first exposure to the idea of an artist being held accountable for their actions outside of their art. It was the first time I had ever heard the word, "misogyny". And as Ms. Cleage would walk into the classroom fuming over the women she would pass on campus, blasting those Snoop lyrics from their cars and jeeps, we, her students, would be privy to many freestyle rants and raves on the dangers of nodding our heads to a music that could serve as our own demise.

Her words, coupled with the words of the young women I found myself interacting with forever changed how I listened to Hip Hop and quite frankly ruined what would have been a number of good songs for me. I had now been burdened with a level of awareness that made it impossible for me to enjoy what the growing masses were ushering into the mainstream. I was now becoming what many Hip Hop heads would call "a Backpacker", a person who chooses to associate themselves with the more "conscious" or politically astute artists of the Hip Hop community. What we termed as "conscious" Hip Hop became our preference for dance and booming systems. Groups like X-Clan, A Tribe Called Quest, Brand Nubian, Arrested Development, Gangstarr and others became the prevailing music of our circle. We also enjoyed the more playful Hip Hop of De La Soul, Heiroglyphics, Das FX, Organized Konfusion. Digable Planets, The Fugees, and more. We had more than enough positivity to fixate on. Hip Hop was diverse.

I had not yet begun writing poetry. Most of my friends hardly knew that I had been an emcee in high school. I no longer cared to identify myself as an emcee and my love of oratory seemed misplaced at Morehouse where most orators were actually preachers in training, speaking with the Southern drawl of Dr. King although they were 19 and from the North. I spent my time doing countless plays and school performances. I was in line to become what I thought would be the next Robeson, Sidney, Ossie, Denzel, Snipes… It wasn't until I was in graduate school for acting at NYU that I was invited to a poetry reading in Manhattan where I heard Asha Bandele, Sapphire, Carl Hancock Rux, Reggie Gaines, Jessica Care Moore, and many others read poems that sometimes felt like monologues that my newly acquired journal started taking the form of a young poets'. Yet, I still noticed that I was a bit different from these poets who listed names like: Audre Lorde, June Jordan, Sekou Sundiata etc, when asked why they began to write poetry. I knew that I had been inspired to write because of emcees like Rakim, Chuck D, LL, Run DMC… Hip Hop had informed my love of poetry as much or even more than my theater background which had exposed me to Shakespeare, Baraka, Fugard, Genet, Hansberry and countless others. In those days, just a mere decade ago, I started writing to fill the void between what I was hearing and what I wished I was hearing. It was not enough for me to critique the voices I heard blasting through the walls of my Brooklyn brownstone. I needed to create examples of where Hip Hop, particularly its lyricism, could go. I ventured to poetry readings with my friends and neighbors, Dante Smith (now Mos Def), Talib Kwele, Erycka Badu, Jessica Care Moore, Mums the Schemer, Beau Sia, Suheir Hammad…all poets that frequented the open mics and poetry slams that we commonly saw as "the other direction" when Hip hop reached that fork in the road as you discussed on your show this past week. On your show you asked the question, "Are all rappers poets?" Nice. I wanted to take the opportunity to answer this question for you.

The genius, as far as the marketability, of Hip Hop is in its competitiveness. Its roots are as much in the dignified aspects of our oral tradition as it is in the tradition of "the dozens" or "signifying". In Hip Hop, every emcee is automatically pitted against every other emcee, sort of like characters with super powers in comic books. No one wants to listen to a rapper unless they claim to be the best or the greatest. This sort of braggadocio leads to all sorts of tirades, showdowns, battles, and sometimes even deaths. In all cases, confidence is the ruling card. Because of the competitive stance that all emcees are prone to take, they, like soldiers begin to believe that they can show no sign of vulnerability. Thus, the most popular emcees of our age are often those that claim to be heartless or show no feelings or signs of emotion. The poet, on the other hand, is the one who realizes that their vulnerability is their power. Like you, unafraid to shed tears on countless shows, the poet finds strength in exposing their humanity, their vulnerability, thus making it possible for us to find connection and strength through their work. Many emcees have been poets. But, no, Ms. Winfrey, not all emcees are poets. Many choose gangsterism and business over the emotional terrain through which true artistry will lead. But they are not to blame. I would now like to address your question of leadership.

You may recall that in immediate response to the attacks of September 11th, our president took the national stage to say to the American public and the world that we would "…show no sign of vulnerability". Here is the same word that distinguishes poets from rappers, but in its history, more accurately, women from men. To make such a statement is to align oneself with the ideology that instills in us a sense of vulnerability meaning "weakness". And these meanings all take their place under the heading of what we consciously or subconsciously characterize as traits of the feminine. The weapon of mass destruction is the one that asserts that a holy trinity would be a father, a male child, and a ghost when common sense tells us that the holiest of trinities would be a mother, a father, and a child: Family. The vulnerability that we see as weakness is the saving grace of the drunken driver who because of their drunken/vulnerable state survives the fatal accident that kills the passengers in the approaching vehicle who tighten their grip and show no physical vulnerability in the face of their fear. Vulnerability is also the saving grace of the skate boarder who attempts a trick and remembers to stay loose and not tense during their fall. Likewise, vulnerability has been the saving grace of the African American struggle as we have been whipped, jailed, spat upon, called names, and killed, yet continue to strive forward mostly non-violently towards our highest goals. But today we are at a crossroads, because the institutions that have sold us the crosses we wear around our necks are the most overt in the denigration of women and thus humanity. That is why I write you today, Ms. Winfrey. We cannot address the root of what plagues Hip Hop without addressing the root of what plagues today's society and the world.

You see, Ms. Winfrey, at it's worse; Hip Hop is simply a reflection of the society that birthed it. Our love affair with gangsterism and the denigration of women is not rooted in Hip Hop; rather it is rooted in the very core of our personal faith and religions. The gangsters that rule Hip Hop are the same gangsters that rule our nation. 50 Cent and George Bush have the same birthday (July 6th). For a Hip Hop artist to say "I do what I wanna do/Don't care if I get caught/The DA could play this mothaf@kin tape in court/I'll kill you/ I ain't playin'" epitomizes the confidence and braggadocio we expect an admire from a rapper who claims to represent the lowest denominator. When a world leader with the spirit of a cowboy (the true original gangster of the West: raping, stealing land, and pillaging, as we clapped and cheered.) takes the position of doing what he wants to do, regardless of whether the UN or American public would take him to court, then we have witnessed true gangsterism and violent negligence. Yet, there is nothing more negligent than attempting to address a problem one finds on a branch by censoring the leaves.

Name calling, racist generalizations, sexist perceptions, are all rooted in something much deeper than an uncensored music. Like the rest of the world, I watched footage on AOL of you dancing mindlessly to 50 Cent on your fiftieth birthday as he proclaimed, "I got the ex/if you're into taking drugs/ I'm into having sex/ I ain't into making love" and you looked like you were having a great time. No judgment. I like that song too. Just as I do, James Brown's Sex Machine or Grand Master Flashes "White Lines". Sex, drugs, and rock and roll is how the story goes. Censorship will never solve our problems. It will only foster the sub-cultures of the underground, which inevitably inhabit the mainstream. There is nothing more mainstream than the denigration of women as projected through religious doctrine. Please understand, I am by no means opposing the teachings of Jesus, by example (he wasn't Christian), but rather the men that have used his teachings to control and manipulate the masses. Hip Hop, like Rock and Roll, like the media, and the government, all reflect an idea of power that labels vulnerability as weakness. I can only imagine the non-emotive hardness that you have had to show in order to secure your empire from the grips of those that once stood in your way: the old guard. You reflect our changing times. As time progresses we sometimes outgrow what may have served us along the way. This time, what we have outgrown, is not hip hop, rather it is the festering remnants of a God depicted as an angry and jealous male, by men who were angry and jealous over the minute role that they played in the everyday story of creation. I am sure that you have covered ideas such as these on your show, but we must make a connection before our disconnect proves fatal.

We are a nation at war. What we fail to see is that we are fighting ourselves. There is no true hatred of women in Hip Hop. At the root of our nature we inherently worship the feminine. Our overall attention to the nurturing guidance of our mothers and grandmothers as well as our ideas of what is sexy and beautiful all support this. But when the idea of the feminine is taken out of the idea of what is divine or sacred then that worship becomes objectification. When our governed morality asserts that a woman is either a virgin or a whore, then our understanding of sexuality becomes warped. Note the dangling platinum crosses over the bare asses being smacked in the videos. The emcees of my generation are the ministers of my father's generation. They too had a warped perspective of the feminine. Censoring songs, sermons, or the tirades of radio personalities will change nothing except the format of our discussion. If we are to sincerely address the change we are praying for then we must first address to whom we are praying.

Thank you, Ms. Winfrey, for your forum, your heart, and your vision. May you find the strength and support to bring about the changes you wish to see in ways that do more than perpetuate the myth of enmity.

In loving kindness,

Saul Williams

article extract from Artist Direct

Berlin's Jazzanova collective formed in 1995, after DJing with one another at a club called Delicious Doughnuts. Alexander Barck, Class Brieler, Roskow Kretschmann, Stefan Leisering, Axel Reinemer, and Jürgen von Knoblauch shared a common goal of blending their collected inspirations together to create a new, sophisticated sound, with debts owed to nearly every form of dance-oriented music from the past several decades. Like a lot of upstart producers and underexposed jazz-funk ghosts of the past, Jazzanova got their first major break from BBC disc jockey Gilles Peterson, who played the group's first production, "Fedime's Flight," on his program in 1997. This helped set off a series of remix projects, most of which -- for the likes of 4hero, Koop, Men From the Nile, and Ian Pooley -- would be compiled for the two-disc The Remixes 1997-2000. As the remixes and acclaim piled up, Barck, Brieler, and von Knoblauch were teaming together to make the Jazzanova name known for inspired DJ sets as well; Leisering and Reinemer teamed on the decks as Extended Spirit, and Kretschmann played out as Kosma.

Buy Jazzanova tracks for only 9c!


The same year "Fedime's Flight" broke out in the dance underground, Jazzanova teamed up with the Munich-based Compost label to form JCR (Jazzanova Compost Records). "Fedime's Flight" and "Caravelle" were the first two 12" releases, and both went down extremely well with DJs. In addition to functioning as the primary outlet for Jazzanova's own work, JCR released material from Koop, Victor Davies, the Underwolves, and Rima; looking to the past, the Polish Jazz and Vocal Jazz from Poland 1965-1975 compilations brought jazz from '60s and '70s Poland back into circulation. In Between, Jazzanova's ambitious (to a fault) debut full-length, finally arrived in 2002. Allegedly the culmination of five years worth of work, the album sustained the group's reputation with tracks full of meticulous beatcraft. Remixed, released just a year later, featured remixes of In Between and 12" tracks from peers Kyoto Jazz Massive, Ayro, King Britt, and Bugz in the Attic. In 2005, the jazz label Blue Note gave the group access to their classic back catalog for the double mix CD Blue Note Trip. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide

Jazzanova Discography

• Belle et Fou (2007)
• Blue Note Trip: Scrambled/Mashed (2006)
• ...Broad Casting (2006)
• Boom Clicky Boom Clack (single) (2006)
• Glow and Glare / Dance the Dance / Let Your Heart Be Free (Ame and Atjazz remixes) (2005)
• The Remixes 2002-2005 (2005)
• Blue Note Trip: Lookin Back/Movin on (2005)
• Mixing (2004)
• Remixed (2003)
• In Between (2002)
• Soon (2002)
• That Night (2002)
• The Remixes 1997-2000 CD2 (2000)