And so it begins: from the 12th (that’s today) to the 24th December, we’ll be embarking on the 12 Days Of BAMM, during which we’ll be treating you to a selection of our greatest moments from 2012.
To kick things off, we couldn’t help but choose one of our proudest moments this year – the release of the BAMM.tv iPad app, which has been lighting up iPad screens across the world. If you haven’t grabbed yourself a download yet – and it’s entirely free – you can do so here.
If you have downloaded the app and have been enjoying it, we’ve got something else for you: a previously unpublished article featuring an interview with Mario Garcia, the legendary designer who helped to spearhead the BAMM.tv app project. Fascinating stuff follows after the jump … just click on ‘read more’ …
Day three of our exclusive season of live sessions from Desmet Studios in Amsterdam, and we’re indulging in some indie rock harmonies courtesy of Avant La Lettre. Layered and compulsive but also light and lucid at the same time, this performance of ‘Floodwater Blues’ is the ideal way of kicking back and looking forward to the weekend (it’s on the horizon, folks … almost there … just one more day …)
Avant La Lettre has new tracks coming out next January. Check out their tight performance from earlier this year and then get to know them at http://www.avantlalettre.eu.
Remember this post, a few months ago, in which we mentioned that BAMM.tv favorites Calahen Morrison and Eli West (seen above in one of our many exclusive performances, which you can check out more of on our brand new iPad app) were looking for Kickstarter funding for their new album ‘Our Lady Of The Tall Trees’? Well, it looks like several dedicated fans stepped up to the plate – and the album itself is now available to download on CDBaby and iTunes.
It has already gathered a rave review from No Depression, but – if you’re a fan of that whole ‘try before you buy’ thing – you can check out the entire album below. Enjoy …
Well, the week which saw the release of the amazing BAMM.tv app is over. No doubt you’re going to spend much of your weekend exploring the app, but – in the meantime – let’s enjoy our traditional Friday playlist. This week we’re delving into the musical tastes of BAMM.tv CEO Chris Hansen …
1. “The Divided Sky” – (Junta, 1988) – Phish
It’s impossible not to be inspired by this song. Trey’s guitar is six strings of victory throughout.
2. “Layla” – (Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, 1970) – Derek and the Dominoes
Another epic interweaving of guitar and piano and the perfect running tempo.
3. “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” – (‘Pendulum’, 1970) Creedence Clearwater Revival
One of the first songs I’ve ever truly loved, especially the bassline. This short but sweet melody carries us into the next phase of the mix.
4. “Nulla in Mundo Pax Sincera,” (from the soundtrack of Shine) – Antonio Vivaldi
At this stage in the run, I’m usually coming up on some kind of landmark–AT&T park, the Bay Bridge, Coit Tower, etc. One Saturday I happened to be running by the farmer’s market at the Ferry Building when this song came on and it was transcendental. I may have just been lightheaded, but I think it was the song.
5. “The Only Redeemer” (The Only Redeemer, 2002) – Noiseshaper
And now for something completely different. If you have any love for dub and deep house, this song will make you “move your feet to the promised land.”
Just like a proud new parent, we’re telling everyone we can about the emergence of our brand spanking new iPad app. Unlike a proud new parent, however, the subject of our affection won’t let out an ear-shrieking wail before puking down your shirt – which can only be a good thing.
Rather, the subject of our affection is an incredible interactive experience which revolutionizes music discovery. (And, yeah, we’re bound to be biased with our high praise, so you’ll just have to check out thesegreatreviews for corroboration).
There’s lots to explore in the BAMM.tv iPad app, which is why we’ve put together the above video as a quick tutorial. Take a minute or so to watch and then dive right into the app! We’re waiting for you …
You know all those hints we’ve been dropping for the past few months about the incredible app we’re working on? Well, unlike any politician ever, we’ve decided to keep those promises, and today we’re proud to announce that the BAMM.tv iPad app is now live and ready to download. Probably best if you stop reading this right now, actually, and go get it. Immediately. We’ll wait.
Back? Good. Now fire up the app and enjoy. You’re entering a whole new world of music discovery. This app is something we’ve slaved over (along with the expert guidance of legendary designer and all-round genius Mario Garcia), and we genuinely couldn’t be more thrilled to finally share it with you.
We’ll be posting all sorts of app-related stuff on the blog for the rest of the month, but – in the meantime – we hope you have a blast exploring our very own virtual venue.
When you have a digital music collection consisting of thousands of artists, it can often seem like a hard task keeping track of the newest releases from each of them (unless we’re dealing with that Elvis guy, of course – something tells us he won’t have that many new albums in the pipeline. Not until the perfection of pop star cloning, at any rate). Sure, you could set a Google alert or something similar for every name stretching from Abba to Zappa, but that would be a hell of a lot of notifications to browse through over your morning coffee.
That’s where Sound Calendar – the intriguing new app from Harmonic – comes in. Either by letting it scan your iTunes library or by entering the names of artists manually, Sound Calendar will automatically keep you up to date on all the latest new releases from your musicians of choice, also allowing you to expand your musical horizons by discovering all sorts of related material too (side-projects, solo albums, collaborations etc).
In short – it’s like you have a personal servant who can look after that whole ‘internet browsing’ business for you, thereby granting you extra time to kick back and do the things you love. Y’know, like listening to great new music. Take a look:
Various apps have already tackled the age-old problem of identifying a tune you don’t know the name of – just hold up your smartphone when a mystery song is playing and all sorts of services can identify the name of the song, the artist behind it, the year of release, and presumably the brand of detergent used to wash the clothes they were wearing that particular day.
Samples, however … they’re a different matter. Whether it’s a single guitar riff being used in a simplistic dance track or the layers of revamped elements used in something like, say, ‘Since I Left You’ by The Avalanches (the record that holds the, um, record for the most samples used on an album), it’s often far more difficult to track down the samples being used in a song. Unless, of course, you have access to some sort of all-knowing database at your fingertips …
… which is where WhoSampled comes in. This really is one of those ‘so simple yet so special’ ideas; the kind you’ll wonder how you ever did without once you begin to depend on it. WhoSampled will scan any song – hell, it will scan your entire music library should you so wish – and draw upon its resources to ‘explore the DNA’ of your music. More often than not it’ll come up with ‘Funky Drummer’, the most sampled tune in history (aren’t we just full of trivia for you today?) – but chances are it’ll throw up a few surprise revelations too. Expect it to become a conversation starter among music fans worldwide.
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Here’s The Newest Festival Essential
While the growth of musical technology is undoubtedly the most exciting it has ever been, there are a few – more primal – elements of the music experience that still don’t mix well with technology. Top of the list would be attending an outdoor festival, particularly one of the multi-day efforts during which people camp out in flimsy tents and (especially in Britain) struggle to avoid the pouring rain.
As anyone who is a regular festival-goer will attest, then, it’s not the best environment for easily locating your buddies. Most of the time we’re used to calling up a friend at the drop of a hat, and technology that enables you to pinpoint their exact GPS position via a swipe of your smartphone. That same smartphone, however, just doesn’t feel it is designed to endure a long weekend in a rainy field – adverse weather conditions and lack of decent recharging opportunities can swiftly turn that marvellous device into a particularly expensive brick.
That’s why the Booster Brolly – the new invention from the tech busybodies at UK telecoms company Vodafone – is such a welcome development. Looking for all the world like the sort of device Inspector Gadget might carry, this umbrella extends your signal while recharging your phone through a USB port in the handset (plus it has the handy added bonus of making sure you stay bone-dry too).
If you’re going to endure a festival in one of the rainier parts of the world, you could do a lot worse than to have one of these tucked under your arm. What about other handy festival gadgets – any budding inventors out there care to share your genius ideas?
Slash recently sparked off a big debate on the BAMM blog and Facebook page when he unearthed that typical out-of-touch chestnut: that ‘modern music isn’t as good as it used to be.’ Obviously – what with the ever-increasing roster of great new bands we’re discovering at BAMM – we were more than inclined to disagree with the legendary guitar twiddler. Still – there are a couple of reasons we’ll forgive him. Number one: he’s Slash, for goodness sake. And number two …
… he’s just launched this awesome new app which allows you to, ‘Being John Malkovich’ style, to step into those Slash-shaped shoes (well, apart from the groupies and countless millions of dollars). ‘AmpliTube Slash’ brings all the guitar goodies from his collection rockin’ to your iPhone or iPad, allowing the lucky user to indulge in all sorts of string-strumming antics. Ah, you know what? We’ll just hand over to the app creators for a second: “AmpliTube Slash is a full-featured mobile guitar effects processor and recording studio app that lets you play, practice and record with Slash’s signature gear, anytime and everywhere. Use iRig or iRig STOMP interface to connect your guitar to your iPhone/iPod touch/iPad® and use iRig MIDI to control AmpliTube Slash with your floor controller.”
What’s particularly interesting is that this isn’t a purely novelty app (hey, kids, its Slash as your ringtone, guaranteed to annoy fellow commuters) but rather takes a pro-sumer approach. This is actually a genuinely useful recording tool, which is something of an admirable slant given that Slash could easily have attached his name to something toylike (and nevertheless still lucrative).
Lots of music stars have been attached their names to apps and similar projects – from album tie-ins to virtual museums. Slash seems to have taken this to the next step. Where is the world of the celebrity-endorsed app heading next?
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