Well, we couldn’t wait to share a few images from our magical weekend - the first Sound in Motion….and with music from Knowing Looks’ killer Friday night set as our soundtrack, we had to let it run almost 4 minutes.
More to come…
StudioFeed Radio: Beatsploitation: Episode #1
Toronto’s encyclopedia of funk and soul, known more commonly under the alias of Sweet Jelly Roller, unleashes a mix of some of the best funk and soul records from his extensive collection of 45s in the first episode of his StudioFeed radio show, Beatsploitation. With the development of the iTunes library and “mp3 collection” there is something extremely admirable about a DJ who has undoubtedly dedicated his musical prowess to supporting music on vinyl, so much so that he is able to create a mix as good as the one in this first episode only from his own collection of records. StudioFeed is proud to have Sweet Jelly Roller as a part of our foray into online radio.
To get in touch with Sweet Jelly Roller or to book him for your next event, email him at sweetjellyroller@hotmail.com.
Download the mp3 podcast version of the show from the Soundcloud Player below.
Musideum
Hidden among restaurants, clothing stores and fellow tenants at 401 Richmond Street lies the magical shop Musideum. Composer/owner Donald Quan describes the store as a “dream,” which is in part due to the store housing of some of the most one-of-a-kind, unique instruments that can be found in Toronto. In addition to the vast range of musical instruments stocked in the store (including everything from sitars to ocarinas to dangling house keys), Musideum’s aesthetics are more akin to an instrumental museum than a retail store; albeit a museum with exhibits you are encouraged to touch. In the back of the shop also lies a recording and mastering suite, dedicated to recording Musideum’s instruments for many projects, including soundtracks for films.
For the musician, countless hours could be spent inside this charming musical hub exploring Musideum’s wide range of offerings. However, non-musicians will find equal satisfaction from Musideum’s visually pleasing displays and learning about many rare instruments that typically don’t have a home in other Canadian music stores.
Music courtesy of Donald and Roger, who were kind enough to demonstrate for us some of the instruments Musideum has to offer. Those who are interested will able to download their jam from Soundcloud shortly!
Impressionable Youth Media: Sound Affects
Music has the potential to create positive change both at the local and international level. Impressionable Youth Media founder, Betty Dang provided StudioFeed with the opportunity to follow her as she prepared for the release of the Sound Affects Compilation album at El Mocambo on January 31, 2012. The Sound Affects compilation CD is comprised of 12 Canadian artists from across the country who supplied a mixture of unreleased and cover material that together showcases the vast talent and creativity that this country has to offer. Just as importantly, all proceeds from album and door sales went to support the award winning charity War Child Canada, an organization devoted to empowering children and young people to flourish within their communities and to overcome the challenges of living with and recovering from, conflict.
Click here for more info on Impressionable Youth Media
Click here for more info about War Child Canada
Click here to stream the Sound Affects compilation courtesy of Exclaim! Magazine
MUSIC STREAMING SERVICES & YOU
Whether it’s entering a serious romantic relationship, investing a large amount of personal finances in something, or trying a new drug for the first time, weighing the costs and benefits of these decisions ultimately affects our goal-directed behaviour. Streaming music online, though seemingly less serious than the aforementioned decisions, is no different. With the advancing ease of the attainability of online music, streaming services such as Rdio, Spotify, and Grooveshark are marking the beginning of the streaming era. These sites offer instantaneous access to millions of songs; no downloading, no waiting, no purchasing. While there is something theoretically nice about the idea of an artist receiving money with every track played from these sites, is that really the case? or are these services simply a “legal” way for convenience and consumerism to put money in the hands of a third-party company (money they really don’t deserve)?
Basic Soul Unit
Stuart Li as a DJ is known for his fine rare groove/funk collection that he fantastically displays at Footprints (a monthly event he cosponsors in Toronto). As a producer he delivers a mesh of finely crafted soulful house/techno. He has released projects on numerous international labels such as Dolly, Philpot, Mathematics, Mule Electronic, Versatile, Ostgut Ton, New Kanada, and Creme Organization. During this interview we were able to catch his very first live show. Eclectic, unstoppable and oh so humble… get to know Basic Soul Unit.
Lido Pimienta
The moment StudioFeed heard Lido’s acapella of Humano at the Music Gallery in December, we knew we were in the presence of a true Artist in every sense of the word. The Colombian-born, Canadian-based musician and illustrator achieved early success with her debut EP Color (released via KU DE TA), and is settling into her new Toronto digs quite nicely, splitting her time between her studies at OCADU (art criticism-curation), raising her adorable son, and writing what is sure to be a memorable sophomore album. Lido performed a new track called “Rouletta,” in the Music Gallery’s courtyard in addition to providing StudioFeed with a great interview.
Download the full length interview on SoundCloud
Check out Lido on the net….
WHAT DOES WINNING A GRAMMY MEAN IN 2012?
Last night, the Staples Center in Los Angeles played host to the 54th Grammy Awards; a show that has come to represent…what exactly? By now most have heard about the passing of Whitney Houston, who’s death “tainted” the good spirits of the ceremony’s attendees. Houston’s death however, didn’t stop Sean “Diddy” Combs from throwing one hell of a party at the Playboy Mansion after the show. According to TMZ tickets for Diddy’s shindig ranged from $1,500 to $50,000 dollars a piece (depending on the services required), though thankfully the money went to benefit HIV/AIDS organization Angelwish.
Cosmos Records
Cosmos Records owner Aki Abe sat down with StudioFeed in his shop on Queen West to share some of his own stories regarding “the chase” of finding unique records to stock in his shops, as well as the current state of vinyl and the effects of the internet on his business. Cosmos Records operates two shops on Queen, a smaller that specializes in rare funk and disco records,as well as a larger shop a bit further west that specializes in rare Jazz and Soul records. In addition to being an all-around great guy, Aki also possesses some of the most in-depth knowledge in the city when it comes to rare vinyl and music in general.
Download the full length interview on SoundCloud
Solvent
Veteran Canadian producer and hardware lover, Solvent, gave StudioFeed an inside look at his Bloor-West home studio set-up, as well as discussed everything from why he makes music to the story behind his recent RDJ-CS5 EP.Jason touched on many topics involving music in this lengthy interview, including what it’s like to have a fifteen-year career and to still be considered a “relatively obscure” musician. In addition to making music, Solvent is also involved in a documentary on modular synthesizers called “I Dream of Wires” that is expected to be released later in 2012.
Download the full length interview on SoundCloud
Music provided courtesy of Jason Amm (Solvent). You can buy the RDJ-CS5 EP here, or check out some tunes from his huge roster of work.
For more information on Solvent, head over to one of his many online outlets:
solventcity.com
solvent.bandcamp.com
soundcloud.com/solvent
facebook.com/solvent
