Hotter than July World Music Festival (2017) in Dublin, Ireland

HOTTER THAN JULY FESTIVAL

This year, the Hotter than July Festival has been organised by:

• Improvised Music Company
• Big Bang Festival
• and Dublin City Council.

Unfortunately, on the day, it was pretty rainy, so I missed part of it for this reason! ☔

However, I listened to and filmed the last 3 bands who performed at the event! 😃😉

If any of you have filmed other bands, feel free to share the links in the comment box! 👍

In the meantime, enjoy these pictures!

ABOUT KAKATSITSI MASTER DRUMMERS

It is one of Africa’s leading traditional drumming groups. Kakatsitsi performs rhythms and chants from a variety of West African cultures in a modern funky style.

They are originally from Jamestown, Accra, Ghana.

You can follow them on Facebook or on this website.

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Although I had filmed live the Kakatsitsi Master Drummers, the video didn’t save on my phone. 😞

So, let me share with you a video of them taken at a different event. They gave a very similar performance at Hotter than July festival.

Do you start feeling the heat? 🔥

Well, this continued throughout the afternoon. All bands were really energetic and good!

ABOUT MANDEN EXPRESS

Now it’s the turn of Manden Express, the Irish based band. I uploaded a video of them just for you on YouTube! 🎁💗

You can follow them on Facebook or on their website.

Finally, the last band La Chiva Gantiva spent literally their stage time jumping around! 💪

ABOUT LA CHIVA GANTIVA

La Chiva Gantiva is a frenetic carnival‐punk racket. It detonates like a Molotov cocktail of:

• rock
• rap
• soul
• and ferociously funky Latin rhythms.

The band formed in Brussels (Belgium) by three Colombian immigrants, who met around a percussion kit. They wanted to produce an original music and assert their cultural roots.

Present La Chiva Gantiva’s members are from:

• Colombia
• Vietnam
• Belgium
• and Chile.

I’m sharing video snippets as well as an audio track of the entire song!

You can follow them on Facebook or on their website.

Like this blog? Hit ‘Subscribe’ on the right-hand side column! 👉👊🙏

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‘The idea of happiness’ German film soundtrack by Fewjar music band

GERMAN FILM SOUNDTRACK BY FEWJAR BAND

YouTube is, as usual, an incredible source of talented musicians and actors! 🔍😍

I was looking for interesting films to watch and discovering new music to listen to. I came across  ‘The idea of happiness’ German film soundtrack by Fewjar music band.

Zachary Nelson

First, let me tell you a little bit about the film soundtrack.

The selected soundtrack playlist comes from a Berlin-based band called ‘Fewjar‘ playing in multiple genres such as Electro, the 80s, Rock, Progressive, Psychedelic, Crossover, Triphop.

You can follow them on their various social accounts by checking the links in their Youtube description below their videos.

Now, sit back, relax, be patient and wait a minute for the first song to kick off fully!

Fewjar band regularly organises on Youtube live room sessions, where they play for you their songs live in their studio as well as occasionally bring guests to their recording sessions.

They can also play songs upon request if you notify them sufficiently in advance by commenting under their Youtube live videos.

Here are few samples of their live studio sessions, in which they connect with their audience.

What do you think about their music?

If you liked it, download their songs from Itunes, Amazon or Bandcamp! 👍😉

Now, as you may have guessed, the film is also in German. But don’t worry because it is subtitled in English. Feeling relieved?😌 It’s a very well done psychological thriller. Although it’s not my film genre, I truly enjoyed it and hope you will, too!

If you liked it, support the film project!

Zeo, the filmmaker, has set up a crowdfunding page for all his film projects and is raising funds for them on a monthly basis: https://www.patreon.com/Zeo

You can give as little as $1 per month so you won’t be too much out of pocket!💰

You can also follow Zeo on different social media accounts that are displayed on his Patreon project page.

 

DIY: How to market your music through podcasting

What is podcasting?

Podcasts are episodic series of digital audio files which users can subscribe to much like you subscribe to blogs. In fact, often podcasts are distributed through a blog.

You can either:

• instruct your reader to download new podcasts whenever they become available
• or manually choose which podcasts you want to download by clicking a link to the audio file.

These files can then be listened to on your computer. Alternatively, you can transfer them to your portable player (iPod, smartphone or iPhone) to listen to later.

Why should musicians podcast? 

The music industry is getting tougher. Music CDs don’t sell as much as they used to or won’t sell without some prior promotion. Musicians may struggle not only to promote their music but also to make profits from it. Of course, one of the ways to generate revenue is to organise concert tours.

But how can musicians spread the word about their music?

You’ll all heard that online promoting is a great way to reach your audience. But how can you make them want to listen to you more or buy from you? Where can you start?

In our digital area, it’s not only important to share your music on your social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud, Youtube) but also to get people to pay for your music.

Don’t overdo with putting all your videos or soundtracks on Youtube or Soundcloud! Indeed, short teasers should be enough to attract your audience!

Instead, what about investing time into podcasting? But how can you generate both interest and revenue from it?

Here are few ways you can do so as an independent artist:

http://www.feedforall.com/musicians-should-podcast.htm

why podcasting can be a better format than other online promotional formats? 

Podcasting allows you to have a more intimate relationship with your audience. It can easily mimic or replace radio broadcasting.

Podcasts are Portable On Demand media. This means they are portable and accessible on-demand for your listeners or watchers. Your podcasts can be:

• subscribed to,
• paid for to access them,
• and downloaded through various programs and devices.

However, do bear in mind that there are limitations you need to be aware of when podcasting!

Indeed, you will need to remember not to copyright any other artists’ work. For that, you may learn a bit the basic copyrights legal requirements to follow:

https://create.blubrry.com/manual/about-podcasting/legal-issues/

Now want to get started with podcasting?

Remember to be correctly equipped!

Here are few must-haves to get you started:

• A microphone to record your voice or music
• Portable digital recording devices. You can start with your iPhone but may contemplate better devices for that purpose! Check out these devices:  https://music.tutsplus.com/articles/the-complete-list-of-audio-gear-youll-need-for-your-podcast–audio-20527
• Audio editing software, i.e mixers, and audio interfaces, especially if you are using several microphones or need to amend the audio files.

This guide will help you get started with basics if you are new to podcasting and are on a low budget!

https://www.thepodcasthost.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/How-to-Podcast-The-Podcast-Host.pdf

 

But keep in mind that you will need to work on few marketing techniques in order to increase the visibility of your podcasts!

Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert can help you launch and improve your own podcasts (note he isn’t affiliated with Audacity). Have a read at his podcasting tips:

https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/does-seo-really-matter-in-podcasting-tap179/

Finally, do you want to follow musicians’ DIY podcastS?

Look no further! CD Baby has compiled for you a list of different pod-casters giving you tips on how to use podcasts to promote your music and generate revenue from it!

http://cdbabypodcast.com/

Let me know if you have further questions? I’ll be happy to look for the answers for you!

Prince Tribute: Sign o’the Times live concert and DJ set

I hope you have celebrated well new year’s eve!🍾🎉 I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous new year 2017!😘🍀🌟🎊

PRINCE TRIBUTE

For my part, I decided to celebrate New Year’s Eve a little bit in advance!😂 I went to this tribute to Prince with DJ Al Murphy playing lots of Prince’s tunes and then watched the live recording of his 1987 Sign o’ the Times tour on Friday 30th December 2016 at The Sugar Club, Dublin (Ireland).

You can find more information about it on this  event page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/228456610900746/

PRINCE TRIBUTE LIVE RECORDINGS

Here are recordings in picture and audio of the DJ’s act.

Now, I’d like to share with you some videos taken at the event. I would like to apologise if the last video’s soundtrack isn’t from Prince! I experienced few technical issues trying to publish a live YouTube video and it ended up recording the visuals without the sound!🤔😤  So I picked a nice song in a similar style to add to the video.🙂😉 Anyway, I hope you will enjoy them!

How to become a singer with good vocal techniques

While flicking through YouTube, I discovered amazing videos about vocal techniques. I created this guide to help you use your voice effectively to sing better while sparing your voice.

1. VOCAL RANGE

So, for those who aren’t familiar with vocal techniques and notes, I’d recommend you to start reading this article on Wikipedia. This will give you a better understanding of what will be talked about later on in this blog post.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocal_range

But what are the different vocal ranges for men and women?

Take a look!  Depending on your voice type, some notes will be easier or harder to hit.

However, if you don’t know what’s your voice range is, don’t worry. This video will help you figure it out. Note this is both suitable for men and women.

2. BAD VOCAL TEchnique EXAMPLES

As a matter of fact, some singers are able to sing higher notes or even have a whistle register. Yet they may use improper vocal techniques resulting in voice damages over time.

As a result, they can’t hit the same notes they used to. Although, with better practice, they may recover part of their register. Here are few examples of singers who damaged their voice :

3. VOCAL TECHNIQUES

Therefore, let’s me explain you to what is considered good or bad techniques.

First of all, let’s start with what a bad technique is. It is a lack of singing warming-up and over-pushing some of the notes, often distinguished by a lack of breath support and throaty sound.

Additionally, please find below other examples of bad techniques:

Instead, why vocal technique matters so much?

So, what is a good vocal technique? 

It’s an unstrained, controlled, and consistent voice accompanied by a healthy lifestyle. But, how do singers get good voices? Well, they have a dedicated vocal coach to train their voices for performances or studio recordings.

Contrarily, this video shows you what is a bad or good technique (starting at 1.09 minutes):

4. VOCAL WARMING-UP

Consequently, to develop your singing skills, start with a good vocal warming-up.

Obviously, you may want to start with warming-up basics for yourself at this stage!

5. UNDERSTANDING YOUR VOICE

Moreover, you need to be aware of your voice placement and tone/timber.

6. VOCAL TIPS

Finally, here are a few tips on how to get a more powerful and consistent voice.

Do you have other tips to share with us?

Black party meets MS KOI hip-hop and dancehall boat party (Germany)

HAMBURG HARBOUR ACTIVITIES

First of all, if you have never been to Hamburg (Germany), I would like to tell you briefly a few facts about this beautiful town.

Hamburg is a city located at the river Elbe. It has a very dynamic harbour. Its harbour is named Germany’s “Gateway to the World”. It is also the largest port in Germany.

Secondly, the port of Hamburg is the second-busiest port in Europe (after the port of Rotterdam) and the 15th-largest worldwide. In 2014, 9.73 million TEUs (20-foot standard container equivalents) were handled in Hamburg.

Furthermore, Hamburg port isn’t only a shipping trading centre. It also offers:

• many boat trips,
• museums tracing the history of the harbour in the ‘Speicherstadt’ (recognised as a World Heritage by UNESCO),
• visits of old boats,
• lots of organised boat parties.

Black boat party

I have been to one black boat party. It lasted 4 hours between the boat leaving the harbour and coming back to it.

WHERE DOES THE ‘Black boat party’ NAME COME FROM?

Simply because the event took place on a boat, which had DJs playing black music such as hip-hop and dancehall.

WHAT iS ‘MS KOI’?

MS KOI is a ship for maritime events and parties since 2011.

MS KOI is a very modern boat composed of 3 different decks. On each deck, you have a bar and quality sound and light systems. Each deck has its own atmosphere with distinct music style.

The upper-deck is open-air and obviously most enjoyable during summertime when the weather is good. The lowest deck contains a cloakroom and seating space.

BLACK BOAT PARTY PICTURES AND VIDEOS

Let me share with you pictures, audio and videos from the event on 18th July 2015. I hope you’ll enjoy this as much as I did!

If you have issues playing some of the videos due to potential country restrictions, use this link: https://www.proxfree.com/.

Then type next to the lock picture the direct link to the YouTube video. Next, change country (to Amsterdam, Netherlands) in the ‘server location’ field, and hit ‘prox free’ button!

You can find more pictures on the following facebook fan page (21st July’s post):

https://www.facebook.com/mskoi.eventschiff/

Want to catch up with 2pac Shakur’s band ‘The Outlawz’ concert (2015)?

Outlawz BAND

Do you like old-school hip-hop? Do you miss listening to 2Pac sounds? Well, even though Shakur died a while ago, his ‘The Outlawz band‘ is still pretty much alive and touring!

ABOUT THE BAND

The “Outlawz” band set up by “Tupac” in 1995 is a perfect blend of :

• seasoned lyricists,
• musical innovators 
• responsible storytellers.
  

The band members are:

“E.D.I. Mean”
His aggressive, no-frills style is perhaps the more Diplomatic, yet his delivery reveals a mastery of conveying complex messages, in an unmistakable straight to the point manner.

“Young Noble” 
The aptly named-rebellious perfectionist exudes integrity in life and throughout his lyrics. In both cases, he chooses his battles wisely, with an evident persona that silently confirms that he does not play!

“Hussein Fatal” 
The one who says what others won’t. A distinctive witty voice whose experimental mature, position him as the group’s mad scientist combining all elements, creating the perfect chemistry.

OPENING ACTS

They gave us a great concert on Saturday 11th April 2015 at the Tivoli Theatre, Dublin 8 (Ireland). They were preceded by equally good live opening acts with DJ Spaqz and ‘Trigger’ Irish hip-hop singer amongst others.

DJ SPAQZ

DJ Spaqz is a DJ, producer and artist based in Dublin, Ireland. He plays an eclectic mix of African pieces of music and Hip-Hop.

TRIGGER 

Trigger is a 23-year-old Cork city rapper. Although he is new to the scene, he is already stirring up some reaction on the underground circuit. He has appeared on such radio stations as RTE radio 1, 96FM, Red FM among various other pirate radio stations.

Raised in Cork city’s northside. He partly lived with his grandmother growing up in Gurranabraher. He talks about matters that have affected him and those around him. Poverty, neighbourhoods surrounded by drug abuse and rapid unemployment are key subjects in his songs, although some are humorous, upbeat and political.

Check out pictures (slideshow) from the event and listen to audio and video tracks below! Enjoy!

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The Outlaws BAND live concert videos and soundtrack: