I suspect this is some sort of music device for composers/performers because of all the musical notes on the top of the screen and some things we saw in the background of the image. Any guesses as to what this could be?

My suspicion is that someone like Yamaha is creating a control system for their MIDI devices, allowing folks to make music away from the PC.

One of the first things that impressed me was the modularity of the kit. I had set it up according to the recommended instructions (a high-hat, crash cymbal, dual-zone snare, and tom on the left, two toms and a ride cymbal on the right), but it’s clear that you can put each piece wherever you like. Each piece comes with its own clamp that you can attach to anywhere to the aluminum rack. There is also a second clamp that allows you to adjust the angle of the piece.

There are two pedals, one for the bass kick, the other for hi-hat control. Both of these are extremely sturdy and well-built. The only small complaint I had about the kick pedal was that, for as heavy as it is, it still moved ever-so-slightly after just a few minutes of drumming, even on carpet.

Once your kit is set up, it’s time to plug it into something and turn it on. You’ll see your standard jacks, like headphones, 1/8″ stereo, 1/8″ mix in, and USB. There is also a very tiny switch to change the kick type from the pedal to a pad. I used a 1/8″-to-1/4″ cable to connect the drum kit to my 8-track for immediate recording, and had my 8-track connected to stereo speakers so I could play without headphones.

So, how does it sound? In a word, authentic. I was expecting to hear something good, but not great…..something more along the lines of a synthesizer. Instead, I was very pleased to hear sounds that could have come from a regular set of drums. When you hit each piece, a light blinks on the module, indicating the hit. The pads themselves are rubber, and are generally very quiet. The only exception would be the cymbals and hi-hat, as the sound of you hitting them with your stick is pretty noticeable. So, I played and recorded a bit. Then I tried out some of the other kits. There are 10 preset kits and five user kits available. Each are fairly distinct, and give you a nice variety.

The pads respond dynamically to the force you exert on them. Hit them lightly, you’ll get a softer sound. Or, you can bang on them as hard as you like to make it louder (and they are no worse for it). This is a nice feature, but I often found myself missing beats if I didn’t hit it exactly right, or with just the right amount of force. The snare was the biggest culprit, and even if I focused solely on it by hitting it with a solid rhythm, there seemed to be some loss of sound every so often. You can set the volume on each individual piece, so I experimented there, but wasn’t able to completely alleviate the issue.

If you don’t like any of the preset kits, or wish you could change part of it, you can. By selecting the VOICE button, and then hitting the piece of your choice, you can then change the sound of it to pretty much whatever you want. When you’re done, you can save your custom kit to any of the five user kits. There are 108 sounds to choose from, so you’ll really only be limited by your imagination. You’ll also find a metronome with a variety of sounds and can select any time signature you wish. The kit also comes with 40 patterns that you can play along with. You can change the tempo, and this feature can be a helpful practicing tool.

If you don’t have an external recording device, not to worry. You can actually record directly to the module and then export that out if you like. There is a 5,000-note limit for recording, so depending on what you’re playing, the length of recording time could vary greatly.

Bottom Line
With a street price of $499, it’s a hefty investment for the casual musician. But if you’re serious about playing and possibly recording, this is a great value. The amount of customizations from the hardware to the software, is impressive. All of the pieces are very sturdy, so the only chance at breaking something would be to tip the whole thing over…..but even then, you’ll probably be okay.

Own a Zune HD like Devin and I, the two hippest cats here at CrunchGear? Best to connect it to your PC right now so you can upgrade its firmware to version 4.3. Go, now!

Straight from the Zune message board:

Zune HD firmware update: Today we released the v4.3 firmware update for Zune HD players; this update adds support for upcoming 3d games and applications, as well as an auto-suggest feature for better text input, and other minor improvements. Enjoy!

Let it be known that I have installed zero applications on my Zune HD. I didn’t even know applications existed for the thing until a colleague over at Laptop Magazine pointed it out to me at a meeting several weeks ago. Simple apps, like Weather and whatnot.

I think a hands-on would be appropriate when Microsoft launches, I don’t know, a Twitter or Facebook app, if it ever does.

Flickr

Here’s comes another DJ Hero story. Activision called the game’s launch “successful” at a conference call yesterday, saying that the game represents a “first step toward diversifying beyond rock” and into other genres, like hip hop and electronic music. In other words, the game’s soft sales aren’t necessarily a cause for alarm (if you were ever concerned in the first place).

We’ve already discussed why the game didn’t exactly fly off the shelf: it’s too expensive; people may be burned out on the music game genre; DJing doesn’t appeal to people the way that rock does; and so on. Activision did address one issue, and said that the game’s marketing campaign had only begun in earnest during the World Series. People can’t play a game they don’t know exists.

Activision had better hope that “people may be burned out on the music game genre” isn’t the case if it truly intends for DJ Hero to be a “first step” in branching out to other genres.

And of these genres, which ones have any chance at all of success in the U.S.? You can assume hip hop has the best shot, given its popularity, while electronic music is nowhere near as popular here as it is in Europe.

So yeah, Activision isn’t too concerned right now with DJ Hero’s performance. Baby steps.

Famous rock band No Doubt has sued Activision over the use of its avatars in the game Guitar Hero 5. No Doubt says that the deal it signed with Activision only permitted the avatars to be used when playing No Doubt songs. The problem is that Activision has it set up that you can play any song in the game with the No Doubt avatars. That I’m even writing about this is rather depressing.

As easy as it is to ride No Doubt for being a bunch of nerds, the fact is if the contract the band signed with Activision specified that the avatars could only play No Doubt songs, well, then Activision is in the wrong here.

The band said in a statement:

No Doubt agreed to place avatars containing their name and likeness performing three No Doubt songs in the upcoming Band Hero game of the Guitar Hero series from Activision.

Without the band’s knowledge or approval Activision turned the group into virtual karaoke players by having them perform over 60 additional songs by other musical groups.

Meanwhile, Activision said:

Some of the world’s most popular and iconic artists have been featured in Guitar Hero as playable characters, and we are proud to count No Doubt among them. Activision has a written agreement to use No Doubt in Band Hero — an agreement signed by No Doubt after extensive negotiations with its representatives, who collectively have decades of experience in the entertainment industry. Pursuant to that agreement, Activision worked with No Doubt and the band’s management in developing Band Hero. As a result, Activision believes it is within its legal rights with respect to the use and portrayal of the band members in the game and that this lawsuit is without merit. Activision is exploring its own legal options with respect to No Doubt’s obligations under the agreement.

And there you have it. What a way to start the day~!

Yes, that’s a USB drive in the shape of an apple. It’s a limited edition doohickey that contains the entire remastered Beatles catalogue, the same one that was released on September 9. The 16GB drive comes out on December 8 here.

The catalogue is encoded in FLAC, so no worries regarding sound quality. (There’s also an 320 Kbps version on there, in case you want to offload the songs onto your portable device.) Only 30,000 are being made, so best to order right quick if it interests you.

There’s also the usual bonus features you’d expect from such a release, including photos, album art, videos, etc. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but when you consider how allergic The Beatles once were to digital distribution only then does it sink in. That sentence makes no sense, no.

The doohickey will cost $280 when it’s released. Maybe you work at Goldman Sachs and can afford such things?

Well, well, well, look what we have here. A new study shows that people who download music illegally are more likely to buy music than their non-pirating counterparts. Why’s that? It turns out that people who are into downloading music are actually into music, whereas people who don’t download music aren’t necessarily fans of music in general.

In hard numbers, people who download music spend an average of £77 (around $126) per year on music, versus the non-downloaders coming in an £44 ($72).

So yes, people who illegally download music are the music industry’s biggest consumer. Imagine that.

The survey, which took place in the UK (obviously) and was commissioned by think-tank Demos and carried out by Ipsos Mori, looked at 1,000 16-to-50-year olds.

Ten percent of respondents admitted to illegally downloading music.

All of this brings into question the UK Government’s plan to knock illegally downloaders off the Internet, done, of course, in order to protect the rights of musicians and, more cynically, prop up the ailing music business.

In the interest of bringing Ron and Fez’s fantastic radio show topics to a more tech-minded audience, I propose the following: games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band, while fun and, generally speaking, “good,” will not save rock music. Rock and roll, for all intents and purposes, is dead. Bear with me for a minute, I’ll make this relevant to CrunchGear.

So the topic on today’s show was: U2—you may have heard of them—recently released a new album, but it didn’t sell too well. This created the discussion: is rock dead? Someone brought up the idea that kids today just aren’t buying music anymore, that they’re playing video games instead; you have but so many entertainment dollars to spend, right? But even if kids (and by kids I mean the 30 and under crowd, a completely arbitrary cutoff point) are going out and buying these games left and right, does that mean they’re experiencing music in a new way, as proponents of the idea that Guitar Hero will save the music business would have you believe, or are they just killing time?

To paraphrase Ron Bennington, if the only thing these kids are doing is playing Simon with Pearl Jam in the background, Pearl Jam might as well be the Pac-Man theme song. The kids aren’t paying attention to the music, aren’t getting “into it,” per se, but are merely following along with whatever random melody is playing in the background.

(Incidentally, a caller tried to blame the decline of rock music on Pearl Jam’s anti-everything antics back in the 1990s and 2000s, driving kids into hip hop’s flashy embrace. Kids want to look up to Rock Stars, and the lifestyle they live, and not necessarily people who, while armed with guitars, are generally against the whole rock “scene.” That’s partially why rapping about money, women, and cars caught fire in the 1990s: it filled a void that rock had left behind. I sure as hell would rather listen to Jay-Z than, say, The Strokes, who, if I recall correctly, were once promoted as the saviors of rock and roll.)

The future?

What new (and I do mean brand new, and not merely new to you) rock music have you heard in one of these games that made you think, “Hey, this band is pretty good. I’m gonna buy their album from iTunes and buy a t-shirt from their Web site.”? You may well be able to play along just fine with a Weezer or Peter Frampton song, and you’ll have a good time doing so, but in doing so you’re not exactly discovering Bruce Springsteen back when he was just a local Jersey act. You’re not discovering new music, but rather pressing a fisher price fret along with the melody to a classic rock song. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but that’s not going to save rock music, now is it?

And by save I just mean to make it popular again. I’d love to see a sales comparison between rock music and hip hop over the past 10 years. I bet it’s pretty one-sided.

Now these games are great for bands like The Beatles that are trying to introduce their catalog to millions of new eyeballs, but you’re not necessarily creating any new talent. It’s sorta like WWE in that sense: I stopped watching regularly back in high school (2004ish), but I turn on Raw or Smackdown today and the very same guys are who were main-eventing then (Triple H, Undertaker, John Cena, etc) are main-eventing now; no new stars have been created in the past five years. That’s not good!

So yeah, sorta rambling, but you get my point: Rock Band & Co. may be great for the record labels looking to make a extra few dollars on licensing deals, and may be great for old bands looking to introduce new fans to their music, but you’re crazy if you think these games will make rock music the music of this generation’s young people; hip has already won that battle. No new rock talent is being cultivated with these games, and the relationship between the actual music and the player isn’t genuine: you’re playing a video game with your friends as part of an event or fun social gathering, and aren’t carefully digesting the melodies and lyrics of “Gouge Away” for the sake of the music itself.

That is all.

Flickr and Flickr

Yup, Miles Davis is about as far away from Lady Gaga as you can get. Monster Cable has yet another pair of headphones that are emblazoned with a famous musician’s name. And if you were here two sentences ago, you might have guessed that that artist is Miles Davis. You’re a good guesser!

You’ll find the headphones as part of the Miles Davis Tribute Set, which includes said headphones and a super-de-dooper deluxe copy of the jazz man’s famous album Kind of Blue (Note: I know nothing about jazz, but even I have heard of Kind of Blue). This deluxe version comes with a DVD, linear notes, yada yada yada.

So, basically, we’ve got a pair of Monster Cable headphones with a Miles Davis logo on it, and a spiffy version of his best known album. Price? Oh, you know, $400. (Eh, that may seem expensive, but headphones can get very expensive, very fast if you’re not careful.)

No release date, I’m afraid, but it is available for pre-order from Monster Cable’s Web site.

via iPodNN

I remember these streets, I remember these faces, no one here ever ages/
angels from machines, crowding the streets/
there must be some kind of factory where the angels are made to just be replaced/
I’ve written enough, enough for today

Generally speaking I’m a hip-hop guy, but even I can get behind something like “there must be some kind of factory where the angels are made to just be replaced.” It’s a line from a verse of the song “Song of Remembering” by The Rentals. Why am I bringing up this seemingly random song, and one that doesn’t appear to have anything to do with “our core mission” of technology writing? Because it does have something to do with technology, friends. Because it does.

I spoke to Matt Sharp, founder and frontman of The Rentals, a few weeks back as a result of my weird fascination with film photography. (Incidentally, I have Louis CK, who you can now see on Parks and Recreation every week on NBC, to thank for my initial interest in film.) Current fans of the band know that it’s been working on a yearlong project known as Songs About Time. Rather than going through the standard rigamarole of recording an album in a secluded studio, then touring to support it (not to mention dealing with the apparently crazy record labels), Sharp and Co. came up with a different idea: how about, instead of one big album, which is so start-stop, we sprinkle a few EPs throughout the year, and document our days together for our fans in the form of short movies and frequent photographs?

Or, in Matt’s own words:

The project is one year in photography, film, and music that’s all coming, in real time, on our Web site. There’s not a better word for it than a multimedia project, but we have one element of the site that deals with photography, one part that deals with film, and one part that deals with music. At times they intersect and feed off each other, and have a cyclical, creative rhythm.

That is, calling Songs About Time a multimedia project (which sounds like something you’d do in 6th grade) somewhat misses the point; it doesn’t describe the spirit of its intentions. It’s about using different forms of media to better involve fans with the creative process. It sure beats the old, “here’s out album, now buy it and a t-shirt and we’ll see you guys in three years” mentality.

You should probably spend a few minutes now on the site, therentals.com, just to get a better idea of what the project is all about.

Below is one video that you’ll find on the site:

As you can see, this isn’t some hastily thrown together YouTube nonsense that was only made “just because.” It’s not done to placate some number-crunching road manager who thinks YouTube is the future. No, sir! The band works with an editor who’s on their case every week: “Where’s this week’s video, folks? I need something in my hands by the end of the day tomorrow.” (Those aren’t exact quotes, of course. Hopefully you could already figure that out.)

So remember, that’s one proper video per week for an entire year. I’m sure you can appreciate the work that goes into that, and maybe, maybe feel a little more connected to the band.

So that’s the video portion of the project. What about the photography? Matt explained that he shoots a roll of Fujifilm Neopan 1600 black and white, in addition to one digital photo per day. Now, I know that many of you have never even seen a roll of film in your life, but the standard roll of film comes with 36 exposures. Imagine having an SD card that only held 36 photos, and you can understand what type of restrictions that places on you. You’re not going to be taking photos all wily nilly like you would if you had 4GB of space to play with. This restriction creates a tension that you’re constantly dealing with as a photographer. Is the lighting OK? Have I composed the photo as well as possible? And so on. You think about these things while shooting digital, of course, but if you mess up with digital you can just shoot 80 more photos, or constantly delete and re-shoot; it encourages laziness, and it sort of takes away from the fun.

(Not that I’m calling myself a photographer—Oh, good God no!—but I can appreciate it as an art. Just because I’m not a professional footballer doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate how good FC Barcelona is, or how awesome the New England Patriots were two years ago. Well, except for that last game.)

And what happens to the roll of film? Matt shoots his photos, then stores the roll away till the end of the year, when the limited deluxe edition of Songs About Time comes out. Included in this edition (which will cost $275, and will include a coffee table book with photos from throughout the project, four vinyl LPs, a high-def DVD of all the videos, backstage passes to a Rentals live show of your choosing, and a whole heck of a lot more genuinely impressive goodies) will be a roll of undeveloped film, totally labeled and ready for you to do what you want with it. Want to develop it, to see what The Rentals were up to that day? Go right ahead. Or would you rather just hold onto the undeveloped film as a memento? Your choice.

Let me just say that there is not a single bad photo on The Renals’ Web site. It’s like being in a photography museum.

I don’t think a band has ever done anything like this before.

So as we approach the end of the project, we return to the idea of, well, what’s the point, and did we accomplish anything in the process?

The most superficial response to that could be that The Rentals thought it would be a nice change of pace from the usual way of doing things. Record an album then drop it on your fans from high above, swooping down only occasionally to meet and greet them at live event? I don’t think I need to tell you that the music industry needs a bit of a shake-up to get things right again. More importantly, Songs About Time fostered creativity. Let’s say that every day for a whole year you have to come up with something to give to the fans. You’re constantly thinking, “Are these photos worth it? Would our fans appreciate them, or think they’re rubbish? Oh, man, and we still have to come up with a concept for our video this week! Quick, guys, we need some ideas.” That constant on-your-toes thinking necessarily leads the creative thinking, which begets good music.

We shot it on Sunday, then we edited it on Monday, then we released it on Tuesday. So we’re writing a piece of music, recording it, filming it, and sharing it with everybody two days after it was done. That can be so exciting. The day before you’re like, “Are we good? Is it good enough?” And before you know it it’s just out there. You don’t feel that kind of immediacy with the traditional way of making a record.

If there was ever a band I’d say to support simply for what they’re trying to accomplish, then it’d be these guys. It doesn’t hurt that they’re actually pretty damn good, and I look forward to the new EP which is due out in a few days.

Many thanks to Matt Sharp for talking to me for an entire hour. That was inconceivably generous of him. And thanks to Fuji’s PR team, which put us in contact with each other in the first place. They also dealt well with my various insanities.

Actually, what really needs to happen is the guitarist from The Advantage needs to rock this thing. I think I would die from a nerd overload if I saw him jam out the Castlevania theme on this thing. I met those guys at a show in Tokyo, incidentally, and they’re cool as hell.

The project is actually an updated version of an much older NES guitar, updated with Mario, Luigi, and Donkey Kong knobs and a cartridge for the headstock.

[via TecheBlog, Craziest Gadgets, and Gearfuse]

Interestingly, they also released the Eigenharp Pico for about $500. It’s more like a recorder (a simple flute) and has 18 keys and one slider.

Both devices require a Mac nearby for playback.

Confused as to how it works? Just watch this. Here’s a little Moby:

Here it is in the studio:

And here is a song by the Cantina Band:

Hardware Specification
Keys
133 keys in all.
120 keys on the main keyboard.
12 percussion keys on the lower part of the instrument.
Plus one mute key.
Key Properties:
Sampled at 2000 samples/second, per key.
11 bit (2048 values) resolution.
Sensitive to direct pressure and to lateral pressure in both directions.
Breath pipe:
Sampled at 2000 samples/second.
12 bit (4096 value) resolution.
Bidirectional, sensitive to blown and drawn breath.
Removable, interchangeable mouthpiece for hygiene.
2 Strip Controllers:
One on each side of the instrument, 480mm long.
Sampled at 2000 samples/second per strip.
11 bit (2048 values) resolution.
Headphone output:
48kHz sampling rate, 24-bit DAC Sigma-Delta.
Software programmable volume.
Mute, soft ramp and zero cross detection for volume adjustment.
SNR = 95dB.
THD < 0.01% at 1kHz, 30-Ohm load at -3dbFS.
Up to 750mW output on a 3.5mm mini jack.
Microphone input/preamp:
Balanced input on an industry standard 4 pin LEMO locking connector.
24 bit at 96khz A/D converter.
Low noise programmable gain from 10 to 55db in 1db steps.
Software switchable 48V phantom power.
8.2V Electret polarisation power available, requires specific cable.
Noise: EIN= (A-weighted) -120dBu with 150 Ohm source 20Hz to 20kHz, 50 dB gain. EIN Un-wtd= -125dBu with same conditions as A-weighted.
26dB software switchable input pad.
Recommended uni-directional (cardioid or supercardioid patterns) microphones:
Sony ECM66BC, Audio Technica AT898C and AT831C, Sure WL184, DPA 4080 and DPA 4022. Note: Custom wiring for each microphone is required
Base Station:
2 inputs for continuous control expression pedals:
Suitable for use with Boss FV50 and FV500 volume pedals.
Suitable for use with Yamaha FC3 continuous control sprung sustain pedals.
USB 2 interface to host computer.
2 inputs for foot switches.

Start by going to the 2009 Video Game Expo today, tomorrow, and Sunday. Then either at 3:00 or 7:30 on Sunday, swing by the Kimmel Center and catch the magical sound shower that is… Video Games Live. It’s a full orchestra that plays music from video games. You will like it.

Speaking of Magical Sound Shower, here’s Video Games Live playing songs from OutRun.

You’ll recall that OutRun is one of the greatest games in the history of gaming. That is all.

Video Games Live [VideoGamesLive.com]

Video Game Expo 2009 [VideoGame.net]

At this rate, you and your garage band could be starring in the next Rock Band-like game! (That’s actually not a bad idea. Some sort of service wherein you upload your band’s songs, and a little while later out pops a file that works in Rock Band and Guitar Hero.) Famous band U2 recently told USA Today that, sure, it would love to be in a video game of its own one day. It’s probably too late now, seeing as though, years from now, The Beatles: Rock Band will be viewed as the apex of these music games.

The band’s bassist, Adam Clayton, said:

We definitely would like to be in there, but we felt some of the compromises weren’t what we wanted. That could change. I love the idea that that’s where people are getting music, and we’d love to be in that world. We’ll figure something out. What The Beatles have done, where the animation is much more representative of them, is what we’re interested in, rather than the one-size-fits-all animation. We didn’t want to be caricatured.

If the control freak Beatles can agree to a game, there’s no reason why U2 can’t agree to a game.

Also, War > Joshua Tree. Just sayin’.

via Kotaku

In short, in the Venn diagram of TV you have Colbert Report watchers and Mountain Goats listeners. Many of us exist, obviously, but the confluence of these two audiences into one tasty streaming opportunity is quite cool.

There are lots of services out there that allow for music discovery but this seems like a nice way to ensure that an obscure artist gets the attention he or she deserves while also winning over old and new fans of said artist. After all, guys like John Darnielle and Stephen Colbert bring something unreplaceable to each and every day although I won’t go as far as to say that we’re hearing the cogs all slipping at the same time.

Here you go – the official list of mash-ups that’ll appear in DJ Hero when it becomes available on October 27th. These are apparently all original, not-available-anywhere-else mixes.

· 2Pac – “All Eyez On Me” vs. The Aranbee Pop Orchestra – “Bittersweet Symphony (Instrumental)”
· 50 Cent – “Disco Inferno” vs. David Bowie – “Let’s Dance”
· 50 Cent – “Disco Inferno” vs. InDeep – “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life”
· Afrika Bambaataa – “Zulu Nation Throwdown” vs. Freedom Express – “Get Down”
· Beastie Boys – “Here’s A Little Somethin’ For Ya” vs. DJ Shadow – “The Number Song (2009 Version)” (Produced and mixed by DJ Shadow)
· Beastie Boys – “Intergalactic” vs. Blondie – “Rapture”
· Beastie Boys – “Lee Majors Come Again” vs. Daft Punk – “Da Funk” (Produced and mixed by Cut Chemist)
· Beck – “Where It’s At” vs. DJ Shadow – “Six Days (Remix ft. Mos Def)”
· Bell Biv DeVoe – “Poison” Beat Juggle
· Bell Biv DeVoe – “Poison” vs. Beastie Boys – “Intergalactic” (Produced and mixed by DJ AM)
· Bell Biv DeVoe – “Poison” vs. Cameo – “Word Up!”
· Benny Benassi – “Satisfaction” vs. Tiësto – “Elements Of Life”
· Billy Squier – “The Big Beat” vs. N.E.R.D. – “Lapdance” (DJ-Guitar mix)
· Black Eyed Peas – “Boom Boom Pow” vs. Benny Benassi – “Satisfaction”
· Bobby “Blue” Bland – “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” vs. 2Pac – “How Do You Want It”
· Bobby “Blue” Bland – “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” vs. Connie Price & The Keystones – “Fuzz And Them”
· Boogie Down Productions – “Jack Of Spades” vs. David Bowie – “Let’s Dance” (Produced and mixed by DJ Shadow)
· Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers – “Bustin’ Loose” vs. The Zombies – “Time Of The Season” (Produced and mixed by DJ Shadow)
· Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers – “Bustin’ Loose” vs. Young MC – “Bust A Move”
· Common – “Universal Mind Control (U.M.C.)” vs. Masta Ace – “Jeep A** Gutter (Aaron LaCrate & Debonair Samir RMX)” (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
· Cypress Hill – “Insane In The Brain” vs. Classics IV – “Spooky”
· Cypress Hill – “Insane In The Brain” vs. David Axelrod – “The Edge”
· Daft Punk – “Around The World” vs. Young MC – “Bust A Move”
· Daft Punk – “Da Funk” vs. N.A.S.A. – “Strange Enough ft. Karen O, ODB & Fatlip”
· Daft Punk – “Megamix 1″
· Daft Punk – “Megamix 2″
· Daft Punk – “Robot Rock” vs. Hashim – “Al Naafyish (The Soul)” (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
· Daft Punk – “Robot Rock” vs. Queen – “We Will Rock You”
· Daft Punk – “Short Circuit” vs. Boogie Down Productions – “Jack Of Spades”
· Daft Punk – “Technologic” vs. Gary Numan – “Cars”
· Daft Punk – “Television Rules the Nation” vs. No Doubt – “Hella Good”
· David Axelrod – “The Edge” vs. Eric B. & Rakim – “Eric B. Is President”
· Dizzee Rascal – “Fix Up, Look Sharp” vs. DJ Shadow – “Organ Donor (Extended Overhaul)”
· Dizzee Rascal – “Fix Up, Look Sharp” vs. Justice – “Genesis”
· DJ Shadow – “Six Days (Remix ft. Mos Def)” vs. D-Code – “Annie’s Horn”
· Eminem – “My Name Is” vs. Beck – “Loser”
· Fedde Le Grand – “Put Your Hands Up For Detroit” vs. Sandy Rivera and David Penn – “I Can’t Stop (David Penn Remix)”
· Foo Fighters – “Monkey Wrench” vs. Beastie Boys – “Sabotage” (DJ-Guitar mix)
· Foreigner – “Juke Box Hero” vs. DJ Z-Trip ft. Murs – “DJ Hero” (Produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
· Foreigner – “Juke Box Hero” vs. DJ Z-Trip ft. Murs – “DJ Hero” (DJ-Guitar mix, produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
· Gang Starr – “Just To Get A Rep” vs. Mobb Deep – “Shook Ones, Pt 2″ (Produced and mixed by J. Period)
· Gorillaz – “Feel Good Inc.” vs. Blondie – “Atomic”
· Grandmaster Flash’s – “Boom” vs. “Tap” (Produced and mixed by Grandmaster Flash)
· Grandmaster Flash, DJ Kool, DJ Demo – “Here Comes My DJ” vs. Gary Numan – “Cars” (Produced and mixed by Grandmaster Flash)
· Gwen Stefani – “Hollaback Girl” vs. Gorillaz – “Feel Good Inc.”
· Gwen Stefani – “Hollaback Girl” vs. InDeep “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life” (Produced and mixed by DJ AM)
· Gwen Stefani – “Hollaback Girl” vs. Rick James – “Give It To Me”
· Herbie Hancock – “Rockit” Beat Juggle
· Herbie Hancock – “Rockit” vs. N.E.R.D. – “Lapdance” (Produced and mixed by Grandmaster Flash)
· InDeep – “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life” vs. Cameo – “Word Up!”
· Jackson 5 – “I Want You Back” vs. Gang Starr – “Just To Get A Rep” (Produced and mixed by DJ Yoda)
· Jackson 5 – “I Want You Back” vs. Third Eye Blind – “Semi-Charmed Life” (DJ-Guitar mix)
· Jackson 5 – “I Want You Back” vs. Third Eye Blind – “Semi-Charmed Life”
· JAY-Z feat. Pharrell – “Change Clothes” vs. 2Pac – “All Eyez on Me”
· JAY-Z – “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” vs. Eminem – “My Name Is”
· JAY-Z – “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” vs. Jackson 5 – “I Want You Back”
· JAY-Z – “Excuse Me Miss” vs. Rick James – “Give It To Me”
· Jean Knight – “Mr. Big Stuff” vs. Masta Ace – “Born To Roll”
· Jurassic 5 – “Jayou” vs. Billy Squier – “The Big Beat”
· Jurassic 5 – “Jayou” vs. Herbie Hancock – “Rockit”
· Kid Cudi – “Day ‘N’ Nite” vs. Black Eyed Peas – “Boom Boom Pow”
· Kool Moe Dee – “How Ya Like Me Now” vs. Reel 2 Real featuring The Mad Stuntman – “I Like To Move It”
· Little Richard – “Tutti Frutti” vs. Shlomo – “Beats” (Produced and mixed by DJ Yoda)
· M.I.A. – “Paper Planes” vs. Eric B. & Rakim – “Eric B. Is President” (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
· M.I.A. – “Paper Planes” vs. Wale – “Lookin’ At Me”
· Marvin Gaye – “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” vs. David Bowie – “Let’s Dance”
· Marvin Gaye – “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” vs. Gorillaz – “Feel Good Inc.”
· Motörhead – “Ace Of Spades” vs. Noisia – “Groundhog” (DJ-Guitar mix)
· N.A.S.A. – “Strange Enough ft. Karen O, ODB & Fatlip” vs. Isaac Hayes – “Theme From Shaft”
· Noisia – “Groundhog” Beat Juggle (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
· Paul van Dyk – “Nothing But You” vs. Sandy Rivera and David Penn – “I Can’t Stop (David Penn Remix)”
· Public Enemy – “Shut ‘Em Down” vs. Beck – “Where It’s At”
· Public Enemy ft. Zakk Wylde – “Bring The Noise 20XX” vs. Justice – “Genesis” (Produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
· Public Enemy featuring Zakk Wylde – “Bring The Noise 20XX” (DJ-Guitar mix)
· Q-Tip – “Good Thang” vs. Billy Squier – “The Big Beat” (Produced and mixed by J. Period)
· Queen – “Another One Bites The Dust” vs. Beastie Boys – “Brass Monkey” (Produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
· Queen – “Another One Bites The Dust” vs. Daft Punk – “Da Funk”
· Rihanna – “Disturbia” vs. Kid Sister – “Control”
· Rihanna – “Disturbia” vs. The Killers – “Somebody Told Me” (DJ-Guitar mix)
· Rihanna – “Disturbia” vs. The Trammps – “Disco Inferno”
· Shlomo – “Beats” vs. Billy Squier – “The Big Beat”
· Street Sweeper Social Club – “Fight! Smash! Win!” vs. Beastie Boys – “Intergalactic” (DJ-Guitar mix)
· Tears For Fears – “Shout” vs. DJ Shadow – “Six Days (Remix ft. Mos Def)”
· Tears For Fears – “Shout” vs. Eric B. & Rakim – “Eric B. Is President” (Produced and mixed by DJ Jazzy Jeff)
· Tears For Fears – “Shout” vs. Eric Prydz – “Pjanoo”
· The Aranbee Pop Orchestra – “Bittersweet Symphony (Instrumental)” vs. LL Cool J – “Rock The Bells” (Produced and mixed by DJ Jazzy Jeff)
· The Scratch Perverts Beats and Pieces (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
· The Killers – “Somebody Told Me” vs. Eric Prydz – “Pjanoo”
· Vanilla Ice – “Ice Ice Baby” vs. MC Hammer – “U Can’t Touch This”
· Vanilla Ice – “Ice Ice Baby” vs. Paula Abdul – “Straight Up”
· Wale – “Lookin’ At Me” vs. Black Eyed Peas ft. Tippa Irie – “Hey Mama”
· Weezer – “Beverly Hills” vs. Evidence, The Alchemist, Aceyalone, Rakaa & 88 Keys – “Fresh Rhymes And Videotape” (DJ-Guitar mix)
· Wild Cherry – “Play That Funky Music” vs. Gang Starr – “Just To Get A Rep” (DJ-Guitar mix)

Some pretty sweet mixes in there if you’re into this sort of thing. The DJ Hero YouTube page has a handful of them in quick 30-second bites as well.

[via Kotaku]

When is an update not an update? Today we learned that Eminem has reached a settlement with Apple over what he claims was the unauthorized use of his songs. Eminem said the record label has the right to the recordings, but not the right to turn around and sell said recordings to Apple.

What we don’t know, however, is any of the terms of the deal. How much did Apple have to cough up? Did Eminem and the record label have to pay for each other’s attorney fees? Nobody’s saying anything!

So, again, when is an update not an update?

I don’t know about you, but I can now rest easy knowing that, presumably, Eminem is a little bit richer today.

27 years ago, today, marks when the first commercial CD players hit the market. Sure it was in Japan, but they always get the good tech first. The CDP-101 was hardly affordable either: $2,200 if you wanted one, so that you could listen to any one of the mere 113 albums available at release. Then those were another $40 a piece, don’t forget. But that didn’t stop Sony from moving 20,000 of these units in a single year.

So today, we can set aside the hate of the music industry (might be hard, considering there isn’t one anymore) and say Happy Birthday to one of the greatest data mediums of all time.

MMy favoritest guy who plays who I’ve met recently, Jack Conte, has put together a nice version of Single Ladies by Beyonce with Nataly Dawn. While he and Nataly don’t dress up in leotards and heels – they didn’t get a huge budget for this – they do involve a Polaroid camera and a bowl of Coco Puffs. Great fun all around.

More from these crazy kids at PomplamooseMusic