Music

Laser turntable plays records like CDs

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this is really cool (Via Boing Boing.)

The ELP laser turntable reads LPs with lasers — the manufacturer claims that the lasers can read ‘virgin’ parts of the grooves that haven’t been touched by needles and produce a better sound, and that the five laser read-head lets you skip forward and back across or within tracks as you would with a CD.

I don’t own any LPs, but this looks like a great way to preserve old LPs by avoiding wear every time they’re played.

MSG Night Two Receives Rave Reviews

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Via nancies.org:

DMB’s performance last night at Madison Square Gardens is receiving some of the most glowing reviews that we’ve ever seen. Terms including “magical,” “electrifying,” “amazing,” “unbelievable” and a “life changing force” have all been used to describe the performance, which featured Mike Doughty singing on “Jimi Thing,” Robert Randolph on “Smooth Rider” and “Louisiana Bayou,” and a “Christmas Song”/”Halloween”/”Ants Marching” encore. The low percentage of songs from Stand Up (about 25%) and the snow-blowing stage theatrics probably had something to do with it, too.

The performance is likely to be remembered as being on par with classics like the June 11, 2001 Giants Stadium show, particularly for those who were there.

I just downloaded “Jimi Thing” and a few other songs (thanks Dave for letting fans share your music). It’s awesome hearing Mike Doughty with the band.

Eek-A-Mouse jamming with Irish pub musicians

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Via Boing Boing:
Here’s a six-minute MP3 of reggae hero Eek-A-Mouse jamming with a bunch of traditional Irish pub musicians — fiddles, pipes, etc — at his 50th birthday party. The result is great; Eek-A-Mouse’s schtick is to sing in a high, Chinese-sounding falsetto, but to groovy reggae beats. Add to that some lively Irish fiddlers and you’ve really got something. Link (Thanks, Matt!)

Eek-a-mouse is my favorite living reggae performer & one who always brightens my day.

Gypsy Punk Cabaret

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I recently discovered Gogol Bordello, which may be New York’s only Gypsy Punk Cabaret band. After one listen I was hooked and I’ve bought a lot of their songs in iTunes. If you haven’t heard them, go right to iTunes and listen now. You’ll be glad you did.

iTunes Music Store recommendations

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I’ve been trying out the new recommendation feature in iTunes 6 and it’s giving me some very weird recommendations. It tells which album you own prompted it to recommend a new album and those recommendations don’t make any sense. It recommended Kanye West (who I really hate) because I bought “Takk..” by Sigur Ros. It also recommended Ray Charles (who I do like) because I bought an album by Morrissey. I don’t see any connection between them.

A different side of Islam

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With all of the negative portrayals of Islam in the media, it’s refreshing to read this article about the Sufi brotherhoods in Senegal. The most powerful brotherhood, the Mourides, was founded by Cheikh Amadou Bamba, who is often praised in songs. This is the side of Islam Youssou N’dour portrayed in his album “Egypt” and the article gives a good background into the meaning of that music.

As far as you can get from the extremists the media focuses on, Sufism has produced ecstatic music & poetry, such as Rumi’s poems, the whirling dervishes, and Qawwali music as made famous by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

(Via Global Voices Online; original item here)