Year In Review 2012: Uruguayan Artists & Videos

Well, this is the last post of 2012. I want to wish you all a happy New Year, and thank you for your support. Keeping this blog alive takes me a huge amount of time, but it’s always something I do with a lot of conviction, a lot of determination and (most of all) a lot of illusion.

Always will.

Emilio

Year In Review 2012: Best Startups & Interviews

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

This is a list including these sites and apps that I regard as the finest of 2012. I’ve linked to the original posts on MusicKO. And in many cases, you’ll also find links to interviews with their founders and developers.

Tomorrow, I’ll post a list with all of the Uruguayan artists featured on MusicKO over the course of the year.

StoryAmp: The Place Where Musicians And Journalists Meet

SpotMeUp: Upload Your Music To Spotify

PumpYouUp: Free Indie Electronic Music (Interview with Robert Dede)

WildChords: An iPad Game That Lets You Become A Guitar Player
(Interview with Christoph Thür)

Veenue: Collaborate With Musicians From All Over The World
(Interview with Dario Zampetti)

SongSpin.fm: Discover And Share The Latest Sounds

Restorm: Letting Bands License And Sell Their Music
(Interview with Jonas Brander)

JamCloud: Like Hangouts, But Strictly For Music Lovers
(Interview with Jason Gruntra)

JazzCypher: Social Network For Jazz Musicians And Enthusiasts
(Interview with Chris)

OneSheet: Build A Rich Profile Page For Your Band

PitchImprover: All You Need To Play By Ear To Recognize Intervals And To Develop Perfect Pitch
(Interview with Anton Naumovets)

SoundSpar: Compete With Other Bands And Win New Fans

RecooMe: In Search Of The Ultimate Playlists
(Interview with Kailash Subedi)

1Band1Brand: New Bands & Fashion Brands (Interview with Kyle York)

GigValley: Like Facebook, But Only For Bands

FindYouSomeVinyl: A Search Engine For Nothing But LPs

Bandhack: Local Bands On Facebook (Interview with Josh Roberts)

Crowdbands: A Record Label Run By The People

Month In Review – November 2011

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

Morrissey used to sing that one November spawned a monster, but as far as I’m concerned this November has been pretty terrific. Two major international artists landed on Uruguay for the first time right there and then: Beady Eye and Sonic Youth. Beady Eye headlined the first night of the brand-new festival “Primavera 0”, whereas Sonic Youth were the main attraction on on the following datel. I was fortunate to be there. This is what I had to say about Beady Eye’s show, and this is how I felt about Sonic Youth’s set.

Uruguayan artists featured over the course of the month included Vincent Vega and The Bear Season. I reviewed Vincent Vega’s eponymous debut and their newest single, whereas I featured The Bear Season’s latest video (“This Is Not A Test”).

For its part, the sites for musicians and music lovers that were reviewed on MusicKO on November were PlaylistHQ, Veenue, Myxer and PumpYouUp. And I also got the chance to talk to Veenue’s Dario Zampetti, and ask him all these things you’ve always wanted to ask him yourself, but never did.

Month In Review – October 2011

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

October’s highlights included the release of Pablo Farago’s “Mantras” (a compilation of some of his finest work, as recorded over the past ten years), a post on electronic music pioneer Daphne Oram, and an article about the day Manhattan thought Radiohead would play a free concert. If anything, that post is worth a good look because it showcases how quickly a mere rumor can spread online nowadays, until everybody is repeating something that is plain wrong as if it were the gospel truth.

And as far as websites for music lovers were concerned, the startups I reviewed on October included ListnPlay, LyricStatus and MyDjSpace. And the one iPad app that I got to feature was WildChords, a game from these great folks at Ovelin that lets you learn to play the guitar. And by “great folks”, I mean it – just look at the interview they gave me! Thanks, guys!

And fans of Joy Division should check what happens when our favorite Mancunians meet some playmobil…

On November, I’m certain to review Vincent Vega’s self-debut album. I know them personally, I’ve been to a good couple of their shows, and I’ve pogoed with delirious abandon right at the front, along with the horde of misfits that follows them through light and shade.

Well, not really. They are an acoustic duo, and their live shows could perfectly be the recipient of a Nobel peace prize.

Vincent Vega

But I’ve been there, and I’ve greatly enjoyed their music throughout. I’ll be delighted to feature them on MusicKO this month. Check the blog later next week to read about them!

Month In Review – August 2011

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

The best post of the whole month was undoubtedly the review of La Medio Siglo’s debut EP, “Altos Con Rulos”. La Medio Siglo is an emerging Uruguayan funk/rock band, and (as evidenced by “Altos Con Rulos”) they seem to have quite a bright path ahead of them.

I also managed to upload the newest videos of two artists that were previously featured on the blog: Laura Chinelli’s “Si Me Pierdo” and The Blueberries’ “London Eye”.

On the startup front, I covered the following five services: MPlayr, Nogeno, JamCloud, Restorm and MuseSpring. And while I only managed to conduct one interview in the whole month, it was a really enlightening one with Jason Grunstra from JamCloud.

And those of you who are always wondering in which ways music will be marketed and presented in the future might like to check the first app album ever, as released by Bjork.

Month In Review – July 2011

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

More Uruguayan artists than you could shake a stick at were featured on MusicKO this month. These included Andrea Deleón Santos, Casablancas, ELSANTOREMEDIO and Closet. The videos for “Decidir” (Andrea Deleón Santos), “Please Don’t Be Like Me” (Casablancas) and “POU” (Closet) were all listed on the blog as the month ran its course. And the download link for ELSANTOREMEDIO’s first album was made available on this post.

I also managed to cover a good range of web apps and sites for musicians/music lovers on July. In order of appearance, these were LYRICSnMUSIC, OneSheet, Jazz Cypher and Fuse Trade. And as far as interviews were concerned, I did the digital equivalent of sitting down for a chat with Anton Naumovets from PitchImprover and Chris from Jazz Cypher.

And if you’re looking for an outright chance to relieve some tension, then check Incubattle out. By jingo, these Incubus folks do know how to promote an album!

Month In Review – April 2011

Posted on May 3, 2011 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

April was the month in which I began a feature that is going to run well into the coming months. Named “Musicians Around The World”, it is devoted to chronicling the lives of both Uruguayans who are traveling abroad, and foreign performers who come to Uruguay in order to promote (and develop) their art. The first artist I covered was Uruguayan singer/composer Florencia Cano, and you can read the full interview here.

And I wrote what I think was a pretty spiffy post on Casablancas, an independent Uruguayan band that is about to embark on a tour of Brazil as I am writing this. Way to go, guys!

October saw Roxette playing in Uruguay for the first time in 19 years, and I was lucky enough to be there. It was a night to remember – read my coverage of the show.

The music startups that I got to review in April were GigValley, Viral Music List, 1Band1Brand and LyricsGaps – all of them killer ideas, all of them sparkling with originality. And just yesterday I finished posting the conversation I had with Miguel Martín from LyricsGaps – take a look.

Month In Review – March 2011

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

Rebecca Black was the invariable focus of attention for a good part of March. Her sudden rise to fame, the questionable quality of her song “Friday”, the polarised (and highly-charged) reactions that it caused (including some surprising covers)… it was recently announced that “Friday” has become the most hated song ever. If anything, these events show us that nowhere are the definitions of what is acceptable and what is not modified as quickly as on the Internet.

Of course, I also found time to keep on writing about artists from my country, Uruguay. On March, I wrote a really moving piece about the debut album by Laura Chinelli, “Historias De Invierno”. And I also covered the release of Picnic’s debut EP, “Amigos Imaginarios”. Check the review – it comes with a download link.

Finally, the music startups that I covered were Jog.fm, Music Lunge, Like.fm and Find You Some Vinyl. If all goes well, on April I am publishing interviews with Find You Some Vinyl’s Lucas Hravobsky and Music Lunge’s. Sergio Giles. And I’m also starting a feature in which I’m interviewing Uruguayan artists that have taken residence in foreign countries (or plan to do so soon), and foreigners that have come to Uruguay to nurture their art. I’m going to interview people who are really passionate about what they do, and I’m sure I will be able to show you what makes this country and all its people so special.

Month In Review – February 2011

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

This month I published one of the better-received posts of the blog, both locally and internationally. I am talking about the review of Erika Chuwoki’s debut EP, “La Corporación”. Everybody remarked how enjoyable it was, but I felt bad afterwards for having slammed my beloved Badly Drawn Boy in the process, and I even wrote a post to counterbalance the criticisms I leveled at “Born In The UK” afterwards. Not that I sleep better at night or anything like that, but respect where it’s due. When taken as a whole with the music videos that were shot, the album certainly has its moments.

Also (and as announced in January) this month saw its fair share of interviews: two with entrepreneurs whose startups I have already reviewed (Josh Roberts from Bandhack and the whole TuneCrank team), and one with legendary Argentinean guitarist (and founding member of Uruguayan rock band Níquel) Pablo Faragó. You can read that interview both in English and in Spanish. Continue reading →

Month In Review – January 2011

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

Even though I took a couple of days off, in the first month of the year I wrote about no less than three different Uruguayan unsigned artists: El Umbral, Los Pazientes and Matías Singer.

Besides, I managed to review one of these once-in-a-lifetime albums: “Unknown Pleasures” by Joy Division. And check the review of The Kinks’ “Lola Vs. The Powerman And The Moneygoround“, too.

For its part, the music startups that I reviewed included Fanity, Bandhack, Crowdbands, DaoMusic, Radio Tuna and Bassicly. You will find everything from applications for creating playlists and discovering new music to listen to based on your mood, to services for following your favorite artists around.

However, I did not conduct any interview during January. But by the looks of it, February will see a lot of conversational activity. Just you wait and see…

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