Tim Yates - Spatial Audio Residency
Creating new sonic experiences and instruments
Tim Yates - Spatial Audio Residency
Grove - vinyl single launch show
Blistering performance exploring power
Grove - vinyl single launch show
Kitmonsters: Music and Tech Voices Podcast
New podcast - music and tech interviews
Kitmonsters: Music and Tech Voices Podcast
(Algo|Afro) Futures programme - interview
Live coding mentoring for Black artists
(Algo|Afro) Futures programme - interview
The Future is Sound at the Barbican
Dazzling sound journeys from multiple artists and speakers
The Future is Sound at the Barbican
Bishi live VR performance with Volta XR
How they created a stunning and innovative live VR performance
Bishi live VR performance with Volta XR
Music Hackspace - We Move seminar series
With women / gender minority creative technology experts
Music Hackspace - We Move seminar series
News - Nova Twins supporting Muse
Info and pre-sale link
News - Nova Twins supporting Muse
News - Nova Twins supporting Muse
Congrats to Nova Twins, fresh from their Glastonbury triumph, they’ve announced they will be supporting Muse on tour, and have shared a pre-sale signup link.
Tim Yates - Spatial Audio Residency
Tim Yates, Hackoustic co-founder and audio innovator, has been working in spatial audio and ambisonics during his recent IKLECTIK and Amoenus Residency, that included a public showcase. We interviewed him to explore his work, and to look at the opportunities as well as challenges of working in spatial audio.
Grove - vinyl single launch show
Grove’s stunning single launch at State 51’s GREED in London, and the first release from GREED singles club.
Hackoustic at IKLECTIK - December party and upcoming performance
Hackoustic’s multi-dimensional Xmas triumph with lula.xyz, Robin the Fog, Tim Yates and Joris Beets, and the next chapter for co-founder and Amoenus artist in residence Tim
(Algo|Afro) Futures programme - interview
( Algo | Afro ) Futures is an innovative mentoring programme for Black artists to explore the creative potential of live coding. Led by Antonio Roberts and hosted by VIVID Projects in Birmingham, it’s supported by Alex McLean and Gary Stewart. We interviewed Antonio, and VIVID Director Yasmeen Baig-Clifford. Photos by Jodi Cunningham.
The Future is Sound at the Barbican
The Future is Sound night at the Barbican in London was inspiring and epic, bringing together future and ancient sounds and visions.
Loud Women Fest 2022
LOUD WOMEN FEST returns on 2-3 September with another stellar lineup, at The Amersham Arms, we’ve a preview and a chat with festival founder Cassie Fox.
Music Hackspace - We Move seminar series
The great Music Hackspace has announced an exciting new seminar series called ‘We Move’ featuring the work of creative technology experts who are women and gender minorities, and it starts on 22nd February, IRL and online.
female:pressure Electric Indigo FACTS survey interview 2022
female:pressure has launched its revealing FACTS Survey 2022, that quantifies the gender distribution of artists performing at electronic music festivals worldwide. There’s some good news, as well as plenty of room for improvement. We’ve interviewed female:pressure’s Electric Indigo about the key findings and what should happen next. You can also support the work by getting this FACTS 22 T-shirt.
Kitmonsters: Music and Tech Voices Podcast
We’ve a brand new Kitmonsters podcast, bringing you interviews with artists and innovators in music and tech, talking about their creative projects, ethos, tools and practices. And giving their tips!
Music Tech Europe launches
An exciting new pan-European organisation Music Tech Europe launched at Linecheck in Milan, setting out to build an innovative music tech ecosystem.
Hackoustic Presents - October 2021
Hackoustic Presents made an exciting return to Iklectik Art Lab in South London, featuring artists and creators performing and showcasing amazing instruments and sounds.
Loud Women Fest + special performance
LOUD WOMEN’S Loud Women Fest is back, with a cracking line-up and the first ever performance of its supergroup ‘feminist band aid’ single Reclaim These Streets! It’s on 18th September, and tickets are on sale now.
Pan-Pot Virtual Unreality - immersive 3D performance
Techno legends Pan-Pot are unleashing a cutting edge immersive experience online on 26th June!
FUTURE YARD venue launches artist support programme
Exciting Merseyside music venue FUTURE YARD has launched a permanent programme to support new music talent, and applications are now open for its PROPELLER scheme!
Music Industry Mentoring for Women - HyperTribe
HyperTribe has lunched a free Pioneer Mentoring Programme for Women in Music, with some great artists on board as mentors.
Reclaim These Streets - stunning charity single!
LOUD WOMEN have released the stunning ‘Reclaim These Streets’ a charity single featuring 64 amazing vocalists, and raising money for Women’s Aid. It’s storming the iTunes charts, it’s a John Kennedy X-Posure Big One on Radio X, and for a very good reason - it rocks!
Ninety - 90 women producers collaborate
New collaboration project Ninety is making waves - it’s an amazing video, a track and a Sample Pack, made from 90 samples collected from women and non-binary producers, and it’s raising money for education in audio production. We interviewed LNA (Liina Turtonen) who founded the project, and you can buy the track and Sample Pack now.
No Such Thing Records - exciting new label
Exciting news on the independent label front as No Such Thing Records launches in the UK - with the slogan “Northern. Independent. Forward Thinking.” and a big commitment to inclusivity and diversity. The first release is an absolute banger from Szou called Rose Tinted, and we talked to the label founders Dirty Freud and Ruby Tingle about their vision.
MiMU launch innovative Glover desktop app
After thrilling people with the MiMU Gloves powered by Glover software, the Imogen Heap-founded music tech company MiMU has just released Glover as a desktop app, making gesture-controlled music infinitely more accessible. We tested it out and were awed by all the possibilities it opens up for making custom sounds, with the Gliss phone app, Leap Motion and more. There’s a free demo too!
Bishi live VR performance with Volta XR
Artist, producer and WITCiH founder Bishi put together an amazing live stream performance with the Volta XR team, for Amazon Music on Twitch. It stunned viewers, who were responding on live chat, and was created using cutting edge code and technology. We spoke to Bishi and to Volta XR’s Alex Kane and Yuli Levtov about how the collaboration worked, and asked for their advice for artists wanting to use VR. There’s also info on how you can become a Volta beta tester!
Artist opinion: Jemma Freeman on 2020
Artist Jemma Freeman of Jemma Freeman and The Cosmic Something, writes about their year and calls for change.
Xmas Wish List 2020
It’s time for our annual favourite - what have artists, producers, engineers, and innovators we’ve featured got on their Xmas wish lists and why?
Submissions and contributions
How to be part of Kitmonsters
Delia Derbyshire Day 2020
Delia Derbyshire Day is back, on Monday 23rd November, with a special online edition of Delia-inspired delights. The day was set up to advance the art and education of electronic music, via the iconic electronic music pioneer.
Dubler Studio kit - new features for voice to MIDI controller
New features for the groundbreaking Dubler Studio Kit live voice to MIDI controller from Vochlea, as Dubler 1.2 launches.
female:pressure - Electric Indigo FACTS survey interview
female:pressure has launched its FACTS survey 2020 that quantifies the gender distribution of artists performing at electronic music festivals worldwide. There’s good news - an increase - but much more work needs to be done by the industry. We’ve interviewed female:pressure’s Electric Indigo who has given some brilliant perspective. female:pressure have also given suggestions for Festival Organisers, Artistic Directors, and Artists to help create change, and have a limited edition t-shirt to support their FACTS work.
Interview with Isabella Di Biase - Sound Engineer
What does a Sound Engineer do, especially when working in a historic Gothic masterpiece? Ahead of the ReBalance International Women’s Day music industry meet up and live show on 8th March at Union Chapel you can find out with this interview the award-winning music venue has done with Isabella Di Biase. She’s a great sound engineer we’ve seen in action at many gigs including Nasty Women UK festival.
halldorophone - interview with creator Halldór Úlfarsson
The halldorophone is a unique acoustic-electric instrument created by Halldór Úlfarsson from Iceland. One of its leading players is Oscar-winning Hildur Guðnadóttir, who used it extensively on her score for Joker, and was part of its development. We talked to Halldór about the cello-like instrument and how it grew from his original idea to becoming a sought-after sound at the heart of tracks from the likes of experimental metal band Sunn O))) and psychedelic folk rap artists CryptoChrome. If you want to see it in action, Bill Thompson will be playing one at his Cafe Oto show in London, on Tuesday 25th February.
Inside Wormhole World record label
Wormhole World is a new label based in South Wales and Lancashire, that’s making its mark with its acclaimed eclectic electronic releases, and bills itself as a ‘micro netlabel doing it for love, not money’. We spoke to Paul Wormhole about the label roster, the underground scene, and the importance of twitter.
Jemma Freeman and The Cosmic Something - album launch
Jemma Freeman and The Cosmic Something ‘Oh Really, What’s That Then?’, album launch at Set, Dalston, 3 October 2019. Available on Trapped Animal Records.
Global #ClimateStrike
Global #ClimateStrike
https://globalclimatestrike.net/
Loud Women Fest 4 - Cassie Fox interview
Loud Women Fest is back - now in its fourth fantastic year. It sets out to showcase the very best alternative music powered womxn and non-binary musicians with an international lineup of artists, DJs, plus zines, records, and food. We asked Loud Women founder Cassie Fox to tell us what’s been happening with Loud Women, and what to look forward to at the Fest on 14 September in London. Grab a ticket on eventbrite now, it usually sells out!
Test Dept @ Studio 9294
Test Dept ‘Disturbance’ album launch @ Studio 9294, London, Friday 26th April 2019
Women Produce Music launches INKoLAB
Women Produce Music, who champion female music-makers, have launched !N_KoLAB an innovative composer producer collaboration series, featuring some of the most exciting women in the field, including electronic music pioneer Suzanne Ciani.
Dubler Studio Kit - vocal MIDI controller Kickstarter
Music tech startup Vochlea have been creating a big stir with early previews of its Dubler Studio Kit - grime star Novelist is already a fan - and launched a Kickstarter campaign.. Now Vochlea has just won the Web Summit Music Tech Innovation Award for the Dubler, which is available on pre-order.
Tim Exile previews the Endlesss app
Tim Exile and team are previewing the exciting new music-making app and service they’ve been working on called Endlesss.
Loud Women February 19 - Live
Loud Women promoted shows are some of the best gigs around, especially their nights at the Hope & Anchor in London. Featuring artists from the UK and beyond, they are always packed, and a perfect mix of great sounds and a great crowd. The 9th February show at the Hope & Anchor was another classic, with ILL, The Hysterical Injury, I, Doris, and Gender Chores.
Hackoustic Presents - February 2019
The Hackoustic Presents team put on another amazing night of music and sound art, instruments, and hack projects, including some from the Abbey Road Red Hackathon, at Iklectik in London.
Bishi Voice Masterclass and Bursary
BISHI, the acclaimed musician and composer, and founder of WITCiH, is presenting an exciting Voice Masterclass, featuring Live Looping and the MINI.MU gloves, on 16th February 2019. We’ve info and also a bursary offer!
Cro Cro Land Festival - new for 2019
Exciting new festival for 2019 - Cro Cro Land!
The Blinders at The Garage, London
The Blinders @The Garage, London, with Calva Louise, Moses 7/11/18
Xqui ‘Epiphany’- Video Premiere
Xqui’s ‘Epiphany’ is a dark and hypnotic electronic track accompanied by a haunting video, premiered today.
New Bloom:10 Worlds App - Brian Eno and Peter Chilvers
Brian Eno and Peter Chilvers have just announced the release of Bloom: 10 Worlds – a developed, augmented and expanded new edition of 2008’s game-changing original Bloom app, that’s a firm favourite here at Kitmonsters, and is now on Android for the first time. Peter Chilvers spoke to us about the new Bloom, available on pre-order from today at Generative Music and out on 7th December.
Stories From The She Punks - Film Premiere
Stories From The She Punks, World Premiere at Doc’n Roll Film Festival, Genesis Cinema, 10th November, 2018
From Me To You - 1st December 2018
From Me To You (FM2U) is a one-day conference specifically set up by artists, for artists. It’s an incredible event with all panels moderated by musicians in order to ensure that topics are discussed from their point of view. Tickets for the next one on Saturday 1st December at Rich Mix in London are available at Music Glue.
Stellar lineup - In The Round at The Roundhouse
The Roundhouse in London has unveiled a stellar lineup for its next In The Round series of intimate shows, in January 2019 - including Patti Smith, Shirley Collins, Ronnie Spector, Fatima, and This Is The Kit, with more to be announced. Tickets go on sale Wednesday 31st October to members and general booking opens Thursday 1st November.
Music Venues Day - Sisteray at 100 Club
Rising stars close Music Venue Trust’s Venues Day with a bang at The 100 Club, London
Music Tech Fest Stockholm - AI Performance Lab
Music Tech Fest returned in style in Stockholm in partnership with KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and with venues that included the dramatic Reaktorhallen - a decommissioned nuclear reactor chamber deep underground. It was the setting for a week long AI Performance Lab of 90 artists, hackers and scientists, and became a spectacular performance space to showcase their work.
WITCiH The State of Gender? Festival
The first WITCiH festival is an absolute ‘don’t miss’ and takes place in London 26-28th September featuring electrifying female and non-binary artists. WITCiH - The State of Gender? hosts four audio-visual premieres and includes a lecture from Gazelle Twin who has just released thrilling new album Pastoral.
Tickets for the event at The Barge House in Dalston are available here
Imogen Heap’s Mycelia Tour Exhibition Preview
Imogen Heap’s Mycelia project launches its World Tour at Music Tech Fest in Stockholm this week and they are looking for music-makers around the world to be Beta testers of the Creative Passport.
Loud Women Fest 2018 - preview / interview
The incredible Loud Women Fest takes place on 15th September and we’re sure it will sell out - grab tickets while you can - and read our interview with founder Cassie Fox.
Music Tech Fest Stockholm
Music Tech Fest is back, bigger and more exciting than ever - taking place in Stockholm in partnership with KTH Royal Institute of Technology. With Creative Labs, Performances, Demos, in Conversations and Family activities, there’s something for everyone at this festival of innovation and experimentation, including Imogen Heap launching her Mycelia World Tour, work from Scanner, Robyn, Lula Mebrahtu and more. Tickets for the public days 7-9 September are available from the Music Tech Fest website.
The Great Escape 2018
The joy of The Great Escape is that it’s stuffed with amazing new artists and everyone has a different favourites or recommendations list, which means you can’t go wrong on the ground no matter where you end up.
Keychange: in C Major - Tallinn Music Week
There’s change afoot. Across Europe. Keychange has started something and it’s going to change the music industry from top to bottom. You can’t face this level of female talent and tell me that the future isn’t gender parity.
Instruments Lab - Hackoustic Field Trip
The Augmented Instruments Lab at the Centre for Digital Music (C4DM) at Queen Mary University of London, is a place of wonder. It focuses on developing new instruments and interfaces for creative musical expression, and is led by Dr Andrew McPherson. Hackoustic arranged a Field Trip to meet the team there and explore some of the unique instruments, and unsurprisingly it was quickly fully-booked.
Ty - album launch
Ty ‘A Work Of Heart’ album launch @ Archspace, London, 12th March 2018
Tom Fox at Music Tech Fest Slovenia
I don’t often talk much about what I do or why I do it. I’ve tried to avoid any sort of personal theology and let the instruments just talk for themselves. But this past weekend I attended Music Tech Fest in the wonderful city of Ljubljana in Slovenia and it’s made me re-think a lot of things.
The Blinders at The Lexington
The Blinders at The Lexington, London 21st February 2018
Portrait’s NAMM music tech picks
We’ve some special picks from the NAMM Show, by Portrait XO. She’s an Electronic Music Artist, Resident Artist at SAMPLEnHOLD the regular electronic music night in LA, and recent founding member of nonprofit The IASAS (International Association of Synaesthetes, Artists, and Scientists).
Kristeen Young, Bishi, Guttfull at The Lexington
Kristeen Young, Bishi, Guttfull at The Lexington, London 19th February 2018
Music Tech Fest Berlin
Our favourite festival - Music Tech Fest - celebrates its 10th Edition in Berlin 27-29 May, with an amazing line up of performers, technologists, hackers and industry. It’s a giant creative laboratory and festival of music ideas, taking place at the legendary Funkhaus studio complex, and we’ve got a great discount on tickets for people on our mailing list.
New Sounds New Styles conference
The first New Sounds New Styles event, curated by design icon Malcolm Garrett, was a one-day conference and showcase exploring the intersection of music and technology. With a focus on Immersive Audio and VR, it shone a spotlight on current research, authoring, design and performance, and looked at the future environment for creatives.
BT Interview by Portrait XO
Portrait XO chats with BT at the premiere of Behringer’s DeepMind 12 synth at their synth-a-thon. Includes the making of BT’s successful crowdfunding campaign, tips on breaking through creative blocks, and his contribution to music tech as a developer.
Imogen Heap’s Mycelia Tour & Creative Passport
Imogen Heap launched her 2018 Mycelia World Tour and announced her new Creative Passport plan, at an incredible and inspiring pilot event.
Nuraphone - revolutionary headphones
The groundbreaking Nuraphone headphones are tailored to your hearing and give a breathtakingly deep and different listening experience. They’re a more than worthy recipient of a CES award this year, for Best of Innovation in the headphone category, and we’re sure there will be more honours to come.
Quotes of 2017
Key quotes from artists and innovators in 2017
Monika Werkstatt artists live at Cafe Oto
Hosted by the UK’s rapidly growing Omnii Collective, a quartet of top talent from the Monika Enterprise label came to Cafe Oto from Germany to talk about their new Monika Werkstatt album and to play live, creating one of the most exciting electronic music nights in memory. Four brilliant and established artists - Gudrun Gut, Pilocka Krach, Sonae and Barbara Morgenstern, ably supported by new British talent La Leif, plus a surprise, non-performing appearance from Electric Indigo, co-founder of female:pressure along with Gudrun.
Playthiswall
Can walls make waves? Well the thought-provoking #PlayThisWall has been making friends at festivals and events across Europe, with its great electronic sounds. It has even made an appearance with Music Tech Fest at the #Horizon2020 #H2020Future conference at the EU Commission. It’s a double sided wall musical interface by sound artist Run Dreamer, and we asked him to tell us all about it.
Music Tech Fest 2012
The first Music Tech Fest, run by Ravensbourne College and Stromatolite in London gathered sound gurus, hackers and musicians together to make, talk and play. From synth legend and 3D sound designer Martyn Ware (The Human League, BEF, Heaven 17) to the dance demon that is Coldcut/Ninja Tune’s Matt Black, and new app designers, minds were well and truly expanded, if not blown! There’s even a free Synaesthesia app.
We Are Robots - new Music and Tech Festival
New festival We Are Robots presents an amazing line-up at the Old Truman Brewery in London from 2-5 November. Focusing on the ‘future and innovation of music’ it features performances, installations, workshops, discussions, technology, and an industry conference, and includes leading names and exciting newcomers, with Daniel Miller DJ-ing at the after party. Tickets to the main exhibition are free, with performance, panels and workshop tickets available separately.
WITCiH First Birthday
WITCiH at The Barge House, London N1 4/10/17
Nasty Women UK
Inspired by the global art movement Nasty Women – Nasty Women UK put on a brilliant three day event of music, art, talks, comedy and spoken word at welcoming canalside venue Stour Space in Hackney Wick, London.
Starcrawler @ Boston Music Room, London
Starcrawler @ Boston Music Room, London, 5th September 2017
Teenage Engineering X Prototypa
See inside Teenage Engineering - the iconic synth makers talked prototyping at Prototypa, part of Design Frontiers in Somerset House during The London Design Festival.
Galvanise - inspiring young people’s music tech day
Artist Gabrielle Chudi writes about the GALVANISE young people’s music tech day that took place in London on 5th July. Video and pics by Richard Costa.
Loud Women Fest 2017
Loud Women Fest 2017 was a party rrriot from beginning to end. Held at the community-run DIY Space for London in Peckham, it featured 20 amazing acts. Music styles ranged from beatboxing to sax punk, and careful programming across two stages meant there were no clashes!
Who Run The World - 2nd Birthday Celebration
Beth White, the inspirational founder of Who Run The World, a promotions company dedicated to booking women, looks back at two amazing years of shows, and at the future for women in music, ahead of the WRTW second birthday celebrations on Sunday 13th August at Fiddler’s Elbow in Camden, with ARXX, Fightmilk, The Baby Seals, The Menstrual Cramps, Suggested Friends, and Beth White.
Tickets: http://whoruntheworld.bigcartel.com/
Making the GUTTFULL EP #notallmen
GUTTFULL’s great 6-track ‘sax-punk’ EP #notallmen launches tonight with a performance at The Lexington, with Skinny Girl Diet, The Franklys and Fightmilk, and is available on Bandcamp. The band’s Cassie Fox writes about how they made the EP.
Introducing the Spacehorn
The Spacehorn sounds amazing, but what actually is it and how do you make it? Zali Krishna created a new breath controlled instrument and sound, using an electronic wind instrument and an Axoloti board, and reveals how he did it.
IMOGEN HEAP, BISHI, RACHEL WINGFIELD at WITCIH SALON
Bishi’s incredible WITCiH Summer Salons are a magnet for talented innovators, and the June edition was a classic, with amazing insights from Imogen Heap, Bishi and Rachel Wingfield from Loop.pH. The next salon is on Wednesday 12th July at The Barge House in London with Rebekah Ubuntu, Jenn Kirby, Bishi and Kat Five.
Galvanise - young people’s music tech event
There’s a great music tech day and hackathon for young people on 5th July in London, and tickets are free. GALVANISE is being hosted by Brixton’s Pound Café and features workshops, talks, performances, and a chance to explore the wonders of music tech.
Glitoris - making the Glitterbomb Guitar
Riot-grrrl inspired Australian punk band Glitoris have collaborated with Vance Custom Guitars on a stunning instrument called the Glitterbomb. We asked guitarist and singer Samantha Bennett aka Andrew, all about it.
Hacking SoundCloud - with Rawfare
Attila Haraszti aka Rawfare has hacked SoundCloud by creating an innovative interactive track that’s rave-inspired and changes according to the plays. He’s passionate about creating new ways for artists to get more influence over social platforms and we interviewed him about the SoundCloud ‘Pipo’ track and his other exciting projects.
WIN ModeAudio Sound Packs
Sound Designers ModeAudio have launched a competition with Kitmonsters to win some of their great Sound Packs! They’ve had amazing reviews for creating some of the best samples, loops, patches and presets in the business, praised for their quality and style. They’re designed to integrate with your favourite software and include MIDI data and project files.
She Makes War - I Want My Country Back
She Makes War’s Laura Kidd has released a new ‘people-powered’ video to go with her amazing protest song ‘I Want My Country Back’. She’s created something very special - a hard-hitting tune, dripping in riffs, that’s an ear-worm and uplifting.
Synth workshop to celebrate Pink Floyd
Tara Pattenden is an artist and instrument maker based in Glasgow, who performs as Phantom Chips and ran a special workshop at the V&A to go with the museum’s Pink Floyd exhibition ‘Their Mortal Remains’.
Martyn Ware - tribute to Roland’s founder
Electronic music icon Martyn Ware has been paying tribute today to Ikutaro Kakehashi, the founder of Roland who has died at the age of 87 and was the originator of the design and technology of the brand. Kakehashi was one of the inventors of MIDI, and received a Technical Grammy Award in 2013.
DADAMACHINES KICKSTARTER LIFTOFF
The amazing dadamachines have launched their ‘automat toolkit’ on Kickstarter, to massive acclaim, and you can get hands on with them in London on 27th May at Hackoustic, following a massively successful April event.
Pitch Black + Feral Five @ Oslo Hackney
Pitch Black + Feral Five, Oslo Hackney, 25 March 2017
Loud Women Volume One
Loud Women Volume One is a thrilling twenty-one track compilation that gets the punk rock party started. These tightly-packaged tunes from the UK’s most hotly-tipped female artists, are ready to explode out of your speakers. From anger as an energy, to shivers down spine moments, laughs out loud, ferocious guitars, and more punchlines than a week’s comedy programming, it is punk at its broadest and best. The album launch party is Saturday 18th March with artists including Lilith Ai, Madame So and deux furieuses, and with all profits going to Women’s Aid. You can order the CD here.
NAMM 2017 - Teenage Engineering
Teenage Engineering unveiled some exciting new gear at NAMM 2017 - I talked to them about their new video synth the OP-Z, and also the latest Pocket Operator, the PO-32 tonic.
NAMM 2017 - Roland SYSTEM-8 synth and DJ-808 Controller
Roland had some great new gear on show at NAMM - I talked to David Ahlund in depth about the SYSTEM-8 and the DJ-808.
NAMM - SoundStage VR
SoundStage VR is an innovative music instrument sandbox built specifically for room-scale virtual reality. Portrait XO interviews inventor Logan Olson.
NAMM 2017 - SESH APP
SESH is a game-changing app that’s a peer-to-peer music production market place. It lets you find recording studios, rehearsal space, gear rentals and talent for hire. Portrait XO talks to Roxertronica - fashion designer / stylist / DJ / CMO and Co-Founder of the new app.
Look Mum No Computer - DIY Fuzz Box
SO YOU WANT A DISTORTION FOR YOUR GUITAR/SYNTH/DRUM MACHINE/BAG PIPES whatever. This is a good place to start.
Xmas Wish List 2016
What do these amazing artists want under the tree?
The Epping Forest Festival ov Guerrilla Noise Nonsense
An event and an album
Tara Pattenden tour diary
A mystery tour of experimental electronics in Denmark
New ROLI Blocks
ROLI has launched the amazing BLOCKS - a colourful modular music studio designed to let anyone make music, and to connect as easily as LEGO.
Music Venue Trust #Fightback
Music Venue Trust #Fightback fundraiser for the venue Emergency Response Team
The Roundhouse, London 18th October, 2016
#MoreInCommon album for HOPE not hate
#MoreInCommon is a fantastic compilation album out soon in support of the UK charity HOPE not hate. We find out more from the organiser and get a taste of some of the tunes, a few of them from artists we’ve featured on Kitmonsters. You can pre-order the release on Bandcamp.
Nina Hagen @ O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
Nina Hagen @ O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire 24th September, 2016
The Ruts DC at The Underworld
The Ruts DC launched their new album ‘Music Must Destroy’ at The Underworld in Camden, London.
Loud Women Fest 2016
The incredible vibe hit you like a velvet brick as soon as you walked through the door – outrageously good music from hotly-tipped bands, innovative merch (Satan pants anyone?), and a welcoming atmosphere.
DIY Drum Pads How To - by Look Mum No Computer
Look Mum No Computer’s DIY adventures in tinfoil drum pads.
Daniel Miller studio tips
Electronic music legend Daniel Miller is an artist, producer and DJ who launched Mute Records in 1978 with his own 7” single – ‘Warm Leatherette’ under the name The Normal, and went on to work with acts like Fad Gadget, Depeche Mode, Moby, Erasure, Yazoo and Goldfrapp. He recently started DJ-ing again and plays regular techno sets worldwide. Dynaudio met Daniel Miller in his home studio for a chat about music, synthesizers, mixing and production.
Saint Agnes - electric new single and a band Fuzz pedal
Saint Agnes set out to thrill - whether it’s stunning raw rock n roll live shows, putting their blinding new single Sister Electric out on lathe cut vinyl, or merch that’s a special ‘The Fuzzy Agnes’ hand-built effects pedal.
Global Local Remix Contest
Global Local has launched The Remix Space online platform, with a remix contest open to anyone in the world to remix artists including Zion Train and Dila V & The Oddbeats.
Mechanical Techno - Graham Dunning at Music Hackspace
Graham Dunning’s Mechanical Techno is a masterpiece - he has played Boiler Room Live in London, Music Tech Fest in Berlin, and his demo video has had over a million views. Graham works in art, music and sound, and shared the inspiring story of Mechanical Techno at a packed Music Hackspace.
Field Day 2016
Torrents of glitter, torrents of rain, torrents of talent, and lashings of politics as well as craft beer, turned Field Day into a truly heady brew.
ArtBeatFest - Day 2
The second day of #ArtBeatFest was stuffed with hotly-tipped artists, from country punk to dream pop, electro and rock. Put together by ArtBeat Promo, along with The Zine, Panda Power and Kitmonsters - our reviews team checked out these rising stars at The Amersham Arms in London.
ArtBeatFest - Day 1
The first #ArtBeatFest was a two-day thrill-a-minute rollercoaster at The Amersham Arms in London, featuring bands across all kinds of genres, from Hyper-Pop through to Electro and Garage Rock. With a booking policy of future festival headliners, and spearheaded by ArtBeat Promo, along with The Zine, Panda Power and Kitmonsters, the all killer no filler lineup was stuffed with the stars of tomorrow.
ReVu Video Editor App
It promised a lot and delivered even more - the ReVu Video Editor app launched to massive acclaim, even from an audience of cutting edge musicians and technologists. It gives you quick fix video editing for iPhone, iPad, and GoPro cameras, and Scanner (Robin Rimbaud) was one of the Beta testers.
New School of Music Business
The new School of Music Business in London offers musicians short courses from tutors at the top of the industry, as well as giving something back in the form of grants from The SMB Fund. With courses ranging from starting a label, to music PR, social media success, and starting a music blog, plus media training from Kitmonsters’ own Terry Tyldesley, there’s a wide range of expertise. We spoke to the founder Matt Errington - an artist manager, music journalist and music business specialist - to ask him about the school, and give us his top tip for musicians.
Vi Subversa - a tribute
Musician and author Helen McCookerybook was mentored by Vi Subversa of Poison Girls, and pays tribute to the punk legend.
NAMM 2016 - Portrait reviews
Kitmonsters NAMM Show 2016 Review, by Portrait (Rania Kim).
NOISE - new app from ROLI
ROLI launched their NOISE app today to instant acclaim. No wonder - it’s technologically stellar, an intuitive sound-making machine, and unputdownable. It was hard to tear ourselves away from it.
DADA Machines
DADA Machines are coming for you in 2016 - an exciting toolkit for making sounds. Creator Johannes Lohbihler showed the DADA kit at Music Hackspace, and soon had everyone making music.
Kingsley Chapman and The Murder, @ Sebright Arms
Kingsley Chapman and The Murder at Sebright Arms, London, 24th November, supported by James Brute and Avalanche Party.
Killing Joke at The Roundhouse - Review
Killing Joke at The Roundhouse, London, 6th November 2015
#SaveTheMale ALPHA exhibition for CALM
Leading musicians such as Professor Green, Gary Numan and Brian Molko have collaborated with award-winning photographers for an exhibition called ALPHA that is in aid of the charity CALM - Campaign Against Living Miserably.
The Besnard Lakes @ Sticky Mike’s, Brighton
The Besnard Lakes @ Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar, Brighton, November 2015.
Adventures with a 3-string - Vulpestruments style
Inspired by playing some one-of-a-kind DIY gear at a Machines Room DIY and unusual instruments jam, I booked onto a Vulpestruments workshop run by Tom Fox. The aim - to learn about building instruments and come out with a playable 3-string in just a few hours. Little did I know it was the start of an adventure that would lead to a high tech hack at Music Tech Fest.
Ableton announce Push 2, Live 9.5 and Link
Ableton has announced the immediate release of the new Push, alongside Live 9.5 – a free update for all Live 9 users. It’s inviting owners of the original Push to take part in a trade-in that offers a saving on the new version, plus Ableton is introducing Link, a new technology that lets you play in time with multiple instances of Live and a growing number of iOS apps.
Abbey Road Red launch
Like a music innovation adrenaline shot, Abbey Road Studios launched music tech incubator scheme Abbey Road Red with a bang. The night included a groundbreaking first project, a standout performance featuring Matthew Herbert, and a chance to get hands on with some great gear, all showcased in the historic Studio 2 where The Beatles recorded.
Abbey Road Innovation night
Abbey Road Studios’ Jon Eades announced new Abbey Road Red innovation and incubator scheme earlier this year, at Music Tech Fest in Sweden. Ahead of the official launch of Red this month, he held a showcase that included Tim Exile.
Muse secret show @ The Electric Ballroom
Muse @ The Electric Ballroom, Camden, London, 11th September
The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing - album launch
The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing @ The Barfly, Camden, 9th September 2015
Sleaford Mods talk Dismaland and release Tarantula remix
Sleaford Mods play Banksy’s Dismaland on Friday 18th September, after a string of festival successes. They’ve released a remix of Tarantula Deadly Cargo ahead of the show, and Jason Williams talked about the Banksy event and how they got involved.
iRig Mic Studio - Review
The iRig Mic Studio is another IK Multimedia triumph - a beautifully-engineered, super compact, high quality USB condenser microphone that’s great to use.
ROLI Seaboard Rise - new instrument and MIDI controller
ROLI has just launched the Seaboard RISE and it’s a dream to play. A groundbreaking, beautiful, and sleek piece of design with unique features, that’s the most affordable expressive MIDI controller and instrument yet.
Test Dept - Total State Machine book launch
Test Dept - Total State Machine book launch, 16th July 2015, Rough Trade East. Q & A chaired by Luke Turner, The Quietus. Live re-working of Test Dept classics by Scanner.
Suicide: A Punk Mass
Suicide: A Punk Mass, 9th July 2015, The Barbican Centre London, Station to Station.
Rolo McGinty of The Woodentops reviews.
Music Tech Fest Scandi - Day 3
The final day of Music Tech Fest Scandi - the festival of music ideas - in Umeå, Sweden, was both inspiring and thought-provoking. It saw kids hacking, new instruments for more accessible music-making, the Hack Camp awards, and some memorable performances including LJ Rich mixing it up with cocktail master Emil Åreng.
Music Tech Fest Scandi - Day 2
Day Two of Music Tech Fest Scandi - the festival of music ideas - in Umeå, Sweden, included the launch of new music format TJAY, an amazing performance from Graham Massey, Scanner and Jason Singh, plenty of new music tech and hacking. The next Music Tech Fest is #MTFCentral and takes place in Ljubljana, Slovenia 18-20 September.
Music Tech Fest Scandi - Day 1
Music Tech Fest Scandi - a festival of music ideas - took place in Umeå, Sweden, and proved the biggest and best MTF yet, with new formats, performance and stunning music tech.
GarageBand 10.1 - new features
While the Apple Music launch has been attracting a lot of attention, Apple has also just put out a new version of GarageBand for Mac with features aimed at dance and hip-hop music-makers. These include new loops, patches and drum kits as well as the ability to share from GarageBand straight to Apple Music Connect via the iOS app.
Sleaford Mods and Derek Walmsley at the ICA
What makes a Sleaford Mod? If you listen to the post-punk / hip-hop duo talk through a few of their favourite tracks and artists, some truths emerge. With The Wire Magazine’s Derek Walmsley on interviewing and DJ duties, the ICA Culture Now event was a chance to get some insights into the band’s formative years and influences ahead of the Sleaford Mods’ highly anticipated next album release. ‘Key Markets’, their fifth album, is out on 24th July on vinyl, CD and download.
Chirp - sharing data through sound
We had a great look at the latest from Chirp when we were at Music Tech Fest Scandi. Chirp is like a sonic barcode - it sings data and lets you share links, pictures, payments and more between devices, using the Chirp app. Currently crowd-funding through Crowdcube, we talked to founder Patrick Bergel and iOS developer Manabu Shimada about the new Chrome extension, Chirp Composer, future plans, and their SoundCloud hack at MTF Hack Camp.
Blancmange - live @ Red Gallery, London
“Back to the present now; as opposed to the future”, says Blancmange’s Neil Arthur, backed by his three piece. Like a nonchalant Lancastrian time traveller, this inventor of EDM, materialises onstage to a wild enthusiasm, that almost takes him by surprise.
Femme - SOS single launch
Femme claimed the futurepop crown at her SOS single launch at The Lexington - delivering an exuberant mix of slick vocals, edgy electronic beats, and songs that stick, including the new release.
iRig Mic Field - Review
The iRig Mic Field promises to make field recordings rock - whether they are band videos, music recordings, or audio of things in fields. We tested it in different situations and found it to be a brilliant and compact piece of kit, great for all kinds of high quality field recordings.
Gazelle Twin @ Electrowerkz - Rolo McGinty reviews
Gazelle Twin played Baba Yaga’s Hut at Electrowerkz, London. Rolo McGinty of The Woodentops reviews.
Beardyman Dream Team Sessions
Beardyman’s new Dream Team Sessions kicked off at The Jazz Cafe in London, billed as ‘you make up the track titles, Beardyman and his very special guests make the album’. Part of his ‘album in an hour’ project, the first night featured guitarist Gary Lucas from Captain Beefheart, Andy Gangadeen from The Bays/Massive Attack/Chase & Status on drums and percussion, and solo bass player Steve Lawson, whom we’ve interviewed before. Rolo McGinty from The Woodentops, reviews.
Music Tech Fest from Paris to Sweden
Music Tech Fest is back, from 29-31 May in Umeå, Sweden. With the latest in music tech, plus performance, a hack camp and jam sessions, it’s another don’t miss event. Artists already confirmed include Scanner, Laura Kriefman with Guerilla Dance Project, and Kenneth Alewine’s Performing Melancholia, a visual music experiment with an automaton. Exciting new band merch technologies, sound artists, instruments and digital platforms are all featured too, and tickets are free. Here’s a look at some of the highlights from Music Tech Fest Paris to give you a feel for what to expect.
Tricky, Gazelle Twin, Rival Consoles @ Convergence
Tricky, Gazelle Twin and Rival Consoles were a huge draw at Convergence Festival, playing in the magnificent surroundings of St John at Hackney Church.
DIY and unique instruments jam
New maker space Machines Room in London hosted an amazing DIY and unique instruments jam recently - it’s going to be taking place monthly, and there’s also a ‘Scrapitar’ making workshop this Saturday 21st March.
Sherwood & Pinch Album Launch
Packing a huge sonic punch, bass dons Sherwood & Pinch launched their album Late Night Endless with a thrilling live show, that was a compelling mix of dub, dubstep and more. It was a very special night for the crowd, at the intimate Ramsgate Music Hall in Kent.
Desperate Journalist album launch
Desperate Journalist generated huge excitement ahead of their sold out album launch at The Lexington, with even their peers calling them the future of indie music. Their exhilarating, euphoric and intense post-punk is amazing live, and the album a must-have release.
Wolfgang Flür talks Kraftwerk at Ditto Campfire
Wolfgang Flür held the audience spellbound at Ditto Campfire in London, with anecdotes from Kraftwerk days, tips for songwriting, and some of his new music. Electronic musicians at the packed out event included Neil Arthur from Blancmange, and Jon Fugler from Fluke, and it proved to be a great night. Wolfgang played percussion in Kraftwerk from 1973-1986, has written a book called ‘I Was A Robot’, and has a music project called Yamo, as well as DJ-ing and working on collaborations.
Xmas Wish List 2014
Bands and artists we’ve interviewed, from Sleaford Mods and Martyn Ware through to newcomers Deux Furieuses and dressmaker, tell us what they want under the Christmas tree - from things practical to spiritual.
Top Ten Gigs of 2014
The live music scene is in spectacular health, especially at grass roots level - and our team went to some stonkingly good shows in 2014. We saw plenty of newer bands who are more than ready to headline music festivals, and should be doing great things in 2015. Here are our favourites.
HOW Music - Launch Event
The HOW Music collective brought together some brilliant music industry people and performers for a day of workshops, talks and one to one advice, in a bid to start making the music industry more diverse, and redress the underrepresentation of women in music. Held at Red Bull Studios in London, participants ranged from up and coming musicians to bands with a buzz around them, wanting to move up to the next level, and people wanting to work on the business side of things.
Slaves @ The Victoria, Dalston
Garage punk duo Slaves have had a brilliant year, from their single release ‘Where’s Your Car Debbie’ in early 2014 - an instant classic - to a string of high octane gigs and now a place on the BBC’s Sound of 2015 list. At a great show at The Victoria Dalston, they played fan favourites and some new ones too.
Bandcamp subscriptions - Steve Lawson’s take
Bandcamp is piloting a new subscription system for artists - a whole new way to sell your music. Acclaimed solo bass artist Steve Lawson is testing it out and we asked him to tell us all about it.
Songs About Women - Compilation Album
Songs About Women (in the 21st Century) is an exciting compilation album that will be launched on 15th November at Rhythm Factory in East London, with performances from six of the featured bands. It’s been compiled by post-punk band Gertrude who have selected great acts from around the country. The varying genres include electronic and experimental music, and a Focus E15 poem, and many of the artists have been championed by BBC Radio 6 Music and XFM. The theme is what it means to be a woman, and Gertrude say the musical insights range from the personal to the political: the bitter sweet to the lyrical. The album is free to download, and we asked them to tell us more about the project.
Playing Poland - Jordan Reyne
Playing foreign territories is always exciting. Polish audiences are receptive, open, and willing to book music that does not fit in boxes. When you stand on stage in Poland, everyone stops what they’re doing. When you stop what you’re doing, and your set is over, they usually ask you to continue!
Sleaford Mods @ 100 Club
Hot on the heels of our interview with Sleaford Mods, we caught them live at the 100 Club in London. An evening of mighty and brilliant sonic mayhem.
Music Tech Fest London - Day 3
We bring you the third day and final installation of our coverage of Music Tech Fest London 2014. It is safe to say we were completely blown away by the variety of innovation in all the projects. It was also particularly exciting to see the results of the Hack Challenges, both with adults and young people alike. The tender age of some of the participants was by no means a barrier to their creativity and technical abilities!
Music Tech Fest London - Day 2 Later
Animations, an app battle, new instruments and even a new genre - Gunk (geek punk) were all vying for attention as Music Tech Fest day 2 progressed.
Music Tech Fest London - Day 2
The second day of Music Tech Fest 2014 kicked off in true hybrid style, and featured exciting collaboration, innovation and experimentation.
Deux Furieuses, Mourning Birds, Dana Jade @ Alleycat
With three bands fast carving out a name for their blistering rock, Rocklands TV put together an amazing bill at Alleycat in London’s Denmark Street. Deux Furieuses, Mourning Birds and Dana Jade made for an incredible evening.
Vinyl epiphany - Benbo
A couple of Thursdays ago I watched Mandy Parnell cut the lacquers for the first publicly available Pink Lizard Music vinyl – Pablo’s ‘Feels Like.’ It was an amazing and surprisingly emotional experience.
Gerard Rada Nedich - hears Liam Howe talk Logic Pro X
Gerard went to the Apple Store in Regent Street, London, for an event with Liam Howe:
“This was my first Apple Store event. I wasn’t sure what to expect but was pleasantly impressed. If you are at all curious about an artist or product, in this case Logic Pro X and Liam Howe (Sneaker Pimps, Lana Del Ray, FKA Twigs etc) I’d definitely recommend attending an event.”
Music Tech Fest London - Day 1
Music Tech Fest London 2014 launched with an incredible mix of technology, performance and probing of the future of the music industry. With everything from brain hacking to playable interactive artist merchandise, wearable tech and new business models, it was a compelling first day.
Thunderplugs are go - WIN some new ear protection
We met the Thunderplugs inventors at the NAMM show and loved their nifty attenuated (filter) earplugs. We found out more about their story, and also tried them out. Here’s the info, and you can WIN some in an easy to enter competition too.
Keith Levene’s new album fundraiser
Keith Levene is a legend in the punk world and beyond. A founding member of The Clash and PiL, he’s now raising money to record Commercial Zone 2014, which he describes as the missing 4th PiL album, and which will feature new material too. He’s got pledge rewards up for grabs on Indiegogo, including one of his guitars. Judging by the eight-minute bootleg track he sent out as an extra to pledgers, the album is going to be brilliant. We talked to Keith, who’s on twitter as @missingchannel, ahead of a rare public appearance at a Ditto Campfire session.
SXSW - Luis ‘Turbogeist’ Felber’s 2013 diary
What happens behind the scenes at SXSW? Luis Felber from party punk rock and rollers Turbogeist shared his SXSW diary and pics with us, from the band’s trip last year. Turbogeist have been touring with Radkey, and their new single is Comatose from their debut album, out later this year on Spinefarm.
Artist Development
We went to a fantastic Artist Development Masterclass Day organised by Generator at Roundhouse Rising 2014, designed to promote new talent and give artists support and advice. The event featured top managers, radio presenters, YouTube experts and more and was full of practical tips and quite a few surprises. We’ve pulled out some of the things that stood out for us.
New music gear preview - NAMM
We’ve been at NAMM 2014, the leading music gear show, that takes place in Anaheim in California. We’ll be bringing you choice cuts of some of the 5,000 brands that were exhibiting, and a taste of the exciting instruments and technologies that lie in wait for the coming year. Here are some early highlights and short videos from the preview day. Follow us on twitter, and check out Facebook for more updates.
Wanted
Trying to find a new band member, or a band to join? Or other music-related stuff wanted/offered? Email us with a pic, some info, and your location, and we will feature you here. It’s free. hello@kitmonsters.com
Review - PocketStrings
PocketStrings is a compact device that’s designed to let you practice anywhere. It’s aimed at guitar players at any level. It comes as a 4 fret version for chords, and a 6 fret for chords and scales. Singer/songwriter Avert Francis tried out the 4 fret model.
Lyric videos made easy - Superstring app
We’ve checked out a brilliant new app for making lyric videos easy. It’s called Superstring and it’s the first app by new tech company Simplest Ways. Making any kind of music video can be tough on resources and time. Lyric videos are a great way to get your music on YouTube, and they’re popular with fans who want to be able to sing the songs. We asked London indie electro band Feral Five to give Superstring a try on their new single Strung Out.
Dressmaker
dressmaker played a blinder at underground venue Tipsy in Dalston, London. The four-piece were simply phenomenal - think Joy Division into noise rock. They have a new single out - The Future - and are releasing an EP in June. Definitely ones to watch for 2014.
Pussy Riot Freedom Compilation
Pussy Riot Freedom Compilation is a new album of great electronic tracks donated by members of female:pressure to raise money for the two imprisoned Pussy Riot members. As hopes mount that Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina will be released, the fundraising goes on to support them and their families.
Lampost Gullivers - album launch
We were tipped off about The Lampost Gullivers and their “gnarled, brutish, blues metal” and vocalist that “scares the living shit out of anyone he manages to make eye contact with”, and pitched up at the launch of their debut album All Your Worldly Schmutter on Marble Ears Records, held at The Stags Head in Hoxton, London, home to many an arresting new underground band.
Helen and the Horns - CD launch
Helen McCookerybook’s band Helen and the Horns played a blinding gig at The Lexington in London to launch their album Footsteps At My Door. We talked to music guru and New Wave star Helen about the band, her favourite guitars, and took some pics at the show.
Xmas wish list!
We asked some of our featured artists what they want for Xmas and got some fascinating answers. New kit, old classics and fantasy gear - from a space bass to wireless shakers!
Reverse it! New software launch REV
It’s always great to see something truly innovative, and today sees the launch of REV, designed by Gregg Lehrman and his team at Output. It’s going to get producers, composers and artists really excited - saving hours of time - as it offers you tons of instruments, loops, rises, pads, pulses, and swells all in reverse, in real time. Not to mention the supersonic stutters!
Orange Amps go pink for Breast Cancer Campaign
Orange Amps are putting a unique amp up for auction on eBay tomorrow. It’s an electric pink Crush 20LDX. They are raising money for Breast Cancer Campaign.
Scorching bands at Clit Rock 3
Clit Rock organisers always pull together some of the best rising female rock talent in the UK for their fundraisers, and the third in their series was a scorcher, featuring Deux Furieuses, Dana Jade and The Pearl Harts.
Indie and rock explosion in Yorkshire
Yorkshire’s indie and rock music scenes are positively thriving. With great bands and venues across key areas including York, Hull, Leeds, Sheffield and Bradford, there is talent collectively busting a gut to be heard and seen.
Dreadzone - Live at Scala London
Dreadzone kicked off their UK tour with a blistering set at London’s Scala, to launch their new Escapades album.
Hudson Taylor - Osea EP
Dublin duo Hudson Taylor have built a huge following for their pop-folk guitar-driven sound. We talked to the brothers about new single ‘Care’ from their Osea EP - named after a tucked away island that’s their song-writing haven. The EP is out on Polydor, and there’s a 15-date headline tour in November.
Dreadzone - Too Late feat. Mick Jones
Dreadzone are about to release a great new single - Too Late - that features Mick Jones on guitar and backing vocals. It fuses dance, rock and dreadness with a killer sample to make a swaggering track that embeds itself in your brain. We talked to Greg Dread about the single, and new album Escapades, ahead of the band’s tour.
TouchKeys
The latest new instrument to catch our eye is TouchKeys, currently going down a storm on Kickstarter. It turns a piano-style keyboard into an expressive multi-touch control surface, using sensors and software to give you power over pitch, volume and more on any individual key. It gives you a range of new sounds, and you can use it with synth emulations too. You can fit it on your own keyboard or buy one ready-made. We talked to creator Andrew McPherson.
Hot bands from the North - August
Dom Smith runs alternative culture magazine Soundsphere, based in Yorkshire. Here are his latest hot tips for up and coming bands.
Music Tech Fest - Day 3
The 2013 Music Tech Fest was an incredible event, especially on the final day when the Music Hack Camp awards were presented, with hacks ranging from new instruments to a remix. Here are some of our highlights from Day 3, including Ableton’s new Push instrument, and guitars and synths made from ‘upcycled’ computer game instruments. The sessions were filmed and the videos are on the main Music Tech Fest site. We will be bringing you a second report as there was so much going on!
What’s Next Musicians’ Conference - Promote Yourself Session
There’s an exciting What’s Next Musicians’ Conference coming up in Los Angeles on 10th August, and you can get free tickets. The conference is one of a worldwide series of events organised by Line 6, Topspin Media and industry leaders, to talk about the business and give practical tips. The series kicked off in London where Kitmonsters put together a panel about how to promote yourself, using social media and other strategies. The conference featured workshops and a discussion with music experts.
Review - Apple MacBook Air 11”
We got our hands on a new Apple MacBook Air 11” to put through its paces, and find out how you can use it to cover your musical bases from making through to performing.
Hot Bands in the North
Dom Smith runs the ace alternative culture magazine Soundsphere, based in Yorskhire. Soundsphere spotlights local and international musicians, and has launched its own free app. Dom is an evangelist for local talent, and has picked some of his favourite northern bands for us. There’s some amazing music here and we’re listening closely to his every word!
What’s Next Musicians’ Conference - Line 6, Topspin, Kitmonsters & more
There’s an exciting musicians’ conference coming up in London on 6th July, and you can get free tickets. The What’s Next Musicians’ Conference is a worldwide series of events organised by Line 6, Topspin Media and industry leaders, to talk about cutting edge tech and ideas, and give tips and info to musicians. Kitmonsters is hosting a session at the London event called ‘Promote Yourself’, with music industry experts giving advice on promotion and social media.
Marv-ill Superlungs - Beatboxing Bird unmasked
We met “Beatboxing MC” Marv-ill Superlungs a while back, and marked him out as a talent to watch. Now he’s captured the nation’s imagination, as the beatboxer behind the Beatboxing Bird ad for First Direct. We’ve just filmed a brilliant interview with him, and can testify that he’s not called Superlungs for nothing! Here’s a little taste of what’s to come.
Music Tech Fest - Day 2
The second day of the amazing Music Tech Fest was full of surprises. Here are some of our highlights including new instruments such as The Seaboard Grand, music economy inspiration from Brazil, performances and very practical band help. All the while Music Hackers were mixing top bands’ stems, cocktails, and coding. Our report from Music Tech Fest - Day 1 is here.
Win - a Line 6 StageSource Loudspeaker System
Win a Line 6 StageSource™ L3t – 1,400-watt 3-way Powered Loudspeaker System with Embedded Smart Speaker Technology. The world’s most versatile loudspeaker system for musicians - a prize worth over £1645
Music Tech Fest - Day 1
The second, and sellout Music Tech Fest had a huge buzz about it. Mike Skinner (The Streets, The D.O.T.) sent over his latest aiff files, RCA Records supplied a load of stems for the Music Hack Camp hackers to play with, and there were amazing speakers. There was so much new stuff to do, see, hear and think about that we’re doing a separate blog for each day. Here are some of our highlights from Day 1, including Alex Allmont’s Lego sculptures that play rhythms, EMI’s strategies for artists, and live performances.
Guitar gallery
Guitar makers have been pulling out all the stops at recent shows, with eye-catching new axes - one-offs, limited editions and full production numbers. We’ve pulled together some of our favourite designs.
Tunetrace App - play pictures
Today we were introduced to Tunetrace, a brilliant and fun app by Ed Burton, that plays what you draw.
GarageBand app gets plug-in happy
There’s been a big development in Apple’s GarageBand app, that’s opened up a whole load of exciting new musical horizons. You can now join your favourite apps up and record them into GarageBand for the first time. We checked it out with Yellofier and made some tunes.
Ty in the studio
It was great to go to producer and rapper Ty’s creative nerve centre and film him with longtime musical partner/co-producer Drew Horley of The Lab Studios. Ty was saying hello to his mate Professor Green just as we arrived.
Vine time - Porter Robinson’s iPhone trick
Kitmonsters’ pick of music Vines - today it’s technobeat supremo Porter Robinson:
“weird iphone talkbox trick for those of you who don’t mind putting phones in your mouths.” @porterrobinson
Deux Furieuses at The Water Rats
Deux Furieuses’ huge visceral rock sound pins you to the wall. Their thrilling residency at The Water Rats in London has seen them dubbed “The half way point between PJ Harvey and the White Stripes”, and founding member of PJ Harvey, producer and drummer Rob Ellis, was checking them out at their most recent gig. The next Deux Furieuses show is on 2nd May.
Hot gear for drummers on show
There was loads of hot kit at the recent music trade show in Frankfurt - Musikmesse - and some top drummers playing it too. Here are some of the things that caught our eye.
Music, Blogging and Social Media event
In spite of dodgy weather and major news events, the London Bloggers Meetup on the theme of Music, Blogging and Social Media was packed out. Bloggers, music biz types and techno heads all wanted to learn more about making the latest tech trends work for them over a couple of drinks in a cosy North London bar.
The Penelopes’ audacious David Bowie remix
French synth pop duo and disco lovers The Penelopes - Axel Basquiat and Vincent T - have done an audacious unofficial remix of David Bowie’s Let’s Dance, to “honour our hero”. It’s had an amazing response and is in the top 50 of the most popular tracks on Hype Machine, which aggregates the favorite songs of music blogs all around the world.
Ninja Jamm Remix app launches
Billed as a Beat Junkie’s ultimate gadget, the Ninja Jamm remix app has had a lot of thought, love and cracking tunes poured into it. We can’t keep our hands off it it’s so much fun! Matt Black of Coldcut and Ninja Tune who devised it, is known for pushing music tech forward whether it’s with cutting and sampling, or VJ-ing software. He says Ninja Jamm carves out a new space between DJ apps and other music/studio apps, and is good for artists too. Ninja Jamm download here.
Win a Boss DD-7: the delay pedal that’s also a looper
The Boss DD-7 Competition is now closed, but you can sign up to our mailing list for news of new competitions, events and more.
Vuvuvultures launch ‘Stay Still’
Vuvuvultures launched new single Stay Still with an electrifying show at The Lexington in London.
Gibson Guitar highlights
Gibson unveiled some exciting new models across all their ranges at The NAMM Show, from the ultimate Les Paul Tribute, to a glossy new Studio, Frank Zappa SG and unusual acoustic. Take a look.
Music, blogging & social media - LBM with Google+ & Kitmonsters
Online presence - love it or hate it, is essential and a great tool for artists. With endless new platforms and apps it can be hard to work out where to be and what to do. So the Music, Blogging & Social Media event organised by the great London Bloggers Meetup for 9th April, is pretty timely. James Howard from Google+ is on the panel, along with Kitmonsters’ Terry Tyldesley and Andrew Dubber, music industry advisor, digital expert and Professor of Music Industries Innovation at Birmingham City University.
Latest fold up V-Drums from Roland - TD-4KP
Can you fit a gig-ready drum kit in a bag? Roland say yes, and we got them to prove it. Their new electronic TD-4KP is aimed at established drummers who want to use their own kick pedal, and have a flexible and portable kit.
Sign up! Treats in store
We’re cooking up some great plans - if you want to get access to exclusive events, gear tryouts, offers, and be the first to have news about competitions and Kitmonsters deals, then sign up to our mailing list. We promise we won’t bombard you with stuff (or sell your details to anyone).
Planes on tour
Planes have been whipping up a storm on their UK tour. Fronted by Steve Forrest (Placebo’s drummer), the compelling five-piece play beautifully-formed hook-laden alt blues-rock that we’ve no doubt will thrill festival audiences this Summer. Fans flew in from across the world for their date at Birthdays in East London and they had the crowd spellbound. They’ve a new single ‘Set It On’ out soon and we’ll be bringing you some great interviews.
Bass! London Bass Guitar Show
The London Bass Guitar Show 2013 had something for everyone - top bass players, kit debuts, masterclasses, jams and more. Here are some of the highlights of our visit.
NZCA/LINES & MOSCOW YOUTH CULT Live
NZCA/LINES is Michael Lovett’s shimmering synth-pop project that combines uplifting pop melodies with R&B beats, lush arrangements and multi-layered harmonies. His first album NZCA/LINES got rave reviews and was dubbed ‘debut of the year’ in 2012.
Wheelharp Wonder
The mighty Wheelharp caused quite a stir when it launched at The NAMM Show with its pedal-controlled string action, extraordinary sounds and Steampunk styling. People were queuing up to have a go on Antiquity Music’s beautiful new machine.
Orange reveal new valve tester
Orange Amplification built up anticipation big time at The NAMM Show, inviting people to the launch of a ‘revolutionary new product’. After their innovative Orange OPC amp/pc/studio-in-a-box, no-one knew what to expect. The product they unveiled - the DIVO VT 1000 valve tester - turned out to be a study in sleek pared-down design that will help a huge number of musicians, studios, amp retailers and makers.
Americana - 3D printed guitar
3D printed guitar guru Olaf Diegel loved his first visit to The NAMM Show. It was a chance to show off his latest model with 3D Systems’ Cubify - the incredibly intricate Americana - and to enjoy the procession of top guitar players trying out his creations.
Orbit - Space age wireless MIDI controller with accelerometer
One of the most exciting pieces of kit we saw at NAMM was the world’s first wireless hand-held MIDI controller with accelerometer. It’s by Numark who make a ton of kit for DJs but we think it has huge potential way beyond DJs, and the ‘game-controller on steroids’ approach makes it really easy to use.
Save Ministry of Sound campaign latest
Legendary London music club Ministry of Sound says it is under threat from a housing development. Music lovers across the world are being urged to support the pioneering dance music operation before 26th February when London Mayor Boris Johnson will make the decision that could kill it. We spoke to Ministry’s CEO Lohan Presencer for the latest news.
Latest Gretsch guitars
We’ve noticed Gretsch guitars are getting really popular with up and coming bands, and there were some exciting new models unveiled at NAMM including the ‘Center Block’ range - for Gretsch’s 130th birthday.
She Rocks Awards
The first ever She Rocks Awards, set up by The Women’s International Music Network to take place at The NAMM Show, really rocked! The inspiring event started with a mass vocal warm-up, honoured some amazing women in the music business and finished with a stunning performance by Orianthi, Nik West and drummer Brittany Maccarello.
New Stylophone S2
There’s been huge excitement at the Stylophone S2’s NAMM Show debut, with an exclusive Union Jack edition as well as the standard black model. The classic compact analog synth that’s part of so many musicians’ toolkits, has been “maxed out” in a feature-packed version that’s compact and portable, easy-to-use and at a good price point. Designed by the son of the original inventor too, and with David Bowie to thank!
Bonzo Bash - John Bonham tribute for NAMM 24th Jan
The hottest ticket in rock right now is for the Bonzo Bash NAMM Jamm 2013 - a tribute to legendary Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. A ‘who’s who’ of the greatest rock drummers will perform Led Zeppelin songs with an all-star house band in Anaheim, CA. Drummers from Iron Maiden, Korn, Slayer, Whitesnake, Anthrax, Scorpions, Dream Theater and Alice Cooper will all be there, plus plenty more. Who’s playing what track is a closely-guarded secret!
New from Zildjian
Zildjian are launching a host of cymbals and more, from new inventions to updated classics and even Ringo Starr drum sticks! Here’s a whizz round their latest collection, being unveiled at NAMM, in their 390th birthday year.
Natalie McCool at The Lexington, London
We caught up with Natalie McCool when she played The Lexington in London. We interviewed her a little while back and it was great to see her latest live set.
Review - Steinberg Cubase 7
Steinberg have brought out their hotly anticipated new version of the Cubase production tool - the verdict? An excellent upgrade packed with useful new features and tools!
Delia Derbyshire Day
Legendary electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire is being celebrated with a day of events in Manchester on Saturday 12th January, including specially-commissioned new music that will also be played in other cities too.
Review - Arturia Spark Dubstep
French software + English Samples = Killer beats for EDM and dubstep
Happy New Year!
Wishing you a great 2013! We’ll be bringing you plenty more bands, kit, producers, custom stuff, reviews, tips and music tech to make it a great year.
Happy Xmas!
Here’s hoping you have a great festive season! Huge thanks to all the amazing people who have helped get the site off to a flying start. There’s plenty more to come - roll on 2013!
Ditch backing tracks, make machine
Vuvuvultures’ music is very much a combination of experimenting with sound in the studio, and the live energy of writing and performing an actual song. As a result we always found playing live to be a bit of a challenge as in order to incorporate the sounds we had made in the studio we tended to have to use a backing track.
3D Printed guitar guru Olaf Diegel’s 2013 vision
Olaf Diegel is the world’s 3D Printed Guitar guru, marrying innovative structures and designs, with tried and tested guitar hardware. His highly customisable 3D Printed guitars made with 3D Systems caused a sensation at the 3D Print Show in London, and will be shown at The Namm Show in California for the first time this year. We talked to Olaf about his plans for 2013 and heard about some amazing new ideas.
Pandit Ravi Shankar 1920 - 2012
If one man can be said to have brought Indian music to the west, that man was Ravi Shankar.
The Woodentops’ remastering quest - Rolo McGinty
Pulling together The Woodentops’ tapes for their new album, sounds like some kind of knightly quest - with tasks ranging from hunting down lost dance mixes by legends such as Arthur Baker, to oven-baking fragile masters. The indie dance rock gurus have launched the 3-CD set ‘Before During After’, on One Little Indian Records, to great reviews, and there’s a new album due in 2014.
Music Production Show - with Producer Paul Rez
The Music Production Show at Emirates Stadium in London is a hot ticket - the global launch of Steinberg’s Cubase 7 is a huge draw, but there is plenty more on offer. We went along on the first day with Paul Rez - Producer, multi-instrumentalist, acclaimed ‘Analogue Witchcraft’ sample library creator and Vuvuvultures band member, to check out the latest kit. The event runs today - Saturday - too.
Kit Session - Roland Jupiter-50
Two amazing artists, Amir Amor - a top Producer who is also in the blisteringly hot band Rudimental - and acclaimed multi-instrumentalist Laura Kidd from She Makes War, launched our Kit Session video series with a visit to Roland UK and a good look round the new Jupiter-50 synth. Gareth Bowen from Roland, who also plays with Tricky, showed them all its special features for studio and live, and they asked the questions - finding out the things that artists need to know.
Finding ‘Lost Women of Rock’ - Helen Reddington
Helen Reddington AKA pioneering musician Helen McCookerybook of The Chefs is an expert on women in the early punk scene and wrote the gritty and compelling ‘The Lost Women of Rock Music’. We talked to her about her book, and her latest research.
Inside Fender’s new Artist Showroom
Fender have opened an exciting new Artist Showroom in London for leading musicians to come and try their latest gear. Featuring everything from Pawn Shop series specials, to a Fender Amp Bar, as well as a stage, it’s a great space. We were shown round the latest kit, the amp room and given an insight into how the Johnny Marr signature Jaguar guitar was developed.
First 3D printed acoustic guitar - the inside story
Design guru Scott Summit and 3D Systems’ Abe Reichental whipped up a storm when they launched the world’s first 3D printed acoustic guitar. Scott is an award-winning industrial designer who counts Apple, Nike, and Palm among his clients at Summit ID, and is known for revolutionising the world of medical prosthetics. Yet he loves playing guitar, has been in bands, and recorded albums. We had an in-depth chat with him at London’s 3D Print Show where he was showing his instrument designs, and he told us about building the acoustic prototype, spectral analysis of The Clash’s London Callling, and future plans for democratizing production.
Kit Session - Roland INTEGRA-7
Two incredible artists, Amir Amor - a top Producer who is also in Rudimental - and multi-instrumentalist Laura Kidd from She Makes War, launched our Kit Session video series with a visit to Roland UK and a good look round the new INTEGRA-7 rack synth. Gareth Bowen from Roland, who also plays with Tricky, showed them all its special features for studio and live, and they asked the questions - finding out the things that artists need to know.
Guitar Hacker’s Halloween
For the most part, guitars are very much like people: it is generally agreed that it isn’t a great idea to open them up unless you know what you’re doing. I’m no surgeon, so it is with a growing sense of horror that I find myself sitting at the kitchen table surrounded by the body parts of my beloved. However, it is the aim of this series of blog posts to share my reflections on the murky world of guitar customization and hopefully inspire others to experiment themselves, rather than scare everyone off with cautionary tales of instrument-murder.
The London Drum Show - by Eddie Harris
I’ve played drums for 12 years, have lived in London for 3 years & love leering at shiny drum kits that i’ll never be able to afford. Somehow these things have never culminated in me going to The London Drum Show. Finally, last weekend I went to the place that, in theory, should be utopia for me. I think that any place that hands out ear plugs as standard on arrival you can’t quite describe as utopia, but it’s definitely how I picture my afterlife.
Making Minefields performance video - She Makes War
This week marks the launch of my new single “Minefields”, the latest to be released off my second album “Little Battles”. The video introduces some of my latest musical collaborators and is She Makes War’s first foray in to performance videos - I have shot them for others and appeared in them in the past but never before for this project.
Bringing boutique kit back to Britain
Guitars are very important to me. I have spent a large portion of my time and emotional energies in guitar stores, looking for the new, novel and personal. It is this fascination that brought me to Tim Van Tassel’s house in Golden Valley, Minnesota. My girlfriend’s family comes from Minneapolis and we were going to see them. Our journey planned for August, I picked up the phone and called Tim out of the blue. I said I was a fan of his work from England and wanted to help out, could we meet? He seemed keen though a little surprised and frankly I felt the same. I could sense that feeling familiar to guitar fiends of being reeled in on the hook that one has baited.
The Inevitable Rise of the Keytar
If there is one thing that will give a band an unchallengeable advantage over their peers and win them the instant respect of the audience it’s a synth dude (or dudette) who has risen to the occasion and strapped on a keytar. You wear the ‘tar: you win. It’s that simple.
Remix Snow Patrol Competition from Shure
How often do you get your hands on the stems of a track from a top-selling artist? Shure have launched a remix competition for the Snow Patrol track ‘Fallen Empires’ from their album of the same name. Turn them techno, acoustic, dubstep… anything goes. The isolated vocal and music stems are all being made available, and Snow Patrol will pick the winners, who get vouchers to spend on Shure kit.
Nineboys Guitars Downhome Pop-up shop
Pop-up shop mania hit London last week as London Fashion Week and London Design Festival collided in a maelstrom of party madness. So hats off to Nineboys Guitars who launched a guitar pop-up called Downhome for their new Downhome range, as well as show-casing prototypes like a crazy Jack Daniels machine. The launch party featured filthy blues and metal from the Tin-Tone Army - Motorhead’s Ace of Spades on biscuit tin guitars was brilliant. Josh from Nineboys jammed using the hit of the night, The Wedge, and Stu and Chris Da Lipz played cigar-box guitar and harmonica. Downhome runs at 64 Clerkenwell Road, EC1M 5PX until 9th October, and here are some pics of the latest kit.
House concerts - new research by Andrew Howie, Calamateur
During the final year of a music degree course, I was asked to write an independent research paper on a topic of my choice. Rather than write an essay purely for the sake of a good mark, on a topic that had already been written about many times before, I was keen to explore a contemporary issue directly relevant to independent musicians, one which genuinely interested me - house concerts.
Latest hot kit at Gibson
We dropped by Gibson’s UK HQ to check out their latest guitars. From a 12-string Les Paul to the new Firebird ’70s Tribute and a Grace Potter Signature Flying V, there was loads to investigate, including some guitar furniture! We’ll be back at Gibson soon for some filming.
Tales From The Bridge
Martyn Ware launched the stunning “Tales From The Bridge” in July, a 3D soundscape collaboration covering the length of the Millennium Bridge in London. The mesmerising piece was commissioned by the Mayor of London for the London 2012 Olympics. We filmed behind the scenes - with riggers more used to rock stadiums, dangling over the Thames - and asked Martyn how he and the team, including Grammy winning composer Eric Whitacre, and poet Mario Petrucci, created the work. There’s more from Martyn on making his Human League and Heaven 17 hits on our bands page.
Whales in Cubicles Single Launch
Whales in Cubicles are making plenty of hot lists right now, from XFM to Artrocker, Daniel Radcliffe AKA Harry Potter, The Independent, the BBC’s 6 Music and The Sunday Times. They launched their new single Nowhere Flag this week at Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen. The jaw-dropping video - in which they blow up London - has already had a huge response. We’ve got some pics from the gig. Full video interviews and kit talk here.
The Penelopes
The Penelopes - Axel Basquiat and Vincent T - make shimmering electro pop, with plenty of indie influences. Originally from Paris, they moved to London to finish their new album Never Live Another Yesterday. It was mixed by The Vaccines/Scissor Sisters/Lana Del Ray collaborator Dan Grech-Marguerat who was seduced by their international yet very French sound, and features Laura Kidd as guest vocalist. The Penelopes love playing live and Axel has a gorgeously growly deep voice as well as the kind of stage persona that sees him dubbed “The Black Iggy Pop”. The duo are playing a series of London gigs this month including one for Oxjam at the Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen on 25th September.
Inspiration is Everywhere
Last week I found myself in The Chambers, a cellar bar in Folkestone, drinking ale and watching the most surprising music.The place was packed - but not with gig goers. One section of the bar/restaurant housed long tables filled with cheerful diners out on work or birthday dos while on the far side people stood chatting near the bar. In the middle Lewis Floyd Henry sat on a wooden chair, playing to a small but intent group of music lovers.
The Fresh & Onlys - Free Track
Great filming with Tim Cohen and Shayde Sartain of The Fresh & Onlys today when they were in London. The San Franciscan musicians told us about some pretty interesting kit and plenty of funny stories. From pawn shop specials to beaten up guitars, we were gripped.
Neon Indian’s mini synth and competition
We managed to get hold of one of chillwave pioneer Neon Indian’s mini analog synths a while back. It was so exciting, but the PAL198X came in bits and we wimped out of putting it together for far too long. The synth was designed by Neon AKA Alan Palomo and the wonderful Bleep Labs, and Alan held a competition for PAL sounds. A rainy Sunday afternoon in London and we set to work.
Feral Tagging
Tagging – that nightmare point in your upload when you have to pin yourself down. Some places give you wiggle room as a musician, others are more prescriptive. How do you make the most of the process? When Matthew Hawn, Last.fm’s VP Product, gave a cutting edge talk on tags at the amazing Digital Shoreditch festival, we were all ears. You need to know this stuff and not just in relation to Last.fm.
