Photo and Feature Photo: Yuliya Libkina

Whether you dig the Spice Girls, The Strokes or Stockhausen, you’re bound to find something here. If not, just try one of the streaming / aggregate sites like Spotify or We7 for even more suggestions.

20 Jazz Funk Greats

Psychedelic disco, progressive, general freaky stuff.
http://www.20jazzfunkgreats.co.uk/wordpress/

Absolute Punk

Former Blink 182 fansite now ground zero for emo, punk and indie.
http://www.absolutepunk.net

Aquarium Drunkard

Justin Gage bridges the gap between contemporary indie, vintage garage, psych, folk, country – and a bit of New Orleans funk, r&b and soul.
http://www.aquariumdrunkard.com/

BBC

Every genre imaginable covered by the UK’s “Auntie Beeb”.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/music

Beat Electric

Specialising in boogie, rare disco, laser soul and proto house
http://beatelectric.blogspot.com/

Black Cab Sessions

A new “gig” each week – all performed in the back of a London black cab.
www.blackcabsessions.com

Black Classical

Jazz, funk and soul rarities with occasional great playlists/mixes.
http://blackclassical.wordpress.com/

Blackdown

Grime and dubstep covered in a consistently reliable fashion.
http://blackdownsoundboy.blogspot.com

Brooklyn Vegan

This NYC blog is international in scope, with news, show reviews, tour dates and MP3s.
http://www.brooklynvegan.com

City sounds

A mash-up of Flickr and SoundCloud and a device that lets users post their own songs makes for truly global listening.
www.citysounds.fm

Classical Archives

Browse by composer, performer, period, even instrument plus download MP3s and create online playlists.
http://www.classicalarchives.com

Closet Curios

Three writers covering modern composers and early electronic music.
http://closetcurios2.blogspot.com/

Cocaine Blunts

All things hip hop, from Roc Raida to Lil Wayne.
http://cocaineblunts.com

Cyclic Defrost

Electronic music, avant-rock, experimental sound art and leftfield hip hop.
http://www.cyclicdefrost.com

Daytrotter

No songs from recorded works here, but exclusive, re-worked, alternate versions of old songs and unreleased tracks by bands.
http://www.daytrotter.com

Dereks Daily 45

Think rare American and Northern Soul. Lots of it.
http://dereksdaily45.blogspot.com/

Donna Slut

Totally random, always fun. Click on some artwork and see what happens!
http://donnaslut.com/

Drowned In Sound

A revered British resource for all things indie-rock related and beyond.
http://drownedinsound.com/

FACT

Going since 2003, FACT is bursting at the seams with incredible dance music. Their free mixes are some of the best out there.
http://www.factmagazine.co.uk

Fluxblog

Matthew Perpetua has been posting MP3s nearly every day since 2002. He knows his onions.
http://www.fluxblog.org/

Freshly Served Hip Hop

Old skool, new skool, true skool. Plus mixtapes.
http://freshlyservedhiphop.com/

Good Bad Music

Interesting and obscure early punk tracks ripped from the original vinyl.
http://www.goodbadmusic.com/

Gorilla vs. Bear

Once described as “the New Yorker of hipster blogs,” these guys blog about relevant artists of the day, with no particular genre-specific focus.
http://gorillavsbear.blogspot.com/

Heatwave

Dedicated coverage of dancehall reggae, bashment and Caribbean rave.
http://www.theheatwave.co.uk

Hype Machine

The Hype Machine is an aggregator that keeps track of what music bloggers are writing about and handpicking the best.
www.hypem.com

I Guess I’m Floating

Highly lauded site for under-the-radar bands.
http://iguessimfloating.blogspot.com/

Last.fm

Type in your fave artist and Last.fm will stream free music by that act and others like it.
http://www.last.fm

The Love Unlimited

A collective-run site covering all things disco and house related.
http://www.theloveunlimited.com

Mapsadaisical

Experimental, electronic, avant-garde sounds.
http://mapsadaisical.wordpress.com/

MBV

Comprised of various renowned bloggers, this is the blog equivalent of a supergroup.
http://www.mbvmusic.com/

Melophobe

Boston-based site that runs great concert reviews from all over the world.
http://www.melophobe.com

Mondomix

Browse what’s happening in every corner of the planet via continent, or genre.
www.mondomix.com

Music For Robots

Minimal techno, indie rock, post-punk and hip-hop covered by a handful of contributors.
http://music.for-robots.com/

National Geographic Music

The musical branch of the lauded magazine. As global as you’d expect.
http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com

The Needle Drop

Rock, pop, electronic and experimental, with daily Youtube updates, podcasts, radio and blog posts.
http://theneedledrop.blogspot.com/

NYCTaper

Bootleg recordings of shows by the likes of Yo La Tengo and more, all posted with the artist’s permission.
http://www.nyctaper.com/

Orgy In Rhythm

Multiple bloggers writing about old and rare jazz, afro and Latin albums.
http://orgyinrhythm.blogspot.com/

Pitchfork Media

What to say? Increasingly dissed, Pitchfork still delivers on many levels.
http://www.pitchfork.com

Pretty Much Amazing

Daily mp3 updates, podcasts, mixtapes covering everything from LCD Soundsystem to Vampire Weekend.
http://prettymuchamazing.com/

Popjustice

Mostly mainstream pop, but famously tongue in cheek.
www.popjustice.com

The Quietus
Rock, pop and so much more. One of the UK’s best new music blogs.
http://www.thequietus.com

Resident Advisor

Alongside FACT, RA is one of the most reliable sources for electronic grooves.
http://www.residentadvisor.net/

Said The Gramophone

One of the world’s very first MP3blogs. Posts “really good songs” daily.
http://www.saidthegramophone.com

Slutty Fringe

Lots of hot electronic music of the dancefloor variety as well as the odd yacht rock tune.
http://sluttyfringe.wordpress.com/

Smithsonian Global Sound

A treasure trove of ethnological recordings and an incredible resource for world-music fans. Everything from Indian ragas to throat singing bands (plus or Alan Lomax’s field recordings of American folk artists).
http://www.smithsonianglobalsound.org/

Soul-Sides.com

Scads of soulful rarities and hip hop from professor and journalist Oliver Wang.
http://soul-sides.com

Spotify

Streaming access to a mindblowing amount of music, all legal and all without charge (though with ads).
http://www.spotify.com

Stereogum

Lots of news and MP3s on music of all kinds, from Phoenix to Devendra Banhart.
www.stereogum.com

We7

Nearly four million tracks. Allows you to stream, compile playlists and send recs to friends. Plus no registration!
www.we7.com

You And Me On Jamboree

Old School Jamaican Music: Ska, Rocksteady, Early Reggae, Calypso, Dub, Soul and some Roots Reggae.
http://youandmeonajamboree.blogspot.com/

Community Connection

Interested in the connection between music and travel? Hop on over to BraveNewTraveler and have a look at 8 Reasons We Love Music on the Journey.

Photo and Feature Photo: peletiah

Pioneers of the distinctly British genre Dubstep (the bass-heavy successor to the underground UK urban continuum that includes jungle, grime and garage), Hyperdub has been gorgeously unpredictable in delivering fresh, colorful takes on this most cutting edge of urban sounds, helping re-define it and bolster its reputation as a serious, anti-fad music form.

Famed for unearthing groundbreaking records by artists such as The Spaceape, Burial, Darkstar and King Midas Sound, the label is run by Kode9, aka Steve Goodman, a DJ / producer with a Ph.D in philosophy and a deep interest in (and knowledge of) sonic culture.

In fact, Goodman has gone so far as to write a book called “Sonic Warfare: Sound, Affect, and the Ecology of Fear“ (click the link for free sample chapters), which “maps a (dis)continuum of vibrational force, encompassing police and military research into acoustic means of crowd control, the corporate deployment of sonic branding, and the intense sonic encounters of sound art and music culture.”

Photo of Nocturne 4/Kode 9 & Spaceape: basic_sounds

Hyperdub parties are fairly rare and Saturday’s, which took place at Elephant & Castle’s Corsica Studios, was road-blocked from the outset. There were blistering live sets from Kode 9 and MC Spaceape (whose radical re-versioning of Prince’s Sign O’ The Times classic was the inaugural Hyperdub release), King Midas Sound (a collaboration between poet/singer Roger Robinson and The Bug) and Darkstar, plus DJ sets from Ikonika, Cooly G, LD, LV and Videeo.

The venue shook all night long with the constant barrage of deep, dirty bass and sci-fi style futurebeats, running the gamut from the wonky, glitch-filled hip hop of Michigan-born Samiyam, an iridescent set from Cooly G and some bad-bwoy grimy throwdowns from Kode9. The crowd were mixed, dedicated and friendly – a perfect night and one of the best parties I’ve attended the whole year in terms of music and vibe. It’s Monday and I swear my legs are still vibrating.

Living in techno-saturated Berlin, it’s easy to forget how edgy London can be. Hyperdub’s extravaganza was a stellar reminder that the capital still holds the title for the most forward-thinking and diverse clubland in the world. For an insight into the Hyperdub sound, check out their recent 5th anniversary compilation “Hyperdub 5,” Burial’s “Untrue” (declared one of the albums of the decade by many music sites), or King Midas Sound’s forthcoming “Waiting For You.”

You can go directly to a FACT Magazine podcast from King Midas Sound that includes a bunch of sweet reggae / lovers rock as well as tracks from Burial, Larry Heard, My Bloody Valentine, Sade and Scritti Politti. And finally, for your reading pleasure, here’s a brand new interview with the man behind the whole sonic revolution, Steve Goodman.

Go on – get dubbed up.

William Dreyton…or Flavor Flav? Photo: aon

Musicians Under 5’ 3”

Dolly Parton – 4′ 11″
Petula Clark – 5′ 0″
Paul Anka – 5′ 0″
Linda Ronstadt – 5′ 2″
Stevie Nicks – 5′ 1″
Paula Abdul – 5′ 2″
Debbie Harry – 5′ 3″
Bushwick Bill – 4′ 7″
Davy Jones – 5′ 3″
Lisa Marie Presley – 5′ 3″
Paul Simon – 5′ 2″
Phife Dawg (A Tribe Called Quest) – 5′ 1″
Bette Midler – 5′ 1”

Rappers’ Real Names

Vanilla Ice – Robert Van Winkle
Snoop Doggy Dogg – Calvin Broadus
Shaggy – Orville Richard Burrell
Tupac Shakur – Lesane Crooks
Guru – Keith Elam
Queen Latifah – Dana Owens
Shabba Ranks – Rexton Rawlston Gordon
Notorious Big – Christopher Wallace
LL Cool J – James Todd Smith
Foxy Brown – Inga Marchand
Chuck D – Carlton Douglas Ridenhour
Coolio – Artis Ivey
Flavor Flav – William Dreyton
Krs One – Kris Parker
Eric B – Eric Barrier
Rakim – William Griffin
Timbaland – Tim Mosely
Missy Elliot – Melissa Elliot
Slick Rick – Ricky Walters
Redman – Reggie Noble
MC Hammer – Stanley Kirk Burrell
Ice T – Tracy Marrow
Grandmaster Flash – Joseph Sadler
Doug E Fresh – Douglas Davies

(feature photo by on naughtymerrick)

Photo: megawatts85 with mods by Kate Sedgwick and licensed CC

Translation:The ATM company Bank Machine is offering their East London customers the option of using Cockney rhyming slang to withdraw cash for a period of three months at selected cash dispensers.

Yep, you read correctly. Users selecting “Cockney” as their preferred language are thus confronted with a Charlie Sheen that asks if you’d some moolah for ya sky rocket. It then asks for your Huckleberry Finn and how much you’d like to withdraw, among your options being a Speckled Hen. Oh, and if the machine tells you it’s contacting your Rattle & Tank don’t be alarmed — it just means it’s getting in touch with your bank.

While this novel approach may be entertaining, what of those who are unfamiliar with the east London “lingo”? Might not tourists end up in a right load of Barney Rubble if they press the wrong key after a few too many Vera Lynns?

The bank hopes to follow its Cockney experiments with Brummie, Geordie, Scouse and Scots ATMs – accents that many British people, let alone foreigners, often find difficult if not often incomprehensible (hi, Northern Scotland).

Do Bank Machine — who in fact hail from Scotland — really believe their ATMs are helping keep regional dialects alive in Britain, as they claim? Or are they merely trying to coax more users into paying the extra £1.50 most of their machines charge? At least Facebook were tongue-in-cheek when they introduced Pirate as a language setting.

As Roy Parker, a 62 year old Cockney commented in London’s Telegraph newspaper: “Real Cockneys don’t have bank accounts or all that palava…they put it under the mattress.” Could be he thinks they’re a bunch of merchant bankers.

Photo: a.drian Eyes of the baked bean, er, uh, Queen

Key:

Charlie Sheen – screen
moolah – money
sky rocket – pocket
Huckleberry Finn – PIN
speckled hen – £10
Barney Rubble – trouble
Vera Lynns – gins

For many questions and answers about Cockney rhyming slang, this is a good place to look.

Community Connection

Planning a trip to Great Britain? Be sure to check out Eva Holland’s Budget Travel Tips.

Feel like writing about your experiences traveling in England? Start your own blog at Matadortravel.com and start connecting with other creative travelers.

Feature Photo by jason.rojas, This photo still from Hooked on a Feeling video

August 13th

Today is a symbolic date for Berliners.

On this day in 1961, the border with West Berlin was finally closed by East German troops who were fed up with their citizens fleeing westwards. A barbed wire fence was erected, followed swiftly by a 100-mile length of prefabricated concrete that divided the city in half.

It stayed that way until 1989.

Here is another symbolic date: July 17th.

Xianfeng, Emperor of China was born on this day, as was Ismail I, Shah of Persia. But on this day in 1952 a different kind of man was born, one that would play a much greater role in human history. A man whose deeds would change and shape the world as we know it and would influence our lives in ways we have yet to realize.

That man is David Hasselhoff, otherwise known as “The Hoff”.

What has The Hoff got to do with The Berlin Wall? A lot, as it happens.

As the above footage shows, he not only helped bring it down and effectively bring an end to the cold war, he did so while sporting a leather jacket festooned with flashing light bulbs, and belting out his 1989 German chart hit “Looking For Freedom.”

“But he’s a terrible singer!” we hear you bleat. “He’s just a celeb! An actor!”

Wrong.

The Hoff is a certified Übermensch. He is a phenomenal individual who can run for ages in slow motion. He exudes more cheese than France and boasts a cult following – largely ironic, admittedly – to rival that of Chuck Norris. This is a man who once said he’d like to buy a castle just so he could call it The Hassle Castle.

Let’s not forget that The Hoff is the original hunk-in-trunks. Not only did he became famous for conversing with a car (Knight Rider) but he played LA lifeguard Mitch Buchannon so well that The Guinness Book of World Records has Baywatch down as the most watched TV show in the world with over 1.1 billion viewers.

What it doesn’t tell us is that most of them tuned in to gawk, awestruck, at The Hoff’s prodigious chest hair, which looks like someone paints his torso with glue and makes him do push ups on a busy hairdresser’s floor late on a Saturday afternoon.

Cynics may say The Hoff’s singing on the Berlin wall was simply a case of one unwanted erection dancing on another. Those same people would no doubt put the reunification of Germany down to the natural thawing of the cold war, the dissatisfaction of the East Berliners, the decline of the Soviet Union.

Not so.

Hoff’s role in Germany’s new-found unity cannot be overstated, as he himself pointed out by expressing indignation in this BBC article that there was no picture of him in the Berlin Museum at Checkpoint Charlie.

Despite going on to parody himself in movies like SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, Dodgeball (where he smashes a photo of himself in his Baywatch guise), and 2004’s A Dirty Shame (where he defecates in an airplane washroom), and despite hitting number 3 in the UK charts with his 2006 song “Jump in My Car” (following a hugely supportive – and again, largely ironic – internet campaign) life hasn’t always been easy for The Hoff.

There have been messy divorces, viral videos highlighting his drinking problems (see directly below), and that time he managed to fall asleep during a Live Interview with GMTV in the UK. So on this most symbolic of days we’d like to raise a glass to The Hoff – a truly postmodern phenomenon that, if he didn’t exist, would have to be invented.

Top Five Hoff Video Moments

Limbo Dance

Secret Agent Man

Pipex Advert

The Hoff Crying

Hooked On A Feeling

Top Five Hoff Websites

davidhasselhoffonline.com: a place for all your Hoff realted news
knight-foundation.com: a fan site that’s in earnest or tongue in cheek, or perhaps a little of both.
http://www.esquilax.com/baywatch.com A site that posits that the Hoff is the AnitChrist (you be the judge).
www.waxhoff.com (a site that lets you wax the Hoff)
www.davidhasselhoff.com, which claims to be “The official site for all things Hoff from all around the world!”

For this year’s Berlin Wall events check out: http://www.mauerfall09.de/en/home.html
And be sure to follow The Hoff on Twitter.

Thom Yorke of…On A Friday? Photo: tanaka

Talking Heads – Vague Dots
Police – Strontium 90
Earth, Wind And Fire – The Salty Peppers
Culture Club – Sex Gang Children
Dire Straits – Café Racers
Beach Boys – Carl And The Passions
Abba – The Engaged Couples
Spice Girls – Touch
Bee Gees – Wee Johnnie Hayes And The Bluecats
Nirvana – Fecal Matter
U2 – Feedback
Radiohead – On A Friday
Led Zeppelin – New Yardbirds
Blondie – The Stilettos
Depeche Mode – Composition Of Sound
Kajagoogoo – Art Neauvou
The Byrds – The Beefeaters
Status Quo – The Spectres
Oasis – Rain
Queen – Smile
Simon And Garfunkel – Tom And Jerry
Motorhead – Bastard
Wham! – The Executive
Teenage Fanclub – The Boy Hairdressers
Blur – Seymour

Community Connection:

Dig music lists? Be sure to check out Ten Motown Musts and our recent article about our Favorite Music Blogs.