Where would you be without music? What role does it play in your life? How do you discover new music to keep your soundtrack fresh?

It’s no secret that the world of music has changed a lot in our lifetimes. While the World Wide Web has made things seem a mile wide, it can often feel like it’s only an inch deep.

Technology, of course, drives the way that music is made and enjoyed. If you’ve been around long enough, you’ve gone from vinyl records to 8-tracks and cassettes to CDs to iTunes and on to streaming. Oddly enough, while most of those formats have been left behind, vinyl records have managed to hang in there through it all.

David Bowie was always known as someone who had his finger on the pulse of culture and a keen eye towards the future. He famously predicted many years ago that one day music would be served up like water out of a tap. Without naming it, he saw the modern faucet known as Spotify quite clearly.

Call me old-fashioned, but personally, but when it comes to music, I prefer to own, not rent. The idea that your collection disappears if you stop paying a monthly subscription to a corporation for the privilege of listening to the music you love just doesn’t sit right with me.

So while streaming apps offer vast variety and modern convenience, what are some other ways to broaden your musical knowledge in today’s world?

Near and dear to my heart are the DJs offer up their music for free on live streams. Last night I listened to an old friend from the rave days who streams live once a month on the full moon.

DJ Garth was one of the original Full Moon Party DJs here in the San Francisco Bay Area, part of a crew that made our underground scene here famous. Unlike many of his peers, he’s continued to collect records and prefers to play vinyl only. Purists like him are what have kept the pressing plants producing dance vinyl going all these years.

Garth live-streams every full moon for several hours on Mixlr. It’s audio-only, and the chat is very old school with nothing more than text or emojis. Since seeing a DJ on a webcam is about as exciting as watching paint dry, it’s enough to simply listen and occasionally chime in on the thread.

I play records from my collection for a few hours at a time at least once a week on Mixlr as well, and it’s a real pleasure to have a few of my conscious dance facilitator friends listening in and asking about tunes that are new to them.

There’s no playlist posted in real time, so if I’m tuned in and hear something that appeals to me, I see if Shazam can identify it, and about half the time it can. Shazam, as most of you know, is a mind-boggling tool that can identify music within seconds, especially if it’s a well-known recording.

When it comes to underground dance music, live sets, or rare disco, it often comes up short. But it nails it often enough to be worth a try, so it’s a valuable part of my musical discovery toolbox.

Another super-cool app or website that I highly recommend is Radio Garden. Terrestrial radio continues to thrive all over the world, and nearly every broadcaster out there provides an Internet stream.

With Radio Garden, you simply see a map of the earth with little points of light for every broadcast. It’s an amazing way to drop in on different cultures and explore the world through the lens of music. Plus, it’s totally free and doesn’t even demand a login.

A lot of radio stations post their playlists in real time. Two of my favorites, KALX and KEXP, stay up to the minute with their track IDs, which is a huge help in learning about new releases and unknown artists. And then of course there is KCSM for jazz.

I like to indulge in the old-school pleasure of keeping their studio telephone line saved in my phone, so sometimes when I’m really hyped on the selections of DJ is playing I will call in and let them know. I used to DJ on college radio, when you’re alone in the studio there’s nothing better than hearing from listeners.

As dancers, we’re well aware that good music is a necessity. There’s a natural thirst for novelty and an ongoing desire to learn about what’s new. At the same time, your appreciation of a favorite album can get deeper with every listen. I have records that I’ve probably played 1000 times while making dinner or during a DJ set.

Music is an essential seasoning in the great stew of life. However you choose to enjoy and maintain your connection with it is up to you. Whether or not you believe that there is a ghost in the machine, you can rest assured that there are still plenty of living breathing human selectors and DJs out there, making it their passion to find, play, and discover new music with you.

Much love and musical magic till next week!

Merci et à bientôt!

M+

ML #627

Mark Metz
Monday Love
Music & Movement Calendar