BSOTS 181 - Creative Commons Sightings Of Kool Keith And DJ Harrison

All comments, questions, and general feedback can be sent to radiobsots@gmail.com.  Record a voice message and send it my way or leave one at the Speakpipe page!

Visit the BSOTS Linktree for all the podcast and social media platforms.

This episode's track list (title / artist / source / license):

1.  Electric Mind Ft. Kool Keith by The Polish Ambassador [Bandcamp] (CC BY-NC 3.0) (2023)

2.  City Swagger by DJ Harrison [blocSonic] (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) (2012)

3.  Shades, Fades & Blaze by DJ Harrison [blocSonic] (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) (2012)

4.  I'M GOOD by Yung Miss [Bandcamp] (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) (2019)

5.  Life Is But A Dream (featuring Kara Square) by J.Lang [ccMixter] (CC BY-NC 3.0) (2022)

6.  BESPOKE ft. Wallace by Close Counters [Bandcamp] (CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0) (2019)

7.  garden of destruction by niteffect [Bandcamp] (CC-BY-NC-ND 3.0) (2022)

Another Creative Commons crate dig session uncovers seven gems from under the underground.  Over on Bandcamp, The Polish Ambassador of Jumpsuit Records creates a low-slung electronic instrumental with hip-hop leanings for Kool Keith (a.k.a. Black Elvis) to glide effortlessly over.  It's like he beamed in from another galaxy or something.  In Melbourne, Australia, the Close Counters duo crafts an uptempo selection for the dance floor, hovering somewhere between house and broken beat.  And then there's niteffect from Budapest, offering a downtempo cut with acidic synth patterns and breakbeats that waft in and out of the mix.



It was over a decade ago that DJ Harrison's '94 Flow album came out on the blocSonic netlabel.  It still sounds amazing, especially when you consider a statement that repeats throughout the album:  "There are no samples on this record."  The first time I heard that, I remembered thinking to myself, "Stop lying to me."  That's how frighteningly talented and in the pocket DJ Harrison is.  He makes the type of funk and soul that people will be sampling 15 to 20 years from now.  Meanwhile, the rap and R&B hybrid cut from Yung Miss is a West and East Coast connection produced by Mr. Ivory Snow of Connecticut (Yung Miss hails from California).  This one knocks, and it screams heavy rotation for rap radio.

Seven songs.  Thirty-five minutes of your time.  Here's hoping the music will prove that this episode is time well spent.

Other key info:
BSOTS 176 - BUCKWILD: learn from it...
Queue Points episode no. 112 - The Transatlantic Connection
Queue Points episode no. 113 - The Power Of The Drop
Tha Bloc Report

BSOTS theme music by Cy Tru (edited by Macedonia).  ID drops courtesy of India from Astronauts of Antiquity, Mr. Ivory Snow, and Kahlief Adams of Spawn On Me.

Background music by SoulProdMusic from Pixabay.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

BSOTS 180 - In Conversation With Douglas Whitfield (pt. two)

 

All comments, questions, and general feedback can be sent to radiobsots@gmail.com.  Record a voice message and send it my way or leave one at the Speakpipe page!

Visit the BSOTS Linktree for all the podcast and social media platforms.

This episode's track list (title / artist / source / license):

 1.  The Comet (Featuring Shred Lexicon & The Real Munch) by Headsnack [blocSonic] (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) (2023)

2.  Infornography by Revolution Void [Free Music Archive] (CC BY-NC 3.0) (2006)

3.  Rich People by Carsie Blanton [Bandcamp] (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) (2022)

4.  Truth Serum by CM & The Silent Partner [blocSonic] (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)  (2021)

5.  Kaikou (Bittersweet) by Satori [Upitup] (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) (2023)



The Free Music Friday to beat them all is finally upon us.  Happy Netlabel Day, everybody!

Serious gratitude and respect going out to Creative Commons Community Music Awards co-founder Douglas Whitfield for getting in touch with me last month to have this conversation about CC licenses, netlabels, and so much more.  In part two of the interview, he talks about the CC Listening Parties that he co-hosts on YouTube alongside Donnie Ozone, an event that grew out of the artistic standstill caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.  In addition, he shares some ambitious plans for a CC Community Music Hall Of Fame slated to premiere in 2026.

Once again, there's great music to accompany the conversation, including a single from Headsnack that blocSonic has released for this year's Netlabel Day.  Other musical selections include the cabaret protest stylings of Carsie Blanton, the jazz meets electronic music musicianship of Revolution Void, the unbeatable hip-hop combination of CM & The Silent Partner, and a gorgeous after hours instrumental from Satori (taken from the new 20th Anniversary Compilation from Upitup Records).

Thank you so much for listening and I hope that you found this interview as informative as I did.  Don't forget to head on over to the Netlabel Day site and discover more great music!

blocSonic artists mentioned in this episode include:

Ant The Symbol
Louis Lingg & The Bombs
MVMX
Pot-C
Viktor Van River

Other key info:
BSOTS 179 - In Conversation With Douglas Whitfield (pt. one)
CCCMA Listening Party Season 1, Episode 1
Bandcamp Daily:  Exploring Japanese Netlabel Deep Cuts
clongclongmoo
Ryno The Bearded
Lorenzo's Music

BSOTS theme music by Cy Tru (edited by Macedonia).  ID drops courtesy of Kahlief Adams of Spawn On Me and Mr. Fitz of Techniken Defunkus.

Background music by SoulProdMusic from Pixabay.

 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

BSOTS 179 - In Conversation With Douglas Whitfield (pt. one)

 

All comments, questions, and general feedback can be sent to radiobsots@gmail.com.  Record a voice message and send it my way or leave one at the Speakpipe page!

Visit the BSOTS Linktree for all the podcast and social media platforms.

This episode's track list (title / artist / source / license):

 1.  Beached (Featuring Martin Bogren, Johannes Hehrmann & Jero Castella) by Spiedkiks [blocSonic] (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) (2022)

2.  Senseless Song by Natasha Beller [blocSonic] (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) (2018)

3.  Ideas Of Singularity by ƘÏÐ ƉΔŦΛ [Abstrakt Reflections] (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) (2021)

4.  On The Edge (featuring Javolenus, SackJo22, Ezra Skull, Kara Square, & The Concept of Energy) by Wiseman [ccMixter] (CC BY-NC 4.0) (2023)

5.  Potzilla Inda Middle (Featuring Pot-C) by Spiedkiks [blocSonic]  (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) (2022)

Alongside my lifelong obsession with sound and an undying allegiance to music, there is a genuine interest in that place where technology, copyright, and music all meet up.  The life that I want to live involves three things:  music appreciation, sonic curation, and media preservation.  The more that I hang out in the world of Creative Commons licensed music, the more it seems like this world covers all three of those factors.  

This episode just fell into my lap suddenly.  It was three weeks ago that Douglas Whitfield contacted me about appearing on the podcast and making the rounds to a few shows prior to Netlabel Day.  It was the perfect opportunity to learn more about Creative Commons music and the licenses that these works are released under from someone who is immersed in that world far more than I am.  Doug is one of the co-founders of the CC Community Music Awards and used to co-host the Music Manumit Podcast alongside Tom Ray of the band Lorenzo's Music, interviewing other CC musicians and tech developers for several years.  He also works as a contracts manager for blocGLOBAL alongside Michael Gregoire (founder and owner of the blocSonic netlabel).  On top of that, he's also a co-host of the weekly CCCMA Listening Party on YouTube, showcasing videos from CC musicians from across the globe.

Admittedly, there are times during this interview where things can get a bit technical, particularly when talking about the CC licenses themselves and how they function.  However, I hope that this episode (along with the next one) can serve as a beneficial resource for those just finding out about the world of CC music and want a more intricate explanation of how it all works.  Speaking of music, a handful of tunes break up the conversation here and there, including an introspective electronic tune from the Abstrakt Reflections netlabel, a bouncy and sample-happy groove from the CCMixter community, and three from blocSonic (including a pair of tunes from 2023 CCCMA winners Spiedkiks).  This one's a bit different from how things usually go on the BSOTS podcast feed, but I think that the change of pace is one that came at the right time.  I certainly hope that you enjoy the featured musical selections and that the information shared on this episode is both interesting and helpful.

Other key info:
Tha Bloc Report Episode 30: The Doug Whitfield Episode
Ryno The Bearded
Headphonica netlabel
Queue Points Podcast

BSOTS theme music by Cy Tru (edited by Macedonia).  ID drops courtesy of Fave and EJ Flavors (may they rest in power).

Background music by SoulProdMusic from Pixabay.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

BSOTS 178 - Creative Commons Gems From Public Enemy And Nikki Giovanni

 

All comments, questions, and general feedback can be sent to radiobsots@gmail.com.  Record a voice message and send it my way or leave one at the Speakpipe page!

Visit the BSOTS Linktree for all the podcast and social media platforms.

This episode's track list (title / artist / source / license):

1.  Old Futuro Blues by Yoko Absorbing [Free Music Archive] (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

2.  Zo0o0o0p​!​!​! feat. Oddisee by Kidkanevil [Bandcamp] (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)

3.  All I Know (Featuring Big Remo and The Hamiltones) by Wals [blocSonic] (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

4.  Dance of Contradictions by Isak Gaines [Bandcamp] (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)

5.  Ridiculous Love (wetSkin Hot Summer ReMix) by Niki J Crawford [Jamendo] (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)

6.  In The Spirit Of Martin by Nikki Giovanni [Free Music Archive] (CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0)

7.  Get Up Stand Up (Featuring Brother Ali) by Public Enemy [blocSonic] (CC-BY-NC 3.0)

Looking back over the last ten shows for the BSOTS podcast feed, eight of them featured at least one Creative Commons licensed tune.  Even after more than 15 years of podcasting, the CC music landscape still feels like largely uncharted territory for me, which is probably why I've felt the need to dig through the online crates to see what I can find.  In addition, I've been listening to prior BSOTS episodes from over a decade ago, revisiting the music that I have played on the show and taking note of the songs that still sound great to me so that I can reintroduce them on future episodes.  This show marks Camp Lo-Fi's long overdue return to the feed and is where my CC music appreciation agenda kicks into high gear.  The seven songs featured are a mix of tunes from prior BSOTS episodes alongside selections receiving their first spins, cutting across genre and released between 2009 and 2023.

The blocSonic netlabel opened my eyes and ears to the world of CC licensed music.  It was through their netBloc series of compilations that I was introduced to a network of artists and online labels, most of it (if not all) available to freely download and share.  The blocSonic offerings in this episode are courtesy of last year's album from Wals and a stellar cut from Public Enemy (as heard on netBloc vol. 44), featuring the always on-point lyricism of Chuck D and special guest Brother Ali.  Another notable hip-hop moment is "Zo0o0o0p​!​!​!," the brief but absolutely banging cut from Kidkanevil featuring Oddisee, a ridiculously talented emcee and producer whose music I've been championing on this show for well over a decade.  Isak Gaines moves us into the unpredictable and experimental side of jazz with "Dance Of Contradictions," a song that sonically lives up to its title.  A bouncy yet broken groove for the first half of the song gives way to a beatless abyss of sound effects and saxophone screeches before bringing the hammer down with a distorted bass line and a defiant horn section.

Niki J Crawford's "Ridiculous Love" was an unexpected surprise that I stumbled upon over on Jamendo, a sultry soul offering made all the more seductive with the wetSkin Hot Summer ReMix.  It's percussion heavy with a slight Brazilian influence and a breezy shuffle topped with acoustic guitar strums and Niki's powerhouse vocals.  Yoko Absorbing's "Old Futuro Blues" is a short, sweet, and somewhat off-kilter cut that lives in repeated moments of loops, locked grooves, and live instrumentation.  And there's probably no better example of the sonic treasures waiting to be discovered over at the Free Music Archive than live recordings of legendary poet Nikki Giovanni.  "In The Spirit Of Martin" is her ode to not only the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but to the struggle and perseverance of the Civil Rights movement as a whole.

If you're Creative Commons curious but have been unsure where to start looking, hopefully episodes like these can demystify this world of music one song at a time.  Thank you so much for listening.

ID drop courtesy of DarrenKeith. Theme music by Cy Tru (edited by Macedonia).

Background music by SoulProdMusic from Pixabay.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Radio BSOTS show # 177 - pause. (for Jason Mizell)

 

("J-A-Y are the letters of his name..")

All comments, questions, and general feedback can be sent to radiobsots@gmail.com.  Record a voice message and send it my way or leave one at the Speakpipe page!

You can subscribe to Radio BSOTS via the following options:
RSS feed ||| Apple Podcasts ||| Spotify ||| Google Podcasts
Amazon Music ||| Stitcher ||| TuneIn ||| iHeartRadio

Connect with Camp Lo-Fi via social media: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

 

This episode's track list (title / artist / source / license):

1.  "Way Back When (Featuring Chuck D)" by Just Plain Ant [blocSonic] (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
2.  "30​:​5 / moonshine ft. chadah​-​hadassah" by Yashiyah [Bandcamp] (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)
3.  "Larger Than Life" by Jazz One Beats [Dusted Wax Kingdom] (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)
4.  "Jazzweek" by Arze Kareem [Jamendo] (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)
5.  "Ignition" by Mute Speaker [Bandcamp] (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)
6.  "91 NITES" by Tha Silent Partner [blocSonic] (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
7.  "Road Warriors" by The Impossebulls [blocSonic] (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
8.  "LoveSigns" by Makaih Beats [Free Music Archive]  (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

For the past two decades, "pause" merely existed as long-form commentary on the BSOTS website.  Roughly a week after Jam Master Jay's murder, the bile in my belly fueled a rant in my brain and it all came spilling out onto my computer keyboard.  More emotional than logical, it wears my sarcasm and cynicism like spike-studded armor.  I'm definitely in my "I said what I said" bag here, back when I had no problems taking an either/or approach when dividing music into rigid yet subjective categories like "commercial" vs. "alternative" and viewing hip-hop as if it were a sonic civil war with only two sides:  "conscious" vs. "gangsta."  I had one foot out the door of the culture and the music when I wrote this and it shows.

Creative Commons licensed tunes break up the commentary, featuring selections from netlabels like blocSonic and Dusted Wax Kingdom as well as cuts scattered across Bandcamp, Jamendo, and the Free Music Archive.  The blocSonic cuts include guest verses from Chuck D of Public Enemy and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels of Run-DMC.  The sound of dusty vinyl underneath certain parts of the commentary comes directly from a project entitled This Is The End, Beautiful Friend by File Under Toner.  The description of this project on the Free Music Archive begins with the following question:  "Are the hiss, crackles, and pops on records protected by copyrights?"  All of the featured sounds are from the locked grooves at the end of various records, which get messed with using delay, reverb and other audio techniques.  I thought that these works added just the right amount of tension at certain times, more than traditional background music would.  The locked grooves running into themselves in this circumstance just sound so stark, like it's occupying the space where Jam Master Jay's cutting and scratching used to reside.

I live with me all the time, enough to know that the longer I hold on to this episode, the more that my own doubts and anxieties will keep me from releasing it into the podosphere, so I have to let it go.  It's going to do whatever it does.  Here's hoping that you will give this one a shot and consider it time well spent.

ID drop courtesy of Kahlief Adams. Theme music by Cy Tru (edited by Macedonia).

Background music:
Charlie Dreaming - Soft Hypnotic
qpe - milk
Ezekiel Honig - Plastic Rumblings
Vanity (Instrumental) by BADLUCK (CC BY 4.0).

Other key info:
Macedonia on Mixcloud
BSOTS on Bondfire Radio
Queue Points Podcast: Episodes 77 and 78
Hip-Hop Can Save America:  Parents Just Don't Understand

Radio BSOTS show # 176 - BUCKWILD: learn from it...

 

(above) Album cover for Oracles by Sir Tumes.

All comments, questions, and general feedback can be sent to radiobsots@gmail.com.  Record a voice message and send it my way or leave one at the Speakpipe page!

You can subscribe to Radio BSOTS via the following options:
RSS feed ||| Apple Podcasts ||| Spotify ||| Google Podcasts
Amazon Music ||| Stitcher ||| TuneIn ||| iHeartRadio

Connect with Camp Lo-Fi via social media: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

This episode's track list:

1.  Sir Tumes - Amiri
2.  Phresoul - Institutional Violence
3.  DJ Spooky - Check Your Math (CC BY 3.0)
4.  4TUNE - Ain't About That
5.  Big La Vs. Todd - Just Leaving This Here (Outro)
6.  J.Lang - The King Alford Plan (The Reality Remix) (CC BY 3.0)
7.  Rashad thaPoet x The BeatHead - Remain Awake (CC BY 3.0)
8.  V-RAM - Peripherie (CC BY 4.0)
9.  Talons' - Dead Elm (CC BY 3.0)
10. Rabbi Darkside x Isak Gaines - White Lies (CC BY 3.0)
11. A.Moss - NOBADMON (CC BY 4.0)

A few months ago, I came to the conclusion that I use my podcast feed like a pop-up shop, disappearing for indefinite periods of time until I have something to share with the public and then returning to the podosphere without so much as an alert or hardly an announcement.  Parts of my being remain 100% unapologetic about that.  For someone who's been podcasting since August of 2005 with the initial hopes that this show would reach as many listeners as possible, one would think that I wouldn't have such a disdain for online public interaction.  Then again, I can't remember the last time I've attended a podcasting conference.  Maybe it's a sign of getting older, maybe it's just a result of me doubling down on my hardcore introverted tendencies ever since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

Late in the month of June, I got this burst of inspiration and recorded some voiceovers, which sat untouched on a SD card for almost two months before I started editing them.  Seeing as how the month of August is an anniversary month for Radio BSOTS, I suppose it makes sense that the final push to get this episode out is happening now.  The songs featured on this one were released between 2013 and 2021, the majority of which came out in 2020.  Seeing as how America and the world is still in the midst of the aftereffects of that catastrophic year, that's probably not a coincidence, either.  A number of these selections reflect the racial strife that came to a head two summers ago along with a lyrically critical eye on Trump's presidential agenda (never mind the perpetual state of the  pandemic that we're still not out of, but a large section of humanity pretends isn't really a thing anymore).

So this is my summer offering from Camp Lo-Fi.  Eleven songs plus a 17 year-old blog entry equals 49 minutes of your time, served up in a BSOTS GONE (buck)WILD style.  (Admittedly, the music does the heavy lifting.)  Hopefully, you will consider it time well spent.  Thank you for listening.

ID drop courtesy of Kahlief Adams. Theme music by Cy Tru featuring Jonny Sonic. 

Background music:

MUTE - Eeekin Days (CC BY 4.0)
BADLUCK - Vanity (instrumental) (CC BY 4.0)

Other key info:
Macedonia on Mixcloud
BSOTS on Bondfire Radio
Rhythms In Black Satin
Chillcast Lovespirals Guest DJ Special Feature
BSOTS 173 - BUCKWILD:  how i spent my summer staycation...
BSOTS 175 - Does Music Belong In Podcasting?

Radio BSOTS show #175 - Does Music Belong In Podcasting?

 

All comments, questions, and general feedback can be sent to radiobsots@gmail.com.  Record a voice message and send it my way or leave one at the Speakpipe page!

You can subscribe to Radio BSOTS via the following options:
RSS feed ||| Apple Podcasts ||| Spotify ||| Google Podcasts
Amazon Music ||| Stitcher ||| TuneIn ||| iHeartRadio

Connect with Camp Lo-Fi via social media: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

This episode's track list:

1.  Mos Envy - Faded (Featuring Izabu) (CC BY 4.0)
2.  CM & Tha Silent Partner - Problems (CC BY 4.0)
3.  Tab - Lush (CC BY 3.0)
4.  Proviant Audio - Mushrooms (CC BY 3.0)
5.  Mega Ran - Proto Culture 2​.​0 (feat. Del The Funky Homosapien) (CC BY 3.0)
6.  Amerigo Gazaway - Hero of Time (CC BY 3.0)
7.  Pandacetamol - Vanguard (CC BY 3.0)
8.  Laetitia Sadier Source Ensemble - Undying Love For Humanity (CC BY 4.0)
9.  Moki McFly - Eternal Recurrence (CC BY 3.0)
10. A-Grav Lab - Spacewalkers (CC BY 4.0)

Should anyone have any doubts as to what my answer is to the question posed in this episode's title, please know that it's a resounding YES!  I had a Frank Zappa album title in my head while creating this show (Does Humor Belong In Music?), but ultimately it's a reaction to all of the DMCA takedowns issued to podcasters by the RIAA last year and this year.  In fact, I received an unauthorized material notice of my own early on in 2020 (for a song that I never played), and now seems like the perfect time to finally share that story.  In addition, I talk about the days when resources like Podsafe Music Network and IODA Promonet were still around, back when it felt like the term "podsafe music" was more concrete and not some abstract theory or intangible concept.

All of the songs featured in this episode are Creative Commons-licensed tracks, meaning that they're all free to download, to share, and to enjoy.  Some come from netlabels like blocSonic, Mahorka, and Kahvi Collective while others were found over at Bandcamp, Jamendo,  and the Free Music Archive.  It's a mix of hip-hop and electronic cuts including a pair of gamer jams and even a live cut from 2017 featuring Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab fame.  I think this episode is the right one for Camp Lo-Fi to ease its way back into the podosphere.  

(By the way, the "podsafe artist" drops featured in this episode all date back to 2008. Outasight, Astronauts of Antiquity, and yes, Wendy & Lisa were all working with Ariel Publicity & Cyber PR at the time.  Shout out to Ariel Hyatt for her work in artist development for at least 25 years now.)

ID drops courtesy of Jonny Sonic, Darren Keith, and Kahlief Adams. Theme music by Cy Tru (edited by Macedonia). 

Background music:
qpe - milk
Charlie Dreaming - Soft Hypnotic
Rest You Sleeping Giant - Absent Minded
BADLUCK -Vanity (Instrumental)  (CC BY 4.0).

Other key info:
Macedonia on Mixcloud
BSOTS on Bondfire Radio
Ending The Americana Music Show
Calvin Relaunches The Americana Music Show