Chris Pirillo » dj

How to Discover New Music

Chris — Wed, 27 May 2009 06:37:14 +0000

How to Discover New Music is a post from Chris Pirillo

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How do you discover new music? Don’t sit there and tell me you only like one type of music. You can’t just stop at some point in your life and decide you don’t want to listen to anything new. One thing I like about Pandora is that I can give it a specific genre or artist, and they’ll help me discover other artists that may be similar. I got an email from TJ recently who shared with us his top 5 list of ways to discover new music.

Find out who your favorite artists consider to be their inspirations. Chances are, you’re going to enjoy listening to them, as well. It’s easy to go online and find a biography of musicians you like. Those will usually include a list of names of the people who inspired them.
Listen to a lot of music on the radio, last.fm, or any other service. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a song on the radio that I liked, and wrote it down quickly to find later and purchase for my own collection. I tend to turn the radio to stations I might not normally listen to. That helps me broaden my scope, and allows me to find music I love that I might otherwise never have heard.
Get out and listen to local musicians. We musicians love all the followers we can get. Getting out and hearing them is always fun, and they love your support!
Join music-related forums. You’ll be exposed to so many different types of music that you may not have even heard of! Read what others are saying. If they’re raving about a new artist or song – check it out for yourself!
Trade music with others. I remember when I used to trade CDs with a good friend of mine. Just that summer alone, I was able to discover a ton of new things that I hadn’t heard before. I went from having only about 100 songs in my collection to more than 5000.

This same thing happened to me back in college. I traded CDs with a friend of mine. The name of a particular band was strange, but I gave it a chance. Turns out, I loved their music! By sharing the cassette tape with my friend, it turned me on to a whole new style of music… which turned into sales for the artist.

I want to consume music as I want to consume it. I’d rather “rent” the music, instead of owning it. That’s why I subscribe to Rhapsody’s service. I can pull up and listen to whatever I want, when I want it.

So my question again is “how do you discover new music”?

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How to Share Music and be Your own DJ

Chris — Tue, 05 May 2009 07:20:34 +0000

How to Share Music and be Your own DJ is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I am quite literally all over the musical map. I’ll listen to any kind of music. Inevitably, I’ll be playing a song and someone has to ask who sings it. Then, of course, they want to know how to download the song. There’s a different service now that you can use to share your music with others! Check out Blip.fm!

Blip lets you basically create your own music station! Enter your DJ name, and your email address – and go! I’ve known about this service for awhile now. I never bothered to feature it, because I hadn’t signed up for an account. I thought it was about time to sign up for an account, so that I can help people figure out what songs I’m listening to.

Now you can easily follow along and listen to the music with me. You’ll know who the artist is, what the title is, and find a way to get the music yourself! I warn you, though – I’m very eclectic with my music tastes. I meant it when I said I listen to a little bit of everything.

When you sign up for the site, they’ll ask you what song you want to Blip. Be sure you preview your selection to make sure that you have the right one. Click the “Blip” button to the left of the song, and add a personal message if you choose. It’s then added to my Blip list for all of you to enjoy! If you like the song, you can favorite it or play it over and over.

If you’ve always wanted to share your music with others, and let them know what you’re listening to… be sure to check out Blip!

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How to Become the World’s Best DJ: Kaoss Pad

Chris — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 08:24:40 +0000

How to Become the World’s Best DJ: Kaoss Pad is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I enjoy listening to music, and creating sounds of my own. I love using my Korg Kaossilator to create and loop sounds. I did a whole video demonstrating it not that long ago! Korg also has the Kaoss Pad, which is a processor. It takes a sound source and acts as a go between from your sound source, to your speakers.

No other interface is as intuitive, immediate or just plain fun to use. By simply touching, tapping or sliding your finger over the touchpad, the all-new KP3 allows you to control multiple effects parameters and manipulate samples in real time. On stage or in the studio, these gestures and moves can become powerful and expressive performance elements. More than a processor, the KP3 is a complete instrument allowing you to manage, recall, and play back samples; sample on the fly; and add dynamic processing to any audio signal or to the samples themselves.

The new pad lighting system provides visual cues for the current program, held position, and more – it can even scroll a custom message! This interface offers a whole new level of interaction with the operator. Sampling and effects are totally integrated, so you can sample through the effects, and even resample the output to create powerful, multi-element sounds. Plus, you can sample and resample the synths and drums within the unit KAOSSILATOR style, to create musical phrases on the fly!

Make sure you check out our coupons site before you purchase this – or any other product! We work hard to bring you all of these savings, so that you can keep more of your money… or buy more stuff!

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How Does This Sound to You?

Chris — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:50:56 +0000

How Does This Sound to You? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Before you finish watching or listening to this video, you’re going to download this App. I can almost guarantee it. This is likely the coolest and most addictive app I’ve ever come across. RjDj is a music application for the Iphone. It uses sensory input to generate and control the music you are listening to.

RjDj is mainly listened to with headphones. Think of it as the next generation of walkman or mp3 player. The listening experience of RjDj is similar to the effects of drugs. Drugs affect our sensory perception, so does RjDj. RjDj is a digital drug which causes mind twisting hearing sensation.
RjDj is promoting a music genre that we call “reactive”. The sound that listeners hear is produced by digital devices in the very moment it is listened to. Composers of reactive music often make heavy use of sensory input, which makes the environment of the listener part of the music that is heard. Compositions are called “Scenes”. Scenes have a different musical structure than traditional compositions and they often have no clear beginning and end. Some scenes promote active listener involvement and others promote passive listening. In any case, when listening to RjDj, take care and enjoy your mind twisting hearing sensations.
The interface of the RjDj application is very much like the ipod application. It features an RjDj Player, an RjDj scene browser and a browser of your recordings. The RjDj player plays back RjDj scenes. We have currently bundled a number of scenes from different artists with RjDj. Scenes define what you hear. The difference to an mp3 player is that RjDj uses sensory input of the iphone to control or generate the music you hear through the headphones (Attention, currently only playing through headsets with headphones and microphone). Some scenes react on sound input and others on accelerometer data and some on both. This means that what you hear sounds different wherever you are listening to it and whatever you do. A scene is only defining the behavior of the composition not necessarily what you hear. That is why we also built you a recorder. Using the recorder you can record what you hear and save it. So if you have one of those mind twisting hearing sensations, record it and listen to it over and over again.

This is one seriously impressive app. Try the free version if you want… but I’m telling you, spend the $3.00 and have fun. Hand your headphones to a friend and have them talk while running one of the scenes. They’ll freak out. Doesn’t that make it worth the money?! You can record what you create to play back later, or upload and share what you’ve done!

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Become a Browser Music DJ in a Flash!

Chris — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:02:00 +0000

Become a Browser Music DJ in a Flash! is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Have you always secretly yearned to be a DJ? Here’s your chance! Check out how you can become a great DJ by using your browser. Check out Wicket dancing! He’s loving this! He’s an aspiring DJ, and is all into Mixing.

Most Web Browsers support Flash these days, so you’re in luck. Just head over to Tony B and you can be a DJ as well! As soon as everything loads, you can start changing how everything sounds. You can change the melody itself, adjust the bass, and even the drums. Once you have your mix to your liking, simply save it out on the virtual “floppy” disk… then share it with your friends!

There’s nothing to register for, and it’s completely free. Hey, if Wicket can do it so can you!

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Wedding Reception Music from our DJ

Chris — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 06:59:53 +0000

Wedding Reception Music from our DJ is a post from Chris Pirillo

First dance was to Ella Fitzgerald’s “My Funny Valentine.” Second dance was to Louis Armstrong’s “What A Wonderful World.” The rest was a mix of hits from the 1930’s up until today:

Gary LeMel & Paula Cole – Call Me Irresponsible (4:59)
Roy Hargrove – Natural Wonders [Instrumental] (5:20)
Ella Fitzgerald – Do I Love You (3:47)
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong – Cheek To Cheek (5:49)
Sarah Vaughan – You Stepped Out Of A Dream (2:14)
Dean Martin – Non Dimenticar (3:01)
Ella Fitzgerald – Let’s Do It (3:31)
Dizzie Gillespie, Sonny Rollins & Sonny Stitt – On The Sunny Side Of The Street (5:38)
Billie Holiday – Comes Love (3:57)
Frank Sinatra – Pennies From Heaven (2:39)
Peggy Lee – Hallelujah, I Love Him So! (2:26)
Dean Martin – Powder Your Face With Sunshine (2:30)
Nat King Cole – I Get A Kick Out Of You (3:17)
Etta James – At Last** (2:38)
Neil Diamond – Sweet Caroline (3:23)
Frank Sinatra – New York New York** (3:24)
Glenn Miller Orchestra – In The Mood ** (3:34)
Elvis Presley – Can’t Help Falling In Love (2:57)
Beatles – I Saw Her Standing There** (2:50)
Bill Haley & The Comets – Rock Around The Clock (2:08)
Chubby Checker – The Twist** (2:35)
Jerry Lee Lewis – Great Balls Of Fire** (1:49)
Manhattans – Shining Star (3:38)
Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive** (3:03)
Sister Sledge – We Are Family** (2:58)
Kool & The Gang – Celebration** (3:32)
Rick James – Superfreak** (3:17)
Gap Band – You Dropped A Bomb On Me** (5:02)
Ray Charles – Georgia On My Mind (3:36)
Vanilla Ice – Ice Ice Baby** (4:20)
Young MC – Bust A Move (4:22)
B-52’s – Rock Lobster (5:20)
Sacha Baron Cohen & Madagascar – I Like To Move It (3:49)
Ben E. King – Stand By Me (2:56)
Van Morrison – Brown Eyed Girl** (2:58)
Elton John – Crocodile Rock (3:35)
Bob Seger – Old Time Rock n Roll** (3:02)
Bon Jovi – Livin’ On A Prayer (3:49)
Kenny Loggins – Footloose** (3:40)
Journey – Open Arms** (3:10)
Michael Jackson – Billie Jean** (4:34)
Usher, Ludacris & Lil Jon – Yeah (4:08)
Nelly – Hot In Here (3:48)
Justin Timberlake – Sexyback (3:55)
Haddaway – What Is Love (6:28)
Sir Mix-A-Lot – Baby Got Back** (3:47)
Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get It On (3:53)

Of course, our DJ (Greg Lowder) played Van Halen’s “Happy Trails” to close the evening – quite appropriate (and fun)!

New ytcracker Album!

Chris — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 04:15:30 +0000

New ytcracker Album! is a post from Chris Pirillo

Geeks, meet your voice! While I don’t consider myself a hip-hop or rap fanatic, I love this guy – and his new album will be out in a few weeks.

Artist Name: ytcracker
Album Title: nerd life
Music Genre: Nerdcore
Record Label: Nerdy South Records
Album Producers: dj snyder, tanner4105, redcat/bbear, robby atoms, sark 2.0, silent john
Album Availability: 12/17/06
Pre-orders Available: Immediately (with autograph)
Rating: FIVE STARS!

Track List:
1. the beginning
2. shouts
3. still dg (tanner4105 mix)
4. reintroduction
5. slope
6. padillac shouts
7. shineback
8. game theory
9. shouts
10. everyone knows
11. nerdy swagger
12. social engineering
13. downloadupload
14. untouchable
15. shouts
16. random toxicity
17. nerd life

Every red-blooded boy and girl geek needs to buy this album. I first heard about ytcracker on Adult Swim, and I’ve been a fan ever since. He throws nerd jargon around like it’s nobody’s business. Much like Derek, ytcracker is a geek music legend in his own time.

Our Wedding DJ

Chris — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 02:22:16 +0000

Our Wedding DJ is a post from Chris Pirillo

Wedding plans are coming together nicely, although we still have a few more ceremonial gaps to fill. One more piece of the puzzle has been placed, however, with the signing of a disc jockey. We met this DJ at a local coffee shop, where he handed us a bound prospectus that explained everything we ever wanted to know about choosing a wedding DJ (but were afraid to ask). It included 10 questions to ask a prospective disc jockey:

Does s/he overbook events and hire subcontractors
Is this his/her full-time career or his/her part-time hobby?
Will s/he meet with you in person to help you plan your reception?
What will s/he do at your reception that makes his/her service unique?
Does s/he coordinate your entire reception for you?
Will his/her attire be appropriate for your reception?
Does s/he have company standards that govern his/her behavior?
Are there any hidden charges?
Does s/he have a wide base of entertainment experience to draw from?
Does he have the skills to deliver announcements that are clear and direct?

You can imagine that this DJ answered these questions with sound authority, but they’re still good questions for anybody to ask.

How to Handle Remote Tech Support

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMT

Using GoToAssist is the easiest way to view and control another person's computer online. Use it to provide instant technical support to family, friends and customers. Start a session with just one click, and instantly connect with the other party.

Network Tools for Windows

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

You need these network tools, no matter which operating systems and networks you have to support. SolarWinds ipMonitor: Affordable Network Monitoring for SMBs. Get turnkey network, server and application availability monitoring with SolarWinds ipMonitor v9.0. This easy-to-use, reliable solution for SMBs delivers out-of-the-box availability monitoring so you always know exactly what's up with Active Directory, DNS, Exchange, FTP, Web, IMAP, MS SQL Server, and SMTP. Download your free trial today. Or, try their totally free tools! And, through 2/29, save 20% when you purchase ipMonitor 9.0.

Get Your Own Web Site

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

Starting at just $3.99/month, web hosting from GoDaddy includes 99.9% uptime, 24/7 support and free access to GoDaddy Hosting Connection, THE place to install over 30 FREE applications sure to help you get the most from your hosting plan and Web site. Enter code CP2 at checkout, and save an additional 10% on any order.

Plus, as a friend of Chris Pirillo, enter code CHRIS7, that's C-H-R-I-S and the number 7, when you check out, and save an additional 10% on any order. Get your piece of the internet at GoDaddy.com.

VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either Parallels or VMware (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with VMware and/or Parallels.

Coupons for Online Shopping

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMT

This feed is fueled by Lockergnome Online Shopping and Coupon Codes

Before you shop next time, see if we have a coupon first.