If you missed the release of the maxi-single “Glimmer” a couple weeks ago, you may have missed a bit of the background about this great band. Based out of Malmö, Sweden, they’ve been together for about six years now. In that time, they’ve released a couple incredible EPs on the Swedish netlabel Go, Jukebox! and performed live, on and off, in the Malmö region. From the beginning, they’ve put together a mixture of influences and ideas, however, they’re still trying to find their intended style; they have no intensions of ever really doing so. There’s five of them in the band, mostly good people — Stefan Bodetoft, Charlotte Fagerlund, Charlotte Lundgren, Birgitta Persson & Patrik Svensson. Their influences are as far-ranging as Curtis Mayfield, Pink Floyd, D’Angelo, Massive Attack, Gary Numan, The Stooges, Portishead, Emmylou Harris & Wu-Tang Clan.

If you’re at all familiar with Swedish pop music, you’ll no doubt already know that it’s quite infectious. Garmisch is no different. Well over a year in the making, the self-titled “Garmisch” album captures much of what made both of their previous EPs so special and manages to add to that more polished production and mastering. If you’re familiar with Garmisch’ previous work, you’re guaranteed to thoroughly enjoy it. If you’re new to Garmisch, this is the perfect place to introduce yourself to their sound.

Thanks for taking a moment to visit blocSonic.com and check out the album! “Garmisch” can be downloaded here. As always… keep the music moving… share it… blog it… podcast it! Now… satisfy that sweet tooth with some electrically-charged pop goodness!

Peace
Mike Gregoire
Founder/Curator blocSonic.com

Everytime I come across incredible pop music from Sweden, I wonder if there’s something in the water that makes such a large of number of that nation’s songwriters and musicians have such a firm grasp on what it is that makes tasty pop music. Back in 2007 while putting together a netBloc release, I discovered another of these gifted Swedish groups… Garmisch Partenkirchen (later shortened simply to Garmisch). Their song “Black Paint” wound up being featured on “netBloc Vol. 5: The threat at Goliath’s feet”. From that point on, I made it a priority to keep up with all that Garmisch were releasing… which amounted to a couple great EPs on Swedish netlabel “Go, Jukebox!” and a few tracks released via the official Garmisch blog, The Garmisch Collection. Along the way, a couple more tracks were included on netBloc releases and then finally, when blocSonic began releasing originals, I approached Garmisch about releasing a full-length. After close to a year of planning and recording… the debut self-titled full length Garmisch album is ready for release and we’ve got the first maxi-single for you to enjoy! It contains, not one, but two album cuts, one non-album bonus and three eclectic remixes by March Rosetta, Tha Silent Partner & Daniel Maze!

Here’s a little background about Garmisch. They’re a band from Malmö, Sweden who’ve been together for about six years now. They’ve previously released two EPs on the Swedish netlabel “Go, Jukebox!” and have been doing live shows, on and off, in the Malmö region. From the start, they’ve put together a mixture of influences and ideas, however, they’re still trying to find their intended style; they have no intensions about ever really doing so. They collect their music and things at The Garmisch Collection, located at garmisch.se. There’s five of them in the band, mostly good people — Stefan Bodetoft, Charlotte Fagerlund, Charlotte Lundgren, Birgitta Persson & Patrik Svensson. Their influences are as far-ranging as to include Curtis Mayfield, Pink Floyd, D’Angelo, Massive Attack, Gary Numan, The Stooges, Portishead, Emmylou Harris & Wu-Tang Clan.

As always… keep the music moving… share it… blog it… podcast it! Now… satisfy that sweet tooth with some electrically-charged pop goodness and grab the release here.

Peace
Mike Gregoire
Founder/Curator blocSonic.com

If you haven’t already checked out the excellent Just Plain Ant release “Rumble, Young Man, Rumble”, here’s a little reminder for you. This, the final album maxi-single contains a double dose of album cuts with a couple dope remixes and a sneak peek at Ant’s upcoming September 7^th release “seewhateyesee”.

Special thanks to JFKmusik and Rowan who turned out more of that real stuff for all you hip-hop fiends! Don’t sleep on this.

Grab “These Times / Scream Out” here.

Remember… keep the music moving. Share it… blog it… podcast it.

Peace
Mike Gregoire
Founder/Curator blocSonic.com

Just Plain Ant is back with another fresh collection of his unique brand of hip-hop — beats, jazzy samples and a host of guests who each add their own flavor to the mix. Among the guests we’ve got blocSonic regulars such as Joey Ripps, Ohbliv and Sleaze. We’ve also got some new names — Black Liquid, Braintrust, Mic Jordan, Gordy Michael, NOTE, Octavion Xcellence, Photosynthesizers and last but not least… the INCREDIBLE… Chuck D! That’s right… the legendary Public Enemy front man took time out of his busy schedule to drop a verse!

As you’ll read in Ant’s PDF liner-notes, this album was a long time in the making and has undergone a few changes along the way… but in my opinion, it was worth it… Ant turned out another fantastic release! I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do.

Thanks in advance for checking it out! Remember… keep the music moving… share it… blog it… podcast it!

Grab “Rumble, Young Man, Rumble” here.

Remix reminder: If you’d like your remix to possibly be included on the next Just Plain Ant single… be sure to download the first single in FLAC format, remix one of the tracks with the instrumental and/or acapella provided and upload your remix in FLAC, WAV or AIFF format to our SoundCloud DropBox by Friday, August 6th.

Peace
Mike Gregoire
Founder/Curator blocSonic.com

We’re back with another one for you… number 29 in our excellent, genre-busting netBloc series! For this one we pulled together netaudio from Canada, France, Hungary, Minneapolis, The Netherlands, New Jersey, Richmond, Sweden and the UK. What you’ll find is nothing less than back to back gems. As always, this netBloc release is designed to both introduce the newbie to the netaudio scene and to provide a quick way for netaudio listeners to catch up on what’s new. In addition to the worldwide goodies released by others, we’ve also got a sneak peak at what blocSonic and Just Plain Sounds has in store for you Tuesday, July 27th – our next original release, in partnership with Just Plain Sounds, Just Plain Ant’s “Rumble, Young Man, Rumble”!

So thanks again for keeping up with all that we have to offer! Also, extra special thanks to all participating artists & labels!

Grab “netBloc Vol. 29: Fantastic! Incredible! Stupendous!” here and remember to keep the music movin’… share it… podcast it… broadcast it!

Peace
Mike Gregoire
Founder/Curator blocSonic.com

There was once this funky little UK netlabel named Random Flow that put out a total of 12 releases. It was the first netlabel that I knew of that was solely focused on hip-hop. Among the many gems that they released were CM aka Creative’s 2 volumes of Classic Material. These gems were instant favorites of mine. When it became apparent to me that Random Flow went dark and CM aproached blocSonic about releasing Classic Material Vol. 3, I began thinking about re-releasing 1 & 2. Though I didn’t feel that simply re-releasing them individually would fit blocSonic. I began thinking about Universal’s series of multi-disc “Deluxe Edition” releases and it struck me that something like that format would suite blocSonic’s needs – the Xtended Edition was born. Now I finally get to present to you CM’s “The Classic Material Completion Package XE”!

What we have for you in the completion package is “Classic Material Vol. 1”, “Classic Material Vol. 2” and an exclusive collection of early works called “Bootleg Material” that does a great job of displaying the development CM’s undergone over the years.

So grab “The Classic Material Completion Package XE” and once you’ve soaked it all in… be sure to also grab the first maxi-single, “True”, “Classic Material Vol. 3: UI Radio”, his first commercial release “Raiders of the Lost Art” (available at iTunes or CD Baby) and on Tuesday July 13th don’t miss the second maxi-single “I Got You”!

I never tire of saying it… THANK YOU! Thanks to all of you who are new to blocSonic and those of you who faithfully return to us for your listening pleasure! It feels great to know that blocSonic plays a part in helping people break out of the mainstream box.

Thanks again to CM aka Creative for coming to us in the first place!

Keep the music moving… share it… blog it… podcast it… broadcast it.

Peace
Mike Gregoire
Founder/Curator blocSonic.com

Back in ‘07 I first got wind of a funky, funky little UK netlabel called Random Flow. They came out swinging with a series of fantastic hip-hop releases that proved to me that hip-hop was finally making itself known in the netaudio world. For me, one of their standout acts was this NYC born, Maryland based cat going by the name of CM aka Creative. Random Flow released two tight volumes of CM’s “Classic Material” series that earned CM a couple spots on our netBloc series. As quickly as Random Flow appeared, it went dark shortly after releasing their 12th release which was a mix celebrating their 1st birthday.

With Random Flow’s inactivity, CM approached me about releasing the 3rd volume which we finally dropped back in October 2009. With CM coming to blocSonic it got me thinking about the previous Classic Material volumes, how or if we should try and release them. This was the birth of the Xtended Edition format. An idea began to form… the release of Vols. 1 & 2 (for the first time available in pristine FLAC format) with a bonus disc of material! So here we are today with the first single promoting the forthcoming June 29th release of “The Classic Material Completion Package XE”.

This maxBloc release features “True”, one of the many gems from “Classic Material Vol. 1” along with its acapella and instrumental. It also features another fresh remix from blocSonic fam Tha Silent Partner and a previously unreleased joint that is most definitely CLASSIC material. Straight fire!

So do yourself a solid and grab a copy. Then keep an eye out for the release of “The Classic Material Completion Package XE” on June 29th.

As always, thanks for downloading and listening! Enjoy the REAL hip-hop! Word. Keep it movin’… share it… blog it… podcast it… broadcast it!

Peace
Mike Gregoire
Founder/Curator blocSonic.com

We’re closing out this year’s Friends or Whatever releases with the 2nd and final single for the self-titled debut album which we released a couple weeks ago on May 25th. Once again… we’ve gotten some friends to deliver a tasty set of exclusive remixes that take the FoW sound into new sonic territory. So download it, load it up, crank it, sit back and enjoy!

Thanks to each of the remixers for investing a bit of their time in order to give blocSonic listeners a few more free & legal audio gems to enjoy! Grab the “Stuck In My Soul” maxBloc maxi-single here.

BTW… have your heard the debut album? Be sure to download it when you’re through listening to this great single. Also, do yourself a favor and grab the first single, which is also packed with exclusives.

Lastly, as I always harp about… keep the music movin’… share it… blog it… podcast it… broadcast it!

Peace
Mike Gregoire
Founder/Curator blocSonic.com

blocSonic is quite proud to present to you the self-titled debut by Richmond, Virginia artist Friends or Whatever. With its fusion of shimmering electronica and a raw rock vibe, FoW proves to be a very engaging listen. At times quiet and contemplative… at other times beat-driven and laced with distorted guitar and melancholic vocals. All the while a bit challenging to put your finger on and yet it’s quickly familiar. It’s that very enigmatic nature that’s sure to pull you in.

On a side note, I just wanted to give a shout out to Just Plain Sounds. When I first heard early versions of some of the FoW music, I had not known that it was originally set for a JPS release. After approaching Mark Herbkersman (aka Friends or Whatever) about a blocSonic release, I found out. I have to give props to Anthony Gillison aka Just Plain Ant who was gracious enough to allow us the pleasure. So thank you once again Ant!!!

Thank YOU for downloading and listening, I hope you’ll enjoy it every bit as much as I do. Remember… as always… share it… podcast it… blog it.

Download Friends or Whatever here.

Peace
Mike Gregoire
Founder/Curator blocSonic.com

Since deciding on releasing original albums, the primary objective has been about releasing high-quality music… period. blocSonic is not a label that only releases hip-hop. With this Friends or Whatever single blocSonic has taken another step towards this objective. FoW’s brand of indie-pop explores both the analog and the digital, the sound defies categorization. FoW pulls from the past and the future… it’s both melodic and noisy… it’s lo-fi and hi-fi. If you’re a fan of Guided by Voices and Lifter Puller, you’ll feel right at home with FoW.

The Burns We Earn is the perfect introduction to the debut album which is set to drop Tuesday, May 25th. It contains within it all the elements of the FoW sound — subtle melody accompanied by distortion, bass, guitars and synths. In addition to the fantastic album version, we’ve got a great set of remixes supplied by names both familiar and new to blocSonic listeners. Thanks to the great group of remixers who participated… you turned out some terrific adaptations!

Thanks to Adam Ferris for the use of his photograph. Be sure to visit his sites — http://www.adamferriss.com, http://adamferriss.blogspot.com.

As always… thank you for giving blocSonic a shot and taking the time to download and listen. Remember… keep the music movin’… share it… blog it… podcast it… broadcast it.

Grab “The Burns We Earn” here!

Peace
Mike Gregoire
Founder/Curator blocSonic.com

Since 2007 we’ve been giving you these fantastic collections of netaudio in hopes that it introduces you to a new world of music that’s available on the web. This time around is no different… except in one way. It’s quite literally the first time that the final line-up is the same as the first one chosen. No replacements were needed for artists and/or labels who didn’t get back to me or weren’t able to participate. Included are 12 fantastic tracks plus one bonus goodie included in the zip package. Hip-Hop, Pop, Rock, Trip-Hop, Electro-pop and even some experimental goodness all brought together into a tasty collection. All to show you that there is an alternative to the mainstream product being pumped out to retail. There’s something happening online and an ever growing number of artists are part of it. They’ve chosen to take the road less travelled. With so many artists doing it their own way, why is it you think that some still want that magical record deal? Be sure to check out the PDF for more.

Thanks once again for downloading and listening to another netBloc release! If you enjoy these artists… be sure to support them by purchasing from them or donating. Let them earn a living while also making the art that makes life so much more bearable.

Remember… blog it… share it. Grab it here.

Peace
Mike Gregoire
Founder/Curator blocSonic.com

With this final maxBloc single for “Tha Complete Platters Sessions XE” we’ve got another stack of bonus gems for you — more unreleased tracks from the Platters sessions and a fantastic remix by Minneapolis electropunk artist Mach FoX. Check it!

When you’re done with Starksy, if you haven’t already done so, grab the other single “P Pulsar” and “Tha Complete Platters Sessions XE”.

Grab “Starksy (Featuring Seti A.K.A. K9)” here and remember… share it, blog it, podcast it.

Here we are with the second in our Xtended Edition series. XE releases are meant to give albums, that were originally released on defunct labels or independently, a second chance at getting much deserved shine. Each XE release is packed with the original album, features fresh art and contains at least a bonus disc of exclusive goodies — remixes, outtakes, new tracks & demos. This XE is one very deep set! Coming in at 68 tracks… 3 hours, 9 minutes and 47 seconds in length, there’s little doubt that it’s got something to offer all you groove and beat fiends. Some of you may recognize Tha Silent Partner (TSP) from his work found at Jamendo. Some of you may only know him from his appearances on the netBloc series and the recent maxBloc single “P Pulsar”. Either way, you’re about to get to know his work in a big way, both through his music and through this release’s extensive liner-notes.

27 year old producer/remixer Gregory “Tha Silent Partner” Davis currently calls Boston home, though his roots lie in the UK. He made his first blocSonic appearance back in 2007 on “netBloc Vol. 11: The Raw And The Cooked” with the spaghetti-western flavored “No Mas”. He then re-appeared, along with Unknown aka Formula as MUTE, on “netBloc Vol. 15: this album won’t eat your gas money” with the powerful and soulful “Is It Too Late For Us All?”. Now he’s back with “Tha Complete Platters Sessions XE”.

To understand what the Platters Sessions are all about, here’s a bit of background. Back in 2007, TSP began releasing a series of “Platters” releases via Jamendo and under his label Me, Life & Music. The Platters series were an exploration of vinyl samples based on particular themes. The first installment, “Platters Act. 1 (Lounge Music And Exotica)” featured lush orchestration and smooth rhythms. Then in 2008, the second installment, “Platters Act. 2 (The Untouchables)”, went sort of unreleased (more about that can be found in TSP’s liner-notes). It featured an episode of the TV show “The Untouchables” infused into a sonic world of funky hip-hop beats and jazzy melodies. Finally, in 2009, TSP dropped the third and final act of the series… “Platters Act. 3 (Tape Deck)”, a sort of beat tape, but with a completely unique TSP vibe.

For the first time, “Tha Complete Platters Sessions XE” collects all 3 acts together along with a bonus disc of outtakes from the period, making for an incredible 3CD set of sonic treats! Add to that the maxBloc exclusives on the “P Pulsar” single along with the “Starksy (Featuring Seti A.K.A. K9)” single that’s set to follow this release along with it’s exclusives and you’ve got a whole hell of a lot of new listening!

So what’s contained on this release, you ask? Disc One features the first two acts — “Platters Act 1 (Lounge Music And Exotica)” with it’s dusty, chilled vibe & “Platters Act 2 (The Untouchables)” with it’s exploration of the fusion of story-telling and music. Disc Two contains “Platters Act 3 (TAPE DECK)”… which is a sort of beat tape infused with a sound that’s unique to TSP. Finally, Disc Three contains “Tha Director’s Cut” — 18 bonus previously unreleased tracks that came out of the Platters sessions or were produced for other projects during the same period. This is where you get to hear tracks that feature the vocal skills of lyricists such as Life MC of Phi Life Cypher, Mayhem, Revalation, Seti & HT. On the whole, this is a fantastic collection of adventerous & eclectic music!

I’d also like to mention that there’s one other “first” that this release represents. It’s also the first long form blocSonic release to contain material culled from Gregory’s Me Life & Music label archives. Around the same time that I began thinking about the XE idea and how to best approach it, Gregory made an offer I couldn’t refuse. He offered up complete control of the ML&M archives in order that blocSonic may give that music an online home that could do it justice. I immediately saw the opportunity to work some of the archives into this XE series and here you have one example of what we plan on doing. In the future we plan on releasing other XEs, maxBlocs and Originals that contain material culled from the ML&M archives. A very special thanks to Gregory for the opportunity and the trust that he’s placed in blocSonic! I hope you feel that blocSonic’s done the Platters series justice.

So there you have it… more sonic treats for you to absorb. Thanks again for taking the time to visit blocSonic and giving our releases a download & listen. Enjoy it. Share it. Blog it. Podcast it. Tweet it.

Remember… next Tuesday (April 6^th, 2010) is the release of the second maxBloc single for this set, “Starksy (Featuring Seti A.K.A. K9)”. It’s going to be packed with yet more exclusive material not found on this collection. Come right back here to blocSonic to grab it!

Grab “Tha Complete Platters Sessions XE” here.

Peace
Mike Gregoire
Founder/Curator blocSonic.com

Tha Silent Partner made his first blocSonic appearance back in 2007 on “netBloc Vol. 11: The Raw And The Cooked” with the spaghetti-western flavored “No Mas”. He then re-appeared, along with Unknown aka Formula as MUTE, on “netBloc Vol. 15: this album won’t eat your gas money” with the powerful and soulful “Is It Too Late For Us All”. So, although he’s no stranger to blocSonic, everyone’s about to get very familiar with Tha Silent Partner and his fun, eclectic sound. This maxBloc single for “P Pulsar” is a tasty introduction to TSP’s upcoming Xtended Edition release “Tha Complete Platters Sessions XE”.

To understand what the Platters Sessions are all about, here’s a bit of background. Back in 2007, TSP began releasing a series of “Platters” releases via Jamendo and under his label, Me, Life & Music. The Platters series were an exploration of vinyl samples based on particular themes. The first installment, “Platters Act. 1 (Lounge Music And Exotica)” featured lush orchestration and smooth rhythms. Then in 2008, the second installment, “Platters Act. 2 (The Untouchables)”, went sort of unreleased (more about that in the official XE liner-notes). It featured an episode of the TV show “The Untouchables” infused into a sonic world of funky hip-hop beats and jazzy melodies. Finally, in 2009, TSP dropped the third and final act of the series… “Platters Act. 3 (Tape Deck)”, a sort of beat tape, but with a completely unique TSP vibe.

For the first time, “Tha Complete Platters Sessions XE” collects all 3 acts together along with a bonus disc of outtakes from the period, making for an incredible 3CD set of sonic treats! Add to that the maxBloc exclusives on this single along with the one that’s set to follow the XE release and you’ve got a whole hell of a lot of new listening coming this month!

“P Pulsar” is taken from the bonus outtake collection, “Tha Director’s Cut”. Along with it, this maxBloc also features an exclusive track “Beantown Cha Cha” and exclusive remixes by Just Plain Ant & Formula!

So by now, you’ve gathered that the maxBloc is blocSonic’s spin on the promotional maxi-single. At blocSonic we’re all about helping to bring about an alternative “music industry”. The mainstream music industry simply no longer allows for healthy musical cultural development. For the mainstream, the bottom-line has surpassed ALL other priorities. Yet, even with our attitude that’s so clearly counter to the mainstream, there are ideas that we’ve gladly reappropriated from it. The special edition release being one and now the maxi-single being another. For all that I talk stuff about the mainstream, there was once a time that I was a mainstream listener. Back then, I’d love to get a hold of 12"/maxi singles for their exclusive tracks, remixes, instrumentals and acapellas. Even today, I’m on the hunt for older rare 12" singles. When you dig a particular artist, there’s nothing more enjoyable than getting a hold of bonus gems that aren’t found on the album. As a fan, owning these special bits somehow put you into a special group that sets you apart from the casual listener. Going out of your way for these bonus bits, connects you more closely with the music. As a label curator, I like the idea of bringing that extra care and attention to our releases. Perhaps if blocSonic puts the extra effort that maxi-singles require into each release then perhaps fans will put that much more care into listening.

Thanks to Tha Silent Partner for trusting blocSonic with his Me, Life & Music archives. Welcome to the family, TSP! Xtra special thanks Formula and Just Plain Ant for coming through with such fantastic remixes on such short notice!

So once again thanks to you! Enjoy the music. Share it. Talk about it. Write about it. Be sure to keep an eye out for the release of “Tha Complete Platters Sessions XE” on March 30^th and the next TSP single on April 6^th, 2010!

Grab it here.

Peace
Mike Gregoire
Founder/Curator blocSonic.com

As of the time of this writing, not even a year after it’s launch, WFMU’s Free Music Archive already boasts nearly 18,000 free music tracks from a wide array of genres. It’s an interesting collection in that it not only features music that comes from the world of netaudio/netlabels, but many signed indie artists can be found among the FMA’s selection as well. It’s definitely an incredible archive of music to explore!

After a good three months of listening to thousands of FMA tracks, I somehow managed to whittle the selection down to 11 exceptional gems. It was really a difficult choice, but in the end the final line-up proves to be a terrific mix of Rock, Pop, Punk, Indie, Trip-Hop and even a splash of humor thrown in for good measure.

A special thanks to Jason Sigal over at WFMU and FMA who was most helpful in getting me access to lossless copies of the two Live At WFMU tracks which are featured here. Thanks also to the labels, artists and to CASH Music for participating and helping me pull together all that was needed to make this release happen.

Finally, thank you! For downloading, listening and sharing this release. I hope you enjoy this release as much as did putting it together.

Download the complete release here!

Peace
Mike Gregoire
Founder/Curator blocSonic.com

Boy do we have a treat for you this Tuesday! We’ve got a special netBloc release focusing on Creative Commons licensed gems from the vast WFMU Free Music Archive. After spending a few months listening to thousands of tracks, 11 tracks were finally selected. Let me tell you it was incredibly difficult to whittle the list down to 10-11 tracks, somehow it was done.

Until Tuesday, enjoy this tasty morsel from the release!

We set things off in 2007 with our premiere release, “netBloc Vol. 1: The Opening Salvo”. Even at that early stage, I knew that I wanted blocSonic to be a bit more than your standard “netlabel”. I didn’t want blocSonic to be completely self-serving… it was to be a promotional vehicle for netlabels, artists and the netaudio culture. However, what I didn’t know was if artists and netlabels were going to be supportive of the compilation idea and send me lossless versions of their music to be included. Happily my worries were for naught. Everyone involved has been extremely supportive over the years and my positive experience with the netBloc series got me thinking about original releases. Our first original release was back in February 2009, Just Plain Ant’s “Dig Deep”. Well here we are nearly a year later and I’ve got another premiere release for you to enjoy and it’s the talented Just Plain Ant bringing it once again!

So what is the Xtended Edition (XE) series? Before answering that question, let me start by explaining why the XE series. In the first 3 years of putting together the netBloc series, I’ve seen netlabels come and go. Some of those netlabels who’ve gone inactive had some very talented artists among their rosters and those artists’ releases have languished since the apparent demise of their labels. That got me thinking about re-releases and what form a re-release would take on blocSonic. I began to think about the many ways that the mainstream music industry have handled it. One particular re-release format that I’ve liked (when Universal has done it with classic albums) is the “Deluxe Edition” series. Universal’s series usually consists of the first disc being the original release and a second disc containing perviously unreleased material – demos, outtakes & alternate versions. Well our XE series is quite similar, though in the future won’t be limited to two discs. Each release in this series will feature the originally released album and at least one other disc containing demos, outtakes, alternate versions & remixes. Where we stray from the “Deluxe Edition” model is that each of ours will also feature completely new album art. As with all our releases, each is made available in three high-quality audio formats — FLAC, 320kbs MP3 & 192kbs MP3.

After deciding to go forward with our own special format of re-releases it was time to approach the artists. Among the releases that got me thinking about re-releases in the first place was Just Plain Ant’s “Fly”. An excellent release he released via Jamendo that I felt was worth more shine. Unfortunately that was not to be. As happens often, artists sometimes grow weary of early releases that they feel no longer represent their sound to the fullest. I could respect that. However, Ant was interested in seeing his terrific Just Plain Sounds release “Songs About Something” re-released in this format. At first I was hesitant, only because my original plan was to resurrect releases from netlabels who’ve shut down. That hesitation didn’t last long though. I quickly adapted the plan to include releases of living and breathing netlabels. However way you look at it, the goal of the Xtended Edition series is to bring more exposure to releases.

With the release of “Songs About Something XE” the evolution of blocSonic continues. This edition of Just Plain Ant’s foray into the world of trip-hop and downtempo delivers over two hours of soulful, chilled beats! Disc one is the original album in it’s entirety and disc two is packed with new Just Plain Ant songs and remixes by RVA (Richmond, Virginia) talents such as Annu, Oh.Bliv, Sleaze and Rowan. So, thanks again for downloading and listening. I hope you enjoy this premiere XE release, there are more on the way! As always, if you dig this release… spread it around… share with friends… share with strangers… share it with anyone.

Check out the album here.

Peace
Mike Gregoire
Founder/Curator blocSonic.com

This fantastic release has been in the works since ETHX first contacted blocSonic back in May. In it you’ll find a few high-profile peeps he’s managed to connect with – folks like Boots Riley who you may know from The Coup, Zumbi from Zion-I and Myron Glasper who’s sung background vocals for everyone from MC Lyte to Blackalicious to Lyrics Born. Among the names you may know, you’ll also find incredibly talented MCs and vocalists who you may not know. One of those talented MCs is Nate Mezmer who's presence plays an integral part in making this collection feel like more than just a producer's showcase. Once again, blocSonic brings you real hip-hop with a touch of R&B… this fresh sound comes to you straight out of Northern California.

I want to say thanks to ETHX for approaching blocSonic in the first place and his guests for being part of what’s become “Boom To Bloom”. Welcome to the blocSonic fam!

We hope you enjoy this release and it gets heavy rotation in all your portable devices, CD players and computers. If you dig it, don’t forget to spread the word… share it with anyone and everyone you can.

One more thing… be sure to check out Netwaves tomorrow, Wednesday, Jan. 27^th for the latest episode which features blocSonic/netBloc music and an interview with me. The live broadcast is 22:00-01:00 GMT+1 / 4:00-7:00PM EST / 1:00-4:00PM PST and it can be heard via this link. After the live broadcast you can subscribe to the Netwaves podcast or you can download it directly from the Netwaves website. Thanks to netwaves for thinking blocSonic interesting enough to feature!

Check out ETHX “Boom To Bloom” here.

Peace
Mike Gregoire
Founder/Curator blocSonic.com

Hip-hop is an incredibly diverse musical genre that has a bad reputation no thanks to the American mainstream branch of it. People who write-off hip-hop as idiotic, materialistic, violent or misogynistic are only getting a small slice of what it’s about. Since hip-hop has become international there are a wide array of ideas about what hip-hop should be today in 2009 and beyond. Anyone who has ever enjoyed the music will gladly give you their opinion about what “real” hip-hop is. Truth be told, after 30 plus years of existence, there is no “real” hip-hop. Hip-hop emcees, DJs and producers come from all walks of life. With such a wide variety of backgrounds, there can be no definitive hip-hop sound. Since there can be no definitive sound, there’s no reason to disregard hip-hop music that uses classic New York blueprints as the jump off for something fresh and new. Just as there’s a place for rock artists to try and capture a classic 60s and 70s vibe in their new recordings, there’s certainly a place for hip-hop producers, DJs and emcees to try and capture a vibe that’s widely regarded as classic.

With “Classic Material Vol. 3: UI Radio”, CM aka Creative, his various collaborators and producers all present to you hip-hop that’s both new and classic. Musically it reflects back to an early/mid 90s sound, topically, it captures all that a young, struggling and striving American emcee has on his mind. It’s the 3rd part in a series of releases which began at the netlabel Random Flow.

When it became clear to CM that Random Flow had become inactive, he approached me about releasing Vol. 3 through blocSonic. Having enjoyed both Vols. 1 & 2, I was instantly interested. I hope you’ll enjoy this release as much as I do. If you dig it, be sure to check out the previous volumes.

Thanks to CM for coming to blocSonic. Thanks to you for downloading and enjoying. As always, share this release with anyone and everyone.

Grab it here!

Peace
Mike Gregoire
Founder/Curator blocSonic.com

On Tuesday, October 6th, we’re dropping netBloc Vol. 24. It’s a release which features yet another fantastic collection of netaudio gems that once again proves that some of the best music being released today is being released under a Creative Commons license. One of my favorites of this set is the incredible Paper Navy indie-pop track, “Tongue Tied”. It’s a smart, addictive and immaculately produced song originally released on the excellent free album, “all grown up”.

I hope you enjoy this track as much as I do! Be sure to check back on Tuesday, October 6th for the complete blocSonic release, “netBloc Vol. 24: tiuqottigeloot”.

What I’ve got for you today is a preview of the next fresh blocSonic hip-hop release. The release is “Classic Material Vol. 3: UI Radio” by CM aka Creative, the 3rd installment in his Classic Material series which began at Random Flow. The track is “The Cycle” which also features Mista Mista and production by Doctor Becket. A sentimental call for peeps to do something, on a personal level, to help put an end to the seemingly endless cycle of inner-city violence. Classic material, indeed.

UI Radio is set to drop on Tuesday, October 27th. If you dig “The Cycle”, be sure to come back and grab the whole free release in FLAC or MP3.