Archive for the ‘music’ Category

I’ve never felt so in touch with a machine in my life, and I doubt I will again.

Last week, Nottingham’s legendary Selectadisc closed its doors for the last time. For many residents, it was the epicentre of the city’s music scene, which continually punched above its weight. Bands formed from accidental meetings, gigs were posted, albums were bought on impulse, hipster haircuts were admired. For me, it was something of a spiritual [...]

I’ve decided to finally make the move to digital, so I’m selling all my CDs. Before I go down the eBay route, any of you lucky folks want to buy any? Full list here (pdf) – £3 each, £1 for EPs. First come, first served: leave a comment or hit me up at email [at] [...]

It should come as no surprise that, as both an IA and a music snob, I keep my ID3 tags pretty much immaculate. Correct spellings, title case throughout, even proper diacritics, until they were ruined by the iTunes v7.7 update. As part of my curatorial approach, I classify for optimal findability – which means, since [...]

One of the difficulties of working in the internet industry is we sometimes feel like we’re fighting a losing battle against regulation. Despite the new horizons the digital age offers: state databases of our information are growing, yet our access to public information is being eroded, copyright is becoming more restrictive, making a criminal out [...]

At last I have broadband. Too many stories to relate, but there’s one I’d particularly like to share. While setting up my bedroom basics (alarm clock, airbed – thankfully now usurped by a real bed) I chanced upon a French radio station playing some very listenable French hip-hop. I stuck with it, and over the [...]

Muxtape may not last all that long. Its beauty and simplicity will probably put paid to that, as it collapses under the weight of piracy and lawsuits. Until then, I’ve uploaded a handful of songs I’ve written, should anyone be interested.

I’ve not yet stopped buying CDs because I like having the physical artefacts. Mostly because I have a pretty decent hi-fi setup that trumps any MP3 in quality but, candidly, also thanks to mild music snobbery: the narcissistic chance that some visitor to my home will examine my collection and be suitably impressed. It does [...]