Since I’m a Music Designer, people often ask me how I discover new music and keep our client’s playlists ahead of the curve. I have mentioned ways in previous posts, but here is a look at my typical week!
While out and about, I heard Yasmine Hamdan on KCRW (one of my favorite stations). As soon as I returned home I looked her up. I don’t have or know much about Lebanese music but I was intrigued. She’s amazing and I love the song “Aleb.” I couldn’t find that track for you, but here is another for your listening pleasure:
I recently chatted with a fellow Music Designer and he turned me onto electronic producer Rob McAndrews (aka Airhead). He is a long-time collaborator of James Blake. He released his debut solo album, For Years, last month.
Here is the beautiful “Autumn”:
Or the more banging “Faultline”:
In addition to listening to new music, I love watching music-releated movies (either featuring musicians or showcasing new music on their soundtracks) and reading books from musicians that inspire me.
I saw the documentary A Band Called Death last week. In case you haven’t seen it, it’s about a three-piece band formed in 1971 in Detroit, Michigan that created punk music before the “punk movement” took off. I loved it and really enjoyed learning about these guys.
I also saw The Heat. Randall Poster was the Music Supervisor for the film so the featured music was great (no surprise). Here’s one of my favorites from the soundtrack:
Lastly, I recently finished Questlove’s book called Mo’Better Blues. I’d highly recommend it. I love this guy and his stories.
That’s a brief look at a few of my recent discoveries. How do you discover new music?
– Submitted by Linda Kennedy, Music Design