Native Instruments is back with their stellar FM8, the second incarnation of their FM synthesis emulator, and fans of the DX7 can finally stop scouring eBay...
>>> FULL REPORT
After a 21 percent sales decline from 2005 to 2006, the Hip-Hop industry finally takes a hard look at itself, its message and its future. And doesn't like what it sees...
>>> FULL STORY
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free stuff if you include your mailing address!) >>> Futuremusic Direct
CD Spotlight
Stephen Marley has finally come out of the shadows of his famous father and charismatic older brother Ziggy to deliver an intimate,
yet widely accessible solo effort Mind Control on the Tuff Gong imprint. Combining Dance Hall, Reggae, and his own electronic
take on hip-hop, Marley points his listeners to the future, without forgetting his past. From the instantly catcy Traffic Jam featuring his
half-brother Damian (Jr. Gong), to the delicate Lonely Avenue in which you'll need a voiceprint to differentiate him from his father's trippy best,
Stephen Marley is a force to be reckoned with. This could be the best Marley offspring album to date. Buy it now!
LISTEN!
Digital Spotlight
Gabriel Ananda is set to release his full-length, Bambusbeats on March 19th. The new release has a mature sound, but falls away from his well-known melodic style to venture into new territories. To celebrate the release his label is graciously giving away one of the album's best cuts, Lamakov as a free download. This artistic minimal journey builds to a nice crescendo before melting in your mouth and then your pants...
LISTEN!
Vinyl Spotlight
Paul Van Dyk's Vandit Imprint drops Lange Vs. Gareth Emery's Another You, Another Me. a Funky Trance release with a nice throbbing percussive tech house remix by Terranova & Austin Leeds.
LISTEN!
../ Dance Download Alliance Announced To Fight Beatport
Group Claims Beatport's Exclusivity Agreement Is The Target — But Could It Be Survival?
Seven UK dance music download stores have joined together to create the Dance Download Alliance (DDA).
The seven members, 3Beat Digital, Audiojelly, DJdownload, Juno Download, TrackitDown, Trax2Burn and Xpressbeats,
have joined together to counteract a proposal offered to dance labels and distributors by Beatport who offers an
exclusivity arrangement, as an option, on all new releases from labels if they chose to participate... >>> FULL STORY
../ TestDrive: Head2Head LightSnake VS. Stealth Plug
IK Multimedia's Stealth Plug and SoundTech's LightSnake square off in a Sound Card In A Cable battle royale... >>> FULL STORY
../ TestDrive: Native Instruments FM8
Devotees of the of the incredibly popular Yamaha DX7 synthesizer, which single-handedly kicked analog synthesis to the
curb in the early '80s, rejoiced when Native Instruments released their original FM synthesis emulator, the FM7. Now
Native is back with FM8, the second incarnation of this unique DX7 emulator, and once again fans have something to
cheer about... >>> FULL STORY
../ Music Trends: Hip-Hop Is Dead
Rap Industry Takes A Hard Look At Itself After 21% Sales Decline
After 30 years of growing popularity, Rap music has finally hit its tipping point. Though music sales are down overall, Rap sales have
declined 21 percent from 2005 to 2006, and for the first time in 12 years, no Hip-Hop album was among the top 10 sellers of the year.
Many have forecasted the death of Hip-Hop over the years, but it appears that the umpteenth drug-dealing anthem, chest-pounding boast,
gun-play recount or soft-core, booty-bouncing music video, has, finally, gotten stale... >>> FULL STORY
../ The 2007 MusikMesse Gear Report
Everything You Need to Know In One Place
MusikMesse, held in Frankfurt, Germany, showcased a ton of new Production and DJ gear that will influence the market in
the coming year. Here's a rundown of what you need to know... >>> FULL STORY
../ The Stanton Management Shuffle
Time Will Tell If Stanton's Internal Promotions Pay Off
Stanton recently sent off a press release proclaiming several new appointments and promotions from within the company. The release
follows the recent announcement that Timothy Dorwart was promoted from Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales to CEO after
the sudden departure of Dave Froker, who left the concern for another company.
To apparently solidify his core base, Dorwart then promoted his in-house supporters to new positions and most likely salary increases.
But the question remains if this massive sweep of management changes and promotions across the company will address the serious problems
that Stanton faces in the future >>> FULL STORY
../ Music Trends: MySpace Popularity Doesn't Sell Music
MySpace vixen, Tila Tequila, has failed to turn her immense popularity into sales for her much ballyhooed, but mediocre MySpace
promoted single, "I Love U." Tequila hoped to leverage her 1.7 million MySpace friends into substantial iTunes profits, but
preliminary reports indicate lackluster numbers. >>> FULL STORY
../ TestDrive: Apple iPod Shuffle 2.0
UPDATED: This Review Was Updated on March 7, 2007
The second incarnation of the Apple iPod Shuffle hit our offices several days before the national rollout and caused quite a sensation. The all
aluminum chassis, with a built-in clip, looked beautiful and was quite the music fashion statement when each of us sported the digital player
during our individual TestDrives... >>> FULL STORY
../ TestDrive: Slappa CD Cases
You'd think in today's world finding a quality CD case that can stand up to the rigors of the road for a working DJ wouldn't be
an impossible task. Unfortunately, that's not the case. If you explore the market, you'll find many mediocre offerings that are
extremely overpriced. Several of our readers, feeling the pain, wrote to us asking if we run across a quality container in any of
our adventures. A quick poll of the office came to the same conclusion, none of us owned a CD case that we thought was the perfect
balance of quality and value. Thus, we went on a mission to find the best possible CD case for the money, and then share our
findings with you, our esteemed readers... >>> FULL STORY
../ Music Trends: DanceRecords.com Online Store
What makes a good online music store? Is it flashy graphics with lots of dazzling animation? Is it customer service where the emphasis is
actually on the customer? Is it the ability to find what you're looking for quickly and efficiently? For this month's MusicTrends, we are
going to explore DanceRecords.com. >>> FULL STORY
When Audio-Technica, the esteemed Japanese manufacturer of microphones and headphones, decided to enter the professional DJ
headphone market several months ago, our expectations were quite high. Audio-Technica has developed a number of outstanding
transducer products over the years and we were hoping their new ATH-PRO700 headphones would live up to their reputation.
Many of us expected Audio-Technica to decimate the DJ headphone playing field, and in one product introduction, own the
high-end DJ market with their new PRO700's. Sadly, Audio-Technica decided to imitate, and not innovate... >>> FULL STORY
../ TestDrive: IK Multimedia CSR
IK Multimedia, a concern who has made a concerted effort to offer a wider breath of products as of late, has released their own dedicated
reverb plug-in, which has been modeled on the classic units of yore. >>> FULL STORY
../ TestDrive: iSoundCap iPod Hat
Here at Futuremusic, we're big fans of iPod hats. After getting our meaty paws on the first generation iPod Shuffle, we couldn't help but
notice that a dedicated iPod Hat would be the ultimate accessory for anyone leading an active lifestyle. A couple of snowboarders on staff
here actually designed their own Shuffle hats and took to the slopes, but when the weather warmed up, they're iPod baseball hat designs
were not nearly as inspired. Enter iSoundCap. >>> FULL STORY
../ TestDrive: Ecler Nuo4 MIDI DJ Mixer
The Ecler Nuo4 MIDI DJ Mixer offers a tremendous value to the modern DJ who wants a mixer that bridges the gap between the analog and
digital worlds for only $749... >>> FULL STORY
../ Apple iPhone In Early 2007?
Apple iPhone speculation is heating up with the Commercial Times of China reporting that Taiwan-based Hon Hai Precision Industry Co
will soon begin production on an iPod phone. The newspaper cited industry sources who confirmed that Hon Hai Precision Industry Co
Ltd has secured contracts from Apple Computer for 12 million mobile handsets that also function as music players... >>> FULL STORY
../ MusicTrends: Mobile Music Sales
According to a report published by 3, the UK mobile media company, if mobile sales continue to grow at the same pace they could rival, and eventually overtake, computer-based downloads in just five years. >>> FULL STORY
../ MusicTrends: DJ MIDI Controllers
The DJ MIDI controller market has been simmering for the last couple of years with several boutique manufacturers stealing
the majority of the business, and the buzz. However, two small events in the last week have raised the eyebrows of several
industry watchers who feel this segment will come to a boil by early January... >>> FULL STORY
../ TestDrive: Sony PCM-D1 Portable Recorder
When Sony first showcased the PCM-D1 at the AES trade show, I got a severe case of technolust. The sexy, beautifully designed, unit was a
true digital recorder with built-in mics, a titanium case, and no internal moving parts, save for the tasty analog level meters. As I wiped
the drool from my bottom lip, I couldn't help but think that this was the first Sony product in years that I wanted no matter what the cost.
Unfortunately, after using the unit, I think I'll save the $2000 dollars it costs for owning one. >>> FULL STORY
../ Sound Artist Trimpin Triumphs With Der Ring
Gerhard Trimpin, a brilliant sound artist, is someone you've probably never heard of. Trimpin, who legally only goes by his surname,
has been creating brilliant music installations since he was a boy. The sound sculptures fuse mathematics, acoustic instruments and
computer-controlled mechanics into a fascinating sonic blend that never fails to inspire. >>> FULL STORY
TestDrive will feature the lab results of our DJ Experiments so that everyone can get in on the action. Take the latest electronic music releases, mix vigorously
with bleeding-edge DJ production technology in a large beeker, and then cook the hell out of it! Check out our latest TestDrive: Native Instruments FM8.
