Category Archives: Did You Hear?

by | April 17, 2016 · 9:00 am

Did You Hear? Hip Hop

What do we really know about DJ Jazzy Jeff? My knowledge used to stop at the cartoon character of a man attached to the Fresh Prince in the ’90s. But as it turns out, he’s pretty legit. I saw him perform at a Fourth of July celebration in downtown Philly a couple years back. It was humid as hell, Boyz II Men were there, I was eating a cheesesteak and TastyKakes, and DJ Jazzy Jeff spun old-school funk and R&B for an hour or two… so it was pretty much the ultimate Philadelphia experience. I was amazed at how solid he was. No one else seemed to be all that surprised.

Check out the album of instrumentals he released in 2007 called The Return of the Magnificent-especially this really smooth track simply called “Hip Hop.” (Or try it with lyrics. Or hear the whole album.)

Brook Reeder

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by | March 6, 2016 · 7:00 am

Did You Hear? ¡Cubanismo!

New music! Sometimes old music. Music that we love!

Let’s keep going with some more great Latin music this week. There are a ton of amazing moments and solos in this Cuban jazz piece, but the real star of the song for me is the feeling itself. Incredibly tight and unbelievably loose, it’s impossible not to move along with. There’s something great about a group that knows exactly where the beat is supposed to land, so they can casually ignore it. Check out 3:20 when the pianist decides to briefly enter an alternate universe, requiring you to keep track of two entirely separate rhythms. So good!

And if that’s not quite enough for you, try this:

When it was originally released by the Eurythmics, this song was so far ahead of it’s time that we’ve still barely caught up. This version, however, is… questionable. It’s like an old jacket you’d find in a thrift store-it’s either incredibly cool or horribly awful. But it’s a pretty killer horn arrangement.

Brook Reeder

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by | February 28, 2016 · 9:00 am

Did You Hear? Mambo

New music! Sometimes old music. Music that we love!

In keeping with last week’s Latin theme… Yma Sumac was a prolific operatic soprano known for her 5+ octave range. She was not known, however, for her outlandish facial expressions, so that has been supplied here by a third party vendor. While the performance is technically a collaboration, I’m not sure Yma would have signed on for this one!

Brook Reeder

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by | February 14, 2016 · 9:45 am

Did You Hear? H.S.K.T.

New music! Sometimes old music. Music that we love!

Sometimes a great song has an awful video, which can ruin the whole thing. Suddenly I understand what the song means to the artist, and if it’s not the same as what it means to me, it can be jarring. In this case, the song is great, and the video amplifies it-and leaves very little room for misinterpretation. Get some!

Brook Reeder

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by | January 31, 2016 · 9:09 am

Did You Hear? Listen to Wikipedia

New music! Sometimes old music. Music that we love!

Who wants to hear some data!!!!!?

http://listen.hatnote.com/#en

Much like Wikipedia itself, the Listen to Wikipedia project can be simultaneously fascinating and pointless. It delivers the sound of real-time edits. This can be a beautiful way to help you work, or distract you from work, depending.

“Bells indicate additions and string plucks indicate subtractions. Pitch changes according to the size of the edit; the larger the edit, the deeper the note. Green circles show edits from unregistered contributors, and purple circles mark edits performed by automated bots. You may see announcements for new users as they join the site, punctuated by a string swell. You can welcome him or her by clicking the blue banner and adding a note on their talk page.”

Sonifying data is not a new concept, but it’s always interesting when done well. You know, like the sound of a New York Subway map lines intersecting, or the infamous Tomato Quintet.

Brook Reeder

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by | January 24, 2016 · 8:49 am

Did You Hear? Breaking Me Down

New music! Sometimes old music. Music that we love!

I found this great synthpop from a group called Lo, and I enjoyed the hell out of the whole album, starting with “Breaking Me Down.” It reminds me of St. Vincent, Zero 7, and what Lady Gaga could do if she turned it down a notch or twenty. It’s also mixed to perfection, thanks to Mr. Darrell Thorp (and others), fresh off a Grammy win for his work on the Beck album. He’s a master!

Brook Reeder

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