Pro or No – Mixcloud

An announcement in late 2022 got some attention when Mixcloud decided to change their longstanding policy of allowing uploads from anyone, without a restriction on length or numbers of them over time. I’ve been a user of Mixxloud since finding them in early 2012, and subsequently uploaded over 600 shows and mixes. This likely constitutes something in the neighborhood of 1200 to 1350 hours total. No small amount of data or bandwidth.

The change in policy restricts users from uploading more than 8 shows on a Basic account. In order to upload more than this, either the previously submitted shows need to be removed, or a Pro account subscription needed to be purchased. Pretty much an ultimatum for users like me, and I was a bit grumpy and felt like this was a bit unfair to those of us with time in the community. However, when the co-founder of Mixcloud responded on Twitter and took my input seriously, countering with some solid points, I reconsidered. I have brought value to the service, but it also serves me to put some weight on the other side of the scales in order to balance it out. This also lined up with the subscriber count from the channel chipping in to the kitty.

So, I came around. Nerd Show will continue to publish full shows to Mixcloud and stream live on SomaFM when possible. It’s a reasonable ask and you are part of the equation, and not a small part. I’ve been part of Nerd Show for two decades now, and I’m easily in a position to pay for a useful and very valuable service like Mixcloud. Hesitating to pay for something that was free but has value-adds when paid for, bears some thought and consideration. It’s natural to recoil a bit when something stops being free to use, but in the larger context this will hopefully help Mixcloud stay a solvent business that can be independent and fulfill the needs of the community as it has.

Here’s to many more years on Mixcloud.

Natasha Kmeto – KEXP

I was able to see Natasha Kmeto open for Beacon at Kilby Court a few months ago and I was amazed at how solid her live performance was. Impressive voice, presence, and show. I picked up her albums, Crisis and Inevitable, on cassette and had a good chat with her. Lovely.

Kilby Court – 04/08/14 – Live Set

Live show at Kilby Court in SLC. djay 2 for iPad and Vestax Spin2

Kilby Court – 08 April, 2014 by Nerdshow on Mixcloud

Direct Link

This is the list of artists, albums, and songs
Artist Album Title
Deco Timescales Skyline 3040
Silkie “City Limits Volume 1″ Sty
Congo Natty Jah Warriors Jah Warriors (Joker’s Space Cake Remix)
Mindelixir Why I’m Easy b/w Future Why I’m Easy
Matt Shadetek The Empire Never Ended Jaguar
TC4 Grime 2.0 Lazer Riddem
LMNL Dubplates Interstellar Nomad
Volor Flex & Encode Altiplano Altiplano
Lorn Debris EP Italics
Shlohmo Laid Out Put It
Deft Always Greener Emeralds
Lee Bannon Alternate/Endings Alternate/Endings (Bonus Track)
Wiley Fuck It EP Fuck It
Tunde Olaniran Yung Archetype The Raven
Alluxe Nomad – EP Rytmus
Zuzuka Poderosa & Kush Arora Carioca Bass EP Pisicodelia (HxdB Remix)
Moresounds Moresounds EP APHA009 Flocon [House Of Black Lanterns Remix]
Gulls [via XLR8R] Harmonic Mind
Shigeto No Better Time Than Now Detroit Part 1

SXSW 2014 Preview mix

SXSW 2014 Preview Mix by Nerdshow on Mixcloud

Direct Link

This is the list of artists, albums, and songs
Artist Album Title
Caspa Everybody’s Talking, Nobody’s Listening! Low Blow
Giraffage Needs Money
Machinedrum Eyesdontlie Eyesdontlie (radio edit)
Snow Ghosts Secret Garden Secret Garden
Obey City MY RVM EP [via XLR8R] My RVM (AppleBottom Remix)
Mr Pauer Orange Dare (feat Ana & Maye Osorio)
A Tribe Called Red Nation II Nation The Road (feat. Black Bear)
Federico Aubele Rob Garza Remixes No One (Rob Garza remix)
Ikonika Aerotropolis Completion V.3
Atropolis Transitions Spring Heat
Lindsay Lowend Bay Harbor
Blue Sky Black Death Glaciers IV (feat. JMSN) (Child Actor remix)
Dauwd Heat Division Heat Division
Chrissy Murderbot Bussin Down Bussin Down (feat. DJ Spinn)
Seekae DOME Reset Head

No show on 05/17/12

I am taking a brief trip west this evening, so I will be unable to do the show. I wish I’d remembered this last week, but alas, here we are.

Fear not, however, there are options! I’ve uploaded the last two Nerd Shows to Mixcloud and they are available, with other past shows and my mixes and demos at http://mixcloud.com/NerdShow

Have a listen, and I’ll be back for next week with a LOT of new music.

Thievery Corporation 09/01/11

I got lucky. With a trip booked overseas, and no chance to change plans, I gasped when I found out that one of my favorite groups, Thievery Corporation, would be in the state and playing at a venue I’d never been to. The only issue was the price, and while it was pricey, it really wasn’t an opportunity I was willing to pass up.

And I didn’t.

The venue, Red Butte Gardens, is located up on the mountainside, just adjacent to the campus of the University of Utah. It’s pretty spectacular, nestled into a canyon, making a great amphitheater. The stage was pretty cool, and the seating was grass. Oh, it was also BYOB and people were having a party!

The opener, Shana Halligan, was the lead vocalist for Bitter:Sweet, a group whose sound I was familiar with. They did a great opening 45 minutes or so, getting the crowd into it and doing an excellent job at it. Great performance and very talented live act. I’m not surprised that Thievery Corporation has them open.

The main act was an epic journey. It took a while, an eternity it felt, but the band did come out and we were treated to Thievery Corporation in a way few ever will; live and instrumental.

Any classic cut from the group you can think of was represented. Richest Man in Babylon, Lebanese Blonde, Sound the Alarm, etc… and with the vocalists we’ve all become accustomed to. Indeed, they even brought the very dynamic duo of See-I out to perform on at least a dozen tracks. To that end, the gifted Mr. Lif was brought along to perform the title track from their latest album, Culture of Fear. It was grand.

The talent on the stage was absolute. Percussion, guitar, bass, sitar, sampling, everything. I was simply fascinated, track after track, at the quality of the show. The audience knew these tracks and the energy was indeed filling the air, blending with the sound. The audience and band appreciated each other, and it built up to an incredible tempo.

Excellent show, and I’m so very pleased I was able to see the show and experience the vibe that Thievery Corporation brings. It was great to see Rob Garza, one of the two founding members, come out and introduce each and every member of the group, and the group introduce and embarrass him in turn.

Fantastic.

Upcoming Shows – SLC

I’m excited that two great shows that interest me are coming up locally.

First is Hail Mary Mallon with Kimya Dawson at Urban Lounge this Wednesday the 24th. HMM is a collaboration of Aesop Rock, Rob Sonic, and DJ Big Wiz. They’re hilarious and extremely talented, despite what the video two posts down might lead one to insinuate.

Second is Thievery Corporation at Red Butte Gardens on September 1st. Thievery Corporation is one of the most important projects for modern, world electronic music in the United States, bar none. Their label, Eighteenth Street Lounge, is the outlet for many of the finest artists in that scene. They’re also a North American distributor for a number of the excellent artists on Switchstance in Europe.

Should be a great time for all on both counts.

Def Con 19 – I got a set!

News came early this morning that I’ve been selected to play some music and perform during Def Con 19. It’s going to be a lot of fun, and challenging also, but I am already making some initial preparations. Not sure what kind of equipment I am going to use, but it can be as simple or as complicated as I can imagine.

Lets enjoy with the mix that (probably) did the trick for me:

Def Con 19 Demo / Mixtape by Nerd Show

05/19/11 – Sub Swara at The Fillmore, San Francisco

So the lads from Sub Swara, one of the cutting-edge electronic groups out of New York, are having a show at The Fillmore Theater in San Fransisco. It just so happens I’ll be there that day, and it just so happens they had some extra tickets. Guess who noticed this on Twitter?

Looking forward to a pretty epic show. Will report back!

Mount Kimbie, Beats Antique, and The Tailor – The Depot, 04/05/11

Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t get an interview with anyone, but I was going to the show regardless. It seemed that Mount Kimbie and Beats Antique were playing together for the first time, having been involved in separate tours up to this point. I must admit that it’s a bit of an unusual pairing, but in fact, they have many similarities.

The Tailor opened, and wasn’t what I expected. Put a shy guy from Vancouver, BC, by way of Manitoba, on the stage with some weird electric four-string banjo and a laptop and what do you get? Some very interesting folkish, Gypsy music that is hard to describe but very listenable and makes for an interesting presentation. He really did warm up the crowd with his chatting and personality.

Mount Kimbie came on next, a surprise because I’d thought they’d play last, and immediately began impressing me with their sound. Their EPs and album, Crooks & Lovers, don’t prepare the audience for the live show. Both of the guys were up, with heads nodding pushing buttons on the MPCs and banging on the drum pad. A guitar came out, as did the cymbal, and we even got some singing. To hear the recording is a shadow of what their live show is. They are, no doubt, performing their music instead of just playing it. Indeed, they even swapped equipment for one track.

It should be noted that the crowd was biased towards Beats Antique, an easy call based on the variety of garb indicating some interest in the belly dancing vibe of Beats Antique. That said, Mount Kimbie really did get the crowd going a number of times and they left a very impressed fan in myself. I wanted to hear more, and I do hope they return.

Beats Antique revved up the audience immediately. I was quickly impressed that the full drum set, which I’d been puzzled by, was used from the first song to the last. On the other side of the stage was a setup with a MacBook Pro, cymbal, more controls, drum pad, and most importantly the electric fiddle. Add the clarinet and sax player, with Zoe Jakes herself banging on a drum squad kickdrum, and the crowd was treated to an intense, vibrant, and fascinating performance.

Zoe, and at times one or two other dancers, also treated us to their skills on many of the songs. I’ve never been a fan of bellydancing as a performance, but in this context it worked very, very well. There lied a cohesiveness between the elements that made for a riveting performance. Unsure what to expect beforehand, I was left duly impressed.

All told, this was a great trio of artists who ply their trade well. All blended electronics and sampling with instruments in one way or another. I do hope to see their names on another marquee in Utah.