Category: Music

  • 5 Ways Learning Music Positively Affects You

    We all look for things in life that benefit us. Life is fairly short, but there are stretches where it can feel quite long and we need something to give us a boost. It’s not profound to suggest that this little lull in our existence needs to be filled with something that can not only kill a bit of time but genuinely benefits us from them on in.

    That’s where music can come in. We all like listening to the stuff from time to time – even those that say they aren’t really music lovers. It makes us feel some kind of way. It can take us through tough times and it can make the great times even greater. Learning how it works, however, well that’s an entirely new kettle of fish. Taking on a new activity like this can help you improve yourself significantly. Let’s take a look at how. Click here for more information on the health benefits of music.

    It Unleashes Your Creativity

    A person’s creativity is more than just that sense of being expansive with art. Creativity happens when someone’s brain is trained enough to unlock new ideas. This can then be transferred into so many aspects of life. Almost every day, people need to use problem-solving skills to get a certain issue out of the way. The more creative people are able to conjure up new ideas and get things done smoothly. 

    It Opens Your Mind

    Living your life with a closed mind is often linked with bitterness and cynicism. Not being able to open up and accept something that you don’t like isn’t a healthy way to behave. You may have taken a particular viewpoint towards, say, a certain community of musicians in the past, but you may then gain a new appreciation for their effort and skill after attempting what they do. You may not like a particular band or genre and might’ve been stubborn in the past, but changed your mind after giving a few of their songs a go yourself. Nineties Britpop might be your worst enemy, but you could end up struggling to decide which is the best oasis album this time next year.  

    It Improves Your Patience

    It’s a skill that all human beings need and, unfortunately, a lot of human beings will never have. Learning a musical instrument is a fairly simple thing to do, but for the most part, it’s basically just trial and error. You keep on making mistakes until you stop making them. That takes some patience. Some are born with it and some can develop it over time – learning an instrument a great way of doing that.

    Your Memory Is Enhanced

    You have to learn a fair bit of information and keep it locked in your head. Notes, chords, lyrics, progressions, etc. They aren’t the easiest piece of info to burn into your brain. Fortunately, as we said before, it’s a slow process, so as long as you’re constantly practicing, your memory will unconsciously improve.

    Relieves Stress

    Finally, playing the music that you’ve learned feels good. The learning process may be a little tricky at times, but then so are most of these kinds of tasks. Sitting at a piano bench or with a guitar and creating lovely sounds can really cool you down after, say, a long day of work.

     

  • Radio Cascabel Walk & Listen

    Radio Cascabel Walk & Listen

    We recently talked about Radio Cascabel, a musical and visual project run by Estefi Panizza and Diego Jalfen, curating the most exciting Latin American sounds. Radio Cascabel are presenting their first Walk & Listen event in London in partnership with Flau Records and with artist Ulises Conti – one of Argentina’s most exciting young composers.

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    Image by Otero Galería

    Walk and Listen is a silent group walk through the city, the aim of which is to focus concentration on listening to the sounds that surround us. Ulises says: “This project came about as a result of my interest in sound and how through sound we relate to each other in all aspects of life. We could start our sound search by leaving behind all kinds of prejudices, considering all sounds as potential musical material, listening to sonorities that we have never before listened to attentively.”

    After two successful events in Bremen, Germany and Buenos Aires, Argentina, this free event will take place in London on June 2nd. You can find more information in the flyer below and on Radio Cascabel’s website:

    www.radiocascabel.com

    Future-Positive-Radio-Cascabel-Walk-Listen-1

  • Radio Cascabel

    Radio Cascabel

    Radio Cascabel is a musical and visual project started by Argentines Estefi Panizza and Diego Jalfen. Curating the most exciting Latin American sounds, Radio Cascabel offers playlists, sound design, live DJ sets and other musical and visual services. We talked to its two founders to find out more about how this project started, their recent move to London and the Latin American bands we should be listening to right now.

    www.radiocascabel.com

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    How did you meet and how did Radio Cascabel start?

    We met on a night out when we both went to see a cool DJ play at a bar in Buenos Aires. It was love at first sight 🙂

    Diego worked for a big radio station in Buenos Aires and in advertisement. I, Stefi, was working as a psychologist and was also starting to show my work as a photographer.

    Spring of 2013 marks an inflection point for us. The idea and concept behind Cascabel was born when we were living in Barcelona. We were at a party and we took a microphone which was on the stage, and started dancing and singing over the music. Everyone at the party was very excited and the day after that, our musical project started.

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    Tell us a little bit about all the different things you do with Radio Cascabel.

    Have you ever imagined a platform that curates emerging Latin-American music and visual art? A Radio that spreads local sounds with a global spirit and timeless sounds? A radio that could provide a space for experimental music? These questions inspire us to keep on developing our project.

    We search for new sounds and emerging visual artists all around Latin America. We develop an archive of the new, undiscovered and the impossible. We schedule all this music and broadcast a fresh streaming where new stuff can be listened to and artworks that have no place in traditional broadcasting can be enjoyed.

    Cascabel is our world – the way we live, think and feel. It is also a lab for music experimentation.

    You’ve recently moved to London to open a second office. What made you expand to the UK?

    We wanted to have the opportunity to show all the new Latin American music we work with and to experience living in another country. London is a really musical city and it’s giving us the chance to connect countries, people, and languages through music. We’d like to change some stereotypical ideas of the music of our region. We love to offer an unexpected selection of music where listeners can discover new sounds.

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    What Latin American musicians should we be listening to right now?

    We recommend all the artists we broadcast in Radio Cascabel. This is just a small selection: Bahía Inútil (Chile), Lucrecia Dalt (Colombia), Little Jesus (Mexico), Candelaria Zamar (Argentina), Nicolas Melmann (Argentina), Salt Cathedral (Colombia), Sobrenadar (Argentina) and Helado Negro (Ecuador/US).

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    What are your plans for the upcoming months?

    We’re starting a monthly show on NTS Radio with some of the best tracks from our selection. Also, some others radio stations have shown interest in having the most exciting sounds from Latin American and the Southern Cone. We are so happy to find Londoners interested in our curated music playlists.

    We also expect to increase our own audience on Radiocascabel.com and visit some friends in Ibiza and Madrid for New Year’s Eve.

  • Listening to Music on Your Phone? Here’s How to Improve Your Listening Experience

    Do you love to listen to music on your phone? Whether your phone is your go-to device when listening to music or you only listen to it when running or on your journey to work; listening to music on the go is a great way to bring your favourite tracks with you, wherever you are. If you enjoy having a soundtrack to your daily life, you will be all too aware that at times the listening experience on your phone can be a little disappointing. Low sound quality and a lack of accessible features can make listening to music a chore rather than a pleasure. However, there are many ways that you can enhance your listening experience and make sure that listening to music on your phone is an enjoyable experience. Take a look at just some of the ways that you can improve the entire listening experience on your phone:

    Image Pixabay CC0 License

    Choose the Best Speakers

    If you love music, you will know sound quality is everything. Choosing the best bluetooth speaker is essential to help you listen to your music at its best. There are loads of bluetooth speakers on the market right now, so choosing one that is right for you can be a tough choice. Comparing their features is an excellent place to start. Look out for battery-powered options if you want to use your bluetooth speaker on the move, WiFi connectivity so that you can listen anywhere, and many have Amazon Alexa built-in too making them super convenient.

    Find the Right Headphones

    When you are listening to music on the go, you need headphones that are up to the job and won’t compromise on sound quality. As well as choosing headphones based on sound quality, you also need to consider comfort and fit. Choosing headphones is very much a personal choice. Some people prefer to wear earbuds, whereas others prefer over the ear style headphones. If you are looking for an on-trend option, you may want to choose AirPods or similar and see if they deliver the sound quality and comfort that you are looking for. It is well worth shopping around for headphones and doing your research to find a pair that perfectly suit your needs, especially if you plan to wear them regularly.

    Adjust Your Settings

    As well as buying the best headphones and bluetooth speaker to match your needs, it is also worth tweaking with your phone’s settings to see if that improves the quality of sound that you get from your phone. Adjusting the settings on your music app so that they are on the highest quality setting could help make a significant difference, but be warned; if you are out and about it could use up far more data. Another option is to download your music at home and then listen to it on the go; this will eat into your storage, but you could just do it for your favourite tracks so that you can enjoy them sounding at their best.

    Another key factor to achieve the optimal listening experience is choosing the right phone or device to play your music. When comparing smartphone options, consider the sound quality, battery life, storage capacity, and additional features like high-resolution audio support and built-in equalisers. Some smartphones are designed with enhanced audio capabilities, such as better DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) chips, which can significantly improve sound quality. Brands like Apple, Samsung, and Sony offer phones with advanced audio features. Additionally, look at user reviews and professional evaluations to determine how each device performs in real-world scenarios. Investing in a phone with superior audio capabilities can make a huge difference in how you experience your music.

  • The Most Inspiring Music Artists In History

    Nobody creates music in a vacuum. Everyone has their heroes: people who “showed them the way” and introduced them to incredible new sounds. 

    When you’re just starting out creating music, though, you don’t always know where to draw inspiration. Sure – focus on your particular genre. But a lot of the most successful artists in history looked to the past to create their sounds. Maroon 5 went back a long way, borrowing from Beethoven to come up with their catchy tunes.

    Of course, if you read this blog on the 5 Online Must-Have Music Tools, you’ll know that there’s more to a successful music career than just pure artistic inspiration. You need technical skills too. But don’t underestimate just how much particular artists could inspire you to create incredible tracks.

    U2

    U2 probably isn’t the first band that springs to mind when you’re looking for inspiration. But there is no doubt that the band created the modern soft rock sound. Before Bono and The Edge, rock was very much rock ‘n’ roll. After them, it became way more progressive.

    The Beatles

    Pexels – CC0 License

    The Beatles are widely regarded as the most influential band in history, beating out Bob Dylan, the Stones, and even the mighty Elvis himself. 

    The reason this band is so influential has to do with the sheer number of new sounds it introduced, plus its ability to rock a crowd. It might be more than fifty years old now, but the music still feels fresh somehow. Who knows – it might yet come back around? We’re currently seeing an eighties revival. What about a sixties one too?

    Jimi Hendrix

    Jimi Hendrix was probably the greatest guitarist to grace the surface of the Earth. The man was able to riff like nobody else before or since. And he had a knack for coming up with melodies that strummed on your soul.

    He was also very influential on how music looked. Like Elvis, he understood the importance of visuals. 

    Bob Dylan

    It’s hard for any history of music to make sense without mentioning Bob Dylan. The man was a musical genius, and he’s been touring around the planet since the 1980s. That’s a long time for anyone to spend on the road.

    Bob Marley

    Bob Marley’s genius was to take traditional reggae and somehow repackage it for a western audience. You might not think it, but practically every reggae tune you’ve heard in your life came from Marley. He is so dominant in the genre; it is ridiculous. Now many people know his music because modern artists sample it so often.

    Michael Jackson

    Michael Jackson was a massive influence on music, especially during his heyday in the eighties with Bad and Thriller’s release. The man combined dance moves with exciting visuals and vocal inflections. He had a knack for working up a crowd and making his music participatory. He might have been one of the strangest people in the industry, but that was also a part of his genius. It’s a shame it all ended so tragically.