System Culture - Reverb Nation and MySpace Reviews

Jenni French - Archive

2010-03-10T07:22:00.003Z

Below is part an email interview with Jenni French and a section of a review.

How would you describe your music?

We try to be as original as possible, which is hard since it’s all been done before. We’re going for a smooth,

What other project are/have you been involved in?

Toby has been involved for several years with both sound engineering and recording live on tour and in the studio. With my experience in the film business, working with digital effects combined with my love for music and singing, I became fascinated with studio recording. Naturally our music gives us a joint creative outlet. First we started recording by experimenting in Cubase, then we got into Protools and Reason but now we've discovered Logic.

Do you think things like the free Microsoft download scheme is the way forward for independent artists?

Absolutely, downloads are the way to get your music out there, it’s a must. Downloads and free plays “streaming” are a great way for people to find new music they like, you can cover a lot of ground fast. What we love about it is that it’s pure. It’s the true artist representing exactly what they are about. We’ve come across so many talented artists out there through reverbnation.com. I believe that reverbnation and similar music websites are the heart and soul of the "new" music industry. Read more...

Questions by This Window

Jenni is a singer, songwriter and recording artist. She records her own music using ProTools with husband, Toby Francis. All the tracks on the player are different but have (undoubtedly) a Jenni French sound and feel. I was really disappointed when the tracks were over, I wanted more. Read More...

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Fafnirrockson - Three questions

2010-03-09T06:51:00.002Z

This is full of big filmic sounds, fairy tale harps and fat sounds.Tightly controlled reverb that doesn't flood the panorama and subtle beats. Read more...

How would you describe your music? My music cannot be fixed to a certain style. Rather it is a very creative and unconventional interpretation of different styles.
Have you any releases coming out soon? Yes, soon.
What is your favorite networking site and why? Reverbnation, because it is a good site for cross-promotion.it is the basis for all other sites.

Review by This Window

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Archive - Karin Beckérus - Out of Quebec

2010-03-01T08:58:00.003Z

I have been exceptionally busy with demanding projects at the moment so I have got very behind with reviews and interviews. SystemCulture is proving to be an exceptionally useful tool for me it has enabled me to list and catalog some of my favorite signed and unsigned bands. As I have a couple of minutes free I thought I would dip into the list and republish a review of one of my favorite discoveries: Original post

I think I've become a stalker....I absolutely love Karin Beckérus. I would like to point out to Karin's family and friends, my wife, my kids, my lawyer and any private detective following me that I have no evil, weird or malicious intent going on in my mind, I just think she makes great music.

When things are stripped down to the bare minimum you always end up with a purity of thought. I am envious of the ability to make something that is minimal, sound as big as the world. Old school (German?) electronic music sounded like this, there was a limited amount of equipment available to use so their resources dictated the sound of the final product; these days we all have an unlimited supply of samples and virtual synths, we can be as big and as fat as we want - the trick is to be selective. There is an old blues guitar saying, 'it is not what you play, it is the spaces you leave that make a good song'. Out of Quebec make the spaces sound massive and give me butterflies in my stomach.

And Out of Quebec says:

Out of Quebec is a solo project out of Stockholm focusing on creating dark and experimental tracks with expressive vocals. Karin Beckérus of Out of Quebec has a classical musical training and have been working with electronic music for only a few years.

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Cyphreinc Podcast 010 - Review

2010-02-14T07:54:00.001Z

Cyphreinc Podcast 010 is now available to listen to. When you visit Cyphreinc you are greeted by a tasteful, well designed little site that has straight to the point content and links to podcasts that are packed with diverse music (and a little chatter). There is always something or somebody I have never heard before - Alice In The North Of England Wonderland - fab! Click image below to listen.

01 ~ Trubador - Black Crow

02 ~ This Window - You Have The Power

03 ~ The Great Affairs - Undertow

04 ~ Shaolin Temple of Boom - Relentless Fixation

05 ~ Forgotten Fable - Timeline

06 ~ These Monsters - Call Me Dragon

07 ~ Graham Slimings - Wild Horses

08 ~ The Son (s) - On Top Of A Lazy Day

09 ~ Ease - Dancing till Sunrise

10 ~ Paulusma - Waste

11 ~ Moonshine Rebels - Reynardine

12 ~ Shangren - Warriors of Devastation

13 ~ ElectriKa - Give It Back

Not one track fails to P L E a S e. Highly recommended.

Newsletter - 13th February

2010-02-13T09:59:00.001Z

Keep up to date with the latest reviews on 'SystemCulture' by subscribing to the This Window mailing list.

In my last newsletter I asked (after an awful start to 2010) 'What will happen next?' Well I'm pleased to say positive thinking worked out! (I will expand below).

We still have loads of your interview forms to process - please accept our apologies for the delay. Here a few more 'Three questions' replies

If you want to have your links on SystemCulture fill out the form here. Please try it out and if there are any problems let me know.

I’m not really one for massive self promotion but a couple of (exciting) things have happened to me this week.

Great news, the release of the fanzine ‘Grave Jibes‘ will be on Feb, 15th with an interview with Jake and Peter (This Window) see the details here http://www.gravejibes.com/category/news/). This Window will also be on radio “GaGa” also in Russia.www.radio88gaga.ru/

Exhibition: June 2010 of new paintings and old drawings at Broomhill Art Hotel, Nr. Barnstaple, North Devon.I have rediscovered some drawings I did in January 1978 and I have decided to revisit these compositional ideas. Have my skills ‘matured’? Will I manage to recapture the youthful energy or will I run out of steam? This could be an interesting exercise or a total failure for me as an artist now.

Creating images is balancing on the knife edge that teeters between success and failure. A brushstroke out of place is like cutting the beak off a privet peacock, it takes time for it to grow back and reshape.

Double6project - Three questions

2010-02-13T07:56:00.001Z

'Riding The Dune' - full of Eastern promise, luscious. Get me a camel!

How would you describe your music? - Double six aims at making their music as interesting, fascinating and pleasant as drinking fresh water in the middle of the desert.

Have you any releases coming out soon? - New album "Lovely" (full version)

What is your favorite networking site and why? - Facebook because it is a good platform to deliver other networks like reverbnation

The Bonanza Lunchbox - Three questions

2010-02-13T07:43:00.000Z

As you know I am an advocate for the DIY music movement - boxes ticked and filed on top of the pile.

How would you describe your music? - raw, dark, pop...and incomplete. my recordings are sketches... ideas... i don't spend much time massaging them beyond the demo phase.

Have you any releases coming out soon? - for me a release is when i hit record. i never know when that will happen.

What is your favourite networking site and why? - i really like how facebook and reverbnation allow content to be merged ... ala the "my band" app.

The Mschifgals - Three questions

2010-02-13T07:30:00.000Z

'Why Do We Argue'? In relationships that is the biggest question. This track, with its fat guitar lead and organ fills really works and (wait for the corny bit..) has a perfect relationship without any conflicting arguments.

How would you describe your music? - unique, multi genre to accomodate our writing for film/tv/games/etc..and we have already been successful in this field.

Have you any releases coming out soon? - phyisical cd was released on monday 25th january at reverbnation merch store www.reverbnation.com/themschifgals also there is fab t-shirts and digital downloads.

What is your favorite networking site and why? - Unknown

Exhibition of Paintings - This Window review in Grave Jibes

2010-02-11T09:53:00.003Z

I'm not really one for massive self promotion but a couple of (exciting) things have happened to me this week.

Great news, the release of the fanzine 'Grave Jibes' will be on Feb, 15th with an interview with Jake and Peter (This Window) see the details here http://www.gravejibes.com/category/news/). This Window will also be on radio "GaGa" also in Russia.www.radio88gaga.ru/
Exhibition: June 2010 of new paintings and old drawings at Broomhill Art Hotel, Nr. Barnstaple, North Devon.

I have rediscovered some drawings I did in January 1978 and I have decided to revisit these compositional ideas. Have my skills 'matured'? Will I manage to recapture the youthful energy or will I run out of steam? This could be an interesting exercise or a total failure for me as an artist now.

Creating images is balancing on the knife edge that teeters between success and failure. A brushstroke out of place is like cutting the beak off a privet peacock, it takes time for it to grow back and reshape.

Sierra Revival Project - Three questions

2010-02-02T15:08:00.000Z

I wasn't to sure what I was letting myself into when I followed a link and was presented with an image of a bear. It could've gone either way really.... Scott Mathes, the man behind this project, is an environmentalist who is or has been involved in many environmental projects (see his about page on his website www.sierrarevival.com - very impressive!). If you listen to his tracks you will be even more impressed. I got totally absorbed in these songs - beautifully played, skillfully recorded - bloody marvelous!

How would you describe your music? An eclectic mix of acoustic, folk rock and progressive rock. Music from the heart.

Have you any releases coming out soon? A new album "Range of Light" is currently in production.

What is your favourite networking site and why? Facebook offers an interesting mix of features that allow an individual to effectively network and control incoming and outgoing information.

International Silver String Submarine Band - Three questions

2010-02-01T08:27:00.004Z

If you go to Sub Band Facebook Page you will find some new and exclsive material including the soundtrack of Sonicsgate, named Sports Illustrated's "Most Persuasive Grassroots Flick" of 2009. The tracks on the ReverbNation player are packed with variety and styles - good songs and soundtracks, possibly something for everyone - enjoy!

How would you describe your music? Mostly electronica crossed with straight Beatles/XTC-style pop, although I've worked in so many genres from folk to Zep-ish rock to trance and film score.

Have you any releases coming out soon? I've been putting out some new singles steadily every few weeks on ReverbNation, the first Submarine Band album proper will be released later this year!

What is your favorite networking site and why? I'd probably have to say Facebook ... nothing like reinventing your picture and mood as often as the mood strikes you!

The Merricks - Three questions

2010-01-30T12:19:00.000Z

The Merricks on MySpace

Everything and anything can appear in these mixes - relaxing soundscapes and beats, the spoken word and electronic magic. These tracks could be Soundtracks or Film music but are definitely Experimental and possibly Electronica. Backwards or forwards these are well crafted pieces. (Listen on MySpace)

How would you describe your music? We're musical puzzlers under any influences

Have you any releases coming out soon? The Merricks: "Eat a vegan" The Merricks: "So what?" The Merricks with Lil Lemon dreams: "Brainlanding"
Coming soon: The Merricks: "Trouble"

What is your favorite networking site and why? Myspace. Because it's a place where I can really share with other artists.

Grotesque Sexuality - Review

2010-01-30T10:39:00.004Z

Grotesque Sexuality are oficially confirmed to play at the prestigious Drop Dead Festival in 2010, which will take a place in Vilnius, Lithuania in August 2010. For such a 'young band' to achieve this accolade is more than worthy enough to get a review here!

I have mentioned elsewhere on these pages that I have been amazed at how powerful and dynamic some of the bands from the Russian Federation are - Grotesque Sexuality, who state they are a fusion of deathrock, post-punk, coldwave and no wave music with XX century avant-garde references, are without doubt a great find. Fronted by their vocalist Nattsol (the founder of Grave Jibes Fanzine) they have serious references to the more experimental post-punk pioneers of the late 1970's and early 1980's. I adore music that balances on the knife edge of success and failure because that is where invention is - superb.

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Ravenslament - Three questions

2010-01-30T09:19:00.001Z

Sometimes I get contacted by someone, they send me some links and answer my question (briefly) and I think I can't be bothered to do this, I can't face listening to this, it is bound to be shit.

There is a God and every now and then Hallelujah - I love this stuff - I really, really love this stuff. Brilliant!

How would you describe your music? an eclectic mixture of genres and cultures amalagmated into a sound undefinable by popular culture.

Have you any releases coming out soon? a four track download ep via my mediafire page , entitled angel or devil , all for free .

What is your favourite networking site and why? myspace - myspace because i am in control of all that happens there and it has a wider scope for me to interact with and cos i don't like facebook. www.myspace.com/ravenslament

Rick Frost - Three questions

2010-01-30T06:54:00.001Z

How would you describe your music? Highly original. Though some folks have said that certain aspects remind them of other artists. Like Dylan. And Musically - some Southern roots come thru.

Have you any releases coming out soon? Yes. I have a CD completed. it was supposed to come out last March but my Studio crashed and then I got very ill. Slated now for a March 2010 release.

What is your favorite networking site and why? Reverbnation. Great management. The artists here are truly into the art not just the potential for glory. Almost a communal spirit of helping one another

"The last album I released, Something Special was a real eye-opener for me. The CD did very well. What surprised me the most was the diversity of the listening audience." Read More...

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Tompaz - Three questions

2010-01-30T06:36:00.001Z

How would you describe your music? mix of rock/country and alternative

Have you any releases coming out soon? no but have two out called So Far Down The Road and Flowin´Winds

What is your favorite networking site and why? reverbnation and ubetoo-since its there musicians /fans share music/ideas and also facebook where many friends are.

Read More...

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Girlierox - Three questions

2010-01-28T10:33:00.000Z

Sustained guitar sounds (lots of fuzzzz) over electronic beats - hard and aggressive. 'Twilight Before Dawn' is a fantastic track (I love backward sounds) - go buy.

How would you describe your music? - unique, electronica rock/dance

Have you any releases coming out soon? - yes cd in next two weeks at reverbnation merch store (below) www.reverbnation.com/girlierox some tracks are already there as digital downloads

What is your favorite networking site and why? - prob reverbnation because it brings more artists together

David Wheeler - Three questions

2010-01-28T07:07:00.000Z

This is home taping - rough, garage, spare room recordings that exude simple energy - which have a quirky twist every now and then. This is everything I like about DIY.

How would you describe your music? A truly unique rock sound where each song is completely different

Have you any releases coming out soon? I'll get a CD out ASAP

What is your favourite networking site and why? I've been into reverbnation lately. I like all the widgets and banners and the store and other tools to promote my music.

Visit his page

Memphis Nights - Three questions

2010-01-28T06:30:00.006Z

How would you describe your music? A borderline-ride between Funk/rock and Dance. A rich cinematic sound with strong funky beats, layered with full samples and sounds, and infused with one of the most unique voices today.

Have you any releases coming out soon? Yes an album will be out this year.

What is your favorite networking site and why? Myspace. Simply for the volume of people on it and therefore activity. Great for bands.

Read More...

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System Culture .com

2010-01-27T19:50:00.000Z

If you would like an interview on SystemCulture.org, fill out the form here: interview.html and we will take a listen to your music and publish your answers together with a review by us.

Click on the letters below to search for band reviews and interviews on SystemCulture.

Artists are listed like this:

Artists by name eg. Jane Silence is under ‘J’

Bands with ‘The’ eg. The Dancing Did are under ‘T’

We reserve the right to edit or not publish your interview if we consider it to be unsuitable.

Fletchman Brinson - Three questions

2010-01-22T15:51:00.002Z

How would you describe your music? - If you like Gospel, Jazz, Dance, Funk world, or rock....Fletchman has a song for you...This music is thumping, bumpin and grasshopper jumpin!!

Great voice! Even if you avoid spiritually inspired music like the plague, I think you should have a listen to this chap - big sounds and fat, fat, very fat, powerful vocals and backing harmonies, layered over jazz (funk) inspired rythms. I'm converted!

....and if you like blues listen to 'Used To Be Blues', great guitar at the begining and in the middle.

Have you any releases coming out soon? - 2010 I will be releasing some singles

What is your favorite networking site and why? - I have several; Facebook because I have found people that were lost in time, and Reverbnation, because I get to hear and network with talented artists

Where Winters Go To Die - Three qestions

2010-01-22T13:01:00.001Z

How would you describe your music? - Things that aren't Poundcore

I have reviewed everything that is 'Poundcore' before and I liked that... 'Bruised Coloured Skies' - Guitars and drum beats with vocals - the vocal is different to the normal, every now and then there is a glimpse of something almost unique - thick and harsh. Sometimes there are echos of 'The Psychedelic Furs'. 'Groove Tube' is FAB.

Other tracks include big beats and pulses - splendid stuff.

Have you any releases coming out soon? - nup

That is a shame - reconsider?

What is your favorite networking site and why? - Facebook

Mike Cliffe - Review

2010-01-17T08:35:00.004Z

"The music I do now is all original, at least in the respect that they aren't cover tunes. They are all ideas that I'd like to see become complete songs and are highly influenced by what I like to listen to both past and present." - Read more of Interview

You can't beat guitars and drums (beats). There is something about guitarists, from Jean "Django" Reinhardt to Jimmy Page, they can make sounds that can either relax you or make you want to punch somebody in the face. I love the track 'Too Late' it is.... The music from Mr Cliffe is varied and crosses the usual difined barriers that we are all corralled behind or are told we belong to or like. Think versitile guitarists and then you are on the right track here. Besides...the geek in me admires anybody who has used Linux to record music .

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T R I V I A - "Django" was Romani for "I awake."

Maddie Jones - Interview

2010-01-11T21:09:00.002Z

Read a review of Maddie Jones' tracks

How would you describe your music and what has been your biggest influence? I want to know this even though you refuse to divulge on your website.

I think describing your own music is one of the hardest things for an artist to do, which is probably the reason for all the nonsensical genres that people invent to get around the fact that they don’t really fit into an existing one! My music is influenced to varying degrees by pretty much everything I’ve ever come across, and so including rock, jazz, classical, folk and so on. I try to make each song I write different to the others, to keep myself entertained as much as anything else. It’s one of the thing’s I love about Queen’s back catalogue. As a result, I think you can hear certain influences more strongly in certain songs – for instance, the jazz harmony in ‘Green and Blue’. Influences, I suppose, also include things that aren’t immediately apparent in songwriting - I adore the vocal power and live showmanship of Freddie Mercury, Etta James, Alanis Morissette and so many others. Lyrics also open up a whole new universe of influences, which for me include The Beatles, Muse, etc. (who I also love the music aspect of). I find it so hard to sum it up…I love so many bands, artists and composers, I’ve tried to just name a few absolute favourites. I can’t give a short coherent answer – so I’ll just say everything – I’m influenced by everything.

Have you any releases coming out soon?

Yes, I’ve just finished recording an E.P of six of my songs called ‘Let It Out’. It’ll be available on CD and digitally (through iTunes etc.) very, very soon! There’ll be details shortly on my websites.

How important is playing live to you?

I think that playing live probably captures the essence of what I’m trying to do better than recording, at least from my point of view. When I record, I have to pretend that it’s live so that the feeling is there: playing off an audience can completely change your sound. I manage that by recording in pitch darkness, oddly! I don’t think I could ever be solely a recording artist though – the real kicks come from gigging.

Which Internet site gets your music message out the best - ReverbNation, MySpace or another?

I have my own website, but I use MySpace, Reverbnation, Facebook and Twitter as well. It takes quite a lot of effort to maximize the potential of each so I tend to concentrate on different ones for different purposes: Facebook for communicating with the people I know, MySpace for finding contacts, venues etc, and the music player. Reverbnation is great for the fanlist e-mails, and fan exclusive tracks.

I really love your demo tracks. Where do you get the ideas from and how long does it take to write a song.?

Cheers! The ideas for my songs are, lyrically at least, drawn from life. They have to be or I wouldn’t be able to sing them with conviction. As I said, musically, they’re a kind of mish mash of everything that I listen to. I’m never too explicit about what the songs represent or mean, because I think it’s important that, whilst they may mean one specific thing to mean, they could mean something different to someone else. I like to keep it vague, and let people draw their own conclusions. As for how long they take…I never sit down and take hours to write a song. It starts with a mood, and then the lyrics stem from that and the music usually happens at the same time, or I fit a musical idea I’ve had already to the lyrics. It can mean that lyrics and music don’t end up being in the same ‘style’, but I actually do that very consciously. For instance, the lyrics to ‘Green and Blue’ are actually really depressing, and I think they’re made more so by the light-hearted music. I’m very keen on the great jazz singers too – like Billie Holiday, I think maybe that song reflects that aspect of my tastes.

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Read a review of Maddie Jones' tracks

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Carlos Mongrut - Review

2010-01-10T12:28:00.002Z

Carlos Mongrut was born in Peru moving to the United States of America in 1999

'Black Snow' is a terrific piano piece with vocals, which is appropriate as I am sat looking out of the window - gazing out to the sea with it's snow covered shoreline, with gulls gliding and circling below our elevated viewpoint, dodging and cutting through the snowflakes; the shimmering notes from 'J`taime mon amour ' the sound track to their airborne dance and hunt for food.

Now living in Orlando performing for the local community, with several performances in the Main Public Library in Downtown Orlando, his poetry and music is reaching an increasing audience. Relax and listen.

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