It’s been a long and productive day, as I’m typing this blog to you from Uptown, one of my favorite cafes in San Luis Obispo. I’ve been in my office for most of the day, and have actually been a bit on the productive side.

Earlier, I’ve had the pleasure of listening to an online radio show from Vancouver, B.C. called Bitchin’ Beats. The gorgeous hostess, Mama Miche, dropped me an email earlier in the day for me to check it out. It’s hosted by both her and Kenzie, her turntable partner-in-crime. They’ve covered a variety of styles within a two-hour span, rockin’ my hips (while seated, mind you) all the way through. It’s part of a new online radio station called Ice Station, which is a live community that hosts mix shows and online chat. in fact, I’ve chatted a great deal with Miche, whom I’ve met on the last day of my trip to Miami during the music conferences back in March. Her charm is wit is match by her varied musical tastes and her DJ skills. Check it out from 6-8pm PT. You might have some fun like I’ve had.

Some of the new music that’s coming out shows promises of long shelf life. Compost Records has come on strong with two albums worth your while. Eddy Meets Yannah’s “Just Like..” is yet another fine example of a full-length with signature sounds, solid production, and terrific vocal work all mesh together. Several tracks have been getting repeats, so watch out for this one. A pleasant surprise that has caught me off-guard is Felix Leband’s “Dark Days Exit.” If I’m a sucker for great dance music, then “Dark Days…” is the perfect antidote to chill out with. In fact, it’s not a dance album at all. Mellow, seemingly lifted from a movie soundtrack, it’s not like much you’ll hear on Compost, yet it’s still an essential.

Later in the week, I’ll drop tips on music from Infracom, Phuture Lounge, and others.

But I’ll leave you with yet another blog that might be worth your time to check out. It’s on the state of the independent music industry, and it’s written by an insider who has spent most of his life living and breathing it. He’s Alan Brown, and he’s depressed about the current state of the industry. He offers an observation on the goings-wrong of the industry, as well as possible solutions. The link is to Part 1. If you click on the Blog tag at the top, just scroll down to find Parts 2 and 3. Let me know what you think.

In fact, let me know what it is that you’d like to see on this blog. It’s just as much yours as it is mine, and I’d be appreciative to make it as informative as I can. Until later in the week, enjoy it!

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Last week’s broadcast is now online and can be listened to on-demand. Find all of the relevant links to the show below. Check the website, as the show previous to that one is now also online.

Last Friday’s broadcast features the week’s Urban Landscapes Guestmix from Jan Siegmund of Department Deluxe Radiio in Stuttgart, Germany. Okay, so it’s not really a mix in of itself. It’s his 35th edition of his excellent radioshow. After being pulled from its former home (along with other shows) due to new and stringent net radio requirements in Germany, the show recommences this month at its new home, Swiss-based online radio station Lounge Radio (http://www.lounge-radio.com). You can call it a show-within-a-show for this mix, so hope you enjoy it.

Below is the playlist for last Friday’s broadcast, followed by my monthly Soundscapes chart for June.

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The Urban Landscapes Radioshow 8.21
Friday June 3, 2005
Song - Artist - Album - Label
Kind of Latin Rhythm - The Juju Orchestra - Funky Nassau 12″ (Audiopharm)
Mediocre - Voice - EP 12″ (Public Transit)
Transmission - Ben Momo featuring Capitol A - EP 12″ (Compost)
Donaueschingen (Swell Session Remix featuring Atradies) - Re:jazz - EP (Infracom CD-R)
My Beats (S.U.M.O. Rebounce) - Blaze - S.U.M.O. Rebounces (Heya Hi-Fi)
Simplesmente (Tom Middleton Cosmos Remix) - Bebel Gilberto - Bebel Gilberto Remixed (Six Degrees/Zuriguiboom)

THE URBAN LANDSCAPES
GUESTMIX PRESENTS:
Jan Siegmund’s Department Deluxe Radio

Show Intro
Frisco Drive - Honeymunch (Infracom)
King of Darkness (Swell Session Remix) - Susumo Yokota (Exceptional)
Chi-Town Strut (All Good Funk Alliance Remix) - First Floor Brothers (Citrona)
Sandcastles - Diesler (Tru Thoughts)
Stromausfall - Dimlite (Sonar Kollektiv)
We Love - Hipster Wonkaz (Flyin’ High)
Los Bandidos (Michael Reinboth Remix) - Cal Tjader (Compost)
Changes - Nostalgia 77 (Tru Thoughts)
Nova Express - Hipnosis (Perfect Toy)
Dark Water - Diesler (Tru Thoughts)
Dalaaqui - Cay Taylen (Couch)
Uam Uam (Moonstarr Remix) - Povo (Compost)
Another Face (Funk Wave Rework) - Paolo Fedrighini Marco Binachi (Schema)
END OF DEPARTMENT DELUXE RADIOMIX

?? (Son de Batey Remix) - Masoul (Amalgama CD-R)
Ocaj - Phuturistix - EP (Phuture Lounge)
It’s Your Time - Tominaga (Diaspora CD-R)
Come Fly With Me (Mr. Gone’s Re-Confunkshun Mix) - Positive Flow - The City Streets EP (Native Source CD-R)
END BROADCAST

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VELANCHE’S SOUNDSCAPES
June 2005
(in no particular order)

1. Comfort Fit - Forget And Remember CD (Tokyodawn)
2. Eddy Meets Yannah - Just Like… CD (Compost)
3. Tominaga - It’s Your Time EP (Diaspora)
4. V/A - Der Frankfurt Sound CD (Infracom)
5. V/A - Motown Remixed 3xEP (Motown/Rhino)
6. Colonel Red - Blue Eyed Blak CD (People)
7. RTB Big Band - RTB Big Band With Guests CD/reissue (Cosmic Sounds)
8. V/A - The Roots of Dub Funk 4 CD (Tanty)
9. Four Tet - Everything Estatic CD (Domino)
10. Soel - Memento CD (Warner Brothers)
11. LTA - EP (Phuture Lounge CD-R)
12. Phuturistix - EP (Phuture Lounge)
13. S.U.M.O. - S.U.M.O. Rebounces CD (Heya Hifi)
14. Voice - Mediocre EP 12″ (Public Transit)
15. V/A - Bebel Gilberto Remixed 2xCD (Six Degrees)
16, Re:jazz - Donaeschigen EP (Infracom CD-R)
17. Ben Human - The Out of Towner CD (Unique)
18. Hipnosis - Carrousel CD (Perfect Toy)
19. Diesler - Diggin’ It Something Rotten EP 12″ (Tru Thoughts)
20. Incognito - The 25th Chapter EP (Dome CD-R)
21. Prefuse 73 - Surrounded By Silence CD (Warp)
22. Dwight Trible and The Life Force Trio - EP 12″ (Ninja Tune)
23. The Quantic Soul Orchestra - Hold On Tight 7″ (Tru Thoughts)
24. V/A - Creative Musicians 2 CD (Perfect Toy)
25. Variable Unit - Mayhemystics Outbreaks CD (Wide Hive)
26. Die Fantastischen Vier - Geboren: original and C-Rock Dub (Stir 15 promo)
27. V/A - Raw Fusion Bass-ment Classics CD (Raw Fusion)
28. Michael Devellis - It’s Work EP (Citrona CD-R)
29. Robert Strauss - Quasars and Phasars CD (Freerange)
30. Flowriders - Starcraft CD (4Lux CD-R)

Another weekend is just aboiut here. It’s been a terribly busy week, being mostly mired in non-musical endeavors. As such things go, other things had to be pushed back. The profile for Bugz In The Attic should finally be ready by next week; a label profile on Ghostly International and its sister label Spectral is in the early phases, hopefully to air by late June; last week’s broadcast, which should have been online by now, has now been pushed back to next week.

If you haven’t checked out the pictures from my trip to Miami back in March, they are online at the Urban Landscapes Gallery. There’s also a nifty slideshow feature that you can utilize once you click on one of the pictures in the Miami 2005 album. You can even choose the slide time intervals. I’ve had a good time there, albeit I’ve lost my contact lens for three days and ended up with a pretty whacked flu the night before I’ve left. Anyways, have a gander at it and other albums on the site.

This week’s Urban Landscapes Guestmix will come from Jan Siegmund from the Department Deluxe Radio program out of Europe. Broadcasting over 35 shows throughout its run, it was finally taken off-air due to new (and apparently stringent) broadcast/license rules in Germany. Fortunately, though, word is that the show will start airing again this month. Great news for a really cool show. I think you’ll enjoy the mix inasmuch as I’ve had fun listening to it. After a busy week, it’s good to get on the mellow side of things.

Oh, and I must announce that there’s a new partner in the Urban Landscapes family. Out of Milan Italy comes the online station Radio Pellenera. Fabrizio from the crew apparently liked what he heard, and now listeners of the online station can check out the show twice a week. Have a peek on the site to find out dates/times, as well as other fine shows listed online. Of course, I can’t forget the support from the fine folks at fellow Italian site Clubbity (an exceptionally informative location) and Beyondjazz (what a cool community with insightful content). Thanks to all of you!

Next week, I will post my monthly Soundscapes picks for June. I hope to also have last week’s show (and this week’s) recorded and posted for you to check out. Have a great weekend!

Well yes, indeed it has. And now that I’ve managed (with some kind assistance) to move my blog over to the Urban Landscapes web site, you will see this updated a bit more frequently. Eventually, this may perhaps supplant the email circulars that are sent out to subscribers.

Yes my friends, this one will be alive and kicking again very soon!