History-rewriting compilation. Diverse selection of popular CC music from the era.
This release is a replacement (a whitewash) of previous netBloc Vol. 34 about ccMixter, which had to be redacted for some reason which is not completely clear to me to today. I was just surprised that my recollection, download and album art to this release did not match what is currently online… Bad for me, bad good for you. The whitewash has definitely not worse music than the original… Continue reading “Various Artists – [2011] netBloc Vol. 34: The Whitewash”
Essential experimental IDM. 3 discs, 51 tracks of IDM à la Sutemos are an earful to chew on. Bring popcorn!
This compilation series by netlabel Sutemos is a little bit like vegetables: they are good for you, but they might not taste good at first. This release contains many different flavours, musical vitamins, experiments in sound design, genre-branching dubstep, IDM, cerebral techno, and lots of electro goodness in general. But, the sound is often outside the realm of “standard” harmony, often even completely devoid of it. Like these sentences, it takes some time to wrap one’s head around. So, if you are looking for easy listening while coding, please move on. If you want to enrich a late night party with an eccentric musical backdrop, give it a spin… Continue reading “Various Artists – [2010] Intelligent Toys: We Make Music”
Essential indie pop/rock compilation. Only 7 tracks, each covering a different style, makes this an essential part of CC music legacy.
diym netlabel is (or was?) a netlabel focused on non-electronic genres, that is, mostly rock and pop music. I have already covered their seventh compilation, called 7, in an earlier review. This ninth instalment is a small but excellent collection of mostly, but not only, quiet music: Continue reading “Various Artists – [2011] Nine”
Classic netaudio compilation. Pop and electro, selected by reviewers from Phlow magazine.
This release is thanks to a very active curator in the netlabel scene. While Phlow magazine seems no longer active, its main author Moritz »mo.« Sauer still pushes work to his public GitHub profile for other projects like netlabels.org. But to talk about the music: it’s mostly pop, some electro sprinkled in and 2 tracks that I don’t get. Of course, I have picked two different ones to represent this compilation: Continue reading “Various Artists – [2008] Their Finest Hour, Volume 1”
I can’t best user deaddreamer‘s review:
This compilation is irrestible. It is a chronicle of victory spoken by a silent reader whose emotions are large and resonant so much so that they ripple outward the glory of triumph.
Got curious? Then read on! 😉 Continue reading “Various Artists – [2006] The Silent Ballet, Volume I: Poetry Without Words”
Disco fuel. Decent party music compilation from Germany.
frei² by Robert Bienert is a program featured in Freies Radio Kassel, an independent radio station in Germany’s wild centre. For several years, this program has been sending out a steady stream of Creative Commons music. This release consists of individual tracks, on air for a clubbing night over 10 years ago. Enjoy! Continue reading “Various Artists – [2008] Super Sommer Clubbing-Charts”
Lavish dance tracks. Old-school underground house from the ’00s.
Not much is written online about netlabel Bevlar, that has published music from 2004 to 2007. If you like the following tracks, it might be worth for you to hunt through their back catalogue of about three dozen releases. Or just wait for me to review my favourite releases in time… Continue reading “Various Artists – [2005] We Are Bevlar 2”
Excellent ambient compilation. Many artists collaborate in this long-standing series of relaxing electronica albums.
With Vol. 13 having been released in 2016, I might be a bit late with pointing to this release, but I’d rather point you to some old friends of mine rather than to new acquaintances. This compilation features artists like EugeneKha, one whose solo albums I have reviewed here already some years ago. Continue reading “Tunguska Electronic Music Society – [2011] Tunguska Chillout Grooves, Volume 7”
Manifesto of a dead netlabel. Long live Starquake!
Starquake was an active netlabel from 2011 to 2015. During that time, it was dedicated to promote music by their creators and DJs in Torino, Italy. Although short-lived, their music remains an important contribution to the Creative Commons music catalogue for me. Continue reading “Various Artists – [2011] Quaking Stars”
Columbian Tech House remixes. Close to 90 minutes of danceable tracks.
Both mainstream and exotic titles got themselves caught in the blender of remix artist Sokio, who took up the task to add special flavours to other artists’ works. The result sounds both refreshing and familiar: Continue reading “Sokio – [2009] Columbia Remixes”
