The Podcast Review

music podcasts are a dime a dozen, and you can waste plenty of time with them.  Well, cut to the chase here, and sub to Trance Around the World.  A 2 hour, weekly podcast, that has notched up almost 300 episodes, you are in for a quality treat.

I have always been a bit edgy around trance, never really fully buying into it.  At the time, when I was young, classical music was a draw for me, and this modern, seemingly a-formal music style jarred with me.  But I have come around.  The long, intense, cyclic buildups – the throbbing, energetic waves of sound … one is immersed into a sonic world.

as I continue my podcast learning journey, I am astonished by these long standing mainstays of podcasting culture that I have never heard of – every day brings me new surprises.

there’s not much else to say – just quality beats.  Just a note, shows are 100mb downloads each, so if you are outside the U.S., be wary of that ‘Get All’ button in iTunes!

itunes feed (only)

amazing stuff.

it is the confessed aim of this podcast that they are trying to sell you music.  Okay?  so we have that out of the way, onto the review.

CD Baby is one of the more reputable sites out there that act as conduits for independent musicians trying to sell their music online.  They provide the online infrastructure, transactions, and small promotion.  All they ask is a cut of the final sales price.  Don’t know what it is, but it’s probably a 50/50 cut.

okay, so this podcast is 20-25 minutes in length, features 5 tracks from the CD Baby stable (they apparently represent 250 000 or so artists!!) and is a nice way to sample new sounds.

just like blogging has convinced everyone that they are a writer waiting to be discovered, modern recording has made every garage band the next incarnation of the ‘Big Thing’.  Here, you get to hear some of these voices put out their best tracks.  Right click in iTunes to see the show description, then click through to see the album notes and pricing.

Nice promotional effort on the CD Baby’s side.

rss feed (weekly release)
iTunes link
podcast page

this is almost the perfect music podcast; released weekly, an hour in length, and each episode coming in at under 50mb, while maintaining a high-quality sound.  It ticks all the boxes.  3 DJ’s, all contributing their energies to the final mix, the beats here are elevating, descending, empowering, and emasculating.  It is a journey into the Underworld.

there are podcasts out there that tick all the boxes, produce quality material, and are spiritually and powerfully connected.  Yet they remain relatively unknown.  One of my sincere hopes for this website / blog is to bring these efforts to light, to shine a lens on those doing the Greater Work.

there is catalyst out there, means for imperial change.  Look for it, listen to it, embrace it.

Neuro-Tek Radio – a dance in the devil’s domain.

rss feed
iTunes link (31 shows thus far)
show page

every September, BeethovenFest is celebrated in Bonn, Germany.  Deustche Welle streams the concerts live, but then also makes available selected highlights.  The recordings are high fidelity, and represent the best in orchestral and solo performances.  This year saw a cycle of Beethoven Piano Sonatas performed on period instruments – the original ‘fortepiano‘. Three of these sonata concerts are available in the podcast feed at the moment.

classical music never fails to inspire, and when we have an outpouring of love and technical prowess as we do here, one can only marvel, yet again, at the wonders of music – it’s ability to move and transcend.  5 stars.

rss feed
itunes link
Deutsche Welle Podcast page

MP3 Insider is a weekly CNET podcast devoted to the portable music player – whether that be iPod, Zune, Walkman, or something else. They discuss all the latest info on headphones, upcoming hardware releases, and price changes. Donald Bell provides a hard ‘nerdy’ look at things, while Jasmine France is keenly interested in usability issues and functionality. They form a good duo.

Podcasts are around the half hour mark, and the discussion stays on topic. There is an audio feed available, but I recommend subscribing to the video version; you need to see these mp3 players and headphones to get a true grasp of what’s being discussed.

the show has been very consistent now (over 150 episodes) and the information is always breaking and relevant. This scoop on the Zune HD at the time is a prime example of that.

if you take your portable audio seriously, this is well worth subscribing to.

rss feed (audio version)
itunes link (video feed)
MP3 Insider Blog

this is a podcast with some killer beats.  It is a 45 minute show, and each episode is DJ-ed by a different pair of pros from the LA club scene.  Such legends as Daddy Kev, Gaslamp Killer, and D-Styles have been featured already.  The music is raw, at times brutal, and thoroughly explicit.  Cover your ears if you at all prudish.

music exists in manifold forms; it always morphs into what a culture needs.  At times, we need to be exposed to a mirror of how things truly are.  So these sounds are rough, vital, and clenching.  How many exist in this world of ours.

challenge yourself … with some new sounds.

itunes link (8 shows so far)
home page (download the mp3’s directly)

no rss feed at present

Magnatune is reknowned for partnering with independent musicians to help promote and sell their music.  Their site is chock a block with albums that you can listen to for free.  They cover all genres, not just the classical sphere – there is new age, rock, electronica, world, etc.  As part of their outreach initiatives, Magnatune publish a host of weekly podcasts that are essentially 60 minute mixtapes of their best material.  This is essentially fine music on tap.

The Cello Podcast here is just outstanding.  Tracks are encoded at a very acceptable 128kps, and are fairly inter-ruption free – there is the occasional identifying tag of ‘Magnatune’ but that is all.  There are some sites out there that are truly holding their hand out in a spirit of giving, and this is one of them.  Altruism in full play.  Well done guys.

rss feed
itunes link
list of all Magnatune Music podcasts

there is something in indigenous music that speaks to the heart.  It doesn’t dance around it, it shoots like an arrow into our spirit, bringing forth that which has been dormant for too long.  Whether it be for festive occasions like marriage, or just a straight out celebration of victory, there is something in the primal use of instruments and voice that we all instinctively respond to.

Marc Gunn’s Irish and Celtic Music Podcast has been running for about 4 years now.  One of the longer lived survivors of the digital audio space.  Shows center around the music itself, with plenty of authentic and bawdy music, with intros and outros by Marc himself.  The Podcast currently stands at #71, with shows running an hour long, and hitting on a monthly schedule.  Complete archives are to be found in the itunes feed, which is a generous offering indeed.  Audio quality is outstanding.

what Marc has done is an outstanding example of how to leverage a podcast into a full blown web presence.

rss feed
itunes link
home page

what happens when you combine sci fi with music?  you get an exotic form of space opera; with a few spoken words, but with the music doing the bulk of the work transporting you to higher spacial realms.

The Ambient Worlds podcast is a feature showcase of the best in imaginative ambient music; ‘Fusion’ as the insiders would call it.

tracks are released twice a month, and run anywhere between 10 and 30 minutes.  There is the occasional self promo thrown in, advertising where to purchase albums etc, but it is not annoying enough to turn off.

many of us feel the call from other places; Ambient Worlds answers that call.

itunes link
home page

KEXP 90.3 FM is a Seattle based radio station that bills itself as: Where the Music Matters.  And true to this mission statement, they put out a daily podcast: Song of the Day.  Here indie musicians are featured – whether it be exclusive in-studio recordings, or unreleased material, or teasers for upcoming albums – all tracks are of the highest quality and taste.

the iTunes podcast archive runs back about 2 years, so you talking about an enormous archive of free quality music.  A joy to explore.   Sonic bliss

rss feed
itunes link (massive archive here!)
all KEXP podcasts