AlternativeInformant Intro (Remix)

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AlternativeInformant- Your Alternative Music Fix!

AlternativeInformant Intro

New Electro/Funk/Soul sensation Social Audio!

Having played and produced together for many many years, the boys and girls of Social Audio joined forces to recently embark on a new adventure. Taking influence from a number of big live dance/electro/funk/pop bands they've created their own sound. Whilst maintaining the authentic roots vibe to the band in terms of a standard rhythm and brass section they also use modern technology to add the sequenced electro/dance element. With their cool sound and funky drops, at their gigs it’s likely to go a bit 'arms in the air'!! Fantastic live, must be seen. If you like what you’re listening to why not check out their up coming dates and come down and see for yourself.

AlternativeInformant: How long have you been involved in music?

Social Audio: If you’re talking about the band on a whole then quite a few years. The average age of the band members is around 27 and everyone in the band has been playing since they where at secondary school at least.

AlternativeInformant: How would you describe your music?

Social Audio: This is always a hard one isn’t it? Our music is definitely funky with an element of Dance and a bit electro thrown in. There are lots of different influences in our band from Groove Armada, Jamiroquai to Prince to the new Mark Ronson vibe and then there are all the timeless old school funk/soul greats such as Funkadelic and Curtis Mayfield. We all like the idea of the dance music being played by a live band and also like the rootsy funk/soul vibe. So hopefully we are somewhere in between the two.

AlternativeInformant: When did you form the group and how long have you been together?

Social Audio: The band members have been playing together for nearly 3 years now. At first it was just a lot of experimenting with different projects but 18 months ago Social Audio was born. The first few months were in practice sessions and in the studio and the last year we have been performing live around London and the South. Social Audio is all about the live show, you should come check us out man.

AlternativeInformant: Social Audio, interesting name how did you come up with that?

Social Audio: This was one of the hardest parts of putting the band together. Everyone involved has played in numerous bands in the past so everyone had different ideas of what we might be called. In the end we agreed on Social Audio which was brainstormed by Geoff and Dan after weeks of sitting in the pub discussing the matter. Basically it does what it says on the tin, we want to entertain people at social events i.e festivals and gigs and with the audio we have produced hence, SOCIAL AUDIO. (That’s what we tell people anyway, ha ha).

AlternativeInformant: Do your songs have a message? If so, what is that message?

Social Audio: Some of our songs are born from the band jamming together and others are produced in advance. The lyrical content isn’t about sending out a broad message to the masses it’s just a light hearted spin on day to day life, such as going out and getting wrecked, filthy girlfriends and dodgy relationships - inner city life.

AlternativeInformant: What’s the most enjoyable thing about performing?

Social Audio: Undoubtedly the crowd’s reaction to our music and also the buzz that is created within the band on stage. Everyone in the band knows each other really well so when we get on stage it’s a natural high. The bigger the crowd the better.

AlternativeInformant: Are there any artists that influence you and your music?

Social Audio: Yeah loads of live dance bands old and new as mentioned before, basically if it’s up-tempo funky and it makes you want to dance we are into it. Groove Armada, Faithless, Jamiriquai, Mark Ronson, Daft Punk, Just Jack …the list goes on.

AlternativeInformant: Some of your music such as “Needin More” is mellow and chilled out. How long does it take to think of a song idea then write it and produce it usually?

Social Audio: There is no pattern to this process, some songs come together in a couple of hours where as others seem to take forever. We might start writing a song and then leave it for a few weeks and then come back to it with fresh ears. What ever works man.

AlternativeInformant: How do you feel about the music industry at this moment?

Social Audio: How long have you got? As many up and coming bands nowadays we think the industry is quite fickle, it may always have been like this but as I’m sure you know there are so many really talented bands that don’t even get a look in while the UK chart is literally rammed with tat. The Major Labels seem to cater for teenagers and from a financial point of view this is great business but musically they don’t seem to have their fingers on the pulse. At the end of the day record labels are massive money making machine and that isn’t going to change.

AlternativeInformant: Have you heard about groups such as Groove Armada signing with Bacardi instead of record labels? How do you feel about groups doing that, is that something you might do in the future?

Social Audio: Yes we think it’s a great idea for the main reason that Barcadi will get involved much more in the live side of things which is what we are all about. I think this kind of deal would benefit the artist much more. I have heard a few comments on the subject, people saying that they’re sell outs, thats b*****ks man, they’ve been around for years and years, churning out music – really good music. I think its great that they have this deal in place with Bacardi. It will benefit both the band and the fans – end of. What’s wrong with that?

AlternativeInformant: What does the future hold for Social Audio?

Social Audio: Gigs man and lots of them! Who knows what’s gonna happen in the future? We’ve all got really high expectations of our music but ultimately I think as a band you just got to gig, keep writing tunes, better tunes. Define your music. Raise the profile of our band. If you like the music your creating the chances are there will be other people who’ll agree. I think our vibe is great, you need to see us live to get the idea. I know its not exactly the world domination answer some bands would bang on about, I just think that you’ll get whats coming to you all in good time!

http://www.myspace.com/thesocialaudio

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From the Steets to your Laptop!

Croatian Rock Sensation!

The band originates from Karlovac a small town in Croatia.

From 2003, the music grows into something different, the style gets a new definition. Now its some kind of alternative electronic rock-metal that does not follow up the world metal standards a great deal.

The band has now played shows all over Croatia and are gaining a large fan base on Myspace and in Croatia.

AlternativeInformant: How long have you been involved in the music industry?

Sepal: As "Sepal", the band is active since 2001. Until now we published three demo ep-s so we cannot say that we are very involved in the music industry, for now. We hope soon to find a record company willing to give us a chance to publish our first album and open some new possibilities to help us be more succesful in our home, and of course, the international market.

AlternativeInformant: When did you all meet and form Sepal?

Sepal: Here is how it all started: nine years ago Valentin Mrak(vocal, ex. guitar) and Alen Muža (drums), in their elementary school days, formed a punk band just to have fun but a year after Damir Vučković (bass), Mrak's highschool friend joins them. For some time, the band played cover songs and little by little started making their own songs that led it more into serious music playing, thus impliying the need for more band members. In a local night club, we met Marko Turkalj(guitar) who showed a desire to come and listen us practice. Since he showed he can play the guitar quite good and was very interested, he became a part of Sepal. Josip Vučer (ex. vocal) joined the band soon after, but after the first ep and video was recorded, he left the band becouse of private obligations. Mrak takes over the vocals and leaves the guitar role entirely to Marko. As we wanted our music to be a little bit different from others, we decided to introduce some electronics into it. For that we needed one more person. Then, Marko's brother Luka Turkalj (electronics) came involved in the whole story and that mostly affected the style of music Sepal creates.

AlternativeInformant: What genre of music would you describe yours as?

Sepal: We would describe our style as modern rock metal influenced a lot by electronics. We try to make our songs be as much hard and as much melodic at the same time and to involve as much electronic elements as possible. The goal is to make our music interesting and enjoyable to listen. So far were quite good at it.


AlternativeInformant: What differentiates you from other Rock/Electronica groups?


Sepal: What makes us different is our ideas and the way we manage to pack it all up in a good piece of music. Innovative guitars and samples with sometimes odd but recognizable vocals make us special. We try very hard to make our music original which as a consequence brings some good and some bad things. The good ones are that people tend to remember us very fast and mostly like something fresh and new, but the bad thing is that same originality makes it sometimes hard for us to get shows in Croatian festivals. For some rock festivals we are too hard, and for some hardcore metal fests we are too mild. We hope that will soon change and we get more lucky when it comes to things like that.


AlternativeInformant: Does your music have a message?


Sepal: Yes, it has a message! No matter how difficult moments you might have, no matter if they come from within you or from the outside world, you should go on and never stop. Using our music and lyrics, we try to help people get in a good mood, and kick in some adrenaline while we're at it. There is nothing wrong in getting a little crazy and have a good f**king time. One should not burden himself with history, but with the things that are happening right now and we try to make the listener think of the future and to make use of every moment of his life!

AlternativeInformant: Is there a large demand for your type of music in Croatia?

Sepal: The condition in Croatia is very bad when it comes to any sort of alternative music. But lately it seems to be moving foward a bit, using baby steps though, but foward none-the-less. The biggest problem is the lack of places where bands could play and practice and people here are quite not interested in alternative music. It will surely take some more time for the alternative culture in our country to stabilize and get support from the government and for the people to realize that no matter how different, hard or wierd this kind of music can be, its still music like every other.


AlternativeInformant: What does the name Sepal mean and how was the name thought of?

Sepal: Lol, this is a really funny part. We made the name up by taking a croatian-english dictionary and started searching for words that would sound good for a band name. Out of a few candidates, "Sepal" sounded best. So we ended up naming our band by a part of a flower, so we decided to use a rose as a main motive for our new demo cover, and putting that rose in midst of electrical instalations and space where nothing living would ever remain alive. The public seemed to like the name so we decided to keep it. Its short, easy to remember, has a cool meaning, and the whole bend can see itself in the name- as the sepals give support to flowers, we give support to the rock metal scene using our songs, playing, and spending time with our friends and fans.


AlternativeInformant: What do you feel the most enjoyable thing about performing is?

MRAK: when on stage, I feel somewhat untouchable because of the words I sing. Because then I sing about things I cant express by conversation, but I sure can express them through our songs! Then I feel very powerful and good... unless I smoke a lot of cigarettes, then I get a headache! :)

ALEN: The energy I feel when performing, generally the fun and enjoyment the music and live playing brings. One must try it in order to realise what I mean. Oh yeah, and beating the sh*t out of my drumset! :)

DAMIR: The adrenaline I get when on stage is my favorite thing. I think we play very good so im happy that other people can hear it aswell. Another thing is the traveling into other cities and meeting alot of cool people.


MARKO: I enjoy spending time by working on our songs in the studio but of course, I love sharing the result of our hard work with others. Its a great feeling when people accept our songs and when we all together make a hell of a party! I try to give it all I got, have a good time, meet new people and enjoy playing my guitar!


LUKA: One of the best feelings I get is a combination of stage fright and the excitement before we start the show. I enjoy crating the music as much as playing it. I like to see smiles on people's faces after a good played gig. Thats a sign that tells me our aour hard work was worth it!

AlternativeInformant: Finally, what does the future hold for Sepal?

Sepal: Hopefully a contract with some record labels, a lot of touring and playing, and being able to earn something for start, writing interesting music, partying... and beer.





www.myspace.com/sepalband

Mystical Reggae, Hip-Hop & Soul vibes!

Dread Daze is a mystical blend of Reggae, Hip-Hop and Soul vibes. Rising up in the L.A. Underground scene with the likes of Jurassic 5, Black Eyed Peas and Ozomatli Dread Daze has carved out their own niche , captivating a wide variety of audiences around the globe with an explosive stage show.

Patois dialect rhyming, the sweet melodic voice of Ria combined with Najashi's cool style and the music of a band that knows the vibes of mystical musical elements. Mystic vibrations and a overstanding of the elements of life is what enables the music of Dread Daze to come forth.

AlternativeInformant: Where did your love for music come from?

Dread Daze: Peace o all the good folks. My love of music came from my mother and family. There were always all types of music playing in our house and some of my family members are musicians.

AlternativeInformant: How long have you been involved in the industry?

Dread Daze: For over ten years now every year defining the Dread Daze sound and vibes.

AlternativeInformant: What would you describe your genre of music as?

Dread Daze: Well our foundation is reggae but we travel through other genres like hip hop, soul, rock and alternative sounds.

AlternativeInformant: What differentiates you from other artists?

Dread Daze: We strive to be original in all our works we feel where folks stop musically Dread Daze keeps on going strong.

AlternativeInformant: It's an interesting name. How did you get the name, Dread Daze?

Dread Daze: I was called Daze in then my music mentor George Grant introduced me to George Clinton from parliament and he said" hey George meet Dread Daze" and from there it felt and sounded cool.

AlternativeInformant: Do your songs have a message?

Dread Daze: Yes yes our music does not preach but observe the world and people.

AlternativeInformant: What do you think about the music industry in general at the moment and the impact it has on artist's music?

Dread Daze: To be honest we are in a state of good music worldwide more musicians are doing a lot more to get heard on the indie level and we are with that the majors god help them. What we don’t like is the corporate machine that makes a mockery out of music.

AlternativeInformant: "MURDER IN THE NAME OF RELIGION" is a powerful song, where did the inspiration for making a song like that come from?

Dread Daze: Thank you very much for that. The climate of the world we live in so much fighting for no reason the world is in pain and needs healing.

AlternativeInformant: Are there any artists that influence you?

Dread Daze: Yes many known and unknown I get vibes from all things and all inspires our works. From Bob Marley to Nat king Cole.

AlternativeInformant: What does the future hold for Dread Daze?

Dread Daze: We have the DI WALL coming soon by the summer. It will be on Itunes and many other outlets. Performing shows and videos, a movie, and thanking god and keeping it with much thanks and peace-in.
Najashi.


http://www.myspace.com/dreaddaze

http://www.dreaddaze.com





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From the Streets to your Laptop!