Bandcamp has always been a brilliant model. Allowing customers to interact directly with artists, and in turn allowing artists to build proper relationships with their fanbase. Creating a community. In a world of music streaming, where the musician actually getting paid – allowing them to survive to make more music – appears to be considered irrelevant, Bandcamp also looks like the only platform with any foresight, compassion even. If you`re a music site – generating revenue from selling new music – surely investment and support of musicians is essential?
During the global pandemic and lockdowns Bandcamp have waived their fees on the first Friday of every month – putting more much needed cash in artists pockets. I have many friends who make music and / or run labels. I know that Bandcamp funds have helped them put food on the table. The musicians in return of course have pushed and promoted Bandcamp. And so that sense of community grows. And it grows outside of the established “music industry”. Bandcamp to me is like Karma’s poetry in motion – if you do good things, good things will happen.
Today, June 19th, Juneteenth, Emancipation Day, from midnight to midnight PDT, Bandcamp will be donating 100% of their fees to NAACP Legal Defense Fund – who since the 1940s have fought for Civil Rights – successfully changing legislation in favour of racial justice and equality. You can find out more here.
So today more than any other day, why not invest in some new music?
If you’re looking for recommendations, well I’ve just done this month`s Looking For The Balearic Beat round-up, and Chocolate Milk And Brandy soundtrack. One of the beauties of digital and Bandcamp is that the releases never sell out – so if you want to dig deeper – if there`s something you might have missed – all the beats, all the cocktail hours, from previous months will still be available. Bandcamp buying links are in pretty much all of the reviews.
If you’re regular visitor to the blog – you’ll probably have guessed that those reviews take a little while to write – which means I might be the exact opposite of a news site. But since today is special, I`ll let you see my “To-Do” list – music you’ll read a lot more about later – but that I urge you to check out now, and perhaps purchase from Bandcamp in the next 16 or so hours……
Balearic
Coyote – Balearic Restrictor – Music For Dreams
Willie Graff & Darren Eboli – Tribeca Tapes 3 – Music For Dreams
Raphael Toine – Ce Ta Ou – Glossy Mistakes
Isabelle Antena – Laying On The Sofa – Discomatin
OFFT! – Reclaim Landscape – Clandestino
Chilled / Ambient
NuNorthern Soul Summer Selections
Belver Yin – Luz Bel – Efficient Space
Dmitry Evgravof – Surrender – 130701
Phil Strick – Schleswig – Holstein Aufnahmen – Seance Centre
First Music Of A New Day – Seance Centre
Electric Field – Flug 8 – Ransom Note
Mark Waldron-Hyden – Future Life Continuity – Sunshine Cult Records
Funky Alternatives
Toshioki Matsumura – A Visual Brain
Motohiko Hamase – Anecdote – WRWTFWW
Greg Fox – Contact – RVNG Intl.
Blazer Soundsystem – Tanka Riddim – Efficient Space
Shaw & Grossfeldt – Klavier – Drone
Apiento & Tepper – 17:44:58 – Test Pressing
Birds Of Pandaemonium – Days Go By – A Separate Reality
Twilight Sad – No One Can Ever No – Fat Cat
John Watts – Music For 3CDJs – Butter Sessions
Sleep D – BSD01 – Butter Sessions
Long Body – Dream Running – Good Company Records
Jazz
Dee Dee Bridgewater – Afro Blue – Mr Bongo
O Aperto Da Saudade – Far Out Recordings
Manfredo Fest – Brazilian Dorian Dream – Far Out Recordings
George Semper – Inner City Review – Arc
Carlos Nino & Miquel Atwood-Ferguson – Chicago Waves – International Anthem
Greg Foat – Symphonie Pacifique – Strut
Shirley Scott – One For Me – Arc
Ruby Rushton – Sun Chosi – 22a
Tenderlonious – Tender In Lahore – 22a
Chip Wickham – Blue To Red – Love Monk
Etuk Ubong – Africa Today – Night Dreamer
Zara McFarlane – Songs Of An Unknown Tongue – Brownswood Recordings
Soul
Disco Island Edits – Aloha Got Soul
Ban Ban Ton Ton 