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It's not often an English pop song is a copy of a Tamil film song, but one example is American hip-hop artist will.i.am's "It's My Birthday", a UK number one hit single last year. It's surprising how this song escaped my notice, but it's always a pleasure to make such discoveries. Wikipedia confirms the connection between the two songs. Indeed there is a reference to the Tamil original in the opening lines of the English song. To come across this while listening to piano renditions of English pop songs on Spotify was especially gratifying, because I had just wondered whether Spotify also stored piano renditions of Tamil and Bollywood numbers. I still don't know the answer to that question, but you could be fooled into thinking there was at least one in the database.
It's not often an English pop song is a copy of a Tamil film song, but one example is American hip-hop artist will.i.am's "It's My Birthday", a UK number one hit single last year. It's surprising how this song escaped my notice, but it's always a pleasure to make such discoveries. Wikipedia confirms the connection between the two songs. Indeed there is a reference to the Tamil original in the opening lines of the English song. To come across this while listening to piano renditions of English pop songs on Spotify was especially gratifying, because I had just wondered whether Spotify also stored piano renditions of Tamil and Bollywood numbers. I still don't know the answer to that question, but you could be fooled into thinking there was at least one in the database.
Western Classical Music on Spotify
Nov. 15th, 2011 07:45 pmIts database alone is worth the £10 monthly fee. But imagine if someone had created a public playlist of every composition in chronological order by your favourite composers? Or if you could listen to audiobooks on the life & works of the same composers, or an audiobook dedicated to a single work by the composer? Or a playlist of the best works by British composers, the best Trumpet solo tracks, pop songs based on Classical works, your favourite Operas, the list goes on. With Spotify, your dreams come true. Or mine at any rate. And worried you'll miss the latest Classical tracks added to Spotify? There's a playlist for that too. And a blog to go with it. If like me you love Western Classical music, look no further than Spotify.
Elton John's Your Song in Finnish
Jul. 23rd, 2011 05:00 pmFollowing on from the previous post, it only seems appropriate to share this track I discovered a few months ago on Spotify of a Finnish rock artist covering this well-known song.
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dubaiwallaSachal Studios is a new orchestra from Pakistan that's apparently "causing some excitement in the world of jazz" according to the BBC. The video above illustrates why and if you like that, there's more on Spotify.
Spotify is now available in America
Jul. 20th, 2011 10:45 pmIt seems like I missed the news while my dad and sis were in town last week. Since last Thursday, my favourite music client has opened for business in the world's biggest economic market. This is exciting news but it will be tough for it to make headway against a handful of established competitors, in contrast with its popularity in Europe where it functioned virtually unopposed. Still, it's worth checking out so if you need an invite ask away!
In the process of discovering the news above I also managed to unearth half a dozen websites that can simply be described as enhancing the Spotify experience. They complement the Spotimy link I found a few weeks ago so well, I can't believe I went so long without uncovering any of them earlier. Whether it's finding out what new albums have been uploaded or watching your playlists as YouTube videos, there's something for everybody.
LINKS to ENHANCE the SPOTIFY EXPERIENCE:
01. Spotify Blog - The official companion to the music client.
02. Spotimy - Essentially a list of all the albums released week-by-week, but with much more.
03. The Pansentient League - The best independent blog about Spotify. Be sure to check out Part I, II and III of Spotify Top Ten Tips. So many good ones I didn't know before!
04. Spotibot - "Spotibot uses the listening habits of millions of people to help you find your new favourites. Simply enter the name of a band you already like" and it does the rest. And it's integrated with Last.fm!
05. spotiseek - Another site that helps you find new music by creating a mixtape by typing the name of an artist you like.
06. spofm - A mashup that uses your last.fm username to "fetch new releases added to Spotify"
07. SpNotify - An unofficial (email) notification service for artists you like.
08. Utubify - Watch your playlist in motion on YouTube. I love this link!
09. Spotify Classical Playlists Blog - Just like it says on the tin. For classical music buffs.
10. SpotiDJ - Spotify songs on Twitter
In the process of discovering the news above I also managed to unearth half a dozen websites that can simply be described as enhancing the Spotify experience. They complement the Spotimy link I found a few weeks ago so well, I can't believe I went so long without uncovering any of them earlier. Whether it's finding out what new albums have been uploaded or watching your playlists as YouTube videos, there's something for everybody.
LINKS to ENHANCE the SPOTIFY EXPERIENCE:
01. Spotify Blog - The official companion to the music client.
02. Spotimy - Essentially a list of all the albums released week-by-week, but with much more.
03. The Pansentient League - The best independent blog about Spotify. Be sure to check out Part I, II and III of Spotify Top Ten Tips. So many good ones I didn't know before!
04. Spotibot - "Spotibot uses the listening habits of millions of people to help you find your new favourites. Simply enter the name of a band you already like" and it does the rest. And it's integrated with Last.fm!
05. spotiseek - Another site that helps you find new music by creating a mixtape by typing the name of an artist you like.
06. spofm - A mashup that uses your last.fm username to "fetch new releases added to Spotify"
07. SpNotify - An unofficial (email) notification service for artists you like.
08. Utubify - Watch your playlist in motion on YouTube. I love this link!
09. Spotify Classical Playlists Blog - Just like it says on the tin. For classical music buffs.
10. SpotiDJ - Spotify songs on Twitter
An essential link to bookmark if you use Spotify. Just check it out and you'll understand. I wish I could just spend the rest of my life listening to music...
Original v Remix?
Jun. 29th, 2011 11:45 pmI can't admit to warming up to Chase & Status yet but this track got my attention as I immediately recognised the Bollywood tune that it had remixed. I think it's a decent effort but the original is so much better. Is that because I heard the original first, listen to Bollywood music and loved this particular soundtrack? Or is the remix really not as good? What do the 'neutrals' among you think? Here's a link to both songs (1, 2) in Spotify.
c.1400, from Latin opportunus "favorable," from the phrase ob portum veniens "coming toward a port," in reference to the wind, from ob "to, toward" + portus "harbor." [LINK]
