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Introducing: The Jar Family

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The Jar Family

Hartlepool-birthed band The Jar Family have been making ripples across the UK having invented an ‘industrial-folk’ movement that may be set to move the ‘Mumford & Sons’ take on the genre into something altogether more exciting.

Their sound is like an amalgamation of everyone from Bob Dylan and Neil Young, to the likes of Stereophonics and The Verve; raw and driven.

Having seen some success after the release of their self-titled debut album which earned them support slots with the likes of Jakes Bugg, Lucy Rose, Josh Kumra and Alabama 3, the six-piece are back with a follow up album titled ‘Jarmalade‘.

It’s a strong release which delves between variations of folk-rock with hoarse vocals and twangs of north-eastern blues.

Lead single ‘Machine’ confronts the conformity of society and working life, with a somewhat robotic video.

It’s one of the more introspective tracks on the album and morphes into a face-melting belter when performed live.

Logic Pro X: GarageBand Pro?

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Logic Pro X

When Final Cut Pro X was first released in 2011, Apple received criticism for the new version being more of an iMovie Pro than a true professional video production suite upgrade worthy of the ‘Final Cut’ tag. Having disappointed a lot of people with the initial release, Apple ultimately seems to have won over the majority of its doubters through numerous updates to the software since 2011, and it’s now generally accepted that Final Cut Pro X is a success. Despite Apple ultimately coming good on Final Cut Pro X, there had been fear in the music production community that Logic Pro X may come as a great disappointment upon its release and take the route of being a deluxe edition GarageBand.

As it had been nearly 4 years since Logic Pro 9 hit the shelves, Logic Pro X is a product that had been rumoured for some time, ultimately hitting the app store on July 16th, a week shy of its 4-year anniversary. There were people that had already written it off as a poor successor to Logic Pro 9 before it even became official, now that it’s officially been released though, is there really any truth to the suspicion that Logic Pro X would just be a glorified GarageBand?

Logic Pro X seems to be a sturdy update to Logic Pro 9; at its core it is still much the same powerful piece of software that Logic Pro 9 was, but this new edition also sees a number of upgrades and improvements such as the implementation of the new Logic Remote iPad app. Unofficially there were already apps to bring the iPad into the Logic Pro production process, with Logic Remote Apple takes an official step into the utilisation of its popular tablet device in the process, however, a move that should surely please many who had been speculating for some time now that Logic Pro X would make use of an iPad app such as this.

Some Apple users may be disappointed that there’s no upgrade option with Logic Pro X and that the software therefore costs the same amount whether you’re a long-term Logic user or just getting into the music production process, ultimately the price point has come down a huge amount since the switch from boxed product purchase to downloadable content though, and whilst it may be slightly disappointing for some that loyalty to Logic is no longer something that is rewarded by Apple, the latest edition is available at a price no more expensive than the previous cost to upgrade and everyone’s ultimately a winner at this price point.

It seems that the fear that Logic Pro X would be nothing more than a GarageBand Pro was ultimately an unnecessary one; Logic Pro X improves upon the standard set by Logic Pro 9, implementing new abilities and features that make Logic Pro X a solid investment not just for those that are yet to work within the world of Logic Pro, but also for those that are currently running Logic Pro 9 and looking to upgrade. Logic Pro X stomps upon the fears and holds its own as a powerful piece of software that’s perfect for your music production needs.

Introducing the Korg MS-20 Mini

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Korg MS-20 MiniKorg MS-20 MiniCHECK PRICE

If you’re into your music then the chances are that you’ll be familiar with Korg’s MS-20 synthesizer, a synth that first hit the market back in 1978 and that was in production until 1983. If you own an iPad then you may well be familiar with the synth’s capabilities due to the Korg iMS-20 app that’s available for the iPad, if you’re a bit of a hardware head though then the Korg MS-20 Mini may just be the absolute product that you’ve been waiting for.

The Korg MS-20 Mini is 14% smaller than the original; the overall build is just that little bit smaller than the original and the keys themselves are also smaller than they were on the original synthesizer. Available for around £499.99 from most retailers right now, the MS-20 Mini has the added bonus of being a lot more affordable than the original MS-20, you won’t have to track it down second hand, and you may well find the inclusion of MIDI in and USB connectivity extremely useful, also. The MS-20 Mini stays pretty faithful to the original; the sounds that this synth is capable of producing are very similar to those found on the original MS-20, but it also comes with a few features that bring the synyth into the modern era such as the aforementioned inclusion of MIDI in and USB connectivity, and also the addition of a patch bay.

There’s plenty to love about the MS-20 Mini, although with all the good that you get from this synth you must also accept the potential drawbacks of running the MS-20 Mini in comparison to the original. As this is a much more affordable synth than the original MS-20, this is therefore something that is reflected in the build quality, and the MS-20 Mini’s utilisation of slightly smaller keys may also be worth taking into consideration as you may have a personal preference for the larger keys of the original. The keys aren’t as small as you’ll find on some synths on the market, they are still noticeably smaller than they were on the original model, however, and if you’ve played and been comfortable with the original then it may be worth trying the keys on the MS-20 Mini out before taking the plunge and purchasing yourself an MS-20 Mini.

With the popularity of the Korg iMS-20 iPad app, it’s great that Korg has responded to this by putting an MS-20 Mini on the market, and if you’re not fully satisfied with the touch screen emulator of the iMS-20 then you now have a solution to this other than tracking down a second-hand MS-20 with the added option of adding a Korg MS-20 Mini to your collection.

Win Two Tickets to see Oi Va Voi live at Hackney Round Chapel on July 18th

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Oi Va Voi Hackney Round Chapel

Oi Va Voi will be performing live at Hackney Round Chapel on July 18th, and we’re offering one lucky winner a chance to see them live with two free tickets to the event.

This one-off show marks the band’s return to the studio to record their fourth studio album which will be released some time in early 2014.

You can enter the competition by retweeting the following, or if you’re not on Twitter then you can enter on Facebook by giving the Alt-UK Faceook page a like and sharing our status update about the competition.

Competition will close at midday on Tuesday July 16th. Winner will be picked at random and contacted after the close of the competition.

Help Sweetheart release a new Song and Video

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Sweetheart Band Photo

Canadian pop-punk/indie band Sweetheart is currently seeking to raise C$2000 via an IndieGoGo campaign in order to be able to release a new song and video.

For just C$1 you can bag yourself a digital download of the new song, for C$5 you’ll get to see the video/download the song in advance of the official release date (and also receive 5 of the bands best songs from previous releases), and there are also a few more options which gain you extra perks such as t-shirts, signed EPs, and handwritten thank you notes from the band.

If you’ve heard Sweetheart’s music in the past and been impressed, now is definitely the time to put your hand in your pocket and help out a band in need.

In 2012 the band released an official video for their ‘David Bowie Is Dead‘ single which you can watch below in order to give you some sort of an idea of what you might be able to expect from the new song/video if and when Sweetheart receives the funding to make it happen. If you’re currently unfamiliar with the band, give the video a watch, and if you’re a fan of catchy pop-punk/indie music then this should be all the persuasion you’ll require to get involved with Sweetheart’s song/video endeavour.

Help Bring the Bass-Inspired Video Game DubWars to the Masses

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DUBWARS

Having already received huge praise for DubWars’ OUYA gameplay, the game’s developers are now seeking investment in order to complete an official full-length release of the game.

In a quest to make their ambition of creating a full-length version of the game a reality, the DubWars developers have started a Kickstarter campaign in order to raise the $30,000 that would be needed to make this project happen. Supporting this project you can bag yourself all sorts of perks, from digital copies of the game right through to executive producer status.

The game’s developers had the following to say about the project:

DubWars is a top-down, twin-stick shooter where your weapons auto-fire to a musical track. We don’t automate our levels, everything is custom built to the music to make sure it matches. We’ve made a lot of cool partnerships with major Dubstep and Electronica labels like Monstercat and FiXT, as well as a lot of smaller, independent artists. We’ve been featured at E3, and were one of the launch titles of the OUYA game console. We are looking to get this awesome experience onto Steam.

The DubWars project is an incredibly exciting one, a game that breathes fresh life into music based gaming with a dubstep track selection that is not just a soundtrack but instead an integral part of the gameplay experience.

Exclusive: Stream Stonehouse’s ‘Freedom Grains’

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Stonehouse

We’re pleased to share an exclusive stream with you today of ‘Freedom Grains‘ from Welsh blues rockers Stonehouse, taken from the band’s ‘Junction‘ debut album.

At the start of June we announced that Stonehouse had made the title track from their ‘Junction‘ album available for free download and enthused that their debut album was well worth taking a listen to, so we’re now very proud to be able to exclusively share with you another great track from the band in the form of ‘Freedom Grains‘.

The band’s vocalist/bassist Colin Roberts had the following to say about the track:

Everyone has a yearning for freedom. Whether you live democratically, oppressively or otherwise, the yearning is there. Freedom on any scale, from the work place, a relationship, life even. It comes in many guises. Speech, love and even death are popular concepts of freedom. I wrote this one when I became aware that time doesn’t hang around for anyone (took me a long while to realise this concept!!). We typically fill the spaces in our lives with the things that we eventually try to break free from. We invented time as we know it, the measurable objective that ticks away. We labelled it. In doing so our awareness of freedom becomes a little chocked, strangulated. Time is running out, we must rush, quick before it closes.

You can stream Stonehouse’s ‘Freedom Grains‘ below:

Introducing: Parker

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Parker - This is PRKR EP

Parker is a new post-hardcore band hailing from Belgium, featuring former members of the bands Campus, When Hope Escapes, and Her Concept. Parker is a five-piece band, and the full lineup is as follows:

Steven Praet – Vocals
Nick Rondou – Guitar
Yannick Van Den Langenbergh – Guitar
Michiam Van Den Langenbergh – Bass
Bert Craane – Drums

With a similar sort of sound to the likes of Architects, Bring Me The Horizon, and Oh, Sleeper, the band is currently working on a debut EP, ‘This is PRKR‘, with a view to release the EP in May 2013. ‘This is PRKR‘ will consist of four tracks, and Parker will then be looking to hit the road in order to promote this new material.

You can keep up with the latest news from Parker via Facebook.

The following is a teaser video of Parker within the studio, working on the ‘This is PRKR‘ EP:

The Moog Sub Phatty Analogue Synthesiser: Beautiful for Bass

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moog-sub-phatty

For all you hardware heads out there, the Moog Sub Phatty is no doubt an analogue synthesiser that you have a huge amount of love for!

Moog have a great history of putting out incredible sounding synthesiser’s, and the Sub Phatty is another synth that comes into the category of being a beautiful sounding synth. Don’t just take my word for it though, have a listen to the samples below and hear just what this great little synth is capable of!

Some people will try telling you that software synths are just as good as the hardware options out there, and whilst it may be true that software solutions will save you a lot of money, there’s nothing quite like handling the real thing, and as someone that has always had a lot of love for the Moog brand; owning a Moog synth is just the absolute ultimate in synth satisfaction!

The Moog Sub Phatty may only possess 25 keys, it’s certainly capable of some huge sounds as I’m sure you’ll have gathered from these samples though, and for such a small machine it certainly has a great amount of power and performance packed in there.

Animoog Version 2 Unveiled

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IMG_0603

Fresh for the holidays, Moog Music have unveiled a new and improved version of their popular Animoog synthesizer for the iPad/iPhone.

Further to this, the Animoog will be available at a reduced price until December 31st, so if you don’t already own this great polyphonic synthesizer for the iPad/iPhone, then now would be a very good time to invest in it as it is currently available for the incredible sum of £10.49 for the iPad (half the usual price), and £2.99 for the iPhone.

During this Moog Music promotional period, the Moog Filtatron app for iPad/iPhone will also be available for a cut down price of £2.99.

To find what’s new with Animoog V2, check out the video from Moog Music below which will guide you through the details of all the new additions and features: