Time for my personal review of the year just for my supporters and followers on Blogspot !
2010 has been such an eye opener. The 4 months I spent outside the UK at the start of the year gave me such an appreciation of life in a different country thats so hard to explain. Both Belarus and Ukraine are amazing places and Im so glad to have fitted in there and met some good friends in both countries.
Some people may say I was mad to not only sell my house, but to make such a risky move with no guaranteed job or visa to even keep me in the country. However my view was that it gave me an opportunity to do a bit of exploring of a different part of the world. Yes I had to come back to the UK in May, but it really hasnt put me off, and who knows I may try it again!!
The 4 months also gave me an ideal time to watch from a distance the DnB scene in the UK and look at it with an open mind. It was such a good feeling to be away from the bitchiness in the UK scene that holds it back so much. Artists, supporters, producers, and promoters think they are the be all and end all of the scene, when they really arent. The scene around the world is so much more varied, relaxed, and above all, NOT held in the past by artists that are way past their sell-by dates. Personally I dont think its the artists to blame for this, but the general public stuck in their ways and the same old names appearing on flyers time and time again, instead of embracing the newer talent that has just as much skill and diversity. Whatever the reasons however it has made the DnB scene stale in my view, promoters sticking with the easy solution for events and booking those same old names.
In our KrisisDnB events weve always made the effort to promote the names of the future and not of the past. As a forward thinking station thats made us THE STATION OF THE FUTURE, therefore its only right that our events promote that as well. People like Majistrate, Pleasure, Tantrum Desire, Dub Zero, MC Rhymes have all headlined at our events as they deserve more of the limelight compared to those same old names playing the same sets week in week out and getting paid a fortune to do so as well.
Anyway I returned to the UK on May 10th not wanting to come back really, but made the best of it and organised the first ever KrisisDnB event in London. A completely different way of promoting an event with so many other events always going to be in the area on the same night. So I decided to make it a multi-genre event instead of just DnB. After doing my research I came up with what I think was one of my most ambitious lineups ever. Heist was my first choice of DnB artists to lead one room, and Ctrl-Z have been making huge moves in the Breaks scene during 2010. And to top it off Jeppa was not only the 2009 UK DMC champion but was also crowned te 2010 champion as well! Alongside a batch of KrisisDnB residents of the highest quality including Septik, Docile, Fly and Spooka, as well as NeO, myself and KrisisDnB newboy Vinyl Richy it was a mouthwatering lineup! We had a decent crowd after the shock that we were in competition with Andy C at Fabric down the road.
It gave NeO and Richy the urge to organise their own event in Portsmouth. They planned it thoroughly and I advised where I could along the way, but they had things in hand anyway, with NeO having a fair amount of knowledge from our previous events in Bournemouth, Southampton and Portsmouth. 2 big events headlined by Majistrate and Pleasure got things off to a good start. A promoters nightmare was about to kick in however as another promoter had seen how well they were doing, and made an offer to Drift in the City that they simply couldnt refuse. Upfrontuk DnB had simply more cash than we did at the time, and steamrollered their way into Drift. It didnt work out too well for them though with small attendances, and even by linking up with Double Dipped to attract more people didnt help them. A costly night in early December looks like it will end their attempt to lure people to Portsmouth. Im sure they will try and prove me wrong but thats up to them and im really not worried either way.
NeO and Richy are planning their next event for the first part of 2011 which im looking forward to seeing more details of. In the last 2 months ive been organising the next KrisisDnB international event, this time in Ukraine. Its taken a lot of work so far but once again we are doing this with the ethos of involving the stars from the station alongside a big lineup from Ukraine, and headlining the bill is one of the biggest international DnB names in the scene. Unknown Error has played around the world, having performed at various Therapy Sessions events which have taken him to Kiev before. It has attracted quite a bit of interest from the locals so far, and so has the fact that this event will have the most UK artists they have ever seen in the former russian republics capital city.
So thats it for 2010, a couple more weeks left, my christmas show on KrisisDnB.Com on christmas day, and time for a few beers (or vodkas) on New Year.
Thanks to everyone who has supported me throughout the year, and be prepared for more during 2011 !!!
MX (KrisisDnB, UK)
KRISISDnB.COM MANAGEMENT AND PROMOTIONS
http://www.djmx.krisisdnb.com
http://www.krisisdnb.com
http://www.basslineskiev.com
http://www.drumandbassmovement.com
http://www.krisisdnb-djmx.blogspot.com
Blog for international DJ MX. MX has been a regular on the DnB circuit for 5 years now since starting on internet radio. Owner of DRUMANDBASSLINES.COM, BASHWORKZ.COM, and Co-Owner of our old radio channel KRISISDnB.COM has seen him perform at multiple events in the UK, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia and Finland as well. You can keep up with everything going on with him here !!
Sunday 19 December 2010
Sunday 12 September 2010
BASSLINES - FEB 2011 - KIEV, UKRAINE
Following on from 3 events in the UK and a massive 18 events in Belarus during 2010, KrisisDnB is about to invade Kiev, Ukraine.
Following the same tried and proven record for our international events, the Krisis brand will be working with a well established promoter from the eastern european capital, to bring you a joint event with the best talent from KrisisDnB, some of the biggest Ukranian DJs, and some top headliners as well.
We have secured one of the best known clubs in Kiev for this one-off event. Cinema Club is famous for all the right reasons, having hosted nights involving Drum and Bass stars including SPL, London Elektricity, Panacea, Future Prophecies, and Techno legend Mark EG. It has also played host to the Top DJ Awards ceremony.
The full lineup will be confirmed soon...
Following the same tried and proven record for our international events, the Krisis brand will be working with a well established promoter from the eastern european capital, to bring you a joint event with the best talent from KrisisDnB, some of the biggest Ukranian DJs, and some top headliners as well.
We have secured one of the best known clubs in Kiev for this one-off event. Cinema Club is famous for all the right reasons, having hosted nights involving Drum and Bass stars including SPL, London Elektricity, Panacea, Future Prophecies, and Techno legend Mark EG. It has also played host to the Top DJ Awards ceremony.
The full lineup will be confirmed soon...
Monday 24 May 2010
MX – Belarus & Ukraine 2010
New interview with MX in Maxumi magazine
What happens when you take one UK DNB DJ and throw him into Eastern Europe? Mention clubbing and most people probably wouldn’t think of Belarus or the Ukraine, but in recent years Eastern Europe has seen a near explosion in nightlife. Uncovering the scene in Eastern Europe is handily provided to us by DJ MX. MX may not be a household name yet, but in the past 5 years he has risen from being a bedroom Drum and Bass DJ, to performing Drum and Bass or sometimes Breaks at a large number of events not only in the UK, but also Belarus, Ukraine and Germany as well. Having just come back to the UK following a 3 month tour of Belarus and Ukraine, we caught up with MX to hear his views on his tour, Eastern Europe, and his life as a DJ.
Check the following link for the full interview :
http://www.maxumi.co.uk/2010/05/24/dj-mx-belarus-ukraine/
Hope you like, and please leave a comment!
MX (Malcs)
http://www.djmx.krisisdnb.com
What happens when you take one UK DNB DJ and throw him into Eastern Europe? Mention clubbing and most people probably wouldn’t think of Belarus or the Ukraine, but in recent years Eastern Europe has seen a near explosion in nightlife. Uncovering the scene in Eastern Europe is handily provided to us by DJ MX. MX may not be a household name yet, but in the past 5 years he has risen from being a bedroom Drum and Bass DJ, to performing Drum and Bass or sometimes Breaks at a large number of events not only in the UK, but also Belarus, Ukraine and Germany as well. Having just come back to the UK following a 3 month tour of Belarus and Ukraine, we caught up with MX to hear his views on his tour, Eastern Europe, and his life as a DJ.
Check the following link for the full interview :
http://www.maxumi.co.uk/2010/05/24/dj-mx-belarus-ukraine/
Hope you like, and please leave a comment!
MX (Malcs)
http://www.djmx.krisisdnb.com
Friday 21 May 2010
Pacman is 30 years old !!
Maybe not up to the standards of modern games, but it loads faster than Windows 7 or Vista, so heres a blast from the past !!
Tuesday 18 May 2010
Monday 17 May 2010
Friday 23 April 2010
MX needs help to stay in Belarus... AGAIN !!!
My plea for help to anyone who can give me some advice....
I would like to ask your assistance in a visa problem I have.
I originally came to Belarus twice during 2009 (August for a holiday, and October for a job interview as a native English teacher with Streamline in Minsk).
I was accepted for the teaching job (on an evaluation basis to start with in order for them to assess whether I was suitable for the role), so sold my house in the UK and came to Belarus on the 5th February 2010.
On arriving in Minsk on February 5th 2010, I purchased a Tourist visa at Minsk 2 airport. I settled in with my friends who I had been here to see in 2009, and a few days later went to Streamline to work out how they were going to assess me over the coming weeks. It was only then that they asked whether I had registered at my local office. I hadn’t, so went there the following day with my friend to solve the issue. I paid the due fine for late registration and confirmed that to Streamline.
At the end of February my visa was due to expire. I told my local registration office that my intention was to obtain full time employment in Belarus, so needed to know the best way to achieve that. So as instructed by them, I got a train to Kiev in Ukraine in order to purchase a new visa but this time a Guest visa for 30 days (I was told then that I would not have to make a further trip to Ukraine in order to extend my stay).
My assessment classes with Streamline were going fine, but they informed me that they were unlikely to be able to offer me a full time work visa as they already had 2 native English speakers and there simply wasn’t enough work for a third. So I started looking for alternative teaching schools or IT companies to work for, as I have over 20 years IT experience from the UK, so I was able to give Belarus something back from the experience I have. With multiple interviews at English schools and EPAM IT company I was so close to getting a full time job.
As instructed by the local registration office I went to them a week before my visa and registration were going to expire. I was informed that basically I had 1 week to obtain a work visa and to get it into the system in order to continue my stay here. However I still had a number of days allowance for one last extension as a guest. I enquired once again at Streamline who were very happy with my teaching skills, whether they could offer me a contract. They now said there was an opening so they could. So I went back (again) to Kiev in Ukraine and got the remaining days I could which would then give enough time for Streamline to sort the paperwork for my work visa if none of the other vacancies I had applied for came back to me in time. EPAM offered me the job as well as Streamline, and even though it was less salary, I decided to go for Streamline as it was something I enjoyed doing.
After about 15 days Streamline’s lawyer replied to my manager at Streamline saying that there was an ‘administration problem’ which meant that I was unable to get a work visa at this time. I then found out that in order to get the work visa, I needed a house contract in my name. I assumed this was the problem, and therefore, went out and rented a flat myself and got the contract which I then took to the lawyer today. It now turns out that that wasn’t the administration problem at all, but that the fact that I registered 3 days late when I arrived back in February was the issue. I immediately went to the British Embassy in Minsk to try to speak to someone but they are closed until Monday 26th due to elections I believe. It is now the 22nd April and my visa expires on the 27th April so I am very short of time.
Therefore within a week of me arriving here, I stood no chance of this ever working. I find this hard to take, considering the amount of effort I have put in to get things sorted, having spent a lot of money on visas, trips to Ukraine, and a house contract, as well as applications for job vacancies to companies in order to get me the best job I could, and sorting the necessary paperwork for the work visa. It was all a complete waste of time it seems. I cant believe how a lack of knowledge on local processes can do this. I accepted my mistake and rectified it as soon as I knew and paid the fine, which I assumed closed the matter. To have continued for 2 months spending the amount of money I have trying to make this work, without ever finding out until now that this registration issue would come back to bite me is unbelievable.
It is apparently 2 administrative errors that should cause a problem like I’m facing now with regards to a work visa, but it seems a SINGLE administrative error (my late registration in February) can mean I cannot get a job.
I would like some advice as to how I proceed (if possible) or who I should speak to before my current (and final) visa runs out on Tuesday 27th April.
This whole process upsets me so much as I have done everything I could, to learn local customs and laws, and to integrate and provide a positive contribution to every Belarusian I have met on both a social basis and from a teaching point of view as well.
I want to stay here and continue to contribute to Belarusian society !!! Of all of the countries I have visited in Europe (Germany, France, Spain, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Slovakia and Hungary), Belarus is the one place that I really want to live in ! I really hope that something can be done in the next few days to help me stay here.
Malcolm Taylor
http://www.krisisdnb.com
I would like to ask your assistance in a visa problem I have.
I originally came to Belarus twice during 2009 (August for a holiday, and October for a job interview as a native English teacher with Streamline in Minsk).
I was accepted for the teaching job (on an evaluation basis to start with in order for them to assess whether I was suitable for the role), so sold my house in the UK and came to Belarus on the 5th February 2010.
On arriving in Minsk on February 5th 2010, I purchased a Tourist visa at Minsk 2 airport. I settled in with my friends who I had been here to see in 2009, and a few days later went to Streamline to work out how they were going to assess me over the coming weeks. It was only then that they asked whether I had registered at my local office. I hadn’t, so went there the following day with my friend to solve the issue. I paid the due fine for late registration and confirmed that to Streamline.
At the end of February my visa was due to expire. I told my local registration office that my intention was to obtain full time employment in Belarus, so needed to know the best way to achieve that. So as instructed by them, I got a train to Kiev in Ukraine in order to purchase a new visa but this time a Guest visa for 30 days (I was told then that I would not have to make a further trip to Ukraine in order to extend my stay).
My assessment classes with Streamline were going fine, but they informed me that they were unlikely to be able to offer me a full time work visa as they already had 2 native English speakers and there simply wasn’t enough work for a third. So I started looking for alternative teaching schools or IT companies to work for, as I have over 20 years IT experience from the UK, so I was able to give Belarus something back from the experience I have. With multiple interviews at English schools and EPAM IT company I was so close to getting a full time job.
As instructed by the local registration office I went to them a week before my visa and registration were going to expire. I was informed that basically I had 1 week to obtain a work visa and to get it into the system in order to continue my stay here. However I still had a number of days allowance for one last extension as a guest. I enquired once again at Streamline who were very happy with my teaching skills, whether they could offer me a contract. They now said there was an opening so they could. So I went back (again) to Kiev in Ukraine and got the remaining days I could which would then give enough time for Streamline to sort the paperwork for my work visa if none of the other vacancies I had applied for came back to me in time. EPAM offered me the job as well as Streamline, and even though it was less salary, I decided to go for Streamline as it was something I enjoyed doing.
After about 15 days Streamline’s lawyer replied to my manager at Streamline saying that there was an ‘administration problem’ which meant that I was unable to get a work visa at this time. I then found out that in order to get the work visa, I needed a house contract in my name. I assumed this was the problem, and therefore, went out and rented a flat myself and got the contract which I then took to the lawyer today. It now turns out that that wasn’t the administration problem at all, but that the fact that I registered 3 days late when I arrived back in February was the issue. I immediately went to the British Embassy in Minsk to try to speak to someone but they are closed until Monday 26th due to elections I believe. It is now the 22nd April and my visa expires on the 27th April so I am very short of time.
Therefore within a week of me arriving here, I stood no chance of this ever working. I find this hard to take, considering the amount of effort I have put in to get things sorted, having spent a lot of money on visas, trips to Ukraine, and a house contract, as well as applications for job vacancies to companies in order to get me the best job I could, and sorting the necessary paperwork for the work visa. It was all a complete waste of time it seems. I cant believe how a lack of knowledge on local processes can do this. I accepted my mistake and rectified it as soon as I knew and paid the fine, which I assumed closed the matter. To have continued for 2 months spending the amount of money I have trying to make this work, without ever finding out until now that this registration issue would come back to bite me is unbelievable.
It is apparently 2 administrative errors that should cause a problem like I’m facing now with regards to a work visa, but it seems a SINGLE administrative error (my late registration in February) can mean I cannot get a job.
I would like some advice as to how I proceed (if possible) or who I should speak to before my current (and final) visa runs out on Tuesday 27th April.
This whole process upsets me so much as I have done everything I could, to learn local customs and laws, and to integrate and provide a positive contribution to every Belarusian I have met on both a social basis and from a teaching point of view as well.
I want to stay here and continue to contribute to Belarusian society !!! Of all of the countries I have visited in Europe (Germany, France, Spain, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Slovakia and Hungary), Belarus is the one place that I really want to live in ! I really hope that something can be done in the next few days to help me stay here.
Malcolm Taylor
http://www.krisisdnb.com
Wednesday 21 April 2010
KRISIS Dnb-High Flow-Eponym
Big new release from french Drum and Bass Producer High Flow. This tune available for only 99p on KRISISDnB.COM
Tuesday 20 April 2010
KRISIS DnB-Peckers-Bass
Big release from Peckers only available on KRISISDnB RECORDINGS. Get your copy from the KRISISDnB.COM website for only 99p
KRISIS DnB-SoMaR & Klay-Bloodclot (SoMaR VIP)
Big new Drum and Bass release from SoMaR and Klay available for only 99p on KRISISDnB RECORDINGS
Monday 19 April 2010
Friday 16 April 2010
KRISISDnB interviewed on HotDJGear.com
KRISISDnB.COM started in early 2007. Launched as a 24/7 Drum and Bass radio station, we wanted to do things differently and give people something fresh to listen to, and to be involved in as well. Having successfully recruited some hugely talented DJs and MCs from around the world it has extended the range from just being a small UK based station, to an international one with artists and listeners from places like Canada, USA, Brazil, Australia, Germany, Belarus, Malaysia, Ukraine, Georgia and so many more.
Since we launched the station, we started organising our own events on the South Coast of the UK. There was a demand from our listeners to see our artists performing live, so we responded by doing just that, as well as bringing headliners like Twisted Individual, Simon Bassline Smith, DJ Sly,
DJ Pleasure, MC Rhymes and many more who have all taken an interest in helping the progress of the brand.
The next natural step was to launch our own label KRISISDnB RECORDINGS which we achieved in the last part of 2009. As the station and events have evolved we became aware that we had some very talented producers on board, so we wanted to give the world the opportunity to hear their work. With over 30
releases on the label so far, we have managed to build up a wide range of sub-genres in the releases we have put out. With most vinyl labels struggling to make ends meet due to the current financial climate, we followed the trend of the digital label. Most people now have I-Pods or use other mobile devices to listen to music, and with a lot of DJs tuning their skills to the digital age then it made sense.
With a million and one other internet radio stations, we needed to be better than the rest. We believe we have achieved that by having artists playing everything from Jungle, Techstep, and Neurofunk, to Jump up, Liquid and Breaks. With input from our artists and listeners, we added the features they wanted to see, from live webcams from our artists studios, to helping them listen and get in the chatroom from their mobile phones. The website has had 3 versions since day 1 now culminating in the V3 site which has brought everything together. With a new design and logo alongside a solid foundation for additional features, and with the station now being managed from both the UK and Belarus, there will be future additions built in to further increase the accessibility of the site to other countries.
So come along and see what you think! You can find us on :
Main website : http://www.krisisdnb.com
We also have communities on :
Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8023026927&ref=ts
Myspace : http://www.myspace.com/krisisdnb07
Since we launched the station, we started organising our own events on the South Coast of the UK. There was a demand from our listeners to see our artists performing live, so we responded by doing just that, as well as bringing headliners like Twisted Individual, Simon Bassline Smith, DJ Sly,
DJ Pleasure, MC Rhymes and many more who have all taken an interest in helping the progress of the brand.
The next natural step was to launch our own label KRISISDnB RECORDINGS which we achieved in the last part of 2009. As the station and events have evolved we became aware that we had some very talented producers on board, so we wanted to give the world the opportunity to hear their work. With over 30
releases on the label so far, we have managed to build up a wide range of sub-genres in the releases we have put out. With most vinyl labels struggling to make ends meet due to the current financial climate, we followed the trend of the digital label. Most people now have I-Pods or use other mobile devices to listen to music, and with a lot of DJs tuning their skills to the digital age then it made sense.
With a million and one other internet radio stations, we needed to be better than the rest. We believe we have achieved that by having artists playing everything from Jungle, Techstep, and Neurofunk, to Jump up, Liquid and Breaks. With input from our artists and listeners, we added the features they wanted to see, from live webcams from our artists studios, to helping them listen and get in the chatroom from their mobile phones. The website has had 3 versions since day 1 now culminating in the V3 site which has brought everything together. With a new design and logo alongside a solid foundation for additional features, and with the station now being managed from both the UK and Belarus, there will be future additions built in to further increase the accessibility of the site to other countries.
So come along and see what you think! You can find us on :
Main website : http://www.krisisdnb.com
We also have communities on :
Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8023026927&ref=ts
Myspace : http://www.myspace.com/krisisdnb07
Wednesday 14 April 2010
SKAR(RED) to Rave
SKAR(RED) to Rave
What a lovely morning ive woke up to !! Sun is shining, its nice and warm, and my work visa is getting sorted!
First laugh I had today was seeing what is supposed to be MC SKAR's birthday event on facebook. After Skar asked me to help him with it a few weeks ago, I was only too willing to help. He has been on the mic at a few KRISISDnB.COM events and I wanted to help him improve and get more exposure.
However it seems that he is now paying the DJ bill for the lineup and playing a cameo role, for what looks a Rollin Rave event. Flyer designer Ripraw has taken full opportunity to make it effectively look like his event even though its not costing him a penny, and presumably the 'put me on your lineup and you get flyer for free' has got past Skar easily.
That would have been criminal enough on its own, but not only has he managed to get himself on the lineup, but also the entire Rollin Rave crew from Mouldwick, DoubleMC (wannabe gangster, what a joke !), Kendall (who im sure will be all cool with his best friend DoubleMC on the night), and Hannibal who was recruited by Rollin Rave who saw another person who could be used to promote Ripraw and Mouldwicks brand because he beat Ripraw and someone else (cant remember his name) at a small DJ competition a few months ago.
Anyway the standard Rollin Rave flyer layout (slightly tilted with a rollin rave logo that takes up half the page) has been done (in probably 5mins as its the same as the last 4 or 5 flyers, not too bad to get on a lineup!!). I do feel sorry for Kendall though. Another puppet of Rollin Rave. He really does try his best to help and be part of it, but its very obvious that its Ripraw and Mouldwick who run things as they are so much higher up the pecking order than anyone else, if only Kendall could see that. Kendall is a good friend and he knows I helped him gain some experience and gave him the backing he always deserved.
So anyway, Skar did take my advice in using Empire Club in Bournemouth. Even though its not the best venue in the world by a long way, its not too bad. And considering the amount he has spent on a lineup then a cheap venue was always going to be the way to go. Skar wanted to be part of the KRISISDnB crew, but presumably as Ripraw made the flyer, there isnt even a small krisisdnb logo on it.
Im sounding all very bitter I know, but thats far from the truth. In the last few years Ive learned that there are so many people only in Drum and Bass to help themselves. I have never been like that, and have really tried to help everyone as much as I can. By doing that it has allowed me to give people an opportunity to get in the scene, but what it also does, is to show me when they get a little bit of fame then there true colours show through whether they are genuine friends, or just someone in it for themselves. Classic examples of people in it for themselves are DoubleMC, DJ Foxy (not the known MC.. a bedroom DJ i helped and gave an event to), Krogenik and Shakey, but the list is much longer than that. Its made me laugh at it all now, being over here in Belarus, I can watch them all arguing between themselves and licking each others arses to get a set here and there. I do hope Skar doesnt fall into that group as well as he is a cool bloke who can improve on his own without getting involved with the rest of them.
On a different note, the pirate radio thing in Southampton seems to have taken in the rollin rave crew as well as Kendall and Stamma (who will be off his tag soon I think) and probably more as well. I wonder how long it will take before it gets shut down again, and also before they realise that the handful of listeners on FM and the pitiful site that ukdnb.net has disappears. Personally I dont see the buzz with pirate radio on the scale they are doing it. Not only is it illegal, but everyone involved with it can be prosecuted if they are caught. Worth it for 5-10 listeners? Hmm.. let me think about that one hahahaha. With every FM station in the country now on the internet as well, they know its just a matter of time before FM disappears completely. Cars in the UK and abroad are slowly installing Internet Radios and as soon as that becomes more widespread then the drop off from FM will really happen.
So how are things in Belarus... well im loving it still !! I hit a small problem a few days ago in that my Vkontakte page got hacked so I lost all my friends and contacts I had, but im slowly building that back up now. My real problem is remembering everyones names ! Its still hard reading the language even peoples names, but im slowly getting there. Last weekends events werent as busy as I had hoped, but in the 10 weeks or so ive been here, ive played at some amazing events especially in Bobruisk and Gomel. Ive made some real friends here and the communication barrier isnt stopping me too much. Our weekly events at Reaktor Club had a quiet weekend last week probably because of the extended weekend break, but hopefully they will pick up again this weekend. I think I am also about to be booked to play in a town called Novopolotsk (think thats how its spelled) sometime in late April or May, as well as a return set to The Pocket Music Box event in Minsk in early May as well. Ukraine is looking likely for May, and it would be good to work with Tyke to organise my birthday event too.
Im gutted about the Czech Republic event. I had to extend my visa as you all know a few weeks ago but there was no way I could make it multiple entries to Belarus as I needed an invitation letter which I didnt know about. Therefore on a single entry there was no chance to get to Prague. Tony the promoter, did leave it till the last minute to even get the flyer out though which didnt give us much time to organise. At least AskArT is going to represent the station and after speaking to Tony, Red Catz, Yellow Int and myself will go to Czech Republic in the summer.
We have a load of new shows starting on KRISISDnB.COM in the next week. Some hugely talented DJs have shown a big interest in joining so im looking forward to hearing there first shows on the station. Shawshank did a 4 hour 'test stream' a few days ago which went well, Didz, Refix, Termz are all set up and will blast some Drum and Bass to the world, and or first dedicated Dubstep DJ Docta Blunt is ready to go as well. You can find there show times on the schedule page on the site.
My mini-website has had a little bit of a revamp with some new promo pics taken from my set in Bobruisk a week or so ago. Some fantastic pics I think you will agree. You can check them out on http://www.djmx.krisisdnb.com/
Following from past experiences, weve had more personal threats from Shedbass Radio who have continued in there quest to cause problems to the station and site. It appears now to be directed towards NeO, as its obvious that cant do anything to me being over here. I made an attempt to speak to them to clear things but got the usual form of response. Its been over 3 years now since we left and started KRISISDnB, so maybe its about time they just sorted there own station instead of harassing someone elses. Im the past I would never give them the promotion by even mentioning there name in a post, but now iv grown weary of hiding the fact. People can make up there own minds about what they are like and there station, it doesnt bother me in the slightest.
And lastly, after whats been around 2 months, NeO will finally have his internet connected back up in his new place next week !!! Then Phase 2 of the website really starts coming together. I think over the last few months the V3 website has gained us a lot of additional support from listeners around the world, so as we build on what is currently just a base of the potential the site has, then we should see that support grow substantially. You can check what is there already on the usual address : http://www.krisisdnb.com/. Please help spread the word by posting the KRISISDnB.COM link on your forum posts, blogs, websites, facebook, myspace or anywhere else you can think of. Let us know where you post our link and we will link to your page as well which helps you as well !!!
What a lovely morning ive woke up to !! Sun is shining, its nice and warm, and my work visa is getting sorted!
First laugh I had today was seeing what is supposed to be MC SKAR's birthday event on facebook. After Skar asked me to help him with it a few weeks ago, I was only too willing to help. He has been on the mic at a few KRISISDnB.COM events and I wanted to help him improve and get more exposure.
However it seems that he is now paying the DJ bill for the lineup and playing a cameo role, for what looks a Rollin Rave event. Flyer designer Ripraw has taken full opportunity to make it effectively look like his event even though its not costing him a penny, and presumably the 'put me on your lineup and you get flyer for free' has got past Skar easily.
That would have been criminal enough on its own, but not only has he managed to get himself on the lineup, but also the entire Rollin Rave crew from Mouldwick, DoubleMC (wannabe gangster, what a joke !), Kendall (who im sure will be all cool with his best friend DoubleMC on the night), and Hannibal who was recruited by Rollin Rave who saw another person who could be used to promote Ripraw and Mouldwicks brand because he beat Ripraw and someone else (cant remember his name) at a small DJ competition a few months ago.
Anyway the standard Rollin Rave flyer layout (slightly tilted with a rollin rave logo that takes up half the page) has been done (in probably 5mins as its the same as the last 4 or 5 flyers, not too bad to get on a lineup!!). I do feel sorry for Kendall though. Another puppet of Rollin Rave. He really does try his best to help and be part of it, but its very obvious that its Ripraw and Mouldwick who run things as they are so much higher up the pecking order than anyone else, if only Kendall could see that. Kendall is a good friend and he knows I helped him gain some experience and gave him the backing he always deserved.
So anyway, Skar did take my advice in using Empire Club in Bournemouth. Even though its not the best venue in the world by a long way, its not too bad. And considering the amount he has spent on a lineup then a cheap venue was always going to be the way to go. Skar wanted to be part of the KRISISDnB crew, but presumably as Ripraw made the flyer, there isnt even a small krisisdnb logo on it.
Im sounding all very bitter I know, but thats far from the truth. In the last few years Ive learned that there are so many people only in Drum and Bass to help themselves. I have never been like that, and have really tried to help everyone as much as I can. By doing that it has allowed me to give people an opportunity to get in the scene, but what it also does, is to show me when they get a little bit of fame then there true colours show through whether they are genuine friends, or just someone in it for themselves. Classic examples of people in it for themselves are DoubleMC, DJ Foxy (not the known MC.. a bedroom DJ i helped and gave an event to), Krogenik and Shakey, but the list is much longer than that. Its made me laugh at it all now, being over here in Belarus, I can watch them all arguing between themselves and licking each others arses to get a set here and there. I do hope Skar doesnt fall into that group as well as he is a cool bloke who can improve on his own without getting involved with the rest of them.
On a different note, the pirate radio thing in Southampton seems to have taken in the rollin rave crew as well as Kendall and Stamma (who will be off his tag soon I think) and probably more as well. I wonder how long it will take before it gets shut down again, and also before they realise that the handful of listeners on FM and the pitiful site that ukdnb.net has disappears. Personally I dont see the buzz with pirate radio on the scale they are doing it. Not only is it illegal, but everyone involved with it can be prosecuted if they are caught. Worth it for 5-10 listeners? Hmm.. let me think about that one hahahaha. With every FM station in the country now on the internet as well, they know its just a matter of time before FM disappears completely. Cars in the UK and abroad are slowly installing Internet Radios and as soon as that becomes more widespread then the drop off from FM will really happen.
So how are things in Belarus... well im loving it still !! I hit a small problem a few days ago in that my Vkontakte page got hacked so I lost all my friends and contacts I had, but im slowly building that back up now. My real problem is remembering everyones names ! Its still hard reading the language even peoples names, but im slowly getting there. Last weekends events werent as busy as I had hoped, but in the 10 weeks or so ive been here, ive played at some amazing events especially in Bobruisk and Gomel. Ive made some real friends here and the communication barrier isnt stopping me too much. Our weekly events at Reaktor Club had a quiet weekend last week probably because of the extended weekend break, but hopefully they will pick up again this weekend. I think I am also about to be booked to play in a town called Novopolotsk (think thats how its spelled) sometime in late April or May, as well as a return set to The Pocket Music Box event in Minsk in early May as well. Ukraine is looking likely for May, and it would be good to work with Tyke to organise my birthday event too.
Im gutted about the Czech Republic event. I had to extend my visa as you all know a few weeks ago but there was no way I could make it multiple entries to Belarus as I needed an invitation letter which I didnt know about. Therefore on a single entry there was no chance to get to Prague. Tony the promoter, did leave it till the last minute to even get the flyer out though which didnt give us much time to organise. At least AskArT is going to represent the station and after speaking to Tony, Red Catz, Yellow Int and myself will go to Czech Republic in the summer.
We have a load of new shows starting on KRISISDnB.COM in the next week. Some hugely talented DJs have shown a big interest in joining so im looking forward to hearing there first shows on the station. Shawshank did a 4 hour 'test stream' a few days ago which went well, Didz, Refix, Termz are all set up and will blast some Drum and Bass to the world, and or first dedicated Dubstep DJ Docta Blunt is ready to go as well. You can find there show times on the schedule page on the site.
My mini-website has had a little bit of a revamp with some new promo pics taken from my set in Bobruisk a week or so ago. Some fantastic pics I think you will agree. You can check them out on http://www.djmx.krisisdnb.com/
Following from past experiences, weve had more personal threats from Shedbass Radio who have continued in there quest to cause problems to the station and site. It appears now to be directed towards NeO, as its obvious that cant do anything to me being over here. I made an attempt to speak to them to clear things but got the usual form of response. Its been over 3 years now since we left and started KRISISDnB, so maybe its about time they just sorted there own station instead of harassing someone elses. Im the past I would never give them the promotion by even mentioning there name in a post, but now iv grown weary of hiding the fact. People can make up there own minds about what they are like and there station, it doesnt bother me in the slightest.
And lastly, after whats been around 2 months, NeO will finally have his internet connected back up in his new place next week !!! Then Phase 2 of the website really starts coming together. I think over the last few months the V3 website has gained us a lot of additional support from listeners around the world, so as we build on what is currently just a base of the potential the site has, then we should see that support grow substantially. You can check what is there already on the usual address : http://www.krisisdnb.com/. Please help spread the word by posting the KRISISDnB.COM link on your forum posts, blogs, websites, facebook, myspace or anywhere else you can think of. Let us know where you post our link and we will link to your page as well which helps you as well !!!
Sunday 11 April 2010
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Tuesday 23 March 2010
What now.....
Well, as we agreed with the local registration office when I made the trip to Kiev in Ukraine last month to renew my visa, we went back to the office in order to extend my visa in Belarus.
Alex and myself were both expecting some sort of fee to extend it and that would be it.... things are never that simple here. Yes I am now on the right visa type, but they have a limit of 90 days total a foreigner is allowed in Belarus per year. There is a way to extend it, and its a good job we went there today so I have 7 days in order to try to solve this. I now need a work visa, which requires me to have a work contract from a company that is permitted to employ foreigners. My whole plan from the start of this trip was that Streamline were going to employ me therefore giving me the required documents I needed to have done this from day 1.
Well that hasnt happened, and the demand for native english speakers at Streamline is covered by Ian and Cole. Cole has helped me out a lot to try to give me as many ideas for more work here, and I have an interview at a different language school tomorrow. Its a long shot, but will see what happens.
I will be so upset if I have to leave here. The people here have been fantastic, and its been so good to have had the chance to start to integrate with a whole different culture. Yes the language has been a bit of a barrier, but ive had such a good time, and I dont want it to end yet.
If I can just get a job sorted that pays enough to pay the rent and give me enough to live on alongside DJing here as well then im fine.
Well ive sent about 20 emails and made as many calls as I can to schools and even IT companies (which I dont really want to get back into if im perfectly honest) to try and make a last ditch effort to keep me here. If that doesnt happen, then I still have a few options...
I can go to Ukraine and teach down there for a while until I find something permanent in Belarus. I dont need a visa to be there so its a real possibility, and does give me the opportunity to see a bit more of Ukraine as well. I could go to Czech Republic as Im playing there in April anyway, so it sort of makes sense at least for the short term.
Hmm how about Georgia... I dont know the visa situation for there yet, but it really would be good to meet up with Alex Rayden especially as I intended to go there last year but couldnt afford it.
So many 'Ifs and Buts' its unreal !! I JUST WANT TO STAY HERE !!!! The only real way is to hope that the interview tomorrow goes well or one of the other emails ive sent out comes up with some light at the end of the tunnel.
I guess there will be another update on here in the next few days, I just hope its a good update !
MX (Malcs)
KRISISDnB.COM
Alex and myself were both expecting some sort of fee to extend it and that would be it.... things are never that simple here. Yes I am now on the right visa type, but they have a limit of 90 days total a foreigner is allowed in Belarus per year. There is a way to extend it, and its a good job we went there today so I have 7 days in order to try to solve this. I now need a work visa, which requires me to have a work contract from a company that is permitted to employ foreigners. My whole plan from the start of this trip was that Streamline were going to employ me therefore giving me the required documents I needed to have done this from day 1.
Well that hasnt happened, and the demand for native english speakers at Streamline is covered by Ian and Cole. Cole has helped me out a lot to try to give me as many ideas for more work here, and I have an interview at a different language school tomorrow. Its a long shot, but will see what happens.
I will be so upset if I have to leave here. The people here have been fantastic, and its been so good to have had the chance to start to integrate with a whole different culture. Yes the language has been a bit of a barrier, but ive had such a good time, and I dont want it to end yet.
If I can just get a job sorted that pays enough to pay the rent and give me enough to live on alongside DJing here as well then im fine.
Well ive sent about 20 emails and made as many calls as I can to schools and even IT companies (which I dont really want to get back into if im perfectly honest) to try and make a last ditch effort to keep me here. If that doesnt happen, then I still have a few options...
I can go to Ukraine and teach down there for a while until I find something permanent in Belarus. I dont need a visa to be there so its a real possibility, and does give me the opportunity to see a bit more of Ukraine as well. I could go to Czech Republic as Im playing there in April anyway, so it sort of makes sense at least for the short term.
Hmm how about Georgia... I dont know the visa situation for there yet, but it really would be good to meet up with Alex Rayden especially as I intended to go there last year but couldnt afford it.
So many 'Ifs and Buts' its unreal !! I JUST WANT TO STAY HERE !!!! The only real way is to hope that the interview tomorrow goes well or one of the other emails ive sent out comes up with some light at the end of the tunnel.
I guess there will be another update on here in the next few days, I just hope its a good update !
MX (Malcs)
KRISISDnB.COM
Monday 15 March 2010
MX Spring 2010 Interview - Interviewed by Nick Cherkasov (Translated to English and Russian) | KRISISDnB.COM
Click below to find my Spring 2010 Interview with Nick Cherkasov
MX Spring 2010 Interview - Interviewed by Nick Cherkasov (Translated to English and Russian) KRISISDnB.COM
Thanks to everyone on Vkontakte for the nice comments !
MX (Malcs)
KRISISDnB.COM
http://www.krisisdnb.com
MX Spring 2010 Interview - Interviewed by Nick Cherkasov (Translated to English and Russian) KRISISDnB.COM
Thanks to everyone on Vkontakte for the nice comments !
MX (Malcs)
KRISISDnB.COM
http://www.krisisdnb.com
Monday 8 March 2010
MX IN BELARUS - STEP IN THE UNDERWORLD
Well its been a month since I moved to Belarus now and its been fantastic ! Ive met so many people over here, and even though I can hardly speak a word of russian, im getting on fine.
I had to start again here, having to learn the basics like how to get credit on my mobile phone, to working out what food was what in a shop. Learning the different currency hasnt been too bad really, and they have solved the problem of having too many coins in your pocket and making holes in them !!! Belarus Roubles dont have coins. Problem solved !
Ive performed at 4 events so far, not to my best yet by a long way, but my second set last saturday at Reaktor Club was getting a bit more like how I know I can play. The DJs here tend to play on sideways decks as the DJ booths are fairly small, but im getting used to it slowly.
With 3 events this week (2 in Minsk and 1 in Gomel) im ready to smash out a few big sets and get to the top of my game.
One thing that has really taken me by surprise is the huge enthusiasm people over here have for enjoying themselves. At every event ive either played at or been to, its clear to see people out to have fun. It makes a refreshing change in comparison to some of the local politics in the UK DnB scene. I still watch facebook to see what is going on in the uk, and see the same bitching between internet stations, djs and mcs. It makes me laugh now at the childish behaviour that goes on. It is nice however to see that some of the smaller internet radio stations have learned from us that the more organised look of the V3 KRISISDnB website is the way to go and have followed our lead. We still have a lot more features on the V3 site and with more to come soon as well keeps KRISISDnB Number 1 !!!
The next month see me travelling once again off to Czech Republic in the middle of April with Red Catz and Yellow Int for an event with Tony, Dino and more. Things are also looking possible in the near future for a trip to Moscow in Russia. I really cant wait for that if it happens !
Then its back to London and the South Coast of the UK in July for a few weeks for a big event im in the process of planning.
Busy, but exciting times ahead!
MX (Malcs)
http://www.krisisdnb.com/
http://www.djmx.krisisdnb.com/
I had to start again here, having to learn the basics like how to get credit on my mobile phone, to working out what food was what in a shop. Learning the different currency hasnt been too bad really, and they have solved the problem of having too many coins in your pocket and making holes in them !!! Belarus Roubles dont have coins. Problem solved !
Ive performed at 4 events so far, not to my best yet by a long way, but my second set last saturday at Reaktor Club was getting a bit more like how I know I can play. The DJs here tend to play on sideways decks as the DJ booths are fairly small, but im getting used to it slowly.
With 3 events this week (2 in Minsk and 1 in Gomel) im ready to smash out a few big sets and get to the top of my game.
One thing that has really taken me by surprise is the huge enthusiasm people over here have for enjoying themselves. At every event ive either played at or been to, its clear to see people out to have fun. It makes a refreshing change in comparison to some of the local politics in the UK DnB scene. I still watch facebook to see what is going on in the uk, and see the same bitching between internet stations, djs and mcs. It makes me laugh now at the childish behaviour that goes on. It is nice however to see that some of the smaller internet radio stations have learned from us that the more organised look of the V3 KRISISDnB website is the way to go and have followed our lead. We still have a lot more features on the V3 site and with more to come soon as well keeps KRISISDnB Number 1 !!!
The next month see me travelling once again off to Czech Republic in the middle of April with Red Catz and Yellow Int for an event with Tony, Dino and more. Things are also looking possible in the near future for a trip to Moscow in Russia. I really cant wait for that if it happens !
Then its back to London and the South Coast of the UK in July for a few weeks for a big event im in the process of planning.
Busy, but exciting times ahead!
MX (Malcs)
http://www.krisisdnb.com/
http://www.djmx.krisisdnb.com/
Thursday 18 February 2010
Friday 29 January 2010
ITS ALMOST TIME.....
The final stages of my planning are done. Flight tickets to Minsk are booked, decks are ready to be posted over, train to airport sorted, and Damienn and Wren (my dogs) are looking like they have a good home to go to.
Time for me to take KRISISDnB.COM truly international. There isnt many stations that are run from 2 different countries so this holds so much in store for the coming months and years.
Now just got to work out what I can fit in my luggage, what else needs to be posted and to sell off the few bits I have still got here.
IF ANYONE NEEDS AN 8K SOUNDSYSTEM THEN ITS HERE !!! ITS WORTH £1800 AND UP FOR SALE FOR ONLY £1000 OR NEAREST OFFER !!! Grab a bargain !
Full spec can be found here : http://forum.breakbeat.co.uk/tm.aspx?m=1971837425
Send an email to mx@krisisdnb.com for more info
Time for me to take KRISISDnB.COM truly international. There isnt many stations that are run from 2 different countries so this holds so much in store for the coming months and years.
Now just got to work out what I can fit in my luggage, what else needs to be posted and to sell off the few bits I have still got here.
IF ANYONE NEEDS AN 8K SOUNDSYSTEM THEN ITS HERE !!! ITS WORTH £1800 AND UP FOR SALE FOR ONLY £1000 OR NEAREST OFFER !!! Grab a bargain !
Full spec can be found here : http://forum.breakbeat.co.uk/tm.aspx?m=1971837425
Send an email to mx@krisisdnb.com for more info
Tuesday 26 January 2010
KRISISDnB RECORDINGS FULL CATALOGUE OUT NOW !! | KRISISDnB.COM
KRISISDnB RECORDINGS FULL CATALOGUE OUT NOW !! | KRISISDnB.COM
The full catalogue of releases from KrisisDnB Recordings available for only 99p a tune !!! Grab yourself a collection of the very best Drum and Bass
http://www.krisisdnb.com
The full catalogue of releases from KrisisDnB Recordings available for only 99p a tune !!! Grab yourself a collection of the very best Drum and Bass
http://www.krisisdnb.com
Sunday 24 January 2010
ITS BACK !!! NEW UPDATED KRISISDnB DESKTOP PLAYER
ITS BACK !!! NEW UPDATED KRISISDnB DESKTOP PLAYER
Now you can have KRISISDnB.COM back on your desktop playing the best Drum and Bass on the planet 24/7 while you surf facebook, play games or whatever else your doing.
Click the following link and download the new updated version :
http://www.krisisdnb.com/content/krisis-desktop-player
Wednesday 20 January 2010
The Grandad - Abduction
The Grandad - Abduction
Debut release for The Grandad !!!! Grab your copy for only 99p !!!
http://www.krisisdnb.com
Debut release for The Grandad !!!! Grab your copy for only 99p !!!
http://www.krisisdnb.com
Thursday 14 January 2010
Wednesday 6 January 2010
REAL LISTENERS, REAL PEOPLE, REAL SUPPORT, REAL PROMO
REAL LISTENERS, REAL PEOPLE, REAL SUPPORT, REAL PROMO
Internet radio has truly taken off in the last few years, with thousands of stations covering every genre of music you can think of. In some underground dance music scenes it has to be said that most stations are built by the artists who perform in the scene and use there station to increase there own promotion. There are lots of stations that do that well and help the other artists who play on there as well, but we must remember this is a very competitive market, so there can be some selfishness that comes through as well.
There are 2 main broadcasting tools available to get a station up and running. Windows Encoder enables the station to embed a live video feed alongside the audio stream, and Shoutcast which is probably the original tool to broadcast audio. Both of these tools are fairly easy for a beginner webdesigner to use to build something that enables people to listen to a live broadcast. Probably due to its speed, Shoutcast has by far the larger number of stations that use its technology.
There are not many DJs or MCs out there who are web designers, as can be seen by a lot of websites built on standard templates, using the same standard techniques for broadcasting using Shoutcast, however they all run in pretty much the same way and enable multiple listeners to tune in, therefore achieving there owners goals.
Looking at music as a whole, and speaking as someone who understands the technology side just as well as the music side, the dance music scene moved primarily from vinyl sales to digital MP3 sales many years ago, but only in recent years have the DJs who play it followed suit. There are still a large number of vinyl-only DJs in more underground forms of dance music like Drum and Bass, Jungle, Breakbeat and some others as well.
As more and more DJs move to using digital technologies to play music, the higher the risks involved in the copying and distribution of producers music which costs the music industry millions if not billions every year. Many of the mainstream labels and distributers have tried to tackle this with varying levels of success, but internet radio has created a whole different league of problems. Most DJs use all the right methods to purchase there tunes or through there contacts with producers in the scene, but all that is blown away if stations dont consider themselves that they are broadcasting copyrighted music through there Windows Encoder or Shoutcast servers.
Alongside when Internet Radio Stations started up there was also a flood of programmers who decided to exploit the ignorance of station owners, by making software to record and copy the music and tunes being played on internet radio. These programs are known as streamrippers. Many of the professional internet stations are well aware of these and alongside there shoutcast streaming providers, have built multiple techniques to spot a 'ripper' and disconnect it from recording the stream. Professional internet stations spend huge amounts of time to keep the rippers out but it is a contant battle as there is always something new out there.
In the underground dance music scene however, station owners are more inclined to turn a blind eye to these 'rippers' as it substantially increases the number of 'listeners' the stream has connected to it. This enables the station to attract bigger artists to perform on there, which makes the 'rippers' goal of aquiring unreleased or in-demand tunes even easier. With most stations broadcasting at 128k as a standard, that is seen as near cd quality and good enough for anyone to listen to, or even pay for a particular tune.
This has had a massive impact on the record labels in the underground scene from even covering there costs, let alone making any form of profit from there artists tunes. So many underground labels, big and small, pass by as they themselves are not aware of the whole scale of the problem thats out there. They are all too aware there there tunes are being leaked, but hopefully now through this article they can see one of the main reasons for that happening.
Is there anything that can be done? With new internet radio stations appearing every day that passes, its a hard task. But there is something that can be done, and thats for the DJs, producers and record labels to be aware that this happens, and that there is ways you can tell the stations that actively protect the music thats being played on them and those that dont.
For shoutcast stations there is a very simple way to spot multiple rippers locked to a stream that anyone can do to look. Normally a station will have multiple listener links to enable someone to tune in (normally through winamp, media player, realplayer and itunes). These links are merely pointers to a text file that can be opened in any text editor (e.g. notepad) and contain the link to the shoutcast stream. A stream link normally looks something like :
http://11.22.33.44:1234
Some stations will have more than one stream link in there file, which means they can spread the traffic across multiple servers and possibly different quality streams to cater for a wider audience.
This will show the number listening (and how many unique, the number unique can, but doesnt always, be a pointer of a station generating 'fake' listeners from one pc to boost there numbers).
The second way to spot rippers is the average listen time. Imagine yourself how long you would listen to a radio station for while sitting at your pc or mac... maybe a few hours maximum?? If your seeing a large number of people listining to a stream and the average listen time big as well then thats a key sign that its an automated ripper thats simply recording the stream.
Streamrippers have an auto connect feature that means when a show changes they start a new recording file of the next tune or show (depending how the station controls its title updates), which does mean that a new connection is effectively hidden in with normal listener connections. A good pointer is when a stations archive stream is playing for some time, as that is normally one unbroken stream which therefore shows whether a stream is being infested with rippers.
Possibly the last way for anyone to see if there listener numbers are genuine is to have a look in there chatroom. A chatroom is used on most stations and promoted heavily as a way for listeners to interact with the artist or station. In the same way as FM radio relies on people calling the studio to guess there listener numbers (as there is no scientific method of counting listeners on FM), an internet radio station has a similar theory from its chatroom. If you check some of the more reputable stations you will see that as a rough guide that most stations operate on approx 1:10 ratio of chatroom users to listeners. Fortunately with shoutcast you can see actual numbers listening using the above methods (or by looking at www.shoutcast.com), but if a chatroom has 10 people in it and an apparent listener count of 200 then you can clearly see that the ratio is wildly out.
The above is all a bit negative, and there may be genuine reasons for some of the above, but im sure every record label and producer around the world wants to protect there hard work and income by doing everything they can to stamp this out.
As a DJ myself, and also co-owner of internet radio station KRISISDnB.COM, we felt it was important for our own artists and producers to make sure we gave them somewhere safe to play there unreleased tunes without risk of them being used or copied. Weve been running as a station since March 2007 and have fully embraced the technologies available to keep our stream with simply genuine listeners locked. Its about time everyone else who claims to be part of the music industry by running a station acts responsibly and does the same.
We recommend that all producers read this and take note, its your tunes that are at risk. Not many other stations would publish this, and if you want more information on streamrippers then google has tons more.
MX (Malcs)
KRISISDnB.COM
http://www.krisisdnb.com
Internet radio has truly taken off in the last few years, with thousands of stations covering every genre of music you can think of. In some underground dance music scenes it has to be said that most stations are built by the artists who perform in the scene and use there station to increase there own promotion. There are lots of stations that do that well and help the other artists who play on there as well, but we must remember this is a very competitive market, so there can be some selfishness that comes through as well.
There are 2 main broadcasting tools available to get a station up and running. Windows Encoder enables the station to embed a live video feed alongside the audio stream, and Shoutcast which is probably the original tool to broadcast audio. Both of these tools are fairly easy for a beginner webdesigner to use to build something that enables people to listen to a live broadcast. Probably due to its speed, Shoutcast has by far the larger number of stations that use its technology.
There are not many DJs or MCs out there who are web designers, as can be seen by a lot of websites built on standard templates, using the same standard techniques for broadcasting using Shoutcast, however they all run in pretty much the same way and enable multiple listeners to tune in, therefore achieving there owners goals.
Looking at music as a whole, and speaking as someone who understands the technology side just as well as the music side, the dance music scene moved primarily from vinyl sales to digital MP3 sales many years ago, but only in recent years have the DJs who play it followed suit. There are still a large number of vinyl-only DJs in more underground forms of dance music like Drum and Bass, Jungle, Breakbeat and some others as well.
As more and more DJs move to using digital technologies to play music, the higher the risks involved in the copying and distribution of producers music which costs the music industry millions if not billions every year. Many of the mainstream labels and distributers have tried to tackle this with varying levels of success, but internet radio has created a whole different league of problems. Most DJs use all the right methods to purchase there tunes or through there contacts with producers in the scene, but all that is blown away if stations dont consider themselves that they are broadcasting copyrighted music through there Windows Encoder or Shoutcast servers.
Alongside when Internet Radio Stations started up there was also a flood of programmers who decided to exploit the ignorance of station owners, by making software to record and copy the music and tunes being played on internet radio. These programs are known as streamrippers. Many of the professional internet stations are well aware of these and alongside there shoutcast streaming providers, have built multiple techniques to spot a 'ripper' and disconnect it from recording the stream. Professional internet stations spend huge amounts of time to keep the rippers out but it is a contant battle as there is always something new out there.
In the underground dance music scene however, station owners are more inclined to turn a blind eye to these 'rippers' as it substantially increases the number of 'listeners' the stream has connected to it. This enables the station to attract bigger artists to perform on there, which makes the 'rippers' goal of aquiring unreleased or in-demand tunes even easier. With most stations broadcasting at 128k as a standard, that is seen as near cd quality and good enough for anyone to listen to, or even pay for a particular tune.
This has had a massive impact on the record labels in the underground scene from even covering there costs, let alone making any form of profit from there artists tunes. So many underground labels, big and small, pass by as they themselves are not aware of the whole scale of the problem thats out there. They are all too aware there there tunes are being leaked, but hopefully now through this article they can see one of the main reasons for that happening.
Is there anything that can be done? With new internet radio stations appearing every day that passes, its a hard task. But there is something that can be done, and thats for the DJs, producers and record labels to be aware that this happens, and that there is ways you can tell the stations that actively protect the music thats being played on them and those that dont.
For shoutcast stations there is a very simple way to spot multiple rippers locked to a stream that anyone can do to look. Normally a station will have multiple listener links to enable someone to tune in (normally through winamp, media player, realplayer and itunes). These links are merely pointers to a text file that can be opened in any text editor (e.g. notepad) and contain the link to the shoutcast stream. A stream link normally looks something like :
http://11.22.33.44:1234
Some stations will have more than one stream link in there file, which means they can spread the traffic across multiple servers and possibly different quality streams to cater for a wider audience.
This will show the number listening (and how many unique, the number unique can, but doesnt always, be a pointer of a station generating 'fake' listeners from one pc to boost there numbers).
The second way to spot rippers is the average listen time. Imagine yourself how long you would listen to a radio station for while sitting at your pc or mac... maybe a few hours maximum?? If your seeing a large number of people listining to a stream and the average listen time big as well then thats a key sign that its an automated ripper thats simply recording the stream.
Streamrippers have an auto connect feature that means when a show changes they start a new recording file of the next tune or show (depending how the station controls its title updates), which does mean that a new connection is effectively hidden in with normal listener connections. A good pointer is when a stations archive stream is playing for some time, as that is normally one unbroken stream which therefore shows whether a stream is being infested with rippers.
Possibly the last way for anyone to see if there listener numbers are genuine is to have a look in there chatroom. A chatroom is used on most stations and promoted heavily as a way for listeners to interact with the artist or station. In the same way as FM radio relies on people calling the studio to guess there listener numbers (as there is no scientific method of counting listeners on FM), an internet radio station has a similar theory from its chatroom. If you check some of the more reputable stations you will see that as a rough guide that most stations operate on approx 1:10 ratio of chatroom users to listeners. Fortunately with shoutcast you can see actual numbers listening using the above methods (or by looking at www.shoutcast.com), but if a chatroom has 10 people in it and an apparent listener count of 200 then you can clearly see that the ratio is wildly out.
The above is all a bit negative, and there may be genuine reasons for some of the above, but im sure every record label and producer around the world wants to protect there hard work and income by doing everything they can to stamp this out.
As a DJ myself, and also co-owner of internet radio station KRISISDnB.COM, we felt it was important for our own artists and producers to make sure we gave them somewhere safe to play there unreleased tunes without risk of them being used or copied. Weve been running as a station since March 2007 and have fully embraced the technologies available to keep our stream with simply genuine listeners locked. Its about time everyone else who claims to be part of the music industry by running a station acts responsibly and does the same.
We recommend that all producers read this and take note, its your tunes that are at risk. Not many other stations would publish this, and if you want more information on streamrippers then google has tons more.
MX (Malcs)
KRISISDnB.COM
http://www.krisisdnb.com
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