Archive for the ‘music magazine’ Category

Philippine Magazines of the Philippines

October 19th, 2009

Magazines are considered to be one of the widely used medium when it comes to information regarding entertainment, showbiz, fashion, food and luxury.

Next to the internet, magazines are the best place in which one can get not only information but also entertainment. Magazine is a best medium for information when it comes to entertainment, sports, lifestyle, fashion, food, and art.

Magazines are widely used because of the help that magazines can give, even here in the Philippines. Magazines are the best source of information when it comes to lifestyle, showbiz, entertainment and food.

There is a lot of Philippine Magazine here in the Philippines such as the METRO: The Independent Woman Philippine Magazine, FOOD: The Philippines? Largest Selling Culinary Philippine Magazine, CHALK Philippine Magazine, Maxim Philippine Magazine, MetrohiM: Man Made Better Philippine Magazine, PINK: A Girl?s Guide To Shopping Philippine Magazine, Burn: The Philippines’ First Interactive Music Magazine, STARSTUDIO: We Bring You Closer to The Stars Philippine Magazine, Story Philippine Magazine, THE BUZZ Philippine Magazine, F&B World: The Philippines’ Only Foodservice Philippine Magazine, Mobile Philippine Magazine, Metro Home & Entertaining Philippine Magazine and many more Philippine Magazine.

There are a lot of Philippine Magazine, which is why eLBC came to a conclusion on starting the first ever online magazine shop here in the Philippines selling different kinds of Philippine Magazine, the M-Express.

M-EXPRESS is the first ever door-to-door Philippine Magazine delivery service in the country. It is the convenient way to order Philippine Magazine anytime and anywhere you are in the Philippines. You can place subscriptions or order per title allowing you the flexibility to control your budget.

This innovative service is powered by LBC, the country?s dependable domestic and international courier service which brings over 50 years of experience and an intensive network of branches both here and abroad.

M-EXPRESS.COM.PH is owned and operated by eLBC Direct, Inc., an LBC company that is dedicated to providing Filipinos access to products and services apart from the traditional products offered by LBC.

For more information regarding Philippine Magazine and M-Express then visit http://www.m-express.com.ph

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What Happened To Dance Music?

October 14th, 2009

What is the first thing you hear when when you switch the radio on? If you are lucky enough to tune-in in time to actually catch some music, the chances are it’s the latest breed of new-wave-new-rave-alternative-shouty-vocalised-indie-rock. (I call it guitar music for short.) Such has been the case for a number of years now, since the demise of the Higher States of Consciousness and the invasion of the Gallagher brothers in the early nineties.


When perusing the archives of the Guardian Online, I came across an article entitled, “Bored of Dance” which documented the downfall of some of the UK’s finest dance acts throughout the last decade. Fatboy Slim enjoyed less success in the Charts with the release of his last album, Palookaville, whilst the once popular magazines reporting the scene went out of business completely.


Muzik, Ministry and Jockey Slut once supplied readers with news, reviews and future releases of all upcoming dance acts. Today, the sole survivor of the onslaught is Mixmag, fighting the good fight alone in a world full of “guitar music” magazines such as KERRANG, Metal Hammer and NME. But the question is, if dance music is as dead as they say, then why the huge queues to get into the clubs, and why are there still so many many festivals with self proclaimed “dance tents?” The answer is simple: Dance music never died, it simply morphed into something else.


I believe it began when Bloc Party broke into the scene at the turn of the century. Their debut album, Silent Alarm forged a new sound that was just what dance fans needed – a mix of real instruments, fast beats and catchy basslines. Move on a few years and we now have the likes of The Klaxons, (champions of New Rave) Foals (Math-Rock anyone?), and The Futureheads. These bands seem confused as to where their loyalties lie. On one night they will be playing to a sell out crowd at Brixton Academy, whilst the next night sees them spinning tunes on the ones and twos at an underground warehouse party.


Coincidentally, we have an abundance of dance acts with equally confused identities. Justice, Paris’ latest dance act are a couple of skinny-jean wearing, leather jacket clad producers who are hell bent on redirecting the scene. Their fusion of overly-compressed basslines and quirky electro beats has won fans from every genre of modern music. Equally, Soulwax (headed up by Belgian brothers David and Stephan Dewaele) continue their two pronged assault on our ears through a combination of live shows and “mash up” mixes like never heard before.


If the amalgamation of sounds presented here doesn’t float your boat, try something a little more suited to Radio 2’s playlist. LCD Soundsytem have recently released their second album, entitled Sound of Silver and present listeners with something that David Byrne would have been proud of. Their harmonious blend of real instruments, Casio keyboards and male vocals has proved a massive hit with music listeners young and old


The effect of this on the music industry is quite the opposite to the Guardian’s title, “Bored of Dance”. A new breed of music created a new breed of fan and subsequently there are no longer any boundaries. So what if I like dancing the night away in a grimy London club, I’m still allowed to wear skinny jeans.


So when you next hear someone say that dance music is dead, politely point out that dance music actually led the revolution that created the best sounds of this century. For the first time ever, rock, pop, breaks and beats all sit happily together under the same umbrella.

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Diversity is the Key Element of Latin Music

October 9th, 2009

Think of rhythm and diversity in music and you have to turn to Latin music. Musical styles of all Latin American countries are collectively called Latin music. Prevailing languages in Latin America are derived from Latin language. Spanish, Portuguese and French are the common languages of Latin America. Hence, Latin music lyrics can be written in Spanish, Portuguese, Latin and other Romanic Languages.

That is why diversity is the main characteristic of Latin music. Energetic rhythms of Central America make Latin music more lively and attractive. Shades of Caribbean tune are frequently observed in Latin music. Simple acoustics of the Southern Cone and Andes impart liveliness in this music.

Flavors of Spanish and European musical styles and wild African beats are quite prominent in Latin songs too. Rhythm, diversity, down-to-earth tune and perfect use of instruments have established Latin music at an esteemed position. And that is the reason millions of people are fond of Latin music; even those who do not understand Latin, Spanish or other Romanic languages listen to Latin music to enjoy the tune and rhythm.

Latin rhythm is very evocative and impulsive ? it is quite easy to move the audience by the beats of Latin songs. That is the reason Latin and Spanish songs are played as dance numbers while partying. People love to toe to the beats of Latin music always. A lot of Latin music videos are released every year; it proves that dance is an invariable part of music in Latin America.

Latin rock is a significant part of Latin music. Latin rock is basically a blend of rock and Latin American instruments. The Caribbean and African rhythms make Latin rock jolly and jovial. Latin rock has a huge teen audience not only in Latin America, Mexico and Europe but all over the world. Music magazines, music TV channels and radio stations play Latin rock and publish music charts regularly to keep track of latest releases.

Latin rock is known for connecting various cultural and linguistic groups. Hence, diversity, the main feature of Latin music, is clearly observed in Latin rock too.

Carlos Santana is said to be the creator of Latin rock. He used rock guitar with classis Latin songs in 1960s and gradually Latin rock started getting shape. The style underwent a revival in late twentieth and early twenty first century by the path breaking styles of musicians like Jaguares, Aterciopelados and others.

All forms of Latin music including classical songs, jazz, rock and pop are popular in Latin America and have been widely spread to the outer world as well. Visit online music stores and music magazine websites to learn more about Latin music.

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Latin Music Videos – How to Track the Trends

September 19th, 2009

Latin music has a huge number of audiences all over the world. Since, music has the power to cross the barriers of language and culture, Latin music is adored and appreciated in all the countries of the world. Latin music is known for its melody and rhythm – salsa, rock in Spanish, Latin music videos and dance numbers are frequently played in parties and clubs.

Music videos, video albums and popular songs of movies are compiled to form video albums. Popular artists, composers, musicians and instrumentalists work hard to make their albums hit.

However, some compositions hit the market and leaves silently, whereas, some make a buzz. On the other hand, some of the songs become all time hit – generations after generations listen to those all time favorites. Artists, composers, lyricists who contribute in making those unforgettable songs become legend.

A number of Latin music videos are released every year. It is quite difficult to keep track of all new releases. One easy way to know about latest music albums and videos is: watching music channels regularly. Most music channels keep their viewers updated on recent releases – trailers and reviews are telecast before the release.

However, it might not be possible for you to stick to music channels 24×7. Then what is the other way to stay updated? How can you ensure that not a single release is overlooked? You can subscribe to a music magazine that reports on latest releases, artists, musicians and keep their readers informed on various happenings in the music industry.

Popular music magazines often set up online edition for their readers. Online music magazine is also a great source of information about Latin and Spanish music. There are general music websites and niche websites. General sites cover information and news about all types of music; whereas, niche websites like Spanish music magazine or Latin music websites keep track of Spanish and Latin music only.

However, a lot of people think twice before buying a new album as it is difficult to predict how good it is in advance. Even when it is of a popular music artist, people lurk when it comes to buy a new album.

That is why music charts are made for. Music news websites maintain a list of popular albums and update the list daily or weekly. This is a good way to judge the potential of new music videos. One that remains in top 10 for long must be a good one. Hence, apart from watching music channels on television, keep a close eye on daily or weekly music charts to find out hit Latin music videos – go with the trends.

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Magazine Review: Rolling Stone

September 14th, 2009

I have been a faithful reader of Rolling Stone magazine for over twenty years. Although it has started as a reliable rock and roll journal in the late 1960s, I have seen it transforming into the magazine of the bourgeoisie. Not necessarily a bad thing, but if you think that once Rolling Stone was the summit of music journalism, it is discouraging to watch it becoming MTV on paper.

In the 1980s, Rolling Stone was a magazine passionate about music that featured insightful articles to cutting edge artists such as U2, The Cure, REM, Clash, Echo & The Bunnymen and many others. Today, it remains a cultural icon, but since the culture has deteriorated, inevitably Rolling Stone attempts to sell copies of people, who get more and more distressed like Britney. On the other hand, pop culture sells quite good being a reference point for over 13 million young adults.

Although the good days of REM and Clash on the cover are long gone, Rolling Stone still features good music reviews written in excellent way. My overall impression is positive and there is no doubt that Rolling Stone features good journalism. Particularly, some of its editorials are top notch providing interesting information on contemporary music scene.

One more plus is that, Rolling Stone’s sphere of influence includes entertainment, television, movies, technology, and national affairs. In addition to its dominant position in music, Rolling Stone covers anything significant, trend-setting, and remarkable with excellent photographs or illustrations that make the overall tone of the magazine visually powerful. Rolling Stone has been awarded with the National Magazine Award for General Excellence in 2007 and with editorial excellence in reporting and photo essay categories in 2006, while it has earned over fifty nominations and twelve awards.

On the other hand, there are reviews that are dubious and not trustworthy at all. Personally, I feel that they belong to the past and they reflect the reviewer’s personal opinion and not the objective view they should reflect. Also, how can a magazine’s publisher consider that Mick Jagger is as good in his solo career as in the years of “Let It Bleed”? How can middle-age reviewers catch the palm of contemporary music and get overcompensated for their lack of knowledge?

There was a time when Rolling Stone was THE music magazine championing the great countercultural music of their era. Being truly underground and innovative, Rolling Stone was doing something really important. Today, the magazine has a consistent inability to seriously criticize anything that might have an influence on the rock audience.

If you care about rock music or, simply for, decent writing, unfortunately Rolling Stone is not the proper magazine to choose. To my view, a better path to respectable music would be British music magazines. Unfortunately, Rolling Stone has become mostly useful for criticism.

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