MANTIS - a web-based DAW

Wow - definitely check this one out. Mantis (http://www.indabamusic.com/landing/mantis) is a new web-based digital audio workstation that allows you to record to an online server. You can access your recordings any time from any location. You can share your sessions with others. A database of over 10,000 sounds is accessible through the website and through your indabamusic.com account. Lessons and user guides are on the website... you don't wanna miss this.

Steve Lawler Drops Vinyl Life in 2005

Someone pointed this video out to us today. This was one of our first productions that we started using the mixing board to mix our tracks down. Damn, this was a while back! Maybe you'd like to DOWNLOAD THIS TRACK for your own personal use? Enjoy!

LIVE SET - April 1st at Don Hill's NYC

We will be doing another live set at DON HILL'S NYC on APRIL 1st!
* 11PM, 5 bucks to get in. Check it out.

Like This Remix by Morty S

We love it when remixers take it upon themselves to do one of our tunes. Thanks Morty, wherever you are.

How Vinyl Records Are Made

New video! ENERGY FLASH - Vinyl Life vs. Joey Beltram

Right click to DOWNLOAD:
Energy Flash - Vinyl Life.mp3
Video for iPod
Video for iPhone


The classic "Energy Flash" by Brooklyn's own Joey Beltram gets a re-work from NYC trio Vinyl Life. The track was built from the ground up with no samples from the original. The video, however, is all samples of stuff jacked from youtube and then edited together by the band. Includes footage from WashMacine, Dan DeGloria, and even the coveted Breakin' and Poppin' VHS by Alphonso Ribiero aka Carlton Banks.

Best $60 I ever spent on scratch lessons

I've always wanted to learn how to scratch. Now more than ever, I want to incorporate scratching into the Vinyl Life live show. I joined QSU 3 weeks ago and wow, what a difference it made. Check it out.



qbertskratchuniversity.com or
qscratchu.com

PEX Heartburn IV in Philly Feb 13th 2010

Vinyl Life has been booked to play a live show at the PEX electronic music event in Philadelphia on 2-13-10. Siiiick.

2009 in 20 seconds

Tape Theory 2009 Review Thanks for an incredible year. We released 4 singles and 2 albums on vinyl, CD, tape and digital. In 2010, Tape Theory will double those numbers and we'll be adding several new artists to the team.           Our artists Vinyl Life and Nite Club were featured in Urb Magazine, The Village Voice, Wired, Time Out NY, Big Shot Magazine, and many many more. (Full presskits here for Vinyl Life & Nite Club if you are interested.) Nite Club released the incredible My Tronic, was found performing all over NYC, and even had a song placed on MTV this year. In January we'll see the video for "Left Right" directed by and co-starring the lovely and talented ladies of Tayisha Busay. Nite Club’s Richard Spitzer follows up My Tronic with Friends & Heroes, a remix EP of his favorite indie, electro, prog-wave and hip hop tracks from 2009. A FREE DOWNLOAD for you and your friends is available now. Vinyl Life had their share of great live shows, releases, and positive press. In 2010 you'll see the new video for the Vinyl Life vs. Joey Beltram remix, a worldwide tour, and many more new tracks. The first single will be "Hi Tops" with remixes by Cru Jones and Germany's Koolfella. If you'd like a sneak preview (aka FREE DOWNLOAD) click HERE and enjoy. Thanks again for a big year and we wish you all a blessed, fun-filled, and happy 2010. Peace and love.

If I Had The Cash

Check out this EBAY AUCTION. (Drool.)



Shoutout to Reeno for finding this one

Like This 7" in production

Today we had the pleasure of visiting two different record plants in NYC (Brooklyn to be exact). First we stopped off at Brooklyn Phono to pick up labels for the new single "Like This" which will be out on December 15th. Check out these pics of their facilities. These guys take serious pride in their work and deliver an incredible product every time.




The Vinyl Life LP was pressed at Brooklyn Phono, but they only do 12" records, so our next stop was over to Hit Bound, which is run by the same folks who own the legendary Channel One recording studio in Jamaica. Hit Bound is very old school and has no website. Google 'em for their phone #.


I had to say it was a good day.

P.S. Mastering was done by Mark Richardson @ Prairie Cat Mastering.

"Like This" - Vinyl Life TT006
A1. Like This
B1. Like This (Reeno Remix)
B2. Take It Off (Feat. J-Zone, Ray West, and Tru Pro)

Released on vinyl and digital 12/15/09


Artwork by Pauly Raffaele

Like owning Raymond Scott's Studio

I never promote plugins. But this deserves some attention. This is an inexpensive (10.69 Euros) emulation of an old electronic music studio, pre-synthesizer. Like the Raymond Scott days.




Download Berna HERE

Vinyl Life in Big Shot Magazine

Check out this nice feature on yer boys from NYC:

VL in TONY

Vinyl Life (Tape Theory Records)

If live-electronic trio Vinyl Life sounds a bit vintage, that’s not by accident; the music of Butcha, Richie Roxx and MC Phaze Future is constructed with the help of venerable analog hardware. (In case you’re not a music-equipment nerd, the wax crackle of opening cut “Hot Sauce” hammers the old-school point home.) But the album’s retro vibe goes much deeper than that. This is club music of the kind that ruled the dance floors in the early ’90s, defined by elements of electro-rap, hip-house, Todd Terry–style club bangers, and lyrics that extol the virtues of B-boy stances, discotheque rocking and getting hype—and that’s just one track, the revved-up “Hi-Tops.” Subtle, it ain’t—but it’ll sure get the party started.—Bruce Tantum

Vinyl Life in VIllage Voice

Vinyl Life, Furthering the Death of AutoTune
NYC threesome makes electro-jams the old-fashioned way



Check out your boys getting a feature in the Village Voice.

Record Fair in Brookyn next week!

Vinyl Life and Tape Theory will have a table at this event. Yes! Vinyl lives!

It's 909 day!

One of the greatest drum machines ever made, the analog beast manufactured by Roland in 1984 is the sound of techno and so much more. Here's a little vid of Detroit legend Jeff Mills killing it in Japan:

"Like This" remix contest

We've teamed up with the folks at Indaba Music, an international community of musicians who collaborate online, to have a remix contest for the single "Like This"
off of our new album. The winner will receive 50% of the sales of their remix from websites like iTunes, Beatport, Juno UK, and many more.

Click HERE to check it out. Looking forward to hearing your submissions.

Album release party!

This is the big one folks. Hope you can be there.

VINYL LIFE LP OUT TODAY!

On wax? Yup. That's the best way to hear this album.

CLICK HERE TO GET A COPY FROM THE TAPE THEORY SHOP!

This album will exclusively be available on vinyl for a few weeks. Get yourself one of the first copies!

Listen and enjoy online:



SIDE A:
HOT SAUCE
HI TOPS
BASS GO BOOM
ELECTRIC SYMPHONY
INNOVATION (SEBASTIAN MARCIANO REMIX)

SIDE B:
LIKE THIS
ELEVATOR UP
GOOD LIFE (IT'S MORE FUN TO COMPUTE)
FUTURE BEAT
PRESS REWIND (FEAT. UZIMON)




Check out some reviews HERE.

The first album reviews arrive

"I love this album! There was never any time during play that I wanted to skip any of it. Its well thought out, executed, and does what it does…paying homage to the past noted genres of yesteryear. This is one band that people should look out for in the near future because I can’t say anything but great things about Vinyl Life!" - Nerdy Frames

"Vinyl Life pull off the combination of analogue keytones and party rap with total precision, nailing a stunning combination of every euro electronic artist from the past twenty or so years, and merging it with a 'need to party lyrisism' not seen since the like of Soulsonic Force." -Attack Attack Attack

“Amid the sonic reference to Kraftwerk and the Zulu Nation and the war against Autotune, an eighties sensibility emerges in more than the music—these guys walk the talk!” - WKNC

“Overall Vinyl Life is well produced and encompasses genre and style-shifts with confidence usually expected of more experienced groups. A testament to what will come from their future releases.” - Blouse

“Vinyl Life offer a trip back to the golden age of dance music and hip hop, give it a listen and you might learn something too as Vinyl Life deftly acknowledge the past while bringing it into the future.” - Ventvox

“The album has a crispness and clarity that is rarely found in digitally composed works and, even better, it features some amazing classic synth sounds!” - Bangers and Thrash

"If you like it old skool, you will have made love the analog flavor of Vinyl Life." - about.com

“Backed up by a soundtrack that spans over two decades of clubbing, all wrapped up in a tasty present day pastiche, New York City’s Vinyl Life at first sound a bit like classic Jungle Brothers, only with haircuts and designer jeans, before delving deeper into the club, ending up in the ladies toilets doing lines off somebody's breast, losing any associations with the Brother's afrocentric meanderings on the dancefloor of the club's sweaty backroom where all the really cool kids hang out.” - Chrome Kids

“Within the first 5 minutes of listening to the album I couldn't help but think that I was listening to a hip-hop version of Kraftwerk.” - Boom Boom Chik

“This is a cracking little release where oldschool rap and analogue rave meet 2009.” The Hats and Friends

Butcha, Phaze Future & Richie Roxx, les 3 old-school vibes makerz de Vinyl Life (NYC) ont construit leur univers musical à travers leur amour inconditionnel pour le hip-hop, les instruments et les machines. - OK in Art



Thanks and we'll keep you posted on the following reviews...

Too bizzare

We're all for the free promotion, but did you guys ever think about maybe googling "Vinyl Life" b4 you started making commercials for our website? Thanks btw.

Album is done!

We went hard the last 3 months in the studio working on our debut artist album. release schedule is:

Vinyl LP: August 4th
Cassette: August 18th
Digital & CD: Sept 14th

Hope you enjoy hearing it as much as we had fun making it. Sneak preview downloads coming very soon...

Hey Hey who stole the Hot Sauce?

we always joke in the studio about other artists releasing songs with the same titles as ours. sometimes, we hear distinct musical passages or general vibes of one of our songs in another song. coincidental? most likely. uncanny? yes. likely to happen again? it's certain.

today, a legendary hip hop group announced their new album will be called "Hot Sauce Committee". all 23 of our fans and family members will testify that "Hot Sauce" has been a crowd favorite at the vinyl life live shows since 2007. can i get an amen? lord have mercy.

HEAR OUR VERSION ON OUR MYSPACE PAGE

Vinyl Life's Phil Moffa featured on Indaba Music

Our producer/DJ/drum machinist Phil Moffa is Indaba Music's first Artist In Residence. According to their site, "Indaba Music is an international community of musicians, music professionals, and fans exploring the creative possibilities of making music with people in different places." They have featured remix contests involving artists as diverse as The Roots, Mariah Carey, Yo Yo Ma, and many more.

On this specially designed A.I.R. page, Phil will be sharing production ideas via tutorials, videos, discussions, and collaboration. Stop by and check it out!

www.indabamusic.com/studio_access/philmoffa

Jack The Hype Mix

Mixed on 2 turntables by Butcha and Richie Roxx. Jack the house.

Nite Club - My Tronic

Rich Spitzer aka Nite Club - You may know him from such bands as Vinyl Life, Hotels, Flight Crew, and many more. After years of hard work and countless hours of production, his solo album, My Tronic, is released. the record is being very well received in the world - according to CMJ college radio, it is at an impressive #20 on the RPM electronic music chart and #101 overall. Many blogs worldwide are also supporting the album and rightfully so. It reflects the genius that we have seen the man flex on his synthesizers and the kid can sing his ass off too.

If you would like to support the project, it can be purchased on CD from the tape theory online store (signed copies) and insound.com

Digital downloads are available from iTunes, beatport, and amazon.

"With Spitzer’s knack for emotive melodies and nasty grooves, Nite Club proves that drum machines can indeed have some soul." - URB Magazine

"He's one of those rare talents who can make dance music do anything. It'll move your feet and make you swoon." - GBH.tv

Nite Club myspace | Nite Club website (hear some tracks!)

Album release party - Thursday April 30th @ Public Assembly w/ Cru Jonez
Nite Club interview & DJ Set on eastvillageradio.com - Wednesday April 8th 2pm - 4pm

Vinyl Life & Oscar G @ Cielo NYC April 2nd 2009

Jam On It - Newcleus (Vinyl Life Dub)

A tribute to one of the greatest jams ever made. Enjoy.



Jam On It (Vinyl Life Dub).mp3
Jam On It (Vinyl Life Dub).wav

Kutiman

Wow. This guy edits random solo performances found on youtube to create new compositions. Conceptually this is interesting but the music is f*cking great too! Check out http://thru-you.com/#/videos/ to see them all. Brilliant!

Artist spotlight on Reeno

Check out Reeno, the self proclaimed King of Soulful Electrofunk. His latest release REENO 360 is too sick.

SPAZZOID ENTERTAINMENT

Future Retro Orb

Wow that's a sick piece of gear! Basically a tiny Revolution-esque sequencer that sends MIDI and CV. Check Future Retro's Orb overview page for more details. Bonus points for naming this thing after The Orb.

Fast Eddie invented Hip-House

This video reminds us that the world is not such a terrible place after all.

Exclusive only for readers of this blog-piece

To say thanks for all your support, we're giving this download to our loyal readers for free.

INNOVATION - VINYL LIFE.mp3

Right Click INNOVATION above to save or regular click to hear it

INNOVATION

Out now on iTunes, Beatport, CD & Tape.

Artwork by Jon Legere

1. Album Mix
2. DJ Skribble & DJ Slynkee vs. Vinyl Life Mix
3. Sebastian Marciano Remix
4. Extended Mix
5. Acapella

"This house is broken..." The second single from Vinyl Life on Tape Theory is "Innovation". Always a crowd favorite at the live shows, "Innovation" combines elements of house, rap, acid, and electro. Click HERE to see the music video directed by WashMachine that documents the studio recording of this jam.

DJ Skribble & DJ Slynkee got together with the VL crew in their Queens, NY studio to lay down some serious cuts on this collaboration. Sebastian Marciano, better known as half of rap duo Smash Mechanics, shows his versatility as a house producer with his synth-heavy, hands-in-the-air remix. All 3 versions were produced entirely on hardware.

Live Set Wednesday Feb 11th

This Wednesday February 11th, come check Vinyl Life live @ Tayisha Busay's weekly Club Europa party in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Shit, you may even win a free pizza.

UZIMON - Ganja Fix Eveything

UZIMON, Bermuda's most ignorant reggae artist, cures cancer, gives sight to the blind, and slays the grim reaper. All while promoting earth's most healing herb. It really does fix everything.

Vinyl Life LIVE Performances

Here's a little Butcha Sound edit of our performances over the years. Set to the song "Etch a Sketch". Camera work by MOTiF, WashMachine, and Janine.

Juno 106 Fixed! How to replace a bad Juno 106 chip

Alright, I did it myself thanks to some online resources. It only took 30 minutes.

First, check out these instructions and pics. This guy broke it down nice and easy. Don't worry about the weird message that pops up. Scroll down for the first step, which is determining which is the bad voice or filter chip

Then check out the desoldering instructions. Same thing, scroll down on that page a bit to see the info.

Oh, and a few more things. There's nothing on there about calibration or clone chips which I think may be very relevant to other potential "repairmen/women".

Calibration is sometimes needed after replacing a chip. This requires a lot more skill and technical knowledge than the desoldering and replacing of a bad chip. You'll need to know how to operate analog and digital voltmeters and an oscilloscope , I believe. Calibration documents HERE



There are 2 options when getting a replacement chip. You can either get one from an old juno that's been scrapped for parts, or you can get a clone. They have their pros and cons.

If you get a clone chip, it will probably last longer. However, it is more likely to need calibration, according to a synth guru from NYC i spoke to the other day.

That being said, the opposite is true about a regular old juno chip. It might die sooner but it probably will go back in with no tuning up needed. That just happened for me 10 minutes ago.

For an old original try eBay or synthparts.com

Here's where you can get a clone:


http://www.analoguerenaissance.com/D80017/

or

http://www.synthrestore.com/products.htm#sr4217b

I can't really say which is better, but I've read the first clone is the one to go with. Use your own judgement.

Good luck. It's worth the time because the Juno 106 is one of the best analog poly-synths in the universe.

"Etch a Sketch" Live @ Downtown Cabaret

From March 2008 with the legend Jim McElwaine on tenor sax.

Indaba CMJ Event @ Crash Mansion Video

Peace to MOTiF Pictures for this shooting and editing this one. This is from the Indaba Music CMJ Showcase in October 2008.


Vinyl Life LIVE @ Crash Mansion NYC from Tape Theory on Vimeo.

We remember James Brown

No sense in going into his bio, listing his achievements, or discussing his impact. Simply put, James Brown was the greatest that ever lived. Period. We remember him today on the 2-year anniversary of his death with tremendous love and respect. Peace to the hardest working man in show business, Mr. Dynamite, Godfather James Brown.

Our first show of 2009!

The kids are ready to jack the new year with our first performance of 2009. Meet us in Greenpoint, Brooklyn for live beats and liquid treats.

Thanks to all the heads who came out to the Vinyl Life Christmas Spectacular

I always say, the quality of a party depends on the people who are there, and you guys fucking rocked! Thanks for representing so hard. Much love to all of you.

If anyone has pictures, please send em to music@vinyllife.com

Peace and Happy Holidays

Alive! - Vinyl Life live with Michna 12-23-08 Tuesday

Dudes of Doom

Photo by Greg MacAvoy

49 with a bullet

Future Beat made its debut at #49 on the Beatport electronica chart. Not bad for a first single on a new label. Thanks for your support.




Get it online: iTunes, Beatport, Juno, or on CD & tape!

The Future Beat is out today

The Future Beat is on! Tuesday, November 18

Remixes by DJ Oscar G!

Get it online: iTunes, Beatport, Juno,
Napster, Rhapsody, Amazon or on CD!




DJ Feedback:

"I love it. Thanx." - Bob Sinclar (France)

"Dope! Feeling the 808 spaceship." - DJ Z-Trip (USA)

“Nice one! Love it… so much fun.” - Uberzone

“The song is Dope... Definitely rockin. That Piano riff in the Oscar G remix is dope. All the mixes are hot. The other mixes take me back to that "Streetwise Label" sound. Great Work man. Much Success to you. Let it Roll !!” - Doug Lazy (Hip-House legend)

“DUUUUUUUUUDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I FUCKING LOVE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOW THATS REAL ELECTRO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO DOPE I CANT WAIT TO PLAY IT!!!!” - DJ Skribble (NYC)

“The vinyl life guys have done it again, another club banging peak hour record to pack the floor, and the oscar g mix just brings it over the top...If your not playing this record, you need to have your head examined” - Glen Friscia (NYC)

“The track sounds great....Love the video too...!” - Bill Youngman (Berlin)

“Will definitely be playing it this weekend.” - Steve Travolta (Brooklyn, NY)

“Love the original and dub...” - Ray Roc (NYC)

Techno Face

Thanks to Levon of Deconstruct for pasting this one.

Last minute party with Jamie Lidell - Sunday 11-9-08

Our friends at Volcanic are throwing a party with Cracker Farm at the very familiar Public Assembly. Jamie Lidell throws down a special DJ set with help from Bonehawk. Vinyl Life has been asked to close out the night. Let's get crazy.

Sunday November 9th
Public Assembly
N6th Street bet Kent and Wythe
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY