August Collective Collaborative Blog: How To Find New Music

Are you having trouble finding a new band or genre to get into? It's easy to feel overwhelmed by all the bands and ever-evolving styles of music out there.  Luckily, members of the T&E Collective present their tried-and-true strategies to help you expand your musical horizons. 

​Brandon's Recommendation 

Libraries

It may not seem obvious but local libraries are a potentially untapped resource for discovering great music. One of the hardest parts about finding new music is knowing where to even begin. Fortunately for you, libraries have a wide variety of music spanning multiple genres to choose from, for free! As long as you don’t forget about the CDs in your car and rack up world record-setting late fees like a certain collab blog writer. I solely credit the The Scottsdale Public Library for exposing me to great artists like Frightened Rabbit, Nada Surf, and Röyksopp. Röyksopp especially with 2014’s “The Inevitable End” LP changed my life after I picked it up on a whim from the music section and discovered their unique blend of Norwegian electronic madness. Naturally they have a huge selection of old school jazz, classical music and the like but I was also pleasantly surprised to discover movie soundtracks, metal and hip-hop sections too. It’s a fantastic way of picking up an album by artists you may be familiar with by name only and trying out the albums before buying them. For me it also partially fills the void left by some of my favorite music stores closing down over the years. There’s just something about browsing through physical media that will never get old for me and if you can relate even a little bit, do yourself a favor; get a library card and dive into a whole new universe of music.

​Noe's Recommendations

Opening Acts

Cavurn opening for Horrendous

Showing up early to shows is a guaranteed way to discover great new music. Opening acts are normally selected to set the mood for the headliner. That means that if you like the main act (you are there to see them, right?), you will probably like the opener. At first I thought that showing up early to concerts was just a recipe for awkwardness and tediousness. On the contrary, I have been impressed most of the times I arrive early, leaving the venue with something new to listen to at work the next day. Openers will either be a showcase of local talent, which can be hard to find in traditional media, or artists invited by the main act due to their appreciation of their music. You can’t go wrong either way.

YouTube Channels

Sometimes, an album you’d like to hear is only available in Youtube. Maybe it is some cult classic that sees little diffusion or an international release not available in traditional streaming platforms. Whenever you find yourself in this situation, take a moment and see what other videos that channel has uploaded. If you are lucky, you might’ve found a gold mine hiding in plain sight.

I call these people heroes of the internet, as they curate and upload traditionally unavailable music regularly to their channels. Some of my personal favorites are SupraDarky (diverse selection of video game soundtracks), Odiumnostrum (black metal from the depths of the underground), and Saturn Archives (a wonderful collection of internationally diverse electronic, jazz, drone, and more).
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Curators

Wall of Sound in Seattle

What are curators? They are people that through their knowledge of music and their particular taste select outstanding creations. One of the biggest problems with finding music is the gargantuan offering of options available, which can become overwhelming very quickly. Finding people that have developed a very particular taste and have already done the work of sifting through crates of releases is one of the best approaches you can take.

Curators will be available in most of the mediums suggested by the other writers in this post, so I’d like to suggest this as a mindset when searching for music. Whenever you approach any possible source of musical recommendations, try to single out the person that is making that recommendation. If it’s a record store, there is an owner that decides what gets purchased and sold. If it’s a music blog, it will host many writers with their own musical tastes.

For example, the Wall of Sound record store is ran by two people I have approached and talked to, learning about the music they like. I realized they are passionate about adventurous and unique music, which is one of my main interests in musical discovery. So every time I walk in or get an email from their newsletter, I am sure to get a musical recommendation that catters my tastes and that is hard to find elsewhere.

Don’t worry if you don’t feel you have developed a taste yet. This is a Trial & Error process that takes years to solidify into something concrete. But every time you receive a recommendation, try to think about it and to see if past ones from the source have also been of your liking. This has helped me to weed out the noise and to fine tune how I find music.

​Alex's Recommendation

​Snowboarding Videos

​I owe my first exposure to punk and alternative music, and therefore much of my modern music taste, to the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater video games. While I never quite got the hang of even performing an ollie when I actually got a skateboard, landing virtual 360 kickflips to the likes of the Dead Kennedys, Primus, Rage Against The Machine, and Bad Religion were instrumental in forming my adolescent punk/metalhead identity that stuck with me well into adulthood. In recent years, I realized snowboarding was more my sport and started following various snowboarding Instagram accounts to keep up with all the cool stuff that the pros are doing. However, it seems like a lot of riders eschew heavier music in favor of indie and hip hop when it comes to showing the world what they got in these clips. Luckily, my tastes have expanded and I’m always on the lookout for new artists and songs to get a good mellow vibe going on the mountain, or to zone out to in my bed at the end of a long day of riding. For instance, last week I was scrolling through IG and came across this sped-up clip of Icelandic rider Ylfa Rúnarsdóttir tearing up the park to Toro y Moi’s “Ordinary Pleasure.” I didn’t know that Toro y Moi had a new album out earlier this year, but now I do. I also now have a groovy new song in my playlist waiting patiently for next winter to roll around, and it’s all thanks to this clip.

Parisa's Recommendations

Radio Stations

KEXP in Seattle

Maybe I’m biased because I’ve worked in radio for nine years now, but I really think community radio stations are the biggest asset for music fans eager for recommendations. It’s easy to forget considering that now most radio stations have turned into classic rock jukeboxes or just regurgitate the same radio hits of the 80s and 90s. However, most cities at least have one non-profit or college-run radio station that provide an alternative solution to mainstream hits. And similar to what Noe mentioned above about curators, radio DJs are a wonderful way to learn interesting tidbits about your music and get other recommendations as well. They offer a far more personalized feel than what you can get out of a Spotify or Pandora generated playlist. Some DJs really make it feel like you’re just sharing and chattin' music with an old friend. 
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If you’ve surfed the dial in your hometown and haven’t found any local stations, you can browse through this detailed list from T&E writers of their favorite radio stations and shows. ​

​COLORS Studios

COLORS is one of the most unique and aesthetically conscious web series that focuses on promoting the most distinctive artists from all over the world. As COLORS explains on their website, they offer a “ a minimalistic stage to shine a spotlight on the artists and give them the opportunity to present their music without distraction”. It’s really just an empty, blank studio room based out in Berlin, and the walls are colored in post-production to match the overall vibe or aesthetic of the artist. Seeing artists have such a vulnerable spotlight on them always leads to stellar live performances that truly let their personality shine through. Also, the artists always style themselves and you see some WILD fashion on there (yes yes I know it’s all about the music, but you can’t help but appreciate some great style when you see it). It’s also worth mentioning their sound engineers are gods. As most COLORS fans will agree, these versions always end up sounding better than even the original album versions. 

While having a few bigger names with mainstream success pop up from time to time  (like ScHoolboy Q, Kali Uchis and Doja Cat), COLORS features underground artists of all genres that I really have no idea how I would have found out about otherwise. Some of my favorite performances include UK hip hop artist IAMDDB, Estonian rapper Tommy Cash, UK R&B singer Mahalia, New Jersey rapper Topaz Jones, and more recently the Congolese soulful stylings of Pierre Kwenders. As you can tell even from looking at a handful of my favorite picks, there’s an endless amount of diversity and styles represented on this channel. I highly recommend a binge day of going through their videos and see what new artists you find.
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Boiler Rooms

Nina Kraviz Boiler Room set

If you’ve been following T&E, you already know we’re a big fan of Boiler Rooms. From our collab blog of our favorite Boiler Room sets to our interactive Boiler Room bingo game - we’ve pretty much got you covered to find your new favorite producers. But in case you’re new to Boiler Rooms, they’re an online music broadcasting platform that live music sessions of all genres from around the world. Since they launched in 2010, Boiler Room has continued to release roughly 30 new videos out each month for a vast, eclectic selection that could put any music lover down a deep video wormhole for hours. They generally have a focus on electronic producers and DJs, but have expanded in the last several years to cover all types of artists and live bands. It’s an easy way to discover new music, you can throw on a Boiler Room and just escape for the full hour of their set. Some of the performances also offer a really entertaining watch. You get a fly on the wall’s view of a night at a nightclub, which is always bound to bring about some weird interactions and dance moves. 

Since our collab blog is now several years old, here is an updated list of more of my favorites (also, now I wouldn’t recommend The Gaslamp Killer’s set as I did two years ago in that post due to his recent allegations): Jazar Crew from Palestine, Carl Cox live in Ibiza, Nicolas Jaar live in NYC, Helena Hauff live at Dekmantel, Miss Kittin live in Paris, David August in Berlin, and Nicola Cruz  and El Búho live in Tulum. These sets range from OG Chicago house music to German minimal tech to Andean electro to European style electroclash. No matter what style of electronic music you’re into, there’s sure to a Boiler Room in the vault for you to enjoy.

Researching Record Labels

One of the easiest and most accessible ways to find new artists related to what you already enjoy is backtracking a record label’s catalogue. I always recommend this as an easy go-to for people who enjoy finding new music but might feel intimidated by the whole process. If you already have an artist that you like and are looking for something in a similar vein, look up the label that released their last album and check them out online to see who else is on their roster. Over the years, you’ll find that you can always rely on certain labels for a good release in a particular genre. Keeping up to date with their releases is as easy as signing up for their email list. Just sign up on their website and voilà, new music at your fingertips! Here are some of my favorite labels I keep coming back to discover new music:

Finders Keepers- my favorite label of all time. As described on their FB page, they're “a
British record label, 40 years in the making, introducing fans of psychedelic/jazz/folk/funk/avant-garde and​ whacked-out movie musak to a lost world of undiscovered vinyl artifacts from the annals of alternative pop history”
Light in the Attic Records - another one of my favorite labels. Mostly focus on reissues, and have a vast collection of  underground and underappreciated oddities. So many bizarre and random gems that would have probably never been heard if it weren’t for their reissues 
Six Degrees Records - independent label focusing on international artists and traditional “world” music
Warp Records - for sure my favorite and perhaps the most well established record label for experimental electronic music
Relapse Records - really one of the biggest metal labels out there
Sacred Bones - a great label for experimental and generally darker psych sorta stuff

More include Mute Records, Ninja Tune, DFA, Drag City, Sup Pop, but the list goes on and on...

With the rise of cassettes and DIY music again, I also suggest asking your favorite local bands about what local label has been putting out their music. Even in my city of Tucson, there are like ten home-run cassette and record labels just to put out music from our ol’ dusty pueblo. DIY/independent labels always deserve the support. 
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Music Reviewers & Blogs

The Needle Drop animation

Ahem...I guess a pretty obvious plug here, but music blogs rule. They do all the work for you and also give you a personal means of relating to the music, kinda like what I was saying about radio DJs and what Noe was saying about curators. Now that everyone has a platform on the internet, there is honestly an endless sea of blogs and reviewers out there. There’s the connotation that music reviewers are all pretentious, and at times that can definitely be true. I think regardless of whether or not you agree with their opinion, you can still use these tools as a way to find new artists. For example, I think Pitchfork is some of the most pretentious shit out there, however they do have some really excellent writers and cover great content. My favorite reviewer is The Needle Drop who hosts both an album reviewing vlog and a music culture commentary blog on his separate Fantano channel. Again, half the time I don’t necessarily agree with what he says to say, but I still appreciate his perspective and all the incredible artists that he’s given a spotlight to. ​
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Compilation Albums

If there’s a particular genre that you’re curious about, there’s most likely a compilation album out there to help get you started. Compilations are a great way to get a “best of” or get an overall scan of a niche subject, and then allows you to delve deeper into those artists and find more related content afterwards.There’s so much out there - you just gotta hone in on what you want to know more about.  

If you’re curious about a particular label, for example, most labels come out with a retrospective "best of" compilation at some point later in their career. There are also comps out there that serve the purpose of shining light on unreleased or forgotten artists. For example, the Pomegranates LP that I discussed in T&E’s collab blog of favorite compilation albums re-releases forbidden and/or forgotten rarities from the Iranian pre-Revolution underground. Some great labels that carry a large array of compilations are:

• Sublime Frequencies,  founded by Sir Richard Bishop of Sun City Girls, focusing on "acquiring and exposing obscure sights and sounds from modern and traditional urban and rural frontiers”
• Finders Keepers and Six Degrees, as I’ve already mentioned above in the Record Labels section
• Rough Guide compilations, literally a whole series of comps of all types of genres! There are SO many of these it’s honestly insane. 

Getting Involved in Your Music Community

The crew at KAMP Student Radio

Yes, I know, that’s an incredibly vague statement and a real obvious-sounding recommendation. But truly, the best way that I’ve learned about music throughout the years has been getting involved in different types of music communites in my city. If you’re going to a university, I would SO recommend getting involved in your college’s radio station if you got one. Joining KAMP Student Radio was the single best experience of my college career, not only because I was constantly being exposed to new artists, concerts, in-studios, and interviews, but because I was surrounded by like-minded students who just wanted to share and chat all things music. 

If you don’t have a college station, see if your town has a community radio station you can volunteer with. And if that’s not an option, then do what I did and start your own blog! Through Trial and Error Collective, I’ve been able to stay on the promo listservs that I was in touch with through college radio. It makes it incredibly easy to find new music when you get over 50 emails a day with unreleased promo downloads for your reviewing consideration. If you get involved in radio or blogging, I highly recommend reaching out to college radio distributors such as Terrorbird Media, co-sign, and Earsplit PR to get advanced review copies of some of the best new music out there. Also important to mention that these folks work really hard to distribute these artists, so don’t just mooch the downloads, make sure you do your part in spreading the music on the airwaves/interwebs.

And really, the most simple option here would just be to go to as many shows as possible. As Noe mentioned above, you might be surprised by an opening act you might not have found out about otherwise. The more shows you go to, the more you’ll end up discovering new artists, other music fans, etc. etc. Get out there and start rockin! **salute** 

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