Articles by Mark Zip

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Record Fairs August 30, 2010

LP and CD Sale Labor Day Weekend – Woodstock / West Saugerties

Zip’s Ziggurat presents another Huge! Insane! Music Yard Sale 10,000s of LPs , CDs, 45s +12”s rock, pop, hip hop, country, dance, world, folk, reggae, soul, alt.rock, jazz, funk, punk, r+b, metal, classical, techno, new wave, house, old-timey, breaks, spoken, 80’s, electro, blues, promos, DVDs (music + features), tons more Insultingly low prices As low as $0.50 (hey, some are even “cheaper than free”) Listen before you buy Free refreshments too! Memorial Day Weekend Saturday + Sunday + Monday 10am – 5pm September 4th to 6th All covered, so it’s RAIN OR SHINE Osnas Lane Near Rt 212 + Glasco…

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Music Industry August 28, 2010

Another reason to dislike Apple

As though it were not enough for us to have to suffer through Apple and their fanboi’s constant over-hyping of their over-priced, over-rated, under-performing hardware and their smut-hating, prudish and censorious App store tendencies, we now have to deal with people telling us that their “record has been released on iTunes” Yes, I admit it, I am a dinosaur. I think that if I “buy” something I “own” it. BUT, do I really “own” something if I cannot sell it to someone else? And if I cannot sell it, did I really “buy” it to begin with? It’s because of…

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WTF? August 27, 2010

Company presses your ashes into vinyl when you die

Company presses your ashes into vinyl when you die. Wired tells us music lovers can now be immortalised when they die by having their ashes baked into vinyl records to leave behind for loved ones. No mention of the sound quality, we suspect that the records sound a bit like early 80s Jamaican pressings…

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OT?, video August 22, 2010

OT: The most disingenuous TV spot ever?

I saw this spot during the Fulham / Man U match on Fox Soccer Channel today. I think it ran next to the ubiquitous Katy Perry ProActive spot. Anyway, the point is that there are plenty of youth oriented ad buys on the English Premiere League on FSC. And we know that soccer is a strong female sport in America. “Air has no prejudice. It does not carry the opinions of a man faster than those of a woman. Does not filter out an idea because I am sixteen and not 30. Air is unaware if I am black or…

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video August 19, 2010

Katy B “Katy on a Mission” prod. Benga

I think that I should like a little more bass on this one. That’s rather odd, given that Benga is usually not at a loss for bass. There is certainly a suggestion of it, perhaps the plan is that later remixes will boost the bottom end. This track may be the biggest crossover UK Funky / Dubstep track to date. Released by the record label associated with Rinse-FM, so it’s obviously getting play on the UK’s leading pirate radio station. What is a little more surprising is that it is also getting daytime play on Radio 1. UK I-tunes release…

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Radio July 24, 2010

Dub vs Dubstep Special w/ Mad Professor, Adrian Sherwood, Coki & Appleblim

The invaluable Core News brings us a nice clean recording of a recent radio show:   Rob da Bank 2010-07-24 Dub vs Dubstep Special with Mad Professor, Adrian Sherwood, Coki & Appleblim A very nice mix of new and old, does just what it says on the box. Post includes a link to the Hotfile download and the tracklist: Tracklist:Slim Smith — Ain’t Too Proud To Beg – TrojanJoe Gibbs — Chapter 3 – LightningKing Tubby — Roots Of Dub – Blue MoonBenny Ill, Kode9 & The Culprit — Fat Larry’s Skank – TempaDubkasm — Reespek I Spek (feat. Levi Roots…

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video July 23, 2010

You can help fund a film about Graham Parker

He is a diamond geezer. When I would ask him to sign records for me he was always simultaneously surly and gracious (two of my favourite things!). My signed copy of “Mercury Poisoning” on coloured vinyl is one of my greatest fetish objects. Kickstarter provides an easy and transparent way to fund projects. Projects ask for a certain amount of money to be pledged by a certain time. If those goals are achieved, the pledges are delivered and the project gets the money. If they don’t get the pledges in the time allotted, no money is delivered. You can sign…

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Covers, video July 15, 2010

Note to ourselves: Keep an open mind

Over the years, I’ve had my issues with Beck (check that great tartan backgroud!) and quite a few more with NPR’s generally bourgeois coverage of music (unabashed Radiohead fanboi-ism), but now it’s time for a hat tip or two. Via the NPR All Songs Considered (sic) blog comes “Five Great Cover Songs From 2010 (So Far)”, of which at least two are well worth the time of day. When I was doing my nightly radio show “Forward In All Directions” I would start every show with a cover. The one above would have been perfect. A completely new way to…

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Music Industry, remixes, WTF? July 6, 2010

Ninja Tune XX – What a beast! Now *that’s* the way to celebrate your 20th!

Ninja Tune, the label founded by Coldcut, is turning 20 years old. The Ninja Tune XX boxset is a beast.   You’ve got wo days left to pre-order it at $130.00 Hit the link for the truly frightening details (6 CDs, 6 7″s, stickers, hardback, etc. etc.) and here’s the remarkable track lineup: Tracklists: * = New + Exclusive CD1 * Two Fingers ‘Fools’ * * Roots Manuva ‘It’s On’ * * Toddla T ‘Want U Now’ (feat. Ms Dynamite) * * Dorian Concept ‘Her Tears Taste Like Pears’ * * Zomby ‘The Forest’ * * Offshore ‘Jen At The Station’ * * Emika…

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Record Fairs July 2, 2010

Independence Day Vinyl Sale – Woodstock NY – This weekend

To celebrate our independence, Zip’s Ziggurat Vinyl Garage and Tent(s) will be open this weekend Saturday July 3 Sunday 4 and (maybe) July 5 I should be indoors watching the World Cup. Instead, I’m gonna be out in the yard working on the LPs, so come on by! Just got a new collection with a lot of classic rock, also a fair number of sealed items. Likely to be lots of other folks doing yard sales in the area. ========================== Boilerplate: Many Thousands of LPs vinyl records, 12”s, 45s, classic rock, pop, hip hop, country, dance, world, folk, reggae, soul,…

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Live Shows, Radio, video June 23, 2010

MAH, FlyLo, Roska, Joy Orbison – Sonar 2010 – Video

The Beeb has just posted a quick 8 minute video with Mary Anne Hobbs talking to the cats she brought with her to the Sonar Festival in Barcelona – Joy Orbison, Roska and Flying Lotus. Includes footage from the stage also. Of note: Flying Lotus making a point of mentioning the importance, to him, of playing Weather Report in his set. Yes, Weather Report. I knew that I was right to be so confused by his Cosmogramma record.

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remixes June 9, 2010

World Cup fever yields fun mixes from unlikely(?) source

Using the World Cup as a peg, The Fader magazine and Nike Sportswear (?) have teamed up to bring us a series of music mixes. The series is called Pitch Perfect and it includes six mixes of music from various continents sending teams to the World Cup. So far we’ve seen mixes from South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and North America. An African mix will be released at the start of the World Cup proper. Each mix is put together by a different DJ and they are quite amusingly consistent in the dance vibe. Actually, it’s sometimes a little disturbing…

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Uncategorized March 26, 2010

Steve McQueen: Vinyl Abuser

Recently published photos of Steve McQueen reveal the “King of Cool” to be a vicious vinyl-abusing fan of shag carpeting. Leaving aside the issue of the carpeting, for which he perhaps cannot be blamed, let us dive headlong into the horror. In one particularly gruesome shot (above) McQueen straddles a graveyard of records strewn on the carpet while he looms over his next victim. The experienced music fan will recognize this as a virulent strain of the vinyl-abuser’s sickness; the massacre of innocent vinyl in search of the perfect song (or “side”) to match the mood. Is it so hard…

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Music Industry, Music Technology February 22, 2010

Internet Killer is Still Alive – Won’t you please help?

A while back there was a leak of an EU memo referring to a particular chapter of the proposed ACTA treaty. Now the actual chapter in question has leaked.  The reliable Michael Geist has a reasoned analysis: Michael Geist – ACTA Internet Chapter Leaks: Renegotiates WIPO, Sets 3 Strikes as Model. Yes, his analysis is more reasoned than my headline. It still appears  that this treaty seeks re-shape American law and also the laws of all other signatory nations.  Noticeable NON-signatories include Russia and China, where a huge percentage of the world’s piracy happens. If you are a US citizen, please…

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Music Industry January 26, 2010

Classic Album Covers – British Design on stamps

Now that the stamps are officially released, here’s a good page showing all ten of the stamps. Also includes details of  the custom franking you can get. Classic Album Covers – British Design on stamps 7 January 2010- from Norvic Philatelics Amazingly, I have a quarrel with only one of the choices. can you guess which one? Which ones would you argue with? Brief discussions of the project and each of the covers here (www.independent.co.uk)