Musicoin just increased its lead in the music-blockchain race, as several well-known artists on the harder side of the electronic dance music world made their music available on musicoin.org. Most notably, famed South African drum and bass producers, Counterstrike, made available three of their high-energy, metal-infused epics of rolling percussion.
Not far behind in the upload race was Satroniq, aka Satronica, one of America’s top hardcore techno DJs, whose hard EDM label, Kontaminated Recordings, submitted their hardstyle infused “Egyptian Cougar” track by Satroniq and DJ Delirium.
Musicoin.org’s hard bass catalog got a nice upgrade courtesy of Pittsburgh, PA’s rising young talent, Subterranean. His four tracks of glitchy trap and dubstep are just the sounds that have been crushing the EDM festivals this summer, and anyone on the lookout for fresh ear-candy should take note.
Hardcore techno luminaries Deadly Buda and Cap also verified their profiles on the Musicoin system. Included in Deadly Buda’s upload pack was an alternative version of “King of Style”, his track that famously samples the world’s first hip-hop documentary Style Wars, and released by the world’s first hardcore techno record label, Industrial Strength Records. In addition, his “Congress of the Kickdrum” (the official anthem for America’s annual meetup for the harder styles, American Gabberfest) successfully utilizes Musicoin’s royalty pay-out function, automatically issuing payments to the vocalist and scratch-DJ featured on the track, The Gabber Cowboy and DJ Mindcontroller.
A spot for the Industrial Hardcore genre was blasted into existence on Musicoin by none other than Cap, best known for his work with the Arizona Hardcore Junkies, Industrial Strength Records, Important Corestyle, Hard Kryptic Records, Dark Like Hell Records, Six Feet Underground Records, and No Sleep Till Bedtime. Now throttling the Musicoin catalog is his classic “The Plan” as well as the anthem for Phoenix’s annual festival of the harder styles, Hard Asylum.
Musicoin’s brisk development pace shows no signs of slowing, either. Besides a plethora of new artist sign-ups, the platform is gearing up to implement the next significant stop on its development roadmap, “Universal Basic Income”. Touted as a new concept in cryptoeconomics, the system promises to guarantee a fair and steady source of revenue for musicians while make streaming content on the platform free for listeners. Universal Basic Income implementation is slated to commence in Quarter Three of 2017.
Recently, The HARD DATA just got a new sponsor, Musicoin. Musicoin is a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin aimed at music producers. Essentially, producers make a profile and upload their tracks to musicoin.org. When listeners play the track, the producer receives 1 Musicoin. Payouts are instant, and the uploader can split the profits between several collaborators if they wish. Though the system is still in beta, it is functional and pays out. Musicoins fluctuate in value but are currently around $00.01-00.02 USD. So, it’s like getting paid 2-4 times compared to Spotify for each play of your track or tracks.
Deadly Buda recently wrote an article for the LA Weekly about music crypto-currencys and blockchains. He mentions Musicoin in the article. The article can give you a good background on the importance of music-focused blockchain systems, and how Musicoin is actually ahead-of-the-curve compared to the other music-focused projects underway.
The Hard Data wants to get as many of our friends and associates uploading their music to the platform as we can, as it could be really beneficial to us all. If certain things play out right, Musicoin could help eliminate a lot of roadblocks between the artist and a living wage.
So far, Deadly Buda, CAP, Mindcontroller, Lostboy, The Gabber Cowboy, How Hard, D3tour, and Nikolai from Audio Science have already joined up.
Do not upload mixes or anything with content you do not own, though. Music blockchains are permanent records of transactions. The same system that helps you get paid quickly, can also easily identify dodgy content. So, only upload your original work that you have the copyright authority to upload.
We have been investigating various cryptocurrencies and how they might interact with the electronic music world for a few years and thought Musicoin would be a good candidate. They are interested in serving new producers as well as the established music industry.
Impressed with the strides Musicoin had quickly made, we sought out their sponsorship and came to terms regarding a pilot program where the magazine would pay our contributors such as writers, photographers, artists, etc. in Musicoin in the hopes of getting the cryptocurrency used outside of just music listening. This is critical for the currency to succeed. You can read more about that program here: http://www.theharddata.com/2017/07/28/the-hard-data-musicoin-pilot-program/ . If you want to get involved in any way with this initiative also, let us know. Depending on how things play out, this could be big news. Hit us up if you have any questions!
Also if you want to check out some of the music uploaded so far, Deadly Buda and Cap have some tracks up already. Play the heck out of them!
Make sure to alert us that you signed up by following our profile on Musicoin and leaving a comment on our info track. Click Here For That. Once we see you did we’ll send you a little Musicoin surprise! 🙂
The HARD DATA wants to thank all of our readers, subscribers, contributors, collaborators and conspirators for making it 2 years in print! This issue features Rob GEE, Tim Shopp, and Chris “Devo” laying down knowledge regarding how to throw a rave. Plus! Deadly Buda Rave Comix and Gabberfest Set Time Guide! Available in the Los Angeles Area June 15, at American Gabberfest June 17 + 18, and reaching the rest of the nation the following week. If you want a subscription mailed to your door, its only $6. Support the core! Subscription links below.
THD issue 12 celebrating 2 years in print!
If you live in the USA, for the low, low cost of $6 you get a physical copy of The HARD DATA mailed to you for a year (at least 6 issues). Overseas, the cost is $12 (because of the increased shipping cost). This will also sign you up for our email list. At the end of the year, your subscription will renew at the same price. You can cancel at any time, of course… not that you’d want to, just sayin’!
Dave Asprey should have been a raver. But, back in the early nineties when the rave scene was starting, he was waddling around in a mold-induced, body-and-mind-crippling fog.
Neil Strauss, former music writer extraordinaire for the New York Times and Rolling Stone, did make it to a few of those early raves (like Even Furthur ’96 which I -ahem- headlined with Daft Punk at) and Thursday night (April 6, 2017) shared the stage at Los Angeles’ Regent Theater with Asprey to talk about “relationships” and his latest book on the subject, “The Truth: An Uncomfortable Book on Relationships.”
This would appear to be an odd combination, considering Asprey was there to promote his new book about brain health, called “Head Strong”. But, it all made sense because of our cells’ mitochondria and their role in relationships.
While many of you older “Hard Data Heads” were trying out “smart drinks” with names like “Choline Cooler” and snorting Vasopressin up your nose during the “Smart Drug” craze that was an early part of the rave scene, Asprey was looking for answers to what was wrecking his body. When he should have been dancing, he was forced to look for answers as to why he couldn’t, or more accurately I suppose, probably didn’t really feel like it along with probably a thousand other things.
Fortunately for us, his searching hit gold. Well, gold-colored yak butter, that is. After taking one of those cheeseball trustafarian trips to the mountains of Asia searching for God-knows-what, he was treated to yak-butter tea, which then led him to the formulation of the now famous “Bulletproof Coffee” consisting of grass-fed butter and hi-grade coconut oil. Also, it led him to experiment with different doctors and approaches to medicine, and led him to explore nootropics, or “smart drugs.”
Frankly, the smart drugs and drinks of the early nineties were real hit-and-miss. Most had little noticeable effect, and it was only the scientific-minded that continued to pursue and perfect them after their initial, fleeting, interest from the public – mostly by ways of the rave scene.
Dave Asprey and Neil Strauss compare notes about relationships and mitochondria on the Head Strong book tour.
As I looked back at the history of the rave scene, its abandonment of smart drugs and drinks was a critical, though understandable and maybe unavoidable mistake. So, it was with utter fascination and skepticism last year that I read the ingredients to the various nutritional supplements that Asprey had on sale at his Bulletproof Coffee shop in Santa Monica, CA. Many of these ingredients were quite familiar to me from my early rave days. After bugging store manager, John Brnak, for some free samples (no way I was going to spend money on this stuff) he finally gave in to my noticeably inquisitive nature and broke out some of his own supplements and told me to try ‘em out. Two got my attention. Unfair Advantage – rocked. Choline Force – rocked maybe even a little too well. I was totally impressed. Somehow, after two decades, the tech geeks actually got this stuff to work! I broke down and bought a box of Unfair Advantage and I’ve been a champion of the stuff ever since. It fulfills the early promises of the 90’s smart drugs and the rave scene’s more idealistic, early goals.
“Head Strong” is Asprey’s new book focusing on brain health. Every raver, old-school and new, should read it. One of its core messages is the role of your mitochondria (the powerhouses of cells in your body) and their behavior in relation to your overall mental and physical health –both of which are important if you want to keep dancing to a ripe old age.
To get the the party started, the Head Strong crowd was treated to a guided meditation by Energy for Success’ Dr. Barry Morguelan.
A fascinating aspect of mitochondria is how they relate to one another and organize to get things done, such as healing and energy production. This explained why the audience was treated to an interview with Neil Strauss. As Strauss was relaying his findings on relationships in “The Truth” it served as a macro-perspective as to how our mitochondria manifest in our everyday lives.
For example, our mitochondria is greatly affected by light, sunlight, and the lack thereof. Light conditions play a role in how we humans form and conduct our relationships. Feeling blue on a rainy day and cancelling that date you were “on-the-fence” about, might be a good example.
It also explains a phenomenon I have written about concerning the Unfair Advantage supplement: It seems to make relationships better. I know this sounds like a wacky claim, but I have had remarkable success taking Unfair Advantage before engaging in business negotiations, and even negotiating with my ex-wife! Really, I’m not kidding. The stuff seems to aid in formulating solutions in which both sides benefit. After Asprey and Strauss’s talk, it became apparent to me that this is because of the product’s hinted ability to heal and stimulate the growth of new mitochondria! Your mitochondria, if given some support, can even positively interact with your ex-wife’s mitochondria! I swear, I’ve done it!
I anticipate that many of you reading this will be skeptical, and I believe that is only proper. But, if you get the chance to read Head Strong, or try Unfair Advantage, please do. Asprey gets a lot of criticism for “trying to make a buck” off all this, but I can honestly say the guy’s stuff has worked for me. And, I want to also say I strongly support his work and approach in the marketing of these supplements. Yes, some are pricey, but he’s up against a lot of embedded institutions when trying to bring these goods to the public. There is more money in keeping people sick than keeping people healthy. Cut the guy a break and look at the overall picture of what he’s trying to do. He’s not going to do everything right, but he’s already had some stunning successes that should keep our attention, and keep us wanting to see what else he has in store.
The Head Strong Book Tour hit Los Angeles to roll out some hard data on brain health.
Also, in the interest of full disclosure, The Hard Data makes some money when you buy Bulletproof products after clicking through the web banners on our site. If you are a Bulletproof fan and want to support The Hard Data, please click through our links when buying those products. My mitochondria can assure you it’s a win for everyone involved!
I met Lenny Dee about 24 years ago on a flight from Pittsburgh to Milwaukee. We were going to play at Drop Bass Network’s “Genesis” party. I told Lenny it was the first time I’d ever been flown to play at a rave, and I remember him telling me, “And you know the best thing about it? After that, it never stops.” Decades later, I’ve chalked that up as yet another example of Lenny’s ability to glimpse into the future. I’m still flying to play raves in Milwaukee, and we’re all celebrating a quarter century of Industrial Strength Record’s commitment to hard electronic dance music.
The funny thing about it though, is that to me, it still feels like a beginning. When Lenny started Industrial Strength back in 1991, it was ahead of its time, and even today, with the release of this 64 track monster compilation, ISR is still introducing the world to new talent at a frenetic clip. “No Tears For The Dead” pretty much sums up the last 25 years because there hasn’t been time to even pause for much reflection as maximal effort has always been needed to push forward and simply survive.
So, other labels would generally repackage their “hits” after 25 years, but the closest we get to that here is the latest and greatest darlings of the hardcore techno world re-mixing classic tunes. For example, The Sickest Squad remixed “Extreme Terror” and Outside Agency got to remix “Fucking Hostile.”
I’m reminded of a conversation I butted into at the 1994 Winter Music Conference. I overheard a few people remarking about Lenny and his label, marveling about how he could release such hard music. I told them that Lenny was ahead of his time and that one day they would understand what he did… that almost everyone else at the conference was recycling the same stuff and Lenny was a visionary. And you know, my feeling about that hasn’t changed two and a half decades later, and this compilation just pushes the vision and sound even further into the future.
The compilation is available from the following online retailers:
For those of us bound to the sound of the hard electronic, there is still no time for tears. There is still so much work to be done for the future. There might be a few great, shiny compilations of repackaged hits cobbled together by the big festivals this year, but I doubt if any of them will match the intensity and cohesive vision of Industrial Strength Record’s No Tears for the Dead.
The compilation is available from the following online retailers:
ISR25 No Tears For The Dead
Dedicated to the harder sound of electronic dance music.
