San Francisco Bay Area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paradise Americas<\/a> – Managing Director \/ Dirtybird<\/a> – Label Manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s Friday while I’m writing this, which is release day, so my usual routine of heading over to a couple key shops to check out the releases that are live to see which releases were featured, and any other new tracks from other artists and labels. I usually just press play on a bunch in the background as I do work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Depends on if I\u2019m in my office or in my car…<\/p>\n\n\n\n I get a lot of demos and promos. I usually download them as they come in straight to my Downloads folder. That way, when I\u2019m working at my desk answering emails or whatever, I just press play through the list and delete or save. There\u2019s currently 939 files in there and it never seems to end. I got it down to about 50 a few years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If I\u2019m in my car, it\u2019s Spotify\u2019s Release Radar and Discover Weekly and it\u2019s barely any \u2018dance music\u2019 in the literal sense. I\u2019ve<\/a> been a paid member since the inception of Spotify, so my algo is pretty dialled in. I tend to find that Discover Weekly is usually more on the money than Release Radar. If I like it I\u2019ll save and add it to a playlist I have called \u201cThe Ill-Na-Na\u201d. I barely make it through both playlists in a week. If I do, though, and still want to listen to music I just press shuffle on this playlist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pretty much only streaming or digital files. I sold most of my vinyl about 8 years ago but still have a few hundred that I\u2019ll never get rid of and bust out every now and then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mainly at home while I work. When I\u2019m not in front of my computer I don\u2019t listen to much music – but I am in front of my computer the majority of the day so quite a bit gets played. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Unless my wife is home and she\u2019s usually our household DJ and plays all her disco (often on repeat\u2026)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Outside of promos I receive, I don’t really listen to pre-release streams or first listens – I might check out a clip on IG from a label or artist I\u2019m into, but not too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Demo or promo links that aren\u2019t downloads. As I mentioned, I will download it right away to come back to listen to late. I don\u2019t want to stream something and then request a download if I like it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also having an ad-free Spotify takes any pain out of streaming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I like a track I download, I have a color-coded system in my Finder. Yellow is a demo I\u2019m interested in, Blue is deep\/moody house, Grey is for harder edge, left-field sounds, Purple is disco\/indie dance, and if it\u2019s Red, then it\u2019s the hot shit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I have a color-coded system in my Finder – Yellow is a demo I\u2019m interested in, Blue is deep\/moody house, Grey is harder edge, left-field sounds, Purple is disco\/indie dance, and if it\u2019s Red, then it\u2019s the hot shit.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Not as much as I should since so much music passes through my orbit. A few times a month if I come across a song that reminds me of someone that I think they\u2019ll like, I\u2019ll shoot them a link to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I also send out some pre-promo tracks to DJs or other tastemakers if I think it’s right up their alley to give them a secret weapon to play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the deeper, chill vibe Joshua Iz<\/a> has started to release music again on his Vizual<\/a> label and just put out an album \u201cLove I\/O<\/a>\u201d that is one of the few things I play more than once. He also put out a super sick Dub album under his alias Cookie Ranks<\/a> that\u2019s really great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For an absolute banger, Dillon Marinez\u2019s \u201cWormhole<\/a>\u201d is one of my favourite tracks this year. The main synth bassline is so crazy and in your face. I’ve seen it get some of the biggest reactions in the club when played.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the indie-dance jams, SF\u2019s Roam Recordings<\/a> puts out quality after quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then for undiscovered talent, there\u2019s this old-school underground house DJ\/Producer, Dirty Sole<\/a>. Coming ouut of Chicago they started making more cross-over type records and they’re produced so well and really fun tracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat are you listening to?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How do you discover new music?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What formats do you usually listen to? LP, CD, Cassette, Digital, Streaming Services? Why?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Where do you do most of your music listening?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How do you find and listen to pre-release music?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What are your frustrations with listening to music digitally? Any benefits?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How do you keep track of everything you are listening to?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Do you tip other people off to new music? How?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Anything you want to \u201cpromote\u201d?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n