Robert Dede (PumpYouUp) – Interview (Part 1)

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

What goes into creating and launching your own startup? This interview with Robert Dede from PumpYouUp (just featured on MusicKO) answers that question like little else. I’m sure it’ll give the ones among you who are thinking of taking the entrepreneurial path a hefty dose of determination.

Thanks a lot for your time, Robert!

Fall 2011, Heron Lake NM. PumpYouUp initial startup work.

Full Name: Robert Dede
Age: 46
Startup: PumpYouUp
Position: Software Entrepreneur, Electrical Engineer, owner Gigasoft, Inc.

PART I

THE STARTUP

Tell us a little about your startup. How was it conceived? What are its most distinctive features in your opinion?

The fall season 2011 I took my motor coach into the lower Rockies, Heron Lake State Park, NM for an annual sabbatical. Over the last 16 years it’s something I’ve done to increase productivity as I’ve been self-employed since age 23. Usually staying away 8 weeks from family, friends, and the same-old-grind that causes one to get complacent and stagnant. About 2 weeks into my trip I got a phone call about a seven year old domain name I had purchased and incorporated into Pump You Up, Inc. The call got me re-thinking about what to do with the domain, besides parking it, as I’ve always thought this was a good domain to own. Timing was everything. If I was not on my trip, the start-up would have never happened. Also, for this trip I happened to bring along a Yamaha MOX6 and latest Cakewalk/Sonar software. So a combination of bringing a keyboard on the trip (a first time for me) and having the phone call about PumpYouUp made me connect the two ideas. Researching the idea of music I saw there was a large demand for music and a large number of indie/hobby producers. It seemed obvious to create a web location to bring the two groups together. I will also keep producing music in-house. The goal is to get one of our artist’s songs or one of our in-house songs to go viral. I feel producing in-house increases the chances. Another goal is to keep pressure on improving the music quality and website’s public awareness.

What was the original launch date?

It took 5 weeks to write the initial web site, write a few songs in-house, deal with all the legalities, and find the initial Fall/Halloween 2011 collection. In the process I registered PumpYouUp, Inc. with US ISRC so I could assign ISRC codes if needed. I was working 18 hours a day during this period. It all culminated on Oct 20th 2011 upon my first press release.

What has been the response so far? In which countries has it been more successful?

The response has been very positive. Many days the site gets StumbleUpon scores above 90 and facebook like click-though rate above 30%. Not many websites produce such scores. 40% of the traffic is from the US, 45% from Europe, and the remaining 15% come from around the planet.

What features can we expect to see implemented in future revisions?

The site is very early in its evolution. One day I would like the site to be mostly automated with a popularity high enough that the quality of music is undeniably world-class. I don’t want to discuss future features in detail but there will definitely be some exciting additions. I’m also looking forward to 2012 as I have many ideas for songs and it will be interesting to see how they take shape and received. Continue reading →

Uruguayan Music For Download: Laura Chinelli’s “Historias De Invierno”

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

Laura Chinelli

One of the most endearing Uruguayan albums of 2010 has just become available online. Laura Chinelli’s “Historias De Invierno” can now be downloaded in its entirety here.

The album (which was produced by Laura’s long-time collaborator Fran Nasser) was originally featured on MusicKO in March, 2011. People in the US and elsewhere could always listen to some of its tracks on Laura’s MySpace profile, but this is the first time that most of you will get to listen to songs like “Más Allá Del Tiempo” [Beyond Time].

Find attached the videos for the tracks that top and tail the album, “Ya No Más” [Not Any More] and “Sueño Profundo” [Deep Dream]:

Month In Review – November 2011

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

Morrissey used to sing that one November spawned a monster, but as far as I’m concerned this November has been pretty terrific. Two major international artists landed on Uruguay for the first time right there and then: Beady Eye and Sonic Youth. Beady Eye headlined the first night of the brand-new festival “Primavera 0”, whereas Sonic Youth were the main attraction on on the following datel. I was fortunate to be there. This is what I had to say about Beady Eye’s show, and this is how I felt about Sonic Youth’s set.

Uruguayan artists featured over the course of the month included Vincent Vega and The Bear Season. I reviewed Vincent Vega’s eponymous debut and their newest single, whereas I featured The Bear Season’s latest video (“This Is Not A Test”).

For its part, the sites for musicians and music lovers that were reviewed on MusicKO on November were PlaylistHQ, Veenue, Myxer and PumpYouUp. And I also got the chance to talk to Veenue’s Dario Zampetti, and ask him all these things you’ve always wanted to ask him yourself, but never did.

“This Is Not A Test” By The Bear Season (Video)

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

"This Is Not A Test" Is The Bear Season's Latest Single

Yet another music video from a young Uruguayan act, and yet another excellent one. You can tell it’s almost Christmas, can’t you?

The band is The Bear Season (featured recently on MusicKO), and the song is “This Is Not A Test”. It’s the A-side of the band’s latest single, an all-acoustic affair that you can get for free here. And I really, really like it. Musically, it’s an exciting change of tack. I’ve always carried a torch for the softer side of the band, ever since I heard this unplugged version of “Infinity” (from their debut EP, “Do It”):

“Infinity” was (and still is) my favorite track from their debut EP, and (when unplugged) the song’s just dazzling.

And the same can be said about this new cut. Moving, heartfelt, poignant… “This Is Not A Test” is all of that. It’s the kind of song to play in order to get laid on a first date. Make sure to keep a copy at home, and another at the car. Like Macca used to sing, “no more lonely nights”…

PumpYouUp – Free Indie Electronic Music

Posted on November 27, 2011 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

Name: PumpYouUp
URL: http://www.pumpyouup.com

Visit PumpYouUp.com when you’re in the mood for some music to rock your body to. This new site’s devoted to free electronica, trance, dubstep and techno. In all cases, we’re talking about quality selections, handpicked by the site’s creators. The idea is to include songs that aren’t too long for their own good, and which aren’t that weird either.

So, songs can be searched used a dead-simple interface. This lets you have songs found without having to sign up for an account or anything like that. It’s all done on the fly. Continue reading →

“El Piso Se Va A Manchar”, The Newest Video By Vincent Vega

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

Following a major cosmic alignment and a launch party after which every day was like Sunday, Vincent Vega has released its newest video clip. It’s for the song “El Piso Se Va A Manchar” [The Floor’s Gonna Get Splattered], one of the better compositions from their debut album, and a live staple.

The video for “El Piso Se Va A Manchar” uses live-action footage which has been rotoscoped to produce an animated look (a bit like A-ha’s breakthrough video, “Take On Me”). It details a couple’s split, with Matías and Mauricio seen playing in the background as the events are unfolding.

The clip has been directed by María Noel Silvera and Sebastián González Majo.

GarageBand Comes To The iPhone And iPod Touch

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

iPhone and iPod Touch Users Can Now Run GarageBand On Their iDevices

After having been introduced on the iPad earlier this year, Apple’s GarageBand has become available on the screens of iPhone and iPod Touch users everywhere. It costs $4.99 (iTunes link), and much like its iPad counterpart it lets you plug in your electric guitar and mic to record yourself playing. Plus, the app comes with touch instruments like keyboards, drums and basses. And tons of sound effects are also included, along with a sampler and more than 250 professional loops you can use as backing for any song of yours.

These are the full features of GarageBand, as listed by Apple itself.

• Create custom chords for Smart Instruments
• Support for 3/4 and 6/8 time signatures
• Reset song key without transposing original recordings
• Transpose songs in semitones or full octaves
• Additional quantization options for recordings including, straight, triplet and swing
• New audio export quality settings for AAC and AIFF (Uncompressed)
• Arpeggiator available in Smart Keyboard
• Adjustable velocity settings for Touch Instruments
• Numerous enhancements, including automatic fade out and improved audio import options

Rebecca Black’s New Single Is Released: “Person Of Interest”

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

"Person Of Interest" Is Rebecca Black's Newest Single

One of the most-discussed (and also most-reviled) figures of last year is back for more. Internet artist Rebecca Black has just released her third single. It’s called “Person Of Interest”, and it revolves around the relationship of a girl (played by Rebecca) with a Justin Bieber look-alike.

As you can see, it’s a much better effort than her debut, the widely-despised “Friday”. Yet, that hasn’t stopped haters for voting it down on YouTube. As of the time of writing this, it has received no less than 75,000 dislikes (almost twice the number of likes it has got).

And the comments the video has received are primarily negative, with people picking on her lyrics, her singing, her looks… That can’t be helped, of course. It’s hard to think of Rebecca shaking her legacy anytime soon.

And you? What do you think of Rebecca’s newest song? Is it a step forward, or is it basically more of the same? Just to refresh your memory, this is “Friday”:

Dario Zampetti (Veenue) – Interview (Part 2)

Posted on November 19, 2011 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

This is the final part of my conversation with Dario Zampetti from Veenue. Read it, post it to Facebook and Twitter, and show everybody what being one step ahead is like!

And just in case you’ve been out of touch recently, you can find the first part of this interview here.

PART II

MUSIC & YOU

When did you become interested in music? What was the first album or single you ever purchased?

I started to play guitar when I was 11years old. I have studied with teachers as great as Donato Begotti, owner of the Rock Guitar Academy in Milan. My first album was Eric Clapton “unplugged”, then Smashing Pumpkins and today Queens of The Stone Age.

Are you in a band yourself, or have you been in a band in the past? Is there a clip on YouTube or elsewhere we could watch?

Luckily there’re not videos around of me playing with my old bands : ) One of my funnier moments was with a “rage against the machine” like band. We’re used to perform without t-shirt and covered by colors (body paint). Like the “blue man group”. Very funny!

Musical likes and dislikes? Favorite artists?

I love Muse, QOSTA, RED HOT, GORILLAZ and many others. I listen to lot of Italian music, too. Continue reading →