MusicTrends: 2008 Music Technology Report

Now that the whirlwind of CES, MacWorld and NAMM is over, we're able to look back with some perspective at the three conferences that generally shape the technology landscape for the coming year. Being a music technology publication devoted to electronic music, we'll take a special look at the world of digital DJing. More...

Norah Jones in her acting debut and on the OST

 Released on 25 February, ‘My Blueberry Nights’ is the gorgeous original soundtrack for the new motion picture by director Wong Kar Wai - 2046, In The Mood For Love, Happy Together.

‘My Blueberry Nights’ is a romantic drama set as an American road movie starring Norah Jones in her acting debut, along with a stellar cast featuring Jude Law, David Strathairn, Rachel Weisz and Natalie Portman.

The original soundtrack is released on 25 February, and it’s the internationally acclaimed director Wong Kar Wai’s first-ever English film.

The soundtrack album is an impressive collection that stands on its own apart from the film. It features a wide swath of American music both new and old that touches upon R&B, Soul, Rock, Folk and Jazz.

The album also includes ‘The Story’, a new song by Norah Jones based on her experience in the film, as well as music by Cat Power, Otis Redding, Ruth Brown, Mavis Staples, A! mos Lee, Cassandra Wilson, and instrumental selections from the score by Ry Cooder.

The original soundtrack ‘My Blueberry Nights’ is out on 25 February

www.myblueberrynights.es

Box set released around Scousers’ 60 date UK tour

Hitting the top spot with their first three singles, Gerry & The Pacemakers were a true Mersey Beat phenomena. Their Box Set ‘You'll Never Walk Alone (1963-1966)’ is released on 11 February.

Headed by the inimitable Gerry Marsden, Gerry & The Pacemakers rivaled the Beatles in the heady days of that scene, and had a huge following at home and abroad when Liverpool was the toast of popular music.

Their four CD ‘You'll Never Walk Alone’ box set is released on 11 February and is the definitive collection of the band at its peak. It contains recordings from January 1963 until November 1966 and the hit singles such as ‘How Do You Do It’?, ‘I Like It’, ‘You'll Never Walk Alone’, ‘I'm the One’ and of course ‘Ferry Cross The Mersey’.

It also includes unreleased tracks, early and no strings versions, all their UK singles, EPs and LP masters with some recordings issued only in the USA ! and Canada. Plus the full Oakland Auditorium show, in stereo, which provided the four tracks for the ‘Gerry In California’ (mono) EP.

The package includes liner notes written by Spenser Leigh, a detailed session list and a number of previously unseen photos.

The new Gerry & The Pacemakers’ Box Set is released around the band’s 60 date UK tour which runs from 20th February till 4th May.

The 4 CD box set ‘You'll Never Walk Alone (The Years 1963-1966)’ is released on 11 February

www.gerrymarsden.co.uk

Debut Songbirds

There is nothing overblown about Songbirds and their ‘take me as you find me’ attitude is reflected throughout their new and stunning debut album ‘Wake Up Call’, which is released on 4 February.

Liverpudlian Number Ones

Celebrating Liverpool's musical heritage having had a world beating 56 No 1 singles and to mark Liverpool's status as 2008 European Capital Of Culture, ‘Liverpool - The Number Ones Album’ is released on 4 February. 

Liverpudlian Number Ones

Celebrating Liverpool's musical heritage having had a world beating 56 No 1 singles and to mark Liverpool's status as 2008 European Capital Of Culture, ‘Liverpool - The Number Ones Album’ is released on 4 February. 

Liverpudlian Number Ones

Celebrating Liverpool's musical heritage having had a world beating 56 No 1 singles and to mark Liverpool's status as 2008 European Capital Of Culture, ‘Liverpool - The Number Ones Album’ is released on 4 February. 

Maiden History Unleashed

The legendary recording of Iron Maiden’s four night stand at Long Beach Arena, California, in 1984 is finally being released on DVD. ‘Live After Death’ reach shops on 4 February.

Hot Gigs

Hot Chip is kicking off their recently confirmed UK tour on 14 February in Leicester. This will be followed by a series of dates in the US and Europe before returning to the UK this summer. 

The Gathering Box Set

Including no less than 10 CDs and a 64-page booklet in one marvellous box, ‘Sand & Mercury’ - released on 18 February, is the prefect overview of Dutch gothic rockers The Gathering.

Introducing Rascal Flatts

Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney have scaled unbelievable heights in the eight years since their debut, and now they have their sights set on the UK with ‘Rascal Flatts’ out on 4 February. 

Plain White T's To UK

2008 is gearing up to be the biggest and best year yet for US export, The Plain White T’s. The band are back in the UK this month to kick things off by playing their sold out, nationwide, ten date tour.

R’n’B King Back In Action

Out on 28 January ‘Alex Loves...’ is a brand new collection, featuring recordings of popular love songs and a couple of Alexander O’Neal’s own songs re-recorded for this album. 

Easy E Compilation

The amazing ‘Featuring… Eazy-E’ compiles together the best tracks that feature Eazy onto one CD and includes top collaborations too. The album hit shops on 28 January.

Here Come The Little Ones

Newly-signed five-piece The Little Ones are releasing their second single ‘Oh, MJ!’ on January 29th. 

Tribute To Piano Legend

Brasilian jazz artist Eliane Elias unleashes her new album ‘Something For You: Eliane Elias Sings And Plays Bill Evans’, a tribute to the artistry of piano legend Bill Evans, on 21 January.

TestDrive: Head2Head IK Multimedia's Stealth Plug VS. SoundTech's LightSnake

IK Multimedia's Stealth Plug and SoundTech's LightSnake square off in a Sound Card In A Cable battle royale. More...

Brand New Kylie DVD

Kylie Minogue releases her first ever documentary DVD ‘White Diamond / Homecoming’ on December 10th. A must-have for any Kylie fan! 

Timeless Lennon Albums

No less than 10 classic John Lennon albums will be released on CD as miniature versions of the original vinyl albums on 10 December.

Exclusive Radiohead Box Set

December 10th sees the release of all seven Radiohead albums, written from 1993 to 2003, together in a specially packaged CD box set.

Exhilarating Supergrass

Currently cited as one of the most influential bands around, Supergrass is releasing the energetic ‘Diamond Hoo Ha Man’ on January 14th 2008. 

FutureMusic Daily News Blog

Check out our FutureMusic News Blog: It's A Beta World for the very latest music news that matters. Updated several times daily. Read It Now...

Tom Baxter Music

The charming Tom Baxter is back and has already presented his beautiful first single ‘Better’ from his anticipated second album ‘Skybound’, which is out on 7 January. 

Kids For Country Guitarist

Just under 10 years after his first solo album, Keith Urban is releasing his ‘Greatest Hits: 18 Kids’ album as an audio scrapbook of his first decade on 21 January 2008.

Kylie Is Back

On November 26 Kylie releases ‘X’, her first new studio album in four years! ‘X’ is preceded by the new single ‘2 Hearts’ on November 12 and available digitally on November 5.

Dan In Real Life

Steve Carell stars in the Disney Comedy ‘Dan in Real Life’ alongside Juliette Binoche. The superb soundtrack, written by Norwegian artist Sondre Lerche is out on 7 January. 

Hannah Montana Exclusive!

The Disney Channel’s hit TV series Hannah Montana has unleashed a soundtrack that’s hit the top of the Billboard charts. Now it’s arriving in the UK...

Radio Release from the Vines

Fresh from making their welcome return to the live circuit this summer, Aussie band The Vines release their next single, a much loved track from their latest album.  

The Return Of Tiësto

December 10th sees the re-release of Dutch superstar Tiësto's recent album ‘Elements Of Life’ as well as 2004’s ‘Parade Of The Athletes’ and ‘Just Be’.    

Genesis Live Over Europe

In November 2006, Genesis came together again to announce their first tour for 15 years. The result of the tour is the double album ‘Live Over Europe 2007’, which is out now. 

Diva-ne Comedy!

After two years of exciting side projects, the Divine Comedy return with a much-anticipated ninth studio album, a hot single 'Diva Lady' and handful of summer dates…    

Athlete’s UK Tour

Athlete’s second single ‘Tokyo’ from their top five album, ‘Beyond The Neighbourhood’ was released last month, and now the band has announced a big UK tour - kicking off in January 2008.

Hot Chip Gets Creative In The Dark

Hot Chip return with a new album ‘Made In The Dark’ on 4 February. It’s the amazing and ambidextrous follow up to the massively acclaimed, Mercury Music Prize nominated album ‘The Warning’ from 2006.

Ringo’s Liverpool 8

Since beginning his career in the 1960s with The Beatles, Ringo Starr has been one of the world's brightest musical luminaries. On January 14 Ringo is releasing his brand new album 'Liverpool 8'. 

The Art Of Dory Previn

The collection titled ‘The Art Of Dory Previn’ by Dory herself, is the first ever compilation to be released with Dory’s approval. The album is out 21 January alongside five digital albums. 

Long Way Down Compilation

Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman embarked on yet another epic journey this summer, documented in the hugely successful ‘Long Way Round’. On 3 December you can get the stunning compilation for this successful TV series.

More Kylie Dates

At the beginning of December Kylie Minogue sold out all eight of her UK shows in less than two hours, since then the promoters has added another twelve UK shows to her schedule. 

Love Is All Mixed Up

Reinterpreted Love Is All tracks by a host of contemporaries, such as The Bees and Hot Chip, is released on 21 January 2008. The mini-album also contains stunning remixes by Metronomy and Chicken Lips to mention a few.

30 Second Rockers On Tour

Winners of the ‘Rock Out’ category at the MTV Europe Music Awards last month, 30 Seconds to Mars have just released their Gold selling album, ‘A Beautiful Lie' in deluxe format and have announced further UK tour dates.

30 Second Rockers On Tour

Winners of the ‘Rock Out’ category at the MTV Europe Music Awards last month, 30 Seconds to Mars have just released their Gold selling album, ‘A Beautiful Lie' in deluxe format and have announced further UK tour dates.

TestDrive: KRK VXT8 Monitors

KRK Systems recently sent us a pair of their new VXT8 monitors for a TestDrive. The new VXT line is based on KRK's premium Expose series and consists of three models - the VXT4, VXT6, and VXT8. More...

Straight Outta Compton

In just over three years, Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren and Yella reached unprecedented gangsta superstardom as NWA, with their no-holds-barred missives from L.A’s toughest streets. Their masterpiece ‘Straight Outta Compton’ is out on 14 January.

TestDrive: XtremeMac MicroMemo

I've always tried to come up with a snappy slang term for those people you encounter in everyday life who think their "singing" along with their iPods, but in reality sound more like they don't have a tongue. More...

Sham 69: Back For The World Cup!

Virgin Radio DJ Chris O’Connell’s search for a People’s Anthem for the World Cup resulted in a credible Sham 69-Jimmy Pursey-Graham Coxon collaboration, ‘Hurry Up England’. Get your copy when it hits stores on June 12th!

Music From The Verve

One of the most crucial English rock bands of all time, The Verve, have re-united for a UK tour and is releasing ‘This Is Music’ - a singles collection spanning the years 1992 to 1998 – on 3 December.     

The 2007 FutureMusic Holiday Buyers Gift Guide

Are you having trouble scoring the perfect gift for your musically inclined special someone? Well, let us come to the rescue with the 2007 FutureMusic Holiday Gift Guide. All the gift suggestions below have been test-driven by FutureMusic to ensure quality. More...

Pink Floyd Celebration

Pink Floyd released their first record for their current label in 1967, and to celebrate their 40th year as recording artists, the band is releasing their first ever boxset to contain all 14 of their studio albums on 10th December.    

Apple Announces Media Event For September 5th - The Beat Goes On!

Apple will host a media event on September 5th at the Moscone West in San Francisco to introduce a variety of new gear and software according to invites sent to members of the media this week. Here's a current rundown of the latest rumors...

iClones Threaten Apple's iPhone Rollout In Asia

In Taiwan, you could buy an "iPhone" six months before the official debut of the much-anticipated multimedia mobile in the United States. The iClones, as they have become known, sell for about $250 dollars in Taiwan, and only $125 in mainland China and Hong Kong. More...

Interpol Live Dates

Having recently released a limited edition of their critically acclaimed album, ‘Our Love to Admire’, the awesome New York foursome, Interpol, is in the UK to play five massive arena shows in November and December.          

Will New Laws Force ISPs To Police File Sharing On Their Networks?

The UK record industry's equivalent of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is trying to strong-arm the country's Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to begin policing their networks for illegal file-trading. If successful, the results could have major ramifications for the rest of the world. More...

Win Gus Van Saint's 'Last Days' On DVD!

Having previously directed 'Elephant', 'My Own Private Idaho' and 'Good Will Hunting', Gus Van Sant’s latest fiction is inspired by the last days of Kurt Cobain. 'Last Days' is released on DVD this week but you can win a copy right here on The Raft!

TestDrive: Arturia Jupiter-8V

So before further ado, let's address the elephant in the room. The Arturia JP-8V does an excellent emulation of the famed Roland Jupiter 8, albeit a hyper-present and ultra-clean version. However, if that's all you care about, you're missing a big part of what makes the JP-8V a killer soft synth. More...

TestDrive: Freaky Beat's Essential Grooves Pack

Freaky has tapped a solid roster of artists including D-Formation, J. Velarde, Sergio Fernandez, David Ferrero and Roman Lieske, to provide musical material for DJs, producers and remixers. The offerings mainly consist of drum loops, in various tribal flavors, although some of the artists, such as J. Velarde, also provide melodic episodes. More...

Chemical Brothers Grab A Grammy!

The 48th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday, February 8. The big winners for 2006 included U2, Kelly Clarkson, Mariah Carey and John Legend, whilst our guys The Chemical Brothers bagged two gong for Best Dance Recording and Best Dance Album!    

TestDrive: JazzMutant Dexter

JazzMutant's remarkable Dexter is a compelling digital audio workstation controller that showcases the future of computer music mixing. The extremely well-built device features several dynamic and provocative methods for working in the digital age, however there are many areas where the Dexter misses the mark, and that this price point that shouldn't be the case. More...

Dance Download Alliance Announced To Fight Beatport

Seven UK dance music download stores have joined together to create the Dance Download Alliance (DDA). The seven members, 3Beat Digital, Audiojelly, DJdownload, Juno Download, TrackitDown, Trax2Burn and Xpressbeats, have joined together to counteract a proposal offered to dance labels and distributors by Beatport who offers an exclusivity arrangement, as an option, on all new releases from labels if they chose to participate. More...

Grab A Grammy!

This year sees the 48th Annual GRAMMY® Awards, and needless to say the standards are high!  Coldplay, Paul McCartney, Gorillaz and Kraftwerk are all up for coveted gongs including Gorillaz 'Record Of The Year' and Paul McCartney 'Album Of The Year'.  Other artists nominated include The Chemical Brothers, Fat Boy Slim and LCD Soundsystem.  Read on for details...   

“Bohemian Rhapsody” 30th Anniversary

Thirty years ago this week it was at No. 1. It was a historic moment for Queen and a milestone in popular music. It stayed at No. 1 for 9 weeks, and even thirty years on, Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody continues to be a song that has impacted on every generation since.  Now you can get an exclusive download only live version, read on for details...  

Only Liberty X Have The Real 'X Factor'!

Following the huge success of their smash hit singles 'Song 4 Lovers' and 'A Night To Remember', Liberty X returns to the charts this summer with new single 'X'! Download it now from The Raft Shop! 

TestDrive: LennarDigital Sylenth1

LennarDigital's Sylenth1 is a simple subtractive virtual analog synth with delicious warm sound that delivers immediate results once you decide to get your hands dirty. Sylenth1 is capable of a broad range of sounds, but its obvious from the moment you begin to entertain the over 700 patches, that this synth was designed from the ground up for electronic music with obvious nods to the Access Virus, Roland TB-303, and a wave in the Minimoog's general direction. More...

Are High Priced Cables Worth The Money?

The Internet has been a disruptive force to many entrenched industries and market segments in its brief history. So, it was only a matter of time before it focused its eye on the audio and video cable industry. Ever wonder why salespersons push cables so ardently at music and electronic stores? Unknown to many, audio or video cables have the largest profit margins. Using the "don't you want the best quality" pitch, a savvy salesperson can rack up hundreds of dollars of pure profit on cables alone when a customer buys a television, stereo, or mixer. More...