Tadasu Naito Embodies The Whyd Spirit

The Whyd family is getting quite large, and as we saw from yesterday’s post, very global. There are people that have joined our community from nearly every country in the world. Today, we take a look at one of those people: Tadasu Naito

Tadasu has been with Whyd for a while, diligently sharing some awesome music (you have to check out his unique playlists). He is up to almost 750 tracks added, putting him in the top 5% of curators on Whyd. But more amazingly, he has amassed 928 subscribers, a truly impressive accomplishment and a warm reminder that this whole social network thing is starting to take effect!

Tadasu lives in Kawasaki, Japan, between Tokyo and Yokohama. He works in the IT department of a logistics company, and jams out to great music. His current favorites include: Tycho - “Awake" (a former Whyd track of the weekend); RC & Cohen - “Move" (ft. Madeon, Matthew Koma, Miriam Bryant & Zedd); Tei Shi - "Nevermind the End;” Fickle Friends - “Swim;” and Avec Sans - “Shiver.”

Looking forward to many, many more excellent tracks, thanks Tadasu!  

Whyd Inc. The Next Chapter Begins

After being selected to head to SxSW by Ubifrance a few weeks ago, our two co-founders continued their westward trajectory, making it all the way to the graceful Pacific ocean and the hippy sounds of San Francisco. 

It is here that the Whyd story divides and conquers, and we are very excited to announce that Whyd Inc. has been officially created in the United States! 

Part of the dream of any international tech entrepreneur is to end up rubbing soldiers with the Silicon elite — bumping into icons and sharing enthusiastic midnight conversations with the other people who are trying to change the world — and we look forward to meeting everyone we can as our journey continues forward.

It is an honor that we are able to represent you, our wonderful community, not just from our humble Paris incubator but from sea to shining sea. Thank you as always to everyone who supports us, contributes to our jamming, and gives us a reason to keep doing what we do. 

Always jamming, now across the world. 

Victor Milchberg, Artistic Director at 3eme Bureau, Explains Music Management and Artists We Should Listen To

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Hello Victor! How are you? Can you tell us about why music has such a big importance in your life? 

Well…why is music important in my life? I could not justify it, for me it’s a reflex: between the moment when I rise and the moment when I go to sleep, I listen to music, whether it’s for my pleasure, which I’ve always done, or since 7 years ago, for my job. There is not precise reason, but there is something close to a vital need. If I don’t listen to music, because sometimes we need to take a break to avoid an overdose, I will always have something playing in my head. 

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3eme Bureau represents artists (known and unknown) in France. What do you do there exactly? 

3eme Bureau represents lesser known artists more than anything else, but all have signed as artists in development. 

I am the artistic director, which means that I take care of the executive production of albums from artists that have signed a contract (which means that we produce it, to distinguish between those that have a license). The executive production consists of managing the budget of the production. 

The artistic direction consists of choosing artists that we are going to sign (talent scouting is a big part) to help the artist find a director who will help them to make their album when it’s necessary, to help them in the choice of tracks to record, and to accompany them in their creative process. 

Pony Pony Run Run, Orelsan, these are some big names, what does 3eme Bureau do differently between your big artists and your smaller ones?

There really ins’t a difference between that which we do for the small or big artists, we work with them in the same way, it’s just the middle men that change sometimes (it’s not necessarily the same radio stations who play them, the same media that talk about them, the same TV shows that invite them…).

What are you expecting in 2014? Are you looking for new talent? Or other things? 

For 2014, we are really excited about the album of Natas Loves You, hoping that it will reach the largest audience possible. It’s a disc that the group recorded last year with Chris Zane, the director of albums from Passion Pit, Holly Ghosts! etc…

And I’m expecting a lot from our artists who are going to work on their next albums, like the one from Joe Bel that we recently signed. And I hope to continue to find amazing tracks to continue to build our catalogue. 

Subscribe to Victor on Whyd to keep up with his latest favorite tracks! 

Let Process Take You Into The Depths Of Your Mind

Yo! Can you fill us in a little bit about your backstory? Who are you and where are you from? 

Yo! I am Remy (Auymer is my artist name) from the south of France, Marseille, and I have been based in London for four years now. I was working in shops and started to produce and play music there in my hometown and it’s here, in one of the most interesting cities in the world that I met Alice, half French and half Brazilian and also our graphic designer Federico. This city was for all of us a way to expand our interest for electronic music. 

London is a city that is world famous for its music, the standard is really high. What are you bringing to the scene today? 

Process is a new project that we launched in May 2013. After exploring London’s clubs, bars, and private parties, we got amazed and inspired a lot, but we realized that the average entry price was quite high and that the spirit was often quite business oriented. Although we went to so many great venues, with brilliant atmosphere and proper sound systems, we always felt there were quite a lot of standards, and the first one was the high price. We soon realized there was one type of party you couldn’t really find and that was free (or cheap) entry, good vibes, intimate venue, just for the love of music. The normal story in London if you want to put up an event and get to have a “name” in the scene, you need to book a pretty famous DJ to attract people and it helps to have a big venue, already quite known. However, we didn’t want to think this way. 

Instead, we wanted something where people discover new music and new talent. From the beginning we thought that with minimized funds and some contacts, you could organize a party that would make people happy and create the right vibe, without necessarily having an already settled DJ. We thought of having more of a party for everyone, that people wouldn’t need to pay much to have a great night and that everyone could contribute, by telling their friends, playing, proposing ideas, etc… 

We got exactly what we wanted at our first event when we gathered around 100 deep vibe lovers in our intimate venue in East London and hell yeah it was such a great night! So I guess Process is just adding some fresh air to the scene, with no pressure to be successful or competitive in the industry; more of an alternative night with fresh and deep beats in a warm atmosphere… Just a night for fun, about music and great people! 

Tell us about your obsession with deep music. Who should come to your events? 

We are really into all those kinds of post apocalyptic, dark, cerebral, acid, minimalist, and deep electronic music so it goes from deep house to dub to techno. And we keep on expanding our knowledge of it and musical culture here in the UK. It’s a type of music that could not be understood at first if you are not really into this. It might seem harsh and scary but it takes some interest to actually catch the little thing that makes you understand why artists such as Lucy, Tom Dicciccio, Rrose, or Polar Inertia (to name a few) are making this type of music; to understand what they are trying to say and get across. You will then understand the spirits that they put behind their machines. 

What we love the most is to see every time where they are driving us to another dimension that was unknown for us. I am pretty sure that the range of frequencies they use in their productions, which can be really love or really high, creates something in our body and brain. And this is what we want to do with Process, make people aware that this type of music can be really festive, energetic. I try to do a kind of step by step when I play at Process, going from different types of electronic music to drive the crowd to this dark, cerebral, and post apocalyptic dimension. 

It’s taking the crowd through a journey, and what is great about Process is that it is a diverse crowd; people there like many different types of electronic music, and the challenge is to get all of them to follow. And until now, all of them did! Indeed you don’t need to know everything about techno to go crazy on some deep beats, it’s all about explaining where I am trying to get you, and having you follow me! 

When is the next event and what else can we look forward to in 2014? 

The next will be in early 2014, still in one of our intimate venues with the same atmosphere! Then we have a couple of projects in mind, like a series of “open podcasts” in which everyone is invited to be a part of by sending his mix. Also, we have some collaboration in mind, with some like-minded friends to create always a better party and bring quality music. 2014 will be an inspiring year for us, no doubt about that! 

Subscribe to Process London on Whyd, and make sure to check out both Process London's and Auymer Music's Facebook pages! 

Track of the Weekend #71: Todd Terje - “Delorean Dynamite”

One of our favorite Norse alliterates is back with a new cut that reminds us of the days of Back to the Future: funky, bouncy, with midis flying high and enough synths to establish this track in the 80’s. “Delorean Dynamite" is the new single from Todd Terje’s upcoming album "It’s Album Time" due out on April 8th! Thanks to the always trendy Radar! for snapping it up first! 

See you tonight!

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Final call for everyone in Paris, tonight Whyd and DYLTS are taking over Bathroom Afterwork at Le Dandy (metro Pigalle). To recap: 

#AperoMusicTech starting at 19hr30, followed by the WEKEED concert part kicking off around 21hr30. If you’re with Whyd, tell them at the door to get in for free after 21hr00. Awesome stickers up for grabs for DYLTS’s 2nd birthday! 

Official event link

We’re looking forward to seeing you there, and don’t worry if you’re not in Paris, we’ll soon be coming to your city too! 

Never stop jamming!

Calling All Music People: Looking For Interesting Projects To Interview

Yes, after almost two years of hard work, featuring awesome people and serving as a platform for souls to share their stories upon, our blog will soon be getting a much-needed facelift, and so will the content that is shared here too. We will be pushing towards more dynamic formats, like podcasts, vines, and GIFS; and most importantly, video. 

So we need your help: if you know someone who is doing something truly amazing, but is almost completely unknown, send us a tip! If you yourself are trying to do something never done before, shattering musical genres, inventing new business models for music, or designing awesome cover art for different groups, and you want to be interviewed, please, hit us up and make yourself known! 

All tips should be sent to tony[AT]whyd[DOT]com

Can’t wait to take this thing to the next level!

Party Time: Thursday, February 13th, all your questions answered

Oh yeah, after what has been two exciting months, which saw the Whyd community grow by 60% in January alone, we’re busting out the dancing shoes to celebrate at the latest version of #AperoMusicTech. Just as we’ve upped our game with Whyd, so will we up the game with our next party on Thursday, February 13th. 

What’s going on? 

Those of you Whyd faithful know about trendy music blog Do You Like That Song? which was just featured yesterday as the Music Blog of the Week in The Guardian! They are celebrating their 2nd birthday which officially happened this week, but throwing a party at “Bathroom” a unique event series at Le Dandy with us and some other cool partners, combining forces with #AMT for an excellent evening of jamming.

Thanks to their connections in the music space, DYLTS has brought in WEKEED, one of Paris’s hottest electro duos blending beats and sensuality, which promises to be an excellent show, just listen to this track: 

Where are we partying?

Moving up the venue scale for 2014, we’re hosting the party at Le Dandy, one of Paris’s most visually stylish “appartements de nuit.” Come before 21h00 for free admission, or, if you show up a little later, just say that you are with Whyd or DYLTS and you should be fine! 

Should I take my Friday off of work?

No, don’t waste a vacation day, just ask to work from home, that’s what we’ll be doing!

Can I bring friends?

Yes, all of them.

Here is the official event link

See you there! 

Two tracks per day & India’s Music Scene: The Whyd Interview with Trackdrops

Yo dudes! Can you introduce yourselves? Where are you from and when did music start seriously influencing your lives?

Vikram: I am a Canadian who moved to India just so that I could miss the T dot. An erstwhile investment banker turned entrepreneur, I’m best known as the reason why women stay single. Music was instrumental to my memory of childhood. I was surrounded by a healthy variety of genres from the inimitable Rick Astley to ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali. The fault of which lies with my parents, both of whom had a schizophrenic record collection that would play out every evening. I became extremely active (bordering on obsessive) around the time Radiohead launched their “In Rainbows” album. 

Steve: My name is Steve Abraham and I’m from Mumbai. I’m pretty sure music started playing a serious role in my life ever since I was a kid. Much like Vikram’s upbringing, my parents would play all this great music in the house ranging from the Beatles to Doo Wop to Jazz and the Blues. I probably didn’t fully understand what I was hearing at the time, but I knew I liked it. Ever since then, music has been a part of my daily life. Everclear’s “Sparkle and Fade” was the first album I really “got into” as a teenager. 

You created Trackdrops. What’s the general idea, who’s the team, and who should come listen to your site? 

Vikram: The team is Steve Abraham, aka Punkflop; and myself, Vikram Ramchandani, aka Nika. It must be noted however, that the chicas dig da Nika. True story. 

Steve: Trackdrops is a simple idea - a daily dose of one song each from our individual tastes with no restrictions on genre or time of release. What sounds good to us goes on the site. Vikram and I have always had these long conversations about artists we like, so we were hoping to take that conversation online and hopefully get people to see the reasons we like a certain song. Two songs a day are more than enough. In this day and age the amount of information you’re exposed to is overwhelming, so this way people can actually take the time to focus on and hopefully appreciate the music. All are welcome of course - whether you’re a music junkie or a person just looking for something new to listen to. 

What is the music scene like in Mumbai? Should we all start booking tickets to come out there? 

Vikram: Of course you should book your tickets, given the state of the economy we are in desperate need of dollars and pounds. The music scene in growing at an incredible pace with the advent of new music venues, schools and concerts. We have also burnt all remaining copies of any Venga Boys trakcs. 

Steve: Like Vikram said, the music scene is definitely picking up. We have had international artists play in the country who I never thought I’d see live in India. However, we do have a long ways to go in terms of catching up with other international music havens. There is a local music scene, but I find that the same handful of bands is circulated throughout the year, which tends to get boring after a while. So unless you’re into specific Indian bands or want to visit India, I would save my money for another city if it is the music you are chasing. 

Do you have any plans for the future of Trackdrops? Anything we should look forward to in 2014? 

Vikram: We are extra excited to get a playlist out for the people who visit our site on a daily basis. So our fingers are crossed in hope that the super stellar team at Whyd get a Wordpress plug in sorted out. Till then we’re just gonna keep dropping some aural goodness. 

Steve: We’re really just taking a day-by-day approach with the site - adding minor details to make it more interesting and user friendly. But overall we’ve kept things minimal, as that was the whole point of Trackdrops in the first place. The focus will always be on the music. Implementing playlists through Whyd was always in the cards, so we’re excited about getting that launched. I think the main thing to look forward to on Trackdrops in 2014 is what we always look forward to every year - new music! 

Whyd’s 2013 Year In Review

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Well, it’s the last day of 2013, a day of reflection for all of the cool events and milestones from the past year. We started 2013 with a trip down to MIDEM in Cannes, meeting with cool music lovers and industry folk. We flashmobbed a Durban Dance, created hilarious Whyd memes, partied in Barcelona and at the #AperoMusicTech events across Paris.   

We boosted the product with the new recommendation systemlaunched totally new profilesstuck a shuffle in there, created Hot Tracks by genre, and beefed up the social features with comments and mentions to get to the Whyd that you see today. 

But more importantly, we shared hundreds of thousands of the best of the newest tracks thanks to you, our wonderful community. What will 2014 have in store for us? Some amazing things, you will see the first step on January 6th, so hold on tight!