Lists, and not the pushy kind!
Once, many moons ago, like, a year and a half ago, I wrote an article for an entertainment site I was involved with at the time. We’ve since broken up, but the article was about my five favourite creative commons songs out there. That is, my favourite songs out there that are free to download, legally, and distribute for non-profit purposes. I love creative commons music. CCMixter, Slay Radio, SceneSat, OCRemix, RKO, all fantastic resources for free music that you can download without worrying about the feds poppin’ a cap in yo’ ass, as the hip kids would say.
This article has since gone kaput, thanks to lackadaisical domain renewals, but I was thinking about it today, and decided to re-write it. I’m sure the list will be completely different, sans number one, but I’m still comepelled to re-write it.
5. Daniel Baranowsky, Vigilante, zyko – Invertebrate Retreat
Daniel Baranowski is a talented dude, he’s pounded out some fine remixes over at OCRemix, go give his Remix page a looksee. Same for Vigilante, the remix scene is loaded with talented people, and Mr. Baranowksy, and Vigilante are two of the best. Vocals on this track are provided by Daniel himself, the dude can sing, surprisingly well. This track is a remix of Lorenzo’s Soil, originally written by Tommy Tallarico (an insanely talented albeit crazy human being), and the remix is pretty rad. It’s some sort of trip hip hop rock fiasco that I won’t bother categorizing.
4. Aurora, SGX, destructo – Frame of Mind
This is a remix of Home Sweet Home, from Beyond Good & Evil, which is a game I will always have a perpetual boner for. It’s one of three games I would describe as “Beautiful”. Everything about it is so masterfully done. The gameplay, music, sound, levels, it’s fantastic in every way. But, I’m here to gab about music. The music in Beyond Good & Evil is wonderful, and there aren’t a lot of BG&E remixes out there, this is one of the few, and it’s so pretty. It’s such an easy listen, and it’s so easy to digest. Aurora has a voice that sinks right in, and is so easy to listen to. The song isn’t intense at all, and is overall, very pleasant, with a very chill vibe.
3. Trans-Transylvanian Orchestra – Ailsean, Chad Seiter, Victor
There was a period of my life, back in I think it was 2004, where rock arranges of Castlevania music made up about half of what I listened to, and Trans-Transylvanian Orchestra is easily and by far the best remix I’ve heard. I guess it could be described as orchestral rock, what with the cello and all. The cello was played by Victor, who, as a person, is a mystery to me. But, what I like best about this song is that it captures Castlevania so well. The Castlevania games have always been over the top adventure games set in an over the top Medieval European environment. What better way to capture that vibe than motherfucking guitars and cellos?
Reyn Ouwehand has more talent than any musician you’re a fan of. Just watch:
The dude plays everything! He doesn’t even need a studio, or session artists! Give the guy a guitar, drums, bass, a keyboard, and a looper, and he can do this. The dude shits talent. The original tune was written by Martin Galway, one of the most legendary C64 composers out there, and overall very intelligent music dude. Reyn Ouwehand decided to give another one of Mr. Galway’s tunes a re-work in the bottom of his basement, and put on a bit of the show in the process. He is the one man band, and one of the most talented humans in the world. Watch the video, and enjoy.
1. Eric Barker – Burmecian Spirit.
This is my favourite song. Not just my favourite free song, my favourite song ever in general in the history of things. I love it, I love it with an ineffable instensity. Maybe not that intense, but I do adore it. It’s beautifully played, and amazing all over. I could gush over it, but listening to it will be a much better use of your time than reading me gab about it.
This is just an iota of a fraction of all the awesome music out there that’s covered by the Creative Commons. Go to OCRemix, go to RKO, poke around CCMixter! Tune into SceneSat and Slay Radio! There’s so much out there, and these five resources just scratch the surface. Dig in, ya all. There’s something in the CC music scene for everyone.