From high atop the Sydney Harbour Bridge, we had the unique opportunity last night to join some 120 climbers as they helped (literally) light up celebrations for launch of Sydney's fourth annual VIVID Festival. Battling cold and blustery conditions, the climbers, covered in lights, were just one of the many ways the city was celebrating the launch of the festival. Of course the main attraction was the ‘Lighting the Sails’ at the Sydney Opera House, unveiling a stunning visual feast of colour, movement, and world-class digital artistry to the delight of tens of thousands of enthralled viewers lining the ...

For those of us unable to make it to The Sydney Opera House for this year's Vivid LIVE, help is at hand. You’ll be able to watch The Temper Trap showcasing their new self-titled album, Imogen Heap performing material from her in-progress album 6 songs in 60 minutes and experience Amon Tobin’s ISAM Live Beyond 3D show...all from the relative comfort of your web browser. These shows will all be streamed live and The Temper Trap set will remain on the Vivid LIVE YouTube channel for six hours after the event. Steam times; Friday 25th May ...

The Temper Trap, Amon Tobin and Imogen Heap all set to stream next week.

There is an astonishgly large good amount of music coming from Sweden right now, often in the most unexpected of genres. Kapten Rod brought it in with reggae, The Knife reinvented electronic pop, and in this case, Dante Kinnunen is channeling Erykah Badu, Peter Gabriel in his So days, and a bit of Imogen Heap’s flare for [...]

2 free downloads this week! I also added an exclusive track to the SundayNightChill SoundCloud page. I’m going to try to set this up as a promotional account for unique electronic music. Mokhov was kind enough to let me use my favorite track “Illusion” from his new album as the first song to post, so make sure to check that out. I’ve had it on repeat for a couple days now. Cover photo via andyspictures . Follow SNC: YouTube | Spotify | SoundCloud Photo via bulliver . Photo via Paul Willows . > 1. Original post: Sunday Night Chill: Four Tet, Imogen Heap, Lucy ...

Yesterday evening saw 500,000+ fans take to their Facebook pages to watch *Imogen Heap* perform a 90 minute live event which saw her perform Heapsong 6 AKA *“Me, The Machine”*. To coincide with Earth Day Imogen enlisted 25 cyclists to power the lights for the show along with a field full of...

Whilst his name may not immediately ring a bell, Eden Mulholland hasn't just magically appeared out of nowhere. That is definitely not to say that his music has only just recently become noticeable. Rather that he has been on the scene of a more understated genre, as a composer for theatre and dance productions. Since 2000, Eden has created numerous scores for leading contemporary dance choreographers and won the “Best Music” award in 2008 and 2009 at the Tempo Festival (annual dance festival presented by The New Zealand Dance Festival Trust). Eden is also the front band for Motocade ...

Imogen Heap is to debut another new song from her unfurling new album during a live broadcast on Facebook via FANetwork.TV on 22nd April, Earth Day. The Grammy award winning singer/songwriter has been releasing songs from her new album as they are conceived and recorded with five 'Heapsongs' revealed so far and the sixth set to be debuted during a live broadcast to Facebook on Earth Day with 'off the grid' energy powering the whole event. Keeping with the innovative nature of the event, Heap will also be utilizing what are dramatically referred to as 'The Gloves', a ...

Grammy and Ivor Novello award winning Artist, producer, song-writer, multi instrumentalist and innovator Imogen Heap is set to create and astonish once again with the release of “Heapsong 6”. This song marks the midway point of her forth solo studio album which she began on 14th March 2011 and is...

OCHO Announce details of debut album Titled: “YOUNG HUNTING” Out: May 25th Available on iTunes OCHO are one of Ireland’s best-kept Electronic secrets. Working hard perfecting their sound for over 2 years, they are finally ready to release their ambitious and infectious debut album YOUNG HUNTING. Combining atmospheric layered trans-cultural electronic music with lush dynamics akin to the likes of Imogen Heap and Mazzy [...]

Alright, alright, we have had some very amazing interviews on The Otter Beats but it is time to take it to a whole other realm. Now introducing the very talented, free spirited, artist from LA, Steffaloo  (This is where I imagine applause)!! She has done various collaborations and her name can be seen on features all around the blog world. From collaborations with Blackbird Blackbird , Chrome Sparks , Teen Daze and more recently on Germany Germany's new Departure/Disconnect release it is hard to escape her name on your daily blog hop. “It kind of all began with Mickey ( Blackbird ...

It’s about that time – come May 25th Sydney will begin to take a whole new form as the areas around Circular Quay and The Rocks will be transformed into a colourful canvas of light. It will be the fourth edition of Vivid Sydney and this year they are pulling out all the stops to top last year’s overwhelming success. More than 400,000 people were drawn towards the many light-art installations last year, and for 2012 a massive 500,000 people are expected to take part in the many free and ticketed events that will be offered from ...

The After Party, Hidden Hospitals, and NameSake are three different bands that are currently gathering up some buzz. We put the three bands together for a new PropertyOfZack Playlist feature. Check out the Playlists and listen to the songs on Spotify while reading everyone’s thoughts! (Click on image to listen in Spotify) Coheed & Cambria - Deranged This is the band that got me into music. I wouldn’t even be singing if it weren’t for them. They did this song as a single for the Batman Arkham City sound track and I think it’s one of the best records they have put out thus far.  Paramore - Monster I heard this song the other day, one off the latest songs by the legendary Paramore! I’m not really into bands with a female vocalist but she is just a powerhouse. Very inspirational song.  Panic at the Disco - The Ballad of Mona Lisa I was really excited when I heard the new Panic album. They broke away from that Beatles sound they went for with their second album, and their new sound is very refreshing.  Go Radio - Kill The Beast I’ve been jamming this band a lot lately. They bring a unique sound to the pop/punk genre and I really dig the diversity of the group.  Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows - Mr. Owl Ate My Metal Worm I don’t normally listen to heavy music but the vocals in this band are incredible. Craig Owens has always been an influence on my own vocal performances. I’m glad to see he was able to get a killer group of musicians together and form a new band after his success in Chiodos.  Used">The Used - I Come Alive The latest song by one of my favorite bands! I have listened to this band since as long as I can remember and they always had songs that could really reach out and give you a nice perspective of things.   30 Seconds to Mars - The Kill An old school hit. I don’t think there is a person in our generation that doesn’t know this song. Theatrically epic in every single way.   The Black Mages - Hunter’s Chance *Song is currently not on Spotify Probably the most interesting thing I have been listening to lately. Familiar with Final Fantasy? Well the guy who wrote all the music for the games has a progressive metal band in which they have redone all of the music for those games with a heavy metal theme. It’s pretty intense!   Escape the Fate - Something I was hesitant when I heard this band got a new singer, but Craig Mabbit is awesome. I really dig the vocals and how this song builds. I’ve always been a big Escape the Fate fan.   Sonny Moore - Gypsy Hook *Song is currently not on Spotify Although this project no longer exists (He’s better known now as Skrillex) This song was one of the first ones he wrote after his fame with From First to Last. As a solo artist he is incredible. One of my favorite songs by far. - Will Crafton   (Click on image to listen in Spotify) Little Dragon - Twice  A filmmaker in Toronto, and very close friend of mine showed me the video for this song. This was my introduction to the Swedish band, Little Dragon. The music video for this song is as crushing as the song itself is. I frequently describe this song as the fastest three minutes you’ll ever experience. The song seemingly ends shortly after it starts, though three minutes have definitely passed. I play “Twice” on repeat for hours, often overnight. This remains one of my top three favorite songs ever recorded.  -David Raymond   AZ - I Feel For You Nostalgia reigns on this track. I was given a mix tape when I was about 14 years old, and this song was on it. I didn’t know the name of the song, or the artist..and until music started to thrive on the internet, I was without this song for years. Though I can’t relate to they lyrics, what hooks me the music and AZ’s voice. AZ was one of the most underrated hip hop artists of his time. The combination of the bell that breaks on beat one , the strings, and the girl’s voice floating on top of it all, set a stage that AZ’s voice enters with grace. I was hooked instantly. I wore this mix tape out when I was younger…literally wore right through it.  I still frequent this track -  it puts my mind in a place that no other song can. - David Raymond   Imogen Heap - Closing In Imogen Heap is truly an anomale. She writes and produces her own records, and does a great job at both. The song that introduced me to her music was “Hide and Seek”, from the album Speak For Yourself. I was riding in the back of a car when it played. She seems to not only capture , but seeks out the same nuances in recording that I’m attracted to; the little things that you don’t catch on the first or even tenth listen. These are the things that keep revealing themselves years exploring a record for the first time. The song “Closing In” plays not only melodically darker than some of her others, but ...

Imogen Heap 's video for "Xizi She Knows" is the fifth song featured on her upcoming album and was shot on location while filming a documentary of Imogen 's 6-week residency in Hangzhou, China. Her fourth album, Heapsongs, fully immerses the public in the scope of her work by incorporating nearly 900 samples of everyday sounds - submitted by fans - into the album. Imogen has been releasing a new 'Heapsong' every two months as she continues to work on her album. Although the completed album isn't due to drop for another year or so, tantalize your curiosity and check out ...

In this issue: Opportunities galore with applications open for Unsigned Only, Bigsound and the Red Bull Music Academy, while opportunities are dwindling in venues at St Kilda. Adele still holds onto the number one spot on the ARIA charts, and Song Summit adds more acts to it's conference. All in this weeks Industry round up. UNSIGNED ONLY LOOKING FOR TALENT A new international music competition for musicians not signed to a major label record company or any of its affiliates has started up. Unsigned Only is looking for “talented artists: a band, singer, or solo artist, a newcomer or ...