RemixComps.com: Remix Contest Tracker

We recently stumbled upon another solid resource for all you remixing aficionados out there. RemixComps.com is a new site that finds all the remix contests going on and tracks them for you. That’s right – it tracks them for you. Go ahead, be lazy. Just bum around on the site and find stuff to remix. Browse contests easily by Top Rated, Closing Soon, Quick List etc and even access old contests in Just Ended or the Archives. Or, for the ambitious UGC-prone among you, you can also submit your own contests or ones that you find.

Once you are sold on the concept and create an account, you can comment on and rate the contests. That’s how the good ones end up in Top Rated, obviously.

This service goes hand in hand with MixMatchMusic’s Remix Wizard for those who set up their remix promotion as a contest, i.e. set a deadline, include prizes. For example, Zion I’s remix contest is currently being featured on RemixComps – it ends March 12 and features some pretty kickass prizes like the winning remix being featured on Myspace and played on a radio set/podcast, plus signed copies of rare Zion I vinyl and more. Definitely worth a shot!

What a great way to delve deeper into DIY remixing culture. Rather than wasting time scouring the internet for songs to remix and sites that allow it, you can spend your time actually splicing and dicing the music and creating your own killer mixes.

For more info, check out their blog and follow them on Twitter.

Delhi 2 Dublin: Indian and Irish Fusion

This past weekend while at NonStop Banghra, a monthly dance party in San Francisco, I was introduced to a fusion of genres that left me positively breathless. I’ve always enjoyed various kinds of Indian dance music – everything from the cheesy but catchy sound of Bollywood musicals and the traditional cultural tunes to the more beat-driven hip hop and dub influenced club songs, and I was pretty sure I’d be a big fan of Banghra. And that I was. But, the highlight of the night was a performance by a group called Delhi 2 Dublin.

D2D “fuses the traditional sounds of tabla, dhol, fiddle, and sitar with cutting edge DJ aesthetics, to create a highly charged multi-cultural dance celebration.” Imagine the energy and cultural fervor of a huge Indian wedding party colliding with a bunch of drunken Irishmen dancing on a wooden table with fiddles! For a good overview of their sound and feel, check out their promo video below:

The most notable band member has to be Kytami. The little firecracker of a violinist not only fiddles faster than hell, but practically performs her own one-woman Stomp-esque sideshow. She is all over the place and her edgy vibe adds an interesting dimension to the makeup of the group.

I spoke to the band leader, Tarun, briefly at the end of the night. He was wearing a lion bandana and beaming with exhilaration. This guy really lives his life out loud. Tarun was born to a Punjabi father and a mother of Irish descent – hence, his fascination with fusing Irish and Indian sounds. He is a classically trained tabla player, a DJ, and a producer, and handles the tabla and electronics on stage.

Delhi 2 Dublin has created their own niche at the intersection of gritty hip hop and electronic beats, traditional Indian influences, and that raw Celtic sound that packs a punch – all of which make you want to get up and dance.