Bossa Blog

Composer, producer, programmer and performer, Genji Siraisi is a rhythmic jack-of-all-trades. His drumming has been the foundation for jazz/funk group Groove Collective since the band’s formation in the mid 90s, which in turn gave birth to the Acid Jazz scene in NYC at the first Giant Step events. Just now hitting the mainstream, Groove Collective was nominated for a 2007 Grammy. Genji has worked with such notables as Tupac, Masters at Work, Digital Underground and Naked Music. He’s also produced albums for Warner, London/Payday and Giant Step, among others. His upcoming album Censorsh!t takes a post-modern (and often post-apocalyptic) stance with a mixture of downtempo grooves, glitch-hop, ambient textures and minimal dancefloor tracks, all seamlessly blended into a bold and cinematic journey.

Posted by Mike at 03:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

iTunes 7 is loaded with new features that Apple hopes will enhance our multimedia experience, but the one feature that seems to now bog down iTunes the most though is Gapless Playback. Gapless playback means that there is no pause in playback between the end of one audio file and the beginning of the next audio file. Apple claims that this allows for playback of content with no gaps the way it was meant to be heard. People have griped for a long time that albums without gaps between songs sounded like it skipped between songs.

Some examples of gapless albums include:
* Most live and classical albums
* "Dark Side of the Moon" by Pink Floyd
* "Abbey Road" by The Beatles

Gapless playback is always on in iTunes 7 or later unless the Crossfade feature is turned on. If Crossfade is on, only audio files that have the "Part of a gapless album" option checked and are capable of being played gaplessly will play with no gaps.

The best default setting is to turn Gapless Playback off and adjust the crossfade to personal preference. Using the crossfade setting works best with Bossa as well.

Here's how to turn Gapless Playback off.

1. Open iTunes
2. Select all songs in your library - “Ctrl + A” on a PC - Apple key on the Mac
3. Right Click and select “Get Info” - It will warn you about editing all files
4. Check the “Gapless Album” box and set it to “No”
5. Click "OK" and your files should quickly update
6. To avoid even having to do this....don't upgrade past iTunes 6

Posted by Mike at 06:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Since their arrival in 2000, Spanish Harlem Orchestra (SHO) has established itself as a standard bearer of contemporary Latin music. Directed by world-renowned pianist, arranger, and producer Oscar Hernández, the thirteen-member all-star ensemble has reintroduced the classic sounds of New York City Salsa to music lovers worldwide. United We Swing, SHO’s third album, is a stunning follow-up to their 2004 Grammy award-winning album Across 110th St., and their 2002 Grammy nominated debut, Un Gran Día En El Barrio. On United We Swing, Spanish Harlem Orchestra continues in the same classic-meets-contemporary sound, but with refreshing originality. Nine of the songs are original compositions grounded in the unique identity the band has forged based on the musical legacy of El Barrio, a pulsating Eastside community in NYC located to the south of 125th St that gave rise to Boogaloo, Latin Soul, and Salsa.

Posted by Mike at 09:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Balkan Beat Box blends electronic music with hard-edged folk music from North Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans and Eastern Europe. With Nu Med, BBB steps forward with a cohesive new album that imagines a Middle East without borders and a healthy dose of New York energy. Having performed at Bonnaroo, Central Park Summerstage, Montreal JazzFest and having toured extensively with Matisyahu as well as on headlining international tours, Balkan Beat returns with Nu Med, a musical vision of what the Mediterranean would sound like if borders were removed.

Led by Ori Kaplan and Tamir Muskat, BBB makes connections that politics often keep separate. Jewish, Gypsy, Arabic, and American are united by hip hop beats and dancehall toasts. BBB’s musical hitch-hiking continues as they mix things up with dub and electronics, juxtaposed with ancient Moroccan and Mediterranean melodies. The band’s sound gives equal weight to soulful acoustic timbres and digital rhythms creating a uniquely organic sound with electronic elements. Echoing his growing involvement in their live shows, MC Tomer Yosef is a dynamic presence on Nu Med, blazing his way through featured tracks Digital Monkey, Mexico City, & Hermetico.

With their fusion of Jewish melodies, Balkan brass-band stomp and frenetic gypsy rhythms with hip-hop, reggae, and electro production, this internationally acclaimed collective is out to prove that the entire world is, indeed, their stage.

Posted by Mike at 10:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)