Where are some good ways to discover new music?

[Foggypebble Muircastle]

I just became a DJ at a club and I want to play a good variety of music, both unknown gems and popular tunes...but in the past 5 years I've been very busy and became out of the loop with music. I used to use 8tracks and playmoss to discover songs and artists but they both bellied up. Youtube is all I have left now. I look at people's fanmixes, listen to Pandora Radio, and go to various clubs in sl. What else can I do? I need to find more songs.

[Chroma Starlight]

Three other places you could look include Bandcamp, spotify, and SoundCloud, but there are many others.

[Claireschen Hesten]

Spotify might be a good one they do weekly personalised playlists for you called "Release Radar" and "Discover Weekly" which recommend songs based on what you listen to

[Foggypebble Muircastle]

46 minutes ago, Claireschen Hesten said:

Spotify might be a good one they do weekly personalised playlists for you called "Release Radar" and "Discover Weekly" which recommend songs based on what you listen to

That sounds really neat but I don’t really want to get a subscription to spotify. Besides, spotify doesn’t have everything.

[Foggypebble Muircastle]

11 hours ago, Chroma Starlight said:

Three other places you could look include Bandcamp, spotify, and SoundCloud, but there are many others.

I’ve found a lot of really good hidden gems on bandcamp but they’re not always appropriate for a club, mostly sad and acoustic. Spotify requires a subscription and doesn’t have everything. I could try soundcloud but it doesn’t have a recommended music feature.

[Claireschen Hesten]

Just now, Foggypebble Muircastle said:

That sounds really neat but I don’t really want to get a subscription to spotify

You only need a subscription if you want to listen with out ad's, i've used the free version forever. There is an alternative which also free and only needs a subscription to listen ad free called Deezer

[Chroma Starlight]

1 hour ago, Foggypebble Muircastle said:

I’ve found a lot of really good hidden gems on bandcamp but they’re not always appropriate for a club, mostly sad and acoustic. Spotify requires a subscription and doesn’t have everything. I could try soundcloud but it doesn’t have a recommended music feature.

Try different artists/genres; if your perception has been that bandcamp is any one thing, you may find there's more to discover there. Spotify does require an account to listen unlike most others, but if you're just trying to discover music, it may be useful. Soundcloud has something better than a recommended music feature-- you can follow your favorite artists and then explore the music that -they- fav or repost. You build this ever-growing vast network of who you pay attention to. That's honestly the best way to use youtube, too; we're convinced your subscriptions and likes influence the recommendations that you get from its neural net deeply and just listening to a few videos will prime the pumps and get it recommending more to you on any given web session.

The life of a DJ is to listen to music obsessively because it moves you, living in that world and then emerging with discovered experiences to share  and celebrate. What fun! n__n

My own approach is that as (web forum) DJ I believe that in order for an audience to have a listening or dance experience that really elevates them or expands them in some way, ideally it should be something altogether new but still relatable and evocative, like the experience of living life itself while awake in the present moment. For that reason, I lately choose to avoid old time favs and hits verbatim, and I'll do this particularly if they feel like something that's so popular that most audiences would have memories of hearing it before, maybe tens or even hundreds of times. They won't experience old familiar hit songs songs as new information, they simply can't, and so it won't be memorable because it won't be new sonics blazing new memories. Sometimes you search and discover there exist obscure versions of old songs on 12" vinyl or whatever that never got radio play and contain surprises, or you could play it at another speed, or DSP-processed, or do mash-ups. discogs.com can be a useful research tool when you really start digging. There are ways of using familiar material and making new experiences for sure, and for every familiar hit, there's dozens of equally or more-worthy tracks waiting to be found. Consider looking for musical experiences and not the songs people are most likely to know.

Edited December 8, 2020 by Chroma Starlight

[FairreLilette]

Google.  Google questions such as "greatest songs of the 1980's"..."greatest guitar riffs of all time"..."greatest albums of all time" (all of these are examples - you make up the questions to ask Google).   I've found great songs I've never heard of by thinking of questions to ask Google, then I listen to the songs on YouTube.  If I like the songs, I will then make my own YouTube Playlist.  It's a good way to get song titles for genres and time periods but you still have to put in effort to listen.  Rolling Stone has many lists you can also Google.  

Edited December 8, 2020 by FairreLilette

[Foggypebble Muircastle]

22 minutes ago, FairreLilette said:

Google.  Google questions such as "greatest songs of the 1980's"..."greatest guitar riffs of all time"..."greatest albums of all time" (all of these are examples - you make up the questions to ask Google).   I've found great songs I've never heard of by thinking of questions to ask Google, then I listen to the songs on YouTube.  If I like the songs, I will then make my own YouTube Playlist.  It's a good way to get song titles for genres and time periods but you still have to put in effort to listen.  Rolling Stone has many lists you can also Google.  

I’m looking for stuff that’s a little more under the radar and more current

[Foggypebble Muircastle]

35 minutes ago, Chroma Starlight said:

Try different artists/genres; if your perception has been that bandcamp is any one thing, you may find there's more to discover there. Spotify does require an account to listen unlike most others, but if you're just trying to discover music, it may be useful. Soundcloud has something better than a recommended music feature-- you can follow your favorite artists and then explore the music that -they- fav or repost. You build this ever-growing vast network of who you pay attention to. That's honestly the best way to use youtube, too; we're convinced your subscriptions and likes influence the recommendations that you get from its neural net deeply and just listening to a few videos will prime the pumps and get it recommending more to you on any given web session.

The life of a DJ is to listen to music obsessively because it moves you, living in that world and then emerging with discovered experiences to share  and celebrate. What fun! n__n

Youtube gets way too linear with the songs they recommend for you. And yes, bandcamp has a nice variety of music but in my experience it’s mostly inappropriate, like for example my favorite artists on there are Mr Kitty and emptyself. I’ll give SoundCloud a try but it sounds like a lot of work compared to 8tracks which simply presented songs to you.

[FairreLilette]

29 minutes ago, Foggypebble Muircastle said:

I’m looking for stuff that’s a little more under the radar and more current

Well, of course...you can Google that too...you just curtail your question to what you are seeking such as "best underrated songs 2020", etc...there are all kinds of lists.  This is what I pulled up by asking the question "best underrated songs 2020"...YOU need to think of what answers you are seeking and then ask.  Mine were examples, as I said.  If you hit more items highlighted in blue below, it's a direct link to the songs on Spotify.  

Music 2020 - Top Underrated Songs 2020

• Who's Laughing NowAva Max • Heaven & Hell. ...
• Born to the NightAva Max • Heaven & Hell. ...
• Sex (With My Ex)FLETCHER • THE S(EX) TAPES. ...
• Call Me TonightAva Max • Heaven & Hell. ...
• Heat WavesGlass Animals • Heat Waves. ...
• going outROLE MODEL • our little angel - EP. ...
• NO ONE'S IN THE ROOMJessie Reyez • BEFORE LOVE CAME TO KILL US+

More items...

Edited December 8, 2020 by FairreLilette

[Eddy Vortex]

Most of my musical discoveries came from hanging out with kooky people with eclectic tastes.

They have introduced me to unfamiliar artists such as Daler Mehndi, Cheb Mami, We Are Scientists, Jesse Malin, Kohachiro Miyata, Teho Majamäki, Vitas, Dimash Kudaibergen, and many others.  Also, Eduard Khil. Regardless of meme status I could listen to this guy sing all day long.