Thursday 22 September 2011

First Birthdays Are Hard...But Maps Are Smart


It has been a while since Sonic Masala got in touch with that great indie label from the southern enclaves of England, Art Is Hard. It was their first birthday a few weeks back, on which they announced their sixth release (confusingly catalogued aih005).

I was meant to be part of the coverage as it took place but unfortunately got caught up in other miscellaneous shit, so am mega bummed, but we won't dwell on spilt guilt (or something...) Art is Hard have always had two main ambitions:to release music in new and interesting formats, and to promote music from the south west on a national/international level. Dry Route to Devon is the result - a compilation released as a screenprinted A3 map of Southwest England. In the place of each of the 11 bands there is a QR code, which when scanned with a smart phone will take listeners to an individual page where they can stream the song whilst also reading interviews, lyrics, information about when and where the track was recorded and tons of exclusive content. Such an incredible idea, right?

The aim with such an initiative is that AiH can further promote the great stuff happening in the southwest and build up more of a community whilst also changing the way in which people discover and listen to music (making them more actively involved!). The compilation is due for release on the 26th September and Art Is Hard are throwing a free release party in Plymouth on the 22nd (today in other words!). The full compilation is here.

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