Rdio Blog

Quick, name a few of Australia’s most critically-acclaimed, unique bands and artists from the last decade or so: Did The Avalanches, Wolfmother, Cut Copy, Tame Impala, The Presets, or Ladyhawke come to mind? Thank Modular Records.

The Australian independent label responsible for bringing us such remarkable and unique talent began in 1998, just “a few hours before the first release was due to go to press,” according to the label’s founder, Steve Pavlovic. More than a decade later, the label’s sophisticated taste in new music, especially in electronic and dance, made it a tastemaker in modern music. A look at some of the label’s other acts — Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Chromeo, The Rapture, and Robyn for example — conveys the label’s panache and style.

The label falls under the Modular People umbrella, which is responsible for Modular Touring, The Modular Agency, Modular Ideas, as well. Their Rdio profile is one worth following, especially if you’re a fan of unique dance and electronic artists.

Want more good music from Modular as they continue into the future? Listen to their playlist below and follow Modular on Rdio.

While you're at it, make sure to explore the Rdio accounts of these Modular bands for more great music:

• Muscles
• Bag Raiders
• Beni Single
• Van She

“Hotels? What’s cool about hotels?” Not much, unless you’re the folks at Tablet Hotels. Since 2000, founders Laurent Vernhes and Michael Davis and the rest of their ultra-savvy arbiters of lodging have done the heavy lifting for the restless traveler: they send anonymous members of their review committee, “many of whom have travel industry, architecture or design backgrounds,” to rate hotels, and then report back to decide whether or not they pass muster. Hotels must be subjected to a rigorous reviewing process before being admitted, and guest reviews of the over 2000 hotels worldwide ensure that only the best stay featured on the Tablet website.

The Tablet team’s high hotel standards standards apply to music as well, making them clear influencers in both spheres. They’re tuned into what’s unique and interesting, and their travel-friendly playlists feature music from some of the most cutting-edge, critic-approved artists out there.

Follow Tablet on Rdio to ensure that wherever you’re traveling to, you’ve got the right tunes to fit your destination.

Scott Ellis wears a lot of hats in the music world. Not only is he a touring drummer par excellence, he’s also the manager of Pearl Group Entertainment, where he manages bands in Santa Monica, California. A musician for over 15 years, first finding success with bands such as The Start, Man Will Surrender, Human Waste Project, Motochrist, Campfire Girls, Mellowdrone, and most recently with style-shifting rock duo She Wants Revenge.

Over that time he’s absorbed a multitude of influences from a variety of genres, and his Rdio profile shows it — his top artists include L.A. rapper Game, croon-poppers Maroon 5, campy punk troupe The Misfits, and neo-Americana rockers My Morning Jacket, just to name a few. Ellis grew up listening to punk rock and the music of the ‘80s, but his taste has broadened a lot in the past decade, when he started embracing music beyond the genres in which he typically played. Check out Scott Ellis’ Vibes playlist below, then read our Five Questions with him.

Five Questions with Scott Ellis

1. Who do you think is an important musician that most people have never heard of before?
   Scott Ellis: Good question. In my opinion, some of the best are the musicians the general public doesn’t know of. To the musicians, my answer will be somewhat generic but as far as “Never heard of before”, I’d go with Billy Preston. Some say he was the fifth Beatle, though I disagree since he was more involved at the end of their career. Either way, he was very important and somewhat the glue to the creation of Let It Be, which is a beautiful record.
2. If you had access to any record in the world, what would you listen to right now?
   SE: The Police - Zenyatta Mondatta. That one never gets old.
3. Which album or artist do you most associate with your childhood?
   SE: Oh man. I grew up on a lot of ’80s punk (mostly British), rock (Zeppelin & Sabbath), and another style they called New Romantic or New Romanticism. Now they just file that under “alternative”. Basically New Romantic was music with synthesizers and dance beats. So I’ll say I associate with Duran Duran because I would run around Huntington Beach with liberty spiked hair, eye liner, painted leather jacket, boots, etc; trying to be the king of punk but I’d come home and pull Duran Duran’s “Rio” 7" out from under my bed and listen to it in private. I may have even danced around my room a little.
4. We hope people are ______________ when they listen to our music.
   SE: It’s hard for me to speak for others, but I hope people feel something when they listen to records I’ve played on or music in general. I think this is what music is supposed to do. It should be emotional. It should bring up feelings of happiness, love, pain, rage, etc.
5. We were thinking about ______________ when we wrote music for the new album.
   SE: It’s hard for me to answer this one because I’m always a hired musician and can’t speak for others. I know I was happy Justin and Adam asked me to play on this latest She Wants Revenge record as I had just broken my collarbone in a bicycle accident and figured I’d miss out. Justin called me over to track for a few days and I did most the beats with one arm. I only used the hurt side when I had to do a fill. Quite an experience!

Music geekery is for everybody, but a glance at the history of the music industry shows that it’s often been defined from a male viewpoint. In her first novel, Record Collecting for Girls, Courtney E. Smith smartly chronicles her lifelong obsession with music from a female perspective.

Record Collecting for Girls is now available from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Smith has constructed a living soundtrack to it on Rdio. Her playlists are suitably named after the chapters on which they’re based: “Top Five Lists” is from the first chapter, wherein she lists her top five artists of all time. Other chapter-playlists include “Making Out with Romeo and Juliet”, “Are We Breaking Up?”, “Rock ‘N Roll Consorts”, and “The Smiths Syndrome”. There are over a dozen playlists to explore — follow Courtney E. Smith for more.

Arizona-born, New York-based singer Jake Shears isn’t just the lead singer of Grammy-nominated glam-pop troupe Scissor Sisters. He’s also an outspoken gay rights activist (Scissor Sisters themselves are GLAAD Award recipients) and a prolific songwriter for artists including Kylie Minogue, Andy Bell, and Tiga, with whom he collaborated on songs such as “You Gonna Want Me” and “What You Need”.

Follow him on Rdio for a fascinating new treasure trove of music, including the latest from UK IDM troupe Ladytron, chillwave pioneer Washed Out, post-dubstep songwriter SBTRKT, lo-fi experimentalist John Maus, and ’80s-inspired dance duo Ford & Lopatin.

Also check out his playlists, each carefully themed and crafted over time. His new fall playlist includes artists such as Spank Rock, Justice, the Drums, and tUnE-yArDs — see “Autumn Changes... Fall Jams 2011”below.

If you're a music fan but are unfamiliar with his name, you’ve certainly felt Brett Gurewitz's influence at some point in your musical life. In addition to co-founding influential punk band Bad Religion, Gurewitz also founded well-loved independent label Epitaph Records, parent of fellow taste-making labels ANTI-, Fat Possum Records, Burning Heart Records, Hellcat Records and Heart & Skull Records. Epitaph alone released some of the last decade’s best punk and hardcore albums by Bad Religion, Converge, Pennywise, Every Time I Die and Thursday.

Gurewitz’s extensive-yet-discerning Rdio collection demonstrates his excellent taste, which boasts a smorgasbord of veterans to bolster his array of modern classics, many of which come from Epitaph's sub-labels. Follow Brett Gurewitz on Rdio to ensure that you’re current with all the latest cutting edge music, and who knows? It may just lead you to some gems you might have missed. Among Gurewitz’s most-played artists are micro-sampling DJ Gold Panda, dreamy folksters Fleet Foxes, and punk vets Ramones.

If you're looking for a taste of Gurewitz’s punk rock roots, check out his ”Just The Hits” playlist, which collects Black Flag, The Sex Pistols, Descendents, The Clash, and many more of the most influential punk bands to ever make music.