 We’re pushing three years serving music fans by “sharing” from artists and frankly it’s time we give back to the music makers. Introducing BeatHive.com (no relation to 3hive). BeatHive is an online marketplace for musicians to buy and sell loops. They currently have producers from the US, UK, Spain, Argentina and Canada, offering their best loops in Apple Loop and Acid formats, which work in programs like GarageBand and ACID. This means even uninitiated songwriters can grab some loops and start banging out the hits.
We came across BeatHive and thought it was the coolest thing since curly fries, so we asked them if they’d be willing to share some free loops with y’all. They said yes! Both WAV and AIFF formats are available and all the loops are 100% royalty free. Mouse over the handy buttons to hear each of the loops. The download links are just below. 3Hive 12-pack Contents: |
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| Drums 1 | Synth 1 | ||
| Scraper | Guitar 1 | ||
| Triangle | Drums 2 | ||
| Guitar 2 | Pedal Steel | ||
| Electric Bass | Synth 2 | ||
| Drums 3 | Bass Synth | ||
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Download Apple Loop AIFF Format Here Download ACIDized WAV Format Here (Not sure which format to use? Click here.) CONTEST: Make Stuff from BeatHive, Post it on 3Hive! | |||
Yes, OCD, you don’t need to tell me. “Hi, my name is Clay, and I’m obsessively compulsed with 
An album named after the instrument it fetishizes, Resonator (a wood-bodied guitar with a single metal coned center often called by the brand name DOBRO) is producer Tom Rothrock’s first album as a recording artist. You’ll immediately recognize the Resonator’s bluesy soul sound as the backbone of many of Beck’s early songs. You old-timers and blues enthusiasts may scoff at pop music’s grope at authenticity, re-discovering the guitar some fifty years after its heyday. You cannot, however, chide Rothrock’s passion for the instrument. This instrumental work resonates with respect and reverence. He adds hip-hop beats, live drums and strings to the equation for a cinematic mood and scope. Fitting, considering it was Michael Mann’s urging Rothrock to compose the score for Mann’s film Collateral, that set the prolific producer to work on his own compositions. Getting your hands on the entire album may prove problematic as it’s been limited to a one-time pressing of 1,203 hand-numbered copies. Not to fear, it’s just the first in a series of instrumental albums planned by Mr. Rothrock, released via his newly re-launched Bong Load Records.
“Son, you must be/Your own tree/Let your roots grow/Let them grow deep.” Wise words, though when sung by a 19-year-old Blake Miller they’re not so much delivered as sage counsel to the listener as they are repeated the way a kid would sing the grocery list on his way to the corner store lest he forget. Blake’s youth isn’t the only thing that makes him sound so special. His very human and melodic brand of folk helps distinguish him from the so-called “freak folk” genre (see 
Remember a few weeks ago when I gave you 
I’m ashamed to admit I would have passed this guy up if I had to gone on name alone. Not to be a jerk, but Aloe Blacc?? Are we really running out of stage names? What’s wrong with Nathanial Dawkins? But, after taking in his magnificient R&B gem “I’m Beautiful” for the first time, I got over my prejudice real quick. This guy’s voice is pure enough to invoke comparisons to Motown legends. His debut, Shine Through has just the right amount of polish (despite being recorded in a makeshift bedroom studio) and draws from a rich array of musical influences, old and new. If most Stones Throw releases reek of chronic (not that I’m complaining, mind you), this joint’s a breath of fresh air. Inhale.
So this is what old school ska/reggae sounds like in Montreal. Reminds me a bit of those early Bob Marley recordings when he had short hair and wore matching outfits with Rita and Peter Tosh. “Who feels it knows it…” Singing in both English and French, The One Night Band’s debut album, Way Back Home came out summer 2006. Hey Sam, how do you say “rude boy” in French?
Since 3hive’s own Sam lived in Tahiti for a short time and speaks French, I almost feel like I’m stealing a Sam band, a la 
I recently rekindled a new friendship after googling an old friend. Except this wasn’t a friend from high school or college, it was a friend from the old hi-fi: Mitch Easter. Mitch Easter gained recognition for his production skills in the early ’80s producing R.E.M.’s first single, “Radio Free Europe,” and their first two LPs with Don Dixon. And thinking back to my own history as a music fan I don’t remember which came first for me, R.E.M. or Mitch’s band Let’s Active. I do remember that Let’s Active played a key role in formulating my taste for pop music. Smart, snappy, and cheerful without being sappy Let’s Active helped forged the template for American indie pop while flying mostly below the radar. Constant line-up changes, usually coinciding with changes in Easter’s relationships, occurred throughout the band’s one EP and three album history. Mitch has kept busy over the years as producer, working with everyone from The Connells, Dinosaur Jr., Superchunk, engineer, Pavement and Ride, and as guitarist extraordinaire (the two tracks from Shalini feature Mitch on guitar. Shalini currently plays bass in Mitch’s band). Coming across brand new music from Mitch Easter was an unexpected and thrilling surprise. He’s still got it. He’s like the King Midas of pop music. Everything he touches sounds like gold. Watch for his first release in eighteen years, Dynamico, in the next couple months on 
Really simple, almost childlike arrangements revolve around a single line or thought, some delicate piano, flute, etc., and the irresistible layered voices of Swedish songbird Helena Sundin. Makes for exquisite bedtime music. More MP3s where these came from…follow the links below.