Cool Hunting

Monome
Since the multi-use controller Monome first came out a few years back, it's slowly gained a cult following thanks to its attractive and flexible design. If you're unfamiliar with the device, the Monome is an ultra-tactile, interactive and adaptable MIDI interface that takes advantage of open-source software to manipulate any number of musical parameters. With a pleasing grid-based design, the programmable buttons function as...

Audioscrobbler: Musical Match-making
There are all sorts of match making sites out there, but few of them really work well. The best ones take very specific information in to account. But who wants to enter all sorts of specific information? Audioscrobbler finds matches based on music listening preferences. It sits in the background of your music player, so there's not extra work for you. Thanks Scott!...

Ghostly Swim: Interview with Sam Valenti
For years, Ghostly International, the indie juggernaut of Avant-Pop music, has been redefining the record industry with innovative collaborations and a brand awareness that puts most labels to shame. On 21 April, the fruits of their latest collaborative efforts paid off in the release of "Ghostly Swim", a 19-song compilation made exclusively for Adult Swim and available for free download. The kicker? Ghostly mascots...

Radio Village Nomade
Beginning in May, experimental composers Marie-Claire Brycztwa and Sudhu Tewari will host a seven-month "audio play" called Radio Village Nomade. Broadcast daily from a makeshift village in La Corbière, Switzerland, the 214-day project will feature live performances, as well as audio submissions from sound manipulators the world over. The concept is to let people define for themselves what constitutes a moment in time and...

All My Pretty Ones
All My Pretty Ones are a six-member group from the San Francisco Bay Area. Led by songwriter Derek Schmidt, the band plays richly-orchestrated, folk-influenced music. Songs rely heavily on acoustic guitar and piano, with occasional flourishes from a wide array of instruments like oboe, upright bass, mandolin and glockenspiel. Their debut EP, "Handsbreadth," was released last year and includes five songs combining lighthearted melodies...