Derek Tacconelli Blog

Cut Chemist – Hip Hop Lives 1985-1996

Derek — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:24:42 +0000

Starting Monday morning off with a mix from the mix master from Jurassic 5 himself: Cut Chemist. Very dynamic hip-hop mix using classic old-school jams, drum samples, and raps for your pleasure. Enjoy!

Madeon – 39 Tracks in 1

Derek — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 02:24:51 +0000

This kid Madeon is going to be the next super-DJ/Producer. He’s already played Coachella music festival and he’s only 17! Here he is mashing-up 39 tracks into 1 song, and you get to watch how he did it. Keep an eye on the fingers. Simply amazing…

MGMT – It’s Working

Derek — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 23:30:31 +0000

How do I know it’s working?

I wonder what the underlying message of this video is. To me the beginning = a kit to build this giant thing = someone has done it before; been there, done that, here’s how. And this big, giant thing is a testament to your work or how you occupy your time. But eventually work (and time) ultimately consumes you as you consumed it in the past. And when things aren’t working out, destruction is your only option; yet you still are consumed. Eaten by culture, nature, the city, and most of all: other people; cannibalistic.

What do you guys think it all means? How did you perceive this music video? Let me know what you think in the comments section.

The Entertainer by Scott Joplin on Monster-Sized Piano

Derek — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:12:35 +0000

I wonder if they ever completed the whole song…

The Original Scott Joplin – The Entertainer (Ragtime)

Some Reading Material

Scott Joplin (ca. 1867-1868? – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Joplin achieved fame for his ragtimecompositions, and was later dubbed “The King of Ragtime”. During his brief career, Joplin wrote 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first pieces, the Maple Leaf Rag, became ragtime’s first and most influential hit, and has been recognized as the archetypal rag.

Joplin was born into a musical African American family of laborers in Northeast Texas, and developed his musical knowledge with the help of local teachers. During the late 1880s he travelled around the American South as an itinerant musician, and went to Chicago for the World’s Fair of 1893 which played a major part in making ragtime a national craze by 1897.

Publication of his Maple Leaf Rag in 1899 brought him fame and had a profound influence on subsequent writers of ragtime. It also brought the composer a steady income for life. During his lifetime, Joplin did not reach this level of success again and frequently had financial problems, which contributed to the loss of his first opera, A Guest of Honor. He continued to write ragtime compositions, and moved to New York in 1907. He attempted to go beyond the limitations of the musical form which made him famous, without much monetary success. His second opera, Treemonisha, was not received well at its partially staged performance in 1915. He died from complications of tertiary syphilis in 1917.

Joplin’s music was rediscovered and returned to popularity in the early 1970s with the release of a million-selling album of Joplin’s rags recorded by Joshua Rifkin, followed by the Academy Award–winning movie The Sting which featured several of his compositions, such as “The Entertainer“. The opera Treemonisha was finally produced in full to wide acclaim in 1972. In 1976, Joplin was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize.

Kinne – “Minimix”

Derek — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:49:29 +0000

Kinne – “Minimix”

Minimix by Kinne

Tracklist:

Supermen Lovers – Starlight
Junior Senior – Move Your Feet
The Rapture – How Deep Is Your Love (Wax Motif & Neoteric Remix)
Breakbot ft. Ruckazoid – Fantasy (Jacques Renault Remix)
Faisal – Journey
Homework – The Rules Of Hip
Gregori Klosman – Low Battery
Dr. Gonzo – Bust ‘Em Up (Na Ciphra) (Fatboy Slim Re-Edit)
Zombie Nation – Tight
The Rapture – Go Deep (Wax Motif & Neoteric Remix)
Major Lazer – Pon Di Floor (dangerDan Remix)
John Roman – Sala (NT89 Remix)
Light Year – 5 Girls (Harvard Bass Remix)
Green Velvet – Mili Vanilli
Mumbai Science – Gold
Nicky Romero – Camorra
Carte Blanche – Jack On The Moon – ? ? M
Hector & Nate – Bulga Yé
Homework – Fissa Tune
NT89 – Lyfe
The Dove – Girl at a Party With a Siren (Dub)
Boys Noize – Yeah
Tommie Sunshine & Bart BMore – Bodywork
Highbloo – Bro Code
The Subs – Face Of The Planet
Teki Latex – Dinosaurs With Guns (Homework Remix)
Bart BMore & AC Slater – The Bass
David Tort – Jack It up
John Roman – War Drums
Heney Comb (Camel Remix)
Sound Of Stereo – Opal
Sound Of Stereo – Diamond
The Subs ft. Highbloo – Don’t Stop
Vhyce – Voivodine
Mikix The Cat – Hot Block
Steed Lord – If You Want Me (No Body Remix)
TWR72 – Future Tool (Dub)
Jacques Greene – Motivation
Jamie XX – Far Nearer

SwiftKey X for Android Review

Derek — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 06:55:30 +0000

Price: Free – $3
Category: Keyboard for Android

In my search for accuracy and speed, Swiftkey X for Android is a standout in the keyboard apps category. As many Android power-users and intermediate users well know, the default keyboard is substantial for everyday and light use, but really is clunky, slow, and inaccurate. Swiftkey X for Android offers users predictive text, gestures, and customization of look and feel. There are some other nifty tools included in Swiftkey’s app package, my favorite being their statistics engine. If you haven’t checked out their free trial version, and are looking for a great application for zipping off texts and updates, then what are you waiting for?!

Swiftkey X Interface

I recently transitioned from a phone with a physical keyboard, to, what I call, my “Big Boy” smart phone (namely, the HTC Droid Incredible 2 on the Verizon network). When I initially made the switch, I was so inaccurate on the strictly touch-only layout; there had to be another way. I first tried the Swype keyboard for a few months and liked it at first; the concept was something so innovative and intuitive out of the gate, but lacked the accuracy and speed I so desired. Bottom line: I was sending messages at full throttle, but I was still getting a lot of typos when zipping off texts or updating my Facebook status.

Enter the Swiftkey X Keyboard for Android. I picked it up from their promo sale for $0.99, but since then the price has increased to just under $3; Still a tiny cost for something you will eventually end up using multiple times per day. In my opinion, the Swiftkey X keyboard boasts one of the best “learning” keyboards in the Android Market. I find myself saving more and more keystrokes the more I use it. If you elect to do so, you can point the application to learn from existing posts on your Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as your GMail and SMS messages.

The most impressive (and scary) thing about Swiftkey X is that I have been able to write entire sentences without typing a single letter or digit. The fact that the keyboard application has access to my Twitter and Facebook can scare some, but isn’t your Facebook and Twitter public domain anyways? I am fine with this, but some might be weary; just don’t enable the feature that accesses your accounts, it’s as simple as that. All records will be contained locally on your phone.

I highly recommend Swiftkey X for Android as your default keyboard app!

More screenshots of the Swiftkey X Keyboard for Android:

Fool’s Gold Radio: February Mix

Derek — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 05:41:23 +0000

Tracklist:

A-Trak, the big bad wolf himself!

1. A-Trak & Zinc – Stingray (A-Trak Intro Edit)
2. Monkey Safari – Fat Papa (Country Club Remix)
3. NT89 – Voices
4. Kwanzaa Posse – Musika (Ralph Falcon and Oscar Gaetan Murk Miami Mix)
5. Samuel Dan – Let Me See You
6. Claptone – Cream
7. NTFO & Rhadow – Don’t Stop
8. Machinedrum – DDD
9. Hoshina Anniversary – Chicago
10. Wax Motif & Neoteric – Das Machines
11. Zeds Dead – Rumble In The Jungle
12. Kill Frenzy – Booty Clap
13. Epworth – Ain’t Hard
14. Djedjotronic – Walk With Me
15. Rihanna & Calvin Harris – We Found Love (Solidisco Remix)
16. Treasure Fingers & Malente – Crusaders
17. Alec Carlsson – Paris Fried Chicken (J Paul Ghetto Remix)
18. Oliver Twizt – Love Trip (David Jones Remix)
19. Martin Solveig – The Night Out (A-Trak Remix)
20. Laidback Luke, Arno Cost & Norman Doray – Trilogy
21. Boys Noize & Erol Alkan – Lemonade (Gesaffelstein Remix)
22. WhoMadeWho – Inside World (Digitalism Remix)

Source: http://djatrak.com/2012/02/16/fools-gold-radio-february-mix/

Foster The People – Houdini (Live in Solana Beach)

Derek — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:22:19 +0000

Foster The People’s hit song “Houdini” makes me feel so happy! This song is definitely the feel good music I like to hear after eating some fried chicken from Dinah’s Diner. My tummy is happy and now my ears are happy!

Derek Quotables

Derek — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:28:58 +0000

Sometimes the wind just blows you a fart; you have no control over it.

Why I Chose Yelp Over Foursquare

Derek — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:15:16 +0000

My newest love...what took me so long?

Recently, I have been migrating from Foursquare to Yelp because I think Yelp is superior in many ways. Don’t get me wrong, Foursquare is very good and I have to give credit to them for coining the term “check-in” in the world of social media. The innovation of check-ins gave Yelp, an already unique reviews based service, new wind. I really like what Yelp has done with places you’ve checked in in the past. It reminds you that last week you went to a new restaurant and asks if you want to review it. Amazing.

Another strength I see in Yelp is that it offers more information about a specific establishment. Yes, you can see who the “Duke” or “Dutchess” is (al la what Foursquare calls “Mayor”), quick tips, and addresses, but you also can see prices, in-depth reviews, and ratings. I also like the numerous profile options they have, it makes for a more rich and content driven social media hub. I want to also use Yelp as a tool to develop a writing style that I don’t ordinarily get to exercise — plus, I want to have fun! I love to eat and I live to eat!

After a few inner-discussions with myself, I have decided to attempt to make Yelp Elite 2012. I need to beef up the number of reviews I have on Yelp, but I feel that my writing style and knack for flavor are strong. I hope to make it big!