The Day of the Dead is a Mexican celebration to honor people we’ve loved that have died. In music we’ve lost many talented and distinguished personalities and… it is not that we don’t notice the absence of Cobain, Lennon, Harrison, Morrison, Marley or even Gershwin, but in this particular Día de Muertos we celebrate:

1. Elliott Smith
1969–2003
American singer/songwriter and musician.
Notable work: Either/Or

2. Celia Cruz
1925–2003
Cuban-American salsa singer.
Notable work: ¡100% Azucar!: The Best of Celia Cruz

3. Ian Curtis
1956–1980
English, lead singer and lyricist of Joy Division.
Notable work: Substance

4. Johnny Cash
1932–2003
American country/rock and roll singer/songwriter.
Notable work: Man in Black: Greatest Hits

5. Joe Strummer
1952–2002
English, co-founder, lyricist and lead singer of The Clash.
Notable work: London Calling

6. James Brown
1933–2006
American entertainer, singer, songwriter and record producer.
Notable work: 20 All-Time Greatest Hits!

7. Mark Sandman
1952–1999
American songwriter, musical instrument inventor and multi-instrumentalist, lead singer of Morphine.
Notable work: Cure for Pain

8. Ol’ Dirty Bastard
1968–2004
American MC, co-founder of the Wu-Tang Clan.
Notable work: Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

9. Suba
1961–1999
Serbian musician and composer and one of Brazil’s most prominent producers.
Notable work: São Paulo Confessions

10. Juan García Esquivel
1918–2002
Mexican band leader, pianist, and film score composer.
Notable work: Space-Age Bachelor Pad Music

11. Barry White
1944–2003
American record producer and singer/songwriter.
Notable work: All-Time Greatest Hits

12. Miguel “Angá” Díaz
1961–2006
Cuban percussionist.
Notable work: Echu Mingua

13. Compay Segundo
1907–2003
Cuban musician and songwriter.
Notable work: Calle Salud / Buena Vista Social Club

14. Fela Kuti
1938–1997
Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer.
Notable work: Shuffering and Shmiling / Gentleman

15. Max Roach
1924–2007
American jazz, bebop/hard bop percussionist, drummer, and composer.
Notable work: Jazz at Massey Hall / Percussion Bitter Sweet

16. Ibrahim Ferrer
1927–2005
Cuban singer and musician.
Notable work: Buena Vista Social Club Presents: Ibrahim Ferrer / Buena Vista Social Club

17. And all your loved ones
The people you’ve loved that is now gone, we salute them… (happy Day of the Dead dad!)

The Church - Starfish

Our instruments have no way of measuring this feeling …the feeling that this album gives me everytime I listen to its fine, clean and well-arranged production that was made possible by Waddy & Richard Wachtel. Sometimes big sales mean not-so-good music, but fortunately this is not the case, Starfish, The Church’s biggest selling album is their best. This mysterious, elegant, melancholic and hypnotic work is a fundamental piece in Australian rock.

Key Name: Russell Kilbey
Prevailing Style: Rock
Best Track: Destination

Gus Gus - Polydistortion

I clearly remember listening to this album for the first time back in 1997, my mind went numb, I was astonished… Gus Gus’ first proper album, Polydistortion, is an electronic, avant-garde masterpiece that will make you dance. Made by an Icelandic collective formed by actors, designers and filmmakers this mellow, quirky and powerful mixture of electronic, funk, jazz, indie and hip-hop is a must-have.

Key Name: Daníel Ágúst/Magnús Jónsson
Prevailing Style: Trip-Hop
Best Track: Believe

Scissor Sisters - Scissor Sisters

Since we’ve listened to almost everything when it comes to rock music in the 2000’s it is extremely complicated to make an outstanding rock album, nevertheless the five-piece band Scissor Sisters manage to achieve that, and when they do it by stealing bits and pieces from 70’s music, it’s even more admirable. The New Yorkers mix disco chunks with Stevie Wonder’s portions, Elton John’s globs, Pink Floyd’s particles and Bee Gees’ nuggets to create a sexy, gay, drag-queenie, glam-rocker and wonderfully rhythmic collage named Scissor Sisters.

Key Name: Jason Sellards/Scott Hoffman
Prevailing Style: Dance Rock
Best Track: Take Your Mama

Zune has visualized an interesting way to promote their music players, if you visit their web page zune-arts.net you can find the engagement between some of the most talented video artists and renown musicians like Ratatat, Gotan Project, Bitter: Sweet, Regina Spektor, Lily Allen, Goldfrapp, MIS, among others.

MIS (Mexican Institute of Sound a.k.a. Instituto Mexicano del Sonido or IMS) contributing with their song Cybermambo was one of my favorites and therefore I want to share this extraordinary material, this song appears in their debut album Méjico Máxico, we also recommend their new album “Piñata“.

The electric cello is a bowed stringed instrument, member of the violin family. To produce its sound it depends on electronic amplification instead of relying on acoustic resonance and that’s the reason why many of them have little or no body shape.

The advantage of the electric cello is that it can produce a wider range of sounds and effects, like an electric guitar, but this is also the disadvantage since the sound is less organic and rich than a traditional violoncello.

You can make your own electric cello.

Check out this Argentine Indie Rock band, Contramano, lead by Pablo Cubarle who uses an electric cello.