Ucombo for Independent Musicians

Hailed by listeners as "The only UK rapper I'd spend money on," Jovel Walker, also known as Random Impulse just released his newest independent album "Full Metal Alchemist".

Ucombo: We've had the pleasure listening to the tracks on your newest release "Full Metal Alchemist". I'm very much impressed by your clear sense of descriptiveness shown in the songs and your unique rapping style.

Ucombo: Could you tell us about the inspiration and story behind making this wonderful new project?

Jovel: you want the truth? anime! i'm a super nerd and i watch Japanese religously. The concept behind the album is based on a theory i took from the anime "full metal alchemist" (hence the album tittle) which is alchemy is understanding matter, breaking it down, then reconstructing it as somthing else, so what i did is take all my musical influences break them down, then take all the bits that i found amazing and used it to make something completely different. Nerdy as hell right?

Ucombo: You sold an astonishing 10,000 units of independently with your first debut release "Word On The Street" in a short space of 6 months. What do you consider to be the most important factor in making that possible?

Jovel: Id have to say plain old drive and determination if im honest. theres SO many ways to get yourself out there and rather then just think about doing something, i actually DO it. Whether it be hitting the roads of oxford street selling cd's or messaging 100 people every day on myspace, i get on with it, and it all helps. theres no smoke, mirrors or miracle walk through guides im afraid peeps, just work your ass off


Ucombo: You were signed to extremely successful garage label Social Circles alongside underground superstars such as Dexplicit, Donae'o, ms dynamite and sticky as early as 2003. You must have only been around 17 years old at that time. Could you tell us more about your early musical life? How did you get started?

Jovel: I got into music really late, i spent my days studying to be a genetic engineer, then my friend showed me jay-z's blueprint two and it changed my life. next thing you know i was on stage with dizzee rascal at the 2003 peoples choice awards. I cant explained the actual trasition from science to music, it just flowed and i picked it up really quicky. I've still got loads of catching up to do though music wise: i still havent heard any of 2pacs or biggies albums, i havent even got around to hearing nas's illmatic yet!

Click here to read more about this interview.

Genres are specific tools that artists choose to express their feelings, views, and visions. Some artists do not confine themselves into one genre instead they use a more crossing genre style to define their style thus making their music stand out among the many. It is apparent to say the least that 22 year old UK based Random Impulse is one of the great talents who is distinctively recognized for his unique genre-crossing concepts.

Hailed by listeners as "The only UK rapper I'd spend money on," Random Impulse's newest independent release "Full Metal Alchemist" truly shows his multi-faceted persona perfectly. Unlike many other artists of the same genre, his song concepts stretch across an unusually large spectrum. Read more about his new CD release.

Why should you give away free music on the internet? One obvious reason is that people don’t need to pay. People I mean by teenagers and generation Y and beyond. Those are the audiences who don’t understand life without the internet. You probably can find a free copy of any given song on the internet if you dig far enough. The latest proof to this is that big record labels are teaming up with the social networking sites to promote and distribute music. This is the marketing niche where independent musicians have had since the beginning of the internet usage. So how much impact will the indie musicians feel? Big. The social networking communities have been independent musicians’ marketing channel, the entry of big players will certainly push the small bands to the back burner. For independent musicians to achieve any form of success on the Internet, they have to take radical steps that big labels won’t take such as giving away music for free. At this point we don’t know how the record label/social networking music alliance will work out, but one thing for certain is that the music won’t be all for free downloading.

There are many talented music artists. Unfortunately, not all of them were able to land a recording contract. That is the sad plight that many bands of different genres and from different parts of the world are facing.

A recording contract is an important factor to spell a band’s success. As mentioned earlier, not all the bands in the world were lucky to enjoy such a privilege. But even then, unsigned bands should never lose hope, especially now that avenues are available to promote unrecognized talents.

The Internet indeed has opened many doors of opportunities for every body – including record hopefuls. To date, there are countless online sites in operation that offer promotion grounds for unsigned bands and artists who are looking to get closer to their dreams of becoming recording stars.

Promotion and marketing need to be effective for any unsigned band to be recognized. Music sites serve as a pathway for band artists to get signed by way of featuring their music in a sweet, sweet package. Undoubtedly, they provide the elusive opportunity for the music of unsigned bands to get its needed exposure. When record honchos want to come up with a fresh talent, they look through those music sites and see what are in store. If anything impressed them, they would start getting in touch with the band and soon enough, a record (and stardom!) is underway! That process, however, is not as simple as it may seem...click to read more about the Secret to Get Signed

You have just formed your own band but do not know how to promote your music. Having an unsigned band promoted is tough for several reasons. For starters, you do not have enough money to help you promote your music and CDs. More so, even if you have gigs, there is no way that you can receive top dollar from those gigs for that fact that your band is just starting out in the business.

Aside from those reasons, another factor that plays a major role in promoting your band is your fans. If you are in an unsigned band it is particularly hard to acquire an audience and even if you do, only a few of them are willing to pay for your CDs or watch your live performances.

The music industry is a business. Not knowing the ins and outs of it can make one drive off course and lose sight of the goal. It is hard but important to learn the inner workings of the music industry but with helpful guidelines, you can slowly make your way to the top.

Prepare Your Demos

You have spent hours and hours in your garage trying to get your demo sound like an actual record though it does not seem to sound like one. Even if you have sophisticated equipments to help you create top-notch music, it is difficult to make a demo if you do not know how to make the most out of those equipments.
One thing you need to remember that a demo should only be demo. However, this does not mean that it cannot have quality. Sometimes, the problem is not with your equipment but with your arrangement. For instance, if you have a ballad the sounds excellent with just a vocal and a piano...click here to read more.