| |
 Tune
Into The Net
By Elva Ramirez
This
edition of Cyber*Kool originally was featured in the Winter 2000 issue
of ATOMIC Magazine.
One of the most convenient quirks of the Internet is the appearance
of online radio channels. They allow you to choose exactly the
kind of music you want to hear and tune in anywhere in the world,
so you can listen to something other and a clacking keyboard
while seated at your desktop. Unfortunately, since Net radio
technology is still young, even the most sophisticated sites
are fraught with static, unreliable connections and mediocre
sound. But what is out there is promising, if you're willing
to overlook some breaks in you music now and then. So next time
you're whiling away the night flirting in some chat room, try
a few of these swingin' sites on for size.
Imagine
Radio
Recently purchased by MTV, Imagine Radio has revamped its
image. There are now two ways to listen to music: through the
site's preset stations or through a "personal station"
designed by you—sort of. Federal law prohibits Internet
sites from allowing listeners to pick their choice of individual
songs and albums; so while the first version of Imagine Radio
allowed you yo be your own DJ and play only the artists you
wanted to hear, that is no longer possible. Now, your personal
station allows you to "weigh" how often a particular
genre (a group of artists chosen by the station) is played.
It's not very personal if you have to put up with a whole slew
f whiny American artists (rockabilly is filed in with folk/blues)
just to hear one cut from Big Sandy. Still, at least one can
narrow it down.
To
hear anything, you have to download the Imagine Radio player,
which offers some neat options and a pleasing design. But even
if you have a Real Player G2 and windows 98, Imagine Radio will
still make you download the windows player for the highest-quality
sound. The site is still quite nice, but not as great as it
was the first time around, which often happens when large corporations
take over. One can only hope Imagine Radio will work out its
kinks.
Spinner.Com
Boasting more than 120 music channels and more than 250,000
songs, Spinner is the most high-profile Net broadcaster, giving
music lovers by far the most choices on the Web. Using the site
requires most choices on the Web. Using the site requires downloading
the Spinner Player (which has an obnoxious way of automatically
loading every time you start your computer, even after you've
apparently deleted all its programs). The Spinner Player has
too many nifty options to name here, but let's just say its
creators have thought of nearly everything you didn't know you
needed. They also clearly appreciate the nuances of listening
to different genres of music, such as trance versus techno,
or swing versus big band. For example, the Swing Dance channel
features an upbeat song selection that is great for Lindy Hopping,
and a good radio of new to old artists, including a few pleasant
surprises from some relative unknowns. The Swing channel, on
the other hand, features lots of swinging jazz from the '30s
to the '50s, not necessarily all danceable. SinatraStyle is,
as one would expect, a tribute to Frank and his legacy of fellow
crooners. The selection tends to be on the softer side, but
you'll occasionally hear some swingin' stuff, like Frank's Capitol
years recordings. Softer still is Lounge, inspired by the quirkiness
of Ultra Lounge compilations, and a great place to catch Dean
Martin. Big Band covers only the masters; no neo-swing orchestras
here. Other channels worth checking include Rockabilly, Ellingtonia,
and Crooners. (A word of warning: The latter two can cause drowsiness
at work.)
Online
Music
An international network of mostly live radio sites broadcasting
on the Web, as opposed to those that are strictly Internet-based,
Online Music offers a vast selection of streaming music clips.
The site required Real Player G2, and selections can be loaded
either by individual song or the entire radio show, depending
on the station. Given its format, Online Music is subject to
Internet congestion. There is lots of of buffering and static,
and the server connection is unreliable—a song might shift
between mono and stereo sound while playing as the connection
clears up, making for a disruptive listening experience. There
is also no artist, album or song identification; thus one is
left in the dark while listening. Still, the site offers several
channels worth clicking on. For example, Rock-it Radio (under
"Oldies" in the station directory) is delivered in
live audio format and hosted by DJ Bennie Dingo out of Ventura,
California. Dingo knows his stuff and plays a top-notch selection
of '50s and '60s rockabilly, rock-and-roll and doo-wop, highlighting
small hits and lost gems not otherwise found in common compilations
or on greatest hits stations. The drawback is the sometimes
poor sound quality, which leaves Dingo's words lost at low volumes.
Rockabilly
Radio
A service of the aforementioned Online Music site, rockabillyradio.com
bills itself as "The World's Only 24-Hour Rockabilly Network,"
but the site's wasted potential is heartbreaking. Only 16 sound
clips load, at least four of which are commercials, and the
song lineup has apparently not changed for several months. All
the songs played are stellar choices, although the artist and
track names are not provided. Overall, visiting this site is
more like listening to a good CD than an online radio network.
SwingRadio.com
On this weekly, hour-long radio show out of Minneapolis,
DJ Gregg Wolfe posts his playlists and streaming audio online.
(There is no conversation, only music.) As with most other Net
stations, you need Real Player G2 to listen in, and the sound
quality wavers at times. On the plus side, you can hear the
entire program from the four most recent shows and see playlists
dating back to the beginning of the year. Wolfe also has a good
ear for highlighting songs and artists not usually heard or
known. Since the show is only an hour, some jumps in song styles
can be less than subtle, but there's a new lineup each week,
making this a site to check frequently.
|
|
|
