Bandlez Launch Generative AI Program for Creating Samples

The application of AI technology is getting even more granular with the launch of a new generative sample program, Soundry AI.

Early users of the prompt-based program, which was created by electronic music duo Bandlez, have heralded it as the next big thing in sound design. Demos of the Soundry program illuminate the promise of being able to generate on-the-spot samples by way of prompting with stylistic descriptors, instrumentation and even the desired musical key.

“Our team is asking the question: What if we used generative AI to empower artists rather than replace them?” Soundry AI CEO Mark Buckler tells EDM.com. “There are a surprisingly large number of AI music generators out there, but they all amount to selecting a few drop-down options, waiting a few minutes, and then inevitably being unsatisfied with the result. By focusing on sample generation instead of song generation we can deliver high quality results more quickly while also giving artists fine-grained control.”

Bandlez published a brief demo showcasing how in just a few prompts, producers can assemble foundations of a song all from scratch. The producers have earned a reputation in their own right for cutting-edge sound design in the world of bass music, and Soundry provides the potential for other artists to achieve similarly groundbreaking results by either riffing off of AI-generated samples or simply plugging the output directly into their tracks.

“It’s insane the amount of love and also opposition we’ve had but we’re really excited to enable folks with the power of AI,” added Diandre Ruiz of Bandlez. “All too often we see tech innovation start at the corporate level and work its way down to everyday people like us. We’re really excited to be getting AI into music in a way that’s by artists, for artists.

To receive access to the Soundry Beta launch, fill out this form.

View the original article to see embedded media.

FOLLOW BANDLEZ:

Facebook: facebook.com/bandlez
Twitter: twitter.com/bandlez
Instagram: instagram.com/bandlez
Spotify: spoti.fi/3kLvsWc

FOLLOW SOUNDRY:

Twitter: twitter.com/SoundryAI
Instagram: instagram.com/soundry.ai
YouTube: youtube.com/@SoundryAI
TikTok: tiktok.com/@soundry.ai





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Post Malone on how magic mushroom use has affected his memory


Post Malone has revealed how using magic mushrooms has impacted his short-term memory.

The rapper was taking part in a new interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe on Wednesday (July 26) when he revealed that he has suffered long-term side effects from magic mushrooms.

“Yeah, I take shrooms,” he told Lowe. “I like shrooms… [but] not as much as I used to. It’s really affected my short-term memory. Maybe it was just a stint of habitual overuse. Daily. But now I take a little bar of chocolate with my buddies, a little square chocolate and just laugh and laugh and laugh.”

He continued, explaining how he has seen the drug used to treat people suffering from PTSD, and how he believes it can often lead to a more ‘positive’ response than pharmaceuticals.

“I was talking to a ranger buddy of mine. He was a ranger and he was saying they’re giving it to guys for PTSD and stuff. And I was like, oh that’s cool because a lot of the times, a lot of pharmaceuticals, they have negative reactions often,” he explained. “It’s cool to see that they’re giving them this medicine and it’s actually working.

“He was saying his buddy was going through it and it really helped him a lot. I don’t know. It’s interesting because it’s improved. It has improved my view on things.”

Elsewhere in the discussion, Malone also reflected on how his outlook has become more optimistic in his latest album ‘Austin’, and explored the ways in which having a child has pushed him to tone down his reckless lifestyle.

“Making the last record – well, writing it – I was so, so sad. But now I’m so happy and it’s definitely improved my viewpoint on life,” he admitted. “Having a baby really put a lot into perspective, and it’s really slowed me down a lot, party-wise, going out and being crazy.

“I just want to take some time now,” he continued. “And actually you mentioned all the accoutrements of success and everything that comes with that. Now I just want to take a second and enjoy it.”

The comments regarding his stance on drugs come following various concerns from fans in recent years. He previously admitted to struggling with alcoholism and, back in 2020, fans took to social media to show their worry for the musician after he was seen stumbling, slurring his words and rolling his eyes back whilst performing in Memphis.

The rapper later took to the stage and addressed the comments – denying ever being on drugs and saying he felt “the best I’ve ever fucking felt in my life”.

Concerns arose again in April of this year when he was speculated to be on drugs after losing a significant amount of weight.

“I wanted to say that I’m not doing drugs, I’ve had a lot of people ask me about my weight loss and I’d suppose, performance on stage. I’m having a lot of fun performing, and have never felt healthier,” he said, addressing the rumours on Instagram. “I guess dad life kicked in and I decided to kick soda, and start eating better so I can be around for a long time for this little angel. Next up is smokes and brews, but I like to consider myself a patient man…”

Last week, Malone dropped his latest album ‘Austin’, which he described as capturing “who I am as a man and as an artist in this moment”.

The LP received a four-star rating from NME, who praised the rapper for delivering a thoughtful and introspective album, that showed fans a more personal side to him than ever before.

“Though his notable genre-defying skills are still here in ‘Austin’, Posty’s clearly veering off in new creative directions, which is a bold choice to make considering his formula thus far has pushed him to global acclaim,” it read.

“‘Austin’ is a thoughtful look back at all the vices and drinking that led to that comedown and a quick hopeful glance at what could happen next. The subject matter may be cutting at times – like when Malone recalls being so messed up he’s talking to nobody, throwing up on a tile floor and not wanting to sober up in ‘Mourning’ – but instead of each track playing out painfully, the album’s intricate production acts like a spoonful of sugar to help the bitterness go down.”





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Travis Scott fans throw ‘Utopia’ party at Egypt Pyramids despite cancelled show


Fans of Travis Scott threw a release party for his new album ‘Utopia‘ at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt this weekend, despite plans for a concert at the historic site being cancelled.

Earlier this month, the rapper announced a special launch show and livestream at the Pyramids, which was due to take place Friday (July 28), for his fourth album ‘Utopia’.

The show was then cancelled two days before due to “complex production issues”, as confirmed by Live Nation Middle East on social media.

“Unfortunately, despite highest efforts, complex production issues meant that the show could not be constructed in the desert. We understand that this news is disappointing and not the outcome any of us desired,” Live Nation wrote.

Scott later said that he still intends to perform at the pyramids, but at a later date.

“Egypt at the pyramids will happen But due to demand and detail logistics They just need a bit a time to set lay on lands,” the rapper said in a tweet.

Despite plans for the concert being put on hold, some fans still turned up to celebrate the new album’s release at the Pyramids of Giza.

Footage circulating on social media shows fans rapping the lyrics to ‘No Bystanders’ from Scott’s 2018 album ‘Astroworld‘.

The cancellation came as the Egyptian Musicians Syndicate appeared to announce earlier this month that the show would no longer go ahead due to safety concerns and “peculiar rituals performed by the star during his performance, contradicting our authentic societal values and traditions.”

Live Nation then issued a statement refuting the claims, saying: “There have been no changes to Travis Scott’s show in Egypt; any reports to the contrary are false.”

In a three-star review of ‘Utopia’, NME described the album, as a “lofty concept” that’s “shakily executed”, adding: “The Houston rapper’s first album since 2018 teases a brave new sonic world, but has little to say about what might happen if we get there.”

The new album’s credits feature Beyoncé, SZA, Kanye West, Daft Punk‘s Guy-Manuel and more.





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Greta Gerwig reveals how she got Ryan Gosling to sing on the ‘Barbie’ soundtrack


Barbie director Greta Gerwig has revealed how she got Ryan Gosling to perform a track for the film’s soundtrack.

The director was speaking as part of a new interview with Rolling Stone when she reflected on the song ‘I’m Just Ken’ – a track from the film performed by the leading actor.

In the discussion, she admitted that she initially believed that he would have been reluctant to perform the song, and therefore took a very specific approach to convincing him to do it.

“He has a beautiful voice, and he’s a beautiful dancer. We kind of got there organically. I think if I had said, “I want you to sing and dance in this movie,” he would not have necessarily done that for me,” she began.

“But it was kind of that thing of boiling a lobster. I think by the time he was singing and dancing, he didn’t even totally know how we had gotten there,” she added. “But he’s so fabulous at it.”

She also shed light on the inspiration behind the track, and how songwriters Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt wanted ‘I’m Just Ken’ to draw similarities to artists such as Meat Loaf.

“Mark Ronson talked a lot about glam-rock and Meat Loaf and the drama of that kind of song. And then Mark and his songwriting partner Andrew Wyatt wrote ‘I’m Just Ken’. They didn’t even have all the lyrics. They just had a feeling and the skeleton and the lyric “I’m just Ken” and it just evolved from there,” she said.

“Because I was born in ’83 and going to movies in the Nineties, I wanted to create a moment that felt like those movies from the Nineties, when they had soundtracks to movies that ended up at Costco.”

Elsewhere in the interview, she also admitted that Gosling was the only actor she had in mind for the role of Ken, and that both she and lead actress Margot Robbie refused to “take no for an answer”.

“From the moment that Margot came to me and I knew we were making this for Margot, I equally knew we were making this for Ryan,” she said. “And I did not know Ryan at all. I’d never met him. I just was sure, and as soon as I thought of it, it made me so happy. Who else could do this? It’s some combination of Marlon Brando meets Gene Wilder meets John Barrymore meets John Travolta.”

Earlier this month, it was revealed that Guns N’ Roses icon Slash also appeared alongside Gosling on ‘I’m Just Ken’, and provided the blistering guitar track that sits behind the actor’s vocals.

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling during the opening dance scene in ‘Barbie’. CREDIT: Warner Bros

Other artists featured in the star-studded soundtrack include Billie Eilish, Sam Smith, Charlie XCX, Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice, and Dua Lipa.

In other Ryan Gosling news, the actor publicly gifted a guitar from the movie to BTS’ Jimin, after he “copied” one of his outfits.

“Hi Jimin, it’s Ryan Gosling here. I notice that your ‘Permission to Dance’ outfit is the same as my Ken outfit in the upcoming movie, Barbie. I have to give it to you — you wore it first… You definitely wore it best,” he said.

“There’s an unspoken Ken code that if you bite another Ken’s style, you have to give them your most prized possession. I hope you’ll accept Ken’s guitar as my humble offering.”





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Hinds announce departure of drummer and bassist


Hinds have announced the departure of bassist Ade Martín and drummer Amber Grimbergen.

The Spanish indie band made the announcement in a social media post last week, sharing that Martín and Grimbergen had “decided to leave the band” back in December, and that they were “sorry we haven’t been able to let you know until now”.

Founding members Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote also said they planned to continue as a duo.

“You might feel as heartbroken as we felt, but luckily music has the power to heal an aching soul,” they wrote. “We’ve been through something very hurtful but we’re gonna carry on: we believe in Hinds more than anything in the world. If you’re in, we are in.”

A joint statement from Martín and Grimbergen shared on the band’s social media read: “After a lot of thought, we’ve realised that continuing with the band isn’t something that makes sense for us any more. Looking back at these 9 years, playing our songs on stages around the world and sharing all of that with you, makes the decision of leaving those amazing times behind, the most difficult of our lives.”

It continued: “At the same time we’re excited about what’s next. We’re excited about having new experiences with new and different projects. We’re excited about this new chapter in our lives.”

They went on to thank their former bandmates, crew members, labels, managers and more from throughout their time as a band.

“We’re gonna miss you, but we’ll be around,” they concluded the post.

In a follow-up post shared yesterday (July 30), the band thanked fans for the “love and kindness” they’d received. “Y’all have been so positive it has felt like a hug to our hearts.”

They continued: “We have made peace with things happening that we can’t control, with accepting the resources we have, trusting music and songwriting. almostthere.”

Back in 2020, Hinds spoke to NME about the importance of women learning to play musical instruments, and creating their own tutorials to support this.

“I think a big reason for girls not starting [to learn] instruments or starting bands is that they feel stupid. It’s like, ‘Ooh – I’m too far behind,” Perrote said. “I’m not going to start now because all my friends are the fucking best already.’ I think it’s really cool that we explained the easier stuff as well as the harder stuff. I think it would be useful if I was watching it when I was 13.”

Their last album, 2020’s ‘The Prettiest Curse’, was awarded four stars by NME, writing that the record saw them “embrace pop with confidence”. It continued: “Album three sees the band sing in Spanish for the first time and ditch their tried-and-tested musical formula. The experiment has paid off.”





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Disturbed’s pyro set offs sprinkler system during Houston concert


Disturbed found themselves drenched towards the end of their recent concert in Houston, Texas, after accidentally setting off the sprinkler system at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.

  • READ MORE: Disturbed – ‘Evolution’ review

The band took to social media following their July 28 to share a video of their closing song ‘Inside The Fire’ as the sprinkler system rained down on them. “Our #TakeBackYourLifeTour was too hot to handle in Houston. Let’s hear it for the sprinkler system,” the band quipped.

Frontman David Draiman wrote on his personal social media account: “Well, last night in Houston was a first! Our pyro set off the fire suppression system onstage at the end of the set for a surprise rain shower onstage lol.”

In a fan-shot video, the band can be seen performing ‘Inside The Fire’ to close out their set, with extensive pyro set off above them. In the middle of the performance, the venue’s sprinkler system was set off, extinguishing the flames and soaking the band.

Watch the moment below.

Disturbed are currently touring North America as part of their ‘Take Back Your Life’ tour, which will wrap up in September. The tour is in support of their December 2022 album, ‘Divisive’.

In May, David Draiman revealed that he had a tumour in his arm removed. “Doing a bunch of press today, zoom stuff, so this is going to get out anyway,” he wrote on May 31. “I had a tumour removed from my rt radius last week. It had been keeping me up nights. Should have biopsy results tomorrow. Thoughts, prayers, positive energy all welcome.”

The following day, he shared an update that the tumour was benign and that he would be back on the road again shortly after.

Most recently, Draiman condemned Roger Waters during a recent concert in Tel Aviv, where he also performed the Isreali national anthem ‘Hatikva’. “Fuck Roger Waters and all the rest of his BDS [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions] nazi assholes — every last single one of them. We don’t need that shit. We’ve survived worse than them and we will continue surviving worse than them,” Draiman said.





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Listen to The Pretenders’ melodic new single ‘The Love’


The Pretenders have shared a brand new single – listen to ‘The Love’ below.

  • READ MORE: Chrissie Hynde: “People die of loneliness – it’s an epidemic”

The track is the latest song to be released from the band’s upcoming album ‘Relentless’, which is due out on September 15 via Parlophone.

“I suppose that’s the most traditionally Pretenders-sounding song on the album, in
the vein of ‘Kid’ or ‘Talk of the Town’ or any of the mid tempo ones over the years,” Chrissie Hynde said of the new track in a statement.

“I often see love / relationships almost in the same vein as drug addiction. Although,
having said that, I know I am jaded, and cynical… ‘The Buzz’ on Hate for Sale visited
the same theme.”

Listen to ‘The Love’ below.

‘Relentless’ was first previewed earlier this summer by the track ‘Let The Sun Come In’. The upcoming release will mark the band’s 12th full-length LP, and follows on from their 2020 album ‘Hate For Sale’.

According to the members, the album is set to represent a snapshot of where the band are in 2023, and arrive with the same “impulsiveness” and “attitude” that they captured in previous fan-favourites, including ‘I’ll Stand By You’ and ‘Back On The Chain Gang’.

“I liked the definition: ‘showing no abatement of intensity,’” said Chrissie Hynde of the meaning behind the title. “It’s the life of the artist. You never retire. You become relentless.”

One of these surprises on ‘Relentless’ will come in the form of a long-awaited collaboration between the band and esteemed composer Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead, The Smile) — appearing as the album’s closing track ‘I Think About You Daily’. Check out the full tracklist below, as well as the first nostalgic single to be shared, ‘Let The Sun Come In’. Pre-order ‘Relentless’ here.

Earlier this summer, the band played Glastonbury’s Park Stage and were joined by The Smiths legend Johnny Marr and Foo Fighters‘ Dave Grohl.





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Jungle share unique, interactive video for ‘Back On 74’


Jungle have shared a new track called ‘Back On 74’, along with a unique, interactive music video – watch it below.

The pop duo will release new album ‘Volcano’ on August 11, and it was first previewed by the single ‘Candle Flame’.

The ‘Back On 74’ video is touted as a ‘music video art gallery’, with an ever-changing range of 10,000 images changing on each view.

When viewing the video – created with WeTransfer – fans are able to download any of the images, with another then automatically taking its place for others to see.

Watch the video here.

Jungle. CREDIT: Press.

“I think for Jungle, it’s actually really the most honest record we’ve made,” the band’s J Lloyd told NME of ‘Volcano’.

“In my head, I see us as like Daft Punk or Chemical Brothers – that sort of duo that makes electronic music. But we’ve always had this soul side and this love for soul music, so it’s always been a little bit more song-based. The new record is just an extension of that journey.”

Jungle will also play a huge London show for this year’s All Points East festival in Victoria Park. The duo play Victoria Park on Saturday, August 26, with Erykah Badu, Folamour, BADBADNOTGOOD, 070 Shake, Tobe Nwigwe, Charlotte Day Wilson, Lil Silva, Ragz Originale and Pretty Girl also on the line-up. You can find tickets here.

The band will also head out on a major North American and European headline tour later this year. Tickets are on sale here.





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Metallica’s Lars Ulrich writes foreword for new edition of Hunter S Thompson’s ‘Screwjack’


Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has written the foreword for a new edition of Hunter S Thompson’s book Screwjack.

The collection of short stories were originally printed in 1991, and have just received a brand new edition.

Announcing his introduction to the book, Ulrich wrote on Instagram: “Beyond psyched to have had the opportunity to write an introduction for the latest edition of Hunter S. Thompson’s ’91 collection of short stories, Screwjack.

“Reading these stories remind me what a treasure — and mindfuck — Hunter S. Thompson’s immortal words continue to be.”

He added: “Check it out if you like things wild, salacious and unsettling.”

Elsewhere, last month Metallica dropped a new live EP titled ‘The Amsterdam Sessions’. The four-track EP, recorded in April at Ready Set Studios in Amsterdam, consists of ’72 Seasons’ cuts ‘Lux Æterna’ and ‘If Darkness Had A Son’, alongside classics ‘Master Of Puppets’ and ‘Nothing Else Matters’.

Metallica most recently released their 11th studio album ’72 Seasons’ in April via their own label, Blackened. The record scored a four-star review from NME, with Kevin EG Perry writing: “For young fans just now learning the joys of heavy rock – perhaps lured in by the appearance of this band’s 1986 classic ‘Master of Puppets’ on Netflix megahit Stranger Things last year – this new record will be a fitting gateway drug. For everyone else there’s simply the reassuring thrill that, after so many decades on stage, Metallica are still capable of delivering sharp, spiky metal – and sticking it where the sun doesn’t shine.”

The band wrapped up their ongoing European tour this July, and will then embark on an extensive US tour from August until November. Metallica will next kickoff their second European leg of the ’72 Seasons’ tour in May 2024, which will conclude in July that same year.





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Stormzy pledges to fund 36 black Cambridge students


“For a further 30 black students to have the opportunity to study at Cambridge University – the same year we celebrate five years of the scholarships’ launch – feels like an incredible landmark moment,” the grime star told BBC News.

Prof Bhaskar Vira, pro-vice-chancellor for education, also said he was “delighted” the collaboration was continuing.





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