Awesome Music

The men of steel, the men of power are losing control by the hour… The mighty Floppotron takes on one the ’80s biggest hits, Genesis’ sociopolitical commentary wrapped in a pop song, Land of Confusion. It’s perhaps even more relevant today than it was 30 years ago.

“So just swing or fling a gathering, try to cling, ’cause It’s a Big Daddy thing.” The Juice Crew’s Big Daddy Kane showed NPR Music that swag is immortal with pared down renditions of Smooth Operator, Ain’t No Half Steppin’ and Raw. Long Live the Kane!

During most of his concerts, musician Rob Scallon performs Rain, a tune that relies heavily on a delay effect pedal. But he recently decided to see if he could replicate the sound through a combination of room acoustics and enlisting the help of two other guitar players.

Guitarist Luca Stricagnoli impresses yet again with a fantastic fingerstyle trio of tracks by the godfathers of rave music The Prodigy: Invaders Must Die, Omen, and Voodoo People, performed while he wanders through seemingly endless stacks of freight containers.

It’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights… Heavy metal musician Leo Moracchioli takes on the theme song from The Muppet Show in the best possible way, with a puppet-filled music video, and a growly interpretation of the tune that would make Animal proud.

Metaphump performs jazzy funk covers of rock and metal tunes. Here, they turn in an excellent rendition of Rage Against the Machine’s Killing in the Name, with a groovy bassline and vibrant horn section. Their Metallica and Megadeth covers are worth a listen too.

Back in 2010, musicians P.B. and M.D. took the time to translate and painstakingly line up the lyrics of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody into their native tongue of German. You don’t have to spreche ein bisschen Deutsch to enjoy their energetic performance.

Since this video by Green Grass dates back to 2011, it doesn’t include Radiohead’s most recent albums, but it’s still fascinating to hear the soothing sounds you get when you play every song the band recorded between Pablo Honey and Supercollider/The Butcher simultaneously.

We’ve come to truly enjoy the twangy Korean sounds of the gayageum over the years, played deftly in the hands of musician Luna Lee. Here, she performs a stellar medley of Steppenwolf’s Born To Be Wild, The Beatles’ Come Together, and The Police’s Every Breath You Take.

Put on your leg warmers, and pour a bucket of water on yourself! Electro-rock act Carpenter Brut is here to light up the place with a fantastic live performance of Michael Sembello’s hit Maniac from the 1983 film Flashdance. The track is available for download on their live album.

Tom Thum demonstrates why he’s still one of the best beatboxers out there. In this awesome live freestyle mix, he emulates the sounds of scratching turntables, along with all of the other beats using only his voice and a loop machine.

Musician Dammien Alexander turns in a cover version of Prince’s When Doves Cry unlike any we’ve heard. First, he lays down all of the rhythms and backing vocals using a Boss V-5 looper, then overlays them with the lead vocals.

Gud Nuse everyone! Gud Nuse is back with another overly-dramatic cover version of a pop song, this time taking on Portugal. The Man’s megahit Feel It Still, performed on his grand piano in his church.

What happens when you take a pint of Britney Spears, a cupful of Rob Zombie, and 4 tablespoons of The B-52s and puree them in the blender? Musical magic in the hands of the massively talented DJ Cummerbund, that’s what. A tasty treat that’s anything but toxic.

You’ve come a long way to the 31st Century, baby. SquidPhysics put together this fun mashup of Fatboy Slim’s 1998 hit Praise You and the chime-heavy theme song from Futurama. They meld together so seamlessly, they might as well have been the same song.

It’s too late for a revolution… Brace for the final solution. The title track off of the upcoming Muse album Thought Contagion feels kind of like a dark sequel to the events of Uprising. The track features a great music video dripping with ’80s style and pop culture references.

We love discovering new talent, and musician Briony Frater is a true diamond in the rough. Hit the play button and enjoy as this young woman performs a wonderfully warm acoustic version of Arctic Monkeys’ hit Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?

(PG-13: Language) Sit down and enjoy a delicious serving of mom’s spaghetti, courtesy of vocalist Robyn Adele Anderson, as she and six talented jazz musicians turn in a totally unconventional take on Eminem’s 2002 classic Lose Yourself.

Don’t have the room for an entire pipe organ in your home (or theater or church)? Musician Andrew Anderson shows off his rig, which uses Hauptwerk’s virtual pipe organ software, loaded up with Paramount Organ Works‘ set of incredibly accurate Wurlitzer samples.

Musician Alan Gogoll used a custom built camera and guitar rig to capture the vibrations of the strings on his acoustic guitar, then played a series of chill tracks with beautiful scenery in the background. The most soothing thing you’ll watch today. Listen on Spotify here.

Massdrop and audio specialist NuForce collaborated on a pair of in-ear monitors that focus on affordability and comfort. The EDC3 has three balanced armatures per ear with a slight focus on the mids. It comes with two cables and five sets of ear tips.

(PG-13: Language) “I am Killmonger, no one’s perfect, but no one’s worthless. We ain’t deserving of everything Heaven and Earth is.” Kendrick Lamar enlisted both established and up-and-coming stars to create music for and inspired by the upcoming Black Panther film.

Can’t you hear, can’t you hear the thunder? Paweł Zadrożniak’s electronic orchestra cranks out a fun cover version of Men at Work’s unofficial Australian national anthem. The scanner handles the flute duties quite brilliantly.