"Sometimes I can feel like Goldilocks sorting through bowls of porridge when I'm going through dance pop singles..." - Fluxblog, 6 May 2004 What do you want to listen to today? The explosion of downloadable music on the Internet means that almost anything you might want to hear is available within minutes. But with this newfound freedom comes the potential for confusion: an overwhelming surplus of choice. Fortunately, there are new maps for these territories. With the music press a mere shadow of its former self, and with so many publications content merely to recycle press releases, it's perhaps inevitable that music "blogs" are becoming increasingly popular. Many music lovers have turned to the writing found on these self-published sites in order to guide our listening habits. It would seem we don't mind openly subjective, personal opinions served alongside our music. Now the advent of the MP3 blog has brought a new way of delivering songs to people and writing about them at the same time. It's virtually uncontested - especially amongst so-called "MP3Js" themselves - that the pioneer of this format is Fluxblog. New York-based photography graduate Matthew Perpetua started posting MP3s "sometime in late 2002", and now offers one or two new tracks to download on a near-daily basis. His site receives between 1900-2300 hits a day during the average week, giving him an estimated 2000 regular readers/listeners - and the numbers are rising. They keep coming back for the chance to hear new or obscure music, but also to read Perpetua's commentary: sometimes witty and irreverent, sometimes forthright and opinionated - but always fiercely enthusiastic. When No Innocent Bystanders caught up with him, we began by talking about how music writing on the Internet defies location. You could be writing from any location and never let anyone know - yet at the same time many music blogs have quite a specific local flavour. Fluxblog has an NYC feel because of its point of origin, but places a strong emphasis on European pop, specifically from continental Europe. "A lot of the friends I find music through are either from Europe or are really into European pop," says Perpetua, "so that's where that influence comes from. I've been into electro pop quite a bit for the past few years now, and a lot of that music tends to be made in Europe, where there is a different kind of dance culture and it seems that people are less hung up on guitars and singing about their pain. There are some weeks when I realize that I've posted four or five songs by German artists, and it seems a bit weird until I remember how rarely music from that part of the world makes it in the American marketplace, so I'm just acting as a counter-balance." As someone who's clearly inspired other people to start their own music blogs, are there sites that you aspire to emulate yourself? "I find Clap Clap, Technicolor, The Original Soundtrack and Woebot to be very inspiring. They all specialize in personal essays about pop and the music industry, and are capable of brilliant prose and rhetoric. "In terms of influences on what I do with MP3 blogging, SharpeWorld and Boom Selection have always been a big influence in terms of using a blog as a curatorial device. The Tofu Hut, Said The Gramophone, Music For Robots, and Fruits Of Chaos have all done some really great things with the MP3 blog format." How much feedback do you get on the music you post? "I hear from people in the comments box, I get emails. I'm always glad because it's good for me to have an idea of what works for people. Some songs get a wildly enthusiastic response - LCD Soundsystem's 'Yeah', 'Heartbeats' by The Knife, anything by The Fiery Furnaces or Scissor Sisters - and that is always satisfying, especially since a lot of the most popular tracks have been from artists that I'm very passionate about." Any personal favourites out of the tunes you've had on your website? "I'm really, really into the song I just posted - the Scala Choir version of 'I Touch Myself'." Finally, can we get a Fluxblog inside tip? Tell us three artists we should be listening out for in the near future. "The Fiery Furnaces are only getting better, and their upcoming Blueberry Boat is one of the best albums I've heard in a long time. Au Revoir Simone show a lot of potential and could become something remarkable before too long. I think that Gene Serene is fantastic, and could beat Peaches at her own game." You heard the man. It's all out there waiting to be discovered. Get to it.

< Rant: Vitriol and Rancour | Politics: Liberties and War Crimes >