And this equally awesome explanation of the explanation:

We’ve previously done a little flail over Christa Vi, a beguiling Australian/German singer based in East London. She sent us this winsome remix by Mint of her song “Long Way Home”. Christa explains how the collaboration came about:

“After meeting Mint (aka Murray Fisher) through mutual friends at a party – on a carpark rooftop actually! – in South London, we got to discussing music. Mint has been making music and has been involved in electronic production since the mid-1980s. He co-runs the label Boltfish Recordings with his friend Cheju.

I was impressed by the way Mint manages to fuse organic and electronic sounds creating glitchy mechanical soundscapes which still sound very warm and playful. I am a big fan of Bjork and the minimalist production and remixes of her tracks in the 90s which were quite experimental at the time and really introduced me to the world of IDM (intelligent dance music) or glitch / electronica. I wanted to see what Mint could do with my song Long Way Home with these ideas in mind.

 So Mint agreed to the remix and I’m really pleased with the result – it’s like he has re-imagined the song, created a new, lighter atmosphere around it taken it into Mint’s own world! And I’m excited that Mint has decided to release this track as part of his own remix EP ‘Switchback’, due out on Boltfish Recordings on 30th January 2012.

I’m planning to release the original version of Long Way Home as a single EP with Mint’s remix and two other exciting remixes by Asa / Eleven8 and Super Class sometime in May 2012. Check http://www.boltfish.co.uk/artists/mint.php for more releases by Mint.”

Christa’s album is scheduled to be released on January 31, 2012.  You won’t want to miss it – so stay tuned!  There is sure to be a brand to sponsor Christa’s new works.  Spread the word!

Please enjoy “Your Heart” and “Long Way Home” with our compliments.

Check out this interview on Public Radio International, Maïa Vidal – A Young Singer From Barcelona
Get Maia Vidal music

Pick up a copy of X-ray Spectacle 1 on translucent green vinyl for £5 from their webstore
and get a free download. Their website lists upcoming gigs in the U.K.

Serj recorded ‘The Hunger’ with Garbage lead singer Shirley Manson and is donating all proceeds to Amnesty International. Treat yourself to this incredible song and strike a blow for prisoners of conscience.

Buy ‘The Hunger’ on iTunes

Check out this tribute video

The Hunger

And so you went, could not be found
Another wind in some other town
When no one knows your lover’s name
How you rocked your body on the way

That’s the way we lose our f-king minds
Or what it means we leave behind
No one knows the longing and the shame
All those sorry, oh so sorry babes
And so it’s over

The wind blows on ……
But something whispers from the storm
As we wander through the dark
The hunger of the heart
Something whispers from the storm
As we wander through the dark
The hunger of the heart

And that’s the way we lose our minds
Oh all the names we leave behind
Though no one knows how much remains
For all we lost for the blame

Oooooooh …
Oooooohh the world goes on..

Something whispers through the storm
Yeah something whispers from the storm

As we wander through the cold and dark
With the hunger of the lonely heart

And so it’s over, the wind blows on
But there are whispers from the storm
As we wander through the lonely dark
With the hunger of our hearts

Oooooooh …
Oooooohh the world goes on..
(Something whispers through the storm
Something whispers from the storm)

As we wander through the cold and dark
With the hunger of our hearts

Ahhhh aaaaah

• 

  The Dark Lights

  The Dark Lights have released their new single ‘X ray Spectacle 1′. Shows coming up in the UK:  21 January at The Hope, Brighton, UK; 22 January at Rich Mix, London, UK; 10 February at Heroes, London, UK. More info and music on The Dark Lights website.

• George “Pretty Boy Beats” Seals – check out his ReverbNation page
• Juice McCain is currently hard at work on two upcoming mixtapes American Me 2 and Position of Power 2, and his debut album The Anticipated. Check out his Web page for a preview.
• Merrickans is in the studio working on a new album for 2012. Can’t wait to hear it!

Amnesty International celebrates Human Rights Day with the streaming premiere of Chimes of Freedom, Featuring 76 Newly Recorded Bob Dylan Songs by Over 80 Artists.

Individuals who “Like” Amnesty International USA on Facebook  (www..com/amnestyusa) will be able to stream the entire collection for a 24-hour period beginning Saturday, December 10, at 11 a.m. EST/8 a.m. PST. Also on Saturday, you can pre-order the 4-CD collection and view exclusive in-studio footage of Ke$ha, Pete Townshend and We Are Augustines at www.RollingStone.com. A special 2-disc version will be available at Starbucks beginning January 24, 2012.

The album premieres as Amnesty International’s annual Write for Rights event – the world’s largest human rights event – are underway with tens of thousands of people worldwide participating. Information: http://www.amnestyusa.org/writeathon.

Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International features songs by such artists as Adele * Bad Religion * Joan Baez * Dierks Bentley * Jackson Browne * Johnny Cash * Steve Earle & Lucia Micarelli * Marianne Faithfull * Bryan Ferry * Neil Finn with Pajama Club  * Michael Franti * Angelique Kidjo * Diana Krall * Kronos Quartet * Lenny Kravitz * Bettye LaVette * Taj Mahal * Mariachi El Bronx * My Morning Jacket * Joe Perry * Pete Seeger * Sinéad O’Connor * Rise Against * Carly Simon * Patti Smith * The Belle Brigade * Lucinda Williams * Evan Rachel Wood. For the full track listing, visit http://www.amnestyusa.org/chimes.

Music executives Jeff Ayeroff and Julie Yannatta are the executive producers of Chimes of Freedom, the same role they fulfilled on “Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur,” the successful 2007 collection of John Lennon solo compositions performed by major artists including U2, Green Day and R.E.M.

Helen Garrett, director of special projects for Amnesty International, said: “Chimes of Freedom is an abundance of riches. It’s fair to say that the collection shows how deeply musicians feel about the beauty of Dylan’s music — across generations — and how passionate they are about supporting human rights. We hope all of their fans will be inspired, too, and engage with millions of activists around the globe to protect the rights of people everywhere.”

Chimes of Freedom is dedicated to the thousands of people worldwide who are imprisoned or threatened for the peaceful expression of their beliefs. Amnesty International encourages people who are inspired by Dylan’s music to join with their 3 million activists worldwide who are taking action to protect human rights.  Individuals who are threatened or imprisoned are highlighted on the album webpage: http://www.amnestyusa.org/chimes, along with actions people can take to bring about change.

This can be as simple as writing a letter of support to a “prisoner of conscience” – someone jailed for the non-violent expression of their beliefs – or tweeting or emailing governments to persuade them to change repressive laws or practices.

The highlighted individuals include Jabbar Savalan, an unjustly imprisoned internet activist from Azerbaijan; women fighting for justice in Zimbabwe; the victims of massive oil pollution in Nigeria; the imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo in China and Reggie Clemons, a death row inmate in Missouri, who, like Troy Davis before him, was convicted despite a flawed case including no physical evidence tying him to the murders.