labels

Cookshop Records - cookshopmusic.co.uk
Catskills Records - catskillsrecords.com
Ninja Tune Records - ninjatune.net
Hospital Records- hospitalrecords.com
Grand Central Records - grandcentralrecords.co.uk
Memphis Industries - memphis-industries.com
Type Records - typerecords.com
Compost Records - compost-records.com
Melodic - melodic.co.uk
GPS Recordings - funkydown.com
Sonar Kollektiv- sonarkollektiv.de
Tru-Thoughts Recordings - tru-thoughts.co.uk

artists

Digital midgets - cookshopmusic.co.uk
Hint - futureboogie.com
King Seven - kingseven.co.uk
Coldcut - coldcut.net
Roots Manuva - rootsmanuva.co.uk
Cyantific - cyantific.co.uk
Husky Rescue - huskyrescue.co.uk
Blue States - bluestates.com
Ben Mono - ben-mono.de
Marsmobil - marsmobil.net
Mualleum - forceboutique.com
Outputmessage - outputmessage.com
Dr. Rubberfunk - funkydown.com
Forss - forss.to

friends

Domestic Products - domestic-products.co.uk/overkill
Rhythm Incursions - rhythm-incursions.com
Beathut - beathut.com
Juju - shrineofjuju.co.uk
The Bake - thebake.co.uk
Furthur - furthur.info
Keep Up! - keepup.co.uk

community

Akanda Myspace - myspace.com/akanda
Akanda Last.fm - last.fm/group/Akanda
Akanda Soundclick - soundclick.com/akanda

production

will be constantly updated, links to follow.

plug-ins

novation - novationmusic.com

software

novation - novationmusic.com

hardware

novation - novationmusic.com
focusrite - focusrite.com

tutorials

will be constantly updated, links to follow.

General

1. What is Akanda?

Competitions

2. What is the deadline for the remix competitions?
3. Can anyone enter?
4. Who judges the remix competitions?
5. When will the winner be announced?
6. Why should I bother entering?
7. Can I suggest a remix competition?

Production

8. Who owns my remix?
9. Will my remix be released?
10. Can I use samples in my remix from other music?
11. Do I have to stick to the same genre as the original track im remixing?

Submitting a remix

12. Where do I submit my remix?
13. Does Akanda host remixes?

Other

14. Who runs Akanda?
15. Can I make donations to Akanda?
16. Who does the design for the site?
17. Is there a mailing list?
18. Where can I listen to remixes from previous competitions?
19. Why are you called Akanda?

general

1. What is Akanda?

Akanda is a non-profit organisation that facilitates remix competitions on a monthly basis with independent record companies. We are a learning tool for producers. As the site expands we will offer music production tutorials and case study remixes from established artists.

^ back to top

Competitions

2. What is the deadline for the remix competitions?

The remix competitions start on the 1st of every month and close at midnight GMT of the last day of that month. Now and then we'll line up special competitions where the deadline will be different (see news section for details).

^ back to top


3. Can anyone enter?

Yes. You can be anywhere in the world, any age, even girls are allowed. There are no restrictions - however, if you are a professional/semi-professional producer, who’s already released music, then perhaps think about whom Akanda is best trying to benefit before you submit a remix.

We want to give people who have had little professional experience in the independent music industry a taste for it, help further their production techniques and ultimately give them exposure. It’s a blurred line, you might have had a track on a CD compilation or an EP on a virtual label, which may class you as a semi-professional, but you feel you want to take things further and really expand on your skill base, this is fine. But just bare in mind the community.

^ back to top


4. Who judges the remix competitions?

There are a panel of judges. Adam and Maya from Akanda, someone at the label (the label boss if possible), the original artist, and the winner of the previous remix competition.

If you are a winner of the most recent competition and you want to judge you are not allowed to enter the next competition - as you would be judging yourself if you submitted a remix. This is entirely up to the winner.

^ back to top


5. When will the winner be announced?

Normally within 2 weeks of the previous competition closing date unless there is an excessive amount of entries, at which point the winner will be announced whenever we’ve gone through them all and come to a final decision.

^ back to top


6. Why should I bother entering?

Well, why indeed.

• Firstly - you can win stuff! We are constantly tapping companies up for prizes. We are currently trying to get music hardware and software manufacturers to donate products that will ultimately help you, the struggling producer. We’ll also get other cool stuff such as clothing from companies like Knofler. Oh and the label throws in a bunch of cool stuff too!


• It's a great way to improve your production skills - every month you’ll be tackling a new project, hopefully of contrasting music styles from the last. Exposing you to new ideas and techniques that will go on to inform future music you create.


• You have a deadline – no more will you spend months on a single tune, perfecting and tweaking it, scrapping it, starting again. Here you have to finish it within 30 days. Who knows - a few comps your productivity might increase and you’ll find it easier to finally put those self penned opuses to bed!


• Exposure – we are dealing with record labels and established artists on a monthly basis. Who knows who’s looking at the site and checking your remixes out? You might be the diamond in the rough or the finished article a label’s been keeping an eye out for? We can’t guarantee if you enter these comps you will get signed, but it can’t hurt can it?


• You meet likeminded producers/musicians. We’re not quite there yet, but in the future Akanda will become THE community hub for producers across the world. We hope the site will take on an organic form and host blossoming small communities within, people hooking up either locally or online to create music. Look out for User pages, forum and Akanda-Ads in the future.


• If you think you’re not good enough to enter, that’s all the more reason to. If you want to improve your abilities there’s nothing better than actually getting your hands dirty. So don’t play around at home until you feel you are ready to take on a remix, just go for it. Doing one of these a month you might be pleasantly surprised how far you come on.

^ back to top


7. Can I suggest a remix competition?

Of course you can - just email maya@akanda.co.uk with your suggestions.

^ back to top

production

8. Who owns my remix?

Essentially you do. It is your work, however you are using samples from original copyrighted material, and because of this you can’t use your remix for any profit making purposes. Please refer to the creative commons licence Akanda and all labels that work with us agree to, by downloading/using the samples we provide you also agree to the licence.

creativecommons.org/licenses/nc-sampling+/1.0/



^ back to top


9. Will my remix be released?

If the label takes a particular interest in your remix they might contact you to negotiate the terms of using your remix. This is left up to the record label and the individual to arrange. Though Akanda would like to be mentioned on any commercially available release that uses a remix from one of our competitions.

^ back to top


10. Can I use samples in my remix from other music?

Yes you can. You are not making the remix for commercial purposes, therefore not infringing on copyright in that respect. You’re learning, and sampling is a part of that. However - if a record label does approach you with the intent of putting out your remix on a commercial release you will have to seek the permission from the people you sampled. ALWAYS KEEP A RECORD OF WHOM YOU SAMPLE.

^ back to top


11. Do I have to stick to the same genre as the original track im remixing?

Not at all. We would encourage you to recontextualise the original track in any way you see fit. We have no restrictions on genres. If you want to pay homage to V. Snears and produce a gabbacore remix of ‘True Skool’ by Coldcut, go for it! We can’t say you’d win though. Or if you want to take a dance track and produce an acoustic version, it’s all good. No limits, no restrictions. Just push yourself and make it as good as you possibly can in the time you have.

^ back to top

submitting a remix

12. Where do I submit my remix?

You can submit your remix on the home page of the Akanda website.
For a few days after the new competition starts we take down the form to prepare it for the new comp.

^ back to top


13. Does Akanda host remixes?

Not currently - being a non-profit organisation we don’t have the money to host mp3s and pay for bandwidth. We do recommend websites such as soundclick.com for hosting purposes. Soundclick offers free hosting for mp3s at 128kbps and up to 10mb each for free. You can also have the mp3s streamed at hi or low bit rates.

Akanda has a Soundclick page where we can host your mp3s if you do not wish to open a Soundclick page. soundclick.com/akanda. just upload your remix to yousendit.com, email us the link, we'll grab your remix and upload it to soundclick.com/akanda.

One day Akanda would like to host all remixes and give users their own pages for others to view all their work, but this is dependant on securing funding.

We have a paypal account donations@akanda.co.uk. all the money goes to saving up for a new dedicated server for the site so at some point in the future we can host your remixes. We ask that everytime you submit a remix you consider donating a small amount, between £1 to £3.

^ back to top

other

14. Who runs Akanda?

Two people. Adam Cain and Maya Stanley founded Akanda. Adam keeps the site maintained and looking pretty and Maya coordinates the remix competitions.
Feel free to contact us about anything:
adam@akanda.co.uk
maya@akanda.co.uk

We have also received valuable help from others in setting up Akanda, these people are:

Simon Williams – Apple Uks Webmaster and all-round CSS guru.
apple.com/uk

Tim cleminson – Freelance programmer who created all the php architecture for the site and runs nights around Brighton in the UK.
domestic-products.co.uk

Kevin Pearce – Co-conceived brand Akanda with Adam Cain and helps with our hosting.
metrosketch.com

^ back to top


15. Can I make donations to Akanda?

We have a paypal account donations@akanda.co.uk. all the money goes to saving up for a new dedicated server for the site so at some point in the future we can host your remixes. We ask that everytime you submit a remix you consider donating a small amount, between £1-£3.

^ back to top


16. Who does the design for the site?

Co-founder Adam Cain does all the graphics for Akanda. You can view more of his work at kidvector.com if you would like to commission Adam for work please contact me@kidvector.com

^ back to top


17. Is there a mailing list?

Yes, you can sign up to the mailing list on the home page. We will only email you to notify you of a new competition or to tell you the winners of the last comp. We will occasionally email you if we need to shut down the site, or if we have any really REALLY exciting news.

^ back to top


18. Where can I listen to remixes from previous competitions?

You can listen to remixes by going into the past competitions section on the site where you will find a list of all the remix competitions that have been completed, there you can click on the one you want to check out and it will take you to that remix competitions homepage.

^ back to top


19. Why are you called Akanda?

pass.

^ back to top