Alice Russell: Under the Munka Moon II

First found on collaborations with Tru Thoughts labelmates Quantic, and TM Juke, if you haven’t heard Alice Russell yet you're missing out on one of the best singers around. Russell’s singing is classically soulful, with vocal finesse rarely heard these days. She’s a throwback to the era of fully-developed vocal talents like Aretha Franklin and Patti Labelle, a singer’s singer. Under The Munka Moon II …

Magical 8bit Plug

Like digitally adding record scratches, the Magical 8bit Plug is a hi-tech way for producers to add lo-fi sound. Developed by YMCK, a Japanese 8-bit jazz ensemble, the free software works with both Mac- and Windows-based programs to create unique waveforms that mimic synthesized video game soundtracks. via Make Also on Cool Hunting: CH Video: 8-Bit v5, Mark Denardo on CH Video, The International Chiptune …

Nike + Contest Winner

Our Nike + Contest generated hundreds of entries—most of them wrong. Nearly two-thirds named Fred Lorz, who was disqualified from the 1904 St. Louis Olympics for using a car (nice try all of you claiming it was a horseless carriage), but the winner (chosen at random from the correct submissions) is CH reader NL, who writes: "Spiridon Belokas is the name of the Greek Marathon …