We think that a tidy looking blog is a good thing. A fine aesthetic, pretty colours, big buttons and a design that’s easy on the eye creates a great first impression to anyone visiting for the first time, helping to ensure a readers return. Disco Naïveté is one such blog, as the editor, Jarri, has selected to use Tumblr as his blog host of choice, designing one of the most gorgeous blogs in existence.
Don’t be fooled by the glossy looks though, as behind the beauty of Disco Naïveté is a taste in music so deadly it regularly knocks the rest of us for six. Jarri is very very on it. He’s comfortable discussing mainstream pop, such as Britney Spears or Kanye West, but one glance through his pages and you will almost certainly find an up to date post about something very cutting edge.
There are posts every day, sometimes more than once, and if something cool happens in the world of great music then Disco Naïveté is onto it, probably before anyone else. Everything about this blog is the essence of contemporary. They might not only be the best blog to come out of Belgium, rather they might be the best blog that’s come out of Europe. We love it, so should you.
THE RECOMMENDER: When did you first become aware of the existence of music blogs?
DISCO NAIVETE: I started listening to music ‘properly’ in late 2008, right before I started my studies at university. When looking for new music, I stumbled on blogs straight away. Didn’t take long before I had a long list of music blogs I was reading.
TR: When did you start your own music blog?
DN: November 2009.
TR: What were your initial aims as a music blogger? What do you think makes for an excellent music blog?
DN: I didn’t really have any initial aims. Music was my passion, so I just wanted to do something with it apart from listening to it and going to concerts. I had been reading a lot of other blogs, was pretty active on Last.fm and read other stuff about music, artists and bands because I enjoyed knowing things like that. I started my blog to let others enjoy music I know, and which they didn’t. That was the initial aim, I guess. In fact, it still is. Isn’t that what blogging is all about?
An ‘excellent music blog’… I’m not sure if anything like that exists. Every blog has its own style, genre and bands that it covers, which results in having a certain group of readers. To those readers, a blog can be excellent, I guess. What I find important in a blog is a vast amount of updates (preferably daily – I like my music fresh and something new for my ears/eyes every day), some nice info and pictures to go with the post, not too much of text (can get boring), a good amount of artists and bands being covered, not sticking to one certain genre of music too much, a slick design etc. Those are all I can think of at the moment, but in the end it’s a combination of good music, good write-ups and a good design.
TR: Describe your music blog in three words?
DN: I asked this on twitter and facebook, here are the funniest/best replies: “simply the best! *in best Tina Turner voice*” “bomb ass jamz” “HIP, CURRENT, FABULOOOOOUS” and “likeable, loveable, adorable“.
TR: Geographically, where is your blog based?
DN: Belgium (Europe).
TR: Which genre(s) does your music blog focus on?
DN: A lot. I don’t really stick to a genre, I just post anything I like. Goes from indie pop like Twin Sister and Grizzly Bear, to dream pop like Beach House, to harp-amazingness like Joanna Newsom, to the bouncy beats of M.I.A., to the androgynous voice of Antony And The Johnsons, to the quirky pop jams of Penguin Prison. No boundaries, just good music.
TR: Do you work alone on the blog, or do you have contributors – if so, who are they and how did you initially get them on board?
DN: I work alone. I have had requests from people that wanted to write for the blog, but I kind of consider the blog as my personal ‘thing’ and would like to keep it that way (at least for now).
TR: Approximately, how many visitors does your blog get each month?
DN: Don’t really care about the amount of visitors. As long as the people that do read Disco Naïveté enjoy it, I am a happy blogger.
TR: What perks have you experienced since becoming a music blogger?
DN: Advance copies, guestlist, etc. The best thing is the people you meet though, of which I have gotten to know a lot.
TR: Are you employed? (If so, where and what is your job title?)
DN: I’m about to start my Master in Law.
TR: An important part of a music blog is the network it has at it’s disposal, so which other forums do you network on mostly?
DN: Disco Naïveté is on Facebook, Twitter and Last.FM.
TR: Who are your favourite three music blogs?
DN: I read so many blogs, I guess you should just check out the blogroll on the blog if you’d like to see my favourites – plenty of them!
TR: What is more important to you, quality or quantity?
DN: Definitely quality, although quantity is an important aspect as well: I prefer reading blogs with daily updates. A combination of both is perfect.
TR: What was your most popular post in terms of visitors?
DN: Definitely the post on Fever Ray’s new track The Wolf. It was via’d on a lot of big websites. Other popular posts aret the ones on The Flaming Lips + Neon Indian, Lykke Li, James Blake, Ellie Goulding, Jamie xx, Yeasayer, Sufjan Stevens and Patrick Wolf.
TR: What do you think is the most effective way to earn comments on your blog?
DN: Have an easy system to comment with. I had Disqus which was okay, but I switched to Facebook comments and that was far more accessible. People don’t need to register or give any information whatsoever to comment on a post.
TR: How often do you read music blogs?
DN: Daily. Several times a day, in fact.
TR: How do you think music blogs from the UK differ from those in the US?
DN: I’m not really aware of where music blogs are based. Never noticed any big differences too.
TR: Which aspect do you care for most in a music blog, a good design, or well-crafted content?
DN: Although content is probably the most important aspect of a blog, design is rather important as well. It’s the first thing a new visitor notices. Don’t we all prefer something pretty? Disco Naïveté had a redesign on May 1st, in fact!
TR: Approximately, how many emails do you get in your inbox each day?
DN: Not that much, actually. I’ve heard from other bloggers they get like 200 emails per day: I don’t. Approximately 15 to 30, I guess. Don’t really use my inbox as a source for new music, although you’re always welcome to send music my way.
TR: What advice can you give any aspiring bands, record labels, PR, agents, or managers, to help their emails get noticed?
DN: Be polite, don’t send your music to blogs that don’t cover your kind of genre, don’t send emails to ask if I received your first email (yes, I did, and I probably didn’t really care about it if I didn’t do a post on it – I am sorry), include a short bio, an mp3 (or several) and some artwork/pictures, etc.
TR: How do you prefer to listen to music online, (ie Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Myspace, iTunes, Spotify, Hype Machine, or any others)?
DN: iTunes.
TR: What is the most common way you discover new music online (ie through your network, tips from the industry, tips from friends, gigs, other blogs, emails etc)?
DN: Most of it comes from my Twitter and Facebook-feed and reading other blogs. Sometimes friends recommend me new stuff.
TR: What does the future hold for music blogging? Do you see their importance growing or shrinking in years to come?
DN: Not really sure: there are so many blogs these days, but then again some bloggers have shown their importance with the labels they have and the events they are organising. I’m wondering if I’ll have an own label or event one day…
TR: Can you name a band you expect to break through in 2011?
DN: My money is on Twin Sister.
TR: Please let us know any useful links to find you elsewhere online (ie, Twitter, Hype Machine, Facebook etc)?
