As major record labels try to figure out a way to stop their hemorrhaging profits, the amount of music being downloaded and streamed across the Internet continues to proliferate like bed bugs in Britney's sheets. For Egyptian music fans who have generally had to deal with delayed releases, high prices and limited selections, this is good news. However, since trends can change faster than the speed of sound, finding your way around the Internet's tangled web of mp3 sites, audioblogs and radio shows can be a daunting task. Here are a few sites to help you get started: Beats in Space (www.beatsinspace.net)Run by renowned New York City DJ Tim Sweeny, Beats in Space is the best weekly radio show on the Internet. Period. Focusing on the latest electronic music from New York, Berlin and Paris, Beats in Space has been online and on the airwaves (courtesy of New York University's WYNU FM) since 2003. Sweeny spins everything from disco and soul to techno, and he brings in some of club land's freshest DJs to spin. Past guests include Michael Mayer, Carl Craig and French disco denizens Chateau Flight. Plus, all of the shows are catalogued in mp3 form and come complete with extensive track lists. Oh yeah, and it's all free and legal. Resident Advisor (www.residentadvisor.net)While this Australian-based site features plenty of news, reviews and party pictures, the best part about Resident Advisor (RA) are the podcasts, which are free and available to anyone with an email address and a decent internet connection. Echoing dance floor trends, lately, the folks down at RA have been shifting from big room house, progressive house and trance to fresher styles like minimal techno and electro house. Some of the best recent sets have come courtesy of Detroit-based wunderkind Ryan Elliot, who plays atmospheric and chin stroking minimal techno, and German party-starters M.A.N.D.Y., who's slamming electro house sets have made them one of club land's biggest draws. The only drawback with RA is that past sets aren't catalogued, meaning you have to act fast. Pitchfork Media (www.pitchforkmedia.com)Like a cyber version of Rolling Stone or Spin, Pitchfork has become the Internet generation's number one tastemaker for good reason: their reviews and news section are the best on the Internet. In fact, a review on Pitchfork is so influential that it can make or break a band's career. Like a giant fishing net, Pitchfork Media's staff scours the blogosphere and gives their readers the best of the net in an extensive, easy to navigate package. There's daily mp3s to download and everything is free and legal. Fluo Kids (www.fluokids.com)Partly written in English, party written en Francais, this audioblog is so hip and on it that it's hard for even the most devoted music nerds to keep up. The design of the site is stylish and the bloggers have their ears planted firmly in the sweatiest and dingiest clubs and bars from Paris to New York. Expect to hear the latest tracks from the likes of Daft Punk and superstars in the making Justice, who, thanks to the audioblogs, word of mouth and myspace.com have become a dance floor phenomenon. While the legality of posting songs up for free is debatable, Fluokids deals mostly with independent labels that are pro-download, meaning most of them are free and completely legal.
