secretgardenofmusic“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” ― Plato.

Almost everyone perks up and starts a private inside dance, (or perhaps an evocation of sadness) when they hear a treasured song from their youth. The fact is we are all happy servants to the songs we grew up to. As far as I know, this human peculiarity spans every generation, state, country, continent and probably planet. Don’t feel the least bit slighted when you find out your music is not regarded as the “best ever recorded!”. My wife loves our CC Wifi time machine and says “It gives me the ability to go back in time and listen to something that was (or is) incredibly enjoyable. Good memories!”

Our music palette is not always as limited as I have portrayed. Most people respond to various music genres outside a personal world but may not have had the time or opportunity to learn more about it. As we mature, I think there is a combination of all music we have ever experienced, that leads us to a different kind of music enjoyment potential. I have never seen this theory in a scholarly paper but I firmly believe it is true for at least a large percentage of fellow humans.

How Do I Know? 

I still have affection for and was fortunate enough to see the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix live, among other big name groups. While very talented, I did not think the Rolling Stones or Cream had the same level of creativity. I also liked Buffalos Springfield and the Moody Blues and don’t know exactly why. I became apathetic to music in the late 70’s as it became more commercial. I found a chunk of heaven during that time when I ran across KFAT FM radio out of Gilroy (R rated). I had a disdain for modern country but I grew to love the much older country music (Hank Williams Sr.) and funny modern country they played. Back then 10% of a young Silicon Valley wore KFAT T-shirts and called each other Fat Heads! You can listen to the original broadcasts at KFAT.com including old commercials (you will have to download a player).

OK, What is available?

Beatles 101 RU from Russia:  If you love the Beatles you can hear a considerable amount of their music and off takes that you have never heard before. The Beatles played heavily in Germany and Russia while they were learning and it was recorded! I am not sure today how these stations are able to play these cuts legally.

Rock and Roll 101 RU from Russia:  Cuts are played from popular and/or obscure great artists but I have never heard most of them before. It is quite obvious someone in Russia knows and loves foundational American rock more than many Americans. The sheer quantity and variety of quality music from Russia on the CC Wifi is astounding. If you like classical music you are in for a quite a great ride!

Camara 95.9 from Columbia. This Spanish station plays very high quality music of tremendous variety.

Polka Heaven 24/7:  Yes, after a few hours of listening it becomes obvious the Polka music is recorded to produce pure fun and joy. My mother loves it and can’t stop being happy when she comes over.

Another favorite is African music. The best I’d found was streamed from Germany and disappeared one day and has never come back. See a tiny selection of African spirit music by searching YouTube for Kids of Sitya loss or see Simon and Garfunkle Call me Al Zimbabwe.

I love Cajun music as well but my favorite station disappeared around the time they started enforcing licensing fees. I like cuts from highly skilled musicians that have experience doing live concerts. Please let us know if you find any good stations like this.

Why is it secret/hidden?

Many Internet radio stations are not easily discovered, or do not play reliably from your smart phone or computer. You may find that true with a few of the stations listed above. I have the most success with the CC Wifi but there are a few other internet radios on the market as good or better. The CC WiFi plays the content from one of the original stream aggregators. I know at one point they had unique relationships with many stations and streamers worldwide. The ability to inquisitively play a station by country or genre works best for me.

I recommend you amplify the CC Wifi with a sound system or amplified speakers with generous bass response. The stream quality varies from bad to excellent so you don’t need the finest audio system to discover great new music.