Caught in the Net: Two lions are better than one

One of the releases of the summer was Pink, a collection of previously released 12-inch tracks – and two new efforts – from Four Tet.

A standout is "Lion", a fast-moving electro affair full of dancing blips and beeps. Now Jamie Smith of the xx – who goes by the name Jamie xx – has turned his deft producer hands to the track with a new remix. Hear his take at snd.sc/PBay71, where he slows things down, spreads the sounds out to give them a sparse, distant air and adds a spectral, dubstep tone. One track, two fine interpretations.

Serious thoughts about Spotify

There has been plenty of chatter lately about whether musicians can make a living from their craft. Spotify figures heavily in such debates and recently Jana Hunter, leader of the excellent Baltimore art rock band Lower Dens weighed in at lowerdens.com with a lengthy dissection of Spotify and its effect on musicians – and the listener. She's not against Spotify outright, but some stats suggest her band – and many others – aren't doing so well out of the deal. Read her interesting appraisal at http://ind.pn/UcZc4S.

In search of Black Sabbath

Over on Vice.com, they've teamed up with the hard-rocking Jesse Hughes of The Eagles of Death Metal, for a new documentary about Black Sabbath. Hughes fronts the six-part On the Road in which he travels around Britain tracing the origins of Black Sabbath and heavy metal, speaking to people who somehow manage to remember some of what went down. See it at vice.com/en_uk/on-the-road.

A funky cross-country quest

Finding the Funk is a documentary in the form of a road trip across America tracing the past, present and future of funk. The project is the work of author and film-maker Nelson George, and seminal producer Arthur Baker, and features interviews and contributions from the likes of ?uestlove, Sly Stone, Bootsy Collins, Mike D, Nona Hendryx and D'Angelo. The makers turned to crowdfunding to bring it home, seeking $20,000 through Kickstarter to complete the film. Find their plea for investment at http://ind.pn/TDNY8M.