Dear Indie Lovers,

I hope you're doing well. Really.

I was thinking about something this week. Something that started with a Facebook post, turned into a rather passionate conversation, and eventually made me question what we're all doing here.

Not here in this newsletter. Here, in this strange digital world where we spend so much time trying to make our music heard, our friends discovered, and our communities connected.

And where, apparently, sharing a link has become something of a luxury.

But before getting into that, I have something wonderful to celebrate.

Le Salon Indie reaches its 80th episode this Friday. EIGHTY!

Eighty journeys through music, thousands of minutes spent listening, discovering, talking, occasionally mispronouncing artist names, and wondering how on earth I managed to find so many extraordinary people scattered across this planet.

And somehow, we're still here.

So grab a drink. Coffee, beer, Spritz, Halve n Halve, whatever works. There's quite a bit to discuss this week.

Happy to have you!
Love - M

A few days ago, my friend and fellow independent musician Nadine de Macedo shared her frustration on Facebook.

She had spent hours preparing her Halloween and October playlists, collecting songs, bringing artists together, doing exactly what independent musicians have always done for one another.

And then she discovered that sharing her work had become ridiculously complicated.

She couldn't publish the links she needed. She couldn't properly tag the people involved. Even scheduling future posts had become an issue.

Why?

Because Meta has been testing a system where certain Facebook Pages are limited to two organic posts or comments containing external links per month, unless they subscribe to a paid plan.

Two.

Per month.

Now, to be fair, the restriction isn't affecting everyone, and Meta describes it as a test. But it has been expanding, and more independent creators are discovering what it means in practice.

Imagine running a radio show. (yeah :-)

You introduce ten artists, write about their music, interview a few of them, prepare a playlist, and share their new releases.

You want people to hear them.

But you're told that sharing those links has a monthly allowance.

It's almost comical.

Almost.

Nadine's post quickly attracted other independent artists, including Positronic Memories, Distance From Zero, The Sanctity Of Crows, Harro, Frequency Error, Hollow Words and several others.

Everybody had something to say.

Some suggested tricks: posting through groups, adding links later, using Linktree, changing the way posts are constructed.

Others were simply exhausted.

And I understand them. At one point, I commented:

"Welcome to the jungle."

I was joking, of course. But only halfway. Because the real problem isn't merely technical. It's philosophical.

We're constantly told that social media exists to connect people. To create communities. To encourage sharing.

Yet the very act of directing somebody towards another creator's work is increasingly treated as something that should generate revenue for the platform.

I don't particularly mind companies making money. They need to survive, just like everyone else.

But there's a strange contradiction when a platform built around sharing starts putting a price on sharing.

Especially when the people affected are those who have spent years creating content, relationships and communities without asking for much in return.

Independent music needs discovery, not permission to be discovered.

And I think that's the real lesson.

We can't build our entire musical lives on somebody else's platform.

Which brings me back to this newsletter.

If you're reading this, you're already part of something that doesn't depend on a mysterious feed deciding whether my words deserve to reach you.

And I rather like that.

Thankfully, the independent world has no intention of giving up.

While we were discussing Facebook's latest restrictions, music kept arriving, projects kept growing, and artists kept finding ways to support one another.

Positronic Memories - IMTV New Arrivals

My friend from Positronic Memories has been sharing something rather interesting: IMTV, an independent music video playlist project.

The latest announcement celebrates a fresh batch of independent videos, bringing together different sounds, moods, visuals and artists.

I love the principle.

Music discovery doesn't have to happen exclusively through algorithms, radio stations or streaming recommendations. Sometimes, a thoughtfully assembled collection of music videos can introduce us to an entire world we didn't know existed.

And when an independent artist makes the effort to create space for other independent artists, that deserves recognition.

So here's a little heads-up: keep an eye on IMTV and the work Positronic Memories is putting into it.

It's another example of what can happen when somebody decides to build something rather than simply complain about what's broken.

And believe me, complaining is tempting these days!!

Ataraxia Music & Carlex Don - LOVE & AMBITION

There's also a new collaboration to celebrate.

Ataraxia Music and Carlex Don have announced their album LOVE & AMBITION, released on November 5.

Two independent artists coming together across different musical backgrounds and geographical boundaries.

Even the title feels appropriate for this week's newsletter.

Love. Ambition.

Two things you need in generous quantities when making music independently. And two things no algorithm can manufacture on your behalf.

Congratulations to both artists on the release!

Stefski & Hutch - Selling Lies (Deluxe Edition)

And then there's Stefski & Hutch, whose Selling Lies album has been given a new Deluxe Edition, with additional live recordings from this year.

If you enjoy guitar-driven alternative rock with a little grunge, funk, progressive spirit and some serious energy, this is absolutely worth exploring. The original album came out in 2024, but good music doesn't come with an expiry date.

In fact, I rather like it when artists revisit their work and give listeners another way to experience it. What do you think?

A live recording can reveal something the studio version never quite captured. A different energy. An unexpected detail. A human moment.

All the little things that make music worth listening to in the first place.

And because I'm apparently incapable of going through a week without discovering more music than I can reasonably fit into one radio show, here are six recent releases that caught my attention.

🇪🇸 Santa Ana - “sobre su VIENTRE”

From Córdoba, Spain, Marta Franco has created something beautifully ambitious with her project Santa Ana.

Her debut concept album, Vagío del 62, moves between alternative rock, dream-pop and electronic experimentation while following a deeply personal narrative.

“sobre su VIENTRE” builds gradually, with vocals becoming increasingly intense before the guitars and synthesizers take everything somewhere much heavier.

It's adventurous, emotional and wonderfully difficult to put into a single musical category.

Exactly my kind of thing.

🇫🇷 Easy X - “Let's move on 2”

From Paris comes something completely different.

Easy X combines electro, funk, jazz, sophisticated guitar textures and hypnotic bass lines into a production that feels both intimate and effortlessly groovy.

Created in a home studio, with expressive vocals by Alexandra, the track has a natural flow between its electronic atmosphere and human warmth.

It's the kind of song that makes you move without quite realising you're moving.

And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

🇬🇪 9EYE - “Stereo”

Giorgi Lagidze, the Georgian multi-instrumentalist behind 9EYE, delivers a bright, melodic combination of guitars, organ and spacey synthesizers.

“Stereo” is the first single from an upcoming nine-track album. There's a lovely sense of movement here, with shimmering textures and a rhythm that keeps drawing you further into the song.

Proof that indie-pop can be both immediately enjoyable and musically interesting.

🇩🇪 tuftyhead - “Why Are They Calling You?”

Berlin-based Max Hirtz-Wolf brings funk, psychedelic pop, dreamy guitars and colourful synthesizers into a wonderfully playful arrangement.

There are shades of disco and neo-soul, but the emotional songwriting prevents it from becoming a purely dance-oriented exercise. A very appealing balance between groove and vulnerability.

🇺🇸 Alex Julia - “Losing The Plot”

Now we're heading into darker territory.

Brooklyn artist Alex Julia opens Making Friends With My Demons with a haunting combination of post-punk bass, darkwave synthesizers and nocturnal guitar lines.

The album was developed with German producer Patrick Wörner and explores grief, trauma and transformation. “Losing The Plot” has that wonderful ability to feel unsettling and strangely beautiful at the same time.

Sometimes darkness has an extraordinary melody.

🇺🇸 Last Relapse - “Throw Away the Key”

And finally, a song that took nearly twenty years to reach its audience.

Originally written in 2006, “Throw Away the Key” has finally been released following the Atlanta band's reunion in 2025. Expressive guitars, melodic intensity and a powerful final build make this an excellent reminder that songs don't necessarily belong to the year in which they were written.

Oh yes, and 25 years ago, we had this… ❤

Now, about that little celebration I mentioned earlier.

This Friday marks the 80th edition of Le Salon Indie de Mitxoda.

Eighty.

I keep repeating the number because I'm not entirely sure I believe it myself.

What started as a passion for independent music has turned into a weekly ritual connecting artists, listeners, friends and complete strangers from places I sometimes have to look up on a map.

There have been wonderful discoveries. There have been unexpected friendships.

There have been moments when a song arrived at precisely the right time.

There have also been technical headaches, last-minute changes, sleepless evenings and the occasional moment when I wondered whether I was completely mad to keep doing this.

Probably. But the good kind of mad. Because every Friday, something wonderful happens.

For a little while, we stop worrying about algorithms, engagement statistics, subscriptions and visibility.

We listen. And that, my friends, is what this has always been about.

80 episodes. No musical borders. No paid placements deciding who deserves to be heard. Just curiosity, passion and independent music.

I want to thank the artists who have trusted me with their songs, the radio partners who help carry the show further, and every listener who has spent even a few minutes in the Salon.

A very special thank-you to OTAT247 Radio, where this adventure began, and to My Indie Radio in France and Magic Music Rádió in Hungary for helping the music travel beyond borders.

This little radio family matters more than you might imagine.

And we're only getting started.

🎙️ Le Salon Indie #80 - Friday, November 6

Join me on OTAT247 Radio for another journey through independent sounds, familiar friends and unexpected discoveries.

Discover Le Salon Indie

I've been thinking about Nadine's post throughout the week.

Two links.

It's such a small detail, isn't it?

And yet it says something about the strange relationship we've developed with the platforms we use.

We build communities on them.

We bring our music, our photographs, our stories, our creativity, our time.

And sometimes, without warning, the rules change.

But something else happened in that Facebook conversation.

People started helping each other.

Offering suggestions. Sharing experiences. Trying to find solutions.

Not because there was money to be made.

Not because an algorithm told them to.

But because they cared.

And that, to me, is the real independent spirit.

The same spirit behind IMTV, behind collaborative albums, behind radio shows, behind every musician who shares another artist's song simply because they love it.

You can limit our links. You can't limit our curiosity.

So keep discovering.

Keep recommending.

Keep listening to somebody you've never heard of.

And if you find something wonderful, tell someone.

Not because it will generate engagement.

Because music deserves to travel.

And because, after 110 editions of this newsletter and 80 episodes of the Salon, I still believe that the best thing about independent music isn't independence itself.

It's what we choose to do with it. Together.

Much love from Brussels,

Mitxoda ❤️

Stay curious. Stay independent. And please, keep sharing.

P.S. If you know somebody who might enjoy this little weekly musical journey, forward them this email. No algorithm required.

P.P.S. Are you an independent musician with something new to share? You can always send your music through submit.mitxoda.be. The door is open.

Four tracks, four different musical worlds. From rebellious guitars to atmospheric soundscapes, here are four independent discoveries worth your attention this week. Listen, explore, and support the artists you love!

Raw guitars, grunge attitude and powerful family harmonies. Freeze Time delivers an energetic rock anthem about standing your ground when life gets complicated. A rebellious spirit, an infectious chorus and plenty of attitude. Turn it up!

Discover on Mitxoda →

A beautiful collision of shoegaze textures and post-rock intensity. Reversed Chakra builds a wall of atmospheric guitars, balancing tension, emotion and explosive energy. One of those tracks that deserves your headphones and your complete attention.

Discover on Mitxoda →

Don't let the title fool you. Behind the delicate acoustic melodies lies a deeply emotional exploration of hope, vulnerability and survival. Taken from A story about a girl, Nikola Zenko's track gradually unfolds into something both fragile and powerful. Beautifully human.

Discover on Mitxoda →

Dark, atmospheric and wonderfully immersive. From the album Ambiguous, Umbilicus creates a mysterious sonic journey where haunting melodies, deep bass and carefully placed silences build an almost cinematic tension. Close your eyes and let the music take you somewhere else.

Discover on Mitxoda → my coup de ❤

One word. A few clues. Your indie brain against the clock.

Play Soundcheck → One word. A few clues. Your indie brain against the clock.

Vote in the Weekly 100 → Help independent songs climb the community ranking.

Listen to Le Salon Indie → Two hours inside the independent music world.

Submit a Song → Making music yourself? Send it to Mitxoda.

END 😆