#I took at lot of inspiration from DJ music man

[thesockghost]

FUCK IT!!!!!! *dazzles ur deer*

[dramaticallytotal]

Special Items:

So, since TD takes insp from Survivor, I wanted to do a post inspired from it. Kind of. So, in Survivor, you are allowed to bring one personal item. I wanted to make a most about what item I believe everyone on World Tour brought with them!

• Alejandro: he's a toughie because I fully believe he incorporates personal things into his outfit, and he's not someone to bring something sentimental. So he's definitely someone who brings something practical or something he thinks can help in challenges. Perhaps a lighter or a Swiss army knife.

• Blaineley: She didn't get much time to pack, and I fully believe she tried to bring multiple things, but her bags were definitely checked. So she decided her personal item would be her wallet since it has her credit cards and such.

• Bridgette: She brought a stuffed dolphin that Geoff won for her at a beachside carnival. She couldn't bring her surfboard this time. Thus, she brings something sentimental!

• Cody: He was thinking of bringing something sentimental, but his parents kind of turned it into a psychological experiment, so he instead brought one of his handheld gaming systems to help pass the time.

• Courtney: She won't admit it as she's sure everyone expects her to bring something practical or whatever, but she brought the skull that Duncun carved for her on Island.

• DJ: He brought a stuffed bear his mama made for him, and it has a secret compartment that he hid some of his mama's spice and a small vial of her perfume in.

• Duncun: He definitely just brought his knife. But his special knife that he carved C + D into the handle of. UwU

• Ezekiel: He brought his lucky harmonica.

• Gwen: She brought her sketchbook and a pencil case full of pencils, pens, and colored pencils. She argued that they were a package deal and well the producers and whatnot agreed.

• Harold: One of his hand-held gaming systems, so he and Cody could game together. He also smuggled in one of his yo-yos.

• Heather: Stationary set. Girlie is gonna plot in style and in color coded sections. UwU

• Izzy: No one knows what she brought and is super scared that it's like explosives or something, but it's actually a bear she made to look like Big O! But she did smuggle more things on.

• Leshawna: She took a page out of Eva's book from season one and brought her music player. She needs her tunes.

• Lindsay: She also brought a stuffed animal, one that Tyler bought her for Valentine's Day. It's a little white bunny holding a pink heart. She made the heart into a hidden compartment and stashed all her credit cards.

• Noah: Look the producers wanted to get mad at him because he still wore the utility belt he wore as Chris's assistant but he argued it was part of his outfit and there's nothing they cane do since it was already seen by viewers and the show loves continuity. UwU, so he brings a book series. Yep. Series. It was one of those ones that came in a box. Loopholes ~

• Owen: Oh, Owen smuggled in so much food it's not even funny. But his personal item is definitely a hot sauce box set. (Noah helped him make a box for them that looked legit.)

• Sierra: She brought her Drama Brothers Limited Edition Cody bobblehead.

• Tyler: He brought his pink dumbell set that Lindsay bought for his birthday.

Bonus!

• Chef: He brought a lot of things, but one special thing he brought was his custom engraved knife set that Chris bought him for their first year anniversary.

• Chris: Again, this man brought so many things, but his special thing was the life-size wedding photo of him and Chef at their wedding. The frame has LEDs built in and there's a button you press that plays the Wedding March.

[lvcky0ne]

Royal Flush is the 2nd full studio album by Lucky under Prismatic Entertainment. It was released on Oct 7, 2024, the group's 10th anniversary. The album features 10 tracks, including 4 solo songs, one for each member, BOOM! as the title track, and Stellar as a promoted b-side. It is available both physically and digitally.

Lucky promoted the album for a total of 6 weeks. BOOM! peaked at 6 on the Circle Chart and won 3 music show awards. Stellar exploded in popularity, rising to 1 on the Circle Chart and peaking at 12 on the Billboard Hot 200. Stellar won the group 6 music show awards.

｡:°ஐ i. the tracklist !

✧ . Take Off produced by HWI and Hiro

✧ . BOOM! ( title track ) produced by Angel, Hiro, and HWI

✧ . Stellar ( promoted b-side ) produced by Hiro, Han, and ROZE

✧ . Eat Ur Man ( sunnie solo ) produced by Sunnie and HWI

✧ . Lemonade ( angel solo ) produced by Angel

✧ . JAM ( hiro solo ) produced by Hiro and KOHH

✧ . Hot Hot ( han solo ) produced by Han

✧ . SourSweet produced by Kaori and Sunnie

✧ . Check Yourself produced by HWI and Angel

✧ . Atmosphere produced by Hiro and Sunnie

find Kaori at @sug4rsweet !!

｡:°ஐ ii. the styling !!

✧ . this era was heavily accentuated with lots of leather and chrome, blunt angles, and lots of layering and belts

✧ . lucky's stylist was quoted saying her biggest inspiration were pieces that would be found in a futuristic alien casino

✧ . hiro rocked a mid-length shaggy silver cut, han with grown out black locks, angel had an undercut bleach job, and sunnie kept her classic long black hair with blunt bangs

｡:°ஐ iii. the reception !!

｡:°ஐ iv. the highlights !!

✧ . as described by thousands of 4luvs online this era served many things, but most importantly: cunt

✧ . a perfect transition from brat summer, playing on a heavy edm sound that is rather new to the group

✧ . when asked about the more experimental songs on the album, sunnie said that with the creative control they're given, the group is always looking for ways to challenge themselves and push the bounds of typical kpop

✧ . lucky has always been known for pushing boundaries in the industry, and their second full album is no exception

✧ . while each member was dressed in relatively racy outfits, especially for BOOM! stages, one of hiro's Stellar outfits took the internet by storm, wearing a tight cut-out top that revealed some under-boob

✧ . it was a source of many arguments online in both 4luv and non-fan spaces, debating whether it was appropriate or even safe to be wearing while dancing on stage

✧ . hiro later posted a selfie in the top from a low angle on her instagram story writing "holding it down," some taking it as a taunt while many fans argue that she was simply assuring that the top was more secure than it seemed

✧ . in between music show appearances, members of the group would make appearances at clubs around seoul for mini performances including hiro and sunnie doing their own dj sets

✧ . these appearances sparked rumors that one or more members would be doing a set at nyc's infamous boiler room, but nothing ever came of it... yet !

✧ . these performances were never advertised, leading fans to do some serious digging and speculating on what clubs to visit on what weekends

✧ . it seems lucky has fully embraced their party reputation with this album, not unexpected by fans but still widely scrutinized by knetz

✧ . even han had something to say about it on live which surprised many 4luvs as he was usually the least outspoken member, saying "we're all adults. we have been for most of our career and we're not scared to shy away from it. we never have. i don't know why it's such a problem all of a sudden."

✧ . Stellar got much more popular than anticipated as a promoted b-side rather than a title track

✧ . the song was only supposed to promote for 2 weeks after BOOM!'s 3 week promotional period, but another week was added after its rise in popularity

✧ . hiro told W Korea that she thought Stellar should have been the title track, but she was outvoted by the production team and that a new remix of the song is in the works

✧ . when asked what songs on the album were their favorites, sunnie chose SourSweet, angel chose JAM, hiro chose Take Off, and han chose Stellar

✧ . kaori went live to give bonbons a sneak peak of her newest album when she was asked about working on SourSweet saying "it was great getting to produce a song for lucky and work with them a bit! i haven’t done much producing since touring and working on a new album back to back, so it was great to get back to it, especially with them! the song is amazing, i promise."

✧ . when asked what Lemonade is about in a q&a on his instagram story, angel answered in video form saying "so, basically, i'm telling the haters they can suck on this--" the video cut off before he could finish the sentence

✧ . overall, Royal Flush has taken its place among the competitors for lucky's most iconic era !

[randomvarious]

Now listening:

Pacific by 808 State (1989)

Alright, if you've ever wondered where the whole concept of stacking up 12-inch singles and maxi-CDs with lots and lots of remixes of the same song originally came from, you can thank a UK label called ZTT for that, which was co-founded by Trevor Horn from the Art of Noise, the guy who is often referred to as 'the man who invented the 80s,' because his approach to creating music is inextricably linked to what you generally think of when you hear the term '80s music.'

And so it only makes sense then that the first release on ZTT from the then-recently expanded Mancunian dance quartet of 808 State would be a single that came with a bunch of remixes of the most iconic track that they would ever themselves release, "Pacific State," on it, which, prior to its appearance here, made its official debut on their mini-album, Quadrastate, in July of '89.

But this big Balearic ambient house club classic of theirs has a little bit of controversy surrounding it, namely, who was actually responsible for making it in the first place. Prior to this Pacific single, 808 State's lineup was significantly different. The original members were Graham Massey, Martin Price, and Gerald Simpson aka A Guy Called Gerald, and sometime after the release of the group's spellbindingly gnarly and acid-drenched 1988 debut LP, Newbuild, Gerald split, with one of the last things he ever worked on for the group being "Pacific State." And after his departure, a young DJ/keyboardist duo of Andy Barker and Darren Partington was added to the ranks.

But while Graham Massey has publicly claimed that the original version of "Pacific State" was the result of a collaborative effort between he, Price, and Simpson, Simpson has alleged that he actually wrote the entire thing himself. And what's more is that Simpson received writing and co-production credit for the song on Quadrastate, but in subsequent releases like this one, he wasn't credited at all. And I do think that it is kinda crazy that this group's signature hit—the one that would help to cement them as electronic and dance music legends, and one that they've always had to perform because of it—is a song that was originally made before that seismic lineup change actually took place. Thankfully, though, however big this rift between Simpson and his former group actually was, it appears to more or less be water under the bridge at this point, because Massey and Simpson have gone on to collaborate since 🙏.

OK, but how did this song get, like, really big in the first place? Well, "Pacific State" had been a constant closer at the famed Haçienda nightclub in Manchester for six months before breaking containment and then landing in the ears of BBC Radio DJ Gary Davies while he was in Ibiza. And once he'd heard it, he then brought it to his own daytime radio program, and then the group landed on ZTT, with this single lasting on the UK singles chart for 11 weeks and peaking at #10.

But as mentioned before, this single came with a whole bunch of variations on the original, and the version of the single that's available on Spotify—which appears to compile a bunch of the songs that were included on all the different 1989 issues of the single itself, between its 7-inch, 12-inch, CD, and cassette versions—has 7 of them on it. And apparently, over the years, this song has actually amassed a whopping total of at least 42 different versions of itself! 😲

Here's 808 State performing the "707" version of it live on Top of the Pops in 1989, by the way. Absolutely electric stuff 🤩:

Now, one other thing that I think deserves mentioning here is what inspired 808 State to make this song in the first place, and the specific tune that they apparently chalk it all up to is Chicago house legend Marshall Jefferson's own "Open Your Eyes," a song that itself comes with a liberal amount of new age-indigenous 'fourth world' kind of flute on it.

It seems that plenty of synthesizers that were en vogue at that time had some sort of flute preset on them that vaguely evoked a mythical, mystical vibe from an idyllic Southeast Asian / Polynesian / Oceanian part of the world, and as such, a bunch of dance music decided to then incorporate it too. But in addition to that, the Spanish isle of Ibiza was naturally big into the whole sound as well, which had been exemplified by a very popular spot like Club Ku, which among other things, once threw a birthday bash for Freddie Mercury that was so legendary that Ibiza celebrates the anniversary of that very party itself—apparently one of its features was bowls of cocaine 😲. And with a name like "Pacific State" and a single called Pacific, whose only other non-"Pacific State"-related track on here is called "Cobra Bora," which is a reference to the tropical snake and most likely the French Polynesian island of Bora Bora too, you can see how all of this exotic stuff meshes together, especially with Ibiza leaving its mark on Manchester and the Haçienda itself.

So, anyway, time for me to figure out which of these slightly different versions of "Pacific State" here is my favorite. I'm pretty deeply familiar with this song in general already, with its lush sax that serves as a dancefloor equivalent of a call to prayer (and a great phone alarm too, now that I think about it), as well as its famed use of soothing loon birdsong too, but I definitely don't know how all the different versions go and how they actually differ from one another in the first place.

And I was forced to put together my own Spotify playlist for it too, because I think I saw that one of the Pacific releases had a full version of "Cobra Bora" on it, and the single supplied by Spotify doesn't, so here you go:

Plus, here's a very neat tutorial from musician Ski Oakenfull in which he deconstructs "Pacific 707" and builds it back from scratch with Ableton:

After this, we're on to the group's next release, 808:90, which, despite its title, was actually released in December of '89.

More in-depth 808 State posts for those just joining this lengthy excursion too:

Newbuild Let Yourself Go / Deepville Quadrastate

[popcorn-plots]

midnight snack

Stephen sipped at his cocktail, watching the scene before him. It wasn’t much, just a few people crowded in the top deck, swaying to the last song of the night. The inky black water was silent a few stories beneath them, cold wind rustling Stephen’s hair. There were one or two other people at the cafeteria with him, one obviously tipsy and the other nearly asleep on their feet. Sometimes, Stephen liked to speculate on their stories – who they were, what got them to this point. Right now, he was too tired.

It was either listening to the too-loud music with a martini in hand, sitting alone in the cold night air, or going back to his room where nightmares lurked at every corner. Despite the exhaustion, Stephen preferred the martini.

The music stopped and the DJ shouted something unintelligible over the speakers. The tired man near him wobbled down the stairs, drunk girl in tow. Someone cursed. Stephen finished his drink and set it down.

He thought about ordering another one, but the cafeteria was bound to be closing soon – it was 2 AM – and he didn’t feel like getting drunk. Drunk meant the nightmares couldn’t wake him up. He felt a little bad for leaving Christine alone in the room, but she had always been a deep sleeper.

There were footsteps on the stairs and a voice. “Hey, Stranger”

Stephen looked up. Tony Stark was standing above him. “Stark.”

“What are you doing up?” Stark asked.

“What are you doing up?” Stephen responded. Stark laughed and Stephen couldn’t help but grin. He had hated the man for most of his career, and for the first few days of the cruise, but he couldn’t help but admit that there had been some sort of chemistry between them (after his initial disbelief that Tony Stark, of all people, was on his cruise ship). Christine and Pepper hit it off immediately and after a few drinks and meals together, Tony and Stephen had settled on light banter instead of huge arguments. For their Scary Female Friends, they decided.

“Nightmares.” Stark finally admitted. “Mind if I sit?”

“No, not at all. Sit away.” Stark chuckled and sat down. There was a long silence that wasn’t exactly uncomfortable. “Nightmares for me, too. Even in paradise, they still haunt me.” For a moment, Stephen wished he had another martini. In a moment of inspiration, he asked Stark if he wanted one.

“No thanks. Three years sober tomorrow.” Stark explained. Stephen hummed.

Another silence fell between them and Stephen looked down at his hands. He shivered slightly, the chill having finally penetrated his nightshirt. Stark sighed. “I… there’s a lot of evidence that prove that sleeping with someone–”

“If you’re asking if you can fuck me, Stark, the answer is yes. You’re handsome, and while part of me still hates you, another part of me enjoys your company and… I’m intrigued.”

Stark laughed and held up a finger. “Firstly, call me Tony.”

“Then call me Stephen.”

“Secondly, I’d have to buy you dinner before. Sex is a third-date kind of thing. I’m a gentleman, not a monster.”  Stephen raised an eyebrow, fighting to keep the blush away from his face at the fact that Star– Tony didn’t exactly deny his sex accusation. 

“Thirdly, I was saying that studies have shown that sleep quality improves when you literally sleep with a partner. I was going to say that while we haven’t been friends for that long, we've established that we both have nightmares and maybe we could give that a shot and see what happens.”

Stephen took a second to think. “Then you'd better ask me out first, douchebag.”

Tony laughed. It was louder this time, more free and a lot more contagious. Stephen began to chuckle as well, until they were both nearly howling with laughter. Tony had to wipe tears from his eyes before he could respond. 

“Fine." Tony slid onto one knee in front of Stephen's chair, cupping his hands in the air as if he was proposing. “Stephen Strange, will you go out with me and find some weird cruise ship sandwiches so I can literally take you to bed?”

Stephen pretending to fan his face, grinning. “I would be honored.”

Tony grinned, stood up, and held out his arm to help Stephen up. Arm in arm, they made their way to the food bar.

The next morning, Stephen woke up secured in Tony’s arms, never wanting to leave. He hadn’t had a single nightmare, and he started the day refreshed and relaxed for the first time since high school. Tony admitted that he felt the same way and they found breakfast together -- without their Scary Female Friends this time.

Then they got lunch, then dinner, and exchanged numbers. Stephen finally got the fucking he had talked about a week later and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Ten years later, Tony proposed on that same cruise ship, at 2 AM, and with a cucumber sandwich (he proposed again in Italy, on the Rialto Bridge, with an actual ring). Stephen never slept alone again.

Ao3

[weirdmageddon]

any dave music hcs? :) my playlist for him mostly consists of relatively popular rock music. besides wacky but awesome garageband beats, i personally think he’d be a rocknroll radio hits kinda guy, at least for pre-sburb dave, i don’t think he’d have as much freedom to really explore music the way he wants before then. some of my favorites for him are all mixed up (311), superman’s dead (our lady six), bound for the floor (local H), everything to everyone (everclear), inside out (eve 6) and birds (butthole surfers). i also think he’d like metal too! particularly nu metal. even if mixing music and rapping is an outlet for him, i see him relating to these types of songs a lot and maybe at the time when his #ironiccoolguy persona is most prevalent + affecting his interests/personality heavily, he’s embarrassed about admitting his popular favorites b/c it’s not cool to him to like what’s mainstream. but you know character arc! and besides when the earth explodes no music is really popular anymore LOL. btw i liked your davejade music posts ^_^ so i’m very curious if you have any thoughts for dave music on his own!

one of the first things we know about dave is “You like to rave about BANDS NO ONE'S EVER HEARD OF BUT YOU” but its never brought up again. so i can see him having a bit of a punky existence. but its pretty impossible to list bands that people havent heard about but him. it doesnt mean he can’t like known acts. pink floyd are one of the most well known music artists of all time but i think he would like it for instance

but of those known acts i know his ass does not listen to fallout boy or whatever

idk dave he strikes me as someone who listens to both brian eno and death grips but at the same time theres a lot of stuff i CANT see him listening to

i think he probably likes beastie boys. paul’s boutique (1989) is probably one of his top albums. deltron 3030 (2000) too. both experimental hiphop, paul’s boutique utilizing plunderphonics while deltron 3030 is a bit more epic and psychedelic.

i think both wouldve changed his life. paul’s boutique for for his pragmatic bent (sampling)

and deltron 3030 on the psychological / reflection / journey / listen and close your eyes rock opera side (“It is a rap opera concept album set in a dystopian year 3030. The album's story casts Del in the role of Deltron Zero, a disillusioned mech soldier and interplanetary computer prodigy rebelling against a 31st-century New World Order. In a world where evil oligarchs suppress both human rights and hip-hop, Del fights rap battles against a series of foes, becoming Galactic Rhyme Federation Champion. Del the Funky Homosapien's lyrics veer from serious social commentary to humor to epic sci-fi battles, while producer Dan the Automator creates an eerie and dense atmosphere.”)

come on man

nmesh dream sequins is another album i can see him listen to, the cream of the crop for experimental vaporwave (the type of slowing samples in vaporwave was a technique pioneered by dj screw who i think dave would also dig, as it essentially manipulates time and thats Cool). probably likes oneohtrix point never too, an experimental electronic artist who also took inspiration from screw

maybe a bit of biting tongues, one of my favorites. he couldve been led to it going down the eno hole. probably his favorite album being recharge (1989)

as for rock i’m pretty sure dave strikes me as a psychedelic / experimental rock type of dude. so yeah pink floyd is still on the table especially early with syd barrett (the piper at the gates of dawn (1967) and a saucer full of secrets (1968)). but i think he can like later after that (of COURSE he feels drawn to the song ‘time’ lol i bet he’d want to replicate the atmosphere of the song’s beginning in his own stuff). he likes this kinda sound. he i can definitely see him being a ween fan for sure, especially quebec (2003) or their satire art/prog rock album the mollusk (1997) —the latter of which i could see him bonding with jade over DEFINITELY just listen to the titular song — but really the whole discography. or a zappa fan. maybe a dip into metal if its experimental or funky like primus or zillatron (bootsy collins alias)

i have to mention that these are all bands i like to some degree because to know what they sound like and if they fit dave ive had to listen to them lol. but yeah so that could put some bias into it and theres surely more stuff he would listen to i dont know but heres a portion of what i see from where i am

the common denominator between all the music i talked about was that theyre experimental

[moody4world]

Tears cleanse the heart pt1

A/n: i got inspired to write this when i watched the mv for about mine by mariah the scientist so…i hope yall like it. this is just the beginning (most likely only a two parter)

PT2

Label owner!jack x upcoming artist!reader

gif from @jackharlows

Everyone in the music industry knew or had heard about Jack Harlow. He owned one of the biggest record labels of the decade and everyone wanted to be signed by him.

Unlike most artists that signed to Churchill Records, you didn’t contact them first. You were actually very unfamiliar with record labels. As a brand new artist you were simply looking forward to sharing your talent and hobby with the ones who enjoyed it just as much as you. You were familiar with Dj drama due to his girlfriend being a very close friend of yours even though she was a bit older. She even offered you to sign with drama before but you declined politely not wanting people to say you only got signed because of your connection to him. Drama didn’t take it personal and it was all good.

Up until now you were your own promoter and it was going well. You had a decent fanbase and a lot of snippets of your songs would go viral on tiktok. Your fandom was growing day by day which made it harder for you to manage on your own so maybe it was time for a label or management team. Your cousin would step in to help you a lot of the times but a more professional team was definitely necessary.

Another night, another industry party. As your publicity grew more and more, the invitations to industry parties kept piling up and you’d usually avoid going due to the anxious feeling of not fitting in but your cousin would not let up and you finally cracked, plus you could meet some people that know more about management teams. So the two of you were currently getting ready to head to a party that was bound to have multiple famous rappers, singers, producers you name it. Your cousin convinced you to go to the party about 5 days ago but you had been planning an outfit before you even agreed. You were a daydreamer, not a second of your days went by without you picturing some type of scenario or planning something that might not even take place. It was part of your character and it took you some time to accept it but once you did, you were a proud dreamer.

You were told the vibes for the party was just chill and casual with a bit of 90’s. Your mind immediately went to Aaliyah’s iconic tommy hilfiger looks. You happened to have a white tommy shirt that you wore tied in the back and some baggy light colored jeans with a red belt. You had a dark blue bucket hat and some retro red air jordan 1s. Your cousin got an uber for the two of you and once it arrived your nerves started kicking in again. Luckily your driver was a very talkative and unintentionally entertaining man. It helped take your mind off of things.

(something like this kinda)

“Good evening ladies, so i’m taking you to this address right?” You checked the address he had on his GPS confirming that it was correct. “Yeah that’s it.” “Okay great, any song preferences or can I just play what I want? You guys like R&B and pop?” Your cousin turned to you and had a look of ‘This mf talk too much’ but you thought he was being nice so you simply replied “R&B and pop are perfect, go ahead.” At this point you guys already started driving and the driver’s playlist was at least 4 songs in. By the 5th song you and your cousin joined in on his terrible singing because who could avoid singing along to some sza.

After that song is over you hear a very very familiar beat. And then of course an even more familiar voice. Well.. along with your driver’s terrible singing. It was your song playing but it seems like the driver didn’t notice. You and your cousin went super quiet all of a sudden. “What’s the matter? You guys don’t like Y/N??”

You still don’t say anything so your cousin takes it upon herself to reply this time. “Nah she’s okay.” Causing you to hit her with your elbow. “Okay?! She’s great what do you mean?” “I know most people hate her cause she got famous through tiktok and all that but her voice is beautiful. And she makes her own beats i heard but im not sure. My daughters told me about her.” “Did your daughters show you what she looks like too?” You glared at your cousin for asking that question, making sure the man wasnt looking at the two of you in the back. She shrugs at you, whispering ‘What?!’ and you shake your head. “It’s funny because neither of them really know what she looks like. Isnt that weird?” “Celebrities nowadays always use their looks and post a lot of photos yet this one doesnt…i do wonder why.” You awkwardly let out a fake laugh “Heh…yeah i wonder why” Did i mention that most people aren’t sure what you look like? As i mentioned before you were still not really in the public eye. All your promotions were done by you and you were not the biggest fan of taking photos. A lot of your posts were just beats you were working on and random stuff like that.

Luckily you had reached your destination and you pushed your cousin out of the uber as fast as you could, not forgetting to thank the driver for doing a great job. He waved happily telling the two of you to have a good night and drove away.

Walking into the party you immediately started looking for Steph and Drama so you could have some familiarity. Once you found them your cousin dipped and you had no idea where she went, probably somewhere near the bar. Luckily for you, you spotted drama pretty quickly due to his height and if he was there then Steph was most definitely with him.

At least an hour had gone by and your social battery was declining fairly quickly. You excuse yourself to the bathroom to catch a breather from the stuffy vip area. Once you came back there was a tall white guy with big fluffy curls sitting near your spot conversing with drama.

JACK’S POV

I was talking to drama but in all honesty not everything was clicking. I definitely had a few drinks in my system but I still feel pretty present. I feel the spot next to me on the couch dip so I turn to see who it is. I know I just said i had some drinks in me but there might be a chance those drinks just sent me to heaven. This girl is so beautiful. I can admit i’ve been with multiple women and beautiful is not a word I use to describe them often. Pretty? yes. Fine, Bad, Sexy? of course. But this girl was beautiful. Drama continued talking to me but I was more focused her and Steph’s conversation than my own.

Without meaning to be disrespectful i cut drama off to ask him more about her. Yes, she was sitting right next to me but all her focus was on her conversation with Steph plus the music was loud. “What’s her name?”

“That’s y/n, new and upcoming I think she’d be a great addition to your label.”

I didn’t know she could sing but she’d be a good addition regardless looking like that.

I knew I had to make her mine and I wasn’t just talking about as an artist.

[so-sures-blog]

Bros before Hoes

In which Duncan happens to find his neighbor cute, and his idiot roommates throw him a party because of it.

(AKA: The bros who drink together, sleep together)

Inspired by PPG/RRB fic on ao3

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

On a list of things Duncan would like to wake up to (women on the top, cops on the bottom), this is not it. Heck, this probably wouldn’t even be on the list. 

And by this, he means the completely trashed apartment littered with beer bottles, overflowing trash, and very questionable stains on the walls. Not to mention the dead bodies currently scattered around the living room.

Wait, not dead bodies, but Duncan can only wish.

How was this possible? He went to sleep at, like, ten last night and if he wasn’t mistaken, he had gone to bed while the house was quiet and the only people home were Geoff and DJ. So how the hell were there more than a dozen people in the living room and why did it look like an absolute shit show?

A groan emerges from the couch before a blonde head appears in sight. “Oh,” Geoff says when he sees Duncan standing there. “Sup, dude?”

“What— ” Duncan takes a breath. “ —THE ACTUAL FUCK HAPPENED HERE?!”

Geoff winces and raises a hand to rub his head. “Ouch, not so loud. I have a headache.” He whined.

So did Duncan. “What. Happened. Here.” Duncan narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice dangerously. Geoff laughs awkwardly and avoids his eyes.

“Oh, well, we sorta … kinda … uh,” Geoff gestures vaguely at the apartment. “... had a party?”

Duncan honestly doesn’t know how he could be surprised. This is what he gets for rooming with Geoff.

“How?!” He yells at him. Duncan wasn’t a really light sleeper, but he’s pretty sure he would’ve heard a party going on downstairs. “What time did these people get here!? How did I sleep through a fucking party?”

“Yeah … about that,” Geoff laughs nervously. “We sorta had a kickback last night but we knew you were asleep so we didn’t want to wake you up. Somehow, it became a game of ‘how quiet can this party be so Duncan doesn’t wake up' and we lasted the whole night! You didn’t wake up at all! Everyone was whispering and we had music playing at the lowest volume, and it was actually really fun. Super weird, but fun.”

Duncan is almost impressed. Almost. Trust Geoff to make a quiet party fun. “I’m not helping you clean up,” he informs him. He eyes a body on the floor that turns out to be DJ, cuddling an empty beer bottle while completely unconscious. 

“Aww, dude!” Geoff whines, “I hate cleaning! Come on, we kept it quiet for you!”

Duncan takes another look around the room and begrudgingly admits that it is kinda amazing that they managed to have a party without him waking up. It’s actually a little sweet that they took him into consideration. But still, fuck them.

“No.”

“Duncaaan,” Geoff groans, throwing his upper body off the couch. “C’mon, bro! Please? Dunky? Dunk-man?”

“Don’t call me that!” Duncan yells as he grabs his gym bag. “And this place better be spotless by the time I get back!”

He slams the door and a satisfied smile grows on his face as Geoff’s protests are cut off. Duncan turns to head down the hallway and nearly crashes with someone who lets out a high pitched squeal.

“Oh! I’m sorry!”

Duncan looks down and�� oh hell, it’s her. Of all the people in the apartment for him to run into, why does it have to be her? Granted, she did live next to him— but still, why?

Wide brown eyes peer up at him and her head cocks slightly to the side as she blinks. “Oh, it’s you.”

“Huh?” He’s so close to her he can see the smattering of freckles on her nose. 

“Oh! Sorry, I just mean I see you around a lot because you’re my neighbor,” she stumbles, cheeks turning a little pink.

“Oh,” he says a bit more gruffly than he should. He tries his hardest not to check her out and fails. She must’ve just come back from a jog — her short brown hair is tied back and she’s wearing tiny gray shorts and a matching crop top.

“Are you going to the gym right now?” She asks, taking note of the gym bag slung over his shoulder.

“Yeah,” Duncan grunts, staring at the staircase behind her. He will not be weakened by a tight fitting tank top, he will not. “I go early to avoid people, I hate crowded gyms.”

She makes a noise of understanding. There’s a beat of awkward silence, where she looks as uncomfortable as he feels before she sticks out her hand. 

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I ever got your name.” She tucks a loose piece of hair behind her ear and Duncan’s eyes follow it, wondering why the hell he thought the little action was so cute.  

“Duncan,” he shakes her hand, hyper aware of how soft and small her hand is as his big and callus ones swallow hers. 

“Courtney,” she dimples and Duncan’s stupid heart skips a beat. “Well, have fun!” She smiles cheerily at him and Duncan can’t take his eyes off of her. What the fuck.

“Thanks,” he mutters as he walks past her. He catches a glance of her as she opens the door to her own apartment. Damn it, she has a nice ass.

Duncan contemplates throwing himself down the stairs before he decides against it. 

It’s a waste, he figures. One flight won’t really do any damage.

***

By the time Duncan makes it home it’s evening. Stopping in front of his door, Duncan narrows his eyes as he hears muffled voices inside the apartment. Either Geoff and DJ actually cleaned the place or he’s about to open the door to the same shitshow as this morning. 

For their sake, he hopes the former.

He pushes the door open and the apartment abruptly falls quiet. The two occupants have frozen in fear, staring at the door with varying degrees of terror. DJ is cowering behind Geoff, who isn’t making a very suitable defense seeing as he too, is shielding away. Duncan’s eyes flit between them and he’s pleased to see a cleaning device in each of their hands.

The apartment isn’t exactly clean, but it’s not a complete mess anymore. At least they’re trying, he has to give them that.

“O-Oh hey man, you’re back,” Geoff coughs, hugging a broom to his chest. “We were cleaning, I swear!”

“I can see that,” he grunts, closing the door. “Sup, Malibu?” He greets the other occupant in his apartment. 

Bridgette is sitting by the counter, skimming through a surf magazine while stroking DJ’s pet, Bunny. She looks up with calm green eyes and gives him an easy smile. “Hey Duncan,” she says. 

“What happened to being clean by the time I got back?” Duncan asks his roommates pointedly.

“Cut us some slack man, we didn’t really wake up until Bridgette got here,” DJ says from his spot by the sink. 

Duncan ignores him with a roll of his eyes, plopping down across from Bridgette. Bunny hops over to him curiously and Duncan sets him with a glare. Yeah, he might have gotten DJ his pet after Geoff and Bridgette might’ve killed his last one (Geoff kept insisting it was lost while Bridgette said it was eaten by a snake that was eaten by a hawk or something), but that didn’t mean he wanted that thing closer to him. 

Duncan didn’t do cute things. 

So lost in his (one-sided) glaring contest, Duncan didn’t notice the change in conversation until too late. 

“Oh yeah, who’s that cute girl by the way?” Geoff asks. “You know, the one who lives next to us?”

“Oh, you mean Courtney? Short brown hair, cute smile?"

It’s a little embarrassing how quickly Duncan perks up, and from the corner of his eye he can see Bridgette give him a knowing glance. Duncan scowls warningly. Out of the four of them, only Malibu knows about his little problem— and Duncan would like to keep it that way, thank you very much.

Except the thing is, he forgets how much Bridgette likes a good romance. “Oh yeah! The girl that Duncan likes, right?"

The reaction is instantaneous.

“What?! Bro, you have a crush? No way!”

“Why didn’t you tell us? My boy’s growin’ up!”

“EVERYONE SHUT UP!” Duncan roars and Bunny leaps back in shock. 

Bridgette just grins and flips through another page of her magazine. Duncan is tempted to crumble it up. “Oh, you didn’t know?” She says casually. “He met her a few weeks ago and it was like love at first sight.”

It was not.

“You should’ve seen him! She stopped by to say hi, he said ‘nice to meet you’ and when she left he couldn’t get a word out for the next ten minutes. He just gawked at her, although, I guess I can’t blame him. She was cute.”

He did not.

“I’ve never seen him look so lost before, it was kinda adorable. I think he was blushing.”

He was not.

“Bro, I don’t think you’ve ever had a crush before, have you?” DJ asks.

“How would you know!" He shoots back indignantly.

DJ shrugs, unaffected by the rage that’s coming off of him in waves. “I dunno man, I’ve just never seen you show any real interest in anyone before."

Duncan is momentarily struck dumb. Shit, was DJ right? He’s had crushes, right? This isn’t so special. Of course he’s had his fair share of girls, dicked around with them like any other guy— but those had only been short flings, chicks he’d pick up in bars and fool around with until he was no longer interested. Has he never really had a crush before?

Geoff, thankfully, interrupts his spiraling thought process and slings an arm around his neck. “Dudes, you know what we should do?” He grins. “Let’s celebrate!” 

“Hell no!” Duncan shoves him away. “What are we even celebrating for?”

“Your first crush, dude!” Geoff beams and Duncan is this close to strangling the happy-dumb look off his face.

“It’s not a crush!” He yells.

“C’mon man, it’s Saturday,” DJ says. He even pulls out his puppy eyes, as if his sparkling round orbs are going to convince him. “What are you even gonna do today anyway, huh?”

Duncan grimaces and can feel himself actually give the idea some consideration. Why is he considering it again?

“We’ll get your favorites,” DJ adds. “It’s your party after all. You get to call the shots.”

Duncan winces. He takes a look around the room and sees their stupid faces beaming with excited grins. 

Duncan sighs. “Fine.”

***

One pack of beer, two bags of chips, and three pizzas later, and everyone is absolutely smashed. 

It’s at this point Duncan can say with complete confidence that he fucking loves his best friends. Sure, DJ can’t swim without a floaty and always listens to his mama and Geoff is way too happy and loud and can’t go a day without making out with Bridgette, but man, they’re just, like, such good people.

 Like, he just loves the fucking hell out of them. They’re the best guys out there, and have been with his shitty self since high school.  Duncan doesn’t know why he spent so long denying that they were friends— he wishes he could beat his younger punk-ass self for all the dumb things he said back then.

If only there was some way he could express how he felt.

“Hey, I fucking hate you guys,” Duncan says earnestly. “But, like, in the best way.”

They groan in acknowledgment and Duncan closes his eyes.

Girls are dumb. Feelings are dumb. Everything is dumb, but he doesn’t even care anymore. Why? Because he’s got his boys by him, and Duncan would fight the whole fucking world for them.

Yeah.

***

Duncan wakes up to something soft and fluffy smothering him. Fur is in his mouth, and he is suffocating on it because his head is pounding and he doesn't have the strength to pull away. 

Duncan groans, agonized as the fluffy thing slides off his face. He squints to see Bunny, furry butt in his face as it cuddles against him. You better not have pooped in my bed, Duncan doesn’t have the strength to threaten aloud. His mouth is tacky and his eyes are crusty and Duncan would very much like to wake up when the next century has passed, thanks. 

Duncan lets out an annoyed grumble and tosses the covers from his body. He’s about to roll over to the ground to do his push-ups (a habit he’s had since juvie) when he notices two things.

One: the sheer amount of nausea he feels. Duncan almost throws up if it weren’t for the deep breaths Malibu taught him to calm himself. Oh God, he’s definitely listening to her more when she goes on about him and the guys consuming poison. Hangovers are hell.

Two: the suspiciously familiar cowboy hat. 

“What the fuck?!”

His hoarse yell makes the other occupant in his bed jerk awake. “Man, keep it down,��� DJ says. His bandana is twisted backwards. “It’s too early.” A hand appears to shove him back into bed.

Duncan is tempted to smack him away, but that requires effort and energy. None of which he has right now. He settles for a weak shove as DJ snuggles him like he would Bunny. Curse him and his incessant need for cuddling. “Why the fuck are you in my bed?”

Another groan sounds by his feet. Geoff yawns and rubs his eyes, lifting his head to look at them. He looks stupid without his ever-present hat on (he looks stupid with it on anyway) and is curled up like a puppy at the foot of the bed. Duncan is struck with the urge to kick him off before he decides that’s too cruel.

“Don’t you remember?” Geoff asks. “We all came in here to talk about our feelings.”

Duncan stares at him in disbelief. “No we did not.”

“Yeah we did, and it was magical,” Geoff responds, voice muffled as he buries his face into the pillow. “You wouldn’t shut up about the girl who lives next door.”

“Courtney,” DJ supplies helpfully.

Duncan stares in mute horror. How drunk did he get last night? He talked about feelings? And girls?

Who even is he?

“It’s okay Duncan. Mama always says that the more you deny the bigger the feelings are. You can keep pretending you’re not a softie. It’ll come out someday.” DJ pats his head, like Duncan’s green mohawk is supposed to be Geoff’s idiotic blonde mop. 

Duncan almost tells him to fuck off, but bites his tongue because DJ is too sensitive to be told that. Instead, he says, “And doesn’t your Mama say to never drink?” DJ reaches a hand out to cover his face and shoves him back down into his pillow. 

Wow, the bed feels amazing.

DJ tries to pet him like he would Bunny — all gentle and reassuring — but the big guy’s hand feels like a meaty deadweight hitting his face over and over again.

“I hate you guys,” Duncan mutters, shoving his hand away.

“Yeah, yeah, we know,” Geoff yawns. It sounds like he’s going back to sleep. That actually sounds like a pretty nice idea.

“You guys better get out,” Duncan grunts, feeling his eyelids grow heavy, “I’m warning you.” He lets himself sink deeper into his pillow. “Leave or die,” he mutters, eyes closing. The last thing he hears is Geoff’s quiet snoring.

They don’t leave, and Duncan sleeps peacefully.

[nyaagolor]

Hello, this is a really cool blog you mods are running. I wanted to ask this question; do you have any headcanons involving the dog people of Paldea. Arven is 900% a dog person and already got a few headcanons revolving his Mabosstiff, but if possible, could you provide a couple headcanons involving the other dog people and their dog pokemon (which include Nemona - Lycanroc , Ryme - Houndstone, Tyme - Lycanrocs, Clavell -Houndoom, Giacomo - Mabosstiff, Mela - Arcanine & Houndoom, Ortega - Dachsbun, Eri - Lucario, etc.) Sorry for the long post and thanks if you answer!

Under the cut bc it got long

Slight disclaimer I didn't include Eri and Lucario bc that's a jackal-man idk how to mentally handle a Lucario acting like a dog. That's a person. Featherless biped

Nemona: - She caught Lycanroc as part of her new team. Lycanroc hits hard and fast and mostly acts as her hazard setter or revenge killer. Bitches love stealth rocks - Off the field, they often exercise together! Lycanroc LOVES to run. Nemona has a chronic illness and can't jog, but she does bike or ride a Cyclizar while Lycanroc runs alongside her. They love to race around Mesagoza together - They have the same personality

Ryme: - She is the biggest dog person in Paldea, she loved her puppy so much she rapped it back to life. No one is doing it like her really and truly. When she raps about love? She's talking about the dog - She hosts an adoption fair in Montenevera every year. It's a musical festival centered around getting strays adopted and it's had RESOUNDING success so far - Ryme's semi supernatural powers are actually related to her Houndstone-- she spent so much time along it and all the other soul draining ghost types that she built a resistance to their effects. Now she can (and does) play with entire packs of ghost puppies! And sneak them too many treats

Tyme: - All her pokemon are named after numerical prefixes (kilo, giga, nano, etc). Her Midnight and Midday Lycanroc are named Deca and Deci respectively - She spoils her puppies rotten just like her sister, always sneaking them table scraps and letting them run around in the schoolyard while she's teaching classes - Deca and Deci are bargaining chips to get kids to come to extra help. Who doesn't want to snuggle with two cute dogs while you go over math problems?

Clavell: - When he was a teenager, he used to work for the Pokemon Daycare. (I saw a whole hc where he was a delinquent and got sent to the daycare as part of detention and honestly? Canon in my heart). He found his Houndoom there as a Houndour-- it had been abandoned and adopting it taught Clavell a lot about nurturing others. It's what inspired him to eventually be a school director! - Clavell and his Houndoom are always locked in a constant battle, since Clavell likes to garden and Houndoom likes to dig. For the record, Houndoom is winning - Clavell no longer has his pompadour, seeing as Houndoom took matters into his own paws and lit the wig on fire

Giacomo: - He taught his Mabosstiff, Beethoven, to DJ. He's not good at it by virtue of being a dog but the gimmick is very funny - Beethoven has a tendency to nod its head back and forth, so during concerts, Giacomo will get him little earplugs, a hat, and some shades so he can jam with the crowd. Plus he likes the vibes of the raves - He's the vaccuum cleaner for all the crumbs or snacks Giacomo happens to leave lying about. It's a win-win

Mela: - All her puppies are from the academy itself. She just happens to bond well with those pokemon and uses them on her team despite them not technically belonging to her - The Pokemon world has an ultimate frisbee esque game that involves running with your partner pokemon-- Mela and the dogs are the academy champs. They're unbeatable - Don't tell anyone, but Mela really likes styling their fur

Ortega: - That dog is a purebred (purebread?) and definitely cost like 10k. This dog is worth more than most people's kidneys - Daschbun is a total brat and has very specific diet requests. He can, will, and does pick the carrots out of his food mix and spit them out. God forbid Ortega tries to give him dry food? Oh there is hell to pay - Both Ortega and Daschbun are drama queens. Daschbun is a lapdog and knows it and will sit there haughtily. They're having too much fun

[citrine444]

NOAH FONTAINE picked up his key from the front desk THREE MONTHS ago. The TWENTY-SEVEN year old uses HE/HIM pronouns and is a DJ AT CATCH ME IF YOU CAN from CLEVELAND, OHIO. According to his apartment application, people have told him he looks a lot like MAXENCE DANET FAUVEL and the character they identify with most is JAKE PERALTA FROM BROOKLYN99. (SOPHIE, 24, SHE/HER, GMT - 8)

Basics

full name: noah fontaine hometown: cleveland, ohio sexuality: yes age/ birthday/ zodiac: 27 / march 20th / pisces height: 6’0 languages spoken: english, high school-level french traits: fun-loving, immature, free spirit, frivolous, hardworking

Background

noah fontaine, originally born noah richard brown, came into the world on march 20th, to parents michael brown and camille fontaine brown. his upbringing was colored by fond memories of a bustling household with three older sisters, where he, the youngest, often found himself vying for attention. whether he was forcing his family to sit through impromptu one-man-shows or wreaking havoc on his sisters, noah always found a way to make his presence known amidst the chaos. as he transitioned into high school, noah's enthusiasm for traditional education waned, reflecting in his less-than-stellar grades and uncertain outlook on the future. instead, he found his place in the world of youtube. daily uploads became his creative outlet, ranging from movie and song reviews to vlogs featuring his friends. despite his efforts, success seemed elusive, leaving him questioning his path. however, noah's journey took an unexpected turn. learning his father had an affair shattered the stability he once knew, causing him to distance himself from his paternal ties. he decided he no longer wanted anything to do with his dad. he adopted his mother's maiden name, severing the last link to his father before pouring himself into his career as a distraction.  noah's breakthrough arrived with his viral one-man rap inspired by the movie  "frozen" went viral in 2013. he reshaped his youtube content to showcase his brand of humor, resonating particularly with a younger audience he labeled “fontainiacs”. hungry for new inspiration, noah's gaze turned to chile, where a wave of fellow creators had migrated. without hesitation, he packed his bags, ready to immerse himself in the city for his next big adventure.

Personality

a "himbo" and a "yes man," lacking that filter that cautions against impulsive actions. forever in pursuit of thrill and recognition, he embodies a carefree spirit. immaturity and recklessness define his approach to finances, yet he displays unwavering dedication to his career. though not renowned for his intellect, he compensates with an unmatched work ethic, ensuring that his career remains his top priority.

Head Canons

- he's gay, but he has a special connection to classical music, there are many things that are interesting about him - prefers the company of women because of his family dynamic - unapologetic swiftie - doesn't hate anyone except his dad and jake gyllenhaal - knows a lot about pop culture, who is dating who, etc - can’t have a single conversation without bringing up mr. beast (his idol) - swears he was at jake paul’s wedding (you can’t prove that he wasn’t)  - was supposed to be in the video - first adult purchase was a supreme bag -PR teams worst nightmare, doesn’t known when to stop talking, probably definitely cannot read the room

Wanted Connections

- content creators to collab with!! - fake relationship - perhaps he decides to pursue a relationship because it would be good for views and respects the creator, then if the vibes are right maybe they fall for each other - friends - i will never say no to a grumpy sunshine or sunshine sunshine friendship - enemies - give him ur worst ! needs someone to write a diss track about - ex flings/situationships - mans is a lover boy but there was probably someone he dated or was seeing before he started pouring himself into his career and they left things weird

[qnewsau]

Meet the man behind Brisbane's new queer bar Come to Daddy

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/meet-the-man-behind-brisbanes-new-queer-bar-come-to-daddy/

Meet the man behind Brisbane's new queer bar Come to Daddy

Billerwell Daye the owner of the new queer bar Come to Daddy, spoke to QNews about the new venture on Brisbane’s southside.

When walking into Brisbane’s new LGBTQIA+ venue, you’re greeted with a large neon “Daddy” sign above the door. There’s no mistaking which bar you’re at. 

Welcoming me at the front counter for our chat was Billerwell, the owner. He was wearing a black polo shirt and large black glasses while sporting a long beard with his arms covered in tatts. 

He isn’t the stereotypical “scene queen”, so I wanted to know why he decided to get into the business of opening up a queer bar. 

“Oh, it started a long time ago, started when I had my old bar John Mills Himself in the city,” he tells me. 

“So in the process of kind of winding that one down and doing another one, I basically wanted to feel comfortable behind the bar. It just meant that I could be at home and ease here, being an older man in a young hospitality kind of world.”

Finding the right place on Montague Road in West End took him around 18 months, with his main focus being the south side of Brisbane.

“We were predominantly looking around West End as there’s a bit of a hole on this side of the river. This just had the right vibe and there wasn’t really much over this side catering for the community,” he says. 

How queer is the venue?

Despite having a name like Come to Daddy it’s always good for the LGBTQIA+ community to know it’s a safe space for them, so I ask how he would describe the venue. 

“It’s an inclusive space, so I would say it is a queer venue but it’s not exclusively queer. We want the local community to be here. Whether they are a part of the rainbow family or not but it is for the queer community,” he explains.

“Being a gay man as well I wanted to feel comfortable and have somewhere for my friends to go because I have a lot of friends that were kind of discussing ‘Oh, I wish we had something else in Brisbane.’” 

The venue has got off to a great start with weekends particularly busy with drag nights and DJ sets. Throughout the week there is also live music, karaoke and a kitchen open at all times. 

  View this post on Instagram

  A post shared by Come to Daddy, Brisbane (@cometodaddy_brisbane)

Fabulous branding

The set-up works well for entertainment with a great view from every spot inside the bar. The stage itself has a backdrop of a fabulous stained glass window of the Come to Daddy branding. 

I ask where the branding came from and he tells me a French illustrator friend created it a few years ago and he took inspiration from it.

Although not his design, Billerwell himself created the stained glass window after completing a course and making it over four months under his house. An impressive feat!

Punters can also purchase merchandise from the bar with the illustration. 

  View this post on Instagram

  A post shared by Come to Daddy, Brisbane (@cometodaddy_brisbane)

Future hopes

I finished our chat by asking what he hopes in both the long and short term for the venue. 

“Long term want to be here for as long as I possibly can. Short term, just to be embraced by the community as we have been so far and able to host great nights and be a social club and safe space for the community.”

Follow Come to Daddy on Instagram @cometodaddy_brisbane 

Read next:

Sporties’ Neil McLucas honoured for hosting decades of drag

Meet Steven Fahd: The man behind Gold Coast’s new queer venue

Bernie’s Bar is Newcastle’s first LGBTQIA+ space in five years

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[adultalternative]

Rodeo Star by Cowgirl Clue- One of the weirdest albums of the year. Electropop with country samples and lyrics that are a bunch of mantras together. Don’t take my lack of description as a lack of praise. My favorite songs are Rodeo Star, Picket Fence, and Gold Switchblade.

Ooh I Rap Ya by George Clanton- George Clanton was a name I sometimes saw but never gave a chance until last year. This album is a perfect homage to 90’s alternative dance. My favorite songs are the epic Justify Your Life, the Savage Garden-esque I Been Young, the nihilistic but anthemic FUML, and the dreamy For You I Will.

10,000 gecs by 100 gecs- Very loud, irreverent, and most importantly fun. People keep wondering how long hyperpop can last, but 100 gecs was able to shift seamlessly into an alternative rock sound. My favorite songs include Doritos and Fritos (which I was surprised to see on the Warner Bros rock channel on my Roku), The Most Wanted Person in the United States, Billy Knows Jamie, Frog on the Floor, and Dumbest Girl Alive.

Moments of Clarity by Narrowhead- I don’t know what it takes for me to give two looks to ‘regular’ alternative rock bands now that I have a more diverse taste, but Narrowhead stuck out to me immediately. Loud and cathartic, I’ve seen them compared a lot to Deftones. My favorite songs are Breakup Song and Sunday, as well as the alternative dance inspired Soft to Touch.

BB/Ang3l- After the very broad 333, Tinashe went for mega concise. I liked Talk to Me Nice, Treason, and Gravity. I am looking forward to the sequel project this year, which should be sooner rather than later given the delayed release this list has.

World Hassle by Alan Palomo- Alan Palomo’s music was no stranger to inspiring daydreams for me. After an 8 year hiatus, this still holds. Palomo’s solo album sounds more like sophistipop and jazz-funk than synthpop, but is still perfect for soundtracking dead mall videos, Sims Youtube speedbuilds, and city planning videos. My favorite songs are "Is There Nightlife After Death?”, Nobody’s Woman, as well as Stay at Home DJ.

guts by Olivia Rodrigo- I never know how to rate the pop girls of the next generation. Usually there are dozens of discussions about them for who is the most planty, who is the most naturally talented, who is the most wise beyond their years, and who is the most annoying (AKA a normal under 23 year old with a public social media platform), but I just opt out of them instead of having dozens of opinions (unfortunately, I can't always restrain my thoughts on pop stars this easily). This either means an album like Melodrama will have the highs affect me less than they do other people, or an album like Happier Than Ever I wrongly write off too early because I'm not that interested in the meta discussions of Billie’s sophomore slump. But guts had no problem reeling me in. Olivia shows how eclectic Pop rock can be with a rap rock song like Get Him Back, a One of the Boys esque song like Love is Embarrassing, as well as the bubblegrunge inspired Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl.

Gag Order by Kesha- Usually, when people want a dark and personal album by a pop star, we imagine it to be a little confessional and a little experimental, but this album took me by surprise, from the album art to the songs themselves. Maybe it was just watching the visualizers for the videos, but you definitely get the alienation and stress Kesha was facing over the last decade with Something to Believe In and Eat the Acid. For a little more balance, listen to The Drama and Only Love Can Save Us.

Bully by Bully- Bully’s most immediate album since their debut, in my opinion. I like the anthemic Days Move Slow, the surprisingly moody A Love Profound, and the political All This Noise.

Leaving The Light by Genesis Owusu- Genesis Owusu came with an album with a little bit of everything. Post punk, drum and bass, and funk. I like Leaving The Light, The Roach, The Old Man, and That’s Life (A Swamp).

heaven knows by PinkPantheress- More of PinkPantheress’s trademark easily digestible and recognizable UK Garage and helium vocals. My favorite songs are Capable of Love and Internet Baby, as well as The Boy’s a Liar.

Good Luck by Debby Friday- Debby Friday came out of nowhere with this brash homage to industrial music. If you want to get adjusted to the soundscape with a moody bop, start with So Hard to Tell. If you are ready for the loudness, go to Pluto Baby.

Gizmo by Tanukichan- Going on the shoegaze subreddit is good for finding out how to classify ‘The Greats’ of shoegaze music for people whose names I always see but never actually commit to (Or in the case of Curve, are not on streaming), but not my favorite for finding new people. Seeing everything described as ‘Bad impressions of Loveless or just reverbed guitar music’ makes me turned off from giving people more chances. Tanukichan, however, has the right amount of vocals and right amount of guitars. My favorite songs are Don’t Give Up, Take Care, Thin Air, and Mr. Rain.

Chaos for the Fly by Grian Chatten- I’ve kept up with alternative rock enough to know that solo acoustic projects are usually optional for me. But calling Chaos for the Fly an acoustic folk solo album is not doing it any justice. This album has enough atmosphere to keep people who normally don’t like folk music interested, without taking away focus from the lyrics. This is a perfect album for rainy Sunday mornings. My favorite songs are Last Time Every Time Forever, Bob’s Casino, and Fairlilies. 

Rabbit Rabbit by Speedy Ortiz- Speedy Ortiz returned with a better focus than their 2018 project, in my opinion. The production gives a lot of different textures time to shine. I like the songs Kim Catrall and Who’s Afraid of the Bath?

wallsocket by underscores - An album that might cast itself out based on how weird it is until the hooks sneak up on you. Other people have talked about how it’s a concept album better than I have, so I won’t talk about that, but Locals (Girls Like Us) is very ahead of the times party-rap revival, Shoot to Kill, Kill Your Darlings, is probably one of the cleverest political songs of the year, and Cops and Robbers is a pure adrenaline rush. Special mention goes to You Don’t Even Know Who I Am, which is haunting with a very unique sample.

☆ Cosas de brujas ☆ by Maria Escarmiento- An exciting and fun hyperpop album where the language barrier doesn't matter. It reminds me of Number 1 Angel era Charli. Mejores que ayer and Demasiado Callado are euphoric, Creo que hoy no me apetece quererme morir is a crunchy futuristic song

Past/present/future by Meet Me @ the Altar- over the past few years, I've had revisionism for the 2000s pop rock girlies. Not just ‘Breakaway is good’ or ‘One of the Boys has Really solid album tracks that get overlooked for obvious reasons’, but more deep-cut esoteric ones that can definitely merit their own post. Meet Me @ the Altar captures the era with their power pop influenced pop punk. Say It (to My Face) is purposely well, immature and energetic like most pop punk, and is the most famous song, per the Roku rock video channel I use, but they have other sounds, too. A Few Tomorrows is a catchy singalong midtempo which could have been the last stray American Idol alumni breakout single (I mean it in the best way possible) and Need Me reminds me of the power pop on One of the Boys.

The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We by Mitski- After too much meta narrative about Mitski’s career clouded her last two albums, Mitski came with a folk album that might be more sparse, but not at all too simple. There is the dreamy My Love All Mine All Mine, the wanderlust of Buffalo Replaced, and I Don't Like my Mind.

Flower of Life Taleen Kali- An interesting shoegaze album that reminds me of the Dum Dum Girls. My favorite songs are Only Lovers Left Alive and Flower of Life. I am curious for where her sound will develop from here.

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Balearic Beats (The Album Vol 1) 1988 Balearic Beat / Disco / House / Industrial

Man, this is such a momentous fuckin' album that was compiled by legends Paul Oakenfold, Pete Tong, and Trevor Fung back in '88. Here they deliver the first compilation to *ever* attempt to encapsulate the sound of the wide-ranging 'Balearic beat,' a dance phenomenon whose home was in the party capital of the world, on the Spanish isle of Ibiza, where plenty of Europeans would visit and end up drawing inspiration from. And with this album, these three guys appear to have finally successfully broken through, able to bring this very quirky vibe into the UK to coat its own exploding dance music scene during the historic 'Second Summer of Love,' which saw the Chicago-born genre of acid house reach critical mass among the youth and spawn a first generation of ravers.

But Balearic beat is not something that one can easily describe, because its most defining trait is that it really only has one rule: so long as there is some sort of tangible beat that's danceable, it'll do. Essentially, Balearic beat represents an extremely expansive coterie of a whole bunch of different genres: pop, rock, house, disco—pretty much everything that ranges between James Brown funk records and industrial music, and with blends of psychedelia, Italo flavor, plenty of leftfield experimentalism, guitar rock, and chunks of world music too. It's probably the single-most unique dance music scene that this world's ever borne witness to, and it not only allowed, but actively encouraged DJs to take unprecedented levels of risk in their own selections, as a culture of decadence, hedonism, freedom, and acceptance was nurtured and fostered.

And Oakenfold and co. really tried to bring this vibe and approach into the UK's own dance consciousness a couple times between '87 and '88, after returning from summers spent on Ibiza and opening up a couple nightclubs. But things finally started taking hold with Oakey's own Monday club night called Spectrum at gay superclub Heaven in Westminster, London. And this comp, with liner notes provided by Boy's Own's Terry Farley, represents those Spectrum club nights, as well as stuff from Shoom, which is the club where the UK's acid house movement first originated. Shoom was founded by Oakenfold compatriot Danny Rampling, whose own first trip to Ibiza with Oakey and others is what inspired him to open up the club in the first place. And Rampling took ecstasy for the first time on that Ibiza trip too 💊😁🥹.

So, from a glance, by looking at this tracklist and not having any familiarity with what Balearic beat entails, you might see this list of songs and inevitably scratch your head: Italo-jazz saxophonist Enzo Avitabile?; pop starlet Mandy Smith, who's unfortunately best known for having an underage relationship with former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman and then marrying him 🤮?; San Francisco avantgardists The Residents taking the bassline from "Billie Jean" and fashioning a cover of a Hank Williams honky-tonk tune out of it?; EBM group Nitzer Ebb?; industrial act Fini Tribe on a weird, cocaine-fueled tribal disco tip with ringing and clanging bells??? What on earth is this?!?!?

But don't worry, now that you have a proper frame of reference, it'll all make a whole lot more sense when you actually put this album on 😎.

And we gotta make special mention of this release's opener too, "Jibaro" by Oakenfold and Steve Osborne's Balearic electronic project, Electra. Yesterday I posted about an Italo comp that was put out by this same Pete Tong-run FFRR label called The House Sound of Europe - Vol. V - 'Casa Latina', and I remarked that although the Electra track on there really had no business being included—because it was neither Italian-made nor really a house tune—it was still the best track that that comp had to offer, as it was the pure ultimate in 80s Ibiza silky-chillness. But this "Jibaro" track, a cover of a mid-70s Spanish psychedelic disco-funk tune, and whose own 12-inch art inspired the album art for this comp itself, represents a different branch of that girthy Balearic tree, because this one's a full-fledged house jam; slower than a typical house tune, but a house tune nonetheless; and with a richly patched-together sonic quilt of different sounds that *majorly* diverges from all the black, queer, and acid-jacking beauty that'd been emanating from Chicago.

So, ultimately, this was a very important album in the grand scheme of things. Balearic beat brought a very elastic dimension to the acid house movement writ large in the UK, and if you'll now all allow me to unveil my corkboard-and-yarn setup here to give you all a parting glimpse of just how intertwined all of this got within the UK's own vibrant, fluid, and interconnected music landscape, let's bring all of this full-circle by talking about legendary Manchester new wave band New Order.

New Order once took a two-week trip to Ibiza that had such a profound effect on them that it yielded their fifth studio LP, Technique, in 1989. And they also owned a very popular club in Manchester called The Haçienda. In '88, The Haçienda would launch its own Ibiza-themed club nights, which then played an integral role in the development of the city's own Madchester scene, a style of alternative dance music that saw indie bands mesh their sound with psychedelia and acid house beats. And one of Madchester's biggest landmarks ended up being 1990's Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches, an album by a group called Happy Mondays that was co-produced by none other than the Electra boys themselves—Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne! 🤯

Highlights:

Electra - "Jibaro" Code 61 - "Drop the Deal" Beats Workin' - "Sure Beats Workin'" Enzo Avitabile - "Black Out" Mandy Smith - "Mandy's Theme (I Just Can't Wait) (Cool & Breezy Jazz Version)" The Residents - "Kaw-Liga (Prairie Mix)" The Woodentops - "Why Why Why (Live)" Fini Tribe - "De Testimony (Collapsing Edit)" The Thrashing Doves - "Jesus On the Payroll"

[independentartistbuzz]

Indie 5-0: 5 Qs with Sound Strider

Sound Strider is no ordinary artist; he's a sonic explorer traversing the globe, leaving his creative mark in the most extraordinary places.

Humbly taking 2023 by storm, Sound Strider took on quite a few diverse roles – from traveling to Spain to DJ in a castle, to exploring the prestigious exhibits at La Biennale di Venezia in Venice, to fully immersing himself in Burning Man, and lots more.

His music compound, La Briche, nestled in the heart of France, serves as a creative sanctuary where various projects come to life. However, his global ventures don't stop there. Sound Strider curated, created, and hosted the Music, Magic, Medicine event in Germany this past summer, bringing together a tapestry of sounds and experiences that transcend the ordinary.

Sound Strider isn't just an artist; he's a visionary, host, musician, and entrepreneur. His journey is an odyssey through the uncharted territories of music and mystery, consistently pushing boundaries and creating a legacy that resonates globally. The world may not always see the unsung heroics, but Sound Strider's impact is felt across continents, making him a true maestro of sonic exploration.

Sound Strider just released his latest single, Psychedelic Ritual, and we are super happy to catch up with him for Indie 5.0 - please enjoy!

Can you tell us about your journey as an artist and how your diverse musical influences have shaped the unique sound of Sound Strider? 

I started out learning drums as a kid. My dad was a classical musician so he hooked me up with an orchestral percussionist who taught me the fundamentals of rhythm and I also spent some time studying under a jazz drummer who introduced me to the african american greats Art Blakey and Bernard Purdie who remain key influences today. I played in a few different bands through my teenage years mostly punk and jazz and although I had been to a few rave parties it wasn't until around 2004 that I got heavily into electronic music. I started out with a pirate copy of Fruity Loops and learned how to DJ on vinyl quickly getting involved in the NuSkool Breaks scene in Sydney. Not long after I went to my first Earthcore and immediately fell in love with Doof culture; a uniquely Australian take on the global psytrance phenomenon where I started playing parties with a unique blend of breaks and psy. The next big change came in 2008 when I decided to move to the French countryside to turn a decaying agro-industrial ruin into a recording studio and artists hub. Not long after arriving I fell in with the French free party crowd which was a much harder and more brutal version of the australian doof, maintaining a strong emphasis on psychedelics and connection with nature but with much higher BPMs, straighter grooves and more aggressive textures having evolved out of Punk and specifically the seminal french punk bands Ludwig von 88 and Berurier Noir who used drum machines instead of actual drummers. This twisting path through different landscapes of underground electronica is I think what gives Sound Strider its unique flavour and probably why people seem to have a lot of trouble finding a genre that fits my work.

Your passion for travel and immersion in foreign cultures is well-known. How have these experiences impacted your music, and could you share a memorable cultural encounter that inspired your work? 

Probably the most impactful encounter has been my connection to Santiago de Cuba where my sister was living and working as a dancer for over a decade. I visited regularly over the years and became quite intimate with the musical culture surrounding Santeria, a syncretic Afro-Cuban religion based on Yoruba mythologies and rhythms. This was my first time encountering a musical culture which was also a powerful spiritual technology. I witnessed possessions, healings and other phenomena which definitively broke my belief in western materialism and turned me on to the immense transformative power of music and the nascent potential of the psychedelic rave movement as a vehicle for re-establishing communication with the living cosmos.

As the owner of La Briche, how has this venture influenced your music production process and collaborations with other artists? Are there any exciting projects currently underway at La Briche that you'd like to mention? 

The residential studio, at least in its most recent incarnation which dates to around 2019 has been something of a double edged sword. On one hand it has introduced me to dozens of fantastic musicians, given me an excuse to buy all sorts of wonderful gear (nothing quite like the sound of a real hammond/rhodes) and given me a huge space to experiment with techniques that go far beyond the laptop and monitor approach that most electronic musicians today are using. On the other hand I have found my creative energies being sapped by the fact that I am constantly working to help other people bring their creative visions to life. I think its no coincidence that my last EP was released in 2018 just before the studio business got underway. That said I am managing to balance my time better now and the production process has definitely evolved. I am using a lot more live instrumentation and really learning how to use the space as an instrument as opposed to doing everything 'in the box'. As for exciting projects in the pipeline we are looking to host our first mini festival onsite in May 2024, I'm also currently working on preproduction for a grand 'live in pompeii' style filmed performance of a musical project called Metabards which I started many years ago that takes its inspiration from greek mythology.

Your interest in alternative spiritual practices and the occult adds a unique dimension to your art. How do these elements connect with your music, and what messages or experiences are you aiming to convey to your listeners through this aspect of your work? 

In my understanding music has always been deeply connected to the unseen dimensions of our existence. If you look at history or towards non western cultures it's quite rare to find music that isn't connected in some way with religion or spirituality. The western abstraction as I call it, evolves out of the general split that European culture made with its christian roots giving birth to the concept of music as merely entertainment, a kind of amusing distraction from the serious business of life. I contend that music is in fact very serious business and has deep and profound effects on individuals and cultures. What I hope to convey is whatever the muses tell me to! The deeper I get into the creative mysteries the more I try to in some ways to erase myself from the process and attempt simply to serve as a conduit for whatever information wants to pass through. I think music is a huge part of that vital link between humans and the rest of the cosmos which in my understanding is densely populated and very much alive.

Could you shed some light on the meaning and creative techniques behind your latest release, "Psychedelic Rituals"? What can listeners anticipate from future Sound Strider releases?

Psychedelic Ritual is the first track I've released in almost 5 years and will be the first in what I hope to be a steady stream of ouptut going forward. I've decided to get with the times and bypass the EP/Album format and will instead be aiming to put out a new track roughly once a month for the foreseeable future. This new material is the result of a hybrid production process that has been developing in the studio over the last 5 years. Essentially everything starts out as a jam, I hook up some drum machines, synthesizers and microphones with whoever happens to be around and record these epic multitrack sessions which often go for hours.  The next phase involves listening back and pulling out ideas and loops which I think have the potential to turn into polished tracks. I then enter a back and forth stage of sitting at the computer and arranging and doing live takes of various instruments or synths which get hacked down to the best bits before final polish and mix. As for the meaning behind the method I am a great believer in the power of improvisation, especially as it relates to my previous comments about connecting with the living cosmos. Within a lot of electronic music today I feel improvisation has been replaced by a kind of over obsessive detail oriented production process that leaves very little room for the muses to get their message across.

Don't miss a beat! Be sure to follow Soundstrider today via:

Instagram | Spotify | SoundStrider.org

[voxiiferous]

🎧 🎧🎧

@saunteredintohell

Send 🎧 for a random song from my character's playlist and the reason(s) why I associate it with my muse!

Ooh! Three! First up...

All Eyes On Me - OR3O You said I wasn't good enough to stay You put me away You took away my future and my fame But now that will change

Focus on me I'll be all that they see I'll make them sway No, can't run away Now all eyes on me

Between this, Circus (Britney Spears), and the Paranoid DJ song for Vox, is the common theme of 'all eyes on me' coming across? Vox is a performer, and more than that, he is someone for whom has quite a lot of power. In life, he kept getting denied promotions until he decided to extort and blackmail his way to the short-lived top, in Hell... well Overlord Vox is a figure you shouldn't mess with.

I really like the somewhat staticky affect at the start of the song, and the slightly swing sound to it, it brings together the past and present, which for Vox, is super important. Like yes he leans into the new technology, and the changes inherent in time, but he is still very much influenced by where he started.

It also works for when Vox finally leaves Valentino permanently. They've been 'equals' for so long, but now it's for Vox to reclaim everything he built from the ground up.

Our Velocity - Maximo Park I'm not a man I'm a machine Chisel me down until I am clean I buy books I never read And then I tell you some more about me!

Years and years ago a blog I was writing with put this on a playlist meme for me, and it's been hanging around in my playlist ever since, and I have to admit, I think it fits Vox the best of any of my muses!

I like this song for his relationships too, like the line "I've got no one to call in the middle of the night anymore / I'm just alone with my thoughts" is also a mood. Alongside the trend of 'eyes on me', Voxxy also has the tensions between man and machine.

And for my version of him at least, where he is right now is something like 25 years after his height. In the 1990s, his rivalry with Alastor made for a good show, he and Valentino were stable, they were the three V's, and media was changing in a positive direction he could capitalize on... and now it's not that, he's clinging.

Everyone knows everything about Overlord Vox, he's on every screen in Hell, people follow him on Voxtagram, sometimes he quote classic literature from a time he used to read it, but none of it's real, none of it's actually fulfilling.

911 - Lady Gaga Turnin' up emotional faders Keep repeating self-hating phrases I have heard enough of these voices Almost like I have no choice This is biological stasis My mood's shifting to manic places Wish I laughed and kept the good friendships Watch life, here I go again

Is it funny to say that when it comes to music, I am perhaps more likely to search up Angel inspiration than other Vox playlists? A lot of songs don't cross nicely, but for my version of the character, the very self assured, happy, confident version just... isn't what he is. He, like Alastor, is bored.

As for this song! The start has a very robotic vibe to it, which sort of tapers off in part, but definitely not fully, and so that vibe is already putting it higher on the 'is a Vox mood' scale. My man has perfected the smiling while everything internally falls down around him, but he's no more getting out of, or changing it than he was a few decades ago. But he is getting to a point now where he's aware of that, where the rose tinted glasses are coming off, and that's... terrifying for him.

Vox's entire playlist is the most confusing mixture of 'seemingly upbeat pop music with darker lyrics', and 'the cold cost of success', which sort of says everything you need to know about him. Like yes, he's brought this on himself, but that doesn't mean he's happy.

[anitosoul]

tripreport.020: THE VAST

isolation in expanse 🧑‍🚀

Key Inspirations

Arca (Music artist)

Koreless (Music artist)

DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ (Music artist)

Specifically the song “Being Alone” (Song)

Space visualizers (YouTube video)

The Met Surrealist exhibit (Art exhibit)

Jon Watts – Spider-Man: No Way Home (Film)

Christopher Nolan – Interstellar (Film)

Night on Earth – “Dark Seas” (TV Show)

Doss’s opening DJ set for Arca (DJ set)

100 Gecs (Music artist)

Playboi Carti (Music artist)

The weird purgatory between Christmas and New Years (Time)

THE VAST Tracklist Act I: entropy

The Hellp – 4up7up

100 Gecs – mememe

Trippie Redd, Playboi Carti – Miss the Rage

Headband Andy – I must apologize – Remix

Slikback, FlexFab – Raw

underscores – Where did you fall

Danny L Harle, DJ Mayhem – All Night

Anz – Unravel in the Designated Zone

Louke Man – Took a Turn

poolsideconvo – anybody else but u

DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ – Being Alone

Carlos Niño – Esssssssence

Koreless – Joy Squad

Oli XL – Go Oli Go!

THE VAST Tracklist Act II: ether

Doss – Softpretty

AceMo – Through the Pressure

Jacques Greene – Serenity

Oli XL – Cartoon Smile

Loop 7 – The Theme – Lamento

CFCF – Marigold Mix

Jesper Ryom – Apolune

Maddy Maia, Tottie – Spirit

DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ – We Go On

Magdalena Bay – You Lose!

Harvey Sutherland – Priestess

808 State – Pacific State

Koreless – Shellshock

asc – lose ya

THE VAST Tracklist Act III: abyss

DJ FLP – Close the Door

Erika de Casier – Drama

Arca – Luna Llena

Sega Bodega – Only Seeing God When I Come

DreamWeaver – Altered Reality

Yu Su – Klein

CFCF – Nostalgic Body

PHD & The Funky Technicians – Above & Beyond

Dirty Bird – Midnight

Winslow – Snooze Button Roller

No Rome – Secret Beach

SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE – RAPID & COMPLETE RECOVERY

Virgil Abloh, serpentwithfeet – Delicate Limbs

1995 epilepsy – get 2 kno

Returning to NYC after Thanksgiving was a weird experience. I had extended my time in Tulsa so I was gone for about three weeks, which was the longest I had been away from NYC since moving back in May. As my plane descended over Manhattan, it felt like flying into the city for the first time. Something just felt…different. Maybe it was because it was getting cold and the days were becoming shorter. I reminded myself that I had a lot to look forward to, though, like concerts and holidays. 

That first weekend back, I had tickets to see 100 gecs. I ended up going with the partner of one of my friends from high school who I met in November when they visited and came to the PQ party. The concert was amazing and the chaos of it brought back a taste of the boundless energy from earlier in the year. Afterwards, we ended up walking all the way from Terminal 5 down Manhattan back to my apartment, talking about life and witnessing the spectrum of human experience pass us by as we drifted through the varied vibes of each Manhattan neighborhood. Getting to connect with someone I didn’t know that well so easily was refreshing and made me excited for the future. Still, there was a feeling of surrealness to everything, like I had entered into some sort of alternate reality. I was working fully remotely at this point, so my office became the various cafes or hotel lobbies in a 1-mile vicinity of my apartment. The lack of familiarity in anything I was doing was bizarre, and I wasn’t sure what else to do besides go along with it.

A few days after that concert, Arca randomly had a DJ set at a small bar close to my apartment. I’ve been training for a marathon, so despite running 12 miles right before, I decided I didn’t want to miss it and checked it out with a friend. It was an interesting experience, given it was on a Monday, I was physically exhausted, and the music was less than accessible. Doss started off the night with a fun set, and afterwards Arca went b2b with Shayne Oliver, the founder of Hood By Air. They absolutely blasted their tracks, doubling the speed to 200+ bpm, setting extremely short loops, and blowing out the speakers, trading sound quality for sheer volume. It was a mix of Latin and hip-hop but didn’t have any sort of natural flow like most DJ sets. Sonically, something about the set deeply intrigued me, but it mostly just added to the surreality I found myself in.

My birthday was the weekend after and I was looking forward to celebrating. I didn’t realize, though, that most of my close friends were already going to be home for the holidays by that time. There were murmurs of the “Omicron variant,” which seemed to be spreading in NYC but the impact of its manifestation wasn’t fully clear yet. I had tickets to Playboi Carti the Friday before my birthday, but the friend I was going to go with didn’t want to risk getting COVID as they were flying home the next day, which I understood. I ended up going alone, and it was yet another surreal experience. I was surrounded by teenagers in the pit as they moshed to the songs played in the interim before Carti went on. I felt like I was one of the oldest people in the pit, and being there alone made it even weirder–not bad, just kind of absurd. When Carti went on, though, none of that mattered anymore. It was arguably one of the greatest concert experiences I’ve had in my life. It was definitely top 5, up there with Frank Ocean, Kanye, Dead & Company, and FKA twigs. 

The whole experience was articulated perfectly by this white dad who brought his pre-teen son to the show and called it an anti-concert.

Afterwards, I didn’t want to have my birthday hit while I was in an Uber or something, so I walked over to this bar literally called “That Bar” and had some questionable (creepy) locals try to involve me in their conversation about dating younger women with a 20 year age gap. I was turning 25, so I didn’t have much input to offer. Once again, surreal.

On my actual birthday, my mom was in the city. There were some factors that made this emotionally complicated for me, but I got brunch with her and the people she was visiting with and then decided I would spend the day to myself. I had tickets to see AceMoMA and other Nowadays DJs at a fundraiser for Good Room, but it got postponed due to the Omicron variant. It was cold and rainy that day even though the day before was weirdly sunny and in the 60s, so to make the most of the day I went to the Met, a place I knew I could spend hours inside. 

I walked through the cultural exhibits, listening to tracks off LTJ Bukem’s Earth collections of chill drum and bass. Eventually, I got to the surrealist exhibit. I listened to Agor by Koreless for the first time, and I was fully immersed. The music was extremely trippy and matched the visuals in the exhibit perfectly; it was an overwhelming sensory experience. Afterwards, I left the museum, appreciative of the day but ultimately still in a very weird headspace. I was reflecting on what it meant to be alone, especially in a world with the dual stressors of COVID and climate change–the fact that everything was getting canceled brought back difficult memories of March 2020, and the constant shifts in weather felt like a tangible impending crisis. As I did earlier in the month, I tried to just roll with it. 

I had tickets to see Spider-Man: No Way Home, so I attempted to get myself in a mindset for enjoying a fun movie. I don’t want to include any spoilers, but the movie ended up being pretty emotional and I was a wreck afterwards. The impressions I had back in July about nothing being promised were eating at me. I called my mom as I left the theater, realizing how foolish it would be for me to give up an opportunity to spend time with her. 

My mom came over to my apartment and for the first time I could see how she’s aged. I noticed the wrinkles forming on her face, the strands of her hair turning grey. As a kid, she would rub Vick’s vapor rub on my forehead when I didn’t feel well, and she did the same for me on my 25th birthday. The difference, though, was that it wasn’t in my childhood home, it was in my own apartment in downtown Manhattan. 

I recalled that my mom told me when I was a kid, I said I was going to be a doctor and live in NYC with a dog. While it hasn’t fully panned out that way (yet! I will have a dog at some point, doubtful about the doctor part), I couldn’t help but think about how surreal this was for her, too. She spent the night in my apartment, and I set her up in my bed and said goodnight as I went to go sleep on my couch. It was in that moment on my 25th birthday, tucking my mother into bed in my own apartment, that I felt I transitioned into adulthood.

The rest of the month wasn’t any less surreal. My sister and mom visited for the week of Christmas, and on the day my sister arrived I tested positive for COVID. We were left to quarantine in my small apartment, and somehow my mom and sister didn’t test positive afterwards. I spent a lot of time that week mixing with the music that I had been listening to. I was finally able to express the weirdness I had been feeling all month. 

The surreality culminated on a random night when I decided to go over to a friend’s apartment and play him the mixes. We listened to them alongside a spaceship visualizer, and it was awesome. That night I realized that December’s theme is THE VAST, split into a trilogy. All month I felt like Matthew McConaughey’s character in Interstellar or Sandra Bullock’s character in Gravity, floating aimlessly in space and left to reflect on the memories of life on earth. That same solitude in the vastness of space was related to the vastness of the ocean, floating at sea. 

There was one missing aspect, though, which is represented by the ?-side of the mix, entropy. It’s the chaos, the absurdity, the confusion–accepting that sometimes things don’t make sense, and laughing through it anyways.

Visuals to go with Act I: entropy

Visuals to go with Act II: ether

If you have Netflix, Act III: abyss we discovered that it syncs up perfectly with this episode of Night on Earth: “Dark Seas.”

I found that this month broadly wraps up all of the themes I’ve felt over the course of this year and serves as a worthy conclusion to this series. If you’ve read any of this, I hope you’ve found a part of it you’ve connected with, or at the very least found a song or two that you enjoy. 

Have a wonderful 2022. 

Peace, Michael