#The Elements (2021 Tour Box)

[rastronomicals]

1:12 PM EST November 28, 2024:

The League of Gentlemen - "Cognitive Dissonance" From the album The Elements (2021 Tour Box) (July 2021)

Last song scrobbled from iTunes at Last.fm

[lovejustforaday]

2023 Year End List - #1

夢之駭客 Dream Hacker - Otay:onii

Main Genres: Post-Industrial, Experimental

A decent sampling of: Neoclassical Darkwave, Electroacoustic, Glitch, Industrial Techno, Drone

Brace yourself, cause from here on out this is mostly just gonna be me fanboying and gushing uncontrollably.

Back in 2021, I had championed the Chinese American singer/songwriter/composer/producer/performance artist Lane Shi Otayonii a.k.a. Otay:onii for her experimental record Ming Ming on that year's roundup, describing her potential to become "one of the greatest producers of the decade". But who is this enigmatic artist?

Lane Shi divides her time and energy between creating and touring with her hardcore noise rock band Elizabeth Colour Wheel, and performing studio black magic with her solo project under the Otay:onii name.

She is also an artist who regularly alternates her base of operations between two worlds, residing at different times in New York City and Shanghai. The duality of her identity as a Chinese American is a narrative thread that appears many times throughout the artist's work, informing some of the thematic elements of her records.

According to a really great interview she did with the YouTuber Heinos, the moniker 'Otayonii' itself is actually a name that was given to the artist when she met a Seneca First Nations man, who asked if he could call her by the name for 'wolf' in his ancestral language. She liked the sound and what it represented, and so decided to own her new given title.

Musically, Otay:onii is primarily a post-industrial project, but Lane Shi regularly incorporates aspects of darkwave, glitch, drone, traditional Chinese music, and electroacoustic music into her work. Her signature sound is equal parts atmospheric, lovecraftian, primordial, playful, and frenetic. She's kinda like if an ancient vengeful demi-god reemerged from the bowels of the Earth, and learned how to download and play around with studio software on a laptop.

As a vocalist, Lane Shi possesses a contralto range, and falls under one of my favourite niche categories of woman singers I like to call "force-of-nature belters", along with the likes of Tanya Tagaq and Björk. She has a trademark lower register that I would describe as a witch's snarl, a gentler middle register, as well as a higher register that she usually reserves for piercing battle cries and wailing like a banshee.

Her 2018 debut Nag was a comparatively more minimalist, grayscale undertaking, heavy on the more ambient and gothic tones of her sound. A genuinely solid first effort, if a bit less memorable than later records, barring the deliciously dreary eponymous song which is still among her very best.

2021's Ming Ming was an upgrade in all respects. Pulling major influences from Chinese folk music and folklore, I described the record in my previous Otay:onii review as a "true Pandora's Box . . . like the story of a mortal who attempts to enter the realm of the gods". Lots of ominous industrial cyber-magic, with a rare few moments that could have perhaps been edited down or omitted altogether to increase the force of its impact.

So, what to make of her latest then?

Dream Hacker is an exorcism. An inferno of ancient eternal flames envelops this absolutely bonkers and surreal listening experience. Each song carries powerful buildups in intensity combined with impossibly elegant structural competence. Far and away one of the most visceral and transcendent records I have ever beheld. This gets into your bloodstream, like an innate, raw instinct towards entropy.

Otay:onii's work has never sounded quite this immediate, energetic, and dynamic, thanks to the incorporation of avant-garde industrial techno beats that gives the whole project a mighty propulsion. Even during its quieter moments, you as the listener are never far from being engulfed in its unruly fire and brimstone. So many little leftfield moments that made me audibly go "what the fuck?" upon my first listen, too.

To me, this is album of the year not just because it poses the best collection of songs from an artist in 2023 (which, to be clear, it does), but also because it forms the most cohesive and fully realized project of the year. Every moment of this record feels intentional, meticulously crafted, and designed to fit accordingly into a larger entity. This is almost a living, breathing organism unto itself.

Lane Shi described how much of the inspiration for Dream Hacker came to her in a dream, or as she sees it, an "astral projection". Within this dream, she says she witnessed stones being thrown by a child until two of them overlapped, followed by a great light which emerged from the center of the overlap. The imagery was profound enough that she ended up naming most of the tracks after different aspects of what she saw in the dream.

The album starts with humble beginnings. "You Do/Rub" is a two-parter, opening with the haunting, softly swirling piano ballad melancholy of "You Do". The lyrics are deeply cutting and vulnerable, as the artist ponders her shaky relationship with her father as a daughter of the generation where China had implemented the one child policy, breeding stigma against female offspring in the more conservative rural communities. Lane Shi wields her voice like a delicate blade, gracefully and artfully interrogating her father's worldview. The progression of the piano's melody suggests a kind of resolution in ambiguity, resisting rigid, narrow-minded answers to multidimensional questions.

Then quite abruptly, "Rub" completely overtakes and drowns out the serenity of the softer piano song, like a sudden onset computer virus infection. What becomes of this part two is honestly one of the most immaculate timbral frequencies I've ever heard. A glitchy, droning wall of madness forms in dark, ominous, tempestuous clouds all across the sky. Warm colours are sucked out of existence by a black hole, leaving only greyish pale blues. The soul is washed with abrasion until all that's left is the ability to observe. Sound design on this is fucking unreal, as though Lane Shi Otayonii is wiping clean of our universe, leaving only a empty slate to form the basis for her own new sonic domain, wherein she is god of all things.

"Light Burst" is the combustion spark of a rebirth of all things that comes immediately after. Lane Shi let's out a shrill cry of tremendous power and agony amidst the grinding dust and debris of an incredibly dense and intricate industrial techno concoction, built upon her long standing love affair with minor second chord progressions. This track does not relent, adding more and more layers to its already colossal tower of babel proportions until, just as suddenly as it came into existence, it vanishes without a trace of detection.

"Two Rocks A Bird" oscillates like an electron creating new electromagnetic waves. Sound particles split into atoms that dance in a mindless frenzy. Even as a regular Arca fan, I don't think I was ready to comprehend something like this the first time I heard it. Subverted all of my expectations. I think the artist may have invented a few completely new sound textures on this track. A highly reactive new form of industrial music.

After deliberating with all of the sheer fucking brilliance to be found on this project, I eventually concluded that "Overlap" was my favourite off of the record. Like the best song on her last LP "Blackheart Breakables", this is an epic midpoint that just continues to build and build, feeding endlessly like a malignant being that cannot be stopped. Hand drum beat patterns are mutated, modulated, and mutilated by industrial electroacoustic mechanisms, while a synthesized flute echos a most forlorn and sinister melody.

Lane Shi takes on the shape of a skillful pyromancer, testing her newfound powers by conjuring a sea of flames that I visualize with my mind's eye as something similar to the Darvaza Gas Crater. Alternatively, I imagine thousand year old stains of bloodshed on the tombs of a ransacked temple, or the ancient terracotta soldiers of Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum brought to life for the purpose of ushering a new war. "Overlap" is just something else, man. My other pick for song of the year.

"Ritualware" opens with a rare calm, dreams swirling on the outskirts of a newborn world that has not reached its zenith. The spacious void bursts to life with a single, literal drop (another brilliant production choice), creating ripples in space-time that give way to a trumpeting sawtooth synths' cacophonous symphony.

"Good Fool" brings things to a stirringly harmonious denouement. The light of the last candle is blown out, and a creeping dusk sets in. Petals of sound float along the wind and promptly dissipate, as everything reaches an uncanny stillness. A hushed, rapid-fire breakdown of bass drums, hand drums, and gongs occurs as the final closing act of the record.

I know I've already said this like a dozen times before about a dozen different artists, but it really needs to be said here - more people should know about Otay:onii. No one I've discovered has been doing anything as consistently exciting, challenging, and infectious as this project in the last few years. As it stands right now, the artist is criminally unknown and criminally underappreciated.

Dream Hacker is the rare ambitious record that dares to be so challenging and not only lives up to all of its potential, but manages to make the old formula of doing things look incredibly obsolete by comparison. Not many avant-garde music albums are this ridiculously fun to listen to, let alone manage to capture sonic worlds that are this truly sublime.

I've probably listened to this at least 40 times in the last year, and I plan on at least doubling that number in the following year. This is not just my album of the year; it is my top album of the 2020s as a decade so far, and already one of my favourites of all time. This record sets my soul ablaze and I simply can't get enough of it. Otay:onii is my new religion, and Dream Hacker is the scripture.

10/10

Highlights: "Overlap", "You Do/Rub", "Light Burst", "Two Rocks A Bird", "Ritualware", "Good Fool"

[thejoyofviolentmovement]

Acclaimed British post-punk outfit THE THE was founded by singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Matt Johnson back in 1979 and through various iterations and configurations, Johnson and his collaborators have developed a sound and approach that seems to inhabit its own difficult to define genre: music of long shadows, high hopes, channeled anger, feverish passions and sweetly disturbing poignancy that meshes elements of pop, rock, blues, folk and soul among others while spanning alienated electronics to twisted cinematic soundtracks, guitar tumbling swing to crimson ballads, rants and prayers to diaries and hymns. Over the course of their 45 year history, Johnson and company have released only five full-length albums of original material, 1983’s Soul Mining, 1986’s Infected, 1989’s Mind Bomb, 1993’s Dusk and 2000’s NakedSelf. Having a long-held reputation for being unpredictable, the band has also tackled covers, such as 1995’s Hanky Panky; film soundtracks, including 2009’s Tony, 2010’s Moonbug, 2014’s Hyena and 2019’s Muscle; art installations, a the Radio Cinéola podcast series; 2017’s moving, 84 minute documentary/multimedia project The Inertia Variations and various book publications including 2018’s Matt Johnson biography Long Shadows, High Hopes: The Life and Times of Matt Johnson & THE THE. 2017’s The Inertia Variations took inspiration from British poet John Tottenham’s 2005 book of the same name — particularly the idea of “brooding, abstraction and evasion” getting in the way of the creative process. The Inertia Variations eventually resulted in not just the documentary, but also the Radio Cinéola Trilogy triple album box set. At the end of The Inertia Variations documentary, Johnson was filmed performing a new song live in his studio, “We Can’t Stop What’s Coming,” an energy to his older brother Andrew Johnson, an artist professionally known as Andy Dog, who died in 2016. “It was not an easy song to write,” he says. “That was the first time I’d sung in many years. I enjoyed it but found it very emotional.” The experience prompted Johnson to revive THE THE as a live band — and it lead to the sold-out 2018 The Comeback Special world tour. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the release of the accompanying live film and album until 2021. And of course, the pandemic also delayed the intended start on the writing and recording of first THE THE album in almost 25 years, Ensoulment. Instead, Johnson and company released a series of 7 inch singles that started with 2017’s “We Can’t Stop What’s Coming,” 2020’s “I WANT 2 B U,” and last year’s “$1 ONE VOTE!” The 12-song Ensoulment is slated for a September 6, 2024 release through Cinéola/earMUSIC. The album reportedly contains echoes of the acclaimed British outfit’s multifaceted and lengthy musical past, however, it’s richly representative of the mercurial band’s here and now. The album continues Johnson’s long-held reputation for being unafraid to tackle the inherent emotional complexity of the human condition — in particular, intimacy in an age of alienation; democracy in a post-truth age; empire and vassalage; the seemingly inexorable rise of AI and more. And yet, the album is rooted in hope. “It’s vital to be hopeful,” Johnson states. “And I hope people get out of the album what we put into it. It was created under very happy circumstances, with a great vibe amongst the band and all the people that worked on it. There was a lot of thought, a lot of work, a lot of love, a lot of laughter!” The album’s material were further refined in rehearsals, just before a six-day recording sessions at Bath, UK-based Real World Studios, where Johnson was joined by long-standing band members James Ellen (bass), DC Collard (keys), Earl Harvin (drums) and Barrie Cadogan (lead guitar). The album also marks the return of co-producer and engineer Warne Livesey, who worked with the band on Infected and Mind Bomb. The album also features contributions from Gillian Glover (backing...

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[malaysiankpopfans]

RADWIMPS Asian Tour 2023 in Kuala Lumpur

General sale begins Thursday, April 13th at 10am.

KUALA LUMPUR, 11th April 2023 — Renowned Japanese rock band RADWIMPS are thrilled to announce an exclusive Asian tour this summer, following the news of a sold-out US tour and the announcement of a European leg. The Asian tour kicks off in Seoul, Korea and will see the band bring their high-octane live experience to Taipei, Taiwan, Bangkok, Thailand, Jakarta, Indonesia and including Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the first time!

Promoted by InTour Live and Sozo, tickets to RADWIMPS Asian Tour 2023 in Kuala Lumpur are priced from MYR368 (excluding MYR4 booking fee). Tickets will go on sale at 10AM local time on Thursday, April 13 via www.ticketcharge.com.my

Lead singer Yojiro Noda says: "I don't even know how to express my excitement. It's been three years and we're all three years older. But our music has matured, too. I will come see you as if you're a lover I was longing to reunite with, so be ready! Can't wait to see you all in person.” Bass player Yusuke Takeda adds: “It's been a while since we played a concert where the audience could scream and shout, so I want to have as much fun as we possibly can.”

RADWIMPS have also recently teamed up with highly acclaimed film music composer Kazuma Jinnouchi to create the perfect soundtrack and score for award-winning auteur director Makoto Shinkai’s latest film “Suzume” now showing in theatres across Asia.

"Suzume” is the story about a young girl traveling through various ruins across Japan while closing doors causing disaster. “Suzume” opened in Japan on Nov. 11, 2022. It was #1 for 3 consecutive weeks with a gross of over 14.22 billion Yen at the box office to date! The international rollout started on March 2nd in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau and Suzume has opened to number one in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea and Vietnam so far with over 2 million people have seen the film. The film just opened in one of the biggest markets in the world -China- on March 24th and it sold 70 million yuan (US$10.17 million) in pre-sale tickets ahead of its release, making it the highest number of pre-sales for an animated film in China ever. The soundtrack by RADWIMPS and Kazuma Jinnouchi also recently received “Best Music” at 46th Japan Academy Award.

Formed in 2001, Japanese 4-piece band RADWIMPS made their major label debut in 2005. Soon after, they garnered a broad fan base, with the younger generation at the core. The band has released nine studio albums thus far. The band's creation of music for Shinkai’s previous record-breaking animated feature films "Your Name." and "Weathering with You" led to recognitions at the Japanese Academy Award for Best Original Score. Their musical activities go far beyond Japan, including touring extensively around the world.

In Nov. 2021, the band released their latest studio album “FOREVER DAZE” and went on the road for a nationwide Japanese tour to support the album. “FOREVER DAZE” was written and recorded throughout the pandemic and speaks to the musical challenges the guys faced, their hopes moving forward and features a diverse group of collaborators and experimental elements. The album welcomed guest artists including the famous actor/singer Masaki Suda, as well as two of the most up-and-coming artists, Awich and iri.

RADWIMPS ASIAN TOUR 2023 IN KUALA LUMPUR

Date: July 25, 2023, Tuesday

Venue: ZEPP Kuala Lumpur

Ticket Prices: MYR408 / MYR398 / MYR368 (excluding MYR4 booking fee)

Ticketing: www.ticketcharge.com.my

Hotline: +603-92228811 * All prices exclude RM4 booking fee. * Each transaction is limited to 4 tickets only.

[aestheticallynotdeerlightful]

Spoilers for what I think impulses mega base will be! With evidence and potential spoilers!!

Drum roll please

THE WILLY WONKA FACTORY!!

Evidence gained so far

Eating Amethyst shards, which he referred to as rock candy on stream 7/21/2021 and his first 7/23/2021 stream (I’ll have to check but it should be after he tours his patron server )

“pure imagination” a note block cover of it, has been played twice, once in two separate episodes (I believe it was ep 08 (that or it was on stream) and the latest ep 10). This song is associated with Willy wonka and is part of the original movie’s soundtrack

In an earlier ep and stream he mentioned he wanted to get much more creative this season,

Gained a bow tie from eating said Shards, and showed interests in one of scars big hats, which both Willy wonkas wore

If you go on nameMc, a new update has been made to his skin! not only does he have the purple bow tie, he also has a light orange hat, this has yet to be shown in an episode; but knowing impulse and how fast he can give us content, we’ll probably see it in the next couple of days. Possibly even tomorrow or Tuesday

The layout for the base is so large, he has to expand the continent, perfect for a factory, and he said he would be working with tons of darker colors, such as black and grays with hints of gold (also mentioned on the 7/21/2021 stream around 19:40-25:00ish) although he also will be using loads of white concrete, specifically 26 shulker boxes full; aka 44,884 blocks

Wants to fuse redstone/technicality with aesthetic, could be good for the more- bizarre, elements of the factory, depending on which movie he’s leaning on, most likely the original one from 1971

This is all for now on this list! But I’ll be sure to make more updates when I get more clues!

All Streams and Videos can be found on his first and second channel impulsesv and impulsesv2

Updates will be in the replies!

[a-silent-symphony]

NIGHTWISH Announces 'Human. :II: Nature. (Tour Edition)'

NIGHTWISH will release "Human. :II: Nature. (Tour Edition)" on November 18 via Nuclear Blast. It will be made available as a luxurious 2CD plus Blu-ray digipak and include the band's latest album alongside NIGHTWISH's two interactive experiences in May 2021 when the group performed in a tavern called "The Islanders Arms" built in a virtual world. On both nights, the fans experienced a one-and-a-half-hour performance, hearing songs live off "Human. :II: Nature." for the first time ever. Each of the two nights had its own slightly different setlist. Originally available just as a DVD release and on Blu-ray in Japan, this new edition is the ultimate version to re-experience this unique and magical show NIGHTWISH created after their world tour had to be canceled.

Half a year in preparation and premiered on May 28 and May 29, 2021, "An Evening With Nighwish In A Virtual World" was not just a regular streaming show. It was an exceptionally ambitious production, allowing fans to follow the band playing live in an astonishing 3D world, designed according to the band's vision, while interacting with each other.

NIGHTWISH's two interactive experiences drew 150,000 viewers, setting the record for the largest paid virtual concert in Finland's history. Most of the viewers came from Europe and North America, but the performance was a truly global event, with fans in 108 countries purchasing tickets to the show and the box office gross exceeding one million euro.

"This is definitely one of the coolest things NIGHTWISH has ever done," the band comments. "Entwining visual elements, technology and music in such an extraordinary way offers a unique experience to us all."

About 30 people from seven different countries, many of them longtime fans, put everything they had into the game to craft a high-quality virtual concert featuring a NIGHTWISH-themed tavern, elaborate animations and 3D models that provided an atmospheric and inimitable stage for the group's 100-minute-long, stellar career-spanning set brilliantly mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox.

Celebrating the announcement, NIGHTWISH has released a video for "Noise", taken from "An Evening With Nightwish In A Virtual World".

"Human. :II: Nature. (Tour Edition)" track listing:

CD 1: Human. :II: Nature.

01. Music 02. Noise 03. Shoemaker 04. Harvest 05. Pan 06. How's The Heart? 07. Procession 08. Tribal 09. Endlessness

CD 2: All the Works of Nature Which Adorn the World

01. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Vista 02. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - The Blue 03. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - The Green 04. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Moors 05. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Aurorae 06. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Quiet As The Snow 07. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Anthropocene (incl. "Hurrian Hymn To Nikkal") 08. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Ad Astra

Blu-ray: Virtual Live Show From The Islanders Arms 2021

01. Intro 02. Noise 03. Planet Hell 04. Alpenglow 05. Élan 06. Storytime 07. How's The Heart? 08. Harvest 09. Dark Chest Of Wonders 10. I Want My Tears Back 11. Ever Dream 12. Nemo 13. Sleeping Sun 14. Pan 15. Last Ride Of The Day 16. Ghost Love Score 17. The Greatest Show On Earth 18. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World: VIII. Ad Astra

NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen recently spoke to Rauta about what fans can expect from the band's upcoming follow-up to "Human. :II: Nature.". He said: "I feel it's gonna be the third part of a trilogy started by 'Endless Forms Most Beautiful' [2015] followed by 'Human. :II: Nature.' and then finished by this upcoming album."

According to Tuomas, NIGHTWISH's next LP will cover previously uncharted ground while continuing in the more cinematic style that has characterized some of the band's recent efforts.

"There's always something new," he explained. "It's important for my own mental health, when it comes to writing music, that you need to search for some new territories and try not to repeat yourself. And that can be heard on the upcoming album, for sure, already on the demo that we've done."

Asked if NIGHTWISH's upcoming LP will once again be an exploration of evolutionary science, as was the case with the previous two releases, Tuomas said: "Yes and no. It sails on the same waters, but there's some new surprises there as well."

Holopainen went on to say that NIGHTWISH fans will have to wait a while before hearing new music from the band. "We'll enter the studio next year and the album is gonna come out maybe early 2024," he said.

In August, Holopainen told Knotfest that he and his bandmates had spent "the past few weeks" listening to a demo of the next NIGHTWISH album. "Because of COVID, lots of free time, I decided to use that well, so I wrote all the songs for the next album, demoed it, wrote the lyrics, and now we have been brainstorming over it with these guys," he said, referring to drummer Kai Hahto and the rest of NIGHTWISH.

Added Kai: "Yeah, it's been great. The six of us, in the same room, listening to fresh demos for the upcoming album, checking the lyrics and the vocal parts and stuff like that. So it's been wonderful. This man [Tuomas] has been really productive."

Earlier in the month, Tuomas told Rock Sverige that he spent "about a year" working on the music and lyrics for the next NIGHTWISH album, "and then we finished the demos about two months ago. We're hitting the studio next summer, so in about a year from now," he revealed. "Like I said, might as well use the time for something."

Asked if he got any kind of inspiration from the pandemic, Tuomas said: "Yeah, lyrically there's a couple of things that reflects the pandemic, but not in the way you would expect."

"Human. :II: Nature." was released in April 2020. The follow-up to 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" was a double album containing nine tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chapters, on CD 2.

In August, NIGHTWISH announced the addition of bassist Jukka Koskinen (WINTERSUN) as an official member of the band. Koskinen, who made his live debut with NIGHTWISH at the band's two interactive experiences, had spent the last year touring with NIGHTWISH as a session musician.

[dailykoreanpop]

How hello82 Brought K-Pop Fan E-Commerce to the Top of the Charts & On Tour With ATEEZ

The California media company stood out with amusing, moving, multilingual K-pop content, and expanded into retail by working alongside and shining the spotlight on fans.

To millions of K-pop fans, hello82 has been a destination to watch their favorite idols take on viral challenges, play celebrity babysitter to kids, attempt karaoke in foreign languages and star in other ready-to-share videos. But in the past year, the company behind the multi-language YouTube channels has expanded its e-commerce offerings to better meet its’ viewers’ wants. The results have led to success for the four-year-old company on the Billboard charts and, as of last week, completing their first “tour.”

When ATEEZ‘s first U.S. shows since 2019 kicked off in January for The Fellowship: Beginning of the End tour, the band was selling out arenas but had yet to break into the Top 40 of the Billboard 200 like many of their K-pop peers. While a relationship with Korean management label KQ Entertainment led to the channel’s top-watched video (an 11-minute prank of ATEEZ member San disguised as a break-dancing senior has over 32 million views), hello82 saw an opportunity to better connect to the band’s ATINY fans directly in the States.

With offices in Los Angeles, hello82 spent 2021 becoming a trusted hub for international K-pop fans to shop for physical album imports, merch, and virtual experiences like live events and artist-fan calls during the pandemic after COVID-19 concerns forced the company to expand into different offerings. Physical-album distribution in the U.S. has helped Korean artists soar high on the Billboard albums chart (largely thanks to being issued in collectible deluxe packages, each with a standard set of items and randomized elements). hello82 saw how expanding their e-commerce channels could create a new business opportunity and simultaneously deliver the same communitive aspect they looked to develop with their video content.

“We just wanted to go meet where the demand was with the supply,” says Sang H. Cho, co-founder of hello82’s parent company KAI Media and its current COO, from his Beverly Hills office. “We just felt like few K-pop groups are well represented and were getting the sort of recognition or credit they deserve when it comes to things like charts. Obviously, we’re a business that wants to make money, but we also understand the fans, their psychology, and their needs too. Having them getting involved and getting them to feel the sense of accomplishment and community. And we obviously knew the opportunity was there for all of us to achieve that together.”

What began in 2021 as distributing two ATEEZ albums from a virtual storefront—September’s Zero: Fever Part.3, which peaked at No. 42 on the Billboard 200, followed by December’s Zero: Fever Epilogue at No. 72—turned into larger ambitions for ATEEZ’s The World EP.1: Movement album released this past July. Not only was this ATEEZ’s first release after reuniting with their ATINY fans during their early 2022 tour, but also ignited a new musical era for the group.

“We saw the potential to make it much, much bigger,” Cho says with his team looking to both traditional, big-box retailers alongside local, fan-driven pop-up stores to activate beyond the virtual.

Chain department stores have been increasingly carrying more K-pop content, but almost exclusively by those with label deals or representation in the U.S. While RCA Records under Sony Music signed ATEEZ in 2019, the group had yet to have its music available in retail stores stateside. (RCA declined to comment by time of publication on its relationship with ATEEZ) With Cho’s background in retail finance, plus other internal relationships, hello82 quickly made inroads.

“There are a couple of retailers that understand and know the K-pop market pretty well: Target is one, Barnes & Nobles is another, and we’ve worked with those two pretty extensively,” Cho says. “Those guys don’t necessarily buy from new suppliers very easily—especially when it comes to physical media, but we were lucky enough to know some people that could get us in front of these buyers fairly quickly in an official manner and make sure we check all the boxes to make sure we’re qualified for them.”

The move instantly connected hello82 and, finally, an ATEEZ album into some of the world’s biggest retail giants. The World EP.1: Movement was available online and in Barnes & Noble stores, plus in online stores for Target, Walmart and FYE. “The margins are thin at these big-box retailers,” Cho says. “But they also give you a lot of coverage and you get a lot more fans who aren’t close to places like big cities so we’re happy about that.” There are hopes for upcoming ATEEZ projects to be in actual Target stores.

Yet perhaps the most meaningful part of their chart goals was creating more than a dozen pop-up stores across the country directly alongside fans. With a hello82 rep at each store, local ATINY volunteered (some reaching out on social media before the company could even make the call for help) after being vetted by the team to help work at their local locations that were decorated with photo walls, giveaways and customized merch.

“We knew that we could probably do a few pop-up stores on our own, but we really wanted to activate the fans and make them one of the stakeholders in the entire campaign,” Cho says of the 19 pop-up stores they held in hotspots like Chicago and Atlanta, but also in smaller cities like Yuma, Ariz. and Southfield, Mich. Utilizing cafes and existing stores (some very familiar to K-pop fans like NYC and LA’s LINE Friends stores that sell BTS‘ BT21 and TREASURE‘s TRUZ products), fans could pick up their copy of The World EP.1, an exclusive box version prepared by hello82, and connect with other ATINY in person.

“Doing pop-ups has its own merits; it can be flexible in terms of locations, timing and all of that,” Cho reflects. “I just feel like K-pop fans in certain areas now deserve a place that they can go to to hang out, not just access to all the products and albums. These fans like to just get together. And it’s not just K-pop fandom, I feel like it’s all most fandoms: I’m a big Philadelphia Eagles football fan and I would go to a sports bar just to hang out with other goofy MFers from Philly.”

The strategy broke ATEEZ through with The World EP.1: Movement opening at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 (behind Beyoncé and Bad Bunny) with 50,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Aug. 4, with album sales comprising 47,000 of that total, according to Luminate. The set has earned 86,000 U.S. equivalent album units through Dec. 1.

The first week marked a massive jump from the opening sales of Fever Epilogue (which earned 16,000 units in the first week) and Fever Part.3 (13,000). Along with KAI Media co-founder and current CEO Jae Yoon Choi, Cho emphasizes ongoing dialogue with Billboard and Luminate to ensure “we’re doing everything by the book.”

“It’s the first time for us doing it this scale so obviously there were some hiccups but release week was actually pretty calm,” he recalls. “We kind of knew where we were gonna go, but you never know…when we were at the top of the charts, I mean, we were obviously ecstatic. Not just us, but with the fans that we got a lot of ‘thank-yous’ and ‘great jobs.’ Our community manager who talks to a lot of those guys directly also shared an almost tears-of-joy moment on release day, and then, ultimately, when the charts officially came out. So, it was exciting.”

The company kept that energy alive with pop-up stores throughout the 11 dates in the North American leg of ATEEZ’s The Fellowship: Break the Wall tour, the group’s second tour in 2022 and most expansive run yet. Each of seven cities on the trek, along with two that weren’t on the tour route, set up shop for at least two days each as the official pop-up for tour merchandise.

“After the successful album distribution, we are now distributing merch in association with their upcoming North American tour,” Cho explains. “We have always looked at ourselves as a bridge for management companies between South Korea and the U.S. market, where we can help them connect directly with their fans here and create a lasting fandom.”

Stores in LA and Oakland opened ahead of ATEEZ’s Nov. 7 and 8 shows at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Fans could grab new items like jackets and T-shirts while participating in activities like writing sticky note messages for ATEEZ.

By the tour’s final stop in Toronto on Dec. 2, hello82 showcased what may be their most visible project yet when they played their “Project Star 117 – From ATINY to ATEEZ” video played during the show with on-camera messages from fans and the sticky notes written by pop-up attendees. The band themselves watched with a heartfelt gaze and led to leader Hongjoong crouching down in tears. The official upload video has more than 50,000 views in under five days.

hello82 isn’t a dedicated music-service company, but they watch industry trends and consumer behaviors to consider new business.

“The music industry is now sort of maturing into this real combination of on-demand, ubiquitous consumption of music, but also this very active and passionate sorts of fandom activities as well that drives a lot of commerce,” he adds. “I think all of these things have always been part of music business, but it’s coming back with the vengeance now and we’d like to partake in all of that. The K-pop audience, K-pop fans, they’re sort of at the forefront of all of these activities so, we see a bright financial future and our investors do as well.”

Cho notes that the ATEEZ strategies have caught the interest of other artists and labels looking to impact America. However, the company is interested in partners who will engage heavily with fans and “be a little bit experimental.” There are also hopes for the company to take the business beyond North America and “hopefully, eventually expand out to other underserved markets around the world.”

While Cho and colleagues are directly discussing high-level plans with Team ATEEZ (“Credit goes to KQ for having the foresight and ATEEZ for being a great band—they were kind enough to give us the opportunity, and they were willing to risk a lot”), they are also putting in work at hello82’s retail stores themselves.

“We make sure that everybody does a rotation,” Cho says. “The look and joy you see on fans’ faces—especially when you’re pulling the right photo card for them—that’s what makes our day.”

Credit: billboard 

[burlveneer-music]

Next up is The Pattern Forms’ “The Scenic Route” (OK it came out last year but it’s just been added to Ghost Box’s Belbury Music Shop)

Following from 2016’s Peel Away the Ivy, The Pattern Forms return with The Scenic Route; an album which embodies a fresh new direction of idiom and focus. Where Peel Away the Ivy found the group setting out their stall, bringing library music influences to their brand of classic pop songwriting, this time around they have created a much more distilled, largely instrumental studio group sound, which focuses on mood and texture as well as being a tour de force in arrangement. 

The Pattern Forms is comprised of Ed Macfarlane and Edd Gibson of Friendly Fires together with composer and producer Cate Brooks of The Advisory Circle. Adding a new member, in the form of harpist Tom Moth, the pieces are succinct and concentrate on the essence of pastoral, romantic and expansive themes. Analogue synthesisers meld with drums, guitar textures and orchestral elements, to create a luxurious and nourishing listening experience. The Pattern Forms’ influences have always been apparent, but never before have they created a record which feels like a golden era library music album, made for the present day. The Scenic Route will be available from Bandcamp, across all digital download formats, from Sunday the 16th of May, with the preorder opening on Sunday the 9th May.creditsreleased May 16, 2021 Music by The Pattern Forms Artwork by Flack Visual

[nwbeerguide]

Alone or apart from a celebratory trio, Firestone Walker Brewing releases 25th Anniversary blend.

Press Release

Paso Robles, CA: Firestone Walker today unveiled “25”—a tour de force blend of five barrel-aged beers, created with the help of local winemakers to mark the brewery’s 25th anniversary year.

 Additionally, for the first time ever, Firestone Walker’s Anniversary Ale is being released in tandem with a limited Anniversary Trio Pack featuring “25” as well as two component ales—2021 Parabola Autumn Edition and 2021 Stickee Monkee.

“This is a beer that truly rises to the occasion of our 25th anniversary,” said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “It represents many of the core elements that have made our brewery what it is today: exceptionally talented people, innovation, barrels, hard work, patience and beautiful beers.”

“25” and the Anniversary Trio Pack are now rolling out to all Firestone Walker markets, and are also available at the brewery’s locations in Paso Robles, Buellton and Venice. “25” comes as an individually boxed 12-ounce bottle accompanied by extensive brewmaster notes. The boxed trio pack features one 12-ounce bottle each of “25,” Parabola Autumn Edition and Stickee Monkee. 

Masterfully Blended

On July 15, 2021 an all-star cast of Paso Robles winemakers convened at the brewery for an annual summer rite: the blending of Firestone Walker’s next Anniversary Ale. They broke into teams to create their own preferred blends from five barrel-aged component ales, then voted as a group on the winning blend.

The result is “25”—a masterwork of flavor and complexity, blended from five distinct ales aged in bourbon, brandy and tequila barrels.

Firestone Walker’s collaboration with local winemakers dates back to 2006, when Brynildson was tasked with creating the inaugural Anniversary Ale to mark the brewery’s 10th anniversary year.

“We started with just a few barrels of beer and a few of our closest winemaker friends, and the result was the most complex and interesting beer we had ever made—ultimately sparking the longest and strongest collaboration we have participated in,” Brynildson said. “They outdid themselves this year, and I couldn’t be happier with ‘25’—it’s an absolutely beautiful beer.”

“25”: The Final Blend

Winemakers from the following Paso Robles wineries participated in this year’s blending: Booker Vineyard, Desparada Wines, Epoch Estate Wines, Halter Ranch Vineyard, Herman Story, Ledge Vineyards, Tablas Creek Vineyard, TH Estate Wines, Thacher Winery and Torrin Wine.

For the first time, the winemakers were joined by two members of Firestone Walker’s Brewmaster’s Collective beer club, who won the chance to participate in the blending session. Russell From of Herman Story Wines and Taylor Mathiesen of Booker Vineyard, along with Brewmaster’s Collective club member Paul Rios (with guest Christian Smith), created the winning blend that became “25.”

Parabola Autumn Edition - Aged in Bourbon Barrels (41%) Russian Imperial Stout

Tequila Barrel Merkin - Aged in Bourbon Barrels (28%) Milk Stout                                                                  

Brandy Barrel Barley Wine - Aged in Brandy Barrels (13%) Blonde Barley Wine

Stickee Monkee - Aged in Bourbon Barrels (10%) Central Coastal Quad

Whiskey Barrel Wheat Wine - Aged in Tequila Barrels (8%) Strong Golden Barley Wine

from Northwest Beer Guide - News - The Northwest Beer Guide https://bit.ly/3CDvoLW

[goldstarnation]

Q2 2021 GOLD STAR MEDIA SCHEDULES & REVIEW

Members may earn up to 18 points for writing, by the end of June 30 KST:

Up to three solo paras of 400+ words based on their quarterly schedule (does not count toward your monthly limit). (three points each)

Up to three threads of eight posts (four per participant, including the starter) based on the monthly schedule. (three points each)

Threads and solos do not have to take place directly during an important date listed on the schedule, but must be related to what the muse is mentioned to be doing in the paragraph explaining their schedule/the company’s schedule and/or their thoughts on the mentioned activities or lack thereof.

These schedules may be updated if new information needs to be added.

Reminder: Please do not post schedule posts in the fmdschedule tag.

Schedule posts for this quarter can be tagged with #fmdgsrq221.

OVERALL COMPANY

News of Element’s disbandment spreads fast through staff whispers even before the news is publicly announced. They’re the first group Gold Star’s ever debuted that has disbanded, and the preparation of a new boy group and girl group debuting under Gold Star as a result has the company staff spread thinner than they had already been. It’s not yet apparent if having three new groups debuting under Gold Star in the next year will help the company thrive or be its downfall, but with their soloist leaving earlier in the year still being talked-about news, Gold Star can only hope it at least diverts the talk around them to something else.

Important dates:

June 8-13: Triple Fantasy Festival in Indio, CA, USA.

SILHOUETTE

Riding high off of their latest comeback’s success, Silhouette continues to prepare for their Japanese comeback this quarter up until the single release in May and the album release at the very end of the quarter. It’s also not long before they begin preparing to make their Korean comeback, and they’ll record the songs off of their new album in May. Once their album is finished recording and off for mastering, in June, they’ll quickly fit in the rest of their pre-comeback preparations, from rehearsing the choreography for “Kill Bill” and b-side “Recipe”, shooting the photo book, and filming the music video to wrap up the quarter. It’s a faster comeback preparation process than usual, but after eleven years in the industry, their team trusts they can handle.

Important dates:

April 5: Pretz CF filming.

April 26: B.L.E.S.S.E.D. comeback teaser photo and photo jacket shoot.

May 10: “B.L.E.S.S.E.D.” M/V filming.

May 28: “B.L.E.S.S.E.D.” M/V release.

June 3: Black Box photo book shoot.

June 28: “Kill Bill” M/V filming day one.

June 29: “Kill Bill” M/V filming day two.

June 30: Release of B.L.E.S.S.E.D. Japanese album.

ARIA

This quarter, Aria will hold the concerts they prepared for last quarter (which include the solo stages they prepared) in Seoul and Tokyo. On their tenth anniversary on the nineteenth of April, they’ll release their new fan song and will also hold a special lottery fan sign for their fan club members for a special physical edition of the single. In June, they’ll leave their round of concerts behind to begin to prepare for their second comeback of the year. This comeback will be with a full album, but there won’t be that many more songs for each member to record than usual since several of the tracks are solo songs. At the end of June, with the rough versions of the tracks ready, the Aria members will turn to choreography practice of the title track, “Firework”. The solo tracks are assigned as follows:

“Stay There”: Leader/vocal/rapper

“Two Of Us”: Main vocal

“Actually, This Is A Secret”: Main dancer/lead vocal

“Hush”: Lead dancer/vocal

“Diary”: Main rapper/lead vocal

Important dates:

April 10: Pink Collection: Red and White concert at SK Handball Stadium in Seoul.

April 11: Pink Collection: Red and White concert at SK Handball Stadium in Seoul.

April 19: Release of “Everybody Ready” fan song, Tenth anniversary fan sign in Gangnam, Seoul.

May 1: Aria Japan Live Pink Collection concert at Toyosu Pit in Tokyo, Japan.

May 2: Aria Japan Live Pink Collection concert at Toyosu Pit in Tokyo, Japan.

ORIGIN

For the year’s second quarter, Origin is once again set to pumping up company profits (and meeting fans) with their continued world tour. This quarter, they see Japan, England, Germany, and Spain over the course of several flights out and back into (and back out of) Seoul. In mid-June, they’ll release their Japanese single which is, as everyone is expecting from them at this high a point in their careers, a success. When they’re in Seoul between tour stops, beginning in May, the members will start to prepare their next Korean comeback. Though it will be considered a Korean comeback, it will be their first all-English single — “Dynamite”. Recording will be done by the end of that month and, in June, it will be time for them to use the extra free time that comes with fewer tour dates to spend hours rehearsing the choreography.

Important dates:

April 25: Map of the Soul tour concert at Fukuoka PayPay Dome in Fukuoka, Japan.

April 26: Map of the Soul tour concert at Fukuoka PayPay Dome in Fukuoka, Japan.

May 7: Map of the Soul tour concert at Twickenham Stadium in London, England.

May 8: Map of the Soul tour concert at Twickenham Stadium in London, England.

May 12: Map of the Soul tour concert at De Kuip in London, England.

May 15: Map of the Soul tour concert at Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany.

May 16: Map of the Soul tour concert at Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany.

June 4: Map of the Soul tour concert at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Barcelona, Spain.

June 5: Map of the Soul tour concert at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Barcelona, Spain.

June 18: Release of ‘Stay Gold” Japanese single.

IMPULSE

They come back pretty early into the month and the comeback is well-received by fans, though also slightly overshadowed by the news that Element will be disbanding that comes out less than a week after Impulse releases their new album. Public attention directed at Gold Star may be diverted, but fans are paying attention and they have to be given content, so the members will have several promotional videos to film over the course of their comeback promotions, as well as a few fan signs. They’ll also make two television appearances on live performance shows. Fan support also earns the fans a special “angel version” dance practice. After Impulse finishes promoting, they’ll be mostly off the radar save for a fan sign in their role as ambassadors of the Face Shop as they dive into rehearsals for the tour they’ll be embarking on beginning next quarter. They’ll perform their recent songs, so they’ll need to brush up on their last few comebacks, and each member will also get to choose a solo stage to perform (as long as it matches their position).

Important dates:

April 6: “All Night” M/V reaction video filming.

April 7: Release of “All Night” & All Light album + press showcase, music show promotions continue through May 7.

April 8: Relay Dance video filming.

April 10: Yoo Heeyeol’s Sketchbook appearance filming (to air: April 23).

April 11: Open Concert appearance filming (to air: April 18).

April 15: Fan sign in Yeouido, Seoul.

April 17: Fan sign in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul.

April 22: Mannequin MV video filming.

May 2: Fan sign in Yongsan, Seoul.

May 3: All Night Special Dance Practice video filming.

May 7: End of music show promotions.

June 15: The Face Shop fansign in Yongsan.

↳ PULS2

No schedules for the quarter.

Important dates:

N/A

FUSE

April proceeds similarly to what Fuse’s schedules have been for the past few months. They begin the month with a photo shoot for the US edition of W magazine and at the end of the month, they’ll give a military performance. In May, the Fuse members not in Fuse B&W are given a mostly free month before June comes around, when they’ll finally begin working on their next comeback, which will release just over a year since their last release. Gold Star has only approved a digital single comeback for them, but by the end of June, they’ll have it recorded and ready to continue preparing for their comeback next quarter.

Important dates:

April 4: Photo shoot for W’s May issue.

April 28: Performance (Psycho & Umpah Umpah) for military at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam (also performing: Lipstick and BEE).

↳ FUSE B&W

Choreography practice continues to be a pivotal point of focus leading up to the actual song releases, but April and the beginning of May will also involve shooting music videos and other promotional videos for the era, as well as photo shoots for the album jacket and teasers. Once they make their subunit debut, they promote for almost two months straight into the next quarter. “Monster” outperforms “Naughty” by a lot, but the latter is intended more as a follow-up track to extend their promotions than a true single focus anyway, so Gold Star isn’t too bothered by it and the fans are happy for the sub-unit to promote so long after an extended period without as many schedules as fans would have liked to see them have.

Important dates:

April 12: Monster photo book and teaser photo shoot.

April 20: “Monster” M/V filming.

April 30: “Naughty” M/V and episode 2 filming.

May 2: Episode 3 (Uncover) filming.

May 17: Release of “Monster” & Monster mini-album + press showcase, music show promotions continue through June 17.

May 30: Fan sign in Mapo, Seoul.

May 31: Fan sign in Yeungdeongpo, Seoul.

June 7: Fan sign in Jongno, Seoul.

June 15: Fan sign in Gangnam, Seoul.

June 17: End of music show promotions.

June 21: Release of “Naughty”, music show promotions continue through July 21.

ELEMENT

Last month, the Element members were informed shortly before their planned late March comeback that their comeback date was being pushed back to mid-March. The next day, this information was shared with the public. Answers weren’t given much at first, but at the beginning of April, the members are pulled into a meeting with a very serious mood if their managers’ expressions are anything to go by. In the meeting, they’re told by a staff member that You will be their final comeback after reviewing the company’s profits and speaking to investors and the company’s board in recent meetings. Element will be disbanding and the company will be re-debuting the members in new groups. They are told not to share this with fans, as the company will take the initiative to announce the impending disbandment the day after Element makes their comeback and the news about re-debut will be made public at a latter time.

Promotions for the comeback itself are kept to a minimum other than fan signs as closure for final meeting with fans as Element, Gold Star apparently seeing little purpose in a big budget for the group’s farewell. Element officially disbands on May 13, 2021, and the members will henceforth be under the schedules of Element’s new upcoming boy group Quicksilver or their new upcoming girl group Marigold. Element members must be moved out of their dorms into their new dorms between May 13 and May 31.

Important dates:

April 5: Company meeting.

April 12: Release of “You” & You mini-album + press showcase, music show promotions continue through June 17.

April 18: Fansign in Gangnam, Seoul.

April 27: Fansign in Mapo, Seoul.

May 10: Fansign in Gimpo.

May 11: Fansign in Yeouido, Seoul.

May 12: End of music show promotions.

FEMME FATALE

Femme Fatale finish comeback preparations in the first few weeks of April before they dive back into promotions at the end of the month after more than a year since their last comeback. The song is received well, as most anything seems to be with Femme Fatale’s name attached to it recently, and becomes their third number one hit. It breaks their record for highest charting in the US as well, and by the time they come to the end of single promotions, fans are once again reinvigorated despite the low quantity of promotions for the release. Luckily, fans won’t have to wait another whole year for their next comeback and in June, Femme Fatale will record their next single, “Ice Cream”, and learn its choreography to prepare to once again comeback in late July next quarter.

Important dates:

April 3: “How You Like That” M/V filming.

April 20: “How You Like That” Performance Video filming.

April 23: Release of “How You Like That” + press showcase, music show promotions continue through May 23.

April 24: Performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

May 23: End of music show promotions.

VIVE

The rumors that Gold Star is already planning to debut another boy group on the heels of Element’s disbandment puts pressure on Vive to cement their place in the company (as much as a supposedly temporary group can) before they’re facing direct competition form within the same company. Their debut rollout is no small task though and they’re getting the most dedicated resources of any other group under the company at the moment. Their debut album sells well, allowing them to mark their place as the company’s third best physical sellers behind the much more established Impulse and Origin right at debut. They manage to chart, too, not a small feat for a brand new boy group relying on fandom power. They’ve got music videos for almost every track on their debut mini-album to show for all of the attention they’re getting, too, and a first win in their second week of promotions. At the end of their debut promotions, Gold Star will reveal their fandom name (’Vivid”), their fandom colors, and their lightstick, and they’ll begin to prepare to perform a series of US showcase shows next quarter. By June, they’ll already be back in the studio to record their first full album so that they can release it before the end of the summer.

Important dates:

April 4: “Crown” M/V filming.

April 10: “Blue Orangeade” Lyric Video filming.

April 19: Release of “Crown” & The Dream Chapter: Star mini-album + press showcase, music show promotions continue through May 19.

April 22: Relay Dance video [2] filming.

April 24: M2 Be Original video filming.

April 26: “Cat & Dog” M/V & “Cat & Dog (English Ver.)” M/V filming.

May 1: Fan sign in Gangnam, Seoul.

May 3: Fan sign in Yongsan, Seoul.

May 11: Fan sign in Mapo, Seoul.

May 19: End of music show promotions.

May 27: “Nap of a Star” M/V filming.

MARIGOLD

The former female members of Element and two trainees newly confirmed for debut will in early May. After Element finishes promotions, all four members will take a trip for four days to stay at a house on Jeju Island together to get to know each other better with all expenses paid for by the company. When they’re back in Seoul, the members will begin to work together, though not yet officially on their debut this quarter as Gold Star needs to get them used to working together first. The team has been picked to have both standout vocalists and standout dancers, but that won’t mean much if they look as thrown into this as they are. Tthey’ll begin to learn and rehearse choreography they’ll eventually record and release only to reveal the members one by one. The choreography is as follows:

Main dancer/vocal/rapper: “16 Shots”

Main dancer/vocal/rapper & Main rapper/lead dancer/vocal: “Baby Don’t Stop”

Main dancer/vocal/rapper & Main rapper/lead dancer/vocal & Lead vocal: “No Tears Left To Cry”

All members: “River”

All members must be moved into Marigold’s dorm by the end of May.

Important dates:

May 13-17: Group trip to Jeju Island.

QUICKSILVER

The former male members of Element will meet their new groupmates in early May. After Element finishes promotions, they’ll all start moving into the new Quicksilver dorm and all members must be moved in by the end of May. At the beginning of June, they’ll follow in the girls’ footsteps and take a trip to Jeju Island together to get familiar with each other. Gold Star is conscious of not letting Quicksilver directly compete with Vive, so their debut will be later than Marigold’s, meaning there’s a bit more time for a predebut rollout for them. In June, they’ll be spending time in the studio learning choreography for some predebut videos Gold Star will upload. They aren’t filming the video just yet, but the following are the choreography they’ll be rehearsing: 

“Pick It Up”

“Lick”

“CoCo” (Main dancer/lead vocal solo)

Important dates:

June 1-5: Group trip to Jeju Island.

[rastronomicals]

11:43 PM EDT August 17, 2024:

King Crimson -   "The World's My Oyster Soup Kitchen Floor Wax Museum (Bass And Drums Extract)" From the album The Elements (2021 Tour Box) (July 2021)

Last song scrobbled from iTunes at Last.fm

[architectuul]

FOMA 45: International Style, Structure and Space

Guillermo Dürig selected five projects for this month’s FOMA. Cases are part of the International Style in North America and Europe, which share modernist principles of volume, regularity and flexibility. Their large-scale structures offer various solutions for public programs creating new spatial typologies and constructive synergies while transcending the classic disciplines of architecture and engineering with specific and unique solutions.

Morphological implementation of the large - scale structure in the context of the city. | Collage MvdR office, © MoMA, New York, scanned from: Phyllis Lambert, Mies van der Rohe in America, Montréal and New York 2001, p. 462.

The two-tone aluminium panels make the structure of the Chicago Convention Hall Project. | Model MvdR office, © MoMA, New York, scanned from: Phyllis Lambert, Mies van der Rohe in America, p. 473.

The entire hall of the Chicago Convention Hall Project rests on the peripheral pillars. | Drawing MvdR office, © MoMA, New York, scanned from: Phyllis Lambert, Mies van der Rohe in America, p. 467.

Mies van der Rohe created his Chicago Convention Hall Project (1953-54) in which the clear-span roof shelter of 219,45x219,45 m creates a polyvalent hall defining a universal space able to host 50’000 seated people and a sports arena or an exhibition space. The exposed structure is engineered as a non-hierarchical two-way truss system resting on punctual supports, aiming for greatest purity following Mies’ ideal: “Construction not only determines form but is form itself.” [1] The composition of the façade is directly derived from the trusses and cladded with different tonalities of insulated aluminium panels, making its constructive logic of the buildings main expression. The hall itself, as the largest of four buildings, sits in the centre of a plane field, flanked by smaller box-shaped volumes in a typical Miesian composition. There is no need for spatial or morphological mediation to the surrounding city as stated by Mies: “A Hall of this dimension doesn’t depend on its environment: it creates its environment.”[2]

The second case is a student Master Thesis by Emmanuel Glyniadakis, entitled A sports centre (1964) under the supervision of Myron Goldsmith, Fazlur Kahn and Davis Sharpe. A minimal structure defines the space for an arena, a track with field area, a swimming pool and a flexible area for diverse sporting activities under an 810-foot-square (246,88x246,88 m) roof.

A minimalistic architecture shelters various functions. | Photo © Charles Reynolds, scanned from: Myron Goldsmith; Werner Blaser (Ed.), Buildings and Concepts, New York 1987, p. 153.

Functions as detached elements on a plane grid. | Photo © Charles Reynolds, scanned from: Werner Blaser (Ed.), Buildings and Concepts, p. 152.

Ground level with different sports arenas in the open space. | Plan © Emmanuel Glyniadakis, from: Werner Blaser (Ed.), Buildings and Concepts, p. 151.

The steel structure consists of a two-way grid with a height of 5,18 m and rests on nine pillars. While the grandstands in the convention hall are sunk into the ground, the project arranges the different elements like furniture objects on a plane field, creating a formal composition. A glazed wall along the roof’s periphery seamlessly shelters the program with the public space expanding as a continuous grid from the inside to the outside. The project’s architectural expression is characterised by the minimal and consequent expression of the structure and its programmatic infills.

Franz Füeg has created a grid based on the dimension of 1,68 m served as basis for the church’s strict modularity and final dimensions of 37,3m by 25,6m. The facade of the St. Pius Church in Meggen (Switzerland) consists of steel profiles, which don’t only hold the marble panels in place, but also support the main structure made out of filigree and custom-made trusses. 

Overview over the church, the bell tower and adjacent buildings for the parish (left). | Photo: Archives de la construction moderne (ACM), EPF Lausanne, taken from: Kunst + Architektur in der Schweiz, 56, 2005, p. 56.

The 28mm thick Pantelikom marble from Athens filters the daylight and illuminates the space evenly. | Photo © Archives de la construction moderne (ACM), EPF Lausanne, from: Kunst + Architektur in der Schweiz, 2005, p. 57.

Diagonal wind bracings in the four corners stabilize the structure. The sloping topography of the site exposes a concrete base acting as a precise and sober volume for the lightweight church to sit on. The industrial use of steel as well as the project’s modularity bases on what Füeg had conceptually described as “start building a church as if it would be a factory.” [3]

The floor plan of the church and its repetitive grid. | Scanned from: Jürg Graser, Gefüllte Leere, Zürich 2014, p. 217. 

The translucent marble panels shine outward during the night and light the hall subtly during daytime, creating a volume of light. The non-industrial trusses excluded, the constructive excellence, the rigorous execution of the details as well as the exposed structure are consciously derived from Mies’ idea of the symbiosis of architecture and construction.

A weightless roof hovering above a glass volume. | Photo © Arne Jacobsen, Royal Academy of Fine Arts Library, collection architectural drawings, scanned from: Carsten Thau, Kjeld Vindum, Arne Jacobsen, Copenhagen 2001, p.454.

The Sports hall for the City of Landskrona (Sweden) by Arne Jabcobsen consists of a rectangular roof of 52x92 m, a podium elevated 20 cm over the ground and a transparent glass wall in-between. In order to remove every vertical sensation and reinforce the horizontal character, the columns are shifted to the inside of the hall and split in two.

The ball field and the bleachers as depression in the plinth. | © Dissing + Weitling’s archives, from: Carsten Thau, Kjeld Vindum, Arne Jacobsen, p.457.

In order to remove every vertical sensation and reinforce the horizontal character, the columns are shifted to the inside of the hall and split in two. The structure and the technical installations are hidden above a suspended ceiling, turning the roof into an abstract apparatus, breaking with Mies’ ideology of the structure as the main space defining element. The focus shifts from the construction to the volume. [4]

Like furniture elements, two wooden boxes stand inside the open space. | © Arne Jacobsen, from: Carsten Thau, Kjeld Vindum, Arne Jacobsen, p.454.

A ball field with its bleachers is sunk into the podium, two wooden pavilions house ancillary rooms. The wardrobes as well as the technical areas are inside the podium. While the architectural language and spatial organization still roots in the International Style, a new facet emerges as the expression shifts to “[…] a dematerialized architecture, an architecture without gravity. The dream of a hovering plane” as described by Thau and Vindum.[5] 

The freestanding, multifunctional concrete oval bowl of the The Memorial Coliseum’s sports arena is wrapped in a 360-foot-square (109,72x109,72m) box. The four reinforced concrete columns are shifted into the inside and are totally independent from the arenas’ structure as well as the façade, offering a clear height of 10,97m.

Filigree pavilion resting on an elevated plinth. | Photo © Julius Shulman, SOM 

Cantilevered steel trusses are optimised in height and width according to the spans and hidden together with the technical ducts above a false ceiling following Jacobsen’s strategy of prioritising the space itself.

Circulation space between stadium and façade. | Photo © Art Hupy

While the spectators access the stadium from the parking lot through the glazed public area surrounding the oval, a plinth containing the restricted program is introduced.

Access level of the spectators. | Plan © SOM

Being surrounded by a new artificial embankment, the glass pavilion appears to hover over the terrain. Staff and athletes access it through precise incisions in the ascending slope. The minimal architectural expression is characterized by the conceptual tour de force between the abstractness of the shell and its sculptural content.

---

FOMA 45: Guillermo Dürig

Guillermo Dürig is a swiss architect based in Zurich. He graduated from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) obtaining his diploma in 2013. After interning at Juan Navarro Baldeweg in Madrid in the years 2009-10, Guillermo joined Jean-Pierre Dürig’s practice in 2013 and becoming the head of DÜRIG AG in 2021. The main interest of the office lies in the development of radical and conceptual projects, as well as in the execution of public buildings and large-scale infrastructures. In 2015 Guillermo co-organized the summer school ‘MAU’ in Motovun (Croatia). From 2016-19 he worked as a teaching assistant at the chair of Marc Angélil at the ETH, being in charge of organization of the semester on Madrid and Porto. Additionally, he has been a guest critic at the ETH as well as at the ZHAW. His works have been featured and exhibited in various specialized media.

_

Notes:

Mies van der Rohe, lecture, Chicago occasion and date unknown, quoted after: Fritz Neumeyer, Mies van der Rohe on the Building Art. The Artless Word, Cambridge 1991, p. 325. 

Mies van der Rohe, undated typescript, probably prior to 11 November 1953, quoted after Phyllis Lambert, Mies van der Rohe in America, Montréal and New York 2001, p. 463.

Franz Füeg, Gedanken zum Kirchenbau, in: Bauen + Wohnen, 1958, 11, pp. 294-296. Quote translated by the author

On this shift see: Carsten Thau, Kjeld Vindum, Arne Jacobsen, Copenhagen 2001, p. 456. 

Carsten Thau, Kjeld Vindum, Arne Jacobsen, p. 458.

Guillermo would like to thank Joshua Brägger and Philipp Krauer.

[thejoyofviolentmovement]

Led by Death by Audio founder and Dedstrange Records co-founder Oliver Ackermann, New York-based JOVM mainstays A Place To Bury Strangers — currently Ackermann (vocals, guitar), John Fedowitz (guitar) and Sandra Fedowitz (drums) — have long been fueled by Ackermann’s restless creativity and propensity to be surprising: Over the past close to two decades, A Place To Bury Strangers have delighted, astonished — and occasionally destroyed the eardrums of — their audience with a sound that combines elements of post-punk, noise rock, shoegaze, psychedelia and avant-garde music in rather unexpected ways. Their live show is often wildly unpredictable and often sees the band creating a  a shamanistic experience that bathes listeners in glorious sound, crazed left turns, transcendent vibrations, real-time experiments, brilliant breakthroughs. And as the founder of Death By Audio, the company behind signal-scrambling stomp boxes and visionary instrument effect pedals, Ackerman has exported that sense of excitement, surprise and invention to other artists, who plug their instruments into his company’s gear and attempt to blow minds with wild, new sounds and approaches.  With A Place To Bury Strangers’ latest lineup, the band may arguably be at their most courageous and accessibly melodic in their lengthy and acclaimed run. The new lineup has two releases under their belt, 2021’s Hologram EP and their sixth full-length album, 2022’s critically applauded See Through You, which they’ve supported with a seemingly indefatigable touring schedule.  Continuing their long-held reputation for restless creativity, the members of APTBS are releasing a four 7-inch vinyl record series, called The Sevens. The Sevens are a treasure trove of previously unreleased tracks from See Through You. The special vinyl collection sees the band inviting listeners to dive deeper into their unique sonic universe to explore uncharted territories and hidden gems. “When looking back at the recordings that were done around the time of See Through You, there were a bunch of great tracks that just captured life back then and really had something incredible going on,” APTBS’ Oliver Ackermann says. “Even though they are a bit raw and a bit personal, I thought it would be a mistake if they didn’t come out. I thought it would be best to go back to my roots and put out a series of 7-inches the way A Place To Bury Strangers started. That strange weird format where the tracks each speak for themselves; no album context to muddy the water. These tracks are such a contrast to the way I am feeling now and the current songs we’ve been working on so slip back into this moment in time.” Earlier this year, APTBS released the first installment of the series “It Is Time”/”Change Your God,” which featured “Change Your God,” a bit classic APTBS — a bombastic, over-the-top punk and shoegaze sonic explosion rooted in fuzz and feedback saturated power chords, pummeling drumming and propulsive bass lines paired with Ackerman’s reverb-drenched, seemingly detached yet yearning delivery within a grunge-like quieter, extremely loud-quieter song structures. “The latest installment of the series “I Can Never Be As Great As You”/”Chasing Colors” pairs a relentless motorik-like groove with Ackerman’s punchy delivery and wailing bursts of explosive feedback. Much like APTBS’ growing catalog, “I Can Never Be As Great As You” pairs a relentless motorik-like groove with Ackerman’s punchy delivery and wailing bursts of explosive feedback. Much like APTBS’ growing catalog, “I Can Never Be As Great As You” is meant to be played eardrum shatteringly loud and enjoyed in a sweaty mosh pit. The longtime JOVM mainstays are currently in touring Europe to support their singles series. They’ll be on a short Stateside tour that includes a May 31, 2024 stop at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Check out the tour dates below.   The Sevens European Union Tour Dates: Tue. Apr. 9 – Milan, IT @ ARCI Bellezza & Wed....

[dailyrugbytoday]

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[rkxjongsuk]

Final Post ||

I spent most of yesterday evening and this morning just kind of mentally processing the actual closing of rookies after seven years. Seeing the amazing plans that would have come to fruition makes me a bit sad but also kind of happy that rookies ended where it ended. Thank you to the mods for prolonged effort to keep this rp running as long as it did and I am glad to have been here as long as I was. 

I first joined rookies six years ago on the 15th of October, 2014. 2014 and subsequently 2015 had been a chaotic formative years for me. At the time, I was in my third year of college, constantly questioning whether or not I should be doing my degree, watching my parents get divorced in the summer of 2015 and moving out of the house where I’d lived for twelve years. Rookies (at first through Sungjong in October and then through Kevin in March (03.04.2015) and Kris in April (04.29.2015)} was a writing escape and somewhat of a comfort. Over the years at rookies, I have grown, graduated from college with a business degree and ended up completely a different person then I was five years ago.  

My writing improved a lot and I can confidently say that it was mostly thanks to Rookies. I had been completely scared off writing after an English teacher bitched at me for my skills but thanks to rookies, I got more confident in my own skills. Sure, there’s been other rps before rookies and at the same time as rookies, but they had never lasted quite as long. Through the years, I have made some incredible friends through rookies and I am glad to have them in my life. You guys are genuinely the best and I’ll always love you. I have no intentions of ghosting any of you and hopefully, we’ll write again together somewhere else. 

Now, onto what everyone actually wants: rkmuses future and taking in the ideas and everything set out by Bianca in account, where they would end up?

rkxjongsuk: the trc vocal king, easter bunny, princess diva of youtube fame - formerly rkkevin 

I know I always used to say that I wanted him to debut the most since he’s my oldest muse,  but in all honesty, he would have never fit in the idol bubble. Going off the ideas set out by Bianca, however, his future would have been pretty satisfying. 

He would have ended up staying in TRC (since he had signed his contract for the second time back in may) and debuting as part of the rkmonstax group with the other trc boys in early 2021 (most likely as their main vocalist). Jongsuk would have felt pretty accomplished by this, and had been ready for the idol life. However, he was not ready for the rules and restrictions that would come into play with the group.  

he’d always had a kind of laissez faire approach to everything and so the idol life is kind of shocking to him. it wasn’t what he’d fantasized it would be. so, jongsuk would probably become the first member to officially leave the group before their six-year contract would expire citing personal difficulties and mental health issues (three years and a bit after debut) 

During those three years with the group, however, he’d make a name for himself as the King of OST. He would have gone on to King of Masked Singer (making it to R2 and shocking everyone with the high note octaves), gone on to be one of the trainers on the Voice of Korea partnering with Dynamic Duo, and make multiple appearances on Immortal Songs (a la Kyuhyun). Simultaneously, he’d also be collabing with idols across companies, most notably fellow former mga 3 contestant Gyeoul of And*Roma and Jiyeon of HEARTZ. 

Upon his departure from the group, he moved back to San Francisco and resumed his Youtube life and career. He would still support the rest of the boys, as an international fan and would always buy up a lot of their cds to support and tell his followers to stream. However, being back in his element, Jongsuk would feel a lot more relaxed and a lot more comfortable. 

A few months after his return home, he’d gain a collaboration with Smashbox or Morphe for a makeup line and he’d release an eyeshadow palette, two lipsticks and three eyeliners with the branding Smashbox x Stark: Rave on Mad (an homage to his youtube name: starkravingmad). He’d most likely send it in packages to his best friends in Korea. Jongsuk would find success in other fields outside of music and delve into what made his channel tick and what made him the happiest.  

Eventually, I think, he would have found love (maybe in the form of another tall actor who was in school 2013 with him) and been a happy youtuber, taking constant new challenges all over the place and always stepping to his own beat. 

As for his friends, he would have definitely gone back to Korea for Kangjoon’s eventual wedding and Jiyeon’s eventual wedding as well. The invites to visit him in San Francisco, California would have been extended to all his friends and even in his busy schedule, he’d always find time to show them all around the city that he’d been born. He’d even always be happy to see his former groupmates if they came on tour to California and would always be the first one for the backstage/VIP passes. 

rkxrm: the kt chaebol, nsg’s main rapper and actor extraordinaire - formerly rkkris, rkkmh, minhyukxrk

namjoon had always been the unwilling debut, since I honestly never saw him actually debuting before jongsuk and instead, here we are. he’s the established idol. 

With NSG’s debut having just happened, he would probably stick around as the rapper before KT began shoving him into acting everywhere. Most likely, would have ended up as leader of another subunit (maybe?) in the future putting that leadership expertise to the good use. After the first two successful comebacks, he would have gone into acting officially with the first main role on a web-drama as Cha Gihyun on A-TEEN. 

His charisma would have definitely shined and stolen the screen time since he’s a former actor already. Following initial drama success, he would have tried his hand in modelling and endorsement, with Honda and Skool Looks. He would have gone further in modelling and acting, eventually becoming more known as the actor Kim Namjoon than the rapper of nsg. 

He would have had his share of crazy fans (mostly noonas, pretty girls and drama grandmas) and even probably taken the top bias spot for quite a few people when they would have found out his past. Of course, during the course of promotions (I envision this would happen during Regular-Irregular promotions), it come to light that he’s an actual chaebol (he’s never hidden it but netizens think this is a big deal) and the heir to Kim Securities with a former Canadian award winning actress as his mother. It also comes to light the dysfunctional family dynamic that he’d always had with them.  

It caused some hardship between him and his family but he had the support of nsg behind him (his ride or die brothers and family) but in the end his family did began treating him a lot better and he eventually gained their support. 

He would have stayed with NSG all through their first contract, but probably wouldn’t have renewed and most likely would have either gone to acting agency where he could focus on acting or go back to that chaebol life and actually fully embrace it as a future heir. 

In terms of his love life, he would have officially asked Jiyeon to date him at the Halloween party and they would starred in a few dramas side by side (Cinderella and the Four Knights being their first). They would kept secretly dating and eventually after their mutual dating ban was over, would probably reveal it in a cute couple shoot for Ceci or Dazed and Confused (like E Dawn and Hyuna). After Joon would have left NSG (post contract non renewal), he would have probably still kept acting and modelling alongside Jiyeon. NamYeon would have been a lot like the Rain/Kim Taehee acting and visual power couple. 

He would have definitely still kept in close touch with the rest of nsg (since they’re like brothers) and even with all his former kt friends, loving the time that he had spent in the company. 

rksxngyeol: nova’s artist, the mangaka 

sungyeol had been an incredibly refreshing muse to write. he’s always been someone who actually doesn’t want to debut and he just wants to draw. i initially got him because minhyuk (joon) and jongsuk were getting really exhausting.  

there’s not much to say about sungyeol’s future. his contract with nova would have expired in november and he would have left the company on his own terms with the two years behind him. he learned a lot during those two years at nova and even realized a lot about himself. 

following his contract expiry, he would have asked his boyfriend (myungsoo) to move in with him over christmas with a key in a box  attached to a black butler keychain. if the other said yes, then the new year would have kicked off with the duo moving and cooking together and spending time with each other. 

sungyeol would have resumed drawing manhwa and mangas, combining his webtoon comic into a more professional looking five volume manga series with the same title. eventually he would have gotten an anime deal again and even a live action deal on his works (if your muse would have wanted to be in the live action of the Princess’s Sword, go for it). That would have propelled his family to actually recognize him as a talent and he would have been reinstated into the family. 

This would have led to myungsoo officially meeting Sungyeol’s family. His parents would have loved him to bits and his grandparents would have been iffy on it, but  his grandmother would end up dying three years after of heart attack and his grandfather would have followed her a year later of old age. 

After having dated Myungsoo for about five years, Sungyeol would have proposed to him and they would have most likely gotten married on the beach while on vacation somewhere warm. (we love a happy ending ;.;)  Also, he would have moved into a bigger house and brought Haebin with them so that they could be a cute happy family. 

Eventually, he would have come back to work for Nova as a producer and creative direction artist under Wendy as CEO (if that would have happened), and if not, he would have taken over his family’s company despite the lack of education and simply learned on the job. (Can I say that he would have been Myungsoo’s sugar daddy at some point even though they would be married or engaged at this point???) 

Thank you for reading to the very end and I love you all. Let’s stay friends and meet again in another rp.