#Would love to find out who the artists are that worked on the other remixes

[futur3juli3]

Uploaded the full version of God Of Funk

This was remixed by TECHNOuchi!

[jcrdyflores]

// hey, isn’t that JORDANA FLORES, who looks a little like ISABELA MERCED? i hear SHE/HER is/are a 23 year old CIS WOMAN who works as a WAITRESS @ UNCLE SAM’S DINER who has been in town for HER WHOLE LIFE. they ARE / AREN’T a member of one of aspen creek’s founding families. you can usually find them at SUNNYVALE COMMONS or RETRO RACK. if you ask me, they remind me a lot of THE ACHE OF WISHING FOR SOMETHING YOU CAN NEVER HAVE, FLORAL PERFUME LINGERING BEHIND, BAD DECISIONS WITH GOOD INTENTIONS, MAKING TEA FOR THE CEREMONY OF IT BUT LIVING OFF OF COFFEE, HAND EMBROIDERED JEAN JACKETS. just keep an eye on them & see if their true colors shine through!

𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒 . . .

𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄: jordana mariana flores

𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄(𝐒): jordy, dana, dani, mari

𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: june 2nd, 2001

𝐀𝐆𝐄: 23

𝐎𝐂𝐂𝐔𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: waitress @ uncle sam’s diner / aspiring comic artist

𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐍: dixon ( 2 year old, blue french bulldog )

𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌: angel in blue jeans by train, remix (i like the) by nkotb, pink pony club by chappell roan, gasolina by daddy yankee, behind these hazel eyes (techno version) by way 2 hard & hyper bear, please please please by sabrina carpenter, truck bed by hardy, need you tonight by inxs

𝐁𝐈𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐘. . .

Born to a single mother, brought up on a host of stories of what her birth father was like but never who he was. Despite the echo of emptiness Jordana felt at times, when she saw others with their fathers, she never wanted for anything growing up with her mother. In fact, with only the knowledge that her father wanted nothing to do with her, Jordy never even thought of looking for the man.

With the various pseudo parental influences in her background, Jordy grew up with a well rounded personality. She learned to charm the socks off of anyone she met from the former actress down the street, and developed a love for reading thanks to the librarian who recommended a number of books to her over the years. She learned how to hotwire a car from a mechanic, and how to play chess from the older neighbor across the street. Her friend circle in school was eclectic to a fold, gathering people from all walks of life into her group and befriending even more outside of it.

As she grew up, she knew she wanted to travel in or after college, which lead to her getting 2 years of college done before she even finished high school. It gave her the time to travel for a month or so before finishing college when she came back, and settled back into town. She found a job at Uncle Sam’s Diner, and has been waitressing there for the past few years.

In all honesty, life is going great for Jordy. It’s normal, and she likes it that way. She likes her hometown, her family dynamic, loves her boyfriend, she’s even gained a decent follower count on her blog where she posts her online comic series (under a pseudonym). There’s nothing to complain about.

So when news more recently broke about her being the first child of the Tomás Gibson, Jordy was absolutely floored. Sure her mother had been vague about her birth father’s identity, but never in a million years would she have guessed that the Gibson Patriarch was her dad. Frankly, she’s terrified of what this news might cause, and right now she’s just worried about her mother.

Jordana’s lasted 23 years without knowing her father, she has absolutely no plans to make the first move to know him now.

AESTHETICS: overwatering plants as symbolism for loving to the point of suffocation • perfect lipstick smudged after a night out • a good heart wounded too many times • sweet drinks that make the memories foggier • “women who run in high heels should be feared” • trinkets decorating the apartment to make it feel more homey • making tea for the ceremony of it but living off of coffee • that adrenaline high and uncontrollable giggles at 3am • dancing in the kitchen • the taste of champagne but preference for cheap wine • hopeful romantic with a flirty grin • rips in jeans patched up with colorful swatches • worn books from reading over and over again • quirky chess sets . . .

[letsdrawvideogames]

I thought I'd briefly pull the proverbial dusty tarp off this defunct tumblr briefly to address some of the incoming traffic that I expect to see this week now that NCHProductions has publicly credited me for my artwork that their video is based on. I'd like to preface this by saying that we reached an agreement in private and I have accepted NCHProductions' apology, and that I do not condone or tolerate any harassment of NCHProductions on my behalf. This post is not meant to relitigate things or stir up drama. But with what happened, I thought this would be a good opportunity to open the floor to discussion on how the internet treats ownership of fanart and derivative work. I'm just one artist and my opinions are my own, but I've been at it a long time and it's not the first time someone else has used my fanart as a basis for something else. Here are three examples:

In 2018, Jonathan Nesbitt made a coding project as an entry for an informal contest run by the website Standard Code. His entry (properly viewable here) was based on a Metroid piece I had made in 2014 and he credited me in his entry. Although he never reached out to me to my knowledge, I thought this was fine given the time contraints and the fact that no money changed hands (the grand prize was an Amazon Echo someone had lying around). I think Jonathan's piece is very cute and I'm happy to have inspired someone this way. I might not have considered the artistic value of a simple HTML page otherwise.

In 2016, tumblr user @cyriusli messaged me about getting a Bulbasaur I drew in 2015 as a tattoo. He reached out to me directly and asked for permission before doing so and credited me as the artist when he shared a photo of the finished tattoo. Even though an artist in another medium was paid money to recreate my work in this case, I considered this to be entirely above board, and I'm sure the artist who actually inked it was happy to know that their client had explicit permission to use my piece. Knowing that someone has to look at my Bulbasaur every day until they die might be the height of flattery for me. This isn't the only tattoo of my work that's been done, and I'm always happy to see it so long as you ask permission.

Lastly, just a few weeks ago, I had to submit a takedown request on Displate against graphic designer SS Art, who was selling a poster that used a slightly edited version of a Shadow of the Colossus piece I drew in 2013. This is probably the most offended I've ever been as an artist. I doubt this seller made much money off of it and to their credit, Displate took it down very quickly, but it bothers me that it was allowed to go up in the first place. The ease with which merchandising platforms allow their users to publish anything without verifying its origin has made it ironically difficult to support the artists that I love: I've been looking for a new case for my Kindle on Etsy lately and found it extremely difficult to verify whether a seller's art was original or stolen. In one case, I found a seller selling a case with a Keith Haring print on it. I consider Haring's Unfinished Painting to be one of the most moving artworks of the last century, and here was his work being sold by some random Etsy store as "abstract cartoon funny dance pattern." I find this a deeply saddening, troubling phenomenon.

As the internet continues to shrink down to a handful of social platforms, it's been fascinating to see how the concept of fandom has shaped and been shaped by those same platforms. Fanart, memes, remixes, mashups, and other new forms of art that make copyright lawyers heads' ache have emerged as we all pile onto each other online. Overall I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing. When I was first online twenty years ago, it's likely that I never would have seen art from many overseas artists on the English-speaking web, but it's been very heartening to see how the explosion of fanart surrounding interpretations like ErinArtista's distinctly Brazilian take on Hatsune Miku or Ayyk92's Bowsette character can bring an audience to artists that many of us wouldn't have known about otherwise. I think there is room for such a thing as fanart of fanart, I just urge artists of all stripes to think critically about how we use other people's ideas. I am not a lawyer, and I cannot tell you where the line is or isn't drawn in regards to work based on copyrighted material, or what your rights as an artist are if you make fanart and aren't the copyright holder. I've definitely made some decisions in the past that I now regret about monetizing derivative work, but I wouldn't feel right about enforcing any standards I might adopt onto others. The internet has, in a way, become one giant game of telephone, and I don't like how difficult it can be to be certain of the origin of something. For now, going forward, I think it would be nice to see more normalization of hunting down sources to the best of a person's ability coupled with acting in good faith when new information comes to light. This tumblr is dead, and I likely won't be responding to any comments directly, but I'm very interested in hearing what you all have to say.

And just for absolute transparency, I ran this by my friend Ixo and borrowed some of his phrasing in the conclusion. He can be found at https://ixo.neocities.org/

[ell-vellan]

You know what I miss?

(I'm gonna show my age here with this very specific and niche memory but bear with me. Or don't, whatever!)

Back when I was a kid, middle/high school ish, I frequented Gaia Online. I'm not even sure how to really describe that site (if you remember it, help me out here) but it was mainly an anime-esque forums where people could make different communities about a million different things, but it wasn't just forums. You had an anime avatar that followed you around the site, a currency you used to buy dress up items for your avatar, mini games and a a marketplace. Pretty sure there was some kind of stock market.

This was my online home for years.

I landed, somehow, on the Adoptables forums. Shops, technically, for people to "adopt" pets and then roleplay with them together. Some were original make believe worlds - one of the more popular I can remember was a world of wolf packs with their own lore and setting.

Specifically I remember being active on the Lion King RP forums called I think Shadows of Africa? The artists who ran them would sell colored lineart of lions in the style of the movie, with a little info card that displayed their name and the owner (you).

You couldn't roleplay with other people until you officially had a character through purchase, gift, or contest prize.

Each lion was unique and people gave them names from African languages (that was a rule). People formed entire prides and had special forums just for them, with rosters of who had what character, where you could "hang out" with others in your pride. Your lion would be able to age from cub to teen to adult after you had roleplayed a certain amount of time and applied for it with the artists. Your characters could find mates and breed and the artists would (for Gaia currency) remix the "DNA" of your two characters and you'd get a random number of cubs you could "give away" to friends or even hold contests for others who wanted to play.

I was just thinking about these communities and how much I loved everyone there. How much work these artists put into these communities, often without any real compensation except for pretend money. How elaborate they were. Giant games of pretend with strangers online. I did SO much writing on those RP forums, I actually feel in retrospect like it was a safe place to cut my teeth on writing and it was literally from the point of view from an OC Lion King character.

And there were so many shops like this.

I'm sure there was toxicity in some aspects of these communities, but I don't remember it, at least not to the level of toxicity the Internet gets to now. Maybe it's my rose colored glasses.

But every Christmas, these Adoptables shops would open up for people to Secret Santa gifts to your friends: a randomly colored gift, the .jpg or whatever sent to your inbox, that you could post in your profile or your journal. And on Christmas day, the artists would update all those images, and the wrapped gift would be replaced by a unique pet, randomly created for you by whatever colorists were working for the shop.

Like YES okay I understand how very childish it sounds now. Maybe even cringe.

But I've never found another sort of community like it. (Maybe discord, idk, I was too old and busy to get into discord when it came out.) So many artists doing so much work, just for others to play with pretend pets with their online friends and write silly stories about them together. These were people making dozens, hundreds of unique designs by hand, as far as I'm aware. Their workload had to be stressful. They were probably doing this in between studying or working real jobs.

But to this day, every Christmas, I think about those Secret Santa gifts. And every year I miss that excitement of logging in first thing to see all your gifts 'magically' hatch into adorable little creatures that were unique and yours.

This post doesn't have a point except I'm in my mid-30s and I still miss my online friends that I used to play pretend lions with in middle school. And nothing else has quite matched the very specific excitement of those secret Santa gifts becoming 'real' on Christmas.

And I'm so, so thankful to all the people - likely college students and adults - who did all this work just for fun. And I wanted to share this memory of some old communities that I still think back on fondly. I hope they're doing well in life, wherever they are.

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 19/10/2024 (Sabrina Carpenter, JENNIE, Brat Remix Album)

For an eighth week, bringing Sabrina’s annual total to 20 weeks at #1 this year (a feat not reached since Frankie Laine), “Taste” sticks to the top spot of the UK Singles Chart, and we’ve got another goofy week where our new entries aren’t really the main point of interest. Welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

content warning: language, way more sex references than normal

Rundown

As always, we start the episode with our notable dropouts, those being songs that exit from the UK Top 75 – which is what I cover – after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. This week, we bid adieu to: “Going Crazy” by Nines with uncredited vocals from LEILAH, “Black Friday (pretty like the sun)” by Lost Frequencies remixing Tom Odell, “Numb” by Linkin Park, “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” by Ariana Grande and “I Can Do it with a Broken Heart” by Taylor Swift.

Now we also have two more songs dropping out that may be of more interest, specifically the premature dropouts for Charli xcx’s “Talk talk”, featuring Troye Sivan and an uncredited Dua Lipa on the remix, and “Guess”, her former #1 hit with Billie Eilish on the remix. These singles from Charli’s album would hypothetically have a boost given the release of her deluxe remix edition of BRAT, which I wrote about on my RateYourMusic listening log if you want more in-depth thoughts there, since there are actually no debuts from it. Instead, Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat has not only pumped its parent release to the top of the albums chart with no T-Swizzle to block it this time, but due to a three-song rule in the UK Singles Chart, it’s created what I can only call a switcheroo for songs that had charted before, but are now doing so in remix form. In that regard, we welcome back “360” at #20. The original peaked at #11, its book-end album closer counterpart “365” reached #63. As with many of the remixed versions, I far prefer the originals in both cases, but it is of course noteworthy to point out that Swedes Yung Lean and Robyn feature on the fragmented, awkward “360” remix that works pretty wearingly as an album opener; I used to prefer it, but now, I find it just okay. The Official Charts Company has not credited them, and the case rings true for “Apple” at #11, which was still charting but takes a boost to #11. Previously peaking at #8, the remix would be the first chart appearance for English indie singer-songwriter Amber Bain, known as “The Japanese House”. For new fans, I remember listening to her 2019 debut Good at Falling and whilst I fell off the ship at some point, there’s definitely stuff worth hearing there. I’d probably like it even more now. However, OCC decided to credit only one of the guest remix artists, that being Ariana Grande who grants a new peak with her… completely serviceable but uninteresting remix of the great “Sympathy is a knife”. Originally peaking at #56, Ari takes it straight to #7 off of the return, and it’s not the only new top 10 entry this week.

We do have a fair few non-Brat gains and returns too, namely “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay taking the space of one of their new singles at #72, “Scared to Start” by Mchael Marcagi restarting at #70, “NEW DROP” by Don Toliver coming back at #69 and I have a feeling this will be one of those songs that just comes back and forth, then Andy C and Becky Hill seeing a return to #66 with “Indestructible”, thanks to a remix from drum and bass DJ Disrupta that OCC seems to think is a new song. Congratulations to Disrupta for his first chart entry… I suppose… if you count formatting errors and misremembering chart positions as valid debuts, the remix is fine. You know what’s not? “Riptide” by Vance Joy up to #61, but our other gains see boosts for “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls at #59, “KEHLANI” by Jordan Adetunji at #58, “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift at #52, “Free” by Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding at #47, “Austin (Boots Stop Workin’)” by Dasha at #40, “Don’t Dream it’s Over” by Crowded House at #32, “Move” by Adam Port, Stryv and Malachiii at #10, with all acts gaining their first top 10 thanks in part to an uncredited Camila Cabello remix, and Trippie Redd also grabbing his first with, you guessed it, KSI on “Thick of It” at #8, its Prime position thus far.

As for our top five on this week’s UK Singles Chart, we start with “Somedays” by Sonny Fodera, Jazzy and D.O.D at a new peak of #5, followed by another new peak for Gracie Abrams at #4 with “I Love You, I’m Sorry”… can’t say I’m too over the Moon about either of these in the top five, but I am pretty happy with “Sailor Song” by Gigi Perez making it up to #3, then of course, “Die with a Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars as the runner-up at #2 to Sabrina once again at #1 with “Taste”. Now we’ll have more on Sabrina later, but for now, let’s take a look-see at what’s below her.

New Entries

#74 – “Why Lie?” – Skepta and Flo Milli

Produced by Lex Luger, PotentGYFT, Kesh and Carson Hackney

I am of the opinion that Skepta would have much more respect in general music-loving audiences for his influence, talent, catalogue and unique approach to hip hop production if he didn’t fuck around in questionable, perpetually brow-raising side quests, but oddly, he would lose some of my respect if he stopped doing that. He’s constantly got a look out for new collaborators and new sounds to crib from, and even when he doesn’t fully understand it, he’ll co-opt it, well-intentionally, and make… something of it. I figured that maybe the recent Ryder remixes and his EDM tracks, including a remix of Amy Winehouse, would push him into ambient house territory or something, but he quickly disproved that by just dropping whatever. After his latest track to chart, “Gas Me Up (Diligent)”, itself some AWGE-adjacent cloud-trap, he released an Afrobeats track with JAE5 and then got on a bit of a sexy drill kick (he’s just like me, for real). These singles are all potentially from an upcoming album, but would be confusing as a whole package, as he equipped PoWR Trav for the R2R Moe and Jorja Smith-assisted “Miss Independent”, using typical Cash Cobain-esque tense drum patterns and buzzy bass over a distant R&B sample, whilst Skepta raps mostly about sex, sometimes in too much detail. I’m not ageist, and Skep’ looks great, but I’m not always looking for middle-aged sex raps.

Relationships are once again the topic on “Why Lie?” but after going through Afrobeats and sexy drill, he’s chasing after yet another bubbling trend in not-exactly-mainstream-yet hip hop, “new jazz”, a trap subgenre taking a chiller approach to rage synthwork with much more wonkiness. Alabama rapper Flo Milli, herself no stranger to switching genre, has been recruited here for a duet that involves Skeppy getting into a Young Adz-level faletto on the chorus as Milli’s breathily cooing below him, then interchanging bars on a beat that has tiny details that never take up too much space, still leaving it slightly empty, to fit for the sheer amount of vocal layers and filters present, often somewhat extraneous and occasionally acting as arbitrary censorship. The main conceit of the song is that Skep’ thinks that Milli’s probably cheating, but doesn’t seem to care too much, because after a while, the sex is good enough for their slightly frayed connection to repair itself. Neither rapper will admit to lying to each other in the relationship, but are under the impression that if they really love each other, they’re just going to sugarcoat all the problems in the relationship anyway, and not think about the toxicities too deeply. It’s a really unique and honestly somewhat depressing relationship dynamic portrayed here, with the immediate contradictions present being pointed out and laid out quite openly. Milli is desperate to have sex after Skepta’s exhausting live show despite wanting to “take it slow”, both acts seem to care more about money accumulation than each other but still hold hope in the strength of their love – it’s not the most subtle song about relationships, but it allows for a lot of good trade-off displaying both the charming sensuality of Flo Milli and the chinks hidden in Skepta’s noble façade.

As far as my opinion on the song overall, I love the squelchy bass sound and the delayed feeling of the chorus coming in that fits the whole song having a staggered sense to its bass hits, sloppier drum programming and cascading, shimmering melodies, forming sonically the sound of this fragmented relationship they seem to work through in real time. This wonkiness is clearly cribbed in part from the similarly messy 2000s pop-rap classic “What’s it Gonna Be?!” with Busta Rhymes and Janet Jackson, which “Why Lie?” subtly samples. The chorus is genuinely hilarious as well as an earworm, with Skepta lamenting to his boys in an auto-croon that she’s probably having sex with another man, before a deadpan ad-lib that “She might as well” preludes his one-line falsetto run about he’s going to go on a business trip anyway, leaving her in the dust. There are doorbell sound effects, some of the best ad-libs on the chart – Skepta ending the hook by whispering “(Sex)” is such a stupid detail – and the overt detail in the analogy that the sex was so emotional that not only did he nearly shed a tear, but she “cried” too if you get the jist. Skep’s verse has the bass clunkily fall over him right after he details the outright falsehood that Flo Milli is a “ride-or-die” type and throughout, his flow is about as slippery… I’m not going to complete that sentence.

I love how the final chorus is led in without the drums by Flo’s panned whispering too, as the song is structurally all over the place but proud enough of that fact to add these quirky details, including some that seem improvised – Skep’ interrupts his verse to ask his mic to be turned up in a way that shouldn’t fit the flow or content, even rhyme scheme, at all, but works out because its execution is as chaotic and befuzzling as the relationship it depicts. I didn’t expect to be discussing this song at all, in all honesty, let alone in this much detail, as it has barely charted in the first place, but this is one of my favourite songs of the year, absolutely some of the most fun I’ve had with pop-rap in a year that has either had little of it or peppered with detailed interpersonal conflict. I hope that it can become a hit, because it absolutely could get radio play or become a meme… if not both. Check it out.

#60 – “The Days” – Chrystal

Produced by Chrystal and Billen Ted

Billen Ted, probably best known for the “Wellerman” remix, have found a new vehicle in the slow-burn breakout single for Chrystal. Though active since 2014, with a remix of their 2015 debut single “All Ur Love” being the only other reasonable success for them on streaming services, Chrystal has, from my understanding, largely kept a low profile, with this new song having crept up to the top 75 after a few weeks bubbling under, though it may be reminiscent of a larger trend. We’ve seen with nimino, PAWSA and a few other stray songs that weirder, more insular, often old-school and sometimes minimal house music by lesser-known artists, possibly thanks in part to the experimentation and innovation of acts like Fred again.., is starting to solidify a place in the lower reaches of the UK charts, and it’s been relatively hit and miss so far, which is understandable. These are lower-budget, very much lower-profile acts who bring their relative anonymity to the basic rhythms and airy atmospheres of their music, and “The Days” is no different. The cheap, dime-a-dozen four-on-the-floor beats sound exhausted especially with all the swooshing effects phasing in and out, and Chrystal themselves, assuming they’re the one singing, reminisces about chilling, smoking, having their partner’s favourite show on the background, and wanting to relive that whilst having some uncertainty about if that relationship is actually what it seems. I love the vocal filter that makes her distant in the pre-chorus, resembling the audio qualities of a post-chorus, the basic and desperate plead of “Do you?” acting as the “drop” or “hook” when in reality, like “TOO COOL TO BE CARELESS”, which has grown on me, there’s not much of a drop or hook at all, as the song builds about as lethargically as EDM possibly could. Stuttering synth bloops and a heavier, fuzzy bass are about as detailed as this song gets, and I find it honestly fascinating how empty the song is. These types of house jams we’re seeing always end up on a bittersweet note due to the woozy nonchalance with which they’re structured and produced, and whilst I’m not always a fan, not only is it funny to see those lazy Nate Dogg remixes that popped up turn into something worthwhile, but it’ll be interesting to see if this obscure phenomenon continues into a larger trend.

#37 – “Mantra” – JENNIE

Produced by JUMPA, El Guincho, Șerban Cazan and Jelli Dorman

Another week, another K-pop track that will probably not last too long but makes for a smashing top 40 debut, this time yet another latch at solo stardom from a BLACKPINK solo member. Though I’ve found it difficult to distinguish the girls as solo artists thanks to a lack of cohesive sound, they are at least more interesting on average than the BTS solo attempts, and yeah, this is about as chaotic as you could expect. Billed as a “pretty girl mantra”, JENNIE’s condescending sing-songy chorus is intensified by a stretching, nigh-indecipherable loop pushed to the back of the mix by a bunch of sounds, including an obnoxious stab of keys and horns, heavily involved bassy rhythm section and JENNIE herself, whose melodic ad-libs are fighting for attention with not just her own multi-tracking but stray “hey” vocal blips, a spray of house bass synth, and a cascading plunge into atmospheric synth mess… until that chorus brings the focus back into a different kind of chaos. Hell, it even has a set of panning cowbells that don’t let up once JENNIE starts singing the busier post-chorus, with a multi-tracked half-belt at the end making way for some of the most detailed and confusing vocal production I’ve heard on the charts in a while. Several layers of “oh” harmonies plate up below twinkling takes of breathy cooing, bordering on whispering, and just actual breathing, that never fully swings back into a full register. That little detail is particularly interesting given how much of the song is confident flexing, perhaps hinting that the light she scoffs at having dimmed may have gone off after all. Whilst substanceless lyrically, it has less awkward turns of phrase than a typical English-language BLACKPINK track, though I'm raising an eyebrow at how she'll supposedly turn me bisexual, and it goes for a more specific sound that could actually form unique character rather than an aping of other songs or artists that K-pop acts sometimes fall into when chasing western trends. It works as more of an amalgamation in a charmingly messy way, and that’s where K-pop acts tend to be at their best for me: embracing styles and genres in an endless pile-up that goes for shock and drastic twists and turns whilst retaining incessant hooks. “Mantra” falls squarely into that category, and is actually her second I’ve enjoyed after “You & Me” – given the BLACKPINK girls have been all over the place but often leaving a positive impression nowadays, I am interested in where any of these careers end up next, if the most reasonable angle isn’t to branch them all back together.

#9 – “Bed Chem” – Sabrina Carpenter

Produced by John Ryan and Ian Kirkpatrick

When I first listened to Short n’ Sweet, this song stood out as probably one of my least favourites, along with “Please Please Please”. Both have grown on me, so it makes it quite a fun coincidence that this week has swapped out the latter for “Bed Chem”, in yet another example of the silly three-song rule. I’m not necessarily complaining here: “Please” is still definitely a dud, just less so than I initially thought, whilst “Bed Chem” has won me over completely, mostly for the reasons that I disliked it in the first place. Sure, it’s cheesy and awkward in its heavy-handed sexual chemistry, framed in the context of her first meeting with her new partner, who in this case may specifically be her real-life partner, Irish actor Barry Keoghan, whose “thick accent” is mentioned in the pre-chorus. I may find the pitch-shifted vocal detail unbefitting for the otherwise vague attempt at organic soft rock, but it’s easily ignorable and the unnatural elements of the production overall, including the sprinkling sound effects and Sabrina herself, whose high-register chorus is so shrill and over-programmed that it used to just annoy me, and honestly still catches me by surprise, being genuinely a bit difficult to listen to for me in that hook. Surely, I wouldn’t rate it highly because of that... but aren’t people newly in a relationship all over each other and never out of each other’s mouths (in all possible ways that I could mean by that) always a bit annoying to the observer? The meek hints towards explicit lyrics are purposefully straight out of a PG-13 romcom, with audience chatter in the outro furthering the idea that this is all just a humorous portrayal of lovestruck youths, with all the awkwardly sexual banter and shimmering optimism intact. Sure, it’s not her most nuanced song emotionally, not that nuance has ever been Sabrina’s calling card, but it’s a lot of fun, needlessly catchy and an understandable fan favourite that I’m sure is both hilarious and incredibly difficult to perform live. With this as a replacement, Sabrina’s currently three for three for me in regards to her charting singles.

Conclusion

Weird week, but ultimately one pretty defined by a youthful chaos and attention to detail, that led to four frankly great songs – yes, every one, to the point where I can’t give out a Worst of the Week. Best of the Week goes to Skepta and Flo Milli, however, pretty easily, for “Why Lie?” as it takes ownership of its elements in a way that leans heavily into a narrative, placing it above JENNIE and just having more to it than Sabrina. Meanwhile, the isolated-feeling “The Days” by Chrystal takes the Honourable Mention for its uniquely muted sound that builds its own manic energy with so few elements that it has me really curious about the future of its genre. So, after this fantastic week, what’s to expect from next? Well, God forbid, we might have Yeat, but I consider it more likely that JADE or fellow BLACKPINKer ROSÉ show up, alongside maybe something from Kylie Minogue or Rag’n’Bone Man. Time will tell, however, and for now, thank you for reading, rest in peace to Liam Payne of One Direction, and I’ll see you next week!

[the-broken-truth]

Broken-Style Remix: Platonic Yandere Bruce Wayne + Bat-Family & Dakota Blake (Part 4)

SUBTITLE: BRUCE & MARISSA

Summary: Marissa Blake is at home working on a new project for her company when a knock on her door distracts her. She opens it to find a rather angry-looking Bruce Wayne. What will this conversation yield?

[The Blake Residence - Marissa's Office - Around 4:30 P.M.]

Swift fingers danced along the keyboard of the desktop as brown eyes watched the code appear on the monitor, a smile on the face of the woman who was making the code before she yawned and stretched before finishing the line of code and saving the work to a flash drive in the same of a corgi - it was a gift from Dakota when she was 6 years old and Marissa treasured it from the first day she got it. The Blake Woman stood from her chair and left the office, going into the kitchen just as the coffee maker buzzed to signal that a new pot of coffee was ready - just what the coder and artist-illustrator needed to get her brain fueled.

Marissa walked into the kitchen with her coffee mug in her hand before grabbing the coffee pot with her other hand and pouring the rich bean juice into her cup when the doorbell rang throughout the house. Marissa raised an eyebrow - all of her family members had a key and never used the doorbell & she didn't order food or a package, so who could that be? Placing the cup and pot down, the woman walked out of the kitchen, through the living room, and to the front door before opening it and her eyes widened at the sight of the person on the other side of the door.

"Bruce?" Marissa asked the man who glared at her with his blue eyes - eyes that were as blue as her daughter's, Marissa knew she was in for a ride for having a Wayne's Kid but she never had trouble with Dakota as a kid...the problem would come with her father. "What are you doing here, Bruce?" She asked him.

Bruce opened his mouth to speak but the sound of phone cameras clicking, people whispering, and videos being taken made Bruce walk into the apartment, much to Marissa's displeasure but she closed the door nonetheless and folded her arms as she glared at the back of Bruce Wayne as he looked around the apartment.

"This is where m daughter has been living for the past 16 years?" Bruce asked as he turned to face the woman who birthed Dakota, "With your pay as a Game Designer and Coder, you could have bought a more suitable place for a Wayne Heir, don't you think, Marissa?"

"Dakota didn't know she was a Wayne Heir until you came into her life and turned it upside down. Or, at least try to. She's still the same girl that I raised, completely selfless and uncaring of her Paternal Lineage." Marissa said as she walked over to the sofa and took a seat before offering Bruce the chair that Dakota loved sitting in. "Now, why are you here, Bruce?"

"I'll get straight to the point: I want you to transfer Dakota's Custody to me." Bruce said as he reached into his suitcase and pulled out some paperwork, "Sign these."

"You're out of your damn mind if you think I am going to give you my daughter Bruce. I raised that girl with blood, sweat, and tears; you think I'm just going to hand her to you just because you're Bruce Wayne? Hell no. Besides, you have a son - Damian, right? Just make him the Wayne Heir." Marissa threw her hand up at Bruce who glared at her.

"That's the thing - Dakota is my eldest daughter - my only daughter - and I want her to have the life that has been denied to her for all these years. You kept her from me but I want her back now. Sign the papers, Marissa, and I'll give you as much money as you want." Bruce said but Marissa looked pissed off at him.

"Money? You think I want Money?! I want nothing from you, Wayne! I have my daughter and there is nothing I will do to give her to you. Get the hell out of my house before I call the police on you for trespassing." Marissa rose to her feet and Bruce followed her and reached a hand out to grab her arm, but, suddenly, the window broke and something came flying through the air, sliced the back of Bruce's hand - making him pull his hand back, and looked at the object stuck into the ground: A simple arrow.

Bruce looked out of the window and saw a figure standing on the roof with a bow and arrow aimed at him but he couldn't see their face - they were wearing some kind of mask and all-black attire.

"The Hunters are here, Bruce." Marissa said.

"Hunters?" Bruce asked as he held his bleeding hand.

"A Vigilante Group - Something like the Bat Family but more stealthy. I'm under their protection and if you don't leave now, they are going to put an arrow in your head. Now, leave." Marissa said as she pointed at the door, causing Bruce to look at the arrow before walking out of the door with his suitcase in his uninjured hand. He looked at the roof and the Hunter was gone. Where did they go? Why was Marissa under the Protection of the Hunters? Just who were the Hunters?

[disco-elysium-via-polls]

Our list of tasks is looking ever more manageable.

FIND BOOZE AND DRINK IT

The hangover feels really bad. You have to take the edge off. Find a bottle of alcohol, put it in your had, and the magic will happen by its own!

As you can see, the blue text below this task says it was Forfeited on Wednesday. That doesn't mean we can't still drink, though.

THURSDAY

GET THE WHOLE STORY FROM TITUS

Hardie and the boys know the whole story. It'll be difficult to get it out of him. Have you thoroughly inspected the body? Looked around for a witness? Gotten friendly with the Union boss and the company rep? *Really* gotten to Klaasje?

Confront Klaasje with the Hardies' story.

THE MISSING INSECTS CASE

Some locusts have gone missing, and the Insulindian phasmid has yet to be found. Perhaps you can use your detective skills to help out the cryptozoologists?

Ask Cuno about the empty trap, then take a look around the yard.

ADD EVEN MORE BEAUTY TO THE WALL

You have seen an exceptionally beautiful wall in Martinaise, near the pier, and have decided to add to its beauty, artistically. This will take a brush first? Who would have one? Then paint, and then the act itself.

Use fuel oil to paint the wall.

GET TWO SIGNATURES FOR EVRART

Get Isobel and Lilienne in the nameless fishing village down the coast to sign Evrart's document. Once the signatures are secured, mail the document to Evrart's accountant using the mail box on the plaza in front of the Whirling.

Find someone to sign the documents instead of the intended recipients.

Forge the signatures, but somewhere private, where you feel safe enough to sleep.

Remember, this is also going to point us further towards our gun.

GET ACELE TO TALK ABOUT HER ASSOCIATES

Acele refused to talk about her friends. Maybe she'll open up later -- after you've helped them set up the nightclub.

MAKE VAN EYCK'S JAM HARDER CORE

You can feel it—this music could hit so much harder. It just needs a few tweaks... Walk back to the canal and see if you can find any tapes that could work as a melody, then bring them back to Egg Head for remixing.

Find a tape with a melody for Egg Head.

SYNC THE SINES WITH NOID

Noid doesn't want to talk to you, the sines are not in sync. Guess you need to help him and his friends out somehow, prove that you're one of the crew. Who knows what he'll tell you?

HELP RAVERS START A NIGHTCLUB

The ravers asked you to help turn the church into a dance club, but there are already some people inside. Find out who those people are and what they want.

Look into the spookers in the church.

Almost all of our Thursday quests are to do with the ravers.

WEDNESDAY

SPIRIT IS ETERNAL

The Horrific Necktie is getting ready for the end game. For the love of god do not remove it until 'the magic' happens.

Hold onto the spirits and wait for the signal.

FIND IDIOT DOOM SPIRAL'S JACKET

Idiot Doom Spiral stole a cool jacket at one point... and then lost it again. The story of his life. According to the man, the jacket was last seen somewhere around the boardwalk, maybe the abandoned fish market.

We have *a* jacket, but it's not in great condition.

ASK KLAASJE ABOUT SUNDAY NIGHT

When Kim's not around to stop you, ask Klaasje about what she heard from her room the night before you emerged into Reality. She must know something.

We missed our opportunity to do this last night. If we want to do this, we'll have to wait until 22:00, then pretend to go to sleep to get Kim out of the way. Also, if we go to confront her about Titus's story, it may be the last time we speak to her, so we'll want to put that off.

TUESDAY

FIND THE MURDER WEAPON

You need to find the firearm that killed the hanged man. Something tells you it will take *some* time. You could start by identifying the bullet, so you'd know the weapon that shot it. After that, keep your eyes open. And be patient.

Perform an advanced analysis, using H/E Coordination.

Can't do this with HEC maxed out. Although there are *other* ways to level it up...

MONDAY

REPLACE LOST BOULE

Due to some confusion over the game René and Gaston are playing, you threw one of their pétanque *boules* far in the sea. The shot was excellent, but now you owe them a *boule*... or at least similar-looking metal sphere.

FIND ALL ARMOUR PIECES

You want all of the armour pieces. Deck yourself out in full metal battle-hardened glory. NOTE! This might take a while. Like, a *long* while.

In addition, let me go over a few other things we can do:

Get into the area behind the bookstore.

[Volition - Legendary] Look Klaasje in the eyes.

[Rhetoric - Legendary] Get Gaston's sandwich.

[Rhetoric - Impossible] Open the cargo container door.

[Reaction Speed - Medium] Find a Dick Mullen novel.

[Pain Threshold - Medium] Find a Man from Hjellmdall novel.

[Suggestion - Medium] Why is Annette familiar?

[Suggestion - Heroic] Ask Lilienne on a date.

Hear more stories from Doom Spiral.

[Interfacing - Medium] Fix broken faucet, find a figurine.

[Encyclopedia - Formidable] Find the source of the Expression.

[Drama - Impossible] Convince Rene we're also a war hero.

Now that we have money, we could also look into buying a board game from the bookstore.

[zoot-marimba]

Todd Rundgren

(June 22, 1948-)

Todd. Rundgren. Where do I start? One of rock and roll’s great mavericks, a man with a prolific solo career along with leading bands such as Utopia, The Nazz, Runt, and The New Cars, having an equally accomplished career as a producer, arranger, and collaborator with artists such as The New York Dolls, XTC, The Band, Ringo Starr, Darryl Hall and John Oates, Badfinger, Grand Funk Railroad, and Meat Loaf among many, many others. All of this on top of being a multimedia artist, video producer, and all around innovator.

Born in Philadelphia and raised in nearby Upper Darby Township by parents Ruth and Harry, Todd showed a great love of music from a young age. First becoming infatuated with his parents’ record collection full of show tunes and symphonies, particularly those of Gilbert and Sullivan, Todd soon discovered rock and roll such as the Beatles, the Stones, the Ventures, and the Yardbirds as well as the soul music of Philly such as Gamble & Huff, the O’Jays, and the Delfonics. Having already taken up guitar when he was younger, Todd formed his first band Money when he was 17. After graduating high school, Todd moved to Philly and began his music career proper in the blues rock outfit Woody’s Truck Stop. Though the band was finding success in the local scene, Todd soon fell out of love with the blues and wanted to pursue a sound in the vein of The Beatles and The Who. As a result, he and bassist Carson Van Osten left the group to form their band, which would take its name from The Yardbirds’ “The Nazz Are Blue” and lay the groundwork for all that was to follow in Todd’s career.

Across three albums, The Nazz unleashed a potent burst of power pop, melding pop hooks and Melodie’s with crunchy rock guitars, studio experimentation, and sophisticated arrangements. While Van Osten and Thom Mooney were a powerful rhythm section and Stewkey was a great keyboard player and singer, it was clearly Todd that drove the band as it’s primary songwriter and leader. As the band’s short career progressed, Todd would continue to grow as a songwriter, especially after discovering the work of singer-songwriter Laura Nyro. He would also demonstrate the versatility that would define his career, able to go from rockers like “Open My Eyes” to lushly arranged ballads like “Hello, It’s Me”. Unsatisfied with the work that original producer Bill Traut had done, Todd would also take it upon himself to remix the band’s work, developing his craft as a producer in the process. And after meeting Laura Nyro, she’d offer him a chance to become her bandleader, but the Nazz meant Todd had to decline. Eventually, though, personal and creative differences within the Nazz would lead to the group splitting two albums in, with the third mostly consisting of unused tracks.

After the Nazz broke up, Todd initially considered working as a computer engineer before realizing that his calling was as a producer. Through the Nazz’s former assistant manager Michael Friedman, Todd got a job as staff engineer and producer under Albert Grossman, who had recently started the label Ampex. Having already relocated to New York, Todd would become a mainstay of Bearsville Studio, starting with producing country rock group Great Speckled Bird’s debut record and then engineering The Band’s third studio album Stage Fright, which became their highest charting album up to that point. All the meanwhile, Todd would soon get the bug to make his own music again, using spare studio time to record the album Runt, which he’d put out as Runt due to his initial reluctance to become a solo artist. Well, the album ended up being pretty successful, launching a hit in “We Gotta Get You A Woman” and further establishing Todd as a force to be reckoned.

At that time in the business, you were either an artist or a producer, people said you could not be both. Well, Todd simply smirked and said “watch me”. Sure enough, Todd became an artist as well as a producer for other artists, and was able to give the same drive and commitment to both. As an artist, he’d follow up Runt with its sequel Runt: The Ballad Of Todd Rundgren, which saw Todd moving away from the art rock and power pop that largely defined its predecessor into softer piano-driven ballads. In addition, while the album was still billed under Runt, the album saw Todd beginning to expand his instrumental work beyond guitars and keyboards and less reliant on outside musicians. Then came his double album Something/Anything?, which-other than Side Four-saw Todd playing every instrument himself as well as solidifying his habit of Genre Roulette, going from highly charged rock and roll to piano ballads, tongue-in-cheek country to electronica, and then from avant garde to R&B. It also scored Todd two hits in “I Saw The Light” and his remake of the Nazz’s “Hello, It’s Me”.

Todd could have easily continue to ride the gravy train of being the male Carole King (really, the male Laura Nyro, who was a big influence on both artists), but Todd’s not one to play it safe. With a hit record or two to his name plus his production work, Todd simply made whatever kind of music he was feeling at the moment. Prog, electronica, Philly soul, New Age, jazz fusion, New Wave with “Bang On The Drum All Day”, bossa nova, an album of a capella, or the odd return to good old fashioned pop music, everything is fair game to Todd. All of this in addition to creating the first interactive album, designing the first color graphics tablet-in 1980, no less, and holding the first interactive television concert…in 1978. And of course, I must not forget Utopia, first formed to back Todd on his tour behind A Wizard, A True Star before becoming a full fledged band releasing albums of progressive rock mixed with sly humor and the odd hook.

On the flip side, Todd further established himself as a producer, ranging from the debut albums by art pop outfit Sparks and proto-punk legends the New York Dolls to Straight Up by fellow power pop titans Badfinger-featuring the classic “Baby Blue”- and Mother’s Pride by all-female rock band Fanny. He also play a key role in launching Grand Funk Railroad to their greatest commercial success with records like We’re An American Band, as well as pushing fellow Philly natives Darryl Hall and John Oates out of their comfort zone on War Babies, which saw the duo move from the soul-infused pop that had been their bread and butter towards a more rock oriented record with more biting satire in the lyrics. It was a rather interesting detour for the duo, but hey, everybody needs the odd detour. And of course, there’s Bat Out Of Hell. An album of Broadway style rock sung by a big, heavyset, not-exactly-a-stud singer called Meat Loaf seems like commercial suicide, but Todd Rundgren is going to Todd Rundgren. Love or hate the album, one has to admire the sheer Refuge in Audacity in Todd taking this album of all albums, producing and arranging the record, and making it one of the highest selling records of all time.

From there, Todd would continue to produce artists such as the Patti Smith Group, The Psychedelic Furs, Cheap Trick, The Tubes, musical hero Laura Nyro after having to turn down her offer to be bandleader all those years ago, What Is This?-featuring future members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, and Queens Of The Stone Age, and XTC for their seminal record Skylarking. He’d also join forces with former Cars members Greg Hawkes and Elliot Easton to form The New Cars, which played a mix of new material and songs from both Todd’s and The Cars’ careers. Besides The New Cars, Todd has also toured with Ringo’s All Starr Band, playing alongside legends such as Gregg Rolie of Santana and Journey fame, Toto cofounder and session ace Steve Lukather, Cream bassist Jack Bruce, Procol Harum frontman Gary Brooker, and of course, a freakin’ Beatle.

Now 76 years, Todd has truly seen it all and done it all. With a boundless amount of talent, imagination, curiosity, and irreverence, he has delved into every pursuit with a fierce dedication that he has retained all these years. Happy birthday Todd, and thanks for all the music you’ve given us.

[twigg96]

Tag Game: Ten True Facts About Me

Rules: Share 10 facts about yourself and tag other blogs! I want to get to know my mutuals, and the people I follow a little bit :) The facts can be about anything!

Tagged by: the lovely @ir0n-moon thank you so much my dear 💕💕

1. I used to be big into cosplay. I used to hand make cosplay costumes, props, and once even attempted to make a wig. I have only ever been to a few conventions but I miss the community I used to share with fellow cosplayers pre-Covid.

2. I had an Anime Amino if anyone remembers that app. This was back during an age before discord. Back during the time I took a break from Tumblr (2015-17? Maybe) I started on Amino to look for community and friendship during a time I felt like I had none. Amino was literally just a mix of Tumblr with random blogs and discord with its chat rooms option. People mostly used it for RPs and other community events. It was a great time honestly kinda sad they killed the site.

3. I love weird ass music. I’m not talking like “oh that new album by famous artist with a weird name” no! I’m talking music that will make normal people run screaming into the next room. Give me remixed pirate/Viking songs all day long. You don’t even have to remix them. I’ll take them as is if you’re feeling spicy. Heavy metal versions of songs that have no right being metal (Disney songs, pop songs, country). 🤤. Those artists are doing gods work. Random 80’s songs. The sluttiest dirtiest music you can think of. Jazz. All of it man I love all of it as long as it’s weird.

4. My very first fan fiction was written on fan fiction.net. I used to have two accounts it was because I forgot my password for the first one but then I used the second account more than the first so it all worked out. I kinda want to archive the stuff from those accounts onto AO3 even though I’m not in those fandoms anymore. Just so I have the content.

5. My first ever crushes were on Shego and Kim Possible from said show. I didn’t know how to verbalize this as a kid so I told everyone I loved Justin Timberlake from *NSYNC.

6. I’ve been thinking about publishing a few books. I have some ideas for a few novels, series, and kids books. I just don’t know where to start or even if they’re worth while.

7. I have two dogs and two cats! My puppies names are Maizy and Chihiro. They are both Labs and are just the cutest angel babies! My cats are Eevee and Oreo. Eevee is chunk rescue baby. Oreo is our prissy princess who needs to be held at all times.

8. I have never once reset one of my animal crossing villages. I’ve had three on three different games. Game Cube, DS, and Switch. I always do my best to name the village perfectly , I would do anything in my power to have the perfect neighborhood/ villagers, I would even piss off Mr. resetti back when he was a thing just to get a second chance to try an interaction again.

9. I’m thinking about starting to stream on Twitch. Nothing too serious. Just something fun that I can try to do!

10. I am a huge collector. I collect many things lol old books, (first editions, cool instructional books, books published earlier than 1955, All the Stephen King novels), ART! I love art. All of it. Prints from artists I buy from. Hand made pieces I randomly find at art fairs and craft shows, paintings, those mystery boxes that hold figurines in them I fucking love them so god damned much.

I think I’ll tag @nsfwitchy, @normanblowup, @morbid-pigeon, @el-michoacano, @gointothevvater, @gogomeaty,

[randomvarious]

Haddaway - "What Is Love" 1992 Eurodance / Eurohouse / Dance-Pop

It's another big one, folks. Today I'm gonna tell you the story about how this indispensable early 90s club classic that went on to largely define the Eurodance era as a whole originally came to be, and how it also ended up unexpectedly launching the career of a Trinidadian-born renaissance man by the name of Nestor Haddaway, who would go on to become an international pop superstar, largely away from American eyes.

So, the truth of the matter is that, before he'd end up moving tens of millions of units with his debut record, "What Is Love," Nestor Haddaway wasn't even really much of a singer in the first place. He had lived in America, joined the navy for a handful of years, earned a PhD in political science, and then decided to move out to Europe, where he thought he could have a chance at making it as a musician. Nestor was fond of German-made music, like Kraftwerk, and knew the country had served as a launching pad for a whole bunch of successful acts, including Donna Summer. And he also knew that, as a black man, the industry wouldn't be so quick to try to pigeonhole him into either R&B or hip hop, either, like the US had a tendency to do, because the German music industry just seemed to be more open-minded about things like that.

So, Nestor would end up in Frankfurt, in a crew with none other than Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti, a pair of guys who had previously made music with techno legend Sven Väth as the trio OFF, and then found much wider success as the producers behind Snap!, who would give the world songs like "The Power" and "Rhythm is a Dancer" in the late 80s and early 90s. You won't find Haddaway's name attached to any of their records, and if you do a Discogs search, it'll show that his first credits were as his own solo act, but he did do production and remix work with Münzing and Anzilotti, and he made good money from it too.

But while he wanted to be a successful producer on his own—and not a singing solo act—Nestor was also a lot of other things too: he was a dancer, a choreographer, an American football player in one of Europe's top leagues, and a business owner who organized fashion shows and photoshoots. And all of that seemed to keep him from being a desperate artist who'd be eager to sign a contract with anyone that'd be willing to take him on, only to be, most likely, taken advantage of later. And with that security of having his fingers in many other pies, he was able to turn down a bunch of offers he didn't like at first, before very unexpectedly starting to really find his way in Cologne, in 1992.

That was when Nestor decided to do a favor for his music partner, Alex Strasser, who, at the time, had a job at a label called Coconut Records, and was struggling to make ends meet. But a way that Nestor could help him out would be to come down to the studio and record some music. Nestor would do some stuff that he had been working on himself, and then to help out Alex, he would also record something for Coconut too. No big deal; just being a good friend, really.

But as you could probably guess, this little session turned out to be a huge deal. Coconut's co-owner, Tony Hendrik, decided to come down to the studio too, and brought with him a rough draft of a song that he and his wife, Karin van Haaren, had worked on. In fact, the two of them had already had the song in Coconut's publishing company and were just waiting for the right person to come along and sing over it. And that song was an early version of "What Is Love," and their latest candidate to front it was now none other than Nestor Haddaway.

But Hendrik had a vision for the song that he and Nestor didn't share. He wanted Nestor to sing the song in the style of Joe Cocker, who, I'd say, is pretty dang inimitable himself. So, while Nestor acknowledged that he was definitely a fan of Cocker's work, he also told Hendrik that there was no way that he was going to sing like him. Nestor had loved the work that he had done with the guys from Snap! and brought back something that was more in their vein. Hendrik wasn't too thrilled with it, telling Nestor and Strasser that what he really had wanted was a ballad, but his wife ended up convincing him to just roll with it. So, he relented.

And here's what appears to be an early iteration of what they had come up with, which was made available on YouTube only a few years ago, and seems to have one key ingredient missing from the finished product:

And this version probably would've sufficed as a solid, radio-friendly dance hit, but you'll notice that in this iteration, the organ stabs aren't nearly as full or fluid. And to get the final version, Hendrik took the song, locked himself in the studio for a full week or so, and then was able to turn that organ into something harder that the listener could happily glide on during the instrumental portions between Haddaway's verses. It was a terrific enhancement. Plus, Nestor had also supplied vocals that sounded less tender and more anguished too.

And when Nestor heard this updated version, he knew he had something unique on his hands that also had mass appeal as both a dance and pop record. Coconut offered to buy the track from him for 5,000 Deutsche marks, but he outright refused. And yet, unbelievably, when they first tried to shop it, no other label or radio station actually wanted anything to do with it at first! But a new station in Cologne was willing to implement it as a jingle, which was enough to get the ball rolling, and after getting a positive response from about a thousand DJs that they had sent it to, "What Is Love" then proceeded to catch complete fire on a global scale.

The song went to #1 in 13 countries, #2 in the UK, and almost broke the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100, while hitting #9 on its corresponding dance chart too. And despite its slightly lesser showing Stateside, Saturday Night Live's Butabi brothers, who would then feature as the main characters in 1998's A Night at the Roxbury, would extend its relevance for a whole lot more years, by using it as their own theme song, which even encouraged yours truly and a friend of theirs to dress up as them for Halloween one year, which I assure you, there are no pictures of 🤫.

(I was the Will Ferrell one, btw)

Now, maybe one thing you're wondering is, "yes, the plonking organ definitely proved essential, but so did that mysterious and intermittent female vocal too! Who was that?" Well, I have absolutely no idea, but what I can tell you is where it came from, because Haddaway lifted it from a 1991 sample pack CD called Datafile One that was made for producers, DJs, programmers, and artists to use. Have a listen to track 64 and you'll hear the pair or samples that were used:

And that's pretty much it. Haddaway, who originally had no intention of being a pop star himself, had actually managed to become one on a bit of a lark, by giving the world a super catchy and versatile club banger with the first song that he'd ever apparently recorded professionally as a singer. And it was also on the heels of Germany's last massive Eurodance triumph, "Rhythm Is a Dancer," which happened to be by his friends in Snap! And while Haddaway would pretty much flame out as a one-hit wonder in the US after that, he'd still string together a bunch more singles that would resonate well in other markets, ultimately allowing him to have a long and fruitful career that he's been able to sustain to this very day. Plus, Just Blaze's sampling of "What Is Love" for Eminem and Lil Wayne's own "No Love," which ended up doing over 5 million in sales and streaming, couldn't have hurt, either, so, good thing he didn't end up selling it to Coconut for the relative pittance that they had originally offered him!

Welcome to Haddaway week.

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 4.5/5

Book Blurb: In the Remixed Classics series, authors from marginalized backgrounds reinterpret classic works through their own cultural lens to subvert the overwhelming cishet, white, and male canon. Queer star-crossed love amid a centuries-old feud takes center stage in this Romeo & Juliet remix that knows sometimes, the best way is to make it gay.

Verona, Italy. Seventeen-year-old aspiring artist Romeo dreams of a quiet life with someone who loves him just as he is. But as the heir to the Montague family, he is expected to give up his "womanly" artistic pursuits and uphold the family honor—particularly in their centuries-old blood feud with a rival family, the Capulets. Worse still, he is also expected to marry a well-bred girl approved by his parents and produce heirs. But the more Romeo is forced to mingle with eligible maidens, the harder it is to keep his deepest secret: He only feels attracted to other boys.

In an attempt to forget his troubles for just one night, Romeo joins his cousin in sneaking into a Capulet party. During a fateful encounter in the garden, he meets the kindest, most beautiful boy he's ever met, and is shocked to learn he's Valentine, the younger brother of one of his closest friends. He is even more shocked to discover that Valentine is just as enamored with Romeo as Romeo is with him.

So begins a tender romance that the boys must hide from their families and friends, each of them longing for a world where they could be together without fear. And as the conflict between the Montagues and Capulets escalates out of control, Romeo and Valentine find themselves in danger of losing each other forever—if not by society's scorn, then by the edge of a blade.

Review:

A queer reimagining of Romeo and Juliet where Romeo is gay and in love with his best friend's brother and Juliet is aro-ace??? YES PLEASE. Romeo is an aspiring artist, just looking to pursue his passion and be freed of the demands of his family to marry because he has a deep dark secret, he is not interested in women at all. Romeo has tried putting off all the marriage proposals and prolonging it for as long as possible yet when his best friend's brother Valentine finally comes back into town, Romeo knows he's found the one. Romeo knows that his love for Valentine is forbidden and with the tensions in the city rising and the Capulet and Montague families rising, blood will be spilled. Then there is Juliet, the counterpart to Romeo, a girl who wants nothing more than to be freed from the arranged marriage to someone she doesn't want that her family is forcing her into. Juliet is willing to do anything to be freed even come up with a very insane plan for both her and Romeo to make it out of Verona with their lives. This was such a fun take on the classic story and I loved the queer take on the classic. The ending was perfect and I would definitely recommend this for anyone who is a fan of the classic or for anyone who ever thought that maybe Romeo and Juliet should have ended differently!

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[gavinfair]

Artist Interview

On Friday I had the pleasure of talking to Alex Gizzo who is a recreational DJ trying to make it as a professional. I have personally known Alex (we call him Gizzo) since early February this year, as I joined the same fraternity as him. Over that past 10 months almost every Friday Gizzo would DJ for our parties, and he has done a very good job so far. Often when people leave we hear them talking about how good he is, and the day after we see him getting compliments on social media. Hearing this made me curious so I decided to head up to room 7 to get an inside scoop of what being a DJ is really about:

“How did you first get into DJing?”

I started DJing about, I would say, almost two years ago now. It kind of started on a whim—I thought it was interesting and seemed like something fun to do, just a hobby to pick up. I don't really do it for profit right now; I just do it for fun, like I said. But yeah.

“What's your process for finding new music?”

Mainly, I find most of my music on SoundCloud, mainly because there are a lot of good remixes that people post. What a lot of DJs do is they’ll upload remixes on SoundCloud and provide high-quality download links. These versions are specifically made for DJs to use in their sets, which is very useful for me. So, yeah, a lot of my music comes from SoundCloud. Other than that, I find a lot of popular music and end up playing that.

“What kind of equipment do you prefer to use?”

I prefer to use my own equipment. Right now, I’m using the DDJ-FLX4, which is a pretty entry-level board and costs around $300. There are definitely more expensive boards out there with more features, but I don’t really see the point in getting one right now. Like I said, I do this as a hobby and don’t make any money from it, so I only need basic equipment to do what I want, and it serves me well.

“How do you prepare for a live set?”

In my software, there’s something called crates, which are basically folders where I can organize my music. I’ll organize it based on genre, mood, BPM—stuff like that. I’ll also make crates specifically tailored for certain events; for example, if I were DJing a country party, I’d go out of my way to find country music and create a crate specifically for that set.

“Have you ever had a technical issue during a performance?”

Yes, I have had technical difficulties during a performance. A few weeks back, my computer decided it didn’t want to work, so I was troubleshooting on the spot. I tried downloading drivers from the Internet and a lot of different things, but what ended up solving it was creating a small folder of my songs, sending it to someone else, using their laptop, and plugging my board into it to continue DJing.

“What are some common misconceptions people have about being a DJ?”

A lot of people think DJing is just clicking a button when, in reality, it’s a lot more than that. I will say it’s easier than it looks, but it does take a good amount of skill to be a good DJ. There’s a big distinction between good and bad DJs. Song selection is difficult, and reading a crowd is something I struggle with, especially since I do this as a hobby and don’t have much experience with crowds. I often don’t know what the crowd wants, and DJs with more experience are definitely better at that. There are also technical aspects, like phrasing—you have to know the songs you’re DJing with very well. Overall, it takes a lot of practice, and I don’t think people realize that.

“Do you have a favorite song to play in your sets or one that always gets the crowd going?”

I have a top three: “Dreams and Nightmares” by Meek Mill, “FE!N” by Travis Scott, and “Mo Bamba” by Sheck Wes. They aren’t my favorite songs in the world, but they’re songs that everyone loves to hear, and the crowd always goes wild for them. So, yeah, those are definitely my top three to play during a set.

“If you could collaborate with any artist who is alive, who would it be and why?”

Fred Again. I started DJing a while back, like I said, and I’ve been trying to learn music production as well. From what I’ve seen, Fred Again is an incredibly talented artist. He knows what he’s doing from a DJ perspective and as a music producer. It’s amazing what he can do with his equipment. Collaborating with Fred Again would be ideal.

In summary, Gizzo is just a dedicated small artist who just DJs as a personal Hobby, he is able to do this by finding new tracks on soundcloud and then creating a specific playlist for each set. Although he is continually sharpening his skills by learning to read the crowd, his love for music ensures a very positive experience from his crowds. Even though at some points in the interview he talks negatively about himself I still consider him one of the best Dj’s I know, and everytime I hear his sets I am always having a good time. I will leave links to his social medias below:

https://www.instagram.com/g.o.z.z.i.i?igsh=MTY5aWNsOHU3bG4zdQ==

[northwest-cryptid]

idk if they're music is actually classified as techno but I totes recommend Team Grimoire for music :3c very high energy I love listening to them

I've listened to a few of their tracks and I like what I hear but I don't necessarily think it's techno. That's not to say my word is law or anything.

I think when it comes to music genres are actually really dumb these days because you have so many layers of genre now. Like I have literally seen Acid Jazz called Down-Tempo and then the same song was called Weirdcore and that same song was called Exotic Lounge and like, technically those are all different genres but here we are.

A big reason I have such a deep love of old Techno Trance music is because it's what I grew up with, or more specifically what was played at the underground warehouse raves I would DJ at. I feel like I've spoke on that a lot already but I guess to help classify what I'm talking about examples are the best option.

When I talk about old school techno trance music a lot of what I'm talking about falls into sounding like this:

You also have well known artists like Basshunter or Gigi D'Agonstino:

and even some artists who are still making music to this day have absolute classics out there like DJ Satomi:

If the name Gigi D'Agostino rings a bell however it's likely for his song The Riddle which has literally over 100 Million views on Youtube (at least the original upload which wasn't by the original artist sadly, does.)

A lot of this music was played at the raves I went to, and those raves introduced me to artist like Scooter and such, believe it or not that was actually where I became familiar with the bulk of Eiffel 65's music other than just you know, Blue.

At the end of the day music genres are more or less up to interpretation which is an issue I run into a lot while discussing music. Something I've gone on record saying is that music is great but genres have become completely irrelevant. Which is something I stand by 100% that's not to say genres can't be applied to music nor that they don't help to explain music. But I think even within a genre there's so much overlap and so much variance that it's almost pointless now. Like I'd classify what I've heard of Team Grimoire as speedcore, but I don't know if I'd lump them in with artists like USAO, RoughSketch, or P*Light. Somewhat yes, somewhat no. Like it's almost closer to something like S3RL's more recent works which is technically classified as Happy Hardcore/Hardstyle but seems to greatly be leaning into Gabber and Hard Bass.

You have songs that absolutely fall more into Speedcore than Hardcore but then you have others that would be Melodic Hardcore. Like Rrhar'il which feels more Melodic than things like Grievous Lady, and while Sheriruth is absolutely upbeat, I think calling it Speedcore is kind of a gross over-exaggeration.

I've yet to find anyone who sounds similar to what I've always heard called Techno Trance and is now referred to as Old School Techno.

I think Genres are dumb though if I'm being entirely honest, with the creation of the internet we had the death of the genre. Things like Nightcore for example, used to actually be proper genres. Believe it or not when Nightcore originated it was (if I'm remembering correctly) the name of an artist who made pop songs into Night Club style dance tracks, hence the name. It later evolved into a style of remixing where artists would take popular songs and make them EDM tempo, however I cannot make it important enough to emphasize the word "remix" here, these songs weren't just pitch shifted or tempo bumped. They were properly remixed including entirely new melodies, new segments to the songs; sometimes even new lyrics and bridges. When it became popular with the up and coming young Otaku community however, we saw a rise in popularity where people would take a song, tempo/pitch shift it; and upload it. Obviously this could be done significantly faster than artists actually taking the time to add various samples, melodies, lyrics, and other mixes into their songs. So the genre of Nightcore became overwhelmed by these cheap two second fad songs. That became the norm, and people made it popular because a lot of the people who listened to it genuinely, and this isn't a put down; didn't have the capacity to hear it and think critically about what they were listening to. They just heard a fast paced song they liked and went "oh cool anime picture dude" and ta-da the genre was killed. Then this happened with Vaporwave, losing any identity it had and becoming "just slow the song down" and then it happened with Future Funk losing everything that made it a unique and interesting spin on retro funk and disco music; instead becoming "take any weeb song, speed it up; and add a drum loop in fucking garage band!"

It has happened over and over again, we're seeing it happen now where every song that has a certain kind of sound to it is being labeled as Dreamcore or Weirdcore (which are used interchangeably so that's cool, we literally have two labels that can mean the same thing depending on who you ask.) Ironically I've seen "Vaporwave" songs called Weirdcore/Dreamcore because they follow the same formula now. This all goes to ignore a lot of the actual genres behind these songs, no one* knows what acid jazz, or exotic lounge actually is anymore.

*No one here meaning "the majority of people who run popular music channels on youtube and just name drop whatever popular genre they feel like

I've even been told that the music I call Techno was in fact just European Pop where they come from. It sort of became an issue of "if we let people call anything whatever they want, there comes a point where it doesn't mean anything at all." You of course have music snobs who argue what a song REALLY is back and forth to no end. You have people who say "it's an umbrella term" which doesn't change the fact that the umbrella covers entirely too many different things to actually help define the music.

At this point I'm just starting to give people examples of what I'm talking about, whether it be direct links to music or outright name dropping artists because I feel like the water of genres has become too muddied for everyone to see the same thing. Which isn't me saying "I'm right and everyone else is wrong and stupid" it's me saying "none of us know what a genre is anymore and that's a problem we ALL face, myself included."

Given the way I learned about genres through popular word of mouth and other people telling me "this is techno that's hardstyle, etc." I could be as wrong as anyone else. I've even heard people say "well the artist calls it this kind of music so it's this kind of music" and as someone who has made music and played in a band before, I cannot tell you how stupid an artist can be about their own music. If I play some Jazzy Lounge music and say it's Speedcore that doesn't make it Speedcore, it just makes me stupid.

Regardless, while I don't know if I would consider their music to be Techno, I will say that I have enjoyed what I've heard of Team Grimoire and I appreciate the recommendation! I always love discovering new music to listen to :D

[c-40]

A-T-4 027 Chaka Khan - I Feel For You

Following on from yesterday the best example I can think of of African-American recording artists going all in on the electrofunk/hip hop sound in 1984 is Chaka Khan's hit I Feel For You. The track features a rap from Melle Mel, it's considered the first rap/soul crossover a alliance that would become a hit making formula from the late 1980s until today. The harmonica parts on the track are performed by the one and only Stevie Wonder, also the vocal samples 'Say Yeah' and 'Just A One More Time' are from Little Stevie's hit record Fingertips. I Feel For You is written by Prince and had already been recorded by The Pointer Sisters in 1982 and by Prince himself for his eponymous second album

Now the names you might not know, the arrangement is credited to Arif Mardin and Reggie Griffin. Arif Mardin had produced all Chaka Khan's solo records, he's a legend, in the early 1970s he'd been co-producing Aretha Franklin and Donny Hathaway, throughout the 1970s he produced major artists like the Bee Gees, Average White Band, and Carly Simon. Reggie Griffin on the other hand was a new jack. I can see him getting the gig because he'd produced West Street Mob's Breakdance Electric Boogie for Sugar Hill and would be producing Grandmaster Melle Mel's solo single Jesse. Multi-instrumentalist Reggie Griffin formed the group Manchild with Anthony "A.J." Johnson in the mid 1970s then produced a few electrofunk/hip hop records with George Kerr (including Thug Rock and Mirda Rock) before working with Sugar Hill. Another name worth mentioning is David Frank of The System who did most the synth bass with Reggie Griffin playing the live bass fills. We think armies of people are involved in making a hit record today, it's not new

I Feel For You goes to number 1 on the UKs singles chart. The video for I Feel For You would have been on Top Of The Pops. The set for the video is an imaginary basket ball court or some other outside fenced space like in West Side Story, a DJ is stood behind two turntables (but there are no speakers), there's graffiti (which looks hung like art in a gallery) some dancers are locking - two of the dancers are Shabba Doo and Boogaloo Shrimp from the films Breakin' and Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo. Shabba Doo was a member of Toni Basil's The Lockers dance troupe. Toni Basil left in the mid 1970s but co-founder Don "Campbellock" Campbell was still at the helm, I wonder if the other dancers were from the same troupe? The female dancers are dressed in high fashion and as I said the graf in the space looks hung like art in a gallery or museum, at the time the NY art world was embracing graffiti and DJs and Bboys would perform at exhibition openings

As a ten-year-old I loved this record. That week when Top Of The Pops is on I'm stretched out across the carpet head lifted by my hands and my nose almost touching the television as usual, Chaka Khan's I Feel For You is number 1 and my ears are wide open and eyes are fully dilated watching the video. Behind me on the sofa my dad begins muttering This isn't Music, or This isn't Proper Music, or This isn't Real Music, this prompted the first argument about music I had with my dad. My dad likes The Stylistics, the Four Tops and Trojan Tighten Up and Club Reggae comps. I was only 10-years-old and my dad has all the sensitivity of a Brummie screwdriver but what I now know he was trying to say was he finds the synths and over the top studio production a little soulless when compared to the productions of Thom Bell from just before and around the time I was born 10-years earlier

I didn't care it might not have sounded like Proper Music to my dad but I loved it so from that point electrofunk/hip hop became my music not my parents music

The video version

The remixed version it's a masterclass in editing

[kickmag]

Amplifyd Auction House Partners With Dance Music Pioneer Danny Tenagila & More To Sell Collectibles

Amplifyd is an auction house dedicated to helping stellar artists and music brands sell their personal hauls, collectibles and experiences. The company is backed by Instagram's founding investor and has launched out of beta mode this week. Dance music pioneer DJ Danny Tenagila is one of the first artists to partner with Amplifyd in addition to electronic music luminaries Sasha and Felix Da Housecat. These partnerships are an opportunity for fans to own rare white labels, studio equipment, acetates, rare vinyl, and memorabilia. 

Danny Tenagila's career as a DJ and producer spans more than 50 years. His name rose in music circles during the '90s after high-profile remixes of Madonna's "Human Nature," Jamiroquai's "Emergency On Planet Earth" and  Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy." But his underground reputation also grew thanks to various club residences in Miami and his hometown New York City as well as remix work on seminal tracks like Dajae's "U Got Me Up" amongst others. His '90s residencies at New York clubs Twilo and The Tunnel were essential to the city's nightlife. He shared his feelings about joining the Amplifyd platform in a press statement. 

“It’s been an incredible journey to have all of this in my possession for decades, and I’ve been thinking for quite some time now that these items and records might be better served in the hands of others who will continue to love and appreciate them just as much as I have. I’m excited to auction most of my collection on the amazing “Amplifyd” platform. What would make me the most happy is if this massive record collection and various pieces of studio gear and DJ equipment can find a new loving home where they will continue to be appreciated and used.”  

Dan Willis, Amplifyd founder and CEO, was very excited to start the company and says, 

"Being an electronic music artist myself over the past 15 years, it’s an incredibly exciting time for Amplifyd to partner with artists of Felix, Sasha, and Danny's extraordinary talent and pedigree. Their contributions to the roots and infrastructure of the electronic music industry are monumental. Our collaboration promises a unique and unforgettable journey for fans and music enthusiasts." 

Fans can view Tenagila's collection and place bids now via the Amplifyd site. 

[officialtayley]

Of course you are allowed to not like it. But people are spreading hate even though it‘s not even released yet. And how much do people love the covers Paramore does? How much do people want them to go back into the live lounge? But when really cool artists work with them to cover something, it’s sucks without even having listened to it. And the teasing of the songs is something they probably decided on cause for them this actually is exciting, so I find it weird when people find a bit of PR for a project the band spend time on inappropriate.

It‘s not about disliking the covers in the end. It‘s about this certain type of annoyance with the band online when they do something that‘s not the right thing for you personally - and on top even before it has been released.

Didn‘t want to offend you personally, hope that‘s clear!

i think if the band hadn't done the cryptic stuff again people wouldn't have been so annoyed, people who don't like this stuff would still dislike it but when they are cryptic, and they've only done it this era, it's usually been about them themselves rather than something that was always going to be divisive. it was the same when they announced the ain't it fun remixes ep, before it was out people didn't like it, and when it was released people still didn't like it. the problem is people primarily prefer hayley's voice on paramore songs, when it's someone else a lot of people are too big on it. live lounge is always covers, it's expected that a song will be covered, so it's not really a surprise to people. personally i'm not a big fan of hayley's cover of don't start now, so idk. but also some of the artists i don't even listen to that they're working with for these covers so i don't care for it and it's a disappointment to me, might be the same for others too.

it's the first thing this era that's been announce that people are heavily disappointed at, everything else has been well received so i don't rlly see a problem with how people are reacting.