#but want to mention that i’m too in edm’s art community

[wizardcantmages]

found kav(and also gaspard) sketch from october and kav’s sketch from february

[jacksonhenry297]

Some Best Rhythm Games for Android

Rhythm Games are fun, and they are quite popular too. We have listed some of the best rhythm games that you can play on your Android device and make the best use of the phone’s touchscreen. So, let’s have a look at them.

Arcaea

Arcaea provides you with 90 songs from 50 different artists, leaderboards, three difficulty levels per track, and additional music in-app purchases. It is a quite decent game with smooth and easy controls. Try it for free, and to get additional music, you can pay $4.99.

BeatX

BeatX is a quite decent rhythm game that features a DDR-style method of play along with directional buttons and holds. It also offers a single-player mode, split-screen multiplayer and double player mode as well. It even allows you to upload your files, but they must be in the proper formats (.sm, .dwi, .smzip). You can access the game for free, but to get some advanced features, you will have to pay $2.99.

Bouncing Buddies

Bouncing Buddies is a puzzle-platformer game along with some rhythm game taste. It provides you with some decent EDM style music, various levels, and a lot of unlockable characters. You can play this game for free and take the paid version of it too to get additional features. The paid version of this game will cost you $2.99.

Cytoid

It is one of the recently launched rhythm games. In fact, it is a community rhythm game that allows you to find, add, and download the songs by other Cytoid community members. It even allows you to develop your own step files so that others can play with them. It is really a fantastic game and entirely available for free to play.

Dynamix

Dynamix provides you with a lot of features such as 20 free songs, an anime theme, vibrant color, smooth and simple controls, etc. Although the game is entirely available for free to play, if you want to purchase more songs then you will have to buy them in-app purchases.

Lanota

Lanota is another excellent rhythm game that provides you with ten different levels, 16 tracks, three difficulties, a picture book for the story, and a decent storyline where you have to travel a map and find new secrets. The game is really challenging, complex, and unique too. It is entirely available for free to play, and you are going to love this game.

Lost in Harmony

Lost in Harmony is a fantastic rhythm game along with some runner style elements where you have to control a boy and girl in the center of your phone’s screen to help them avoid obstacles to the beat of the music. It provides you with two different stories in the game, and it is a quite decent game that you can play for free.

OverRapid

OverRapid is an excellent rhythm game, and it is quite tougher than usual rhythm games. This game features a variety of things such as various play modes, colorful graphics, a bunch of music, and much more stuff. The game is available for free with some limitations, so if you want the complete access to it, then you will have to purchase the paid version of the game that will cost you $3.49.

Vectronom

Vectronom is a puzzle-platformer game with some rhythm game features where you have to move the beat of the track so that you won’t lose. The graphics and music are quite catchy, and it gives you a single-player campaign. It is quite expensive and available for $5.49. And honestly, I am not sure whether you will like the game or not.

These above-mentioned rhythm games are a few of the best rhythm games, and you should give them a try to get new gaming experience. I hope the information provided in this article will be helpful for you. Thank you for reading it.

Jackson Henry. I’m a writer living in USA. I am a fan of technology, arts, and reading. I’m also interested in writing and education. You can read my blog with a click on the button above.

Source-Best Rhythm Games for Android

[vtcollegecounseling]

What Should I Be Doing? How high schoolers can continue your college search from home

by Amy VanTassel, EdM

It’s spring break for most of my students. That is to say it would’ve been spring break, but with schools closed indefinitely, it’s just more of the same: students stuck at home, prohibited from seeing friends or teachers. Many of my sophomores and juniors were planning to visit college campuses during the break, attending information sessions and formal campus tours that would’ve been utterly invaluable in their college search process.

There’s more. Confined to their homes, college-seekers are missing out on school resources like college fairs, visiting admission reps, discussions with counselors, and inspiration from other students. So what can you do to maintain the momentum of your search? How do you make like Jay-Z’s grandma, caught by Beyoncé saying, “I was given lemons and I made lemonade?”

You’re part of history. Colleges are scrambling to maintain your attention, and you’re in an unprecedented position to maximize the departure from your typically busy schedule. True, you’re likely suffering from the phenomenon of burn-out from online work right now, but I offer suggestions on how to keep it realistic and exciting. This checklist of action items is especially designed for juniors and sophomores, but younger students might glean some inspiration, too. Check it!

Virtual Visits

Cognizant that not every student can afford to visit campuses, and not every high school attracts admission reps, colleges have always made it easy for students to explore from afar. Online tours, student chats, and virtual open houses have been in place for years, but colleges are now hustling to improve their production value and to ensure they’re accessible for all. Admission websites feature these on their landing page, but a cursory YouTube search will yield a ton of stuff - official and patently unofficial. So long as you don’t jump to negative conclusions from bandit videos (“Connor does a five minute keg stand at Alpha Tau Omega”), go ahead and enter the rabbit hole. Here’s a nice mix of vids that pop-up for my favorite college.

There’s more. Before this crisis, students visited campuses in-person, pairing tours led by a student with an “information sessions” led by an admission professional. Not only have colleges stepped-up their games with virtual tours, but they’re also offering online info sessions online alá Carnegie Mellon’s impressive vid.

Curating your college list should be fun. It’s like shopping. If you’re a sophomore or younger, you might have a couple specific colleges in mind, but you’re still in the nascent stage of your college search. If you’re a junior, you should have an educated list going already. (If you’re working with me, not to brag, but you have a highly-individualized list in the works.). Now is a perfect time to curate that list and concurrently take notes. I suggest you don’t rashly cross-off any given school, but rather note your questions, and see below.

Test Prep

An optimal way to capitalize upon sheltering! Before this crisis, my students struggled to dedicate enough time to this essential practice because their daily schedules were so full. Balancing school, practices, commuting, and more, it was hard to shoehorn-in prepping for the SAT or ACT. Not anymore.

It will be clutch to find a formal program that you have to log-into or virtually meet with a tutor at a scheduled time. Everyone is feeling stir crazy, so after your school homework, the last thing you’ll want to do is more online work. You’ve probably already implemented regimented daily schedules to combat sheltering fatigue, so how about carving-out another couple of hours per week for intensive test prep?

Upcoming spring exams are canceled, but there will be future exams, if not at a classic testing center, then online....er...somehow. Let’s leave the puzzle of administering globally-concurrent tests with extreme security, not to mention measures against cheating with the help of, you know, the internet, to the exam companies. In the meantime, maximize your time at home to study. I unabashedly recommend Stumptown Test Prep in PDX, who’ll work with your individual needs and facilitate Zoom meetings to keep you on task, identify your weakness, and umami your time at home to improve your scores.

College Communication

They’re standing by waiting to hear from you. I worked in selective college admission for over a decade, and I’ve been in touch with my colleagues who are just as uncertain as you are about what will happen with your class (imagine the uncertainty for seniors). They’re more poised than ever to field inquires, and there are two key ways to engage:

1. online inquiry forms - there’s a term called “perceived interest” regarding how your engagement with colleges might make you a stronger candidate. There’s a ton of debate surrounding this topic, and every college handles it differently, but suffice it to say you should take this “controllable” by the bullhorns. What with students applying to upwards of 20 schools these days, enabled by common application systems, colleges want to know if you actually know them. Their “yield” rates are important for planning and esteem, so proving you’re legitimately interested might make or break your outcomes. Perhaps the sitch is not that dramatic, but at least it can’t hurt to engage. Fill out online inquiry forms. It’s so easy. You find them on the undergraduate admission sites via “introduce yourself,” or “request more info.”

2. submit a legit question - if you honestly have a question about any given college, ask them. Your inquiry will lend itself to said “perceived interest,” and you’ll def get the answers you were seeking. Again on the undergraduate site, you’ll easily find a way to inquire, if not chat with a live admission officer or student like the University of Puget Sound.

Summer Planning

You must proceed like everything will be happening. Why not? Juniors especially should orchestrate very busy summers full of meaningful activities, which always seems to beg the question, “what counts?” My answer is, “anything and everything.” Some students have to bag groceries to help support heir families, so it would be prejudicial for colleges to give preference to those who can afford fancy resumé-builders. Here’s how I suggest you plan:

1. Carve-out family time and travel on the three-month summer calendar first.

2. Inquire with your team sports coaches, or arts instructors, if relevant, to gauge their current plans for continuing programming this summer.

3. Allocate time for test prep - either three hours per week, or three intensive weeks in a row.

4. If you’re a junior, carve-out plenty of time for essay and application completion. I’m radical, but I want all my students to finish the bulk of their essays and applications before school starts. Budget for five hours per week, or the equivalent dispersed throughout the summer.

5. Brainstorm enjoyable activities to fill-in your remain free time! It could be as august as a internship or college campus camp, as magnanimous as a volunteering gig, or as simple as an hourly-paid job. Looky here! Saturday Academy out of Portland, Oregon is still accepting applications for their summer classes, camps, and internships.

More important than any of the above is to maintain communication with your current teachers, and to keep up the great work at school. Performance in your solid classes (English, language, math, lab science, history) will be the most significant criterion when you apply, by a landslide. Test scores, for many colleges, is a distant second, and everything else is your icing on the cake. So you should focus on school and test prep, but also capitalize upon sheltering to hit up the above list. If there’s anything we’ve all learned during this time is that we can either be afflicted by our circumstances, or take advantage of them. You’re part of history, so take Beyoncé’s advice and make lemons out of lemonade.

[memorylang]

Home for Christmas: Birth, Endings and Marriage | #18 | December 2019

I returned from Mongolia to the States for 12 days this winter! It’s the first of my three stories picking up from my adventures away.

With a confluence of reasons to see the States this year, plus some for China, this felt like the perfect Christmas journey. I open with Advent meeting my baby nephew, then Christmas among my family in Vegas before my travel to Reno (my college town) for a wedding and my return to Vegas. Then I left to China. 

Settling In: Stateside Once More

Having set a new record for days outside the U.S., my late-December return marked nearly seven months overseas. 

Upon returning to the state my family occupied, Nevada, I learned its population just passed 3 million. My state’s population nearly matched Mongolia’s! But with the Vegas Valley, its population hits nearly twice Mongolia’s capital. 

But as for temperatures, comparisons stop there. By the time I reached Vegas, I’d shed my puffy winter coats and stuffed them in my backpack. Vegas sat at a toasty 15°C (59°F), compared to Mongolia’s -30°C (-22°F). And Vegas friends said their weather felt cold!

Reunited in Vegas

My first days back at the house, caught up with my four siblings who reassembled. And I ate copious amounts of food, of which I’ll write a couple blog stories from now.

I would bring music, photos, some of my journals, travel souvenirs, Bibles and letters as keepsakes for my continued service in Mongolia. Special thanks to my 23-year-old brother for helping me through my college boxes in the garage. 

I love rainy days. They remind me of Mom, too, at times. 

My older brother gave me plenty tech support, including helping me get downtown to replace my Surface that’s been faulty since Dad bought it three years ago. (Free upgrade!) I also backed up files to cloud storage I could access from Mongolia. 

I also kicked up a K-Pop playlist with recommendations from friends and my 18-year-old youngest bro. The list used to just have songs I encountered at Kiwanis CKI events and a few from my 17-year-old Mongolian host sister. I felt needing K-Pop’s positive vibes and high-energy, as opposed to American pop’s tendency toward symping. Why dwell in darkness when I have the light?

But here’s the key reason I came back to Vegas early. I needed to sort through our late mother’s belongings. I’ll touch on this during the next blog story, about my return to China. Thank you to those who supported me through the sorting.

Baby Wally

I returned home for Christmas for a huge reason—to finally meet my nephew, Wally! 

Squishy baby Wally came from Ohio with my 42-year-old half-brother and my sister-in-law one night, the fourth week of Advent. 

Meeting them the next morning felt amazing. 

I’m an early riser, and his family was still on Eastern Standard Time. After finishing hard drive backups upstairs, I walked downstairs to the kitchen, where Wally stared at me from his rolling chair a long time. He was eight months old. 

I loved his marshmallow hands and how he babbled both incomprehensible murmurs I repeated back to him and vaguely word-seemingly things like, “dada.” I probably only held him a couple times, but we made up for that with how long others held him while he continued to gaze at me.

My brother said Wally really liked me. 

I mentioned a little how the toddlers at the orphanage, too, seemed fascinated by me. Someone somewhere told me babies, kittens and puppies must sense goodness in people. 

Christmas in America

Leading up to Christmas, my family attended Simbang Gabi, a Filipino Catholic celebration during Advent. Since Dad had my siblings and I come, we also got to see the Filipino family ours has evidently spent time with. It reminded me somewhat of the Feast of Santo Niño I attended three years ago in Reno. 

I loved getting to experience at a beautiful church the whole Mass in English—my first back in the States. The Filipino pastor gave a very Vegas homily, in how our vibrant Catholic community sets an example for this city. The Mass also featured a presider I recalled would sometimes say Mass at our church we’d attended since moving to Nevada a decade before. Afterward, we enjoyed a reception featuring copious amounts of Filipino food and music, per usual. 

Midnight Mass

As is Christmas tradition, my family attended Midnight Mass at church. But this year, my 20-year-old sister drove so we could attend carols early. Our music even included hymns from Afro-Caribbean traditions, in addition to choral classics. I recorded clips from caroling and shared with fellow Peace Corps Catholics and Mongolian friends. I wore my silver Mongolian дээл, since this could be the only year I’m back for Christmas while a Peace Corps Volunteer. 

During Mass, I remembered baby Wally when our new pastor spoke of baby Jesus. (Our past priest announced his relocation during my final Mass in the States seven months ago.) Anyway, babies are outstandingly helpless. They require others to survive and thrive. And humans seem biologically programmed to love and care about infants. 

Yet I considered Easter Vigil (my favorite Mass), too, since our Midnight Mass began with a hymn like, “The Exultant.” So I felt somber, considering what mankind one day does to who was once this poor infant. 

After Mass, I greeted a high school friend who’s stayed involved in Kiwanis Circle K International at UNLV and still sings in our local church’s choir. Like many, he felt astonished I could come home from Peace Corps but gleeful nonetheless. 

Full Families

On Christmas Day, my visiting siblings, my younger siblings and I continued the movie-going tradition, seeing, “Knives Out.” I found it delightful, with heartwarming heroes and a clever cat-and-mouse adventure with contemporary themes. I loved its art. Plus Craig and Evans were hilariously not playing James Bond and Captain America. 

That evening, our family had a wonderful dinner, with the Filipina family over. Unfortunately, my youngest brother decided to schedule for work that night, which aggravated Father. But, we still had a nice time. I like how my siblings’ ages merge well with their ages. (From oldest to youngest goes: their oldest sister, my older brother, me, their second oldest sister, my younger sister, my youngest sister, their youngest sister, my youngest brother.) 

Plus, my half-brother, his wife and their son also attended. He sincerely thanked the other family’s mother that our dad had someone new in his life. I smiled, agreeing. It reminded me the speech he gave years ago in getting to know my mom. 

The guest family’s oldest and second oldest sisters brought their boyfriends, and my older bro brought his girlfriend, too. We’d such a large Christmas dinner that we used the kitchen island counter space for food, then the dining room and ping pong tables for eating. 

Following our meal, we exchanged gifts I’ll cover when I describe what I brought back to Mongolia.

Returning to Reno

After Christmas and further friend adventures (I’ll cover in a couple blogs from now), I flew up to Reno, my undergraduate city of four years. We’d a wedding coming.

I felt amazed to boomerang from my high school city to college town and back before my return to Asia. Even in Vegas’ airport, I saw college friends I hadn’t seen in years! Rather, they saw me, while I video called my professional mentor. They joked that they would have thrown Chex Mix at me, but they weren’t sure we had that kind of relationship. I would have loved it, haha.

On the flight, my friends gifted me two palm-fulls of Chex Mix. I felt elated. After take-off, I felt pleasantly surprised to hear and understand small talk around me. People behind me chatted about EDM music careers. From the window on my right, I saw how Nevada’s snowy mountains looked steeper than Mongolia’s. I continued rehearsing my wedding reading I copied down, Romans 12:1-2, 9-18. 

As the flight neared landing, I gazed out the window and saw the familiar Sparks hill where the house my college friends and I rented stands. After landing, I felt weird somewhat recognizing the faces of uni students around in the airport. With a Reno-Sparks population over 500 thousand, though, “The Biggest Little City” stands five times larger than the “big” city where I serve in Mongolia. 

Here to Serve

Just as I disembarked my plane began a funeral service across town for the mother of someone close to us all. While I didn’t have to come, I wanted to. I remembered how touched I felt by those who came to Mom’s funeral, even if they only met her briefly. 

When I arrived, somewhat dazed, in the lobby, the soon-to-be-weds spotted me from the pews and walked out to greet me. They brought me to sit with them, beside other parishioners from our church I hadn’t been with in seven months. As the eulogies concluded, and our priest blessed the casket with the family, we sang together.

I felt at ease among such close friends. The service felt a warm reintroduction to my college town community. For, my trip home wasn’t meant quite for me. I meant to support.

First Wedding Party

That night, I reunited with and met the many of our wedding party for rehearsals. Rehearsals went smoothly. Afterward, the wedding party enjoyed pizza and wings with the bride and groom. I felt gleeful to catch up with some of my favorite faithful folks from my final years at university.

Between wedding rehearsals and Sunday Mass, I reunited with the choir I knew and loved singing with four years, including my confirmation sponsor. Even our instrumentalist who’d since left for graduate school returned to play. Just like old times. 

That weekend, I also attended my first bachelors’/bachelorettes’ party. I felt much more relaxed among these people I’d known a while. I enjoyed the added benefit of having no college coursework to distract me from being present to those there. I felt honored to partake in the wedding tradition among such fun people.  

Christian Love

The Monday morning of the wedding, one of our choir members had a family emergency, and I received the appointment to cantor our psalm, “To You O God, I Lift Up My Soul.” So I started rehearsing from the morning-of. 

I wore the most eclectic outfit, including a normal pair of black slacks I’d known since high school in Vegas (before 2015), the golden silk shirt I bought in Beijing the 2017 week I first met Chinese relatives and the black suit jacket I bought in my Mongolian city for Teachers’ Day 2019. What a coincidence they asked me to wear golden colors, a suit and something traditional if I liked. These came together with my Reno boutonnière to form, for me, among my most meaningful outfits. 

As the hours neared showtime, our jazz cue began, and I transitioned from greeting guests at the door and choir rehearsal to assembling for the procession in. I walked in with a close friend, who I loved chatting with. I especially loved the ringbearers with the rings on their sabers. Most special, our wedding party had front-row seats to witnessing the bride’s beautiful entry and seeing the heartfelt betrothals. I felt like such a cheerleader.

I stepped up to the ambo for what the groom called his favorite psalm. I prayed for the Holy Spirit to let me be the vessel. I sang with a little soul, yay. Seeing the couple’s and my choir members’ cheer gave me strength all the way to my high-note finish. 

Then I closed the songbook I borrowed from the Grand Knight, prepared the mic once more, probably gave a curt smile, and began the reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Romans. 

In Mongolia’s capital for the Peace Corps conferences, one night at dinner, one of my Catholic friends asked me my favorite Bible verse. I said, "Oh, I love these readings from Saint Paul, since he was my confirmation Saint. And reading his readings feels like reading a cosmic ancestor of mine. Especially, 'Do not conform yourselves to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind'" (Romans 12:2). After that, I went to help my student and a teacher apply for summer fellowships to the U.S. that were due the next days. After finishing those a few hours, I finally opened the bride-to-be’s message to see exactly which Paul reading she sent me. As I got midway through reading it aloud to a friend, I realized this was Romans 12 and went, "OH MY GODDDD."

What a sacrament. I felt great hope that taking my time with relationships will lead to extraordinary joy. Choir members congratulated me on an amazing psalm. After Mass, our priest commended me as having delivered the best reading of Romans 12:1-2, 9-18 he’d ever heard. I felt stunned. 

The wedding reception felt wonderful. I spent most of my time with the fencing group. I enjoyed their fellowship, and they enjoyed my energy. I’d spend my days up to New Year’s among the newlyweds and their family still.

Las Vegas and Nevada Grow on Me

Given the subtle ways Nevada reminds me of Mongolia, I felt myself starting to feel more at-home in the Sagebrush State than when I left. From Vegas to Reno and around.

I used to loathe telling people I’m from Vegas, actually. I usually note it as the city where my family lives. But, after seven months in Mongolia, I feel like even Vegas has its charm. Hearing Panic! At The Disco on a mall radio felt right at home. 

Vegas lights appeal to many from many places—especially Asia, reports say. And that’s special. Mom liked this city.

Up next is my New Year’s 2020 experience, followed by my return to Mongolia through Beijing, China.  You can read more from me here at DanielLang.me :)

[bobdude0]

Story Time with Bobdude: That Time I got Blacklisted by Hasbro

Enough people were curious it seems and it’s a slow post week because of finals and EFNW, so here’s the story. It’s nothing super special but I think it’s pretty funny when you take a step back.

So way back when I wasn’t totally jaded on commissions, I actually took commissions. No one really knew who I was, so I got work from friends most of the time. One friend was a musician named Shroo, believe they go by Pearl Grey now. Anyways, he was doing a little side project with a couple other guys called the Booty Mark Crusaders, and wanted album art for their new track. Thanks to them, I was also in talks with Ponyville FM about holiday commissions of their mascot. Moving on, it was a trap/edm type song so he wanted all 3 of the CMC in, as he described it, a “thuggin pose”. I’m no stranger to the “thuggin pose” and thought it’d be fun so I made it happen. Keep in mind this was almost 3 years ago, but here’s the art I wound up making for them.

(If you want to laugh at my terrible old stuff, I keep it all up on my deviantart as a “journey through art” kind of thing.) Anyways, I sent this off to them and they loved it. They sent it to Ponyville FM who was going to promote the track with the art. As it turns out, Ponyville FM is overseen by Hasbro UK (or at least was at the time, I don’t know the ins and outs of that whole relationship), which meant it went through Hasbro UK to be approved. Hasbro saw the Scootaloo with a joint and wagged the finger at PVFM, who had to wag the finger at Shroo, who had to wag the finger at me. I simply edited out the joint and sent it back off and that’s the art they wound up using. You can see this edited art in the song video itself on youtube:

Now remember when I said I was in talks with PVFM about doing some holiday commissions of their OC? Well they dropped contact with me after this. I thought they’d simply lost interest and I was (and still try to be) just a hobbyist, so I didn’t take it personally or put much thought into it.

I went to Midwest Bronyfest something like 7 or 8 months later (shout outs to Kansas City), which was a con that had a pretty heavy PVFM presence. I was talking with Ludi, one of the PVFM heads at the time, who casually mentioned while talking to me that they could “finally commission me again”. I said “wtf do you mean?” and he told me that Hasbro UK had put me on a blacklist over the joint smoking Scootaloo from months ago. Said it meant that anyone affiliated with Hasbro, such as PVFM, was not allowed to communicate with me in any way. Turns out, it expired after 6 months, so I was off of it by the time I was at Midwest Bronyfest. I had no idea I was ever blacklisted this whole time, so it didn’t make too much of a difference. Lost out on some commissions I suppose but I don’t mind. I was never mad about it cause it never really effected me, but now I have a fun little blip in my art history.

That’s really about all there is to it, but I think it’s really funny that someone working for Hasbro saw this drawing and had to go through the effort to blacklist ya boy for it. I just find the whole thing to be totally absurd, I get why they blacklisted me and everything I just think it’s silly that that’s how it went down. Somewhere, 3ish years ago, there was a list in UK of people that Hasbro refused to work with, and bobdude0 was on that list. Moral of the story though is that Scootaloo only ever causes me trouble haha

[gaiabros]

Short on time? Head on over to our ELECTROWEEN Mixes page where we have created an archive for all of our ELECTROWEEN productions. There you will find our latest 2019 mixes to stream and download. If you like what we’ve been creating, please subscribe to GAIA BROS to receive news and announcements about forthcoming projects and articles.

You read that right, ladies and gents. 2019 marks the decisive end to a decade of Halloween-inspired, pop culture infused music productions, which have been in production since the series’ humble beginnings back in Fall 2009. Right off the bat, you may have a question or two popping up. Why is ELECTROWEEN ending on its decade milestone 2019 mix? Will there be more EDM mixes coming in the future?

Grab a beer and find a cozy seat, then come back and join us for the details. Story time, kids!

Setting The Stage: First Mention of the Series’ End

Before jumping into ELECTROWEEN 2019 details, I need to spend a little time establishing some relevant details from a year ago.

Last Fall, shortly after we had released ELECTROWEEN 2018, I flew down to San Diego to visit Matt and his girlfriend Jessica for the weekend of Halloween. We saw the Halloween movie reboot, carved up some pumpkins, dropped by Tatsu Ramen in L.A. for some delicious bowls of noodles, and drove up to Universal Studios Hollywood for their Halloween Horror Nights (in particular, to check out the Stranger Things attraction). We had a wonderful time together.

Pumpkin carvings by Scott, Matt and Jessica

It was during this visit when I announced to Matt that 2019 would mark the final year for the ELECTROWEEN series, ending a solid run of releases spanning our 20s to our early 30s. It has become a cherished tradition… something we’ve always looked forward to with the start of each new calendar year. ELECTROWEEN is Halloween for us, and a token of our years of friendship and love for the arts, electronic dance music, cult video games and films. In short, it is the summation of everything we love, and have come to love. This was bittersweet to talk about, but in the end it’s for the right reasons.

The rationale behind this decision is, for the most part, straight-forward. Since jump starting my DJ hobby back in 2006, I have released over 30 studio production mixes, manned two radio shows ([OuteR HeaveN] and PLURALITY at WSNC Radio), and performed countless live DJ sets at house parties, bars and private events.

In many ways, I’ve exhausted myself from the art form and feel a burning need to start creating my own music, rather than curating the works of others as I’ve done for the majority of my adult years. But also, life has happened, too.

Other Happenings That Have Influenced This Decision

During the same weekend I visited Matt last October, I simultaneously released my second album, Gravitational Waves, for my chillsynth project Gravity Mission. The album took three years to envision, create and release (collaborating remotely for the entire process) after a six year dry spell from our initial 2012 debut Before The Spoken Word. I came to realize the creative process was deeply rewarding and allowed me to evolve artistically in ways I had not previously imagined. In a real sense, it showed me that the barriers to creating music only exist in my head, and that changing course at any time is entirely possible.

Gravity Mission’s Gravitational Waves album (released October 26, 2018)

Lastly, life changes have been a considerable factor, often left out of the picture here on GAIA BROS. Having moved eight times since the release of my initial 2009 mix, I’ve been feeling the need to get more serious about putting down roots, connecting to a single place and getting acquainted with my local community. After my wife and I bought our first home in 2017, I started switching gears and pursuing other interests, including gardening, foraging, craft beer, table top gaming, GM’ing and traveling. It’s been a wonderful past few years, but a lot to handle. Thus I’ve had to make some tough decisions and learn to be more realistic with my time commitments.

“Tell Us About ELECTROWEEN 2019 Already, Please!”

Whew! Thanks for hanging in here for the entire reason why you’re reading this post! Let’s jump right into ELECTROWEEN 2019 — its inception, influences and more.

As the crown jewel in this decade long saga, ELECTROWEEN 2019 needed to be fantastically epic in a way that other mixes couldn’t be. It needed flair, funk and spirit on all levels. But most importantly, it absolutely HAD to be a fun reminder of why we started doing this whole thing in the first place. Returning full circle to our beginnings was key.

Where it all began: ELECTROWEEN 2009 (released October 16, 2009)

I began by looking back on our early mixes and questioning why we fell in love with the concept of merging EDM tracks and jack-o’-lantern heads together. We were creating something different, something bold — a novel form of expression that did not yet exist in the world. Several tracks started to stand out, and they were always the ones that jacked our bodies in ways unlike anything else. That’s when the realization struck: our final mixes for the ELECTROWEEN series needed to be celebratory and sentimental, using tracks with massive swing and vibe that pulse with uplifting energy and emotion.

This led to months of heavy Spotify rotations and research, ultimately pointing to the spiritual successor of the 70s: Nu Disco! A long time fan of Daft Punk, their French house discography was a great starting place for finding similar artists and classics. What originally felt like a monumental undertaking quickly became a super synthesized formula for hot disco beats and flashing synths, and the energy continued to pick up from there!

September Reunion in Portland, Oregon

A few weeks back, Matt flew up to Portland to celebrate the end of the ELECTROWEEN series. We GAIA BROS reunited over glorious moments of food, drink and beats at home, while foraging in the woods for Chanterelles, and driving out to the coast. Matt and I carved up our pumpkin helmets for the last time and fully embraced the defining characteristic of our early mixes.

For the first time in seven years, we embarked on a photoshoot with gold and silver capes in search of Portland’s most aesthetically gratifying street art. Some gloomy weather rolled in, but we ended up working with the rainfall to leverage its luminous quality for the end product. Below is a gallery of the final images processed from the shoot, which we have included within the download files for the 2019 mixes. Continue on after the gallery for liner notes and the final cover art designs created especially for the occasion!

VII’s Decade Celebration Mix Liner Notes

From Scott: My tenth and final mix for the ELECTROWEEN series touches on the things most sentimental to me. It is everything I have to give, and everything I could ever say, in a timeframe just short of an hour and a half. This is the longest production I’ve created to date, and looking back on it, I never wanted a single moment of it to end. The mix embodies the essence of the long and wholesome nights spent with close friends and loved ones… those irreplaceable times that will forever shine in our minds and hearts.

My 2019 mix is divided up into three seamlessly transitioning acts: a soaring and lofty Halloween introduction at-length (VG OST and Synthwave), an all night long celebration (Nu Disco), and finally a sincere and heartfelt closure, painting a pensive mood with vulnerable feelings of love, melancholy and, ultimately, acceptance.

Samples from Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night are most prevalently stitched in between tracks. I completely fell in love with this game upon its release this past summer. Matt and I have patiently waited four years for this game, as we were original backers from the April 2015 Kickstarter campaign. It’s clear that Koji Igarashi and Michiru Yamane have put their souls into this beautiful masterwork. I also drew samples from other favorites including Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Game of Thrones, and 300, which all have their own places within the narrative of this work.

Having ventured into the darkness (perhaps a little too long) in years past, I’ve found my way back to the grooves that bring the “feel good” vibes in spades. I should note here that initially I had started working on this mix back in March 2019 in order to get a head start on the final mix concept. With that said, I am extremely satisfied with the end product. The coin design illustration I created for the cover art came together effortlessly based on the passion encompassing this special time. The whole process has been cathartic on a deep level. I’m grateful for these ten years of ELECTROWEEN and will always take them with me into whatever comes next. Special thanks goes to Matt for believing in this project and being a great collaborator, my wife Lindsey for her support and encouragement, and David for listening and being a loyal fan all these years.

Loveless’ Decade Celebration Mix Liner Notes

From Matt: OHHHHH MAN! Has it been a decade already? Where did all the time fly? I was just a wee lad yesterday bumping to Scott’s mixes and now I’m a seasoned vet of the Halloween variety. Tonight I am going to see Lana Del Rey with my girlfriend which will be a great cap on the end of ELECTROWEEN. Lana’s moody and melodic music is of a bygone era. She really evokes the spirit of ELECTROWEEN (side note: thank you to Jessica, my aforementioned girlfriend, for introducing Lana to me). This year I open with an instrumental and a remix of her first big hit, Video Games. A song that reminds me of a few weekends ago when I visited Scott.

We went mushroom foraging and shot the ELECTROWEEN liner photos. We haven’t shot photos like that since 2012 and it was amazing. The rain followed us every spot we went that day, brightening up all the colors. It was a tough shoot, but well worth the results.

We also went to a retro video game bar in Portland. There, we found the Sega Genesis version of TMNT: Hyperstone Heist. I haven’t played that game since I was in grade school and it was an incredible moment to share with Scott. The song “Video Games” evokes a simpler time with a tinge of melancholy. I think I’ll always pair this experience and that song together.

ELECTROWEEN is coming to an end. As I type that, my heart hurts. When Scott and I spoke about it earlier this year, it bothered me. I wasn’t upset with the decision, but ELECTROWEEN has become an integral part of who I am. However, it is important to move on and hone our passions. You cannot be married to every creative thing you do, and ELECTROWEEN has come to a fitting end. I think Scott and I will take everything we learned over the years and make something truly magical and different in 2020.

As for my mix, this year it was more personal. I skipped many of the video game pleasantries that have made up ELECTROWEEN’s previous iterations. I tried to throw in all styles of music we’ve used in the past 10 years and kept the overall mix more funky and positive. Halloween is for mischief after all!

In 2019 Loveless (my DJ persona) is locked away in a mental institution and the key is thrown away. This, of course, is the end of ELECTROWEEN and Loveless’ fate is uncertain, but you always gotta leave the end open for a sequel. Thank you to everyone who has listened to these mixes over the years. It has been a labor of love that I wouldn’t have traded for anything else. From now until the end of time the crisp Autumn air will always feel like ELECTROWEEN to me.

Thanks For Listening and Being A Part of ELECTROWEEN!

We sincerely hope that you enjoy the ELECTROWEEN 2019 mixes while testing out some of your best moves this Halloween season. Whether this is the first mix you’ve listened to of ours or your tenth, we want to thank you for being a part of our community and keeping the spirit of Halloween alive. ELECTROWEEN has been one of the most meaningful projects of our entire lives, and it will always be here, preserved in time. The mixes will continue to be available on GAIA BROS well into the future; feel free to dive back in any time.

The era of ELECTROWEEN officially ends here, and a new one begins. What is to come, no one can know for sure…

—

I’d like to close this significant chapter of our lives with a special quote:

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is more people who have come alive.” – Howard Thurman

Peace, Love, Unity and Respect — forever and always. ❤

VII (Scott Werley) and Loveless (Matt Konop)

The End of an Era: Celebrating 10 Years of ELECTROWEEN Mixes #electroween #halloween #mixes Short on time? Head on over to our ELECTROWEEN Mixes page where we have created an archive for all of our ELECTROWEEN productions.

[musicmapglobal]

dos・ing

Ignore the name – dos・ing (dreaming of sleeping) are a collective you won’t want to sleep on. Formed in Tokyo with the simple aim of introducing local underground talent to the international community, dos・ing is home to a diverse range of sounds, from the slick electronics of co-founder Steffen¥oshiki to the soundclash carnage of Brazilian-Japanese beatmaker Bruno Uesugi.

The label is currently celebrating the release of its second compilation, #DOS002, a collection of tracks that capture the sound of this young scene to form a ‘soundtrack to a dystopian neo-Tokyo’. From the icy blast of Ultraviolet’s ‘Shards of the Orient’ to the immaculate jabs of KOSMO KAT’s ‘Metallic Fur’, #DOS002 cements dos・ing’s reputation as a fertile breeding ground for future beats of all varieties.

To celebrate the release of #DOS002 we asked one of dos・ing’s founders, Calum Salmond (aka electric candy sand) to give us an insight into the shifting terrain of Tokyo’s musical landscape…

In ten words or less, how would you describe where you live?

Voices everywhere (EVERYWHERE), bright lights and naps on trains.

What got you involved in the local music scene, and what is your role within it?

I came to Japan with a strong interest in the local music scene from the beginning but before I really noticed I had already become deeply involved with it. I guess I see myself as a kind of bridge between the two worlds; the international one where I came from and the local one, which I live in now.

Japan was traditionally a very insular country but now attracts people from all over the world. How do you think this increased multiculturalism has affected the music and arts scene?

It’s really easy to find people who want to collaborate, share ideas and try something fresh or cool because of the constant flow of people visiting. Tokyo is such a fast pace environment, so things have to happen quickly.

What are the dominant music styles in Japan, and are there any exciting new music trends currently emerging?

I think Japan is still very much into live music over club music (indie rock etc). EDM is still very prevalent in standard clubs too. However house and techno still does really well. In regards to exciting new music trends, there are some really cool upcoming hip-hop artists like the kiLLa crew and in the club scene, Trekkie Trax are on fire.

dos・ing is a very diverse collective, what one thing would you say unites you musically?

I think the reason it all gels together is the fact that we are diverse. We are all kind of outcasts in a way and that’s something that brings us all together. We throw events, DJ and perform together often and thanks to that we are able to understand how we can flow and complement each other. It’s like watching a movie. If all the characters had the exact same personality it wouldn’t be very interesting.

Who are the key local acts we should be listening to right now? A set of 5-10 tracks from local acts and a few words about them would be perfect.

Seiho – Taboo // Seiho is probably one of the best acts I’ve ever seen at a club. His sets are masterfully crafted and he can easily make the headliner he’s supporting look boring, and I’ve seen him open for some big names!

Masayoshi Iimori – Hello // You can’t make a list about local acts without mentioning Masayoshi Iimori. For an artist who was apparently trying to make music for arcades, only to be rejected by them in the beginning, has quickly gone on to making tracks played on club speakers around the world. He’s on fire and it’s not stopping anytime soon!

Bruno Uesugi – Red Dirt // I’m trying to avoid picking everybody from my crew haha but I have to at least mention one! Bruno is half Brazilian and half Japanese, which really shows in his music. He is doing something that is truly unique to himself and I think that’s worthy of praise!

Qrion – Beach // Born and raised in Japan, Qrion makes peaceful, progressive music with a pop edge. She’s collaborated with Ryan Hemsworth and she recently moved to California to continue expanding her music.

Submerse – Gloom // Submerse, originally from the UK, has been in Japan for a long time now, completely immersing himself in the scene here. His beats are incredibly smooth and gentle.

kiLLa – SHINE // These guys are young rappers who know how to amp up a party. They’re constantly pumping out new tunes and new music videos on their Youtube channel, and some of their members have collaborated with big artists like Baauer.

mus.hiba – Slow Snow // mus.hiba’s sound is ambient, beautiful and emotional. He’s not as famous as he should be but he’s well known in the local community.

3TOS – Days of Flat Beer and Losers // 3TOS did a very unexpected jazz remix of Desiigner’s ‘Panda’, which went completely viral. His sound is very jazz influenced. It’s clean and smooth. He’s definitely an artist to keep an eye on!

The Hair Kid – Acid Disco Homegirls // Originally from the US, he relocated to Japan, where he has gained a lot of popularity in the local scene and even released on the first popular internet label in Japan, Maltine Records. His live set is a lot of fun.

Erik Luebs – Farewells // Erik is a well respected artist based out in Osaka. He has huge attention to detail which shows in the cleanliness of his work! He’s had his music featured almost everywhere! Check him out!

What’s the live music scene/nightlife like?

The live music scene is massive, there are so many live houses I couldn’t give you a number haha. As for the nightlife scene, with the ‘No Dancing’ Law recently being phased out and the Olympics coming up, the nightlife is going to be flourishing soon. We have a nice system here, where clubs start picking up near the last train into the city, and then they finish up just as the first train home starts operating again. There are a lot of places to go out drinking / eating with friends before or after the club and we have some after-party spots to carry you well into the daytime.

For anyone visiting, what should they see and what should they eat and drink?

Tokyo is like one of those places that has something somewhere to appeal to anybody depending on their taste, however, the first place I’m going to recommend is Uobei, a hybrid “Kaiten-zushi” where instead of the normal conveyer belt system, it’s replaced with touch screen menus and a track that delivers to you directly! You can even get frosty beers (think frozen coke at the movie theatre but beer instead)…

How do most people prefer to consume music in Japan?

Japan is still somewhere that does well with physical sales. Tower Records is a big spot for people to discover and purchase music. People pay for music on iTunes etc too. No illegal downloads here!

What are the biggest challenges faced by musicians in Japan?

I think it’s very easy to become lost in the noise in Japan and it’s hard to stand out. There is a lot going on always and people are spoilt for choice. There is also a stigma that haunts musicians and artists for not taking the conventional ‘stable’ route and getting a ‘normal’ job. I think this pressure is possibly the biggest challenge for artists in Japan to overcome.

What one song, past or present, would you say sums up Japan best?

Tofubeats – 水星 (suisei).

水星(suisei) by tofubeats

You can pick up dos・ing’s #DOS002 compilation on Bandcamp and iTunes, or stream it at Spotify and SoundCloud.