#eesti hip hop

[kntxt]

Kontext - "100%" dropped 5 years ago today: Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud

Although it's a very personal track, talking about not giving a fuck, but with a deep undertone of nihilism and despair...

The reason I chose to release it on 24 February 2018 is not coincidental. It was the 100th anniversary of the Estonian Declaration of Independence. By releasing this song on that day, I also signalled how much I don't care about something as insignificant as that.

Shortly after the declaration of independence in 1918, it fell under the rule of a communist union anyway, as it did again after the Restoration of Independence in 1991.

Having no real independence, celebrating such a holiday seems utterly inappropriate.

Full lyrics on Genius (in Estonian)

[vesikas]

Uus album väljas, yo!

VESIKAS - MEESTEJUTUD

Kuula @ https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOcLuzkZzyL5NxUjxQZXJ_lvEwh6f6mek

Fiidid: Culpas, Sabka, Budmurdaq, Fofkin, MACI, Paks Matu, Rainer Lainemäe Biidid: Fadeproof, Sulevyo, Culpas, Dr Konn, Karmo Toome Mix ja master: mina, Karmo Toome Kujundus: open.ai + mina 2024

[placegrenette]

On 5Miinust (+ Puuluup) and the pleasures of sticking idol pop where it (supposedly) doesn't belong.

I haven't been around much lately, y'all. Partly because my dudes have also not been around much, although ZaQ continues to post a series of videos on the ARTJAQ channel, teaching the audience about... something. I continue, in turn, to not understand Kazakh. Throw in increasing disillusionment with K-pop (I guess now we know why GFriend was so abruptly shitcanned, though the knowledge doesn't make me feel any better), a general post-October-7th discomfort with most online pop-music discussion spaces, and work to get done at home, and Tumblr just hasn't been a particularly rewarding place for me lately.

I didn't think Eurovision was going to be a rewarding place for me this year, either. And then Eesti Laul happened.

It's like some divine imp was watching and saying to themself, "You know what Jessica needs? A pop-rap group from a former Soviet colony whose members love video games and refuse to take themselves seriously and release lots of goofy content that sorely lacks English subtitles. No, another one."

To clarify: the description in the previous paragraph only refers to four of the six people making up Estonia's Eurovision entry this year. The two guys in the clip with talharpas are the respected "zombie-folk" duo Puuluup, who play world music festivals and draw their own album covers and seem like a very fun and intelligent duo. They somehow have fallen into league with 5Miinust, a four-member (previously five) group that has been around since the mid-2010s. To the best of my knowledge 5Miinust have never been accused of being Satanic and/or gay like Ninety One have, but they are either a party group, a hip-hop group, a boy band, a bunch of frat bros (see this album cover), or a very savvy business collective whose members include a former advertising specialist and a trained accountant. Or, most likely, all of the above at once.

The 5Miinust / Puuluup collaboration by itself is charming enough, and if you want to know more about how it came to pass, I direct you to Overthinking It's very good video on Estonia's entry. And "Nendest Something Something," as @sole-cuore-amore-e-droga calls it, is the best kind of fun: chaotic at first listen, carefully constructed subsequently. I don't expect it to do well in Malmö. (I think "Europapa," which is also a seemingly chaotic song that turns out to have a lot more going on than its bouncy surface would first indicate, will win overall.) And I don't really care. I'm not sure 5Miinust and Puuluup care a huge amount about the scoreboard either. They've already recorded a full album together; they seem to be having a good time making silly videos for social media. They'd be my winners even without the added bonus, which is that these guys are absolutely giving idol-pop goodness.

I mean: go watch that Eesti Laul performance again. With the exception of the bridge, each performer gets his own solo time, a classic idol-pop move. There's choreo! And the styling: everyone shirtless under a suit jacket, but each suit jacket tailored slightly differently—that is such an idol-pop live-performance look. I cannot be the only person who clocked that Korea's suit is cut the same way as Nine's for "libidO" live stages, just more conservatively.

And the deeper you get into the 5Miinust rabbit hole, the more idol-pop-esque goofiness you find. Drag performances? Yep. Live radio performances with gimmicks? Here they are stripping to "Vamos." Super-dramatic award-show performances with loads of backup dancers? Here they are at last year's Estonian Music Awards. Do you need to learn the point dance? 5Miinust and Puuluup will combine forces to teach you the point dance.

And yet, talking about either (and both) of these groups as idols is a gloriously stupid idea, because "idol pop" suggests a willingness to subjugate themselves to audience demands that neither 5Miinust or Puuluup, for all their combined marketing skill, have. Idol pop historically depends on hierarchies—performers deferring to management, and, in a different way, to their audience—and that's not how 5Miinust or Puulup work. When I wrote up a guide to who's who for /r/eurovision, I said that Päevakoer is 5Miinust's maknae, and it was a joke because I'm pretty confident no one within 5Miinust has ever cared for one second who's older and who's younger. Just the fact that two different groups with a decade between them found creative inspiration in happily treating each other as equals gives the lie to the idol-pop framing. Nobody's bowing to Marko and Ramo. The whole idea is so far from how these particular performers relate to each other as to be nonsensical.

Which means: idol-pop goodness without stifling hierarchies; idol-pop goodness by people in charge of their own careers, who post goofiness on their own terms; idol-pop goodness combined with musical experimentation born of mutual respect. YES. YES. SIGN ME THE HELL UP.

(If it doesn't go without saying at this point, I would give a lot for my new faves to somehow meet my existing faves. Ninety One might not have enough English comprehension to make the meeting work, though. I think 5Miinust's ex-member Gameboy Tetris might speak Russian; whether he wants to speak Russian would be another story.)

I got lucky, and found people also willing to enjoy the 5Miinust-and-Puuluup-as-idols ironic glee. @sole-cuore-amore-e-droga really kicked things off by making that awesome lyrics video, and from there we got a line distribution video and a logo design for our fandom (Estoners) and photocards and a fanchant and a lightstick design and a "Gangnam Style" mashup and chibi art and then more chibi art. It has been one of the highlights of my past month, being able to giggle unreservedly with strangers. I haven't been able to do that in a long time.

Eurovision happens in two weeks, and then there will inevitably be a dropoff in activity, no matter where "(nendest)..." places. Without the Eurovision framework (and the English-language content that comes with it) I suspect most Estoners will move on. I'm still going to play the album, though, and keep an eye on these guys. Any chance to expand idol pop into more humane spaces, I'm going to take, no matter how silly it seems.

[newestmusic]

(via Echo ft. Karmo Toome - Lindprii)

[luciferinna]

Ma annaks tagasi kõik tunded kui vaid süda vabastaks need

Andrus Elbing aka. Beebilõust

[borisbubbles]

25. PORTUGAL

Elisa - “Medo de sentir”

We’ve finally crossed over into the “I like this” territory :-) Let’s celebrate by booting another ballad ^_^

Song Analysis

This will be short and sweet though, since there isn’t much to say. “Medo de sentir” basically the Marie Myriam of its national final: It is a cromulent ballad that did nothing wrong and is solidly good, but not great in all the relevant areas (vocals, composition, staging). 

I mean,

Even so, Elisa gave me a few small nuggets that warmed me to her, serving DRAMAFACE in the FdC Semi

and LOOKS in the Finale: 

Peach puffy sleeves that rival Leonor Andrade’s legendary shoulder pads as a fashion statement <3 (honestly, this is pretty subdued for FdC fashion even? Hold on until I get talk about Felipe in the NF Corner) 

Honestly, you may wonder why I like this more than “Répondez-moi”, but I don’t really have a reason  - unless you’re willing to accept “Medo de sentir is underrated, is performed by a Weird Indie Girl and is from a criminally overlooked Eurovision country” as valid argumentations. Oh and while I only *very* mildly like Elisa, it is a decision I made myself, completely free of the social pressure I feel whenever Gjon, or heaven forbid, Roxen or Diodato, pop up. 

Furthermore, the fact that I still like Elisa even after she won her NF also speaks greatly in her favour. I’m not sure if you were aware of how good FdC was this year? Well, sit down because you are about to witness it!

NF Corner

Remember how old Eesti Laul’s neck was snapped and its corpse was urinated on by the shit Estonians? Remember how the quirky indie weirdo entries had to find a safe haven elsewhere in Europe? The Portugese hallmark traits of “Not Giving A Fuck”, “Doing Our Own Thing No Matter What” and “What Do You Mean This Isn’t A Vimeo Showreel?” allowed for Festival da Canção to absorb Eesti Laul’s broken spirit and channel it from every (Ley-La-)Ley-Line.

and since this is the first *GREAT* 2020 NF I am covering, I will do HONORABLE MENTIONS before I actually review my four choices :o

Dubio - “Ceguiera”: Hamburglar-looking goddess <3333

MEERA - “Copo de gin”: Pure EL-style EDM *and* it’s about drinking gin, needless to say this song is basically *my anthem*.  Jimmy P - “Abensonhado”: Rap rarely is my thing, let alone three minutes of it non-stop. Having said that, this is genuine and dramatic and Jimmy is flanked by a GOSPEL CHOIR (dressed in chasubles!!!) who support him in ENGLISH... I am not made of stone.  JJaZZ - “Agora”: Totally slept on this weird indie anthem, but then they showed up looking like this:

and yes, it was even funnier in motion (sadly gif’ing rights are reserved to the Elite 4 soz) Elisa Rodrigues - “Não voltes mais”: a jolly tropical ballad in a genre I recognize but cannot name (some sort of pimba fado jazz? Does this work?) and was incomprehensibly hated by the Portuguese? Will I ever understand how this country operates? Probably never. Kady - “Diz so”: another pimba fado jazz sort of thing? My friend André (who is from Brazil) tells me it’s actively parodying Brazillian counterculture and leftist stereotypes which is such a random quirk to put in a Portuguese music comp <3

And before we move on, I’ll chuck in a very speclal DISHONORABLE mention for our good friends Blasted Mechanism.😈 I actually forgot to do my jury duties for ESCUnited here, so I’ll just let James (the person with the best taste on our team, including yours truly) do it for me: 

Fucking *TRUTH*. “Rebellion’”s problem  has always been a lack of motherfucking balls. Sure, these middle-aged steampunkers attempt to implement a genre shift between indie rock and fucking ORCHESTRAL METAL/HIP HOP and make it so underwhelming and pathetic? People blame the live, and yes it was *bad* (forever cackling at “REBELGIUM” tho), but it was the studio that failed to deliver on the promises it made.  It always surprises me when people (Sean and Roy I AM coming for you) slam "Verona” for being a “fanwank” and then fall for a Rebellion which is basically a fanwank for heterosexual snobs. #ShotsFired. 

Now, as for the actual Boris faves, LET US START WITH A LIBERAL DOSE OF ASKEW CUBISM

Judas - “Cubismo Enviesado” 

VÊS OU NÃO?  VÊS OU NÃO?  VÊS OU NÃO?  VÊS OU NÃO?  VÊS OU NÃO?   

VÊS OU NÃO?  VÊS OU NÃO?  VÊS OU NÃO?  VÊS OU NÃO?  VÊS OU NÃO?  

VÊS OU NÃO?  VÊS OU NÃO?  VÊS OU NÃO?  VÊS OU NÃO?  VÊS OU NÃO?   

VÊS OU NÃO?  VÊS OU NÃO?  VÊS OU NÃO?  VÊS OU NÃO?  VÊS OU NÃO?  

 WHAT A FUCKING SPANDEX CATASTROPHE. “Cubismo enviesado” is a horrible song, the choreography looks like it had been conjured up during a particularly drunk night of bedroom karaoke and Judas can’t hold a tune for the life of him. The lyrics don’t even make sense in Portuguese <33333 It is an art school project gone disastrously wrong. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I AM OBSESSED.😍

Filipe Sambado - “Gerbera Amarelo do Sul”

That look

The regal panache

Those... leather shorts?

IT IS SO QUEER I LOVES IT. As with Cubismo, I am fucking OBSESSED. However, unlike Cubismo, “Gerbera amarela do sul” is *legitimately* great, lol. In addition to having a KICK-ASS fado rhythm and the off-the-charts visual components (the jewellery! the hats! the throne! the hand choreography!), the lyrics are highly intelligent poetry geared at dismantling upper class snobism.😍 Rare to find an entry that kicks ass on SO MANY levels. Even harder to see it lose to Elisa Myriam - but I’m not sad it lost because, you know, it would have befallen the same fate as a “Telemóveis”. At least his existence makes the memory-holing of Achille Lauro’s ICONIC Virgin Queen Cosplay so much easier to stomach. 

Throes & The Shine - “Movimiento”

I mean, entries that open like THIS: 

are instantly iconic, ngl. The best FdC entries offer a great triple of great looks, unplugged stubborn artistry and fun quirky rhythmes. Throes + The Shine pass this with flying colours and I mean, THOSE sunglasses alone yank up the laugh-out-laugh factor to astronomical levels. add in a hilarious choreography, sound effects that seemingly imitate duck mating noises and three very attractive men (in 2020! the concept!) and it’s an instant fave right there. 

AND THEN MADE THEIR ENTRY EVEN BETTER BY ADDING MIDNIGHT GOLD/JOWST EFFECTS TO THEIR STAGING. 😍😍😍😍

MANCHAS DE LAMA NA SUA PELE  

HEROES. 😍😍😍

and of course, this wouldn’t be a 2020 NF without an obvious runaway fave losing at the last minute: 

Bárbara Tinoco - “Passe-partout”

SHE IS TINY <3333:

She’s like a human bonsai... or a personal attack chincilla.

Okay, so Portugal were *THIS close* to out-France’ing the French with this sassy Zazballad, served with a generous dollop of parisian accordion and stank reaction shots.

Yet another entry that shamelessly uses an attractive man as a boytoy prop <333 For a brief moment, Bàrbara and Tiago establish themselves as a pair of lovestruck La La Land idiots, gearing themselves towards the EPIC moment where she will dump him... and then this happens before the first chorus:

Barbara opens up a can of dancer carbs and it completely fucks up her no-bullshit keto diet. 

Those dancers man. They aren’t a *bad* addition in itself, but if your thing is “romance ballad but *plot twist* it’s actually an end of romance ballad get lost loser” do not burn the clou within the first minute of the performance to a group of dancers who don’t even dance *along with the beat of your song*. UGH.

(and also, more devastatingly, the reduce tiaGOD’s airtime how dare they grrr)

Fortunately though, I have learned to appreciate the wrecktitude of it all because it caused one of the funniest downfall narratives in recent ESC history. The Portuguese were, of course, foaming at the mouth with all the decisions Bárbara had made (not even for the points I raised, necessarily?) and Bárbara was having none of it. It went kinda like this

Juries: EWWW DANCERS AND CHOREOGRAPHY YOU ARE RAPING YOUR OWN SONG YOU PHILISTINE WHORE. Bárbara: 

Juries: WOW WHAT *ARROGANCE*!! YOU THINK YOU CAN WIN BUT BOY DO WE HAVE NEWS FOR YOU :-) 

and lo hand behold, the finale rolls on and Tinoco’s dancers are still there, and are even *MORE* present than they were in the semi (but also in sync with the beat) and Bárbara gets promptly jurydunked into third place. 😍 Even though she has the *ONLY* song in FdC that could have qualified in its semifinal. 😍  A woman who stands three apples tall trolling an entire nation and juries because she knew she had gold in her hands and then getting rigged out of the easiest nf victory out of pure SPITE 😍  WHAT AN ARC. 😍

Portugal 2020 vs Portugal 2021

Elisa probably would not have qualified. I’m not sure how popular of an opinion this is, but I prefer the semifinal performance of “Medo de sentir” and that wasn’t the staging they were going for. Not many people seemed to care either way, and that’s usually the death sentence for Portugal. 

Elisa won’t be back for 2021 or whenever Eurovision is rebooted. :sigh: Fuck you, Coronavirus. 

Freaky! Friday! Factor!

See: NF Corner:

Score: 4 Senhits out of 5. 

[unofficial-estonia]

Merepäevad was interrupted, Arvamusfestival, too. A play’s second half was cancelled due to possible lightning.. Just waiting for news from Eesti Hip Hop Festival. 

[new-style-notes]

Tallinn – warum du die baltische Perle besuchen musst

Es ist eigentlich eher Zufall, dass ich letzten Herbst in Tallinn gelandet bin. Auf meiner Reise von Helsinki nach St. Petersburg wollte ich einfach noch eine dritte Stadt besuchen – und Tallinn liegt ideal für einen Zwischenstopp zwischen diesen beiden Städten. Ich kann dir jetzt schon sagen: Tallinn ist absolut eine Reise wert. Hier gibt es eine charmante Altstadt, ein kreatives Industrieviertel und kleine, feine Designershops. Die Stadt ist regelrecht am Aufleben, das merkt man letzthin nicht nur an den offenen und freundlichen (jungen) Bewohnern. Und das Beste: Sie wird noch nicht von Touristen überrannt.

Das Telliskivi-Areal glt als kreativer Hotspot Tallinns mit Industrieflair. Hinter den bunten Fassaden und neben alten Bahngleisen sind Cafés, Restaurants, Shops und ein Club angesiedelt. Künstler beziehen Ateliers und im Jahr finden mehr als 400 kulturelle Events statt. Auch rund um das Viertel, wo Telliskivi liegt, siedeln sich Cafés und Restaurants an.

Absolut empfehlenswert ist das Restaurant f-hoone. Hier war ich sogar zwei Mal – und hab sogar beide Male das Gleiche bestellt: Die gegrillte Dorade.

Auch mexikanisch lässt sich in Telliskivi essen: Restaurant La Tabla.

Ausgewählte estnische Designstücke findest du zum Beispiel bei Tali Design, 5 Minuten vom Telliskivi-Areal entfernt. Hier gibt es Kleider und Home-Accessoires von estnischen Designern. Mein Portemonnaie hat in diesem Shop so ziemlich gelitten…

Die Seefestung Patarei liegt direkt an der Küste, ist ein ehemaliges Gefängnis und hat eine langjährige, furchterregende Geschichte hinter sich. Zwischen 1918 bis 1920 erkrankten Hunderte Insassen an Tuberkulose, zeitweise wurde es von den Nazis als Arbeits- und auch Konzentrationslager genutzt und zu Sowjetzeiten waren bis zu 40 Gefangene in einer 16- Mann-Zelle zusammengepfercht. 1980, während den olympischen Spielen, wurde in Tallinn der Segelwettbewerb durchgeführt. Damit die Insassen in den zur Seeseite gerichteten Zellen keine Zeichen zur Aussenwelt geben konnten, verschloss man ihre Fenster mit Stahlplatten — und nahm diese bis zur Schliessung des Gefängnisses im Jahre 2002 nicht ab. Einige Häftlinge lebten also jahrelang in Dunkelheit.

Man kann eine Führung durch das Gebäude nehmen oder er es sich ganz einfach an der Beach Bar gemütlich machen.

Clubtechnisch geht hier auch je länger je mehr. In der Innenstadt gibt es viele, zum Teil casinoähnliche Clubs. Wem diese – wie mir – weniger zusagen, dem empfehle ich eine der folgenden Orte:

Lekker

,

Punane Maja

,

PADA

und das

EKKM

. Der Club Lekker wurde erst im letzten Jahr eröffnet und kann ruhig mit Diskotheken aus anderen Metropolen mithalten. Donnerstags läuft Hip Hop, freitags und samstags jeweils House, Disco und Techno mit einer gut selektionierten Auswahl an internationalen und lokalen DJs . Mir wurde von einer Estländerin — welche ein Jahr in Berlin gelebt hat — im Club gesagt, dass man es sich in Tallinn noch nicht so gewohnt sei, Technoclubs zu besuchen. Dementsprechend hielten sich einige auch eher zurück und sahen dem Geschehnis zu: Je näher beim DJ-Pult, desto tanzwütiger aber die Menge. Punan Maja befindet sich auf dem Telliskivi-Areal, hier gibt es Konzerte und Partys.

Das Pada ist ein Open-Air-Space auf einem verlassenen Grundstück mit wechselnden Veranstaltungen, es lohnt sich, das Programm im Vorfeld zu studieren. Übrigens darf man hier bis im Morgengrauen die Musik ziemlich laut laufen lassen, ohne, dass die Polizei aufkreuzt.

Last but not least: EKKM steht für “Eesti Kaasaegse Kunsti Muuseum” und ist eigentlich ein Kunstmuseum für zeitgenössische Kunst. Hier gibt es aber auch ab und zu Partys. Falls du je die Gelegenheit hast, in dem Gebäude an eine Fete zu gehen: nicht missen!

Übrigens noch ein Tipp, wenn ihr ausgeht: Nehmt immer genügend Kleingeld mit! An der Kasse heisst es oft: “Wenn du genau 7 Euro hast, dann kostet es 7, ansonsten 10 Euro.” Ihr könnt aber auch beispielsweise 15 Euro für zwei Personen zahlen, usw.

Bars gibt es in Tallinn zahlreiche. Zum Beispiel das Manna la Rosa, Frank, Pudel oder Shvips.

Leider waren die 3 Tage viel zu kurz und das, obwohl Tallinn eigentlich eine recht kleine Stadt ist. Aber es gibt etwas weiter aussen einen botanischen Garten, ein Schloss und sogar einen Badestrand. Tallinn, ich komme zurück!

Viviane

[vitapictura]

YASMYN - Illusions | Documentary from Vita Pictura on Vimeo.

YASMYN is an Estonian RnB, trap and hip-hop artist. In fact, her sounds remind of soul, house, and pop influences. We take a dive into her artistic life, in order to see how it is like to be an up-and-coming performer in Estonia. YASMYN shows how her creative process works and we tend to peek into the backstage life of jamming, meeting like-minded artists from all over the world, and simply reflecting on the ups and downs of the stage life.

We travel from the popular festivals and clubs of Estonia to the moments YASMYN enjoyed friends in California. The documentary film is an attempt to show the process of creating music, performing, and reflecting on one's choices and decisions. This is a story of a young artist, who is not afraid to experiment and at the same time, dedicate her life to creating the perfect sound, image, and feeling.

DOCUMENTARY CREDITS

Production Company | Vita Pictura vitapictura.co

Director l Anastasia Zazhitskaya Producer and Video Editor l Georgius Misjura DOPs l Aleksei Kulikov l Axel Barde | Clyde Sistach l Martin Raid Interviewer l Serj Rimma Colour Grading l Max Kazmirevski Assistant Editor l Nikita Kurashov Sound l Kaspar Kolk

ALBUM CREDITS

Producers l 97Thghts - @97thghts l Flammavelli - @flammaboydeni l VinnyxProd - @vinnyxprod l CVRE - @therealcvre l yungmoon88 - @yungmoon88

Sound engineer - mix & master l Kaspar Kolk - @xopalmy

Album cover photo by Silver Mikiver - @zilverr Style by Liisa-Chrislin Saleh - @lisasalvaje Design by Kaspar Kolk - @xopalmy

FEATURED ARTISTS l YASMYN - @yasmyntheprincess l KKPalmy - @xopalmy l Mick Moon - @yungmickmoon manna - @mannabela l ANETT - @thisisanett l Hennessy - @hennessyech Moeazy - @fuxwag l Rayzak - @rayzakmusic l Manifestus - @manifestusent Andy Panda - @endspiel_andy_panda l TumaniYO - @tumaniyo l Miyagi - @hajimerecords Drummer - Rainer Meinart - @rainermeinart l Pianist - B Jazz - @therealbjazz l Windy Beach - @windybeachofficial

LOCATIONS and EVENTS l Intsikurmu festival l Tallinn Music Week l Sveta Baar l Von Krahl: KRAHL Sessions l Malmi Studio Raadio 2 studio, Raadiomaja l Blind Sound studio l Kõigi Eesti, Lauluväljak singing grounds ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) Festival l Fankadelik Vintage shop l Wagwan Festival

Special thanks to Rob Meireless - @sphereboy l Ralph Echemendia - @rechemendia l Luke Teetsov-Faulkner - @sveta_baar Anna-Liisa Supp - @redbullestonia l Helen Sildna, Liina Tammepõld & Roman Demchenko - @tallinnmusicweek

» Connect with Vita Pictura Facebook → facebook.com/vitapictura Twitter → twitter.com/vitapictura Instagram → instagram.com/vitapictura Youtube → youtube.com/vitapictura Vimeo → vimeo.com/vitapictura

Contact us via E-Mail: info@vitapictura.co

[estonianweirdo]

#EHHF2017 http://ift.tt/2vuCa6z Eesti Hip Hop Festival | 11-12 august 2017

[kntxt]

"Tähevärav" ("Stargate") is a lyrical stream of consciousness; it's wordplay and rhyme scheming, but its central narrative is the importance of confidence, staying unapologetically true to yourself & facing the hardships of life with courage. These are all themes and issues that I've been struggling and dealing with for most of my life and, the track serves, first and foremost, the purpose of being a reminder to myself to not give in to the pressure, to not give up, to continue betting on myself and what I believe to be true. Life is too short to let yourself be ruled by anyone else but your higher self.

You are the Stargate. You are the connection to the vastness of the Universe. It is all within.

― Kontext

Wavlake:

Bandcamp:

SoundCloud:

[kntxt]

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[newestmusic]

(BOOMTACT)

[borisbubbles]

Eurovision 2017: Pre-Show

9. Norway: JOWST - “Grab the Moment” Semifinal 2 - #13

It’s a pretty embarrassing day for Sweden when Norway SHAMES them and beats them at their own concept. Melodi Gran Prix was SO GOOD and guess what? The best entry actually *WON* in Norway. pwnt Swedemons ^__^

Anyway EDM + Hip Hop is such a weird combo, but omg, it works so well together and I never knew? “Grab the Moment” is about as good as Eurovision music goes for me; It’s infectuous and addictive. It’s complex and compelling. It’s repetitive without ever being tedious. It’s avant-garde, yet familiar. 

I especially LOOOOVE the verses. Yes, the chorus is great but it’s two sentences on repeat. The verses though. High-tempo, cleverly written and PERFECTLY executed by vocalist Aleksander Wallmann, the rhythm of “Grab the Moment” ensnares you from second one and doesn’t ever let go. I IMMEDIATELY became addicted to the song the instant it won MGP and never looked back, despite the strong selection. 

It’s not just the song which grabs my attention though; What the FUCK is JOWST doing in the background???

DJ’ing + Guitaring + Drumming + Piano’ing. So polymathic <3 Such a musical progidy <3 He’s like a musical blacksmith, creating his MESTERVERK (um, spoiler for the Alternative Options section, I guess. Amina <3)

Other things I love and hold promise are the colour scheme (Black + Amethyst is a very edgy, gothic combo and it fits the song really well) and the creative use of voice and visuals during the intersitials (I am REALLY hoping for some “Midnight Gold”-esque staging)

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS:

God, there were too many. Definitely more than the four I can show you right now (how on earth will I cope with Estonia because adding all of Laura Põldvere’s attempts to rep Estonia alone will full up my video quota and that’s without acknowledging Eesti Laul had about 12 great songs this year, lol <3) Anyway, meet AMINA SEWALI:

You know how much I love my live-action painting and my synthpop ;) Bursting out laughing during her performance <3  Also, worth watching are the runners-up; two of WigWam (the glam rockers from 2005) returned with their new band AMMUNITION:

WE ARE THE WRECKING CREW!!! WE KNOW JUST WHAT TO DO!!!! WE’RE GONNA TEAR THAT OLD HOUSE DOWN WE’RE GONNA BUILD ANEW!!!! (GOOD throwbacks to 70s hardrock <3)

What else... was there a Sami? OF COURSE THERE WAS A SAMI!!!! 

Antler bitch <3 Elin and The Woods were probably too esothetic for Eurovision (did I mention she wore antlers?), but I’m so happy they exist and did well in MGP (they finished third.)

The piece de résistance however came from Ella however and her fantastic (and underrated) hit single Mama’s Boy :o

RUN TO YOU MAMA BOY, RUN RUN RUN. E P I C. Her song, her vocals, the staging, EVERYTHING. Such trash <3 Just imagine the real situation in which a cougar tells her way younger lover with an implied Oedipus Complex to RUN BACK TO HER MOTHER. It’s hilarious and terrifying and i LUFF it.  QUALIFICATION ODDS: Average.

Damn’ those competitive semifinals :-/ Yes, JOWST qualification isn’t certain and it’s mostly because that semifinal is competitive and evenly matched. Norway are on 13th, which isn’t the greatest slot in a semifinal.  However, Norway have a solid ally in Denmark and you know, a really good song/singer? Normally, I’d say they should have no issues qualifying, but in the second semifinal, I feel like they actually kind of struggle to stand out, which is NOT a good thing. They’re really need that “Midnight Gold”-like staging, BADLY. Projected Placement: 12th-31st

[hanf-kung-click]

Azma