#electronic new music for space travel

[rooshroomsims]

⚠ Dead by Daylight Legacy Challenge ☠︎︎

Dead by Daylight Legacy Challenge: Survivor Edition

General Rules:

Complete all goals for each Survivor before moving to the next generation.

You obviously don't have to name your sims after the characters or play AS the characters, these are just the themes for each gen! But you can if you'd like to!

You may move on once all goals are met, or maintain them until the next heir becomes a Young Adult.

Each heir must embody the traits and roles of their corresponding Survivor, but there’s room for interpretation.

Heirs can pursue careers or hobbies that fit their Survivor's lore or personality.

Generation 1: Sable – The Survivor

Sable is resilient, resourceful, and thrives under pressure. They are the foundation of the legacy, with a natural ability to endure tough situations.

Aesthetic Colors: Dark Gray, Forest Green Traits: Brave, Handy, Athletic, Loner Careers: Firefighter, Self-Employed Inventor, Military

Goals:

Master the Handiness and Athletic skills to represent adaptability and endurance.

Build a small, rugged home as a "safe haven," then expand it as the legacy grows.

Save at least one Sim from a fire or dangerous situation (using the Firefighter career or another rescue-related event).

Form close friendships with 3 other Sims to symbolize a Survivor's group.

Have one "trial" moment: survive a house fire, robbery, or other in-game disaster.

Generation 2: Claudette – The Botanist

Claudette is empathetic and intelligent, with a passion for healing and nature.

Aesthetic Colors: Deep Green, Yellow Traits: Loves the Outdoors, Green Thumb, Genius, Nurturing Careers: Gardener, Scientist, Self-Employed Herbalist

Goals:

Master the Gardening and Science skills.

Create a large, lush garden and rely on it for most of the household’s food.

Befriend 5 Sims and offer them "help" by improving their lives (gift plants, teach skills, etc.).

Marry a Sim who shares her passion for nature or science.

Generation 3: Dwight – The Leader

Dwight starts as an underdog but grows into a capable leader.

Aesthetic Colors: Blue, White Traits: Coward, Charismatic, Workaholic, Friendly Careers: Business, Politician, Education

Goals:

Start at the bottom of a career and rise to the top (symbolizing Dwight’s leadership growth).

Build strong relationships with coworkers or group members.

Host a gathering or party every week to maintain connections.

Help one Sim improve their life significantly (e.g., turn an enemy into a friend or boost their career).

Generation 4: Meg – The Athlete

Meg is driven, fearless, and thrives in high-pressure environments.

Aesthetic Colors: Red, Black Traits: Athletic, Brave, Hot-Headed, Daredevil Careers: Athlete, Military, Acrobat

Goals:

Master the Athletic skill and win at least 5 athletic competitions (e.g., sports games or sparring matches).

Travel to a new world (representing Meg’s running background).

Woohoo in 3 unique locations to symbolize her daring personality.

Have only one child, whom Meg raises with strict discipline and encouragement.

Generation 5: Kate – The Free Spirit

Kate is an artist with a deep love for music, nature, and life.

Aesthetic Colors: Orange, Turquoise Traits: Artistic, Virtuoso, Loves the Outdoors, Charismatic Careers: Singer, Guitarist, Painter

Goals:

Master the Guitar and Painting skills.

Perform music for tips in public spaces and build a fanbase.

Live on a large lot surrounded by nature (with minimal electronics).

Adopt a stray animal as a companion.

Generation 6: Feng – The Gamer

Feng is competitive and strategic, always planning her next move.

Aesthetic Colors: Neon Purple, Black Traits: Genius, Ambitious, Technophile, Rebellious Careers: Video Game Developer, Professional Gamer, Hacker

Goals:

Master the Logic and Video Gaming skills.

Win at least 3 gaming competitions.

Befriend a Sim from each social group (Nerd, Rebel, Jock).

Never marry, but have one child via a close friend or a one-time relationship.

Generation 7: Mikaela – The Clairvoyant

Mikaela is creative and mystical, with a deep connection to storytelling and the supernatural.

Aesthetic Colors: Teal, Lavender Traits: Supernatural Fan, Bookworm, Artistic, Good Careers: Fortune Teller, Writer, Alchemist

Goals:

Master the Writing and Alchemy skills.

Write 3 best-selling novels, with at least one in the Mystery or Fantasy genre.

Own and frequently use a crystal ball (Fortune Teller career or just for roleplay).

Befriend at least 3 Supernatural Sims (e.g., witches, fairies, or vampires).

Host a “spooky gathering” (a costume or themed party) once per generation.

Protect and support other Sims by creating and gifting elixirs.

PLEASE TAG ME IF YOU DO THIS CHALLENGE I WOULD LOVEEEE TO SEE IT! (also pls dont judge this IS a work in progress!)

[vodika-vibes]

omg I can absolutely request something for kix, literally I'll take anything i love him so much

i'm not too fussy but maybe something hurt/comfort vibes with non-established relationship? if that takes your fancy, can be sfw or nsfw however it works out

love your writing sm :)

Watching Over You

Summary: ou know that Kix is “dealing” with his new truth by not dealing with it, and you know it’s only a matter of time before he falls apart. You’ll be there for him, until he no longer needs you.

Pairing: Pre Pirate!Kix x GN!Reader

Word Count: 1113

Warnings: Kix is straight up not having a good time.

A/N: So, this could be seen as platonic or pre-romantic, but I'm happy with it, but that might just be because it's Kix. Anyway, I hope you like it!

Click HERE to be added to my taglist

“Alright, we’re all set,” You say as you step out of the shop while tugging your new gloves over your hands, “You sure you don’t need anything while we’re here?”

“From Nar Shaddaa?” Kix asks, as he tears his gaze away from a stall selling, probably stolen, speeders. “Hard pass. How do you know those are going to be any good?”

“Leather gloves are leather gloves, babe.” You counter as you hold your, now glove-covered, hands in front of your face, “They don’t need to be the best leather gloves in the galaxy, they just need to be able to protect my hands from the cold.”

Kix huffs, “You should let me run some blood tests. There’s no reason for you to be cold all of the time–”

“Hard pass, Doc.” You counter, “If I’m dying from some blood disease, I don’t want to know.”

Kix sighs again, and finally focuses his attention on you, “You’re impossible.”

“And yet still so adorable.”

“You keep telling yourself that.”

“Thanks! I will.”

He shoots you a look, and you grin at him, “Come on, Kix. Let’s get out of here before the Hutts take offense at our presence.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He falls into step next to you, while you chatter his ear off about anything and everything that crosses your mind.

In the almost year that you’ve known, and traveled, with Kix, you’ve learned that he doesn’t like quiet. When there’s too much quiet he gets lost in his own mind, and starts spiraling.

And so, you fill the silence with stories, with mindless chatter, with music or movies or shows. Anything and everything you can do to make his suffering a little easier, you will do.

Honestly, you’ve never spoken so much in your life as you have in the past year.

You stop mid-sentence, when you glance to the side and realize that Kix is no longer walking with you. Quickly, you scan the crowd around you, and you quickly find him.

At first, you’re not sure what caught his attention, but as you approach him, you see what his gaze is locked on, and your heart sinks. He’s standing in front of an electronics store. An electronics store that has a massive holo showing a documentary about Darth Vader and his 501st.

Your jaw clenches and you slowly exhale, before you move to his side and wrap your arms around his arm, “Kix.” You keep your gaze on his face, on the pained, almost lost, expression that he wears when he’s lost in the past, “It’s time to go.”

He doesn’t react to your voice, but he also doesn’t stop you when you start tugging him away from the shop. And he doesn’t fight you when you walk him back to the spaceport and back to your ship.

In fact, in spite of your chatter, Kix is completely silent. 

He doesn’t say anything until you’re back on your ship. “Hey, can we wait a bit before we take off?”

You watch him for a moment, “Why?”

“I’d like a proper shower, and the water shower doesn’t work properly in space.” Kix replies.

“Mm, yeah. Okay.”

You pretend that you don’t notice him grabbing the portable holo as he heads into the fresher, and half an hour later, when you hear a quiet sob from the fresher, you turn on some music so he can have some privacy.

There’s no way for you to understand his grief.

Kix once had 2 million brothers…and now he’s alone in the galaxy. Only, he’s not alone, he has you, and he’ll continue to have you until he no longer needs you. And even then, you’ll stick around until he tells you to leave.

Personal loyalty to your friends has always been your fatal flaw, according to your old school teachers.

When he finally emerges from the fresher, his eyes are red and he looks exhausted. Bone deep exhausted.

You watch him for a moment, and then you sigh, “Kix,”

He glances at you, “I’m fine.”

“You’re not okay, Kix. And that’s okay.” You set the bowl that you were using to make some meatballs on the counter and walk over to him to take his hands in yours, “I...have given you your space, but maybe I shouldn’t have.”

“Listen, you don’t have to do this.”

You squeeze his hands, “Yes, I do. I…cannot even begin to understand the kind of loss that you suffered. I can’t. No one can. But you’re not alone in this.”

“My whole family is dead, cyare.”

“That doesn’t mean you’re alone.” You counter, “I will be here for you, for as long as you accept it. And probably longer.”

He stares at you, and then he sighs and drops his cheek on the top of your head while hooking his arms around your waist, “I don’t deserve you.”

“You’re wrong about that too, but I can be patient with you.”

The pair of you don’t say anything for a while, “What are you making?”

“Meatballs. We’re having pasta for dinner. With homemade noodles.”

“Huh. Have you made the dough yet?”

You smile at him, “Nope, I know you like that part. The ingredients are in the fridge.”

Later, as he’s kneading the dough while you sing along to the radio and form meatballs, he turns down the music and glances at you out of the corner of his eye.

“What’s up?” You ask, without looking at him.

“Can I sleep with you tonight? I don’t want to be alone.”

“Whatever you need, Kix. You just need to ask.” You reply, turning to look at him with a fond smile on your face.

He’s quiet for a moment, and then he sighs, “Also…?”

“Hm?”

“Do you think you can put me in contact with Luke Skywalker? I’d like to get to know him…and maybe share some stories about his dad.”

“Mm, I don’t know if I can get you in contact with Master Skywalker, but I can probably get you in contact with General Organa-Solo.” You reply lightly, “She might be able to get you in touch with Master Skywalker.”

“...thanks, cyare.”

“Like I said, Kix. Whatever you need. For however long you need it.”

The pair of you go back to your respective projects and as you finish forming the last meatball and pull your food prep gloves off, he reaches over and takes your hand in his, “Thank you.”

You grin at him and thread your fingers with his to give his hand a squeeze, “No worries, Kix. I’ll watch over you until you’re ready to look after yourself. And then I’ll keep doing it. That’s what I do.”

@imabeautifulbutterfly

@n0vqni

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@justiceandwar98

@mira-loves-star-wars

@tiredbi-peach

@dukeoftheblackstar

@trixie2023

@kimiheartblade

@padawancat97

@falconfeather23435

@etod

@bb8-99

@kiss-anon

@continous-mistakes

@yoitsjay

@liz-stat

@cc--2224

@adriennelenoir

@cdblake1565

@sweater-sloot

@heidnspeak

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@rebell-ious

[animenostalgia]

Some sad news to share, friends - Leiji Matsumoto, the iconic creator of Space Battleship Yamato (aka Starblazers), Space Pirate Captain Harlock, Galaxy Express 999, and many more, has passed away at the age of 85. A manga artist since the 50s who originally got his start in shoujo manga, Matsumoto’s works were a cornerstone of early anime fandom. American sci-fi fans of the 70s may not have known the terms “anime”, “manga”, or “cosplay”, but they knew and loved Matsumoto’s work, which was many fan’s first exposure to anime back in the day. One of the first recorded “cosplay” gatherings in the US was of fans dressed as mostly Leiji Matsumoto characters!

In other parts of the world, they also fell in love with Matsumoto’s work: as in France, where Harlock was known as Albator, and won the hearts of many fans. So much so that Matsumoto won many prestigious awards there, and would eventually be knighted in 2012 by the French government. French electronic duo Daft Punk was highly influenced by his work, and in 2001 collaborated with Matsumoto to release anime music videos (and eventually a feature-length film version called Interstella 555).

Modern anime & manga owe much to his work, as he was THE pioneer of space opera and what he liked to call “boy’s romance” stories--”romance” in the literarily sense--full of angst, heroism, and fighting for independence while celebrating nature, brotherhood, and friendship. He helped many people learn to never give up on themselves and their dreams, no matter how fantastical they may seem.

May his spirit travel on, in a new adventure in the endless sea of stars.

[caviarsonoro]

Evgueni Galperine - "This Town Will Burn Before Dawn" (Theory Of Becoming).

Evgueni Galperine, a composer of Russian-Ukrainian origin based in Paris since 1990, released his debut album with ECM Records, Theory of Becoming, in 2022, noted for its originality and evocative nature. In this work, Galperine explores new forms of expression through sound, texture, and dynamics, creating an "augmented reality of acoustic instruments" by recording both real and virtual instruments. This technique allows him to capture the acoustic essence of the instruments while adding techniques and colors impossible to produce in reality.

The album addresses diverse themes, from the resilience of hope in the face of destruction to meditations on the journey of the soul, including travels through space and the magical forests of Max Ernst's paintings. Theory of Becoming was recorded and mixed between 2020 and 2021 in Paris, at Studio EPG and Studios de la Seine, under the production of Manfred Eicher.

The track "This Town Will Burn Before Dawn" stands out for its ability to immerse the listener in an introspective and emotionally charged atmosphere, reflecting Galperine's skill in innovatively blending acoustic and electronic elements. The composition is based on a harmonic progression in D minor (Dm), establishing a melancholic and reflective tone. Galperine employs a combination of acoustic instruments, such as the cello, and electronic textures to build sonic layers that evolve throughout the piece. The introduction presents a simple melody that gradually develops, incorporating additional elements that enrich the musical texture.

The harmony of the piece is characterized by the use of minor chords and subtle dissonances that add emotional depth. Galperine utilizes recording and sound processing techniques to transform acoustic instruments, creating an "augmented reality" that adds colors and techniques impossible to produce in reality. This sonic manipulation allows for the exploration of a wide range of timbres and dynamics, generating an immersive auditory experience.

Throughout the composition, the dynamics fluctuate between soft passages and moments of greater intensity, reflecting an implicit narrative that suggests a progression from calm to an emotional climax. The use of strategic silences and pauses helps create tension and anticipation, keeping the listener engaged with the evolution of the piece.

[would-this-pokemon-be-a-friend]

you know,with the rotom dexes and phones im wondering how good of a pet they are

That is a good question, and a bit of a tricky one. See, there seems to be some inconsistency between the behavior of wild rotoms as described in the pokédex and the rotoms we see working alongside humans all over the Pokémon world. But we’ll get to that in a moment.

To begin with, rotoms are a great size for a pet: They’re both tiny and not confined to the ground, meaning that space will be no issue. That being said, I would advise not touching your rotom when they are not possessing a tangible electronic, as they are known to do, as their bodies are composed of plasma (Diamond/Pearl)! Move-wise, rotoms could potentially pose a bit of a problem. Like a lot of electric-type pokémon, they have the capability to paralyze targets with electrified attacks like Discharge and Thunder Wave. Thankfully, it seems like rotoms aren’t particularly violent by nature, so the usage of these moves on humans would most likely not be malicious. That doesn’t mean, however, that they wouldn’t use them. Rotoms are described in the Pokédex as being avid pranksters (Platinum). This is a pokémon that loves to cause mayhem: I think it’s not too far out of left field to say that a rotom might delight in temporarily paralyzing you for laughs, not being aware of any potential health risk that could pose.

Rotoms posses the unique ability to enter into some machines to take control of them, gaining a new typing. Rotoms have been described as using these new forms to explore new avenues in pranking, some of which could be really dangerous or just plain annoying. Rotoms that posses an oven, for example, like to “sear the surrounding area” (Violet - Heat Rotom) and “gleefully” burn clothing (Shield - Heat Rotom). Rotoms that posses a refrigerator might freeze your bath when you least expect it (Shield - Frost Rotom), while those that posses lawnmowers will mow down every flower they see without hesitation (Shield - Mow Rotom). Essentially, if the pokédex is to be believed, anyone caring for a rotom is going to need a lot of patience and good insurance.

As you alluded to in your request, however, there is a bit of a contradiction between observed rotom behavior and that described in the pokédex. In regions all around the world, thanks to a recent invention by an unknown boy (Sword), devices are utilized that make use of rotom’s unique ability to posses them. Traveling the world you’ll find rotoms in pokédexes, phones, drones, and even special PCs called Rotomis. These rotoms seem to be less inclined to making their owners’ lives a mess, less prone to pranking. This brings up an important question: is the pranking behavior described simply a cry for attention? If cared for and loved by a human, does a rotom become more friendly and co-operative? Or is it that only the most reserved individual rotoms choose to fill these roles? We may never know.

Overall, caring for a rotom has a pretty decent chance of being miserable. There doesn’t seem to be an easy way to keep a rotom from possessing whatever machine they’d like, and their pranking efforts are unrestrained and occasionally cruel. I like rotoms, don’t get me wrong, but I personally don’t want a pet that will hop into my computer and delete all my files before doxxing me on the internet and blasting music all day just for fun.

[meiistheprimarynow]

Console girl lore tour 2

The PlayStation family of console representatives, aka the Inoue family. They live in the Blue Station (name subject to change) Galaxy. (the PSP and Vita are not pictured here)

The sisters tend to stay in their own galaxy with the exception of Ynos who wanders around space doing as she pleases. They all travel to the location of game show events but will otherwise stay in their own galaxy. The Inoue sisters tend to be distant with other console groups (especially Xbox).

Ynos is the oldest of the Inoue family. Independent and does things her own way. She does not talk with her sisters often anymore, preferring to travel space, going where the wind takes her. She will show up for major events but will otherwise be gone since Ynos sees that her sisters can take care of themselves. She was born before the Blue Station Galaxy was fully established so some question her true origin, saying Ynos may be from another galaxy...

Emotion is the second oldest but the leader of the group, as Ynos is not around to fill that position. She is cool and collected, with a quiet confidence that many admire, even in other galaxies. She is the Inoue sister that started the trend of being reserved. Emotion likes to watch movies and listen to music. While she is calm is most situations, she has a hidden stash of memory cards and other data storage options, fearing another shortage.

Cell is right in the middle in terms of age and is a cheerful girl. She likes computers and builds pcs in her free time. She even made a super computer out of PlayStation 3 consoles. When a new console generation stars Cell will buy one of each console so she can take them apart and find out how they work. She is the most friendly out of her sisters as she wants to know how other Reps live their lives. Despite tearing down other electronics, she does not want to have her own systems tampered with by others.

Orbis is the second youngest and also popular like her sister Emotion. Orbis is more of a show off though, always ready to share her achievements online. She is rarely seen without some form of camera on her. She is confident in her abilities and has even pushed herself with 4k output with her super form being the PS4 Pro.

Tempest is the current console representative and the youngest member of the Inoue sisters that the public knows about. She is laid back and fun loving. She cares about audio quality to the point where she will get mad if she sees her sisters wearing cheap headphones. Tempest has her own pair of headphones that are attached to her hair and can wear them at anytime. She is still new to this console rep thing and is figuring out what it means to be a platform for games.

[rimouskis]

get to know me game (as tagged by @yippayappa [thank you!])

do you make your bed?

Every morning! It's one of those chores that once I got in the habit, I now cannot NOT make my bed. It's an essential part of the morning for me! Also perhaps I'm kind of a control freak about my space and having an unmade bed would drive me batty.

what's your job?

WELL I'm about to start a new job ahaha so my job is: new :) but honestly I've had a mildly interesting and unorthodox career path, and I've worked in kind of a lot of "industries" for someone my age. There have been some weird vaults that look peculiar on my resume until I explain them. Jack of all trades, master of none, perhaps?

if you could go back to school, would you?

If it was free? Sure! Yes! I think...

can you parallel park?

I mean, yes. Can I parallel park WELL? that... is up for debate.

do you think aliens are real?

Statistically speaking I think it would be very, very unlikely no other life exists in the universe. Of course that life could be, like, amoebas jiggling around on a rock somewhere. I don't really buy into the idea that intergalactic space travel has been conducted by an advanced alien species, but I think life of some sort MUST exist out there!

can you drive a manual car?

No. My dad tried to teach me with his old Honda accord and I gave up after a single lesson lol

guilty pleasure?

You're scrolling it, baby!

tattoos?

No because I'm a sensitive baby with commitment issues :)

favorite color?

green 4 eva, baby!

favorite type of music?

I recently impressed a new friend with my varied taste in music 😌 I literally listen to bits and pieces of everything. Top 40 pop, rap, hip hop, rock, country, classical, hyperpop, metal, folk, alt/indie, electronic, synth-pop, tons of 90s rock (thanks dad)........ I like a LOT of stuff. There is so much good music in the world!

I've been really enjoying the new charli xcx album. However, I think my heart belongs to rock. I know I've hawked this artist a lot in the last year, but in my defense I've seen him twice in the last six months and he's a hell of a performer. So go listen to Des Rocs:)

do you like puzzles?

Depends. Can I solve them? Then I like them. Are they notoriously difficult and annoying and I can't figure them out? Then I cast them into the depths hahaha

any phobias?

Dead bodies. Can't be near them. Every funeral I've been to has been a careful act of avoiding the casket. It's like... the only bone-deep "my body literally will not allow me to get closer" fear I have.

favorite childhood sport?

I was a softball girlie for the longest, but I also enjoyed dance a ton while I did it!!! I played soccer, tennis, volleyball, and gymnastics when I was younger though, haha. My parents just threw us at the local rec center all summer long.

do you talk to yourself?

Rarely. Usually only when I do something stupid and I just say my own name in an appalled tone, haha

tea or coffee?

neither:) one tastes like bitter beans and the other tastes like bitter leaves

first thing you wanted to be be when growing up?

I think a spy 😂 I was SO into the Alex Rider novels as a kid.

what movies do you adore?

The Princess Bride, Twilight, Robots (2005), and Top Gun: Maverick are some of my favorites!

Tagging @horkey @ticklefighthockey @yabagofmilfs @timbitshockey @goofingup @simmyfrobby @icedbatik @idontlikeem and... whoever else would like to partake!

[dustedmagazine]

Andrew Forell’s Dusted Year End 2024

Mukqs, Photo by Brett Naucke

Well, that was a clusterfuck of a year. I barely have the words and frankly enough has been said about not just 2024 but the augurs for the next four years and beyond. So, to the music. It was a strange one. I felt like I could barely keep up with the amount coming out and after a while I stopped trying and slowly learnt to let go of FOMO and concentrate on what came my way and the serendipitous finds from the occasional rabbit hole excursion. Below are my favorite records of the year and a bunch of others I’ve enjoyed and recommended to anyone who asked (and a few who didn’t).

Mukqs — Eye Frame (Orange Milk)

Apart from the technical aspect of his live sample-based improvisation, Mukqs’ Eye Frame is like an aural version of Fantastic Voyage. It feels like you are travelling through the sounds of your own mind and body sometimes in reverie and sometimes into the eddies of anxiety at its core. As I said in my review “Mukqs moves his music seamlessly between light and shade, combining waves of sound with microscopic detail, using staticky glitch to enhance natural sound and recognizable new age tropes to ameliorate the unfamiliar.” Each subsequent listen has revealed further dimensions in Eye Frame and I’ve found myself returning to it more than other record this year.

Francesco Leali — Let Us Descend (Until Riots)

Francesco Leali and his collaborators create a disquiet world on Let Us Descend. Fascinated by the ideas of coercive control and psychological manipulation as the heart of modern society, Leali holds a scratched and tarnished mirror to our gaslit world. Using a minimal palette of electronics, percussion, and strings, this is some of the darkest and most distressed music of the year. An appropriate, and ironically, consoling response to the events of these too dread times. Leali creates moments of great beauty on tracks like “Catatonic Blue” and “Hexed” that provide glimmers of hope amongst the terrible mess. 

Arab Strap — I’m totally fine with it 👍 don’t give a fuck anymore 👍 (Rock Action)

It’s always a pleasure to hear Aidan Moffat’s exasperated, heartfelt poetry. Taking stock of the deleterious effects of social media has been a staple of the last few years but Moffat’s ability to combine scathing satire and emotionally resonant turns of phrase can stop you in your tracks. Behind him Malcolm Middleton moves from big beat to gruff Pet Shop Boys to lush Bacharach inspired orchestration to delicate acoustic guitar and string arrangements. Whether wielding scalpel or bludgeon, Moffat is at his windmill tilting best. A lovely rollicking ride this. 

Iceboy Violet, Nueen — You Said You’d Hold My Hand Through the Fire (Hyperdub)

Barcelona-based producer Nueen provides grainy washes and granular details that frame Manchester artist Iceboy Violet’s dissection of a lost relationship. The music slips from interstitial space, mercurial, shapeshifting. The voices weave though, now submerged in smoke and murk, now crystal close, expanding the liminal spaces between grief, loss, and lust. Violet processes their pain and regret in language that moves between poetic abstraction and breathtakingly specific detail. An album of real beauty and pain.  

KMR/KMRU — Disconnect (Phantom Limb)

On two lengthy tracks “Differences” and “Arkives”, Nigerian sound artist Joseph Kamaru AKA KMRU discusses colonial power, history, and identity over Kevin Richard Martin’s ambient dubscapes. On the first, more abstract piece, Martin layers KMRU’s voice so that it echoes like the oral histories so vital to the transmission of culture in his homeland. “Arkives” is an explicit and telling condemnation of the colonial obsessions with suppressing language and fetishizing the collection of artefacts. The pair then perform haunted deconstructions on both tracks. “Difference”, Differ”, “Ark” and “Arcs” work as shadow miniatures, reducing the words and music to ritual abstraction that work on a psychogeographical level as hypnotic invocations of knowledge and being. 

Sinaïve — Pop Moderne (ANTIMATIER)

French trio Sinaïve bring the cool. Looking like Warholian foundlings, all sharp edges, mod clobber, sunglasses after dark and an effortless way with a beat or a riff especially when they’ve copped it from a song you didn’t even know you loved. “Providence”, which sounds like Brigitte Fontaine over the tidal swell (and decelerated riff) of “Taillights Fade” and a rickety drum machine is a magnificent undulating slab of melodic sludge. “Dasein (Oder nie sein)” careens along the open road, all motorik drums, squalling guitar, and a thrumming bass riff. Pop Moderne never fails to provide an electric jolt. 

Some others:

Angry Blackmen — The Legend of ABM (Deathbomb Arc)

Being Dead — EELS (Bayonet)

Alan Braufman — Infinite Love, Infinite Tears (Valley of Search)

The Bug — Machine (Relapse)

Burial — Dreamfear/Boy Sent From Above (XL Recordings)

Camera Obscura — Look to the East, Look to the West (Merge)

Fin — Cleats (Hausu Mountain)

Damaged — Ghost Dubs (Pressure)

Daryl Groetsch — Above the Shore (self-released)

Drahla — angeltape (Captured Tracks)

Font — Strange Burden (Acrophase)

France Jobin + Yamil Rezc — Un diá en México (LINE)

Geotic  — The Anchorite (Basement’s Basement)

HAPTIC — Sensitive Dependence on Initial Conditions (LINE)

Kim Gordon — The Collective (Matador)

KMRU — Natur (Touch)

Marwan Allam — Bab Bhar (self-released)

Mick Harvey — Five Ways to Say Goodbye (Mute)

Neutrals — New Town Dream (Slumberland)

Nexcyia — Exodus (Haunter)

Patrick Higgins — Versus (Other People)

Reunion Island  — Night Words (Tall Corn)

Sandwell District — Where Next? (Point of Departure)

Skee Mask — D (self-released)

Umbrellas — Fairweather Friend (Slumberland)

Yosa Peit — Gutbuster (Fire)

[hidelias]

A bend in space-time S2 || a TUA fanfiction

What if, through the whole story of The Umbrella Academy, Klaus had had someone to have his back? I chose to insert an OC - Rin - into the plot of the series, appearing almost only in deleted scenes. This fic is not a self-insert nor a OC-centric fic : Rin exists to flesh out the canon characters, and the fic is mostly focusing on Klaus. Please read the introduction for more details ♡ You can find the table of contents for season 1 here.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

🎧 Music is a major part of The Umbrella Academy, and so it is in this fic. You can find the full playlist of this season here : AO3 - Wattpad - Spotify.

Chapter 1: Are you lonesome tonight? AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

With a crash, Rin is released by the time vortex. After escaping the 2019 Apocalypse, she soon realizes she's alone… in Dallas… in 1961.

Chapter 2: Hello, Goodbye AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Rin has taken refuge in an abandoned house and is looking for something to eat. Thanks to Mark, a homeless man, she discovers… that the house she's been squatting in is haunted.

Chapter 3: A jumble of hair, leathers and linen AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Thanks to the ghost of old gardener Wayne Wilson, Rin has been able to reach Klaus, who's coming to pick her up. And he seems… to have changed a lot.

Chapter 4: Shiny, happy people AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Klaus takes Rin to the 'Destiny's Children' mansion, where he has established a proto-hippie community. Rin discovers that they are about to set off on a road-trip to Mexico and South America.

Chapter 5: On the Road AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Aboard the painted bus that Klaus calls Priscilla, the 'Destiny's Children' travel through Baja California. Rin begins to realize just how much these journeys will change her.

Chapter 6: Snippets of Destiny AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

At the end of 1961, the 'Destiny's Children' make a stopover in Reykjavik, Iceland, and celebrate the passing of the New Year with an unusual ceremony.

Chapter 7: Marigolds on the Ganges AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

In 1962, Klaus takes the 'Destiny's Children' to India, on a journey of great importance to him, between meditation and yoga. Their trip takes them to Varanasi, where the spirits of the dead peacefully depart.

Chapter 8: Come hell or high water AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Rin did not follow Klaus and the Destiny's Children to San Francisco. Back on Dallas' often harsh streets, she's now looking for a job… against the obstacles of 1963 society.

Chapter 9: Childhood's end AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Rin started working for Merelec, a small electronics repair business on Glen Oaks street. On the back balcony, she meets David, the nephew of the owner of the hardware store next door.

Chapter 10: Snippets of Memory AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

At the end of summer, David returns from a military camp, full of ideals that worry Rin a lot. Suddenly, a phone call brings sad news, prompting a discussion with Klaus that turns everything around.

Chapter 11: The machinery of the universe AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Exhausted by a rush of work and TV repairs due to JFK's forthcoming visit to Dallas, Rin receives Five's unexpected visit to the store.

Chapter 12: Heavy handfuls of curls AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Thanks to the Destiny Children's connections, Rin got Klaus out of prison after he was arrested for stealing a vehicle. At nightfall, she heads to Kitty's Manor in the hope of finding him there.

Chapter 13: Lemonade by the pool AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Rin spent the night at Kitty's mansion, where Klaus is resting in a pool improvised in the ornamental basins. Suddenly, she hears a woman's voice she recognizes at once: Allison's.

Chapter 14: Jailhouse Rock AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Based on a plan carefully masterminded by a very enthusiastic Ben, he, Klaus and Rin proceed to… the spectacular liberation of Raymond Chestnut.

Chapter 15: The Scorpion and the Frog AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

In the evening, following Klaus's visit to Dave at the hardware store, Allison calls Rin to come and give him advice.

Chapter 16: The crossroads of our lives AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

After anxiously awaiting Dave's return from Stadler's, Rin tries to spend some time with Lloyd. Of course, this is the moment Klaus chooses to come crashing to the door.

Chapter 17: Oikade AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

After the incident between Klaus and Lloyd, Rin takes refuge in the alleyway where she had arrived in 1961. There, Five finds her and talks to her about… "going home".

Chapter 18: The ache for what never was AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

After spending the night at ghost Wayne Wilson's house, Rin returns to Glen Oaks… and meets Dave again.

Chapter 19: A river flowing through infinity AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Rin has finally decided to return to the Destiny Children's Mansion. There, she's gardening with Jill… while Klaus receives an unexpected visit from Dave.

Chapter 20: A light supper AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

With a clear feeling of anticipation, Rin attends Reginald Hargreeves's invitation to 'A Light Supper'.

Chapter 21: The lone wolf from Team Zero AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

After their "light supper", Rin reviews the evening's events with Diego, while Klaus laments about Ben taking over his body.

Chapter 22: At the threshold of nirvana AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Just as she's about to leave to do some gardening, Rin runs into Klaus, who is coming down from the ' Destiny's Children' Mansion, and who turns out to actually be… Ben.

Chapter 23: Azure dust into the Void AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Rin goes to old ghost Wayne Wilson's house to complete her part of the deal that allowed her to find Klaus back in '61.

Chapter 24: Dedicated against all odds AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Returning to the Destiny Children's Mansion, Rin meets Luther. She realizes how lonely he is, and has an important conversion with him.

Chapter 25: Ethereal whirlwinds AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Rin was called urgently by Klaus to Allison's house to help her get rid of a 'bulky waste'. But Diego returns to announce Viktor's imminent involvement… in the threat of a new apocalypse.

Chapter 26: A conflict of interest AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Viktor's deflagration has been devastating, and Rin blacked out. She wakes up in a place outside space-time, where she remembers having been before… once.

Chapter 27: Children ride in the back AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

In Eliott's little room, Klaus is slumped on the bed. He's lost Ben, he's lost Rin. But Rin's ghost… seems to have been successfully summoned.

Chapter 28: There were only seven of us AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

At the Cooper farm, young Harlan struggles to control his emotions and the bits of power passed on by Viktor. Rin, too, strives to regain her vital energy and materiality. But suddenly…

Chapter 29: Qué será será AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

While struggling to regain her materiality, Rin tries to comfort young Harlan, terrified in the barn's basement. But suddenly, gunfire breaks out upstairs…

Chapter 30: The end of something AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Time resumed its course, and night is falling on the Umbrella Academy's last day in 1963 Texas. For Five has obtained a briefcase… and soon, he'll bring everyone back to 2019.

---

<< Prequel || Season 1 || Season 3 coming soon >>

[benjaminblueforever]

Why am I so nervous? It's not like I haven't met up with him before, in this hotel. I perspire every time. Perhaps some part of him makes me nervous, makes my thoughts race. Just take a deep breath and anticipate his arrival.

I see him approaching through the automatic sliding doors of this lobby, making his grand entrance like he always does. Why am I describing it that way? I love the drama of these sorts of things. He will approach me, and we will hug each other. It always feels like a new experience. Yes we've hugged many times over the last year and a half, but it always feels new to me. I am lucky. "Hey!" He exclaims. He's a good head taller than me. His voice travels over my head, and I have to stand taller to catch his words. I don't really, but yeah. I love that he's taller than I am. My ears could easily listen to his beating heart. Literal music to my ears.

I smile and greet him in return. My lower back is dewey. I smile and look him in the eyes. One of my favorite things to do when I see him. I suppose I feel I can catch a glimpse of his soul this way. The very core of him. What a treat it is to be this close. "It's good to see you! How was the drive?"

He lives nearby so I know it was a short drive, but I want to hear him speak. As if we won't be doing enough talking this evening. He speaks and I listen with a childish grin. My mind half wanders to the days when we were strangers. Seeing pictures online of him for the first time had me dumbfounded. How cliche to say, but I was caught off guard by the sight of him. This man is beautiful. The freckles on his golden skin remind me of stars in the sky. I remind him of this often. My lucky stars. I love his curly dark brown hair. It feels good when I run my fingers through the many strands; tickling and electrifying my senses.

I must have caught the good grace of some deity to have been born when I was, and for him to be born in my lifetime. It feels like this. A series of fortunate and unfortunate events that had me stumbling into his path and how he would soon offer his hand to help me up.

It was a few months before I decided to just say hi, and from there we were off. Not knowing what was to come, where this would be leading, all the moments we would soon share, our first kiss, catching sight of his bare flesh for the first time, tasting every inch of him. How those moments led us down this lovely path of innocence, filth, and more importantly, companionship. Even this moment we're sharing as we are about to head up to our room for the night, hasn't happened yet. It may not happen like this, but something very similar may or may not happen. I suppose there's beauty in imagining, anticipating what we may get up to. Even as he stands here before me, wearing anything I could even imagine, will be vastly different when the real moment happens. That moment may not happen. My mind plays with these constants and variables. The joys of an overactive imagination. To imagine the possible and impossible, and to make it possible in my mind, and in real life. I suppose nothing is really ever impossible, maybe improbable, but not this gorgeous man. He is as real as the sun shines, and I have met him.

We step into the elevator, and I press the button for our floor. It jolts and we are ascending. I'm still feeling the jitters from this man and what he does to me. I ask myself why I'm so nervous, but there's no use. It's a wonderful feeling to experience. I let out a light chuckle and smile. He turns to look at me and grins himself. I grab hold of his hand and give a gentle squeeze. These hands of his, holding the world in them, will hold me for the evening.

The elevator stops at our floor and we exit. Hotel hallways are always a little creepy. You sometimes won't see another soul, and it was just that now. We locate our room quickly and unlock the electronic door. It opens, and closes behind us with a loud clang. The room is just as it should be. A room that will hold the both of us as we hold each other, both in conversation, and as we drape ourselves across the king sized bed. Catching comfort in many ways.

This room is fabricated as well. It exists in a real location that I had and will travel to. At this moment, it exists out of space and time and was born from a wish. I willed it into existence. As we occupy it, time comes to a stop outside of the door. We are tucked away into but a tiny pocket in the universe, which I still cannot fathom has allowed this meeting. I dare not ask too many questions of the vast universe as at any moment, this dream may end. For now, I will indulge. Drink his every step. His hands are gifts to be beheld, his skin to be admired. This boy is a mirage and I ask myself if I am delirious. All this drunken talk that I have been steeping inside of me, as if I am mad. Obsessed. I smile. Perhaps I am, but no better moment in time to be.

He places his backpack near the bed, takes his shoes off, and flops onto the soft, neatly made bed. A sigh escapes his lips. I watch as they part. Breath gently escapes their softness. I approach and climb onto the bed, and onto him. Pinning him down. Holding his hands above his head, I position myself so that my face is inches from his. His eyes once again meet mine and I am eager to pierce the depths. Unravel the secrets that lie waiting. I allow my face to move closer until our lips meet. We kiss again for the first time. This moment has and has not happened, so it could easily fit into the past and the future. It does not matter as we are and are not existing, and I cannot think of a better moment to be alive. Our embrace will come over and over again, even if I am only dreaming. If this is in fact a dream, don't wake me up...

[marginalia-music]

The British seemed to have gotten the head-start on bedroom pop. If you believe Todd in the Shadows, it came from the DIY, lofi but tight and catchy Your Woman by White Town (1997). But by sifting through the historical record, Solid Space seems like a solid antecedent a full fifteen years prior. 

Formed in 1980 by childhood friends Dan Goldstein (keyboards, vocals) and Maf Vosburgh (guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals), they released their only album, Space Museum, in 1982 through In Phaze Records. While bootlegs have circulated throughout the years, Space Museum finally got its first official vinyl release in 2017 by reissue label Dark Entries. 

What I’ve always loved about digging through any early obscurities of a particular genre is seeing how it places itself within the genre’s history, at the fork in the road between an (older) genre and a newly-emergent one. Space Museum is right at the apex between late 70s post-punk and synth-inspired new wave. It’s far too dark and dreary to be new wave, but too experimental to be firmly rooted in the more recognized post-punk scene of the time. It sounds like nothing; a hazy dream, intoxicated by BBC reruns and pubescent troubles finally etched into the physical world. It’s not hard for me to imagine Dan & Maf on a gloomy, rainy day messing around with their Wasp synthesizer and Casio MT-30 in their room, seeing what sounds would come out and trying to replicate what they had just seen on the TV.  

(Source)

It’s bedroom pop at its weirdest, creating eerie, cold, and lonely landscapes paired with monotone vocals, representing their sci-fi source material in a wholly transformative way. Destination Moon and Tenth Planet are the real stars of the record: the former encapsulating the loneliness and ennui of space travel, and the latter duly recounting the plot of a Doctor Who episode of the same name where the narrator destroys an entire species and their planet but “didn’t really care”.  I also really love Radio France. It’s less gloomy and electronic than the rest of the album, being a more grounded stab at a post-punk song. It talks about getting over a cruel ex-girlfriend, but still featuring fun synth rhythms, being reminiscent of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop at times.  The opening track,  Afghan Dance, is also really interesting, being “warmer” than many of the tracks on the album. There’s still some distance though, each note awkwardly jerking from the last in a mysterious, alien rhythm, unable to decipher the music’s source. (I would love to know if this is actually based on a traditional Afghan song.)

Defining “pop” is a difficult challenge. Is two guys’ weird experimental album that only ever got circulated on a couple hundred cassettes really “pop”? I’d say so. The DIY, lofi aesthetics of Space Museum are equally reminiscent of old 60s sci-fi shows, 70s-80s punks, and 2010s lofi indie musicians. It’s punk filtered through the BBC Radiophonic; two guys reliving 60s sci-fi right when such works were becoming old enough to be seen as “classic”. It mends a fracture in time, with the original “spirit of 76” punk fading out in favor of its offspring, going off in a million wild directions.  (You can see more photos & vids on the Instagram)

[subspaceember]

For quality assurance your call may be monitored or recorded. Please listen to the following options as they have changed recently.

What would you like an infodump about today?

1: Electronics and computers (new and vintage)

2: computer graphics, pixel art, 3D rendering, Pixar

3: synthesizers and electronic music

4: LGBTQ history (connected to previous topics)

5: Writing in media and detailed analysis about it

6: Plants, trees, and mushrooms

7: space exploration, and space

8: star trek

9: radio and analog television

10: the dystopian societal collapse we’re living in

11: film and photography

12: shipwrecks

13: natural disasters

14: detailed time travel plot about removing certain individuals from history to change the timeline

15: video game history and storytelling

16: Why capitalism in its current state is unsustainable and evil

17: trains :)

[ejcenteno]

Leave No Trace: How Hiking Responsibly Can Save Our Wilderness

Leave No Trace (LNT) is a set of principles that hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts follow to minimize their impact on the environment. The LNT principles are essential to preserving the natural beauty and ecological health of hiking trails and wilderness areas.

Here are the seven Leave No Trace principles that hikers should follow:

Plan ahead and prepare: Before heading out on a hike, make sure you are aware of the rules and regulations for the area you'll be visiting. Pack appropriately for the weather and conditions, and bring enough food and water to sustain you. Additionally, consider your group's experience level and plan a route that is appropriate for your abilities.

Travel and camp on durable surfaces: Stay on the designated trail and avoid creating new trails. If you need to camp, use established campsites and avoid trampling vegetation or disturbing wildlife. Keep campsites small, and disperse groups to prevent overcrowding and damage to the area.

Dispose of waste properly: Carry out all trash and leftover food. Use established restroom facilities when available, or dig a small hole at least 200 feet from water sources and trails to bury human waste. Pack out used toilet paper and sanitary products.

Leave what you find: Do not disturb historical or cultural artifacts or natural features. Leave rocks, plants, and other natural objects where you find them. Do not build structures, furniture, or other amenities.

Minimize campfire impact: Use established fire rings and follow local regulations for building fires. Keep fires small and contained, and use only sticks or small branches found on the ground. Do not burn trash, and completely extinguish fires before leaving.

Respect wildlife: Observe wildlife from a distance and do not approach or feed them. Store food and trash in bear-resistant containers, if available, or hang it at least 10 feet off the ground and 4 feet from a tree trunk. Keep a safe distance from animals and give them plenty of space to move freely.

Be considerate of other visitors: Respect other hikers' and campers' rights to enjoy the outdoors. Keep noise levels low, avoid playing music or using electronic devices in shared spaces, and yield to others on the trail.

By following these LNT principles, hikers can ensure that they are leaving as little impact on the environment as possible. Additionally, they can help to preserve the wilderness areas they enjoy for future generations to enjoy.

In summary, LNT is an essential set of principles for hikers to follow to minimize their impact on the environment. By planning ahead, traveling and camping on durable surfaces, disposing of waste properly, leaving what you find, minimizing campfire impact, respecting wildlife, and being considerate of other visitors, hikers can help preserve the natural beauty of our wilderness areas for years to come.

[sadaweekandy]

Synth pop Music Space Machine 2023 - Synth Eletronic Eibes Full Collection

In this video, we present an exclusive selection of tracks, carefully curated to ensure that you enjoy the best musical experience. So, get ready to travel back in time with Synthwave, Synthpop, and immerse yourself in the electronic vibe.

🎵 Here you can listen to the complete collection.

All the songs Vol.01: 01 - Slow Afternoon - https://youtu.be/IRL0sKV9PkU 02 - Entering The City - https://youtu.be/5Ceh9nDOZVs 03 - Horizon - https://youtu.be/ct7wtOtWDXM 04 - Orange Sky - https://youtu.be/gPbmJeZIkC0 05 - Shooting Star - https://youtu.be/5hyZpkd09Tg 06 - On The Road - https://youtu.be/gW9hYfXHRao 07 - Reflection - https://youtu.be/yMqxIcpSdfE Full Collection - https://youtu.be/luB66dP7zJE All the songs Vol.02: 01 - Navigation - https://youtu.be/H9MjTtq76k0 02 - New Light - https://youtu.be/lM5SgMVMsg0 03 - Awakening - https://youtu.be/1qY8e5RY6Jg 04 - Memories - https://youtu.be/yS0BqbeRKTY 05 - Space Traveler - https://youtu.be/H5b7tts-yl8 06 - Deep Illusion - https://youtu.be/hgqSYKIYaDU 07 - Lord Of The North - https://youtu.be/Pxrf89t_BqE 08 - Looking At The Sky - https://youtu.be/ZgSPaY2iy8Q 09 - Sunset - https://youtu.be/-kQQVZbFfjI 10 - Final Lap - https://youtu.be/JvgqaJBEFDc Design and production by SWKY

[thebrandwriter]

LG REVEALS 2025 “XBOOM BY WILL.I.AM” AUDIO PRODUCTS FORTIFIED WITH SIGNATURE SOUND & AI VERSATILITY

All “xboom by will.i.am” products feature a more balanced and warm xboom signature sound LG’s new xboom line is empowered by AI Sound, AI Lighting, AI Calibration, and RAiDiO.FYI

LG Electronics (LG) unveiled its new audio product line of Bluetooth speakers and earbuds at CES 2025, created in partnership with multi-platinum musician and tech entrepreneur, will.i.am. This marks the debut of the “xboom by will.i.am” line, following the partnership announcement in early December.

LG recently appointed will.i.am as the “Experiential Architect” of the LG xboom brand, aiming to establish it as a culture-forward brand that elevates the listening experience to new heights through completely new sound and design values. All “xboom by will.i.am” audio products are professionally tuned by will.i.am, delivering the xboom signature sound – characterized by a more balanced audio profile with warmer tones. The product design is playfully compact and embodies will.i.am’s creative artistry that stems from his life-long experience in pop culture. Leveraging both his extensive experience in understanding what people love and developing technology for creatives, will.i.am fundamentally inspires xboom’s product development, design, and brand marketing.

The “xboom by will.i.am” line boasts a family of smart Bluetooth speakers – the xboom Bounce, Grab, and Stage 301 – all fortified with seamless AI capabilities for a next-level listening experience. The xboom speakers conduct AI analysis on the content being played to automatically adjust AI Sound, switching to sound options that accentuate the melody, rhythm, or voice. The AI Lighting feature keeps the speakers’ bar lights pulsing in multicolored sync for added ambiance. AI Calibration allows speakers to instantly recognize their surroundings to fill various indoor or outdoor spaces with ample sound. And for the first time, xboom speakers now feature a dedicated button for users to instantly connect to will.i.am’s RAiDiO.FYI platform to enjoy various infotainment content tailored for each listener by an AI Radio Host.

Also, users can enjoy their content with amplified sound through the LE Audio Auracast feature that connects multiple xboom units for a seamlessly synchronized audio output. Even without Auracast support on their smartphones, users can enjoy synchronized audio across multiple units with the xboom speaker serving as the master unit. Moreover, users can enjoy the xboom signature sound that is further enhanced by built-in tweeters and full-range units created by Peerless, the Danish premium Transducer manufacturer with a legacy of almost 100 years.

The 2025 audio product line is spearheaded by the xboom Bounce, which combines refined audio quality with stylish aesthetics. It boosts portable sound to a new level with its built-in, up-bouncing passive radiators, dual dome tweeters and track-type woofer. The Bounce is capable of delivering high-frequency stereo with precise highs and an expanded soundstage, surrounding listeners with enhanced clarity and depth. The name “Bounce” comes from its up-bouncing passive radiators that visibly bounce and light up in beat to the music. It incorporates a versatile strap that enables users to hold the speaker securely in one hand, hang it on a hook, or place it on a tabletop. With a water and dust resistance IP67 rating and Military Standard 810G durability, this robust speaker’s built-in battery lasts up to 30 hours.

The xboom Grab presents an exciting take-anywhere audio experience, pairing powerful sound with a compact, travel-friendly design. Despite its relatively slim size, the Grab manages to pack dual passive radiators positioned on both sides of the speaker for dynamic bass and lively sound. As the name “Grab” suggests, this speaker is perfect to hold in one hand for use on the go. It can be placed in many orientations – standing upright, lying on its side, or securely nestled in the cup holder of a car or camping chair, or even in the water bottle cage of a bicycle. It also comes with versatile straps for securing snugly to the arm or slinging over hooks and handles. With a water and dust resistance IP67 rating and Military Standard 810G durability, the Grab offers up to 20 hours of battery life.

The xboom Stage 301 is designed for those who love transforming any space into a lively stage – hence the name “Stage.” Optimized for busking, karaoke night, or any sort of indoors or outdoors gathering, the speaker effortlessly fills big spaces with powerful sound. This robust model packs a punch with its 6.5-inch woofer and dual 2.5-inch midrange drivers, providing rich, full-bodied audio. The Stage 301 distinctly features a built-in handle for easy carrying and a clever wedge design that allows flexible positioning for various setups – flat on its base, tilted back, or seated atop a tripod. Highly durable, the xboom Stage 301 has an IPX4 water resistance rating as well as a replaceable battery that lasts up to 11 hours, allowing greater flexibility and uninterrupted listening pleasure.

The xboom Buds employ lightweight graphene drivers, which are key to delivering pure, well-balanced sound with rich bass. As thin as paper yet strong as steel, graphene improves durability while supporting LG’s Active Noise Canceling technology, providing a more immersive listening experience. Featuring LE Audio Auracast, the Buds enable users to listen to open audio streams in public and permit multiple device connections so that several users can simultaneously enjoy the same audio. Designed for comfort and stability, the ergonomic ear tips adapt to various ear shapes, while the unique ear hook design provides a snug and stable fit on the go. It offers up to 30 hours of listening time with the support of its charging case, as well as IPX4 water resistance that protects against splashing water.

“Working with renowned tech and lifestyle innovator, LG, opens the door to groundbreaking and dynamic experiences that speak to a broader community of music enthusiasts,” said will.i.am. “By bringing our cutting-edge technology and distinctive creative visions together with LG xboom, we want to foster an iconic culture where people can explore their passion for music with others on a whole new level.”

“The xboom by will.i.am line marks the beginning of a dynamic, collaborative journey for the xboom brand and will.i.am, and we are more than thrilled to showcase the first fruits of our partnership at this year’s CES,” said Lee Jeong-seok, head of the LG Media Entertainment Solution Company’s audio business division. “Beginning with the new xboom line, we will continuously aim to elevate every aspect of the listening experience.”

The all-new “xboom by will.i.am” audio products, which will roll out in global markets in 2025, will be on display during CES 2025 from January 7–10 at the LG booth (#15004, Las Vegas Convention Center).

[jcmarchi]

Making classical music and math more accessible

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/making-classical-music-and-math-more-accessible/

Making classical music and math more accessible

Senior Holden Mui appreciates the details in mathematics and music. A well-written orchestral piece and a well-designed competitive math problem both require a certain flair and a well-tuned sense of how to keep an audience’s interest.

“People want fresh, new, non-recycled approaches to math and music,” he says. Mui sees his role as a guide of sorts, someone who can take his ideas for a musical composition or a math problem and share them with audiences in an engaging way. His ideas must make the transition from his mind to the page in as precise a way as possible. Details matter.

A double major in math and music from Lisle, Illinois, Mui believes it’s important to invite people into a creative process that allows a kind of conversation to occur between a piece of music he writes and his audience, for example. Or a math problem and the people who try to solve it. “Part of math’s appeal is its ability to reveal deep truths that may be hidden in simple statements,” he argues, “while contemporary classical music should be available for enjoyment by as many people as possible.”

Mui’s first experience at MIT was as a high school student in 2017. He visited as a member of a high school math competition team attending an event hosted and staged by MIT and Harvard University students. The following year, Mui met other students at math camps and began thinking seriously about what was next.

“I chose math as a major because it’s been a passion of mine since high school. My interest grew through competitions and continued to develop it through research,” he says. “I chose MIT because it boasts one of the most rigorous and accomplished mathematics departments in the country.”

Mui is also a math problem writer for the Harvard-MIT Math Tournament (HMMT) and performs with Ribotones, a club that travels to places like retirement homes or public spaces on the Institute’s campus to play music for free. He cites French composer Maurice Ravel as one of his major musical influences.

Mui studies piano with Timothy McFarland, an artist affiliate at MIT, through the MIT Emerson/Harris Fellowship Program, and previously studied with Kate Nir and Matthew Hagle of the Music Institute of Chicago. He started piano at the age of five and cites French composer Maurice Ravel as one of his major musical influences.

As a music student at MIT, Mui is involved in piano performance, chamber music, collaborative piano, the MIT Symphony Orchestra as a violist, conducting, and composition.

He enjoys the incredible variety available within MIT’s music program. “It offers everything from electronic music to world music studies,” he notes, “and has broadened my understanding and appreciation of music’s diversity.”

Collaborating to create

Throughout his academic career, Mui found himself among like-minded students like former Yale University undergraduate Andrew Wu. Together, Mui and Wu won an Emergent Ventures grant. In this collaboration, Mui wrote the music Wu would play. Wu described his experience with one of Mui’s compositions, “Poetry,” as “demanding serious focus and continued re-readings,” yielding nuances even after repeated listens.

Another of Mui’s compositions, “Landscapes,” was performed by MIT’s Symphony Orchestra in October 2024 and offered audiences opportunities to engage with the ideas he explores in his music.

One of the challenges Mui discovered early is that academic composers sometimes create music audiences might struggle to understand. “People often say that music is a universal language, but one of the most valuable insights I’ve gained at MIT is that music isn’t as universally experienced as one might think,” he says. “There are notable differences, for example, between Western music and world music.” 

This, Mui says, broadened his perspective on how to approach music and encouraged him to consider his audience more closely when composing. He treats music as an opportunity to invite people into how he thinks. 

Creative ideas, accessible outcomes

Mui understands the value of sharing his skills and ideas with others, crediting the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) program with offering multiple opportunities for travel and teaching. “I’ve been on three MISTI trips during IAP [Independent Activities Period] to teach mathematics,” he says. 

Mui says it’s important to be flexible, dynamic, and adaptable in preparation for a fulfilling professional life. Music and math both demand the development of the kinds of soft skills that can help him succeed as a musician, composer, and mathematician.

“Creating math problems is surprisingly similar to writing music,” he argues. “In both cases, the work needs to be complex enough to be interesting without becoming unapproachable.” For Mui, designing original math problems is “like trying to write down an original melody.”

“To write math problems, you have to have seen a lot of math problems before. To write music, you have to know the literature — Bach, Beethoven, Ravel, Ligeti — as diverse a group of personalities as possible.”

A future in the notes and numbers

Mui points to the professional and personal virtues of exploring different fields. “It allows me to build a more diverse network of people with unique perspectives,” he says. “Professionally, having a range of experiences and viewpoints to draw on is invaluable; the broader my knowledge and network, the more insights I can gain to succeed.”

After graduating, Mui plans to pursue doctoral study in mathematics following the completion of a cryptography internship. “The connections I’ve made at MIT, and will continue to make, are valuable because they’ll be useful regardless of the career I choose,” he says. He wants to continue researching math he finds challenging and rewarding. As with his music, he wants to strike a balance between emotion and innovation.

“I think it’s important not to pull all of one’s eggs in one basket,” he says. “One important figure that comes to mind is Isaac Newton, who split his time among three fields: physics, alchemy, and theology.” Mui’s path forward will inevitably include music and math. Whether crafting compositions or designing math problems, Mui seeks to invite others into a world where notes and numbers converge to create meaning, inspire connection, and transform understanding.