#emma dj

[dustedmagazine]

Dust Volume 10, Number 6, Part I

Infinite River

We’re halfway through the year and swamped with mid-year activities (look for our round-up next week), but the records continue to pile-up and we continue to make time for as many as possible.  This month, the slush pile yielded a wide range of music, from Burkina-Faso-ian griot to microtonal composition to snarling black metal to improvisation and jazz. 

Our reviews are split in two parts because of Tumblr's arbitrary limits on sound samples. See Part II here. Contributions included Jennifer Kelly, Bryon Hayes, Andrew Forell, Christian Carey, Jonathan Shaw, Bill Meyer, Jim Marks, Justin Cober-Lake and Alex Johnson.  Happy summer!

Avalanche Kaito — Talitakum (Glitterbeat)

Another of those cross-cultural, Afro-European collaborations that are so often great—see recent works by Chouk Bwa & The Ångströmers, Ndox Electrique and Group Doueh/Cheveux—Avalanche Kaito sets Burkina Faso griot to a rattling, pummeling noise punk beat.  I like “Lago” best, where a clatter of mixed percussion and serrated, distortion crusted guitar dart in and around a keening call and response.  Near the end of a recent long-distance drive, I listened to it 14 times in a row without wearing it out.  Still the title track is fantastic as well, its guitars stabbing in like Fugazi, its drums boxy and agitated, its spatter-painted words dicing the beat into eighths and sixteenths.  The “Kaito” in the band name comes from grioteer Kaito Winse.  The Avalanche comes from the falling-down-the-stairs-but-still-on-beat mix of strident punk and West African syncopation.

Jennifer Kelly  

Ayal Senior — Ora (Medusa Editions)

Toronto’s 12-string warrior Ayal Senior workshopped the songs that became Ora at a monthly residency he has at the Tranzac Club, a haven for the city’s most adventurous musical minds. His comrades Kurt Newman (pedal steel, electric guitar) and Andrew Furlong (bass) joined him on the journey, and together they slowly worked the sonic skeletons into fleshy bodies of song. The trio brought scene veterans Blake Howard and Jay Anderson on board to add drums and percussion when they laid the sounds to tape. Their flourishing rhythms complete the image: five beams of light passing through the prism of Senior’s celestial vision. The guitarist bills Ora as the spiritual successor to 2022’s Az Yashir, yet while that record embraced a post-COVID sea change, Ora is bathed in the light of tranquility. Senior’s folk devotionals draw warmth from the presence of his pals, taking on raga and kosmische adornments as they languidly unfurl. These hymns are beauty incarnate, guitar-centric mantras in service of the cosmic mystery that surrounds us all.

Bryon Hayes

Beams — Requiem for a Planet (Be My Sibling)

Beams is an alt.country ensemble, playing rock and folk instruments in delicate, otherworldly ways.  The voices especially — Anna Mērnieks-Duffield primarily but fleshed out in harmonies by Heather Mazhar and Keith Hamilton—float in translucent layers, mixing eerily with the meat-and-potatoes sonics of guitar, bass and drums.  As the title suggests, Beams main subject is the earth itself, its fragility, its rising temperature, its trajectory towards unlivability.  Yet though there are lessons here, in songs like “Heat Potential,” Beams steers clear of polemics.  “It’s All Around You,” especially envelopes and enfolds. Its string-swooping, gorgeously harmonized arrangements lift you up and out of the mess we’re in.  “Childlike Empress” with its well-spaced blots of keyboard sound, its ghostly, tremulous singing, is an eerie elegy for the world’s natural beauty.  The album is its own thing, but it might remind you of certain twang-adjacent Feelies side projects, Speed the Plough and Wild Carnation especially. 

Jennifer Kelly

DELTAphase — Synced (Falling Elevators)

Process. DELTAphase founder Wilhelm Stegmeier contacts a disparate group of musicians and provides them with a key, beat, tempo for seven pieces of music and allows them complete stylistic and compositional freedom. Each of 10 musicians contributed to one or more of the seven pieces, without knowing who else was involved. Stegmeier, seeking synchronicities and serendipity, collates and adds to the contributions and collages them within the given parameters. Result. The musicians, Merran Laginestra, Beate Bartel, Thomas Wydler, Brendan Dougherty, Lucia Martinez, Antonio Bravo, Andreas Voss, Eleni Ampelakiotou, Dominik Avenwedde, Kilian Feinäugle and Stegmeier come from classical, jazz, electronic and post rock backgrounds, and the music occupies liminal interstices between and across genres. There’s lots of layered percussion, electronic backgrounds and guitar interplay from the squalling electric duel on “Phase Lock” to Bravo’s jazzy riffing on “One by One” which also features Laginestra’s  impressionistic piano. That combination is a standout on an album that can occasionally meander into cul-de-sacs. Remote collaboration has become a commonplace since the pandemic but the caliber of the musicians here and Stegmeier’s skill in pulling their contributions together make Synced a fascinating exploration of compositional process.

Andrew Forell      

   

Taylor Deupree — Sti.ll  (Greyfade)

A recent microtrend involves making acoustic realizations of electronic compositions, the latest being a new version of Taylor Deupree’s lauded 2002 electroacoustic recording Stil. Sti.ll follows suit, with a reworking for acoustic instruments by Deupree and Joseph Branciforte. The bespoke Greyfade book that accompanies Sti.ll is handsome and contains a QR code to download the digital recording. The acoustic versions can sometimes fool you into thinking that you are listening to the original synth sounds, which is part of the game. “Stil.” is nearly twenty-minutes long, for vibraphone and bass drum. The vibes play both textural passages and, simultaneously, repeating dyadic melodies. The bass drum errs on the side of gentle effects rather than thwacking. Another standout track is “Temper,” for multiple clarinets and a shaker. The composition moves through a series of repeated intervals, descending fourth, ascending minor third, et cetera, with harmonic underpinning from the other clarinets and constant pulsation contributed by the shakers. Hard for clubbing, but these pieces would work quite well in a concert.

Christian Carey

Emma dj — Lay2g (Danse Noire)

Paris based Finnish producer Emma dj has the tendency to get distracted by novelty which interrupts the flow of this set and disrupts individual tracks often enough to leave the listener frustrated. If that’s the point, all well and good, but I suspect it’s not, which makes you wonder if this is all in service of the producer rather than the audience. That’s fine if there’s challenge in the music, which here, there is not. He collides bits and pieces of dance punk, chiptunes, video game soundtrack and the detritus of underground sub-sub genres into a messy mélange — a potluck casserole thrown together for a class reunion no one’s attending. It’s particularly annoying for the moments when, by design or serendipity, Emma produces a dish worth eating like “RR.dnk” for instance that sprays warped synth stabs against cowbell hi-hat, thumping kick drum and a stumbling bass line without succumbing to the over seasoning of vocal samples, jokey blips and burps or overwrought exhortations to dance. With a little more focus and balance, he may well produce something pretty good but this is only halfway there.

Andrew Forell

Incipient Chaos — S/T (I, Voidhanger)

There are times when some listeners just want a record of snarling, muscular black metal — thematics and scannable cultural politics be damned. If that sounds good to you, this new self-titled LP from French band Incipient Chaos rages and rips with all the right sorts of aggressivity. It seems that one takes chances with one’s ethics (if not one’s immortal soul) doing this sort of impulse listening in black metal: Is this NSBM? Does anyone have the skinny on that? Do we need to dig into the various “Is this band sketch” subreddits and descend into that 9th Circle of gossip-mongering and reaction? Lucifer smiles; so does Advance Publications. Is that a distinction without a difference? Meanwhile, we can note that Incipient Chaos has released this record on a politically reliable label, and while it’s unusual not to get a lyric sheet from I, Voidhanger (uh oh…), that may just be typical black metal shtick: the words are obscured because they are sooooo evil. Whatevs. The riffs are strong, if not world-changing, and the compositions have drama, if not overwhelming tragedy. Check out the guitar-centric middle portion of “Ominous Acid,” which is hugely satisfying. The down-tempo opening minutes of “Dragged Back from the Abyss” will remind you of the best of Aosoth. It’s all a lot of…fun?

Jonathan Shaw

Infinite River — Tabula Rasa (Birdman)

First came the space, now comes the rock. Infinite River’s first couple recordings had a definite COVID-era vibe to them. The Detroit-based ensemble started out as a trio, with Joey Mazzola and Gretchen Gonzales playing guitars and Warren Defever contributing tambura and a place to record. But a bliss-oriented drone might make less sense in a time when you can get out and play shows than it did when clubs were shut down and people didn’t want to go out than it does when stages are available and Steve Nistor, who drums for Sparks, is available to join in. Last year, Bryon Hayes invoked  Windy & Carl and Mountains when describing Infinite Rivers’ Prequel; “Sky Diamon Raga,” the track that kicks off Infinite River, is more like an arena rock dream of Chris Forsyth’s “The Paranoid Cat.” Much of the time this record feels rather like the Raybeats negotiating production ideas of the 1990s and 2010s, which means that the guitar tones will have you scratching your head to remember what’s being reference and how it’s been changed, but that the snare drum takes up entirely too much sonic real estate. Tellingly, the best moments come when the production is dialed back and the melodies take over, as on a Ventures-does-Coltrane interpretation of “My Favorite Things.”

Bill Meyer

Will Laut — Will Laut (Wavetrap)

Producer Ivan Pavlov AKA COH has collaborated with John Balance and Cosey Fanni Tutti, and the sounds of Coil and Throbbing Gristle are clear influences on his new EP with singer William Laut. Shot through with the feeling of dancing towards doomsday, Laut’s haunted murmur wavers just on the right side of cynicism and sleaze as he sings of living through hate, looking for the redemption of love or at least an opportunity to forget even for a few moments. COH lays down a minimalist carpet of synths and drum machines that use TG’s  “United” and Daniel Miller’s “Warm Leatherette” as templates. Most effective are the slow burn sarcasm of “Cryptoman” and the weary tango of “Wine of Love.” These are songs Brecht and Weill might have written if they had access to cheap keyboards and a primitive drum machine. Noirish, knowing and smart, the four songs on Will Laut are a speakeasy floorshow for the modern world. Highly recommended and hoping to hear more from this duo.

Andrew Forell

Niels Lyhne Løkkegaard and Quatuor Bozzini — Colliding Bubbles: Surface Tension and Release (Important)

Niels Lyhne Løkkegaard is a composer based in Copenhagen. On his latest EP he joins forces with the premiere Canadian string quartet for new music, Quatuor Bozzini, to create a piece that deals with the perception of bubbles replicating the human experience. In addition to the harmonics played by the strings, the players are required to play harmonicas at the same time. At first blush, this might sound like a gimmick, but the conception of the piece as instability and friction emerging from continuous sound, like bubbles colliding in space and, concurrently, the often tense unpredictability of the human experience, makes these choices instead seem organic and well-considered. As the piece unfolds, the register of the pitch material makes a slow decline from the stratosphere to the ground floor with a simultaneous long decrescendo.  The quartet are masterful musicians, unfazed by the challenge of playing long bowings and long-breathed harmonica chords simultaneously. The resulting sound world is shimmering, liquescent, and, surprising in its occasional metaphoric bubbles popping.

Christian Carey

[headlinerportugal]

10 anos a festejar o futuro [Parte 2] - Mucho Flow 2023 | Reportagem Completa

Spencer Martin e Jack Martin dos Lunch Money Life, num dos melhores momentos, quiçá o mais incrível | mais fotos clicar aqui Acordei com as pernas ainda doridas da noite longa, mas nada que me fizesse recuar do dia longo que me estava a aguardar. Poderia pensar que naquele sábado a chuva daria algumas tréguas, mas não, na verdade sentia-se ainda mais as baixas temperaturas a recair sobre as ruas labirínticas do centro da cidade de Guimarães.

Este último dia começa mais cedo na blackbox do Centro Internacional das Artes José de Guimarães (CIAJG), único concerto naquela sala, a receber a prata da casa, Tormenta, projeto que junta dois dos mais notáveis músicos nacionais: o baterista Ricardo Martins e o guitarrista Filho da Mãe. Para cima do palco a dupla traz ainda Jibóia para adicionar uma camada extra de poderio musical.

Radie Peat dos Lankum, um dos bons destaques do último dia | mais fotos clicar aqui Se leram as nossas 6 sugestões para este Mucho Flow, saberiam que às 18:15h, a meio da Avenida Don Afonso Henriques, Lucinda Chua estaria a atuar no auditório do Teatro Jordão. A artista britânica trouxe o seu primeiro LP, ‘YIAN’, para o bonito palco. Para quem lê a frase anterior até pode parecer que a multi-instrumentista é uma novata nestas andanças, mas a verdade é que a artista tem acompanhando ao vivo a bem conhecida FKA Twigs dando-lhe muita experiência por esses palcos mundo fora. Alternando entre o subtil piano e misterioso como foi possível ouvir em “Echo” ou “An Avalanche”, passando para o seu instrumento de eleição, o violoncelo, como foi possível ouvir em “Until I Fall” ou “Meditations on a Place”, carregado de uma boa dose de reverb, deambulando por entre o experimental, soando por vezes um pouco mais caótico do que aquilo que poderia prever, mas sem deixar o seu peso certo de emoção e introspeção, acompanhado sempre pela sua voz incrivelmente afinada. Uma artista que com apenas um disco editado, irão decerto começar a ouvi-la mais vezes.

Este dia 4 de novembro foi na verdade o dia que mais nos cativou, sendo a que maior parte dos nomes que sugerimos na tal lista de concertos a não perder, pertenciam em grande maioria ao último dia do festival vimaranense. Uns atrás dos outros, foi a vez de Contour a entrar em palco, desta vez no piso térreo do Teatro Jordão onde permanecemos até depois das 23h.

Khari Lucas é conhecido artisticamente como Contour | mais fotos clicar aqui Sempre com o relógio bem marcado, os concertos iam começando à hora marcada não deixando espaço para qualquer atraso. Os ponteiros marcaram 20:15H, Khari Lucas aka Countour subiu ao palco, sozinho, começando a debitar os seus poemas cobertos por uma camada que caminhavam lado a lado entre o jazz e o R&B. Mostrou-se sempre muito sereno, atento, com um olhar bastante cativante e fixo para as centenas de pessoas que começaram a encher aquela cena coberta de cimento de cima a baixo, dificultando por vezes a acústica, mas sem nunca perder a magia sonora.

“Crowded Afternoon”, “At All” ou “Teach Prayer” foram algumas de que que o artista britânico nos presenteou, todas retiradas do seu mais recente disco editado o ano passado, ‘Onwards!’. Em “Teach Prayer” ainda houve espaço para um pequeno discurso de apoio ao povo palestino que neste momento é vítima de uma guerra aparentemente sem fim, ouvindo palavras de apoio mútuo deste lado, sendo um dos mais momentos emotivos que o festival teve - “Say a prayer for the young sailing away, sailing away”.

Contour em estreia no Mucho Flow e em Guimarães | mais fotos clicar aqui Sem nunca perder a compostura, muito sério, sem mostrar qualquer emoção facial e por muitos momentos cantando num único tom, foi perdendo aqui e ali o público que timidamente lhe retribuíam um caloroso afeto. Uma atuação solida, sem grandes espaços para deslumbres, mas trazendo momentos narrativos bem bonitos e melódicos apoiados no seu talento, perspetivando um bom futuro para Contour.

Tivemos uma pequena folga para voltar a carregar energias no nosso canto favorito da cidade de Guimarães, o Tio Júlio. Um copinho de vinho tinto foi o que me foi servido para aquecer o meu coração naquela noite fria e chuvosa. Na verdade, o que realmente veio aquecer foi a próxima atuação, uma atuação que ninguém estaria à espera, quer dizer, nós de certo modo já contávamos com a explosão sentida nas garagens do Teatro Jordão. Os responsáveis? Lunch Money Life.  

Lunch Money Life criaram um dos pontos altos do Mucho Flow em 2023 | mais fotos clicar aqui A banda formada por um conjunto de 5 elementos, transporta para cima do palco toda a pujança (e mais alguma) que um concerto deve realmente ter. Munidos por dois sets composto por circuitos elétricos interligados por dezenas de fios, com toda uma conjugação de efeitos, pedais e elementos que elevaram a sua atuação ao expoente.

Não são rock, nem são jazz, não são metal nem trap, ou se calhar são isto tudo e mais alguma coisa. Lunch Money Life entraram em palco e sabiam para onde queriam guiar a sala muito bem composta por volta das 21:15h. Com uma energia contagiante e uma dimensão musical a fazer jus a toda aquela expressão corporal diabólica, entregaram-nos um dos melhores e mais interessantes concertos, que na verdade já não víamos há algum tempo. Sempre com uma atitude punk, rebelde, cada elemento oferecia um pouco de si naquela performance musical como foi possível ver e ouvir em “Jimmy J Sunset”, “Mother” ou “New Herdsmen”.

Spencer Martin dos Lunch Money Life a felicitar o público | mais fotos clicar aqui Praticamente 90% da sua atuação foi um caos organizado carregado de adrenalina, quanto aos outros 10%? Foi dedicado à angelical “In Jesus Name”, que por entre todo aquela chuva pesada, veio a acalmar e trazer uma boa dose de fé com uma balada grandiosa contrastando bem com todo o resto do concerto. A banda despediu-se sob discos de vinil do seu mais recente disco, ‘The God Phone’, e t-shirts a sobrevoar as nossas cabeças largando uma das maiores demostrações de amor e carinho do publico que vimos nesta edição, com toda a gente em êxtase e ainda a tentar assimilar toda aquela loucura musical.

Antes da garagem fechar e todos aqueles corpos se movimentarem para outra paragem, vieram os Lankum, banda que estreou a música tradicional irlandesa no festival Mucho Flow. Um mundo completamente diferente e oposto de Lunch Money Life, no qual foi possível sentir na cara o vento e a maresia dos campos verdejantes irlandeses. Uma viagem ao passado, talvez mesmo chegando a tempos medievais, sentido aqui e ali uma rutura no tempo onde era possível ouvir uma leve dose de experimentalismo por entre toda aquela música tradicional celta.

Marcou muitos pontos o folk dos Lankum | mais fotos clicar aqui Todos os 5 elementos se apresentaram sentados com uma panóplia diversa de instrumentos como violino, gaita de fole, pífaro ou acordeão dando uma dimensão ritual a toda aquela experiência, acompanhado pelas vozes em uníssono parecendo por vezes que estávamos a presenciar um ritual qualquer. O Mucho Flow sempre se diferenciou dos demais por arriscar a trazer aquilo que vamos ouvir amanhã, criando tendências sem rótulos ou sem seguir qualquer referência, mas também se destaca por arriscar a trazer diversos musicais a um só ponto, e o concerto de Lankum são uma prova viva disso com o publico a corresponder da melhor maneira possível.

Parecia já se fazer tarde, o sol escuro está sobrevoava o céu há bastantes horas e o corpo começava a ressentir-se da agitada noite anterior, mas nada nos demovia do que ainda o festival nos tinha para oferecer, voltando à bonita sala do Centro Cultural Vila Flor (CCVF).

Fui para Abyss X, muita expectativa foi criada à volta da figura relevante no ecossistema feminista perante uma sala muito bem composta. A verdade é que pouco tivemos de presenciar para tal expectativa tivesse sido destruída devido a todo o seu ego que a artista demonstrou durante a atuação.

Muita pompa de Abyss X | mais fotos clicar aqui Sem qualquer empatia criada com o público e constantemente mostrando o seu desagrado com a equipa ora do som, ora da luz, foi quebrando muitas vezes momentos de dança que poderiam estar a entranhar-se pelos nossos corpos, deixando a sala a menos de metade já na parte final da sua atuação.

O melhor veio com Aïsha Devi. Após reconquistar o público que se tinha perdido anteriormente, a artista soltou a pista de dança que começou a aquecer os ouvidos e corpos das centenas pessoas que ainda tinham uma noite toda pela frente.

Aïsha Devi a dar-se a conhecer em Portugal | mais fotos clicar aqui Continuei o percurso musical até ao São Mamede para o incrível Evian Christ. O artista explodiu com qualquer expectativa que alguém tivesse criado. Claramente ganhou o prémio de melhor jogo de luzes, muita culpa pela instalação que levou para cima do palco formada por material translucido que se deixava atravessar por diversas luzes refletindo para toda a sala um tsunami de cor.

O Mucho Flow acabou assim de compor mais uma bela melodia de histórias, que fazem deste festival ímpar no panorama musical português, trazendo ate à Cidade-Berço gente não só de todo o país mas também um pouco por todo o mundo, carimbando cada vez mais a sua importância em criar tendências musicais ditando aquilo que ouviremos num futuro muito próximo.

Reportagem fotográfica completa - dia 1: Clicar Aqui Reportagem fotográfica completa - dia 2: Clicar Aqui Reportagem fotográfica completa - dia 3: Clicar Aqui

O olhar sempre muito introspetivo e curioso do público | mais fotos clicar aqui

Texto: Luís Silva Fotografia: Jorge Nicolau

[raddlounge]

emma dj wearing RAMP TRAMP TRAMP STAMP.

online store

＊ ALL INTERNATIONAL ORDERS CAN BE PURCHASED VIA PAYPAL.

[radiophd]

emma dj -- lay2g

[tooblindtizzy]

new favourite hobby: redrawing album covers with total drama characters (og covers under the cut)

(also chuck me some requests for some more td album redraws these are fun!!)

[criminalcinnamon]

Been messing around on TDI comic studio recently

It's so fun.

[n0ah-oll1e]

Been a big MULTISHIPPER and a big TDI fan so here’s some some TDI art and a ship animation

[enteringdullsville]

‘24 was alright, but it’s definitely the Action to ‘23’s Island; stuck having to continue a tough act to follow.

I know I’m skipping Pahkitew Island (and to a lesser extent World Tour) to get to this, but I have a lot of ideas for what I want (but don’t at all expect) for a third season.

First the elephants in the room, the newbies. Assuming season three is full length, 18 contestants is seems like a good cast size. Nick, labeled “The Know-It-All”, is like an unholy cross between Sierra and Dave: He’s seen every episode of this show fifteen times…and he’s already regretting attending. He’s actually an online critic who made the vital mistake of pissing off Chris in front of millions of his (Nick’s) viewers, prompting Chris to personally reach out to invite him onto the show. The fact Nick’s an in-universe character means he’s a lot more fair to the contestants than most fans and critics would be, but he’s still incredibly caustic to everyone with a pulse (and also Scary Girl). Felicity, labeled “The Gamer Junky” combines Sam’s interests and Lindsay’s demeanor…which I guess is just Kitty. More or less the pain magnet for the first half of the season (Damien takes over partway through), Felicity’s a moderately famous streamer with a rapier wit and is almost as athletic and coordinated as Tyler. She’s more straightforwardly a fan of the show, that’s why Chris picked her, but given that her team is a ticking time bomb, she’s gonna hafta work fast.

The teams consist of the Hiding Snakes (Nick, Damien, Julia, MK, Wayne, Raj, Priya, Millie, and Caleb) and the Feral Kittens (Felicity, Nichelle, Bowie, Emma, Zee, Chase, Ripper, Axel, and Lauren).

Episode 1. The cast is dragged kicking and screaming back to wherever the season takes place. Wawanakwa again? The abandoned movie lot? Boney Island? Who knows, but they don’t have to worry about it, since the challenge is solely for the new duo to pick their teams by collecting golden statuettes of the cast. Maybe it is an Action Sequel.

Episode 2. Nick and Felicity both have their work cut out for them. In one corner is Nick, who has to put up with Julia/MK vs Priya and also everyone on his team not named Wayne. On the other corner is Felicity, who has the misfortune of being caught up in a popularity contest: now that Ripper and Axel are dating, Chase feels he and Zee have been left in the dust (Zee has no clue what’s happening), leaving Chase and Axel to bicker endlessly throughout the challenge. Meanwhile, Emma’s finally taking her opportunity to patch things up with Bowie, who himself is more preoccupied with Scary Girl, who’s taking her loss last season about as well as Courtney did in Island. The absurdity of Ripper being forced to play the voice of reason is not lost on him, but it doesn’t save him from elimination by Felicity, Nichelle, Emma, and Bowie to make the arguing stop. I didn’t want to eliminate him so soon, but he made it halfway through two seasons, so it had to be done.

Episode 3. So it turns out sending the one guy keeping Axel in check and Chase from accidentally killing everything packing was not Felicity’s best idea. Feli and Niche bond over poor game decisions (and the fact the latter’s career is starting to pick back up helps too), while Emma and Bowie are now on speaking terms again. Speaking of which, Emma tries to sic Lauren on Chase (he’s voted her off twice now), giving a recap of all the reckless and insane stuff he’s done. Gotta get rid of your distractions while you can. Unfortunately for Ms. People Person, Lauren was nicknamed “Reckless and Insane Girl” before signing up and the two surprisingly hit it off. MEANWHILE BACK AT THE LAB Nick picks up where Bowie left off and commandeers Julia and MK’s cheating skills for the team, much to Priya’s chagrin. Caleb grows worried about Priya’s mental state, but Millie, determined not to screw herself over again, goes with everything she says without question. In the end, Zee goes home, still hopelessly confused about why everyone’s fighting, but at least avoiding any major social gaffes. It’s a good thing he and Ripper merged twice, otherwise I’d really feel like scum.

Episode 4. This one’s a breather, but we don’t have to tell them that. Nick for the first time is divided over his role as a contestant and as a critic. As a contestant, he knows it’s best to keep Julia, Priya, Wayne, and Caleb as close to him as possible (and pats himself on the back for acing the team picking challenge), but as a critic he doesn’t particularly want to keep them around, especially Julia and Priya who pulled a Gweathuncanoey and have stuck around for two seasons in their entirety. He also kinda wants MK and Julia to become an item. On the flip side, since Emma introduced Chase to his demented new bestie, he’s gotten even more crazy himself and spends the entire challenge locked in a dare contest with Nichelle. Emma and Bowie watch on in amusement to take the latter’s mind off of being separated from Raj, while Axel reminisces about simpler times when she was an early boot. Caleb and Millie continue their power quartet with Damien (who has taken it upon himself to start lugging a first aid kit every he goes) and Priya, whose fuse grows shorter than Eva’s.

Episode 5. Caleb should probably know better than to make deals behind Priya’s back by this point, but it’s her own fault for sharing the Bow’s taste in men. Since the final four of the previous season (and also Damien) are all on the same team, Lauren makes her first strategistical move now that she knows the group’s biggest fears. MK proves to be a tougher nut to crack, however, building on the two’s interactions in the 24 finale. Axel and Chase have entered “Cold War” territory and are both trying to gather allies. Emma and Bowie are a given (although the latter can’t promise anything), and Chase has Scary, but Felicity and Nichelle are anyone’s game. Not that it really matters though, since that deal I mentioned was for The Boys (TM) to vote Caleb out, since he doesn’t want to hold Priya back anymore. Priya is crushed, Julia is laughing hysterically, and Damien’s salty that nobody voted him off when he was literally asking for it. I didn’t want to give him the Gwen/Ezekiel treatment where he’s the lowest member of two teams, especially since it means he’s 16th again, but here we are. Curse my impartiality!

Episode 6. Knowing Priya’s going to stick around as long as she has allies, Julia and MK start gunning for Millie, hoping she slips up eventually. Nick, however, secretly chooses to plot against the duo, even though MK is his favorite character from this season, because honestly, who would you pick as an ally? Meanwhile, the Kitty Kold War’s come to a boiling point with Nichelle and Felicity’s votes up for grabs. Bowie’s been on Team Axel, but after suffering a migraine all day decides to join the two wildcards. In the end however, Wayne genuinely asks Axel and Chase why they’re even arguing to begin with. Realizing that Ripper’s already gone by this point, they decide to cooperate this one time…a decision that sends poor Wayne right to the losers’ circle. I wanted to see how long I could keep the Hockey Bros around before I had to eliminate the one who lasted longer last season. At least he still has his sick awesome two buses.

Episode 7. Did somebody say “reward challenge”? With the teams even for the first time since the second episode, the two have to wrangle up old contestants scattered across the lot (I decided this will be the Action reboot), and appropriately it’s the three most frustrating contestants to track down: Shawn for the Kittens (much to zombie slayer Axel’s delight), Dawn for the Snakes (much to tiny Tsundere MK’s horror), and for a bonus, Ezekiel (who Chris has “procrastinated a bit” on retrieving). This one’s more or less an excuse for character growth, so that’s why I’m describing the challenge in a little more detail. Anywho, Dawn, Shawn, and the one whose name doesn’t rhyme are all caught, the Kittens winning. And MK’s secrets are totally safe and not revealed to the public at all. In other news, Dawn and Shawn both want off the lot immediately after finding out Scary Girl’s still on it.

Episode 8. (Sotto Voce) I’m gonna have to eliminate a girl sooner or later. Anywho, the Cold War arc has finally cooled down since even Axel can’t stay mad forever and Chase is too narcissistic to hold a grudge. With the merge coming up, Felicity requests Nichelle train her since her leadership skills can only get her so far at this point. Priya and Millie are taking the opportunity to relax since Julia and MK are still awkward about the secret crush I totally lied about earlier. Maybe they’ll get together, maybe they won’t…but Nick ensures they totally do, if only because he refuses to let his OTP sink…at least not before he takes the opportunity to eliminate MK, who’s both a bigger social threat and less of a physical aid at the moment. I think she’s made it far enough for me not to have to explain her elimination in detail.

Episode 9. With Julia out of allies, she’s gotta either guarantee her team wins, bribe Chris into throwing in another immunity idol, or make one of her teammates look less desirable than her. In unrelated news, Raj is still missing Wayne after I cruelly tore the two apart. Axel’s now in on Nichelle and Felicity’s alliance, meaning Emma and Bowie have to get in their good books before Scary Girl (she’s still plenty mad at him) does what Fang does best. Try as the noble Priyanka and Millicent may, Julia manages to play up Raj’s misery to get Nick and Damien (in a moment of weakness) to vote him off. For whom Raj himself voted, I didn’t think too hard about, but the Snakes are sucking for a team with four different finalists on it. Oh, and Bowie is pissed. TOTAL DRAMA BOMB!

Episode 10. In the final pre merge episode, not much occurs. That dang moon from All-Stars is making Lauren act strange, even by her own standards, and not in a productive way. Bowie throws caution into the wind and goes all out in trying to make sure Julia goes home (don’t have to tell them twice), making Emma realize how tiring it is to have to play damage control to someone else’s revenge schemes. Nichelle takes charge, refusing to get eliminated before the merge again, while Chase gets everything on film. By this point, Millie’s competent enough to single-handedly win this for her team, and also by this point, Scary’s freaked enough people to get voted out. Of course, this isn’t the last we’ll see of her…because she ran off before Chef could apprehend her.

We now interrupt this program to bring you this picture of Team Victory I drew for a follow up to my iconic TDWT/Jellystone animatic. I wasn’t feeling like making a whole video, but I kept the boarded first shot anyway.

Episode 11. Chris has dissolved the teams for one purpose: catch Scary Girl before she tries to reenact the events of Scarlett Fever. To make a long freaking story short, they apprehend her…and Chris decides to go the Dakota route and give her a promotion…to tertiary third host…meaning she has the means to cause even more mayhem. And no, Chase, that doesn’t mean you get to submit challenge ideas.

Episode 12. It’s Scary’s first day on the new job, but Chris insists she “sTaRt SmAlL”. The girls’ alliance approaches Nick, partially to build their numbers but also because Felicity feels it’s only fair she at least tries to build a friendship with the other rookie player. He agrees, but only if he can bring Damien (his best friend on the island and his second favorite character). Bowie and Emma take their chance to get rid of two birds with one stone, since Priya and Julia now have nothing stopping them from maiming each other. And maim, maim, maim they do, since (as you could probably guess by how I highlighted their names), they both get sent packing! Did I deliberately hold off on voting them out solely so they’d reach the merge a third time? Yes. Did I do this because having them be proper enemies instead of rivals like in 23 was entertaining? Yes. Did I also do this to piss off the people complaining they (read: mostly Priya) had too much screen time? YES! Do I love making this fan base cry? You tell me.

Episode 13. Against his alliance’s better judgment, Nick tries to edge Bowie back into active villainy, realizing too late he’s prioritized competent gameplay over plot by getting rid of the main conflict. Unbeknownst to him, Millie has her sights on him, correctly viewing his alleged alliance as suspicious, not to mention him turning against MK a few episodes back. Damien suffers from a terrible disease called “having Scary Girl in your general vicinity”, and to add figurative insult to literal injury has to deal with Chase trying to befriend him at her request. Luckily for everyone, it’s a reward challenge for the final eight.

Episode 14. Nick may have awakened a monster. Trying to stir up drama again, he decides it’s a great idea to set Lauren on Emma, claiming A: that it’s the best way to get his attention, and B: that only she gets to cause him harm. Feeling genuine emotions of protection for the first time in her life, she does all she can to make Emma suffer (even though the latter genuinely doesn’t care what Chase does at this point and is willing to be polite if he doesn’t pull anything). Millie and Bowie put aside their differences to stake out Nick, but of course Bowie has other plans. The girls’ alliance continues to serve and oh would you look at that, Emma’s gone because she’s canonically rich anyway and Scary’s not gonna let up while she’s still on the island. I could’ve made her elimination not Chase related. But I didn’t. Emma deserves better, but this is Total Drama, where we don’t even remotely give a crap.

Episode 15. Bowie’s out of allies and Scary’s still after him, so now he really needs to keep Millie close, and what better way is there than to break up an alliance? Nick’s more than a little suspicious about Millie’s sudden investment about everything he does, prompting Bowie to claim she’s in love with him and can’t communicate it. Nick is doubtful, but the idea behind planted in his mind causes him to catch feelings. Damien, being Nick’s confidant and feeling guilty about how he indirectly screwed Priya and Caleb (and also Zee) last season concerning their romance arc, tries to steer him away from her. Axel and Scary bond a little when they trick out the Sling of Shame, and by that I of course mean they accidentally break it in half. Chris already sold the Drone of Despair, so let’s call this one a draw.

Episode 16. Bowie, now fully back in the groove of things, tries to drive a wedge between Nick and the rest of his alliance, while Nick has some delicious angst over what he should do about his budding feelings, knowing full well that Bowie’s lying to him but failing to realize Millie wants him gone. Felicity pops up for the first time in a while, which in Island would mean she’s going home next (let’s imagine she won immunity last episode) but here means the girls’ alliance goes through its first rough patch when Axel, who’s long since taken over as leader, tests Felicity’s resolve. Unfortunately for Axel, Millie, Bowie, Damien, and Nick view her signature brand of tough love out of context and drop her like Ripper’s parents dropped him.

Episode 17. Ten episodes left and a lucky number seven contestants remain. Chris tells the kids (or are they 18 by now?) upfront that today’s a reward challenge, the prize being a FaceTime with the eliminated contestants. Millie, still wanting answers, and Bowie, wanting to see Raj again, immediately dissolve their alliance. Everyone tries (except Chase, who had a phone the entire time and got to keep it three seasons in a row by not being as obvious as Julia was), but Millie comes out on top, ultimately learning about Nick’s alliance…and his crush. She has the decency to let Raj and Wayne say hi to Bowie. Chase learns something, too…

Episode 18. Nick decides Bowie’s more trouble than he’s worth, but rather than just telling everyone to vote him off (which he predictably finds overused), he decides to play a game of “show, but don’t tell”. So using that as the episode title. He immediately decides to play this on hard mode with the two remaining contestants who have the least amount of beef with him: the fangirl Felicity and the airheaded Chase. Surprisingly, this actually works and Bowie gets sent home, Nick realizing he doesn’t have to rely on others to make drama for him. Millie sees what he’s doing but is confused about his slightly convoluted methods, not helped by Nick’s complete and utter failure to explain himself, by this point completely smitten. Damien notices that Nick’s popularity is fading and decides to lie low for a bit rather than betray him or risk being associated with him.

Episode 19. Reward challenge time? With only Millie, Felicity, Nichelle, Chase, Damien, and himself left, Nick seriously considers playing the main villain. Chase is the odd man out, lacking any sort of alliance and still having sort of a target on his back, but he doesn’t seem too concerned. Millie struggles to approach Nick without breaking his heart, since while he isn’t really her ally, he hasn’t really done much to wrong her. After all, he’s a better partner than opponent.

Episode 20. Every villain has their nemesis, and Nick was not expecting it to be Chase of all people, but Chase outs him before Millie can. Damien sticks by Nick (in silence of course, because he’s still friends with Nichelle and to a lesser extent Felicity), but Millie’s conflicted. Nonetheless, Nichelle and Felicity start gunning for him, breaking up the alliance, and they would’ve gotten away with it too, if Chris didn’t remember sudden death challenges exist. Millie has the misfortune of finishing last and is sent home, but not before she decides to just ask him out, figuring she doesn’t have anything to lose at this point.

Episode 21. Notice a pattern? It’s another reward challenge! Scary Girl’s been in a rut lately, and the challenges have grown dull, so Chris has brought in many of TD’s most terrifying beasts, mutants included back on to spice things up a bit. Even the Dakotazoid returns, half the size she was before but now sporting wings for some reason. I guess mutations evolve. Chase chooses now to start caring about other people, but because it’s Chase it’s doomed to backfire horribly, given that it gives Lauren a wonderfully wicked idea…

Episode 22. …that involves locking people in closets. Specifically Chris and Chef. Scary Girl’s the host today and she’s back and more terrifying than ever. Nick, Nichelle, Felicity, and Chase put aside their differences (not that Felicity ever had issues with any of them) when the challenge becomes “Stop Lauren”. Aaaand now I realize Scarlett Fever was probably recycled from the scrapped episode where Dakota hosted the show after locking Chris and Chef in a closet herself. Anywho, Chase is fired on the spot for starting this whole mess…right before Scary kisses him, resigns, hops on the sling with him, declaring him her “boyfriend for eternity”. Chase has only half a second to process what the freshwater frick just happened before getting flung away.

Episode 23. Can you tell I’m getting tired? Only four remain, split between two alliances who used to be part of a greater one. Nick assures the others it’s nothing personal before things can start. Things happen, hijinks ensue, interns are mauled, but it’s ultimately Nichelle who crosses the finish line last. Better 4th than 12th or 14th. On that note, now we all know Felicity’s gonna be a finalist.

Episode 24. Nick and Damien part ways somewhat amicably, Nick knowing it was bound to happen eventually.

Episode 25. One final breather episode: this one’s just a big pre finale party! Really, the only thing the contestants need to worry about are Chase diving into the cake, Wayne and Raj freezing the pool, and Julia and MK doing their darnedest to bring the mood down.

Episode 26. A simple, no frills finale…is what I’d say if Chris hadn’t brought back every finalist the show has had (including Ezekiel, ostensibly because he got the TDWT prize money, but mostly to squeeze some mayhem in before Zeke’s first therapy meeting), in particular Priya, Bowie, Millie, Wayne, Julia, and Caleb. Damien vs Felicity vs Nick, battle of the nerds! Three go in…one comes out.

[chrismcleaneatspants]

i've done a bunch of these minor design tweaks over the past year (or canon did in leonard's case) so i figured i should make a full comparison sheet for them all

[fanboy-feminist]

Emma Goldman: If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution.

Ms. Biljana Electronica: So true!!!

[dustedmagazine]

Various Artists — Kuboraum Digital Sound Residency (Kuboraum)

LABOUR, photo by Evelyn Bencicova

Kuboraum Digital Sound Residency brings together 12 tracks commissioned by the Berlin based spectacle makers Kuboraum who create “masks” for the eyes. They also host musical events by a broad range of electronic and underground artists who share their aesthetic and inclusive philosophy. Kuboraum’s brief to the artists was open ended and what emerges is a snapshot of the music of Berlin’s underground.

Some names are familiar. Space Afrika contributes a typically twilit interlude of sampled vocals swathed in dusty ambience and µ-Ziq a frenetic yet melodic piece of drum’n’bass. “Let Love Decide” from Sandwell District co-founder Regis recalls the halcyon days of clubs like Ego and Tresor when local DJ’s began to incorporate slower bpm’s, live vocals, and post-punk structures into their tracks. Cellist Lucy Railton’s “Medieval Sui” plays a baroque string quartet through a haze of electronic effects, switching moods from the sublime to the haunted.

Still the lesser knowns make this compilation worth hearing. Moin are the London based duo Joe Andrews and Tom Halstead AKA Raime and Italian born percussionist/composer Valentina Magaletti. Their track “Lapsed” creeps along on a two-note guitar figure elaborated over a steady drumbeat and samples of laughter and polyglot mumbling. Magaletti then teams up with Japanese producer Zongamin as V/Z for “All the Rest of It” to explore rhythmic textures that flicker in redlit death jazz shadows. “Mass and Mess, Dispersion of Subjectivity” by LABOUR, Berlin based Iranian soundscapist Farahnaz Hatam and American percussionist Colin Hacklander, splits the difference between Clock DVA and Einstürzende Neubauten (such as they are) into an industrial drum circle with what maybe whale song or distorted factory sirens blaring in the background. On “Impressioni Dinamiche” Italian producer Alessandro Adriani disrupts glacial synths with a basic rock drum sample that counterintuitively emphasizes the dynamics of the keyboards. MC Yallah teams up with Debmaster on the stirring “Nzimba Zinyota,” rapping in languages from Kenya and Uganda over grime beats and eight-bit squiggles.

Although not everything here works, tracks from Emma dj, Quelza and Ziúr feel either slight or overstuffed and the sequencing can be jarring, there’s enough in this anthology to encourage you to dig deeper into the work of the contributors.

Andrew Forell

[the-total-drama-world]

is it just me or.....

and

i really don't understand the Nave (NoahxDave) ship but...

how the fuck did this gay Twink score so many bitches?

i still love you regardless of you twinkness Noah

drink water

eat food

dont die

[raddlounge]

emma dj in RADD LOUNGE

[you-belong-among-wildflowers]

"Our time has ended. I look at you and feel nothing but the lingering questions of how did I ever want you?

[fraudulent-cheese]

Oooh Gen 1 then (for gender and sexuality headcanons)

- 🦴

OohohohohoOHOHOHO OH BOYYY

Ok i'll go in elimination order again!

Ezekiel: Hmmm... I'd say he's cishet but i have seen neat art of transmasc zeke soo idk!

Noah: cis bisexual, but transmasc HC is neat

Justin: cis bisexual ace, but intersex Justin's really good too (edit: nevermind im adopting the intersex HC now)

Katie: intersex fem lesbian

Tyler: cis bisexual with a heavy preference for women (Alejandro was his awakening because funny)

Cody: cis bi who realised it because he was crushing on both Trent and Gwen

Beth: you know what enby Beth's winning me over! pan too

Sadie: cis bisexual

Courtney: cis lesbian who was in denial about it for a longgg long time

Harold: transfem lesbian ace

Eva: cis graybisexual

Trent: non binary aromantic pansexual

Bridgette: cis bisexual (and polyam!)

Lindsay: i like her being aroace but bi is good too. also transfem!

DJ: cis aroace? or at least arospec.

Izzy: genderqueer (she/they/it, presentation fluctuates) aroace, who's not particularly invested in romantic relationship but will roll with it if she likes the person enough

Geoff: transmasc pan (and polyam!)

Leshawna: cis lesbian

Duncan: cis bisexual who's very deep in the closet

Heather: oh boy... she really struggled with her identity growing up so she'd most likely keep it unlabeled entirely since nothing really fit (and she isn't chronically online like sierra or zoey), but personally i see her as being somewhere on the girl spectrum, and a demiromantic asexual lesbian.

Gwen: Honestly the trans HCs all rule and so do the aromantic headcanons, but my personal ones are enby + bisexual ace

Owen: cis bisexual, like he's so bisexual it's crazyyy

Sierra: cis, and i tend to ping pong between aroace and just lesbian ace? or aro lesbian. POINT IS, on the ace and/or aro spectrums and she likes girls

Alejandro: OH BOY 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO Like Gwen i like all the trans HCs, there's no way this guy is cis and if he seems like it in any of the content i make it's because he hasn't had the gender crisis yet, or he's transmasc. Generally i default to enby though, like the kind that really doesn't give a fuck about their gender. As for orientation, like Heather he wouldn't care much to label it but i tend to think of him as demiromantic ace who likes guys.

And you know what? i'll include a couple RR characters too!

Emma: cis lesbian

Kitty: cis aroace (i WILL not budge on this one)

Brody: cis bisexual (and polyam!)