#feels like a quarter of my life atp is spent on

[discoidal]

if i didnt have to ride the bus for 4-6 hours a week where else would i get the chance to listen to beautiful music uninterrupted with a beautiful and ever-changing view <- the silver lining finder

[vapormaison]

Best of 2019 Vaporwave Release 2/4: Hypnagogia by Dan Mason

When I go to vaporwave and future funk shows throughout Asia, I run into many truly serious vinyl collectors and hardcore audiophiles who I respect immensely. They have been, in many respects, my introduction to and informal educators in the hi-fi world. This is not to throw shade at my Western vapor-vinyl friends, but I’ve always felt that there is a natural predisposition — perhaps imbued by traditions of archival curation and letters spanning five millennia — for Asian collectors to have the most discerning taste, and when it comes to audiophilia, the most exacting specifications.

I don’t know any fellas or fems in Hong Kong, Yokohoma, or Seoul with a substantial vinyl collection who rock a set of expensive, vintage B&Os handed down by their father, but are spinning the records on a Crossley suitcase turntable or an ATP-LX60. There’s a sincere reverence for the physical media there would naturally disincline a hobbyist from actively damaging their own material — a form of wax homicide that is all too common with my pals in Brooklyn. I’m able to put in context, however, whenever one of my countrymen mentions the cost of seeing a doctor, of course. Just staying alive is an expensive enough proposition — which explains why hi-fi enjoyment tends to skew boomer in America. Everyone else has a sword of Damocles hanging above their head.

That all said, when a particular artist is held in reverence by those Asia-oriented pals of mine, I take note and listen. Recently, when I stopped off in my usual haunts in Kanagawa early on this year, there was a name that was on all of their lips: Dan Mason. More specifically, his recent work, Hypnagogia. Admittedly, it was a release that had evaded me at first, corresponding with the peak of the IELTS testing season. And unfortunately, while I was jet-setting from university advisement here to consultancy there, the vinyl drop completely fell out of my grasp.

I spent a few weeks on discogs, but to no avail. Not even the scalpers were selling them anymore. It was this that first clued me into the idea that I might have been absent for something legendary. So shortly before I left Japan, I was able to meet a friend of a friend who was in possession of the record. It required a train ride all the way out to Osaka (in context: it’s not all that bad, Honshu’s roughly the size of Cali) to get a listen to this record.

That day, I was treated to one of the warmest, most enjoyable listening experiences of my life. The woman who welcomed us into her traditionally designed home was truly an audiophile extradonarii. As we crossed a sliding doorway into her listening room, I was met with a pair of beautiful Yamaha NS-6HX speakers in rosewood cases flanking a tower of clean, shining, silver-faced Technics separates —the SE-C01, SU-C01, and the S91 power supply. Perfectly understated, mini — but also powerful — especially for a cozy place like hers. Added for good measure was the M02 tape deck and above those was a classic 1200 turntable. It was a family of DJs, I later learned— and her nine year old daughter had recently taking up spinning on their set upstairs!

As the album begun, I closed my eyes and let the almost overwhelming brightness from the technics/yamaha combo wash over me. And after a few seconds, I got past the uniqueness of the set and had my Eureka moment — I was listening to one of the best albums in the genre that I had ever heard. Not just an iconic album for 2019 — but for the genre as a whole. Here are my thoughts on it here:

Part 1: The Music

Insomnia begins in a very iconic Dan-Masonish style. It was exactly what I expected, in a way, and almost comforting. As the track rises like a loaf of artisan bread through its first minute we’re treated with a procession of synth, chimes, a muted drum kit and powerfully distorted, bass-heavy vocals that manage to both lull and unsettle in equal measures.

Melatonin High definitely hits on an unconscious neural pathway related to my own history with hallucinogenic experimentation. The array of synths, skewed vocals, and soft percussion hits feels very apropos for both the title and its position on the LP. Atmospheric tracks like this always just vibe better early, in my view.

Shade feels the most “poppy” of the album, with a clean but entrancing chord arrangement, prominent vocal track, jungle drum loops and the sparingly used but extremely heavy and robust synth chimes. In a rare moment, I found myself enjoying the vocal-less denouement in the last quarter of the track just as much as the rest of the piece.

Fade exists sonically like a relic of dreams of vapor past — like a throwback to Mason’s earlier, much more distinctly “early vaporwave” sound profile. This is not to say that it doesn’t innovate in its own way, with clever vocal layers and an impressive synth array, but it echoes towards an aura that is more like a return to form, or perhaps more artistically realized — a fade away to a flashback. For these reasons, it’s my favorite on the LP and speaks to thematic thrust of the album in what I think is its strongest sonic affirmation.

Go Away is a robust vapor-hop, future-oriented throwback, speaking first to a very distinct “Bridge war” New York flow roughly concurrent to the rap sound I personally grew up with in Queens, NY. But the genius present here is that it takes this very distinctly late 80s/onset of the 90s East Coast flow and merges it with lyrics that feel distinctly at home in a mid-millennial rapper’s sound-cloud. We’re treated to desires of Robatussin lean (not available until the mid 90s in NYC because of some big pharma legal war I was only peripherally aware of) effortlessly weaved in with moments of millennial malaise. This track should sufficiently hit home with that particular crowd born in that ’88-’93 set.

Visions features an arresting synth array that carries you down the contact high of Go Away brilliantly. The vocals here tend to swing towards the sort of low-end distorted profile of Tyler the Creator’s “therapist” character in Goblin — with was made an ever-more prominent association by virtue of the quasi-existential and psychological overtones that developed in the piece lyrically.

Stop Me manifests itself initially as a sort of clever synth-wave throwback, and then slows its chord progression to a screeching halt fleshing it out more fully as a “true” vapor piece — aided by a perfectly arranged vocal track that comes out as W-I-D-E on a good stereo set. This is definitely the type of track whose mastering for vinyl can either be used as a master class on mix & master or a cautionary tale. Thankfully, it’s certainly the former!

Good Night starts with an echo of ghosts of lo-fi’s past, with compressed percussion hits, and tinny snares, but we are treated soon after with a remarkably hypnotic trail of synths that absolutely dance at the high end, sending the Yamaha’s tweeters into overdrive. it’s also one of those tracks that, by virtue of brilliant progression and arrangement, feels much shorter than its run-time — a key feature for any good penultimate LP track.

Hopefully Forever is a remarkable track to end the album on. To take the listener from the ���chill” vibes of Good Night and then hit them with the Ryuchi Sakamoto-esque electronic array (Am I detecting a possible ‘Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence’ inspiration?) and raspy, almost -screamo lyrics imbued with frustration, dread, and longing is a dichotomy worthy of an article all its own. It’s certainly not my particular favorite sound profile, but even I can recognize it for what it truly is: stupendous.

Part 2: The Vinyl Listening Experience

As stated previously, I’m a pretty firm believer in the “audiophile” bones of Hypnagogia, and obviously many audiophiles have literally and figuratively bought in as well. What impressed me about the mix in my limited listening context is that it somewhat antithetical to the tastes of many local audiophiles there, and the general sound profile of Japanese stereos and speaker systems. Technics especially seems to me to take great effort to widen and max-out the low end of the spectrum — which in principle, would work on something like a french house record, but with something like Hypnagogia requires a bit more precision, in my view. The Yamahas did a bit to neutralize this tendency, I think — and my particular listen retained much of the dynamic range that I’ve appreciated in previous releases by Dan.

Nevertheless, I found myself progressively disarmed by the quality of the mix & mastering work. A vinyl experience this clean — and not to overuse this word — but precise in its appreciation and maximization of dynamic range deserves makes this LP deserve serious consideration whenever it comes up on discogs retailing for $300 or something insane like that.

On the physical quality — I have to say I was not expecting a wax release this nice from Business Casual. Perhaps this is my natural bias, but I’ve always associated them as a high-end cassette label. Masters of that craft, no doubt. But I think this excellent press and physical product (along with sales, I imagine!) sends a pretty clear message to the folks at Business Casual that they should be getting into the vinyl game as aggressively as they do cassettes.

[robewarriorsusa]

A Mission of Millions: May is Play Tennis Month

WATCH: TennisExtra on Play Tennis Month

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Jackie Guyton was feeling adrift. The Nebraska native had recently moved from Hendersonville, NC, to Shawnee, KS, due to her husband’s job change. A former hair stylist, Guyton was now a stay-at-home mom with two young daughters in school all day.

The girls, Morgan and Allison, had taken inexpensive tennis lessons in North Carolina, and Jackie was anxious for them to continue the routine in their new hometown.

Jackie had never touched a racquet, though she did play volleyball in college. She signed her daughters up for lessons at the Genesis Health Clubs in Overland Park, KS, watching from courtside but never considering joining in.

“I just assumed that you had to have played for a long time to play as an adult,” says Jackie, now 36. “I didn’t even know how to keep score. I just thought, ‘I’m too old to learn.’ I guess I was just intimidated.”

But with some prodding from Thiago Santos, one of the 63 pros within Genesis’ 10-club Midwest operations, Jackie finally gave in, first submitting to a free assessment, which she showed up for in work-out clothes and running shoes.

“I was hooked instantly,” she says. “Maybe because of volleyball, I was coordinated enough. I felt I could improve and get better rapidly.”

Before long, Jackie was playing in league matches with other women at the club, making new friends—some of them more than double her age—and spending more than half her day in tennis clothes. Tennis parties have been planned; there’s even talk of a book club.

“I have definitely become a tennis weirdo,” says Jackie, who often plays twice a day, sometimes a match followed by Cardio Tennis or a volleying game. “I even appreciate my kids and their tennis more. I understand how hard it is for them to make a call or hit that backhand down the line.”

May is Play Tennis Month, a new national initiative designed not only to highlight current players but, more importantly, to bring newcomers to the sport. A key component this year is to emphasize tennis’ physical fitness aspect.

“Play Tennis Month is all about exposure to the game,” says Greg Mason, president of Head USA Racquet Sports and a big supporter of the program. “For tennis to grow we have to share the game we love with all those not playing today.

“I saw a stat that says we have upwards of 10 million people that are interested in playing but haven’t yet. This gives them the chance to come into a facility and be welcomed with open arms, and find out what they’ve been missing.”

Play Tennis Month is largely the brainchild of Jolyn de Boer, executive director of the Tennis Industry Association (TIA), a not-for-profit tennis trade association that provides research reports and game-growing programs that help increase the economic vitality of the sport. For Play Tennis Month, the TIA is working with the entire industry, from club owners to teaching pros to manufacturers, to emphasize not only tennis’ health benefits but also its social elements. Included in that group are the United States Tennis Association, the Professional Tennis Registry, the U.S. Professional Tennis Association, Tennis Channel and PHIT America, the group’s designated charity.

At least 1,500 tennis facilities across the United States are expected to participate in Play Tennis Month. The goal for the month of May is for Americans to burn a combined 10 million calories through on-court activities.

This is no longer about hitting the perfect backhand,” says de Boer. “Millennials, our largest generation with 80 million people, are samplers. They want fun, social settings and to try a lot of things without structure. And they like fitness activities, like Cardio Tennis, which was No. 1 in year-over-year growth.

“Tennis happens to be the No. 1 sport for a long and healthy life. We want to get people, and then keep them playing.”

According to the 2018 Physical Activity Council Participation Report on sports and activities in the U.S., some 82.4 million Americans, or 28 percent of the population, are inactive, a three percent increase over the last five years. Of particular concern is that inactivity rates among low-income households are nearing historic levels. Forty-two percent of households with an annual income of less than $25,000 are now reporting to be sedentary, marking the sixth consecutive year that this demographic group has experienced an increase in inactivity.

“A lot of this program is about the physical health of our kids,” says former TIA executive director Jim Baugh, who founded the not-for-profit PHIT America, which aims to raise money to help school-aged children become more active.

According to Baugh, out of 50 countries, children in the U.S. ranked 47th in terms of fitness. Fewer than a quarter of U.S. children ages 6 to 17 report being physically active more than three days a week. Those numbers have declined as high schools continue to cut physical education classes.

PHIT America’s GO! Grants are designed to help fund exercise programs and youth team sports in elementary schools, all in an effort to erase the “inactivity pandemic,” as Baugh calls it. Much of the money funding these grants will be raised in the month of May.

The goal of Play Tennis Month is to put low-cost, and even free, tennis programs in front of the public. Tennis providers—public facilities, private clubs, teaching pros—can register their location and list programs at RallyTheIndustry.org.

These can range from free beginner lessons to tennis date nights to Cardio Tennis introductions. On May 5, facilities will all engage in National Cardio Tennis Day, with a variety of cardio sessions, challenges and programming.

Mike Woody admits that he wakes up every morning saying to himself, “How do I make this game grow?”

Woody, the national tennis director of Genesis Health Clubs—with 76 courts over 10 facilities from Kansas to Colorado—has spent the last 35 years impacting some 100,000 tennis players. He says that his most enthusiastic participants are not nationally ranked juniors, but fitness-minded adults.

“We cater to all needs and fit all sizes and demographics,” says Woody, 54. “I just want everyone to experience the game of tennis, whether for fun or for its cardiovascular benefits.”

Woody has been known to have more than 100 players spread across eight courts at a time to participate in Group X Cardio Tennis, a fast-paced aerobic workout that brings together people of all ages and skill levels for an hour-long, calorie-burning session. He also attracts new players to the game with free trials, inexpensive clinics and a Play Tennis Fast program that teaches the game’s fundamentals in just five weeks at a cost of $75, including a new racquet.

“We want to give them a lifelong skill so that they can go out with their friends, rally and play, and learn how to survive on a tennis court,” says Woody. “When people know they can play right away, they always come back for more.”

While Play Tennis Month aims to bring new players to the sport, it hopes to also continue developing lifelong participants, such as Lendy Muller. A former ranked junior from Chicago and varsity college player, the 60-year-old from Scarsdale, NY, recently began spending her winters in Palm Beach, FL, where she had no tennis connections.

“I had to do my research,” says Muller, who plays on club and USTA 18-plus, 40-plus and 55-plus teams. “I had to find a whole new group of women to play with.”

Muller tried out for several teams and began playing with new competitors. Soon there were post-match lunches, movie nights with her teammates and an excursion to the ATP Delray Beach Open.

“I feel like everyone has been so friendly and welcoming,” Muller says, “and that’s not for just one month of the year. It’s every day.”

For one month this year, tennis will roll out the welcome mat, hoping to find the next Jackie Guyton and inspire the next Lendy Muller.

“Tennis has defined my life,” Muller says with a chuckle. “It’s exercise; I feel invigorated. I don’t always win and I don’t always lose, but I always feel good. It’s my thing.”

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New Post has been published on https://www.stl.news/service-ace-djokovic-back-with-rebuilt-serve-at-aussie-open/66814/

Service ace: Djokovic back with rebuilt serve at Aussie Open

MELBOURNE, Australia/January 13, 2018(AP)(STL.News)—Novak Djokovic is back from six months off the ATP Tour with a remodeled service motion partly inspired by Andre Agassi and a growing confidence he can get his sore right elbow through the Australian Open.

No man has more Australian Open titles than Djokovic, who has six in all and — until last year’s shocking second-round exit — had won five of the six contested from 2011 to 2016.

Djokovic is seeded 14th and will be coming off just a couple of exhibition matches to prepare for his first-round encounter against Donald Young.

The 12-time major winner is in the same quarter as No. 4 Alexander Zverev, No. 5 Dominic Thiem and 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka, who confirmed Saturday he’d return at Melbourne Park from his own six-month layoff following surgery on his left knee and that alone would feel like a victory.

They’re all in the same half of the draw as defending champion Roger Federer, who last year returned from an extended injury time out to beat Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final and end a Grand Slam drought dating back to 2012. Federer went on to win Wimbledon for his 19th major and finished the year ranked No. 2 behind Nadal, who won the French and U.S. Open titles.

That is giving Djokovic some hope.

“I mean, Roger and Rafa’s year last year has shown age is just a number, especially in Roger’s case,” Djokovic said Saturday in his pre-tournament news conference. “I mean, he’s a great example of someone that manages to take care of himself, knows how to prepare well and peak at the right time.

“He won a couple Grand Slams. Who would predict that after his six months of absence, so … everything is possible really.”

Djokovic had contested 51 consecutive Grand Slams from the 2005 Australian Open until he missed last year’s U.S. Open during his rehabilitation.

Off the court, the 30-year-old Serbian said he enjoyed a closer-to-normal family life off the court, including being there when his wife, Jelena, gave birth to their second child — a daughter Tara in September.

On the court, he used the time to work closely with coaches Agassi and Radek Stepanek to refine his service motion to improve the technique and “release the load from the elbow, obviously something that I have to do because I have the injury.”

Now it’s a less dramatic, more compact swing and he was happy with how it worked in an exhibition win over Thiem at the Kooyong Classic exhibition event earlier in the week.

“It’s not entirely different, but at the beginning even those small tweaks and changes have made a lot of difference mentally,” he said. “I needed time to kind of get used to that change, understand whether that’s good or not good for me.

Agassi had to modify his own service motion because of a wrist injury in his career and he had input into the redesign for Djokovic.

“Both Radek and Andre have discussed a lot before the information came across to me,” Djokovic said. “They spent a lot of hours analyzing my serve. I did, too. We talked about it.”

Injuries to leading players have been a focus of attention in Australia. Nadal is also returning from a lingering right knee problem and five-time finalist Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori have already withdrawn.

In recent months, meanwhile, ATP Finals winner Grigor Dimitrov and Zverev have moved up to No. 3 and No. 4 in the rankings, respectively, and are growing in confidence that they’re on the cusp of Grand Slam breakthroughs.

Dimitrov said he’s a better player than he was when he lost the semifinal here last year to Nadal, and Zverev is aiming to go deep into the second week for the first time at a major.

“I’ve showed on multiple occasions over the year that I can play and beat the best guys in the world,” Zverev said. “Not trying to sound cocky or anything, but I’ve always said that I’ve always been working hard physically, I’m always trying to improve the performance at the Grand Slams. Hopefully I can do so (in Australia).”

Top-ranked Nadal pulled out of the ATP Finals in November and skipped planned warmups tournaments before the Australian Open, restricting him to some exhibition matches and a practice match against Thiem.

“Is the first time I am here without playing official match — is new situation for me,” Nadal said. “But I feel good. I really hope to be ready. I feel myself more or less playing well.”

Nadal’s career has been disrupted by injuries since 2005, but he sees a need for a more thorough examination of the tennis schedule after the latest spate of injuries.

“There is too many injuries on the tour. I am not the one to say, but somebody has to look about what’s going on,” he said. “When something is happening, you need to analyze why.”

By Associated Press, published on STL.NEWS by St. Louis Media, LLC (J.S)

[naijamoment]

World number two Novak Djokovic has parted company with his coaching team in a bid to halt a run of poor results, which culminated in a quarter-final exit at the Monte Carlo Masters last month.

A winner of 12 Grand Slam titles, the Serb has suffered a noticeable dip in form since winning his maiden French Open last June, relinquishing top spot in the ATP rankings to Briton Andy Murray five months later. He made a shock second-round exit at the Australian Open to Uzbek Denis Istomin, followed by successive defeats to Australia’s Nick Kyrgios in Acapulco and Indian Wells, before being beaten by Belgian David Goffin in Monte Carlo. On Friday, the 29-year-old announced that he would part ways with his coach Marian Vajda, fitness coach Gebhard Phil Gritsch, and physiotherapist Miljan Amanovic. “I am forever grateful to Marian, GG and Miljan for a decade of friendship, professionalism and commitment to my career goals,” he said in a statement. “It was not an easy decision, but we all felt that we need a change. “I want to continue raising the level of my game and stamina and this is a continuous process… I am a hunter and my biggest goal is to find the winning spark on the court again.” Djokovic’s overhaul by Murray at the top of the rankings ended a run of more than two years as number one for the Serb, who has spent a total of 223 weeks at the summit during his career. Djokovic added that he would take his time before naming a new head coach. “I feel like this is a new chapter in my life,” he said. “My career was always on the upward path and this time I’m experiencing how it is when the path takes you in a different direction. “I have been on the tour long enough to know how to manage daily routines and I don’t want to rush my decision. “I will inform the public when I find the right person, but for now I thank you for your support and understanding.