#joyful noise players

[lieutenantbatshit]

CHAPTER 03 - once you go in, there's no turning back (hwang in-ho x reader)

>> MASTERLIST

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"If you wish to participate, please state your name and date of birth."

The voice on the other line was cold, but seemingly joyful. It didn't seem like your typical customer service call. You had a feeling that it was unsafe - maybe this call could lead to trafficking. Maybe the games were just a front to invite the so-called players in this scheme. Still, it didn't make sense to you. For some reason, you felt like this was calling for you. Something was going on out there, and you were more than curious to know what was out there.

You looked at the card once again, trying to examine each detail of it. It was hard to decipher what was on it, just the symbols and number there. Yet, you still went on to answer the voice, stating your name and date of birth.

After a brief pause, the voice on the other line replied. "Information confirmed. Your designated pickup location is as follows," you took a deep breath, mentally taking note of the next information. "October 31, 2024. Midnight. Club HDH." Then, the line went dead.

October 31? That was tomorrow, you thought. If it was being held in a club, then there would be a party for sure. You had to blend in and see for yourself what the call was saying, so you hurriedly walked back to your apartment to look for possible clothes you could wear in the party. Though you didn't have much, but you thought of looking a bit like grim reaper, wearing an all black outfit. You unlocked your glass door and slid it open, rushing to your cabinet to see what outfit you can come up with.

In just a few minutes, you heard a truck beeping outside. You turned around for a moment, seeing the truck from the furniture store you bought from. You slid the glass door open once again, signaling a hand wave to let them in.

You went back to your cabinet, still trying to come up with an outfit. You couldn't lie - you were enjoying the thrill of it. Knowing how something was awaiting for you out there, and it's for you to find out. No matter how dangerous it is, you know how to back out. The thrill was just to find out how to.

The workers start to place your furnitures, all wrapped in plastics. They place each furniture carefully. The sound of their footsteps were enough of a white noise for you as you rummaged through your clothes, finding the best one you could have.

There, you hung a black coat, turtle neck, and pants and hooked it on your door cabinet. You smirked to yourself, the image of you wearing the outfit already draws you. This was it. Though you didn't have the scythe blade that a typical grim reaper has.

"That would be all, miss," one of the workers approached you. You turned to him and saw him handing you a pen and paper for you to sign. "You may just sign here to confirm your delivery."

"Alright," you signed the paper, reading its terms & conditions. You handed him back your signed papers, giving him a nod. "Thank you."

The worker gave you a bow, then turned to his colleagues, waving his hand to signal that everything was finished. All together, they bowed once again before exiting your apartment.

After what seemed like hours, you turned to the clock. It was already 10pm. Finally, you wore your grim reaper outfit, its coat gripping your curves perfectly but enough for room to breathe. You pulled up the hood and looked at yourself in the mirror, enough to look like the grim reaper, minus the scythe blade.

You made your way to the Club HDH, hailing a cab this time so you could arrive on time. Groups of people gathered even outside the club, wearing their Halloween costumes consisting of grim reapers, police officers, nurses, anime references, and more. Though a lot of them kept their masks on, you didn't have yours. You didn't bother buying one, just in case you see the salesman to recognize you.

People started to crowd around the club, a long line of them waiting outside to get in. You could hear the bass of the raving music inside. You walked to the front of the line as you saw the bouncer reading a list. It must be the invitation list, so you walked up to him to signal your presence. His tall figure gazed at you, waiting for you to speak.

You cleared your voice as you spoke, "Y/N". The bouncer looked at you for a moment then his eyes went over the list, trying to find your name. His finger stopped at a row, giving you a bit of glance on the list. Your name was listed there. You gave a small smile as he motioned his hand for you to enter, giving him a nod as you went inside.

Inside, the pulsing bass thrummed in the air. You couldn't even hear your footsteps anymore, just the beat of each music pumping close to your heart. Though it wasn't enough to bring you to total deafness, but inside was loud. Very loud. You wondered how the caller would recognize you, or the salesman. You tried to piece some of the things together as you navigated your way inside the club, squeezing yourself as you walked past people.

The air was thick, reeking each person of alcohol as you squeezed through them. You weren't sure if it was cigarettes you were smelling, or something else. Either way, your mission was to be found by someone. You should've asked for a name on the call, but it seemed like they knew who you were. You looked at the stage, seeing numerous people dancing on it. You watched intently, trying to enjoy the party despite being alone.

You felt a tap on your shoulder behind you, turning your attention to the man who stared at you intently, only to be met with a confused look. "What?" You asked, your voice loud enough for him to hear. He kept his eyebrows furrowed which was weird for you. It seemed like he was looking for someone, but it wasn't you.

He said nothing and walked away, your gaze stuck to him as he squeezed himself from the crowd. Confusion was evident on your face, wondering who that man was. The man seemed to be in his 40s, but he seemed tense. As if he was on a mission to find someone. He had an earpiece in his left ear. Maybe he was a cop, you thought. You tried to follow him, but he lost his way through the crowd, nowhere to be seen.

A tall figure stood in front of you, seeing his pink jumpsuit with a mask. You figured out what his costume was, but his mask only had a square symbol on it. You tried to move past him, but he stood still, feeling his gaze toward you. You looked up to him and shot him a confused look. Just as you were about to open your mouth to speak, his muffled voice was loud enough for you to hear. "Player 002, come with me."

Player 002? So, the games are real. The masked man's voice was commanding, as if you had no choice but to follow them. You walked with him, making your way towards what seemed to be the back door. You walked up the stairs, following pursuit to the masked man. He stayed quiet and cold, the footsteps only making its sounds as you were led to a door. The masked man opened it, revealing the outside. A white limousine was there, as if waiting for you. You looked at the masked man, his mask only facing you. You took it as a sign for you to get in, reaching your hand to the door and opened it, greeted with a sight of luxury as you sat on the leather seats. You noticed a golden pig in front of you, its eerie presence enough to send shivers down your spine.

"Player 002," you sat up, shocked by the sudden voice. It seemed as though the sound came from the golden pig, much to your confusion. "Welcome to the games."

You only stayed silent, staring into the golden pig as you tilted your head in confusion. Just when you were about to open your mouth to speak, a cloud of smoke spread on to the air, your eyes feeling heavy as you tried to fight it, only to fail.

You felt your head fell on the back of seat, your hands trembling as your vision starts to blur. Your hearing becomes distorted, but you could see a window behind the golden pig, sliding open upwards. You squinted your eyes, trying to make sense of your vision.

There, you saw a man with a mask, but there were no symbols on it. Only a black geometric mask, staring at you. You felt the limousine drive off, your eyelids closing as you succumbed to unconsciousness.

----

From what seemed like forever, you heard a classical music right out, awakening your senses. Despite your eyes still closed, you could tell the light was on. You slowly open your eyes, trying to make sense of everything around you.

You sat up, seeing stacks of beds. More people came out, wearing a green tracksuit with numbers with a confused look plastered on their faces. You looked down on yourself, seeing that you were wearing the same. You see your tracksuit labeled "002".

You looked around, trying to observe the area. You were at the very top of the deck, enough for you to observe every detail. The walls painted teal, with white tiles forming that seemed to have drawings on it, though you couldn't see it clearly due to the stack of beds. You tried to count the people inside, but there were a lot. Like, A LOT. You looked up and saw somewhat like a piggy bank, a transparent one colored yellow. Then, you looked to your left, seeing a television with the numbers displayed, "456".

You figured there were 456 players inside, indicating that you're player 002, as you would remember the masked man calling you. You saw two doors from each side, seeing somewhat like a guard standing outside the door. From then on, you figured you were inside a dormitory alongside the other players. Not fully trusting the people inside, you thought it was better to be by yourself, and only team up if needed. If you had to team up with others, you need to be careful in trusting to have someone with you.

The classical music stopped, replaced with a buzz from an alarm. You turned your head to the big door, a group of masked men led by a square-masked man, the other guards following the leader, but their masks had a circle symbol. The players formed a crowd in the middle of the room, but you stayed sitting on your bed.

"I would like to extend a hearty welcome to all of you," the square-masked man said, his voice muffled but enough for everyone to hear, echoing through the room. "Everyone here will participate in six different games over six days. Those who win all six games will receive a handsome cash prize."

From what you remember on what the salesman said, if you wanted to see if you were still good at playing ddakji, then you could play more games like it. From the looks of it, the system might let you play kids' games. If this was a gambling house, you would've been beaten to death the moment you woke up. 

"Excuse me," a woman shouted from behind. You looked at her number, "120". She walked down the stairs, looking at the guards. "You said I'd be playing games, but you practically kidnapped me. So, how can I believe that?"

Every player turned their heads to guards, waiting for an answer. You turned your attention to the guard though you couldn't see their reactions, but they just stood still. "I apologize. Please understand that it was necessary to maintain the game's security." 

"What's with the mask then?" Another woman called out. "Is your face also a secret?"

"Yeah!" A man followed to speak. "Why are you hiding your face? Is this some kind of illegal gambling house?" 

The same woman spoke out. "Even the dealers don't cover their faces in those places."

Murmurs start to spread around the room, each player trying to make sense of where they were. You stayed silent, observing the crowd. You shared your sentiments with the other players, but trust seemed like a brutal aspect of this game, and in order to win, you should be careful. 

"To ensure fair gameplay and confidentiality, it is our policy not to reveal the faces and identities of staff," the masked manager stated. "Please understand."

It was more of a command than a request, you thought. Though it didn't make sense to you why the staff wouldn't reveal their faces and identities, but the players' faces were exposed. Though you didn't know each others' identities, maybe it was up to you if you would reveal them or not.

You thought hard, trying to take your attention away from the commotion below. You could hear the other players continue asking their questions on where their clothes were, their shoes being limited edition, and another player requesting if they could wear the pink jumpsuits that the guard had, just because she liked the color pink.

You chuckled to yourself, shaking your head in disbelief. For some reason, this generation always create a way to amuse things up. You notice the guard seem unfazed, ignoring the small laughs in the room.

"I'm sorry, but that is not possible. You must be in your uniforms for the games." 

Player 333 squeezed his way to the front, trying to reach the guards. "What about my phone? Why did you take my phone and wallet? Give them back, please."

You motioned your hands to your pockets, feeling it empty. A shock was sent to you, realizing that you didn't have your phone and wallet with you. You looked around if there were a stash of belongings around, or at least a cabinet or drawer for the players' belongings. Nothing was there. The only thing in there was your presence with the other players and the stack of beds.

"We're keeping your belongings safe," the masked manager said, his voice said strangely reassuring. "We'll return them once the games are over."

"I need to monitor the realtime prices!" Player 333 exclaimed in frustration. "Do you know how much I've invested?"

"Player 333, Lee Myung-gi," the masked manager coldly stated, a remote on his hand and motioned to the television, opening it. A clip of a man playing ddakji was shown then being slapped right after. You observed the clip, the background seemingly familiar to you. It only dawned to you when you saw yourself on the background, watching the game. 

Your eyes widened, realizing that it was the night that you played ddakji with the salesman. He had a hidden camera placed on him, recording the games he played. That was a breach of data privacy, you thought. You were curious what it looked like when you played with the salesman, waiting for your face to be shown on the television. 

"Age 30, used to run a YouTube channel called MG Coin. After convincing subscribers to invest a new crypto coin called Dalmatian, causing losses of approximately 15.2 billion won," the masked manager continued, earning gasps from the crowd as Myung-gi was slapped. "You're wanted for fraud and for violating telecom and financial investment laws." The masked manager briefly paused, then continued to speak again. "Current debt levels, 1.8 billion won." 

"Player 196, Kang Mina, 45 million in debt."

"Player 120, Choi Hyun-ju, 330 million won in debt."

"Player 230, Choi Subong, 1.19 billion won in debt."

"Player 198, Jang Doyeong, 1.4 billion won in debt."

The number of debts seemed to flow like forever, your mouth opened in shock as you absorb the debts you've been hearing. You never knew how people can drive themselves to situations like this, being in debt and failing to pay them on time. As for you, you always paid in time when it came to bills, subscriptions, and such. Your parents worked hard to give you the life you had in California, teaching you how to handle money properly and to be responsible with anything, especially with money. You were thankful for that, knowing how hard they worked to give you a comfortable life.

"Player 100, Im Jeongdae," the masked manager made a brief pause, and started to speak again, as if he was bracing for the crowd's response. "Ten billion won in debt."

The gasps from the crowd were evident, some of their eyes widening, and putting their hands on their mouth, clearly shocked. Even you couldn't believe what you heard. How can someone be in debt for 10 billion won?

"Ten billion? Who's that? Who is it?" The player jumped to look at the crowd, trying to find who Player 100 is.

Then, an elderly man shouted from the middle, earning a gasp from the players beside him. "What are you looking at? Do you think it's easy to get a ten billion won loan? They don't lend that kind of money to just anyone! Only to those who are capable of paying it back."

You shook your head in disbelief. Though you didn't know the experience of being in debt, you understood that maybe, something happened along the way why they became like that. It's either greed for money or any fortuitous event. 

"All of you in this room have crippling debts are now on a cliff edge," the masked manager stated, pausing the murmurs in the room. "When we first came to you, you did not trust us either. But as you know, we played a game and gave you money as promised. And so you trusted us, and volunteered to participate according to your own free will." 

You eyed the masked men intently, absorbing the manager's words. You understood the fact that they aimed to recruit players who were in debt, but you weren't. Did they miss the part where you voluntarily joined the games? Where you were the one who offered to give a 100,000 won to the salesman? You weren't in debt. You weren't in the brink of financial crisis. In fact, money was never a problem to you at all.

Though the only statement that resonated with you was volunteering to participate to your own free will. 

----

A/N: I enjoyed so much writing this chapter that I had to cut it a bit short! At least, I get to start with the next chapter and most probably will be uploaded faster this time. 🤩 Feel free to leave out your thoughts here, and I'll gladly interact with each and everyone of you. 🫶

Don't forget to leave a comment in this post to be tagged on the next chapter! ✨

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>> MASTERLIST

TAGS: @machipyun @love-leez @enzosluvr

[didishawn]

Little Messi (Pedri x Messi! Reader)

Warnings: reader is Messi's little sister, Lionel Messi is a professional matchmaker, lots of Spanish, mentions of Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccitini being the best football player because he is

Masterlist

Leo lately has been having thoughts about you, his little sister, with one of his teammates, Pedri, he can't help but think you two would somehow match together.

Pedri is a simple guy, nothing, wrong with it, Leo himself is too, honest, kind, great at what he does and a true Barça lover.

You are his little sister who he loves so much, the one he practically raised really, being so much younger than your other siblings and your parents being very busy with Leo's career, Leo most of the times took it into his hands to keep an eye on you, the internet is full of photos of him carrying you into matches from a very young age. You were truly Leo's first experience raising someone, there were those who even said you were actually his secret love child who he had at an extremely young age so they passed you off as a sister, lies of course, but it's not surprising there were those who believed it.

Pedri has recently joined the team, and you two, just seemed to hit it off fair quickly, something that Leo inmediatly became aware of. He knows you two are friends, but there is this part of him, telling him you two could be much more, and doesn't matter how much Antonella tells him to shut up the idea, he soon becomes your personal matchmaker without telling you.

It starts pretty simple, making you two encounter one another.

"Vení con los chicos y conmigo, así haces compañía a Pedri, que creo le cuesta un poco estarse cómodo conmigo y los pibes siendo el nuevo" he tells you one day, and of course you agree because Pedri and the rest are pretty nice, honestly most of the older players have taken you in as if you were their little sister and not Leo's. (come with me and the guys, so you can keep Pedri company, I think it's difficult for him to be comfortable with us being the new guy)

You honestly are suspicious of how much Leo smiles the entire evening and of Antonella giving him an annoyed look, as if he had done something wrong, yet you have no idea what.

You had fun honestly, Pedri is sweet, easy to have a conversation with once you break his shell, the other players tease him all the time, yet never say outright what the teasing is all about, but you do see the sneaky looks they give your way, yet decide to ignore them.

You don't see Pedri in a while, being a year younger than him, you are busy after entering 2nd of Bachillerato (Spanish last school year before university) and Pedri with training and getting to know Barcelona. One day you are laying around doing nothing, your brother approaches you out of nowhere, sneaky glint in his eye, trying to force down a smirk.

"Che, ¿me harías un favor?" (hey, will you do me a favor)

"Depende" (depends)

"Te quería pedir si podrías salir con Pedri, enseñarle un poco la ciudad, el pobre pibe todavía no se acostumbra" (I wanted to ask you if you could go out with Pedri, show him around the city, the poor guy doesn't get used yet)

"¿Y por qué no vas vos?" (and why don't you go?)

"Yo supongo él preferirá ir con vos que son más o menos de la misma edad" (I suppose he will prefer to go with you as you are the same age)

You end up agreeing, have a great time too, but are surprised to see Pedri knows all the places you took him to after your brother had made it sound like he had no idea. When you arrive home, he is looking expectant to see your expression, Antonella rolling her eyes besides him, after you tell him you had a great time and leave towards your room, you swear you can hear him let out a joyful noise, but decide to ignore him.

Every new season means a new shirt for the players to use during matches, and as always, Leo promises to bring you, the kids and Anto some for you all to wear, the number 10 and "Messi" on the back to show off your support for the greatest football player there is and ever will be.

He enters your room one random day to give you yours, you are too distracted by homework to check it out, but promise to do it later, you miss the way he pouts, as if he wanted to see your reaction over something.

You finish a couple hours later, the shirt almost forgotten before the bright red and blue colors catch your eye. You pick it up to examine it, it's not you favorite but it looks just fine, you turn it, expecting to see your brother's name and number on it but freeze as you realise there must have been a confusion.

A big 16 with the name Pedri on the top, you run down the stairs to inform your brother of the mistake, yet he has a sneaky smirk as he too checks the shirt out.

"Bueno, digo yo no pasará nada si la usas para un partido o dos. Incluso le podr�� dar ánimos al pibe" (well, I don't think anything will happen if you use it to a match or two. Plus, it might cheer up the guy)

Leo promises to ask for another shirt for you (he doesn't mention his closet to be full of them and you don't remember it either, Antonella doesn't say anything, she wants to see for how long her husband will play matchmaker), he will take some time before giving it to you though, he is getting tired of all this, and wants Pedri to be his brother in law as soon as possible.

His plan, surprising or not, has been working out, many times you leave the house talking about going out with Pedri to do god knows what, he hears you two talk until late night hours, and he has heard some of the guys of the team teasing the Canarian about some girl he is crushing on-he really hopes you are the girl or everything will have been a great waste of time.

On the next match, you show up wearing the new shirt, you can feel the whispers behind your back about the unusual number 16 you are showing off, but do your best to ignore them.

Barça wins, a good ending for a long match after a hard season on the players, too far away from better times. You, the kids and Anto wait for Leo among the rest of the families when a boy approaches you, you recognise him as Fer, Pedri's brother from photos the midfielder has shown you.

"Buen partido, ¿no?" (good match, right?)

"Casi me da algo viéndolo" (I almost had a stroke from watching)

"Bonita camiseta por cierto" (nice shirt by the way)

You roll your eyes "Leo es un gil y me dio una que no era. Boludo, no quiero ni saber que se inventaran" (Leo is an idiot and gave me a wrong one. I don't even want to know what people will say)

"Pedri González, del máximo admirador de Messi, a salir con su hermana pequeña" (from Messi's greatest fan, to dating his little sister)

Leo frowns as he watches you laughing with the wrong brother as he walks out alongside Pedri and Piqué, he hits the later with his elbow and signals Pedri with his head, the younger boy seems to have noticed you and his brother too, as he too frowns, a saddened look in his face. Piqué clears his throat.

"¿Viste la camiseta que lleva y/n hoy?" (did you see the shirt y/n is wearing today)

The midfielder shakes his head, his eyes don't leave you figure.

"Che, yo también me fije" (hey, I noticed too)

"¿De qué hablan?" (what are you talking about?)

"Posta me parece que en la parte de atrás hay un 16, eh. Yo que vos chequearia" (I seriously think there is a 16 on the back. If I were you I would check it out)

Piqué nods, and the two watch as the boy approaches you. "¿Desde cuando haces de cupido?" (since when do you play cupid)

"Me tengo que entretener con algo, pelotudo" (I have to entertain myself with something, asshole)

Leo watches from his spot as both you and Pedri blush from whatever you are chatting about. The same behaviour goes on for the rest of the night, sneaky conversations in between you both that he unfortunately can't reach to hear. He pretends to not notice when you two dissappear sometime during the night.

He definitely doesn't squeal under Antonella's amused gaze at the end of the night, when you tell him how you and Pedri kissed and how the midfielder has asked you out for a date.

That night, when your brother is faraway from your room, you pick up Pedri's call.

"¿No deberíamos decirle que él no hizo nada, sino que ya estábamos saliendo?" (shouldn't we tell him that he didn't do anything and we were, already dating)

You shake your head "Naa, déjalo disfrutar al pobre chavon, que en verdad le gusta todo esto de ser casamentero" (noo, let the poor guy enjoy himself, he actually likes this whole matchmaker thing)

You don't think you will ever tell Leo the truth, let him think it was all thanks to him, when in fact you two have been together from the start and found it quite amusing how he played the fool with all these weird coincidences to get you two to become closer. It was time to let him in into your love though, let him know how much you actually like Pedri and he, you.

Unfortunately, after things become official, Leo becomes the most obnoxious, annoying, older brother the world has seen. But that is a story for another time.

[krispyweiss]

Boz Scaggs Turns 80

Though he’s best known for Silk Degrees and “Lido Shuffle,” Boz Scaggs’ musical history is much more - and much more interesting - than that.

As Scaggs turns 80 today, June 8, 2024, Sound Bites offers this brief sketch of the dude who’s worked with some of the all-timers and sings like the world’s smoothest Muppet.

Scaggs was a founding member of the Steve Miller Band, contributing guitar and vocals to 1968’s Children of the Future and Sailor before leaving for a solo career. His 1969 self-titled LP features Duane Allman on slide guitar and spawned the modern blues standard “Loan Me a Dime.”

He briefly joined Mother Earth for 1969’s Make a Joyful Noise before dedicating himself to solo work, which peaked commercially with 1976’s Silk Degrees, and whose band, hand-picked by Scaggs, became Toto.

“I’m not sure if Toto would have happened as soon, or quite the same way, without Silk Degrees,” David Paich once said.

Scaggs has kept up a low-key solo career ever since, breaking briefly to tour with Donald Fagen’s New York Rock and Soul Revue and releasing six 21st-century albums, most recently 2018’s Out of the Blues, which features a killer rendering of Neil Young’s “On the Beach.”

Don’t be fooled by the disco-leaning hits. Scaggs is an important player in the history of modern rock and blues and that - along with hitting the milestone of 80 - is worth celebrating.

6/8/24

[batri-jopa]

I guess it's either very common or very uncommon (maybe even something to do with undiagnosed ADHD or sth...) but I can't focus on anything without my music.

For me the answer is "YES" and it's more rock and folk when I need energy (dusting, vacuuming etc.), more calm tunes when I'm reading and my "most favorites" when I'm creating. When I'm at work - I need joyful music on the first day of week and relaxing music on the last day. I sometimes need to listed to music intended for little children when I'm struggling with some painful memories. Even when I want to have a nap - but other voices in the house don't let my thoughts fly away - I sometimes listen to music tagged "chillout" (very quietly, only not to hear other random noises)

Anyway, I sometimes imagine myself powered with my music-player like a toy is powered with battery. Or like a character of a movie where soundtrack music changes with every part of the story. Without music I get distracted very easily or demotivated to the point of wishing I could go to sleep whatever I'm trying to do... all day long😑 And whenever I hear another person saying this shit: people who can't stand the silence are afraid of their own thoughts! - I want to shout: no, you idiot, maybe your thoughts are so weak that they get turned off by a music! My thoughts are strong and overhelming and concentrating on every littlest random sound that your "silence" really is! Music is the only thing that helps me control that horde!

[dustedmagazine]

Christian Carey’s Questions for 2025

The Hard Quartet

How long are the current upticks in CD and LP sales likely to last? 

When things finally go all digital, can we find better gatekeepers than Spotify and their ilk?

When will the AI bubble burst? 

Will periodically untethering from devices become the new Hygge? One hopes so.

2024 was a difficult year in most ways, a happy exception being the bounty of excellent music released to the world. I found it impossible to make a comprehensive list. The one below is simply today’s reflection on the recordings that I kept coming back to in 2024, and likely will in 2025 and beyond. 

Adeline Hotel — Whodunnit

Laurie Anderson — Amelia (Nonesuch)

Felicia Atkinson — Space as an Instrument (Shelter Press)

The Black Keys — Ohio Players (Nonesuch)

Donald Berman — Ives Piano Sonatas (Avie)

Leo Chadburn — Primordial Pieces (self—released)

Alessandro Cortini — Nata Infiniti (Mute)

Cloud Cult — Alchemy Creek (Earthology)

Alice Coltrane — The Carnegie Hall Concert — Live (Verve)

The Cure — Songs of a Lost World (Polydor)

Danish String Quartet — Keel Road (ECM)

Taylor Deupree — Sti.ll (Greyfade)

Efterklang — Things We Have in Common (City Slang)

Nomi Epstein — Shades (Another Timbre)

Jake Xerxes Fussell — When I’m Called (Fat Possum)

Godspeed You! Black Emperor (Constellation) — No Title as of 13 February, 2025 28,340 Dead

The Hard Quartet — S/T (Merge)

Loma — How Will I Live Without a Body? (Sub Pop)

Phosphorescent — Revelator (Verve)

Oneida — Expensive Air (Joyful Noise)

Rosali — Bite Down (Merge)

Ches Smith — Merge Ash (Pyroclastic)

Alan Sparhawk — White Roses, My God (Sub Pop)

Waxahatchee — Tigers Blood (Anti)

[tenranfree]

The Prince and his Knight ~

Archfey are not supposed to have Heralds from the material plane for one very important reason; they can lie. Fey are bound by their realm rules to be entirely incapable of lying - even if deceit and trickery are in their nature. To have a Herald, a Champion, from the material plane is to have a Herald who is not bound by those same laws. A Herald who can lie, a wasted potential, an anomaly that was banned for that very reason.

The other Archfey were not happy when Jack chose a mortal tiefling to be his Herald. But the stubborn Prince would not be swayed. He began the contract before anyone could notice, hoping to be far along enough that no one could stop him lest they turn his own words to lies - another great sin between the Archfey, to make another Archfey into a liar. And it worked; Ten was well and truly his, before the tiefling ever even knew it, but the Court was displeased. They came to a conclusion, a solution to their problem; kill the Herald once the contract to change Ten’s body was complete.

But Jack could never let that occur, not when he found the one mortal - a being that could lie - who would never betray him. Even with the ability to do so without subterfuge or centuries of planning, Tenran would never choose to lie, because he would always choose to be kind, to be loyal.

So to protect him, Jack wound a part of his soul into that of Ten’s; his joy, his cheer, he merged it into the same pool of emotion that reflected in the tiefling. If the other Fey were to raise a hand against Ten’s soul, they would have to separate Jack’s out first lest they accidentally harm it and justify him starting a war. A war that he would most likely win. But to separate out Jack’s own joy from Tenran’… is difficult, as Ten represents the very emotions Jack gave up to protect him. With a part of his soul housed in the tiefling’s body for Ten’s own protection, Jack lost the ability to feel joy, to feel compassion and happiness and love. Not to mention, his hands are further tied by more laws imposed on him by the Court for defying them all for one little mortal.

Jack wanted Ten, more than anything, because the tiefling would bring a joyful friendship into his cold life. And Ten does, he certainly does, but Jack cannot enjoy any of this - both due to rules and his lack of ability to feel joy. So now, the Herald of Frost stands (unknowingly) for a little more than the precursor to Winter. Ten is the joy of winter, the cheerfulness of warm fires and good company, the fun of the first snowfall.

After everything they have been through, they’re not to a stage where Jack can express his happiness at Ten’s presence, but Ten has finally grown to a point where the gratification of approval is not why he does things anymore. He’s happy to serve Jack, and bring noise and life into the Prince of Frost’s world, until such a day that he can figure out how to free Jack from the Court’s rules. And he will. Oh, he’ll give Jack his joy back alright - it’s the very reason Jack chose him in the first place.

(As far as in game lore goes, I know this as the player, but Ten only knows half of it. He doesn’t know that he’s carrying a part of Jack’s soul in him, and maybe he’ll never find out, but to serve and be kind of his own volition is enough for him, for now.)

[absolutebloodychaos]

Can you write fic about the band appreciating Nace? Can be poly slash or gen, I am fine with both, but I'd love to read about the guys realizing how much Nace means to them, how much he contributes to them etc. Also maybe them simping a little for him? Because damn those tats, that gorg face and the hair?? That man is a dream, paired with his amazing personality??? Give my man some attention guys! Also thank you in advance, I am sure you'll do great, I love reading your writings <33

Sorry anon that this took so long, I've been suffering from vertigo and quite bad asthma for a few days and so had not very much motivation to write:(

I have finished it now though and I loved the prompt, thank you so much! I haven't yet written a Nace centred fic so this was an interesting challenge. I hope you like it:)

--------------

Nace Jordan had joined Joker Out almost a year ago. And that almost a year had probably been one of the best almost years he had ever had.

At first when he joined the band there was some hesitancy from the other guys, they were still sore over the fact that Martin had left and were wary of the new member of the band.

But as time went on they soon warmed up to the new bassist and came to appreciate and love him as the sixth member of the band.

You would think that because he was the newest member of the band that there would be some friction and hostility but he was genuinely loved and cherished by all the other members.

--------------

If you asked Bojan what he first thought of Nace he would have answered “not much” as he was mostly intensely mourning Martin leaving the band. 

He would then clarify that his first impression didn’t mean shit, that what followed was what really mattered. 

Throughout the months since Nace had joined the band Bojan had grown to love the other man dearly, as much as he loved all the other members of the band.

The man fit right in with the group, when he joined it was like a puzzle piece falling into place. Bojan couldn’t have wished for a better bass player or a better friend.

After a time though, those feelings of friendship grew into something more.

Bojan started noticing more things about the other man, things like his tattoos, and his earrings, and his smile. Oh how Bojan loved that smile.

He loved the way that Nace smiled; with the gap between his teeth showing, and the fact that when he laughed, it was the most joyful noise he had ever heard.

He loved that although the other man was responsible a lot of the time, mostly because of being the oldest member of the group, he still let loose and had so much happiness and love in his heart for his friends.

It had gotten to a point where whenever Bojan found himself on the receiving end of that smile he found himself blushing uncontrollably, having to look away or play it off as the heaters being on too high.

Bojan was not the only member of the group who got flustered when around the bassist though. 

He started to notice the mesmerised looks Jan would always send Nace’s way whenever they were in the same room, or the way that Jure took special time to make Nace gluten free meals when they went on holiday together, or how Kris would shamelessly flirt with the other man on stage.

There had always been looks and touches between the members of the band, dating back to it’s formation when they were all teenagers, messing around with each other and exploring their sexualities, and all the members loved each other dearly; but no one had taken the first step yet.

Things changed when Nace joined the group though. It’s like his presence made them all feel like they could finally be free together, like they could finally let their feelings be known and love each other more than ever before.

--------------

The first person to confess their feelings was Jure, finding the bassist alone in the studio one night. 

The drummer had been there to see if a package had been dropped off and Nace had just been finishing off practising a possible new bassline for a new song; seeing the chance to talk to the taller man alone, Jure decided to take it.

Jure confessed all of his feelings, how he loved the bass player, yes for his personality, his looks, but also for the feeling of love which surrounded the other man at all times.

This of course made the older man cry tears of joy and when the other members of the band came in the next morning, they found the drummer and bass player curled up together on the couch, looking the very picture of a storybook couple.

And they were, for the next week at least, until Jan caved and confessed that he too had been in love with Nace since he had first laid eyes on the other man.

What followed was about three days of Jan, Jure and Nace being together and trying to work out their relationship before Bojan and Kris decided together that they should stop putting off the inevitable, and before too long the members of Joker Out were a fully fledged quintuple.

It turned out that all it took was Nace joining the band to bring everyone together and make the other four men confess the feelings which they had obviously been harbouring for each other for years. 

The sheer love felt for that man had united a whole band, or at least that’s what the other members loved to tell him on every anniversary, birthday, holiday, or just any time that they were able to.

And it was true, Bojan, Kris, Jan and Jure probably wouldn’t have acknowledged their feeling for another few years, if Nace hadn’t have come along and united the band over the fact that they were all weak for tall bass players with tattoo sleeves, cute gaps in their front teeth, hair that used to fall lazily over their forehead but now looks sexy pushed back, and gluten intolerances.

[barovianbitches]

if the party had spirit animals what would they all be? according to the players

and what do the characters think their spirit animals are, if you were to ask them?

(Note; due to the cultural appropriation in the word 'spirit animal' we will be saying these are animals that represent them the best)

Yvan: Oh, I do not know this "spirit animal". But I think, maybe if I was an animal, I would be a great big bear! They are strong and brave, just like how I want to be. I do quite enjoy a lazy nap every once in a while as well. Player: (@mysticmothi) Yvan is a big ol wolfie boy. Look at him, he's got puppy dog energy.

Bettany: I think I’d be a bat, they tend to travel alone but they can also be members of a family that works as a team. They are skittish and a bit shy, but they are very strong and powerful creatures despite their size. Player: (@sh4rkb0y-004) he’s a bat because he’s a little weirdo who eats bugs and probably echolocates when he gets overwhelmed. Also bats have heightened senses, as does Bettany- or should I say… BAT-tany? I will see myself out.

Constantin: “I, eh….. Hold on.” -vague, offscreen whispering- “eh, okay. I think I… Sort of understand now? Perhaps, hmm. I am thinking that I would say a Raven? I am sorry, I do not really get this question. But I like ravens.” Player: (@yardyarm) Constantin is almost definitely a bear. He is a fierce guardian of those he considers family, can be extremely aggressive when provoked, but balances it out with a rare, but pleasant and playful attitude at times. He’s also large and hairy. And he eats a lot of fish.

Thalassia: 'Ooo animal, animal… I'm a horse! I like them. They're strong but apparently full of personality and life. And they're pretty! I…. try to be like that. When I can.' Player: (@deepthalass) Thalassia is actually a False Killer Whale. They are social, generous creatures that tend to not be too picky when choosing a meal. They frequently share their findings with group mates. They also live in deep water, finding comfort in the Deep and diving great distances. They are intelligent and large, but are misjudged and occasionally killed for meddling in fishing or otherwise. They are also curious, and playful when they're comfortable. Thalassia embodies these traits very well, and in fact has found resonance with the False Whale Sharks she has met before.

Rorali: The Boogeyman. Easy. Player: (@enrichmyenclosurenow) As the player, I think a fox best represents Rorali because of their associations with mischief, cunning and curiosity. I think Rorali would think of her self akin to a cat or more specifically a panther because of their affiliation with danger and over all a more calculated and necessity driven approach to life- she often sees her more explorative side and creative traits as a downfall of her character that distract her from the task at hand and make her naïve and easy to fool, so she tries to block out that joyful part of herself and stay laser focused on her work. She is successful for the most part, however when it comes to her friends it is pretty much impossible for her to keep up this blockade which results in an overflow of very uncharacteristic playful energy and troublemaking that she often regrets later on. At her core she is just a mischievous little shit that just wants to mess with and get into trouble with her friends, however she struggles to feel confident enough in herself to let down her guard purposefully.

Tyyran: Uhhmm... Animal that most embodies me.... Well, I am a Dragon. But my favorite animal would have to be frogs. They're musical and adorable little critters! Player: (@chroncruik) Guh. This is a hard one. I have to say Goat. Mostly because everyone in the discord is like "JUST DRAW A GOAT AND U GOT TYYRAN!" and they're not wrong. Plus Tyyran is a dumpster and eats whatever is in front of him. Not to mention he a little bit of a silly man. His brain isn't always there. Sometimes he makes weird noises and screams like goats do too.

[nonbayanary]

neurodivergent sena where he's got borderline personality disorder (BPD)

sena’s always had trouble regulating his emotions as a kid. his parents neglected him most of the time, which is one of the reasons why he developed BPD

throughout the years, sena’s learned to shut down his emotions as a coping mechanism

as a result, sena feels numb more often than not. sure, he can fake being joyful or being exasperated. but he’s learned to mute all that he feels, as if he’s distant from everything

since mamori’s been his childhood friend for all these years, she’s noticed the stark difference to sena’s colorful range of emotions when he was a kid, to his bland mimicry of emotions now

and for years, mamori’s done all she could to help sena. sena knows, and tries to cooperate with her efforts.

mamori is the only one sena shows intense emotions to, and even then sena struggles to do it

until one day, sena is dragged by hiruma onto the american football field as a player

in the heat of all the action, sena has a truly difficult time tamping down on his emotions. it’s as if he’s been enshrouded in a haze of fog all these years, and then suddenly, all that blurriness is blown away

or perhaps, the experience is comparable to being submerged in water all these years, and then suddenly, hitting the surface and being bombarded with all the light, the noise, and the colors

and for the first time in years, sena’s emotions are raging to be known, as if the pandora’s box within him has been opened

the fear that envelops sena is like a snake coiling around his chest, crushing his ribs to dust

and when he gets tackled, the anger he’s always tied down suddenly frees itself. the opponent who tackles sena sees the rage behind the eyeshield obscuring sena’s face. the baring of sena’s teeth, and the wide-eyed murder in his eyes, before it’s suddenly erased. as intense as it is fleeting.

and oh, the absolute riot of ecstasy and triumph when sena finally scores a touchdown for the first time. 

sena feels this wholeass range of emotions in a tiny span of time. he is very much prone to quick shifts in mood, as it’s a symptom of BPD

which means sena’s rage is as hot and as quick as lightning. it’s definitely befitting of his position, being a runningback and all, as the fastest player in the team.

when sena starts feeling so intensely again, it awakens his crisis all those years ago, as he struggles to regulate his emotions around his teammates

it helps that mamori joined the team, since she helps him hide whenever he needs to escape the team just to have some time for himself.

whenever that happens, sena’s usual method, when his emotions are choking him, is to have a good old five to ten-minute cry. he finds a safe hiding spot, somewhere dark and silent, and allows the tears to finally slide down his face.

after all these years, he’s found that this is the only way he knows how to quickly regulate his emotions. this is the only way he knew how to vent his frustration without hurting anyone else.

and after ten minutes, whether sena is ready or not, he pastes a smile back on, and shoves all his feelings deep within him, forcing the numbness back to the surface.

sena has a secret he's ashamed of. sometimes, when he's feeling too much, and his head is too noisy, he breaks into his parents' wine stash

sena's parents have a wine cabinet filled to the brim with both white wine and red wine. some of the wine goes untouched for years.

sena isn't proud of his actions, but he's dealt with his inner demons for so long that he knows: he can either drink away his turbulent emotions, or they'll build up in him and explode at the worst possible moment

so sena drinks. he knows how to make wine bottles look like they're unopened, even at close inspection. he just drinks from bottles with caps instead of corks. capped bottles have this strip of paper glued onto the bottle caps, and sena uses that strip of paper as a cover.

sena only ever drinks just one glass. maybe two glasses if his mind is louder than usual. he doesn't drink often, but the closest gap he has in between drinking is maybe two weeks apart.

the long gaps apart and the small amount consumed ensures that sena stays a lightweight. and that's what he wants. he wants to drink just one glass, to make sure he doesn't get caught.

sena's parents never suspect anything, even when they see the glass in his hands. that's bcs sena always makes sure that his parents see him drinking juice often. cranberry juice, tomato juice, grape juice, apple juice, etc. this is so that when his parents see a glass in his hands, with red or yellow liquid, they'll automatically think it's juice.

sena too knows to cover his tracks. he leaves the wine bottle exactly as he found it, taking note that his parents always put the logo of the wine face-down.

sena also knows that alcohol has a strong odor, so he makes himself scarce when he's drinking. he keeps the window open in his room, and makes sure his electric fan blows the smell out of the window.

sena hates the taste of alcohol. he hates how sour wine is, and he always finds himself crinkling his nose at the taste. but goddamn, he's addicted to it.

he loves feeling absolutely nothing at all. the alcohol erases any anger, any despair, and any negative emotion he's feeling at the moment.

and suddenly, a feeling of joy bubbles up in him. suddenly, it's so easy to live. suddenly, he's not pulled down by the weight of emotions. suddenly, it's okay to simply exist, to simply be.

that's what sena is addicted to.

he just wants to feel things at a normal amount. he's researched bpd, and how it changes the brain structure. sena's tired of always feeling things, especially negative emotions, too much. he's just so tired.

what people don't know about sena is that he is often angry. he's just very good at keeping his face blank to cover it up.

he tries to be mindful whenever he feels anger simmering beneath his skin. he thinks to himself, "why am i angry? have i truly been disrespected, or am i feeling more than the normal amount? is this anger just the BPD talking? what ia the actual cause of my anger? is it stress?"

more often than not, mamori and hiruma are the only ones to clue in on sena's anger.

mamori, bcs she's known him the longest. sena acts in a certain way when he's upset. he tends to blink less, staring in an unsettling manner. also he makes less eye contact when he's truly furious.

hiruma, on the other hand, knows when sena's upset bcs he's skilled in reading people. sena may be the only person he knows who fumes in silence, but hiruma still knows rage when he sees it.

yet, even despite as sena despises his own BPD, it has its good points.

sena is always the one laughing the longest at a joke someone says. his laughter is quiet, but it's genuine. when sena laughs, the joy shows itself all over his face. he just lights up like a sunrise, which motivates his teammates and friends to joke around with him more.

and when someone confides their troubles in sena, they always feel seen. bcs sena too absorbs their sadness, and he sits with them and feels with them. it always makes people feel a little less alone when someone feels their sadness in an act of solidarity.

pretty soon, it becomes a game, a sort of competition between sena's friends and teammates, to see who can make him laugh the most.

sena doesn't always laugh at jokes, but when he does, it's always like an explosion of confetti. the sound that comes out of him is pure and melodic happiness, which makes his laugh contagious.

(yes, y’all can definitely use this prompt!!!  /srs)  

[unfortunatelyfuckingstupid]

How i feel about my technology. A somewhat ranked comprehensive list:

feel free to use this as a guide for what to buy:

Phone (galaxy flip3): hate you. why am i chained to using you. i would trow you down a cliff if i could. Why must you be so useless and at the same time so essential. your on such thin ice to be so bold. you're spirit is violent and spiteful. Ungrateful little bastard.

Ipad (forgot model but an apple): fuck you if i didn't need you for school i would destroy you. Why are you denying me even of the most basic of functions. the soul of a total stuck up rich kid. even worse than phone. Burn in hell.

switch (normal model from 2017): You i feel little about.you are a tool nothing more. i do not like you but i don't hate you either. You have the essence of plain bread. you mean little to me i wouldn't feel bad about loosing you if it wasn't for the money.

in ear bluetooth headphones (sennheiser 4th gen): you are a pain i my ass i only have you because phone requires me to but i can not fault you for that, also you work with my earcuffs so youre a welcome acquaintance. you have little personality but suppose you are to small to properly fit anything in there.

headphones (wired, don't know the model): a shield for me from the world works with all my devices (except phone the little bastard). functional and beloved. the soul of an alcoholic though.

phone (old one, j5): all functions working you are still alive despite it all. All those years and yet i have had to give up on you my old lady... yo no fault of your own of course. I still appreciate using you from time to time when your bastard brother decides to be a pain. You have all your functions but they have grown slow. enjoy your well deserved retirement dear one. Again your essence is of a small old but joyful lady with many cats.

cd/dvd runner/ burner (a thinkpad ultraslim): you have been in my family before i was even old enough to start using you. you have served our family well and will continue to for many years i am sure. whether its burning dubious dvds and cd or watching movies you have done what you could. I am glad you are mine loved child. a strong mind you are.

camera (olympus c-300 zoom): You have been alive for longer than i was and also served my family for 2 generation. You still function as you should. The picture you take remain beautiful and i will always cherish you as a respected companion. Elan of an adventurer who even in old age will still go no matter what.

Mp3 player(there is no model its on its own): Oh you little wild card the 10 buck i paid for you have sure brought us through the years. A mischievous spirit. whether its going through the washing machine or being left in the snow for a night you have beat the odds and survived. All you do is to spite people and i am so here for it.

Discman (panasonic anti shock memory II): a relative newcomer yet already so high. You allow me to carry stories with me wherever i go. i can not fault you for your little hiccups for you are pre loved. I am sorry i could not save you from batteries damage but i know you will make it through for you are stronger than you know and you will achieve great things. You're substance is of undiscovered strength.

Nintendo (3ds XL): A warrior and a Showmaker, no matter what little me did to you, you remained. I am sorry for the damage i caused to your shoulder but im glad you remain with me. A caring, strong but kind psyche. greatly have you served me through long car rides and boring weekends, your games remain many and all off them are well loved i could not bear to lose you dear child.

Headphones (over ear, sennheisser gen3): My shield and my sword. you have brought me art as well as shielded me from the noise of the world which i so hate. You're quintessence is nochalant but deep down i know you care. I have brought you many places and you will continue to come with me everywhere i go no matter what i do. you are a tool which knows to serve their purpose. i could not trade you if i tried my good friend.

laptop (thinkpad):Also a relative newcomer but that does not mean a thing my child. You are a hardworking one, you bring me basic access in ways the GODDAMN PHONE could never even hope to if it tried, not that it does ofc. your machine spirit is a gentle and caring one and i thank you for your services of helping me navigate the great sea that is the internet and i hope you will have an as glorious live as the one you clearly work so hard for. The mind of discovery itself.

Desktop( im not gonna bother with the stats): I have not seen you in so long yet and i am sorry. You have the most power of them all but do not hold it over anyone's head, you even try to work with them to the best of your ability, this is very formidable of you. My dear child your machine spirit is also a gentle one but you have a somewhat thicker head due to the power you wield this is not a fault of yours of course but simply a quality. you do everything you can and im gratefully for your work. Many say you're parts are not the best but i disagree you are the best you could be right now even if not everything is the newest. I will continue to take care of you as you do everything you can my dearest child.

[govindhtech]

NVIDIA Fugatto AI: Creates Music, Voices & Sounds On Demand

The Most Versatile Sound Machine in the World Makes Its Debut. A new generative AI model Fugatto from NVIDIA can produce any mix of music, speech, and noises given text and audio as inputs.

A group of academics studying generative AI developed a Swiss Army knife for sound that lets users manipulate the audio output using just words.

Some AI models are capable of creating music or altering voices, but none are as skilled as the new product.

Using any combination of text and audio files, Fugatto (short for Foundational Generative Audio Transformer Opus 1) creates or modifies any mix of voices, noises, and music that is defined using prompts.

It may alter a voice’s accent or mood, add or subtract instruments from an existing song, or even allow users to make sounds they have never heard before. For instance, it can generate a musical clip in response to a text prompt.

This multi-platinum producer and composer is also the cofounder of One Take Audio, a cutting-edge firm that is a part of NVIDIA’s Inception program. “The motivation comes from sound. That’s what inspires me to compose music. It’s amazing to think that can make completely original sounds in the studio at any time.

A Sound Understanding of Audio

Fugatto is the first fundamental generative AI model that demonstrates emergent characteristics skills that result from the interplay of its different training abilities and the capacity to mix free-form instructions. It supports a wide range of audio production and transformation jobs.

In the future, unsupervised multitask learning in audio synthesis and transformation will arise from data and model size, and Fugatto is the first move in that direction.

A Sample Playlist of Use Cases

Music producers, for instance, may use Fugatto to rapidly modify or prototype a song concept, experimenting with various instruments, vocals, and genres. They might also improve an old track’s overall audio quality and add effects.

The history of technology is entwined with the history of music. Rock & roll was introduced to the world by the electric guitar. Hip-hop emerged with the advent of the sampler. “Its’re writing the next chapter of music with AI.” It’s really thrilling that to have a new instrument and tool for creating music.

By applying various dialects and emotions to voiceovers, an advertising firm may use Fugatto to swiftly target an existing campaign for various locations or scenarios.

Any voice a speaker wants might be used in language learning resources. Consider an online course that is delivered by any friend or relative.

The concept might be used by video game creators to adapt prerecorded elements in their titles to the shifting action as players progress through the game. Alternatively, they might use alternative voice inputs and written directions to generate new assets instantly.

Making a Joyful Noise

For example, Fugatto can meow on a saxophone or bark on a trumpet. The model can generate whatever that users may describe.

Researchers discovered that it could perform tasks that it was not pretrained on, such as producing a high-quality singing voice from a text cue, using fine-tuning and modest quantities of singing data.

Users Get Artistic Controls

Fugatto‘s uniqueness is enhanced by a number of skills.

The model combines instructions that were only observed individually during training using a method known as ComposableART during inference. For instance, a series of prompts can request content that is delivered in a French accent and with a depressing tone.

Users have fine-grained control over text instructions, such as the degree of grief or the accent’s weight, with to the model’s capacity to interpolate across instructions.

Additionally, Fugatto lets users construct soundscapes they have never seen before, such a thunderstorm fading into a morning with the sound of birdsong, in contrast to most models that can only replicate the training data they have been exposed to.

A Look Under the Hood

Building upon the team’s earlier work in fields including speech modeling, audio vocoding, and audio comprehension, Fugatto is a fundamental generative transformer model.

The entire version was trained on a bank of NVIDIA DGX computers with 32 NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs and employs 2.5 billion parameters.

A multicultural team from India, Brazil, China, Jordan, and South Korea all contributed to the creation of Fugatto. Their partnership strengthened Fugatto’s multilingual and multiaccent capabilities.

Creating a mixed dataset with millions of training audio samples was one of the most challenging aspects of the endeavor. To achieve more accurate performance and enable new activities without requiring extra data, the team used a multidimensional approach to produce data and instructions that significantly increased the variety of jobs the model could execute.

Additionally, they examined pre-existing datasets to uncover novel connections between them. The entire project took almost a year to complete.

The group then demonstrated Fugatto making electronic music with dogs barking in rhythm with the beat after being given a signal.

“It truly warmed my heart when the group broke up with laughing.”

Read more on Govindhtech.com

[theloniousbach]

ALMOST LIVESTREAM: DAVE BARON with Miki Yamanaka and Jimmy McBride, MEZZROW’S, 17 JULY 2024, 10:30 pm set

Rather than wait for some other trios on my maybe list, I’ll write this one up now on the bird in the hand theory. This was a definite as I try to catch Miki Yamanaka and Jimmy McBride at her regular late Monday gigs every month. I have not seen DAVE BARON with them in their series of bass players, but he well could be.

Since this was his gig, I am thinking about this in relation to Neal Caine early in the week with Orrin Evans. There is the related question of the role of leaders. The comparison with Caine favors Caine was flamboyant and self-indulgent. Baron’s playing was consistent and solid and his tune selection was subtler. Interestingly, with him Yamanaka was more restrained, but not constrained. She is always clever and tasteful but it was only on the Cedar Walton closer that it began to feel like something from one of her own gigs. Jimmy McBride was wonderful and supportive as always.

Baron was understated as a bassist and ran the Small’s Live risk of getting lost in the room’s sound on the stream. But he was subtle throughout and served the tunes he selected. It was a fine list of jazz compositions from somewhat off the beaten path. A Cedar Walton blues is not and Chick Corea’s early Litha shows up from time to time. The standards were Alec Wilder’s Moon and Sand and The Very Thought of You with a capable vocalist whose name I missed. The opener was truly A Joyful Noise by the lyrical saxophonist Steve Wilson which was bright and open, but gentle. He also did a probing but quiet version of Bill Evans’ Funkarello which had the composer’s open harmonies and reflectivity but was their own feel.

A worthwhile gig with old and new favorites, players and tunes.

[c-40]

A-T-4 117 Adrian Sherwood At The Controls

I've written about Adrian Sherwood remixing tracks in 1984 here and yesterday I posted Missing Brazilians Warzone album. These are some other releases produced by Adrian Sherwood that came out 40-years-ago. Adrian Sherwood's mentor the Jamaican deejay and producer Prince Far I had been murdered in his home in Kingston in September 1983. As I'm sure you can imagine this had a profound impact on Sherwood and for a time he stopped producing reggae

Singers & Players - Make A Joyful Noise from the Leaps & Bounds album. This was the last of the S&P albums with its original line up. Prince Far I was a member of Singers & Players and the Leaps & Bounds album is dedicated to him, his face is on the cover of the original Cherry Red release. Congo Ashanti Roy sings lead vocals on Make A Joyful Noise

Bim Sherman - Keep You Dancing the version of Keep You Dancing below is from the last of On-U Sound's original 10" Disco Plate series, the dub on the b-side Can't Stop Jumping is also beautiful. A short version of Keep You Dancing is included on Big Sherman's Century album but I can only find the 10" version online. Century is produced by Sherwood

Doctor Pablo & Dub Syndicate - Red Sea in fact Can't Stop Jumping the dub of the above track is included with the bonus downloads to recent reissues of this album North Of The River Thames by Doctor Pablo & Dub Syndicate. There's some sublime tracks on it like A Taste Of Honey and the title track North Of The River Thames

Annie Anxiety - Closet Love the American artist Annie Anxiety or Little Annie moved to the UK in 1981 and is associated with the anarchist punk band Crass. Crass disbanded in 1984

Voice of Authority featuring Congo Ashanti Roy - Feeling Wild Adrian Sherwood was contracted to make a few albums for Cherry Red Records Voice of Authority and their sole album Very Big In America Right Now is the last of these

[krispyweiss]

FERD at Rambling House, Columbus, Ohio, Nov. 11, 2023

If you don’t know FERD, you don’t know modern, old-time music.

Formed around titular bandleader Ferd Moyse and completed with banjoist Matt Morelock and upright bassist Chris Stevens, the trio makes a lot of noise as the three guys never have fewer than four instruments working (more on that in a bit). And FERD’s joyful noise filled Columbus, Ohio’s, Rambling House Nov. 11, where 40 or so fans do-si-do’d in front of the stage as the band worked its way through songs from its debut, Feelin’ Like the Wind, and other, as-yet-unrecorded tracks during what can only be described as an urban hootenanny.

Moyse in action; see more photos on Sound Bites’ Facebook page

Former Hackensaw Boy - and Nov. 11 birthday boy - Moyse is center stage, singing and playing fiddle while seated on a suitcase that serves as a kick drum, which he pedals with his right foot while his left boot is outfitted with a tambourine. Dude works hard and sweat was pouring down his face and neck a couple of songs into the band’s hour-long first set.

“They say you only get a certain number of Saturday nights,” Moyse said before the 70-minute second half, which bled into early Sunday morning, when about half of the audience had melted away.

“I’m glad for this one.”

On one side of him is Morelock, a non-traditional banjo player who uses his instrument for leads and rhythm along with flourishes to accentuate the music. He occasionally added mouth harp and a wrought-iron triangle to the mix to insert playful, rustic sounds to FERD’s template. Morelock is like a rural hype man, singing joyful harmonies, making hilarious faces and striking over-exaggerated poses as Marty Feldman eyes let everyone in on the silent gags.

On the other side stands the counterbalancing and silent Stevens. His face covered by a long, heavy beard and with a hat down over his forehead, the bassist looked intensely at Moyse and Morelock, seeking quiet cues that allow him to give his compatriots the sonic floor they need to do their respective thangs.

This was an intimate gig in a venue not much bigger than a large family room, allowing the band to talk with audience members and make the gathering feel like a house party that denim- and work-shirt-wearing musicians came to after a day in the fields.

But then the real work began. FERD’s music is uncomplicated, but its collective musicianship is complex.

Moyse is a lead singer and instrumentalist - his out-of-the -1930s fiddle is FERD’s center of gravity - and rhythm section in one; Morelock is a versatile accompanist who adds visuals with knee bends, smiles and frowns and triangle tosses that sometimes were caught flawlessly and sometimes were not; and Stevens is the steady counterweight. There are raucous songs with lyrics such as “Classic Beauty” and “Flyin’ off the Rails,” which sounded like it might but just as obviously would not. And there are hard-swinging instrumentals such as “Blues a Bébé,” which demonstrate triangles and Jew’s harps are serious instruments.

But for all the fun it packs, FERD is a serious music-making enterprise that’s not to be missed.

Grade card: FERD at Rambling House - 11/11/23 - A-

11/12/23

[dustedmagazine]

Magic Fig — S-T (Silver Current)

Magic Fig is gooey sweet but epic, marshalling tidal waves of Moog-buzzing pop with Moon-like drum fills spilling out at the sides. Songs lead through fanciful, multicolored, fairytale landscapes, the tootle of circus pipes running over muscular constructions of bass and drums.

The band is made of Bay Area regulars, not exactly a super group, but an ensemble with a track record. Inna Showalter of Blades of Joy and Whitney’s Playland sings, an enticing entrée into complicated, often near-prog song architectures. Michael Ferrara is the bass player; you might know him from The Umbrellas. And Muzzy Moskowitz, the guitar player, has played in Almond Joy and Froogie’s Groovies. I’m not finding much of a trail Jon Chaney and Taylor Giffin, but both are key, Chaney on the multi-hued keyboards turn these songs into carnival rides, Giffin on the fractious, exuberant drums that explode in the margins.

The disc opens with “Goodbye Suzy,” a careening flying carpet of a song, its four-four beat limned in various varieties of keyboard, all other instruments executing elaborate, psychedelic arabesques around it. Magic Fig is often compared to Canterbury scene bands like Soft Machine and Caravan, and indeed, there’s something like in the way they splice pop accessibility to sprawling ambition. You could also make a connection to latter day bands like The Essex Green and the New Pornographers. The music is as easy as guitar pop can be, but more intricate.

Consider, for instance, the way that “Labyrinth”’s thudding, Tangerine Dream pulse morphs into a carnival organ melody, Krautish discipline melting into psychedelic daydreams. Or the way that languid “Obliteration” shimmers and shifts with layered keyboards, a string-like Moog-tone and vocal counterparts. It’s as soothing as a sunny day at the beach, but with darker currents underneath.

“Do you think you’ll capture a cloud?” Showalter asks amid the throes of “Goodbye Suzy,” as drums crash and guitars flare and keyboards kick up a joyful noise, and sure, they pretty much did in the pretty, fuzzy, rampage of the melody. But it’s a complicated cloud, as clouds go, full of changes, exploding with drums, not quite contained by pop conventions.

Jennifer Kelly

[gloriabomfim]

Animatronic!MC Ballyhoo

Animatronic!MC Ballyhoo - 30 Facts:

Animatronic!MC Ballyhoo is a character from the Mario Party series, specifically from Mario Party 8, where he serves as the "Master of Catastrophe" and the host of the annual Star Carnival.

He made his first appearance in Mario Party 8, which was released in 2007, and his latest appearance was a cameo in Mario Party Superstars in 2021.

Animatronic!MC Ballyhoo is depicted as a teal-skinned humanoid with large orange lips, small yellow eyes, and a large hot pink tongue.

He is always seen wearing a magenta suit with pink cufflinks, gold-colored trim and buttons, and a red bowtie, along with white gloves on his five-fingered hands.

Animatronic!MC Ballyhoo is accompanied by his hovering hat named Big Top, and together, they create the Star Carnival and plan each year's event.

MC Ballyhoo's personality is highly energetic and enthusiastic, often expressing his excitement for the carnival events as madness.

He speaks with a satirical, ringmaster phrasing during the carnival events, showing happiness for the winners and sympathy for the losers.

In Mario Party: The Top 100, Animatronic!MC Ballyhoo and Big Top act as guides at the Star Carnival.

Animatronic!MC Ballyhoo and Big Top are depicted as a single spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, granting the player a Star Rod at the start of each fight.

MC Ballyhoo slightly resembles Chuck Quizmo from the Paper Mario series.

His full name is "Master of Catastrophe Ballyhoo," and the abbreviation "MC" stands for "Master of Catastrophe."

The name "MC Ballyhoo" is based on the term "ballyhoo," which means "great noise or commotion."

In other languages, he is known by various names, like "コンドゥ (Kondu) and トーレ (Tōre)" in Japanese, "Martin Tamarre" in French, and "Billy Balla-Balla" in German, among others.

The winners of the main attraction, Star Battles, at the Star Carnival can become Superstars and receive a year's supply of Candy.

MC Ballyhoo's hat, Big Top, plays a significant role in the carnival's proceedings and interactions with the guests.

Animatronic!MC Ballyhoo and Big Top made a minor cameo appearance in the box art for Mario Party 8 in Mario Party Superstars.

Steven Weyte provided the voice for MC Ballyhoo in his first portrayal in Mario Party 8.

Animatronic!MC Ballyhoo's appearance and role in the games add a vibrant and lively atmosphere to the Mario Party series.

The character's energetic and extravagant speeches make him a memorable and iconic host in the Mario Party universe.

The Star Carnival, created by Animatronic!MC Ballyhoo, serves as a central theme for the events and gameplay in Mario Party 8.

Despite Bowser's interference, Animatronic!MC Ballyhoo manages to keep the Star Carnival running smoothly with the help of his guests.

Animatronic!MC Ballyhoo's role as the host and planner of the Star Carnival showcases his organizational skills and love for entertainment.

He is known for his flashy and theatrical presentations, adding flair to the various game modes in the Mario Party series.

Animatronic!MC Ballyhoo's appearance and flamboyant personality make him an instantly recognizable and beloved character among Mario Party fans.

In Mario Party 8, Animatronic!MC Ballyhoo's events and attractions provide players with a variety of entertaining mini-games and challenges.

His cameo appearance in Mario Party Superstars is a testament to his enduring popularity as a Mario Party character.

The concept of animatronics in the Five Nights at Freddy's series is vastly different from the character of MC Ballyhoo in Mario Party 8.

Animatronic!MC Ballyhoo does not possess any malevolent traits like the haunted animatronics in the Five Nights at Freddy's series.

His joyful and engaging demeanor creates a fun and inviting atmosphere for players participating in the Star Carnival.

Animatronic!MC Ballyhoo's legacy as the Master of Catastrophe continues to be celebrated by Mario Party enthusiasts, and his energetic spirit adds a delightful charm to the Mario Party games he appears in.