#like there is no way those songs could've come from literally any other decade but the '90s. and that's what that BC album sounds like too

[musicrunsthroughmysoul]

When will the cruel mental illness be over...

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Old School 1993 Funk / Hip Hop / Electro

I think what's most striking about this very dope collection of mostly 80s party jams is that, when this album was originally released in 1993, people were *already* referring to this music as being representative of the "old school." I mean, the latest song on this thing is Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock's 1988 classic, "It Takes Two," and while that's universally regarded as a hands-down old school party-rap standard today, it's wild to think that people were willing to call it "old school" *just five years after* it first came out. Like, imagine considering literally any song from 2018 old school right now?! Crazy, right?

But this fantastic release seems to have already known the deal: three years after the 80s had ended, and still to this day, we were going to refer to a lot of that decade's output as definitively old school. And the brass at Thump Records were clearly proven right by this notion, because, even in these current 2020s, we still refer to this album's overall sound—that electro-synthy-fat keyboard bassline-post-disco-boogie-funk stuff—as 100% old school; not much of the material that preceded it, and no agreed-upon opinion about anything that came after it, either; but one thing that we all seem to know for certain is that the 80s were definitely a part of the old school era.

So, if you're looking for some of those vintage clap-and-stomp old school block party grooves, then this CD is simply essential listening. We've got total classic good-time party-rockers all throughout this thing, like Parliament's "Flashlight," George Clinton's "Atomic Dog," and the Rick James-produced "All Night Long," by the Mary Jane Girls. Also another big hit that topped Billboard's Hot Soul Singles chart in 1981 with Frankie Smith's "Double Dutch Bus," which famously featured a bunch of Ebonic lyrics that would later go on to be sampled by Missy Elliott in her own 2002 rap smash, "Gossip Folks":

Teena Marie comes through with her #3 R&B hit, "Square Biz" as well, and pioneering Brooklyn rap crew, Whodini, deliver two cuts off of their 1984 platinum-selling LP, Escape, with one of their biggest singles, "Friends"—whose spine-tingling electro keys would find their way into Nas' "If I Ruled the World," and whose chorus would also get interpolated by Everlast during his rootsy folk-blues phase on "Ends"—and its B-side, "Five Minutes of Funk."

And, really, I could've picked pretty much any other random handful of songs from this album and written as glowingly about them as I did the ones above, but I don't wanna overload this post. So just know that just because I didn't end up devoting a few words to most of these songs, that doesn't mean that they don't deserve an equal amount of praise, because they definitely do.

A terrific CD, from top to bottom, that makes for an awesome way to channel 70 minutes of some of those beloved and bygone 80s old school party vibes.

And if you want *3 and a half more hours* of 80s goodness like this, I also have my very own Spotify playlist that's of a slightly different stripe, which includes more dance-pop and freestyle on it, along with classic electro, hip hop, and a little bit of new wave too 😊.

Highlights:

Frankie Smith - "Double Dutch Bus" D-Train - "You're the One for Me" Tom Browne - "Funkin for Jamaica" Parliament - "Flashlight" Whodini - "Five Minutes of Funk" George Clinton - "Atomic Dog" Mary Jane Girls - "All Night Long" One Way - "Cutie Pie" Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock - "It Takes Two" Teena Marie - "Square Biz" Whodini - "Friends" The Gap Band - "You Dropped a Bomb on Me" Spyder-D - "Smerphies Dance"

[notmoreflippingelves]

So like I'm pretty much in complete and total agreement with everything said here, but I'd just like to build upon what you said a bit more especially in the reference to the writers largely ignoring Esteban's trauma. Partly because "well, it was kind of his fault" and partly because "this guy spent 41 years in captivity wallowing in guilt and desperation without a break or a friend" is admittedly rather a lot to put on the eight-year-olds watching.

But even knowing that does not make it any more frustrating to watch as an adult. I already did a little word vomit of my own about how "Island of Youth" is actually rather heartbreaking in an understated way. But at least, he does get considerable focus in that ep, unlike the other microagressive moments in S1-S2 which Esteban's past experiences (or even the man himself) are either ignored, played for laughs or both.

Don't think I didn't notice how quick everyone was to ignore his stated wish for a quiet, traditional Navidad at home with the familia in the first holiday episode ! Even though he has probably been dreaming of that very thing for decades! Nope, this idea is not even worth considering for everyone else. (At least, he got his family Christmas time the second time around).

Don't think I didn't notice that he straight-up *wasn't* there during the "family" vacations in "Royal Retreat" and "The Gecko's Tale"! (And yeah, he was probably working but would it really have been so hard to have someone quickly say "It's really too bad Esteban was too busy with that trade agreement to join us. Next time, we'll take him with us even if we have to pack his entire study to lure him here.")

And on a similar note, his absence in every Dias de las Muertos episodes is also super-glaring. Word of God says he's visiting his parents' altar but like... you could've showed that and you chose not to. Because apparently, he's the only one who isn't allowed onscreen grief on the day where people remember their lost loved ones.

But all of that is absolutely nothing at all compared to the glaring hole of wasted potential/unexplored complexity that was Esteban's characterization in S2 in particular. (Adding further insult to injury, he's not even listed at all as either a "main character," a "recurring character," *or* a "supporting character" on the official wiki's page for S2. King Verago's listed and he's only in 1 episode. Esteban is in 8-9 but apparently he's a non-character).

It's incredibly frustrating considering that S2 as a whole is arguably the most plot-consistent and has the least filler. More importantly, Esteban has long-standing and very important connections to the driving forces of said S2 plot (namely Elena, Shuriki, and Victor). And yet, the only real things of substance the S2 narrative gives us for him (apart from a few funny moments) are his rap battle with Elena and the Navidad episode. (Ironically, both of those are only peripherally related to Esteban's connections to the S2 plot as a whole)

Even both of those great moments are undercut by the fact that in the latter case, he has to share focus with Elena, Mateo, and Naomi all of whom get at least 1 additional character-focused episode of their own that they don't have to "share" with anyone else. And in the former case, the fun Hamilton-esque beat makes it far too easy to ignore what is actually happening during "The Right Thing to Do." Namely, Esteban doing a literal song and dance in order to convince the Grand Council to protect Elena from Shuriki--since Elena sure as hell isn't going to protect herself.

However, the most aggravating to me personally is the absolute wasted Esteban potential in "Song of the Sirenas." This is arguably the most important episode of the show since "Secret of Avalor" and it should've been nearly as huge for Esteban's character as it was for Elena's. He comes face to face again with the person who manipulated him and terrorized him for forty-one years, (!) the person who had thought he was finally free of but turned out to be mistaken (even if the reunion was mercifully temporary). The narrative owed him a direct interaction with Shuriki, one that would've brought him closure or at least would've acknowledged how painful and terrifying his situation is. I would've gobbled up that delicious angst like Esteban gobbles up tres leches cake.

Instead, we get only two tiny little character moments from Esteban in the episode, both of which involve his "cowardice" being played for laughs and neither of which stop to consider that his self-preservation instincts are normal considering what he's been through.

The first of these moments is Esteban immediately darting behind Francisco for protection when he sees that flash of green smoke for the first time in two years.

This is especially striking as it's a direct contrast to his behavior in S3. Long before his sacrifice in the series finale, we see multiple occasions where Esteban inserts himself as a physical barrier between Elena and Ash Delgado. Even though Elena sees him as the "enemy" and arguably "more" of the enemy than Ash, Esteban still refuses to let any harm come to his cousin, even if he has to put himself literally in the line of fire.

And yet when Esteban sees his former queen, his first instinct is to hide behind his grandfather like a scared little boy. Shuriki terrifies Esteban in a way that nothing else in the show seems to--not even Ash or Zopilote or Cahu. He reverts to being the child he was forty-three years earlier and waits for the older, braver man to save him from the nightmare.

The second notable Esteban moment in "Song of the Sirenas" is pretty similar to the first and nearly as striking. And it's played for laughs even more so than the other. After Esteban, his cousins, the abuelos, and Marisa are locked up in the tower ("for now" as Shuriki made sure to remind them), they are rescued by Naomi, Gabe, Mateo, and the jaquins. When Mateo asks who should be taken to safety first, Esteban's response is an immediate "me, me, me." And then two seconds later, "Or Isabel."

Unsurprisingly, Esteban's first instinct is to protect himself from the person who made his life hell for decades. But equally telling is the fact that just a few short moments later, his priorities reorient towards protecting the youngest and most vulnerable person in the room. Even though no one was able to protect him when he was nearly as young and nearly as vulnerable. (I'm fairly meh about Mateo overall but my opinion of him did shoot up dramatically when he subsequently decides to save Isabel and Esteban at the same time. You done good, wizard boy. Keep it up)

It's all so much and Esteban is just so much, the most character. But still not nearly as much character as the narrative should let him be.

Both my twitters are locked now due to the increase in spam and bot issues since the Muskrat's hostile takeover but here is the original "losing my mind about Esteban Flores" thread for posterity and your reading pleasure*