#so it def built the foundation for who i am now and what my stories look like at present

[m1ckeyb3rry]

i finally privated some of my oldest works because i actually gagged whenever i got notifications from people commenting on them and on the one hand it is very freeing to not have them out for everyone to read anymore but on the other it feels like the end of an era…now my only aot works that are public are endure and sith which is crazy considering aot is what made me start writing more and posting any of it online 😓

[zitkaplushie]

nightwing secret files liveblog:

this is gonna be a long one so it’s under a cut!

taking wing-

is that jason??

i like this 'a christmas carol' type exposition i'm ngl

i'm not sure if 'jason''s dismissal of the circus is dixon using an unreliable narrator, or if dixon actually believes that

god i hate this art so much

how dare u insult the teen titans in any way 😤 i like the name

also titans cameo!!

more awful jason characterisation (pls dixon just stay 8732894738 feet away from jason)

"without robin i have no family" i guess the titans are just chopped liver huh

"i always thought that one day i'd be batman" nope nope nope nope you have 0 understanding of dick's character if that's what you think mr dixon

i love clark having a part in dick becoming nightwing - i adore it - but the way dixon retcons the importance of the titans, and especially kory, in dick becoming nightwing rubs me the complete wrong way. i'm choosing to read this as a between the scenes moment, but i 100% dixon intended this to replace the titans' importance. and the way ppl just swallow it up w/o thinking about the reasons behind why dixon would want to erase the titans - and kory - pisses me off lmao

"i didn't mean to stay so long [with the titans]" *eternal screaming* he really wants to undermine the titans at every possible turn wow

at least the next page acknowledges the importance of kory in dick's life, but right afterwards we have "lmao she must've liked your costume. all the girls did. you're a chick magnet" (paraphrased) and i'm just back to sighing

also hi i'm mad at the framing of babs being the endgame bc of course they'd do that. and also at kory being shorter than dick. thanks! i hate it! i'm willing to bet that dixon asked for that specifically.

"this is where i came in" i'm confused at this part but tbh i don't care enough to think abt it any more

i'm also ughhhh at the way they're trying to give bludhaven importance. i don't care, i don't like it, he should've never moved there

ok i do really like that last page

the fact files things are good enough, i love the art for the haly's circus one! the pt barnum ref is 😬 though (ik ik it's the 90s but fjskdh why)

lost pages: teen titans-

ok so, i don't like devin grayson. i don't like her writing at all, i don't think she gets the characters at all, and hot take: if you dislike a character who's super important part of dick's life, and helped him come into his own and be who he is, you shouldn't be writing that character. (i'm talking about kory here, but tbh if you dislike any of the characters who dick interacts with frequently and are a huge part of his life - especially his love interests, and his family - you shouldn't be writing dick.) so i'm not going into this story with high hopes. however i've seen ppl talk about this story as being really good so i hope i'll like it too

you can tell she mostly cares about the fab five, which wouldn't be a problem if she treated the ntt characters better but alas ://

kory and vic both say 1 thing the entire page lmao

ALSO KORY NOT KNOWING WHAT DAY IT IS IS ABSOLUTE BULLSHIT I CANNOT BELIEVE

i loooove the parallel between dick grasping wally's hand and young!dick holding his dad's hand 🥺🥺🥺🥺

vic legit says one thing the entire story lmaoooooooo 🙃🙃🙃

i love garth and roy being brought to the tower 🥺

this is def some of grayson's better work, but it suffers from the same thing all of her stories do. she doesn't fully understand all the characters. if one character is off it affects the whole story. a lot of her stories have good ideas and poor execution, and this one definitely doesn't have awful execution but there's still something missing and as someone who loves the titans it's just sad. i get why people like this story - it made me tear up at the end ngl - but the rest of the titans are just as important as dick and it feels like the writer doesn't understand that. (i get this is a dick comic but it's still a titans story.) (it does however make me want to write a fic expanding upon this moment and the aftermath bc the idea of the titans all coming together to cheer dick up is so goooooood. are they gonna have a party celebrating dick's parent's lives? are they gonna eat junk food and watch a comfort movie? are they gonna just sit and talk?? the possibilities are endless!!)

the art is gorgeous as all of jimenez' art is, i love his style so freaking much!!

the next page is of the bludhaven supporting cast and all it does is remind me how much i do not care abt them. i think the only one i actually like is clancy, the others are expendable and forgettable. (i do love clancy a lot though, i wish she'd been written by more people than just dixon). though, i usually love guice's art, i think i actually prefer mcdaniel's take on clancy??? which is 100% a first for me.

i like seeing the set up to dick's apartment, bc i'm a sucker for layouts and maps. i wish this comic was way better written bc the concept of dick living in an apartment building and interacting with his neighbours is one i really like, esp in superhero comics. but again i have to say, alas.

a day in the life of nite-wing/hangin'-with tad:

painful... just painful...

i physically couldn't care less about this if you paid me

the next page is tad's file and i am Not Reading That. nope nope nope. and also fuck you.

next is a map of bludhaven, and like i said, i'm a sucker for maps.

the page after that is brutale's file and again i just do not care. the art is by damion scott who i really like, but the design looks like knock off scarecrow so

the next pages are files for double dare, lady vidc, shrike and blockbuster and i'm skipping them all bc i give negative fucks

next is a spread of what i assume is dick's cork-board? it looks kinda interesting but the writing is hard to make out and i don't care enough to try to decipher it

next is torque's files and same same, idc idc

nightwing's romances/orange you glad i didn't say banana?:

ok so y'all know i hate dickbabs. i hate everything about how it was built on the foundation of tearing down kory and dickkory and i'm a kory fan first and foremost so i hate this whole situation. so i'm already predisposed to disliking anything that talks about how babs is dick's true love, and talks down any of his other love interests. i come into this with an admitted bias. i'd try to be charitable but i don't see why i should when no one involved in the writing of dickbabs is charitable towards my faves so 🤷

i love love love stelfreeze's art! he's drawn babs in something else i read and i loved it then and i love it here!

i adore dick and babs' friendship, so the beginning is really sweet and cute. i also love the concept of baby!dickie being obsessed with watermelons and wanting to eat them forever

dewey decimal system!!! librarian babs reference!! fdjkh she's such a nerd i love it

babs trying to talk about romance and dick's like 'lol nah what abt fighting' lmao

i Do Not like babs hitting dick while talking abt 'i was segueing into talking about romance, hint hint'

this is romance? dick giving exactly 0 fucks?

why are these writers obsessed with hinting at dick and donna??? like first dixon and now grayson??? please stop!!!! i do love how he says he loves her bc 🥺🥺🥺 i love them

ur not being slick having babs call donna 'donna' and kory 'starfire', i see you grayson. i see ur hate for kory.

and reducing kory to just her body, and dick's sexual attraction to her boils my blood

i'm choosing to interpret babs's face in that panel as her being attracted to kory too

i do like that dick talks about being in love with kory, and thinking about still being with her. a) i'll take those crumbs, and b) thats how i see dick's relationship to love as being (though devin views him as kinda flighty and unfaithful so idk how we're agreeing on this lmao)

pls stop talking shit abt huntress devin, ur the one who made dick/hel a thing

since devin loves her brudick subtext, i'm side-eyeing the mention of bruce there

also why are we hinting at cass pls stop

babs being jealous and petty pls stop

the ending was smooth i have to admit it. if it was any other ship i'd probs love it but as it is, i'm tired of everyone else being downplayed in favour of the ~babs is dick's true loooooveee, it's always been herrrrr, from the beginningggggg~

i don't mind babs being dick's first crush though, in fact that's my hc for him because hello?? who wouldn't have a crush on babs??

thank you mr stelfreeze for accurately portraying babs' bitchface bc she's being a petty bitch here (and i love her but lmaooo i hate this whole thing)

next is the files on the bludhaven pd and i do not caaaare

then there's a timeline, but i don't care about any timeline that dixon writes. i'm petty though so i'm gonna read it and talk abt why i don't like the retcons.

i hate the dickbabs reference in YEAR FUCKING 3 jfc. pls stop with the retcons.

also lmao the difference between the way dick's canon relationship from that time is described in the shittiest way possible (though reluctant at first, dick begins a long and tumultuous romance with teammate starfire.) and how he wrote dick and babs' relationship (robin first teams with ... barbara in her guise as batgirl. the two will pair time and again over the course of their careers and develop a burgeoning affection for one another) this was at a time when they weren't even remotely interested in each other!!! there was no affections there dixon! no matter how much you wish it to be true!! and again the contrast with 'starfire' and 'barbara'! like it's dehumanising and i hate it.

and he can't even bother to get the new teen titans' team name right.

no mention of kory's importance in dick becoming nightwing, nope we ignore that bc it's thanks to superman now.

stepping away from the way he hates kory to talk about the way he hates jason! jason's described as a 'troubled orphan' and a 'juvenile delinquent'.

no mentions of how jason and dick bonded but as soon as tim gets introduced he talks about how dick and tim 'switfly bond as brothers'.

another incredibly impersonal description of dick and kory's relationship (the wedding of dick grayson and kory anders (aka starfire) is aborted by the rogue titan raven. dick and kory soon part company and dissolve their relationship.) but at least he calls her kory this time.

also i love how he speeds up through all the 'non important' development for dick but spends a whole page talking about all the bullshit he's been writing for nightwing. i understand why, but it's just lmaooooo 🙃 when you read it like that, it really shows how shitty this comic is.

talks of the 'doomed relationship' between dick and hel and i really hate it pls stop

the last page is dick's evaluation by the police academy and i do not care so i'm skipping it too.

[marksarmel]

What I’m Consuming 07/14/20

I haven’t done one of these mainly because I didn’t feel like talking about frivolous media consumption while the world is on fire, but we still here. Let’s get on with it. 

TV

George Floyd video -  I didn’t want to watch this because I just didn’t want to see a black man die. Again. If you haven’t watched it you should. To see and hear a grown man call for his dead mother is heart wrenching. It’s terrible. It’s disgusting. It’s merciless and it’s absolutely necessary. We must not turn away from this horror because it makes it too easy to ignore. This is what happens just down the street, on the “wrong” side of the road, and right next door. In the video one witness makes the comment, “He is human bro.” This says it all, but allow me to pile on. George Floyd is human. The cops are blithely inhuman.

George Floyd witnesses - Witnesses ask/beg officers to stop kneeling on George Floyd’s neck. They are casually ignored. That very nature is the terror here. A man’s life is slipping away and the guy could be casually eating ice cream, texting someone, or waiting for the light to change.

Dave Chapelle - 8:46 - Dave dropped this on Netflix. It’s worth watching. It’s not funny as much as it’s one man’s exasperated commentary on things he’s been talking about his entire career; fear of cops, inequality, racism. If you’ve watched any of Dave Chapelle you probably know this. If you don’t you’re just not listening.

BLM Protest Videos - Watch as many of them as you can. These protests are the gesticulations of a people long ignored struggling to write themselves into their own story that has, up until now, been written by someone else.

MOVIES

I haven’t watched many new movies for obvious pandemic reasons. I think during this time it’s important to educate ourselves on what’s happening with race in America today. There are plenty of lists on things to watch and read and listen to, but I want to try to do something a little different and pair movies up with another piece of media that I think compliments it in some way.

I Am Not Your Negro - James Baldwin (2016) - To Pimp a Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar (2015) - At the beginning of I Am Not Your Negro James Baldwin is asked if things are, “at once getting much better, but still hopeless”. His response is that the real question is, “what’s going to happen to this country.” 50 years later we are still asking these same questions. There is a shot at 37:12 in I Am Not Your Negro of a white cop standing with his knee on a woman’s neck. 50 years later we are still seeing these same things. In the past 50 years we have landed on the moon, mapped the human genome, invented the internet, cloned animals, built the iPhone, gone from records, to 8-tracks, to tapes, to cds, to streaming music, elected 11 different presidents and still, today African Americans walk through the world linked to their past by the chains of racism. 

Amy Cooper video (2020) and Get Out - Jordan Peele (2017) - This movie was a huge hit, but I think the ending is all the more terrifying and shows the real world horror of life in America for a black man when watched with the video of Amy Cooper. In the video Amy calls the cops and in order to get the response she feels entitled to, she tells the cops that Christian Cooper, a black man, is threatening her. Never have I seen a more clear example of life imitating art, intentionally or not.  Watch the movie first then watch the video.

Hurricane - Bob Dylan (1976) - The Hurricane - Norman Jewison (1999) - Just Mercy - Destin Daniel Cretton (2019) The arrest of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter in the late 60’s led to the protest song by Dylan in 1976 which led to the movie with Denzel Washington in 1999. The movie Just Mercy from 2019 is not about Rubin Carter, but it’s about the same thing. A black man is arrested, tried and convicted of a crime with very little evidence and is later found to be innocent. It’s the song, it’s the movie, it’s the movie again. Black people are living in a real life racist horror movie version of Groundhog Day.

 13th - Ava Duvernay (2016) - Ronald Reagan’s War on Drugs speech (1986)

You can watch 13th for free on YouTube.

Reagan’s speech you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj8gAQ_cQ7Q

The film goes into great detail about the issues with America and the prison industrial complex and Reagan’s speech is just a small part of it. I see Reagan’s speech though, as something I remember in my early life. Not the speech itself, but the the War on Drugs and the “Just Say No” campaign. The War on Drugs has terrorized black and minority communities and has led to mass incarceration on a scale so large that as of 2019 there are 2.3 million people in jail. Nixon began the war on crime that laid the foundation of the prison industrial complex, Reagan built the jails, Bush filled them and Clinton created the three strikes rule which was a shot of adrenaline to this system.

The following is not something I’ve come up with myself, but it is based on facts and it is true.The US criminal justice system is NOT failing black and brown people. It is working exactly as it was designed. This system was created to destroy black and brown communities. It was created to continue the system of slavery after slavery was outlawed. It is a FOR PROFIT industry. Those who profit from it are the modern day slave owners.

MUSIC

I feel the need to articulate current events with some music. Some old. Some new.

“Strange Fruit” - Nina Simone (1965) - There has been a spate of Black and Hispanic men and women found hanging recently. From May to June there have been 6 hangings, all ruled a suicide. If you want a horrifying description of these modern day lynchings listen to this song. 

Black on Both Sides - Mos Def (1999)- A honest and raw description of life for a modern black man. It is honest, boastful, and beautiful. The black man is simply put, a man. As a man he strives for love, success, and happiness. As a man he also sometimes fails. You and I are no different than a black man. In Umi Says, Mos Def repeats the refrain, “I want black people to be free.” We must all sing this same refrain.

“Changes” - 2pac (1998). Just listen to it. Then listen to again. This song was released in 1992. It could have come out right now.

R.A.P. Music - Killer Mike (2012)- Before there was Run the Jewels there was Killer Mike and El-P in the studio whipping out this AK-47 of an album. Follow this up with Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet. Follow that up with some action.

RTJ4 - Run the Jewels (2020)- A 2020 soundtrack. Or is it 2000? Or 1960?

RANDOM NOTES

I’ve also recently discovered the work of Tobe Nwigwe on Instagram. Check it out @Tobenwigwe

Gil Scott Heron said the revolution will not be televised. Heron, no doubt, did not foresee a world where everyone could be a camera, or that their voices could be amplified to such a degree, but the world is being forced to examine its own disfigured self. All through the mirror in our pockets and backpacks and living rooms. One thing Gil Scott Heron was right about in his song is this, “black people will be in the street looking for a brighter day.” We must join them.

[rbeatz]

Revolutionair and an Interview with its Creator, Run DMT

Run DMT is a DJ/producer/label owner/and radio host – a combination that is becoming more and more common these days, with the creative musician taking on all aspects of music managements and content distribution.

When I first heard the producers new album, Revolutionair, I immediately thought of Bassnectar with unique cinematic arrangements carried by heavy bass. This guy is a student of music production, unique percussive elements, and the arrangement game.

This guy has produced for music festivals, with live sets at Electric Daisy Carnival, Camp Bisco, Coachella, Wakarusa, and many more. He has produced official remixes for the likes of Bassnectar, Major Lazer, Diplo, Asking Alexandria, Twenty One Pilots, and The Who. He’s produced for the Mortal Kombat Soundtrack and television commercials for Titanfall and ESPN.

We had the pleasure of interviewing the eclectic artist below. You know the drill, press play on the Soundcloud embed below to listen to his new album, Revolutionaire, and read the full interview below for the FULL Run DMT experience.

Click here to support the artists by purchasing the full album, Revolutionaire, on Beatport.

INTERVIEW:

Where are you from and how has that shaped the musician you are today?

I am currently Dallas TX, where I am from, but I spent several years living in Austin. It was really cool being around all of that music and art. SXSW was a really cool experience in which to be involved all of those years. It gave me a solid foundation of how the music industry works.

What instruments did you play when you were younger?

I grew up playing a kids drumset and piano. As I got older, I was pushed into learning Bagpipe (my family) and the clarinet as I got older, but on my terms, I learned the guitar and fell in love with it.

Are there an instruments that you currently wish you COULD play?

I always wanted to play the violin. I love the sound of it. Any of the bowed strings really. Cello, double bass. I think it would be really cool to play any of those.

Tell us the story of how you started creating music on your computer?

I started messing around on the original Fruity Loops around 2001, around the same time I started learning how to DJ, just making simple beats and rendering them out to mp3 and burning them to CDs. It blew my mind to think that I could do that. Right before I went off to college, I ended up getting a copy of Fruity Loops 3 (The Current version at the time) and really going all in. I met a group of DJs at Baylor University who expanded my understanding of electronic music and DJ culture, and that pushed my desire to realize my ideas on my computer.

What was your favorite studio moment when producing your newest album, Revolutionair?

I had a lot of fun writing Analogue Noir because I spent a lot of time recording foley stuff in my studio and running it through a reel to reel machine to try to catch some extra texture on the samples. This includes lots of dead record sampling and looking for those perfect moments of white noise, pops, clicks, and organic rhythms. I am starting to move into a place where I am looking outward as much as inward for musical inspiration.

What do you like to do when you’re simply hanging out – aside from music?

I love film. When I am not making music, I am either watching movies, or I am working on my video editing and After Effects skills and watching videos about how to be better at said things. It’s just a hobby, but I am very passionate about it.

Who are your musical influences?

As a kid, I was brought up on Queen, Eric Clapton, Van Halen, as well as a slew of one hit wonder 80’s jams. I grew up listening to everything from hip hop to metal to punk, until I saw Come To Daddy by Aphex Twin on MTV2 at about 2am when I was 15. That  changed everything for me because I didn’t know music could do that. I had of course heard Crystal Method and Prodigy, but that was still radio music to me. This song proved to me that anything was possible with electronic music. From there, I moved on to artists like John Digweed, John B, Pendulum, onward to stuff like Flying Lotus and Eskmo. I am heavily influenced by Ninja Tune Records material from the 90’s and early 2000’s. I loved DJing that stuff. All of this has sort of molded the music I make now.

Who is one of your favorite acts right now to watch live?

Shpongle Live at Camp Bisco X, bar none best show I have ever seen, and I have seen Eric Clapton at Royal Albert Hall.

What are some of your favorite venues to play and why?

I love playing all types of venues. Its all about the vibe. Most of my favorites have been bought out and changed unfortunately. Barcelona in Austin and Webster Hall in NYC are def two of my favorites. Tons of good memories

Do you have a festival you’re most looking forward to this year?

Well I just played a smaller festival where I got to share the stage with Ivy Lab, LTJ Bukem, Reid Speed, Shpongle, and Noisia, so that was pretty cool.

  You’ve had your music contracted for a variety of mediums. Do you like hearing yourself on TV over a big festival or video game? Do you have a preference?

I am just glad that people get to hear the music I make. That is about all I can ask for. If this music is part of my legacy on this earth, its amazing to be able to share it with so many people.

What DAW do you use and why?

FL Studio, because its awesome. I have a saying when it comes to DAWs, “If you are good with a sword, don’t pick up a bow.” Use what is most familiar. I love the EQ and built in plugs as well as the layout.

Do you have a typical music production process? If yes, can you explain it?

Not strictly, but I am prone to working on melodies and vibes first. I typically get ideas at home that I take in to my studio. It is hard for me to force creativity, so when I have off days, I spend time recording foley or synths, making noises.

What is one of your favorite or go-to VST Plugin?

For engineering, Waves anything and Izotope Alloy For synthesis, I am starting to learn Reaktor. Its crazy

Do you have a key production tip for our young producers out there?

Keep your musical palette wide, Don’t listen to a bunch of Style X, then try to rinse and repeat what you just heard. Try to create something that defines you.

What is your favorite color?

Green

What food do you eat the most?

These days, spinach salads

Do you have a favorite in-studio snack?

Gummy bears, for sure

What is your favorite social media platform and why?

eh, i don’t know. They are all just necessary evils to me.

What is next for RUN DMT?

I am finishing up a big remix with Vorso, as well as releasing a slew of remixes form the Revolutionaire album. Finishing up a few things for my side projects, and running my Kill Your Ego label and podcast network. I am a busy dude

from rBeatz Radio http://ift.tt/2xHJ0Uw