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palmspringsbeats · 7 years

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2017.

That was pretty sweet, right?

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuk.

Well, at least we all made it.

And we’re all right here.

Quick strategy for ‘18:

There was a recent interview with Bjork, while she was promoting her new album, Utopia, where she was asked how she dealt with the insanity of the world. She said she creates a small bubble around herself, and focuses on filling it with everything she loves. (Not, like, a literal bubble, btw….I should clarify because it is Bjork.) Nah...but she just focuses on herself and her immediate surroundings, and creates her own world of the things that matter to her... love family music...and does her best to not let the outside awfulness in. Create your own little bubble world. I really liked that. That’s all you can really do these days. What’s important to you? What do you love doing? Cool, create a small bubble and concentrate like a motherfucker on just those things. Tune everything else out. Easier said than done, especially when the outside bullshit is directly affecting your life, but still seems like a pretty good goal for operating in the world today. Work to create your best bubble. Keep filling it with what you love. Turn off the bullshit. And pretty soon...this is your life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n0Ps1KWVU0

I’ve been filling my bubble with a lot of music this year.

And it’s time to step on in this bub ya’ll.

Because it is time to present to you…

WhatWhat’s best music of the year.

Also, RESIST.

Personal Music Highlights of 2017

1. Movement Detroit (see you again soon).

Highest of lights was Function wiping clean 90 minutes of my memory at the RA stage under Hart Plaza (went up to him afterwards, looked him directly in the eyes and told him he was number 1. He gave me a head nod. I was content.) Check out his album, ‘Recompiled,’ which was released this year. Respect the master.

Runner Up: Walking into a club at 3am with Eddie while Moodymann dropped the Beastie Boy’s Paul Revere. An entire club of Detroit techno heads went bananas and everyone in the club sang every word. That is what it means to be a good DJ. First time I saw him and it was everything I needed. Played everything from D’angelo, to MK to Ro James...to The Beastie Boys). Talking shit into the mic all night. Doing it all using iPod earbuds. Thank you for being exactly you, Moodymann. (P.S. There was a thing this year where super cool internet DJ chat room people took issue with Moodymann playing Kings of Leon, Sex On Fire, at a festival. You realize you’re criticizing Moodymann right? You’re criticizing MOODYMANN. Immediately fuck yourself. You’re what’s wrong with everything. You are banished from my bubble. Also, for the record, ‘Sex On Fire’ fucking rules. Drink more cheap beer and figure out your life.

Movement Detroit weekend playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/user/bobbysouers/playlist/54ve0L6kDdCI1dZIrbbL0l

2. Radiohead in Portland

Ended with Creep, can die now.

Set list/playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/bobbysouers/playlist/3VLMcyumHN6FYCQqGvFd3X

3. Solange in Portland

Made me realize Solange is actually cooler than Beyonce.

And Beyonce is...Beyonce.

Thus,

Solange is really, really fucking cool.

4. Solar in an Oregon orchard

Me full zenith.

Shout out and thank you, OV.

5. Queens in MSG

Thank you Ian.

Thank you for existing, Queens.

6. My wife singing Post Malone’s Rockstar acapella in our house without knowing the lyrics.

Shout out to legal Portland things!

Also, biggest surprise of the year: I really like Post Malone. As an artist and as a person.

And then...

7. Black Thought.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prmQgSpV3fA

Life lesson: You can’t do this without grinding for 30 years.

Best Music Videos of 2017:

2 Chainz ‘Trap Check’ was a lock for this. A LOCK.

Then came ‘The Gate’ (see intro paragraph).

Didn’t realize the drug DMTMDMA existed, so at least 2017 gave us that!

Anyway, #BjorkBubbleGoals fo real fo real.

(I’m going to get a tattoo on my face and become a Soundcloud rapper and my first song will be me mumbling “Bjork Bubble Goals, Bjork Bubble Goals, Bjork Bubble Goals” a thousand times over a pretty awesome beat. Gonna be siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick.

Runner up:

2 Chainz: Trap Check

2 Chainz is a superhero.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqoHYAdbQrE

Best Albums Of 2017:

1) Fever Ray: Plunge

The Queen Mother returned when we needed her most.

I could write a whole bunch about this but I advise you to instead just read all the interviews she did for this album.

She is revealing and honest.

She is my favorite artist.

And the album’s theme of sexual freedom also made me ok with a sexual fantasy I’ve been having.

It involves Fever Ray and Mike Pence, locked in dark room for 24 hours, with only jars of Trader Joe’s Coconut oil.

GET FREE MIKE!

WE KNOW YOU NEED IT AND IT’S OK.

Also, can we please unite the two most powerful natural forces on the planet and get a Bjork / Fever Ray SUPER SLIMEY collab album before 2020?

Help me put that energy out there and let’s create an actual vortex.

P.S. this album also contains the clear winner for 2017 lyric of the year:

“Your lips, warm and fuzzy, I want to run my fingers up your pussy.”

-Fever Ray, “To The Moon And Back”

Force of nature.

2) Honey Dijon: The Best Of Both Worlds

The music genre I was most obsessed with this year was Chicago House. I felt the need to go as deep as I could into the origins and classics...where so much of the music I love today started. Damn. What a time and sound. Deep in the exploration, something was dropped on the very top of the pile. Honey Dijon’s, “The Best Of Both Worlds.” Honey Dijon is a super real DJ vet from Chicago and just created a beautiful album that is just House music to the bone. So quality, sounds so warm and good. Only she could make this. If you’ve never listened to Chicago House (what are you doing with your life, btw?), this is a great starting point. Note to self: I need to see Honey Dijon DJ in the next 3 months.

3) Ellen Allien: Nost

Ellen Allien has never played it safe and has always pushed it, hard. If you really like electronic music you should listen to her earlier albums, namely, Berlinette, Thrills and Orchestra Of Bubbles (collab with Apparat). A pure techno head, who just BRINGS it on this album. A review described it as spending hours in Berghain and that’s a decent description. DARK AND HARD. If you can’t lose your mind in a club for 3 days, you can use this album to pretend you are, while doing things like walking through airports, riding bikes fast, and sitting at your workplace desk. There’s a track on this album named “Mind Journey,” and ALSO a track named “Jack My Ass.” What more do you want people!?

4) All The Good Rap Albums:

2 Chainz: Pretty Girls Like Trap Music; Future: FUTURE; A$AP Ferg: Still Striving; Quality Control: Control The Streets Volume 1; 21 Savage & Offset: Without Warning; A$AP Mob: Cozy Tapes Vol 2: Too Cozy

Don’t be a Joe Budden old head. If you say new rap is wack, you ain’t listening...at all. Everyone of these albums has at least 3 absolute bangers. God I love this shit so much. Metro Boomin is producer of the year, again and again. Beats are so fucking hard. Also, for the record, Migos are incredible. The goal of rap is sounding the coolest. And they sound pretty fucking cool. (ALSO, they provided the ad lib of the century: https://youtu.be/yBXO_hiNWUc “Ostrich, Ostrich, Ostrich, yee.”) My 17 Rap Songs of 2017:

5) LCD: American Dream

There was a generational sea change across the board this year. When Arcade Fire missteps then doesn’t sell out live shows? And they were/are the best band going? What? How fickle are we now (me included)? Things are too fast. We’re getting old. When this album was coming out it made me nervous. I really needed it to be good. Proof of life. They delivered. No crew can bring it like this. They stand alone. And you know what? Getting old is fucking badass. What’s more hardcore? Just keep making stuff and pushing HARD and no one can f with you. There’s really no other way.

6) War On Drugs: A Deeper Understanding

Me. Music for Sunday afternoons. Music for time with great friends and family. For when you’re driving alone in the dark. I love you guys. KP and I saw them live a few months ago. Holy shit. Just 9 really talented and experienced dudes onstage JAM ROCKING. Portland was standing and cheering, I was violently air drumming. Love forever.

7) Four Tet: New Energy

Proves this guy is pushing it forward and on another plateau. He could have just made some quality beats and it would have been satisfying. Instead he made ambient spiritual desert in winter night music. Happy we get to listen to this guy create things.

8) Lil B: Black Ken

When Lil B tweets, he signs every tweet: “-Lil B.”

He also takes a screenshot of every tweet and posts it to Instagram, often times again captioning the post, “-Lil B.”

Earlier this month, he tweeted this:

"WHAT UNIVERSITY WHATS TO LET LIL B COME LEARN AT YOUR INSTITUTION? IM VERY INTERESTED IN SCIENCE AND BIO AND ALSO NUERO SCIENCE I WANT TO OFFER MORE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND GLOBALLY AS WELL AS ANIMALS WHAT UNIVERSITY WILL ACCEPT ME? I DID NOT FINISH HIGH SCHOOL!!!"

Very quickly, schools like Pennsylvania State University, the University of Oregon, Butler University, the University of South Carolina, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Texas at Arlington and Brandeis University tweeted at him, providing offers and links to applications.

His response:

“SO FAR PENN STATE, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA, LSU HAVE ALL SHOWN INTEREST IN EDUCATING LIL B !!!!! IM SO HONORED!! SERIOUSLY FOR THEM SHOWING THAT THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE !! LETS GO! I WANNA LEARN!!! - Lil B”

He then tweeted exclusively about guys and girls getting “Mudd Butt” for at least 48 hours straight.

Lil B has more personality than all humans.

Thank you, Based God.

(Anyway, this album is so good and fun and was the most hip hop thing that happened this year...until Black Thought opened his mouth.)

9) Nick Hoppner: Work

Mature master aspirations.

10) Thundercat: Drunk

I listened to this on a sunny day this year with a chocolate or two, and just remember laughing a lot. I want to hug this guy and invite him to a party where everyone is wearing sweatpants. So talented, makes the world more fun.

11) Karen Gwyer: Rembo

Discovered this recently. How is this exactly what I’m looking for?

12) DJ Python: Dulce Compania

Read a review that described this album as “ambient reggaeton.” And somehow, with DJ Python, that’s a great thing. I put this album on as I walked into work and it helped me.

13) Kendrick Lamar: Damn

Wait, this album came out this year?

Also, I’ve failed you because I haven’t listened to this album backwards yet, as Kendrick revealed, but, fuck it, I’m on vacation so I’m going to do that RIGHT NOW.

Best Tracks Of 2017:

Here are 70 of my favorites.

Special call outs below.

1. Track of the year - Cardi B: Bodak Yellow

In the year where women rose up and refused to accept male bullshit, this, fittingly, was the soundtrack. What gets me everytime is that she’s just rapping her ASS off. Also learned that saying “BLOODy shoes” is consistently really fun. ALSO, when she was on Fallon recently she was basically Rosie Perez on Jeopardy in the movie ‘White Men Can’t Jump,’ and that just warmed my entire body. (and....the beat is the beat). Final score: Undeniable.

2. Runner up - LCD Soundsystem: How Do You Sleep?

Hardest diss record of the year! This song sounds like ten thousand angry miles. Or, exactly like 2017! Runner up for lyric of the year: “You warned me about the cocaine, then dove straight in.” He makes you feel all of it. I want to hear this played live.

3. Four Tet: Two Thousand Seventeen

From my Sunday morning album. A mental womb.

4. Hercules & Love Affair: Are You Still Certain? (feat. Mashrou’ Leila)

Shout out to Peter who played this during a b2b sesh in my basement which was the first time I heard it. A week later I played it as the closing track of a DJ set in a wonderful outdoor space, during the day, in the Sun (Zekefest!). Those are the moments.

5. Thundercat: Them Changes

I started more DJ sets this year playing this song. There is never a bad time to play this song.

6. Honey Dijon: Thunda (feat. John Medelson)

Soul.

7. Ellen Allien: Innocence

My favorite track off of Nost. Play it as loud as you can in a pitch black room.

8. Fever Ray: Mustn’t Hurry

Hard to chose one, but this one split a good divide between the sound of the first album and second album. Oh yeah-eee-yeah-eee-aah. Fever Ray is actual magic.

9. The War On Drugs: Holding On

I am, because of you.

10. 2 Chainz: Trap Check

Start your workouts properly.

11. Sufjan Stevens: Visions Of Giedeon

See the movie, “Call Me By Your Name.”Be crushed by this song forever.

12. Lil B: Berkeley

Play this song loud on a Summer Saturday with your shirt off. God damn it this shit is so hip hop. Just on his straight positive. “We in downtown Berkley, I’m not rich, but I’m workin’.” Thank you, Based God.

13. Kamasi Washington: Truth

Pretty fucking important.

14. Nicola Cruz: Tzantza

My wife and I went to Hawaii on vacation this year, first time I’d been. We went to this place. Very dope spot. They were playing this on a good sound system and it stopped me in my tracks. It will always make me think of a Hawaiian vacation. And my love of low bpm dance music.

15. Travis Scott: Butterfly Effect

This song actually is 4am in Hidden Hills. Everyone on incredible drugs. Perfect weather. Slight cool breeze at 3am to remind you how high you are. Then Travis Scott pulls up to Kanye’s house in a space ship, and the party continues.

16. ASAP Ferg: Plain Jane

Flipping Three Six’s lyrics from “Slob on my knob, like corn on the cob,” into “Ride with the mob, Alhamdulillah” is the reason Ferg is the Hood Pope.

17. LCD Soundsystem: American Dream

Closing time.

Random Afterword:

Recently learned that, before Motorhead, Lemmy was in a band called Hawkwind. Did some searching on Hawkwind. Christmas indeed. One of their albums is called ‘Warrior On The Edge Of Time,’ and their live album is called ‘Louder Than The Universe.’ On these, the last days of 2017, I recommend drinking some cold beers, cranking Hawkwind up to one million, removing your shirt, and begining preparations for 2018. Go harder than a young Lemmy, young people. 2017, peace. 2018, lessgo!

Bjork Bubble Goals,

-WhatWhat

#Best Of 2017 #WhatWhat #Hawkwind

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