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ofbooksandaesthetics · 3 years

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Battle of the Bands

Attack on Titan/ Shingeki no Kyojin

Levi/Reader

Modern Band AU

Summary: As the guitarist of The 104th, you are invited to play with your favourite band The Scouts.

Warnings: slight profanity but not much

Author’s note: I listened to Queen of White Lies by Orion Experience 10 times in one bus journey and couldn’t help but imagine Jean singing it about Mikasa. And voila! This imagine was born :)

From a young age, you’d always been obsessed with music. From your dad playing jazz on a lazy Sunday afternoon to your mum playing R&B as she cleaned, you had always been surrounded by it. It followed you everywhere so it was no surprise when you were gifted a guitar for your 9th birthday.

You spent hours each day practising fingerpicking, then moving onto chords and then fully-fledged songs. As you grew so did tastes - and your guitar collection.

Before moving into the 6th grade, your family moved for a new job, leaving you without friends and having to start a new life in the city of Trost. The one thing that was ever consistent was the strings of your guitar and the beats from the speakers, which became your solace in the coming weeks. And said beats caught the attention of your new next-door neighbour.

Jean Kirstein was also massively into music, and when he walked past your house he could hear the amp blaring from your open window. He became enthralled and would often leave his window open to catch even just a few notes.

The Saturday before school started, Jean was forced by his mother to introduce himself to you (she said you had to have at least one friend before starting school) and by doing so Mrs Kirstein caused a life long friendship to bloom. He was forced into your house by your mother and lead upstairs to your room. He was greeted by band posters, from MCR to The Beatles, and an acoustic and electric guitar hanging on the wall side by side. But what caught his gaze was the massive “SCOUTS” poster above your bed.

“WOW! That’s so cool, you like The Scouts!” He exclaimed as he entered your room, causing you to jump from your magazine and stare at the brown-haired boy invading your space.

“WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?” You shouted, giving your mum a quizzical glare as she smiled at the boy's excitement. Your voice seemed to pull the boy out of his oasis and he met your eyes with a blush and a shrug.

“I’m Jean. My mum sent me, we live next door.” Before you could introduce yourself, he had already started to speak again “I’ve heard you playing your guitar. You’re really good!”

At this your mum left the two of you two it, only returning 3 hours later to find you both on the floor, with you playing whilst Jean sang along. Noticing the time, Jean jumped up remembering his mum warning to be back by dinnertime.

“It’s been great meeting you! If you want I can meet you outside on Monday and I’ll introduce you to my friends. They’d love to hear you play too! Connie’s really into the drums and Marco has been learning bass.”

Hearing this your eyes lit up and your mum’s heart warmed at the idea of you finally enjoying your new life.

“That sounds great, I’ll see you then!” You called as your mum lead him out.

4 YEARS LATER

The years passed quickly and it didn’t take you long to forget the pain of your old life and become enamoured with your new friends. Jean did indeed introduce to his friends Connie, Sasha and Marco, and it didn’t take long for you to become the best of friends. The five of you would all meet Connie’s garage, sometimes just chatting but more often than not bringing along your instruments for a jam session. Four years went by of you playing lead guitar, Marco jamming on bass, Connie smashing on percussion and Jean accompanying with his gruff drawl, whilst Sasha sat atop of the counter, sadly not having any musical talents other than occasional tamborining. And the four years went by easily until Sasha let out a suggestion.

“You guys should start a band. Like a proper one, with gigs and shit” She declared, soon after stuffing her mouth with a cake Mrs Springer had brought in.

“See at least someone appreciates my musical talents” quipped Jean with a quirk of his eyebrows, causing you all to laugh.

“I’ve got to admit, I’m down! We’ve been playing for years, we even played at last years prom.” Seeing no reason against the idea, you voiced your opinion.

“Yeah but that was prom. We know all of them anyway, if we did gigs it would be to strangers and critics and stuff” Huffed Connie.

“Yeah, and potential talent scouts! Imagine if we got signed! What do you think Marco?” Jean turned to face he freckled boy awaiting his response.

“I guess it could be fun.” He said, tilting his head to the side and turning to Connie. “I think we should”

With a consensus of four out of five, all eyes were set on Connie, pleading him to agree. He spluttered, not expecting you all to be serious. After a moment of staring at you all incredulously, he finally gave in.

“Fine! But if we got told we’re shit it’s on you guys” He sighed, but was drowned out by all your cheers.

2 YEARS LATER

After that day, you had all put in the effort to perfecting your craft and coming up with your own songs. You and Jean would have weekly sleepovers, pulling all-nighters to get the perfect verses. And it wasn’t long until you booked your first gig, which was a success. Nearly the whole grade had turned up to support you, and you soon became a local legend. And in honour of them, you had named your band The 104th, due to being the 104th grade since your school was founded.

Your increased fame, got you gigs outside of Trost, on larger stages than the small bars you were used to. You had released your first album and we’re having a small jam session, when Sasha’s, who had taken up the role as manager, phone rang. You all carried on with your conversation until Sasha quickly stood up and ran across the room, her voice getting slightly louder, causing you all to stare at her.

“OMG! That sounds great, we can be there for the soundcheck in less than an hour. Thank you so much, for this opportunity. We appreciate it! Thank you, bye!” She exclaimed with wide eyes as her smile grew and grew. After ending the call she whipped around, before letting out a screech

“OI, OI! What’s going on?” Asked Connie, as he walked up to Sasha flicking her forehead as she squealed again.

“GUESS WHO’S OPENING FOR THE SCOUTS?!” She all but screamed whilst running to the front of the garage and throwing your jackets at you all. Realising what she meant you stood in a state of shock before opening your mouth.

“What do you mean? Opening for The Scouts. As in THE SCOUTS? They’re playing tonight, we can’t open for them.” You justified, meeting Jean’s stunned gaze.

You two had always imagined what it would be like to meet your legends, let alone open for them. After your initial meeting, the two of you had gone on for hours about your favourite songs by the band and sang along to them. You had even let him in on your crush on the lead guitarist, Levi Ackerman, for heaven’s sake. As good as an opportunity this was, you were a nervous wreck. It was one thing to play on the same stage that your favourite band had stepped on, but to play with them and meet them. That was a thing of its own.

You were knocked from your thoughts by a shoe to your head, and as you focused back in you watched Connie running around like a headless chicken. Attempting to back up his drum kit, he panicked until Sasha assured him there’d be one there for him. The rest of you seemed to kick into action and you ran about gathering your equipment before rushing home to grab gig-worthy clothes. You all met up back at Connie’s house before all piling into Jean’s minivan. Connie and Sasha were as loud as always but you, Jean and Marco seemed to still be too shocked to talk.

As you rolled up to the venue, you saw a queue of about 20 Scout super fans lined up three hours before the gig even started. You wondered how many were your fans, as Sasha had sent out announcements on every social media site possible after you guys left. You hauled your guitar case out of the van before following behind Sasha into the main doors of the venue. The crew were rushing about everywhere, and if you weren’t already used to the atmosphere you were sure you’d pass out. As you walked into the main hall, your eyes fell to the band on top of the stage. All five of you froze, in the realisation that you were in the same room as your childhood heroes. Putting your kit down, you watched as Hange Zoe lazily sat on her drum set, tapping out a quiet beat, as the lead singer Erwin, counted in the beat. Miche Zacharias swayed his hips as he set out the bassline, and Levi almost languidly strummed his electric guitar.

The five of you were pulled behind the stage before you could watch their practice start but you could still hear it as they performed their soundcheck. Experienced in the world of gigs, the four of you prepped your instruments, tuning them in case they had been messed up in the hurry of your departure. And by the time you’d finished the Scouts were walking towards you. Hange greeted you first.

“HI! OMG, we’ve heard so much about you guys. You guys are practically famous around here!” She blurted out, her excitement surprising you all. Connie seemed to be frozen as his inspiration complimented you guys. Miche let out a greeting and moved on to sit down. Leaving Erwin and Levi in front of you. Erwin stepped forward and placed out his hand, shaking and greeting you all individually. Now there was just Levi left.

Your eyes met his and you couldn’t help but blush, as he gave a small nod. Appreciative of the small gesture, you calmed slightly until Jean ruined it

“HI! We love you guys so much. Y/N even has a crush on Levi!” He blurted, his face turning bright red after realising what he had said. You gasped and without thinking smacked him across the head.

“WHAT THE HELL’S WRONG WITH YOU? WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?” But before you could apologise and defend yourself to Levi and Erwin, you were escorted to the stage for your own soundcheck. Glaring at Jean, you got in position, and were done in half an hour.

After the soundcheck, you were given time to rest, giving you all time to calm down, after the more than lively introduction. You eventually forgave Jean for his outburst but not without consequences. He would be carrying your gear for the next year’s worth of gigs.

You hadn't yet gained back the confidence to talk Levi but had spoken to the other members of The Scouts. Miche and Erwin told you about how their touring band had ditched them last minute and how they needed another opening band pronto. You were astonished to find out that Hange herself had requested you guys, but it filled your heart with warmth knowing someone as famous as her held your small-town band in high regards.

Everyone could sense your apprehension to talking to Levi but we’re all shocked when the quiet man joined you whilst getting a drink. You almost blushed when you noticed him next to you but pushed the feeling down and smiled at him. Although Jean had embarrassed you beyond belief, there was no reason to push away your childhood dream and miss the opportunity to talk to him.

“You know you we’re what inspired me to start learning the guitar?” You said. Levi didn’t reply but you decided his silence wasn’t in annoyance. “My parents were always super into music anyway but when I heard your guys' debut album it pushed me towards the guitar.” You watched him finish making his tea and leave but before he sat down, he turned his head over his shoulder.

“I’m glad to hear it” He replied, turning again and leaving. You smiled, happy that he didn’t think you were a complete freak.

2 HOURS LATER

The time had finally arrived. From the side of the stage, you could see a sea of people filling the venue and could hear the symphony of chatter. The boys were stood next to you, panting with nerves. You had never performed to such a large crowd before. You took a sharp breath before turning to them.

“Come on boys! We’ve done this before and we’ll do it again. This is just another small step before we get our own main stage like this!” Your small pep talk seemed to calm the boys and caught the attention of Erwin and Levi who were waiting to watch your performance from the side-lines. You smiled at the two but we’re now filled with dread as you realised they would be watching. You threw that fear away and gave Marco a side hug as you fixed your strap, and then followed Jean to the stage.

The lights blinded you but once your vision cleared you all but gasped at the sheer amount of sweaty bodies in front of you. You beamed brightly and gave a wink to a figure in the balcony. At least you could seem confident even if you were dying inside.

The beat of the drum surrounded you and Marco’s strumming blared out from the amps. You started plucking at your guitar and forgot about the crowd. Jean’s gravely word floated out into the dark room, and it was easy to forget you were on a stage and instead it felt like you were back in Connie’s house. As the song reached the chorus, you and Marco joined in, accompanying Jean. Eventually, you loosened up to a point where all three of you were able to dance slightly to the beat during the bridge. This seemed to get the crowd going even more and you let out a laugh, completely forgetting your inhibitions. [I imagined them performing Queen of White Lies]

Once the song finished, Jean introduced himself, and you prepared yourself for another half an hour of playing and dancing. But it passed quickly and before you knew it you we’re all sat on the sofa. Connie was still flushed chugging on his 3rd bottle of water whilst the rest of you leant back with smiles upon your faces. Your attention was piqued as The Scouts took the stage and you all shouted words of encouragement to them. This brought a smile to their faces, including a small smirk on Levi’s. You all rushed to the sidelines to watch and we’re in awe as you saw the four of them play as if they were reading each other's minds. It was as if they were symbiotic, each knowing what to do without even the slightest hesitation.

Even though you tried to focus on all of them, your focus always came back to Levi. You watched how his brow rested into a scowl as he neared a faster part of the song and how he threw his head back when lost in the moment. Your eyes widened when he took his shirt off after four songs, which Jean noticed, and started to nudge you for. Time seemed to go by so quickly that you barely noticed them finish their final song. They waved to the crowd as they left but stayed in the wings as the crowd screamed for an encore. Erwin still seemed to smile and nudged Levi towards the five of you.

“Do you guys want to join us for the encore?” He asked gruffly, his eyes set on you. You looked at the rest of the band and you all nodded before you verbally replied.

“Of course! What song are you thinking?”

“Nirvana - Love Buzz? You guys know it?” Miche asked, wiping some water from his chin. You all nodded in unison and before you know it you were all kitted up and back on stage.

The crowd went wild seeing both The Scouts and The 104th back on stage and you couldn’t help but smile as you found Levi stood next to you. You guys let loose on the song and you even attempted to have a little contest with Levi during the guitar solo for dominance. This gained a smile for the man, and you guys finished the song in no time.

Leaving the stage for the last time, you gave out a clumsy bow before running off stage. You guys went to get changed and pack up your gear but before you could get in the van the Scouts we’re back in front of you. Erwin took the lead yet again.

“We loved having you guys on stage with us! And after some thinking, we’d love it if you replaced our old band with us on the rest of the tour.”

At this Jean slammed the van door and stared at Erwin in shock. The five of you looked at each other in shock. The silence was eventually broken by Connie, who let out a scream as he ran around the van, followed by Sasha letting out profanities. The rest of you gushed and thanked the other band profusely not knowing how to appropriately respond. After formally Sasha accepted the other, Hange launched into giving out hugs, whilst Miche and Erwin gave out handshakes. Levi ignored the rest of your bandmates and made his way to you.

“I look forward to more guitar battles.” Levi remarked as dryly as ever but with a small smirk playing on his lips. Luckily this time, the others were too distracted and you were able to reply with some confidence.

“You mean to look forward to losing right?” you quipped, knowing this would be the start of something great.

#aot au #snk imagines #aot imagines #attack on titan imagine #shinegki no kyojin imagine #levi x reader #levi ackerman x reader #levi imagine #levi ackerman imagine #aot au imagine #aot x reader #snk x reader #snk #aot

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homagecollage · 5 years

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HomageCollage: Robin Thicke, “Something Else” 🔊❤️Today 2008 - Robin Thicke released “Something Else,” his third studio album - This is his second-best performer on the US Billboard 200, behind “Blurred Lines” - Album peaked at no.

#Classic Soul #Contemporary Soul #Hip Hop #History #Homage #HomageCollage #Man #Modern #producer #R&B #Rhythm and Blues #Robin Thicke #singer #Something Else

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bestdj4-blog · 5 years

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Best VR Documentary

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Here is a listing of a few of the planet's music genre and their own definitions.

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- Music held to be typical of a country or cultural group, known to most sections of its culture, and maintained usually by oral tradition.

- Refers to jazz music that has been greatly influenced by African American music. The music required components of marabi, American and swing jazz and chucked this to a exceptional fusion. The very first band to actually attain this synthesis was that the South African group Jazz Maniacs.

Best VR Documentary

Afro-beat

Sometimes utilized to refer to modern African pop songs. The expression doesn't refer to a particular style or audio, but is employed as a general term to describe music.

It's a percussion-based design that developed from the late 1930s, as it had been used to wake up worshippers after fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Assiko - is a popular dance in the South of Cameroon. The ring is generally according to a singer accompanied by a guitar, along with a percussionnist enjoying with the pulsating rhythm of Assiko with metal knives and forks on a empty jar.

Batuque - is a dance and music genre in Cape Verde.

Bend Skin - is a sort of urban Cameroonian favorite audio. Kouchoum Mbada is the most famous group connected with the genre.

Benga - Is that a musical genre of most favorite music.

Biguine - is a kind of music which originated in Martinique from the 19th century. By combining the conventional bele music together with all the polka, the black musicians of Martinique made the biguine, which includes three different styles, the biguine de , the biguine p bal along with the biguines de rue.

Cameroon. It developed in the conventional styles of this Beti, or Ewondo, individuals, who reside across the city of Yaounde.

- it's a mixture of rap, hip hop, and R&B for starters but those labels do not do justice. It is rap, hip hop and R&B Tanzanian design: a large melting pot of preferences, background, identity and culture.

Cadence - is a specific collection of periods or chords which finishes a phrase, part, or item of music.

Calypso - is a design of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad at roughly the onset of the 20th century. The origins of this genre put from the arrival of African Americans, that isn't being permitted to talk with one another, communicated by song.

Chaabi - is a favorite music of Morocco, quite much like this Algerian Rai.

Chimurenga Chimurenga is a Shona language phrase for battle.

The audio originated among rural Martinicans.

Christian Rap - is a sort of rap that utilizes Christian topics to express that the songwriter's religion.

Coladeira - is a sort of audio in Cape Verde. Its component ascends to funacola that's a combination of funanáa and coladera. Famous coladera musicians comprises Antoninho Travadinha.

Contemporary Christian - is a genre of popular music that is lyrically focused on topics concerned with the Christian religion.

Nation - is a combination of hot musical forms initially found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. It's roots in traditional folk music, Celtic songs, blues, gospel songs, hokum, and old-time songs and developed quickly from the 1920s.

Kind of Jamaican popular music that developed in the late 1970s, together with exponents like Yellowman and Shabba Ranks. It's also referred to as bashment.

Disco - is a genre of dance-oriented pop songs which has been popularized in dance clubs at the mid-1970s.

Folk - at the most elementary sense of the term, is music by and for the ordinary men and women.

Freestyle - is a kind of electronic music that's heavily influenced by Latin American civilization.

Fuji - is a favorite Nigerian musical genre. It arose in the improvisation Ajisari/were music convention, which can be a sort of Muslim music played to wake believers prior to sunrise during the Ramadan fasting period.

Funana - is a mixed Portuguese and African American music and dancing from Santiago, Cape Verde. It's stated that the lower portion of the human body motion is African American, and also the upper portion Portuguese.

Musical style which originated from the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians mixed soul music, soul jazz and R&B to a rhythmic, danceable new sort of music.

Subgenre of hip-hop which developed through the late 1980s.

It's often sung in Sheng(slung),Swahili or nearby dialects.

Mix of African, Berber, and Arabic spiritual tunes and rhythms. It combines music and acrobatic dance.

Characterized by dominant vocals (often with powerful use of stability ) assigning lyrics of a spiritual nature, especially Christian.

Highlife - is a musical genre which originated in Ghana and distribute into Sierra Leone and Nigeria from the 1920s along with other West African nations.

Hip-Hop - is a type of popular music, typically comprising a rhythmic, rhyming outspoken style known as rapping (also called emceeing) over financing beats and scratching performed to a turntable with a DJ.

House - is a type of dance music which was designed by dancing club DJs in Chicago in the first to mid-1980s. House music is strongly influenced by components of the late 1970s soul- and funk-infused dancing music type of disco.

Indie - is a phrase used to explain Genres, landscapes, subcultures, fashions and other ethnic features in songs, characterized by their own independence from major business record labels and their autonomous, do-it-yourself method of publishing and recording.

Instrumental - A instrumental is, in contrast To a tune, a musical recording or composition with no lyrics or any other type of vocal music; most the songs is generated by musical instruments.

Isicathamiya - is a cappella singing style that originated in the Southern African Zulus.

Jazz

Jit - is a type of popular Zimbabwean dance songs. It sports a speedy rhythm played drums and accompanied by a guitar.

Juju - is a type of popular music, derived from conventional Yoruba percussion. It evolved from the 1920s in metropolitan nightclubs across the nations. The very first jùjú records were Tunde King and Ojoge Daniel in the 1920s.

Kizomba - is among the hottest Genres of music and dance from Angola. Sung generally in Portuguese, it's a genre of music with a romantic stream combined with African rhythm.

Kwaito - is a genre which surfaced in Johannesburg, South Africa from the early 1990s. It's founded on home music beats, but generally in a slower rate and comprising melodic and percussive African germs that are looped, heavy basslines and frequently vocals, normally man, shouted or chanted rather than sung or rapped.

Kwela - really is a joyful, Frequently pennywhistle based, road audio from southern Africa with jazzy underpinnings. It evolved in the marabi noise and attracted South African music into global prominence in the 1950s.

Lingala - Soukous (also Called Soukous or Congo, and formerly as African rumba) is a musical genre which originated from the two neighbouring states of Belgian Congo and French Congo throughout the 1930s and early 1940s

Makossa - is a Form of music that is popular in Urban regions in Cameroon. It's comparable to soukous, but it includes powerful bass and a notable horn section. It began from a kind of Duala dance known as kossa, with important effects in jazz, ambasse bey, Latin music, highlife and rumba.

Malouf - a Sort of audio to Tunisia from Andalusia following the Spanish conquest in the 15th century.

Mapouka - known under the title of Macouka, is a traditional dance in the south-west of the Ivory Coast at the region of Dabou, occasionally completed through spiritual ceremonies.

It evolved one of the Kru people of Sierra Leone and Liberia, who employed Portuguese guitars brought on by sailors, combining neighborhood melodies and rhythms with Trinidadian calypso.

Marrabenta - is a kind of Mozambican dance songs. It was designed in Maputo, the capital city of Mozambique, previously Laurenco Marques.

Mazurka - is a Polish folk dance in triple meter with a lively rate, including a thick accent on the second or third defeat. It's always found to possess either a triplet, trill, dotted eighth note set, or ordinary last-minute set prior to two quarter notes.

Is the nationwide popular dance music of Senegal. It's a combination of hot dance musics in the West such as jazz, soul, Latin, and rock combined with sabar, the traditional drumming and dancing music of Senegal.

Mbaqanga - is a design of Southern African music with rural Zulu roots which continues to influence musicians globally now. The design was originated from the early 1960s.

Mbube - is a Kind of South

Merengue - is a Sort of lively, joyous music and dance that comes in the Dominican Republic

Museve - is a favorite Zimbabwe genre.

Oldies - expression commonly utilized to describe a radio format that normally centers on Top 40 music in the'50s,'60s and'70s. Oldies are generally from R&B, rock and pop music genres.

An abundant and imprecise category of contemporary music not characterized by artistic factors but by its prospective audience or potential sector.

Quadrille It's also a kind of music.

R&B - is a favorite music genre combining jazz, jazz, gospel, and blues influences, initially achieved by African American musicians.

Is a sort of folk music, originated in Oran, Algeria by Bedouin shepherds, combined with French, Spanish, Arabic and African musical types, that dates back to the 1930s and has been chiefly developed by girls at the culture.

Or reggae, where the instrumentation primarily is composed of digital music; sampling frequently serves a prominent part in raggamuffin music too.

Rap - is your rhythmic singing delivery of rhymes and wordplay, among those components of hip hop culture and music.

Rara - is a kind of festival music utilized for road processions, generally during Easter Week.

Reggae - is a genre developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. A specific music genre that originated after on the growth of ska and rocksteady. Reggae relies on a rhythm design characterized by regular chops on the off-beat, called the skank.

Reggaeton - is a type of urban music that became popular with Latin American youth during the early 1990s.

Rock - is a Kind of popular music Using a notable vocal melody followed by drums, guitar, and bass. Many styles of rock songs also utilize keyboard instruments like organ, piano, synthesizers.

Rumba - is a household of audio

Kind of Afropop fashions exported from Madagascar.

Samba - is among the most common kinds of music in Brazil. It's widely regarded as Brazil's national musical fashion.

Sega - is a evolved mixture of standard Music Seychelles,Mauritian and Réunionnais songs together with European dance songs such as polka and quadrilles.

Devised in the mid 1980s from the Mauritian Rasta singer, Joseph Reginald Topize who was occasionally called Kaya, following a song name by Bob Marley. Seggae is a combination of sega in the island nation, Mauritius, and reggae.

Semba - is a conventional Sort of audio in the Southern-African state of Angola. Semba is the predecessor to many different music styles originated from Africa, of which three of the most famous are Samba (from Brazil), Kizomba (Angolan type of music derived straight from Zouk audio ) and Kuduro (or even Kuduru, lively, fast-paced Angolan Techno songs, so to speak).

There are many distinct kinds of traditional Shona music such as mbira, singing, hosho and drumming. Frequently, this audio will come with dancing, and involvement by the viewer.

- is normally a tune with an R&B-influenced tune. Slow jams are usually R&B ballads or merely downtempo songs. The expression is most commonly reserved for soft-sounding tunes with profoundly emotional or intimate lyrical content.

Soca - is a Kind of dance music That originated in Trinidad out of calypso. It combines the melodic lilting sound of calypso with persistent (generally electronic in recent audio ) percussion.

Originated from the two neighbouring states of Belgian Congo and French Congo throughout the 1930s and early 1940s, and that has gained fame throughout Africa.

Taarab - is a genre popular in Tanzania. It's influenced by music in the cultures using a historic presence in East Africa, such as music in East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Taarab climbed to prominence in 1928 with the growth of the genre's earliest celebrity, Siti binti Saad.

That originated among European immigrant inhabitants of Argentina and Uruguay. It's traditionally performed by a sextet, referred to as the orquesta típica, which comprises two violins, piano, doublebass, and 2 bandoneons.

Waka - is a favorite Islamic-oriented Yoruba musical genre. It had been initiated and made popular by Alhaja Batile Alake from Ijebu, who shot the genre to the mainstream Nigerian music by playing it at parties and concerts; additionally, she was the very first waka singer to record a record.

Popular audio, named after the area of Wassoulou. It's done largely by women, using lyrics that tackle women's problems regarding childbearing, fertility and polygamy.

Design of Ivorian popular music which developed in the 1970s. It had been the first important genre of music in the Ivory Coast. The first important pioneer of this design was Ernesto Djedje.

Oriented design of music in the Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) that evolved in the 1990s. It began with pupils (les parents du Campus) in the University of Abidjan.

Rhythmic music originating in the French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. It has its origins in kompa songs from Haiti, cadence songs

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dottodotfestival · 3 years

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DOT TO DOT FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ARTISTS FOR FIRST EVER AUTUMN EDITION OF THE MULTI-VENUE FESTIVAL

Tickets for Dot To Dot are priced from £25 and available now through alt. tickets!*

Dot To Dot Festival have announced the first artists to join the bill for their 2021 event, this year taking place in September; the first autumn event in the 16 year history of the award-winning festival with a reputation for bringing the hottest new talent to city-centre stages.

This year’s event continues Dot To Dot’s rich tradition of championing emerging talent, with the announcement that SPORTS TEAM will headline the festival in Bristol and Nottingham on the 25th and 26th of September respectively. Since last playing mid-way down the D2D bill in 2018, followed by a breakout 2019 for the 6-piece band, Sports Team have garnered an unparalleled reputation for excellent live shows that are guaranteed to be injected with raw energy. Their consistency in both performances and releases, have also earnt them a high standing as one of the best British bands right now, championed by the likes of DIY, 6 Music, NME and many more. 2020 saw the band release their debut album, Deep Down Happy, to much critical acclaim and a Mercury Prize nomination.

Frontman Alex Rice said: “Can’t wait to be back, this’ll be the first time we’ve played our debut album since it was released in 2020. A two night inter-city headline feels the right way to dip our toes back in.”

Joining Sports Team for D2D’s 2021 edition, are British alternative rock band, PALACE. With two albums under their belt and sold out tours at home & abroad, the London trio will be bringing their revered, shimmering indie rock to D2D. Their anticipated latest EP Someday, Somewhere was released in October and builds on the beautiful sound and image they have curated over the previous 6 years, lending promise to atmospheric live performances ahead.

Dublin 4-piece GIRL BAND will also be showcasing their tremendous live reputation in Bristol and Nottingham this September. Highly regarded and renowned for their genre-defying cataclysmic noise and infamously ferocious shows, a taste of which can be heard on their 2020 Live at Vicar Street release, but will really need to be seen first-hand to be believed.

DO NOTHING return to Dot To Dot Festival for 2021. Since emerging through 2018 & 2019, and with debut EP Zero Dollar Bill released in 2020, the Nottingham band have fast become one of the UK music scene’s most exciting prospects; with frontman Chris Bailey’s acerbic & quick-witted lyricism, their driven post-punk-meets-Talking-Heads sound, and a formidable reputation for exquisite live shows. 2021 has already seen the 4-piece release 2 singles in anticipation of their second EP, Glueland, expected March 12th.

Elsewhere on the D2D 2021 line up is genre-bending rap artist, SAM WISE. A member of cult London rap crew, House of Pharaohs, who name Frank Ocean among their fans. The Kennington native has also notably featured on tracks by the likes of Octavian, winner of BBC Sound of 2019, as well as building a solid reputation that is entirely his own through the release of his mixtape, Sorry You Were Saying, showcasing his witty storytelling, impeccable flows and fluid approach to genre and tone.

South-East London collective STEAM DOWN will bring their energetic live show to Bristol and Nottingham. Since forming back in 2007, Steam Down have received two Jazz FM awards, which include ‘Live Experience of the Year Award’ and ‘The Innovation Award’; accolades that clearly emphasise the impact and importance they’ve had on the UK’s flourishing jazz scene throughout the decade.

OSCAR LANG will bring his ever-growing, genre-crossing back catalogue to Bristol and Nottingham this autumn, showing no sign of slowing down following the release of two EPs and one album in 2020. Also fresh from a new release; their debut album, Speed Kills, London’s loudest breakout band CHUBBY AND THE GANG are certain to make an impression at Dot To Dot this year, if the 28 minutes of the album itself are anything to go by. The unruly punk energy and hardcore kid sensibilities displayed throughout the record are guaranteed mosh pit starters that will have crowds spilling pints and screaming gang vocals back at them.

Also on board are minimalist rock band YARD ACT who have been gradually dropping proto-punk/post-punk infused singles since mid-2020, with just a handful of singles and a handful of gigs, they have already earned themselves a tip as “one to watch” from The Guardian back in August. Likewise, self-described ‘dream pop trip hop’ three-piece, DRUG STORE ROMEOS’ appearance at Dot To Dot will certainly be one to catch, after being named for Annie Mac’s AMP London emerging artist series in 2020 and generating further buzz with the release of three singles during the year.

Singer-songwriter AARON SMITH has amassed 8 million+ Spotify streams of his sincere and communicative songs since growing up in the small Scottish town of Polmont, and joins the Dot To Dot bill, as does Birmingham-based rapper KOFI STONE, whose debut album, released in 2019, included features from Loyle Carner, Maverick Sabre and Ady Suleiman, and saw him truly arrive as one of the most exciting rappers on the UK hip-hop scene, thanks to his soulful and introspective flow. New Zealander MOLLY PAYTON will bring her powerful voice and the melancholic vulnerability of her songs to the festival; a relative newcomer, Payton released several attention-grabbing singles throughout 2020, culminating in two EPs.

British R&B and trap artist S-X is set to perform, having released an impressive three LPs since 2018, as well as gaining notoriety through working with numerous artists as a record producer, including YouTube star KSI, who he occasionally joins on Celebrity Gogglebox, and with a debut album on the way LOW ISLAND will be at Dot To Dot this September, bringing both uplifting electronica and intimate ballads to crowds at the multi-venue metropolitan festival.

Dot To Dot Festival prides itself on seeking out the freshest emerging musical talent and 2021 is no exception, particularly with the appointment of Sports Team as headliners, a mere 3 years since they first played the festival. Dot To Dot organiser and Director of Live at DHP Family, Anton Lockwood, said: “After having to postpone our 2020 event, we couldn’t be happier to be announcing D2D 2021. We simply can’t wait to celebrate live music with some of the most exciting emerging acts this year – Dot To Dot has always been about seeing your new favourite band in the middle of the day and your favourite band as headliners. We’re sure Sports Team became a lot of people’s new favourite band when they played in a late afternoon, smaller stage slot 3 years ago, and having them as headliners now really demonstrates this approach and ethos.”

Completing the bill so far, and filling some of those smaller stage slots that this year’s headliners have graced in the past, are: Bristol-based, queer punk-trio, GRANDMAS HOUSE who combine a love of post-punk with surfy melodies; the unconventional songwriting and pop-leaning sensibilities of MOA MOA; Manchester-based post-punk trio LIINES; WALT DISCO, who draw influence from ‘80s post-punk legends and modern-day art-pop chic; The sweet bedroom pop of 18 year old TINYUMBRELLAS; Crouch End quintet, SAD BOYS CLUB, with their emotive and ambitious indie-pop sound; JOEY MAXWELL, whose bedroom pop is R&B infused and layered with blunt lyricism; Space-rock five-piece, finding romance and humour in everyday life, JUNODREAM; LIZZIE REID and her songs of love, loss and heartbreak from Glasgow; the atmospheric soundscapes of epic proportions created by ELLYSSE MASON; the amorphous creative entity that is FOLLY GROUP, encompassing a group of friends whose practice spans various disciplines; Full-time busker turned indie tastemaker favourite, TAYO SOUND; the macabre stories, told over ear shredding guitar and rattling drums of WYCH ELM; Plus many more still to be announced.

Tickets for Dot To Dot are priced from £25 and available now through alt. tickets: https://bit.ly/3syZyKX

*Subject to Site Permissions and Licensing

With the announcement of the government’s roadmap detailing plans to lift social distancing restrictions by 21 June, we are so excited to be able to bring D2D back to the streets of Bristol and Nottingham in September this year. We’ll be working really hard to ensure we can deliver the Dot To Dot that we all know and love in the most safe and enjoyable way possible. Should there be any changes to government guidelines which cause us to reschedule or postpone the festival, rest assured your tickets will be valid for the new date or refunds will be available.

Subscribe to Dot To Dot’s social media pages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as online at www.dottodotfestival.co.uk to stay up to date on the latest line up announcements and to keep yourself in the loop for all things Dot To Dot.

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jonathantaylorthomas · 7 years

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Taylor Swift’s “Reputation” reckons with the tempo and tone of the rest of the pop landscape for the first time.

Taylor Swift is known for the kiss-off, the eerily intimate way she dismantles those who have wronged her. She is a songwriter and performer who has long thrived on antagonism (it’s one of her two poles; the other is swooning), and no pop star of the modern era has communicated the contours of her disappointment with such emotional precision and melodic sophistication.

“I Did Something Bad,” which comes third on her new album, “Reputation,” has all the hallmarks of a classic Swift assault: lyrics about men who are out of their depth sprinkled with just enough details to imply grave shortcomings.

But the chorus is something different: “They say I did something bad/Then why’s it feel so good?” On the surface, it’s an awakening, but really, it’s a takedown. The target is herself — her innocence, her naïveté, the way in which striving to be flawless is perhaps the ultimate flaw.

The bombastic, unexpected, sneakily potent “Reputation” is many things: It’s the first album on which Ms. Swift has cursed (“damn” doesn’t count); it’s the first time she has sung about consuming alcohol (and repeatedly at that); and it’s the vehicle for her most overt songs about sexual agency. Ms. Swift is 27 now, and the things she used to deny herself — in song, at least — are no more.

But it is also Ms. Swift chasing that good feeling, pushing back against a decade of following her own instincts. And it works. “Reputation” is fundamentally unlike any of her other albums in that it takes into account — prioritizes, actually — the tempo and tone of her competition. “Reputation” is a public renegotiation, engaging pop music on its terms, not hers.

And even though what’s au courant in pop — post-Drake lite-soul noir, or gothic but plain dramatists like Halsey and Selena Gomez — doesn’t necessarily play to Ms. Swift’s strengths, she barrels ahead here, finding ways to incorporate it into her arsenal, and herself into it. Some things are lost, to be sure, but it turns out that Ms. Swift is as effective a distiller of everyone else’s pop ideas as she was at charting her own sui generis path.

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That means a shift away from her signature melodies to an approach that uses her voice as an accent piece, or seasoning — the difference between songs that are 24K Taylor and ones that are merely Taylor-plated. It means a continued de-emphasis — one that began on her last album, “1989” — of the sorts of dense narratives that were so integral to her early career. It means that on a few songs here, Ms. Swift is doing something at least a little bit like rapping. (I’m sorry, the old Taylor can’t come to the studio right now.)

Make no mistake: these are jarring propositions. And yet Ms. Swift commits to them and thrives, an act of liberation from her past, and also a calculation about what the marketplace can bear.

That’s because after “1989,” all that was left for Ms. Swift to do was make pop songs the way most other superstars do. All the songs on “Reputation” are produced either by Max Martin with his associates, or by Jack Antonoff with Ms. Swift. Both men are longtime collaborators of hers, and both have had an outsized role in shaping the sound of current pop.

Where they bring Ms. Swift is into soft-core pop-R&B, with synth-thick production that moves at a sensual gallop. “Delicate,” one of the album’s standouts, could pass for a Drake-Rihanna collaboration. Here, Ms. Swift whisper-sings with a newfound attention to rhythm. (She also sings through a vocoder on part of the song.) Something similar, but even more outré, is happening on “Dress,” which — with Ms. Swift’s blushing exhales — sounds like something the club-soul revivalists AlunaGeorge might make.

These songs emphasize the cadence of her singing, not the melody or range. And on a few other songs here, she breaks into a kind of intermittently unconvincing talk-singing. This is a persistent theme on this album: borrowing styles and approaches from black music, then softening them enough to where Ms. Swift can credibly attempt them.

The most striking example of this is “End Game,” a smoothly swaggering thumper featuring Future and Ed Sheeran. That Ms. Swift would go sigh for sigh with Future’s warbles would have been unthinkable five years ago, but here, in a twist, the person who sounds least at home is Mr. Sheeran.

The ideas that Ms. Swift and her producers are borrowing from have been long simmering in the pop mainstream. (Nothing here has the same jolt as when she imported a dubstep drop into “I Knew You Were Trouble,” in 2012, back when that was still novel.) What’s notable, though, is that she hasn’t gone to the innovators of these ideas, but rather used Mr. Martin and Mr. Antonoff as alchemists and filters.

That approach also serves another purpose, which is to protect her from the limitations of her voice. A few songs here — “Don’t Blame Me,” especially, which faintly recalls Madonna’s gospel-choir era — call out for melisma, or a soul-informed vocal approach that blends the tough and the nimble. But those are not Ms. Swift’s gifts. She is as strong a singer as ever (even if this album doesn’t much let her loose), but much of her singing here is done piecemeal.

That’s because almost all of these songs are the sum of very different parts; many move in several different directions, one hard turn after the next. Guitars, when they’re present, are generally distant in the mix.

This kind of structural maximalism is becoming a hallmark of pop-era Swift. “I Did Something Bad” has the energy of a revving motorcycle, and the first two singles, “ … Ready for It?” and “Look What You Made Me Do,” both use harsh sounds and urgent buildup segments to theatrical, bruising effect.

This is the work of both producers: Mr. Martin and his team handle most of the album’s rowdy first half, and Mr. Antonoff is dominant on the more emotionally focused second half. Ms. Swift’s tone changes throughout the album as well — in the beginning, she is indignant and barbed, but by the end she’s practically cooing.

She still has adversaries in her sight; there are jabs at Kanye West, and also at an ex-boyfriend or two. But here, too, she turns the magnifying glass around. Some of the most caustic and aware songwriting on this album is about herself. “Getaway Car” is about what happens when you leap blithely from one relationship to another. Ms. Swift is at her imagistic best here: “The ties were black, the lies were white/in shades of gray in candlelight/I wanted to leave him, I needed a reason.”

This is familiar Swift stuff — or at least, what was once familiar Swift stuff. On this album, it’s no longer the priority. The album closer, “New Year’s Day,” is the only acoustic song, and also one of the best written (though it feels as indebted to Mr. Sheeran as to Ms. Swift).

It is also probably the only song here that, upon first listen, doesn’t prompt the existential question of what, exactly, constitutes a Taylor Swift song in 2017. In making her most modern album — one in which she steadily visits hostile territory and comes out largely unscathed — Ms. Swift has actually delivered a brainteaser: If you’re using other people’s parts, can you ever really recreate your self?

#reputation

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roundtheworldrambles · 5 years

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Hong Kong, China - Part 2

Day 67 – Hong Kong

Waking up to an overcast morning, Christie and I pulled on our gym clothes and running shoes to begin the ascent up Victoria Peak. Starting at HKU and climbing to the summit, we followed the Lung Fu Shan Fitness Trail, winding up the 552-metre mountain. After far too much time on overnight trains and in transit over recent weeks – it was nice to stretch our legs and get some exercise in! (And not to mention…work off a bit of our dim sum consumption! ☺)

Victoria Peak

As we arrived at Victoria Peak, we were quickly joined by swarms of tourists emerging from the tram – and were very happy about our decision to hike! Stopping for a quick matcha break, we strolled around the walkways near the peak, taking in the impressive skyline and harbour below.

Using Christie’s MapsMe app (our trusty guide throughout China – showing trails as well as roads!), we began to hike down the mountain, rapidly leaving the buzzing crowds behind. As we descended, we wound along Old Peak Road through the forest, passing a series of lavish properties– with sky-high prices to match the equally stunning views! Although the descent was a bit of a kneeknacker for us, walking provided us with a fascinating glimpse into this prestigious, secluded neighbourhood.

Nearing the Mid-Levels, we decided to “off road” it a bit more, taking a hard left onto one of the tiny trails shown on MapsMe. This narrow, overgrown footpath was unusual, located in the forest directly above a block of pastel apartments hugging the base of the mountain. We followed the path along a crumbling channel, leading to a landslide of rocks, and up steep steps hewn from bare rocks. Long chains lined the vertical ascent, providing much needed stabilization. The trail seemed a bit mysterious to us at the time – with very little traffic, many technical sections and overgrown fences. I later Googled this trail – and with the limited info I could find, it appears that this was a section of the Cheung Po Tsai Ancient Trail – a secret path used by an infamous pirate (of the same name) several centuries ago!

Mid-Levels

Taking a break the afternoon, I amped myself up to wash my clothes for the first time since Greece, as I had gotten pretty creative with “acceptable” outfits over the previous days – the definition of “clean” becoming more and more loosely interpreted. Having passed 2 months of travel at this point, my makeup routine had been pared down to sunscreen and mascara, my hair was usually in a braid, and I was repeating outfits constantly. Low maintenance was taking on a new meaning for me, and I was beginning to relish the minimalism and simplicity of long-term travel. There was something incredibly freeing about knowing exactly what belongings I had with me (down to the number of socks!), and exactly what purpose they served. Any new item to be added had to be carefully considered, as I would ultimately be carrying it.

I also began to notice a few other inner changes as I moved beyond the trip’s two-month mark. The nervous anticipation I often experienced when arriving in a new country or city began to wane. In the past, I would usually deal with this by hyper-planning an itinerary, knowing exactly how I would spend my few weeks off, and mapping out every step I would take to get from point A to B to C. Although my organized, planning personality never switched off, around this time I noticed that my threshold for dealing with uncertainty and unpredictable situations had significantly increased. As I become more at ease in the new and wonderful places I was discovering, I also noticed a change in my ability to be present – something I have always struggled with. The combined simplicity and novelty that comes with long-term travel felt like its own kind of medicine, encouraging a lifestyle where I could “stop and smell the flowers” (or in Hong-Kong’s case, incense and dim-sum!) and really appreciate the current moment. In my trip journal, I promised myself that I would bring elements of this lifestyle back to Canada with me.

As the evening fell, Christie and I walked over to Central Pier, where we boarded one of the historic Star Ferries to cross the harbour to Kowloon. Chatting with our parents earlier in the afternoon, they told us that they also took the same ferry on their world trip – over 30 years earlier! Turning back while we traversed the busy waterway, the sparkling skyline of Hong Kong rose behind us, framed by the dark silhouette of Victoria Peak. Massive neon billboards and light displays were mounted on many of the skyscrapers, their vivid colours reflected in the rippling water of the harbour.

Symphony of Lights

Disembarking at the pier, we walked along the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront on time to catch the Symphony of Lights, Hong Kong’s nightly light, music and laser show. Almost 50 buildings on both sides of Victoria Harbour are involved with this nightly show, setting the city and water ablaze with sparkling light displays, choreographed to music from the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Incorporating traditional Chinese flutes and strings, and Mandarin singers, the Symphony of Lights was completely mesmerizing.

Following the light show, Christie and I began to explore the neighbourhood of Tsim Sha Sui, meandering along wide, modern boulevards packed with luxury retailers, navigating through a scramble of shoppers hurrying in every direction. One of the main shopping areas of Hong Kong, this neighbourhood is home to many high-end flagship stores, often with long lines trailing outside their entrances. Hong Kong’s reputation as being a “city that never sleeps” was perfectly exemplified in this neighbourhood, as the crowds only seemed to grow as the evening went on. Wandering away from the large shopping crowds, Christie and I stopped for our final dinner together in Hong Kong, before she returned to Canada the next morning!

Tsim Sha Tsui

Day 68-69 – Hong Kong

After a glamorous breakfast of microwave noodles (our umpteenth of the trip!) Christie boarded the metro to the airport. I missed her almost immediately. The two of us had travelled together many times before, but nowhere as big or as different as China. It was pretty amazing having her around for this part of my trip – and aside from our not-so-occasional bickering (as sisters do!) we make pretty good travel buddies. Christie always challenges me to think outside of the box, and no conversation or topic is ever off the table. I’m very thankful to have her as my sister, and know for a fact that having her around makes me a better person. This trip was no exception.

Fortunately, I had blocked most of my remaining 3 days in Hong Kong for a bit of R&R and trip planning – which I quickly realized how much I needed. Scanning through the news after Christie left, stories had begun to pour in about Mount Agung, an active volcano in Bali - which was erupting! A large plume of volcanic ash had risen several kilometres into the air around the volcano, disrupting hundreds of flights in the region. Somewhat problematic, as I was set to fly to Bali, Indonesia in less than 72 hours! Given that the airports in both Bali and Lombok looked set to close, I jumped into action - brainstorming alternative plans, and crowd-sourcing other suggestions for diving destinations between China and Australia.

I ended up re-routing my flights to Cairns, Australia, skipping over Indonesia completely. I was very keen to do my open-water diving certification at this point in my trip, and was thrilled to be returning to the reef. The Campbell family had taken a trip there over a decade earlier, where we spent a few days snorkelling in some of the most spectacular waters I have ever seen. Fortunately I was able to find last minute accommodation in Cairns, and crossed my fingers that I would be able to enrol in a dive school once I arrived.

Day 70 – Lantau Island

Well rested for my final day in China, I ventured down to the Central Pier in the morning to board a high-speed ferry to Lantau Island, the largest outlying island of Hong Kong. A mountainous area scattered with fishing villages along its shores, Lantau Island has a much lower population density than the rest of Hong Kong – and was a welcome reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the city. Travelling to Lantau Island by Ferry was equally enjoyable – the weather was mild enough to sit above deck and admire the city’s skyline as it got progressively smaller.

Star Ferries

Arriving at Mui Wo Ferry Pier, I boarded a local bus to the fishing village of Tai O. Winding through the luscious forest around Lanteau Peak, we passed by the beautiful sandy beaches of Pui O and Tong Fuk along our route. After a scenic 20-minute journey across the island, our bus arrived at the picturesque fishing community. An incredible example of a traditional Southern Chinese fishing village, stilt homes lined a narrow ocean inlet, built to withstand the rise and fall of the tide. Framed by a backdrop of mountains, Buddhist temples and shrines could be seen in the distance, nestled into the surrounding hillside.

Tai O Fishing Village

My strongest memory of Tai O was the smell – as it was indeed a very active fishing port. As one vendor joked with me, “good for the eyes, not so much the nose!” Meandering through the narrow stilted streets and rickety bridges, I took in all the harbour activity, with small boats putting in and out of the channel, packed full with nets and rigging. Tai O continues to operate a traditional seafood market, with massive quantities of fresh and dried seafood for sale (from a full-size, dried shark, to pufferfish that have been blown up and turned into decorative items!). Small boat tours are also frequent, taking visitors out into the nearby ocean to search for the rare pink dolphins that inhabit the waters.

I walked through the length of the seafood market to the footbridges entering the stilted neighbourhoods. Leaving the tourism hub behind, I spent the next half hour wandering the footpaths and bridges lining the channel, circling back around to my starting point. I appreciated getting to see the community that has been built around this one industry of fishing. Even away from the main market, fish were everywhere – drying on corrugated tin roofs, being hauled out of boats, and being cleaned and filleted in people’s homes, their doors wide open to the footpaths outside.

Dried Fish and Seafood for Sale in Tai O

Returning to the main village, I boarded another bus, which began to wind up the mountains to visit the highlands of Ngong Ping, located near Lantau Peak. Most famously known for being home to the Tian Tan Buddha, or “Giant Buddha”, this sacred site was easily visible long before we arrived – with the bronze Buddha standing at 34-metres tall!

Walking through Ngong Ping Village towards the Giant Buddha, and through the gates of Po Lin Monastery, I was surprised to immediately notice cows – everywhere. Grazing next to the landscaped walkways of the monastery, the cows were thoroughly unperturbed by the passing groups of people. In Buddhist Culture, cattle are considered to be sacred, and it was clear in Ngong Ping that they had the run of the place!

Tian Tan Buddha

I arrived at the base of the stone stairs leading to the Giant Buddha, and began to climb the 268 steps to the top. Altars filled with smoking incense lined the stairs, with Buddhists stopping every few steps to bow and pray. Facing North, this Buddha is pointed towards China, intended to act as a guardian for the mainland. Arriving at the top of the stairs to the Tian Tan Buddha, the scale was more impressive than ever. With an incredible view over the lush landscape of Lantau Island and the nearby Po Lin Monastery, the Giant Buddha is sitting cross-legged on a lotus throne, circled by six smaller bronze statues, facing the Buddha to provide offerings. Meandering the walkways and grounds of the monastery for some time, I caught a bus back to Mui Wo, boarding a ferry back into the city just as evening fell.

Bronze Statues providing offerings to the Buddha

For my final evening in Hong Kong, I headed out to Causeway Bay, one of the busiest neighbourhoods on the island – and centered around one thing: SHOPPING. I hopped off the MTR in Causeway Bay and first headed to Hong Kong’s Times Square. Although much smaller than its NYC counterpart, seeing this neon-lit square at night was impressive, packed with high-rises filled with thousands of shops and boutiques, multi-storied shiny billboards, and a blur of video screens in every direction. “Overwhelming” would be an understatement when describing this neighbourhood! The massive, vertical malls in this compact area had everything one could possible want to buy – from high-end fashion, electronics, skin products, novelty snacks, vintage finds – the list goes on and on. I spent the next few hours going up and down on elevators in different buildings, getting thoroughly lost in the consumer chaos around me. Amidst Hong Kong’s shopping pandemonium, I was thrilled to stumble across Triple O’s – a favourite Vancouver burger joint, and a welcome taste of home after almost three months on the road. Not a bad way to end the China leg of my trip!

Times Square in Causeway Bay

#china

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upalldown · 5 years

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Jamila Woods - Legacy! Legacy!

Second album from the Chicago R&B / soul singer, songwriter and poet

8/13

Legend tells that Muddy Waters only picked up the electric guitar to overwhelm chatty audiences. “Motherfuckers won’t shut up,” he ruefully explained before changing the course of blues. If they weren’t going to listen naturally, he’d force them through sheer power. They’d have to hear the DNA of blues, all the heartache and history through a screaming amp. But what if you made music so beautiful people had to shut up and hear your story? Something so entrancing that it equals a warring Waters without the volume decimation?

That’s what Chicago representative Jamila Woods has been doing for a few years. Her bluntly political music is always delivered in captivating sounds. The author, poet, community activist and singer is a true renaissance woman and her second album LEGACY! LEGACY! is the first document to capture her essence; traveling from the streets of Chicago to higher planes of existence.

LEGACY! traces the influence and history of Woods’ heroes, from Miles Davis and Waters to modern poets Nikki Giovanni and Sonia Sanchez. All are captured in exuberant all-caps like Woods is joyously shouting their names. It’s an expression of self through the artistic explorations of others. No Davis song sounded exactly like “MILES” but the stormy, gritty feeling still conjures his spirit. That being said, Waters would have absolutely jammed out over “MUDDY.” And with the ever-changing musical palette she draws from, she also flutters from theme to theme. The threads of afro-futurism are powerful in the later half of the album, but the barroom ruminations of James Baldwin and the romantic strife of Frida Kahlo roar just as strong through Woods.

Much like Frank Ocean or Solange, Woods melds her weirdness and smoothness expertly. The funky backbone of “GIOVANNI” causes mandatory head bopping and every chorus is pandemic-levels of catchy. But the catchiness reinforces the deep, hard truths Woods speaks too. “It was baaaaaaaad,” she croons on “SONIA” a neat hook to draw you into her revisit of the whitewashed and sanitized history of slavery. That’s followed up by a breathless verse from Nitty Scott who brings a gritty ‘90s vibe and spits “All the women within me are tired.”

The production is ever morphing, drawing from Chance the Rapper’s cotton-candy boom-bap and splashes of jazz-fusion. But even better are the lava-lamp synths and polished drums that bring to mind the the bricker-brac flashiness of Lone or Rustie. There are even moments that draw from the budding lo-fi hip-hop movement, but rouse them from their sleepiness. Closing track “BETTY (for boogie)” expands the subtle house sound that flickers through out LEGACY! into a full Chicago house track, proving Woods’ flexibility. The album’s most beautiful moments come from woozy, spinning beats barely anchored by her blissful, reverbed vocals. It’s a rapturous expression of her psychedelic soul, making it surprising there isn’t an “ALICE!” on here.

Matching Mario Galaxy keyboards with Woods’ theses on black exploitation and economic inequality is a brutal balance, but she does it with grace. This is first, and only time, a syllabus has been enjoyable. LEGACY! on its own is a thrill, but scrolling through Jean-Michel Basquiat canvases or listening to some of Betty Davis’ strut adds to the experience as Woods’ growth through her idols becomes clear.

But she never emulates; she only reinterprets and stays clearly, gloriously herself. “You’re the holy book I can lay my hands on,” she sings, the words of “GIOVANNI” and “BALDWIN” balms and teaches in lean times, but her compass is her own. She begins and ends by singing with a “I am not your typical girl,” with a giddy grin. No shit, Jamila!

youtube

https://spectrumculture.com/2019/05/12/jamila-woods-legacy-legacy-review/

#jamila woods #legacy! legacy!

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airisthoughts · 7 years

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esta. A Study.

https://soundcloud.com/beatsbyesta/

Francis Esteban, or esta. (stylized ESTA.) A music producer and DJ, he mainly focuses on sample manipulation. His “Soulection” of music draws inspirations from old Hip-Hop and R&B, along with a touch of Soul, all tightened up with modern 808s.

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My presentation focused on 2 songs: “rhythm roulette” and “childish people”

In rhythm roulette, esta. participates in Mass Appeal’s Rhythm Roulette, picking out records blindfolded and creating a track on the spot with beats sampled from the records.

He samples the beat from Roberto Yanes’ “Luna de Miel” or “Honeymoon Song” in english. This song is really hard to find, Roberto is an Argentinian folk singer, and “Luna de Miel” was in his vinyl LP that was basically his “greatest hits.”

esta. takes the vocals and uses it in the beginning of the song, along with some vinyl noise. He uses the breakdown strings after the chorus and pitches it up 4 semitones, throw in some piano chords, adds some swooping legato bassline, a tight 808 kit, some improvised synth solo, and this became his main motif in the song.

In his second song that we will look at today “_childish people,” _esta. uses the main line of “_why iii love the moon” _by Phony Ppl, throwing on top of that a smooth and lazy chug in “_Sober” _by Childish Gambino (Donald Glover), jazz saxophone by Masego, along with his jazz vocal scats. really pulls the song together.

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Blending together the two songs almost seamlessly, esta. really shows that even working with samples that are cross-genre and across decades of time, he can still bring a refreshing feel to his tracks. his true “Soulection.”

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blackkudos · 7 years

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James Jamerson

James Lee Jamerson (January 29, 1936 – August 2, 1983) was an American bass player. He was the uncredited bassist on most of the Motown Records hits in the 1960s and early 1970s (Motown did not list session musician credits on their releases until 1971), and is now regarded as one of the most influential bass players in modern music history. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. As a session musician he played on 30 Billboard #1 hits, as well as over 70 R&B #1 hits, more than any other bass player in both categories.

In 2011, Jamerson ranked third in The "20 Most Underrated Bass Guitarists" in Pastemagazine.

Biography

A native of Edisto Island (near Charleston), South Carolina, Jamerson moved with his mother to Detroit, Michigan in 1954 and began playing in Detroit area blues and jazz clubs. His son, James Jamerson, Jr. (1958-2016), was also a professional bassist.

Motown years

Jamerson continued performing in Detroit clubs after graduating high school, and his increasingly solid reputation started providing him opportunities for sessions at various local recording studios. Starting in 1959, he found steady work at Berry Gordy's Hitsville U.S.A. studio, home of the Motown record label. There he became a member of a core of studio musicians who informally called themselves The Funk Brothers. This small, close-knit group of musicians performed on the vast majority of Motown recordings during most of the 1960s. Jamerson's earliest Motown sessions were performed on double bass, but in the early 1960s he switched to playing an electric Fender Precision Bass for the most part.

Like Jamerson, most of the other Funk Brothers were jazz musicians who had been recruited by Gordy. For many years, they maintained a typical schedule of recording during the day at Motown's small garage "Studio A" (which they nicknamed "the Snakepit"), then playing gigs in the jazz clubs at night. They also occasionally toured the U.S. with Motown artists. For most of their career, however, the Funk Brothers went uncredited on Motown singles and albums, and their pay was considerably less than the main artists or the label received. Eventually, Jamerson was put on retainer with Motown for one thousand dollars a week, which afforded him and his ever-expanding family a comfortable lifestyle.

Jamerson's discography at Motown reads as a catalog of soul hits of the 1960s and 1970s. His work includes Motown hits such as, among hundreds of others, "Shotgun" by Jr. Walker & the All Stars, "For Once in My Life," "I Was Made To Love Her" by Stevie Wonder, "Going to a Go-Go" by The Miracles, "My Girl" by The Temptations, "Dancing in the Street" by Martha and the Vandellas, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Gladys Knight and the Pips, and later by Marvin Gaye, and most of the album What's Going Onby Marvin Gaye, "Reach Out I'll Be There" and "Bernadette" by the Four Tops, and "You Can't Hurry Love" by The Supremes. According to fellow Funk Brothers in the 2002 documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown, Gaye was desperate to have Jamerson play on "What's Going On," and went to several bars to find the bassist. When he did, he brought Jamerson to the studio, who then played the classic line while lying flat on his back. He is reported to have played on some 95% of Motown recordings between 1962 and 1968. He eventually performed on nearly 30 No. 1 pop hits—surpassing the record commonly attributed to The Beatles. On the R&B charts, nearly 70 of his performances went to the top.

Style and influence

Jamerson is noted for expanding the musical style and role of bass-playing in the popular music of the time, which (in 1950s and '60s R&B, rock and roll, and country) largely consisted of root notes, fifths and simple repetitive patterns. By contrast, many of Jamerson's bass lines relied heavily on chromatic runs, syncopation, ghost notes and inversions, with frequent use of open strings. His nimble bass playing was considered an integral part of the "Motown Sound". He transcended the standard "bass line" and created a duet with the singer, melodic, but still very tightly locked with the drumgroove. Prominent bassists who have claimed Jamerson as a primary influence include James Brown's Bernard Odum, Bootsy Collins, Abraham Laboriel, Pino Palladino, Alan Gorrie, Rick Danko, Anthony Jackson, Jack Bruce, John Entwistle, Bernard Edwards, Jason Newsted, Jaco Pastorius, John Patitucci, John Paul Jones, Robert DeLeo, Rick Skatore, Mike Watt, Billy Sheehan, Joel Shipp, Geddy Lee, Victor Wooten, Paul McCartney, Mike Mills, Suzi Quatro, Matt Noveskey, Tommy Shannon, Matt Rubano, Phillip Chen and Michael "Flea" Balzary.

Post-Motown career

Shortly after Motown moved their headquarters to Los Angeles, California in 1972, Jamerson moved there himself and found occasional studio work, but his relationship with Motown officially ended in 1973. He went on to perform on such 1970s hits as "Rock the Boat" (The Hues Corporation), "Boogie Fever" (The Sylvers), and "You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)" (Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr.) and also played on Robert Palmer's 1975 solo album Pressure Drop. But as other musicians went on to use high-tech amps, round-wound strings, and simpler, more repetitive bass lines incorporating new techniques like thumb slapping, Jamerson's style fell out of favor with local producers and he found himself reluctant to try new things. By the 1980s he was unable to get any serious gigs working as a session musician.

Death

Long troubled by alcoholism, Jamerson died of complications stemming from cirrhosis of the liver, heart failure and pneumonia on August 2, 1983, in Los Angeles at the age of 47. He left a wife, Anne, three sons, James Jamerson Jr., Ivey (Joey), and Derek, and a daughter Doreen. He is interred at Detroit's historic Woodlawn Cemetery on Woodward Avenue.

Recognition

James Jamerson (as is the case with the other Funk Brothers) received little formal recognition for his lifetime contributions. It was not until 1971, when he was acknowledged as "the incomparable James Jamerson" on the sleeve of Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, that his name even showed up on a major Motown release.

Jamerson was the subject of a 1989 book by Allan Slutsky (aka "Dr. Licks") titled Standing in the Shadows of Motown. The book includes a biography of Jamerson, a few dozen transcriptions of his bass lines, and two CDs in which 26 internationally known professional bassists (such as Pino Palladino, John Entwistle, Will Lee, Chuck Rainey, and Geddy Lee) speak about Jamerson and play those transcriptions. Jamerson's story was also featured in the subsequent 2002 documentary film of the same title.

In 1999, Jamerson was awarded a bust at the Hollywood Guitar Center's Rock Walk.

In 2000, Jamerson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, part of the first-ever group of "sidemen" to be so honored.

In 2003, there was a two-day celebration entitled "Returned To The Source" which was hosted by The Charleston Jazz Initiative and Avery Research Center of The College of Charleston.

In 2004, the Funk Brothers were honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

In 2007, Jamerson along with the other Funk Brothers was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in Memphis, Tennessee.

In 2008, James Jamerson was awarded the Gullah/GeeChee Anointed Spirit Award.

In 2009, Jamerson was inducted into the Fender Hall of Fame. Among the speakers was fellow legendary Motown session bassist and friend, Bob Babbitt.

In 2009, Jamerson received a Resolution from the SC House of Representatives.

In 2012, Jamerson received the Hartke, Zune, Samson 2012 International Bassist Award.

In 2013, he along with the Funk Brothers received their Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 2014, Jamerson received a State Resolution from the South Carolina Senate.

Jamerson's equipment

James Jamerson's double bass was a German upright acoustic bass that he bought as a teenager and later used on such Motown hits as "My Guy" by Mary Wells and "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave" by Martha and the Vandellas.

Jamerson played mainly the Fender Precision Bass, but is known to have briefly used a Fender Bass V and a Hagström 8-string later in his career.

His first electric bass was a 1957 Precision Bass, refinished in black, with a gold anodized pickguard and maple fretboard, nicknamed "Black Beauty". That bass was a gift from his fellow bass player Horace "Chili" Ruth. In the sixties, that bass was stolen.

After his 1957 Precision Bass was stolen, he acquired a stock 1962 Fender Precision Bass which was dubbed "The Funk Machine." It had a three-tone sunburst finish, a tortoise-shell pickguard, rosewood fretboard and chrome pickup and bridge covers (the latter containing a piece of foam used to dampen sustain and some overtones). On the heel of the instrument he carved with ballpoint pen the word "FUNK". He typically set its volume and tone knobs on full. This instrument was also stolen, just days before Jamerson's death in 1983. To date, it has not been found.

James Jamerson used La Bella heavy-gauge (.052–.110) flatwound strings which were never replaced, unless a string broke. He didn't particularly take care of the instrument, as he stated: "The gunk keeps the funk", and it is possible that the neck eventually warped, as many claimed it impossible to play. While this made it more difficult to fret, Jamerson believed it improved the quality of the tone. Early in the '70s, a producer attempted to modernize James Jamerson's sound by asking the bassist to switch to brighter-sounding roundwound bass strings, but Jamerson politely declined.

One aspect of James Jamerson's upright playing that carried over to the electric bass guitar was the fact that he generally used only his right index finger to pluck the strings while resting his 3rd and 4th fingers on the chrome pickup cover. Jamerson's index finger even earned its own nickname: "The Hook". Another aspect of Jamerson's upright playing which carried over was his use of open strings, a technique long used by jazz bass players, to pivot around the fretboard which served to give his lines a fluid feeling.

Jamerson's amplifier of choice at club performances was an Ampeg B-15; in larger venues, he used a blue Naugahyde Kustom with twin 15" speakers. On both, the bass was typically turned up full and the treble turned halfway up. On most of his studio recordings, his bass was plugged directly into the custom-made mixing console together with the guitars from Eddie Willis, Robert White and Joe Messina. He adjusted the console so that his sound was slightly overdriven and had a mild tube compression.

References