#Retro - Various Artists

[burlveneer-music]

VA - Early Works Vol​.​2: Music From The Archives - unreleased tracks from ATA Records’ studio, 2008-now; you’ve got to admire the commitment to their bit, i.e. 1970-ish psychedelic soul

2020 was a time of fear as Covid blew through the world, shutting countries down and isolating friends and family alike. Some decided to complicate their lives further with gargantuan tasks, tasks so big they only really existed in concept as there was never, surely in all probability, going to be enough downtime to get them done. But then, of course, we all got handed a big lump of time to play with, time to put your money where your mouth is. That being the case Neil Innes of ATA took on a monster of a task that year. He decided to kill the studio he had spent 14-years building. Luckily, for all of us, his plan went further than that, ATA was going to rise up bigger, stronger and, thank goodness, cleaner than it was before. Over many backbreaking and expensive months the beating heart of ATA records was stripped, monolithic bits of kit were pulled from dusty corners and into the light to learn their fate: resettlement in the new ATA or sold off, to pay for the studio’s rejuvenation. Tough decisions were made but the end product was worth the sacrifice. ATA now has natural light, some very swish carpeting, new soundproofing and even a sofa, surprisingly tasteful, in the, now, spacious, control room. No more sitting on rickety stools and balancing a coffee on your knee. While there were obvious aesthetic and practical benefits to rebuilding the studio, for Neil, who has been hands-on throughout the whole process, it was also cathartic. A time for reflection over the past 14-years, the slow building of ATA, piece by hard won piece punctuated by refreshing periods of doubt and fear, surely the case with so many labours of love. Once the studio began to take shape again and Neil was finally able to take a breath he began rooting through the label’s archives, pulling out reels that had been propping up tables, holding open doors and generally lurking in nooks and crannies for years. It didn’t take long for Neil to realise how special some of these snippets of the past were, especially some of the vocal outings with his former Love of the Brave band mate Fuzzy Jones. As he wandered down memory lane he started to pair some of these rediscovered treasures with tracks by more recent artists, such as The Magnificent Tape Band and The Sorcerers, and the compilation began to take shape. Looking over the new comp, Neil said: “What I can’t get my head around is why didn’t I release these tunes at the time? They’ve not changed but in my head it only feels like they came together years later.” As ATA studio moves into its next phase it seems only fitting to celebrate the music birthed from the early days of its first incarnation. Old music to celebrate a new dawn.

#ata records #various artists #compilation #2022 #leeds #uk #soul #jazz #funk #retro soul #psychedelic soul

[evan-collins90]

The first Torrid store - Brea Mall - Brea, CA (Opened April 18, 2001)

Designed by JGA, Inc. 

From the book: “The retailer, Hot Topic, based in City of Industry, CA, started a short 12 years ago with a concept and a target market; cutting edge apparel, accessories and novelty items--all inspired by alternative music, oriented towards a hip and trendy, teenage market. Hot Topic changed the look of their retail settings, which are usually located in mainstream malls, and the company has recently taken aim at another special market. The new focus is on plus-size teens; an area that the fashion market seems to have neglected. 

Up until this time the 15-30 year old hip and trendy young women who wear sizes 14-26 had no other choice but to shop in the larger size women's shops where the fashions were tailored to the more matronly and conservative tastes. That is how Torrid was born! 

Torrid was introduced in a new, hot and fun retail setting designed by JGA, Inc. of Southfield, MI which has designed the various prototypes for the Hot Topic stores as well. To be sure of the need for such a niche to be filled, the company opened five Torrid shops almost simultaneously; the first in Brea, CA, followed by stores in malls in Mission Viejo, CA, Annapolis, MD, Omaha, NE, N. Attleboro, MA, and Littleton, CO. The merchandise offerings are clustered as "Streetwear," "Clubwear," Rockabilly Wear," and Renaissance Wear" and the stores average about 2,750 SF. Besides the "everyday" slacks and novelty T-shirts, these larger size young women can find black vinyl pants and mini-skirts, black corsets, dog-collar chokers and platform shoes as well as retro-inspired clothing and accessories. In addition to the gothic and prom dresses, Torrid also carries a full line of lingerie for this particular market. Listening to the target market, Hot Topic's Torrid offers teenagers and up the opportunity to look "girly yet fierce." 

The design objective for the prototype store that was designed by JGA, Inc. was to create "a celebration of abundance" and make the setting as unique, unconventional and spirited as the plus-size young women who will be shopping here. Inspired by a "mythological, after-hours club in New Orleans," the atmosphere is romantic, dark and filled with a sense of "unbridled passion." "From the signature flaming heart icon to the curving voluptuous lines throughout the store, excessive materials and scale mirror the zest of the Torrid woman." It starts out front with the shopper-stopping facade which serves as a dramatic gateway to the store. 

The curvaceous and sensuous "hourglass" figures of the Torrid customer is expressed in the hand-crafted metalwork and the backlit translucent glass glowing red. A "drippy" red chandelier and the hand blown flaming heart torcheres add to the store's distinctive sense of place and being. The mosaic porcelain tile floor sets the color palette of jewel tones and metallics. "Visually complex, layers of finishes and architectural pieces evoke a one-of-a-kind artistic flavor." The eclectic mix of fixtures, furniture and furnishings-even the armoires--add to the New Orleans flavor. The hand painted, whimsical and overscaled armoires or cabinets are used to anchor the various zones within the store and at the center of the space a large bronze metallic drape further divides the departments.

The designers added special touches to each area to create that unique, one-of-a-kind feeling to the design. Specially designed, oversized red sculptured chairs with slatted backs are featured in the shoe area. Shoes and accessories are displayed on the slatted backs. The lingerie area takes on a more intimate and exotic--almost Moroccan--feeling with the hand blown glass chandeliers suspended down from large plaster domes. Seen behind this area--beyond a hand painted wall and arc--are the individual, oversized dressing rooms which are equipped with flattering uplights and decorative chandeliers that are visible from other parts of the store. The cash wrap becomes a "focal fantasy" in the total design and it resembles a giant canopy bed topped with twisting shapes and forms.

The space is filled with a pulsating excitement that is so appropriate for the merchandise and the young clientele. In addition to the shimmering palette of rich, deep colors, the warm colored downlights not only enrich the ambient colors and textures but they enhance the merchandise display. The traditional long and narrow mall space is broken up into more personal and individual zones by the variations in ceiling heights, the tin ceilings, finials and the assorted wall coverings. The use of brocades, metallics, and jewel tones on the walls also help to differentiate areas in the store. The metal fixture system--tortoise shell like in appearance--was customized to accommodate the products unique size and length requirements.

If all goes as well as anticipated we can expect to see more and more Torrid shops opening up across the USA- maybe even as many as 700 outlets!”

Images and text were scanned from the book, Stores of the Year 14 by Martin Pegler (2003)

[redesigningxmen]

REDESIGNING MAGIK

Welcome to Limbo! Our group chose Illyana Rasputina, the marvelous Magik for this round! Introduced as the younger sister of Colossus, Magik joined the 80s New Mutants team as a young teen and has since flourished into an A-Lister in her own right. She's been a member of the Phoenix Five, Cyclops' renegade X-Men squad, the Krakoan New Mutants, and the 2022 X-Men team.

She has several inspiration points for artists and redesigners to pull from. She's most well-known for her all-black 2012 look but has also sported demonic and fantasy influences as someone connected to the hellish Limbo and her malevolent alter ego, the Darkchylde.

See what our enthusiastic and talented team of artists did this round, and make sure to follow them on social media for more fantastic art!

(The handles presented after artists names are their Twitter handles, but many use the same name on other platforms!)

Léa Dupic | @/kimodraw

"I went full speed ahead into medieval land and dressed Illyana in a full metal shiny armour, putting emphasis on her sword bearing arm with a biiiig spiky shoulder pad. Gave her a punk lesbian haircut while keeping her iconic bangs, because I think she should be allowed to be more of a punk lesbian. And I couldn't resist adding a touch of demon form with the horns. She's gloomy she's menacing she's spiky and shiny she's the girl of my dreams."

Giovanni Saroldi | @/RaulGiova 

"Just like matter, let’s give ‘Yana three states! Solid, liquid, gas? Kinda, not quite! From angelic to demonic, with her main form being the in-between totality of herself, where she can draw whichever power she needs.

It’s geometric, it’s chic, it’s retro-futuristic Terry Moore with the Horns of Galaxy The Prettiest Star meets Ludmilla from Bartok mid-transformation."

John Caden | @/johncaden64 

"I've always felt the Bachalo design was great, but could get very male-gazey.  I tried to make it more comfortable, while also keeping the same goth feel.  I do feel she needs to just go all-in goth, so let's shave her head, get some thick black mascara and commit to the bit! "

John Marsh | @/pastelrake

"What if Illyana had been a Russian figure skater?"

Joe Pryde | @/joeprydecosplay

"My inspiration for this design came from the idea of “what if Magik was an elder emo” complete with Kristen Stewart fem mullet, high waist buckled tights, and sleeveless crop top hoodie. I also wanted to pay homage to previous designs."

Haydn | @/ThatsSoHaydn 

"I had but one simple thought: What if the Soul Sword was a rapier? And thus fencing Magik was born. I wanted the geometric shapes of the dark bodysuit to contrast with the curves of the golden armor, whilst still adding a little magic and mystery with her cloak and mask. "

Dale Yaddow | @/DaleYaddow

Version 1 "The Savage Magik". Having been stripped of her magical knowledge, Illyana Rasputin hunts down various enchanted artifacts to replace what she's lost. Becoming desperate she seems to be willing to steal and sometimes kill to get these talismans. Among these are the Soul Dagger of Pixie, the medallion of Daimon Hellstrom, Holy bands from "Heven" and a cursed skull from an alternate version of Lockheed.

Version 2 "Mistress Magik" This is an older more seductive Magik that's been corrupted by the influence of Selene and embraced her sensuality, opening up a whole new avenue of mystical arts that she hadn't dared explore before. She now uses her SoulSword to capture the essences of her foes and much like Selene feeds on them keeping her young and vital.

Version 3 "Magik, Queen of Hell" Many questioned the logic of Magik giving Limbo to Madelyne Prior but the end game has been revealed. Illyana allowed Madelyne to tether her magic to Limbo, knowing eventually "Maddie" would get greedy and begin bringing more power to that dimension. With a carefully hidden clause in the Limbo transference spell Magik takes back Limbo and all the power within it and successfully overthrows all the Hell Lords, unifying the many dreaded dimensions under one fearsome rule, hers.

Anthony Ruiz | @/thwwipstickers

"Almost as soon as Magik was decided on for this design challenges I had two ideas strike me simultaneously ... The first of those ideas was the image of Illyana as a 90's Riot(ish) on the cover of a Magazine. I wanted to give her an edgy grungy vibe but still pay homage to her Demonic nature.

Shortly after Finishing my first Design I just knew I had to make my second idea come to life.

What if Illyana was an Anime Mech Pilot and Wore a Plugsuit... thats it... thats the idea. I really wanted to strike the Balance between Anime Plugsuit but still being noticeably Magik and X-men.

I kept the Bright yellow Color scheme with hints of black and red and chose to interpret her Armored arm into a Mechanized oversize cybernetic arm that helps fuel her Plasma Powered Soul sword that springs forth from her Gauntlet."

Isaiah Cox | @/isaiahbeenlost

"When designing my Magik look, I wanted to expand on ideas I had when drawing her a couple years ago by keeping her look sleek, yet scary stylish! So, I referenced a lot of Castlevania and Yoshiaki Kawajiri designs to get that cool anime look for her down! I plucked some fashion inspirations for the costume from places like: Mugler, Alexander McQueen, LaQuan Smith, JRPG rogues and medieval accessories! And for her new soul sword, I decided to give her an Odachi because since she already lived her Cloud Strife fantasy starting from the Bendis-era, I thought it was time for her to live her Sephiroth moment with this giant Japanese sword!"

David J Hughes | @/0ddeity

"I think with Magik I started out pretty traditional for her. Then I got to thinking our Russian Queen deserves a Mugler-esque fit. I wanted to go down the knight or warrior route, but then I thought ‘What If’ this was an AU Illyana raised by Patch and she got all of Logan’s training rather than Kitty and Jubilee, or, alongside them. So, bham, Oni-demon menpo mask and samurai elements on top of the Mugler flair."

Fleshmonk | @/fleshmonk

"Went through a bunch of design iterations, but settled on this cool plasticky vinyl plugsuit like version of Magik. I gave her a bob to mature her a bit and to move her towards a new silhouette."

Joshua Bruckner | @/joshingtonbear

"I took a bit from Magik's more armored designs, which I've always liked the most, and her goth jock aesthetic, and blended them. I rejected the Bachalo booty shorts in favor of a skirt, which gives her a bit of a 'cheerleader from hell' look."

Seye Sanyaolu | @/seye_art

"My intention for this redesign was Magik in a very dystopian future and so I imagined a 3/4 darkchylde Illyana that is in control of her self and powers (although almost lost it). In this future, most of the X-Men are gone and Illyana keeps a worn and frayed X-jacket on for the nostalgia :’)"

#Magik #Illyana Rasputina #Darkchylde #X-Men #X-Men Redesign #X-Men Redesign Project #Marvel #Fanart #X-Men Fanart #Illustration #Character Design #Character Redesign #Superhero Redesign #Krakoa

[shineemoon]

ONEW•JONGHYUN•KEY•MINHO•TAEMIN… '15th Anniversary' SHINee's 'RACE'

Since the debut in 2008, SHINee has been considered a role model for many K-pop artists as both a group and solo artists. Not only did all the members release solo albums, but they also have a solid career in various fields such as entertainment, acting, musicals, and fashion. SHINee, who has been developing personal skills not only through the team but also through solo activities, announced that they will reunite to mark the 15th anniversary of their debut this year. While high expectations are being placed on the synergy that 'Complete SHINee' will show, we looked back at SHINee's brilliant solo career.

Unrivaled ‘VOICE’ Onew. Onew, who sang many drama OSTs and collaboration songs, released his first solo album ‘VOICE’ in December 2018, which was filled with his own lyrical music, once again proving his warm tone and outstanding singing ability. He solidified his position as a unique vocalist by presenting a fresh and refreshing charm with ‘DICE’ and a healing song that comforts the listeners with his first regular album ‘Circle’ Last March, he held his solo concerts in Korea and Japan, thrilling his global fans with a high-quality performance that combines colorful music, performance, and scent production. He also played the role of Haram in the musical 'Midnight Sun' and received favorable reviews for his delicate portrayal of his shy character. Unchanging team's ‘BASE’ Jonghyun Jonghyun, who was recognized for his solid skills early on with his refreshing vocals, has released his first solo album ‘BASE’, his first collection 'Story Op.1', his first full-length album 'She Is', his second collection 'Story Op.2' and his second full-length album 'Poet | Artist', the albums that show a wide spectrum of music have received enthusiastic responses from music fans. In addition, he participated in the lyrics and composition of various songs that cross genres, such as his solo album songs, SHINee's hit songs 'Juliette' and 'View', Taemin's 'Pretty Boy', and EXO's 'PLAYBOY'. For about three years from 2014, he communicated with listeners every night as a radio DJ and gave warm comfort, and he was active in various fields such as publishing the novel “Skeleton Flower: Things That Have Released and Set Free”.

Always new ‘FACE’ Key Key is showing off his versatility in music, entertainment, fashion, etc. to the extent that he is called 'all-around cheat key'. He opened wide the door as a solo artist with his first full-length album 'FACE', and with the so-called 'retro trilogy' leading to his first mini-album 'BAD LOVE', his 2nd full-length album 'Gasoline' and repackage 'Killer', he presented music and performances with a unique charm that can be heard. In addition, Key is displaying an excellent sense of entertainment in popular entertainment programs such as tvN's 'Amazing Saturday' and MBC's 'I Live Alone'. Accordingly, it was realized that he was receiving high public attention by winning the Male Excellence Award in the variety category at the '2022 MBC Broadcasting Entertainment Awards', and winning the '2022 Brand Customer Loyalty Awards' and the '2022 Brand of the Year Awards' for two consecutive years in the entertainment idol male category. Challenges with passion ‘CHASE’ Minho Minho, a 'passionate character' in the music industry, has played a prominent role in various entertainment shows, including sports variety programs since his debut, combining his superior physique, passion that burns like a flame, wit and sense. He also showed his smooth hosting skills as an entertainment MC, including various award ceremonies and the original TVing ‘Webtoon Singer’. In addition, Minho showed a variety of performances across the spectrum through dramas such as tvN's ‘The Most Beautiful Goodbye’ and Netflix series ‘The Fabulous’, as well as movies 'Inrang' and ‘Jangsari: Forgotten Heroes’. In December last year, he released his first mini-album ‘CHASE’ filled with hip-hop and R&B genres with his own emotions, filling the last puzzle piece of SHINee's solo album. K-pop ‘ACE’ Taemin Taemin announced his solo debut as the first member of SHINee with his first mini-album ‘ACE’ in 2014. With the hit songs ‘MOVE’ and ‘WANT’, he caused the so-called ‘Move’ and 'WANT' syndrome and won awards in the album and best dance performance solo categories at various awards ceremonies. In addition, Taemin is loved by fans all over the world for his excellent vocals and powerful performance skills, as he has various modifiers such as 'Yeoksolnam (all-time solo male singer)' and 'Taemdol (Taemin is also a role model)'. He has established himself as an irrefutable "ACE" of K-pop by proving his powerful global power by successfully completing his first arena tour 17 times in six cities across Japan in 2019.

SHINee is set to release a new full-length album to mark the 15th anniversary of their debut this year. (Source: xportsnews)

#SHINee #onew #jonghyun #key #minho #taemin #lee jinki #kim jonghyun #kim kibum #choi minho #lee taemin #ace #base #face #voice #chase #whoever wrote this article 👏👏👏👏👏 #can't even put into words how proud I am of them ♥

[martassimsbookcc]

• .package • Base game compatible • Collection file included • • 𝔻𝕆𝕎ℕ𝕃𝕆𝔸𝔻 • Ad-free as always at my website! 🤍𝕂𝕠-𝕗𝕚 𝕥𝕚𝕡𝕤 𝕛𝕒𝕣  | ℙ𝕒𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕠𝕟🤍 

【 ℂ𝕣𝕖𝕕𝕚𝕥𝕤 】 Meshes are from various artists. Credits are given in each description box. Sims 4 version by @radioactivedotcom​ | Original post: ⚪

• Polycount, buy category, price § and more useful information ↓ •

* Celly Mcphoneface: 2246 verts | 1648 faces >> Found under Miscellaneous decor | 5§ >>> Not recolorable - 2 presets

* Cyberpunk Bike: 26340 verts | 27286 faces >> Found under Miscellaneous decor | 1020§ >>> Not recolorable - 1 preset

* Cyberpunk Bust 01: 4526 verts | 5964 faces >> Found under Miscellaneous decor | 25§ >>> Not recolorable - 1 preset

* Cyberpunk Bust 02: 3128 verts | 4456 faces >> Found under Miscellaneous decor | 25§ >>> Not recolorable - 1 preset

* Diner Sign: 3891 verts | 4906 faces >> Found under Miscellaneous decor | 210§ >>> Not recolorable - 1 preset

* Dragon Neon Mask Cyberpunk: 8416 verts | 7751 faces >> Found under Miscellaneous decor | 20§ >>> Not recolorable - 4 presets >>>> Can be moved up/down on wall

* Dragon Neon Mask Mascara: 7491 verts | 8068 faces >> Found under Miscellaneous decor | 20§ >>> Not recolorable - 1 preset >>>> Can be moved up/down on wall

* Gem Skull: 430 verts | 712 faces >> Found under Miscellaneous decor | 10§ >>> Not recolorable - 1 preset

* Holographic Module: 26232 verts | 23748 faces >> Found under Miscellaneous decor | 500§ >>> Not recolorable - 1 preset

* Leaking Powercell: 1592 verts | 3047 faces >> Found under Miscellaneous decor | 10§ >>> Not recolorable - 1 preset * Nuka Cola Bottle Cap: 275 verts | 426 faces >> Found under Miscellaneous decor | 3§ >>> Not recolorable - 1 preset

* Nuka Cola Gun: 873 verts | 1224 faces >> Found under Miscellaneous decor | 25§ >>> Not recolorable - 1 preset

* Nuka Cola Quantum Bottle: 1150 verts | 1460 faces >> Found under Miscellaneous decor | 5§ >>> Not recolorable - 1 preset

* Nuka Cola Vending Machine: 393 verts | 446 faces >> Found under Miscellaneous decor | 405§ >>> Not recolorable - 1 preset

* Nuka Quantum Vending Machine: 2394 verts | 2224 faces >> Found under Miscellaneous decor | 405§ >>> Not recolorable - 2 presets

* PinUp Stereo: 1601 verts | 1350 faces >> Found under Audio | 125§ >>> Not recolorable - 1 preset

* Retro Robot: 4303 verts | 5786 faces >> Found under Miscellaneous decor | 15§ >>> Not recolorable - 1 preset

* Sci-Fi Cooking Knife: 204 verts | 215 faces >> Found under Miscellaneous decor | 2§ >>> Not recolorable - 1 preset

* Tamagotchi: 1204 verts | 1406 faces >> Found under Miscellaneous decor | 25§ >>> Not recolorable - 1 preset

* Vandalized Bust: 7609 verts | 8296 faces >> Found under Miscellaneous decor | 25§ >>> Not recolorable - 1 preset

#thesims3 #sims3 #ts3cc #s3cc #4to3 #s4tos3 #radioactivedotcom

[bryantobikomi]

I Forgot To Introduce Myself!

Hey, folks! I'm Bryan, though I go by Tobikomi online... or you can just call my BryanTobikomi! I am an artist and a bit of a musician who specializes in retro and nostalgia.

I make illustrations in MS Paint of various things. I am a fan of Super Mario and arcade games in general and try to give them coverage in my work. My works normally center around Nintendo and Namco, though I'm not afraid to branch out to things that catch my eye!

Okey dokey! I will share you my works from 2023 leading up to the present day.

2023

2024 (Present Day)

I have more spanning one year prior as well as some of my original ideas! ...however, since it's come to my attention that Tumblr posts can only support up to 30 images, I don't think it would be possible to share every single one. I will make another post in the future where I showcase them.

Thank you for reading! Hopefully I caught some eyes. :) Let me know what you think in the comments!

#artists on tumblr #digital art #digital illustration #digital drawing #digitalart #artwork #illustration #digital painting #drawing #nintendo #nintendo fanart #yoshi #sega #bandai namco #namco #namcobandai #pacman fanart #super mario #mario bros #super mario bros #luigi #mario and luigi #luigi fanart #luigi nintendo #smb #mario #space harrier #taito #arcade games #retro gaming

[in-death-we-fall]

Aesthetics of Hate

This is the House of Nine. There is a horror that echoes through its walls. There is a horror that shifts and broods. A horror that coils itself into a moment of truth. This is our house. We have heard it sing.

It’s started again, hasn’t it? That’s why we’re back. That’s why we’ve… changed.

Back? Listen.

We never left.

Slipknot’s drug, alcohol and ego problems are history. No longer at war with each other, the only struggle now is finding a way to finish it.

Words: Ken McIntyre. Pics: Steve Brown.

Aka the one that aged like milk. Many thanks to @incredizort for sharing your collection. (docs link)

The are the village people of the damned, a psychedelic terror circus populated by depressed clowns, obsessive-compulsives, misanthropes, cyborgs, droogs, ghouls, and goblins. Their sound is a barrage of noise and confusion, a bundle of hiss and the dynamiting of mountains. They look like escaped mental patients on Halloween, and their demeanor vacillates between grandiose and openly hostile. They are Slipknot, and they are legion.

Since 1995, these nine creatures of latex and bone from the fertile plains of Des Moines, Iowa, have lorded over their dysfunctional kingdom of maggots and problem children with shaky hands that have often succumbed to their own wretched excesses. As the band went from strength to strength, from the runaway freight train of their 1999 self-titled debut album to the embittered, embattled success of 2001’s Iowa and their surprisingly tuneful comeback, 2004’s Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses), Slipknot scaled unheard-of heights for an extreme metal band, snapping up Gold and Platinum albums, winning Grammy awards, infiltrating the mainstream like sinister double agents.

But none of it came easy, and lurking behind the mask was a band at war with itself; a band riddled with drug, alcohol, and ego problems. In 2005, the levy finally broke, and Sipknot took a much-needed break, the various members healing, mending fences, and exploring other creative avenues. Singer Corey Taylor and guitarist Jim Root returned to Stone Sour, drummer Joey Jordison played with a myriad of bands, from Korn to Metallica, and drummer and visual artist Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan produced the revealing ‘Knot-doc Voliminal: Inside The Nine, among other projects.

But they could not avoid their fates forever, and so Slipknot return with a roaring new album, All Hope Is Gone, which pits a burgeoning retro-thrash metal obsession and their recent flirtations with melody against their original vision of pure, bloodlusting aggression and brutality. And with this latest dispatch from the abyss comes the expected media saturation, as well as an endless arc of tours and festivals and television performances. It is during the brief calm before the storm that Metal Hammer catches up with Slipknot, rehearsing their new set at Wells fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines.

Slipknot (left to right): Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan, Chris Fehn, Craig Jones, Joey Jordison, Paul Gray, Mick Thomson, James Root, Sid Wilson Corey Taylor

They say it’s what’s inside you that counts.

That’s what scares me.

It’s in all of us

It’s what binds us that makes us clash. It will happen again.

We’re twisted pieces of the same puzzle. Nine faces that speak with one voice.

The voice of madness…?

Is it normal to be practising in an arena? Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan (percussion): “It’s not normal, but it’s not surprising at the level we’re at. It was my idea to do this, to practise in the small room and get it tight, and then to come out here and get the feeling of the arena again. Otherwise, you’re practising in people’s houses, and we’re nine brothers. Imagine nine brothers with nine families and everybody running with different crews, and all having different morals and standards and spiritualities. Imagine that fuckin’ insanity. So this makes sense.”

Des Moines had a series of floods recently. Did they affect the band at all? Corey Taylor (vocals): “Not really. I spent a couple days running around saving my friends. Everybody I knew with the exception of just a couple people lived on the flood plain, so I was just going out and helping people get the fuck out of there. I had a house full of people for a week.”

For years now, there have been allegations that you guys all hate each other. Is the band still dysfunctional? Joey Jordison (drums): “Yeah, we are dysfunctional. But I mean, we all grew up together. Me and Mick [Thompson (sic), guitar] are like, best friends, and I used to detest that guy. We fuckin’ hated each other, man. And Shawn, me and him are probably the closest brothers in the whole band, but we probably get along the least because we love each other so much, and we control a lot of what goes on in Slipknot. We’re constantly butting heads. I remember right before Ozzfest, you could just cut the tension between me and him with a knife, it was so thick, and one day I left practice (sic) all pissed off, and I was saying, ‘Fuck off, I think I’m quitting.’ There we were, we just got the ticket, we were on our way to making it. That’s how fuckin’ stressed out we were. And literally – he’s a lot bigger than I am – Shawn flipped his kit over, came over to my drumset, ripped my stuff down and held me by the fuckin’ throat, and I grabbed his throat and went to punch him, and then the whole band dogpiled us. We’ve had lots of fights like that, real fistfights. But even though we still get into fights, we don’t let them last that long anymore. The band is just so intense. I mean, we’ve got nine extreme personalities here.”

That reminds me, on a scale on (sic) one to 10, how nuts is your DJ, Sid? He just told me that he’s a cyborg, and I think he really means it. Joey: “One to 10? Like, 13. Yeah, he’s crazy. You take 72 hits of acid in one weekend, it’s gonna fry your brain up a little bit.”

How do you guys balance all the side-projects with Slipknot? Joey: “It’s fuckin’ simple. Slipknot comes first.”

So it didn’t take any convincing to get everybody back to do a new album? Joey: “Well, it usually happens when the other bands sorta run their course. Certain people in the band decide not to do anything, they just chill out until the next Slipknot record. Me, I do a lot of work with other bands, but Slipknot’s my priority, and I’m glad to be back playing with these guys. The first day when we started rehearsal, usually people are laidback (sic), it was like headbang city man, and we were like, ‘Let’s just get out metal necks, let’s get that shit out of the way.’ It feels great, man. I’m happy.” Corey: “ I was completely stoked to do it. I’d actually started thinking of it and preparing for it on the Stone Sour tour. I just started filling notebooks with ideas. It got to the point where I had two notebooks full of stuff, and I was just ready to go. So as soon as the music was written and the demos started floating around, I was just like, ‘OK, this fits here and this fits here.’ I wasn’t rushing around to write lyrics, which a lot of guys do. I was very prepared and not only was I saying everything I wanted to say, but I was doing it in a way I was ecstatic about. I knew I wanted to go heavier, and I knew at the same time that I wanted to balance that with this melodic side that we had really tapped into. And the proof is there. I think this album is the best thing we’ve ever done, to be honest. I think it really shows the growth of the band and the maturity. But it’s still chaotic and heavy, but it’s still got those moments where you just go, ‘Holy fucking shit!’ Not only is it good, but the more you listen to it, the more you find. There’s a lot of layers, and that’s something that gets lost on a lot of people. There’s just so much thought and so much meaning behind everything we do. It’s not just shock for shock’s sake.”

What’s the theme for All Hope Is Lost (sic)? Umm, hopelessness by any chance? Corey: “It’s not a blatantly political or social album, and it’s not a blatantly angry album. I think the overwhelming theme, for me, is that none of us are the same, but none of us are different. We may change as people, but if we use the same energy to try and solve different problems, nothing is going to get accomplished. And that’s something that I think is lost on a lot of people.”

What was it like having Dave Fortman as a producer for this one? Joey: “Dave was great. It’s not like when we were recording with Rick Rubin – he was like an oracle. He would make these little tweaks from his house. He’d sit in this little library in his house, he’d sit there cross-legged with these prayer beads and he’d get a vibe, and he’d tell the engineer what to do. That was a weird way to record. But Dave, he was there every hour, every day. When we write songs, we tend to write really long like, [Metallica’s] …And Justice For All- type songs, nine or 10 minutes long. So we’d record the song like that, and Dave would help us chop it down. The thing with Dave is, that guy knows his tones. I finally got the best drum sound in my life. The guitar sound, the bass, the percussion… finally, we’ve got the Slipknot sound I’ve been wanting to hear my whole life.”

You’ve got new masks and new outfits, do you feel constrained at all by them? Corey: “No. We don’t only have these, but we have actual outfits that we put together ourselves. They’re still cohesive, but they’re a little more individualistic. We had started doing that on the last album. It’s part of our evolution. If you’re not evolving, you’re dying. No matter what the fucking fans on the websites say, nobody wants to see the same fucking shit over and over again. This time around, we felt it was very important that we are represented as individuals and not just as a band, as pieces of a puzzle. The new mask and outfits range from outrageous to very subtle. It’s a reflection of who we are. But we also kept the boiler suits, because we like to appear as a unit.”

You guys got saddled with the ‘nu metal’ tag early on. Obviously at this point you’ve overcome it… Corey: “There were a couple of bands that were good and that had a really good attitude. Snot comes to mind. That was an amazing band; I loved Snot. (hed)P.E. – their first couple of albums were amazing, because they had so much attitude, and it was so different. But then you had bands like Limp Wristed and all that crap, where it just got so watered down; the P.O.D.s, fuckin’ bands like that, where there was zero talent going on. It was frustrating being caught up in that, but at the same time, people don’t want to think outside of what they already know. They want their opinions forcefed (sic) to them. So if a magazine comes out and says we’re nu metal, than (sic) that’s what they’re going to say. It took us a long time to change people’s minds. We’re just a metal band. The people that wanted to write us off as a nu metal band weren’t our fans, they just didn’t know what to call us. We just got stronger and stronger and more willing to experiment and so they just didn’t know what we were. In that respect, we sort of created our own genre, and there’s a lot of bands that kinda take cues from us now. It’s kinda weird.”

Slipknot broke the ceiling for extreme metal bands making it in the mainstream. Did it shock you when it was happening? Corey: “At the time we didn’t even think about it, we were just real busy working. We were literally on the road for 18 months and saw home for maybe three weeks in that entire time. We were gone forever. But we knew that was going to happen, so we just put our heads down and did what we had to do, because we just refused to lose. So once we got that done we had time to take a breath. We were getting ready to start on the Iowa tour, and we just turned around and were like, ‘Woah! Look what we did. We’re fucking huge!’ We were playing this place that’s not even there anymore, it was called the Bronco Bowl in Dallas. It was set up like a mini-arena and it was just fucking gagged, fucking jammed with people. I remember walking out on stage and thinking, ‘Are we opening up for somebody? Where did all these fucking people come from?’ They knew every word, they knew everything, I remember coming off stage and just having this amazing smile on my face. I was like, ‘Something’s different. We’re not an opening band anymore.’ And I don’t think we’d ever be again, unless we were opening for somebody like Metallica. It was insane, it was probably the best feeling I’ve ever felt in my life.” Joey: “It didn’t happen overnight, because we had to work so hard for it but… it happened overnight. We went on Ozzfest, and three weeks into it we’d sold 150,000 records. Every time we played, everybody – every fucking band, Black Sabbath included – was out there watching us. And we’re out for blood, we fucking hate everybody, just ‘Fuck you!’ That’s always been the Slipknot mentality. We love a lot of other bands, we love a lot of different music, but when it comes to us playing, we just don’t care. It’s your ass. People think it’s arrogant, and it is. We believe in our craft. We believe in Slipknot.”

The voice of the madness perhaps

It’s the nature of madness – it’s always searching for a brave face.

Always changing…

…always the same

It seeks its own martyrdom…

…and to be reborn

Yeah, very fucking profound. Don’t get mad, get eaten.

You want to give food for thought?

It’s just for the food for the maggots.

Th-that’s all, folks.

Is it tough accepting the fact that you have to wear a mask for the next year? Joey: “No, not at all. I’m ecstatic to be back and playing with the guys again. It’s home, man. We take breaks because Slipknot is not just music, it’s a force, it’s a lifestyle. It’s also like being in jail. You’re constricted. You have to be on your game every night to be in this band. The stuff is not easy to play anyway, but we’ve got the whole stage performance, playing in masks, it’s what every band goes through, but with nine guys it’s very intense. I mean, look at this – all nine guys are still together. All nine original guys are still here. What other band can say that?”

So, has anybody ever tried to get out? Joey: “No, no one ever has. That’s why at the end of a 15-month tour cycle, we’re just like, let’s take a break, work on some other projects, just relieve a little stress. But when we come back to Slipknot, it’s on, man. There’s no fucking around.”

So what can we expect from this next tour? Clown: “For one thing, we’re musical, man. I play the fucking drums, so get used to it. I’ve earned the right, I’ve done the time, I’ve been on the mountain with the kung fu masters, learning. If you can’t accept that, go play with the kids’ toys. I’ve worked really hard on my art for this one. I got my boy-scout medals and I’m in the deep woods with no tools, no tent, no nothing, and we’re playing survival, man. Just know that I’m the guy who eats the fucking shit raw, man. If there’s an animal, I’ll fucking eat it. This is fucking Slipknot. That’s what you can fucking expect.”

Is Slipknot meant to last forever, or do you have to write the end of this story? Clown: “You nailed it, man. I am in more pain than anyone could possibly ever know, because I have to find a way to finish this.” Joey: “I don’t think it’s our last record at all, but there’s something seriously going on with this record, that’s for sure. It’s like Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter. It’s a climax.”

Is Slipknot like Kiss, where you could lose a member and just find somebody else to wear his mask? Clown: “No. If I left this band, we’d be done. If Joey Jordison left this band, we’d be done. All of us, if any of the guys in this band leave… See, it’s been out of our hands for a long time, since 1998. The world is just too dumb, too anti-art, to realise how important this is, to actually accept the truth that yes, if I left the band it’d be over. There could never be a drummer to replace me, man. We are The Nine. There is no one else.”

Nine long, tense, and occasionally violent hours later, Slipknot begin to slink out into the inky-black, dead-still Des Moines night. It’s a mere week until they begin headlining the Mayhem tour in the States, and that’s just the beginning. Once this album hits the streets, it is unlikely that any of them will see their homes again for at least a year, and probably longer. Although the band harbours the expected anxieties about their long-awaited return to the metal arena, the sprawling expansive All Hope Is Gone will probably be their biggest album ever. At this point the eldest members of the band are now approaching 40, while their fanbase still hovers around 18, and that’s the same sort of 18 Alice Cooper once sang about: the confused, angry, half-a-boy, half-a-man kind.

If any of The Nine hoped to escape their fates as the ringleaders of the tormented, those hopes are now dashed.

“Man, it’s fucking embarrassing,” Clown admitted earlier, when we asked him how it felt to be a dad playing teen-rage anthems.

“I’m just glad I’m not alone in this, with this fucking-metal-fucking-arena-rock-fucking-stage-pass-interview-fucking-photoshoot shit. I don’t care about it. Yes, my art has grown into a way of life, yes, there’s a lot of people that live their lives by it, but I’ve always told people, I don’t want to be on the cover of Metal Hammer, I want to be on the cover of National Geographic. I’ve always said that. I’m gonna be on the cover of Metal Hammer anyway, because that’s just what I fucking do. But I want to take you all on another journey, a fucking life journey, a painful journey. There’s a reason why Slipknot gets the people we get: because they’re lost. They’re lost, and they find their way to us. It’s like a cult, man,” he says, staring a hole right through us.

“A cult of fucking pain.”

There are those who say hope springs eternal. They have obviously never spent a day with Slipknot.

A Stitch In Time

A bluffer’s guide to The Nine.

92: Drummer Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray begin playing in a band together.

95: Joey Jordison joins Shawn and Paul, form Meld with guitarists Donnie Steele and Josh Brainard, and singer Anders Colsefini.

96: Donnie leaves the band due to religious beliefs and is replaced by Craig Jones. Meld change their name to Slipknot and begin wearing grotesque make-up and costumes. Craig Jons switches to sampler and Mick Thomson joins on guitar. Slipknot release their first self-released album, Mate.Feel.Kill.Repeat., on Halloween.

97: Corey Taylor replaces Anders on vocals. Chris Fehn joins the band as percussionist. Slipknot start wearing their trademark boiler suits and numbers.

98: DJ Sid Wilson joins the band. They sign to Roadrunner Records.

99: On June 29, the band releases Slipknot, their ‘official’ debut album, and join the Ozzfest tour.

00: Slipknot is certified Platinum.

01: Slipknot release their second album, Iowa, and do the Ozzfest tour again.

02: The band take a break, Corey Taylor revives Stone Sour, Joey Jordison forms Murderdolls. Slipknot attempt to write a follow-up to Iowa, but struggle with inner-band conflicts. Rumours of the band’s imminent break-up start to circulate in the media.

03: Slipknot rally and begin recording new album with producer Rick Rubin.

04: Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) is released. It quickly goes Platinum. Yet another Ozzfest tour follows.

06: Slipknot win their first Grammy award in the category of Best Metal Performance for Before I Forget. Voliminal: Inside The Nine, a self-produced DVD documentary, is released.

08: All Hope Is Gone released. Chaos ensues.

Project Revolution

Slipknot members are known for their many side projects. Here’s a crib sheet.

Stone Sour

Corey Taylor (vocals) Jim Root (guitar Stone Sour were formed back in 1992 by Corey Taylor and have existed in one form or another ever since. The alt-metal/grunge band have released two albums on Roadrunner Records (Stone Sour in 2002 and Come What(ever) May in 2006), and have been nominated for a Grammy award three times. The band are currently on hold in light of the new Slipknot record, but plans for a third album are in the works.

Murderdolls

Joey Jordison (drums (sic)) A horror-themed glam-punk band with a penchant for fishnet tights and make-up formed in 2002 by Joey Jordison, the Murderdolls also featured former Frankenstein Drag Queens frontman Wednesday 13. The band released their debut album, Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls in 2002 and played together sporadically over the next two years. The band are currently on hiatus, and when asked about the possibility of further recordings, Joey stated: “There might be another album. We’re thinking about it.”

Ministry, etc

Joey Jordison (drums) During his off-hours, Joey keeps busy by filling in on drums for several notable acts, including nu metal pioneers Korn, who he played with at the 2007 Download Festival, Metallica, (Download 2004), and Ministry, who he toured with in the summer of 2006.

DJ Starscream

Sid Wilson Sid Wilson’s day job is as a leading Jungle musician. As Starscream he’s released a host of singles and remixes on the Japanese label N20.

Dirty Little Rabbits

Shawn Crahan (drums) Shawn’s other side-project is a swirly mix of psychedelia and 90s style alt-rock. The band has yet to release an album. Dirty Little Rabbits supported Stone Sour on their 2006-07 US tour.

Dum Fux

Corey Taylor (guitar, vocals) A tongue-in-cheek cover band that plays everything from Flock Of Seagulls to The Stooges. Current status: active.

Audacious P

Corey Taylor (vocals, guitar) Perhaps the world’s only Tenacious D cover band. Currently on hiatus.

To My Surprise

Shawn Crahan (drums) A sun-dappled 60s rock-style band, To My Surprise were signed to Roadrunner Records and released their debut, self-titled album in 2003. It was executive produced by Rick Rubin. The band are on hiatus.

Roadrunner United

Joey Jordison (drums) Paul Gray (bass) Jim Root (guitar) This was a one-off album project put together to celebrate Roadrunner Records’ 25th anniversary. Roadrunner United featured 18 ‘supergroups’ made up of various Roadrunner alumni. Slipknot’s Joey, Jim and Paul played on several of the tracks, along with Type O Negative’s Pete Steele, King Diamond guitarist Andy LaRocque, and Cradle Of Filth bassist Dave Pybus, among others. The Roadrunner United album was released in 2005.

#slipknot #shawn crahan #corey taylor #joey jordison #interview #metal hammer summer 2008

[wanderingsimsfinds]

💜💙🖤 If you didn’t trick-or-treat last weekend, you can now get my 1st Simblreen treat 🖤💙💜 @simblreenofficial

Introducing the Pastel Halloween Collection

There are 61 seamless patterns included (PH 1-61)

Found under THEMED & GEOMETRIC (33, 37, 51-56)

There are ZIPs for sims3packs, packages, and preview images

There is a MERGED package file with all 61 patterns

DOWNLOAD (SFS) (MediaFire)

Source: Various Artists on Creative Fabrica

My Other Halloween Patterns

Bats & Cats  Halloween Candy  Halloween Mix 1  Ghosts  Spiders  Halloween Mix 2  Retro Halloween

#simblreen 2022 #halloween #pattern #patterns #mypatterns #build #ts3cc #s3cc #s3ccfinds #holidays #pgeo #phalloween #panimal #pfood #pfall

[cartwif]

How to Discover Your Aesthetic

Discovering your personal aesthetic, whether it's related to fashion, home decor, or your overall lifestyle, is a creative and self-exploratory process. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you identify and define your unique aesthetic:

1. Collect Inspiration:

- Start by creating an inspiration board. Collect images, photos, or examples from various sources that resonate with you. This could include fashion styles, interior design, art, nature, and more.

2. Identify Patterns:

- Examine your inspiration board and look for recurring themes, colors, and styles. Are there certain elements that stand out or make you feel particularly drawn to them?

3. Define Your Values:

- Think about your personal values and what matters most to you. Are you environmentally conscious, minimalist, or drawn to vintage and retro elements? Your values can influence your aesthetic choices.

4. Assess Your Lifestyle:

- Consider your daily life and routines. Are you a busy professional, an adventurer, a homebody, or a creative artist? Your lifestyle can influence your aesthetic preferences.

5. Take a Personality Test:

- Some personality tests, like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) or the Enneagram, can offer insights into your personality and may provide hints about your aesthetic preferences.

6. Experiment and Explore:

- Don't be afraid to experiment with different styles and aesthetics. Try out various clothing styles, decor themes, and hobbies to see what feels most authentic to you.

7. Edit Your Space:

- Make gradual changes to your living space that reflect your evolving aesthetic. This can include rearranging furniture, choosing new color schemes, or adding decor items that resonate with you.

8. Seek Feedback:

- Share your ideas and style choices with friends or family and ask for their input. Sometimes, others can provide valuable perspectives.

9. Embrace Evolution:

- Keep in mind that your aesthetic can evolve over time. Don't feel pressured to stick with one specific style forever. Allow yourself to adapt and refine your aesthetic as you grow and change.

10. Stay True to Yourself:

- Your aesthetic should reflect your genuine preferences and personality. Don't try to conform to trends or other people's expectations. The most important thing is that your aesthetic makes you feel comfortable, confident, and true to yourself.

Remember that discovering your aesthetic is a journey, and there's no rush to define it quickly. Embrace the process of self-discovery and enjoy the freedom to express yourself through your chosen aesthetic.

#aethestic #self love #self care #self development #love #peace #motivation #inspiration #self help

[webkinzwonders]

Interview with Leonidas Kouvaris

I recently had the honor of interviewing Leonidas Kouvaris, a digital artist and singer for Webkinz. Some of his most popular projects include The Pet of the Month songs and Zum designs. It was an amazing experience to correspond with him directly and gain some more insight into the game. Below is our interview, some words have been changed to fix typos, but for the most part is it word for word. I added some context via images and links to some topics discussed. An unedited transcript of the interview is here.

Do you consent to have the information discussed in this interview to be published on my Tumblr blog (WebkinzWonders) for the purpose of my composition class?

Yes.

What is the timeline of your time at Webkinz, when did you start and stop working there?

I started working at Ganz back in March of 2008, and I left early 2013, so around 5 years total. 

What were your main responsibilities when working at Webkinz?

I was first hired as a digital artist for the Interactive Art department and worked on creating new virtual pets exclusive to the eStore. I also created art assets for the Webkinz games and for Webkinz JR. After about a year I was given the opportunity to design a new series of characters for Webkinz called Zums. These were fairy-like creatures that would exist as both virtual characters on the Webkinz site, and as a product line of plush toys. I eventually worked primarily on product design and marketing for various Ganz properties, including Amazing World and Nakamas. 

From what I can see you are primarily an artist/designer, how did you get involved with the Kinztunes? Were you interested in music or was it just a side project?

Well, it all started out by chance. One day I was working away at my desk when my boss walked in and yelled out for everyone to hear "Who here can sing"? I put my hand up and his first response was "yeah right!", but after convincing him that I wasn't joking he said if I were interested in performing on a Webkinz tune to go visit tour resident sound guy. I love music and this was a great opportunity to get away from my desk, so I got the rundown from the lead sound engineer and we quickly started work on the very first Webkinz Pet Of The Month song. 

We had the lyrics written for us and a general direction...problem was, at the time, there was no formal recording studio on site and so we had to improvise. We found an empty office to record in and in lieu of any proper soundproofing, we ended up draping a Snuggie over my head while I sang. It was a great experience A proper sound recording studio eventually was built as the sound team grew, and I continued to get involved with the production of the Kinz Tunes. All of this extra work would happen during the work day, when I had time from my other responsibilities as a digital artist. I sang, I wrote, I even lent my voice to other projects doing character voices for the Webkinz JR site. I quickly became the go-to person for recording whatever random sound was needed. 

What was your favorite project you did working at Webkinz?

I would have to say that designing the Amazing World vinyl figures is what I am most proud of. I ended up designing three series for the toy line but only the first two ever made it to shelves. The project was canceled pretty soon after launch, along with others including Nakamas and Tail Town. I have to say, working on Kinz Tunes is a close second, as I am still good friends with the sound engineer I met on that first day of recording. I actually just met up with him today to check out a retro arcade in downtown Toronto.

How does Webkinz keep a consistent style since there are various elements of the game? Were there guidelines when designing?

One of the challenges that the Webkinz team faced was trying to keep up with the rapid expansion of the website. Both the coding and the art for the site had to get produced quickly as there were always new features and games to implement. As best as I can remember, Webkinz had one art director from the beginning who created the art style, and it was the Creative Director (the boss for the entire art department) who made sure everything remained on brand. Later on I became a sort of liaison between the art department and marketing, making sure product development was using the same style guides as the Interactive Art department.

What was the work environment like at Webkinz? Was it in-person offices or remote?

The art department itself was pretty drab. Gray cubicles upon gray cubicles, located in the same building that housed the main offices, and warehouse. The people I worked with were amazing. Get a bunch of creative people together in a windowless environment and you got a recipe for crazy times. A lot of dress up days; A lot of desk decorating. I made a lot of friendships from that time. 

What are some projects you’re working on now?

After Ganz I took some time off to do my own thing, creating some animated shorts with characters of my own designing. I then went on to work for a company designing educational games that are featured on the PBS Kids website. A year into the pandemic I was laid off and now I'm revisiting my project and developing it as on a mobile game.

Do you have anything you can show me from your time working there?

I've attached some sketches that show the design process of some of my earlier work at Ganz. I've included the initial concept of the Webkinz Stone Lion, isometric sketches of the Stone Lion, and the final vectored design.

Any questions that I didn’t ask that you think I should know?

Yes, Ganz is actually based in Canada. A lot of people don't know that the head offices are just outside of Toronto, Ontario

That concludes our interview. A huge thank you to Leonidas Kouvaris for taking the time to answer all my questions, I am so appreciative of his time and insight. The information provided is so fascinating, I never would've guessed most of Webkinz was designed in a grey cubical, and the story about KinzTunes made me laugh, I'll be on the lookout for more projects by Leonidas Kouvaris!

#Youtube #webkinz #leo kouvaris #leonardis Kouvaris #interview #webkinz classic #design #ui design

[fannyrosie]

Retro Yamanashi in September

Outfit Dress: vintage Ingeborg (Pink House) Orange scarf: vintage wafuku Bag: second-hand Fint Shoes: old Cobb Hill (rip) Parasol: Alice and the Pirates Brooches: handmade and from various artists Hat, ribbon and belt: offbrand

#fashion #vintage #vintage style #vintage fashion #vintage aesthetic #true vintage #retro fashion #retro style #retro vibes #jfashion #pink house #80s fashion #long hair #sailor style #sailor collar #yamanashi #oshino hakkai #alternative fashion #japanese village #showa fashion #fanny rosie #fannyrosie

[akookminsupporter]

KMEDIA about 'GOLDEN' THE TRACKS PART Ⅰ

'Closer to You' is an R&B genre song with reggaeton rhythms, featuring Major Lazer, a popular hit in EDM music.

Standing Next to You' is a retro punk song with Jungkook's rubby vocals. Jungkook will foreshadow a 'complete performance' through the title song and perform the greatest stage ever again.

'Yes or No' is an impressive song with Ed Sheeran's unique sensibility and guitar playing.

'Please Don't Change' was completed as an electronic dance pop song through a meeting between Afropop and DJ Snake.

'GOLDEN', which is filled with songs of various genres and atmospheres, is an album inspired by solo artist Jungkook's 'Golden Moment'. Jungkook participated in the entire production process of his first solo album, including directly selecting all the songs, and created a high-quality album through collaboration with artists around the world.

#jungkook #golden by jungkook #bts in solitario #bts

[mornyavie]

The vanishing of the video game instruction booklet is really shaping how We As Gamers talk about older video games I think.

(yes my-smial this is about the videos you think it's about)

Because back in Ye Olden Days big video games often came with a little info booklet in the packaging, and they still do that but they no longer have Game Information in those booklets mostly. And they used to do a lot of that! But remakes don't have them, digital downloads (official or, ahem, community-supported) don't have them, even stuff like wiki articles usually has next to no information on them, and that really changes the context in which certain aspects of old games play out.

Specifically, older games often have the reputation of being very low on information and forcing you to experiment and figure things out for yourself, and while there's definitely games where that's true, also often there's just a manual that came with the original packaging that they assume you read.

I'm watching this poor guy do a blind playthrough of A Link to the Past, and he has no idea what any of the items even do, there's very little explanatory text in the game. So for instance he's spent almost two hours of gameplay having no real idea what the boomerang does, and coming to various slightly-wrong conclusions about what enemies are immune to it, what the stun condition does, etc.

One could conclude that the game doesn't tell players much and has bad explanations/tutorials.

But you weren't supposed to figure it out through blind experimentation, you were supposed to go look up "boomerang" in the little booklet that came in the game box:

The very first Zelda game doesn't just plop you into an open world with no instruction, it comes with a guidebook on how to get started.

These booklets are also where some of the lore/story is explained, in games with little storage for conversations and cutscenes.

So like when modern games try to emulate a "retro" feel in a game by being low on information, or when modern gamers do "blind" playthroughs, they aren't always accessing the Pure Developer-Intended Artistic Experience that they sell this as. Sometimes the developer intended them to have a lot more information!

(Which of course is not how everyone always experienced the game; people were always buying used and playing their older siblings' games and throwing out the manual without reading it.)

#video games

[theunderestimator-2]

The Subway Sect Mark II shattered after performing their Club Left 'Songs For Sale' set in Paris in 1981 as captured by Sarah Partridge (photo no.1).

So what did punks do after the early days of filth and fury? By ’78, the early UK punk scene was already fracturing: after the Pistols crashed & burned, a fraternity of post punk musicians attempted to break from punk clichés and experiment with non-rock styles, Crass declared that punk was dead, as did Pete Shelley with Buzzcocks entering their pop punk formative phase while street punk and Oi! Bands attempted to redefine punk.

Vic Godard was there right from the very start, since his Subway Sect were among the performers at the legendary 100 Club ’76 Punk Festival sharing the bill with Siouxsie & the Banshees, The Clash and the Sex Pistols.

theguardian.com/ : “Vic, in league with Bernie Rhodes, was thinking of an even more shocking revolt against conventional taste: cocktail jazz. Rhodes persuaded Godard to ditch the original Sect and hired a fresh group of musicians with a little more swing than the original band. One of the first public expressions of this was Club Left, a regular night that ran at the Whisky a Go Go in Soho as the ‘80s began. The idea was to annoy everyone. But this sonic handbrake turn went on to point a lot of music – and a lot of punks – in a very different direction.”

The Clash’s manager Bernard Rhodes recruited keyboardist Dave Collard (photo no.2 by Coneyl Jay), bassist Chris Bostock (photo no.3 by Ian Usher), guitarist Rob Marche (photo no.4) and drummer Sean McLusky (photo no.5), key members of various Bristol groups, who along with Vic Godard formed a new incarnation of Subway Sect with a completely different sound influenced by ’40s-style crooner music mixed with jazz, soul, rockabilly and skiffle, which was referred to as ‘Cool Bop and Swing’. These cool cats, a London ‘Rat Pack’ with Johnny Britton as the regular Club Left DJ, even toured extensively and their refined set became the “Songs for Sale” album.

“I remember looking down from the club’s floor-to-ceiling window one night just before opening, and seeing a queue stretching round the corner into Shaftesbury Avenue. We attracted an amazingly eclectic crowd, and you never knew who would turn up together with our hard-core regulars…”. Rob Marche “Club Left hosted a weekly array of great performers. If it had an ethos, it was a simple nod to the Beatnik past of Soho and Paris of the 60's”. Sean McLusky

The far-retro Club Left project reintroduced various people to easy listening. Artists such as Sade or the group of young women, who had supplied occasional backing vocals for the likes of Shane McGowan’s first band, the Nipple Erectors, and went on to become Bananarama. When Vic Godard got married and took a break from music in ’82, the rest of the band with the addition of Dig Wayne became the JoBoxers, fusing elements of northern soul, rockabilly, NY disco and funk.

(via, via, via, via)

#vic godard #subway sect #swing #jazz #soul #rockabilly #club left #songs for sale #chris bostock #rob marche #sean mclusky #dave collard #people #live gig

[unionize-aromantically]

Music in various languages

I've talked about how interacting with different cultures is good, I figure I'll also try to recommend some songs. (many songs beneath the cut). I'm going to include a couple different genres, but obviously I won't be including every.

I hit audio limit :/

Norwegian language (Norway):

[Pt: Du må ikke sove by klarspråk]. [album: du må ikke sove. shows a warped photo of Donald Trump on tv.] genre: rock / (punk?) / spoken word / social criticism. it's an antifascist song, quoting a famous illegal WWII poem by the same title "you mustn't sleep".

[PT: regn & gitar by Jomas] [album: evig kronisk. shows man looking at a garden holding a retro phone.] It's a more soft quiet song about waiting for someone in the rain.

(I could recommend many more Norwegian songs so don't feel afraid to ask if you're at all interested)

Sámi language (Norway / Sweden / Finland / Russia):

I don't have the necessary letters on my keyboard to write PT. But this is a Inari Sami song by Amoc. I don't speak that language. here are the lyrics on genius. here's a dictionary, not sure if it's the right Sámi language. The genre is like atmospheric rock or something, the instruments are amazing.

[PT: áddjá by resirkulert] [album cover: áddjá] translation: grandfather (Sámi) by recycled (Norwegian). genre: yoik/joik - a Sami Music genre which is mostly about vocal technique.

French language (France / Benin / Congo / Democratic republic of Congo / Monaco / Senegal / Switzerland / Belgium / Ivory coast ++)

[PT: Soleil noir by 47ter] [album: petit princes. Photo of three boys on stairs]. A rap song by a trio from France. It's about "a black sun" about liking the dark and rain and not liking summer.

[PT: Déprime hostile by Pogo crash control]. [album: Déprime hostile. Shows a digital drawing of a head cut open with a cocktail]. genre: punk / metal. The band is from France. The song is about hostile depression or something.

[PT: plus rien ne m'étonne by Tiken Jah Fakoly]. [album: coup de guele. It shows a face pointed towards the ceiling]. The artist is from Ivory coast (AKA côte d'ivoire). genre: Reggae. It's about colonialism.

[PT: formidable by stromae]. [album: racine carée. it shows the side of a man's face, he has short hair]. The artist is Belgian. Genre: hip hop. The song is about a breakup or something.

Scots Gaelic (UK: Scotland)

[PT: Faileas air an airidh by Runrig]. [album: 50 great songs]. genre: traditional folk. The song is about waking up on a ship or something.

German language (Germany / Belgium / Austria / Switzerland)

[PT: 99 Luftballons by Nena]. [album: Nena]. Genre: synth pop / pop rock. This is an antiwar song from 1983 about the cold war.

A last song even though I hit Audio limit:

Kunst by Lebanon Hanover. (link). It is a gothic rock song about art.

#ink.post #Spotify #music #music in different languages #foreign music #musicblogging #nonEnglish music #non English music 2024

[techtow]

Exploring the Fascinating World of Fallout: From Games to TV Shows, Memes, and Fan Art

Introduction:

Fallout, the beloved post-apocalyptic video game franchise, has captured the imaginations of millions of players worldwide. With its immersive world-building, rich storytelling, and iconic aesthetic, Fallout has become a cultural phenomenon that extends far beyond the realm of gaming. In this article, we'll delve into the various facets of the Fallout universe, including its games, upcoming TV show adaptation, fan creations, memes, and fan art.

Fallout Games:

At the heart of the Fallout franchise are its critically acclaimed video games, which transport players to a retro-futuristic world devastated by nuclear war. From the original Fallout released in 1997 to the latest installment, Fallout 76, each game offers players the opportunity to explore vast open worlds, engage in morally complex quests, and shape the fate of the wasteland.

Fallout TV Show:

Excitement is brewing among fans as a live-action TV series based on the Fallout universe is currently in development. Produced by Amazon Studios and Bethesda Game Studios, the Fallout TV show promises to bring the gritty, post-apocalyptic world of the games to life on the small screen. With a talented creative team and a dedicated fan base, anticipation for the series is at an all-time high.

Fallout Memes:

The Fallout community is known for its creativity and humor, as evidenced by the plethora of memes inspired by the games. From humorous observations about in-game glitches to clever references to iconic characters and moments, Fallout memes have become a beloved form of expression among fans. Whether you're a seasoned wasteland survivor or a newcomer to the franchise, Fallout memes are sure to bring a smile to your face.

Fallout Art:

The Fallout universe has inspired countless artists to create stunning works of art that capture the essence of the wasteland. From breathtaking landscapes to intricate character designs, Fallout fan art showcases the talent and passion of the community. Whether it's digital paintings, traditional sketches, or 3D renders, Fallout art celebrates the iconic imagery and atmosphere of the games in new and exciting ways.

Fallout OC (Original Characters):

One of the joys of being part of the Fallout community is the opportunity to create and share original characters inspired by the games. From lone wanderers wandering the wasteland to charismatic faction leaders vying for power, Fallout OCs allow fans to immerse themselves in the world of the games and tell their own stories. Whether through written stories, artwork, or role-playing, Fallout OCs offer endless possibilities for creative expression.

Fallout New Vegas (FNV):

Among the many entries in the Fallout series, Fallout: New Vegas holds a special place in the hearts of fans. Developed by Obsidian Entertainment and released in 2010, FNV is praised for its compelling narrative, memorable characters, and deep role-playing mechanics. With its unique setting in the Mojave Wasteland and its branching storyline, FNV remains a favorite among players and continues to inspire fan creations to this day.

Conclusion:

From its immersive video games to its upcoming TV show adaptation, Fallout has captivated audiences with its compelling storytelling, memorable characters, and iconic imagery. Whether you're exploring the wasteland in search of adventure, sharing laughs through memes, or expressing your creativity through fan art and original characters, the Fallout community offers something for everyone. As we eagerly await the future of the franchise, one thing is certain: the legacy of Fallout will continue to endure for years to come.

#fallout oc #fallout 4 #fallout art #fallout fanart #fallout new vegas #fall out boy #fallout 3 #fallout memes #fonv #fallout nv #fallout