#like this is clearly different from modern interpretations and im so mad that i have my own biases about him and their relationship going in

[psychicbluebirdmiracle]

One thing that I hate while reading Romeo and Juliet is that I have so many assumptions and biases going into this because romeo and juliet is just one of stories everyone's hears about over and over again from other people who have never read/seen it either I wish I could have seen this show back when he first wrote it without knowing anything or having been told what to see

#rosaline has me fascinated #like already im starting to see maybe romeo isnt the dude i always imagined he was??? #and their relationship #like this is clearly different from modern interpretations and im so mad that i have my own biases about him and their relationship going in #but im starting to see some of the things my mom said about it when i was younger #i thought she was just making stuff up to be different lmao #romeo and juliet #romeo and juliet Shakespeare #shakespeare #william shakespeare

[endcant]

aimless musings on subgenre, citypop, and internet subcultures

theres something very interesting about watching citypop become very mainstream in korea and watching that feed back into both western listeners’ opinions and also into the sometimes-cynical efforts of a variety of kpop producers

a lot of people in the youtube/kpop sphere talk about the growth of citypop as if it were a spontaneous wave that appeared out of nowhere with mariya takeuchi’s plastic love getting picked up by the youtube algorithm in like 2018 or whatever, but thats a very like online-ignorant view of the interaction between vintage japanese music and worldwide online EDM production. citypop has been used in future funk and vaporwave for almost a decade by now, and, as a result, a number of citypop songs took off on social media here and there before plastic love’s acceleration— dress down by kaworu akimoto is one of the big examples off the top of my head, but there’s likely many many more.

“Plastic Love” by Mariya Takeuchi (1984). if you haven’t heard this yet, you’d better listen to it now. The video that first went viral was uploaded in 2017

“Selfish High Heels” by Yung Bae, Macross 82-99, and Harrison (2014) is a popular Future Funk remixes of Dress Down by Kaoru Akimoto (1986)

people who haven’t been very aesthetically literate online over the years— musically or visually, since those things are tied in subcultures— treat things like they come from nowhere. there are ongoing subcultural conversations that lead to certain aesthetic choices, and when someone tries to cash in on a trend without understanding what the trend is, that leads people to call bullshit. calling bullshit is not meanspirited, in my opinion, because it very much is like somebody who can’t speak a language getting up in front of everybody and saying “hey, i’m fluent!” and then speaking some vaguely that-language-sounding nonsense. of course people who genuinely speak that language will be outraged instinctively. it feels like being mocked.

that’s why the difference between music producers picking up on a trend cynically and music producers picking up on a trend with earnest interest in that trend’s origins feels different, even if the producers are similarly distant from the original subculture that produced that trend.

“Lady” by Yubin (2018) committed hard to the 80s JP citypop aesthetic, musically and visually, down to the sets, all fairly early in the major resurgence.

i’m sure that anyone with a passing familiarity with citypop and kpop can ascertain that not all kpop producers know what citypop is and what makes it citypop. all they know is that it is on-trend and they have to make it. not all kpop listeners know what citypop is and what makes it citypop. all they know is their idol said citypop as a buzzword in their little prepared statement. all this results in some interesting moments for me as a Music Fan, Online.

here is where i get to the thing that spurred this post: loona “did a citypop” for their japanese comeback. it doesnt sound like citypop.

“Hula Hoop (Citypop Version)” by Loona (2021). It has very odd percussion rhythms and mixing for citypop, no real attempt at a citypop verse, and strangely sparse gestures towards citypop in the form of a few seconds of bass and some synthesized orchestral embellishments that were taken from the original mix …all in spite of a very disco-inspired melody that should have worked perfectly for citypop

this is not a very big deal, and im not mad about it or anything. when a kpop act i like gets saddled with an unfortunate B-Side track i dont tend to take it very hard. however, it did raise a little bit of musical discourse in the loona fandom— in the form of remixes.

“hula hoop if it was actually a citypop song” by loonahatetwinks and Olivia Soul on youtube. this one has an original instrumental that is spot-on for contemporary k-citypop

My most favorite one of these remixes is a futurefunk remix by ZSunder, one of the very best LOONA fan producers. The fact that ZSunder thought to make a future funk remix at all speaks more to an understanding of the mutually supportive relationship between citypop and EDM genres than most kpop citypop producers or fanmixers seem to care to know about.

“Hula Hoop (Future Funk Mix)” by ZSunder is futurefunk made and mixed with such love that it has the infectious summery energy of a polished, big-name future funk hit

in the comments of this video, some people seemed to get the citypop-future funk connection and some didnt. many did get it, don’t get me wrong! but also, its not all that surprising for some kpop-focused listeners to not know much about EDM subcultures and the reasons behind various trends among producers, since kpop as an institution tends to take influences from any genre and culture it likes and then decontextualize those influences by just having their names used as buzzwords in the blurbs the idols have to recite when variety show hosts ask them about their latest single. this isn’t a criticism of the genre or the fans really, it’s just a part of the kpop industry that is used to add shine to an endless firehose-like stream of polished pop tracks. there are some issues with using whole genres and subcultures with complex histories as buzzwords, but god help us if we ever want a pop industry to give its influences their dues.

anyway, the intention behind ZSunder’s future funk Hula Hoop remix happened to remind me me of why i love Yukika’s discography so much, especially the Soul Lady album. I’ve seen some reviews online baffled by parts of Soul Lady, because the album in general is an exploration of that relationship between citypop and modern/internet EDM. i’ve seen plenty of Soul Lady reviews especially baffled by pit-a-pet, saying something along the lines of “what’s with the modern-sounding dance track in the middle of a retro album?”, but i think that pit-a-pet is a futurefunk-inspired track, at least in the chorus. considering both that and the Chill Lo-Fi Interludes, it seems like estimate’s team put together Soul Lady for Yukika in a way that shows that they love citypop and understand the online-specific electronic music subcultures that led to citypop’s resurgence.

“pit-a-pet” by Yukika (2020). the stacatto, bass heavy chorus is futurefunk enough, but the soaring orchestral part in the final chorus seals the deal for my interpretation.

“All Flights Are Delayed (1 hour version)” by Yukika (2020). Estimate literally released an hour-long youtube mix of one of the Lo-Fi interludes on Soul Lady as part of their promotion, clearly inspired by “Lo-Fi anime beats to chill out to,” which is another example of online producers from around the world using Japanese samples as a focal point of their music

Estimate, in the end, is still a Kpop production company, just the same as BBC, so they have no inherent claim over citypop, but the way that their exploration of subgenres clearly comes from passion and interest on the part of their production staff makes it so that their work with Yukika rings true. on the other hand, i really appreciate Ryan S. Jhun’s work on LOONA’s JP comeback, as well as on Not Friends, but the citypop mix thing was so clearly an afterthought to the point where fans of Loona who like citypop seem mostly just irritated by the cynical-seeming attempt.

heres one last good modern kpop citypop MV that has nods to the internet culture that led to its revival in the form of the videography— vaporwave, future funk, lofi, and other internet genres along those lines tend to have videos consisting of looping anime and vhs clips. future funk in particular is known for this, especially since a lot of future funk music, esp early future funk, is just loops of very short, catchy segments of citypop and disco songs. it’s all about the loops

“My Type” by Yoon JongShin ft. Miyu Takeuchi (2019). This song is so dedicated to the retro JP citypop sound that it’s almost beyond my personal taste. The singer, Miyu, was a headlining act at a seoul citypop festival and sang this song as part of her act (:

this video of “Only One” by Conscious Thoughts (2015) has a looped clip as an example for comparison with My Type. it also has a pulsing sidechain compressor working in time with its drum beat in a way that is common for future funk and that i think is a good example for my pit-a-pet yukika comparison to future funk

i guess the takeaway here is that media is more and more online, and the creation and propagation of digital audio and video content has been in the hands of literally almost anybody who wants to do it for the past two decades thanks to garage band and fruityloops and audacity and tiktok and youtube and bandcamp and soundcloud and myspace and newgrounds and p2p file sharing and so on and so forth. and therefore like… as with all things, the consumer class more and more is also the creator class, and therefore every member of an audio-visual subculture will have the ability to discern what is and isnt made with knowledge of the audio-visual language of that subculture

#me using elder millennial phrasing for Loona Did A City Pop to imply how out-of -touch it is kfhajfhs #mine #music #long post #Youtube

[arrghigiveup]

In which it is Seventh Month, and chat considers the effects of inflation in hell and sexting via joss paper

Arrgh: I sometimes wonder if hell has inflation.

Of-sevenseas: ?

Arrgh: considering the amount of money some of these people try to burn to their ancestors

Lazulisong: It does actually. The denominations have risen on the bills I read. I was reading up on Hell money the other day in case I wanted to make a joke about bribing Shen Wei

Moderndaypandora: it must be somebody other than ZYL making the joke, he'd just bribe him with his body

Lazulisong: Well ZYL does bribe messengers and workers. And Shen Wei can apparently interact with burnt offerings

Kitsunec4: And like 888 folded lotus flowers. And paper houses. And paper cars.

Arrgh: Paper iPhones too, which strikes me as completely hilarious. WAIT ZYL ABSOLUTELY BURNS SW AN IPHONE

Moderndaypandora: with a drawn on text from Ah Lan 😘😘?

Arrgh: YES

Moderndaypandora: the new way to send nudes

Moggiesandtea: ....yeah, he'd do that. Also probably a really fancy paper house with a fancy paper bed. He is subtle

Moderndaypandora: i'd just want to be a fly on the wall watching Shen Wei receive it

Arrgh: nonono no house. After all, SW should stay nowhere else other than with HIM

Moderndaypandora: lol Shen Wei: you should burn me a house, if you want to do such foolish things ZYL: that is the LAST thing i should burn ZYL would burn paper sex toys instead. Like "WE COULD BE USING THESE". This could be us but you playin'

Arrgh: ok, does he like print them off, or does he try to draw them (I don't want to know if paper sex toys can be bought)

Kitsunec4: Probably

Moderndaypandora: ok but imagine Da Qing getting dragged along on the quest to find out ZYL: we need to go buy paper offerings Da Qing: i can feel something terrible coming

Arrgh: Da Qing knows his terrible human very well

Moderndaypandora: Da Qing probably tried to make a break for it but got dragged into a cat carrier

Lazulisong: I'm sure he could draw a dildo easily tho. Or like, write it in cinnabar on joss paper. BY THE WAY IM STILL YELLING ABOUT THAT IDIOT SLEEPING WITH A FUCKING JAR OF UHHHHH MERCURY ON HIS BED Also still crying over Shen Wei being like omg!!! I get to write a letter!!! To ☆♡☆HIM☆♡☆~~~~ and Zhao being like why the fuck does heipao-ge write these long ass grandma letters

Arrgh: Speaking of, we know ZYL doesn't send letters, but you KNOW after the identity reveal and they finally get their shit together ZYL makes good use of that can of cinnabar to send SW all kinds of random shit

Lazulisong: Sexting via joss paper

Kitsunec4: A phrase I never realized could happen to be said

Arrgh: Lol I'm honestly surprised we haven't had this conversation before XD

Moderndaypandora: ZYL, the first time the thought occurs: oh my god i could have been doing this so much sooner

Of-sevenseas: Shen Wei, the first time this happens: ... of course he found a way to sext via joss paper

Moderndaypandora: Shen Wei: why am i even surprised?

Of-sevenseas: if he's sexting on joss paper, then it would be his handwriting. so actually Shen Wei is psyched to finally start his collection of handwritten notes from his beloved

Moderndaypandora: Shen Wei would meticulously save it

Of-sevenseas: even if they are the spiritual equivalent of dirty limericks

Moderndaypandora: "i thought about your sleeve garters while touching myself" "you should pull my hair next time i serve you" "wanna keep the glasses on?"

Lazulisong: "daddy babys been bad"

Moderndaypandora: "baby wants it harder tonight" and Shen Wei would take all these and preserve them with like, pressed flowers in a beautifully carved box

Ohbthr: What a perv 😂

Luna: It’d be more romantic if ZYL’s handwriting wasnt chicken scratch and SW had to squint to decipher it

Moderndaypandora: lol, Shen Wei sending back notes like "if i can't read it, we can't do it" to try and encourage neater handwriting

Arrgh: +squint. Squiiiiiint. BLUSHES BRIGHT RED+

Moderndaypandora: ZYL leaves a voicemail on the burned phone: then i'll just tell you what i want Shen Wei: clearly something new and different

Of-sevenseas: poor Da Qing or whoever is doing the budget that month. 'discretionary expense claims' suddenly become a lot more common

Lazulisong: I have this theory that Shen Wei is a big love letter thief and that's why hes mad Zhao Yunlan only texts

Of-sevenseas: question: does Shen Wei have seventy billion failed drafts of school reports and essays and work briefs in Yunlan's lamentable chicken scratch

Moderndaypandora: how many times are the sexts modern slang that Shen Wei needs to ask somebody about?

Of-sevenseas: too many

Moderndaypandora: lol after the second he stops asking

Arrgh: It's too late, there are rumours all over campus now

Moderndaypandora: ZYL would demand "for my birthday, i want a dirty text"

Lazulisong: He reluctantly learns how to use idk what urban dictionary in China is

Of-sevenseas: okay but his work firewall would nuke that from orbit so he can't google anything

Moderndaypandora: Shen Wei: highly euphemistic, amazing poetic phrase

Of-sevenseas: lord, please let him quote smtg from red mansions the dance of winds and rain, my foot

Moderndaypandora: lol it'd be hilarious if he decided to troll and went for "🍆?"

Moggiesandtea: But that could be interpreted as a reference to ZYL's prize winning eggplants

Luna: SW’s dirty texts would definitely be full of classical references

Lazulisong: Honestly Shen Wei would be like "youd better not be doing [innocuous but could be suggestive with the right mindset] when I get home" "Youd better not be wearing my clothes again" ":DDDDDDDDDD"

Moderndaypandora: ahhh, like waving a red flag in front of a bull. or placing a cup near a ledge while the cat is watching

Lazulisong: "a spanking! a spanking!!!"

Arrgh: Only person to be excited at the thought of pissing the Ghost Executioner off =D

Of-sevenseas: only person to get a sound fucking instead of instadeath if have pissed off the Ghost Executioner

#Guardian #镇魂 #lazulisong #of-sevenseas #moderndaypandora #kitsunec4 #moggiesandtea #ohbthr #luna #Guardian novel verse #lol if I have to deal with this extended asthma trigger #I may as well have fun imagining ZYL and SW running around dealing with ghosts for the next week