Keeping It Fresh

Today I have music for you by two artists that were nominated at the Grammys 2015.  I honestly don't know why, but a part of me really wanted to talk about artists who are popular enough to be in the main spotlight, but also underground enough to the point where a vast majority of their music remains out of the mainstream flow.  The theme for today is dance and electronic music. This first song is by the artist who was nominated for best dance recording. Zhu is an artist who seemed to kind of pop out of nowhere. Zhu is an artist who has stirred a lot of thoughts within the EDM community for a few reasons. First and foremost is the anonymity. While we do know now who Zhu is, there is still this level of remaining a mystery that he maintains. He isn't signed to a big label and does not have a huge website that blasts his music and artist related goods. He releases songs when he feels like he is ready and usually through Soundcloud. His method of live shows is also pretty myster...

Today I have music for you by one of my favorite DJs ever. Flume is someone who is weirdly in the underground music scene but is also in the mainstream flow of music. What I love about Flume is that he has a sound that is completely his own. There are other DJs who have tried and done a pretty good job at trying to pull off the same musical style that Flume has, but none of them have been able to perfect it the way Flume has. His music has a lot more emphasis on tone and texture than other artists do. Flume is extremely intentional and deliberate with which sounds he decides to use, taking the time to make sure he finds the right ones. A lot of his songs combine the sultry side of R&B with smooth female vocals, and that combined with the synthetic beats and programmed harmonies, is what gives Flume's music the kind of song that it has. It is a more laid back and chill vibe, but still has hard hitting and clear beats. This song in particular has a little bit more of an upbeat vi...

Today is all about the movie that everyone is buzzing about right now. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hit the theatres today, and my oh my were we in for a treat. Now I don't want to give my opinion on the movie or give out spoilers because I personally don't like it when other people do that to me. Getting people really hyped up gets your expectations super high, and then if the movie doesn't meet that then it seems like a waste. However, I will say that I was not disappointed by the movie. But one of the real heroes of this movie is Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL. These magnificent human beings made the movie even more impacting, even more intense, and even more bad ass because of how wickedly fierce the score was. There were some beautifully sad pieces, that is for sure. But the darkness that seeps throughout each of the pieces, the sheer danger that vibrates with every pound of the drum, it is breathtaking. Hans Zimmer is a composer who is known for composing some of the...

Today I have some really amazing music by a German artist by the name Schiller. A friend of mine introduced me to Schiller and I have been binge listening to his music because it is that good. Talk about trance music that really puts you in another state of mind! What Schiller does is absolutely wonderful! Schiller is an artist who likes to throw in a lot of different flairs to an underlying common sound with his music. But that underlying trance is what brings his style to the forefront. Schiller is an artist who likes to create trance music the way it was made at the beginning. His type of trance is what people should think about when thinking about that kind of music. What I like about this though is Schiller is able to add in anything from funk to disco to Europop into his songs and still make them all sound like trance. This is not an easy feat, and it is something I am very impressed with. Schiller also kind of spans the energy spectrum with his music. It is not all laid back tra...

Today I thought I would shake things up a little and post some Bollywood music! Now in the past, I have tended to stick with Bollywood songs that are more along the lines of acoustic or older songs. In other words, I have really focused on bringing the music of Bollywood that people tend to overlook or not hear about at all. But this song was too good of a song to pass up on, and I just have to talk about it. So this song comes from the movie All Is Well, a movie I have not seen and a movie I will probably never see. No matter though because this is just an item song and has no relevance to the movie whatsoever. Which is great! Because then that means I can listen to this song as much as I want without having to think about where it may fall in the movie. In fact, I don't even have to think about the film itself and can just listen in peace. Which brings me to the point of actually talking about this song. I have to say, this is definitely one of the better modern Bollywood songs I...

Today I have some music for you by a producer who has definitely found  a niche within the world of underground music. Justice Skolnik is a producer hailing from San Francisco, and I am an absolute fan of his style of music. The easiest breakdown of how this song sounds would be euro pop mixed with tropical house. This song in particular tends to take on a slightly darker, more mellowed out side of music, but that is what makes the blend of this song so great. There is just enough of a tropical sound to keep this a more light hearted and beachy song, but the other synths and programmed notes and the piano work all give the song a little bit more of a nighttime feel. And while this is not necessarily a song you can really dance to, it is one of those songs that has you bobbing without even thinking abut it. I mean I was left unconsciously moving to the rhythm of the song, and the way the sound of the song flows, well it just takes you to another state of mind. This is the kind of so...

Hey guys! I am sorry about last night's post not happening.  But I am back today and hopefully, will finally get back to some consistency. Today I have some music for you by Korean artist Jay Park. Now I know that a lot of people automatically think of K-pop when the phrase Korean Music is heard. I used to be one of those people! But there is so much more to Korean music than what most people believe. For example, today's song by Jay Park has nothing that sounds like the typical K-pop song. Jay Park has a very westernized take on music, but blends in the Korean lyrics very well. In every song that Jay Park has done, he has seamlessly incorporated the English lyrics and the Korean lyrics together in a way that is a bit like embedded quotes. Sometimes he switches languages between the verses, but during the chorus he uses each language to finish the lines. If it starts out in English it ends in Korean and vice versa. Jay Park is also an extremely talented singer and rapper. A lot...