Keeping It Fresh

Today I thought we could go back in time, relive some of the glorious 80s and get some old school music back on the map. And to start off, I thought it would be cool to take a look at different artists across various genres in the 80s. Think of it like a series dedicated to the age when big hair, punk rock, disco, and new wave all had a spot in the spotlight. The 80s were a time where bands were starting to embrace instruments like synthesizers and keyboards, where rock music was starting to evolve and change to include these “unconventional” instruments. New wave band, Modern English, was no exception.  It’s interesting to note that Modern English is actually an English band – as were many popular bands during the 80s. I think a little background might add some context on why that is a cool tidbit. Let’s start with the genre – new wave. This is a genre which encompasses some pop music styles and punk rock to create a deliciously catchy dossier of sound. New wave was a shift a...

Happy New Year to all! I wanted to start the New Year by returning to this blog, one that I love so much but needed to step away from for a little while. For those of you who may be new readers and listeners, I took a hiatus from November till the end of the year. There were many things that I needed to take a look at, a lot of things I needed to work through and sort out for myself. But I couldn’t forget this platform, a place where I could safely share music and talk about what it all felt like. When I took my hiatus, I really started to understand how much pride I have in this blog, and how much I love being able to write about music. But, writing every night started to become too much. It sometimes felt as though the music was becoming an assignment, and not something I did because I loved it. So, I am so happy to be back here, posting maybe once or twice a week, but still talking about the thing I love- Music. And that being said, I am so ready to start discussing some incredibly...

Well, it has been quite a trying week! We've seen a lot happen, and it has been nothing but a wild ride. However, I am so happy to be back with music for you all because quite frankly, sharing music is one of the things that keeps me sane! A part of why this week was extremely crazy for me, is because of dance competition that my university hosted. Now this isn't your typical dance competition. This was a Bollywood Fusion choreography competition. Not many people are extremely familiar with the Bollywood scene, let alone the fusion side, however, the Bollywood dance circuit has grown so large, and because of that we now host nationally acclaimed competitions! It was crazy and stressful and tiring, but absolutely worth it! We got to see teams from all over the country come perform to some the sickest dance mixes out there. The choreography isn't the only thing that is a fusion of styles. These mixes have been meticulously created to give us something that is not only hyped a...

Today I have some music for you out of the world of a cappella. This comes from a group out of Chicago called Chai Town. Now this group has to be one of my favorite a cappella groups out there for a couple of reasons. First of all, they are legitimately very good live. I have heard live performances of other a cappella groups and teams, but a lot of them fall short of their recorded performances. But Chai Town was phenomenal when I got the chance to hear them perform. Now another reason I really like this group, is because they like to mashup Bollywood songs with English songs and other Bollywood songs. We get to hear more Bollywood and Western mashups, but it was really cool to be able to hear two Bollywood songs get mashed up. Strangely enough, that is rarer to find. Now Chai Town is also very experimental with their mashups and performances, going for songs that are more different and less expected. I really like that, and it makes them more enticing to listen to. For example this s...

Today I have some really cool music for you, music that combines sounds from both sides of the world. This song is a product of a South Asian fusion group called Culture Shock, a group that is dedicated to bringing Western music and fusing it with Indian styles. This song in particular features a mashup of a very catchy and rhythmic Western song and one of my favorite traditional Indian styles- bhangra. This is the style of music that most people think of when they hear "Indian." This is the kind of music to which you "screw in the light-bulb" and bounce your shoulders. But this style of music is so energetic and can get pretty mental when you put a group of dancers together. I love it! Now this song is super cool because it opens with a very familiar Western tune, one that we learn when we are children. This specific melody is one that everyone knows and can recognize, even if we don't know the original words. Now this steady beat is the base of the entire song...

Today I have some foreign music for you, straight from the world of Bollywood. This song is really cool because it features sounds from bhangra and Western styles. This song is just so much to dance to and listen to. As someone who is an avid dancer, this song will be hard to sit still to. This definitely uses fast paced bhangra beats as the basis of the song. Honestly without those beats the song would not have much life to it. But of course the Western influences are very prominent. From the beginning, all you really hear is the electronic work going in but then when it gives way to the awesome bhangra, the song gets so wicked. This song is just so much damn fun! The beat is at the right speed to where you can dance in beats of 2 or dance immediately on the beat. Once the song really gets into swing, the electronic work doesn't even sound bad! It actually really compliments the song because it provides filler music to connect the bhangra beat to the melody of the song. But this s...

Today I have music for you that is a really cool mix of Indian and American music. This song has a pretty sick combination of sounds because it has a really R& beat to it and it isn't a beat that over does that beat. For a lot of people, this song will seem very different, especially because this song talks a lot about hardships that people of color face. But I think The Stranger Family carries this message in a really great way because not only is the song catchy, but the lyrics can be related to. I am also a huge fan of the way the song was performed. The song opens up with Hindi/Panjabi which I think is pretty cool. It kind of establishes the premise of the song and catches you more off guard when the English starts. The one thing about this song is that The Stranger Family really knows how to rap the Panjabi words. You don't normally hear rap music from India or in an Indian language because we are all about the Bollywood life. Not only is this completely different in c...

Today I have some foreign music for you, straight from the world of Bollywood. This song is really cool because it features sounds from bhangra and Western styles. This song is just so much to dance to and listen to. As someone who is an avid dancer, this song will be hard to sit still to. This definitely uses fast paced bhangra beats as the basis of the song. Honestly without those beats the song would not have much life to it. But of course the Western influences are very prominent. From the beginning, all you really hear is the electronic work going in but then when it gives way to the awesome bhangra, the song gets so wicked. This song is just so much damn fun! The beat is at the right speed to where you can dance in beats of 2 or dance immediately on the beat. Once the song really gets into swing, the electronic work doesn't even sound bad! It actually really compliments the song because it provides filler music to connect the bhangra beat to the melody of the song. But this s...