Electric Jam

Well, my days working on this blog are coming to an end. Not that I don’t like you (currently non-existent) followers, just this blog was for a class and frankly the one I have in mind is fixing to be a whole lot better… So I guess I should do some explaining. I didn’t mean to make this so awkward and everything but at least you know that this isn’t because of you, it’s all me. The main purpose of this blog was to help me learn about the uses of NEW-New media, which is constantly evolving and possibly finding a niche within it that I had perhaps overlooked. To be completely honest, I have to say it worked. I am going to start a new blog and commit to it (well you know… not twice a week 150 words commitment, but about one meaningful post a week I’d say.) So I guess I owe you guys a little something-something to make this process a little less painful… Well, first off, as far as I know, my blog is virus free (you might want to run a virus check just incase though), so I hope maybe we can exchange some… information… again in the future without you having any electronically transmitted reasons not to do so. To be completely honest, I don’t think I can shoot rainbows out of any part of my body and do not have any knowledge of a widget that would do such a thing, but I DO have this: I WILL post one more entry on this blog for whoever wishes to continue reading my thoughts in Times New Roman (or whatever font I fancy at the time for that matter), so you will never have to say you lost me completely. So what does this mean? Well obviously it’s never going to be the same for one, since my new blog won’t be for a class… but don’t worry, it doesn’t mean we can’t still be friends you know…

One of the un-answered questions I have wanted to pose for people to fill me in on violently re-entered my life in the form of a YouTube video. This question being: What ends up being more regrettable; getting a very poorly thought-out tattoo or being a Teen Pop sensation without knowing you'll grow up? Justin Bieber is basically a lamer version of what Aaron Carter was back in the day (yeah I said it... “I want candy” was definitely more than anything this new kid is thinking of producing.) On the same note; what really happens to these youngsters when they’re older and uglier and not as cute? Do they get put down? Or are there shelters they can be taken to? All I know is that Usher (you know… he takes off his shirt and ladies go crazy for some reason… yeah, him) signing little Justin to his hip hop record label cannot be going over too well in the eyes of other artists who contribute to that genre… And personally I am outraged that I never got to tell all of my elementary/middle-school girlfriends I was throwing a party at Usher’s crib.

Ho-ho-ho-hold the phone; Sucker Free Sundays are back on MTV! That’s some pretty gangsta news if I may say so myself; mainly because MTV started turning into a last resort channel for me over the past few years… What I mean by this is when I run out of HBO, Showtime and Starz channels with something good on them, I start checking Comedy Central, then Discovery Channel, finally leaving me with my choice of watching “Sweet 16” or “16 and Pregnant” to drown away my sorrows of having nothing on TV worth watching. (On a side note… is MTV telling us that 16 is the new 18 or am I just behind on the bubble-gum-O-M-G news these days?) So needless to say I am pretty excited to see some music back on M(usic)T(ele)V(ision) (yeah, that actually used to stand for something…) Although I am not really planning on finding any colorful eggs in my garden today, I am sure I will find some tasty raps on my television on this momentous Sunday.

So as I sit lay in my couch trying to ignore and possibly rid myself of these horrible pains and soreness brought to me by Ultra. The two-day event was exhausting but at the same time I must say it will be hard if not impossible (depending on whether the cuts on my feet close or form scars) to forget. While I was there, I couldn’t help but notice a commonly overlooked fact; Ultra and other music festivals THESE DAYS will eventually be remembered in a similar way as legends such as Woodstock and so on. Now that I’ve sparked your appetite a little, I should probably explain Ultra from the attendee’s view… Right when I entered the event on Friday afternoon, I was greeted by thumping bass in the distance from all corners of Bicentennial Park. I was also confronted with a distinct dilemma; the previous activities of my day were creeping up on me at a concerning rate. While this may have been the root problem, the circumstances certainly did not help (as I looked ahead at a series of various lines varying anywhere from a little more than a few to a little less than too many people waiting to use the multiple Porto-Potties. Luckily for me I used them under the veil of night (because like many things in this world, the light brings light to things that ain’t so bright.) Ironically enough, I can compare the toilets to my favorite event within Ultra! (Well… in a very hygienically negligent way for that matter…) Day-Glo was a blast; I have never had so much fun getting bottles of washable glow-in-the-dark paint and jumping around getting messy to loud electronic music. To say the least, Ultra was a star-studded event that graces the people in attendance with a list of performers rarely gazed upon by ANY music-lover (or people who just have a hard time living within the boundaries of everyday society… like that girl who was walking around tickling people with a feather.) So in closing, do I regret all of my Ultra-induced injuries? No way, I’ll wear them proudly once I can walk again… or nod my head…

Yeah yeah, so you already know I am excited to go to Ultra if you’ve read my earlier posts. But I can’t help but notice how people are starting to act now that the music festival is only a week away. On more than one occasion it seems like some people are legitimately obsessed with Ultra. When just mentioning the name of the concert, kids start spazzing out like some sort of ex-addict on severe relapse. I don’t mean to say this with any malevolent undertone but these kids are seriously wigging out. They keep listening to the Mega-Mix and daydreaming up all of the things they’re going to do at the event. My question is: Is this hype like Fo-Real fo-real? How is it that an electronic music festival can evoke such deep emotions in young attendees? I personally blame ignorance (because it is always easy to draw fond memories up from an event you hardly remember in the first place.) To be completely honest though, I am a little jittery thinking about Ultra; having said this, I have ignored the Mega-Mix and other forms of Ultra-Tribute to allow myself peace of mind, knowing I won’t be THAT guy…

I was listening through my iTunes the other day and came across Asher Roth. Do you remember Asher? Me neither. Well hardly… Did he just forget to put out any sort of music after he did that Asleep In The Bread Aisle CD (which is otherwise known as “That Album with I Love College on it”)? Or was he just too busy trying to make a follow-up single that might be called something along the lines of “Roofie Remix”? These are all good questions but my main inquiry would have to be: What happens to one-hit-wonder artists like Asher Roth when they disappear? Do they go somewhere like the Island Of Misfit Toys? I suppose the problem at heart is that some artists simply have that certain "swag" in their music, letting them not only conquer the charts, but to reach the top of them continuously. It feels like it is only yesterday that I was sitting in my car trying to find a radio station that DIDN’T love college so damn much…

One post in the misleading form of two? WHAT? Yes, Sunday crept up on me awfully fast this week. But does this mean all hope is lost? Not on my watch. While I was ignoring my blogging duties, I was able to experience being the DJ at a sweet sixteen for the first time. Thank god the girl who the party was for was actually popular and easy to please (concerning what music she likes. dude. she’s only 16… don’t get any ideas.), because if that weren’t the case, I’d have to find cheap ways to get the guests to get up and dance such as: the electric slide… BOOGIE OOGIE OOGIE! To be honest, the party turned out great and I am glad I helped make it fun. But I will never forget you; Rock Girl… you and your entire isolated dance circle of social “not-quites” (I can say this because once you’re DJ you can just see these things… It’s like a spidey-sense.)

So back to my exhortation on repeatedly problematic request-givers. I don’t give all requests attitude, but when they come at you repeatedly for the same song… things get real. This girl asked me for a song by a band called The Shinedown, which to my knowledge would be a little too “hardcore” for the rest of the people trying to enjoy the celebration, putting me in the uncomfortable situation of politely saying no. The main point behind these posts is in there somewhere… Oh yeah: has repeated exposure to media changed the way in which people react to certain genres of music? To me it seems as though some sort of Top 40 Pop hybrid become the standard and latched itself tightly to the celebratory setting. $#!+, its almost 12 and I have to post this! Anyways, thank you complicated request Rock Girl for helping my blog survive.

I was looking to expand on my electronic music collection as I browsed the outreaches of the Internet and came across Ruth Flowers. Ruth is an English lady who is old enough to claim she remembers going to Beatles concerts with her friends (69 to be exact). The funny thing about Ruth is that she is an up-and-coming DJ in the French club scene. Weird for a Granny? A little bit, but its crazy to hear an old lady has chosen to not only embrace a young form of high energy music but also perform her own twist on it. Ruth claims she went to her grandson’s party (which was hosted in a noisy, packed, and energy-packed disco) and soon developed a liking for the “celebratory music” of today’s youngsters. I guess the simplest terms to put this in would be terms that have been around as long as Mrs. Ruth Flowers herself in some sort of wisdom-filled anecdote… Buuuut I’m just one of those young DJ’s with an attention span frighteningly similar to that of a goldfish so all I could come up with is “I guess, it’s never really too late!” Yeah, whatever, I’m part of a generation that is living through new and exciting times with the occasional stimulants and what-have-you along the way. So sue me.

With Taylor Swift most likely seeking advice from her high school counselor on how to cope with the bullies of the music industry, Kanye is at it again. Releasing his new song to the general public with a shiny new video to go along with it. “Coldest Winter” is another soon to be overplayed love child of auto-tune and the “lyrical genius” known only as Mr. Kanye West. Having said this, it seems as though the once boisterous and all around prissy Hip Hop superstar of times past is taking a new approach with tracks that purvey a sense of humility and dare I say reality? Hopefully, this stars career will not have to correct the award shows anymore and finally allow him to live the life he describes in his music. With his new track on Youtube and multiple musically inclined websites, Mr. West might be on his way back into “Da Buildin” but is currently still in “Da Doghouse.”

The first fully animated band is drawing attention again with the upcoming release of their new album “Plastic Beach”. Gorillaz is one of those musical experiences you never quite forget, much like A Flock Of Seagulls or David Bowie. Whys this? Is it stylish hair? Could it be the metallic makeup? Whatever it may be, Gorillaz has remained an always-modern band implementing always-innovative methods concerning their personal brand of music. Similar to many other artists on iTunes these days, Gorillaz has chosen to leak one of the eighteen tracks on their new album and allowing people to wet their appetite and pre-order the album. Boasting contributions from artists of almost every corner of the world of music, the band knows that the treasure they are sitting on until March 9^th, 2010 is well worth the wait. To me, this form of viral marketing makes the music industry seem more like a toy store to me. Having said this, I cannot deny the fact that an added element of excitement is most definitely present.

In a world in which people can connect to friends they had back in middle school, search for information concerning an upcoming paper, or even discover personal information about their favorite artists; can it be that privacy is slowly fading? Tons of people use the Internet as a tool that lets them to connect to things that they fancy, but is there a point where things go too far? It can be argued that information given to Internet sources are at the discretion of the user, but in this day and age, information is oftentimes obtained in oftentimes-questionable ways. Musician Ezequiel Claverie shows that life outside work does not need to (hyper)link to your vocation. While many artists choose to open their private life to the adoring public on their websites like Facebook or Myspace, Ezequiel refuses to dispense personal information at the price of his privacy. When fans or intrigued first-time listeners visit Ezequiel’s Myspace they will surely notice that he has left his personal information out to make sure that his life outside his music is still... private...

So today as I browsed my music on iTunes, I came across a very interesting promotional move made by Apple. Apparently iTunes is nearing a count of 10 billion songs and from what I gather; Apple WANTS those downloads. The person who finalizes this dream for Apple receives a gratuitous gift of $10,000 dollars (...On an iTunes gift card... hooray.) Personally I would have wished that the world's top music service would dish out a record-breaking prize to match the record-breaking title that some unknowing downloader is going to allow them to reach. iTunes has a countdown monitor on their store homepage to help "motivate" the downloaders with possibly increasing their contributions towards the TEN BILLION TITLE. So how does this achievement help iTunes? Well for starters, iTunes would most likely win the “bathroom competition” that we like to call the online music service rivalries, which we see and hear about seemingly constantly these days.

So today I realized that I’ve been hoodwinked. Apparently Owl City; yeah, the kid who does that “Fireflies” song that has been haunting me since 2009 reached “Most Downloaded Song” status on iTunes?! The worst part is I unknowingly helped. Fan-fricking-tastic, that free download I just HAD to snag on iTunes earlier in 2009 is more regrettable than most late-night stories. The volume behind Owl City’s following comes primarily from online sources such as Myspace, Facebook and iTunes, making it one of the best examples of just how advantageous the online community can be for up-and-coming musicians. Having said this, I strongly believe now more than ever that iTunes should incorporate a sort of refund for free downloads, because people should not have to suffer the consequence of a horribly un-educated decision… after all, isn’t that why contraceptive advances are even made these days? Thanks to Owl City, I live in a world of fear concerning free downloads along with many other frustrated individuals.

Only one word can sum up the Winter Music Festival: ULTRA! People of all ages are flocking online to buy their tickets for an event so crystallized with stars that it could pass off as something illegal. Since the event's website was too stingy to let the public know the full lineup from the get-go, most people have had to find out that not one or two of their favorite electronic artists, but freaking all of them are headed for Bicentennial Park this March via cardboard pamphlets (as shown here) being handed out around Miami Beach. Needless to say, I have taken the past weather conditions into account and am already shopping online for all-weather gear to prevent Ultra from turning into a messy occasion for me. With basically every signed artist under Dim Mak Records to classics such as Atb and Groove Armada making up the roster, I don't think I'll need anything besides the lineup to make me pass out (of excitement).

p.s. Tickets Available Here!

Formerly only known as the producer behind Chiddy Bang's music, Xaphoon Jones has recently begun establishing a name for himself in the musical world. With oftentimes overlooked tunes surfacing in his samples, Xaphoon guarantees a completely fresh and unique look at what music has been evolving into over the years. It’s always nice to see the producers behind famous musicians can build their own following, allowing them to step out of the shadows cast by their musical co-workers and into the limelight of clubs and beyond. Starting off his music career in Philadelphia just two years ago, Xaphoon Jones has only been in the music business for a small amount of time compared to most electronic heavy-hitters. While still a young and mostly unheard of artist, Xaphoon teaches many artists that music can be a collaboration of almost countless sources given the right synch and beat.

Bringing together the smooth love-makin' vocals of Marvin Gaye and a clean beat, the Xaphoon Jones Remix of “Heard It Through The Grapevine” best exemplifies his original approach to music.