#Promo Mix June 2010

[sanstropfremir]

are you ready? it's time for...

best stylings of 2022, first half!!

this covers my favourite stylings from january 1st to june 30th; which i am bolding and italicizing bc some people got on my ass last year about leaving things out when in fact they just did not read the title! so!! this is only half of the year!!

here's a rundown of the categories i'm using:

best overall - self explanatory: this covers cbs that were holistically well designed across the mv, music show stages, and any other promotional material that was released during the cb period

runners' up - this category is for ones that got it about half right; either they had a really good music video but the stages didn't match up, or they had really good stages but the mv was lacking. i also put mvs here that didn't get any other promotional materials

standout element - this is for one off stages or outfits that stuck out to me as being really excellent, but there wasn't the same consistency across the rest of the cb

ok, make sense? let's go!

best overall

i hate you - woodz

i'm not gonna mince words here, you all saw me go insane over this cb so there's no way it wasn't gonna be in first place. frankly i'm surprised i survived the promo period at all. i'm obsessed with the choice for them to shoot the mv in a modern art gallery (i THINK it might be the same one that cl shot her alpha performance video at last year) because i love when there's a meta acknowledgement of idols as artistic products and how they interact with different forms of art etc etc etc anyways here's all the links to stuff i went insane over you're welcome: mv behind, this jacket from its live, and honestly this one is about the backup dancers more than him but it's cute.

stages: mcountdown 220512, music core 220507, music bank 220506, the show 220510, show champion 220511

bsides: hijack the show 220510, show champion 220511

+

gingamingayo - billlie

they deserved to go viral for this, the mv is amazing, the styling is so consistent despite the fact that they did like a full month of promotions, and overall it's just a fun time. they set the precedent for all the ~quirky~ gg cbs that showed up after this. it has so much character and established the weird world that their story exists in, so even though it was very early on in the year, it claims one of my top spots.

stages: contour 220304, music bank 220318, inkigayo 220320, the show 220308

+

dice - onew

this was not a popular cb in my circles but too bad, i thought it was very fun and extremely well designed. great mv with a cute lil narrative and creative choices building on a very clear influence, plus some very fun costume pieces, some incredible stage design, and some gorgeous graphic design. 10/10.

stages: mcountdown 220414, inkigayo 220417, music core 220423

bsides: on the way music bank 220415, inkigayo 220417

+

bad news - tempest

an extremely strong debut that has definitely set a new tone for the incoming next generation of bgs for sure. everything about this styling is chaotic over the top mess reminiscent of early 2010s kpop mixed with a retro 90s feel that is always a joy to watch. we love to see a return to cheesy and bright boy group form and i have my fingers crossed that we're gonna start seeing it catch on beyond the flops in 2023.

stages: mcountdown 220303, music bank 220304, show champion 220309, the show 220308, music core 220305, music core 220312, inkigayo 220313, mcountdown 220317, music bank 220325, music core 2200326

bsides: just a little bit, bad at love

+

undercover - verivery

and i am including the japanese version in this, because it has the best outfit, which is kangmin's pink satin tracksuit that i may or may not think about every day. verivery doesn't usually catch my attention but i loved the prerelease single o from this album so it made me tune into the undercover cb when it dropped. this has been one of the few 'retro' stylings (there's been a myriad of 90s/00s revivals) that actually took some very recognizable silhouettes from the period and combined them with a contemporary flavour successfully and consistently. there's so much good texture and the sheer amount of satin they used is just (chef's kiss).

stages: the show 220503, music core 220514, mcountdown 220505, inkigayo 220501, music core 220521, music bank 220513, music bank 220506, the show 220517, show champion 220504, music core 220507, inkigayo 220508

o: mcountdown 220331, music bank 2200401

+

stupid cool - dawn

dawn once again proving that he and his team understand styling and fashion a lot better than most stylists working in the industy rn. he has such a strong sense of how to use silhouette and texture and i love how every new stage keeps you guess about what insane thing he's gonna wear next. this is also one of the few cbs where i actually think they should have just used the performance video for the final mv, bc its SO good. there's a few small things that i don't love which is why this doesn't rank higher, but there's still a lot that i do, so i kept from the runners' up category.

stages: mcountdown 220707, mcountdown 220630, music bank 220701, inkigayo 220703

+

devil - changmin

it was short but sweet, every look is a banger and i am going to include maniac and fever here as well, because it's also incredible. although all three of these songs have no aesthetic unity across them, this album very much was an exploration of genres that changmin is interested in and creating characters to embody each of those songs; we have the american gothic corrupt preacher with devil, the classic rock besieged horror heroine with maniac, and the capitalist victorian villain from an alw musical. i'd also recommend watching the jacket shooting behind to see more details from the looks in the concept photos, bc those are also excellent.

stages: music core 220115, inkigayo 220116

bsides: fever performance video - dgg

+

bring it on - oneus

bring it on had so much fun character and a great series of prologue films as well, and i feel like it didn't get the love it deserved. there are so many things happening in this mv and it's very busy visually, so for them to be able to keep it coherent despite the sheer number of sets is impressive. rbw has great creative teams and it's no surprise that a oneus mv ended up in my top ten.

stages: music bank 220520, inkigayo 220522, show champion 220525, mcountdown 220602

+

grey suit - suho

i might not have loved the title track as a song, but the mv is fucking gorgeous with some profoundly beautiful shots and like with changmin, the album as a whole is fantastic work and he produced a similar style goofy fun bside mv for hurdle that ended up being his go to concert song this year. both have really consistent design and colour palettes across the two of them, even though they're two totally different styles of song, which is a detail that i really admire. and the concept photos were gorgeous as well.

stages: music bank 220408, inkigayo 220410

bsides: hurdle mcountdown 220407

+

daydream - highlight

fantastic cb from them and excellent album in general, with some unusual silhouette choices. and they fully produced their album medley as well, which i don't think i've seen a group do to this same extent. it's beautiful, i highly recommend watching it. highlight has been quietly flying under the radar since their first post enlistment cb last year, and as the hag fan that i am i'm going to continue to remind everyone that they exist and are doing some of the best quality work in the industry atm.

stages: music core 220326, inkigayo 220327, music bank 220325,

bsides: night fog music bank 220325

+

runners' up

heart burn - sunmi

honestly this should rank higher bc it was such a good cb and everything about it was so well done, but there was just too much that came out this year and i had to bump some things down just because of quantity and the fact that tumblr limits how many links and videos you can put in a post. so please know this was in a top spot in my heart.

+

invu - taeyeon

i wrote a post about invu already so i won't expound on it more, but it got knocked down to runners' up just bc i didn't love all the looks, but i did love a lot of the dedication and thought and engagement they put into the cb as a whole.

+

dududu - tan

also already wrote an entire post about this styling, i love it i'm obsessed one of THE best debuts of all time etc etc etc you've heard me yell about them many times already. although i have to issue one addition: for some reason i didn't include inkigayo 220403 where they gave jiseong a gorgeous blue crushed velvet suit.

+

again - nu'est

this is only here because they never did any performances of it. the only group that's ever done anything good with hybe money and what did they get for it??? the nu'est disbandment is easily one of the most gutwrenching things to happen to me and it's double compounded by their disbandment song being called 'again'. what a fucking cruel joke. anyways this mv is fucking gorgeous even if it makes me feel like i'm eating broken glass.

+

epitaph - tvxq

yes this is a japanese release but they haven't done a korean cb in like four years at this point so i'm taking what i can get. incredible set design, great costuming, who doesn't loves some hot tall vampires?

+

feel my rhythm - red velvet

the mv is 100% the standout element here, it's so unbelievably detailed and full of art references. however i didn't love all of the costuming so the stages didn't really stand out for me. ok that's a lie, i really liked the styling for music core 220326.

+

love - monsta x

could i have told you what the concept of this cb was? no. was it chaotic and very fun to watch anyways? absolutely. i present to you: versace. kihyun's obliques. whatever this lace suit nonsense is. idk what a 'vibe' outfit is but they should have done a stage in them.

+

skinz - onlyoneof

i've talked about the mv for skinz before, but there have been a couple of stages that are just kinda batshit crazy, like whatever the hell is happening here, and this 220114 music bank with the cropped puffer jackets and kb's tshirt bodysuit. i'm not even convinced what kb is wearing here is even considered a shirt. honestly i could have ranked this cb as a whole higher because there were just so many weird suits and i did like the mv, but i did have to limit this list at some point.

+

cupid - dkz

we love a cb of just guys being dudes! i actually do like the mv but it doesn't tie as well into the stages as i would like, so it doesn't get the full honours. but i would like offer you a selection of: pink, jonghyeong's xxxxl shirt, kyungyoon looking like a caricature of a kid in the early 90s, and kyungyoon's sexy lil cropped green bomber jacket

+

11:59 - apr project

these are all former trncg members (a third gen bg that disbanded due to an abuse and mismanagement lawsuit) that are redebuting in a new group and honestly? good for them. this mv was made with about $30 but it's one of my favourites of the year specifically because of the context and the moment at 2:41, which is SUCH a strong image and not one i was expecting. this was one of my soppy emo ballads of choice this year. also wolf baby revival when.

+

standout elements

memem story films - purple kiss // memem is probably the weakest of purple kiss' title tracks in terms of both sound and design, which was bound to happen eventually. however the story films are PHENOMENAL and i absolutely recommend watching them (plus bonus recurring character cya!): #1, #2.

creature - e'last // once again, e'last with an excellent showing of dedication to the man crop top agenda and guys bein' slutty for no real reason. show champion 220511, music bank 220513, show champion 220504, the show 220503

beauty inside - nine.i // i love these denim suits with loopy flowers and shapes that match the flower petal motif in the choreography.

x-ray - ghost9 // these sparkly vampire outfits that never appeared in any of the other styling or design but fuck supremely.

tank - nmixx - costumes that accentuate the choreography? in my jype styling???

---

part two will hopefully be up in few days!

[walkwithheroes84]

Rest of 2021 Watch List

With only six and a half months left of 2021, it’s time to get serious about my drama watching habits. I’m so behind and there are several things that are (supposed to be) coming out in the later part of the year. So, here is my list of things that I want to start/am interested in. Granted, some of these things may change as more information comes out about them. Or I may just decide not to watch them. And some may get pushed back into 2022. 

Already Aired:

Lucifer: season 5b (USA) - Though the first half of season five left us on a cliffhanger, I just cannot seem to sit myself down to finish out the season. It may be the mixed reactions of long time fans or the knowledge that season six is the last, either way, I’m having a hard time getting back into the show. 

Youth of May: (South Korea) - This romantic, moody, slice-of-life drama. I was waiting for it.The ending is going to break my heart, so I have to be ready for it. I hear the preformances are amazing, but I know I’ll be crying. 

Word of Honor: (China) - Everything I’ve heard about this drama makes it sound amazing. And while I know things will be heartbreaking - I just need to prepare. 

Currently Airing:

Doom at Your Service: (South Korea) - I watched the first four episodes (I think?), but I am waiting to binge it after it ends. Why? The first few episodes were so good, I want to be able to watch it all at once. 

The Penthouse: War in Life, Season 3: (South Korea) - I was super excited for this one...then I heard about Logan’s “brother” and, uh...maybe I’ll just watch the clips of my favorites?

Mad for Each Other: (South Korea) - I know very little about this drama, but it looks amazing and I’m hearing good things. 

Mine: (South Korea) - So, it sounds like two daughter-in-laws of a rich family work together to get what they want. It looks good.

My Roomate is a Gumiho: (South Korea) - It just looks fluffy and adorable. And I need that. 

Coming Soon:

June:

Ancient Love Poetry: (China) - It just sounds sweet and sad and I love a good Chinese drama that will make me smile and eat up the angst.

Nevertheless: (South Korea) - Honestly? The Netflix trailer looked interesting. 

July:

The New Version of the Condor Heroes: (China) - I love this story and the 2014 one was a hotmess. The promo pictures look good, though they were released in 2018. Rumor is the drama has been shelved, but we’ll see what happens. 

The Devil Judge: (South Korea) - You have Ji Sung staring in a dystopian drama, where he is the as the head judge of the highest court in the land. The court has become a TV reality show, with viewers invited to participate in a live. The one person looking to take him down is Kim Min Jung as the director of a corporate social responsibility foundation. And then you have two childhood friends: Park Jin Young and Park Gyu Young, idealist who want to make their world better. I look forward to Ji Sung and Kim Min Jung battling it out, and maybe corrupting the idealist cop and younger judge.

Boku no Satsui ga Koi wo Shita: (Japan) - This one may not ever get English subtitles, as Japanese dramas aren’t really subbed anymore...however, the story sounds amazing. A young man finds out his dead foster-father was a professional killer and this young man decides to take up the “family business” to avenge for the father.  The young man approaches a womanwho is his assassination target. Despite his skill as a hitman, he can’t ever kill her, not matter how hard he tries. Instead, he ends up protecting her and the two fall  in love. This could go so many places and I want to see it.

August:

Red Sky: (South Korea) - A beautiful and genius painter meets a blind officer in charge of astronomy, geography, art of divination, and meteorology. The two fall in love. And it’s marked as a “historical romantic fantasy”? Yes, please! 

October:

The Red-Stained Sleeve Cuff: (South Korea) - The story of Sung Deok Im, a court lady.  She catches the eye of Crown Prince Lee San. Once the prince becomes king, he wants Sung Deok Im to become his concubine, but she refuses. Yet, Sung Deok Im becomes the concubine of King Jeongjo. This could be angsty. Also, it stars Lee Jun Ho (who you may remember from Just Between Lovers) and Lee Se Young (who always brings it). 

December: (or 2022...?)

Twenty-Five Twenty-One (South Korea) - The love story of two people, who have really bad-timing, told over the period of four years. Personally, I’m hoping for a poignant human drama ala Just Between Lovers or Come And Hug Me. (Minus death and murders),

Return: (South Korea) - This is literally described as: “A fantasy drama about the stories of young magicians who deal with heavenly spirits.” It will be on tvN, which usually has really solid dramas. There is a cast of talented up-and-comers: Lee Jae Wook, Arin, Park Hae Eun, and Hwang Min Hyun. There are also some talented vets in the cast: Yoo Joon Sang, Oh Na Ra, and Joo Sang Wook. It’s beingdirected by Park Joon Hwa Everything looks great on paper. It’s just - the drama will be written by the Hong Sisters. During my early days of Kdrama viewing (way back in the mid 2010s), these ladies wrote some of my favorites. And while I did love Hotel de Luna and A Korean Odyssey - it has become very clear over the years that these writers don’t do well during the second halves of their dramas and they aren’t always great at endings.

Snowdrop (South Korea) -  It takes place in 1987, and follows students at a prestigious university in Seoul. It will be written by Yoo Hyun Mi, who wrote SKY Castle and The Bridal Mask. I’m looking forward to it, even though I heard there was pushback (which has resulted in the show airdate being moved back a couple of times) from the South Korean citizens'  who believe that the drama distorts facts related to the pro-democracy movement of the 1980s in favour of the authoritarian regime. This was based on an incomplete version of the plotline that had been leaked online, which describes one character as a “spy” and another lead as working for the NSP. We’ll see

At Some Point in 2021/early 2022...?:

The Witcher, Season Two

The Umbrelllla Academy, Season Three

The Boys, Season Three

[topropeblogsplash]

Why CM Punk Just May Have Been The Best In The World

Well, hello there! Thanks for checking out post number one of my brand new, weekly pro wrestling blog :) 

Now, allow me to start off by explaining what I mean when I say 'best'. I don't necessarily mean CM Punk was the absolute, definitive, best pure wrestler of all time as there have arguably been a few slightly better than him over the years, although it's a close one! What I am defining as 'best', for Punk, is I believe he may very well have been the best all-rounder of all time, by which I mean taking into account every aspect of wrestling. For example, if you were to mark him out of 100 on every area of wrestling - such as; the wrestling itself, being face, being heel, promos, wrestling psychology, selling, the list goes on... - and make a graph out of the marks given on each area, whilst some areas would naturally be higher than others, I believe for the most part the various sections of that graph would be fairly level and consistent, showing quite a flat line rather than a bumpy, 'up and down' one, which would understandably be the case for most of his competitors. 

So, that all being said, let's start off with an area I personally would score him 10/10 on, something he has become known for and unarguably helped make him the star he became. Of course, I am talking about talking - his promos! 

Promos

There have always been some good talkers in the wrestling world, from The Rock or Stone Cold Steve Austin right back to Dusty Rhodes, however, very few ever reach that 'perfect' level, that level where everything they say just seems to come out like gold. From the words themselves to the way it's delivered. CM Punk is a guy who has this. Whether you're watching his promos map out his career in ROH, or the infamous 'pipebomb' promo which excelled him to the next level in WWE in June 2011, I personally can not think of a single promo of Punk's where it just didn't seem to fit or seemed somewhat 'off'. His promos of the latter half of 2011 where he was 'The Voice of the Voiceless' really seemed to come from the heart and were so full of truth and expressed what a lot of us fans had felt for a long time. 

So Punk, yes, you do have everybody's attention now. 

The Wrestling Itself

Next up, of course, is his pure wrestling ability. I would say that whilst there are some who are technically 'better' wrestlers than him, such as Bret 'Hitman' Hart, that list, I personally feel, would be a reasonably short one. Everything he does seems to have meaning, a purpose to it, he wasn't really one to do flashy moves just for the sake of it. When he did do something such as a springboard clothesline or a dive through the ropes, it had a place in the match, it wasn't just there for the sake of it - the match had built to a point where it looked natural and fitted in perfectly. 

He had a great mix of being able to have quick, fast-paced spells when the match called for it, whilst being able to then transition into slowing down the pace at relevant points and go into attempting to wear his opponent down with some mat-based submissions and sleeper holds. 

He also possessed probably the most difficult quality of a wrestler - being able to get the crowd going again if they quietened down at any point. He knew how to have people invested in the match, how to make them care. If he was a face he knew when and how to lift them up and make them cheer for him. If he was a heel, he knew how to push people's buttons and get under their skin, ensuring they can't help but boo him, which brings me on to the next point..

His ability to be both an incredible heel or a fantastic face 

More often than not, a wrestler will be better at one than the other, and in some cases, some can only really do one and not the other. 

For Punk, although I feel he had the edge and really came into his own as a heel, we cannot deny how great he was as a face too! Just think back to the previously mentioned 'Voice of the Voiceless' work he was doing in 2011, where he seemed to hold the entire company in his palm and have many fans hanging off of his every word and move, some even tuning in mainly to see him! His feuds with John Cena and Triple H spring to mind with him being the top face in the company at the time. 

With regards to him being a heel, well, what more needs to be said?! The Straight Edge Society had people up in arms with him! Or his feud with The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 29 - the build-up to that match alone had a lot of edgey ingredients, some of which even I feel may have gone a little too far, such as the mentioning of Paul Bearer who at the time had not long passed. But when you feel that maybe a heel has gone too far, are they just doing their job? Perhaps it's a debate for another time. 

Perhaps my favourite heel promo of Punk's is one that a lot of people might not remember as it seems to have fallen under the radar for whatever reason, being overshadowed by his infamous 'pipebomb' promo. We all remember when he sat down at the top of the stage in Las Vegas three weeks before Money In The Bank 2011 and spoke his mind, but how many of us remember his incredible heel promo building to face The Rock at Royal Rumble 2013? 

The video below is what I believe is a heel playing that role to perfection! For the full effect of this great promo, check out the January 27th 2013 edition of Raw on the WWE Network, unfortunately a lot of this promo has been cut down on YouTube. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr8mfBRsD2s

During the promo, Punk gave a great mix of building the match itself whilst portraying a genuinely unlikable character. He even expressed feelings which may have touched a nerve in real life to some who have come before him, chuckling and claiming that "wrestling one night a month at Madison Square Garden is EASY!!" And that Hulk Hogan "had it easy". This not only seems very disrespectful to those guys, but also seems a big 'no no' in the world of how wrestling politics are behind the scenes. Punk really seemed to say it like he meant it, and in all fairness, look at how his schedule was - definitely not one match a month.. 

Of course, though, I'm not just talking about his awesome promo work - we've covered that already. He knew how to actually wrestle as an amazing face and have the entire crowd cheering him on. Or alternatively, he could have the entire place booing him whilst he uses dirty move after dirty move. It's the little things he does which make either of these - those cocky looks if he's a heel, or those adrenaline-filled claps & stomps to the mat of a face as he tries to get the crowd to will him on. 

Finally, I'm going to finish this blog post off with a somewhat surprising point, but one I feel is worth making nonetheless as it seems only a handful of wrestlers can do this well for an entire show, on back to back weeks. 

Commentary

...yes, that’s right!

Punk's ability to be a very good commentator! Okay, I won't blame anyone at all if you don't remember his short time on the commentary team whilst the soon-to-be leader of the New Nexus recovered from a hip injury.

This may be a weird point to bring up, but remember, we're discussing why CM Punk just may have been the best in the world, meaning having the ability to cover all areas on a more consistent basis than anyone else, and being able to commentate on an entire show - rather than only one match which is relevant to a Superstar’s next PPV rivalry - seems such a difficult skill to master, and Punk fitted into that role seamlessly! There have been very few in recent years who can step so comfortably into this role, most recently Chris Jericho has been doing some amazing commentary work in AEW, and it's no coincidence him and Punk fitted into this role so well whilst also being two of the very best promos around. Of course, Jerry 'The King' Lawler and Tazz were once wrestlers who took to the commentary table - much like Nigel McGuiness currently is - but remember, Punk was still an active wrestler at this point, only sidelined briefly for an injury, he didn't take masses of time off to be trained how to commentate, he just kind of did it and he did it well. He was not only entertaining and gave moments of speaking his mind, but his commentary on the matches themselves really had value and flowed as if he had been doing it for years. I urge you to go back and watch shows from late 2010/early 2011 and listen to his work. He was not only a good commentator for someone who had little experience in that area, but was very good regardless, even stepping up to the level of some full time commentators. 

So there we have it, my personal views on why CM Punk just may have been the best in the world. If you have any points you think I may have missed out or anything you would like to include about this, please feel free to mention it in the comments below :) 

If you would like to see me performing some stuff in my work as a magician, please check out my socials! :) 

Instagram/Facebook/Twitter: @Kemptonmagician

[omdaily10]

WRAPPED UP

Guest Artist: Travie McCoy

Writers: Olly Murs, Claude Kelly, Steve Robson, Travie McCoy

Producers: Steve Robson

Album: Never Been Better

Release Date: 16/11/2014

B-Side: ‘Wrapped Up (Cahill Radio Mix)’ (Credits as above)

Chart Positions: #3 (UK), #1 (Japan), #2 (Scotland), #3 (Belgium), #7 (Ireland), #9 (Czech Republic), #11 (Germany), #15 (Australia), #15 (Poland), #16 (Finland), #16 (Slovakia), #17 (Netherlands), #18 (Switzerland), #18 (Spain), #21 (Austria), #21 (Sweden), #40 (USA)

Sales: 600k (UK, Platinum), 35k (Australia, Gold), 40k (Sweden, Platinum)

A lot can happen inside a year, particularly in a world so fickle and trend dominated as pop music. Hence having been everywhere and anywhere for much of the previous year, 2014 was, by comparison, a very quiet time indeed for Olly. In fact, the only signs of him still being present in the public eye came in the form of a couple of one-off charity appearances, and also that June, at his now bi-annual venturing out onto the pitch at Old Trafford for Soccer Aid, a celebs and pros football match raising money for UNICEF (Olly has played five times in total for the England team now, and captained them to a win at the 2018 match).

For the first time since the start of his career, he was able to go take time out purely to focus on music (and in his words 'grow a beard and get fat'), hence the first nine months of 2014 were spent cooped up in the studio, writing and recording the songs that would go onto make his fourth album. Things certainly changed in a big way, for during the time Olly was away, there seemed to be a sudden explosion of solo male competition in the charts.

Ed Sheeran was now the biggest popstar on the planet, having just released his multi-platinum second album 'X' and huge hits like ‘Sing’ and ‘Thinking Out Loud’, and Sam Smith and George Ezra both released their debut efforts this year. It was clear that whatever Olly decided to come back with, it would have to make as big an impact as possible to remind people he was still at the top of his game despite being away for the best part of a year.

So already there was a lot riding on 'Wrapped Up' even before he unveiled it with a world exclusive first play on national radio at the beginning of that October. Coming off the back of the biggest selling album of his career to date, it made business sense on paper to repeat the formula of that album's trajectory again - launching the album with a killer floor filling pop stormer that just so happens to have an international guest star on it, even if some critics suggested it was a lazy move.

Owing sonic motifs to disco classics by Evelyn 'Champagne' King and - in a spooky forbearing of his future work, though he didn't know it then - Nile Rodgers and Chic, 'Wrapped Up' was a guitar driven dance pop funk workout with a stormer of a chorus and a cheekily placed double entendre involving locks and keys that screamed chart topper from the first play. The appearance of a guest rap from Travie McCoy, the lead rapper and founder of Gym Class Heroes, who had also scored big success with Bruno Mars on his worldwide hit 'Billionaire' in 2010, enhanced its credentials further.

One thing that Olly had also quietly achieved in the UK - without anyone realising it at the time - was the unique distinction of being the only British male solo artist to notch up a number one single with each lead release from a brand-new album. It surely stood to reason then, that 'Wrapped Up' would be joining that list and making it four in a row. However, several changes of circumstance meant this didn't go according to plan.

International promo was the focus from quite early on in the campaign, with the single being released and promoted in Australia first before we got it here in the UK. It meant that no thanks to an administrative error at Sony Music - who'd been slowly releasing select tracks off the new album as 'Instant Grat' teasers - that 'Wrapped Up' was mistakenly available for a couple of days to download off the UK store of iTunes two whole weeks before its official UK release date. One can only speculate what might have happened had they corrected the error sooner - but then this was compounded by another turn of events.

With just over a week to go until release, Olly then recieved a call from music legend Sir Bob Geldof, the man who'd put together the historic Band Aid single 'Do They Know It's Christmas' and subsequent Live Aid concerts to raise money for those living in developing countries. Olly was asked if he wanted to appear on the 30th anniversary recording alongside the likes of Bono, Chris Martin, One Direction, Rita Ora and Ed Sheeran, and he duly obliged.

As he returned to The X Factor live shows to launch 'Wrapped Up' proper with a homecoming performance on its release date of 16th November 2014, Sir Bob was there too to give the first play on terrestrial TV of the video for the Band Aid 30 recording of 'Do They Know It's Christmas'. He jokingly apologised to Olly on air after his interview with Dermot O’Leary, who now knew full well that 'Wrapped Up' was set to miss out on the top spot.

Seven days later, and this is exactly what happened. Even outsold by 'Real Love', the then new single from contemporary dance pop outfit Clean Bandit, who'd had a phenomenal year with their hit 'Rather Be' with Jess Glynne (and whose then violinist, Neil Amin Smith, was incredibly vicious about Olly on social media at the time, stating he was only fit for a low rent musical theatre career. He left the band over a year later and hasn’t been heard from since. Go figure), 'Wrapped Up' had to be content with a #3 debut and peak - still a great chart position, but by no means what was needed at this point.

It meant that Olly was on the UK's number one single that week, but just not the one he intended, with Band Aid 30 selling over a quarter of a million copies to top the chart, despite a heft of negative reviews and feedback from music critics, social commentators and soapbox preachers alike for the new version of 'Do They Know It's Christmas' on Twitter. Along with ‘Wrapped Up’, it was absent from the top 10 by the time Christmas came.

Despite the chart topping success of the parent album, and being a top 20 hit in thirteen other countries (including Japan, where it gave him his first chart topper), it was clear from the performance of ‘Wrapped Up’ that things had slipped a bit compared to the mammoth fanfare that had greeted ‘Troublemaker’ two years previously, and it wasn’t unfair to say that Olly suddenly had something to prove five years into his career. Fortunately, another huge single was waiting in the wings to quell those doubts...

OTHER THOUGHTS

A remix from top dance DJ and producer Cahill was the main B-side on both the digital bundle and the Europe only CD single. UK fans were also treated to the non-rap version of ‘Wrapped Up’ and a special acoustic rendition of the track recorded for the website of Fabulous, the free glossy magazine that comes inside the Sunday edition of British national newspaper The Sun. Olly has appeared on its cover more times than any other male star to date – since 2011 he’s made a total of seven appearances.

[daleisgreat]

Randy Savage Unreleased: The Unseen Matches of the Macho Man

Freak out, freak out, oh yeahhhhh…..sorry I could not resist, but kicking off an entry with that iconic catchphrase means it is time to cover a Macho Man home video collection. In 2018 WWE gave Macho Man the ‘Unreleased’ DVD treatment, a line of several DVD match collections containing entirely never before released on home video matches. I already covered one on here several months ago dedicated to Hulk Hogan, so it would only seem appropriate to cover another one dedicated to his Mega Powers partner, Randy Savage. Like the Hogan DVD, it has a gratuitously long title in the form of Randy Savage Unreleased: The Unseen Matches of the Macho Man (trailer). If you are into these ‘Unreleased’ sets, then check back here later this year as there are two other semi-recent installments I plan on knocking out by the end of this year. Randy Savage Unreleased is jacked with content at three discs tallying up nine hours of material. There is a total of 41 (!!) matches and 9 promos spanning Macho’s career in WWF and WCW from 1985 through 1999. Also interspersed every several matches is one of 10 newly recorded panel discussion segments with Corey Graves, Bayley, Sean Mooney and Diamond Dallas Page. The panel discussions are not throwaway one-to-minute quick takes, but instead each are nearly several minutes each where all four panelists reminisce about each stage of Macho’s career with Mooney and Page both having pivotal on-hand accounts for how Savage was at that point backstage too. Page has detailed memories of his classic WCW rivalry with Randy and recounts a story I was all ears for about a voice mail he left for Macho on Thanksgiving. Hearing Bayley’s love for Randy was an interesting perspective to take in since she states she was not aware of him until his WCW years. Corey Graves’ passion for the 1993-as-hell Macho Man rap music video rubbed off on me as I never saw it before this collection and I will link to it here so you can have it forever imprinted into your mind as well.

Obviously I am not going to dissect each and every one of the 41 matches included here, but I will point out some highlights. In general, the quality of matches is fairly solid, and even though a fair amount of the first nine matches are in Macho’s early years with mostly quick, dominant encounters they were still a delight to watch his character evolve from coming out with a cape to adding in his vintage 80s bandana and ring robe and seeing his then-wife Miss Elizabeth join his side. Some early things that caught my eye were Macho’s first TV match in June of 1985 against Aldo Marino where the hype of Randy being the ‘hottest free agent’ attracted all of WWF’s managers to ringside to scout him in action. One of Jesse Ventura’s few WWF matches is here where he tags with Macho Man shortly before he succumbed to a career-ending injury not too long after signing with the WWF. I dug Savage’s first matches on here against formidable competition like former tag champ and Mark Henry manager, Tony Atlas and unearthing a high quality 1986 WWF match against the hidden gem of 80s WWF enhancement talent in one Scott McGhee. When it shifts into his Intercontinental title run, there is a good rematch included with Ricky Steamboat that had a red hot crowd and countless near falls and another good match against Steamboat where he teamed up with Honky Tonk Man against Steamboat and Hogan. His WWF Title run era features must-see WrestleMania-rematches against Ted Dibiase and Hulk Hogan.

Of all of Randy Savage’s flamboyant ring attires, the one I fondly remember the most was his over-the-top cowboy hat and full body attire complete with tassels. I had no idea until going through this collection that he started rocking that classic look midway through his two year run as the ‘Macho King’ with Queen Sherri by his side. The only notable match in this collection from that run is another WrestleMania-rematch with the mixed tag bout with Macho King and Sherri against Dusty Rhodes and Sapphire. There are nearly a dozen matches from Savage’s final few years in WWF after his reinstatement, but only three truly standout. One is a unique trios pairing that has Randy teaming with Piper and Jim Duggan against Ric Flair, Undertaker and Jake the Snake, while the other is another tag bout with Randy teaming with the Dead Man to take on Ric Flair and Berzerker. Seeing the chemistry between Savage and Undertaker was something special to say the least. Lastly, Savage has a heck of a bout with a post-Red Rooster, Terry Taylor in one of the better technical matches on the set. There are a few key WCW matches to point out in here from the eight included. One is where he is part of the teaming with the Hulkster against the Dungeon of Doom and hitting all the classic Mega Powers spots, including hitting an elbow on Hogan to wake him up after he succumbed to a sleeperhold. There is an awesome Nitro match on here against Ric Flair…which has a cruddy finish unfortunately, but everything else leading up to it is the best wrestling in this entire set. The most peculiar match on here is Savage wrestling on a C-tier weekend morning WCW show, {Pro} where he takes on Kurasawa and has Hulk Hogan by his side too in a strange twist. I am guessing Savage and Hogan must be tight with Kurasawa because these two were making huge money for limited dates in WCW and to have both of them appear in this weekend morning show match is a head scratcher…..it would be kind of like tuning in to Main Event now and seeing Brock Lesnar wrestling. The final match in the set was a surprisingly delightful schmoz of a mixed tag match with Savage and Madusa teaming up with Ric Flair and “Lil Naitch” himself, Charles Robinson! I expected the worst going in considering this was in 19990 when WCW was beginning its downward ratings spiral in its last couple years, but the four pull off a lot of entertaining spots and salvaged a heck of a performance.

Randy Savage Unreleased is a fairly strong compilation of matches and promos from Macho Man. I would say about a third of it is skippable, and there are a few teases of intriguing match-ups that wrapped up far too quick thanks to poor booking, like a WCW contest against Curt Hennig for example. I have no idea why there were two ho-hum matches against Mr. Hughes included either. That is almost to be expected of these ‘Unreleased’ collections, and seeing Savage’s character, moveset, attire and personality evolve from beginning to end is also fascinating in and of itself. I am glad we got a fair smattering of vintage Macho Man promos throughout his career, with his campaigning reinstatement speech and the aforementioned music video standing out the most of the bunch. Having a break from the 41 matches with the occasional promo and panel discussion segments are appreciated breathers from the action, and the panelists all bring a lot of classic Macho Man stories and memories to the table. This all adds up to Randy Savage Unreleased: The Unseen Matches of the Macho Man being a must-see for any Randy Savage aficionado.

Past Wrestling Blogs Best of WCW Clash of Champions Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 2 Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 3 Biggest Knuckleheads Bobby The Brain Heenan Daniel Bryan: Just Say Yes Yes Yes DDP: Positively Living Dusty Rhodes WWE Network Specials ECW Unreleased: Vol 1 ECW Unreleased: Vol 2 ECW Unreleased: Vol 3 Eric Bishoff: Wrestlings Most Controversial Figure Fight Owens Fight: The Kevin Owens Story For All Mankind Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection Hulk Hogans Unreleased Collectors Series Impact Wresting Presents: Best of Hulk Hogan Its Good to Be the King: The Jerry Lawler Story The Kliq Rules Ladies and Gentlemen My Name is Paul Heyman Legends of Mid South Wrestling Macho Man: The Randy Savage Story Memphis Heat NXT: From Secret to Sensation NXT Greatest Matches Vol 1 OMG Vol 2: Top 50 Incidents in WCW History OMG Vol 3: Top 50 Incidents in ECW History Owen: Hart of Gold RoH Supercard of Honor 2010-Present ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery Scott Hall: Living on a Razors Edge Shawn Michaels: My Journey Sting: Into the Light Straight Outta Dudley-ville: Legacy of the Dudley Boyz Straight to the Top: Money in the Bank Anthology Superstar Collection: Zach Ryder Then Now Forever – The Evolution of WWEs Womens Division TLC 2017 TNA Lockdown 2005-2016 Top 50 Superstars of All Time Tough Enough: Million Dollar Season True Giants Ultimate Fan Pack: Roman Reigns Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe War Games: WCWs Most Notorious Matches Warrior Week on WWE Network Wrestlemania III: Championship Edition Wrestlemania 28-Present The Wrestler (2008) Wrestling Road Diaries Too Wrestling Road Diaries Three: Funny Equals Money Wrestlings Greatest Factions WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2017

[theundergroundismassive]

Since March 2017, I've written a weekly review of a recommended DJ set (or thereabouts) for City Pages.

Alas, CP doesn’t have author or column archive pages so I’m going to make one here. I’ll update it regularly. Happy listening!

Week 43: mrBlaQ, Klubhaus, Minneapolis (October 29, 2017)

Week 42: DJ Nola, Kajunga Program, SE.2, Ep. 1 (April 1, 2017)

Week 41: Sammy Dee, XLR8R Podcast #515 (November 8, 2017) + Death Is Not the End, UK Soundsystem Special (NTS Radio) (August 26, 2017)

Week 40: Top 10 DJ Mixes of 2017 

Week 39: Courtesy, Truancy Volume 195 (November 15, 2017)

Week 38: Kerri Chandler, RA Live at Brilliant Corners, London (October 17, 2017)

Week 37: Objekt, Fact Mix 300 (November 14, 2011)

Week 36: Flying Lotus, Stones Throw Podcast 66: Lovers Melt (May 16, 2011)

Week 35: Larry Levan, Live at Gold (Tokyo)—the Harmony Tour (September 1992)

Week 34: Jonathan Toubin, NY Night Train 2017 Haunted Hop Halloween Mix (October 4, 2017)

Week 33: Konx-om-Pax, Blade Runner 2049 x Boiler Room London (September 16, 2017)

Week 32: Rick Wilhite, FACT Mix 198 (November 1, 2010)

Week 31: Jennifer Cardini and Job Jobse, Beats in Space Radio Show #904 (September 19, 2017)

Week 30: Noncompliant, RA.591 (September 25, 2017)

Week 29: Illum Sphere & Beau Wanzer, Solid Steel Radio Show (August 11, 2017)

Week 28: Mike Huckaby, Stamp Mix 84 (April 27, 2017)

Week 27: [Musicophilia] - ‘1979 - Post-Punk’ | Box Set Sampler (September 4, 2017)

Week 26: Mumdance with DJ Vibes, Slipmatt & Billy Daniel Bunter, Rinse FM Podcast (August 22, 2017)

Week 25: Andi, SHFTD Podcast #056 (May 31, 2017)

Week 24: Honey Dijon, Essential Mix (July 22, 2017)

Week 23: Original Dodger, FACT Mix 609 (July 10, 2017)

Week 22: Jana Rush, Impact (for Mixmag) (July 13, 2017)

Week 21: Dave Shades, WTB Podcast #44 (March 28, 2017)

Week 20: Jellybean Benitez, The Fun House (1984)

Week 19: JD Samson, Beats in Space Radio Show #889, Pt. 1 (June 6, 2017)

Week 18: The Black Madonna, Lente Kabinet Festival 2017 (May 27, 2017)

Week 17: Or:la, Fabric Promo Mix (May 9, 2017)

Week 16: Antenes, The Bunker Podcast 142 (Feb. 22, 2017)

Week 15: Gideön, Boiler Room London (April 11, 2017)

Week 14: Soulwax, Essential Mix (May 20, 2017)

Week 13: Between the Liner Notes, ep. 21: “Joe” (May 22, 2017)

Week 12: Frankie Knuckles at the Power Plant, 1015 N. Halsted (c. 1983-85)

Week 11: Robert Hood, Dekmantel Podcast 120 (May 1, 2017)

Week 10: Renzo Master Funk, Tape Disco 1989

Week 9: Wolfgang Voigt, RA.570 (May 1, 2017)

Week 8: Tycho, Elsewhere—Burning Man Sunrise 2015 (September 3, 2015)

Week 7: Moodymann, Radio Nova, Paris (December 1995)

Week 6: Nina Kraviz, Live @ Galaxiid, Printworks, London (March 25, 2017)

Week 5: Lone, Feel My Bicep Mixtape 69 (February 9, 2017)

Week 4: Mumdance B2B DJ Storm, Rinse FM Podcast (March 14, 2017)

Week 3: Trentemøller, XLR8R Podcast 135 (June 5, 2010)

Week 2: Lenny Dee, Live at Universe, Big Love (August 13, 1993)

Week 1: Todd Edwards, Prince Mix for Daft Pop-Up Party (March 1, 2017)

Bonus feature: “A Shadow History of LCD Soundsystem in Five DJ Sets,” from the Village Voice.

[forceofneglect-blog1]

Bind - Florida Hardcore (yes, again!)

Let's start with something very cliché like introducing the band. Who is who, side projects any different bands with Bind members?

My name is Mike and I sing for Bind. Jake and Cory on guitars, Cheech on bass, and Austin plays drums. Me and our guitar players are in a band called Crisis Unit which we are currently writing a new release for sometime this year. 

It's fair to say that 2016 was very successful year for you. Can you tell us a story of the way you went from recording demo to the place you are now.

Thanks! It was absolutely an awesome year and experience for us as a band and i have a feeling 2017 will be even better.

We started the band after putting to rest an older band of ours and using a couple songs we wrote for that band on the demo. We put out a song for people to get an understanding on the direction we were taking and just go from there. We got an awesome response to it and got asked by Plead Your Case records to put out the demo. Later that year, we released the demo on a tape, played some crazy shows and then in the winter of 2015 we toured the east coast with a band called Vatican. After returning home we started hashing out new material and recorded a two song promo that we released ourselves and then later was released as a tape by Plead Your Case for This is Hardcore fest. After we released this promo we then went to tour Texas and back with Truth's Last Horison which was an incredible experience through and through, some of the best kids in hardcore. Once we returned home, we got word from Plead Your Case that he wanted to put out a Bind 7". We  already had new songs drawn out so we began preparing. In fall of 2016, we returned to Warhouse with John Howard, who had done all of our previous work, to record a four song 7". Once mastered, we had it sent off for pressing and Dillon Perino from Sanction drew us up some amazing artwork and we released the 7" by winter and got an incredible response from the release. To start off 2017, we played FYA fest and from there toured the east coast with Drawing Last Breath from SFL then played Midwest Blood fest and now we are back at home planning some very exciting tours. 

Let's talk about inspirations. Can you name few bands that had biggest influence on you both personally and bandwise?

As inspirations go for our music, I think I'd say Strain, Crown of Thornz, Leeway, and early Earth Crisis and Strife would be the biggest. Personally my biggest influence is Maynard Keenan of Tool and Jody Taylor of Strain. 

I love the sound of your EP. Who is standing behind mix and mastering?

Thanks! Love how the 7" came out soundwise. We've been going to the same guy, John Howard at Warhouse, for two years now and he's the man behind the curtain for everything, mixing mastering, tones, he's a madman. There's too many for me to even recollect, we've became really close with him over these years and I don't think any band I'll ever be in will ever not record with him.

Lyrically 2 songs are exceptionally interesting. I mean Absolution and See through. Can you extend your idea standing behind the first one and tell readers was there any particular situation that push you to wrote See through?

Absolution is my stance on Christianity and veganism. In every discussion I've ever made with someone who is against veganism, they're only reasoning is "the word of God". But as someone who believes in God, Absolution is my stance that whatever higher power above us watching is disappointed in what we've done to animals and we shall be judged in the end for what we've done. The lyrics of See Through are in reference to the Aiyana Jones/Joesph Weekly case where a white police officer murdered a 7 year old black girl in a drug raid in 2010 and went completely unpunished for his actions. There are no words for situations like these other than pure disgust for the judicial system and the men and women who unjustifiably murder innocent lives with no consequence simply because they are granted a gun and a badge. 

I guess most of the bands from USA don't care that much about animal rights as it is in case of bands from Florida. You are vegan. How about the rest of the band? What makes you to go that way?

I would like to believe that's not entirely true but a good chunk of Florida kids are vegan and I've noticed more & more are becoming vegan/vegetarian as time goes on. I've been vegan a year come May! I did my research in early 2016 and I began to realize the damage i was conflicting on the lives of so many and it just became apparent that now was the time to make a change. 

Going to even more political part of the interview: it is couple months since Trump became president. How would you judge his duty so far?

There's not words to describe the man and his election other than disappointment and psychotic. He is beginning to send this country back to the Stone Age with every racist, transphobic, sexist, and ignorant bill he plans to pass. 

To chill after politics related issues: how funny was the situation with Oscars?

It was sort of unbelievable, not even in reference to how unprofessional it was to announce an award for a film and then, on television, revoke it in the middle of their speech.. the fact that they took away such a deserving reward from Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling is just beyond me. 

What are your plans for the future? Lp? World tour?

A west coast tour in May/June that'll be announced within a month or two and talks of hitting Europe are undergoing as well. Currently, as music goes, we have some songs demo'd out but nothing official until after we return from these tours. 

If you have any last words, final thoughts - please go ahead.

Thanks for having me. Listen to Ecostrike!

 http://bindfl.bandcamp.com

[strippedmuzikclub1]

(stripped music management) From 2010 with love... Tracklist: The Beatles_A Day In The Life [Unknown Remix] Steve Foulds_Vanishing Point [Original Mix][Stripped Recordings] Days Off_Germinius [Original Mix][Stripped Recordings] Ryan Luciano_Avalon [Seb Dhajje Feverish Remix][Stripped Recordings] Fanis & Emanuel Phaz_Kaballa [Ed Lee Remix][Stripped Recordings] Nomad In The Dark_Neriya [Seb Dhajje Remix][Stripped Recordings] Underworld_Two Months Off [DAVI Remix] Days Off_3 Day Weekend [Part 1][Stripped Recordings] J Kar_Sunrise [Howard Sessions Mix][Stripped Recordings] Arnas D_Humans HD [Original Mix][Stripped Digital] Radiohead_Everything […Andi Muller Looong Mix] Ucleden_Insomnia [Original Mix][Stripped Recordings] Quivver & Blackwatch_Loveless [In Plain Sight Remix][Boz Boz] John Creamer & Stephane K_Wish You Were Here [Diego Poblets Remix] Pao Calderon_My Release [Issac Remix][Stripped Digital] Joelle Atkins_Reflekt [Ryan Luciano Remix][Stripped Digital] Future Sound Of London_Papua New Guinea [Nick Robson Prana Dub] Ian O’Donovan_Anabatic [Original Mix][Stripped Recordings] William Orbit_Purdy [Issac Remix] Orbital_Early Morning [Ryan Luciano Remix] Red Button Blue Button_Sunshine [Original Drum & Bass Mix][Stripped Recordings]

[jazzworldquest-blog]

USA: #jazz @lynstanleyjazz The Sultry Swing Singer Lyn Stanley Releases Her Most Adventurous Project “London With A Twist – Live At Bernie’s”

The Sultry Swing Singer Lyn Stanley Releases Her Most Adventurous Project

“London With A Twist – Live At Bernie’s” A Direct To Disc Live To Metal Lacquer Recording With Superb Recording Quality That Was Performed Live With Instantaneous Mixing And No Editing.

Her second Julie London tribute album features the singer on a dozen standards with her Jazz Mavericks, an all-star quintet with guitarist John Chiodini, and pianists Otmaro Ruiz and Mike Lang.

Lyn Stanley has had a remarkable career in music. With the late pianist Paul Smith and singer-vocal coach Annette Warren as her mentors, she began her career out of nowhere in 2010. Her debut recording Lost In Romance ranked in the top 100 albums played by American radio stations and, virtually by herself, she has built up a large worldwide following (particularly among audiophiles) and released such popular albums as Potions {from the 50s}, Interludes, The Moonlight Sessions Volumes One and Two, and the Julie London Project, all of which have been big sellers. She was awarded Female Jazz Vocalist of the Year for 2018 by Saul Levine, programmer for KKJZ-FM, Los Angeles' top jazz radio station. Her secret, beyond her unique sultry voice and her impeccable taste in picking out gems from the Great American Songbook, has been her planning and attention to details. Whether it is the packaging, the sound quality, the material, the arrangements, the always-danceable tempos, the top-notch musicians or the producer, Lyn always goes first class. Following up on the success of her Julie London Project, Lyn Stanley decided to take a chance and record London With A Twist as a direct-to-disc album. Direct-to-disc recording is a process that bypasses the use of magnetic tape, recording audio directly onto an analog disc. The sound quality is impeccable but it can be a very difficult process that requires nerves of steel. There is no opportunity to “fix” mistakes later on, to change the balance, use overdubbing, or to do any editing. The music is recorded live, one song after another. If a mistake is made, either the entire process stops or the musicians continue playing. While all recordings prior to the Lp’s debut in 1949 were direct-to-disc, since 78s usually only held around three minutes of music, stopping and doing a second take was easy. When Lps, which held 15-20 minutes of music, took over, most recordings were made utilizing magnetic tape and engineers could repair any mishaps. In the 1970s and ‘80s a handful of direct-to-disc albums were made for the audiophile market who wanted much better sound quality. While some of those projects were successful, because the musicians had to play nonstop until a side of an Lp was filled, much of the time they played it safe to avoid last-minute mistakes. On London With A Twist, the exact opposite occurs. Utilizing her Jazz Mavericks, an all-star group consisting of guitarist John Chiodini, either Otmaro Ruiz or Mike Lang on piano, bassist Chuck Berghofer, drummer Aaron Serfaty, and percussionist Luis Conte, Lyn Stanley sounds relaxed and swinging. The singer has found that the most rewarding performances occur when she and her musicians create music spontaneously, not using any written-out arrangements. That way all of the players own the music and the results are creative, looser and joyful, sounding like a late-night set performed purely for the fun of it. And with this release, Lyn Stanley has become one of only five singers who have created a direct-to-disc vocal album containing at least three songs and 12 minutes of music; London With A Twist has over 43 minutes. Among the dozen selections on London With A Twist are such standards as “Route 66,” “Blue Moon,” ‘Goody Goody,” ‘Bye Bye Blackbird” and “Body And Soul.” Adding variety are two offbeat choices, Chuck Berry’s “You Never Can Tell” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Pink Cadillac,” that one could imagine Julie London interpreting in a similar fashion. Lyn Stanley’s interpretations of these classic songs do justice to the melodies and the lyrics. She and her Jazz Mavericks create fearless performances during a swinging set that audiophiles and lovers of high-quality music will treasure.

 Lyn Stanley's Favorite Takes London With A Twist Live At Bernie's (ATM 3108) Street Date: June 30, 2019 Lyn Stanley, vocals; Otmaro Ruiz, piano; Mike Lang, piano; Chuck Berghofer, bass; Aaron Serfaty, drums; John Chiodini, guitar; Luis Conte, percussion UPC Code: 672713983095 https://lynstanley.com

CDBaby's Top Selling Artist with five releases in top 300 (1%) of all sellers.

http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/LynStanley

Over 40,00 albums sold-  Audiophile reference recordings-and thousands more in downloads and streaming

Wikipedia bio

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyn_Stanley

 Press Jim Eigo Jazz Promo Services 272 State Route 94 South #1 Warwick, NY 10990 Ph: 845-986-1677 Cell / text: 917-755-8960 Skype: jazzpromo jim@jazzpromoservices.com www.jazzpromoservices.com "Specializing in Media Campaigns for the music community, artists, labels, venues and events.” Radio Max Horowitz Crossover Media 347.267.9563 | maxcrossover@gmail.com http://www.crossovermedia.net  

x via Blogger https://ift.tt/2HrC31f

[globebuysaliaguo]

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[cameronwjones]

35 Bold Examples of Guerrilla Marketing

See how leading brands are using guerrilla marketing campaigns to make a big splash without busting their wallet. Featuring examples from Samsung, Spotify, Tesla and other top organizations.

Guerrilla marketing campaigns (not to be confused with gorilla marketing campaigns) are one of the more unique event types. They’re basically a cost-effective strategy solution that, when executed correctly, ensures that buzz is generated while your team remains profitable. By capturing the public's attention at little to no cost, your company can create the word of mouth marketing and user-generated content it needs to succeed.

Often budget-friendly, countless guerrilla marketing examples from a variety of sectors show us that any business can be creative and effective while often not breaking the bank. Some of the latest event marketing stats show that 75% of content marketers believe live events are the most effective part of any marketing strategy. These examples of effective live guerrilla marketing events will inspire some of your own.

A little warning: guerrilla marketing looks easy. However, it takes creativity and skill to be effective.

As some of the guerrilla marketing examples below reveal, a plan can go awry if not fully considered before implementing. Which is why having an event marketing plan in place ahead of time will pay off in the long run. Before we dive into the examples, here are some reasons why you might want to include guerrilla marketing into your next big campaign.

Why You Should Invest in Guerrilla Marketing

Investing in guerrilla marketing says that your business is ready to capture the public’s attention in creative ways. With their attention, your brand becomes the distinct entity you want to be in the marketplace. Your company is more recognizable and becomes that much more likely to be the first choice that comes into a consumer’s mind.

 Plus, you can easily use these guerrilla marketing do’s and don’ts to inform your b2b event marketing ideas.

 Check out this list of 35 guerrilla marketing ideas to get a better sense of effective, and not so effective, ways your company could do the same.

35 Bold Examples of Guerrilla Marketing

1. Spotify’s Cosmic Playlists

Source: Spotify

Spotify has used its music streaming platform to drum up attention for its brand on a number of occasions throughout the year. Some have become yearly fixtures, like its year-end wrap up for each user, or Discover Weekly, which finds tailored tracks based on users' listening preferences.

In January 2019, the company offered its latest guerrilla content: playlists based on horoscopes. Spotify teamed up with astrologer Chani Nicholas to create the Cosmic Playlists for U.S. listeners. The playlists are determined by Nicholas' astrological readings to represent each sign's theme at that moment.

Like most of the streaming services efforts, the playlists were picked up extensively by the media. This kind of digital event marketing might even spark some viral campaigns of your own.

Main Takeaway: The strategy doesn't have to be innovative every time. Feel free to use and modify your past success for a similar effect this time around.

2. Domino’s Paving for Pizza

Source: Domino’s

 Nobody likes to get their pizza delivered with the ingredients sliding all over the place and the cheese stuck to the roof of the box. All too often, however, that is exactly the case. In 2018, Domino's pinpointed the source of the problem - and it wasn't bad driving.

Instead, the pizza brand placed the blame on America's infrastructure and its copious amounts of potholes in the street. And thus, the Paving for Pizza campaign began.

Main Takeaway: Nothing earns the public’s admiration like fixing an everyday problem.

3. CalTex Becomes CahillTex

Source: Caltex Australia

 The 2018 World Cup provided numerous brands with opportunities to flex its guerrilla marketing muscles. This happened at many sites around the host country, Russia, but extended across the globe as well.

Australian gas company Caltex Australia got in the mix by honoring one of the nation's most beloved footballers, Tim Cahill. From May through June of 2018, five locations across the country rebranded to become CahillTex. While fun and cheeky, blowback did occur when some alleged that the re-brand was the reason for the 38-year-old being selected for the World Cup team despite his declining performance on the field.

Main Takeaway: Re-brands can be fun but they run the risk of public blowback for even the slightest miscalculations. Proceed with caution.

4. Carlsberg's Beer Caviar

Source: Carlsberg

 Another bit of genius World Cup marketing came from Danish beer brand Carlsberg. As a sponsor of the Danish national team, the brewer wanted to give its fans a taste of Russia with a special twist.

Instead of offering up the traditional caviar, Carlsberg made its own. Danish football fans seemed to love the beer-maker’s version. The effort received considerable press and earned Carlsberg the distinction of being the world's first ever beer caviar.

Main Takeaway: Find ways to align what your brand can create with major events. Bring them together in ways that help boost your event ROI.

5. IHOP Becomes IHOb

Source: LA Times

 To promote its burgers, pancake restaurant IHOP teased and briefly became the International House of Burgers, or IHOb. The move certainly gained heaps of attention for the restaurant.

However, much of it came in the form of endless social media memes and public press. IHOP, or IHOb’s, social media team was seemingly prepared for the scores of criticism. They had all the the answers ready, complete with where Bs and Ps should be. By July, the brand was back to its original name.

Main Takeaway: Changing your name can get the public’s attention. Be sure it is for the right reasons.

6. Hereditary's Creepy Dolls

Source: Xpress Magazine

Horror movie marketing has always been crucial to getting films seen beyond the typical horror movie goer. One of, if not the largest, horror movie in recent years was Hereditary.

Online buzz was generated for the film thanks to a clever and creepy stunt pulled on attendees of one midnight screening. The day after seeing the film, fans found creepy dolls outside their hotel doors. Between the film and this clever bit of guerrilla marketing, the film earned $13 million at the box office its first weekend.

Main Takeaway: Don’t be afraid to be scary. Sometimes, it’s the most on-brand your tactics can be.

7. GoldToe Dresses New York City in Undershirts and Underwear

Source: ALT TERRAIN

To celebrate the launch of its newest shirts and underwear in 2010, the GoldToe decked out famous New York City statues in t-shirts and underwear. The event took place during New York Fashion Week, but that did not relegate the bit of guerrilla marketing to the Fashion District. Instead, the most eye catching of examples came when the famous Wall Street Bull was wrapped in a hilariously oversized pair of tighty whities.

Main Takeaway: Don’t be afraid to be funny - especially when it playfully changes the perception of relatable icons and images.

8. Chipotle's Burrito Baby Shower

Source: Fox 40

 Over the past few years, Chipotle went from being an up and coming fast casual dining brand to a chain that had lost the public's trust due to a large health scare. The brand had been in need of any positive press it could get.

In the spring of 2018, an opportunity was literally born in one of its parking lots when Adrianna Alvarez pulled over with her husband in a Chipotle parking lot to give birth. To mark the occasion, Chipotle invited the happy parents, 911 dispatchers, and all their families to celebrate. They gifted baby Jaden a swaddle that looked like a tortilla.  

Main Takeaway: When a gift opportunity arises, capitalize on it by adding your own bit of good news to the occasion.

9. Fiji Water’s Fiji Girl at the Oscars

Source: Jen Yamato / Los Angeles Times

 One of the most iconic bits of guerrilla marketing in recent history occurred at the Golden Globes awards. While the red carpet is usually all about Hollywood's who's who, the talk of this year’s event was model Kelleth Cuthbert aka #FijiGirl. By standing in the background with a blue dress and tray of Fiji Water, the brand and the model stole the evening. Cuthbert's photobombing skills led to countless memes and free publicity for the water company.

Main Takeaway: It all boils down to creative positioning. Whether a person or an initiative, the placement of the event is crucial.

10. Floating Barge Billboards in New York

Source: Ballyhoo Media

Ballyhoo Media found success with floating barges doubling as billboards back in Miami. The 60-foot double-sided barges could serve as additional advertising real estate as space on land becomes more difficult (and pricey) to find.

In October, signs began showing up in Manhattan and Brooklyn waterways. The floating ads featured promos for everything from TV shows to travel to the airport. After months of complaints from citizens and the press, the city pointed out that the marketing endeavor was illegal and the stunt was shuttered. 

Main Takeaway: Sometimes what works in one market won’t work in another. Analyze the laws and public sentiment before launching any plans.

11. AMD Cuts Into Intel’s 40th Anniversary

Source: Weborus

They say a 40th birthday is a milestone in a person's life. Businesses also celebrate this milestone. Just like some advantageous friends or family, other businesses can also make the day about themselves. 

To mark its 40th milestone, Intel planned to give away 8,086 copies of its limited edition 6-core-i7-8086k computers. To drastically undercut the occasion, AMD offered to give 40 of those winners its own 16-core Ryzen Threadripper 1950x to Intel prize winners. To counter the move, Intel took to Twitter to call out AMD and suggest it may have just wanted to win an Intel itself.

Main Takeaway: Don’t be afraid to take away another brand’s thunder. Leveraging occasions for your success is key in garnering attention.

12. Payless Goes High End as Palessi

Source: Payless Shoes

 The affordable, low-cost shoe store threw Los Angeles shoppers for a loop last year when it had the launch party for a new luxury shoe brand, Palessi, created by a fake Italian designer Bruno Palessi. The swanky shop had all the trappings of a high-end store, including angel statues, sleek shoe displays and even a mini-runway. Needless to say, plenty of shoppers were willing to drop hundreds of dollars for the fake shoe line.

The stunt garnered the brand heaps of attention in the press. However, it did not save the business - Payless recently announced that it will be shutting down all its locations.

Main Takeaway: Asking people to change their perception can be fun. But it may not actually lead to increased sales.

13. Tesla's “$0 Budget”

Source: SpaceX 

While many find Tesla founder Elon Musk’s antics frustrating, plenty of them have resulted in heaps of press for little to no money.

The Tesla marketing above cost quite a bit of money. However, guerrilla marketing is commonly used by the brand. This includes when Tesla gave its patents away for free. Additionally, the brand is known for going viral thanks to humorous videos of its new technology, like when Tesla fans made videos of themselves using the car's autopilot function. In all, the brand knows how to get attention.

Main Takeaway: Guerrilla marketing doesn’t have to be a solo event. It can be a series of acts that establish the brand as a consistent guerrilla marketer.

14. The Nun's YouTube Controversy

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Hereditary was not the only horror film to cash in with a bit of help from guerrilla marketing. The Nun was aided by YouTube in 2018, causing the film earn over $380 million in U.S. box office revenue. The original plan was for the film to air an unskippable ad on numerous YouTube videos. After playing for some time, the public began discussing how frightening the spot was. 

In turn, YouTube banned the ad for violating policies concerning what it deems violent and shocking content - and the buzz was created.  

Main Takeaway: Sometimes getting banned is the best publicity possible.

15. Homie Real Estate's Electoral Bid

Source: Homie for Senate

An election loophole in Arizona gave Utah real estate company Homie the publicity it was seeking in Fall 2018. Deciding that digital ads on major platforms weren't enough, the company began running ads that bared a striking resemblance to political signs that commonly adorned yards and windows. The sign text even included the URL HomieForSenate.com. Soon enough, the company had struck a deal with Arizona to never pull the stunt again.

Main Takeaway: Venturing into politics can be risky, but it can pay off. Scrutinize your plan thoroughly before executing.

16. Author's Surprise Window Ads

Ask forgiveness, not permission! Great to see a unique approach to advertising, reminds me of the fun we’ve had with our airlines. Congratulations on the book @samconniff #bemorepirate pic.twitter.com/ZLLnLpWLV1

— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) May 3, 2018

Source: Twitter

Be More Pirate: Or How to Take On the World and Win author Sam Conniff Allende lived up to the title of his first published book when advertising it. Allende pasted hot pink eight meter ads along the first floor windows of Penguin Random House's London offices. The thing is, Penguin hadn't approved the ads. The author and a team snuck in as contractors to do the deed. As of December 2018, the book is available in eight countries including the U.S.

Main Takeaway: Live up to your brand. Authenticity is one of the most valued assets you can have.

17. Samsung's Appel Giveaway

Source: Samsung

If Samsung gave out free Galaxy S9 phones to the entire Apple community it'd surely go broke. But if it hands out a few hundred Galaxy S9s to the entire population of the Dutch hamlet Appel, it has a clever bit of marketing on its hands. The stunt is charming and shows that many of Appel's community may now be part of Samsung's community as well.

Main Takeaway: Find clever ways to leverage your competition to your advantage. You could win over a few hundred customers in a small Dutch village!

18. Sixt's Sixth Ave Takeover 

Source: YouTube/Sixt

To gain more of New York City's rental car market, Sixt continued its history of clever marketing by turning Manhattan's Sixth Avenue into Sixt Avenue. In a span of five minutes, the brand was able to put up signs and even orchestrate a 10-car parade. Sixt also got drone footage in downtown Manhattan to add to its appeal.

Main Takeaway: Cheeky branding can work. Mix it with sleek footage and you will have a good bit of marketing on your hands.

19. Burger King's Influencer Stunt

some things from 2010 are worth revisiting—like your old tweets. and funnel cake fries. get them now for a limited time.

— Burger King (@BurgerKing) January 24, 2019

Source: Twitter/Burger King

 Burger King recently relied on influencers to market the return of its funnel cake fries. The treat last appeared on menus in 2010. To generate buzz, BK's Twitter account began liking tweets from influencers and verified accounts from 2010. Popular influencer Casey Neistat claimed he and others were exploited in the stunt, to which the fast food chain attempted to apologize.

Main Takeaway: Consider your participants when guerrilla marketing. A negative reaction will sour all your other hard work.

20. Twentieth Century Fox's Mystery Spies

Source: Media in Canada

To drum up buzz for Jennifer Lawrence's 2018 film Red Sparrow, Twentieth Century Fox Canada teamed up with two companies, Zenith Media and Eat It Up Media, to shake up the Toronto streets. Twenty models dressed as Lawrence's Russian spy character to hand out business cards with the film’s showtimes. The movie took in over $151 million in box office sales. 

Main Takeaway: Be bold and recognizable when seeking attention. Adding intrigue doesn’t hurt either.

21. Aphex Twin's Unexpected Logos

      View this post on Instagram

    When did these Aphex Twin 3D graphics appear on the wall at Elephant and Castle tube? Not noticed them before. Something new coming from him?

A post shared by Nico De Ceglia (@nicodeceglia) on Jul 28, 2018 at 4:28pm PDT

Source: Instagram

Popular electronic music artist Aphex Twin's logo and artwork was found around London, Turin, Hollywood and New York City in the summer of 2018. Adorning billboards and other heavy foot traffic locations, the ads promoted the artist's latest EP, Collapse. For a 2014 release, the artist flew a blimp over London and New York City with his logo.

Main Takeaway: Use your iconic logo when you can. It could become a tradition in your marketing that fans expect.

22. Mous' Viral Video

Source: YouTube/Mous

Protective cell phone case Mous gave Apple fans minor heart attacks while promoting its brand. In 2018, the company sent a rep to buy a $999 iPhone X. They they invited people in London and Hong Kong to throw it on the sidewalk. But don’t worry - the phone was protected thanks to Mous' Airoshock case. This became one of many videos in a series promoting the protection the case offers.

Main Takeaway: Turn a consumer’s worst nightmare into a fun experiential marketing campaign. Prove your product is the protector of their worst case scenarios.

23. Lidl's Billboard Sabotage

Source: The Drum

 U.K. retailer Lidl took a swipe at its rivals while positioning itself as the low cost alternative in its sector. The company used billboards adorned with familiar imagery from the competition while overlaying a Lidl ad showing the same product at a cheaper rate at its stores. To make the campaign that much more effective, ads were placed near rival locations.

Main Takeaway: Leveraging branding from your rivals can generate attention for your company. Strategic placement will drum up much more conversation.

24. Circles.Life's Get Rich Quick Scheme

      View this post on Instagram

    So.. something interesting happened today! Saw a huge crowd outside H&M Somerset for this vending machine so i decide to kpo & pay $3 for $50!! What can i say, im $47 richer now HAHAHAHA! Go ahead & try it urself tomorrow from 5pm-8pm! Don’t say i bojio! #3dollarballer #3dollarballers #uxm

A post shared by Hafiz Aziz (@hafizazizzz) on Feb 27, 2018 at 2:47am PST

Source: Instagram

Data provider Circles.Life got Singapore talking with a vending machine stunt in early 2018. Across the country, vending machines dispensed $50 in exchange for $3. The exchange came with a flier with a QR code and the hashtag #3dollarballer. The campaign was to promote the online telco provider's on demand, unlimited data plan. Numerous social media posts followed while police had to come in to monitor the situation.

Main Takeaway: Money always gets people’s attention. Just be sure to avoid a major commotion.

25. Wendy’s Twitter Rap Battle with Wing Stop

Be there. Done that. Bring something fresh... not frozen. 😉 https://t.co/xi81olVFgP

— Wingstop 🍗 (@wingstop) October 2, 2017

Source: Twitter/Wingstop

Wendy's earns high marks for its ability to engage with young audiences on social media. In the fall of 2017, the brand engaged in a tweet rap battle against fellow fast food restaurant Wingstop. The $0 stunt generated buzz for both brands while avoiding the outcome Burger King and others have fallen into.

Main Takeaway: Have a capable social media manager on your team. Their ability to connect with younger audiences is invaluable.

26. Childish Gambino's “Feels Like Summer” Ice Cream Pop Up

      View this post on Instagram

    can’t be unlucky when you’ve got a free chocolate ice cream cone in hand! thanks, @childishgambino. 😘🍦🍫 #fridaythe13th #unionsquarenyc #summertimemagic #gambinogirlforever #swipeleft

A post shared by BMSR (@skepticalface) on Jul 13, 2018 at 9:55am PDT

Source: Instagram

Who can beat free ice cream on a hot summer day? To promote his 2018 summer-themed EP, Childish Gambino stationed ice cream trucks in New York City, LA and London to dispense free ice cream and a loop of the two songs. The event generated long lines for free ice cream and photo ops with summertime themed grass props.

Main Takeaway: Strategically align your efforts. Make your seasonal offering help those looking for relief from the elements.

27. Vitamin Water's Bogus Movies

Source: YouTube/Vitamin Water

Coca-Cola decided that the best way to market Vitamin Water was by doing exactly the opposite. A series of ads popped up in the summer of 2018 marketing anything but the drink. The ads were heavily featured on Rotten Tomatoes, including a full-page ad for a Pomeranian-themed movie "financed" by Vitamin Water.

Main Takeaway: Sometimes going off brand is best for business. Just be sure to loop back to your actual company at some point.

28. Bird's Guerrilla Business Practices

Source: KMIZ/Fox 22

Scooter ride sharing companies caused quite a stir over the past year or so. They include Bird, who operated in cities like Columbia, Missouri without an proper license. Many accused the brand of skirting laws while others believe it engaged in similar tactics as Uber. The move earned Bird buzz in the city, appearing in the news and local outlets. However, its impact on public perception was uncertain.

Main Takeaway: Flirting with breaking the law can be a dangerous play. Executed correctly and it can be a hit. On the other hand, it could severely damage your brand.

29. Deadpool's Tinder Account

Source: Imgur

Both Deadpool movies have relied on a series of hilarious guerrilla marketing stunts. They include turning bars into the anti-hero's favorite bars from the films as well as popping up in covers of other films. But the most iconic one may be the Tinder profile setup for the crime fighter. All the efforts have helped push the film to become one of the most successful hero franchises in recent years.

Main Takeaway: Be funny, be bold and don’t be afraid to lean into your humor.

30. PETA's Shocking Posters

Source: Julius Sandor

 People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has often used guerrilla marketing tactics to get its message out. Its campaigns for ethical animal treatment focused on the brand Canada Goose in the winter of 2018. The group launched an "anti-marketing" campaign in Downtown Toronto to dissuade people for the brand due to its treatment of coyotes and geese. The campaign continues with other groups involved as well.

Main Takeaway: Foul language and harsh imagery can jar audiences which is what some campaigns need to be noticed.

31. Anytime Fitness's Purple Bikes

Source: Jonathan Carroll

Warners Bay, Australia found itself with a bit of a local mystery in the fall of 2017 when purple bikes began appearing across town. Eventually, after some guessing, a local fitness chain owned up to the marketing. Anytime Fitness claimed that it was a reminder for folks to get active this spring.

Main Takeaway: A friendly reminder to keep healthy may resonate more with a quirky twist to the message.

32. Subway's Subliminal Sandwiches

Source: Subway

Subway sandwiches used guerrilla and subconscious marketing to suggest its food to passersby in the summer of 2018. The chain's "SUBliminal messaging" launched a three-day campaign in Chicago where images of footlong subs were projected onto buildings and on streets with chalk art. The brand has used similar tactics like these in years to generate buzz after its brand began declining a few years back.

Main Takeaway: Sometimes making your audience pause to wonder what they saw is the name of the game.

33. Solange's BlackPlanet Revival

Source: BlackPlanet

BlackPlanet was once a bustling online community. Like many social media platforms, it eventually ceded its popularity as its audience moved on. However, the site received a significant boost thanks to an artistic video page by artist Solange. The videos have piqued fan interest as rumors of new music began to swirl.

Main Takeaway: Be unconventional. Sometimes going back to popular methods can generate buzz a current popular outlet couldn’t offer.

34. A&E Supply Co.'s Logo Graffiti 

Source: Yelp

Brooklyn restaurant A&E Supply Co. caused a stir in winter 2017 with its local marketing. After a series of financial setbacks, guerrilla marketing was all it had left. So they began tagging Park Slope and Gowanus neighborhood sidewalks with temporary chalk logos. Some in the neighborhoods weren't thrilled and consider the acts vandalism. The location was rebranded later that year.

Main Takeaway: Changing your name might actually help your business. But no matter what you do, remember to gauge public opinion ahead of time. 

35. Bud Light UK's Free Beer Handout

Source: Wiki Commons

Bud Light UK came under fire in the winter of 2017 after it was caught giving out beer to the homeless. While the campaign focused on giving out free beer to any legal adult, the campaign caught significant flack for dispensing alcohol to people often associated with drinking related health problems. The operation was quickly shut down as public sentiment split on the issue.

Main Takeaway: Consider your demographic before going through with any campaign. A friendly gesture can go awry thanks to a bad image.

Wrapping Up: Gearing Up For Guerrilla Marketing

Consider your options and remember that countless possibilities exist. From the uncommon to the conventional, every campaign is different and could lead to success for your brand. Do not limit your company to one set of tactics. Explore every option you have.

from Cameron Jones Updates https://blog.bizzabo.com/guerrilla-marketing-examples

[rhondanicole]

Black Music Month: Artists and Albums that Matter to Me

June is #BlackMusicMonth, an annual celebration of African Americans’ innumerable contributions to the American–and global–musical landscape. Each day this month, I’m highlighting some of my favorite artists and albums.

Day 11

Michael Franti + Spearhead, Stay Human

My literal introduction to Michael Franti + Spearhead came during my sophomore year at SMU, when I [accidentally] met the band in Hughes-Trigg Student Center. It was late 1994, and Franti et al were making the college tour circuit in support of their debut album, Home (Franti had released an album some years earlier with his former band, Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy). One of the Program Council committees had arranged for the band to come to campus; up to that point, I had never heard of them. As a member of Program Council, however, I felt it my duty to at least go and see who and what they were all about, and support my comrades in student event programming. When I strolled into the Student Center and saw this group of cute guys standing around, I thought they were students visiting from another school and immediately rushed over to attempt whatever level of flirting my awkward 19-year-old self could muster. After a round of introductions, however, I realized these weren’t “new boys,” but an even more interesting collection of musicians. Some chit chat and displays of my dimples later, and I headed off to class (maybe. Was I really going to class?) with tickets to their show later than night in Deep Ellum, where they’d be opening for Digable Planets.

At that same time, I was also a DJ on the campus radio station, KPNI. So I was doubly excited to receive not one but 2 Spearhead promotional CDs, along with 2 promo posters, at the studio. One CD featured various mixes of Home’s lead single, “People in da Middle,” while the other offered a handful of takes of one of the album’s other standout tracks, “Hole in da Bucket.” I added these tunes to my DJ Lady Echo playlist and, from then on, considered myself a fan of Spearhead.

But then, life happened, and for some reason, I all but forgot about MFSH not long after. In fact, I completely missed the release of their second album, Chocolate Supa Highway, in 1997. Maybe it was because I was no longer doing a radio show, or, even more likely, because by the time that album dropped, the band was beginning to lose its footing in the hip-hop landscape of that time thanks to the commercialization of so-called “gangsta rap.” Groups like Spearhead, Digables, and Arrested Development, which had enjoyed a good amount of room on the airwaves and on wreckastow shelves in the early ‘90s, had quickly been replaced by harder, heavier hip-hop acts who countered the formers’ Black empowerment, peace, love, and positive vibes with grimy tales from the proverbial hood. And while Chocolate certainly attempted to adapt to this shift, it doesn’t appear that audiences were all that interested. And that’s a shame, because songs like “Gas Gauge,” which tells the story of a young Black kid shot by police all because he was trying to get his wallet from the glove box, and smoldering tracks like “U Can’t Sing R Song” and “Comin’ to Gitcha,” both of which carry some serious R&B vibes, could have worked on urban radio at the time.

It would be May of 2001 before we heard anything new from Michael Franti + Spearhead, and the album that would introduce them into the new Millennium was the presciently titled Stay Human. The album opens with “Oh My God,” a soulful, pensive tune that seems to pick up where Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” left off. The whole of Stay Human finds Franti’s passion for tackling topics of social justice through song intact, but this time, more focused and disciplined--a noticeable contrast to his previous albums. Between the tracks are a series of segues featuring two characters, Brotha Sunshine (Franti) and The Nubian Poetess, as hosts of a non-profit radio program aimed at “what the others won’t play and what they definitely won’t say.” At the heart of this fictitious radio show is conversation about the pending execution of Sister Fatima, a woman convicted of murder and upon whose execution rests the fate of a deeply contested gubernatorial race (the governor is played by none other than Woody Harrelson). Throughout the album, the radio hosts discuss the case as new evidence has emerged suggesting Sister Fatima is not guilty. 

Of course, most of us remember 2001 for the horrific events of 9/11, and although Stay Human dropped several months before that life-altering September day, one can’t help but draw eery parallels between the album’s political urgency and the political climate of the time. One of Franti’s greatest accomplishments as a songwriter is his ability to take songs weighted with social commentary and make them light and fun, without losing the songs’ message. Stay Human’s title track is an excellent example of this, with MFSH singing “all the freaky people make the beauty of the world” while also talking about human condition issues such as starvation and the fears people experienced as we headed into Y2K. “Do Ya Love” takes on same-sex marriage years before the conversation became serious platform fodder for presidential campaigns, and “Love’ll Set Me Free” finds Franti taking on the perspective of someone who’s been incarcerated and separated from his loved ones with empathy, heart, and nuance. 

One of the album’s most poignant tracks, “We Don’t Mind,” is a protest song for the 21st century. The album’s climatic final radio segue is jarring and unexpected, but lays the groundwork for the final track, “Skin on the Drum.”

In the years since Stay Human’s release, Michael Franti has become a bonafide international rock star, thanks in large part to the surprise hit, 2008′s “Say Hey (I Love You).” For many an OG Spearit (MFSH’s nickname for their fans), the more recent releases lack the cohesive, socially conscious through-lines of his earlier works. Following Stay Human, the pop-tinged but still political Everyone Deserves Music delivered a high-energy mix of hip-hop and rock, and 2006′s Yell Fire! kept the embers aglow with its infusion of reggae. 2008′s All Rebel Rockers, the album that gifted us with the aforementioned “Say Hey,” seemed to mark the end of the directly political Franti, and usher in a new era of MFSH which would focus more on relationships--both personal and romantic, and global, encompassing various aspects of the human condition. Perhaps this is due to the dramatic shift in our own political landscape, considering that Franti’s early ‘00s albums were released during the Bush era while albums from 2008 and beyond came during President Obama’s time in office (Franti even released a tribute to POTUS after his first election). And so, although the world continued to stare down any number of social and political urgencies during the comparatively less chaotic Obama years, it would appear that Franti decided to turn his attention a bit more inward, with 2010′s Sound of Sunshine, 2013′s All People, and 2016′s SoulRocker moving further and further away from the themes set out on Stay Human.  

Even still, it’s no coincidence that Franti’s latest tour and documentary film are both named Stay Human. The false sense of security we grew too comfortable with during the Age of Obama gave way to unadulterated bullshit, so perhaps Franti’s return to the themes he first explored in 2001 couldn’t have come a moment too soon. 

--Rhonda Nicole

[8dpromo]

Klaus Benedek - forTunea Label mix (8DPromo)

Vienna’s rising forTunea label has released a cluster of quality tunes over the past year, and 2018 is filled with big plans and amazing new music. Label don Klaus Benedek has crafted an excellent DJ mix showcasing some of the label’s sounds from 2017 as well as output from artists in forTunea’s orbit. It’s a pleasurable dive into upfront deep house sure to get your seat swiveling. Have a listen:

We asked Klaus Benedek a few questions about forTunea, the house scene in Vienna, and this mix.

What inspired you to start the label, and when did it begin?

Klaus: I was tired of waiting for my tracks to get released. After signing contracts with various digital labels, it took about a year until my tracks finally came out. That's why I started my own label in 2014. And of course, I always wanted to release vinyl, too. At first I worked alone and there were only songs released by myself. But after a while I received demos from fellow local DJs/producers and so I signed them. The vinyl is always limited to 300 copies (except the first release "Still Daydreaming", 350 copies). If they are sold out, then they are gone. There will be no repress.

Tell us about the Vienna scene, specifically the underground house scene. How are you a part of it? Who are the standout artists? Who's making moves? Anything to let us know about what's happening in Vienna (or Austria as a whole) that makes it special right now.

Klaus: Clubbing in general got its boom since the Pratersauna opened in 2009. However you can't compare the nightlife with other metropolises like Berlin or Amsterdam. Venue owners have to follow regulations and they are strict. So do not expect massive sound systems in every location. They are mostly locked on a certain db limitation. Afterhours parties exist, but they only take place for a few hours. Other than that there is a closing time for bars till 4 AM and clubs till 6 AM.

Before the Pratersauna, electronic music was always more a niche market in Austria. In Vienna, we had only a couple of venues where techno, house, and, at that time, the minimal sound was played. Those were Flex, the Camera Club, the Fluc Wanne, and occasionally some huge, more commercial events in the Volksgarten and the Gasometer. Other than that, drum n’ bass, downtempo, and indie rock were more popular in the Austrian capitol. But since the beginning of the 2010s and the popularity of certain individuals and movies that became a pop culture phenomenon (such as Berlin Calling) that all changed. Techno parties are well attended now. Especially since more locations opened (Grelle Forelle, which has the best sound system in the city) or relocated (Werk) on the Danube channel.

The house scene in Vienna is relatively small compared to the techno/tech house crews. If you really wanna hear Chicago style, deep, garage, lo-fi house, or even disco you need to visit smaller locations like Celeste, Spark, Elektro Gönner, or Sass. Many fellow DJs have their home bases now. For example, Roman Rauch organises the event series Manifest - Spritzwein Session with Nico Nesta and Maaki for more than two years. It’s where you’re most likely to hear DJs that don’t come to Vienna regularly like Move D, Red Rack'em, Hunee, Fouk, and Terrence Parker. Besides forTunea there are a handful labels that have been established or had a breakthrough during this decade. You should check them out, regardless the genre: Luv Shack Records, Secret Crunch, Life Is For Living, Schenkelspreizer, Affine, Step Back Trax, Sama Recordings, Luv Lite Recordings, Morbid, Yoshi, Driving Forces Recordings, Footwork Frenzy.

What is on deck for 2018 for forTunea?

Klaus: In January my Consequences EP will be re-released digitally. After that we will expand our artist roster. In March we will finally release an EP by my good old friend Alex Kolodziej. I think it took almost two years for him to finish the tracks. That’s because he had almost no time. He works in catering and has a 60+ hour a week schedule. Appropriately the record will be called Workaholic. Peletronic and myself will deliver remixes too. In May/June Munich/Bavarian-raised Anatol, who has lived in Vienna for quite a while, will release a 12" vinyl single. And in summer we plan, for our 10th issue, an eight track compilation.

How does the philosophy of the label tie in with your DJ’ing and production?

Klaus: On forTunea not every release sounds the same, and we want to stick to this philosophy. The tenor is always house music. But it shouldn't be monotonous. We’ll release a deep house record, then the next one will have a disco vibe to it, and others will be more techy, broken beat, or with Chicago or Detroit influences. My DJ’ing is similar. I never liked to just play one (sub)genre the whole night. I upload a promo mix on my Soundcloud page bi-monthly to introduce new tracks/vinyl that I picked up and present them in a way that makes sense.

I am making music on Ableton Live, combined with Reason as a master/slave combination. Most of the time I use VST Plugins. But I also work with hardware pieces like a Waldorf Pulse, Microkorg, or my newest baby in the studio, a Korg M1R.

Tell us about this DJ mix.

Klaus: All tracks that I feature in this mix came out this year. Of course, you will hear some tracks that have been released previously on forTunea amongst other artists like Nick Höppner, Ponty Mython, Space Echo, and Demuja. I’d like to highlight Demuja! This guy comes from Salzburg and 2017 was definitely his year. He even released an EP on Jimpster's label Freerange Recordings. In this mix you will hear a track from his current EP on Life Is For Living. Enjoy!

[takenews-blog1]

Game over: Top 10 reasons why Bill #Simmons flopped on #TV

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Game over: Top 10 reasons why Bill #Simmons flopped on #TV

It is sport over for Invoice Simmons’ HBO discuss present, “Any Given Wednesday.” HBO introduced that it was mercifully pulling the plug on his struggling 4 month-old present Friday afternoon, historically the favourite time and day to launch dangerous information.

There can be a last episode Nov. 9.

So what occurred? ”

Any Given Wednesday” was alleged to be the previous ESPN dangerous boy’s huge transfer into TV and the showpiece of Simmons’ new multimedia empire that might characteristic a weekly HBO present alongside John Oliver and Invoice Maher, sports activities documentaries and his new sports activities/popular culture site, The Ringer.

MORE: Here is how Simmons might’ve saved his present

As a substitute, Simmons must look within the mirror and ask himself if he actually belongs on TV. Or if his abilities as a columnist, editor, podcaster and documentary movie maker make him extra suited to an off-screen function.

It is not the top of the world. Simmons has an estimated three-year, $20 million improvement take care of HBO. He will transfer on to different initiatives. The man who created the “30 for 30” collection and Grantland at ESPN continues to be an enormous identify and expertise.

Like many on-line journalists, I am rooting for Simmons. He is been nice at giving alternatives to expertise at The Ringer and Grantland whose voices won’t have been heard in any other case.

However the backside line is TV will not be for everyone. To paraphrase Tom Hanks in “A League of their Personal,” if it was simple, then everyone might do it.

Nonetheless, it is a main blow to the Sports activities Man’s model and ego. HBO yanked “Joe Buck Dwell” off the air after solely three episodes in 2010. Like Buck, Simmons must carry that failure round for the remainder of his profession.

Sporting Information was one of many first to warn that Simmons present was tanking and that the clock was ticking. Possibly Simmons determined to simply shoot the crippled horse out again and begin contemporary. I can not blame him.

I talked to some TV executives about why Simmons face-planted on TV. All declined to go on the file.

Listed below are the high 10 explanation why Simmons’ “Any Given Wednesday” present is historical past after solely 17 episodes:

It is so simple as that. Some folks come throughout nice on TV. Others do not. Simmons by no means appeared comfy on “Any Given Wednesday.” He modified the format, his garments, the set ornament, famous Ryan Glasspiegel of The Large Lead. However he rushed by means of his opening monologue. Then he dropped it utterly. These inside jokes and popular culture references that made him the nation’s most profitable sportswriter fell flat on TV.

With no studio viewers for many of its run, the present felt sterile and rancid. Plus, Simmons does not have a great voice. It is reedy and skinny. He appears like an overgrown frat boy. You possibly can get away with having a nasty voice on TV if in case you have a charismatic presence. You will get away with not having a charismatic presence on TV if in case you have an amazing voice. Simmons has neither. A co-host like Jalen Rose, Simmons’ previous operating mate on ESPN’s “NBA Countdown,” would have helped. However this automobile was designed for Simmons as a solo act, not as a part of a forged.  “He was thus far over his skis, it wasn’t humorous. You can see this wasn’t going to work two weeks into it,” stated one TV government.

“Any Given Wednesday’s” extremely touted premiere June 22 premiere drew 260,000 viewers. 4 months later, the October 26 episode bottomed out with a paltry 82,000 viewers. HBO might discuss all it wished about how many individuals taped the present on DVR and watched it later. However as soon as Simmons dipped under 100,000 viewers for a primary run airing, the writing was on the wall.

“There was no option to rationalize or clarify that one,” stated one TV government. “82,000 viewers? C’mon.” Simmons himself admitted in an announcement Friday that “Any Given Wednesday” by no means “resonated with audiences like we hoped. And that is on me.” Give him credit score for honesty.

Look, I am not saying Simmons has to do a Skip Bayless heel flip and “Embrace Debate.” However there was no battle, no stress. As a substitute, we had Simmons giving again rubs to his Malibu buddies and frequent podcast friends. Everyone appeared to agree with everyone on something. Everyone was buddies. “To not blow smoke up your ass, however I don’t assume you get sufficient credit score,” cooed Simmons to Mark Cuban. Ugh.

The low second was watching Simmons swap pot smoking tales with Seth Rogen. They appeared like two stoners who had the munchies on the finish of the evening. What was this, “The Pineapple Categorical?” A reside studio viewers to snort at his jokes and cheers friends would have helped. By the point Simmons tried it, it was too late. “The toughest-hitting factor he did was the promo. He promised a present he by no means delivered,” stated a TV government.

That is actually Simmons’ fault as the manager producer. TV is a totally completely different medium than sportswriting, radio or podcasting. Too typically, “Any Given Wednesday” got here off like a rewrite of one in all Simmons’ columns come to life, famous Terrible Saying. Or a podcast with video. If the present was merely a Simmons podcast with video, why watch in any respect?  Throw in the truth that the HBO government who employed Simmons, Michael Lombardi, is not with the community, Simmons did not have a  lot of operating room to work with.

Simmons’ interviewing experience, honed on his hour-long podcasts, was alleged to be his power. As a substitute, it turned his weak point on a half-hour TV present. Nothing was allowed to breathe or develop. Worse, he fawned over his friends and by no means requested powerful questions. This might have been OK if he was your regular discuss present host. Besides this was Simmons. The identical powerful man who mercilessly mocked ESPN colleagues  Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic for his or her softball interviews. The identical Simmons who likes to tear on TV varieties from his sofa for his or her inane questions and feedback. This time, it was Simmons’ flip to really feel disdain from critics. Turnabout is honest play.

The Sports activities Man made his identify and fame by being a Boston homer for the Patriots, Celtics and Pink Sox. However that did not reduce on a nationwide present attempting to succeed in a nationwide TV viewers. It began on the premiere episode, with Simmons and fellow Boston native Ben Affleck railing about Tom Brady and Deflategate. Is not this the final word “us towards them” story, requested Simmons.

Who is that this Boston “us” that Simmons was speaking about? He is lived in Los Angeles for 15 years. He is received a Malibu seashore home. He mixes with celebs like Jimmy Kimmel. The Oscar-winning Affleck is likely one of the world’s most well-known actor/administrators. He is been in LA so lengthy he might run for Mayor. For the 2 of them to behave like they had been Southies on the L Avenue Tavern was absurd. Or possibly not. Many joked the slurring, cursing Affleck appeared drunk throughout his anti-NFL rant.

HBO launched “Any Given Wednesday” on June 22. That was three days after LeBron James’ Cavaliers had come again from a Three-1 deficit to upset Steph Curry and the NBA Champion Golden State Warriors. Look, the NBA is Simmons’ bread and butter. By the point he received on the air, there wasn’t a lot taking place in sports activities — apart from baseball. And, after all, Simmons additionally had the dangerous luck to launch a brand new sports activities discuss present at a time when the U.S. presidential election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton was drawing TV viewers to information and away from sports activities. Simply ask the NFL, which is experiencing a double-digit rankings drop after a file TV yr in 2015.

The very best sports activities discuss exhibits riff off the greatest sports activities information of the day or the week resembling ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption” or FS1’s “Communicate for Your self.” Simmons and his crew did not try this. So far as I can inform, they disregarded the Colin Kaepernick-led participant protests within the NFL. Simmons appeared to go for evergreen tales and essays that had no juice. Or comedy bits about sports activities topics no person cared about any extra. Reminiscent of his painfully unfunny “Saturday Night time Dwell” fashion skit about Deflategate.

Simmons made his identify because the politically incorrect blogger writing about strippers on the notorious Atlanta Gold Membership trial and mocking ESPN’s protection of the WNBA. However marriage and fatherhood to a soccer-playing younger daughter have modified The Sports activities Man, stated one TV government. Now he sounds extra just like the politically right social justice warriors Simmons would have laughed at a decade in the past. His “Ringer” and ESPN’s now shuttered “Grantland” web pages have leaned towards a extra progressive view of sports activities and popular culture.  “Simmons was the Howard Stern of Sports activities. Now he is Bomani Jones,” stated the manager.

I assumed Sports activities Illustrated media columnist Richard Deitsch made a great level on his SI Media podcast this week with John Ourand of SportsBusiness Day by day and Jimmy Traina of Terrible Saying. Wednesdays is only a dangerous day for a weekly sport present. “For those who recap stuff, it feels previous. However if you happen to preview stuff it feels previous. So that you’re in no-person’s land,” Deitsch stated.

[placetobenation]

Join me, Stace your resident Divas nut, as I make cases for the female Greatest Wrestler Ever candidates. I’ll be going into the reasons why I love them and will probably vote for them, and recommending some matches to explore for yourself. Hashtag Give Divas a Chance!

I feel like I’m going to go down in the history of the internet as the only fan of Kelly Kelly the Worker. I am completely OK with this feeling. – me, 2012

Oh yes.

I copped a lot of flak for even nominating Kelly. Some people thought it was a joke. But there is nothing I take more seriously than Kelly Kelly.

I think she gets a bad rap, and I say that about quite a few women but Kelly cops it more than most. She gets dismissed out of hand basically for being Kelly Kelly, used as an avatar for people’s worst impressions about the Divas era and all its horrible workers. Honestly, she should be remembered as the opposite, a model-turned-wrestler success story who worked ridiculously hard and became way better than she had any right to be.

Kelly came into WWE as the “exhibitionist” when WWECW began in 2006, and then joined the most illustrious, prestigious dance troupe in all of the modern arts, Extreme Expose. And much like Layla she used it as a natural springboard to wrestling glory (I actually think it’s kind of amazing that all three of the Extreme Expose girls, of all the damned things, turned out to be good workers). Kelly didn’t really start wrestling matches until late 2007, and initially sure, the going was rough. But less than a year later, she had improved remarkably and was already a good underdog face for the likes of Beth and Victoria to bump around. She kept getting better and remained a good working babyface until her retirement in 2012, which if you think about it is about four solid years of work and means that she was, in fact, pretty good for the majority of her career.

Good how, you say? Again, mainly at working from underneath as a sympathetic babyface. She was really good at taking a beating, selling pain and building that sympathy during the heat, and because she was pretty over it worked in getting crowds into matches. Plus she was a gymnast and had a babyface arsenal full of fun moves like ranas and handspring back elbows and leaping leg drops. Some of her early stuff was clunky (as everyone’s is) but like Trish she was athletic enough to level up pretty quickly, and seriously the girl could bust out spinning ranas and split-legged springboard armdrags like she was Rey God damn Mysterio. By the time she won the Divas Title in 2011 she had thoroughly earned it.

She also earned it by being extremely over as a babyface. It seems easy to forget now, but Kelly really was super popular with crowds for basically her entire run. The reason she got the title was because she won a Taboo Tuesday-like fan vote to get a shot at it on Raw, and people went nuts when she won it. Check out the video below from 4:20 onwards to see the huge pop she gets on her return at Elimination Chamber 2011. Kelly never had a problem getting a reaction out of crowds, and for a woman in that era that is an achievement in itself. For the people who are counting overness as part of their deliberations, Kelly was one of the most popular women WWE had in a post-Trish/Lita world.

That whole story of her being courted by Drew, protected by Edge, fired by Vickie and re-hired by Teddy was a fun little angle that had her flirting with the main event on Smackdown, and it actually did get her into a main event on Smackdown, where Edge had to defend his title in a mixed tag with her, Laycool and Dolph. Kelly was outnumbered two girls to one, but she worked the whole damn match AND got the pin so really, Kelly Kelly defended the World Heavyweight Title and technically never lost it so she should probably still be the champion today. Anyway this was a great example of Kelly carrying a much shittier babyface in Edge to a fun main event.

The feud with Beth Phoenix is a triumph. They tapped into real life ideas about how deserving Kelly was of her title run versus more experienced workers in Beth and Nattie, and Kelly almost became a female version of John Cena, fighting perceptions and “You Can’t Wrestle” chants as they try to prove their worth against “real” wrestlers who have the support of hardcore PPV crowds. And Kelly, much like Cena, walked into enemy territory with her head held high, worked her ass off, and retained the title. Because she WAS good enough, she was worthy, and the so-called real wrestlers couldn’t handle it, until they found a way to cheat her out of the title in the end. Fantastic storytelling, played perfectly by Kelly, Beth and Nattie, and it resulted in some great PPV matches.

Now of course I’m not saying that Kelly Kelly had it all. There were certain things she did in the ring I was not a fan of, particularly all the screaming. When she’d grab someone and slam their head into the mat and wail like a banshee…I think she was going for intensity and fire but it came off more hysterical and was very un-babyface-like. I should probably also mention her awkward rope running, it’s not something that bothers me but I know it bothered other people, so for all to see: she sucked at running the ropes.

Kelly wasn’t any great shakes as a promo, and as an actor she fluctuated wildly between hilariously wooden and surprisingly natural, and I have no idea how or why. She did various short-lived love interest angles over the years with guys like Balls Mahoney, CM Punk and Drew Mac, but apart from that wasn’t really involved in a lot of detailed storyline stuff. So again, I know it sounds hard to believe but her real strengths did lie inside the ring.

Kelly Kelly the worker. Who would have thought? Hang on…

I am becoming more and more convinced that Kelly Kelly is really going to turn into something special. Its startling how good Kelly has become in such a short space of time. She has limitless potential. – me, 2009

Me! I would have thought!

Anyway I hope all this at least dispels the notion that she’s some sort of joke candidate or was horrible in the ring, I certainly don’t believe she’s either of those things. She deserves her fair shake just like the other women, just like the other candidates full stop, because she did have a nice little career there, and she really was a lot better than she’s ever been given credit for.

Quick Facts:

WWE Tenure: June 2006 to August 2012 (6 years, or 4/5 on the Women’s Longevity Scale)

WWE Divas Champion

Match Recommendations:

If you only watch one match, make it… Kelly Kelly vs Beth Phoenix (Summerslam 2011)

Super fun babyface match… Kelly Kelly vs Gail Kim (Superstars 22nd October 2009)

Selling her ass off… Kelly Kelly vs Michelle McCool (Superstars 12th August 2010)

Here’s Kelly Kelly as John Cena… Kelly Kelly vs Beth Phoenix (Night of Champions 2011)

Showing her early potential… Beth Phoenix vs Kelly Kelly (Raw 22nd August 2008)

[jfischerr]

Mark Lecky

Ahead of his exhibition at Gavin Brown’s Enterprise in New York, and forthcoming retrospective at Wiels, in Brussels, Mark Leckey talks to J.J. Charlesworth about what it means 'be' in the midst of a world where images have become things

https://artreview.com/images/custom/w829h466/content/112/581b75fbd1a211de1861e6f61762b373_0.jpg")

By

JJ Charlesworth

The Universal Addressability of Dumb Things, Hayward Touring Exhibition, Installation view (2013). © the artist. Courtesy the artist and Gavin Brown Enterprise, New YorkGreenScreenRefrigeratorAction, 2010. © the artist. Courtesy the artist and Gavin Brown Enterprise, New YorkA Month of Making, 2014 (installation view). Photo: Thomas Müller. © the artist. Courtesy the artist and Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, New YorkMark Leckey photographed at Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, New York, May 2014. Photo: Jeremy LiebmanCirca '87, 2013. © the artist. Courtesy the artist and Gavin Brown Enterprise, New YorkFiorucci Made Me Hardcore, 1999 (film still). Courtesy Galerie Buchholz, Berlin/CologneStills & Trailers, 2012 (installation view, Galerie Buchholz, Cologne). Courtesy Galerie Buchholz, Berlin & Cologne

Mark Leckey is busy printing objects, or perhaps they’re copies of objects. It’s April, and between phone calls from my car and Skype calls from his kitchen, Leckey explains what he’s putting together for A Month of Making, a May–June exhibition at Gavin Brown’s Enterprise in New York, which itself anticipates a solo exhibition at Wiels, Brussels, this coming September, and which is a continuation, of sorts, of Leckey’s remarkable curatorial project, The Universal Addressability of Dumb Things, which was commissioned by the Hayward Gallery and toured the UK throughout 2013. For the Gavin Brown show, Leckey is getting together some state-of-the-art 3D printers, which he’ll set to work to print out solid versions of already existing objects, objects scanned to become digital information, which in turn will produce new objects: copies, or ‘dupes’, as he’s calling them.

There’s always been a restless, impatient enthusiasm to Leckey’s exploration of our culture’s mixed-up, obsessive relationship with both things and images, and the experience of our own fascination with and enthrallment to them. It’s an exploration that has become increasingly ambitious as it has encompassed video, object, installation, ‘performance lectures’ and eventually, with The Universal Addressability…, the business of curating too.

‘I DON’T WANT TO LOOK AT THINGS, I WANT TO BE IN THEM’

The 2008 Turner Prize-winner first came to attention for his breakthrough video Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore (1999) – a nostalgic elegy for the energy of subculture in Britain during the 1970s and 80s, a kind of biographical recollection composed of other people’s footage. Sequences of people losing themselves in the moment were edited in a manner somewhere between documentary and decelerated pop promo. But these were images, also, of people adopting self-images – style, dance moves – becoming images, as it were. And closer in, that video seemed to set up the question Leckey has been elaborating answers to ever since: what it means to be alive in a culture of images, and in some way, to live with and through them, while at the same time flirting with the possibility of becoming other to oneself, to become an object, or a thing. As Leckey declared during a discussion at the ICA a few years ago: ‘I don’t want to look at things, I want to be in them.’ It’s a desire that seems to resonate with our current moment, in a culture that, though everywhere mediated by images and networks, puts huge store in the transparency of connectedness, of our access to and implication in everything virtual. ‘Always on’, in the thick of what is seen and said onscreen, we have begun no longer to distinguish between the ‘here’ of the material and the ‘there’ of the virtual, the image.

Things, objects, artefacts, artworks: plugged into and playing off the groundswell of recent cultural thinking around the question of the division between man and machine, alternative states of consciousness and the terms of human subjectivity in the age of the network, The Universal Addressability... was a wunderkammerlike accumulation of incongruous objects, mixing artworks with manufactured goods, ancient artefacts and ultramodern technology, the real and the virtual: a high-tech prosthetic hand next to a medieval hand-shaped reliquary; a Doctor Who ‘Cyberman’ helmet alongside a stone gargoyle; video sequences from the virtual world of Second Life next to a video essay by the autism campaigner Amanda Baggs. Crisscrossing ancient and modern, The Universal Addressability… riffed on the irrationalistic, ‘technopagan’ return of an ‘animistic’ worldview, in which things are no longer merely the inert, passive objects of human intent, but become, in the explosion of the age of the network, quasi-alive, enchanted…

So where does the current interest in 3D scanning and printing come from? “When I was asked to curate a show,” he says of The Universal Addressability…, “I didn’t feel that comfortable with being an ‘artist-curator’, so what I tried to do as much as possible was to make the curated show into my own work. And one way to do that was to continue the exhibition somehow, to make something out of it. So when The Universal Addressability was at Nottingham Contemporary, I had as many of the objects 3D-scanned as I could. Later, I had some trouble with getting the objects printed in Brussels ahead of the [upcoming] Wiels show, so Gavin [Brown] suggested we bring some printers into his gallery [in New York] and do the production there, as an event – what, in the geek world, they’d call a ‘maker space’. So we’re going to produce those, and the rest of the works I couldn’t scan will be printed up as cutouts or something similar – I’m calling them ‘generations’ or, even better, ‘dupes’.”

He came up with a nice line for the press release, he muses: “‘They might be lossy, they might be “de-generations”, but they might be better suited to the world as it is today, because they are more “bits” [data bits] than they are atoms.’ But that’s getting a bit clever,” he says self-mockingly. “I’m doing it more because I can. I just want to see what it might throw up, and be a bit irresponsible.”

IRRESPONSIBILITY IS DEFINITELY ONE OF LECKEY’S STRENGTHS: NOT JUST AS A SUCK-IT-AND-SEE APPROACH TO INTUITING WHAT MIGHT WORK, BUT RATHER IN TERMS OF NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CONSEQUENCES – POLITICAL OR ETHICAL – OF WHERE YOUR INTUITION TAKES YOU

Irresponsibility is definitely one of Leckey’s strengths: not just as a suck-it-and see approach to intuiting what might work, but rather in terms of not taking responsibility for the consequences – political or ethical – of where your intuition takes you. It’s to be found in Leckey’s particular quest for a kind of affirmation of oneself in the experience of an artwork, even if it reveals the ambiguities and problems of such affirmation and risks the possibility of losing oneself to it. ‘Critical distance’ is something Leckey has a problem with: chatting for a moment about what he thinks he’s going to say on a discussion panel that evening at Tate Modern as part of its Richard Hamilton retrospective, he elaborates: “The big difference between British art and American art is about distance – Hamilton always had to maintain a kind of critical distance, he was never willing to just ‘succumb’ in the way I think American artists like Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons do. Their relationship is about trying to be as ‘integrated’ as possible, they’re trying to be that thing.” Whether there’s a critical residue in the kind of complicity that Warhol or Koons adopts – with commodity capitalism, with consumerism – has been hotly debated. But one gets the sense that Leckey wants to go beyond this, to provoke and incite further thought about the purpose of taking a step back and the value of throwing oneself in.

Immersion and distance, thing and image, the febrile oscillation between the sight and sound of pop culture and how to step out of it, to allow some reflection, some thinking to take place – all of this is perhaps given its most concise expression in Leckey’s ‘Koons bunny’ film, Made in ’Eaven (2004), a CGI mirage in which Koons’s iconic 1986 stainless-steel sculpture Rabbit is recreated in a simulation of Leckey’s London flat. As the virtual point of view wheels around the sculpture, we notice there’s no one reflected back in the mirror of its featureless, polished head. It is intoxicating to watch, an unreal doubling-up of impossibilities. Made in ’Eaven is something to do with desire – having what you can’t have, by just plain nicking it – but also a kind of crisis of materiality – of the sculptural object, and of the human body too. It’s a work that in many ways anticipates the scorching of the discourses of older media – sculpture, painting, photography, even video – in the critical fallout of the emerging networked culture of the noughties, though Leckey is cautious not to get too caught up in the voguish rush to see everything as entirely converted by the advent of digital culture.

“I’m apprehensive about what we’re doing in New York,” he says. “One of the reasons is that there’s a bit of a rush [among artists] to be the first to get your hands on this stuff [3D-printing technology]. And it’s not a question of being involved in a post-Internet-art type of discussion – I’m not interested in that… Actually, it’s about the fact that I have a problem with experiencing objects in the world, so I have to turn that object into an image before I can experience it as an object.” Rather than being tinged with digital-age anxiety, Made in ’Eaven is a celebration – not of an object, but of the desire for it, a form of wishrealisation in which the experiencing subject is removed from its own materiality, and that of the object, for both to exist in a moment of suspension, or resolution, or even oblivion. A sort of ecstasy.

Leckey mentions, half-joking, that he has sometimes thought of himself as ‘a bit autistic’. But it’s perhaps more the case that autism has become a kind of metaphor for a broader difficulty many of us face as society tilts from one where our relationships are with other people, to one where our relationships are increasingly with things. No doubt that could sound like an echo of Marx’s much misused discussion of ‘commodity fetishism’ – ‘a definite social relation between men, that assumes, in their eyes, the fantastic form of a relation between things’ – and it’s too easy to jump from there into the truism that, hey, we’re talking to our machines and they’re talking to us. Nevertheless, we soon find ourselves having to think through the consequences of a culture in which the division between man and technology, subject and object, has become a good deal more fuzzy than before, and we may be in uncharted waters… As Erik Davis, the Californian cultural critic whom Leckey cites as a big influence, anticipated in his article ‘Technopagans’ back in 1995, ‘we surround ourselves with an animated webwork of complex, powerful, and unseen forces that even the “experts” can’t totally comprehend. Our technological environment may soon appear to be as strangely sentient as the caves, lakes, and forests in which the first magicians glimpsed the gods’.

It’s a development Leckey has forayed into previously, with his GreenScreenRefrigeratorAction (2010), a performance-into-video in which Leckey voices, through digital modulation, the inner monologue of a black Samsung fridge-freezer, as it tries to explain itself to itself and the world around it, in a doleful stream-of-consciousness that takes the matt-sheened appliance from its own dimensions and internal technology, to ruminate on the world of vegetables and subterranea, eventually finding itself drifting in space, between sun and moon – which recur in the fridge’s monologue as the quasi-mythic representation of the hot-and-cold of its heat exchanger circuit.

Leckey’s interests might have shifted throughout the last decade – from an obsession with pop culture, subculture and the figure of the dandy in earlier films such as Parade (2003), and in his band collaboration DonAteller, with fellow artists Ed Laliq, Enrico David and Bonnie Camplin; to the high/low culture face-off of his BigBoxStatueAction performances (2003–11), in which Leckey’s giant speaker stack confronts icons of modernist British sculpture, such as Jacob Epstein’s Jacob and the Angel (1940–1); to his later multimedia performance lectures, the Internet-driven epiphany of dematerialisation In the Long Tail (2009) and its antithesis Cinema-in-the-Round (2006–8), with its more reflective inquiry into the physicality of images via, among others, Philip Guston, Felix the Cat, Gilbert & George, Homer Simpson and Titanic (1997). And yet between them one can trace the peregrination of Leckey’s restless attempt to grasp some form of truth about the predicament of experiencing and being in the current moment, as things, images and selves become interchangeable.

“I’M A POP ARTIST – I BELIEVE IN THE IDEA THAT YOU’RE ESSENTIALLY A RECEIVER, THAT YOU OPEN YOURSELF UP TO, AND YOU ALLOW WHATEVER IS CURRENT TO COME THROUGH YOU AND ABSORB IT INTO YOUR BODY”

From a critic’s point of view, Leckey’s tracking and anticipating of the crosscurrents of contemporary culture, his promiscuous remixing of sources from popular culture and ‘cultural theory’, present an artist increasingly attentive to the relationship between an event and how we reflect on it, the immediacy of experience and its mediation – the loop between art and criticism. And Leckey’s work is looped in another sense, working almost always in and out of the work of others: the anonymous footage of Northern Soul and Rave clubs in Fiorucci; Koons’s Rabbit, invoked and wished into being in Made in ’Eaven; sculptures by Epstein or Henry Moore in the BigBoxStatueActions; Leckey’s own figure seen only in reflection in the curves of a stainless steel Pearl snare drum, in the video Pearl Vision (2012); the elaborate cultural composites of the lectures; or the scanned, recut objects sourced out of The Universal Addressability… Authorship and signature style are nowhere to be seen here in their old guises, and this relates, perhaps, to Leckey’s attitude towards how to embrace the experience of the currents that make up a moment in history. “I see myself in a tradition of Pop culture,” he says. “I’m a Pop artist – I believe in the idea that you’re essentially a receiver, that you open yourself up to, and you allow whatever is current to come through you and absorb it into your body and somehow process that, and that’s how the work gets made.”

Leckey’s current efforts are focused on a new video, a sort of ‘memoir’, the first glimpses of which were seen in his recent exhibition On Pleasure Bent (2013), at the Hammer Museum at UCLA. In the ‘trailer’ video of the same name, we find a dense collage of brief sequences that might recall a British adolescence through fragments of music and film, invoking an woozy eroticism that drifts between the lattice of fishnet tights and of electricity pylons, the branding of Benson & Hedges cigarettes, cathode-ray-tube RGB dots, Kate Bush and Kenneth Williams. Seductive and seduced bodies of the past, absurdly rendered in the photocollage Circa ’87 (2013), in which Leckey has cut-and-pasted himself, stripped down to his shorts and sat at a snare drum, as an oddly scaled-down figure surrounded by an admiring throng of big-haired 1980s ladies. For all the attention to the impersonal future and past of technology and society in his recent work, it’s an awkwardly comical reminder that Leckey’s work remains rooted in the problem of remarking on one’s own being – on its capacity for memory and for action, for desiring and being absorbed, for being embodied while potentially ‘out of its head’ – being both subject and object. Of what it means to be in the midst of things.