#czech pop music

[czgif]

Yvonne Přenosilová performing "Boty proti lásce" (cover of Nancy Sinatra - These Boots Are Made For Walking) in 5. album Supraphonu (Supraphon's 5th Album) 1967, TV, MV, dir. Ivo Paukert IMDB - YT

[teplejtrouba]

i may be uncultured but whos ur pfp?

it's the czech singer Václav Neckář, one of my absolute favourites. (music wise but he was also an actor and played the main role in one of my favourite czech movies, so a general icon and the man of my dreams since childhood, a large part of my bi and trans awakenings).

this photo would be taken sometime in the sixties/early seventies considering how young he is. he generally had this really preppy good boy look so seeing him in a darker aesthetic was really surprising and fun and i love this picture.

ii don't think you're uncultured, you're just probably not czech :-D it's like the czech equivalent of having an obscure picture of david bowie as your pfp

ii also really like this photoshoot of his. he has incredible t-boy swag to this day

[missanathea]

You know I could understand that for years the audience didn’t vote for the non-English songs. It’s harder to get into a song you don’t understand or in a language that’s just gibberish to your brain. But I’ve always considered that the jury was here to restore that balance. But the fact that they never do, and this year that they have actually ruined this, this celebration of diversity, by promoting two basic pop songs, that really shows that they don’t serve any purpose.

[womensmusiccanon]

Art, Dance and Eurovision redemption - Women of Central/Eastern Europe

At it again, this time in Central/Eastern Europe! Real Europe? You get the point :)

In which I've spent most of this week caught in the rabbithole that is Romanian music (seriously, the amount I had to cut to make room for everything else is brutal) and I've ended up quite fond of 1997 albums, by the looks of it. Unintentionally!

As usual, the list is not in any way ranked - this is just the order it happened to end up in. My top picks from each album have been gathered in a playlist here (ca. an hour and 20 minutes), if you want more (which, why wouldn't you?), here's an extended version with additional tracks from albums and artists not mentioned on the list (just under three hours), and finally there's a playlist of the full albums.

Justyna Steczkowska - Naga (1997) Spotify Youtube - Kicking off the list with some jazzy polish art pop! The track's on this are so incredibly layered (just take Kryminalna miłość for an example) and Steczkowska is such a skilled vocalist.

Jana Vébrová - Kykyrý (2007) Spotify Youtube - I mean, Vébrová's just cool, right? An accordion heavy folk-ish record, but with plenty of edge. Like I said, it's just really cool.

Ruslana - Дикі танці (2003) Spotify Youtube - Ruslana is so obviously an icon that I had a hard time not including her here, and I don't think there's much to argue against this being her best record. Aptly named, too, because this one will make you want to dance.

Sarolta Zalatnay - Álmodj velem (1972) Spotify Youtube - Of its time for sure, but damn great at it! An energetic pop rock record with heavy funk influence helped by Zalatny's strong vocals - she's really got a voice for the genre and is clearly feeling it.

Diana Arbenina - Мальчик на шаре (2014) Spotify Youtube - Slowing down a bit and moving alt. The album flows incredibly well and you really get pulled in over the course of it.

Margareta Pâslaru - În grădina bucuriilor (1975) Youtube - Not on spotify, to my great displeasure, but Youtube link provided if you can excuse the audio quality (please do <3). As the tracks won't be included on the playlist, I'll point out Ce Nu Știm and Nu, N-a Fost Glumă (La Mélancolie), which also happen to showcase the versatility of this album really well, imo. May or may also feature a surprise cover that utterly delighted me.

Ada Milea - Aberații sonore (1997) Spotify Youtube - I'm not gonna lie, I absolutely fell in love with this record. Like, this being Milea's debut is mindblowing to me. It's incredible. I will also blindly admit that it's not for everyone - it does not shy away from being artsy or avant in any way, but, in my opinion, it manages to do it without being annoying. This was one of those were I had a hard time picking out tracks because it just kept giving. It's just so incredibly fun is the truth of it, and I adored every second of it.

Anastasia Lazariuc - Cine poate ști (1997) Spotify Youtube - Europop at its most energetic and interesting. Look, if this album doesn't boost your energy, I don't know what will. Absolutely one to dance to.

Jana Kirschner - Krajina rovina (2010) Spotify Youtube - Arguably another obvious inclusion, but Kirschner really is a skilled songwriter. The production on this is top-notch, too - the tracks are multilayered and playful, not to mention well-structured and composed. You can - and should - really dig into this one, there's so much to take from.

... And there we have it! The end. For now.

I hope you have even just a fraction as much fun with listening to this as I did. If you have any further recommendations please feel free to share! Mwah <3

[bennidraws]

Song Recs Tag Game!

Rules: Name a song for every letter of your username/nickname.

B - Benzin (Rammstein)

E - Enemy (Imagine Dragons)

N - Neglect (Mr.Kitty)

N - New Song (Måneskin)

I - Ich weiß es nicht (LINDEMANN)

thank you sm, @bucky-yes ! this was HARD but i tried to put all my fav artists here (except imagine dragons, ig, but E was hard and you know what. as an arcane fan it felt like an obligation)

taggin beloved @lara60, @scara99, @they-are-separate-things if yall feel like it c:

[pettybourgeoiz]

✰Bourgeoiz Music Discovery✰

[myvalzpival]

hi! im currently learning czech in uni and i wanted to ask if you maybe have any music to recommend that has czech lyrics & that you/your friends like? bc im really lacking in that casual, background-ish material that i always find helpful with a new language, music not being as purposeful as reading a book or watching a movie. and also bc well, id like to learn more obviously :)

HEY EVERYONE, SPAM THIS WITH YOUR CZECH FAVOURITES!!!!

I'd go with:

Bert and Friends (alternative pop, but he makes up a lot of new words)

J.A.R. (fun funk rap)

Roman Holý (idk what this is, probably pop? "asi si pořídím pejska" is my fave)

Vlasta Redl (pseudofolk, folk rock)

Chinaski (pop/rock, but only albums from 95 to 2002)

Chaozz (if you want some very oldschool rap)

if you feel like listening ti some old retro but very beloved czech songa, go to this playlist:

[czgif]

Marta Kubišová performing 'Magdalena' (cover of Luis Eduardo Aute - Aleluya Nº 1) in The Streams Will Carry Love Away (Proudy lásku odnesou) 1969, TV, MV, dir. Jan Němec IMDB - YT

[deep-space-lines]

I like to put all my 4000 liked songs on spotify on shuffle sometimes to keep the vibes spicy and unpredictable, which is all fun and games until I get lulled into a false sense of security by the usual industrial metal and sea shanties and Czech folk music and 2010s pop only to be kicked in the metaphorical emotional balls by this

[tolstudies]

slovak resources 🇸🇰

online courses

e-slovak.sk provides full courses at a1 and a2 level, with interactive exercises and videos, either self-study or tutor-supported (i.e. with a real teacher giving feedback), completely free, with a certificate for completing the final exam. slovake.eu has courses for introductory level, a1, a2, b1, and b2, as well as a special grammar course. includes lessons, quizzes, exercises, language games, a multimedia library. loecsen has a set of lessons which guide you through learning a set of vocabulary words, revising them, and then testing your memorisation. it has many levels and topics, but it's not as comprehensive or interactive as e-slovak. goethe-verlag provides 100 free short lessons with audio. since all the lessons use full sentences, it's good for practicing sentence structure, but you will probably need to use other resources alongside it to learn effectively. mango languages requires a paid membership (some libraries have memberships; check if yours does!), so i haven't tried it, but it's generally considered a good platform and has a ton of other languages besides slovak too.

interactive flashcards

memrise clozemaster digital dialects badabada

videos and movies

learn slovak with stories is a lovely youtube channel run by a slovak teacher with tons of really charming, slow, learner-oriented content including stories, lessons about slovak culture, discussions of language learning, and so on. ivysílání as well as this google drive folder by @valerieandherweekofwonderz have lots of classic czechoslovak / czech / slovak films, but be careful, most of them are in czech!

podcasts

learn slovak and more one minute slovak comprehensible slovak slovakforu

music

slovak pop mix slovak rap mix slovak rock mix slovak folk mix my slovak playlist :)

[louisupdates]

WASSERMAN’S HOLLY ROWLAND ON THE RISE OF LOUIS TOMLINSON

"When I say I've booked a 39-date arena tour for Louis, people can't believe it and they can't believe his ticket sales," says Tomlinson's agent

By IQ on 23 Nov 2022

Wasserman Music agent Holly Rowland has spoken to IQ about Louis Tomlinson’s 2023 European arena tour.

The former One Direction star is to embark on a 39-date outing across 28 countries next year, having recently completed a pandemic-delayed tour that spanned 57 dates in Europe, South America, Asia and Australia.

“Louis wanted to go everywhere,” says Rowland, who represents Tomlinson with Wassmerman’s Alex Hardee.

“One Direction never really toured Europe extensively – they did the major cities and the stadiums – but they never went to Eastern Europe for example. During their solo careers, Harry Styles has never done it and Niall Horan has never done it.”

Rowland believes that unlike Styles and Horan, who have also carved out solo careers since the best-selling boyband disbanded in 2016, Tomlinson’s worth is often underestimated.

“When I say I’ve booked a 39-date arena tour for Louis, people can’t believe it,” Rowland tells IQ. “They don’t believe his sales or the fact he has his own festival.”

If Tomlinson was overlooked before, it all looks set to change now. Last Friday (18 November), the star beat Bruce Springsteen to score his first solo UK No. 1 album with ‘Faith In The Future’ via BMG. At the same time, ticket sales for his forthcoming tour are “really strong” despite going on sale a year in advance.

“It will sell out,” says Rowland. “London’s The O2 [cap. 21,000], for example, is on 90% and even markets which are typically late sellers, like Greece, are nearly sold out even though the concerts are still a year away.”

Rowland says it’s thanks to a symbiotic album-tour campaign that Tomlinson’s sales are strong on both the recorded and the live side.

“You wouldn’t typically go on sale with a tour so early but we needed to go out before the album so we could get the pre-orders,” she explains. “Synchronicity with recorded and live has sometimes been missed before but now, more than ever, it’s so important. An artist does well because their whole team is across everything and is communicating with each other.”

Rowland and Tomlinson’s team are particularly proud of the ticket prices for the tour, which start at £27.50 regionally.

“He’s a man of the people,” she says. “For example, he won’t do any golden circles or platinum or flexible ticketing or increased isle seating or paid meet-and-greets. That’s his philosophy.

“The issue nowadays is costs are going up so you have to cover your base but also keep it fair for the customer. The promoters crunched the numbers on their side and there was a lot of back and forth on the ticket price but obviously, the tour is spread across multiple dates so that helps. Plus it’s something Louis really wants to do.”

Promoters working on Tomlinson’s forthcoming tour include Live Nation (Slovenia, Hungary, Bulgaria), 8 Days a Week (Baltics), Pop Farm (Greece), Follow The Step (Poland), Charmenko (Romania), Fource Entertainment (Czech Republic) and SJM (UK).

The Faith In The Future 2023 outing is the follow-up to Tomlinson’s first world tour, which concluded in September, having been pushed back due to the pandemic.

Highlights from the tour include South America – “one of Louis’s biggest markets” – which saw the star sell 30,000 tickets in Brazil, 30,000 in Buenos Aires and 21,000 in Mexico.

Rowland also notes an open-air show in Milan, Italy, at the beginning of September, which saw 34,000 tickets fly off the shelf in 48 hours.

2022 also saw the evolution of Tomlinson’s own festival, Away From Home, which launched last year in Crystal Palace Park, London, and was free to attend.

This year the event moved to Malaga in Spain and featured The Vaccines, Sun Room, Stone and Hinds, all of whom performed alongside Tomlinson. This time around the event was ticked and Rowland says it sold 15,500 tickets in two days.

“I programmed it [alongside Louis] so it was quite fun to be on the other side of things, being the promoter and offering out supports to agents,” says Rowland.

Launching a festival was the natural progression for Tomlinson, who is known to hand-pick his own tour supports – many of whom go on to see great success, according to Rowland and Hardee.

“His fanbase is so loyal and they hang on every word he says,” says Rowland. “He’ll go onstage after the support acts and say ‘How amazing were they, go out and follow them,’ and that’s what his fans do because they really believe in him and trust him.”

Rowland notes that Tomlinson’s fanbase is surprisingly young – between 14–18 years old – which translates into strong merchandise sales, thanks to the parent pound.

“What’s crazy is that his fanbase is so young, they weren’t even around when One Direction were having their heyday. They must’ve found the band through siblings or something…” she notes.

When asked if it has been difficult to extricate Tomlinson from his previous work in One Direction, Rowland says: “He can’t hide from his past – One Direction were one of the biggest boybands of all time – but we need to respect his path and see him for the artist he wants to be and not who he was.

And as for comparisons to his former bandmates’ solo careers, she adds: “Harry is pop, Niall is more singer-songwriter and Louis is indie. That’s the music he loves and you can see that through the acts he requests to support him. It’s time now to shine the light on who he is.”

IQ MAGAZINE Nov 2023: more on FITFWT planning

[danielfeketewrites]

How Eurovision 2023 Should Have Ended

Well, not quite. I just really want to talk about my favourites.

Because I've been a bit obsessed. This was the first Eurovision I actually watched. I didn't think this would be something for me, but as it turns out - I was wrong! There were so many amazing songs, iconic performance, etc.

The thing is, after re-watching and re-listening a lot of 2023 ESC, I realised that none of MY top 5 actually reached top 5. So that's what I want to share with you today.

But first - honorable mentions (actually turning this top 5 into a top 10)!

10. Lord of the Lost (Germany) - Blood & Glitter

Budget Rammstein is still some amount of Rammstein. These dudes just seem really nice.

9. Mae Muller (UK) - I Wrote a Song

Was she out of breath? Definitely. But still... The song is really catchy and the visual presentation was incredible. Didn't deserve the last place for sure.

8. Loreen (Sweden) - Tattoo

Basically everyone and their mum pointed out already how convenient it is for Eurovision to come back to Sweden for the ABBA anniversary... Still, Loreen has a beautiful voice and this was a solid song.

7. Käärijä (Finland) - Cha Cha Cha

Cha, Cha Cha, Cha Cha Cha Cha!

6. Alessandra (Norway) - Queen of Kings

She was a favourite of a friend of mine and I can really see why. Strong, beautiful voice. Powerful song. Nice performance.

And now, finally, my top 5!

5. Voyager (Australia) - Promise

I... really like this. At a glance this seems like a mix of generic synthpop and genric rock, but that crescendo! It feels so optimistic, so nice and fun. I have no idea why but this song just always puts a big, stupid smile on my face.

4. La Zarra (France) - Évidemment

I feel like instead of bringing generic popsongs, it's always better when Eurovision contestants bring something that feels specifically "of their nation". This is definitely a great example of that. Gotta love La Zarra's voice and presence. She's incredible.

3. Teya & Salena (Austria) - Who The Hell Is Edgar?

This is actually my favourite song of the whole competition. I've listened to it so goddamn much in the past few weeks. Also, I'm in love with Teya. And possibly Salena. They are amazing, incredible, and just overall iconic.

Just the creativity of taking a name of one of the most famous writers on the planet and turning it into... a beat? It's a song about getting possesed by the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe, but also about up-and-coming female song writers getting nothing for their work. I love Teya and Salena and I love this goddamn song.

Oh mio padre, there's a ghost in my body!

But, when we're talking performances, there are two that I would rate even higher than that...

2. Pasha Parfeni (Moldova) - Soarele şi Luna

This was where my vote went. I'm not even that into the song, but the performance is... well, spellbinding, really. I don't even know how to explain it. It's really the combination of both that works for me so well, I think.

And finally, my number 1...

Vesna (Czech Republic) - My Sister's Crown

Yeah, they're from my country.

But I genuinely thought they were incredible! An awesome, cool song mixing modern pop with folk music. An amazing, complex choreography. Singing in four languages!

And that's not even taking in account the messaging of the piece. Not just the call for female empowerement. But also the radical, pan-slavic yet anti-russian sentiment. And also - the hands! Specifically, the SOS sign that they are doing. Everything here has layers to peel off.

This was overall an incredible song and performance. Vesna is brilliant. It's a crime they didn't make it ito the actual top 5.

That's it! Those are my favourite performances and songs of Eurovision 2023. What do you think of my takes? Hot? Cold? Shit? Let me know!

Thanks for reading this!

[notthebeststufftbh]

Yeah sure ts music sucks....have you ever had czech pop playing on your grandmothers funeral