I wanted to, first off, apologize in not attending to this site as often lately. I've been busy with a lot of other things and I sometimes wonder if there's even a point, as it seems people don't even seem to wander away from social media sites. One of the things that I've been doing lately is making actual mixes on a regular basis and wanted to share them here. I'm trying to do something a little different. I am trying to spin every genre that I love and even make some mixes with different genres. Check out my most recent mixes and follow me on Mixcloud. All have download links as well.
Another banger recommended by my buddy, Weston - Ghettoblaster keeps firing until the clip is empty. DJ and Producer, Enrico Sangiuliano brought his skills on this track.
Starting out as a sound engineer in Italy, he started to produce electronic music in the 90’s. Italy was his playground, with the illegal rave scene exploding, this was where he made his first break.
Wow, this one brings back a lot of memories! Ned's Atomic Dustbin was pretty crucial in my life in the early 90's. From Britain, They developed skate rock into early emo. I bought a VHS tape of their tour through the UK and Europe and would play on repeat. Happy is a sweet gem of a song. It hit's all the right points in a bouncy bob your head kind of way. The band didn't last, unfortunately, having released their last album in 1995. They did reunite in 2008 for some reunion shows but haven't produced any new tracks.
Need some nice chill tuneage? I've got you covered. This Kiasmos remix of Josin's Company is midtempo chill at it's best. Josin's voice reminds me of Radiohead's Thom Yorke in a slight way, and I mean that as a compliment. You can check out more of her work in the Soundcloud profile below.
Happy Mother's day to all you special moms out there! I want to dedicate this post to you. Les Sins aka Toro Y Moi aka Chaz Bundick is a talented mutherfucker. His first full length album as Les Sins, named Michael, is blowing up. Let's go back though, 5 years to be exact. Grind is one of those tracks that is instant classic. With soulful vibey synths and "yeah" samples throughout - this one gets that ass waggin and feet shuffling. Check out anything and everything by Toro Y Moi or Les Sins - you won't be disappointed.
It's great having friends with taste in music. This tasty tune comes from my friend Weston and it might be the beginning of a new genre - dare I say it, Chill Acid. Not much is known about Roy of the Ravers. He comes from the UK and is indeed from the ravers. His Facebook profile said this:
In 1981, deep within the laboratory of the Roland Corporation, Japan - Tadao Kikumoto invented the TB-303. But when Kikumoto heard it was being used to create the acid sound, he ordered that all TB-303s should be recalled and DESTROYED. However, soon after; Kikumoto discovered that the last remaining TB-303 was in fact owned by Roy of the Ravers and vowed to destroy both Roy of the Ravers and the TB-303, putting an end to the acid sound FOREVER!!! Long live acid! Check him out on Soundcloud, Bandcamp and Facebook.
It was at least a few months ago, that I was at a so-called "speakeasy" in Atlanta. You see, Atlanta has drinking laws so that you can't drink out past midnite on a Sunday, but there are ways around it, such as making a private club and charging membership. This was the case, at HUSH in East Atlanta Village, where I first met Prisca. She was there with friends and I quickly learned that she was a singer/songwriter. She has some real talent. I'm so grateful because she tonight took some time to talk with me about her music/life/career.
First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today! Now, I met you in Atlanta. Did you grow up there?
I moved to Atlanta about 11 years ago to start my music career. I Moved from Ohio where I grew up. Nothing brilliant in Ohio going on.
That's what I hear. So how old were you when you started singing?
I started singing at age 4 as the special music for my dad's church - I would join my mother on stage. The first concert I attended was Etta James when I was about 8, and from that point on, I connected and grew from soul music - but from an early age, music meant something more than just words or notes. I had a feeling that was the case. There's something about singing in church that carries through. Is that also where you learned piano?
I started piano lessons when I was six for a few years - my grandma was a piano teacher. When my parents split, the piano didn't make it in the divorce - I started writing songs with my voice and cassette tapes at age 8, recording harmonies in stereo without really understanding what I was doing. Then a few years later, my father got me a keyboard when I was 13, and I started writing via the piano. Well, your dedication definitely shows. When we first met, you told me you were a singer/songwriter. When I went to listen to your music the next day, I was blown away. Particularly, with the song Kamikaze, which you collaborated with KB on. How did that come about?
I wrote a song called Kamikaze with my writing partner and producer Nick Chahwala, and we released a one take live version to YouTube. The rapper KB and his team found it and ripped it offline, created a dope rap around it and called me into Reach Records to listen and approve for it to be on his EP 100. It was a quick and beautiful experience and the song ended up being my first charting song on Billboard - his EP made it to #1 on the Christian/Gospel Billboard charts on it's the first week of release. ❤ It has been a beautiful ride with that song. There have been incredible covers of our song Kamikaze online, and also super dope choreography videos submitted from all over the world. ❤ It is so so wild and I am still excited about that song! š
Well, it's a great song - all the different versions. The video with the carjacking is really powerful too. Let's talk about Nick, you guys started a studio together, yes? Bravo Ocean?
Nick Chahwala and Charles Malone started it about 15 years ago, and 10 years ago I joined in as the first artist they wanted to develop after they had had some of their first successes. I wrote so many songs that eventually we became an incredible system together and were called upon to write songs for a lot of major label artists alongside indie artists.
It has been a wild ride, and I am happy to say that we have found new hats to put on and are working as updated gears in a beautiful system at Bravo Ocean focusing on the independent artist.
The mission statement on the website is everything:
"All under one roof, our three divisions specialize in helping recording artists recognize and create their own unique avenues through our approach to record production and brand content development." Yes, I see that you've had a lot of artists record there, from Post Malone to Raury, who is honestly a personal favorite of mine. It must be great to be able to work with a lot of great talent. I understand you were picked by Kelly Clarkson to sing on her tour. How did she come across you, was that through the studio?
I was chosen by Kelly Clarkson as her Open Mic Night winner from a cover video I submitted on her fan page. I had signed up on her page when I had recorded a cover of one of her songs with my friend and fellow singer and creative Ulrika (who is another member of Bravo Ocean) -- the song I submitted caught Kelly's attention and I was informed the day before Kelly's Atlanta tour date by her musical director via email. I actually misread the email and deleted it the night before, but later double checked and I'm glad I did! It was such a blessing to be able to get up on that stage and rock out for her fans - she really believes in music and has a genuine heart. I hope I get to meet her again to thank her again in person and maybe even sing with her! š
The talent that comes through Bravo Ocean is crazy - we love that every day is different and unexpected, and we love pouring our hearts into every moment. Wow, that's crazy! I think one of my favorite songs you've done is Skin. It is hauntingly beautiful. How did that song synthesize?
That's a great question, Skin was actually a song I wrote years ago that I never showed anyone. I was involved in relationships that weren't conducive to self-growth, and I wrote/played that song as a mantra to feel stronger. I rose with that song out of the depths of my own insecurities, and then one day as I felt strong, I happened to play it as an intimate house concert. Afterward, I was approached by audience members that were touched by the song; including Rachel Truitt of gotta dance who then convinced me to play that song as a feature in her large production of Surface that included dancers from Gotta Dance Contemporary. The song kept growing, and there was a demand for people to take it home with them, while I was still learning how that song would live and breathe as my mantra, it was thruster forward into another performance art show, and then I created a Kickstarter campaign because I realized the importance behind the visuals. I hadn't worked that song into my budget at all, I wasn't even supposed to play it out loud to anyone - it was my secret. As the Kickstarter and concert raised over $6k, we then were able to make a music video happen, and today, I have learned and been reached out to by listeners of its impact. It brings me to tears saying this, but the song has saved 2 people's lives that I know of, and it is bigger than me. My purpose to speak the truth and be unapologetic has then, in turn, helped listeners get over their hard times and decide to live. I don't have words to describe the feeling, but what I can say is that I feel like my work as a human is finished and that this life is now icing, I feel called to write the only truth, and help others see their own beauty by being their true selves. ❤❤❤ ⚡️ššš
And that's my short answer. š¬š¬š¬š³
Sam green and Steve Pitts - the director and producer, Rachel Truitt the choreographer from Rite Media helped produce it and it featured the genius Bubba Carr who has shifted the dance community with his brilliance. It was a Wiiiild ride!
Wow, that's incredible! You are truly something special. You've certainly touched my life with the raw beauty and emotion that pours out of you. Supernova is another one that does that. You like to have fun too, I can tell. Robot boy is a great song and it looks like that was a ton of fun making that video? Yes?
Thank you so much! ❤❤❤ Making that video with Rite Media (Sam Green and Steven Pitts) was the best!! They took my vision and ran with it!! I also made most of the cardboard props and had some help, took us a few days! Steve Pitts and his wife Dri made the robot, and I was blown away - it was a week-long shoot of a few hours each day and different locations! I have a silly side, and although slowed down robot boy can be a very somber song, I decided to kick it up a notch and really dive into an opposite emotion from skin, and embrace the layer of myself that just decides to say "beep boop" in a song hahaha it was very freeing. š All of my friends have special cameos throughout the film as well, and my co-writer, Jean Kelley, is my maid of honor in the video. Gosh, we really had some hilarious times during that shoot! Nick is my doctor in the music video, and I just laugh every time I watch it or even answer my phone on an abnormal day and people start our conversations with "beep boop" hahaha!
All of my songs are produced by our team at Bravo Ocean as well, which makes the recording process fun because you are having a blast the whole time!
It is fun to play Robot Boy live at my concerts because everyone joins in and it becomes a theme that brightens everyone up. I just love making people smile.
I love it. I know you also toured with one of the greatest songwriters of our time - Ben Folds. I bet that was a great time. Can you tell us a little bit about working with him?
I had the privilege of being Ben Fold's as an he second (love dying my hair btw) and after the second show I did with him in Pittsburg, PA, there was an open letter online written about The Singer With The Purple Hair that an audience member wrote that Ben Folds found. He mentioned it to me and shared the info with me during sound check at the Cleveland, OH pavilion. He thought it was something I should read and thanked me. He passed me his phone during sound check and the woman said that my eyes watching Ben Folds and the way I rocked out to his music as his backup singer made her fall in love with his music. So through my inspiration, she was inspired, and I had no idea, I was just a giddy child up on that stage singing with one of my idols š Dude ... there are so many great memories and pieces I hold dear to me like the Segway moment haaha which I won't share with you but dang, haaha yes, I had a blast, and that was the first time I realized that something was bubbling in me to release my own music by watching him.
Alto and Soprano for a few dates on his tour in 2014, and it was such a lovely and memorable time. He influenced me so much as a songwriter, and when I found out that I got the gig, I flipped out, cried a bunch, and then got straight to work. I had to learn twice as much material because some shows I would need to be a soprano (sing the higher parts) and some shows I would need to be the Alto (lower harmonies). It was a symphony tour, so the practice routine was intense, we would spend a few hours with the city's symphonic orchestra and then have a break and then blast off during the show. There was a lovely and striking moment on tour though - I had bright pink hair for the first date, and then purple hair for
Well, you are the true genuine article. I knew it from the moment we met. You give the best hugs, by the way! I want to know some of your early and current influences. You mentioned Etta James, what about male singers? I'm a big fan of James Blake. His singing is so sexy. Can you share some of the music you like and would be playing in your car?
Thank you so much Noble! You have a genuine heart and I always give my best hugs out to people who have kind eyes. In my car, I am blasting everything ... haahaa, as long as the song is timeless and can stand alone with one instrument and one vocal, I am a fan for life. I was. Blasting James Taylor and Queen yesterday. I can't get enough of Stevie though. ❤
Stevie Wonder?
Yessssss! Stevie, Elton, Billy Joel. I'm a sucker for an artist who plays the piano.
OK, because Stevie Nicks would be acceptable too. lol
Yes, Stevie Nicks is raw and powerful. I also rock out a lot to Janis Joplin ❤❤❤❤❤❤ and Alanis Morisette. String chicks give me goosebumps.
So, I love that you said that your life is icing now. There's still got to be a dream ahead though. What are your future goals? I want to release my debut album and tour more in the years to come- I have some intense plans in the works right now that I wish I could share with you!
Well, surprises are always good too. I know you've been performing regularly in Atlanta. Is that going to continue? I love performing in Atlanta and the surrounding states - it has expanded over the past few years and am planning more traveling and music soooooon !š
I look forward to that. I might be able to help get you some gigs in Nashville. I certainly want to help in whatever way possible. I am truly a fan for life. Anything else that you want to add before we wrap it up?
Thank you so much! I love Nashville and everything helps!
Oh, I don't know! Any personal questions that you have that don't have to do with music?
I have 2 cats named Chicken and Baby Kitty.
Yes, what is your favorite food?
My favorite food is Biscuits and Gravy, and every year I make it on my birthday. ❤
I love Biscuits and Gravy! But the kind with the real sausage in the gravy. Yuuuuummm!
I'm a great cook! šš¼♀️
You just had a birthday, recently! Congratulations!
Thanks! I turned 32! And I'm excited for this time in my life.
What a perfect age. I remember 32 so fondly!
32, single, 2 cats, following my dreams, eating egg rolls currently ... it's a good life.
Electric Forest Documentary by a Nonsense Man & Space Dragon A Nonsense Man
I just wanted to share today an excellent Electric Forest documentary by my friend Zachary aka a Nonsense Man. I visited Electric Forest in 2008, and I was blown away. My friend Zach created a documentary, in which he explains the magic of Electric Forest. The highlights are an interview with Dixon's Violin - an incredible live violin act and a wedding at the festival. One of the other highlights is an impromptu Nonsense Man video. Zach's got talent and a real skill at sharing that experience. He loves to stare at pretty hoola hooping girls and who doesn't. Beyond that, he captures the magic which is Electric Forest ... and the fact that he's not an undercover police officer.
It should be no secret that N'to is one of my favorite producers today. His music can only be described as minimal house / tech / whatever with a hint of French Touch. At least that is the feeling I get when I hear it.
The Hound is a dark and stormy night ... but that dog has the scent. He's closing in, as you run into the void trying to evade him. It's inevitable, you can't escape from the Hound.
Album reviews are typically out of the norm here at Barrel-dEM, but when one of my favorite bands released their new album - Riot, Right? I knew I had to. I've been a fan of Nihilist Cheerleader since I saw them back in 2016 in Atlanta. I had the pleasure of interviewing lead singer Flynne Collins at the time.
The band is from Athens, GA and they've been touring the southeast for a few years, so make sure you check them out in a town near you.
Their newest album is simply a pleasure to listen to again and again. It contains the perfect combination of politics, angst, sex, memorable melodies and punk rock. The track Drenched In is one of my favorites. The opening guitars are reminiscent of New Order creating a pleasing sound before the chorus breaks down into a crunchier sound. The lyrics seem to tell the story of loss and regret - repeating never look back.
Who's Gonna Hear You is another great track. The tempo is stepped up on this one compared to Drenched In. Basically, it's a song about moving forward, stop throwing a pity party and take charge of your life.
The song Miss You Forever is another stand out track. Like many of their songs, there are tempo changes throughout. A lost relationship is the main theme here.
Finally, & She Takes It, the last song on the album is a wonderful feminist anthem. It's a perfect closing song to an incredible album.
I hear it all the time ... Hip Hop is dead. Trap killed it. Without digging it's easy to accept - with artists like Lil Xan, and all those face tattoo mumble rappers who aren't worth mentioning. Post Malone at least tries to pay homage to the past. But if you just dig beneath the surface, you will find artists like Skyblew. This guy is positive like Raury, walking tall like Camp Lo and doesn't need autotune to sound good. His production is on point.
Skyblew is a bit of a mystery. He grew up in Alabama but currently resides in Chapel Hill, NC. Not much else is known about him other than his influences are Common, A Tribe Called Quest, Lupe Fiasco, Nujabes, 2Pac, De La Soul, Scapegoat Wax, Blue Scholars, New Radicals, Common Market, Michael Jackson, Arrested Development, Sade, and Amy Winehouse. He's the kind of artist that get's me excited to hear everything he's put out.
This song brings me incredible joy. Played primarily on the dulcimer by Laraaji, The Dance #2 is from the album Ambient 3: Day of Radiance. The album was produced by Brian Eno with Laraaji playing instruments. It's the third in Brian Eno's Ambient series which includes Music for Airports (highly-recommended).
This one is equally great for quiet meditation or crank it for some overpowering chords and energy.
OMG, yes Public Enemy ... keeping it real. For those who don't know, there was a group that sprang up in the late 80's - they were everything controversial, had the best samples, and bridled the passion of the black struggle. Public Enemy had it all, a leader in Chuck D who was the messenger and delivered a message from the heart that people could believe in, a hype man - Flavor Flav who kept it fun and knew what his role was and a production crew - who knew how to sample and create the freshest jams time and time again.
Public Enemy as a group wore many hats but always stayed true to their cause. They were one of the first who collaborated with Heavy Metal bands like Anthrax to remake their songs. They had internal strife, with Flavor Flav and Professor Griff, about Flavor's drug use and antics. Professor Griff went on to say anti-Semitic things in accordance with his Nation of Islam stance and was distanced from the group.
Nevertheless, Public Enemy prevailed. They were inducted into Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. They still continue to produce music to this day.
Public Enemy never had to shy away from controversy, they embraced it, but at their core they wanted to make hype music to hype people up.
Dinah Washington - This Bitter Earth (Max Richter Mash)
Some songs just go perfect together - case in point ... Max Richter and Dinah Washington. This was my anthem in my darkest times last year - so beautiful and so haunting. I couldn't help but listen multiple times, usually in a drunken stupor and shed tears. This song has that power.
I've come out on the other side, but I lost my brother in December and playing this at his memorial just made everyone break down emotionally. Life is a journey, and it's not all roses ... if you can respect the sadness in the world, you can appreciate the good times. R.I.P. Daniel Paul Long!
It feels like a gift when you come across a track like this. Lupe Fiasco, Talib Kweli, Hus Kingpin, Rozewood and Forever M.C. all on the cut. I won't pretend to know that I've ever heard the last 3 guys. For what it's worth, they brought their A game.
If you are a regular, you know I pour my heart into this site. The things I share almost always have a deep and profound meaning to me in some way. I love documentaries and it's no secret that I love the ones that make you FEEL the most. Whether it's joy, heart-ache, hatred, loneliness - does it make you feel something? All great art does.
The Look of Silence makes me FEEL ... like no other documentary. Why? Because it's the simple story of a man confronting the killers of his brother. Those killings took place in 1965, but unfortunately, the power and the influence remains in the story of the killers, until now. Indonesia has always been a place of great struggle, whether against nature itself or other people. It's been a place of cannibalism ... recorded until the 1960's. One of the Rockefeller family members supposedly fell victim to it.
This movie is about moving on. We can't move on without dealing with the past. Like a bad relationship, it's about a closure. Make sure you watch it's predecessor too - The Act of Killing. Directed by the same person, at great risk to his safety - Joshua Oppenheimer. This movie also had a lot of risks for the main protagonist. It takes a strong will to ask those questions. It's also necessary.
Maybe not the first, but a powerhouse in the ecological music movement was Midnight Oil. The 80's / 90's was a different time for artists. It wasn't easy to make it as a successful artist to the mainstream expounding political agenda, in the 90's that would change and thanks in part to bands like Midnight Oil. The Australian quintet did not give a fuck.. Their mission was to try to preserve the Australian the wildlife through threats of the big guys - oil companies, mining companies, and neo-governmental aboriginal settlement agencies.
Midnight Oil started playing with that in mind and more. Their biggest hit - "Beds are Burning" literally played out the plight of Aboriginal Australians. With justice against them, they have literally overtaken with fire from the aggressors, the backward thinking policies. Blue Sky Mine is off their second album, also titled Blue Sky Mine. It is one of my favorites.
The Vietnam war era was a time of great turmoil and great truth. Many were using drugs and music to either escape or try to change the world. There were some great songs that came from that era including "I'd Love to Change the World" by British psychedelic rockers - Ten Years After.
The refrain is universal. "I'd love to change the world, but I don't know what to do ... so I'll leave it up to you." I know many of us have felt that way at times in our lives.
This was the bands highest charting single in 1971, and it was getting airplay on both AM and FM radio which was a rarity at that time.
This song has always held a special place in my heart. I'd like to think it was influenced by the Stone's - Satisfaction (Can't get no). Who knows? This is genuine raw punk rock. As a fan and a recovering alcoholic, I get it. The best songs come from the worst of times. That's what the great artists are known for.
If you know the band, lead singer Paul Westerberg had a lot of troubled demons going on. You see, Paul and the band had a problem with alcohol and playing live. They were notorious!
Take for instance their later performance on SNL. Not only did they get banned from performing in the show. All Warner Bros. artists were, in effect banned.
It started with bassist Bob Stinson who was mentally ill and had self-medicated through drinking. That night, the band started creating problems with the sound check. They were too loud and the studio turned them down. The band was essentially locked in for a few hours and Bob needed alcohol, to which it was smuggled in. The host - Harry Dean Stanton, knocked on the green room door and proceeded to get fucked up with the rest of the band. During the first performance, the Replacements were at their drunken best. At one point, Paul yelled at Bob, "come on fucker" to cue his solo. At the finish, Bob did a somersault, in which he ripped his pants baring his ass. Producer Lorne Michaels was fuming and this began the banning. They were allowed to finish the show, but they wouldn't play television for another 3 years.
There are lot's of other examples, the point is that the Replacements would never be satisfied and that's why their sentiment is still gold today!
Again, I get it. We drink and we play music because something is missing in our lives. We are unsatisfied!
