I've been listening to slightly older music lately. My playlists have become so familiar to me that I wanted to seek out something I didn't know. I already love R&B so much, and when I read about what inspires artists to do what they do now, they always bring up older artists. Sometimes I am familiar with them and sometimes I'm not. My thing is I'm constantly haunted by the thought that so much music already exists which I am unfamiliar with, but other people have been on for awhile. I decided to dive in and see what more I could discover. I started with an 80's Jamming playlist on Spotify. That was very exciting because I knew a bunch of the songs which I didn't know I already knew. The power of unconscious absorption from TV show soundtracks and end of movie credits is def key here. I had found this Carl Carton song while at work. It was playing during the credits of a popular movie (I forget which movie. I feel like a Sandra Bullock film??). It caught my attention because of how uplifting and fun it was. Then on the Spotify playlist, this Michael Jackson song was at the top as well. I had heard this before, but never stopped to appreciate it. It makes me want to spin around in circles and shrug my shoulders to the beat for how warm it sounds. This article talks about the sounds behind P.Y.T. and new technology available to decode the hidden sounds in the track which made it such a hit. Michael Jackson really deserves his own post. For now, this will have to suffice. The one downside to listening to these songs again is a few have been ruined forever for me. Another One Bites the Dust by Queen was used in an exercise routine in Middle School while forcibly doing exercise routines to 80's music. Every time I hear the beginning beat, I am brought back to pushup position at 9:30am in gym clothes for monotonous months. Not the best to remember. Unfortunately, I actually like the song but it has been banned from my playlists. This is why we should use caution when applying quality songs to a situation because music is so influential in initiating flashbacks. (Shooby dooby dooby doo doo dooby) *Like this deeply meaningful and metaphorical lyric* But really, these are songs I would happily play during summer while driving to the mall with the windows down, sunglasses flashing, hair up- mostly because I'm not trying to use my air conditioner and potentially waste gas mileage.
As it happens, a lot of this music is multi-genre. It can be a mix of Funk, Pop, R&B, or even soul. Others know more about this than me, and there are way bigger hits than what I've provided. Specifically, I appreciate this funky vibe and want to highlight it. These songs bring light into my life, and I hope they do to yours. Additionally, I want to bring up images to channel that 80's vibe while listening to these songs. Listen to a new genre this week you've always been curious about, or that new album you haven't gotten around to listening to yet. Life is in the little daily adventures.
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Music festivals are exhausting. I went to my first one over this past weekend, and it was one of the best experiences of my life, despite it being absolutely exhausting. I think I may have damaged my vocal chords too. The pitch of my voice lowered perceptibly, so now I definitely sound like a raspy man whereas before it was questionably low. It was Sol Blume's first festival, held in Sacramento. BOIIIII LEMME TELL YOU SUMTING!! SHIT WAS POPPIN'. EVERYONE DRESSED CUTE AF. EVERYONE SMILIN' HAVIN' A GOOD ASS TIME. Dis was so amazing. I hope there is one next year bc hot diggity damn I wanna go again. psa: These pictures of the artists were taken by photographers- not me - and are linked to the respective artist or Sol Blume Instagram page which tags the originators in the comment. I hope to go to more in the future. It's never been something I saw myself going to- this faraway dream of music and happiness. It definitely was all of that. My only thing was I did not hydrate myself properly. I just wasn't interested in waiting in the lines for water while my fav artists were playing like no thanks. I'd rather die lol lowkey almost did... ANYWAYS, I have pictures (not that great ones because we weren't allowed to bring in nice fancy cameras) but I want to share the songs and artists I had been dying to see perform live. Some have been mentioned here in previous posts, but that goes to show how lovely these precious humans are. This was supposed to be the lineup. It didn't exactly happen that way, but it was figured out eventually (btw I love the natural flower theme of spring/summer euphoria; it made the vibe so genuine and exciting). I waited in line for it to open with two of my friends. I had to get there early because I was DYING to see Arin Ray and didn't know how long it would take to get in. Arin Ray I first became familiar with his music when he released We Ain't Homies as a single, and kinda forgot about the song after a little bit. When Sol Blume came up on my radar, I looked him up and saw that at the time, he had a new album to be released soon. I waited to check it out and BOIIIIII WAS THAT SHIT GOOD. I immediately fell in love. A cool bonus is that he's fine as hell so it was extra spectacular to watch him perform. My favorite songs of his are probably Take with Ty Dolla Sign and Communication with DRAM. My heart was so happy hearing these played live. Berhana I have been a fan of his for the longest time. His sound- warm, light, but soulful makes me so happy. He was fun to watch as well. I first got onto his music awhile ago when Wade Green showed up on my radar, and slowly he became a permanent fixture to my playlists. Grey Luh and Janet are probably his most popular, according to Spotify, with millions of streams. Despite this, I think 80s is my favorite. It's beautiful, effortless, nostalgic. I will honestly say that I enjoyed every minute of this one day music festival. I feel so blessed I was able to attend. Kalin White was next. He seemed to have a lot of really great things going for him. I liked his style and sassy sort of persona he had going on. I thought it was very cool that he came out in the crowd after his set. Unfortunately, it seemed that his set had issues with music balance or volume or something, but we could still hear everything fairly well in the crowd. I wasn't very familiar with his music, but I'm so glad I learned more about this artist . Xavier Omar After Kalin White was Xavier Omar and OH MY I WAS SO EXCITED TO SEE MY HOMEBOI!! I have been a huge fan of Xavier Omar for the longest time!! Blind Man is in my top 10 favorite songs like bruh. My. Heart. Cried. It was everything I have ever wanted to hear him sing it live. He was known as SPZRKT originally which is why his single cover doesn't have his present name on it. And this dude's energy on stage was something else! I was hyped for sure. Smino I was feeling hyped after Xavier Omar, but also looking forward to seeing Smino again as I had seen him on tour with SZA last year in the fall. He has a smoothness, a dreamy, almost a dirty vibe about him. It's very self secure and like idgaf type of way. I respect it for sure. Honestly, Smino has so many great songs- bangers on the real- that it's hard to pick just one or two that's a fav. I've been a fan of his since blkjuptr came out, so his music is close to my heart. Anita and Netflix & Dusse are def the ones that gets the crowd excited. I know I was!
Sabrina Claudio Dis biinch. Lord. She is ethereal to say the least. Her presence demands attention. Her gaze demands power. If Xavier Omar broke my heart, she threw the pieces away. Maybe she put them back together? Either way, I hope to never forget the beauty and grace of her set. Everything she did seemed effortless and calculated. That was her power. I have mentioned her in previous posts, and I hope she continues what she's doing so I can keep talking about her because what. a. babe. She played my favs and some of her newer ones, those being All to You and her song Don't Let Me Down with Khalid. After Sabrina Claudio was The Internet. I liked their set. It took them awhile to get things set up. This stage seemed to be having technical issues since it started, but eventually they began and everything was right in the world while they were playing. I really liked Steve Lacey's jacket. It was bright blue with big sunflower print. I kinda wanted it. He took it off at some point and was wearing this faded black t-shirt with a sparkly midnight black long sleeve under it with white jeans. This man's style is an inspiration and I fuk wit it so much!! I was most familiar with Girl which happens to be their second most popular song with over thirty three million streams on Spotify at time of posting. It was so lovely to hear it live. Jhene Aiko What a beautiful soul. True life. I feel honored to hear her perform. She has been putting out great music for awhile. Her most recent album -Trip- feels so personal, and she brought that to the stage.
Before beginning, they laid out flower stalks, ferns, basically a garden to set the vibe. I have little words to express the happiness I was feeling while watching and listening. Also at this point, I was extremely exhausted from standing for 9 hours straight and dehydrated, but I had to stick it out until the end. I had been waiting for this moment for months. When she started singing, it was what I would imagine divine beings would sing like. She played While We're Young, Sativa, Psilocybin, OLLA, W.A.Y.S. and little bits of other songs she's featured in. It was almost therapeutic, like for this moment in time, we were only right here. She said at one point, while we were together, nothing else exists. This is our reality. |
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