+!OAKSTER!+

august22 - yeah. i bought the new oakenfold cd, and a paul van dyk remix set. both are super-fantastic. the oakenfold one is a very well-put-together cd, a very eclectic mix ranging from nelly furtado to ice cube doing vocals (seriously). songs that stand out are "southern sun" ((of course)), "zoo york," and "motion" (which i think is the second-best track on the cd). basically, if you only buy one cd in like 3 years (like me), buy this one; it's totally worth it. ..., next on the list is the paul van dyk remix set i bought. this one's a bit more club-type music, but in the way that only van dyk can do it. there are remixes that sound amazing and entirely different from the original songs (a good thing). this is a good remix set to have for parties and such (not crazy parties, but a little bit quieter ones). this set is called "the politics of dancing." okay, so now that MY cds are out of the way, i'll say a few words about the new dj sammy cd that my friend bought. it's a super-cool trance-type cd with many fine tracks on it, the only one of which stands out at the moment is "heaven" of course. there is also a very beautiful version (it would be incorrect to say "remix") of this song on the end of the cd. it's basically just the voice and a piano playing the parts. very cool way to experience the song in a non-trancey way. it's a good idea that i think could be applied to lots of other songs (particularly trance songs). okay, well, thanks for listening to me speculate about everything! have a nice day!

+oakster+

august8 - you HAVE to download the paul oakenfold song, "southern sun." it's a SUPER-GOOD song. i totally love it. oh, and make sure you d/l the original and not one of the remixes! (for your first listen)

+mm-hmmmm+

august5 - if you don't like incubus,..., well, you prolly just heard em on the radio and don't know all their best songs. if you like em, good-sweetness. if you don't, then you should try again, cause i din't like em expecialie much for a long time, but they're actually super-talented geniuses and i'm trying to get tickets to the morningview concert. woo!

+yeeehaaaaa!+

july29 - sorry, you have to register with mp3.com to listen to those songs. i din't think of that when i posted them. but it's rather painless anyway. just do it.

july28 - you'd better be a geek if you're going to LISTEN TO THIS SONG! it's about OS's and how much they suck. make sure to pay attention to the linux part, it's so true. i love these guys.

hey! also,listen to this, it's super funny and cool. i love funny music. and so do you. bwahahahaaaa!

july18 - i'm too lazy to do another grumpy article, so i'll just tell you a bunch of groups i like, that oughta keep you goons satisfied. here we go! in no particular order: moby, keller williams, jack johnson, they might be giants, dashboard confessional, paul oakenfold, delerium, lenny kravitz, cat stevens, elvis presley, elvis costello, the strokes, frank sinatra, no doubt, barcode brothers, bb king, dirty vegas, apollo 440, beastie boys, remy zero, dave matthews' band, bush, our lady peace, rem, nobuo uematsu, ... lots more that you've NEVER-ever heard of, and then my current absolute favorite super-geniuses: WEEZER!

and if you've misplaced your brain somehow and don't know how cool weezer is, then this is the best way i can think to show you. also look at the "feast your eyes" part.

+thoughts+

june11 - ok, today i'm gonna talk about "music quality," "selling out," and "popularity."

first of all, i'd like to say that the "quality" of music is completely and unquestionably subjective. there is no bar or law by which all music can be judged. get this through your head. if a certain type of music or any single song appeals to you, then listen to it. don't let anyone tell you that the group isn't talented. who cares? if the music tickles your fancy, then go for it. you don't know the band personally, so who cares how many lessons they've had or how much money they've spent on equipment. enjoyment of music should not be defined by the instruments used or the group's past experience in any way. don't bother thinking about those things.

second, i'd like to say something on the overused and often misused term: "selling out," this term is often misused by people who want to sound like they know something about music. let me say right now, the term "selling out" has come to mean whatever anyone wants it to. they use it instead of "i don't like that band anymore." sometimes they use it to mean "selling out for money," which, hey, frankly isn't really that important unless the group has lowered their involvement in the creative process. some people use "selling out" to mean when a group changes its musical style. if the group has evolved to a different level of musical creativity, who can say that the group has "sold out"? they've simply changed to a style that they think suits their talents or interests best at the time. who can tell them that that is "wrong" or "bad"?

third, i'd like to talk about popularity. there are two extremes in belief about music popularity. the first group (i'll call them the "consumers") believes that everything that gets played on the radio and tops the charts is "the best music." the other, opposing, group (i'll call these people "SCIs": so-called individuals, and you'll see why in a second) believes that everything that gets played on the radio is worthless for the sole reason that it IS popular, and therefore is commercialized. the first group, the "consumers," tend to unquestioningly listen to whatever is fed to them on the radio, and like it all. on the other hand, most "SCIs" tend to find a few groups that don't get played on the radio much or at all, they then proceed to listen to ONLY those groups, and feel that all other music is worthless. the "SCIs" usually have an elitist attitude toward people they view as "consumers," while the "SCIs" themselves really don't have any more of an open mind to music than the "consumers" do.

finally, i'd like to propose that the best group to "belong to," if you really need approval, is any setting where you can like what you like without being judged for it. certainly, the kind of music we like reflects on our personality, but, for that reason, we shouldn't have to downplay anyone else's music to feel good about ourselves.

peace, all! .:[Kevin-R]:.

june4 - there's a new paul oakenfold cd coming out soon. buy it... or steal it!

may26 - we got to go back to the DEMF! another whole day of craaazy music and nonstop dancing. man, life is great! why can't they have stuff like this all year? i'd go every day!

there was this dj battle at one of the kalydiscope booth that actually turned out to be better than what was going on at the stages! there was a HUGE crowd around this booth and everyone was going crazy. it was really fun, cause the djs were really into it and then they started selling the kalydiscope t-shirts for really cheap.

+the special good music+

may25 - went to the DEMF (detroit electronic music festival). it's the best. you listen to great music, dance like a fool, and it's all for free! woohoo! free is the best. me an jordan went and we're tryin to go this sunday, too. hope we can get a ride.

the only complaint i've got about the DEMF is that the main stage was almost exclusively occupied by (to put it lightly) non-talented rappers. i thought it was the ELECTRONIC music festival, but maybe i read the millions of fliers and stickers wrong.

oh, well. the rest of it was just the best thing ever.