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Table of contents
01 03 05 may concert calendar
alabama shakes
sound as art as ritual
80 snarky puppy
10 on cape cod
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su treasury appeal
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dj spotlight: will wysession
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dj spotlight: james drueckhammer
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el pack vol. 1
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dj spotlight: teddy wenneker
19 22 24 25 on history
the case for playlists
dj spotlight: jon vuylsteke
genre review: exotica
may concert calendar Date // Artist // Venue // Door Time // Price 1 // Andrew W.K. // Firebird //$20-25 2 // Black James & Hylidae // Foam // 10:00 // Free 2 // STL Album Release & Art Show // Ready Room // 7:00 //$10 7 // Of Montreal & Icky Blossoms // Ready Room // 7:30 // $20-23 7 // Ryley Walker & Brothers Lazaroff // Luminary // 8:00 // $10-12 8 // Bad Suns // Firebird // 7:00 // $15 8 // Metro Station // Fubar // 6:00 // $18-20 11 // Melt Banana & Braining // Firebird // 7:30 // $14 11 // Chui Wan & Bug Chaser & Tone Rodent // Off Broadway // 8:00 // $8 12 // Action Bronson // Ready Room // 7:00 // $30 13 // Death Cab for Cutie & The Antlers // Pageant // 7:00 // $37.50-45 13 // TV On The Radio & Bo Ningen // Ready Room // 7:30 // $30
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13 // Penicillin Baby & Big Blonde & Boreal Hills // Off Broadway // 8:30 // $5-8 14 // San Fermin & Natalie Prass // Luminary // 8:00 // $12-14 15 // Jon Hardy and the Public Minor Characters // Off Broadway // 8:00 // $10 16 // Matt Townsend & The Wonder of the World & Pretty Little Empire & Letter to Memphis // Demo // 7:30 // $10 19 // FIDLAR & Metz // Firebird // 7:30 // $15-17 22 // New Kids on the Block & TLC & Nelly // Scottrade Center // 7:00 // $$$ 23 // Onewayness // Hylidae // Eric Hall // Travis Bursik // Foam // 9:00 // $5 27 // St. Vincent & Sarah Neufeld // Pageant // 7:00 // $25-27.50 28 // Surfer Blood & Alex Calder // Firebird // 7:00 / $12-15 28 // Primitive Man & Wake & Fister & Everything Went Black & Hell Night // Demo // 7:00 // $10 29 // Houndmouth // Ready Room // 7:00 // $15 29 // Sick Thoughts & Wet One & Black Panties // Melt // 9:00 // $7 29 // Pillow Talk // The Demo // 7:30 // $10-12
danielle korman
abbey bush
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alabama shakes: sound and color scott blackwell
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hile Athens, Alabama quartet Alabama Shakes have typically been called a southern rock group, their latest release shows a wide variety of influences such as funk and soul, making them much harder to classify. Sound and Color is their second release, and easily the strongest so far.
Fight,” highlighting impassioned, squeaking vocal performance by frontwoman and guitarist Brittany Howard. The album progresses through excited and melancholic laments, before coming to a close on an uplifting note with the slow jam “Over My Head.”
The highs are stronger, the lows are moodier The album opens with and the tone much more the ethereal xylophone varied than their debut and vocal melodies LP Boys & Girls. Most on the track “Sound importantly, their sound and Color,” followed feels more developed, immediately by the soul as the band wears their rock track “Don’t Wanna funk and soul influences
powerfully but more subtly than on their previous release. The grooviness of this album is perhaps its biggest draw, I defy you to sit still during tracks like “Don’t Wanna Fight” and “Give Me All Your Love,” they’re just too catchy. Overall, definitely check this album out if you like good music.
Final Score: 0.8 To Pimp A Butterflys
unicron katie shin
Unicron, come back Like the hentai girl tied up And gagged, I want you.
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isaac howell
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Sound as Art as Ritual arvind srinivasan
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battered wooden sign outside the door reads “The Shred Shed”. Beneath it lies a two-by-four that reads “DIY or die”, scrawled in untidy black letters. A nondescript glass door leads me into a dimly lit hallway. The fluorescent lights flicker listlessly, drawing their last rattling breaths from the dingy generator in the back yard. The hallway leads into an open room, thirty feet by thirty feet in dimension. There is little light to be found, and the room is cast in shadow. The once-gleaming linoleum floor is now grimy, caked with the remnants of thousands of spilled beers, dirt-encrusted sneakers, and the treads of countless pairs of combat boots. The walls are adorned with the posters of hundreds of previous shows held here. Names like Panzerfaust, Anhedonist, and Nekrofilth adorn the posters in fonts so jagged and angular that they are barely decipherable. The ceiling is low, no more than eight feet high, and made of eroded drywall. The insulation is visible
through cracks in the ceiling, like wispy pink clouds emerging through a dense fog of plaster. A rickety bar stands on the left wall, advertising local breweries and a “mystery drink” special. It’s got a few barstools in front of it, but none of them look fit to support a human. I cross to the bar and order whatever’s on draught. My feet adhere slightly to the floor with every step, as if the floor were coated in flypaper. The acrid musk of old sweat and stale beer permeates the air. The room is decrepit. There’s probably mold in the walls. A perfect setting for Black Mass.
lighting. The atmosphere slowly becomes more oppressive. What once felt like an open basement is now heavy with the breath of two hundred people. I look around and examine the various patches present on peoples’ vests (the denim vest, emblazoned with cloth patches depicting band logos, is ubiquitous in heavy metal culture). Bright colors flash as people jostle through the crowd. Now and then a recognizable logo presents itself – Anthrax, Metallica, Slayer -but for the most part, the patches around me are obscure. Many of them contain the hallmarks of The first band takes black metal. Goat horns the stage. They’re a abound, often coupled small band, consisting with an inverted crucifix mostly of local working- or two. Blood, gore, class men that spend Satan, snakes, and sex all their spare time make themselves loudly hammering away at their known on the attire instruments. The few of the concertgoers. other attendees gather This is not a place of expectantly around welcome. The opening the stage. The notes band finishes, and packs fly by, barely capturing up their gear. For the anyone’s attention. next thirty minutes, People slowly filter into the air hangs thick with the space throughout the expectancy as the crowd course of the set, their awaits the headliner. The faces obscured either by half hour wait seems mops of hair or the dim interminable. People
the participants are covered in sweat and grime, limbs splayed out and flailing to maintain balance. An elbow catches me in the face, and breaks my glasses. I don’t care.
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push through the crowd, determined to get to the front. The venue is packed. I shoulder my way through the throng and order another beer. From the bar to the opposite wall, there’s barely any space. Navigating the crowd is like moving through a minefield. A slight tremble or misstep causes someone to spill their drink. The floor soon becomes slick with a mixture of spilt beverages and mud.
Nobody cares about any of this once the headlining band takes the stage. Before a single note is played, each member reaches to their feet and lights a stick of incense. A calm descends upon the unruly horde, and all attention lies rapt upon the altar. This is more than black metal, this is worship. From the moment they begin playing, the crowd ceases to be disparate
beings. As the band builds its way toward a furious sonic assault, the masses dissolve into a whirlwind of motion. The music propels us into a frenzy, and a mosh pit takes form in front of the stage. Contained within is a roiling black mass of limbs and filth. The participants are covered in sweat and grime, limbs splayed out and flailing to maintain balance. An elbow catches me in the face, and breaks my glasses. I don’t care. I tuck them away into the inner pocket of my vest and join the fray. I get lost in a churning ocean of leather and spikes. My beer goes flying from my hand, knocked away by a stray fist. The venue closes in, localized to the twenty-foot circle that I am now a part of. Almost immediately, I am thrown off balance. Canting to one side, I struggle to right myself, but instead I am met by a denim-clad shoulder. The fabric is rough on my face, and it scrapes my cheek and nose as I leverage my way back onto two feet. Through the guttural noise and sheer volume of the music, a tacit agreement
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is reached between each person in the audience. I fall over, victim to a surge of movement on my left. Immediately, several arms are there to pick me up. When we worship, it is together. For the next hour, I am a part of the space around me. We feel the slippery floor, the sweat of every limb, and the crumbling plaster of the walls and ceiling. The glorious noise washes over us as our ears are at once massaged and tortured.
Despite the chaos, there is an eerie sense of calm that pervades the atmosphere of this gloomy basement. We all feel it. It is at once insubstantial and concrete, a product of the visceral reaction that the music provokes. It is the result of an aural trial by fire, a spiritual desecration that blasphemes and rages against the light. Every moment we spend in this hellish gathering is a victory for hatred, for violence, for death. Yet, when the encore finishes and the house lights go up, we are cleansed. I return to my senses. I see smiles breaking out on the obscured faces, highfives being exchanged, and arms being clasped. My heart rate slows, and I take stock of the surroundings. The room is much the same as it was at the start. There are many people still present, but the fog has lifted. There is no anger left. I head outside and take in a few breaths of fresh air. For the first time, I notice that the sign that reads “The Shred Shed� is a repurposed door, complete with
hinges and knob. I loiter aimlessly for a few moments, staring at the cracks in the sidewalk below me, coming to terms with the catharsis that I have just experienced. A friend calls to me from the doorway, telling me that the band is putting away their merchandise and that I had better hurry up if I want to buy anything. I glance back at the sign one more time, and then head back towards the stage. This time, the hallway lights don’t flicker. I shake a few hands, buy a patch, a sticker, and a vinyl record, then head back over to the bar and order another drink.
snarky puppy: we like it here jared skoff
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ultimately, snarky puppy’s massive ensemble and horn section enable the group to express diverse musical influences within the same song, and are key to the band’s distinctly big sound.
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narky Puppy has acknowledged that their 2014 new release We Like It Here is the “best thing they’ve ever done.” With a complex blend of jazz, rock, funk, rhythm and blues, Latin influences, and a pinch of hip-hop, this album represents fusion for a new age. The tracks reflect definite dedication to the work of Chick Corea and John McLaughlin, but each song is so diverse in its style and influence. “Jambone,” for instance, sounds like it could be a jazz-infused tune by a jam-band like moe. It includes the best guitar solo on the album, as well as a nod to Hendrix with a tease of his song, “Third Stone From The Sun.” “What About Me?” has sections that could have been pulled straight from Return to Forever album, and other segments that exude a Bela Fleck/Jeff Coffin-style fusion. “Tio Macao” incorporates elements of the New Orleans brass band scene, as well as serious jamming between four percussionists.
deo deiparine
Ultimately, Snarky Puppy’s massive ensemble and horn section enable the group to express diverse musical influences within the same song, and are key to the band’s distinctly big sound. Now ten years old, Snarky Puppy has more than 25 musicians in the rotation, including Cory Henry, the Hammond organist and keyboardist for the group. Henry is a virtuosic multi-instrumentalist and producer whose solo album, First Steps, was also a top jazz album of 2014. He’s currently on tour with his solo group, comprised of two drummers, two keyboardists, and a bass.
Snarky Puppy records all of its albums through live studio sessions over the course of several days. No overdubbing. This not only speeds up the process of recording, but provides a distinct organic feel of collaborative and responsive improvisation, so often missing from modern recordings. The videos of the live studio sessions for We Like It Here are available on YouTube. The album was recorded over the course of four days in Utrecht, Holland. In middle school someone hacked my Verizon account and made my dial tone Gwen Stefani Hollaback girl ted lin
Yung Lean’s “Unknown Death 2002” on repeat while in Seoul nick machak
eleni anas
Belting “I want you” by Luke James in my shower, to find my residents ear-pressed against my door afterwards ted lin
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We Like It Here is defined by serious orchestration and coordination coupled with a feeling of raw live energy, that experience of listening to talented musicians playing off of one another and creating something new in the moment. This environment is something that you can only experience from a performance, and that is part of what makes this fusion album stand out among more polished, overdubbed, sterile-sounding new releases.
On Cape Cod harry hall
Taking tea on the porch, we chew over the booms of the proverbial pageantry. I reject your Roman recline for awkward erection – for digestion.
They play the brazen hunks memorized off the television, Manning to Moss, of course without the proper padding
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as explosions in the sky shine on cumulus nightmares, off to the imminent, unseen east, deep out to sea. You feed me a fragment, slippery, here, you smile: “Life imitates Art” in philosophical certainty. “So it always seems,” you say. We watch them in peace, weary memories ceasing now their faces streaked scarlet with war-paint sunburns. Consecrative reverence to take in the show, they assemble arms all around, Band of Brothers, the only way they know how.
deo deiparine
Off in our scene the boys down bayside struggle over shifting sands on this ebbing Independence Day.
The first time I heard Darkthrone I entered the haptic void. No thought no life no death, a total abyss. arvind srinivasan
su treasury appeal abby kerfoot
17 February 2015, 9:30pm Our rating:
alex berger
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It was nearly midnight
by the time our appeal started, and I could tell the Treasurers were getting sleepy. Who can blame them—hell, I’d get cranky too, if I always had to ‘vote to vote’! Unfortunately, this didn’t work out so well for KWUR. After some deliberation on what percent of our most expensive artist2 they should fund, it became clear that the Treasurers were really tuckered out. Rather than give us a subsidy for Grouper, which would require settling on some percent of what we had appealed for, they decided it would be simpler for everybody3 if they just gave I arrived early to the event to make us nothing and went to sleep. Cheeky! sure I got a good seat. There’s nothing I’m giving this event three stars out quite like watching a room full of of ten, for the 30% of our appeal that B-School students pull out their TI-84s they funded us for. for some extreme multiplying and subtracting. From what I’ve gathered over the years, the game works basically like this: each Treasurer tries his1 best to come up with cunning reasons to deny groups funding, and the cleverest, most frugal one wins. Two student groups made their appeals before KWUR and got funded, so I figured it would be smooth sailing for us too. After all, KWUR is one of the biggest student groups on campus and KWUR Week is our flagship event, bringing the only cool concerts to Wash U in a sea of Mac Millers and Macklemores. Surely Treasury would understand—surely they were joking back in 2013 when a Treasurer asked us what the point of an opening band was, since he had never been to a 1 They’re like, all dudes. Watch out, One Direction! concert himself! (Good one, Treasury! 2 Grouper, who – fun fact – we had negotiated LOL!)
alex berger
deo deiparine
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or many of us in KWUR, the SU Treasury Appeal was one of our most anticipated events of the semester. Having attended previous appeals, I could hardly wait to see what was in store for us at this year’s appeal to fund our 21st annual KWUR Week. Some say that Treasury and KWUR have a strained relationship, but that’s quite a misrepresentation: Treasury is always friendly enough to allow us a comment or two during their discussion of our appeal, and these days they often give us up to 50% of the funding we request!
down to less than 50% of her list price. Well, for them.
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dj spotlight: will wysession interview by alex berger
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William Wysession and I meet on a blustery Monday morning at the art and architecture school’s café, Etta’s; there are no open tables so we sit on the concrete steps outside the building. I’m sprouting goose pimples, but the St. Louis native is fine under his mouse-brown jazz sweater. Everything is “dope” to sophomore Will: he doesn’t have a negative thought to say; fittingly, his KWUR show is called “Happy Hour.” :)
Will can cover his nostrils with his upper lip. He was almost a Mechanical Engineering minor, but can no longer complete it due to a conflict with his
Architecture major. He sometimes goes by the nicknames “Willy” or “Dirt” because dirt is the perfect, inescapable design element: smaller than anyone, yet bigger than everyone. He doesn’t believe in favorites, but the all-time best song is “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire (if you don’t know it by name, you will definitely know it by its jubilant sound).
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“1, 2 Step” (ft. Missy Elliot) by Ciara was Will’s introduction to music in fifth grade. Although his friends warned him, “it’s not appropriate for you, Willy,” he ignored them and continued to jam. As his music tastes evolved away from Top 40 hits, he became more critical, settling into a preference for funk, rap and electronica. His personal crème de la crème comprises a fusion of at least two of these genres.
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A KWUR DJ since his very first semester, Will plays exactly the same music on “Happy Hour” as he would in private. We discuss introducing unfamiliar beats to our libraries—while I need multiple playthroughs, he loves finding and listening to new music and needs no time to warm up to it. Agreeable to the very end, Will “Dirt” Wysession is just happy to be doing whatever.
, inescapable than anyone, yet bigger than everyone. nt: smaller
dj spotlight: james drueckhammer abby kerfoot
KWUR: You’re a new DJ— what’s your favorite KWUR memory so far? James: It’s definitely when I left my first mark on the wall of the studio. I always thought that if I ever had anything written on the wall I had made it as a DJ. At the all night broadcast, before I even had my own show, we were playing Skepta on air, so I wrote “That’s Not Me!” on the wall. It felt right.
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KWUR: What is your favorite album so far from 2015 and why? James: White Men are Black Men Too by Young Fathers, a hip-hop group from Edinburgh, Scotland. They’ve been able to make a great hip-hop album that also makes listeners want to sing along. As an advocate of “real” hiphop, I’m surprised that I like a pop-influenced hiphop album this much.
KWUR: If you had one wish for KWUR, what would it be? James: If I had one wish for KWUR, I would want the station to become more influential in the local music scene. It would be great if KWUR could debut new music from local music, and make the station a source for local exposure.
My mom’s ringtone used to be ‘my humps’ will matalene
¿TE GUSTA, P maddie wells
el pack vol. 1 henry osman
alex berger
it’s what you’d listen to when you’re in the club and that cutie won’t kiss you no matter how hard you dance.
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Monterrey based producer ZUTZUT’s new EP El Pack Vol. 1 combines rapid dembow, icey grime, and soft panflutes for this roving and expansive set. Lagrimas y hustle starts off cold and asks a simple question:
PAPI? ¿TE GUSTA? Broken down to its constituent parts, the melancholic lyrics convey a sense of desire delayed; it’s what you’d listen to when you’re in the club and that cutie won’t kiss you no matter how hard you dance. You can still dance to Otra Vez Llegue but it’s a bit more experimental, sampling Peruvian reggaetoneros ataque rasta over Andean panflutes. The highlight of the EP is Jala, which takes its hook from La Insuperable’s 2013 summer hit Dámelo ft. chimbala. However, ZUTZUT brings out the harshness of La Insuperables dembow, overlaying it with some freezing cold bass. ZUTZUT just wants to pull us into to his frozen, fluid world.
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The purpose of your show isn’t just to be heard, it’s to have fun yourself and play music.
dj spotlight: teddy wenneker eleni anas
On Tuesday, April 21st I had the opportunity to sit down with Teddy and ask him some Q’s about music, KWUR and other stuff. Read on! First, some facts: Year: Senior Hometown: Boston, MA Major: Physics (Current) Show Name: Cerebral Aliatory Favorite New Releases: Courtney Barnett, Sufjan Stevens Guilty Pleasure Artist/Jam: Owl City Fun Fact: Teddy is colorblind Post-Grad Plans: Teddy is planning to pursue a career in the music industry and work in promotions or radio.
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Did you know? Teddy holds the KWUR record for most exec hats worn by one DJ! Teddy originally joined exec as training director and has since revolutionized the game, taking on the positions of Music and Experimental Directors and making sure our racks are always stacked with fresh tracks. Teddy is also responsible for posting the Top Adds and Top 30 lists to the KWUR FB page every week which is a cool way of showing what our DJ’s are playing on the ~airwaves~.
And now some Q & A: ME: What are ur hopes and dreams? TW: I think my dream, or hope...more of a dream, is that one day my name will be in some sort of music textbook. People will learn about the music of the 2020’s and be like, “Oh, Teddy Wenneker was a big deal in that period. ME: Since KWUR is in a kind of transitional period right now, do you have any words of wisdom for the next generation of DJ’s as they move forward with their college radio experience? TW: The purpose of your show isn’t just to be heard, it’s to have fun yourself and and play music. And there will always be one person listening and that’s all that really matters. ME: Have you left your mark on the station? TW: In the corner I wrote “my first contribution,” because it was my first contribution.
My first album I ever bought was Smash Mouth noah rowlett
I cried to the Mr. Deeds soundtrack noah rowlett
Angst & listening to Simple Plan on AOL music when I was grounded eleni anas
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I kissed a girl and I liked it stephanie aria
Searching artists on Myspace for the perfect profile song eleni anas
But wan can y
on history nathan port
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t I know y’all nted that 808 you feel that B-A-S-S, bass,” 19
noah rowlett
nd its ability to further your understanding and enjoyment of (electronic) music.
will matalene
sings Big Boi on “The Way You Move.” The 808 is a cultural artifact but what is it? Everyone raps about it, names songs after it, but few who make music actually know what it is. 808 is shorthand for the Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, a drum machine that was released from 1980 to 1984 that seminally changed the sound of the electronic music landscape. It was followed the 606 and 707, preceded the 909. Recognizing the sound of each of these drum machines allows one to tease out influences and origins of sound, the 808 is ubiquitous in hip-hop and rap, it makes an appearance in ghetto and juke.
The production of many different electronic instruments in a short period of time allowed electronic music to progress faster and more radically than any other form of music in history. In the 1950s and 60s electronic music was primarily the fascination
teddy wenneker
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of academicians concerned with circuitry and sound, there were a few more mainstream acts (Tangerine Dream and Jean Michel Jarre) but the barrier for entry was enormous (synths would cost multiple thousands of dollars). Many of these early adopters of electronic experimented with textures but not with beats, that’s the reason that Kraftwerk’s foray into music more resembling modern dance was so groundbreaking. The same can be said of Aphex Twin, it’s not that his music is necessarily the best in the world, it has to do with his The understanding of music being the first of its kind. the history of the music scene allows one to listen to Kraftwerk and here more than music that sounds simplistic and flat by today’s standards, it allows one to appreciate the monumental shifts it caused. In another fascinating example I will turn to a second Roland instrument, the Roland TB-303 Bass Line, produced from 1982-1984. This is the machine that makes the “acid” sound. The “first” acid track released was 3 years after the synthesizer was discontinued, Phuture’s “Acid Tracks.” This novel sound captivated audiences and spawned a movement that spread from Chicago across the Atlantic to the UK. If you didn’t know this story the importance of the rediscovery of Charanjit Singh’s “Synthesizing 10 Ragas to a Disco Beats” in 2010, originally released in 1982. This album, practically
abbey bush
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The Bill Berry unibrow smiley face that Peter Buck drew on KWUR’s copy of Life’s Rich Pageant |8^) abbey bush Listening to Hilary Duff’s Metamorphosis on my red Walkman as my dad spun the car off the road abby kerfoot
lost for 30 years and a complete flop upon its initial release, also used the 303. Its rediscovery has made people rethink the history of the acid sound and makes the repressing more than just a cultural oddity – it transforms it into an important cultural artifact. Learning about the history and development of electronic music can be rewarding and further your appreciation of current and past sounds by strengthening your knowledge of thematic ties and influences. I hope the few examples I highlighted are enough to prove that and you can seek out others in between time spent listening to and discovering music.
the case for playlists harrison kay
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friend of mine turned 21 last month, so I got her a playlist. Well, I made her a playlist. I sat down with my laptop, opened Spotify, and began selecting the perfect batch of songs for her special day. I pulled music mostly from playlists I had previously compiled, trying in earnest to pick tracks that matched what knowledge I had about her listening preferences and existing cache of music. I opted for my usual fare: funky indie disco and synth-y dance pop from Fenech-Soler, Cut Copy, and Miami Horror interspersed among quirky remixes and a few acoustic gems. After fifteen minutes the finished product emerged, and it was beautiful. A handpicked bundle of nearly twodozen songs was ready for my friend to consume with her cake. But to what extent was this compilation really a “gift?” Was there value created in the quarter-hour I spent toiling over Spotify, dragging-and-dropping the work of others into a neat little package?
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listening is a deeply personal affair that can by turns be lighthearted and emotionally heavy. A mix of songs selected by a friend can amplify these feelings not only because of the music choice but also because of the personal touch.
Playlists have been around since music went digital, from the days of Napster and Limewire to the launch of the iTunes store and into the age of streaming. They’re mix tapes for the Millenial set, gateways to discovery and eventual sharing of new artists and styles. Music curation has caught on fast in the past few years as users, staffers, celebs, and the artists themselves assemble mixes that pop up wherever music is downloaded or streamed.
Digital music executives will say that playlists are of paramount importance. A 2014 article in The New Yorker on the rise of Spotify (which boasts more than a billion staff and user-compiled collections) prudently referred to the playlist as “the album of
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After fifteen minutes the finished product emerged, and it was beautiful. A handpicked bundle of nearly two-dozen songs was ready for my friend to consume with her cake.
the streaming world.” Lorde is said to have benefited enormously when “Royals” was added to a staff-curated list in April 2013, becoming the second most popular song on the streaming service only a few weeks after it was added. Then there’s apps like Songza that offer pre-selected playlists based on parameters like time of day, activity, and mood. So if you’re, say, nervous about an upcoming exam on Tuesday morning and then getting high that evening, the app will have unique offerings to keep you satisfied all day. So the playlist approach offers benefits for both “lean forward” listeners (those who like to actively discover what’s new and what’s next in music) and “lean back” listeners (those who leave the curation work to trained professionals and simply enjoy the results).
There is something psychological at play here too. We like to recommend content to our family and friends and we look forward to their feedback on what we suggest. This tendency is especially effective with more intimate and experience-based subjects—the restaurant in which to spend a great night out or the salon at which your hair will be given luxury treatment. The same holds with music because listening is a deeply personal affair that can by turns be lighthearted and emotionally heavy. A mix of songs selected by a friend can amplify these feelings not only because of the music choice but also because of the personal touch.
So, is there value in a playlist? In the post-album world, where millions of songs are available a la carte and free of charge, a playlist serves as the guiding light for the lost and the launching pad for the curious. They create order amidst chaos. And they make a great birthday gift, or so I’ve been told. Death Cab goes pop? No. Fireflies changed my life. Yes. teddy wenneker
DJ spotlight: Jon Vuylsteke nick machak
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1.) Describe your show on KWUR. What is the concept of your show?
It’s all about good vibes. Technically, I can only speak for Concubines—but I’m sure my funktastic co-DJ would agr bring some alternative electronic music to our audience. disco, jazz hop, down tempo, chillwave, future bass… it’s Most of it is pretty danceable, but all of it is fresh.
2.) You recently DJ’d at the KWUR Spring 2015 DJ showcase. Tell us about the kind of set you played, and how was the overall experience for you?
I really enjoyed the experience. I was so excited to share people and see if they could groove to it. I tried to pick so cohesive but also show some variety within a range. My s bass, some French house, some trap… It’s difficult to des basically I love those melodic bass-driven beats. For me, it’s more about getting into a good groove and feeling the
3.) When people who aren’t in KWUR or who don’t go to WUSTL ask you about KWUR, how do you describe KWUR to them?
The first thing I always talk about is how cool the people of it is that we all love music. Part of it is that we all have interests and different stories. I wouldn’t say we are a tigh community, but there are always cool people to meet. Th thing I have mention is our studio. I know we moved rece lost some history, but the new studio is tight AF. The equ so pro and the space is really starting to feel like our own the graffiti could improve but, honestly—who can ever ge penises?
4.) What song stimulates your sense of smell? Taste? Touch? Hearing? Sight? And why?
ELO - Mr. Blue Sky — sight. It reminds me of driving aroun sunny day. What So Not - High You Are (Branchez Remix What So Not live and literally felt the bass in my bones. G Starslinger - Slow N Wet — hearing. This song has some instrumentals and progression are, like, sex. It’s basically Chet Baker & Paul Desmond - How Deep Is the Ocean?— my Grandma’s kitchen. Not sure why… maybe a dream. K (Andrea Remix) — taste. I live near the ocean, so when I taste the saltiness. The song is mad chill.
5.) You have just been selected to choose an influential person to be on the face of a $200 bill. Who would you choose and why?
Definitely Teddy Roosevelt. I mean the man was a straigh multiple assassination attempts, created a bunch of natio American. That being said, the other Roosevelt would pro
exotica: VACATION IMAGINATION anya venezia
one half of my show—Heuristic ree. Calla “DJ Call-a-ho” and I try to We play some tropical house, nu really whatever we’re listening to.
B
ack in the 1950s Asia and Africa my favorite music with were still a ongs that would be mystery to the average set was mostly future American and their scribe the genres, but fantasy of tropical lands vocals are optional— was a source of musical e music. inspiration. Exotica was born out of big band jazz mixed with the nonare. Part authentic experience of different Oceania, Africa, etc. Les ht Baxter, with his album he next Ritual of the Savage ently and typifies the genre. Martin uipment is Denny, Walter Wanderly, n. Some of Robert Drasnin, and et enough Arthur Lyman are some other great examples. In rhythm and melody, nd on a beautiful, x) — touch. I saw GOOD FEELS. history for me, but it’s an auditory orgasm. —smell. Reminds me of Kyson - Ocean Tides hear this I can almost
exotica feels a bit like Bossa Nova, but it is easily distinguished by its usual instruments: conga, bongos, boo bams, vibraphones, marimbas, and even bird and monkey sounds. If you’ve ever watched some of the classic
films of the 50s, such as African Queen or South Pacific, you have a visual representation of the genre: exotic, but ethereal and dreamlike because it comes from imagination.
ht boss. OG Rough Rider, survived onal parks… He’s a legendary obably do too.
deo deiparine
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honestly— who can ever get enough penises?
Fun fact: the fourth track of Tobias Jesso Jr’s album “Goon” is How Could You Babe?” adam banker
colophon
This edition of SAMPLE was designed by Alex Berger for the Washington University in St. Louis student-run college radio station KWUR during Spring 2015. Typefaces used include Whitney and Neutraface Display. The content was provided by the KWUR executive board and general body.
Endless thank-you’s to these people for their contributions: Abbey Bush Abby Kerfoot Adam Banker Anya Venezia Arvind Srinivasan Danielle Korman Deo Deiparine Eleni Anas Harrison Kay Harry Hall Henry Osman Isaac Howell Jared Skoff Katie Shin Maddie Wells Nathan Port Nick Machak Ted Lin Teddy Wenneker Will Matalene
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