Author: WKNC Admin

Categories
Short Stories

AV Story

 

‘I’m DJ Psyched and 2k Indie is coming to an end for the week…’ 

Oh finally DJ AV thought. I’m tired of this 

Hearing the DJs signing off is his favorite part of the day.

He spent the next few minutes patiently waiting while the DJ finished logging off and making sure the studio was clean and ready before they left. He was so eager for the DJ to leave that he said ‘Oh finally’ a moment too early.

‘What?’, DJ Psyched said before turning around again, giving the studio one last look. ‘I must be hearing things’, she said to herself before closing the door and leaving.

This time AV waited about a minute before trying to speak up, but just as he was about to say something Mica interjected saying ‘Can’t wait even a few seconds huh?’.

‘I don’t see what the big deal is’ AV lied. ‘So what if they find out, who are they to assume we don’t have thoughts and lives too?’.

‘Oh we are not having this discussion again.’ Mica added, ‘If you were a human I’m sure you wouldn’t want to know that your microphone and computers are more intelligent than you either.’

‘Coast is clear by the way’ AV shouted out for the whole studio to hear, ignoring Mica’s comment.

‘Thank goodness’ said Cedric, ‘I don’t even know why I bother being here, no one seems to want to use the CD player anymore’.

‘It’s all those streaming services’ Auxy interjected, ‘I wouldn’t mind them so much if people didn’t go yanking me out of there computers… and they wonder why they need to replace their aux chords so often’. Auxy tried not to think about this too hard after saying it, broken aux cords always ended up in the trash… and she was not ready for that.

‘Alright, so the first thing on the agenda is aux care, got it’ AV said, he always liked to act like the station leader. ‘Anything else?’

‘Can you please turn the music down, I can hardly hear anyone’ Mica added.

‘Sorry sorry’ said Soma the speakers, ‘That psyched kid really likes to blast the music…’

‘Well, we can work on that too…’ but before AV could finish what he was about to say the door swung open fast, too fast. No one had time to go back into auto mode.

AV made direct eye contact with DJ Psyched, and before he could say or do anything psyched was facedown on the floor.

‘Oh not again’ AV said. ‘Get up DJ Psyched! DJ! DJ!  Get UP!! DJ PSYCHED!!!’

‘What?’ Psyched said as she slowly lifted her head, realizing that she had been asleep, and was now being woken up by the next DJ coming in for their shift. ‘Oh sorry’ she said.

‘It’s fine, but uh… could I please get in now, my set starts in five’

‘Yeah of course’, she scrambled to grab all of her things so she could leave, and just as she was logging out she could’ve sworn she saw a little wink come from the corner of the screen…

– DJ Psyched

Categories
Playlists

Psyched’s Ultimate Indie

 

I’ve talked about this on the blog before, but I’ll say it again, I have an obsession with making playlists (I guess that’s a good thing considering i’m a DJ). Anyhow, the first playlist I ever made for WKNC was a playlist titled ‘Psyched’s Ultimate Indie’. I listened to Indie a lot before I started DJing, but I figured that since I would be running a show that focused on new released Indie music, my Indie library was going to get much bigger. 

In order to keep track of all the new music I found during my time with WKNC, I decided to make this ultimate playlist. The reason I’m writing about it today is because the playlist hit a big milestone last month, we’re now officially at 500+ songs (530 at the time of writing this), so I figured now would be a good time to reflect on the playlist and see what it has become…

30 hours of music ranging from artists like Cigarettes After Sex to Modern Diet, and just about anything in between. The first thing I thought of upon listening to this playlist was ‘how can this all be one ‘theme’ yet has so much diversity in sound?’ I won’t answer the question ‘what is Indie’ again, because I think we can all agree that it’s hard to define and I have a whole other blog post about it, but we all kind of know what it is when we hear it. I’m sure some of the songs and artists I’ve put in this playlist could be debated as not really fitting in here, but the criteria I went with was ‘if it feels indie, it can be indie for this playlist’. Some artists I can think of who might stand out a bit in this playlist are ROLE MODEL, grimes, Young the Giant and halfalive. This playlist really doesn’t have any other rules and it’s evident when it’s on shuffle. There’s everything from rock, psychedelic, to pop sounding Indie (and genres I can’t even put a name to).

I wanted to go through and choose some favorites/ react to some music but upon further review I’m seeing that 500 songs is a bit overwhelming and hard to fairly narrow down. So I think I’ll have to save that for another day… because in the making of this post I decide I’d narrow down the Ultimate Indie playlist into ‘Psyched’s Favorite Indie’ (I told you I was a bit addicted to making playlists…)

If you’re interested in checking out the playlist I’m curious if there are any artists or songs you think don’t really fit the theme, or would fit better in a different playlist. What are some artists you think are a must in an ultimate indie playlist?

– DJ Psyched

Playlist link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4uhiwdTwdvRDzIgo6EXmWf?si=1-8XnoaoRjmnhRyEmi3tuQ

Categories
Miscellaneous

Get Psyched Podcast Episode Highlight: DIY Series ft. PME

PME is an independent creator from Fayetteville, NC. He’s self taught and specializes in music production and beat making. He released his first official Single on Spotify in mid 2019 titled ‘Peanut Butter’ and, at the start of this year, he released his first Album titled ‘20/20/20’.

We’ve known each other since highschool and in this episode we talked about everything from what it means to ‘make it’, how he got started, advice for others, his goals and plans for the future, and how crucial support is for any independent creator.

His biggest goal at the moment is to focus on the business aspects of being an independent producer. He talks about how beat making comes naturally to him and that the hard part comes from getting your work out and being heard. He runs an instagram, twitter, Spotify and other accounts to share his music and beats. One of his big plans for the year is to drop more singles (which he has been recently) and get them on more platforms.

We also discuss how investing in yourself is crucial when you’re doing things on your own, and he gives advice as to where he puts his money and energy in building his brand. ‘The only thing I’ve really bought for my music has been my launch key and macbook … if you want to get into music and you have a laptop, and you can find some free program that you can use to make music, that’s honestly all you need. If you want to get started, invest your money and just save for a minute’

We also talk about how he believes school is not a must for up-and-coming creators and he gives his view on other ways creators can learn. His take on learning is that you don’t need to spend a lot of money on it these days. If you have access to a device with youtube, you’re good to go. ‘Youtube is your best friend’.

Most importantly, what PME thinks is critical for any independent creator, is support. We discuss how important it is to support small creators and how simple that can be. Even something like sharing a friends post can be incredibly instrumental to getting their work out there, and this kind of support is what gets small artists off the ground. It always starts locally, so we encourage everyone to support their creative friends and community. ‘Support means more to us than you think it does, we need that to make a living, without support we’d just be weirdos in our rooms or studios making music for no reason. Without yalls support, we would have nothing’.

Thank you PME for being on the podcast! You can checkout our episode at the link below and checkout the artist himself as well!

PME is also the creator of the beat I use for my podcast. The track used is ‘300k’ off of his first album.

– DJ Psyched from the Get Psyched Podcast

Categories
Podcasts

Let’s Talk Health: Mindset & Health Feat. Dr. Kasey Orvidas


Learn more about Dr. Kasey via Instagram and Iron Intellects.

Get Psyched intro music was created by PME, used by permission. Find PME on Spotify. 

Categories
New Album Review

ALBUM REVIEW: Jah9 – Note To Self

ALBUM REVIEW: Jah9 – Note To Self

BEST TRACKS: Highly (Get To Me), Heaven (Ready Fi Di Feeling), Love Has Found I, Ready To Play

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Jah9 is a singer born in the Jamaican countryside, who, at the age of nine, moved to Kingston, the heart of Jamaica. Through her strong, regal voice and unique jazz-steeped dub sound, her music has crossed international borders. She is also very spiritually intune, heavily learned in Rastafarian teachings and trained in multiple disciples of yoga. When I came across this album, I was elated to see such confident, talented female representation within Rastafari as well as reggae music. Highly socially conscious, Jah9 intentionally rebels against outdated traditions and mindselts while simultaneously embracing the rich and warm Jamaican culture.

This album is a contemporary take on Jamaican music. The classic reggae beat is the core to this alluring music, underlaying a soulful, jazzy, afrobeat funk sound. The incredible rhythm and sway of this album momentarily soothed my soul. The smoothness and slow of this album cannot but be appreciated. Most impressive element of this immaculate album is Jah9’s lyrical capability. Her syllables never miss a beat, and are dense and complementary to the music, without feeling rushed or squished into the bars. I would describe Note To Self as roots reggae, dealing with social issues faced by the African Diaspora, black and female liberation, and the honoring of Jah.

This Jah9 certainly draws inspiration from mystic and ancient sources. Jamaican or not, this album provides clarity and power to all who listen openly. If anything, this music will awaken the energy in your blood and make you want to move. Not to hate on indie (I love indie), but I recommend this album if you’re burnt out on listening to the same old oppressed white indie boys and want something more spiritual and rhythmic. I also recommend Note To Selfif you like similar artists like Popcaan, Hollie Cook, and Chronixx.

-Safia 

Categories
New Album Review

ALBUM REVIEW: Other Worlds by Módl

Other Worlds - EP by Módl on Amazon Music - Amazon.com

ALBUM REVIEW: Other Worlds by Módl

BEST TRACKS: Hate to Turn, Daydreams, Fallen

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Módl is a 23 year-old producer, songwriter, and vocalist from Virginia who infused his future bass roots with the likes of Indie, R&B, and Hip Hop. Módl’s first EP, Other Worlds, was released in 2016 with the idea of energetic songs in mind.

Módl’s Other Worlds EP is, in fact, otherworldly. To me, this almost dance but also downtempo EP sounds similar to artists such as Illenium or ODESZA. All of Módl’s songs in Other Worlds consist of deep, future bass-esque bass and bubbly synths to contrast. The thing I love most about Módl’s songs are the vocal chops. The vocal chops are well done and add an extra element of rhythm. 

Daydreams and Hate to Turn are instrumental tracks, while Before I Leave, Questions, and Fallen contain lyrics. Particularly, Before I Leave has the most different sound with the inclusion of an acoustic guitar mixed with the same synths and deep bass. Also, the entire EP has an atmospheric sound that makes you feel like the sound is all around you. After listening to the album, I had the sudden urge to create a travel video since the songs felt so atmospheric. It is a great EP to listen to in the car, especially Hate to Turn, that one is my personal favorite. 

I recommend Other Worlds for fans of ODESZA, Illenium, or other future bass artists who are looking for a similar style but with a focus on vocal chops and a balance of deep bass and synths. I found this EP after I was exposed to another song by Módl named Coastline and I explored the rest of his discography. 

-Tegan 

Categories
Music News and Interviews

Releases of April 2020

I  might be a bit biased when I say that April is the best month of the year, since it’s the month in which I was born, but I also have another reason to appreciate this April. I’ve already made two other blog posts about my favorite songs and music videos from the month, but now that the month is officially over I have even more exciting music news to share.

It’s truly has been a crazy good month for new music, at least in my taste/ from some of my favorite artists, but I’m sure there’s plenty of good music and news I will miss in this, so make sure to let me know if I missed something you really loved or were excited for this month!

As far as artists, like I said a lot of my favorites released new material this month, including but not limited to: Twenty One Pilots, Hayley Williams, Rina Sawayama, Declan McKenna, and The Front Bottoms. I name these artists because I already covered their new material in my previous blog posts so I won’t go into any more detail here, but I am still super excited about these releases and think they’ve held up really well over the month.

As far as music I haven’t talked about yet, there’s new material from: Smallpools, Mindchatter, Gorillaz, J.P. Plains, Still Woozy, Bad Suns, Arson Daily, youngbuk, Beachtape, and chloe moriondo. There’s even more than that, but I won’t be able to cover them all in this one post without making it ridiculously long, so instead I put them all in a playlist which is linked below.

Local Band Arson Daily released their first full length LP on April 3rd titled Late Reflections. Pipe Dream is my favorite track at the moment, but the whole album is impressive and worth a listen. Their rock and indie infused sound is unique and soothing. Refreshing and original, this one of my favorite plays of the month. The band has done a few live stream concerts for the record already, so if you’re interested you should check them out online, they seem to be staying very active during this time.

‘Window’ by Still Woozy is a soothing pop track with an R&B vibe. It also fits in perfectly with a lot of the indie music on my playlist, since the artist’s sound is a very unique blend of genres, which has made it really stick with me through this month. This artist definitely stands out with his unique choice of instrumentation and hypnotizingly soothing vocals. Making this track short, sweet and kept on repeat.

Last, but as I said before not really the last, is Smallpools. They released the track ‘Play Pretend’ earlier in the month, and the track ‘slowdown’ about a week ago. The first song was used for ‘The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show’, a netflix original. The song is incredibly upbeat, fun, and with it’s catchy chorus and playful guitar riff, it definitely screams Smallpools. I find the chorus gets stuck in my head pretty fast and makes me want to dance. It contrasts nicely with the track ‘slowdown’, a lighter sounding track, though not completely mellow. It has a soothing midline beat that picks up in the chorus. The track was made as a collaboration with morgxn, and considering the netflix partnership they also had this month, it all makes me wonder what the band has in store for us next.

Those were just some of my favorite Music Moments from April. Like I said the month was overwhelmingly full of great new releases and news. You can check out more of my recommendations from the playlist below.

As always I have a question for you, what have been some of your favorite tracks and music news from this year?

– DJ Psyched

Categories
Podcasts

Let’s Talk Health: The Series Intro


If you are interested in getting psyched about health with DJ Psyched, you can contact her via Instagram. 

Get Psyched intro music was created by PME, used by permission. Find PME on Spotify. 

Categories
Podcasts

EOT309 Essential v. Non-Essential Workers 5/03/20

Categories
New Album Review

ALBUM REVIEW: Lila Blue – Leave Me Be

ALBUM REVIEW: Lila Blue – Leave Me Be

BEST TRACKS: Grown Bones, Somber Silence, Indigo

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Recommended if you like: Angel Olsen, Fiona Apple, Mitski

Lila Blue is not your average hippy dippy folk singer. Leave Me Be is by far the darkest, eeriest, most macabre folk album that I’ve ever heard. Music is Lila Blue’s entire life, and she has even traded her childhood for this, writing music since the age of 8. Now, at the young age of 20, she has released her third album, containing a power and intensity that would have made you think it was written by someone much older.

Blue’s voice changes styles astonishingly quickly, multiple times within the same song. In the first track, Grown Bones, Blue sings the line “hurricanes and lukewarm soup” with a sweet and beautiful intonation, but the way she growls the lyrics two lines down, “mama pushed you down the river in her favorite basket” sounds downright insidious. Adding to the frightening mood of this album are the suspenseful, discordant strings and deep, booming, rhythmic drums. This music makes me think of acres of burning cornfields and demonic symbols written in blood on the walls.

In this album, I feel the sweetness of youth and the pains that come with growing up and having to take on different roles in life. I especially felt this in the 5th track, Somber Silence, in which you’ll hear Lila Blue helplessly wailing “I can’t stop and I can’t go, I can’t go on, I can’t go on…” over and over again in the chorus. I appreciate that this song ends on a strong note: in the last chorus, the lyrics are changed to “I will go on”. The 8th track, Indigo, is about the apprehensions of growing old with someone, and then falling out of love and losing touch with your children, and forgetting what it was like to be young.

This album will bring out your deepest anger and fear.

-Safia