Categories
Playlists

DJ Dragonfly’s September Favorites

September: the official start of Fall.  It’s that time again where I share my favorite songs for the month.  I am quite proud of myself this month because I think I branched off of what I had been listening to the last couple of months.  

Around the Fall time and transitioning into the Winter, I tend to move away from indie and low distortion/high reverb songs with the gentle or smooth vocals.  I gravitate toward nu metal pretty religiously.  Something about the colder, windier weather, the colors of the leaves changing, and the days getting shorter just calls for distortion and screaming for me.  

That being said, I have curated another playlist for “DJ Dragonfly’s Favorites” and there is mostly nu metal.  I have also included some grunge, of course, as well as some pop, rap, classic rock and so on.  Some of these songs have explicit content, so fair warning to everyone.

Additionally, this time around I have a couple German songs.  My regular readers would know that the middle of September until the first Sunday of October is Oktoberfest.  Because of all the various playlists I have been making for personal use as well as sets on the radio, I have been listening to more German songs than usual.  

I think the odd songs out in this playlist would probably be “The Largest” by BigXthaPlug, “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga and “Walking On A Dream” by Empire Of The Sun.  My friends have been playing “The Largest” and “Bad Romance” quite often lately for various reasons and so as a result, I have been listening to them more than usual.  I have a soft spot for a couple of Empire Of The Sun songs and I guess that has bled through this month.  

I hope everyone enjoys this month’s playlist.

— dj dragonfly

Categories
Weekly Charts

Afterhours Charts 10/7/25

ArtistRecordLabel
1DISCTR4Kinner body movementSelf-Released
2BIZSwimSelf-Released
3LYNYNIxonaSooper
4WEVALCHOROPHOBIATechnicolour
5LILITHPADThe Sky Is Falling… [EP]Self-Released
6S-AMEIGNORANT BLISSSelf-Released
7KEWYOtoo much words in my headunlucky wind
8FROST CHILDRENSISTERTrue Panther/Dirty Hit
9CALLASOILEDMachine FlexSelf-Released
10MACHINE GIRL“Rabbit Season” [Single]Future Classic
Categories
Weekly Charts

Underground Charts 10/7/25

Underground Charts

ArtistRecordLabel
1CARRTOONSSpace Cadet+1
2MCKINLEY DIXONMagic, Alive!City Slang
3YAYA BEYDo It Afraiddrink sum wtr
4KENNY MASONAngel EyesRCA
5AESOP ROCKBlack Hole SuperetteRhymesayers
6MADISON MCFERRINSCORPIOMadMcFerrin
7MURSLove & Rockets 3:16 (The Emancipation)Mello
8KELLY MOONSTONENew MoonSelf-Released
9SABA AND NO IDFrom The Private Collection Of Saba & No IDSaba Pivot/The Orchard
10VENNAMALIKCashmere Thoughts

Underground Adds

ArtistRecordLabel
1MANWOLVES, CRASHPREZ, CRASHWOLVESit all comes for me [EP]Manwolves
2HUMAN ERROR CLUB AND KENNY SEGALHuman Error Club At Kenny’s HouseBackwoods Studioz
3YAHLIQDays Before Disaster: Hosted by Professor XSelf-Released
4JAYWOODLeo NegroCaptured Tracks
5EV GAnd Then I Go UpSelf-Released
6CARRTOONSSpace Cadet+1
7JANAOrbitSelf-Released
87XVETHEGENIUS“Pedals” [Single]Broadband Sound
9DANNY BROWN“Starburst” [Single]Warp
10VICTORIA PORTDid It AgainFirst Word
Categories
Weekly Charts

Jazz Charts 10/7/25

ArtistRecordLabel
1BIRDLAND BIG BANDStorybook: The Music Of Mark MillerBirdland
2BUTCHER BROWNLetters From The AtlanticConcord Jazz
3DAVID LARSENMancini 100Self-Released
4NATURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY AND BITCHIN BAJASTotalityDrag City
5NICK FINZERThe Jazz Orchestra Volume 1Outside In
6PLANET D NONETDoctor Professor Leonard King In Tribute To Joe WilliamsEastlawn
7RODNEY JORDANMemphis BlueBaxter
8SEAN NELSON NEW LONDON BIG BANDDon’t Stop NowAll In
9STEVEN FEIFKEThe Role Of The Rhythm Section, Volume IILa Reserve/Bandstand Presents
10RICK ROETribute: The Music Of Gregg HillCold Plunge
Categories
Weekly Charts

Top Charts 10/7/25

Top Charts

ArtistRecordLabel
1ANIMAL COLLECTIVE“Love On The Big Screen” [Single]Domino
2DOUBLE WISHDouble WishHit The North
3GOOD FLYING BIRDS“Eric’s Eyes” [Single]Carpark
4CLEOPATRICKFake MoonNowhere Special/Thirty Tigers
5FLORRYSounds LikeDear Life
6GRAHAM HUNTTimeless World ForeverRun For Cover
7NATIVE SUNConcrete LanguageTODO
8SEA LEMONDiving For A PrizeLuminelle
9STEREOLABInstant Holograms On Metal FilmWarp/Duophonic
10APRIL MARCH“Surfing Castafiore” [Single]Bong Load
11ATLASZone Complex “Ideus” [EP]Self-Released
12CAMERON STENGERLighterHearing Aid
13CLUSTERFUNKforestryfakenumberland
14COSINEVITales From The RainbowlandsTree Critters
15DANIBREAKSNXIETY [EP]Self-Released
16DREAMLESS VEILEvery Limb Of The FloodRelapse
17FEEBLE LITTLE HORSE“This Is Real” [Single]Saddle Creek
18FOXWARREN2 (Two)Anti-
19HIRAETHTRASH[Untitled] [EP]Self-Released
20HYPERBOREA32XLowkey [EP]Self-Released
21INTRAI’ll Survive For YouDoki Doki Beats
22JADE THE MOON“Dirty John Type” [Single]Self-Released
23JUNKMAIL!Learn Chinese – GoodbyeJunkmailian
24KEVIN ABSTRACTBlushJuno/X8
25LEAVING FOR ARIZONAPB SpecialSpiceHouse
26MAMALARKYHex KeyEpitaph
27MOMMAWelcome To My Blue SkyPolyvinyl
28MUDDYOUSH23Self-Released
29PETROVPetrovSelf-Released
30QWILTQWILT [EP]Self-Released

Top Adds

ArtistRecordLabel
1ROCKETR Is For RocketTransgressive
2POT-POTWarsaw 480km felte
3WEDNESDAYBleedsDead Oceans
4COACH PARTYCaramelChess Club
Categories
Classic Album Review

Album Review: Dimensions by The Fantastic Plastics

The Fantastic Plastics define themselves as a Neo-New Wave band. I would have to agree. There are unmistakable elements of New Wave influences in their work, while there are also influences that seem to come from electronic music and the internet. The band incorporates elements of sci-fi dystopias, New Wave silhouettes, and out of this world costumes into their performances. Their performances and aesthetic are essential to understanding the band, as they got their start as almost entirely a live performance, spreading their art going to music festivals and opening for bands. The definition of what a live audience is though, has changed over the past few years with the advent of streaming. Not to be out-futured, the Fantastic Plastics evolved with it, and now stream a live multimedia music and art experience on Twitch. It is fascinating to see how such a surreal retro-futuristic band keeps up with the times. 

Most of their songs are accompanied by dizzying visualizers that make you feel like you’ve been sucked into a 60s pop art painting. As I listened through their latest album, “Dimensions,” I sort of wondered if I was being slowly hypnotized by these women with boxy tape recorder bodies and microphones with hair. Certainly, the neon green background did not help me feel less like I was being lured in by this fantastic (plastic) aesthetic. 

I first found and listened to this band a few weeks ago, and loved it from the first song I heard. The song in question “Are You A Consumer.” The lyrics are an upbeat list of products and procedures to buy. Although it’s a little on the nose, the fun backing track and sardonic tone create a delightful critique on consumerism.  

“Got to get the spray tan, margarine, ginger ale, finger nail, varnish/Now you need some hair spray, tanquery, chocolate bar, caviar, garnish,”

  • “Are You A Consumer” By the Fantastic Plastics

Each song is a boppy sing-along, even as the lyrics border on topics that would be fodder for a YA dystopia at your local library. The Fantastic Plastics are a fantastically fun band and I personally hope to see more from them in the future. They released “Dimensions” in 2023 after a few years of work, so there is hope yet that they may release more music in the future. It is something to keep your ear out for. 

Categories
Band/Artist Profile

Artist Profile: Red Vox

“Red Vox is a Staten Island, New York based independent rock band led by- now, get this- a streamer” I say to a crowd of unamused friends of mine listening to my presentation about the group. Oh. That’s not the reaction I anticipated. Especially not one from a made up crowd. 

Despite that story’s fictional status- I have heard this reaction before. This makes more sense now upon reflection as eight years ago when I found the band, a content creator led project designed to be taken seriously and also happening to succeed at such a goal was mere novelty; very few acts accomplished such a feat. 

Red Vox was a rare exception to be taken seriously by fans and critics alike. Now, this story is sung ad nauseum. Plenty of streamers, YouTubers, Instagrammers, TikToker’s and other forms of “influencer” have successfully built careers in multiple fields, becoming major forces in the music scene.

Streamers Vinny “Vinesauce” and Jabroni Mike formed the band in 2015 alongside fellow musicians Joe and Bill. No last names have ever been given out, so when the band added new members in the 2020s for studio sessions and touring, they were simply called Jerrold and “New” Joe. Excellent. Jabroni Mike later left the band indefinitely in 2025, citing health issues.

Despite how common the story of the group has become, the band’s initial breakthrough is still something that should be celebrated. Vinesauce was already a successful streamer, which can make it easier to launch a career off of, but not so when the music is unconventional to what most fans of the streamer might enjoy. Most successful creators transitioning into music tend to go for a pop or rap sound in order to find success in those fields. Red Vox went a different route. 

Released in 2016, debut album “What Could Go Wrong” tells stories of adolescent anxiety, being ghosted, failing at bar hookups, and dreaming about your crush. In the kindest way it can be described, this album makes the singer sound like a nerd, especially with its obvious influences from classic acts like The Cars, Pink Floyd, and Blur. While the first album may be amateur and cliche at points, it was well-received and remains a great listen with the grungy “Atom Bomb,” the deepened hole in the Earth sound of “Ghost Page,” its pop closer “In A Dream,” and its multi-part psychedelic experiments on “Job In The City” and “She Missed The Beat.”

The band established itselves not as a group wishing to follow any kinds of trend, not a buck hungry side-project for a couple of content creators and friends, instead a worthwhile attempt to create meaningful tunes with passionate homage to acts of the past. While the first album won over Vinny and Mike’s fans, Red Vox’s second release “Another Light”(2017) was no sophomore slump, winning the band critical acclaim and relative sales success, earning a charting position at the back-end of Billboard’s Heatseekers album chart.

“Another Light” follows a maturing of sound more focused on the combination of what made WCGW wrong- or, I’m sorry. What made it right. That experimentation is even more present here, with each song connecting into one another, through theme or through literal intermediate transition. The title track, “Settle For Less,” and “Memories Lie” has a seamless release between each other akin to a “long-song” type of album. Exploration of the process of creation, dueling guitars in left and right channels, mandolin used on multiple tracks, improved harmonies, deeper dives into electronic rock through the use of vocoder and synthesizer, screaming, and a better separation from Red Vox’s influences by a greater emphasis on the mix. 

This maturity and positive reception only continued with the release of 2018’s “Stranded”- a cut nine-minute long track from AL about being left alone in Space- and further albums. 2019 Gave the surprise release of the haunting, stripped-back acoustic record “Kerosene,” 2020’s bouncy synth-driven “Realign,” and the back-to-basics yet firmly current-moment grungy, dirty double album “Visions” and “Afterthoughts” (released in two parts as “Visions”: 2022, “Afterthoughts”: 2023). 

The band has teased an upcoming record to come out with two singles released this year and more live shows than the band has ever done before. Notoriously among fans, up until 2024 the band had only performed about three times since its inception. I saw the band perform in Jersey City, New Jersey this past June and was lucky enough to hear several songs from their upcoming record as well. 

In the future, I’ll give a bigger overview into Red Vox’s career to further explore how its sound evolved and established it as a major force among the big sea of content creators turned musicians. Red Vox continues to impress as it moves forward in its career.

Live by peace DJ Mithrax

Categories
Festival Coverage Music News and Interviews

Geordie Greep – WKNC Interviews

**Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license**

DJ CJ: Alright guys, this is DJ CJ here with WKNC 88.1 and I’m here with…

Geordie Greep: Geordie Greep.

DJ CJ: Geordie Greep!

DJ CJ: And I just have one question for you, it’s quite simple or you know, as complex as you want to make it, but it’s what does music mean to you?

Geordie Greep: Ah, it’s the best thing in the world you know, 

DJ CJ: Yeah! 

Geordie Greep: it’s like pure expression you know

DJ CJ: Mhm.

Geordie Greep: its something that you try to imitate nature and imitate the universe, but also it’s like why does certain music sound good and sound bad, it’s like a mystery you know.

Categories
Festival Coverage

Hopscotch 2025: In Review

Hopscotch 2025 was action-packed with an intensity that did not settle until the final note was played. From day parties to the main stages, there was no lack of entertainment downtown Raleigh this year. Let’s break it down day by day with some personal experiences of mine sewn in!

Day one of Hopscotch kicked off with the WKNC Day Party at D.H. Hill Library. Paperbrains opened the festival with a bang! After their set, it was off to the main stages for the day. I spent the majority of the day at Moore Square, seeing artists like MIDS, Frog, and Unwound. The stars of the stage for the day, in my opinion, were MIDS. They were the stage opener, and they set the bar high. The energy was unmatched. 

Categories
Weekly Charts

Chainsaw Charts 9/30/25

Chainsaw Charts

ArtistRecordLabel
1ESOCTRILIHUMGhostigmatah – Spiritual Rites of the Psychopomp AbxulömI, Voidhanger
2DEFEATED SANITYChronicles of LunacySeason of Mist
3MITOCHONDRIONVitriseptomeProfound Lore
4CATHARSISHope Against HopeCrimethinc.
5BLOOD ABSCISSIONI IDebemur Motri
6DEADGUYNear-Death Travel ServicesRelapse
7HEDONISTScapulimancySouthern Lord
8HELMS DEEPChasing The Dragon Nameless Grave
9SIEGE COLUMNSulphur OmegaSelf-Released
10SCIMITARScimitarium ICrypt of the Wizard

Chainsaw Adds

ArtistRecordLabel
1SIEGE COLUMNSulphur OmegaSelf-Released
2FLOATINGHesitating LightsTranscending Obscurity
3HEDONISTScapulimancySouthern Lord