Category: Blog

Categories
Playlists

Friday Favorites 9/25/20

Happy Friday everyone! Here are the tracks that I’ve been vibing with for the past week (playlist here):

  1. Sock It 2 Me (feat. Da Brat) by Missy Elliot: This track was one of the first hits of Missy’s solo career, and with Timbaland’s signature production, it gives us a taste of their killer creative chemistry.

  2. Mutha Magick (feat. BbyMutha) by Black Noi$e: Noi$e’s erratic production is a perfect fit for BbyMutha’s appearance on this track. In less than two minutes, the mother of 4 drops a handful of lyrical gems that will have you pressing repeat for sure.

  3. Baby by Donnie & Joe Emerson: Ariel Pink’s 2012 cover of this song made it an underground classic. Its soulful vocals and laid back groove make it a DJ Mango classic – it makes me feel like I’m floating.

  4. 12.38 (feat. 21 Savage, Ink & Kadhja Bonet) by Childish Gambino: Despite Donald Glover’s celebrity as a musician, actor and director, he’s relatively lowkey. The release of his latest Childish Gambino project was also lowkey, and it went under my radar for a while. “12.38” is definitely a standout.

  5. MANGO (feat. Adeline) by KAMAUU: This new track from KAMAUU explores the idea of an unselfish love. It’s also funkier than a week old pair of gym socks.

  6. September by Earth, Wind, & Fire: This classic is a celebration of the final days of summer and a fantastic way to ring in the fall. Interestingly enough, the 21st night of September holds no special significance – it just sounded good, so the writers went with it. Check out my full discussion of the lyric here!

  7. TRICK DADDY by ICECOLDBISHOP: BISHOP’s aggressive and eccentric delivery makes him an oddity in the hip-hop soundscape. Singles like “TRICK DADDY” have me excited for his debut!

  8. Chameleon by Jenae Ailia: Jenae Ailia’s unique blend of neo-soul, indie and R&B is quite ear-grabbing. They’re a new artist to me, but I’ll certainly be on the look out for their new stuff!

– DJ Mango

Categories
Classic Album Review

The Autonomy of an Idea: Bam Bam by Sister Nancy

It has been said many times in many ways that good artists copy and great artists steal. What does this say about the person from which the artist steals?

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Sister Nancy is perhaps the greatest artist of all time. The Jamaican DJ and singer’s track “Bam Bam” has been sampled nearly a hundred times. If you’ve listened to Kanye West’s “Famous”, Lauryn Hill’s “Lost Ones” or Beyoncé’s live version of “Hold Up” you’ve heard the song, which was released in 1982. “Bam Bam” was by no means an instant hit: it wasn’t until 2014, when the song appeared in movies and commercials, that Sister Nancy realized others were using her work without compensation. With the help of a lawyer she was able to win 10 years worth of royalties, but who is to say how much she missed out on?

To complicate the story further, “Bam Bam” isn’t an original work in itself – it’s a cover of a song of the same name by The Maytals and Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, and its instrumental samples a well-known backing track called “Stalag 17” by Ansel Collins. This raises a few interesting questions: What is their role in the creation of one of the most frequently sampled songs in popular music? Are they entitled to credit and compensation? Where is the line between recontextualizing someone’s idea and ripping it off? Is it ethical to impose a system of laws upon something as subjective as the artistic process?

While the ethics of fair use and copyright law make for a contentious debate, it is clear that no ideas are conceived in a vacuum – artists draw inspiration from every corner of the world. If good artists copy and great artists steal, then a few of us are thieves, the rest of us are copycats and none of us are absolved.

– DJ Mango

Categories
Playlists

Genreless Workout Playlist

  1. Happier – Bastille, Marshmello

  2. Body – Loud Luxury, Brando

  3. Na Na Na – My Chemical Romance

  4. She Works Out Too Much – MGMT 

  5. LDA – FIDLAR 

  6. The New Workout Plan – Kanye West 

  7. Twerk – City Girls, Cardi B 

  8. King of the Beach – Wavves

  9. Fat Lip – Sum 41

  10. Master of Puppets – Metallica 

  11. Icon – Jaden 

  12. Never Be Like You – Flume, kai 

  13. Wake Bake Skate – FIDLAR 

  14. Jackie Chan – Tiesto

  15. Higher – Wevlth

  16. Like I Do – David Guetta, Martin Garrix, Brooks

  17. No Option – Post Malone 

Check out this high-energy, genreless playlist designed to get you through an hour-long workout with songs that vary in genre completely. Hope you enjoyed, and feel free to comment below your favorite song to workout to. 

– Miranda

Categories
Weekly Charts

Daytime Charts 9/22

Artist Record Label
1 LOMELDA Hannah Double Double Whammy
2 BARTEES STRANGE Live Forever [Advance Tracks] Memory
3 DOUBLE GRAVE Goodbye Nowhere! Forged Artifacts
4 BULLY SUGAREGG Sub Pop
5 OSEES Protean Threat Castle Face
6 GIRL FRIDAY Androgynous Mary Hardly Art
7 BETHS, THE Jump Rope Gazers Carpark
8 FONTAINES DCA Hero’s Death Partisan
9 HOLY MOTORS Horse [Advance Tracks] Wharf Cat
10 TAPEWORMS Funtastic [Advance Tracks] Howlin’ Banana
11 JAMES TILLMAN Vm2 [EP] Musella Creative
12 ILLUMINATI HOTTIES FREE I.H.: This Is Not The One You’ve Been Waiting For Self-Released
13 SHIVUM SHARMA “Diamond” [Single] Self-Released
14 YOUNG FLETCHER “Energy” [Single] Stack Dollars Empire
15 PLANET 1999 Devotion PIAS
16 DIVINE INTERFACE Seeking Arrangements 2MR
17 CUTTAMAN 100GRAN “45” [Single] Polished Gods
18 REMADumebi: The Remixes [EP] Mavin
19 LAILIEN “Fly With You” b/w “Money” [Single] Self-Released
20 LIME CORDIALE 14 Steps To A Better You Chugg/London Cowboys
21 JUSTIN STARLING “Easy” [Single] ADA/Starling
22 AMINE Limbo Universal Republic
23 MARMAR OSO Love Don’t Cost A Thing Free The Lost/EMPIRE
24 CECILE BELIEVE Made In Heaven Self-Released
25 DISCLOSURE ENERGY Capitol
26 LIV.E Couldn’t Wait To Tell You…In Real Life
27 SKYXXX “Hotboy” [Single] Warner
28 HOOK “Street People” [Single] GC
29 RICO NASTY “IPHONE” [Single] Sugar Trap
30 DON TOLIVER Heaven Or Hell Cactus Jack/Atlantic

TOP ADDS 

1 OBSCURA HAIL Siren Dot Dash
2 DOVES The Universal Want Imperial
3 BUMPER Pop Songs 2020 [EP] Self-Released
4 MATT BERRY Phantom Birds Acid Jazz/PIAS
5 DELTA SPIRIT What Is There New West
6 HAPPY FITS, THE What Could Be Better Self-Released
7 BEAU DEGA OOF Self-Released
8 AREA RESIDENT Jardinova Self-Released
9 CAYUCAS Blue Summer [Advance Tracks] Park The Van
10 WILL BUTLER Generations Merge

Categories
Weekly Charts

Afterhours Charts 9/22

Artist Record Label
1 PLANET 1999 Devotion PIAS
2 ELKKA “I. Miss. Raving” [Single] Local Action
3 TAMA GUCCI “I Let You” [Single] b4/4AD
4 BIICLA No Place [EP] Good Luck Have Fun
5 JAYDA G Both Of Us/Are You Down [EP] Ninja Tune
6 JESSY LANZAAll The Time Hyperdub
7 YVES TUMOR Heaven To A Tortured Mind Warp
8 SYSTEM OLYMPIA Delta of Venus Huntleys + Palmers
9 KITTY Charm And Mirror [EP] Pretty Wavvy
10 YAEJI What We Drew XL/Beggars Group

Categories
Miscellaneous

The Arbitrary Brilliance of September by Earth, Wind & Fire

It’s that special time of year again! The seasons are changing. Midterms are coming up. Election day is right around the corner (click here for DJ Butter’s guide to voting in NC). Yes, it truly feels like the 21st night of September. Do you remember?

September by Earth, Wind & Fire is one of my favorite songs of all time. It’s one that was burned into my consciousness from a young age. From the last cookout of the summer to dancing at my cousin’s wedding, September was the soundtrack. For me, it’s one of those songs that boosts my mood as soon as it comes on.

So what is the significance of the 21st night of September? According to Allee Willis, co-writer of the song, the date is arbitrary. Her and lead songwriter Maurice White went through every date – do you remember the first, the second, and so on. To quote Willis, “the one that just felt the best was the 21st.”

So there you have it: the most important holiday of the year was conceived simply because it sounded right. No symbolic significance, no deeper meaning – nothing. But I think there is a lesson to be learned in light of this revelation. In our digital age, we are inundated with messages and media that are supposed to “mean” something. But perhaps these artifacts have no intrinsic meaning at all, and our perception that one exists is a reflection of our human need to make sense of the world. I, for one, spend so much time dissecting things that sometimes I forget to enjoy them for what they are instead of what they mean.

During the recording sessions for September, Willis asked White what “ba-dee-ya” meant. According to her, “he essentially said, ‘Who the f— cares?’” Willis continued by saying “I learned my greatest lesson ever in songwriting from him, which was never let the lyric get in the way of the groove.“

I think this is not only great songwriting advice, but great life advice as well. Don’t let the lyrics of meaning get in the way of the groove of life. Happy September 21st, everyone.

– DJ Mango

Categories
Band/Artist Profile

Band of the Week: Kublai Khan

You wanna talk about ass beating music? Kublai Khan is THE band for me when I need a pick me up. This is what I call my “bad bitch” music. Any song by Kublai Khan will for sure make you bop your head and groove to the riffs. You would totally lose a try not to headbang, mosh, or dance, etc. if Kublai Khan is on there. Kublai Khan has the perfect blend of grooves and anger. You can hear the intensity and violence in Matt Honeycutt’s vocals. But mixed with a bouncy rhythm and chunky riffs, the overall essence of Kublai Khan is absolute (HA! See what I did there? Because of their new album? No? Okay). I just wanna dance when Kublai Khan comes on, it just makes me so happy!

I have seen Kublai Khan several times and seeing them live never gets old. Honeycutt is great with the crowd and that crowd… is something else. Everyone loses their minds when Kublai Khan hits the stage. It’s so hard not to! They make it so easy to jam. My first few times seeing Kublai Khan, they were touring with predominately metalcore bands, but later they started touring with more hardcore-esque and deathcore bands. I think this is because of their sound. At first, Kublai Khan had more of a metalcore feel, but soon transitioned to incorporating more hardcore and deathcore type riffs and vocals. I love their evolution because they have mastered their sound. Now, I know there is some debates about what qualifies as metalcore, hardcore, and deathcore, etc. but this is simply my opinion and how I hear the music. Music is subjective and can be interpreted differently by others. Even though some of the songs sound redundant because of the usual riffs and sound, they make their songs so groovy that I can’t help but play them all the time.

Discography:

Youth War (2010)

Balancing Survival & Happiness (2014)

New Strength (2015)

Nomad (2017)

Absolute (2019)


Favorite songs:

The Hammer, No Kin, High Hopes, Boomslang, Antpile, 8 Years, Beligerent, and Us & Them.

What are some of your favorite Kublai Khan songs?

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

Categories
New Album Review

Album Review: A Day in a Yellow Beat

Oh do I have a special treat for you. As I rolled out of bed this morning, I could have expected nothing more than what has dropped into my Apple “New Music Mix” from the heavens above today. Yellow Days, the artist who released such songs as A Little While and Your Hand Holding Mine, has released a new album titled “A Day in a Yellow Beat.” First of all, let’s start out with the album art. It is incredible. Right in the middle is a classic style seen by this artist, in which he places a picture of him and a guitar with a blurred out face. But looking around you can see he has added an array of instruments situated in a field of hummingbirds and geese. Starting out with the intro, we have a cut from an interview between a talk show host and a musician discussing how young musicians struggle to enjoy successful longevity while blocked by the control of their producers. The whole conversation is underscored by a harmony of instruments which transitions perfectly into the second song, titled Be Free. Counting the intro and a few interludes, the whole album has a riveting 23 songs, but I’d say the best are Be Free, Getting Closer, Come Groove, ! (feat. Bishop Nehru), The Curse (feat. Mac Demarco), and Love is Everywhere. A Day in a Yellow Beat mixes Yellow Day’s unique style and voice with a newer fusion of upbeat, psychedelic funk. This album is meaningful and sounds pretty, but it’s also the kind of music that you could blast in the car with friends. A Day in a Yellow Beat marks a unleashed creative style for Yellow Days, and I am excited to see where it takes us next. 

Hope you guys enjoy the album, see you next week. 
-Chippypants 

Categories
Playlists

Shut Up and Hand Me the Aux

With being a DJ, I get very excited when my friends hand me the aux chord. I love creating playlists and setting the vibe for a car ride. I usually let my friends have aux because I like listening to new music that I could find because of my friends. But when I get handed that aux… you know it’s on!

Below are the top 10 songs that I play depending on who I am with, the vibes I’m feeling, and something that will make my car ride not feel so long. When I am with my friends who listen to metal, I tend to play more metal songs. Majority of my friends do not listen to metal so it’s a good thing The Saw is diverse in all kinds of music!! I know when I have aux that I can play anything that I want, but I like for everyone in my car to enjoy what they are listening to. It’s the DJ in me!

Metal Up Your Ass:

1.    High Hopes – Kublai Khan

2.    Grotesque Impalement – Dying Fetus

3.    Nail in the Coffin – Bent Life

4.    Nothing Left – As I Lay Dying

5.    Brimstone – Whitechapel

6.    No Other Way – Boundaries

7.    Black Pill – Ingested

8.    Evisceration Plague – Cannibal Corpse

9.    Sire of Sin – Cryptoposy

10. Burning Blood – Six Feet Under


Dumb Bitch Hours

1.    He Say She Say – Mulatto

2.    15th and the 1st – Gucci Mane

3.    Cap A Lot – Fredo Bang

4.    Wood Worm – Noel

5.    Cabin Fever – Wiz Khalifa

6.    How U Luv Dat – Young Dolph

7.    Suge – Dababy

8.    Boogie – Brockhampton

9.    1800 – Snoop Dogg

10. A Lot – Isaiah Rashaad


~~Vibing~~

1.    Bootsy Bellows – Wiz Khalifa

2.    Special Affair – The Internet

3.    Amphetamine – Smino

4.    Why Worry – Isaiah Rashaad

5.    Rules – Doja Cat

6.    Diamond & Gold – Mac Miller

7.    South Beach – Ty Dolla $ign

8.    Murder To The Mind – Tash Sultana

9.    Egyptian Joint – Young Bull

10.Gosha – $not

What is in your aux playlist?

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

Categories
Playlists

What if We Made Eye Contact Across the Parlour Like in Pride and Prejudice (2005)?

(Image: Hugh Thomson (1860-1920) / Public domain)

“Pride and Prejudice” is perhaps my favorite novel ever written. It is the perfect mixture of humor and elegance, and it’s my go-to reread book. It would be embarrassing to say how many times I’ve read it, especially since I’ve lost track at this point. If you haven’t had the opportunity to pick it up, it’s a lovely, satirical story written by Jane Austen about the expectations and pitfalls of upper-class women when it came to marriage in the 18th century. The Bennet’s, a family on the fringes of the English gentry, have five young daughters who their mother is desperate to marry off before money runs out. Elizabeth Bennet, our main character, forms a spiteful (yet enticing) relationship with Mr. Darcy, a member of the most elite family in England. It is a delightfully witty and heartwarming novel and I 10/10 recommend.

Listening to this playlist makes me feel like I’m living a life of luxury on the English countryside in the late 1700s. Now I know this time is crazy romanticized, especially since the vast majority of people were not a part of this elite class, but a girl can dream. I’m normally not a big listener of classical music, but these tracks are just too beautiful.

1. Liz on Top of the World – Jean Yves Thibaudet (Pride and Prejudice 2005 Soundtrack)

2. Yes! – Dario Marianelli [feat. Jack Liebeck] (Jane Eyre 2011 Soundtrack)

3. Suite Bergamasque, L. 75: III. Clair de lune – Claude Debussy

4. Awaken – Dario Marianelli [feat. Jack Liebeck] (Jane Eyre 2011 Soundtrack)

5. Concerto in D Minor, BWV 974: II. Adagio – Johann Sebastian Bach

6. Moonlight Sonata – Beethoven

7. Moceaux de Fantasie, op. 3: no.1, elégie – Sergei Rachmaninoff

8. The Secret Life of Daydreams – Jean Yves Thibaudet (Pride and Prejudice 2005 Soundtrack)

– DJ butter