Category: Blog

Categories
DJ Highlights

Video Game Composer Quick Looks: Tetsuya Shibata

DJ Blazkowicz again, and its time once again for a look at the talent at work on the music of video gaming. Today’s entry is on Tetsuya Shibata, a Japanese composer often associated with the Publisher Capcom, and creator of over 20 musical scores. Tetsuya Shibata has worked on Resident Evil, Darkstalkers, and my personal favorite, (apply echo sound effect) Devil May Cry.

As is tradition here in this newly established bi-monthly series, let’s slow down for a second and take a look at our composer’s work before we go any further. Note that Shibata himself claims to concentrate on variety in his video game original soundtracks, so if one puts you off consider giving another a try!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xti_6Bzpa8A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyNO33FOcO0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OLax-NenP8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO0Kmf8Fk5U

Here we have examples of some fast paced yet also laid back grooves, some vaunting orchestral tracks, and of course, the glorious rock edge of Devils Never Cry. Shibata covers a wide variety of styles, but his musical interests generally trend towards Jazz, Rock, and Classical. Shibata has been vocal in the past about variety in soundtracks, expressing a desire for other composers to push themselves to produce a broader soundscape for the medium.

Born in Osaka, Japan, Shibata credits his mother, herself a singer and music teacher, for giving him his start in composition. In his youth, Shibata listened to wealth of classical music, transitioning into Brit Pop in middle school, hard rock in high school, and finally jazz in his college years. Shibata exited college with a desire to compose, and friends and family directed him towards the video game industry, specifically Capcom’s Sound Management Section in 1997. The new composer proceeded to work on the Monster Hunter series, before proceeding to the hardest project of his career, Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening, in which he took over all sound production. Here Shibata chose to replace electronic tracks with vocal ones, in the belief that the extra time and texture would allow the songs to stand out among their contemporaries. During interviews towards the tail end of his career as a video game soundtrack composer, Shibata looked forward to a future where video game music would surpass that of film, becoming a work of greater skill and complexity.

Eventually, Shibata felt stifled by the video game industry, and expressed a desire to pursue music composition in a range of mediums beyond gaming, such as film and television. The composer created Unique Note, a music company that has since worked on musicals and television shows, but also did work for the genre bending role-playing game Half-Minute Hero, and soundtracks for the PSP game Fullmetal Alchemist: Senka wo Takuseshi Mono. He continues to work at Unique Note to this day. That’s it for Tetsuya Shibata and by extension, this entry of Quick Looks! Next up we’ll be studying up on the composer for Silent Hill, Akira Yamaoka. Until then, try not to get lost in the fog, and stay away from any abandoned cities, alright?

Categories
Music News and Interviews

The Local Beat: Joy

Joy plays some of their best tracks for DJ Beowvlf and lucky listeners of WKNC in this episode of The Local Beat. Also included in the group’s discussion: hush puppies and van-life.

Listen Here

Categories
Weekly Charts

Afterhours Charts 4/3

# Artist Record Label

1 ROSS FROM FRIENDS Family Portrait Brainfeeder
2 DISCLOSURE “Moonlight” [Single] An Island
3 HOUSE OF FEELINGS New Lows Joyful Noise
4 MALL GRAB How the Dogs Chill, Vol. 1 [EP] Looking For Trouble
5 C. KOSTRA Parallel Murderverse Pytch
6 SEB WILDBLOOD Grab The Wheel [EP] All My Thoughts
7 LONE Ambivert Tools Volume Three [EP] R&S
8 DIGITALISM PR15M [EP] Magnetism
9 GEORGE CLANTON Slide 100% Electronica
10 GEOTIC Traversa Ghostly

Categories
Weekly Charts

Daytime Charts 4/2

# Artist Record Label

1 BLESSED Salt Pirates Blend
2 MUNYA Munya Luminelle
3 CHAI Punk Burger
4 DIRT BUYER Dirt Buyer Danger Collective
5 CHERRY GLAZERR Stuffed & Ready Secretly Canadian
6 ROYAL CANOE Waver Paper Bag
7 JACKIE MENDOZA “Seahorse” [Single] Luminelle
8 HATCHIE “Without A Blush” [Single] Double Double Whammy
9 SNAIL MAIL Lush Matador
10 PHANTASTIC FERNITURE Phantastic Ferniture Polyvinyl
11 JESSICA PRATT Quiet Signs Mexican Summer
12 MITSKI Be The Cowboy Dead Oceans
13 TY SEGALL Fudge Sandwich In The Red
14 FLAT WORMS Into The Iris [EP] GOD?
15 DEERHUNTER Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared? 4AD/Beggars Group
16 MIRANDA WINTERS Xobeci, What Grows Here? Wax Nine
17 GIRLPOOL What Chaos Is Imaginary Anti-
18 H GRIMACE “She’s In A State” [Single] Self-Released
19 ALVVAYS Antisocialites Polyvinyl
20 GUERILLA TOSS Twisted Crystal DFA
21 UNCLE ACID AND THE DEADBEATS Wasteland Rise Above
22 YELLOW DAYS Radio Sampler RCA
23 MALLSEX Discreet Services Self-Released
24 HAND HABITS placeholder Saddle Creek
25 EXITMUSIC The Recognitions Felte
26 WASH “Ritual” [Single] Self-Released
27 FEELS Post Earth Wichita
28 LOMELDA M For Empathy DDW
29 SWERVEDRIVER Future Ruins Dangerbird
30 MADELINE KENNEY Perfect Shapes Carpark

Top Adds

1 ABBY CRERIE “Inner Dialogue” b/w “When” [Single] Self-Released
2 WEYES BLOOD Titanic Rising Sub Pop
3 GARCIA PEOPLES Natural Facts BBIB
4 ANGIE MCMAHON “Keeping Time” b/w “Pasta” [Single] Dualtone
5 DID YOU DIE Royal Unicorn Blew Rose
6 FAUX FEROCIOUS Pretty Groovy Burger

Categories
Music News and Interviews

The Local Beat: Black Haus

DJ Beowvlf hosts a live set with the members of Black Haus, a Greensboro-based group trying to make their way deeper into the music scene in hopes of reaching even wider audiences.

Listen Here

Categories
Non-Music News

Pack is Life 48: 02/08/19 – 03/22/19 

After a short Hiatus, John and Benjamin are back and getting you caught up with all the latest and greatest with Baseball, Swimming and Diving, Wrestling and March Madness!

Listen to Episode 48 Here

Categories
Festival Coverage

Dreamville, More Than Just Music

Dreamville, More Than Just Music

J.Cole’s Dreamville festival will happen this Saturday, April 6th in Raleigh’s own Dorathea Dix Park & although the line-up features some of hip-hop & RnB’s top artists, Cole has done an exceptional job planning to make Dreamville more than just your average music showcase. Dreamville will include a putt putt golf course, beer garden, local merchants in a bazaar of vendors, & the “Dreamville Festival Art Wall.” Furthermore, there will be an exclusive lounge space set aside for members of the Divine Nine (black Greek letter organizations/BLGOs).

However, the most unique part of Dreamville– in my opinion– is the “For the Students” session put on by Dreamville in coalition with William Peace University. As a student, employee of the music industry, & attendee of Dreamville hearing the announcement of a “For the Students” greatly excited me. The full title of the off-location event is “For the Students: A Conversation with Ibrahim Hamad & Sacha Stone-Guttenfreund.” This assembly will be held, as previously mentioned, at William Peace University & is open to the public at 6:30 PM. The specific address is 15 E. Peace St, Raleigh, NC 27604. I have copied below the overview of the event provided to WKNC by Dreamville. 

“OFFICIAL OVERVIEW: An in-depth conversation featuring Ibrahim Hamad and Sascha Stone Guttfreund. This conversation will focus on how the relationship between ScoreMore Shows and Dreamville developed, as well as how each "mogul” got to where they are. The event will offer students perspectives & insights on the industry directly from two of the most intelligent behind-the-scenes figures in the game today.“

I took it upon myself, after reading the overview & having my interest piqued, to research both featured speakers. First, Ibrahim Hamad. Hamad is a self-labelled "International Dreamvillain” but is also a close friend to J.Cole as well as his personal manager & the president of Dreamville. Hamad has been working with Cole since before the release of 4 Your Eyez Only, & believes– as stated in an interview done with Billboard– “grinding at a slow pace leads to success well worth the wait.” Aside from working with J.Cole, appearing in the Eyez documentary, & building Dreamville Records, Hamad also helped to set-up the Dreamville Foundation. Clearly, Hamad is a worldly man of many talents & experiences, & has a fountain of wisdom to share at William Peace. For more information on Hamad & his work with Dreamville, I have posted the link to the 3rd installment of Dreamville’s “Born Sinner” series, which features Ibrahim Hamad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kxss0ybWS8M&feature=youtu.be

Next, Sascha Stone Guttfreund, is another key player in the music industry. His work with J.Cole, Kendrick Lamar, & Tory Lanez has been noted through his promoting company, ScoreMore– which describes itself as “your favorite rappers’ favorite promoters.” The company, which Stone-Guttfreund started in college, is now a massive promotion business, which makes Stone-Guttfreund a massive music industry mogul– & he isn’t even 30 years old yet. Stone-Guttfreund went at the game with a very DIY approach. Billboard reported on Stone-Guttfreund in an interview in which he described the development of ScoreMore. He attributes his experience in door-to-door sales, development of a street team, & word of mouth to the initial growth of his business. The man that was once promoting concerts with less than 100 audience members, years later & out of college, is now helping to coordinate Dreamville, which is sure to garner thousands of attendees. 

While there is no Born Sinner video on Stone-Guttfreund, you can find out more about him at the “For the Students” session this upcoming Thursday. Audience members must RSVP at forthestudents.co AND at hiphopedwpu.com. Although this event is open to the public, non-WPU students are required to pay a nominal fee & must fill out a separate registration form.

J.Cole & his team at Dreamville are attempting to literally put the tools to success in the hands of his fans. Don’t miss out on this incredible event, for the students.

Categories
Concert Review

As I Lay Dying @ The Blind Tiger 3/26/19

I first heard of As I Lay Dying back in 2005 when they released their second album, Shadows of Security. I was 6 when I heard that album and from that point on, I have loved them. With that being said, I have been waiting 14 years to see this band and I finally got to see them play for the first time! Now, I know people have different opinions regarding Tim Lambesis, but I support the band. Enough said.

Frost Koffin kicked off the show with a bang and let me tell you, they did not have to go THAT HARD. When you first listen to them, they sound like a rock band, but the riffs they play in their songs (especially in Bare Bones) make them heavy and groovy. The vocalist’s outfit was on point with his cowboy hat, too. I was not expecting to like this band as much as I did, but they damn jammed.  Kevin says that they sound like Lynyrd Skynyrd if they were a slam band. Courtney says that if I Am had a country singer, it would be Frost Koffin.

Up next was Currents and I have seen them a handful of times. And just like the previous times I have seen them, they crushed it! Their energy on stage and interaction with the crowd is insane! Brian’s vocals were great! The lows that he did in “Into Despair” were clear and heavy. Currents will never disappoint me. If you haven’t seen/heard them yet, well… you’re missing out.

The second to last band was Phinehas and this was my first time seeing them. I have heard of this band for a while now, but I never really listened to them before. They blew my mind during their set. The light show was impressive and the sound quality was clear. The energy that the band had on stage was crazy and you can tell that the crowd was feeding into their energy. There was a mosh pit the entire time and people were getting rowdy. This band has a lot of catchy breakdowns and I caught myself jamming out a little too hard to them at times.

And now the band that I have been waiting to see for 14 years: As I Lay Dying. They came out to “Meaning in Tragedy” and the crowd went off. No one in the Blind Tiger was standing still. People were moshing, jumping around, head banging, singing, dancing, and crowd surfing the entire time.  I have heard that As I Lay Dying’s stage presence is really dominant and I saw that during the show. They really know how to work a crowd. Tim repeatedly thanked us for giving them a second chance and how grateful they are to be preforming for us. I was in the mosh pit almost the entire show. I knew all the songs that they played so you could say I was a happy metal head. I crowd surfed to “An Ocean Between Us” and I was singing the words back to them and Tim grabbed my hand and helped me onto the stage. I stage dove back to the crowd and went back into the pit. They also played some of their best hits such as “The Sound of Truth,” “The Darkest Nights,” and “Confined.” They played my favorite song, “Nothing Left,” but homegirl was going way too hard in the pit, and I had to go puke in the bathroom. So, I missed my favorite song. But you best believe I was singing the words while throwing up. I still had a good time, so no complaints here!

This is a show that I will never forget. I am so happy that I finally got to see one of the bands that got me into metal. This has to be one of the rowdiest shows that I have ever been to. I am looking forward to seeing what As I Lay Dying does next.

Have you seen As I Lay Dying? How was it?

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

Categories
Festival Coverage

A Local’s Guide to Dreamville Fest

Parking

  • Park at NC State’s Wolf Ridge apartments’ parking lot!!! NC State is charging $20 for event parking at the coliseum deck and other parking lots, but NC State resident spots are free and open to the public on the weekends. You could realistically park anywhere on NC State’s campus that is a resident’s spot, but the Wolf Ridge apartments are the closest to Dorthea Dix. As pictured below, the red circle is the parking lot and the yellow line is the path you will walk to the festival grounds. The path is 0.4 miles which is a 9 minute walk. Even though you will have to cross the Centennial Parkway, there is a light and crosswalk where you have to cross.
image

What to Bring

  • Portable charger
  • Empty water bottle
    • The festival will have multiple water stations but if you really want to stay hydrated and save the environment bring a small empty water bottle
      • Note: this must be empty when going through security
  • Some kind of light and portable jacket
    • Bonus if its a rain jacket
    • Raleigh’s weather is weird and even though it says 75 and cloudy the weather could change in an instance
image

What NOT to Bring 

  • Non-clear Backpacks
    • I was really surprised by this! You are not allowed to bring backpacks into the festival grounds unless they are clear and only have one pocket. You are allowed to bring a fanny pack so pull up in style and rock that fanny pack instead.

Helpful Tips

  • Get there earlier than expected
    • This is the first Dreamville festival ever!! Security may take a little longer than expected simply because they want this festival to run as smooth as possible. Instead of missing an artist you really care about, get to the festival grounds a little earlier than intended so that you can ensure you see all your favorite artists.

Annelise Thorn, Assistant Promotions Director, WKNC 88.1

Categories
Band/Artist Profile

Bomb the Music Industry! – is a good band

Bomb the Music Industry! (BtMI!) was a ska punk band based in New York that was active for a decade from 2004 to 2014. The band’s most well-known member was songwriter and producer Jeff Rosenstock, who has put out a bunch of phenomenal solo albums recently. Bomb the Music Industry! had a very fitting name as the band held heavy belief in DIY ethics. They released 6 albums for free online, gave fans free stencils and paints to make their own t-shirts, priced tickets below $10, and have even offered fans the chance to play on stage if they had an instrument and knew a song.

**fun fact: ska punk is sometimes teasingly (yet lovingly) called ‘skunk’ **

BtMI!’s music features fast, upbeat tunes with heavy emphasis on brass and twinkling,  toy-like electric sound effects, accompanied by hard-hitting, cynical lyrics. Jeff Rosenstock has a gift for writing lyrics that capture the depressing, pathetic parts of life in the most raw and honest way possible. Listening to some BtMI! lyrics might not cheer you up. In fact, they will probably make you feel like you feel pretty bleak, but they sure will make you feel like someone understands you and your terrible degenerate life. Bomb the Music Industry! isn’t all hopelessness and feeling worthless, though. Some songs remind you that life isn’t all bad, like their song Sort of Like Being Pumped from the album SCRAMBLES, which is about seeing a sunset.

I can’t choose any one BtMI! Album so I’m just going to talk about my top five favorite BtMI! songs.

  1. Syke! Life is Awesome

A cheerful number about how life can get ya down but it’s funny how things always work out in the end. So don’t give up!

  1. Side Projects Are Never Successful

Jeff Rosenstock was inspired to write this song after he had a panic attack and then got a speeding ticket, so he starts wistfully dreaming about how great it would be if the entire world was going to end. This song is also a jab at big corporations. How very punk.

  1. Congratulations, John, On Joining Every Time I Die

Under the mask of teasing to hide mushy emotions, this song is actually a very sweet congratulations and bittersweet goodbye to a band member that was able to sign onto a more successful band. (** fun fact: the deal fell through by a chance of circumstance to John never actually did join Every Time I Die.)

  1. Unlimited Breadsticks, Soup and Salad Days

This song is twinkling and energetic, but I think about it differently every time I listen to it depending on my mood. I’ll let you decide for yourself what this song is about.

  1. I Don’t Love You Anymore

A song about finally being free from a drag of a relationship.

Honorable mention: 493 Ruth