"I love all kinds of music … except country." Many people, including myself, say this when describing their favorite type of music. I'll listen to some classic Johnny Cash every now and then, but other than that I'll pass on the music of the Wild West (sorry if I offend any Blake Shelton fans out there).
My personal genres of choice are house, alternative rock, R&B, indie, reggae, and pop. I'm all over the place, but I'm going to dive into house music first since it's been my most listened to lately. The New Yorker's Hua Hsu wrote Tuning In To Instagram D.J.s and encapsulated my love for the trance-like effect of DJs and house music. Hsu says, "A d.j. is often just a mood conjurer, and there's something ultimately solitary about the trip they're taking; we're just lucky to catch a ride". I've been exposed to house music since I was little and my parents took me to my uncle's sets. Then, it carried on throughout my life when I'd create playlists, bring friends to sets on my own, and attend Coachella, Life is Beautiful, etc. This "trip" that Hsu describes I've been lucky to catch a ride on is accurate to the euphoric, slow-motion-flashing-lights moments I have while listening to house.
Here are my two types of house playlists and some badass DJs I recommend following on Spotify & Instagram:
· a range of house- for anything from techno & EDM to deep house
· ambient house- for your background music needs
· Peggy Gou
· Yaeji
· Kaytranada
· Disclosure
· SG Lewis
· Duke Dumont
· Young Marco
· Zhu
· SNBRN
· Polo & Pan
… to name a few
Another little update that I wanted to share regarding music is my "Deep Listening" assignment for my COMM 307 class called "Sound Clash: Pop Music and American Culture". We were told to turn off the lights, throw away our phones, and listen to an album of choice from front to back. It isn't "live" music, but it definitely made me wish I was at a concert soaking up an artist's piece of work as a whole. Let me tell you, it was an experience. I even cried at one point. If you're curious about the album I chose, it was Jaden Smith's Syre: The Electric Album which is a 5-song project Smith started for his original Syrealbum that experimented with recording music in a different frequency. This Vice article my old roommate passed onto me (linked below) is what drew me towards choosing this album for my assignment. It went into detail about how music is now recorded at 440 Hz but this wasn't always the case in the music world dating back to Mozart. Smith explains that 432 Hz is actually a better frequency that is aligned with the universe's natural frequency, therefore a more harmonious sound for the human body. In laymen terms, "it's just a vibe". And that's what it was. "Syre" is Jaden's middle name, but it also translates to "acid". I was completely sober during this experience, but it felt as if I could've been on acid. I was so attuned to the details, the sounds, how it made my body feel, etc. Almost like how I actually am at a concert or festival. I might have been reading into this article and his whole conspiracy theory a little too much, but it was very interesting. I recommend reading the article and listening to Smith's album. If you don't listen to this album specifically, I still think you should practice the art of deep listening with at least one full album in your life.
Sources
Hsu, Hua. April 17, 2020. Tuning In To Instagram D.J.s. https://blackboard.usc.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-6828655-dt-content-rid-31303835_2/courses/20203_comm_307_20479/Hsu%2C%20H._Tuning%20In%20To%20Instagram%20DJs.pdf
Oliveros, Pauline. What is Deep Listening?. https://blackboard.usc.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-6847619-dt-content-rid-31339410_2/courses/20203_comm_307_20479/Pauline%20Oliveros%2C%20Deep%20Listening.pdf
Roberts, Randall. March 17, 2020. The Lost Art of Deep Listening. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-03-17/coronavirus-deep-listening-music-albums