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	<title>Drake &#8211; HighClouds</title>
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		<title>Yaeji announces her second EP for 2017, shares &#8220;Drink I&#8217;m Sippin On&#8221;</title>
		<link>https://highclouds.org/yaeji-announces-her-second-ep-for-2017-shares-drink-im-sippin-on/</link>
					<comments>https://highclouds.org/yaeji-announces-her-second-ep-for-2017-shares-drink-im-sippin-on/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Arnaud Marty]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Oct 2017 14:54:01 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[New Album]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Tracks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Videos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Godmode]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yaeji]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://highclouds.org/?p=30485</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Seoul and NYC-based artist Yaeji has just announced her &#8220;EP2&#8221; for November 3 via Godmode. Ahead of this release, she]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Seoul and NYC-based artist <strong><em>Yaeji</em> has just announced her &#8220;EP2&#8221; for November 3 via <em>Godmode</em>.</strong> Ahead of this release, <strong>she also shared a new single and video &#8220;Drink I&#8217;m Sippin On&#8221;.</strong></p>
<p align="justify">It&#8217;s no secret that <a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/Yaeji"><em>Yaeji</em></a> is one of our favorite artists of 2017 so the announcement of a second EP in a year is more than welcome in our life. In this new single, the arist raps and sings in Korean and in English and keeps on exploring her singular soundscape made of electro pop, R&amp;B and deep house influences.</p>
<p><iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/344991469&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<p align="justify">About the track and <strong><em>Anthony Sylvester</em>-directed video</strong>, which was premiered on <em>Pigeons &amp; Planes</em>, <em>Yaeji</em> detailed:</p>
<p align="justify">[su_quote]&#8217;Drink I&#8217;m Sippin On&#8217; is non-alcoholic though its effects are similar to getting drunk: knowingly being misunderstood by others, forgetting what I did yesterday, and feeling comfortable being me. I sip on it as a reminder that I can feel fine if I just let myself.[/su_quote]</p>
<p>[su_youtube_advanced url=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoxCItHxLiM&#8221;]</p>
<p align="justify"><strong><em>Yaeji</em>&#8216;s new project &#8220;EP2&#8221; will be released on November 3 via <em>GODMODE</em></strong> and will feature this new single, &#8220;Drink I&#8217;m Sippin On&#8221;, as well as her previously released version of <a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/Drake"><em>Drake</em></a>&#8216;s &#8220;Passionfruit&#8221;.</p>
<p><iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/323942037&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<p align="justify">You can follow <em>Yaeji</em> over <u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/kraejiyaeji/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Facebook</a></u>, <u><a href="https://twitter.com/kraeji" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Twitter</a></u>, and <u><a href="https://soundcloud.com/kraejiyaeji" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Soundcloud</a></u>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">30485</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>I write raps not tragedies: Finally! The emo-goth-rap hybrid you didn&#8217;t realise you were waiting for is here</title>
		<link>https://highclouds.org/i-write-raps-not-tragedies-finally-the-emo-goth-rap-hybrid-you-didnt-realise-you-were-waiting-for-is-here/</link>
					<comments>https://highclouds.org/i-write-raps-not-tragedies-finally-the-emo-goth-rap-hybrid-you-didnt-realise-you-were-waiting-for-is-here/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ed Ledsham]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 10 Apr 2017 18:28:05 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Special Features]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Files]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Andy Greenwald]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brennan Savage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cyrstal Castles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Diplo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Emo Rap]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[future]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gucci Mane]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Horsehead]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jessica Hopper]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kanye west]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kid Cudi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lil Bo Weep]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lil Peep]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lil Uzi Vert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lil Yachty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[My Bloody Valentine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[My Chemical Romance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nothing Nowhere]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OmenXIII]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Panic At The Disco]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ryan Hemsworth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sunny Day Real Estate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travi$ Scott]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[XXX-TENTACION]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Young Thug]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yung Gud]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yung Lean]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yung Sherman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yunggoth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[デーモンAstari]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://highclouds.org/?p=26898</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[In case you weren&#8217;t aware, emo is cool again. New emo bands like The Hotelier have received critical acclaim from]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In case you weren&#8217;t aware, emo is cool again. New emo bands like <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/the-hotelier">The Hotelier</a></u></em> have received critical acclaim from hipster music websites, <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/american-football">American Football</a></u></em> became the great lost band of the last twenty years and <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/skrillex">Skrillex</a></u></em> has rejoined his old emo band <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/from-first-to-last">From First To Last</a></u></em>.</p>
<p align="justify">In many ways this is a nostalgia thing. People who grew up with the music and are now adults are looking back on their teenage years. As nostalgia tends to make that which happened roughly 15 years ago cool again, we can maybe finally move on from our worship of the &#8217;90s. Emo can finally come out of its dingy bedroom where it&#8217;s been living. Its transgressions forgiven. Its sentimentality no longer making us cringe.</p>
<p align="justify">The most interesting part of this shift in perception is not the revival of old styles (it never is), but the creation of new ones. This all started when I fell into a strange, sad internet hole and discovered the YouTube channel/pseudo-label &#8220;<u><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/daemonastvri" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">デーモンAstari</a></u>&#8220;. Much of the music on the channel combines the music of your awkward phase with heavily autotuned sing-rap. Wedded to this musical blend is a decidedly internetty visual aesthetic that relies heavily on sad anime clips with a bit of vaporwave-ish Windows 95 worship thrown in for good measure. The musical style is as removed from <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/my-chemical-romance">My Chemical Romance</a></u></em> as they were from <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/Sunny-Day-Real-Estate">Sunny Day Real Estate</a></u></em> and they themselves from <em>Rites Of Spring</em>.</p>
<h2><center>&#8220;Emo is the soundtrack to youth, and as times change, so does the music that resonates with young people. The history of emo is one of reinvention &#8230; of shifting musical styles.&#8221; &#8211; Andy Greenwald</center></h2>
<p align="justify">There is something very now about this music. It&#8217;s more than just a breath of fresh air into an old style. This is a postmodern blend of internet mixtapes from <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/future">Future</a></u></em> to <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/odd-future">Odd Future</a></u></em>, for kids who grew up on <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/adult-swim">Adult Swim</a></u></em> playing rap tracks before airing anime shows, whose first musical memory was hearing <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/jimmy-eat-world">Jimmy Eat World</a></u></em> on the radio. As <em>Andy Greenwald</em> wrote in his book &#8220;Nothing Feels Good&#8221;: &#8220;Emo is the soundtrack to youth, and as times change, so does the music that resonates with young people. The history of emo is one of reinvention &#8230; of shifting musical styles.&#8221;</p>
<p>[su_youtube url=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwyjxsOYnys&#8221;]</p>
<p align="justify"><strong>This music has been a long time coming</strong>. &#8220;808s and Heartbreak&#8221; pretty much set the template (as well as giving a great name to the aesthetic) of autotune assisted sing-rapping over hip-hop beats. That album blends <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/kanye-west" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kanye</a></u></em>&#8216;s emotional autotuned singing with the eponymous drum machine of the title while &#8216;Ye indulges in pettiness after the dissolution of a serious relationship. Since then, rappers like <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/drake" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Drake</a></u></em>, <u><em><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/future" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Future</a></em></u>, <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/young-thug" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Young Thug</a></u></em>, <u><em><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/lil-yachty" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lil Yachty</a></em></u>, <u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/travis-scott" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Travi$ Scott</em></a></u> and <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/lil-uzi-vert" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lil Uzi Vert</a></u></em> have followed in this vein while  making weird, emotional and melodic music that breaks with many of hip-hop&#8217;s established &#8220;rules&#8221;. Many of these rappers have even been described as &#8220;emo&#8221; for their soul-baring lyrics. </p>
<p>[su_youtube url=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH9kl6XZixo&#8221;]</p>
<p align="justify"><strong>While these rappers have bent the rules, they still have been successful in the mainstream hip-hop world</strong>: their singles topped Billboard&#8217;s Hot R&#038;B/Hip-Hop chart, they were interviewed in XXL and a few of them have collaborated with <em>Kanye</em>. There have also been outsiders who have made similar moves and received a different kind of success. Swedish rapper <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/yung-lean" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Yung Lean</a></u></em> and his Sad Boys crew are hugely influential here with their white-boy autotune imitations of the above rappers. Part of<em> Lean</em>&#8216;s appeal is the production provided by <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/yung-gud" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Yung Gud</a></em></u> and <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/yung-sherman" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Yung Sherman</a></u></em> who combine the cloud rap of <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/clams-casino" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Clams Casino</a></u></em> with electronic music touches.</p>
<p align="justify">The Canadian DJ/producer DJ <a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/Ryan-Hemsworth" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ryan Hemsworth</a> has also been influential with his blend of electronic music, hip-hop and emotional indie rock. <em>Hemsworth</em> has even stated that two of his favourite albums are <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/waka-flocka-flame" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Waka Flocka Flame</a></u></em>&#8216;s &#8220;Flockavelli&#8221; and <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/weezer" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Weezer</a></u></em>&#8216;s &#8220;Pinkerton&#8221;, which sounds like the musical path for a good amount of this music. Both <em>Lean</em> and <em>Hemsworth</em> also have a very similar visual aesthetic consisting of Japanophile tendencies paired with a heavily emotional internet-worshipping aesthetic. This aesthetic might be best explained as the move from 90s emo&#8217;s obsession with bleeding one&#8217;s emotions and questionably poetry into a diary or a zine (&#8220;Diary&#8221; even being a seminal album in the genre) to publicly blogging these same issues on websites like Tumblr. Sad, suburban teenagers can now live on the internet in which they have created their own distinctive visual grammar.</p>
<p>[su_youtube url=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMgkt9jdjTU&#8221;]<br />
[su_spacer]<br />
[su_youtube url=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_QsPuKtI3M&#8221;]</p>
<p align="justify"><strong>This new emo-goth-rap hybrid then combines elements of all of these musics.</strong> Some songs might sound like full-on emo tracks with hip-hop drums underneath, while some might be a more depressing and distorted version of current mainstream hip-hop. Like any genre or movement there are people who epitomise the movement and people who are hard to categorise, only seeming vaguely related. At the very least, even the artists who maybe don&#8217;t quite fit the mould are being included into this sphere by its fans and channels like  デーモンAstari.  Despite this, they generally share some family resemblances, these are: nostalgic cloud-rap influenced beats, clean guitars (sometimes sampled), short songs, autotune, emo-style singing, rapping and emotional lyrics (often about depression/suicide). These musicians are interested in rap music for its textures and its melodies not for technical rhyme schemes. It is not uncommon, then, to find some weak and fairly unexceptional rapping in lots of this music, but that&#8217;s not really the point. The production, however, is often wonderful. It captures the vague sense of emo sadness and nostalgia (the kind you might find in an <em>American Football</em> song) and blends it perfectly with the sad, hazy feeling of cloud rap beats. As with any of the music in a still developing scene, some of the music errs on the side of amateurish production values, but shows promise or is otherwise  interesting for its pure novelty.</p>
<p align="justify">The music is also not without its issues. Combining the famously dodgy gender politics of emo and rap results in a perfect storm of douchebaggery. <strong>In both, women are frequently reduced to &#8220;bitches&#8221; or corpses.</strong> As <em>Jessica Hopper</em> wrote about in &#8220;Emo: Where The Girls Aren&#8217;t&#8221; , &#8220;We&#8217;re vessels redeemed in the light of boy-love. On a pedestal, on our backs. Muses at best. Cum rags or invisible at worst&#8221;. The rapper <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/XXX-TENTACION" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">XXX-TENTACION</a></u></em> has become a large figure in this scene despite (or, as Pitchfork suggests, because of) his imprisonment for domestic violence. With <u><a href="https://highclouds.org/stardom-and-mental-health-a-decade-after-britney-spears-breakdown-1/">mental health</a></u> issues the scene could be seen to be equally problematic. While in many ways having these artists discuss their sadness and depression can help others feel less alone and less stigmatised, it can also create an area where these issues are fetishised, where they can start to become cool. There are also the very current issue of sad, young men online with only an echo chamber of other equally frustrated young men to talk to. These situations have become the breeding grounds for extremist philosophies like the Alt-right. In terms of racial issues, it would be unwise to think that these largely white performers interest in Japan or African-American music signals any kind of allegiance with Black Lives Matter or other parts of the #woke internet.</p>
<p align="justify">The final thing is what to call this nebulous genre/scene that, for now, exists mostly around a few YouTube channels. Emo rap might work, but it&#8217;s not all clearly emo and that term has been half-used to refer to rappers like <u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/kid-cudi">Kid Cudi</a></u> for years now. Sad rap? IDK. I&#8217;m sure someone will soon find a way to categorise this and annoy all the artists who claim they&#8217;re totally original and can&#8217;t be pigeonholed. I look forward to the day. All I can say is it&#8217;s a shame that I won&#8217;t be coining said term and irritating everyone myself.</p>
<p align="justify"><strong>A brief introduction to the artists and songs worth knowing (most of these are best enjoyed with both the music and the video whilst alone at 1am):</strong></p>
<p align="justify">&#8211; <em><strong><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/lil-peep">Lil Peep</a></u></strong></em> is probably the best and so-far the most well-known. His music is also the most successful synthesis of emo and rap. According to <u><a href="http://pitchfork.com/features/rising/10001-tears-of-a-dirtbag-rapper-lil-peep-is-the-future-of-emo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a recent Pitchfork profile</a></u> his influences are <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/crystal-castles">Crystal Castles</a></u></em>, <u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/panic-at-the-disco"><em>Panic At The Disco</em></a></u> and <u><em><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/gucci-mane">Gucci Mane</a></em></u> (which says everything really).</p>
<p align="justify">&#8220;In &#8220;Girls&#8221;, <em>Peep</em> and collaborator <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/horsehead">Horsehead</a></u></em> appear to be two scene-kids that have snuck into a <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/chief-keef">Chief Keef</a></u></em> video. It&#8217;s a surreal blend of sleek rap video direction and white kids with face tattoos. It&#8217;s also a clear attempt to enter the conventional rap world on its own terms. The beat epitomises the dreamy vibe of much of this scene while the lyrics seem to capture its dodgy gender politics.</p>
<p align="justify">&#8220;M.O.S&#8221; is a gorgeously gothic track that manages to be quiet and loud at the same time. <em>Peep</em>&#8216;s vocals are slurred and low in the mix as if this were a <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/my-bloody-valentine">My Bloody Valentine</a></u></em> song. It really draws comparisons between shoegaze and this scene with a general emphasis on emotion and texture over clear lyrics.</p>
<p align="justify">&#8211; <em><strong>XXXTENTACION</strong></em> makes music that is occasionally gothic and distorted, occasionally emotional and sung. The デーモンAstari channel&#8217;s most popular upload is &#8220;I Don&#8217;t Wanna Do This Anymore&#8221;, one of his weepier songs, so I&#8217;ll include it in this list.</p>
<p align="justify">&#8211; <em><strong><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/nothing-nowhere">Nothing, nowhere</a></u></strong></em> goes even further into emo than <em>Peep</em>. His music  generally combines sad-sack lyrics with clean guitars and emo vocals but throws in some hip-hop production and some whiteboy rapping for good measure.</p>
<p align="justify">&#8211; <em><strong><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/brennan-savage">Brennan Savage</a></u></strong></em>&#8216;s &#8220;Look At Me Now&#8221; has a great gothic trap beat that Savage mostly sings over, with a tiny bit of rapping.</p>
<p align="justify">&#8211; <em><strong>Lil Bo Weep</strong></em>&#8216;s &#8220;I Wrote This Song For You&#8221; was recently championed by <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/diplo">Diplo</a></u></em> on Twitter. Its genre might be best described as cloud rap ballad.</p>
<p align="justify">&#8211; <em><strong><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/yunggoth">yunggoth</a></u></strong></em>&#8216;s &#8220;idk how to kill myself&#8221; is one of the vaguest trap songs ever written. Pretty much the only word you can make out in this ethereal banger is &#8220;bitches&#8221;.</p>
<p align="justify">&#8211; <em><strong><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/OmenXIII">OmenXIII</a></u></strong></em>&#8216;s &#8220;Drop Dead&#8221; is basically just a great gothic punk-rap song. He looks the part too, dressed all in black with some black nail polish for good measure.</p>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLFuxCyDfgfRPqgRuyM8yJJQAMPvLQJD7l" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">26898</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>CLOUDSPOTTING #3: Alt-J, Aminé, Nicki Minaj, Charli XCX</title>
		<link>https://highclouds.org/cloudspotting-3-alt-j-amine-nicki-minaj-charli-xcx/</link>
					<comments>https://highclouds.org/cloudspotting-3-alt-j-amine-nicki-minaj-charli-xcx/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Highclouds]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Mar 2017 20:05:48 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Cloudspotting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Track Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alt-J]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aminé]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Charli XCX]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iamamiwhoami]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jonna Lee]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lil Wayne]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nicki Minaj]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shy Luv]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uffie]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://highclouds.org/?p=26451</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Every Friday, the members of the Highclouds team have a meeting and talk about some of the biggest releases of]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Every Friday, the members of the <em>Highclouds</em> team have a meeting and talk about some of the biggest releases of the week. Since everyone is tired, the discussion has absolutely no filter.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://highclouds.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/gif-judge.gif" alt="gif judge" width="320" height="180" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-26054" /></p>
<p align="justify"><center><u><strong><em>ALT-J</em> &#8211; 3WW</strong></u></center></p>
<p align="justify">Coming from their new album &#8220;Revolver&#8221; out in June.</p>
<p>[su_youtube url=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDUUOt30TGA&#8221;]</p>
<p align="justify"><a href="https://highclouds.org/author/arno/">Arnaud</a>: I have to be honest, I never really followed <em>Alt-J</em>’s releases so far but I was positively surprised by this new track. This is well-crafted, quite subtle and I really like the &#8220;I just want to love you in my own language&#8221;. For me, &#8220;3WW&#8221; was like Third World War and it is true that sometimes misunderstanding can lead to conflicts.
</p>
<p align="justify"><a href="https://highclouds.org/author/el-calderon/">Matias</a>: I have actually no real choice in here since my roommate is listening to it on repeat. The track is really well-crafted and it stays very proper to <em>Alt-J</em>&#8216;s sound with still keeping something very modern.</p>
<p align="justify"><center><u><strong><em>Nicki Minaj</em> &#8211; No Frauds</strong></u></center></p>
<p align="justify"><em>Remy Ma</em> shared &#8220;Shether&#8221; and &#8220;Another One&#8221; where he was dissing <em>Nicki Minaj</em> on collaborating with <em>Gucci Mane</em>. Here is <em>Nicki</em>’s response: No Frauds feat. <em>Drake</em> and <em>Lil Wayne</em>.</p>
<p><center><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Atrack%3A0WtVtCK5SEFvyyA5V8D9CI" width="100" height="100" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true"></iframe></center></p>
<p align="justify"><a href="https://highclouds.org/author/arno/">Arnaud</a>: <em>Remy</em> simply shot <em>Nicki</em> with &#8220;Shether&#8221; and her collaborative answer was so polished and clean. <em>Remy</em> is right: &#8220;Only The Kids Believe In You&#8221; and it is a bit too easy to attack popstars and avoid the diss with other rappers.</p>
<p align="justify"><a href="https://highclouds.org/author/el-calderon/">Matias</a>:<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://highclouds.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/b88f48f70d454a885d42699df7487be5.gif" alt="" width="245" height="245" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-26454" /></p>
<p align="justify"><center><u><strong><em>Aminé</em> &#8211; Redmercedes</strong></u></center></p>
<p align="justify">After the huge success of &#8220;Caroline&#8221; the Portland rapper is back with a new track &#8220;Redmercedes&#8221;.</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/310390333&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false"></iframe></p>
<p align="justify"><a href="https://highclouds.org/author/arno/">Arnaud</a>:<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://highclouds.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/red-mercedes.gif" alt="" width="325" height="325" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-26455" /></p>
<p align="justify"><a href="https://highclouds.org/author/el-calderon/">Matias</a>: I&#8217;m not really a super fan of <em>Aminé</em> for any particular reasons to be honest, but this production is so rich, I&#8217;m into it.</p>
<p align="justify"><center><u><strong><em>Charli XCX</em> &#8211; Babygirl feat. <em>Uffie</em></strong></u></center></p>
<p align="justify">Coming from her mixtape &#8220;Number 1 girl&#8221; out today, <a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/charli-xcx"><u>Charli XCX</u></a> shared “Babygirl” featuring <em>Uffie</em>  via <u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/zane-lowe">Zane Lowe</a></u>.</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/309976761&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false"></iframe></p>
<p align="justify"><a href="https://highclouds.org/author/el-calderon/">Matias</a>: I love the mixtape and this song represents a lot of what I like in pop: catchy choruses, good production. I think the album is going to be better though, since &#8220;<u><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnkF7PxdkV4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Girls Night Out</a></u>&#8221; will be in it and I&#8217;m waiting for that song to come out for already two years. And also, I can address an apology in here: I met <em>Uffie</em> a few years ago, and I was such a drunk asshole to her. SORRY <em>UFFIE</em>!</p>
<p align="justify"><a href="https://highclouds.org/author/arno/">Arnaud</a>: I was quite disappointed with the mixtape that was dull in my opinion if you compare it to her &#8220;Vroom Vroom EP&#8221;. Some tracks are really not good. &#8220;Babygirl&#8221;, her collaboration with one of her icon <em>Uffie</em>, is OK, though: the 80s-infused vibes are pleasant but I have to say I was expecting more from it and the whole mixtape.</p>
<p align="justify"><strong><u><center>My Favorite track of the week:</center></u></strong></p>
<p align="justify"><a href="https://highclouds.org/author/arno/">Arnaud</a>: When <em>Jonna Lee</em> of <em>iamamiwhoami</em> goes solo, the whole pop world benefits from it. I don’t know what’s the secret of Scandinavian people, it’s like if they were made for that. &#8220;Samaritan&#8221; is a great song and the visuals are dope too; as always with <em>iamamiwhoami</em>.</p>
<p>[su_youtube url=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVWOZqsIm_0&#8243;]</p>
<p align="justify"><a href="https://highclouds.org/author/el-calderon/">Matias</a>: I wanted to talk about the <em>Jonna Lee</em> track but Arnaud already did. So, I&#8217;m going to put the last EP of <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/shy-luv" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Shy Luv</a></u></em> called &#8220;<u><a href="https://soundcloud.com/shy-luv/sets/shy-luv-shock-horror-ep" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Shock Horror</a></u>&#8221; that I have been listening pretty much on repeat for a few days already. My favorite: &#8220;Nightingale&#8221;.</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/308189580&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false"></iframe></p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">26451</post-id>	</item>
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		<title>Vulgar Display Of Power: Why Is Music Still Such A Boys&#039; Club?</title>
		<link>https://highclouds.org/vulgar-display-of-power-why-is-music-still-such-a-boys-club/</link>
					<comments>https://highclouds.org/vulgar-display-of-power-why-is-music-still-such-a-boys-club/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ed Ledsham]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Feb 2017 16:43:58 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Special Features]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Files]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brad Pitt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Edward Norton]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fight Club]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[H.L. Mencken]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joy Press]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kanye west]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Keir Keightley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kerouac]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lil Yachty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Masculinity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nick Cave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rock N Roll]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rolling Stones]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Simon Reynolds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tahirah Hairston]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tyler Durden]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://highclouds.org/?p=25321</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Gender in music is an odd thing to talk about. Mostly because for a long time the only visible faces]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Gender in music is an odd thing to talk about. Mostly because for a long time the only visible faces (or audible voices) were men&#8217;s. When the people who were playing music, writing music and writing <i>about</i> music were all men, masculinity became an unexamined and central part of musical culture.</p>
<p align="justify">In late 70s Britain, the sociologists <em>Simon Frith</em> and <em>Angela McRobbie</em> wrote that &#8220;it is boys who become interested in rock as music, who become hi-fi experts, who hope to become musicians, technicians or music businessmen. It is boys who form the core of the rock audience, who are intellectually interested in rock, who become rock critics and collectors&#8221;. Something, clearly, about the idea of taking music <i>seriously</i> fit with the way we allowed men to be men and not with the way we allowed women to be women. In 2017, and in this current wave of feminism, things certainly seem better but how far has an idea of masculinity ingrained itself?</p>
<p align="justify">Despite the more promising progressive moves of our current musical world, masculinity is firmly entrenched in music and our ways of thinking about it. You don&#8217;t have to dig deep to find worrying stories that make it feel like we&#8217;re still back in the seventies. Stubbornly rooted deep in our thinking about music are links between our ideas of creativity and masculinity. Music is hardly the only sphere of culture to have been arbitrarily gendered: science, technology and engineering fields (STEM) are famously <a href="https://stemfeminist.com/about-stem-feminist/">male-centric fields</a>. They remain this way not only through sexist jokes or the lack of support for women in these spaces but also in the way we think about what it means to be male or female. With STEM fields, for example, from an early age boys see more scientists on TV or their toys are geared towards creativity or their parents discipline them less because &#8220;boys will  be boys&#8221;. These ideas of &#8220;natural&#8221; masculinity and femininity are conventions that, to many, have become common sense. If women do become involved in these industries, as the saying goes, they will frequently be forced to work twice as hard for half the recognition. A huge amount of this comes from a discourse of &#8220;seriousness&#8221; that sees men as logical and objective, while women are reduced to being irrational and hysterical &#8211; hysteria itself having been thought originally to come from the uterus.</p>
<p align="justify">While women are clearly just as talented as men (why on earth would there be a biological difference in these matters?!), their contributions are clearly valued less. Men are allowed the encouragement, the space, the funds and the critical attention to allow their talents to thrive. Accordingly, men are generally seen as the default for musicians, with women frequently seen as a deviation from the norm (you wouldn&#8217;t refer to The Rolling Stones as an all-male band, right?).</p>
<p>[su_youtube url=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrIPxlFzDi0&#8243;]</p>
<p align="justify">To understand this we have to examine the fundamentally different (and frequently subconscious) prisms we see male and female behaviour through. A <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0956797615598739">recent psychological study </a> from Duke University suggested that: &#8220;think[ing] creatively tends to be associated with independence and self-direction &#8211; qualities generally ascribed to men&#8221;. Their study argues that if the same work is individually attributed to a man then a women, the supposedly male work is seen to be more creative. If we look back at nineteenth century gender roles we can start to understand this. Men, at this time, performed public work as the breadwinner of the house, generally involving physical or intellectual activity, while women performed the private work of the house as homekeepers, carers and moulders of young minds. Men, then, as they performed deeds outside the house were allowed the quality of &#8220;agency, which &#8230; refers to self-directed behavior and is associated with traits such as adventurousness and self-reliance&#8221;. Women, conversely, were believed to have &#8220;communality, which &#8230; refers to concern for others and is associated with traits such as social sensitivity and cooperativeness&#8221;. </p>
<h2><center>The most culturally valued movements have been those that challenge the way we view society</center></h2>
<p align="justify">These roles then directly translate into artistic and musical philosophy. The traits that we admire in musicians are those of disruption, independence and originality. These could be considered the main focus of the rock &#8216;n&#8217; roll philosophy. So not only are we more likely to encourage men to be creative and enter the world of music, but we will also be more likely to <i>recognise</i> creativity in men even if they&#8217;re doing the same work. The philosophies of art and masculinity are then inevitably linked. The traits we abhor in art then are those that maintain the fabric of society (in the way of a stereotypical mother). The moments we value in music and art are those initial moments of rupture when everything changes but before the larger public is aware: punk rock in 1976, acid house in 1988, modernism in 1922. When you think of important artists, musicians and creators, the ones we value most are those that broke down doors and played by their own rules &#8220;exerting independence and distinctiveness&#8221;. We don&#8217;t value the bands that &#8220;maintain[ed] social harmony and interconnectedness&#8221;. From punk rock to Kanye West, the most culturally valued movements have been those that challenge the way we view society, not those that uphold its values.</p>
<p>[su_youtube url=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGIFublvDes&#8221;]</p>
<p align="justify">The mythology of rock &#8216;n&#8217; roll is for music that shakes the boundaries of culture. As musicologist <em>Keir Keightley</em> writes, &#8220;the idea of rock involves a rejection of those aspects of mass-distributed music which are believed to be soft, safe or trivial&#8230; the styles, genres and performers that are thought to merit the name &#8216;rock&#8217; must be seen as serious, significant and legitimate in some way&#8221;. In this sense, rock doesn&#8217;t have to even mean distorted guitars but an idea of music being independent or distinctive. You can apply the &#8216;rock&#8217; mode of thinking to everything from Nick Cave to Lil&#8217; Yachty. Pop music, on the other hand, is seen to conform to what the system already wants. People taking music <i>seriously</i> will then value whoever is the most unique, not those who sound overly influenced by others. Pop culture is associated, then, with conformity and with femininity, a <i>Stepford Wives</i> suburban world of bland obedience. Rock culture becomes its opposite, eschewing conformity for a masculine sense of rebellion, leaving the home behind. As in <em>Kerouac</em>&#8216;s <i><u><a href="https://oscarenfotos.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/on_the_road_jack_kerouac.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">On The Road</a></u></i>, women are there to care for you, pay for you and ultimately to hold you back from the wild adventures you and your buddies can have. </p>
<h2><center>&#8220;Fuck you I won’t do what you tell me&#8221; is its rallying cry and unofficial slogan</center></h2>
<p align="justify">Women (in the rock &#8216;n&#8217; roll philosophy) are a symbol of both safety and oppression, the ultimate figure to rebel against. In this case &#8220;the rules&#8221; are often supposedly enforced by the mother. As the early twentieth century American writer <em>H.L. Mencken</em> wrote: &#8220;women are the conservative and conservators, the enemies of hazard and innovation&#8230; mothering which is their supreme gift is the greatest of &#8230;foes to masculine enterprise&#8221;. More recently this connection between mass culture and femininity has been made by <em>Tyler Durden</em> in &#8220;Fight Club&#8221;. As the characters see it, they are &#8220;slave[s] to the IKEA <i>nesting instinct</i>&#8220;, to the false dreams of television, consumers that are &#8220;byproducts of a lifestyle obsession&#8221;. The unnamed narrator (<em>Edward Norton</em> in the film) imagines an alter ego (<em>Brad Pitt</em>) who is the paragon of conventional masculinity in contrast to his own life as a white-collar wage-slave. Breaking away from this &#8220;nesting instinct&#8221; (clearly a maternal reference) can only be achieved by forming an exclusively-male group who reassert their masculinity by beating each other up and rebelling against this feminised mass culture.</p>
<p align="justify">Any musician can be taken <i>seriously</i> if they adopt the rock philosophy, whether they show a certain rebellious attitude in the way they deal with their label, their decadent behaviour or in their claim to speak for the people. Rock is a philosophy of rugged individualism. Rock&#8217;s political stance is neither necessarily right or left but a kind of libertarian anti-authority stance. &#8220;Fuck you I won&#8217;t do what you tell me&#8221; is its rallying cry and unofficial slogan. By rebelling against the culture you were brought up in, you are rebelling against this imagined nagging mother figure. As long as you&#8217;re breaking the rules, you&#8217;re fine. So <a href=" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0IAYFh0CaI"> swearing on TV is rock</a>,<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pjqc1hqbRmA">renegade police officers in cop movies are rock</a>, <a href="http://au.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/04/25-movie-characters-that-make-cigarette-smoking-look-cool/">smoking cigarettes is rock</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG0fS4DoGUc">shooting a man in Reno just to watch him die</a> is definitely rock (unfortunately reading sociological essays about &#8216;what rock is&#8217; is <i>not</i> rock &#8211; probably best to throw a TV out your nearest window). The &#8220;rock rebel&#8221; is the character that rockstars inhabit, built on Marlon Brando in <i>The Wild One</i> and James Dean in <i>Rebel Without A Cause</i>, this is the sense we have of the rockstar. A rugged individual who follows <i>his(!)</i> own path. The mythical rockstar figure is not concerned about his own health and is uninterested in following the rules of others. Even if they are just achieving the sort of &#8220;rebellion&#8221; that our culture values as rebellion (thus taking on its own sort of conformity).</p>
<p align="justify">In spite of all this, it is easy to think that as left-leaning feminists, we have left behind the culture of patriarchal masculinity from which we felt so estranged. This is not the case. The issue is that when we talk of masculinity, we are often talking about the masculinity of others as if there is one clear version of masculinity. We might think that <em>AC/DC</em> fans exude masculinity while us <u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/radiohead">Radiohead</a></u>-loving hipsters have risen above it. Those AC/DC fans love loud guitars and their lyrics are more clearly objectionable but this far from makes us immune.</p>
<p>[su_youtube url=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2AC41dglnM&#8221;]</p>
<p align="justify">As the New Zealand-based musician and academic <em>Matthew Bannister</em> points out, indie is not necessarily any less masculine:  &#8220;it was a different kind of masculinity: activities of record collecting, debates about the composition of the &#8220;canon&#8221;; music &#8220;connoisseurship&#8221;, exchange and hoarding of information &#8211; all provide spaces for masculine identity formation.&#8221; <em>Bannister</em> writes that &#8220;indie provided a space where some men could assert masculinity indirectly by participating in a kind of objective order or symbolic system of authority&#8221;. In other words, by being into weirdo obscure music, a certain kind of man could assert their masculinity in their deep knowledge.</p>
<h2><center>&#8220;Rock’s great paradox is that it has successively revolted against established notions of manliness while remaining misogynistic&#8221;</center></h2>
<p align="justify">It is easy to look down on more working class ideas of masculinity and to never examine the ways that this hipsterdom can itself exude a certain kind of middle class masculinity. Basically, masculinity in our culture tends to exist as a form of power. This power can either be in the fairly obvious form of a heavy metal band lording over the stage with their virtuosity and dominance over the audience but also in the detached elitism of indie/hipster subcultures. As Bannister writes: &#8220;taste is a form of cultural power&#8221;.</p>
<p>[su_youtube url=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5CVsCnxyXg&#8221;]</p>
<p align="justify">Another way masculinity paradoxically lingers is through its own subversion. There are ways that &#8220;normal&#8221;, macho masculinity is broken away from in popular music that can seem fairly progressive in some senses and totally regressive in others. Musicians from <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/young-thug">Young Thug</a></u></em> to The Rolling Stones have cross-dressed while still referring to women as &#8220;bitches&#8221; or writing songs like &#8220;Under My Thumb&#8221;. This makes you think that maybe cross-dressing wasn&#8217;t as progressive as it first seemed. As <em>Simon Reynolds</em> writes in his glam rock history &#8220;Shock And Awe&#8221;: &#8220;Male pop performers annexing for themselves the feminine province of fashion and beautification, then, was not necessarily an indicator of respect for women. It was an extension of vanity, a new terrain for the male ego&#8221;.</p>
<p align="justify">Similarly the open emotional lyrics of <em>Drake</em> to <a href=" http://www.rookiemag.com/2015/07/where-the-girls-arent >emo bands</a> are generally propped up by other forms of macho posturing. As <em>Tahirah Hairston</em> <a href=" http://fusion.net/story/217624/sorry-but-drakes-obsession-with-good-girls-is-sexist ">writes</a> in an essay on <em>Drake</em>: &#8220;Sure, he’s really, really good at expressing his feelings, broadening the scope of masculinity in rap&#8221; but &#8220;<em>Drake</em>’s lyrics are rooted in patriarchal and paternalistic themes, complete with a fascination with “good” girls and saving women.&#8221; <em>Simon Reynolds</em> and <em>Joy Press</em> explain this, in their &#8220;Sex Revolts&#8221;, with the idea that &#8220;rock&#8217;s great paradox is that it has successively revolted against established notions of manliness while remaining misogynistic&#8221;. This is precisely the complex issue here, rock can <i>both</i> challenge <i>and</i> confirm traditional masculine ideals. Through cross-dressing or being bluntly emotional, these artists are still conforming to a masculine sense of rebellion, of shaking the system, even if they are subverting  traditionally male behaviour in a different way.</p>
<p>[su_youtube url=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxpDa-c-4Mc&#8221;]</p>
<p align="justify">In these ways, the whole &#8220;rock&#8221; philosophy has a certain degree of macho behaviour behind it. Acquiring knowledge becomes a new form of intellectual dominance. Consider the common complaint from women in any geekish world like this where they are challenged to <i>prove</i> their knowledge of pop culture as they have been assumed to be phonies or charlatans on the basis of their gender. Further still, the idea of &#8220;mansplaining&#8221; seems to speak to this same need for men to assert their dominance by use of brain rather than brawn.</p>
<p align="justify">It is certainly no bad thing that in 2017 music as a culture is comparatively less male-dominated than it was but it seems overtly utopian to suggest these ideas will be going away quickly, if at all. In our more progressive circles, we might be seeing slightly less male dominance but with all that&#8217;s happened recently these progressions seem precarious at best. We might be able to complain about gender roles and agree that they&#8217;re outdated but who, of any gender, can say they haven&#8217;t made ridiculous assumptions about a woman&#8217;s knowledge of music or just generally have treated women poorly through their own unchecked sexism?  Our cultural values were developed with white, straight, middle-class, cis-gender people in mind. They won&#8217;t go away after a few listens of <i>Lemonade</i>.</p>
<p><center><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://highclouds.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/beyonce-baseball-bat.gif" alt="" width="680" height="464" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-25327" /></center></p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">25321</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>BELGITUNES: Le Colisée</title>
		<link>https://highclouds.org/belgitunes-le-colisee/</link>
					<comments>https://highclouds.org/belgitunes-le-colisee/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Arnaud Marty]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Jan 2016 20:06:12 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Belgitunes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ABBOTA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[barcelona]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[David Nzeyimana]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kate Bush]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Le Colisée]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Les Dieux Fous]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Prefab Sprout]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vie Eternelle]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://highclouds.org/?p=12707</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[[su_dropcap style=&#8221;simple&#8221;]N[/su_dropcap]o, Belgium and Brussels are not only &#8220;hellholes&#8221; as would say the ugly Donald Trump! Our wonderful country is]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[su_dropcap style=&#8221;simple&#8221;]N[/su_dropcap]o, Belgium and Brussels are not only &#8220;hellholes&#8221; as would say <del datetime="2016-01-28T11:59:20+00:00">the ugly</del> Donald Trump! Our wonderful country is also a refuge for young talented and creative artists. Every Wednesday, we take some time to present one of them to the world. This week, let&#8217;s spend some time in the twisting pop music of Brussels-based band &#8220;Le Colisée&#8221;.<br />
<span id="more-12707"></span></p>
<p>Before being a five-piece band, &#8220;Le Colisée&#8221; was a single person, <em>David Nzeyimana</em>, who as a complete one-man band, started to release music under this nickname in 2012. <a href="http://lecolisee.bandcamp.com/album/le-colisee" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>An eponymous first EP</u></a> was released on Bandcamp and, at the same time, was establishing the basis of a project that defies the codes of traditional pop music. It must be noted that <em>Nzeyimana</em> happily quotes the Queen of alternative pop <em>Kate Bush</em> and English 80s band <em>Prefab Sprout</em> (and <em><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/drake/"><u>Drake</u></a></em>) among his main influences. </p>
<p>[su_youtube_advanced url=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckF_2yeksaw&#8221;]</p>
<p>The band became a four-piece group when <em>Nzeyimana</em> met three other musicians in high school: . They were then joined, one year after, by Clément (keyboard, guitar and laptop). &#8220;Le Colisée&#8221; is certainly one of the most promising and exciting indie pop act of Belgium right now, by proposing a non-conventional, dreamlike and inventive music. Like a tightrope walker, mixing analogic and acoustic instrumentations, delivering catchy and weird songs at the same time; the young band already found a credible balance that we just want to see growing. In 2013, &#8220;Le Colisée&#8221; is the winner of the &#8220;Du F. Dans Le Texte&#8221; competition, an award intended for promising French-speaking amateur artists. </p>
<p>In 2015, they are finally back with a second EP &#8220;Vie Eternelle&#8221; (&#8220;Eternal Life&#8221; in English), the first one with the current formation. As <em>Nzeyimana</em> told us, &#8220;Le Colisée&#8221; is getting more and more collaborative and that can be heard in the sound. This second EP sounds more complete, in the production but also in the ideas. &#8220;Les Dieux Fous&#8221; is a delightful treasure, a spacey trip to faraway places that maybe don&#8217;t even exist somewhere else than in the memories or the dreams.</p>
<p>[soundcloud url=&#8221;https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/80349768&#8243; params=&#8221;auto_play=false&#038;hide_related=false&#038;show_comments=true&#038;show_user=true&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;visual=true&#8221; width=&#8221;100%&#8221; height=&#8221;450&#8243; iframe=&#8221;true&#8221; /]</p>
<p>The EP features the track &#8220;Vie Eternelle&#8221;, whose video was directed by <em>Nzeyimana</em> himself!</p>
<p>[su_youtube_advanced url=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTkJybjQth0&#8243;]</p>
<p>The band is now working on their sophomore EP that is described by <em>Raphaël</em>, the guitarist-keyboardist of the band, as something &#8220;more muscled than the previous one&#8221;. It will also include collaborations with other creative and interesting artists but so far, it remains an exciting mystery.</p>
<p>If you want to follow them, here are their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LeColiseemusic" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>Facebook page</u></a>, their <a href="https://soundcloud.com/lecoliseemusic" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>Soundcloud</u></a> account and their <a href="http://lecolisee.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>Bandcamp</u></a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;Le Colisée&#8221; are currently touring and are in the lineup of the <em>ABBota Festival</em> late February in Brussels. Get your tickets <a href="http://www.abconcerts.be/en/agenda/events/abbota-2016/19610/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>here</u></a>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">12707</post-id>	</item>
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		<title>Majid Jordan &#8211; Learn From Each Other</title>
		<link>https://highclouds.org/majid-jordan-learn-from-each-other/</link>
					<comments>https://highclouds.org/majid-jordan-learn-from-each-other/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Pierre Bayet]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 Jan 2016 07:57:58 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[New Tracks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[A Place Like This]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Debut Album]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Her]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Learn From Each Other]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Majid Jordan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[My Love]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://highclouds.org/?p=12481</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[[su_dropcap style=&#8221;simple&#8221;]I[/su_dropcap]t&#8217;s a song that we&#8217;ve been waiting (im)patiently since the preview they shared during an episode of OVO Sound]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://highclouds.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/11252485_933725886719917_6031811492196450653_n.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-12483"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://highclouds.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/11252485_933725886719917_6031811492196450653_n.jpg" alt="11252485_933725886719917_6031811492196450653_n" width="960" height="960" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-12483" /></a><br />
[su_dropcap style=&#8221;simple&#8221;]I[/su_dropcap]t&#8217;s a song that we&#8217;ve been waiting (im)patiently since the preview they shared during an episode of <em>OVO Sound Radio<em>. &#8220;Learn From Each Other&#8221; may be <em>Majid Jordan</em>&#8216;s best song so far.</p>
<p><span id="more-12481"></span></p>
<p>&#8220;Learn From Each Other&#8221; is a smooth Electro R&#038;B track with captivating and resonating vocals.<br />
This official version offers a longer introduction compared to the preview we previously heard.</p>
<p><strong>&#8220;Thought I knew what it was the first time I saw you./ But I only knew when you walked away&#8221;<br />
&#8220;We can only learn from other from each other/ We can only grow together&#8221;</strong></p>
<p><center> <iframe loading="lazy" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:3NlRTktoXPbGlomenu3Q4S" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" width="300" height="380"></iframe> </center></p>
<p>The song is the first track from their self-titled debut album &#8220;Majid Jordan&#8221; due to be released on the 5th of February. The album will also include songs such as &#8220;<a href="https://highclouds.org/majid-jordan-something-about-you/"><u>Something About You</u></a>&#8220;, &#8220;<a href="https://highclouds.org/majid-jordan-king-city/"><u>King City</u></a>&#8221; and &#8220;<a href="https://highclouds.org/majid-jordan-my-love-feat-drake/"><u>My Love </u>(featuring <em>Drake</em>)</a>&#8220;.</p>
<p>Bonus : </p>
<p>&#8220;Her&#8221; taken from their EP &#8220;A Place Like This&#8221;.<br />
[su_youtube url=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGl4MFuGg_U&#8221;]</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">12481</post-id>	</item>
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		<title>Ty Dolla $ign &#8211; Wavy (feat. Joe Moses) [Prod. DJ Mustard]</title>
		<link>https://highclouds.org/ty-dolla-ign-wavy-feat-joe-moses-prod-dj-mustard/</link>
					<comments>https://highclouds.org/ty-dolla-ign-wavy-feat-joe-moses-prod-dj-mustard/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Arnaud Marty]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Jan 2016 12:08:24 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[New Tracks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Beats 1]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DJ Mustard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joe Moses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OVO Sound Radio]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ty Dolla $ign]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://highclouds.org/?p=12387</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[[su_dropcap style=&#8221;simple&#8221;]S[/su_dropcap]aturday, on Drake&#8216;s Beats 1 show OVO Sound Radio, DJ Mustard debuted a new collaboration with LA hip-hop artist]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://highclouds.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/TYDOLLAWAVY.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-12389"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://highclouds.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/TYDOLLAWAVY.jpg" alt="TYDOLLAWAVY" width="550" height="550" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-12389" /></a></p>
<p>[su_dropcap style=&#8221;simple&#8221;]S[/su_dropcap]aturday, on <em>Drake</em>&#8216;s <em>Beats 1</em> show <em>OVO Sound Radio</em>, <em>DJ Mustard</em> debuted a new collaboration with LA hip-hop artist <em>Ty Dolla $ign</em>. As usual, the track, which also features <em>Joe Moses</em>, is definitely an efficient party banger.<br />
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<p>It is notably based on high-pitched vocals and an EDM-like beat. The result is convincing and will warm you up during these cold times!</p>
<p>[soundcloud url=&#8221;https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/242340006&#8243; params=&#8221;auto_play=false&#038;hide_related=false&#038;show_comments=true&#038;show_user=true&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;visual=true&#8221; width=&#8221;100%&#8221; height=&#8221;450&#8243; iframe=&#8221;true&#8221; /]</p>
<p>&#8220;Wavy&#8221; is not featured on <em>Ty Dolla $ign</em> major debut album Free TC that was released at the end of 2015.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">12387</post-id>	</item>
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		<title>D.R.A.M. &#8211; Signals (Throw It Around)</title>
		<link>https://highclouds.org/d-r-a-m-signals-throw-it-around/</link>
					<comments>https://highclouds.org/d-r-a-m-signals-throw-it-around/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Arnaud Marty]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 Dec 2015 08:47:16 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Track Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Atlantic Records]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cha Cha]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[D.R.A.M.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[donnie trumpet & the social experiment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gahdamn!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hotline Bling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Signals (Throw It Around)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[surf]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://highclouds.org/?p=11015</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[One year ago, we didn&#8217;t really know him but in twelve months only, Virginia rapper D.R.A.M. achieved a lot! He]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>One year ago, we didn&#8217;t really know him but in twelve months only, Virginia rapper <em>D.R.A.M.</em> achieved a lot! He was featured on <em>Donnie Trumpet &#038; The Social Experiment</em>&#8216;s project &#8220;<u><a href="https://highclouds.org/donnie-trumpet-the-social-experiment-surf/">Surf</a></u>&#8220;, accused <em>Drake</em> of jacking his track &#8220;Cha Cha&#8221; to create his massive hit &#8220;Hotline Bling,&#8221; and released &#8220;Gahdamn!&#8221; via <em>Atlantic Records</em>. On this EP, you can find &#8220;Signals (Throw It Around)&#8221;, a languorous and hot track that is both made to make love and to execute a seduction dance in the clubs.<br />
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<p align="“justify”">In the track, <em>D.R.A.M.</em> sings and raps about the seduction of a girl in a club. This one seems not to accept his advances and gives &#8220;yellow&#8221; and &#8220;red&#8221; signals to make him understand. The track is particularly interesting for its different parts and rhythms: it starts as an RNB slow jam and finally turns into something you can definitely dance on! The song gets also catchy thanks to the &#8220;Throw It Around&#8221; falsetto echoes.</p>
<p align="“justify”">[su_quote]You&#8217;ve been throwing signals, sometimes the color red<br />
You ain&#8217;t fucking with the boy, I don&#8217;t know what I said<br />
But is all good, I&#8217;mma treat you with despise<br />
And instead of being with you, I&#8217;mma be with your home girl and the white and her pussy tight[/su_quote]</p>
<p>[su_spacer]<br />
[soundcloud url=&#8221;https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/229716050&#8243; params=&#8221;auto_play=false&#038;hide_related=false&#038;show_comments=true&#038;show_user=true&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;visual=true&#8221; width=&#8221;100%&#8221; height=&#8221;450&#8243; iframe=&#8221;true&#8221; /]<br />
[su_spacer]</p>
<p align="“justify”">Earlier this year, <em>D.R.A.M.</em> accused <em><u><a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/drake/">Drake</a></u></em> on Twitter of jacking his track &#8220;Cha Cha&#8221; to create his track &#8220;<a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/hotline-bling/"><u>Hotline Bling</u></a>&#8220;. You can hear the track below and the answer of <a href="https://highclouds.org/tag/erykah-badu/"><em><u>Erykah Badu</u></em></a> who is a friend of Drizzy.</p>
<p>[su_youtube_advanced url=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzMhcP7ab3k&#8221;]</p>
<p><center></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="fr">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/ONLY1DRAM">@ONLY1DRAM</a> we loved Cha Cha first. Very unique and raw. &#10;That&#39;s That underground magic force that sparks a seed to grow a tree. . . Ms. badu</p>
<p>&mdash; ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) <a href="https://twitter.com/fatbellybella/status/656440415076286464">20 Octobre 2015</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center></p>
<p align="“justify”">&#8220;Signals (Throw It Around)&#8221; is taken from the &#8220;Gadhamn!&#8221; EP, out now via <em>Atlantic Records</em>. Get your copy <u><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/gahdamn!/id1050324236" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a></u>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">11015</post-id>	</item>
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