We haven’t done a list on hip-hop for years. In 2015: Adam Vida, Anderson .Paak & Goldlink were our hope to revive hip-hop. As much as our love for them have grown more than many, our focus has still been with dance & soul music.
We did collect fifty songs with emcees that got talent. More for their cadence and flow than lyrical depth, but with one usually comes the other (not always). These emcees more than ever before come from different backgrounds with all types of styles and sounds. We’ve even got some from the UK.
I bet the next one in two years will have even more countries.
Spire and his Soda Island friends put on some of my favorite bumble gum funk, generally known as future bass, specifically called kawaii, but I call it vapor (who knows). He does however have much more breath than that.
He has some of the most intricate & introspective music, and a good handful of it, which I don’t see enough. The guy can take what sounds like a scene from a movie and make it music. Beautiful in a way that reminds me of jazz. You don’t know where it’s going next.
Couldn’t have kicked off 2017 any better than this inspiration (other than disco).
Hottest Nu-Disco in the Funkin World, our first disco list from back in 2012, had Disco Stu as its mascot. I remember someone complained about how Stu was a shining example of our culture’s lack of respect for disco. As subtle and culturally ingrained as it may be.
Back in 1979, a protest dubbed Disco Demolition Night went on at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Most of us see it on the surface level as people disliking disco and its overt sexual acceptance. But a less apparent hate against homosexual and interracial relationships had stained its legacy even further.
Today is a point in time that’s going to stir up a lot more shit against minorities and the LGBT community, and destroy a lot of good things. But when disco died back in the early 80’s, something greater rose up. I wonder what will come after house music.
For the last seven years we’ve been just about the music, and its spread online, but slowly our focus has shifted towards the live scene, as well. In 2015 we started to cover more festivals & shows, but it took until 2016 for that culture to greatly affect what music we’ll remember most.
I first set up Silence Nogood to share my favorite music, but I’ve learned there’s much more surrounding it that needs exposure. Hopefully in the next seven years we do.
I like remixes. Usually if they’re pop songs turned into dance tunes – that’s what they were originally made for. Most pop music to dance to nowadays is EDM meant for a rave rather than a night out. And while their production is usually done by the best, their creativity is stale. Which is usually the exact opposite for remixes.
Saint-Laurent’s remix of This Is What You Came For might not have the highest production value, kinda what they’re going for, but their creativity is refreshing. There’s a lot of 80’s throwback remixes popping up, but not many can compete with Rihanna backing.
As much as our most relaxing playlists get more attention online, I’m sure our dance ones do better off. Plus they’re much more fun to make (it’s involves a lot of dancing). And if you’re not dancing too, it’s not worth listening to (as much).
Make sure to check out our best of 2015: Loose Control and 2014: Dance Party as well.
I went home to Minnesota for the holidays. It was good to get back and talk with family about politics. I tried not to play out the typical democratic/republican shit show. It was good to question their beliefs, but more importantly my own. You learn a lot from seeing other views. Something to take back and reflect on.
And there’s no better music for reflecting right now than with BADBADNOTGOOD. Best taken for Late nights, long travels and going over the year, or just the day.
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Instrumentalists are going to save electronic music, especially singers. It’s hard to make a melody that sticks with just a computer and a producer who knows how to play an instrument usually pulls off much better sounds.
Brasstracks is best with the horns. And equally as impressive, knows where and how to team up with some other talented instrumentalists. Mostly singers.
Beats Music, previously MOG, now Apple Music, played a huge role in getting us switched from posting singles to primarily playlists. Trent Reznor, head of creative at the time, created a video in 2014 introducing Beats Music and its promise to find the best song to come next.
I’m still not sure if Beats ever fulfilled that promise, or if Apple does now, but I’ve been trying to do it for myself ever since. And hopefully sometimes for you too.
If you’re into jazzy, hip hop beats more uplifting than our Late Night Beats & Late Night Jazz, this is for you. All the way through.
Pomo will be playing with Kaytranada, Anderson .Paak + The Free Nationals on New Years in San Francisco. We’ve featured the last two artists, but only dipped into Pomo a few times – did not realize whom he’s produced.
People were telling me he did an Anderson .Paak track, but I didn’t realize which one. Then come to find he produced the only Mac Miller song I’ll ever like, which of course has Anderson .Paak featured on it.
He’s also got plenty of good remixes to bring in the New Year. Hope to see you there.