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Remembering Chucky Thompson, One of Bad Boy’s Architects of Hip-Hop Soul
Carl E. Thompson, better known as Chucky, a producer who’d been making hits with artists ranging from Notorious B.I.G. to Mary J. Blige since the mid-’90s, died from COVID-19 complications on Monday at the age of 53. One of Thompson’s friends and proteges, longtime Jay-Z engineer Young Guru, broke the news on Monday that Thompson had died at the age of 53. “You were the kindest person the world has ever seen. You were the most gifted musician I have ever been around,” Guru wrote on Instagram. Thompson joins a long list of notable musicians who’ve died after contracting the COVID-19 virus in 2020 and 2021, including John Prine, Charley Pride, Fred the Godson, Adam Schlesinger, Joe Diffie, and Hal Willner. In many ways, Thompson was a producer’s producer. He was the type of musician who was ...
Valtteri Bottas Hopes to Outpace This Season’s Bad Luck
Valtteri Bottas came into the Mercedes Formula 1 team with the weight of expectation upon him. He was, after all, filling the shoes of outgoing world champion Nico Rosberg, who announced his retirement after 2016. Not only that, by joining Mercedes he was driving alongside the record-tying seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. But over the last four years, it’s fair to say that Bottas has held his ground, and proven his value to the team. Aside from taking 17 poles in qualifying with his astonishing speed, the Finnish driver also stepped onto the podium an impressive 53 times, taking the top step on nine separate occasions. Yet it hasn’t been without its challenges: the driver has faced injuries, vehicle faults, and what seems like a rather persistent run of bad luck — most notably, in...
Here’s a Look Back At the World Records, Upsets and Highlights from the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics
The Tokyo Olympics have come to an end and after two weeks of sports and over 1,000 medals, we can finally take a step back look over some of the momentous events that occurred at the gather of athletes that happens once every four years — or in Tokyo’s case, five. True, this year’s Olympic Games happened under unprecedented circumstances which delayed the event by a year, but the true essence of the Olympics was still shown countless times even in the presence of empty stadiums. This year’s top three countries from ascending order saw the United States with 39 gold medals (113 total), China with 38 gold (88 total), and finally Japan with 27 gold medals (58 total). One standout occurrence at this year’s Games was that there were a healthy number of records broken along with several heart-w...
What the Heck Is the Theremin?
Analog music instruments were rendered largely outdated by the 1960s, anachronistic just as the advent of electronics fundamentally changed what music could be virtually overnight. With the creation of new instruments there comes new conduits to summon new sounds it taps into from the beyond, playing and teasing sonics into novel shapes, sizes and textures previously impossible. And no, I’m not talking about the synthesizer. There existed an earlier, more obscure electronic instrument, called the theremin. It was accidentally invented by Russian physicist Léon Theremin in 1919 while he was attempting to engineer proximity sensor devices for the Soviet government. His experiment was unsuccessful in what it sought to achieve, but its byproduct surpassed any other possible outcome, inte...
With King’s Disease II, Nas’ Second Reign Is Better Than His First
A good sequel is rare. Every now and then, we get a part two on par or better than the original, but for every Dark Knight, there are 50 Hangover Part IIs. It’s a feat even more challenging in music, because each album is about a particular time in an artist’s life. Asking for a new version of that same thing is basically asking them to hop in a time machine and relive the past. Which, until someone says otherwise, is impossible. Never one to shy away from an impossible task, Nas surprised the world when he announced King’s Disease II, a sequel to his Grammy-winning 13th album, just one week ago. Out today, August 6th, it finds the rapper and producer Hit-Boy continuing their flourishing tag-team partnership. Their first endeavor, released in August 2020, felt designed to make fans fo...
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EDM.com Playlist Picks: Martin Garrix, ARMNHMR, Gryffin and More [8/06/21]
The electronic music community is constantly evolving with new sounds every week, as artists become more innovative with their compositions. EDM.com’s weekly “Playlist Picks” series highlights the top releases in the genre, helping uncover the latest tracks that will soon dominate the dance music scene. Love Runs Out (feat. G-Eazy & Sasha Alex Sloan) – Martin Garrix Never Gets You Back (feat. Kwesi) – ARMNHMR & Caslow New Blood (with Boy Matthews) – Gryffin Winners Anthem – KSHMR & Zafrir Regarde-moi – Kungs Recommended Articles I Don’t Wanna Know – DubVision Fight Dirty – Salvatore Ganacci Train – Felguk 2HEARTs – Knock2 Switch – Amy Lauren & Blank Sense These tracks can be accessed on the ...
Song of the Week: The Weeknd Returns With the Heart-Pounding “Take My Breath”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, The Weeknd successfully leaves us breathless. “Take My Breath,” the latest from The Weeknd, confirms it: the disco resurgence that’s been permeating the airwaves since early 2020 isn’t going away any time soon. Over the past year, smashes like Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia and beloved collections like Jessie Ware’s What’s Your Pleasure? have leaned into the sounds and aesthetics of a sparkling dance floor. Even as recently as last week, Silk Sonic shared yet another track that doesn’t shy away from the ’70s energy — and why should t...
Underground Vibes | 070
“Glaciers” – Wastemall & Jude York For his latest single, producer and visual artist Wastemall teams up with talented vocalist Jude York to showcase his knack at crafting captivating pieces of electronic music, that blend the barrier between house, ambient and more. “Pyramids” – camoufly camoufly has without a doubt established himself as a mainstay within the scene, and his brand new single “Pyramids,” which teases his upcoming EP, makes up for a perfect display of his skillset. “I’ve Got A Feeling” – Trevr, Marphil, T. Ferd Coming to boundary-pushing label Czech Vibes Sound, Trevr, Marphil and T. Ferd unveil their new single “I’ve Got A Feeling,” an infectious sonic journey through smooth house beats and melodies. “Situation Critical” – KAPUZE KAPUZE is master...
Jim James, Wayne Coyne, Angel Olsen on the Legacy of All Things Must Pass
George Harrison released his third solo project, the expansive triple-LP All Things Must Pass, in November 1970. And its songs — like “My Sweet Lord,” “Wah-Wah,” “Isn’t It a Pity,” “Behind That Locked Door,” and “Beware of Darkness” — solidified the former Beatle’s signature balance of earthly and divine, from his soulful slide-guitar to the searching spirituality of his lyrics. To celebrate the album’s “50th” anniversary reissue — including the massive Uber Deluxe Edition, complete with gnome replicas — SPIN spoke to three famous Harrison fans about his early masterpiece. Below, Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Wayne Coyne (The Flaming Lips) and Angel Olsen go deep on the influence and legacy of All Things Must Pass — and Harrison himself. Jim James (My Morning Jacket) CREDIT: Nei...
EDM.com Presents The Heat Check 007: Mersiv, Liquid Stranger, Yheti, Lab Group and More
In modern bass, dubstep and trap music, listeners and tastemakers are always chasing the next big track to blow crowds away at a festival stage. EDM.com Presents The Heat Check is a list of the most ear-catching, incendiary, and ‘fire’ tracks that emerge from the bass and freeform scene. “Floating Underwater Above the Clouds” – Mersiv Mersiv kicked off his debut album campaign by forging a new world through sound. The Colorado-producer unveiled his first single, “Floating Underwater Above the Clouds,” which is accompanied by this music video designed by Joseph Allen. The track represents the “Pretty” single off Pretty Dark Loud, showcasing the uplifting, scintillating side of his production style. “Snow Melt” – Liquid Stranger, LUZCID Liquid Stranger ann...
Return of the Mac: A Quarter-Century of the Macarena
Other than the mysterious sound the dinosaurs heard before being incinerated by an asteroid 66 million years ago, the greatest one-hit wonder of all time is arguably the quadruple-platinum Bayside Boys Remix of Los Del Río’s “Macarena.” On Aug. 3, 1996, “Macarena” mounted and held down the top spot on Billboard for three-and-a-half months straight. To this day, only Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” and Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber’s “Despacito” have spent more time camped atop the charts. Billboard went on to name “Macarena” number eight on their All-Time Top 100, as well as its top Latin song of all time. In retrospect, there’s no clear reason why “Macarena” blew up like it did. It wasn’t a fantastic display of musicianship, it didn’t carry any...
25 Artists, 25 Albums, 25 Years of Vagrant Records
For much of the last quarter-century, Vagrant Records has been synonymous with the emo and alternative scenes. Much like how Epitaph Records and Fat Wreck Chords have become well-established homes for punk, Vagrant remains one of the most significant labels in the world thanks to a catalog featuring hundreds of beloved albums and dozens of all-time classics. Beginning with the launch of the Get Up Kids’ Something to Write Home About on Sept. 28, 1999, Vagrant went on a several-year run that included some of the biggest names of the 2000s, ranging from Saves the Day to Alkaline Trio, Dashboard Confessional to Rocket from the Crypt. But rather than hanging the past when artists left for to major labels, breaking up, or otherwise parting ways with Vagrant, the label adapted, expandi...
