FEATURES
Is the Media Still Cashing in on Britney Spears’ Trauma?
In the past month, the steadily growing #FreeBritney movement became a mainstream phenomenon following the release of The New York Times Presents documentary Framing Britney Spears. The documentary dissects the pop star’s controversial conservatorship, which placed her under the strict supervision, financially and personally, of conservators like her father, James “Jamie” Spears, among others since 2008. Acting as a thorough introduction for newcomers, Framing Britney Spears provides a heartbreaking portrait of both the rise of the wide-eyed teen singer from Louisiana and her fall from grace, including that infamous head-shaving, umbrella-wielding night anyone who lived through 2007 saw footage of at least a million times over. Framing Britney Spears casts a much kinder, more sympathetic l...
A Poetic Tribute to Marvin Gaye
In honor of Black History Month, poet Vievee Francis remembered Marvin Gaye with two poems. MARVIN GAYE: MERCY Take Marvin Gaye. His father had no mercy. Paranoia does that. Mercy is spat like spinach between the teeth. It slips out in a pee stream. Those without, never had it or lost it by adulthood. A flatline. Mercy replaced by a thin-lipped smile of rage. But Marvin wanted mercy so badly from a man who didn’t have it to give, as if all he once had now rested in Marvin. Who wouldn’t be jealous? To see your better self. To hear all that beauty wafting out of every car window sweet as cigarette smoke. I don’t trust those who don’t like the smell. Orthodoxy. That was the gun in his daddy’s hand. It said, don’t this and don’t that and the only goodness is to wither on your own vine. But how...
EDM.com Presents The Heat Check 002: Buku, Chee, Esseks, and More
In modern bass music, listeners and tastemakers consistently find themselves chasing the next big track to blow audiences away. EDM.com’s The Heat Check is a series that highlights the hottest tracks and brightest artists to emerge from the bass, dubstep and freeform scenes. “Out of My Hands” – Buku Bass veteran Buku often rattles the scene with each offering, and his latest EP on WAKAAN is no different. “Out Of My Hands” builds with a grungy vocal and drum line, before dropping into otherworldly, hypnotic bass. “Fight Club” – Chee & Mr Carmack THC Exclusive: “After Lightning in a Bottle 2019, I visited Tsuruda in LA before I left for my flight home. He asked me if I wanted to visit Carmack in his studio and I was stoked,” Chee told EDM.com. “The coll...
The Buick Signia Was What the Rendezvous Should’ve Been
As such, the concept car cribbed its underpinnings from the Buick Park Avenue full-size sedan. The use of the flagship Buick model’s unibody architecture afforded the Signia a low step-in height while also offering a raised, SUV-like seating position. See all 10 photos Although the Signia was no beauty pageant contender, its design certainly included a number of attractive styling elements. Look past the concept’s dowdy mug and details such as the concept’s prominent rear fender line (gracefully mirrored by the rear window, too), steeply raked C-pillar, and single-piece rear hatch glass—that covers the entirety of the cargo hold— come together to give the illusion of a rear-drive powertrain. In reality, the concept’s transverse-mounted supercharged 3.8-l...
Brazilian Bosses: 10 EDM Artists from Brazil Dominating the Scene
There’s a reason why EDM is so popular in Brazil—the country is currently pumping out electronic music producers like a broken printer. Those artists have ignited the country’s music scene in recent years by cultivating Brazilian bass, a musical sub-genre that started out as a mere classification but has since mutated into a full-fledged culture. The ascension of this type of music is no fluke. Led by its unquestioned pacemaker, Alok, the Brazilian bass sound has exploded in its namesake nation and continues to gain steam in the states. And, like a smokestack, it’s only a matter of time until the genre truly explodes and billows out through the contemporary music scene at large. It’s already happening. A closely related electronic sub-genre called “slap ...
The Reissue Section: Winter 2021
While it’s been a challenge for bands to collaborate in person over the last year, archival releases have been booming. And over the course of this first quarter, lots of goodies have dropped. Here are some of the most worthy entries in the reissue world. Black SabbathVol. 4 Deluxe Edition (Rhino)Heaven and Hell Deluxe Edition (Rhino)Mob Rules Deluxe Edition (Rhino) What we have here are three essential Black Sabbath albums from two distinctly different periods in the band’s timeline. 1972’s Vol. 4 is renowned mostly for the hedonism and drug use that went down during the album’s creation in Los Angeles. But nearly 50 years later, it stands as the creative pinnacle of the Ozzy era. By bringing the production duties in-house, the original lineup of Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bi...
10 Unique Daft Punk Collectibles to Keep the Robots’ Spirit Alive in Your Home
When Daft Punk split up, music fans from all walks of life mourned the loss of the beloved robots. It’s almost as if they plunged into the five stages of grief, starting with denial. Just ask this guy: We all deal with grief in our own ways, one of which is to buy a bunch of crap. Don’t act like you’ve never been dumped and immediately bought $100 worth of Ben & Jerry’s, holding back tears as you approach the cash register in a hoodie and flip-flops. It’s simple—we buy things to make us happy during times of sadness, even if its for a fleeting moment. Here are 10 awesome collectibles to revive the robots in your home after their shocking and tragic split. Daft Punk Homework LP Record Bowl Put your fruit in this custom, handmade Homework vinyl record b...
Without Getting Killed or Caught
This film will do much to educate those unaware of the immense talent that bubbled out of Nashville, and then Texas, in the ‘70s. The documentary, Without Getting Killed or Caught, tells the story of three immensely talented and interconnected artists: Guy Clark, his best friend Townes Van Zandt and Susanna Clark, who loved them both. Culled from both Susanna’s diary and the biography of Guy, Without Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark, by Tamara Saviano, the film’s co-director along with Paul Whitfield, the story is anchored by Sissy Spacek’s voiceover as Susanna. Live clips, clever animations and home movies are interspersed with more recent interview clips. As the story unfolds, Susanna paints while Guy and Townes struggle to hone their songwriting skill...
Beyonce’s Humanity Is Her Greatest Strength
I told them it was in New Jersey. “Just a train ride away,” I said, which was a lie but, after spending an hour hitting “refresh” to get tickets, I couldn’t risk telling my friends where the concert really was. To be fair, Atlantic City is much farther from Manhattan than I thought. It wasn’t until I was buying bus tickets from the 15th stop, on the second train line, that I fully understood the journey we were embarking on. Or rather, the pilgrimage. It was the first night of her Revel Casino residency, May 2012. Our seats were ridiculous—the payoff of my hour-long wait on the Beyhive—we were close enough to see sweat. And then, we were put under a spell. Hypnotized by an artistic masterpiece, an athletic feat, and the aptest definition of a show there is. Before us, was our hero, who was...
Cleveland Still Rocks
Cleveland’s Coventry Village, a neighborhood lined with vintage shops, restaurants and bars was once the hippest area in the city. Located in leafy Cleveland Heights on the city’s east side, the once-bustling area has been quiet since the pandemic hit. Few more so than one of the area’s few constants: independent music venue The Grog Shop. Nestled between a movie theater and coffee shop, The Grog Shop’s exterior makes you think you’re entering a restaurant or café, not one of the best concert venues in the Midwest. It can go toe-to-toe with such other regional tastemaking venues as the Empty Bottle in Chicago and Magic Stick in Detroit. Yet once the door swings open and you pass security, it just feels like a music oasis. Dimly lit with sticky floors and a barely-above-ground sta...
Unearthed Daft Punk Interview Details Humble Beginnings of the Duo’s Alive 2007 Tour
After Daft Punk announced their shocking retirement, it’s clear our favorite robot artists will be going out on top. However, in a newly released, previously unpublished interview by Variety‘s Jonathan Cohen, it’s clear that fate’s path could have easily taken a different turn. 15 years ago, Daft Punk was set back following the release of Human After All, a commercial flop at the time that only sold a fraction of the units of their preceding album. Though they had opted not to tour following the release of Discovery, they were ready to hit the road, but there were questions as to whether the opportunity would financially present itself given the commercial reception of their latest record. Then, like a godsend, Coachella presented ...
Inspired by Kygo, This San Francisco Giants Prospect is Chasing His DJ Dreams
Hunter Bishop, a top prospect in the San Francisco Giants organization, produces hits both on and off the field. You’ll get that pun in a moment. Bishop is a 22-year-old outfielder who produces melodic dance music under the moniker Bish. According to MLB, Bishop discovered Kygo around 2016, when he became so enamored with the tropical house pioneer’s music that he decided to take a crack at music production. He eventually purchased his first DAW (digital audio workstation) and taught himself how to navigate the software before releasing his first original track, “Hard to Find,” in February 2020. That same month, Bishop had the opportunity to meet Kygo, who he described as a “musical idol,” when he came to Scottsdale for a show. “Bei...
