Beyonce Act II Country Music And The Hypocrisy Of Black Music Standards

March 30, 2024
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INTRO

If you are not aware of it Beyonce has new album out a country album to follow along Renaissance her club and Afro Beats infused album that ran along side her tour also called Renaissance. Wow she’s doing good a successful tour and album with this one following on Act II a Country album which as I will explain is going to break barriers and change the hypocrisy of what people would call black music or associate with black music. I’m actually listening to the album right now for the first time so I will give my review of the album at the end it has 24 tracks on so it’s quite a long one but some of them are short songs. So far the first track is very Shania Twain and the second track is very traditional reminds me a 60s songs I’ve heard it before by a different artist. I must admit I love the fact she’s done it in different act something I would like to do say three different genres but call them chapters or something but linked somehow altogether. Now I think about it the horse on the first album goes well with this album Act II which has a very patriotic western theme  and also has a horse on the album cover. I think it was in all a clever thing to do and makes music interesting again and also dare I say inspiring yeah inspiring. The internet was buzzing with this album with various of funny memes and statements all for the album and some said they put down the Renaissance album and play the crap out of her new album which came out last night 12.00 AM 29/03/2024,  whilst some asked for Act III to come out so they can rotate all three albums. Hang on don’t be a bitch come take it to the floor now HEY lol! I’m on Texas Hold Em I like this one reminiscent of country the melody is catchy. So far I’m getting country music from throughout the decades this one Bodyguard very flowers in her hair style it feels 90s or something you would hear at a festival or light gig it’s very radio friendly too, so far no skips.  Well I was expecting Dolly Parton to be on the album but not as a intro lol that hozzy what a skank we would say. Now I would like to watch Dolly and Beyonce on stage singing Jolene that’s the next track after the Dolly intro. Oh I love it the bleedy sheets on dirty floor or whatever she said very country and upbeat for the next track Daughter, I really like the lyrics for this one called Daughter and the melody. Oooh no sause for Spaghetti the next track a bit of Hip Hop, oh okay like the other album a change up to country music near the end keep it country lol, still no skips Alligator just finished. Well I just finished listening to the album and yeah no skips and a good country album with one or two southern Hip Hop I’m guessing. But I enjoyed the album something I would actually play again if I was in the mood. Will she get her Grammy for this or are they going to say there wasn’t enough traditional pieces in we were find out but check it out if you haven’t already it’s worth a play I would say and not something I would usually go for.  

THE ORIGINS OF COUNTRY MUSIC

The Banjo a well known southern instrument was in fact a instrument made from Western Africans who crossed the Transatlantic in the slave trade and the instrument was made out of gourds, called the Akonting. For Four hundred years the enslaved made their own music including hymns, spirituals, and field song, all with roots in African music. It is said that playing the Banjo in the 1840s was exclusively a Black instrument and was unheard of for a white person to play the banjo. The instrument has had a controversial rise to music fame as in the  In the 1850s, minstrel shows became grossly popular and depicted enslaved Africans as slow, lazy and as cannibals, also it was depicted with Banjos which in affect popularised the Banjo within the white communities inventing the genre Hillbilly music around in the 1920s. Hillbilly music later changed to Country music, first artist drew inspiration from from slave spirituals, field songs, hymns, and the blues, which itself has black origins. Despite America in the 1920s and 1930s being  segregated Hillbilly and black artists would collaborate on songs which became popular and nearly 50 black artists would appear on successful songs with white artists because the music was seen as a black genre but changed hands with white people back and fourth. It was in fact after World War I after 1918 when Hillbilly music got changed to Country music after a big push from the record companies who wanted to start selling Country music but couldn’t due to the race of those artists. The black artists who were signed to a record company in the 1920s was underpaid and didn’t get any recognition. There music was sold on to white artists who were the stand ins and made Country music a white genre with the help of the record companies whose audience favoured middle white America looking people. DeFord Bailey was the one of the first Black musicians to gain recognition and was the first to play the Grand Ole Opry—a big deal for country musicians. His harmonica playing style greatly influenced the country musicians that followed him. Succeeding Bailey was  Charley Pride. As mentioned before, Pride was the first black artist to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and is often referred to as “country music’s first Black superstar.” He served as an inspiration for countless Black musicians. In their tow, Ray Charles was responsible for blending country with R&B and pop music in a way that would forever change the genre. His music also helped fuel the civil rights movement. Bailey, Pride, and Charles are three of the most recognizable Black names in country music, but there are many lesser known names that have also been critical in forming the genre. Gus Cannon was a Black musician who helped popularize jug bands (a precursor to country) in the 1920s and ended up teaching Johnny Cash, a world renowned white country singer. In addition, the guitar fingerpicking style that is largely used in country music today was developed by Black guitarist Leslie Riddle. Still to this day black artists still struggle to get the recognition and acknowledgement they deserve for their work in 2019 rapper Lil Nas’s Rap and Country song Old Town Road was removed from the Country Billboards Charts when Rolling Stone told Billboard, “it does not embrace enough elements of today’s country music to chart in its current version. Also some Country fans accused Lil Nas of cultural appropriation for wearing a cowboy hat but you can’t even wear a pouch without being called Skippy the wannabe kangaroo in my opinion. Beyonce also got in some heat when she released, “Daddy’s Lessons,” in 2016, she faced heavy backlash from the industry despite the fact that the hit single includes all the elements of traditional country music. Even when Beyonce performed “Daddy’s Lessons” at the 2016 Country Music Awards with The Chicks, country fans were enraged and some heckled her one woman said “get that black bitch off the stage.” She additionally submitted the record for a Grammy but was denied. Linda Martell was the first black woman to break into the Country industry and gain success with her 1970s album Colour Me Country it’s hard for black woman to break into the industry and even though there has been a rise in black female country singers in more recent years they are still faced with the same issues.

THE REVOLUATION OF BLACK COUNTRY MUSIC

I really do think it’s revelational as music should be as not only is she opening doors for other Country black artists but she is also reclaiming the lost history and the origins of Country music. There’s a stigma of what people expect of you being black or biracial which is all the urban genres like Hip Hop and Trap here in the UK UK Garage and UK Funky and House which I do actually make but I also like my synthesizers. I’m obsessed with them actually so I make Vapourwave, a bit of Progressive Rock, Synthwave and general synthy vibes which some people would class as white genres but I always said it doesn’t have a colour, I think no genre is White, Black, Asian or other apart from the tribal and traditional stuff from around the world. The boundaries of what people find is black or white is a recurring thing that happens and something I face a little bit in my own life and I think Beyonce’s album Act II is going to break boundaries and the hypocrisy between the races whilst defining the genre in the new form which incorporates other genres such as Hip Hop and other urban genres if it is acknowledge that is. As I said before it would open doors for other black artists who may of come before her and been doing this despite all the backlash and hate that they might get due to it being a white dominated genre. It’s kind of shallow to think that a person doesn’t like anything but Hip Hop and urban genres that’s like saying all Mexican’s drink Tequila and especially when they have strong roots in the genre and was pushed out due to race or race and or being a black woman. I think there is some sort of hypocrisy of what the races identify as being white or black and that is heavily linked in music and the fact the white race are being pushed more then the black race which makes it seem like the white race invented all these genres when really it was passionate black musicians that paved the way for the genre to grow into a mainstream staple diet. There is no denying that things such as colourism and sex has major parts in making it in the music industry and I’m guessing they start where they finish the big wigs I mean who push for what they call desirable and fashion too. Black people are undermined and underpaid and arts are quickly taken away from them and used, as in a video I watched on YouTube as toys just something to play around with and to suit the mainstream audience they are trying to extract money from. I’m sorry to say but most even all of the old white but black singing artists are replacements for the undesirable or what they call undesirable which is black, big nose, big ears and non straight hair again also a thing in fashion and Hollywood. And as we know the south of America and America as a whole can be pretty racists and some do not welcome African and West Indies American descendants into their life or anyone who is not white American. I saw this one example on Facebook this girl took a black boy or young man to the Prom and the mother was f’ing and blinding saying she’s cutting her allowance and even her life insurance she really stomped on her. I was like dang she really doesn’t like black people and she’s going to need that in case she got shot that’s a joke but I think that is the nasty way society is xenophobic and scared of the unknown so they cast it out. I feel there needs to be a lot done when it comes to changing the perception of what music is and the roots of each genre not to mock anyone who came before and paved the way. There is still like ugh you like rock you’re white or any other white based genre. Only once have I experienced slight undertones of racism it was on Tumblr when I used to make a lot of Progressive Rock tracks or call them that even some of them weren’t but anyway he wrote “sorry you ain’t got the long silky hair” and other comments that I thankfully forgot. He was referencing that most of the Progressive Rock bands had long silky straight hair and I was never too be marketed as Progressive Rock as I have a afro, that was it one message read “stick to what you know” as to say this is not the allocated genre for me. It’s funny cos some people actually expect you to stick with the allocated genres like Hip Hop and make a bigger deal if you are of colour even though they are just getting on with it and not trying to be ground-breaking or life changing you actually like that genre and been listening for all your life and was brought up with it. It’s not a well known fact and I don’t really put it as one of genres I like but I like Country. I like Johnny Cash, Dolly Patron, Hank Williams and Pasty Cline or though Pasty Cline’s music reminds me of sitting by the bar drinking myself to oblivion cos my girlfriend cheated on me that’s the feeling I get from her music. But I like country more so when Grand Theft Auto San Andres came out it was one of my favourite but secret favourite stations. Okay it’s not my favourite genre but I enjoy it and actually reminds me of being in a bar or Karaoke night when Johnny Cash the second or Dolly Parton the second takes the stage. Not only that Country is seen as naff or Hillbilly it’s not cool for a young person to listen to Country in the eyes of the young but Beyonce will change that and make it more fashionable. Not only that she’s doing the music industry a big favour by making a Country album as there has been a resurged of Country music in the last couple of years so it works in their favour and music is more inspiring as I said I feel inspired by her two latest albums even though I would never make Country I haven’t got the tools for one or knowledge for two. I like the fact that other black artist incorporate country with other genres like Hip Hop and people who work for Billboards need to start welcoming country infused with other genres for the sake of Country they can always push out the traditional artists too. Hip Hop got turned into Trap which is a Southern America genre but the UK has it’s own spin too, so why not welcome the new styles of Country and allow black artist to shine and make changes instead of being part of the problem. It’s all down to the outside world perception and what they would call black or urban or white if there wasn’t such undertones of racism there would be more balance within the genres and more freedom to express the genres you like without the fear of being laughed at or being laughed at and also make the music you exactly like instead of spitting unmeaningful lyrics or being a stereotype you know you’re not all to fit into your culture. Though this isn’t one sided and comes from all the races and sides which is all tribalism based stuff and a interesting topic to talk about. The basis of real tribalism is working together as a team and putting any race issues aside the old your English I’m English that is one angle. But the Western tribalism is all clicky and you all must look the same to fit into the gang or tribe which translate into music so horribly well. That’s why it’s so important for people like Beyonce to smash a few doors down someone well known and has done the rounds and also respected. Just how many boy bands come after Take That or N’Sync how many Janet and Michael Jackson’s were there. They made music or was in a group that inspired so many people and Beyonce is one of those people and has inspired so many artists out now but granted she has her haters too but who doesn’t. I only said that as I think it would inspire black artist to do a country album or put elements in their songs who wasn’t even diehard country music fans to begin with. Not to mention as I said before it will aid other artists who make Country and put them on the map too and to also tell them to keep following their dreams even though the odds may be against them but now it works more in their favour. Popular music you hear say on the radio, on YouTube Music, Spotify etc etc it’s all been demographically done and should appeal to the massive not just a group of people or though it is marketed at them but it’s marketed for everyone at the same time. That’s why there is no colour when it comes to music genres and the way we consume it or even sex or though artists like the City Girls are pushed for the girls with all those hypersexual lyrics and money money money lines but it can appeal to anyone I liked Twerkalator I would of listened to that more if it was pushed but guess they have gone now. 

Another Haunting Dream

October 6, 2023
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Introduction

I had this nightmare or dream last night it was a recurring dream of me being in a nuclear bomb explosion and the fallout around that. I already did an Ebook on the last couple I had cos now I had at least six or seven dreams or nightmares but they are more like anxiety dreams. I explained that it was probably from the aeroplanes going past and it sounded like a bomb just got dropped or that’s how I think it sounded or my brain should I say thinks it sounds. I recently finished a zombie game where I got the template online and did my own thing with IE. I made the sprites including the zombies and other stuff in the game, which is why I had zombies in my dream or a zombie  but I’ll leave a link to both the game and Ebook below if you want to check that out it’s all free and on this website. I didn’t read the news article or watch the video but there was an explosion in Oxfordshire apparently it was a gas tank that got hit by lightning and there was a big fireball the thumbnail to the video looked like it was a nuclear explosion which probably is another factor of me having the dream or nightmare but it’s been a while since I had one and was quite scary exactly in parts I was on my edge of the seat in my dream and real uptight and on edge I remember that. 

Mental Release

In the first part, I was in a mental hospital or a prison or it could have been both as it goes one bit to the next like you just fast forward the ads. The television was on and a nuclear explosion had just happened somewhere. I’m not really sure what happened before that but I think the news reporter got munched by a zombie after the nuclear explosion and it panned and stayed on the horizon of a field or whatever the backdrop was. I was then let out of the prison or asylum because of the explosion they said I was let out on good behaviour even though I was causing some sort of ruckus over something that I can’t remember. But I remember thinking I can’t believe they were letting me out but was quick out the door.  I rushed home because of the pandemic and presumably because of the explosion too. As I was making my way home on foot I went down alleys and roads that were best described as the Black Mirror episode where she wakes up and finds she’s the only person to be in existence but there was a bit where she’s walking down the roads and passed houses as you would see in Coronation street or up north new built attached houses. Something happened just before I appeared in my flat in the next bit I remember but it was something that shook me a bit in my dream and happened around the newly built house and was like the Civic Center dream I had and mentioned in the Ebook there’s a whole chapter dedicated to that part of the dream.

Home At Last

The next bit I was in my flat there was some sort of row in my bedroom. I’m still unsure what it was about but it was something major and taking up a lot of my time as I had plans to leave for the town as it might have been said on the news at the asylum or prison to leave your homes and head to safety, I’m not too sure.  Something caused me to leave my flat I think as I said wanted to head to town and get to safety so I walked which took some time and was slow-paced. Also, I was in my flat for some time as I couldn’t leave but I wanted to and had to wait for something but again I’m not sure what. I think I watched TV and got more updates of the explosion and watched normal TV as they told us on the TV we were safe and that nothing is going on even though there was a nuclear explosion live on TV and also a zombie attack or some sort of beast but I think it was a zombie as it looked more like but it wanted blood.

Up The Market

I was by Old Market Street it’s the main point or one of the main points into town coming from the outskirts of Bristol and is a famous street in Bristol it’s well known and not for it’s roughness. I was attacked by a zombie as I made my way into town and also met someone after I got attacked by a zombie and we stole a car because, in the car we were advised to get into a car but that was it and we thought another nuclear explosion was going to happen. Not only that there was some sort of barricade blocking the way to walk and only cars were going past there weren’t that many cars but there were one or two. The car journey didn’t last that long and we ended up going our different ways once we got into the main town part which was outside Debenhams but at the back entrance away from the main street and overlooking a busy road, opposite a busy bus stop and a Beefeater but in my dream the bus stop and Beefeater wasn’t there. It wasn’t busy in my dream either and no one standing on my side of the road even near the main road by Marks & Spensers I was standing at the top of the road so nowhere near there but I could see all the way down.

Wait Your Turn

So there I was outside Debenhams and I saw people on either side of the road. It looked different to how it looked in reality. The road had barriers on both sides, queuing up to leave town. There must have been talk of authorities or some man who took over the town whilst it was in a state and in panic well I think the authorities told us to leave and the man whoever he was, was trying to get everyone to stay why I have no idea but it seemed like a cunning plan he was going to hatch. I didn’t know what was going on as in people queuing to leave Bristol till I saw these queues of people and found out then.  Whilst queuing up we all learned of the man who wanted us to stay in Bristol which we knew we were going to die if we stayed and somehow he was holding us back but this was our actual freedom. Why and how who knows but it was decided we were going to hunt him down and set off to his destination. He may have been a zombie creator whatever it was it was bad enough to go hunt for him down and win back our freedom. Some people were talking of staying if they managed to get hold of this man whoever he was. We then went to look for him, hearing that he had escaped to a theatre so that’s where we headed to and wasn’t much of a walk but seemed longer in the dream. 

The Show Begins

The theatre was cordoned off with wood fencing, but music was blasting from the outside speakers with flood lights that were still on in the day time. The zombie creator or whoever he was stood behind the wooden fencing and behind a wall out of view and we all knew he was there but couldn’t get to him who knows what would have happened but all that could be seen was his shadow. There were two entrances in the front and two as you go in like an old-fashioned cinema entrance or theatre you might still see and a  pink neon lighting and writing in a cool font I was admiring the font with the neon light and there was music playing. It sounded nice at the beginning like cinematic music then it went all wired and hard to hear the music and was like a distorted wired noise it scared some of the people but not everyone. The next bit was away from the theatre it seemed around the corner but there was talk of some people held captive nearby and just as it happened our freedom was awaiting at this location but we were warned it wasn’t pretty or it was going to be just a walk in the park but we were all worried about it and didn’t know where we were going end up, especially with the zombies or whatever they were but we were up for it and wanted to be at the final place with no drama.

Nightmare In The Woods

Next, there was a long trek, for someone gave us the next clue as to what we had to do next, we had to leave Bristol. We trekked to this place or it morphed into woodland it was rather dark in the woods but  was still light out of the woodlands. There were zombies or dead bodies all over the place and covered the forest floor. The whole floor was covered with bodies every last patch of woodland and there was this skeleton zombie thing that looked human at first until I got closer and recognized it wasn’t alive it had a lantern in its hand. Some bodies were still alive but pretended to be dead and was a horrific sight I nearly ran away. The whatever it was with the lantern didn’t detect me and let me pass but was sniffing the next person as it was standing there like it was in a zombie game and I remember quickly walking ahead at a fast pace before it detected me and not to see the fate of the person behind me who knows what happened to them? The creature with the lantern, they were over-seers and looked strong and powerful oh there was also groaning going on coming from the creature and some of the bodies on the floor it was terrifying, I was looking for someone in particular, but then discovered that they were one of the dead bodies on the ground in the woods so I had to get out of there as soon as I could and that’s what I did I got out safe and I think there were loads of undead creatures by that point and chased me out of the woods into the daylight again as that felt like it was the safe zone again.

The Chase Is On

During this last bit of the dream, I ran into a building, it was a side-view like a long mobile builder’s hut, it had windows but at the same time it was a train maybe it was part of an old railway line in Bristol onwards to Bath but at first it looked like a hut. I was by the window so I opened it oh there was also some unhidden danger that I faced so I opened the window to get a better look and saw a crowd and a man, not the person or the unhidden danger but they were all running away down the hill as it looked mountain. I had my head hanging out of the window and they were running away from me because I was shouting and waving for them to go there was also this weird eclipse that happened too shortly before I chased people away and also a quick glimpse of some dragon King Kong I don’t know what it was but it looked a lot like that and then I then woke up once again relived it was only a dream especially the woodland bit I was shook it felt like I seen it all before but a different dream.

Dream Nuclear The EBook – GasNoLight.co.uk

Toyz Alive – GasNoLight.co.uk

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5 Reasons Why Music Can Help With Your Mental Health

November 27, 2022
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I got inspired after making my 24-hour mental health music marathon and I thought I’d do a blog post around mental health and music and how it helped me and also how it can help you with five ways music can help with your mental health with examples of songs for that topic. As I said before music has always been a blessing and a curse and at times music was my downfall but also my up fall too. I would have phases of different subjects but in the end I noticed positive tracks really helped me and the negative tracks sometimes worked just as long it wasn’t too violent as I’m not a violent person and that might of lead me down the wrong path which is not what you want when you are starting out to be someone. I started off using music as a remedy after a teacher said I should listen to some Classical and after hearing it I noticed how still my mind was, but it wasn’t my thing being around six at the time maybe seven. So, I began to hunt for tracks with the same side effects, but I lost my way and found some other tracks with lyrics like Queen Break Free and also Madona Live To Tell A Secret and noticed how that made me feel on top of a lot of House and a bit of Junge too. It’s safe to say music has been my savior though and I owe a lot to it also a few stern words with the music and myself for leading myself down the wrong paths which I’m not even walking a centimeter near it it’s a graveyard. I feel it can be a potential answer to some of your problems you might have and has answered some of my burning questions and at the worst to know I wasn’t alone even though it wasn’t my lifestyle and spent time differing the two. I do remember some music wasn’t good for my mental health as I said some tracks and albums made me angrier and I was on for doing the unthinkable, but it wasn’t murder but getting my own back. That is why I don’t play a lot of violent raps as it doesn’t make you want to do something bad, but it makes you in the name of Ludacris “Act A Fool” which I try and not do. Yes, true fact though I used Ludacris Act A Fool to calm down and not be so out there on the streets and worked when I wasn’t smoking weed as that was doing the job for me. I used to smoke a lot of weed whilst listening to music, I also collected quite a few tracks in the past and had a good decent number of tracks from all sorts of genres but all the old skool classic I probably had them at one point in my life. I had fun making my own playlists of different types of categories like relaxing, summer, morning etc it’s how I got the feel for each state of the day or season. My first music awakening was by Salt ‘n’ Pepa Unnecessary with the song None Of Your Business I really took a lot from that track alone, but it was how I dealt with racism I was getting from the kids at school which all ended up good in the end apart from one. Also, Janet Jackson’s That’s The Way Love Goes taught me a lot and not to be so hung up when things don’t go my way which I still have the same attuited to this day. Also Adventures Of Stevie V’s Taught me about the evil of money and corruption there’s been a few tracks I have learned from and mostly good. The weirdest learning curve through music was actually Barbie Girl where I realised it doesn’t matter if you were fake, you still could be a good person and not stale something I wished I took more attention to when growing up as I always let the haters get to my head which is now a thing of the past thankfully but that was a nightmare.    

1. To Relax

It goes without saying sleep is important and even though I do have a lot of all nighters I do get my sleep and catch up eventually, but music has always helped me with getting to sleep and also relaxing. My two choices for relaxing or sleeping are slow jams and classical music and when I’m in the mood I listen to that or used to should I say. I always make Sunday a calm one with playing slow songs but not always it helps me keep calm and also focus a lot which is what I need a lot of when I get distracted. Also rain and the sounds of the woodland that helps me relax as well and get to bed early but when I’m up its stuck. It’s hard to say what R’n’B singers help me relax because they all do all the best slow jams from the 90s especially which is more my specialty, or it used to be. For me there are two types of relaxing music stuff to unwind to and stuff to fall asleep and funny enough I used Janet Jackson’s song That’s The Way Love Goes and Anytime Anyplace also by Janet Jackson for my sleeping pattern as I find Janet has quite a soothing voice and especially on those tracks. Another song that comes to mind when I’m playing music to sleep is Aaliyah’s At Your Best (You Are Loved) or the Isely Brother’s original version, also Dru Hill’s Beauty because I always said I got my beauty sleep with that song, oh one last one Mariah Carey’s Rooftop Ft Mobb Deep that gets me asleep really quick and one more Johnny Gill My, My, My, the keys always put me asleep. For my just relaxing at home, I like to listen to a lot of Reggae Dub but not all the time and normal Reggae also Hip Hop and R’n’B but I try to play something different each day. I like to listen to relaxing mostly at night when it’s dark and more nighttime listening or though when I haven’t had much sleep I tend to listen to softer music and fall back asleep which sounds lazier than it is lol. Sleep is part of the well being cycle and as I said it’s important to get enough sleep even when you didn’t get any you have to catch up to stop the mind from wondering too much. Not only that it does help repair the tissue in the brain and that helps to regrow cells which we need in our brain to function right. Not getting enough sleep can lead to delusions like hearing and visions and also if you are already intolerant it could dramatically increase your mental illness if you ran yourself to the ground.      

2. To Vent

Say what you want music is good for venting angry and other emotions from your head just as long it’s in your own personal space and it’s not hurting anyone everyone needs to vent every now and then or it will fester into something more serious. I vent in many ways through music and the classic one is have a nice day won’t you putting it bluntly when dealing with haters something I won’t bring up as the music industry and Hollywood has taught me don’t give them too much light or they might grow bigger, and you wouldn’t want that. Venting could be any emotion, but I would say it’s more of a negative thing than a positive and has helped me get all my emotions like angrier out and has also guided me as the stuff they were rapping about haters I could feel that and know way before clout became in it was a thirsty mind set and was looked down at now it’s all topsy turvy. I also used songs to vent my anxieties and push past the barriers of fear and paranoia from weed and my mental health. It wasn’t easy and took a distraction like talking or singing the words to overcome the fear, but it was all in my head.  The last song I used to challenge demons was Lil’ Kim’s Haterz when it came out whenever that was, I was in college and there’s a lot of bitches it was a bit too much, but I completed the course for Business but that was a hard year for me. That was the last time I used a song to vent but when WAP came out wet ass you know what did come to mind for some next up shinny thing. Artists I tend to pick up a lot of talk about haters is from Notorious B.I.G, Lil’ Kim, Tupac, and Mobb Deep those were the artist I tend to listen to when I was and wasn’t thinking about my haters. I mean really you shouldn’t even let them unnerve you, but it is hard with all the comments they give but don’t want any real smoke. That’s how I use music to vent my angry out without losing all control as you don’t want a “sore loser” now do we. Music can also be to let the tears run though I’m don’t believe in sitting in trauma and pain though some circumstances obviously, time is a healer but there are some things you can easily recover from. Basically, it’s not as bad as you thought, I mean I’ve been through a lot of shitty stuff and know half the things that happen are just silly mishaps that you can easily get around the trick is not to soak for too long and a healthy routine or activity in your life can stop you from bouncing off the walls. Songs I listen to vent my feelings for angrier I play Lil’ Kim Backstabbers, Notorious B.I.G. Playa Haters and Big Pun Beware. For Sad songs I like Whitney Houston Ft Faith Evans & Kelly Price Heartbreak Hotel, Brian Knight Anytime, and Mary J Blige I’m Goin Down but on the flip side Changes I’ve Been Through which is more my thing less downy and more upbeat. 

3. To Lose Time & Forget

Music is a good key to lose track of time and forget your troubles even if it was worth a x number of minutes. I use music to speed up the clock and make things go a bit faster in the day and at night my music is on low and to also forget my troubles and is a good source for doing so. For me it started at a club or rave and losing track of time there, so it was only natural to bring it home with me. I notice though it didn’t have to be ravy and could be something relaxing and calm you can easily shut your brain off and zone out but not too much as that is bad for you. The quickest way though to pass time is to put on something clubby and long and the time soon goes there’s been a couple of times where I was listening to a really long mix, and it was over before I knew it which was what I was looking for also having something to do with the brain and fingers that helps and is sort of like binge watching on YouTube or wherever. If I’m really feeling the music or I am already up I might do a quick twirl on the dancefloor and that helps me relax later down in the day when I’m still energetic. I use music to speed up things mainly when I want the days to go quicker or if I’m just bored but I feel a bit of music warms the place up and can stop it from feeling isolated and empty. Also I make music music and that keeps me busy doing stuff when I’m actually making music, but I don’t watch TV as I don’t pay a TV licence, so I watch YouTube and make music instead which is a lot more fun than sitting in front of the box and switching off, but TV is another aider for time passing if there is something good on that is. I like to leave the music on throughout the day and night as it keeps me company and I tend to listen to my radio Ghosting Radio home to all my music as I just want some background noise and don’t want to change over every two minutes it drives me mental lol. On my way to London, I noticed how fast it would go if I had the right music so it may take a bit of practice to fully get your mind to fully switch off but it’s worth it. I also never used to travel anywhere on foot or on the bus without my MP3 or Walkman in the 90s it’s the only thing that gets me through the travel as I don’t really like travelling no more and stay busy on my computer. Music helps me zone out and also concentrate which I tend to put something suitable on depending on what the task is, but I use my music to concentrate on things I do creative wise and need undescribed music and my music fits the bill. Music wise to lose time to Missy Elliot Click Clack which could be seen as a vent song also, Dem Franchise Boyz Oh I Think They Like Me, DJ Zinc Supa Sharp Shooters, Da Brat Fab 5 Freedy which is another vent song and lastly Sticky Ft Kele Roc Things We Do which I always have to turn up loud for that one. I would say they were some of my release songs that has helped me through a lot like dealing with haters, getting money and also life in general which was a huge learning curve for me never again though life is always hard when you are a kid growing up. 

4. To Remember

The real magic of music it unlocks memories and yes for the good and bad, but I like to concentrate on the good side. I have countless memories with ties to music but the ones that come to mind is partying but I’m sure I had some sensible times as well. There are lots of good times I had with music that I now have lost or didn’t find which is a shame, but I have lots of songs I remember and some I don’t. I have songs for every occasion from summer, summer in the 90s, Christmas, birthdays and many more events I was a part of and lucky to be a part of. I love when I’m walking with my MP3 on, and I suddenly get a memory out of the blue I haven’t had any like that for a while now but that was the fact I was listening to music whilst walking. What I don’t like is being on a bus and getting a flashback as I like to think in my own time when no one is around which sometimes I over think things, but I hate that and try to turn the music off before I have a laughter fit and people start looking at me funny. I might have said this already on a different webpage but if you are trying to get some old memories back try playing some songs from that time maybe from the charts or whatever you were playing at the time which does trigger the memoires and believe me, they can be shocking and unbelievable as I didn’t believe myself, but music does help with rusty brains especially if there are a few years missing in your memory calendar. It may take a few goes and best when you are not distracted by things around you, but I got a lot of my memories back with the help of playing the old bangers which can be taxing on your mind and make you feel like you are going mad. Also, I used music to memorize a function when I was working at an agency which had a whole of rhythm to it and found it easier with some music and an hour to memorize the 5 handles left, right, angle, arms up, head tilt. What I also like to do is pick and rap song cos my singing is crappy, but I would learn the song step by step and get confident enough to rap it out loud it’s good for motor skills and for memory. There are a few songs I know off by heart and can do some blindfolded which I still don’t know how I got through it since I haven’t listened to the tracks in quite a while but it’s good to know I still have the memory space I thought I lost it. Another good practise is playing keyboard and I used to be better at learning new songs I haven’t tried in a while now like 3 years as I haven’t got the motive to do it, but I want to and want to do another Bach piece and something easy at first.  My songs that I have memories with is Salt ‘n’ Pepa Whatta Man that has a lot of memories attached to it, Corona Rhythm Of The Night which reminds me of the good times in the early 90s, Lumidee Uh Oh which reminds me when I was at St Pauls Carnival and where I was hearing a lot of Reggaeton which was all good and easy to dance to. You might as well say the whole How High album by Redman & Method Man but their tracks Let’s Do It is my favourite and has a lot of memories. It reminds me of my young self with bongs and going raving whenever we had the money. Lastly Sean Paul’s album but mainly Gimmie The Light as that’s a club banger and I got drunk and danced to that quite a few times and they are all similar to my bus ride reflections a bit cringe but laughable, I’m always up for a laugh though within reason but that’s why I enjoyed raving and clubbing as it was a good chance to have a laugh.

5. To Laugh

I do like a good song to laugh to and I think music can help you laugh it out and is a good way to boast your mood if you are feeling low and have several songs that do that for me. It all started with the TLC Crazy Sexy Cool interlude you know the one where she is missing some toilettes  items in a prank call that always boasted my mood no matter how much it made me cringe it always made me laugh. There are a few interludes and skits that make me laugh and mainly in Hip Hop but some R’n’B too it’s always good for a laugh and to also forget where you are for a minute which when bored or low is always a handy tool to have and thanks to YouTube, Spotify and other music platforms they are all at our finger tips and you just need a good memory to know what album it was on as that was the problem I faced when looking for those skits and interludes. I supposed the more shocking or true to life is the ones I usually play like the ones that you are like I can’t believe you said that or ha true that those are my favourite to play. It’s also memories you can laugh at the memories you had or though I won’t go on about it again but they are good for remembering your memories with the people and things you hold dear to you. As I mention in all my status I like to have a laugh and think it’s important not to take yourself seriously as you have no fun in life. Though saying that there is a time and place for having a laugh but I think it’s important to let go every now and then even if Becky is bitching about how fabulous she thinks she is you should let them bitch and do you don’t worry about the haters as I say I don’t live for my haters which mean say what you want we ain’t related or in any kind of friendship I’m going do me. That’s why it’s also good to laugh at your haters and the people who chat shit and there are a lot of songs that help me laugh at them. I always say like the saying goes there’s no point sitting there in the dumps with the why me attitude as the haters will be having a field day so I use music to also help me laugh and put my middle finger up to the bullshit and say not today thank you. I also use music to rap along and entertain myself for a few hours at the most which I put on the funny songs to help me get in the mood with things but I always rap the most sensible lyrics and leave out the most obscene. I don’t really remember all the funny songs but I used to have quite a lot of tracks that I deemed as funny but I have lost them now. I say it’s good for your mental health and it can help boast your mood but also your confidence and has helped me a lot during my hardest times to laugh it out and make me forget about the situation or know it wasn’t worth it as those people are stupid and not worth fighting over or going to prison, which they would of won the fight and once again we can’t be having that now lol. Do you think of a song and say that reminds me of ol Keshia and not Cole lol it’s how I found balance actually and think it’s a good way to balance yourself out without going too over the top. I also use music that makes me laugh when I’m overthinking and feeling not myself it’s how I get back into the swing of it which usually takes a couple of days when I’m feeling really low. Songs that make me laugh is Notorious B.I.G. Story To Tell, Rick James Cold Blooded, Quinn Doin The Most, Lil’ Kim Big Momma Thang, and Good Girl ft Mulatto Thirsty cos it’s not just those you know who are thirsty. I think they are good funny but true to life songs that always make me laugh and also cry at some of them I love music like that. 

Mind 24 Hour Mental Health Music Marathon

If you enjoyed that then please head over to this page for a 24 hour mental health music I streamed with more sensible songs on that is high energy and all in your feelings. It was going to be on YouTube but it was kicked to the curb like I thought it would of done so for now you can find it on this website and also on Mixcloud it has genres from House, Jungle/Drum & Bass, Motown, Soul, a bit of Reggae, Hip Hop and R’n’B and much more all from the 60s and up to present day, it’s more of a mental health music party with only  a few sad songs on there as I kept it feel good and bouncy with a couple of sad songs in there for mix.

My Seven Mental Health Songs

May 10, 2022
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MY MENTAL HEALTH JOURNEY

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week here in the UK so I thought I’d do something around mental health and something with music. But before I do that I’d like to talk a little bit about my journey with mental health and where I feel I am today. My experience with hearing voices came from an early age after an unfortunate event in my life I won’t get into but all of a sudden I was hearing voices and I was alone and in my own world for decades before I got help in 2016. But all before that I lived with hearing voices and having paranoid thoughts due to smoking the wrong weed called K2  and other synthetic drugs I didn’t know were synthetic but that was the worse stages of the episodes and thoughts that are invading and can get quite rough. But tIt caused me to act weird which as an embarrassed teen around that time I used to cringe at my outbursts but not now I kind of look pasts that and know I don’t do that and was just the young me trying to survive in the ever-changing world. The silly thing was I never told anyone that I was hearing voices and that was because I felt safe and it was always fun to wake up to do something I was also adventurous and I still am in a way but I was always on the go and loved each day with my dog and the few people I let into my life as I was paranoid but all for the good reasons and at the end of the day kept me safe and off the hard drugs which I’ve never touched and I mean non Class A party drugs like heroin or crack. It was also some other events in my life that made the voices intense to more I’m going die vibes which were fueled by outside thoughts and people it was bad but I always fought the devils and tried to do my best till it got too much and I kind of gave up for the meantime and focused on getting my mental and health together and get over all the things that had happened in the past. In 2016 I was admitted to a hospital ward for psychosis and I’ve been taking medication ever since which helps with the irrational thoughts and the episodes which I am grateful for. I’ve built my confidence up and my memory is getting stronger as I kind of lost my memory or at least I forgot about all the good things and concentrated on the bad which suffocated me and lead me down a dark and lonely path which was hell and somewhere I won’t be going back to as I wouldn’t let it get that bad again oh no. It makes you do outrageous things and the paranoid thoughts are intense and not something I enjoyed especially when smoking weed and taking some drugs which I did bring on myself but I was self-medicating and trying to cope in my own way while making great moves in life but as I said that came as a toll which was the stresses and lifestyle choices equaled to a more unstable me but it wasn’t the work. Somehow the paranoid thoughts got worse and I could no longer feel like I could work or even get out of bed there were days when I wouldn’t even go anywhere and was too paranoid to go to anyone I thought I was being watched and thought everyone was talking about me or wanted to do some sort of harm but to be fair this started at an early age but it came back and got worse each time with stuff I was adding up that didn’t even come up to the right total and now I think about it it was common math problems but being young and unknowing it was hard to judge it right and of course, my mind wasn’t in the right place though I was pretending it didn’t exist in the most difficult situations I choose when to listen to the voices as sometimes the information must have been my sub conscious talking to me like old memories but it came in the form of people in my head talking to me and it was good and bad stuff but mainly a mix of dark and light slash funny stuff.

I have cut off a lot of people I knew in the past like old friends as I wasn’t comfortable being around them and always thought negative thoughts about how they see me and so forth which soon came with evidence now we have grown apart and it’s been a long time so it’s the time apart that did it but no one makes the effort even me as I have seen they didn’t so it was kind of like well I don’t need this and left it for them to get in touch with me if they wanted but some people I left as I do not like to be the donkey of the group and made small because of my beliefs or where I was going or even been which is not here or there but I’ve been to a lot of good places which causes a lot of hate and I have my own band of haters but we all do so apparently it’s normal. Getting rid of toxic people and being with the people that make you happy not like a piece of poop but that is something I had to do to heal myself which was a long and drawn-out process also admitting and wanting the help that comes from you and only when I was ready which was after I was admitted and I realized I couldn’t even go back to the being the local nutter and try to revert back to when I was cooler and calmer which was certain times like being on holiday where it was easy to forget the problems I had but when I didn’t go on holiday which was must years I would go for walks or go out of the city for the day but I don’t really go anywhere nowadays. I’ve been thinking recently and I’m now looking for a change I don’t want fame and never wanted fame but I do want to be comfortable like most people where I don’t have to worry about certain things. But more importantly, I’m alone and looking for something to do instead of being in my room thinking and over making music which I now want to do a bit less which means not every day but I do worry people will forget me quick so that is why I post nearly every day. I mean I do like being alone I’m used to being alone and doing something as I like to be occupied and can’t be sitting down doing anything as I might have oversaid by now but that’s the other reason. I do vow to do something about it though and have made a few arrangements that will hopefully make my life better or worse but I’m a big believer in the new start it does take some work though but when I’m on something I’m on it. The truth is I stagnated for too long and now I’m trying to break out of that shell and try and do something new and hopefully meet more friends or meet old ones but I’m way over that paranoid feeling I’m more I have to grab the bull by the horns times and do it cos I can’t keep up with the isolation routine it’s numbing but I do speak to people though. The stigma of having a mental illness is something that I have also experienced throughout my mental health experience and even though we have come a long way it still is unheard of. I feel people are undermined or looked down on if they have a mental health problem and I also feel no matter how much you hear it can happen and you bet I did it even though I was “ill” like go to university which some people are doubting me because of my illness which is why I can’t forgive these people or want to know them for any more time I mean the haters, okay but my friends and family well I’ve seen enough.

MUSIC AND MY MENTAL HEALTH

From an early age, I used music not only to express myself but also to understand my pains and problems and mental health was one thing I used a lot which started with Queen I’m Going Simply Mad but went to stuff that wasn’t really about mental health but the love fall out and other tracks which I felt helped me to understand and overcome some of my problems. This is why I believe in music healing and believe songs can unlock your heartache and cure it. Of course, the dark side to it which there was a dark side on some tracks made me think more negative let’s just say but I tend to stay away from the negative songs and concentrate on the more club and of course, the ladies in the 90s rap game which I found helped me with some of the problems like haters. I played the keyboard and write silly songs and poems about my feelings growing up and that also helped me with my problems but that was inspired by the 90s heartbreak songs the point where I felt low due to my voices in the early 90s. It wasn’t really I’m going to sit down and listen to these songs and feel I was in the room and heard it and thought how I could use more of this in my life. When I listen to music I like to remember things and think music is good for bringing back your memory and the right song like that obscure song you were obsessed about or that one-hit-wonder you used to hit the town with which puts me in a sort of delusional state as it was so long ago and a one-off moment in time you say that was the best I’ll never forget but decades down the line you can hardly remember what day it is or some times how old you are I’m now 37. There is always that one song that stays with you but there are lots of songs that can strike memories the more decades you go back you can kind of see the past but it’s a quick flash to the past sometimes I’m standing in the room and that is due to heavy isolation way before they were doing it lol. I mean I use music for everything and listen to it a lot in my downtime when I’m not making music which I also listen to but I’ve recently started getting back into music from other people like from yesteryear and beyond and it’s surprising what I remember. I have a few playlists on my hub if you want to listen to them, it’s in the Testing Site section and it’s called Jukebox. Thankfully liking music helped me grow tastes that were different but it always helped me express how I was feeling which was always a good outlet to let it all go and as I said make me remember the younger me which was a chaotic time for me. My favorite genres for helping with mental health has to be House, R’n’B, and Hip Hop, and those are the three that helped me but in earlier years dance music from the 80s to 2005 and the old house helped me to understand people. That’s the thing I also think it’s good for younger people and kids to understand the world but people I mean I can play a track and feel like they were talking about someone I knew as it was so universal in the laungeue of hate or whatever it was. I mean I feel some people look down at their nose too much House is too gay, or some R’n’B is just for the ladies it’s just music, and as long as it does something like keep you going it’s a good thing as long as you like it that’s all that matters.  

Reggae from the 70s really helped me overcome problems I mean if you really want a genre that ticks all the boxes for mental health struggles reggae is the answer I mean it’s all about feelings and how they feel about situations and statements which I do miss having statements in fashion and in also music only cos everyone had their own identity or there were groups who dress a certain way but also have their own lifestyle. But reggae always made me happy and reminds me of a lot of good times it’s also good for chilling at home on a sunny day of course. I remember the words like kicking them to the curb which is something I still do to this day but I remember it like I was taking the advice of the drunk stranger if you excuse the phrase who would get drunk and tell you your truths as your ride home from the youth club it was sort of like that or though I thought that was a drastic thing to do at the time I got stronger. Sometimes I found myself kicking myself for not going with my gut when I listened to that one song so I did find it useful I will be like I’m going to be the next Fast Lane victim washed up on the streets and so forth or dealing with the haters which I have had a few. Listening to positive music helps with your mental health and can do great things for you I mean the one song I can think of well two actually is I Will Survive or Survoir which are two songs that seem to talk about a woman’s pains it could be anybody but granted I Will Survive is the more woman’s anthem but they are two songs anybody could listen to that will make you see the positive side if you ain’t feeling sorry for yourself and that is somewhere I have been but will never go that low again cos at the end of the day happiness does come from within and that means keeping yourself happy at all costs but not your kids though just throw that in there. I don’t really listen to sad songs when I’m down no more I just sit there it’s best not to feed it positive or negative emotion as it does lead to funny consequences and all that whatever talk just looks silly especially when you are not in the right state of mind I mean silence is something I begin to like and when I’m bored I have nothing else to do but to sit in silence but I think its good to have a bit of silence I mean I used to go the woods with my dog and just chill there and listen to the birds and watch the sky it’s really nice to get out and enjoy nature and have that alone time-space you probably won’t found in a city but that could be listening to music too. What I also like about music and mental health is it brings people together and it’s easier to talk about your problems there have been times in the past where I’ve seen a comment a low person on a sad song but it was either a desperate cry for attention or just someone lost but I was taken back by the sensible responses to the post and be like it’s still a caring world or it was now it’s getting sinister and remotely childish but less said about that but that’s the other thing social media is draining our souls and trust me I love all the platforms even though I’m never or never will be on them as I would probably struggle to found an audience and also I’m really not looking for celebrity status lol which I’m not saying I would have but I’m happy working in the back it somewhere I’ve always been in the back doing something either something that seemed pointless or something creative. I will leave a playlist that has a mental health theme to it and there is a couple about being lonely which goes with this year’s mental health theme which started yesterday 09/05/2022 and runs for a week here in the UK but there is a World Mental Health Day on the 10th October so if I can I do another blog post as it’s something close to my heart. hopefully, there’s a theme you know I love my themes and always doing something theme-based or I used to do.            

Top 5 Favourite Synth Plugins

March 13, 2022
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Synth Heaven

I’ve got a few synthesizers plugins now and I thought I do my top five of the ones I use and really like. They are an arm and a leg some of them in fact nearly all but I do think they are worth it and when you have them you can get a lot of use out of them and can reuse parts if needed to but there is so much selection you never go back to the old sounds. I like the old synths myself the original hard hitters and even though they are replicated you can still get good sounds out of them depending on what genres you make you will find a lot of good sounds but I make mostly synthy stuff from synthwave to vaporwave to generally synthy music which hasn’t really got a genre but inspiration from other genres all mixed with a bit of what I call a Hip Hop drum beat but I do make normal patterns as well but I like to experiment with drums and the synths itself. As I said probably a million times before I love my synthesizers and have always been obsessed with them from an early age and like dark and light sounds but I do like thick basses and dark and moody basses I like those also subs obviously the sub is the easiest to work with.  Anyway here’s my top five synths I use and really love with some tracks I made all used with the same plugin for each plugin I used and there are two tracks per plugin so ten altogether. 

#5. Uhe - Diva/£179

Diva The is a good synth plugin and has some good sounds in there, especially the laid-back sounds similar to Omishphere but do the same job as in relaxing mellow vibes.  It has dark and moody basses to which I love and also some edgy synth sounds which I also like about the synths as dark and edgy is what I like to make but as I said I like to make nice mellow soft beats too. The synth is a analogue synth and is an emulator of the analogue era and comes with loads of filters and knobs to turn to tweak the sounds which are also a good feature but I’m too impressed with the sounds and make them in the box. It does have a high CPU usage so a computer with good ram and hard drive space is needed it works better on a desktop computer rather than a laptop.  Here are two tracks used with the synth plugin you can download the tracks for free the link with will at the bottom of this post or on the track itself in the player.

Buy Diva

#4. Artuia - Vocoder V3/£199

The Vocoder V is a good synth plugin and though it doesn’t have the choices of different sounds and is minimal what it has is great for retro genres and can make some good tracks out of them, it does cost a bit on its own but if you head over to splice.com you can get a good price a rent to own system where you pay $24.99 a month until you pay it off you get the Vocoder V and also a whole bunch of other synths to put into your mixes. I mean the V collection from Arturia is one of my favourites and there is a lot to choose from and just what I look for as I make retro genres but also spice the synths up with some new flavors I just put together. I notice there was a unique sound used or was similar to something that was used in famous Jungle tracks in the 90s and I didn’t use it in the example I used it a few times and got a good result out of it but I didn’t release it as it sounded like the old stuff I love and heard from earlier artists.  As I said it doesn’t have a lot of selection but what it does have is worth putting in and works well for Electro Funk and other genres like that.

Buy Vocoder V

#3. Artuia - Arp 2600 V3/£149

If you are looking for a dark and moody synth that is also light and warm the Arp 2600 is the one for you and has a good selection of both dark and light sounds I like to use or I used to use a lot in my tracks. It has a good selection of basses and sequencers that you will be lost in I know I was. It has a lot of knobs and things to tweak which I don’t like to use and also it has its own sequencer built-in which you can use on any sound you choose all the Arturia products have that feature built-in. Like all the products featured in this list they are great for other genres this one I noticed was good for Drum and Bass and Jungle which is surprising as it’s an old synth and is a replica of the original Arp 2600 which was out in the 70s. It has some really good thick basses that remind me of Progressive Rock Basses and G Funk which I always loved. The Arp 2600 comes with the V collection on Splice.com and can be rent to own like all of the Artuia products on here. I find this synth works well with retro genres but also Halloween projects which I like to do around that time of year and the most surprising it makes okay House tracks but not anything current these are retro synths. 

Buy 2600

#2. Uhe - Repro/£149

Repro is a great synth and comes in two Repro 1 and Repro 5 so two for one you know I love a good bargain. It has a lot of great choices and has everything from bass to strings like all the products listed here. The synth has knobs to turn to modify the sounds and also has its own built-in sequencer for those not listed under the sequencer page.  The synth has some great sounds and I used it a lot in older works, especially an album called Racial Harmony but it was under a different title before I thought how special the plugin was and I used it a lot in some of the new works but gave it a rest for a while to give the other synths a chance. I like how there are two plugins to choose from and the amount of good sounds there were and also used it on Rebitten By The Lizard album I made quite a while ago now which can all be found on my Bandcamp page. The sounds you get I found were hard-hitting and edgy and I love that kind of thing but also it has some mellow strings and other mellow sounds for those downtempo tracks. It does have a retro feel to it and I’m not sure what else it is good for as I only use it for synthy stuff but I’m sure it’s good for other genres too. 

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#1 Artuia - Mini V3/£149

In at number one, my favourite synth plugin has to the Mini V3 and has a lot of thick basses and nice synths to put into your mix. I’ve made my best tracks with this synth and I think there is something special about it that brings something to the table or maybe it’s just my musical taste. My favourite parts are the basses and the synths which are thick dark and light which is an example on the first track of this section. It has a lot of Progressive Rock-like tones and also some weird and strange sounds that I think it’s appealing to the ear or again it could be my musical taste. It has a lot to choose from and I remember when I first got it I was lost on the number of basses or sounds that I would choose from and I tend to use this quite a lot or did in the past but again I retired it for a while to make way for some other sounds as it can sound a bit samey if you put too much in an album or EP or whatever. I like the whole sound of it and put this at number one as it’s my most used synth plugin and something I go back to even if it’s just for the bass or another part that I like, and it’s an old synth to the original Mini by Moog from the 70s and has been reincarnated 

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Why I Love 80’s Music

February 27, 2022
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Some say the 80s music wasn’t that good and was naff which I beg to differ and think there were loads of songs out that were good and tracks I still like to this day. I was born in the 80s and even though I was too young to remember or understand the context of tracks I still enjoyed them and the more I got older the more I understood and realized how good music was. I make music in my spare time and I feel if it wasn’t for the 80s and 90s my music taste would have been different and is where I get my obsession with synthesizers which is 70s too and House which was the 80s phenomenon that exploded and is still here and are the most popular and influential genre that and Drum & Bass. What I also liked about the 80s music was the fact there was so much good stuff and seemed the world was making music there was so much obscure stuff not just from your favorite artists but people you would have never heard of or heard of again yes there was a lot of one-hit wonders and some of them was naff but the beats though. That reminds me people say or said that some of it was too naff and the content was a bit cheesy but the beats were classic and seemed like Electro-Funk but I love my Rare Groove the hits that came from that genre alone which know seems like 80s Pop but whatever it was still good no matter how cheesy it seemed to people. Even though I listened to the mainstream on the radio and tapes and later CD there was a lot of underground artists that I used to listen to from the Electro-Funk and New Groove genres going from pillar to post I heard a lot of music some I would never hear again until I come across it someday like some of them thanks for sharing them. How innocent it was there was no swearing or sex overdrive content which is happening now and all over the place but there would have been a Mary Whitehouse figure who would have brought down the hammer and made actions against this new crisis swiping our neighbourhood. Compared to 90s music where it had a dramatic revamp with gangster rap and R’n’B which I’m surprised some of the lyrics got through as they were racy back then it was all love and candles and wetness but yes compared to the 90s 80s music seemed innocent and all fun and energetic which is why I love 80s music as a whole it was lively not all of it though there was a lot of ballads too which I also like. I have to say it was quite stylish which was fitting for the era and there was a lot of fashion moments from the 80s that people still wear today and it comes back around but it wasn’t the best era for fashion I mean bright colors and baggy stuff and big hair it was all about the hair, hair was a big thing back then.  

The thing that really impressed me and is what I love is Electro Funk and Electro Boogaloo that is my obsession and is something I really love but never can find the right tracks. When I was younger I used to listen to them and think I will make something like this one day and I do every now and then at least the backdrop to the songs but I love Electro from the 80s and I’m still not sure what to call it as it has rap in but it’s listed under something else stuff like off Wildstyle off GTA Vice City that is my favorite genre from the 80s and I can listen to that all day. The main artist I listened to when I was younger was the four main artists from the 80s Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Prince and Queen but all the artists from the early 80s and 70s and 60s were the main four I listened to a lot. There are tracks that I got bored of though and that’s thanks to radio play and overplaying it myself I won’t name any names but there are a few I no longer play and retired for now. In my spare time, I liked to hunt for obscure tracks I had forgotten and go through lists of tracks to find the best ones which take a lot of time but it’s worth it I feel. I remember Sundays being Top 40 on the radio and Friday was Top Of The Pops which were two shows I used to tune into and did for two decades before it got boring and I had other options but Friday and Sunday were the music days for me. Other than New Groove, Electro, and Rap I love 80s House and there is so much of it that was released from 1985 onwards and I noticed but never released that the tracks from the 80s were rereleased from 2011 and were some of the most famous House tracks. The rave scene that populated the mid-80s which is still a living thing till this day but more over ground was a once in a lifetime thing and though it is long gone it is remembered by some as the most memorable thing to come out of the 80s with the music scene that went alongside it and if it wasn’t for the Chicago House scene there wouldn’t be much of a House scene at the very least as there was a lot of genres that was made during or after House that populated rave scenes but House was the first scene to break into this world.

That 80’s & 90’s Thing

February 24, 2022
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Man, I miss the old days no offensive kids but it was a lot more fun and fewer laws even though I was still a child in the 90s I did witness and take part in some great stuff that is sadly no longer allowed all these laws it’s a nanny state. Anyway, this ain’t a moan about how life is crap now cos the law and governments drained all the fun from the earth which they didn’t it was time that did it as things have moved on and are noted to be more drama central and got weirder after the 2010s but it has been interesting and fun a few no they didn’t and a few jeez someone get me out of here this is a disaster but we all hold on to our mental well being even though I do work hard and I am always up or staying awake but I do get my beauty sleep as we all know that one must be practised well. There are a lot of things you can’t do now and I feel it’s too restricted people need to let their hair down in many different ways but camping and raving are two things that come to mind when it’s time to let your hair down sitting at home are boring but not with a computer but it’s always good to go out and see and meet new people seems like a same old conversation but it’s true and being restricted it’s harder to do that. Maybe you are lucky and you have a nice mayor, government, and police with fair laws like the Netherlands where it’s relaxed but strict here in the UK we have restrictions like no camping, no illegal raves, and no trespassing on private land which for a hiker like me it’s a burden keep saying is this field it’s a field and it’s going towards a nice scenic walk can we have our freedom back please as I’m starting to wear a tin hat…not really lol but really! I would say things are more acceptable but it’s kind of vice versa and things are accepted and not accepted but it’s good there is more we are here kind of attitude and people who are nonbinary and the LBGT community have taken a bolder stance in the last decade for the good and bad though there has been a lot of hate mail I know I shouldn’t laugh at after a while it got kind of overbearing, I bring that up as the famous song Relax in the ’80s wasn’t received well by all and was another hate train only the anything before the 2010s where it was more relaxed no pun intended but anything before that it was all wrong and shunned upon I noticed that in the media. I got to say being in the now is great downloads, internet access, a portal to your dreams basically as anything is possible and even though it was still possible the chances of hitting targets if you hustle hard cos closed mouths don’t get fed in boulevard lol but seriously though that ain’t a joke.

 

I do miss being young I was always about music, games, technology, and writing fan mail to my favourite artists which started after and my best friend at the time made a scrapbook of cutouts that featured TLC and another artist I think Snoop Dogg they were out the Top Of The Pops and Smash Hits Magazines either one or the other or both but that was another thing I used to buy you don’t get any more do they even make The Source anymore I know NME is still going strong another good magazine I thought it was just rock stuff I called it the rock non-rock magazine. Talking about Top Of The Pops that’s another thing I miss can you imagine the WAP song on there and they say Relax was too sexed-up  Another thing I miss is Slush Puppies my favourite was Cherry or Raspberry which gave you brain freeze more than Cherry and it reminds me of playing in Blaize Castle Park where the van always used to be by the park or in the car park or near the woods sometimes. They probably weren’t healthy for you and the amount of sugar that went in one cup is ridiculous but it gave me the energy lol high on the slush puppy. I don’t miss going to school but I do miss my school friends and the fun we used to have I wished I was an adult as there were a lot of fun things floating around for the adults and kids too but there were a lot of free things floating around I mean who remembers having a free domain and website no package or money needed that was around 1998 but I was just a kid who was overwhelmed by all the things you had to do to run your own site which I got a lot of tips from my dad’s friends and people who I knew that helped me launch my site as in getting it in the cloud the hardest bit of the whole process. Also, the internet as we know was slow and took ages with that horrible noise when it used to dial I’ll never miss that it now reminds me of fallout of some sort and probably an SOS signal as when I was still in school there was a mini explosion at a plant not so far from the city and I got home and I put on the internet and spooked myself from that day on but it gives me a good idea for a track or an EP of some sort. 

 

The music was great too as I said I was too young to understand lyric content but I knew a great beat when I saw one and that probably is why I try to make the best every time as the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s were good eras for music. I’m kind of obsessed with synthesizers and I wouldn’t like to blame the ’70s and 80s music in particular but 90s and later too but also Motown, Reggae, and Funk from the 60s and 70s I’ll admit it I love music and was obsessed with it now I enjoy making music rather than listen to it but I listen to current songs too from the last couple of years to see who is new and hot so to speak but I love my classics from the ’60s onwards. Music has changed dramatically and it ain’t all have a nice day attitude which is all good but I do miss the innocent songs even though I thought they were a little corny I still love them. Got to love being in the now though with all that old and new music we have at our fingertips but again going to the record shop to buy the single you craved right now I miss and I spent a lot of pocket money and when I was working too on singles and albums from shops that are no more. All in the good old Walkman the thing that kept me going and I always had one near me even though it was a cheap thing it still worked though it always fell out of my pocket until I noticed and secured it so this one wouldn’t break so easily. The amount of time I spent making mixtapes and taping off the radio with my few tapes and a boombox, a kids radio set at one point. I did kind of overdid it with the taping but there were so many good songs out that they would play I kind of had to limit myself to the number of tracks as I only had a few tapes and they were expensive to buy wow over my pocket money in the early days but more affordable as time went on.

Nuclear Dreams

February 21, 2022
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About two years ago I was having some weird dreams about being in a nuclear attack and I had about six dreams altogether which I think are anxiety dreams which I’m unsure what they are really about. I made two EPs now which one wasn’t that good in sound quality, so I redid it and this blog post is about those dreams I was having. I’ve had a few dreams now where I was in some sort of war zone and being attacked which I think is from all the terror attacks and all the other stresses of the world that have gotten to me. It mainly happens when I don’t smoke and haven’t got any which is interesting as the times I don’t smoke is the times I would get the same sort of dreams but in different places and like all dreams they move so quickly and rapidly from one place to the next and can get very dark and strange. I was trying to find out what it means and I got no answer it could be repressed anger or it could be dissatisfaction it is just to be known but they were cool and the best bit is waking up and knowing it was just a dream and I can go back to sleep or get up but yeah they were scary being in them and would dread the day hopefully that will never happen again. I’m rewriting this from memory and my old tracklists of the old EP I did so it may be jumpy like my dream. 

The first bit I remember was being in a hut which was like in the country and somewhere foreign. The door was open and we were talking I was about to leave the hut when suddenly I saw a mushroom cloud in the background with a massive bang which scared all of us. After the explosion we saw people leave their huts and make their way to where the explosion happened around a mile away, we were not so far behind. We made our way to what seemed like a field and there were lots of people standing around panicking and wondering what was going to happen next when suddenly there was another explosion but this time around a statue which there was a bright flash which nearly blinded us and then it was all burnt and marble looking which people rushed to put out the fire and panic some more. Whilst this was going on they were moving the cattle to a safer place which I suggested and was over the hill and kind of like the Elephant Graveyard in Lion King in all sense in distant and visual wise. They didn’t want to go but they knew it was best and started moving the cattle and dogs to the safer ground whilst we talked about what was happening and what we were going to do and it was suggested the only place safe was where they were taking the animals to the Elephant Graveyard like place which was around 100 miles but you could just see it in the distant where the sun was setting.  

The next bit gets weird cruel and eerie as for some reason the dream moves on to a stadium I’m unsure if someone said to go there or if it just went there but I was there not with the same people and we were in a stadium which was like a baseball stadium it’s out of a game which I can’t think of the name it’s a shooting game and you have to sneak up to the alarms and disable them but you are in a stadium and it looked a lot like that all dingy and dark looking. We were quite a way up in the seating area of the stadium and I could see Vladimir Putin talking on the mic and there was a dog next to him. He was standing next to what looked like a dock with water all around him and he was standing at the foot of the water but in a dry area. There was some dispute about what Putin said and all of a sudden he pressed a button and another explosion happened in the background and was another mushroom cloud which was around 100 miles and could be seen in the far distance. There was another argument this time what to do with the injured dog that was next to Putin as there was no room for any injured animals or even people so to everyone’s surprise Putin drowned the dog in the water and everyone including myself rushed off in all sorts of directions to stop us from seeing the final blow. 

The next bit changed quickly after that and was outside the council building which is a Civic Centre and no one was around no one was on the street walking or driving on the roads it was deserted. There was a building that used to be the old council building for nonworkers seen in the distance of the picture which was open. The door was usually automatic but this time it was wide open so I go and see if anyone else is around and to my surprise, there wasn’t and was just an empty reception and an empty waiting area which was always busy and full of people so it was weird to see the place like that and felt like a bank just before it closes empty and still which is different if you go there midday or in the morning or even afternoon. I took a look around to see if anyone was around but before I could look in the offices there was someone behind me I didn’t know who it was and didn’t hang around to see who it was or what they were about to do and was back on the street before I knew it. 

The last part of the dream was with my gran and my friend from school who we just bumped into each other or maybe we were just with each other as dreams are rapid. There was news of another nuclear attack and we had to get out the way by going to the Highlands in Scotland which was the safest place to be. There were other people there and so was my dog Patch people didn’t want her coming on the bus to the Highlands so I and my friend got on the next bus which was a couple of minutes after the first bus so it was not that long to wait. When we got there we were led to a cottage to rest but we didn’t have time as there was another explosion but no mushroom cloud and we all rushed to the evacuation hut which was in the garden and that’s when the story ended. There was probably lots more to the dreams and were on all different days but I had to write it down somehow.  As I said I’ve made two EPs about the nuclear dreams I had and one can be found on all major platforms and the other on Bandcamp.  

Nuclear Mix