2018 in Music

As the year draws to a close almost every paper, magazine or website bombards you with lists that summarize, rank or rate this year's events. Because of this, and partly because the amount of posts has been lacking lately (mea culpa), I've decided to come up with my own summary. Of course it's a difficult, if not impossible, task to make an overview that justifies all released music this year. Therefore I've made a list of the artists and songs, covering different genres, that shaped my year. Enjoy '2018 in Music' and here's to a very musical 2019!!!

Hardstyle: Headhunterz

Admittedly, I haven't listened to much hardstyle this year. The genre just doesn't grip me as much as it used to anymore. There was however one album that did get my attention: 'The Return of Headhunterz'. It's a fitting title since Headhunterz' last hardstyle work dated from 2012.

The album is filled with the euphoric hardstyle bangers one might expect from this legend. No One Can Stop Us Now, Destiny and Path of the Hunter (based on the traditional Japanese song Sakura) are all equally impressive. My favourite song from the album however is Rescue Me, which is mainly due to the entrancing vocals of Lauren Nicole Walker

Ska punk: Leningrad

In March I stumbled across a Russian band called Leningrad and as you could read in my post I was very enthusiastic about them. Since I wrote that blog the band has continued to release a string of hits. Not Paris, Ju-Ju, Tsoy and Gold all have their own characteristic style both in sound and video. Out of all the artists I've discovered this year they're probably my favourite. Every time they release a song I can't wait for their next mini-story.

J-Pop: Reol

Believe it or not but 2018 was also the year I finally joined Spotify. Of course I had checked it out previously, but back then their library was far from complete and I felt it wasn't worth making an account for. However after my free month of Spotify premium this year I was sold. Their library now contained most of my favourite artists and discovering music was now so much easier. Case in point: Reol. Her high-pitched voice might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I absolutely love her unique way of singing. Her songs have both rock (End and SAIREN) and electronic (Saisaki and Violent White)  influences.

Reggaeton: Mau y Ricky

As summer started to approach my focus shifted to the Latin part of the world. Besides Sofia Reyes 1, 2, 3 (see post) the song I found myself playing most was the remix of Mau y Ricky's Mi Mala. The song itself is perfect for the hot summer weather but it also introduced me to a whole array of Latin artists and songs: Karol G (Mi Cama), Becky G (Sin Pijama), Leslie Grace (Duroy Suave) and last but least Lali (Sin Querer Queriendo).

Powermetal: Powerwolf

Another recommendation from Spotify, no doubt based on my love for symphonic and power metal, came in the form of Powerwolf. This German metal band is characterised by their gothic sound which makes heavy use of organs and choirs. Songs usually include werewolves, vampires or other dark fairytales fused with religious aspects. In combination with the raw voice of lead singer Atilla Dorn this all leads to very epic sounding songs like: Fire & Forgive, Demons Are A Girl's Best Friend and Killers With The Cross.

  

K-pop: Red Velvet

Long time readers of my blog might know that I've been a K-pop fan for years now. So much in fact even that this year I decided to pay a visit to the country that sparked the K-wave: South Korea. From the moment I set foot in Korea's capital Seoul it was clear that there was no escaping K-pop. In districts like Myeongdong and Gangnam stores blast K-pop through their speakers, sell K-pop merchandise and K-pop stars advertise everything from beverages to circle lenses. One of my favourite groups, that I actually had the pleasure of seeing perform live, is Red Velvet. The group, that even did a show in North Korea, combines a cute and bubbly image (Power Up) with a more mature and sexy one (Bad Boy).

Blues rock: Greta van Fleet

One band that really exploded into fame this year was Greta van Fleet. Many of my friends named them as their favourite festival act (as described in this post). Their enthusiasm was so infectious that I decided to pay Greta van Fleet a visit myself, together with my brother.  Their concert was held in October shortly after the release of their first full-length album 'Anthem of the Peaceful Army'. And while their performance was absolutely great their new work contained some more mellow songs, which weren't really to my liking. The song When the Curtain Falls however is one of my new favourites.

Hip hop: GRAY

Every country has their own talent shows on TV. Programs like Idols, The Voice and ... Got Talent in which "new stars are born". Usually I don't watch these shows because they don't produce the kind of artists I'm interested in. One exception I make for the Korean show 'Show Me The Money'. A hip hop talent show, believe it or not. This year the top six candidates performed a song together created by one of Korea's best hip hop producers: GRAY. It's a great song but apparently GRAY thought he could improve it, so he invited some other hip hop artists to feature on the track. The result is the 20 minute long 119 remix featuring not six, not ten, but 51 different artists!!! If you ever needed an introduction to the Korean hip hop scene this is it.

Other favourites

Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (Indie rock)

BLACKPINK - DDU-DU DDU-DU (K-Pop)

TheFatRat - MAYDAY feat. Laura Brehm (Electronic)

Jvcki Wai - Enchanted Propaganda (Hip hop)

m-flo - No Question (J-Pop)

Swing Metal? Epica vs Metropole Orchestra (Short)

Two years ago I wrote a post about my favourite symphonic metal band, Epica (Those who missed it can find it here). Although I don't want to make a habit out of posting about the same artist twice, I felt I had no other choice after listening to the song they released this week. The song titled Beyond The Matrix - The Battle is a rework of the original Beyond The Matrix, which was already a symphonic masterpiece. In this rework however Epica teamed up with the Metropole Orchestra, a Dutch hybrid orchestra playing both big band and symphonic music and one of the largest of its kind in the world. The result is a nine minute long battle between swing jazz and symphonic metal which works out surprisingly well. Although I have to admit it's not the most accessible song and requires a couple of listening sessions to really start appreciating it. I've heard it several times now but still discover new melodies and musical layers. I urge you to give it a try as well, who knows you might even like it!

Check out more of Epica on their official YouTube channel.

Blues Rock: Greta Van Fleet (Short)

Last week the Dutch festival Pinkpop took place. It's one of the largest and oldest in The Netherlands and features music from all kinds of genres and styles. Although I didn't go there myself I know many people who did. When I asked them which artist or band they liked the most one name kept popping up: Greta Van Fleet. I had never heard of the band and initially thought they were Dutch because of their very Dutch sounding name. A quick Google search however showed me that that wasn't the case.

Greta Van Fleet is an American band formed back in 2012 by the three brothers Jake, Josh and Sam Kiszka and currently features Danny Wagner as drummer. But what is it that distinguishes this young band from all other up-and-comers? Listen to their first hit Highway Tune and it becomes clear within seconds. Their bluesy, unpolished sound is unlike anything most modern rock groups make. In fact it's more reminiscent of music made 50 years ago by bands like Led Zeppelin.

The sound quickly caught on and the band's popularity skyrocketed giving them the opportunity to open for acts like Bob Seger and Guns N' Roses and even perform at Elton John's Academy Award Party.

Currently the band has released one EP called 'From the Fires' which can be played on Spotify. Their debut album is scheduled to be released somewhere halfway through 2018. I can't wait for more bluesy guitar riffs.

R&B: Hoody (Short)

Back in 2016 I wrote a post about Korean rapper Jay Park. In his more R&B oriented songs he usually collaborates with the singer I'd like to introduce today: Hoody.

Hoody had released several songs already (BabyOh Baby, Let Em Know) before getting signed to Jay Park's label AOMG in 2015. During 2016, as mentioned before, she collaborated a lot with Jay (Me Like Yuh, All I Wanna Do) but also released her first album, from which 'Like You' is still one of my favourite slow jams.

Last month Hoody released two new tracks, Golden and Why. Although I personally prefer Golden, both are great R&B songs. Enjoy!

Check out more of Hoody on the AOMG official YouTube page

If you like Hoody you might also enjoy: Alice Vicious

Latin pop: Sofía Reyes (Short)

Temperatures reached summer-like hights the past week in The Netherlands, prompting me to look for some sweet summer tunes. One of the songs that caught my ear was 1,2,3 by Mexican singer Sofía Reyes. Sofía started out five years ago, posting covers on YouTube. Soon after, she got signed to the label of bachata singer Prince Royce and released some songs which had moderate success. Her latest hit 1, 2, 3 is blowing up though, and has managed to rack up 67 million views in only two months. 2018's summer hit?!

Watch more videos on the official Sofia Reyes YouTube channel

Hard Rock: B'z

As one might deduce from reading the articles on this blog, I like listening to music a lot. I however also love to make music myself. After years of focusing on drums, and some piano, last year I decided to buy an electric guitar. Since I've never really been a fan of learning from books I was looking for alternative methods to learn how to play the guitar. I found what I was looking for, unexpectedly, in a video game called Rocksmith 2014. The game allows you to connect your guitar to a PC and play along with a whole range of songs from pop to metal. It starts out easy, but increases in difficulty if you play well. One of the more challenging songs is Go Further by Tak Matsumoto. It was through this awesome song as well as Ultra Soul that I discovered B'z.

B'z, a Japanese rock band consisting of guitarist Takahiro Matsumoto and vocalist Koshi Inaba, is currently one of the best-selling music artists worldwide. With around 100 million sold units they rank amongst rock legends like Metallica, Bon Jovi and Guns N' Roses.

Although Tak's guitar has always played a large part in the band's songs, their initial style was more synth pop than hard rock. Lady-Go-Round for instance favours the use of synthesizers and samplers. Soon however the band's sound changed into arena rock with songs like Alone and Blowin' (can somebody explain those pants?!) and hard rock, Calling and Liar!Liar!

The band's popularity skyrocketed and since their first #1 single Sun's Komachi Angel the band has scored 46 consecutive #1 singles and 25 #1 albums. Let that sink in for a moment... Thirty years after their debut they are not finished yet either. In November 2017 the band released their latest album Dinosaur and surprise, surprise, it reached #1 again.

Let's hope they will continue putting out great work, it is excellent study material for this aspiring rock star.

Due to their large amount of hits it is almost impossible to list my favourites, but I will try regardless:

I Want to Dance Inside You, Love me I love you, Giri Giri Chop, Yasei no Energy, Compulsion, Splash!, Dive and My Lonely Town

For more videos check out the B'z Official YouTube channel

Ska punk: Leningrad

Note: Some of the videos in this article contain explicit violence and/or nudity. Viewer discretion is adviced.

While the whole of Europe was being tormented last week by the cold weather caused by the 'Siberian Bear' I happened to stumble upon another Russian phenomena, Leningrad.

Leningrad is a ska punk band formed by Sergey Shnurov back in 1997 in Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Leningrad, hence the name. The band consists of sixteen members who play a whole range of instruments including brass and violin. At first the band struggled to gain any real traction. Due to their use of vulgar language, celebration of alcoholism and political satire many radio stations refused to play their songs. The former mayor of Moscow, Yuriy Luzhkov, hated the group so much that he forbid all their shows and events in Moscow. Nevertheless Leningrad's popularity rose and in 2016 Shnurov became the highest paid singer in Russia.

Although the band started out playing ska punk over the years they've adopted many other genres and styles. The first song I heard of them for instance, Voyage, is a catchy house track. The music video itself is filmed like an action movie, complete with shootout. Actually most of the band's recent music videos are 5 to 10 minute long short stories. There's Exhibit, in which we see a girl's struggles while preparing herself for a date. In Monkey & Eagle a couple fights each other on a TV show because they've got different zodiac signs. But my favourite video is Kolsky in which we see a circus in absolute chaos. The video plays backwards, ending with the cause of all these problems.

Besides the great videos the arrangements of all these songs is really catchy and well composed. Leningrad's last album dates back to 2014 so I hope they'll release a new album soon, because it's been a while since I've been so enthusiastic about a newly discovered band. Meanwhile I'll continue watching more Real St. Peter Bullshit :)

Other favourites: Healthy Life Style, Tits and Shades like Sobchak's

Watch more videos on Leningrad's official YouTube channel

Glitch hop: Virtual Riot

Not too long ago I was going through my YouTube back catalogue (a playlist in which I keep songs I encounter but haven't properly listened to yet) when I stumbled across Everyday by Virtual Riot. It's a glitch hop song with a cool beat but also with some surprisingly tranquil elements. The bird sounds make you long for spring and the calm voice of Yosie has a very soothing quality to it. This prompted me to look further into Virtual Riot.

Virtual Riot, real name Valentin Brunn, is a producer from Germany who released his first music in the early 2010's. He started out with some Pendulum-like drum 'n bass work but rapidly moved towards the dubstep sound made famous by Skrillex. And while I'm not the biggest dubstep fan I really enjoyed some of this early work. Especially Evil Gameboy, which as the name implies incorporates some retro-gaming Gameboy sounds, and Creepstep which has a ghostly piano melody in it. In the years after he kept perfecting the genre, releasing more balanced songs like Fuck Gravity and Lunar. These songs alternate more calm melodic parts with hard hitting bass.

The change to a more glitch hoppy style became apparent in his collaborations during the last couple of years. Songs like Flutter, Lost It and Still Kids have found themselves a permanent place in my playlist. Whenever I'm feeling low on energy these days I put on the peculiar blend of calm and energetic parts and I'm good to go again.

Other favourites: Earth & Sky, Paper Planes and Turn Up

Check out more videos on Virtual Riot's YouTube channel

Bolero: Mon Laferte

Last year Despacito by Luis Fonsi became the most viewed video on YouTube, gathering a massive 4 billion views. The song was played on every radio station and was in that sense quite the exception since, at least here in The Netherlands, not much Latin music is played. Especially not the type of baladas I stumbled across recently.

In my recommended YouTube videos I found Tu Falta De Querer by Chilean singer Mon Laferte. The song is very dramatic sounding, especially during the chorus, and accompanied by a ditto dramatic video. The husky and emotional voice of the singer lured me into discovering more of her work.

Mon Laferte released her first album back in 2003 but her first big single dates from 2011 and is called Soy. It's a nice pop rock song, but not really unique. She released two more albums however her big break came in 2015 with the album Mon Laferte, vol.1 (very original title). The album contains a whole range of different sounds. Besides the earlier mentioned ballad Tu Falta De Querer the album contains some Johnny Cash-like rock 'n roll (Si Tú Me Quisieras), ska (El Diablo) and of course some bolero (El Cristal). On this album Mon Laferte used a more traditional Latin sound, which is what I, and many fans with me, came to love.

In April 2017 she released her fifth album entitled La Trenza, on which she collaborated with several people including Juanes (Amárrame, a cumbia style song) and Enrique Bunbury (Mi Buen Amor). Other songs on the album like No Te Fumes Mi Mariguana and title song La Trenza are great as well.

The album went platinum in both Chile and Mexico and was nominated for five Latin GRAMMYs. Nevertheless in a recent interview Mon Laferte announced that she will go on a hiatus to recover from her busy touring schedule and take time to write new material. I'll be here patiently waiting for more dramatic baladas.

Other favourites: Tormento, Yo Te Qui and Que Sí

Check out more videos on Mon Laferte's YouTube channel

Funk: Trombone Shorty

Trombone Shorty, real name Troy Andrews, is a jazz-funk trombone player from New Orleans. I discovered him several years ago when I came across a live performance of him on TV. His style is a combination of jazz and funk spiced up with some rock and hiphop influences. Unfortunately he doesn't have many videos on YouTube, but you can find some footage of  several jazz festival performances. After a silent four years he finally released his fourth album earlier this year.

If you like Trombone Shorty you might also like: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings

R&B: Alice Vicious (Short)

Alice Vicious, formerly known as LiVii, released her debut EP 'Alice In Plastic Land' earlier this year. On it she sings in Korean, Japanese and English. Watch the title song Golden Blood below.

Watch more videos on Alice Vicious' YouTube Channel

If you like this artist you might also like: Jay Park

Country Rap: Bubba Sparxxx (Short)

Today I'd like to introduce a new Weekly Sounds concept called a 'Short'. As you might have noticed the amount of blogs I've put out lately is a bit low. There are several reasons for this: Sometimes I discover an artist which hasn't made a lot of music yet, other times I find myself lacking the time to do research and write a proper post. In times like these I will upload Shorts; short posts that contain a music video and possibly some basic information but no elaborate link-filled article. You can recognise them by the Short-logo in the picture and (Short)-addition to the post title. In this way I'll be able to provide you with a more continuing flow of new music. Hopefully you'll enjoy them.



If you like this you might also like: Yelawolf

Watch more videos on the Official Bubba Sparxxx YouTube channel.

Power metal: DragonForce

Back in 2008 my brothers and I used to play the game Guitar Hero 3. It's a rhythm game featuring a guitar controller in which you have to press coloured buttons in the order that they appear on screen. As you progressed through the game the songs became increasingly difficult to play, with at its pinnacle: Through the Fire and Flames by DragonForce (watch this video to get an idea of what I'm talking about). My hands still hurt thinking about it, but what a great introduction to a new band.

DragonForce is a power metal band originating from Britain and was already founded in 1999. Power metal distinguishes itself from other heavy metal genres in that it's faster and has a more uplifting sound. In contrast to other metal styles power metal also relies more on the use of keyboards, though some bands use them more than others.

DragonForce's first relative success came with the 2005 song Fury of the Storm, although it didn't manage to chart. On year later the band released Through the Fire and Flames which seemed to undergo a similar fate, until 2008 when it was featured in Guitar Hero. The song, and the band, blew up and reached the Billboard Hot 100. And for good reason I might add, every metal fan can't help but be impressed by the insanely awesome guitar solos.

After their major success DragonForce released several albums and had some personnel changes, including their lead singer. In 2015 DragonForce's guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman collaborated with the kawaii metal band BABYMETAL (read more about them in my earlier post) on their song Road of Resistance, which indeed has a very DragonForce-like sound to it.

Last month the band released their latest album entitled Reaching into Infinity. It's their longest album so far and features great songs like Curse of Darkness and my favourite Ashes of the Dawn. I hope this album brings back the recognition this band, in my opinion, deserves.

Other favourites: Heroes of Our Time, Cry Thunder & Seasons

Check out more videos on DragonForce's YouTube channel

Alternative R&B: Marian Hill

I don't know exactly why, but when YouTube suggested Down by Marian Hill to me I figured it would probably be a cliché ballad. The start of the song seemed to confirm this since I only heard a piano and a female vocalist. It sounded nice but not really remarkable. I kept listening however and it's a good thing I did, because when the beat dropped, at 56 seconds into the song, my opinion changed completely. If you're a regular visitor of my blogs you've probably noticed that I'm a fan of hip-hop and trap beats as well as electronic parts. Down manages to combine these elements with cut up vocals, reminiscent of C2C (see my earlier blog) while at the same time maintaining a relaxed feel. I fell in love with the song.

Marian Hill, consisting of producer Jeremy Lloyd and vocalist Samantha Gongol, is a relatively new group that started out in 2013. My two favourite songs of their debut EP 'Play' are Loveit and especially One Time. I like the jazzy feel that both songs have due to use of a saxophone.

In 2015 the group released a second EP with several new songs, but it wasn't until 2016 that they released their debut album 'Act One'. The album contains a nice range of songs, from the relaxing I Know Why, to the urban Mistaken and the swinging I Want You. This last song reminds me a bit of the electro swing produced by ProleteR.

Currently their latest released song, the earlier mentioned Down, has almost 21 million views on YouTube so it's safe to say the group is blowing up. I can't wait to hear more of their saxy songs.

Other favourites: Got It, Lips and Wasted

Check out more videos on Marian Hill's Official YouTube Channel

Eurovision Song Contest

The Eurovision Song Contest, the longest-running annual international TV song competition in the world, was broadcasted again last week. This year several hundred million people watched the 42 participants put on a show on the stage in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Many people however, especially the ones that call themselves music fans, don't like Eurovision. They associate it with bad (read: commercial) music, crazy outfits and stupid dances. I have to admit this is partly true, but in recent years the amount of good acts is certainly increasing. 

The reason I still watch the event every year is because it's an excellent way to discover new music. On the one hand there's the traditional/folkloristic songs like Belarus and Hungary, while on the other hand there are the modern ballads as performed by Poland and Denmark (coincidently both were playboy models, but that's beside the point). Both electro (Norway) and rock (Ukraine) fans could also find something to their taste. Norwegian EDM producer JOWST was actually granted an exception for the use of pre-recorded vocals, which is normally not allowed. There's also room for different singing techniques as shown by the opera singer from Croatia and the yodelling duo from Romania.

The winner of this year's contest is an eccentric singer from Portugal named Salvador Sobral. His song Amar Pelos Dois sounds like it was composed in the 1960's but at the same time doesn't sound outdated. It's a beautiful composition that had the power to completely relax me amidst all the hard hitting dance tracks. A rightful winner if you ask me.

Other favourites from this year's show:

The Netherlands (the girls from O'G3NE have hands down the best harmonies in the competition)

Iceland (Svala brings a retro 80's electronic sound)

France (A catchy pop song sung by the beautiful Alma)

For more Eurovision songs check out the official Eurovision YouTube channel.

Downtempo: Elsiane

I believe it was a Thursday or Friday morning some weeks back, when I walked into the laboratory I work in. Most of the times the radio is tuned in to a pop or rock station, playing all the regular hits. This particular morning however something else entirely was playing.

What I heard was one of the most unique voices I've ever encountered in music. The arrangement itself had a relaxing downtempo drum beats, beautiful moody strings and several layers of mellow synthesizers. The music was such a perfect fit to my end-of-the-week-tiredness that I stopped walking and just listened to it for a while.

The song that played was Mend (to Fix, to Repair) by the Canadian duo Elsiane and is featured on their 2007 debut album Hybrid. It's a great album that showcases the diversity of Elsiane's sound. There are some easy listening pieces like Across the Stream and Prosaic, but also some more experimental works like Ecclesia and my personal favourite, the title song; Hybrid. There's even a cello solo on the album, In a Crisis...

In 2012, five years later, Elsiane released their second album: Mechanics of Emotion. This album is a lot more experimental, featuring several songs which are not much more than some ambient electronic chords, and thus not really my cup of tea. That is not to say that the album does not contain any nice songs at all, Slowbirth and Acceptance are both quite enjoyable.

Last month, again after five years, the group released their third album: Death of the Artist (they're nothing if not consistent).  I like this album better than the previous one since it's less experimental, the songs have a longer duration and feel more rounded. My absolute favourite work on this album is Fragilidad which has a cool bossa nova drum groove accompanied by some sweet woodwinds giving it somewhat of a tropical vibe.

Many thanks to my colleague for introducing me to this unique sounding duo! Let's hope we don't have to wait another five years for their next album.

Other favourites: Vaporous, Nobody Knows and Unstable.

For more videos visit Elsiane's Official YouTube channel.

Southern Rock: Black Stone Cherry

One of the first genres I discussed on this blog was country rap. It might therefore not come as  a surprise to some readers that I'm a fan of country influences in music. A genre that also incorporates elements of country music, but is completely different from the earlier mentioned country rap is southern rock.

Southern rock is best described as a combination of country and hard rock. Often people confuse the genre with country rock which is similar, but milder sounding due to its more frequent use of acoustic guitars instead of electric ones.

I discovered Black Stone Cherry 4/5 years ago in an unlikely place, a Kung Fu video game, where their song Rain Wizard was featured on an in-game radio station. The song came from Black Stone Cherry's eponymous 2006 debut album which also featured Lonely Train. While both songs, and others on the album, are great they don't necessarily clearly showcase the southern rock vibe. The country influence is perhaps more clearly visible in White Trash Millionaire and even better in Like I Roll. My all-time favourite song of the band however is Meand Mary Jane which is a kick-ass song with an addictive hook.

The latest album from the band titled 'Kentucky' dates from 2016 and contains Soul Machine and Cheaper to Drink Alone, among others. I for one have added them to my playlist. Does anybody else have a sudden craving for beer and summer?

Other favourites: Blind Man, Soulcreek & Blame It On the Boom Boom

Listen to more songs on Black Stone Cherry's Official YouTube channel.

K-Rap: San E

Seoul, or the 120 Days of Sodom, the latest single from San E, is a song that describes the vices associated with fame; alcohol, drugs and sex. It stands in stark contrast to the poppy start of the rapper.

Back in 2010 Korean born, but US raised rapper San E signed a record deal with JYP Entertainment, one of the three biggest record labels in Korea. As you might know the Korean record industry tightly controls every aspect of their artists, from their music to their image. In the case of San E this resulted in his debut single Tasty San, a song that's mostly just comical and meant to reach a large audience. Even though he had some minor success San E's ambition and style however made him decide to leave JYP Entertainment in 2013 and join Brand New Music, a label focusing on hip hop and R&B. This change was accentuated by the release of Rap Circus, a hardcore hip hop song in which he criticizes his previous image. This was quickly followed by his first #1 charting song Story of Someone I Know, a serious but more accessible song.

San E's career took off,  he collaborated with many Korean rappers and singers to create hit after hit, including: Where Did You Sleep (with label mates Verbal Jint and Swings), A Midsummer Night's Sweetness (a sugar sweet duet with singer Raina) and the sexy Body Language.

Everything seemed to go well for the rapper. He released an album in 2015 and was a judge and host on TV shows like 'Show Me The Money' and 'Unpretty Rapstar'. By the end of 2016 however all the fame and money started to go to his head. He became arrogant, depressed and addicted to alcohol and drugs. This process and how he overcame it was conceptualised in his latest EP 'Season of Suffering'. In the song Seoul, or the 120 Days of Sodom he describes the first stage, as mentioned earlier. In Counselor he acknowledges that he has a problem and discusses his condition, playing both the patient and the counsellor. Finally in I Am Me he accepts himself and overcomes his depression.

The 'Season of Suffering' EP is probably one of my all time favourite K-Rap releases. I'm glad to see San E is recovered and can't wait to find out which hits he has in store for 2017.

Other favourite songs: Coach Me, Do It For Fun & What If

For more videos check out San E's official YouTube channel or his playlist at the BRANDNEW MUSIC channel.

Classical Music Series: Part I - Baroque

This post is part of my Classical Music Series. Read more about it in the introduction.

Baroque is the name given to music composed from 1600 to 1750, a period during which the foundation was laid not only for classical music, but for Western music in general. Composers started making use of basso continuo (also known as figured bass), in which a group of instruments (usually harpsichord, lute and cello) play a fixed bass line on which the chords and melody are improvised. This melody was usually played counterpoint, meaning that two melodies differ in their tempo and direction (for instance one melody going up, while the other goes down) but still sound harmonious or good together. Probably the most influential early baroque composer to implement these techniques was Claudio Monteverdi, who was also responsible for composing one of the earliest still surviving operas: L'Orfeo.

Thanks to Monteverdi baroque music gained attention and became highly popular by the mid-1600's. To be able to satisfy the public demand composers started to downscale the orchestras hereby creating chamber music, which could be played in smaller settings. In Italy the most influential composer at the time was Francesco Cavalli, a student of Monteverdi, who wrote more than 40 operas for small orchestras. Meanwhile in France Jean-Baptiste Lully, royal composer for king Louis XIV, mainly focused on ballets and comedies. Lully was also what we would nowadays call a conductor. He used a large staff to maintain the rhythm. Unfortunately for him this practice literally killed him. During a rendition of Te Deum he hit his foot with the staff, which resulted in gangrene and ultimately his death (who'd have guessed being a conductor was such a dangerous job?!).

Of course the pinnacle of baroque chamber music is the very well known Canon in D Major by Johann Pachelbel. Besides being one of the most played classical pieces during both weddings and funerals its chord scheme also inspired many pop songs over the years including Ralph McTell's Streets of London, Green Day's Basket Case and the more recent Bad Things by Machine Gun Kelly.

At the start of the 18th century baroque music reached its apex, with dozens of composers creating pieces still well known today. If I say for instance "Quattro Stagioni" you say.... Antonio Vivaldi (or granted, pizza if you're hungry). The Four Seasons is Vivaldi's most famous work, and rightfully so. He really manages to capture the feeling of each season in the music. We hear birds in spring, experience a thunderstorm in summer, join the harvest festivities in the autumn and seek shelter for the gruelling snowstorm in winter, the last being my personal favourite. Of course Vivaldi composed many other pieces, mainly concertos and sonatas, most of which have a very bright maybe even playful style.

A lot of Vivaldi's works were transcribed for organ by another great composer: Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach's works generally sound a bit more serious than Vivaldi's. This is not because Bach was German, but rather the fact that he composed many cantatas, masses and passions played in churches which required a more dignified sound. Nevertheless there are plenty of compositions in his 1000+ work oeuvre which sound uplifting (for example his Brandenburg Concertos).

The last composer I'd like to mention is George Frideric Handel, for one because he's one of the first composers I've ever attended a performance from (the Messiah),  but also because he's one of the greatest composers of the Baroque era. Born in Germany in 1685 (same year and country as Bach) Handel moved to Italy in 1703 before ending up in London in 1710. As such even though most of his works have been composed in England clear German and Italian Baroque influences can be heard in his music. Handel's most famous work is without a doubt the Hallelujah Chorus from aforementioned Messiah. Another piece worth listening to is Water Music, composed especially for King George I who requested a concert on the river Thames.

It's a difficult feat to try and summarize 150 years of music in such a short post, but I hope I've managed to peak your interest in Baroque music and maybe even taught you some music history.

If you want to hear more baroque music there are fortunately many ways to do so. YouTube of course is filled with music from all great composers. Some channels specialise in composers or certain instruments. Plenty of playlists can be found on Spotify and last but not least you can go old-school and turn on a classical music radio station. To help you get started I've listed some great works below.

Several Baroque masterpieces:

Arcangelo Corelli                            Concertogrosso, Op. 6, No. 8 in G minor

Henry Purcell                                  Rondeau fromAbdelazer

Georg Philipp Telemann                 Concerto in G major forViola and Strings

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi            Stabat Mater

Classical music series: Intro

During the past couple of months I have written posts on many different artists and genres. It might be difficult to imagine, but most of these diverse styles find their origins in the same music. Music that is nowadays known as classical music.

When people use the term classical music it is usually an umbrella term used to cover all music composed during a period spanning roughly 400 years. I find it therefore strange to hear people say they do not like classical music. It is like saying you don't like modern music, it just does not make any sense to reject such a wonderful and vast collection of works based on several individual pieces.

Classical music can be differentiated into the eras during which it was made: Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Impressionism to name a few. Each era had its trendsetters, innovators and perfectionists. In this series of posts I will highlight each of these periods and explain what separates one from the other, in the hopes of making you understand what it is exactly that you are listening to.

Part I - Baroque