Whyd’s blog covering new music, the people who make it happen, and the eccentric lives of the creators of your social record collection for the streaming era. Never stop jammingOFFICIAL BLOGTumblr (3.0; @whyd)http://blog.whyd.com/Track of the Weekend #124: Florence & The Machine - "What Kind Of Man" (Nicolas Jaar Remix)<figure><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/d0Mnkfde1/1497982_10153979007635612_741532985_o.jpg" alt="image"/></figure><p>Ah, what good the sun can do! After hiding behind rain clouds all week, dampening our moods in the wake of the official departure of our beloved Dr. Joly, the sun is a-blazing on this Friday. And it&#8217;s pizza day. Fuck yeah. </p><p>Around the corner is March, and that means spring will soon be in the air. But before we enjoy the budding flowers and warmer breezes, winter is not over. It&#8217;s not done yet, which is exactly what can be said about the most popular track on <a href="http://www.whyd.com">Whyd</a> this week, <a href="https://twitter.com/nicolas___jaar">Nicolas Jaar</a>'s epic remix of <a href="https://twitter.com/flo_tweet">Florence &amp; The Machine</a>'s &#8220;<a href="http://whyd.com/c/54ef48afeaaf62f818ea6ce3">What Kind Of Man</a>.&#8221; For more than 12 minutes the song bounces from Florence&#8217;s voice to deep house echoes to the classic mix of odd percussion sounds that has come to characterize Mr. Jaar&#8217;s prolific career. It&#8217;s a veritable banger of a track from someone so used to exploring the quieter parts of our musical mind. </p><p>Thanks to <a href="http://whyd.com/maxime.mothiron">Maxime M</a> for getting it to us first! </p><iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/193182275&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;visual=true" width="100%" height="450" frameborder="no"></iframe>http://blog.whyd.com/post/112213701285http://blog.whyd.com/post/112213701285Fri, 27 Feb 2015 11:05:31 +0100musictrack of the weekendmaxime mnicolar jaarflorence and the machinewhat kind of manepicpopular musichot tracksEP Review: Edyth - "BARE I"<figure><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/zKNnkduc8/10258491_1525429451051773_4468491817770131254_o.jpg"/></figure><p>As the global music revolution powers forward participants are popping up in the most unlikely places. It&#8217;s not everyday that we hear about artists from Sudan, but today is one of those days, a chance to relish in the unusual, from the talented artist <a href="https://www.facebook.com/edythmusic">Edyth</a>, who just released his first EP, &#8220;<a href="https://soundcloud.com/fakemusicrec/sets/edyth-bare-1">BARE I</a>,&#8221; out now on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fakemusic">FAKE MUSIC</a>.   </p><p><b>Released</b>: February 24, 2015</p><p><b>Genres:</b> Trip hop, UK House</p><p><b>Tracks:</b> 5</p><p><b>Who would like this EP?</b> </p><p>Fans of Bonobo&#8217;s organic beats, and people who like Nightmares on Wax&#8217;s samples. </p><p><b>Our thoughts:</b> </p><p>It&#8217;s hard to construct an atmosphere with an EP, which are usually too short to implant a lasting sense of provenance. Edyth, through a smart use of intratrack layering, has achieved a sense of unity. His samples could&#8217;ve come straight out of an abandoned hangar in London&#8217;s Far East End. The first track, &#8220;Crystxls,&#8221; which feels the most complete out of the five tracks on the album, is something that could be played at get togethers around the world. We hope it will! </p><p><b><a href="https://soundcloud.com/fakemusicrec/sets/edyth-bare-1">Listen to &#8220;Bare&#8221; by Edyth</a></b></p>http://blog.whyd.com/post/112134028385http://blog.whyd.com/post/112134028385Thu, 26 Feb 2015 15:17:57 +0100musicep reviewedythsudantrip hopuk housefake musiccrystxlsbonobonightmare on waxPlaylist of Reference: Blues<figure><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/5gankbxn2/playlistblues.jpg" alt="image"/></figure><p><i>Our Playlist of Reference series has seen a wide range of music, and today we&#8217;re excited to add to that by tackling one of the oldest genres of music: <a href="http://whyd.com/u/50cb50b27e91c862b2a94b5c/playlist/0">Blues</a>. Before Electro Swing, before Rock n Roll, before Jazz, there was the Blues, the picked and strummed guitars, the sadness, the beauty of a raspy voice. The simplicity of the sound. Today&#8217;s playlist is curated by <a href="http://whyd.com/u/50cb50b27e91c862b2a94b5c">Milenko</a>, and as usual, let&#8217;s get the story behind this amazing playlist. </i></p><p><b>When did you start listening to Blues? </b></p><p><b> </b>Since an early age, I was listening to Jazz artists like Duke Ellington, Ray Brown, Count Basie, Herb Ellis, Oscar Peterson, Miles Davis, etc. As my father was a Jazz listener, I think my ears were trained to this genre from the beginning. During adolescence I switched to more Blues Rock artists like Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, The Doors, AC/DC, etc. Then the teenage rebel years, with some Blues-inspired Heavy Rock.  </p><p>Today, while I still listen to Jazz and Blues Rock, I found myself having a preference for Slow and Traditional Blues with people like B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson, John Mayer, Eric Clapton, Joe Bonamassa, ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughan, etc. (There are too many to list!)<b><br/><br/>Did you ever have a moment when you felt like Blues started speaking to you? </b></p><p> Every time, that’s the main effect of Blues. When you listen to a Blues song, it’s not about the technique (Blues scales are quite simple), it’s all about the phrasing, it’s about the way the artist is telling a story with his instrument. Each Blues track is about storytelling. That’s probably why you have so many standard tunes interpreted by so many players, and they are all unique masterpieces. For example, take a song like “Born Under a Bad Sign”, do a simple search on Whyd, and listen to the different version of Albert king, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Cream, Warren Haynes, etc.  They all tell the same story with variations in the phrasing, that’s how the Blues speaks to you. <b><br/><br/>What are some example situations when you would listen to this playlist yourself? </b></p><p><b> </b>I listen to this playlist at work essentially. In fact, the main goal of this playlist is to act as a central repository for all the Blues songs I discover while watching movies, listening to concerts, radio etc. When I find something interesting, I just want to share it with other people hoping they will enjoy it as much as I do. </p><p><b>If you had to choose just one track from this playlist, which one would be your favorite?</b>  </p><p><a href="http://whyd.com/c/514b88da386b8051150032f6">B.B. King - Blues Boys Tune (From B.B. King - Live at Montreux 1</a>993) And because, like in Blues, you don’t have to follow the rules as long as it works and sounds great … My second “just one” would be: <a href="http://whyd.com/c/5342b5601ff9b5ef5f01c1fb">Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood - Voodoo Chile</a><br/></p><p><b>Thanks Milenko! </b></p><p><iframe width="480px" height="454px" frameborder="0" src="http://whyd.com/u/50cb50b27e91c862b2a94b5c/playlist/0?format=embedV2&amp;embedW=480"></iframe></p>http://blog.whyd.com/post/112042351010http://blog.whyd.com/post/112042351010Wed, 25 Feb 2015 14:33:26 +0100musicplaylist of referencebluesb b kingeric claptonsteve winwoodvoodoo chilecreamstevie ray vaughanmilenkobrusselsbelgiumThank You For Everything Adrien<figure><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/66Knka22r/img_1745.jpg" alt="image"/></figure><p>Being in a start up is like being in a family. In our case a band of brothers united by the common desire to make the internet work for us, fusing it with music in a way that no one had done before. There is adversity, there is achievement, and there are emotions, emotions that we all share together. Just like in a family, losing a family member means sadness. The sadness of knowing that they won&#8217;t be there when you arrive in the morning, adding events to their multiple Gmail calendars. The sadness of having one fewer mouth on pizza day. The sadness of knowing that they won&#8217;t be back. </p><p><i>Oui mon p&#8217;tit gars, c&#8217;est comme ça</i></p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Wn_iz8z2AGw" width="420" height="315" frameborder="0"></iframe><p>Today marks the official departure of one of the strands of the DNA of Whyd. The <a href="http://www.adrienjoly.com">developer</a> responsible for coding and building nearly everything we enjoy today. The <a href="http://manisnotabird.bandcamp.com/album/restlessness-ep">rocker</a> responsible for some epic jamming. The friend responsible for endless laughter, mouth trumpeting, and <a href="http://lesjoiesducode.fr/">GIF</a>s. The man responsible for the care taken towards each of his teammates and every visitor that came through <a href="http://www.whyd.com">Whyd</a>. <a href="http://whyd.com/u/4d94501d1f78ac091dbc9b4d">Dr. Adrien Joly</a> is leaving us for the next chapter in his life and career. </p><p><i>Oui mon p&#8217;tit gars, c&#8217;est comme ça</i></p><p>Adrien was here from the very beginning, coding remotely in cafés and in Whyd&#8217;s first incubator. He ventured with Gilles, Jie, and Loick to San Francisco to alternate sleeping in a one bedroom apartment in Chinatown for three months while the young team soaked in the charged atmosphere of California&#8217;s legendary tech mecca. </p><p>He expertly directed the team through a few pivots before the mission became music, and it was here that Adrien truly excelled. He had already hacked together multiple music apps, like his location-based Foursquare app &#8220;Hear I Am&#8221; that he built with Loick, and &#8220;GigFM,&#8221; for creating playlists from upcoming concerts. Whyd was a natural extension of his passions. One that kept him working with us for over four years. </p><p><i>Oui mon p&#8217;tit gars, c&#8217;est comme ça</i></p><p>As the team expanded both in terms of numbers and in terms of geography, Adrien led the development and release of our <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/whyd-music-playlist-discovery/id874380201?mt=8">5-star iOS app</a>. He tutored interns. He kept an impossible number of moving parts aligned to ensure that music lovers could listen on Whyd. And, perhaps most importantly, he tempered the team&#8217;s expectations to protect the functioning of Whyd - to keep it from becoming too complicated, from becoming too heavy to stay afloat. There could have been no replacement for that potent combination of ability, intelligence, and demeanor. Something that is so perfectly summed up in his classic phrase, said with acceptance that some things are not to be changed, but with the hope that there will be another, better option: &#8220;<i>Oui mon p&#8217;tit gars, c&#8217;est comme ça.&#8221;</i></p><p>Adrien is moving to the next challenges that he will face, as he navigates his career helping dreams become reality through technology. We have absolutely no doubt that he will be successful in every problem and opportunity he comes across. We believe that few people on this planet have his methodical ability to break apart obstacles into manageable pieces, then take out each of those pieces with precision. And we will be jealous of each and every person that gets to work with him. </p><p><i>Oui mon p&#8217;tit gars, c&#8217;est comme ça</i></p><p>Never stop jamming, man. </p>http://blog.whyd.com/post/111950307265http://blog.whyd.com/post/111950307265Tue, 24 Feb 2015 14:16:00 +0100adrien jolyWhyd Presents: Austrian Singer-Songwriter James Hersey<figure><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/vqYnk7ybq/10993487_1053480571332262_2985312334173264628_n.jpg"/></figure><p><i>All photos courtesy <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jamesherseymusic">James Hersey&#8217;s Facebook Page</a></i></p><p><b>Hello James! How did your classical upbringing influence the music you make today?</b></p><p>Hi! I really didn’t like being forced to play by notation, but maybe some elements of discipline and focus filtered through from those times.</p><p><b>Walk us through the beginning of your songwriting. Where did your first inspirations come from?</b></p><p>In the beginning I covered a lot of stuff and copied everybody’s style, teaching myself to write songs on the side. Now I work a lot on my own stuff and look for cool covers to learn on the side.</p><figure><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/JMHnk7yc8/10818258_1047666758580310_1012873694552024849_o.jpg"/></figure><p><b>Tell us about your upcoming, debut album &#8220;Clarity.&#8221; How long have you been working on it and who else played an instrumental role in making it a reality?</b></p><p>I worked towards “Clarity” for about one and a half years, though a couple of the songs are older than that. I guess the album wouldn’t exist at all without my manager Gonzalo at Manta Ray, my engineer Thomas at <a href="http://www.puresoundrecordings.com/">Puresound Recordings</a>, and the entire team at <a href="http://www.lichtdicht-records.de/">Lichtdicht Records</a>.</p><figure class="tmblr-embed" data-provider="youtube" data-orig-width="540" data-orig-height="304"><iframe width="500" height="281" id="youtube_iframe" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fb-_Tp9NWLs?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https://safe.txmblr.com&amp;wmode=opaque" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure><p><b>Who should listen to your new album? Fans of which other artists?</b></p><p>People with open ears and open minds! I think that fans of Coldplay, Foster The People, Phoenix, John Mayer, and The Police will dig it.</p><figure><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/jcxnk7ycq/screen_shot_2015-02-23_at_10.55.17.png"/></figure><p><b>Where will you be playing live this year?</b></p><p>Germany, Austria, France, Canada, and the US!<br/></p>http://blog.whyd.com/post/111850370445http://blog.whyd.com/post/111850370445Mon, 23 Feb 2015 11:02:29 +0100interviewwhyd presentsjames herseynew artistlichtdicht recordsaustriasongwritersingerclaritynew albumTrack of the Weekend #123: Sufjan Stevens - "No Shade In The Shadow Of The Cross"<figure><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/REJnk2fjc/tumblr_nishx443ja1rgw0ado1_500.jpg"/></figure><p>We&#8217;ve been busy hooking some new things up this week here at the <a href="http://www.whyd.com">Whyd</a> studio. There are lots of screwdrivers laying among bits of wire. Something truly awesome is coming, and we can&#8217;t wait to tell you about it&#8230;</p><p>But it is also the cat days of winter, where the cold is damp and the rain gets stuck in the air, giving up its quest for the ground. For those of us who are riding out the end of the winter, a melody has resonated. The delicate voice of Michigan&#8217;s own <a href="http://asthmatickitty.com/artists/sufjan-stevens/">Sufjan Stevens</a> delivers a heartbroken message across his signature strums and hums. &#8220;<a href="http://whyd.com/c/54e1f3720b38e24824955a24">No Shade In The Shadow Of The Cross</a>" is his grief pure, a window into the place where the love for his lost mother is hiding in a corner, knee-deep in tears. He lays is bare and clear:   </p><p>&#8221;<i>Fuck me I&#8217;m falling apart</i>" </p><p>Thanks to <a href="http://whyd.com/u/51e41ffb7e91c862b2af2a12">dominique lutier</a> for grabbing this for us! </p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qx1s_3CF07k" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0"></iframe>http://blog.whyd.com/post/111552927695http://blog.whyd.com/post/111552927695Fri, 20 Feb 2015 11:23:54 +0100musicsufjan stevensno shade in the shadow of the crossdominique lutiertrack of the weekendpopular musichot trackswhydcommunityPresenting the Eclectic Sounds of ZEN@<figure><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/dUXnk0t2a/10366137_1528754864041202_6021267352046822023_n.jpg" alt="image"/></figure><p><i>A brand new artist, one who used Whyd as a tool to help start her career, presents herself after releasing her very <a href="https://soundcloud.com/zenaspace">first EP</a>, say hello to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/zenanow">ZEN@</a>. </i></p><p><b>Introduce yourself!</b> </p><p>I grew up in Shanghai, and went to the States for high school and college. I love wandering around, outdoors, tech and the cosmos. The most interesting thing to me at the moment is &#8220;time.&#8221; I like to think it as an object and pretending that some things in the scale of time are fixed. <br/></p><p><b>When did you start writing songs? Can you walk us through your songwriting process?</b></p><p>I started last fall when I was in Shanghai and traveling around Europe. I just write whenever I got an idea, and I picked four to make this album. They were all written in different ways. Both &#8220;<a href="https://soundcloud.com/zenaspace/soundcloud">SoundCloud</a>" and "<a href="https://soundcloud.com/zenaspace/one-of-a-million">One Of A Million</a>" had the chorus first, then I finished the whole songs weeks after. "<a href="https://soundcloud.com/zenaspace/kairos">Kairos</a>" was written over an instrumental track that the producer Bravin, gave me. When I first heard this track, I had the melody of the song right away, so I just asked the producer if I can write a song over it. "<a href="https://soundcloud.com/zenaspace/treasure-island">Treasure Island</a>" was fast. I wrote both the lyrics and melody in one morning. It&#8217;s not really or only about Pirates, but it&#8217;s based on an Oscar-winning documentary film.</p><p>I actually used <a href="http://www.whyd.com">Whyd</a> to communicate ideas and inspirations with my producers. The playlist is the best feature for that!</p><p><b>Which artists have the strongest influence on your music? </b></p><p>Really a lot. I listen to a variety of very international music, from all over the world.</p><p>The strongest influence would be Sia. And even everything evolving around her music is so artistic.</p><p><b>Each of the 4 songs of your EP sound very different, what are some of the common themes that link them together?</b></p><p>Yes, they are! I wanted this album to have songs of very different styles initially, so it ended up like that. I worked with producers from three different countries to make them all sound different. I have many international friends and I love traveling. I guess it&#8217;s important for me to make music that has very diverse elements and feels like traveling. These four songs are still not enough to be diverse. It&#8217;s an experiment. It could be good or bad. A lot of the artists have their very distinctive music style, but I never want to have a specific style. I like changing, as long as the biggest goal is the true emotion with a good melody and lyrics.</p><p>One common theme is that they are all adventurous or about adventures.</p><iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/187046785&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;visual=true" width="100%" height="450" frameborder="no"></iframe><p><b>Tell us about your song &#8220;SoundCloud.&#8221; What&#8217;s it about exactly? </b></p><p>It&#8217;s about graduation from college. I met many cool people in college. They have crazy hair, crazy outfit, crazy attitude, crazy dreams, and crazy cool everything. But when it&#8217;s their fourth year, everything changes. They cut their hair, start to wear black suits, delete all their social network accounts and hide in dorms to prepare for the next job interviews, mostly in finance or consulting. They said they want to work in those industries for two or three years. And afterwards, they would do whatever they are really passionate about. This is just blowing my mind.</p><p>Then I read two really good essays by Marina Keegan that talk about such phenomenon and graduation from college - &#8220;Even Artichokes Have Doubts&#8221; and &#8220;The Opposite Of Loneliness&#8221;. There are some references in &#8220;SoundCloud&#8221; from her essays. She was going to be a writer for The New Yorker, but died in a car accident just five days after her graduation from Yale in 2012. It&#8217;s really sad. She&#8217;s so talented and so inspirational.</p><p><b>What are your plans to develop and promote yourself in 2015?</b></p><p>I don&#8217;t know if I will have time to promote haha</p><p>The priority is to write more good music.</p><p>I definitely hope more people will hear my music. I am also designing and building some stuff. It is primarily about music, but it will also be some other things about creativity. I will probably share some of my crazy inventions there, too. I have more songs to be released very soon.</p><p><b>Thanks <a href="http://zenaspace.com/">ZEN@</a>! </b> <br/></p>http://blog.whyd.com/post/111465481350http://blog.whyd.com/post/111465481350Thu, 19 Feb 2015 14:20:00 +0100interviewnew artistzenamarina keegansongwritingmusic productionwhydDetroit 2000s Hip Hop: Playlist of Reference<figure><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/Wn9njz6xn/playlistjazzz.jpg" alt="image"/></figure><p><i>We have the pleasure of continuing our awesome series featuring the stories behind some of the best playlists representing genres and subgenres of music on <a href="http://www.whyd.com">Whyd</a>. Today, something that hits close to home for our Community Manager. Literally. </i></p><p><i>Detroit is known around the world for the automobile industry. But there is something that Detroit has been producing this whole time as well, an equally international export: music. From the funky days of Motown, to the garage punk epoch, through the rise of electronic and most recently - the advent of Hip Hop, Detroit is in a constant state of creative evolution. Capturing an era that many can point to as its revival, The Backpackerz have put together their latest &#8220;Heavy Rotation&#8221; playlist around Hip Hop from the 2000s, &#8220;<a href="http://whyd.com/u/53726f8971eaec19b57170bd/playlist/67">Detroit Hustles Harder</a>.&#8221; </i> </p><p><b>Can you introduce yourselves? What is the idea behind <a href="http://thebackpackerz.com/">The BackPackerz</a> and when did you get started? </b></p><p>We are Antoine and Hugo, the two co-founders of <a href="http://whyd.com/u/53726f8971eaec19b57170bd">The BackPackerz</a>. We met at Toulouse Business School around 2012 and quickly discovered our common passion for Hip-Hop. Longtime rap addicts, we decided to create The BackPackerz while studying in Barcelona in 2013. In fact, we couldn’t find the type of content about Hip-Hop we’d like to read among the existing websites, especially in French, so we decided to create it ourselves! </p><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheBackPackerzOfficial">The BackPackerz</a> is a web-magazine dedicated to celebrating and educating its readers to Hip-Hop culture. Through in-depth analysis on cultural landmarks, interviews and reviews, the 12 members of our team are creating the freshest online resource for anybody interested in Hip-Hop culture. We also curate the best Hip-Hop events (concerts, festivals, exhibits) in France because HIP-HOP LIVES!</p><p><b>Where does your passion of Hip Hop come from?</b></p><p><b>Antoine</b>: I was introduced to rap music very early, around my second year of middle school, by a friend’s brother who had me listening to NTM, IAM and the whole Hostile posse. At the beginning, I was on French rap mostly because I liked the rebel attitude that came along with it. Then I started to dig into the American rap from the 90s after I got struck by Cut Killer’s mixtape &#8220;Party Jam - 1989&#160;1996, The Golden Age.&#8221; I was in high school when I first heard Nas’s &#8220;Illmatic,&#8221; A Tribe Called Quest’s &#8220;Midnight Marauders&#8221; and Wu-Tang Clan - &#8220;Enter the 36 Chambers&#8221; which are still my all-time favorite albums. At that time, I was spending hours translating lyrics and searching Urban Dictionary (a time before Rap Genius) to get a better understanding of what those cats were saying.</p><p>Later with Olivier Cachin’s books and films like &#8220;Wild Style,&#8221; I discovered Hip-Hop was not only a music genre but also a fascinating culture with other elements like graffiti and dance and tremendous impacts on our modern society. Since then, I kept reading and gathering artifacts (records, films and books) of this sublime culture. A few years ago, I realized this archiving work had to be shared so I decided to launch The BackPackerz with Hugo.</p><p><b>Hugo</b>: My passion for Hip-Hop came later than Antoine’s. In High School, I began to listen to mainstream stuff such as 50 Cent or Eminem and I immediately fell in love with this music because it combined rhythms that made my head bang hard and dope lyrics spit with amazing technicality. Soon I would dig into the history of this genre and couldn’t stop, because every day I would discovered how deep and wide this culture was. At first, I was really into the producers (Preemo, Dilla, Pete Rock, Q-Tip…) and how they chopped samples etc..They were my entry door to real Hip-Hop, more than the MCs. </p><p><b>Tell us about the concept of your Heavy Rotation playlists?</b></p><p>The concept of the Heavy Rotation playlists is to bring to our readers 10 dope tracks every Monday, in order to soften the pain of this particularly hated day of the week. Most of the time you will find a selection of 10 hottest rap songs of the last couple of weeks but sometimes we build playlists around a specific subject: a genre (e.g <a href="http://whyd.com/u/53726f8971eaec19b57170bd/playlist/56">beatmaking edition</a>) a specific technique (e.g <a href="http://whyd.com/u/53726f8971eaec19b57170bd/playlist/39">brass edition</a>) or for a special occasion like this “Detroit Hustles Harder” edition for J Dilla month. There is no rule, it just depends on our mood! Now our readers are really looking forward for them to come out, because you know “Fuck it’s Monday&#8230;but at least I’m gonna hear dope music!”</p><p><b>What&#8217;s special about this Post 2000 Detroit Hip Hop playlist? </b></p><p>Originally, the idea of the post 2000 Detroit rap playlist came up while we were preparing our interview with Detroit superstars Phat Kat, Elzhi and Guilty Simpson (that we will drop in a couple of weeks). As we were deep-digging into our hard drives, we were amazed to see how prolific and brilliant the Detroit scene was in the 2K decade. From Slum Village, to Elzhi, Black Milk or the great Apollo Brown; it seems that Detroit has never stop shining since we changed millennium. </p><p>On top of that, releasing a fine selection of the dopest tracks from Detroit rappers was exactly what The BackPackerz is meant for: curate history to educate and entertain. The purpose of this playlist - along our <a href="http://thebackpackerz.com/dossier-detroit-state-of-mind/">article Detroit State Of Mind</a> - is for our readers and followers to discover / remember the greatness of this scene over the past 20 years.</p><p>Curating the playlist, we realized this excellence would not have been the same without a man: James Dewitt Yancey a.k.a J Dilla or Jay Dee, one of the greatest producer of all time. If you look at the playlist, you’ll find Jay Dee’s legacy in almost every single track: as a producer, an influencer or in the lyrics. We decided to release this special Heavy Rotation in February since it is known among his fans as “J Dilla month” (as he was born and died during the month of February).</p><iframe src="http://whyd.com/u/53726f8971eaec19b57170bd/playlist/67?format=embedV2&amp;embedW=480" width="480px" height="454px" frameborder="0"></iframe>http://blog.whyd.com/post/111382075685http://blog.whyd.com/post/111382075685Wed, 18 Feb 2015 17:26:00 +0100musicplaylist of referencedetroithip hopdetroit hustles harderj dillathe backpackerzrapThe Art of the Rework - The Avener Answers Your Questions [LONG FORM INTERVIEW]<figure><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/80cnjva40/10997372_1592143764334101_28025481450924219_n.jpg" alt="image"/></figure><p><i>A heavily bearded technical team sets up instruments on a packed stage while multicolored lights reflect brightly from the walls of the popular French TV Show &#8220;<a href="http://www.france5.fr/emissions/c-a-vous">C A Vous</a>.&#8221; The kitchen of the hidden studio in the 11ème has elegant-looking appliances. Everything gleans in stark contrast to the rainy grey courtyard outside. </i></p><p><i>The hubbub is all for their latest episode, featuring a true <a href="http://www.whyd.com">Whyd</a> favorite: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/theavenermusic">The Avener</a>, whose track &#8220;<a href="http://whyd.com/c/54c0ca5c10a26a86570ad101">Fade Out Lines</a>" has been sitting in the top 10 of the Hot Tracks for months on end. It&#8217;s in a small office stocked with Mars bars to the side of the studio that we finally meet Tristan from Nice, the French artist who has just released his album "<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/fr/album/the-wanderings-of-the-avener/id947857235">The Wanderings of The Avener</a>,&#8221; and who is about to perform for the French public at large for the very first time. </i></p><p><i>If he was nervous, it was transmuted into warm friendliness. He sits down, cigarette in hand, ready to answer the Whyd community&#8217;s questions. We have 10 minutes. The mic clicks on. </i></p><p><i>This interview is translated from French. Tony Hymes for Whyd in <b>bold</b>. All photos, (except the selfie!) courtesy <a href="https://www.facebook.com/theavenermusic">The Avener&#8217;s Facebook page</a>.  </i> </p><p><b>In your new album there are a lot of reworks. W<b>hen you create a remix</b> do you try to break something down, or do you try to build something on top of what exists?</b> </p><p><b>Tristan:</b> That depends on the song that I use to do my rework. Sometimes I have to do a lot more, to change a lot of the arrangements, and sometimes just adding a bit of salt and pepper is all it takes to season the plate! So it depends, for example sometimes I&#8217;ll use a dozen or so tracks, and there are other times where I will use more than 50 tracks! </p><figure><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/7Tpnjva4p/screen_shot_2015-02-16_at_14.37.23.png" alt="image"/></figure><p><b>Let&#8217;s use your new remix of Rodriguez as an example.</b> </p><p><b>Tristan:</b> Rodriguez&#8217;s (&#8220;Hate Street Dialogue&#8221;) was a song that was rather easy to create because the heart was already there. All I wanted to do was amplify the rock aspect and make it more appropriate for the club. For that one I used about a dozen tracks to modify it. </p><p><b>How do you choose the songs that you remix?</b></p><p><b>Tristan:</b> It&#8217;s really just music I like from my years as a DJ. With my DJ background I&#8217;ve played a lot of music, from funk to soul to house, and there are tracks that I can&#8217;t really play sometimes, because if I did it would empty the dance floor! So I tried to modify the tracks that I wanted to play, but wasn&#8217;t able to, and that&#8217;s how this album was born. </p><p><b>You have a classic music formation, notably the piano, but it&#8217;s not something that we take from your latest album. So does that serve something for you?</b></p><p><b>Tristan:</b> Classical music helps me with music in general, with the notes, understanding, and writing sheet music. For this album it helped from a technical standpoint, and didn&#8217;t really serve as a source of inspiration. Having a classical background is a big advantage to make music, but orchestrally speaking it&#8217;s difficult to bring that into this type of music. </p><p><b>What do the artists that you remixed think of your remixes? Phoebe Killdeer (&#8220;Fade Out Lines&#8221;) for example?</b> </p><p><b>Tristan:</b> She was the first test. Phoebe Killdeer loved the track, but at the beginning she didn&#8217;t want to have her name attached to it, because it wasn&#8217;t in her overall artistic direction. She was, however, really happy with it. For the other artists, some of whom were collaborators, like Rodriguez, they love it, so it&#8217;s a huge joy for me. </p><p><b>Who are your influences? Who do you look up to?</b> </p><p><b>Tristan:</b> My music comes from different places. I listen to a lot of music, I&#8217;m very eclectic, at home or when I&#8217;m DJing. There are a lot of artists that influence me. It&#8217;s true that I spent 10 years in classical music so I have a lasting adoration for Beethoven, and Bach, they are THE composers, and no one from today will arrive at their level, they have so much unique musicality. They are still my favorites to this day. </p><figure><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/Pbqnjva59/img_1726.jpg" alt="image"/></figure><p><b>Are there artists that you don&#8217;t like? Maybe not artists, that might burn some bridges, but are there styles of music that you don&#8217;t like?</b> </p><p><b>Tristan: </b>There are some genres that I appreciate a little bit less. But I am still a student of music, so when there is a style that I don&#8217;t like, I try to figure out what the artist was trying to do. I never say &#8220;that doesn&#8217;t sound good.&#8221; There are always good songs in every style of music, you just have to find them. </p><p><b>You&#8217;re labelled as being deep house, but on the new album there is a lot more. Are there other styles that you are moving closer towards? A bit of folk maybe? </b></p><p><b>Tristan:</b> Yes! This album is sort of a voyage between different epochs and different styles. And finally I can re-vindicate my eclecticism because it&#8217;s not easy for an artist to be so diverse with their music to say &#8220;I make all music.&#8221; It&#8217;s complicated to say that. This album is about sharing, it&#8217;s surrounded by my influences, so it&#8217;s a journey among lot of different points.</p><p><b>Would you classify your music as being French?</b> </p><p><b>Tristan:</b> I would like that! I definitely like the &#8220;French Touch&#8221; period, which had a big influence on me. But now do I bring anything new to this &#8220;French Touch&#8221; compared to other artists? I hope to have that energy. </p><p>Now I have fans that come from all over the world, not just in France, like Germany, Switzerland, Australia, South Korea, there are lots of people that loved the first single, and that makes me happy! <br/></p><p><b>When you are aren&#8217;t making music, what do you do for fun?</b></p><p><b>Tristan:</b> When I don&#8217;t make music I play music! :) </p><p>I have a second passion, aviation, so I&#8217;m in the process of getting my private pilot&#8217;s license. </p><p><b>Awesome! At least you&#8217;ll have a great soundtrack to fly to!</b> </p><p><b>Tristan:</b> Voilà! </p>http://blog.whyd.com/post/111175103150http://blog.whyd.com/post/111175103150Mon, 16 Feb 2015 14:42:00 +0100interviewthe avenerfade out linesrodriguezremixfrench touchtristannicefrancec a vousstudiodeep housefolkTrack of the Weekend #122: Kendrick Lamar - "The Blacker The Berry"<figure><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/VLznjpg2m/1556365_10152290789958092_885501008_o.jpg" alt="image"/></figure><p>We&#8217;re only at the middle of February, on the historically superstitious day of Friday the 13th, and already one of the year&#8217;s biggest releases has reverberated around the globe propelling the single to the top of the Hot Tracks here in Paris. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kendricklamar">Kendrick Lamar</a> just scooped up a GRAMMY for best rap performance for &#8220;i&#8221; (for which he also claimed the much more prestigious Whyd <a href="http://blog.whyd.com/post/98454424480/track-of-the-weekend-103-kendrick-lamar-i">Track of the Weekend</a>), and his newest effort &#8220;<a href="http://whyd.com/c/54d960350b38e248248df523">The Blacker The Berry</a>" encapsulates the perilous state of race, spitting his signature verses with anger across reggae calls all summed up with the proud statement: "<i>The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice.</i>" </p><p>A big thanks to <a href="http://whyd.com/u/5394e84c66491c17b2ad5f2e">Encee x Kalab&#8217;s</a> for getting it to Whyd first! </p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6AhXSoKa8xw" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0"></iframe>http://blog.whyd.com/post/110887316510http://blog.whyd.com/post/110887316510Fri, 13 Feb 2015 11:05:00 +0100musictrack of the weekendkendrick lamarthe blacker the berryenceekalabwhydrapnew releasehot musicMusic Creation, Heartbreak + Intercontinental Collaboration: DYLLAN Interview<figure><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/pGXnjnuft/dyllan_press_photo_2.jpg" alt="image"/></figure><p><b>Hello <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dylanicholsmusic">DYLLAN</a>! How&#8217;s it going? Can you take us through a quick recap of your musical life? You&#8217;ve been at this since you were quite young! </b></p><p>Hello! It&#8217;s going well, thank you! Yes, I&#8217;ve been writing songs since I was twelve and started playing shows in my hometown (Los Angeles) at fifteen. In high school I recorded my first EP and I recorded my second, &#8220;Anything But Scared,&#8221; my first year of college. </p><p>I studied music there but I also studied film and literature. I lived in Paris for a year where I studied le cinéma français and le dessin. I played some shows there and connected with some great musicians. After college I moved to Brooklyn where I&#8217;m now living, producing music out of my apartment. </p><figure><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/Lk6njnui5/dyllan_press_photo_1.jpg" alt="image"/></figure><p><b>Why did you start writing music? Were you inspired by themes in your life? Or were you inspired by other musicians?</b> </p><p>My first influence (and constant idol) is Joni Mitchell. And Jeff Buckley. There is so much depth to their work - their lyrics are poetry. I had always wanted to sing but I was too shy, so I picked up a guitar first. Eventually I sang along, and then started writing my own stuff. To this day I am constantly writing songs, and yes, they are usually about heartbreak. </p><p>Songwriting is therapeutic for me. It&#8217;s a necessity. I am not a diligent worker, though, so going out and seeing shows is what inspires me to sit down and write. Or to go out and play!</p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O7_oUQgDeg8" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><b>How did you start working with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thylacine.w">THYLACINE</a>? How did you end up coming to Paris in the first place? </b></p><p>As I said, I moved to Paris for my junior year abroad in college. Ironically, it wasn&#8217;t until after I had left that I discovered THYLACINE&#8217;s music and decided to contact him. I thought he might be interested in working with me and he was. This was how we did our first collaboration, &#8220;<a href="http://whyd.com/c/54a63d17766dc2c66d4a4dec">Distance</a>.&#8221; I had written a song called &#8220;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQUhERgr61M">NYLAPARIS</a>" and sent it to him. He took my vocals and composed original music around it. I think the result was quite beautiful and unique. </p><p>Our second collaboration, &#8220;<a href="http://whyd.com/c/54dca7040b38e2482491921c">Closing</a>" was yet another virtual collaboration but with the opposite arrangement - he sent me an instrumental track he had produced and I wrote, recorded and arranged the vocals at home in Brooklyn. I&#8217;m also very pleased with the result and amazed that he and I have still never met in person! I look forward to him making a trip to New York soon so we can fix that. </p><figure><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/uZKnjnuj4/dyllan_press_photo_3.jpg" alt="image"/></figure><p><b>What can we look forward to from you in 2015?</b></p><p>I have quite a few projects to release this year! Notably, the single and music video for my new song &#8220;Moments Like These&#8221; will release in March. We funded the whole thing through Indiegogo so I am really excited to share it. Following that, I&#8217;ll release my next new single &#8220;Try&#8221; in April. <a href="http://www.dyllanmusic.com">Stay tuned</a> and thanks so much! </p>http://blog.whyd.com/post/110807486655http://blog.whyd.com/post/110807486655Thu, 12 Feb 2015 14:24:00 +0100interviewdyllandylan nicholsclosingthylacinemoments like thesetrydistanceLAbrooklynpariscollaborationsongwritingheartbreakmusic creationPlaylist of Reference: Jazz<figure><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/6ncnjm5k7/playlistjazzz.jpg" alt="image"/></figure><p><i>Onward. The next installment of our awesome Playlist of Reference series moves to the eccentric world of <a href="http://whyd.com/u/4fb118c368b1a410ecdc0058/playlist/14">Jazz</a>, curated by one of the Whyd team members, <a href="http://www.whyd.com/tony">the one</a> that wears bowties with ducks on them. Let&#8217;s get the story behind the playlist:</i></p><p><b>When did you start listening to Jazz?</b> </p><p>I went to a jazz club once on a high school trip to New York City. There was something so alluring about the environment. I felt like we were there to listen to the musicians, not just there to listen to a repertoire of music performed by a band I liked. No two performances can be the same. </p><p><b>Did you ever have a moment when you felt like Jazz started speaking to you?</b> </p><p>Seeing Jazz live was always special, but I admit I didn&#8217;t listen to it much outside of those occasions. It wasn&#8217;t until I was working on art projects when I lived in New York City that I would put on Jazz radio as my soundtrack to creation. </p><p>Recently here in Paris, the advent of Electro Swing and Electro Jazz, combined with the awesome Whyd community, have given me more reasons to listen to it! <br/><br/><b>What are some example situations when you would listen to this playlist yourself?</b> </p><p>Jazz is Sunday afternoons. Painting, working on art projects, writing, reading. Jazz is unique in the sense that it can be the soundtrack to anything you want. For me, it fades into my thoughts, giving them a hop they wouldn&#8217;t normally have. <br/><br/><b> If you had to choose just one track from this playlist, which one would be your favorite?</b> </p><p>God I hate this question! (And I wrote it!) but I just think that Duke Ellington hits the notes that I would hit if I were a legendary musician. Particularly &#8220;Jeep&#8217;s Blues.&#8221; It&#8217;s got a vibrancy in its sadness, and it&#8217;s catchy as hell. <br/><br/></p><iframe src="http://whyd.com/u/4fb118c368b1a410ecdc0058/playlist/14?format=embedV2&amp;embedW=480" width="480px" height="454px" frameborder="0"></iframe>http://blog.whyd.com/post/110725739930http://blog.whyd.com/post/110725739930Wed, 11 Feb 2015 16:27:00 +0100musicplaylist of referencetony hymesjazzelectro swingelectro jazzjazz clubnew york citypariscommunity managerwhydThe Dreamy Electro Folk of Isaac Delusion [LONG FORM INTERVIEW]<figure><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/ff31a9d8adf72ec6223ff996f3ce137d/tumblr_inline_nji8pdPaSO1qf8f43.jpg" alt="image"/></figure><p><i>Rain patters quietly on the windows of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/La-F%C3%A9e-Verte/165366666812201">La Fée Verte</a>, a cozy café on the normally raucous Rue de la Roquette a few Eiffel Towers from Bastille. It&#8217;s late afternoon, some Parisians tap away their last work emails. The beer taps open for a couple of new arrivals. </i></p><p><i>In through the door come two new visitors to the café, Loic and Jules, a.k.a. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IsaacDelusion">Isaac Delusion</a>. Their friendliness is immediate. I explain to them that we had sourced questions from their fans on <a href="http://www.whyd.com">Whyd</a>. They are excited to answer, at ease with anecdotes and information, outgoing and happy. </i></p><p><i>The following is translated from French.</i> <i>Tony Hymes for Whyd in <b>bold. </b>All photos courtesy Isaac Delusion&#8217;s Facebook Page.<b> </b></i>   </p><p><b>Tell us about the origin of the group, was this originally something that kind of came together, or was it something that you were really trying to make work?</b></p><p><b>Jules:</b> We have known each other since middle school in Vincennes, and we each made music in our own ways, we decided to do something together. </p><p><b>And when you say &#8220;made music,&#8221; you played the violin? </b></p><p><b>Jules:</b> No, neither of us has a formal musical training, but Loic played the guitar, composed music, sang. He had a folk group. And I made electronic music, at home on my computer, making little tracks.</p><p><b>So it was really the desire to do something musical, not really something that came from the structure of formal musical training expectation.</b> </p><p><b>Jules:</b> In fact we never thought about releasing an album, or how we would perform on stage. The music was between us, we saw each other on Sundays, went to the cinema, and afterwards made music together. </p><p><b>So what was the first moment working together?</b></p><p><b>Loic:</b> Jules had traveled a lot, and he had just come back from Australia, and I had advanced with my music group, and I started singing, because before then I didn&#8217;t sing, I just played the guitar. I started singing in a way that was heavily influenced by the jazz greats like Chet Baker, and Jules told me, &#8220;That sounds good! I like when you sing like that, let&#8217;s try to do something with it.&#8221; At the start it was just for fun. I went to his place, we played around for a few hours, singing &#8220;yogurt&#8221; and in doing that we succeeded in creating a song! </p><p><b>What did you think about this first track? Did you think, &#8220;shit, we can share this with people?&#8221;</b> </p><p><b>Jules:</b> I still love that first song, it has very few elements, it&#8217;s very simple, but it&#8217;s something that works. It&#8217;s really a chill track. Voice, guitar, a little beat. </p><p><b>The style of your music is really the music of dreams, like a pillow on a Sunday morning, pleasant. Is that because you love to sleep? Or is it the style that you like the most? Or is it just because you&#8217;re really good at producing it?</b> </p><p><b>Jules:</b> What I like in the music is a mix of grooves, sexy rhythms, and dreaminess, the mix of these emotions is something that I like to create. </p><p><b>Loic:</b> I think it&#8217;s also just the mix that we make, Jules has ideas that develop around the things that are more groovy, hip hop, soul. And I am a bit more indie, electro, listening to a lot of Postal Service. The more we listen to this type of music the more we get towards the groovier side, or listening to Thom Yorke, things where there is rhythm but it&#8217;s still floating. </p><p><b>Yeah, it&#8217;s not music that&#8217;s really well-defined, crystalline, it&#8217;s more nebulous.</b> </p><p><b>Loic:</b> Yes, that&#8217;s it!</p><figure><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/c2c3272b62cba2a23c16d7a381eaef16/tumblr_inline_nji8seyUxr1qf8f43.png" alt="image"/></figure><p><b>In about a month, you are going to play at the Olympia. You&#8217;ve already played at some awesome venues in Paris but the Olympia is still a rather mythical place. How do you feel about that concert?</b> </p><p><b>Loic:</b> Create magic, that&#8217;s the most important.</p><p><b>Jules:</b> We are going to try to deserve it. Do something that aligns with our styles: dreamy, mystique, nebulous. Something that comes out of the water. </p><p><b>Is there pressure?</b></p><p><b>Jules:</b> Yes there is a bit of pressure, but we don&#8217;t really feel it that way. </p><p><b>Loic:</b>  There is also the thing that because it&#8217;s the Olympia, we have to make sure that we are perfect, we have to come well-dressed, but the best way to succeed at a concert is to not stress, but to think about it as only happiness. For you, and for the people that are going to come and listen to you. If you think about things like &#8220;The Beatles played here&#8230;&#8221; no, you have to be cool. The music is cool, the music is relaxed, we have to be the same. </p><p><b>Jules:</b> That&#8217;s true, and in talking about the big venues, Trianon, etc. They were concerts where there was a pressure, it&#8217;s your head on the flyer, it&#8217;s a big room, and when we feel that stress we have the impression that it doesn&#8217;t go as well. We aren&#8217;t in the pleasure of the moment. As soon as there is a bit of stress there are emotions that become parasites, and we can&#8217;t let that block us when we plan for the concert at Olympia. </p><p><b>You have to remain faithful to the music, it&#8217;s already made, so stick to it. Share the happiness.</b> </p><p><b>Loic:</b> Voilà</p><iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/184871252&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;visual=true" width="100%" height="450" frameborder="no"></iframe><p><b>We have a couple of questions from your fans about your cover of Lou Reed&#8217;s &#8220;Take A Walk on the Wild Side.&#8221; Which was a Whyd track of the weekend. How did you approach this cover? Where did the idea come from?</b></p><p><b>Loic:</b> It was a track that I always listened to, it&#8217;s a monument. It&#8217;s true that I just started to pick up my guitar and I found the chords by ear. I started singing along and my girlfriend was behind me and she said &#8220;I really like how that sounds, that&#8217;s really cool. It&#8217;s great how you sing it.&#8221; So I thought OK! And I recorded the piece in one take that evening with my son singing along in his baby talk. </p><p><b>In fact that&#8217;s the second question from your fans, because people didn&#8217;t recognize your voice.</b> </p><p><b>Loic:</b> That was because my son, who has started to speak little words, was going &#8220;bah, bah, bah&#8221; and at the beginning I wanted to remove it. But I shared it with Jules and a few other friends and they said no! Keep it! </p><p><b>Jules:</b> It&#8217;s going to be difficult for the royalty payments&#8230;:)</p><p><b>After how well that cover worked out, do you plan on doing more of them? Maybe in the same style?</b></p><p><b>Loic:</b> You know, with the Lou Reed cover, I thought it was a little presumptuous to take on a huge track like that. So I think the best way to approach a cover is to make it simple. Try to build something that works on top of the song that&#8217;s already been created, respecting it. </p><iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/176224254&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;visual=true" width="100%" height="450" frameborder="no"></iframe><p><b>Is that the same idea with remixes? Because you remixed La Fille aux Cheveux de Soie by Fránçois and the Atlas Mountains. Or is that something different?</b></p><p><b>Jules:</b> To make a remix is to do something different, to leave the realm of the song for something different. It&#8217;s not the same as a cover. </p><p><b>And do you continue to make remixes? There are demands now from fans to release new music. Do you feel like you have to release things?</b></p><p><b>Jules:</b> No, not really. We&#8217;re going to release a new single very soon, that&#8217;s just a little track so that we continue to write and release music. We still do a few remixes, not a ton, but yes a few. We&#8217;ve got a new one coming out soon. You can&#8217;t disappear for too long. </p><p><b>Loic:</b> I think that the evolution of music is a path. It&#8217;s starting to become like a free-for-all, as soon as artists have ideas they communicate all the time, they release EPs, albums, there aren&#8217;t rules anymore. I think for us we try to stay in the cycle of creativity, always with new ideas but not necessarily thinking about the marketing behind it. </p><p><b>Jules:</b> And as soon as we do a track we can always find things wrong with it so we have to push it out otherwise it will never be released! </p><p><b>Loic:</b> I&#8217;m a huge fan of Sufjan Stevens, in terms of productivity the guy is incredible, he&#8217;s always releasing stuff and I appreciate his generosity. </p><p><b>Last question. When you&#8217;re not making music, what do you do for fun?</b> </p><p><b>Jules:</b> We love the cinema. </p><p><b>Loick:</b> Yesterday we went to see Whiplash, it was incredible. </p>http://blog.whyd.com/post/110535056795http://blog.whyd.com/post/110535056795Mon, 09 Feb 2015 13:51:00 +0100interviewisaac delusionjulesloicla fee vertelou reedcovertrack of the weekendwalk on the wild sidecinemaolympiafrancois and the atlas mountainsfolkelectronicadreamTrack of the Weekend #121: L'Impératrice - "Vanilla Fraise"<figure class=""><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/mtUnjcel7/screen_shot_2015-02-06_at_10.04.25.png"/></figure><p>The cold is instilled in our bones here in Paris. Our breaths smoke like dragons. Les chauffages are bien allumés. Luckily for us, there is sound, and when that sound is beautiful, with a little boogie, it&#8217;s enough to shake the chill from our souls. </p><p>This week that funk is &#8220;<a href="http://whyd.com/c/54c90975d3fa2b1220f5284f">Vanilla Fraise</a>" (Strawberry Vanilla) by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Je.Suis.Imperatrice">L&#8217;Impératice</a>, a light-hearted romp that is reminiscent of the glory days of Rinôçérôse or Air, French electronica at its most delicious. It&#8217;s easy to see why it was the most popular track on <a href="http://www.whyd.com/hot">Whyd</a> this week. </p><p>Thanks to <a href="http://whyd.com/u/5107d56c7e91c862b2aa8700">Cédric L.</a> for sharing it with us!  </p><p><iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/188294794&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;visual=true" width="100%" height="450" frameborder="no"></iframe></p>http://blog.whyd.com/post/110238401740http://blog.whyd.com/post/110238401740Fri, 06 Feb 2015 10:03:00 +0100musictrack of the weekendl'impératricevanilla fraiserinoceroseairfrench electronicacoldpariswhydcommunitycedric lEP Review: THYLACINE - "Exil"<figure class=""><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/JcMnjb1xz/10896957_994039610623410_7751706534041886152_n.jpg" alt="image"/></figure><p>The French artist <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thylacine.w">THYLACINE</a>, originally from Angers, just received the honor of the <a href="http://blog.whyd.com/post/109572710645/track-of-the-weekend-120-thylacine-closing">track of the weekend</a> with &#8220;Closing&#8221; feat. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dylanicholsmusic">Dyllan</a>. It&#8217;s the third track on his new EP &#8220;Exil&#8221; which came out last week. So how does the EP stack up?<br/></p><p><b>Released</b>: January 26, 2015</p><p><b>Genres:</b> Electronic, minimal, trip hop</p><p><b>Tracks:</b> 4</p><p><b>Who would like this EP?</b> </p><p>Fans of Wood Kid&#8217;s orchestral harmonies, and people who like Kavinsky&#8217;s beats. </p><p><b>Our thoughts:</b> </p><p>Though there are certainly some unique elements at play, mashing harmonies on top of the hollowness of something deep, this EP is a product of a lot that came before it. The highlight track, &#8220;<a href="http://whyd.com/sc/shareyoursongs/thylacine-closing-feat-dyllan">Closing</a>,&#8221; features the pleasantly subdued and haunting voice of Dyllan, an element that could&#8217;ve taken the other tracks on &#8220;<a href="http://thylacine.bandcamp.com/">Exil</a>" much further. Instead the three other tracks swerve between strings, minimal beats, and trip, making for a pleasant listen but one that remains more shallow than complex.  </p><p><b><a href="http://thylacine.bandcamp.com/">Listen to Exil by THYLACINE</a> </b></p>http://blog.whyd.com/post/110164078535http://blog.whyd.com/post/110164078535Thu, 05 Feb 2015 16:34:00 +0100musicep reviewthylacineexilclosingdyllanwhydcriticPlaylist of Reference: Rock!<figure class=""><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/w4Bnj8zx7/playlistrock.jpg"/></figure><p><i>The next in our incredible series of Playlists of Reference we tackle a beast: the world of rock music. This week&#8217;s playlist is curated by <a href="http://whyd.com/u/53a8707366491c17b2adcbe3">Tom P.</a> who has dedicated a significant amount of time into this monster of a playlist with<b> 871</b> tracks for your listening pleasure. It has earned the exclamation point. But first, let&#8217;s get the story behind the playlist.</i> </p><p><b>When did you start listening to rock music?</b></p><p>In the late 60&#8217;s, a vibrant time with some great music. </p><p><b>Did you ever have a moment when you felt like rock started speaking to you?</b></p><p>Yes, many of these songs spoke for a generation of your people then and left us with many good memories. For me, early favorites included Iron Butterfly - &#8220;In A Gadda Da Vida,&#8221; Uriah Heep - &#8220;Salisbury,&#8221; and later classics like Led Zeppelin&#8217;s &#8220;Stairway to Heaven&#8221; and &#8220;Black Dog.&#8221;</p><p>I really enjoyed classics from the Doobie Brothers and Kansas (especially &#8220;Dust in the Wind&#8221; and &#8220;Incomudro.&#8221;) Also can&#8217;t forget great jazz-fusion-rock from Santana and Jethro Tull, as well as hard-driving blues-rock from the Allman Brothers and Little Feat. Where do I stop? There&#8217;s also BTO, Bad Company, Lynyrd Skynyrd - &#8220;Free Bird,&#8221; Fleetwood Mac - &#8220;Hypnotized,&#8221; Van Halen &amp; Sammy Hagar - &#8220;I Can&#8217;t Drive 55&#8221; and on and on. </p><p><b>What are some example situations when you would listen to this playlist yourself?</b> </p><p>I enjoy many diverse musical styles now, including jazz, blues, gospel, world, and classical. But classic &amp; fusion rock are still great for pumping up the adrenaline. Can&#8217;t think of a bad time to listen to good rock, except perhaps when it&#8217;s time to chill. Listening to many kinds of music now, occasionally I&#8217;ll &#8220;cleanse the palette&#8221; with some good rock. </p><p><b>If you had to choose just one track from this playlist, which one would be your favorite?</b></p><p>Hard to choose, but I&#8217;ll go with &#8220;Salisbury&#8221; by Uriah Heep, for great musicality and an early mix of styles. </p><p><iframe src="http://whyd.com/u/53a8707366491c17b2adcbe3/playlist/8?format=embedV2&amp;embedW=480" width="480px" height="454px" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>http://blog.whyd.com/post/110064949225http://blog.whyd.com/post/110064949225Wed, 04 Feb 2015 13:58:48 +0100musicplaylist of referencetom puterbaughrockjethro tullallman brothersuriah heepsalisburykansasdoobie brothersled zeppelinstairway to heavenblack dogiron butterflyWiseSound - Playlist Series, Live Reviews + Albums of the Month [INTERVIEW]<figure class=""><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/F90nj784j/site.jpg" alt="image"/></figure><p><b>Hello! When did you start <a href="http://www.wisesound.fr/">WiseSound</a>? How did you get the idea?</b></p><p>Hello Whyd! Before I was in the habit of sending a bunch of MP3s of new discoveries in electro-pop, rock, or techno-house in monthly emails to about 50 of my friends, along with a list of concerts coming up that month with the question: &#8220;who&#8217;s coming with me?&#8221; Basically it was to share my new favorites and have some company when I went to see their shows&#8230; The lists got longer and longer and a few people recommended that I put it online. WiseSound has existed since January 2014. It&#8217;s our first birthday! </p><p><b>You do a lot of <a href="http://www.wisesound.fr/category/webzine/live-report/">live reviews</a> on WiseSound. What are the fundamental parts of a good live review? Do you ever give bad live reviews?</b></p><p>To give a great show, you need emotion. Whether it&#8217;s the crazy jumps of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/birthofjoy">Birth of Joy</a> or the crystal voice of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Goldfrapp">Goldfrapp</a> with a classical orchestra, the performance must be felt like a trance that connects the group to their audience. I try not to be objective, that&#8217;s not the goal, but to be faithful to what I&#8217;m witnessing in that moment. I even admit sometimes to shedding a tear, completely transported. </p><figure class=""><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/zvCnj783w/cvdos.jpg" alt="image"/></figure><p>I also write when I am disappointed about shows, when I was bored with the nonchalance of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wearethedrums">The Drums</a> or the last sloppy performance of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/whomadewho">WhoMadeWho</a> who seemed like they preferred to have fun rather than playing their tracks properly. I describe the scene but also the audience, and in doing that there are also a couple of fun bits that come out of it all. </p><p>For festivals, I would like to do more video reports like for the Plages Electroniques but I don&#8217;t have a good camera yet! Check this out! </p><p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/drLSrAwFwtc" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0"></iframe></p><p><b>How do you pick which album of the month to review?</b> </p><p>Now that is purely subjective. The album of the month is supposed to be the album where I appreciate every track without skipping any of them. For example I didn&#8217;t find an album like this between the new <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BlackStrobe.Official">Black Strobe</a> in October and the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ghostculture">Ghost Culture</a> album in January, so I didn&#8217;t do the feature. </p><p>Sometimes, I feature an album that&#8217;s not very recent, like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pvtpvt">PVT</a>'s album from 2013 for example, where I just absolutely had to talk about it, so much had I listened to it enthusiastically on repeat. Taking a step back, I realize that these are usually very rich albums presenting sonic research or unexpected rhythms, and an explosive mix of multiple genres. The group must not close itself into producing the same pop track from 1 to 12, that's boring as hell. So that's why I love groups like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/botoxmusic">Bot&#8217;Ox</a>, those who touch everything and with verve! Everything that stays in my electro-pop, rock, and techno-house head, of course. </p><p><b>How do you select tracks for your playlist series <a href="http://www.wisesound.fr/wiselist-21/">WiseList</a>? Who should listen to these playlists?</b> </p><p>Everyday, I listen to the latest releases and the small lines in festival line ups to find new tracks, I also keep up to date with magazine, blogs, and other publications. And as soon as one resonates with me, hop! I add it to <a href="http://www.whyd.com">Whyd</a>. Then I go through those tracks every two weeks cutting out everything except for 20 straight up bombs. </p><p>Who should listen to WiseLists? Well everyone in the world, of course! The alternative rock barflies, just like the dancers at electro parties, or people let down by what&#8217;s on FM wavelengths. Maybe even people with a penchant for underground or those who are sick of commercial dance and R&amp;B.</p><p>From the synth-pop to the house-techno passing by rock, the specter is rather large to please everyone. Dare to discover something else: very talented artists who need you to hear them or simply to continue to create!</p><figure class=""><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/3Stnj782n/cvanonymeqr.jpg" alt="image"/></figure><p><b>Do you have any plans for 2015 and beyond?</b>  </p><p>For the moment the project is still small and new but ideas are coming together. Maybe starting to build a voluntary team, constructing partnerships around events, finding a webmaster to improve the site and propose different interactions between visitors, bring in video formats for interviews. I&#8217;ve received a few propositions, need to consider them&#8230; In any case, I will continue to promote people that deserve it and I will try to bring more and more people with me to concerts using contests with free places to win! </p>http://blog.whyd.com/post/109975334455http://blog.whyd.com/post/109975334455Tue, 03 Feb 2015 15:00:00 +0100interviewwisesoundfrench music blogbirth of joygoldfrappbot'oxconcert reviewswiselistplaylist serieswhydplages electroniquesvideoMilky Chance Interview: Passion, Spontaneity, and Creating "Sadnecessary"<figure class=""><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/NEqnj59ep/milkychancelondon5_james_kendall.jpg" alt="image"/></figure><p><i>You know their song &#8220;<a href="http://whyd.com/c/53ba49e30a84539f2901b3c1">Stolen Dance</a>,&#8221; you know how well it rhymes with their name, but what else do you know about <a href="https://www.facebook.com/milkychancemusic">Milky Chance</a>? The German duo answers your questions in this Whyd interview: </i><b> </b></p><p><b>Your humble beginnings are well-documented. When you were in your home-made studio cutting &#8220;<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/nz/album/sadnecessary/id881470692">Sadnecessary</a>" what were your realistic expectations?</b></p><p>We did not have any expectations. We just enjoyed the time making music and producing. There was nothing special we wanted to achieve. Music was just always our passion! </p><figure class=""><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/nCMnj59du/rayban_tour2013_hamburg_0001_bydavidulrich-567.jpg" alt="image"/></figure><p><b>How long had you been writing the songs on &#8220;Sadnecessary?&#8221; The depth of the lyrics implies that they are polished, or were those songs more spontaneous?</b></p><p>Stolen Dance took two and half years to write! We had some parts very early but the rest came to us very late. But there were other songs who came into existence in the studio within 15 minutes. In whole the album took us about two years&#8230; in any case, sometimes there are these strong feelings that make you write a song in a very short time. </p><p><b>You probably get asked this all the time, but where does the name <a href="https://twitter.com/MilkyChance">Milky Chance</a> come from?</b></p><p>There is no story behind the name but there are often days when we ask ourselves how we came up with this stupid name :)</p><p>It was just that we had always several bands where we played, and we had written down some potential names and there came the day we had to choose one - we decided spontaneously! </p><figure class=""><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/F83nj58sf/milkychancelondon1_james_kendall.jpg" alt="image"/></figure><p><b>What was the best concert you have ever attend?</b></p><p>One of the best we&#8217;ve been to was the concert of James Blake, last December. </p><p><b>What was it like to perform at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC?</b></p><p>It was our first gig in the USA, so a very big step for us! </p>http://blog.whyd.com/post/109871513235http://blog.whyd.com/post/109871513235Mon, 02 Feb 2015 13:20:00 +0100interviewmilky chancestolen dancebowery ballroomconcertsadnecessarywhydcommunityfansTrack of the Weekend #120: THYLACINE - "Closing" feat. Dyllan<p><img src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/YZKniznet/screen_shot_2015-01-30_at_12.44.06.png" alt="image"/></p><p>Heavy wet snowflakes are falling here in Paris, and winter feels real. There is an indoor feeling, something cozy and warm, calling for a musical cocoon to envelop us. A perfect track for that cocoon is this week&#8217;s Track of the Weekend. &#8220;<a href="http://whyd.com/c/54c67f29d3fa2b1220f3682e">Closing</a>" by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thylacine.w">THYLACINE</a> feat. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dylanicholsmusic">Dyllan</a> is steady like the ocean waves, elevated on the wings of a soft, angelic voice until it drives through the build and attaches itself firmly into your memory.</p><p>The emerging French artist <a href="https://twitter.com/thylacine_music">THYLACINE</a> (which was the largest marsupial carvinore, also known as a Tazmanian Tiger, but is sadly now extinct) released his EP &#8220;Exil&#8221; this week, something to definitely <a href="http://thylacine.bandcamp.com/album/exil">get your hands on</a>. </p><p>Thanks (comme d&#8217;hab!) to <a href="http://whyd.com/u/4fede55a7e91c862b2a7c29f">Le Coup du Lapin</a> for slipping it into our streams this week!</p><p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O7_oUQgDeg8" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>http://blog.whyd.com/post/109572710645http://blog.whyd.com/post/109572710645Fri, 30 Jan 2015 12:51:00 +0100musicthylacineTrack of the Weekendhot trackspopular musicdyllanclosingexileple coup du lapinwhydcommunityCollective Soul: Playlist of Reference<p><em><img alt="image" src="http://static.tumblr.com/ps7kkkn/Noinivv1l/collectivesoul.jpg"/></em></p> <p><em>Another week, another installment in our new series delivering you trendy subgenre Playlist of References curated with love and attention from our community of music lovers. But it&#8217;s not enough just to accept the music, we also want the story behind the curation. This week it&#8217;s <a href="http://whyd.com/u/515391a07e91c862b2ac6631/playlist/34">Collective Soul</a> curated by the creator of <a href="http://whyd.com/u/515391a07e91c862b2ac6631">Underground Playlist</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/SC8XVI">Sal Cannata</a>.  </em></p> <p><strong>When did you start listening to Collective Soul?</strong></p> <p>Collective Soul is a recent addition to my playlist catalogue on Whyd. Soul music has always been one of my favorite genres and I have seen a big change in how it has been implemented in music the past several years. Generally when one thinks of Soul they tie it in with R&amp;B but with all the cross-genre experimenting going on, a lot of Soul-based music has translated into a unique style of Indie music that touches the boundaries of other genres. Despite the different genre influences of these particular songs they all sound so right when placed next to each other. I thought it would be great to put together a sample of this kind of music that we feature on <a href="http://www.undergroundplaylist.com/">Underground Playlist </a>and showcase a new wave of Soul music to the Whyd community.</p> <p><strong>Did you ever have a moment when you felt like Collective Soul started speaking to you?</strong></p> <p>Totally. I live for this kind of music. Soul singers bring a lot of passion to each lyric. The artists in these songs have a great way of conveying emotion and I connect with that a lot. It seems like whether these particular songs contain certain elements of Pop, Rock, R&amp;B, or Electronic, the aspect of Soul brings everything together and connects with me in a big way.</p> <p><strong>What are some example situations when you would listen to this playlist yourself? </strong></p> <p>I find that the overall tone of this playlist centers around relaxation. That could be useful in pretty much any situation except for maybe the dance club. For me, I&#8217;ve found this playlist to be a great listen towards the end of the day as things wind down. Everyone listens to music differently so this playlist can be used for all sorts of things like during work, cooking dinner, lounging with your friends, the list goes on!</p> <p><strong>If you had to choose just one track from this playlist, which one would be your favorite? </strong></p> <p>It&#8217;s hard to choose just one track out of the 80+ in the playlist. From a Whyd experience the Robin Schulz remix of &#8220;Waves&#8221; is one of my favorite finds on Whyd. I remember just browsing around and clicking on the song to see what it was about and instantly became a fan. I love how a bootleg can turn into a mainstream hit a year or so later. It&#8217;s rare and awesome that I was able to witness that journey early in the game. When I would hear the song on the radio in front of my friends I&#8217;d make sure to let them know how long ago I first heard this song and where I found it. Thanks for the bragging rights Whyd! :)</p> <p>From a more musical standpoint, Ben Howard&#8217;s cover of Keisza&#8217;s song &#8220;Hideaway&#8221; blows me away every time. I love how an artist can flip a song and give it a brand new feel. A few others that never get old to me are Jordan Bratton - &#8220;The Grey,&#8221; Harper - &#8220;Animal,&#8221; Shy Girls - &#8220;Renegade,&#8221; Ari Lennox - &#8220;Bound,&#8221; The Prince Fox remix of Sam Smith&#8217;s &#8220;Stay With Me,&#8221; and the newly added Kevin Garrett - &#8220;Coloring.&#8221; There are so many that I love but those are some standouts in this playlist. Stay tuned as I plan to update Collective Soul with new additions as time goes on!   </p> <p><strong>Thanks Underground Playlist! Check out the personal account of the creator of Underground Playlist, <a href="http://whyd.com/u/51aa7e577e91c862b2ae7287">Sal Cannata</a> for more Indie Soul and extra tracks! </strong></p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="454px" src="http://whyd.com/u/515391a07e91c862b2ac6631/playlist/34?format=embedV2&amp;embedW=480" width="480px"></iframe></p>http://blog.whyd.com/post/109383403315http://blog.whyd.com/post/109383403315Wed, 28 Jan 2015 11:41:00 +0100musicplaylist of referenceunderground playlistcollective soulfeatureinterviewwhydcommunitycuration