Tadasu Naito Embodies The Whyd Spirit

The Whyd family is getting quite large, and as we saw from yesterday’s post, very global. There are people that have joined our community from nearly every country in the world. Today, we take a look at one of those people: Tadasu Naito

Tadasu has been with Whyd for a while, diligently sharing some awesome music (you have to check out his unique playlists). He is up to almost 750 tracks added, putting him in the top 5% of curators on Whyd. But more amazingly, he has amassed 928 subscribers, a truly impressive accomplishment and a warm reminder that this whole social network thing is starting to take effect!

Tadasu lives in Kawasaki, Japan, between Tokyo and Yokohama. He works in the IT department of a logistics company, and jams out to great music. His current favorites include: Tycho - “Awake" (a former Whyd track of the weekend); RC & Cohen - “Move" (ft. Madeon, Matthew Koma, Miriam Bryant & Zedd); Tei Shi - "Nevermind the End;” Fickle Friends - “Swim;” and Avec Sans - “Shiver.”

Looking forward to many, many more excellent tracks, thanks Tadasu!  

The man, the myth, the legend: JIESS from Point Ephemere

It is a very big day for us here at Whyd today, as we present the interview with one of the guys who has helped to catapult Whyd to where we are today. We’re talking about the man with the glasses: JIESS. We’re very happy to finally get his personal story, so please, enjoy and share! 

1. Can you introduce yourself? What do you do in your professional life? 

My name is JIESS (Jean-Sebastien Nicolet) I am a musical activist who has worn multiple hats for many year now. I create line ups and manage concert venues, festivals, handle managing, booking, etc. I have held pretty much every position possible in the domain of live music. 

And I will continue to go all in as long as I can still afford to live, as long as my passion is renewed, and as long as there are cool people to share it with. 

2. Tell us all how you do your research for selection groups to come and play at Paris’s Point Éphémère (Point FMR).

This is a difficult question. 

The reconnaissance from my own point of view is an important starting point for the work of creating line ups: understanding that which I like, that which other people will like, what is artistically important, what is commercially viable, etc. 

It is also tied to a particular course (I come from the association and world of radio) therefore I have always been involved in the sharing, a vision of a music lover. I try to stay faithful to what I’ve always built.

Then, it’s also a question of network: we build a line up with professionals (agents, tour managers, labels, media, and of course the public) and it is the character of Point FMR to defend young artists, discoveries in the large field of independent music (if that even means anything anymore!) whatever their musical style, without a question of clique, and to give our tool of a concert venue to producers, associations, festivals, etc. 

Finally, Point FMR is a small venue (300 places) that cultivated its identity across esthetics and musical colors: mostly indie pop, rock, electronic, post punk, etc. Point FMR is above all a team, a global project that is not just musical (we have the residences, associative activities, dances, plastic art exhibits, a bar, etc). 

I would conclude that my job is to filter the best music out of a very, very large amount of propositions that inundate our ears, our media, and our social networks; to choose with all of my subjectivity that which seems to make sense not only in the short term; and the most simple point is to not wait for things to come to me but to go out and find that curious little beast that tiptoes somewhere along the tapestry of the world, in a studio, in a concert hall…

3. What is your favorite style of music personally? 

Difficult to say without falling into the perennial “I like everything.” My musical terrain is somewhere between noisy pop/math rock/post punk/new wave from my adolescence and contemporary music, classic, baroque….

The playing field is large and it leaves only a few esthetic styles of music by the wayside, among which there is potentially electro pure and hard (like gabber), and reggae and ska, which I’m not a huge fan of. 

4. What are your other projects? Do you have ambitions for 2014? 

I am always running after 10 rabbits at the same time! 

On the professional side, I have a great festival MO’FO (festival at Mains d’Oeuvres/St. Ouen) strapping in during January; tours to organize for the artists I’m with at Imperial (Cheveu, Frustration, Wall of Death, Mein Sohn William, and many others); lots of surprises, projects that are still secret that I will bring to life as the calendar advances. On the human side, I hope that 2014 will be a little bit more relaxed, with more time for my family too. 

Reggaelizing Romania and the world: Interview with Reggaelize It!

1. When did you start Reggaelize It! and what was your goal originally?

Well, we started our reggae journey in 2007 under another name (Giarmaica) which we changed in 2011 to “Reggaelize It!.”

The passion for reggae music was our driving force, and we wanted to spread it to the Romanian massive as well, to make a movement, to make a change. 

We started as an online reggae magazine written in Romanian, having as a main goal the promotion of reggae music in Romania, and also trying to take part int he growth of the Romanian reggae movement by making reggae parties and live events with foreign artists from time to time. 

Between 2007 and 2013 the community that we built around this project grew quite a lot, and it is so diverse, that the Romanians are no longer a majority, fact that made us think about starting to write in English, which we did. 

Reggaelize It!" original purpose was and still is to promote reggae music and culture, always bringing the top reggae related news closer to the music lovers. The only thing that has changed from the beginning is that now we are writing for an international audience. 

2. What’s the reggae scene like in Romania?

Unfortunately, reggae music is still an underground genre here. The good thing is that there was obviously a growth in the past two years, regarding the reggae events which increased a lot, and also regarding the artists. You can easily notice the influence of reggae/ragga/dancehall music on the mainstream artists latest releases, who aren’t usually into reggae music. 

The reggae scene in Romania is not very big compared to other countries in Eastern Europe, but it’s growing and that makes us happy. For now we wish for more Romanian artists to come onto the scene, and also for more people to attend at the events that are happening the country. And of course, we also wish for a major reggae festival, like many other countries have in the area! 

3. Who are some of the artists that you are listening to the most right now?

There are quite a lot of great artists that we enjoy out there, and we could fill up some pages but here are a few preferences from the “Reggaelize It!" team members: 

Filip: (Founder of “Reggaelize It!”) Well, I’m listening to a wide range of artists, from classic reggae like Bob Marley, The Skatalites or Peter Tosh, to the new wave of reggae artists like Kabaka Pyramid. Also I really enjoy French artists like Admiral T, MIssie Bamboo, Kalash or Tairo. 

Vlad: (Event Manager at “Reggaelize It!”) Peter Tosh, Jacob Miller, Dennis Brown, Omar Perry, Gentleman, Chronixx.

Georgiana: (PR at “Reggaelize It!”) Personally, I pay a close attention to the new wave of reggae, the ongoing reggae revival movement and its promising talented youths who are bringing back the positivity and the original reggae flavor, such as Protoje, Chronixx, Kabaka Pyramid, Dubtonic Kru, Roots Underground.) I enjoy a large variety of artists from Dancehall representative figures like Beenie Man, Buju Banton, Busy Signal, Damian Marley, to young reggae voices such as Lion D, Jah Sun, Naama, Patrice. 

4. Do you see reggae as being on the rise globally? How is it being integrated into other genres of music?

Yes, it definitely is on the rise. From the middle 90’s, the music has known a great development with a return to its original values from the golden era of reggae. Despite the new artists who are coming with the new wave of reggae, you can see international big artists from a wide range of genres of music “adopting” a little reggae/dancehall flavor. Rihanna, Beyonce, Snoop Dogg turning into Snoop Lion, Eddie Murphy singing along with him, a lot of things are happening. And I think it’s good, it helps in a way or another to bring Reggae music closer to those who didn’t get in touch with it before.

Make sure you Subscribe to Reggaelize It! on Whyd to keep up with their latest discoveries!  

Interview with Noiseness: Your Choice For Noise

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1. You created the music site noiseness.com. Where did the idea come from?

Noiseness was born out of our love for sharing great music with people who appreciate it. For me (Jeppe aka. Jeppebm), the idea came after a lot of traveling. I play my favorite music out loud every chance I get, and I often end up bonding with complete strangers because of it. Nikolas (aka. Nikodaddy) and I were sharing music in some of the same places, primarily in Facebook groups, and we always liked and shared each other’s posts. Lucky for us, others did too. Noiseness was simply a way for us to team up and centralize the sharing of the music that WE love, and make it accessible to as many as possible.
Sharing a great song is nothing like sharing a drink or a laugh. A song can last forever, reach and intrigue new people, and touch them emotionally in a million different ways. We’re always surprised to see who actually like the things we share, and it’s the positive reactions from unexpected people that really makes sharing worth while.

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2. What type of music do you search out?

We do not have any limitations on the type of music we search out, but obviously we have some preferred genres that get the most attention. All types of electronic dance music; ranging from slow house, to dubstep, to drum n’ bass, is definitely our main focus. Especially remixes have a nice spot in our hearts. For almost all songs we share, we also share one or more related songs. By comparing songs and genres this way, we try to put each song into a bigger context, allowing our listeners to make their own comparisons and opinions. We share music that we think is incredible, and we never (ever!) share music based on hype, or because all other music blogs are sharing it. Like any DJ, we have so much confidence in our choice of music that we dare to share it solely based on how much we like it. If we like it, someone our there must like it too. At least that is what we are hoping for!
 
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JEPPE 
3. Do you have any longterm goals for the site?
 

As long as we’ll be listening to music, Noiseness will remain. Currently we are two bloggers, but we will not rule out the possibility of bringing in more to get more content and better coverage, as long as the quality wont suffer because of it. From a feature perspective we have a lot of plans for the site. The current player is pretty basic, but we’ve added a lot of features that are missing from similar sites, such as auto-saving your playlist, queueing of songs and more. Noiseness should be a place that you come back to, and everything should stay the way you left it - but with new content to explore. In the future we’ll be adding more social features, an improved player and more music sources. We are still rather new, and we need to work on our social presence, as well as our presence on great music sharing and management sites like Whyd. There is a vast jungle of music blogs out there, but luckily there are also millions and millions of listeners. With the feedback we are receiving today, we believe that we can intrigue more people into joining the Noiseness community of music lovers, spreading more great music and even more love. That is our primary motivator and goal for the site.
 
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NIKOLAS
4. What do you think the most exciting trend in music is today?

We are both software developers, and we like to stay up to date with the newest technologies and possibilities of the Internet. One thing that is only going to grow, is the way social integration and big data is going to shape the way we discover music. Music discovery is already made easy by a great number of tools and websites, but the music discovery landscape is still very fragmented and every service is trying for themselves to become the best place to discover new music. You can connect your music sources like Soundcloud and Youtube with social sites like Facebook or Last.fm, which will give you some nice ways to discover new music based on what you and your friends like. But if you want to connect you music sources with each other, you are often out of luck, making it difficult to keep track of all the music you like and favorite around the web. Services like Whyd help bring these great sources of music together, which is great - but there is still so much unexploited potential in bringing them all to one place. Hopefully one day all the services will be interconnected, and liking a song in one place will update your profile in another, creating a more seamless music discovery experience. We’re actually not that far from realizing this potential. So much is happening in the musical landscape these days, and its exciting to see how everything is opening up. Music is basically free from the Internet, which forces everyone to innovate and renew themselves and their services in order to keep up with the rest. It’s a free for all buffet - and we like it!

Interview with duckii.

duckii. is a multi-faceted EDM producer from the “Hall Of Fame City,” Canton, Ohio. When he’s not spending time finding out new ways to get asses to shake, his head is stuck up far in the clouds thinking up new ways to produce, or acting in local theatre.

1. What are the different faces of your personality, and how do they show up in your projects?

This is a great question. I guess that like most people, my personality is far more than one dimensional and it all shows through in my music. I can be super out-going and stupid as hell/really wild while around my closest friends. However, around people I don’t know, I tend to be a little more introverted and reserved. I also have a fascination with learning new things in life and continuing to educate myself in all areas. I suppose this shows through in the fact that I LOVE making music for people to dance to, but at the same time I enjoy making music that is a little more technical and could be enjoyed through headphones just the same. I also love taking a sound that shouldn’t be meant for music, maybe a soundclip or something, and morphing it into something completely different. I like seeing how far I can get from an original sound while still implementing it tastefully in my music.

2. How long have you been experimenting with making music, and when did you find your current direction?

Well, let’s see here… I’m 21 now, and my current travel down the road of music began when I was in 6th grade. So I’ve been playing music for about a decade. I took piano lessons when I was very, very young and then my parents bought me an acoustic guitar as well. Neither of those stuck, but I received my first bass guitar in 6th grade. That’s when I sort of realized that my passion was music and was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. After picking up bass, I taught myself guitar, drums and piano. I’ve also sung in choir in middle and high schools as well. So about 2 years ago I begin teaching myself how to produce electronic music on a computer which ranged from videogame style music to hip hop and all over the place really. I sort of stumbled into this new direction of EDM about maybe 2 months ago? I realized that in DJ sets, a lot of producers out there are sort of meeting criteria for songs to put into their mixes i.e. the tempo, build-ups and all of that. So I started structuring my songs to be used in DJ sets and now I’m here.

3. You’ve got some new tracks dropping on Halloween. What should we be looking forward to?

A ton of energy. I don’t want to classify any of the songs as a certain sub-genre, but they are all most certainly Electronic Dance Music. Two of the ones I will be releasing, “Evolution” and “This Sound”, are right around the standard dubstep tempo of 135 - 140, but I wouldn’t necessarily call them dubstep. They both have heavy half time parts mixed with some dance beats and breakdowns. The third song I’m releasing is a brand new song called “Global” that I actually just finished a couple of days ago. It’s about 6 and a half minutes long and really takes you on sort of a journey. “Global” is definitely still dance music, but I think it’s a little more of a listener. Lots of work put into the vocal sample, cutting it up and pitch shifting it, and the layers and how the song builds are all pretty new and unique to me! You’ll be able to catch them up on SoundCloud at midnight on 10/31. I’ll probably also throw them up on Band Profile, YouTube, Reverbnation, etc. Seeing as how I don’t have money to put them up on Beatport or iTunes, these 3 songs will be released for completely free. My next release will have to cost money though. I’m working a second job other than producing to support myself because as of right now I actually have made zero dollars from doing what I love to do. Let’s see if that changes, though. ;)

4. Technology has been the equalizer of music for the past decade, what is the most important piece of technology (program or hardware) for you as a musician?

Far ahead of any other choice I could have come up with, my mind would definitely be the most important piece of technology I have as a musician. The reason being, is that maybe in 10 or 20 years I don’t feel like making EDM anymore, I can guarantee you I will still love making music. I can also guarantee you that within the next decade, all of the equipment I use now will be outdated so picking the most important piece of tangible, physically technology wouldn’t seem worth it. My mind is the hard drive that stores ALL of my ideas, and I don’t have to worry about it crashing. However, in terms of physical products, Ableton 8 would be the most important piece I have. I just got it about a year and a half ago, and i’ve really come a long way with. I love using it and I don’t think I will ever want to make the switch.

Looking forward to those new tracks! Subscribe to duckii on Whyd. Hit him up on Soundcloud, follow him on Twitter, and make sure you like his Facebook page. 

Interview with Tasty Wax Recordings

This week’s interview features Tasty Wax Recordings, providing an interesting and very eloquent perspective into the workings of the music industry and an Americana band called “The Honkys.” 

Give us the skinny on Tasty Wax: 

Tasty Wax Recordings is the real world manifestation of the dream of a bootlegger. I am eternally captivated, motivated, regulated and stimulated by music, particularly music presented in a live format. When the band is kicking and they tap into that universal energy, I get swept away, eyes closed into the stratosphere. 

My initial goal was to capture those live music moments so as to be able to access that prism at any time. Over time, as I began collecting more local music in particular, I would share my recordings with the musicians. As such, I needed a pseudonym by which to operate. Anonymity, as it turns out, has some advantages. The feedback I would receive would generally be that those recordings became invaluable tools for band growth. When you’re playing live, as I understand it, the band really has no idea what the audience hears or experiences. Since live music is a conversation between the band members and the audience, or as I prefer to describe it, like a battery with energy flowing out from the band to the ears and back to the band thru audience response, it’s always helpful for the band to visit the other party’s perspective. 

So what started out as a selfish act of wanting to capture lightning in a bottle to power my own cells, morphed, because I am a talker and a business man, into relationships with various musicians and artists whereby I occasionally assist with various aspects of motivation, negotiation and transaction, so that they are free to concentrate on the music, which ultimate benefits me, because I want to hear great music. 

I think of myself as a conduit between the real world of bookers, promoters, venues  and artists, or between artists and the virtual realm (if they have no interest in such non sense).

In addition, I am a country without a flag. My allegiance is (with the exception of my family and some artist in particular) to art itself. As the “scene” has become splintered and tribal, I like to think of myself as an intermediary. I have the ability to insinuate myself into various situations and relationships and make connections in an attempt to be an agitator for unity. 

1. Tasty Wax Recordings in based in Southern California. What is the operating climate like in the world’s capital of entertainment?

The operating climate of Southern California is at once thoroughly exhilarating, with so many talented artists and musicians lurking in every dark alley way, and oppressively competitive. With all that exceptional talent behind every door, there is a feeling of competition mixed with some camaraderie. We live in an intensely tribal creative community. So, while you may find like-minded cohorts with which to bond and share inspiration and aspiration, the greater creative community is always, in some way, looking to tear you down. This environment is particularly enhanced by club and venue owners and promoters who are simply trying to capitalize upon your creative energy which is all well and good, but the idea that “building a scene” is in and of itself a worth while venture for everyone involved. Everyone always wants to know,”what’s your draw?’ That is a flawed way of thinking. The venue should be the draw and the band an enhancement. That has traditionally been the operating standard, but sadly it appears that those days are gone. Well crafted music is NO LONGER enough to access the stage. 

2. Can you tell us about The Honkys? What are the group members like and where does their inspiration for folky rock come from originally?

The Honkys!, Northern San Diego’s indie roots stalwarts, have been forging original Moonshine Music long before the current trend towards “Americana” developed. Originally formed in Huntington Beach amid the Rockabilly Rebellion of 1982, as the Bel-Aires, the current line up of brothers; Bret & Broy Hazzard along with their childhood friend Sean McCarty, create propulsive, musical innovations at every stop on their never ending tour.

While [the Bel-Aires &] the Honkys have a long history of nonstop touring, playing with national and international acts alike, they have spent the past few years focused on capturing their weighty cannon on a series of analog recordings. In the studio with Thomas Yearsley (of the Paladins) at the helm, the Honkys’ sound has turned to a burnished country hue. The general tone of the Honkys sound has matured with age and even their classic Honky standards have taken on the antique luster of well worn saddle leather.

While Sean carries the rhythmic weight of the band, momentum is often guided by Broy’s box car strum, which gives participating listeners a musical framework to build upon. The result of Sean’s Stand Up Bass line is a slap, click and thump to the chest. Often Sean will build understated patterns which will lull the ear, only then will he pounce upon the crowd with a thick wallop, all without losing time.

The structure built by Broy and Sean is set ablaze with the fire-hot fretwork of brother Bret. Using no effects or other technical wizardry, Bret is a true master of emotion. His bright, clean guitar strokes can turn dizzyingly turbulent in a moment; like a roughneck out on the weekend. 

All three Honkys! take their turn at the mic, each displaying his own unique style. Bret’s menacing yowl strikes granite terror on tune’s like “Moonshine,” the tale of an ugly bender turned deadly. Broy’s fractured tenor, on the other hand, brings to mind the balmy blissful splendor of a Hilly Billy Neil Young. He can warm a room with his easy smile on tunes like the crowd pleasing sing-along “Emerald Treasure.” Sean, the crooner of the group, conveys goof ball charm on brawny cruisers such as ‘Reno” or the party starting “Bring it On”.

While most bands wouldn’t dare to fill the room with a live set of simple straight ahead music without the back bone support of a drummer, the Honkys! go one step further. Every night when the band plays out, they distribute; shakers, wash boards, tambourines and cow-bells to the tipsy patrons across the West. The effect is an improvisational whirlwind which enraptures listeners and draws them into the mix. 

Even though nearly 30 years of polish have buffed the Honkys! sound to a fine sheen there is still enough loose jangle to keep things interesting. While each night’s set may contain many of the band’s original favorites spiked with selected new compositions, covers and attic-dusty rarities, the result is an adventurous trek through new melodic territory. The tuneful travelogue includes passage through flashes of dread and joy, sorrow and elation. The Honkys play good time music for hard luck times.

Over the years, the boys have learned to pilot a stuffed road house through the highs and lows of an arousing set. One minute they may batter the listeners with the caveman stomp of “Walk Tall”, scaling the heights of ecstatic splendor and the next they will entrance the horde and provide soul stirring relief with “The Lesson”. But they will always bring you right back home with the locomotive jooglin’ and rocking chair comfort of “Front Porch”. The wonder is listening as the introspection of the studio as it has strengthened and sharpened the songs themselves, transforming and infusing them with new poignancy. There is a theatrical quality to the recorded music of the Honkys. At times it feels as if they have composed the soundtrack to the movies of your mind. 

3. Does the name Tasty Wax refer to a scented candle, or a delicious ear?

Tasty Wax is a throwback reference to the Jazz age when someone might listen to a particularly hot record and say, “Man, that’s some tasty wax!” 

4. What do you think about what the internet has done to music, has it been more of an enabler for you or a scourge?

The internet is the wild west. Anyone with a gun (decent music) and some balls (knowledge of how to traverse the virtual terrain) can manifest success for themselves. I am first and foremost a fan of music, so I love having access to all kinds of sounds. Old Dead Shows, Traditional Milawi throat singers, New Orleans funk, fresh young bands and out of print rarities. However, from a music marketing stance, a band or manager needs to be creative to draw and maintain interest in their sound. There is so much access to a wide variety of sounds and perspectives that one needs to find their own success. But it is achievable, as is anything else when you put your energy into a single goal, that goal become achievable. 

We certainly agree with you there! Make sure you subscribe to Tasty Wax on Whyd, listen to their tracks on SoundCloud, Like their page on Facebook, and learn more about them at ReverbNation.