200+ Songs That I Particularly Enjoyed in 2010

Make a single music recommendation and odds are your audience won't approve, but make a few hundred and the likelihood of success increases dramatically. Just as I enjoy going through other people's lists of songs, perhaps somebody will enjoy going through this one.

The following 200+ tracks received my "green light" rating as I went through my weekly ritual of checking several European music charts every week in 2010. They were selected from what ultimately became a pool of over 5000 songs.

Many (perhaps most) big tunes from 2010 are nowhere to be found on this list (not even club smashes like Duck Sauce's "Barbra Streisand," Swedish House Mafia's "One," or Yolanda Be Cool's "We No Speak Americano," though I enjoyed those, too). There are not many American acts here, either, which should come as no surprise considering, uh, everything I do. These tracks simply stood out, one way or another, on the particular week I happened to encounter them.

Format:

Artist - Song / Chart I first found the song on (song could appear on several charts) / Date (usually a day from the week I encountered the tune)

2Sunny - Piligrim / Пилигрим / Ukraine / 2010 12 26
69 Danguje - Aš pasirašau / Lithuania / 2010 04 02
A Silent Express - I Never Saw This Coming / Netherlands / 2010 10 24
Adrian Lux - Teenage Crime (Axwell Remix) / France / 2010 07 18
Alanas Chošnau - Radio FM (Su džinglu) / Lithuania / 2009 10 08
Alba Wings - Say Goodbye For Yesterday / Romania / 2010 10 28
Alex Roots - Don't Stop Looking / Bulgaria / 2010 01 24
Alexandra Burke - All Night Long (Cahill Edit) / Bulgaria / 2010 04 02
Alexis Jordan - Happiness / Bulgaria / 2010 07 25
Alistair Griffin - Just Drive / UK / 2010 11 28
Aloe Blacc - I Need A Dollar / France / 2010 06 07
Alphabeat - DJ / Denmark / 2010 01 24
Alphabeat - Heat Wave / Denmark / 2010 08 16
Alphaville - I Die For You Today / Slovakia / 2010 11 07
Andy White - Stereophony (Original) / DJ Download / 2010 08 06
Angel - Candy Cane (Awesome 3 Remix) / DJ Download / 2010 08 06
Ania Wyszkoni - Wiem, ze jesteś tam / Poland / 2010 10 28
Anna-Maria Zimmermann - Hurra wir leben noch / Germany / 2010 01 24
Atlanta - Mergaitės nori mylėt / Lithuania / 2010 02 21
Baby Alice - Pina Colada Boy / Euro / 2010 07 11
Baron Massilia - Lolita (R2D2 & Chris Di Tenda Remix) / France / 2010 07 04
Basslovers United - Ghetto Supastar / Euro Club / 2010 11 07
Bassmonkeys & Bianca Lindgren - Get Busy / DJ Lorix (Italy) / 2009 12 25 to 2010 05 25
Beatbullyz - Skills / UK Dance / 2010 06 06
Bellamy Brothers & Gölä - Let Your Love Flow / Switzerland / 2010 09 12
Ben Dj - Smile / DJ Lorix (Italy) / 2009 12 25 to 2010 05 25
Berto Mene - Los Brujos (Original) / DJ Download / 2010 08 06
Billy Barman - Cigánska / Slovakia / 2010 11 07
Bonaparte - Boycott Everything / Latvia / 2010 12 12
Boom Jinx & Jaytech - Milano (Original) / DJ Download / 2010 05 09
Branka Delić – Samo Ljubav / Croatia / 2010 08 24
Buddy feat. Meri - Sommer lass mich nicht allein / Germany / 2010 12 12
Bumcello - 3 Bandits / France / 2010 06 13
Buraka Som Sistema - Kalemba (Wegue Wegue) / Portugal / 2010 01 08
Camo and Krooked - September (Remix For Future Prophecies) / DJ Download / 2009 02 23
Carla Belovari – Sretan broj / Croatia / 2010 10 10
Cassius - I <3 U So / France / 2010 11 14
Chase and Status feat. Liam Bailey - Blind Faith / Euro Club / 2010 12 19
Cheek - Jippikayjei / Finland / 2010 08 24
Chicane - Hiding All the Stars / Belgium Flanders / 2010 04 23
Clara Sofie & Rune RK - Når tiden går baglæns / Denmark / 2010 07 18
Clea In Kim - Petek / Slovenia / 2010 05 31
Clokx - Catch Your Fall / Netherlands / 2010 10 17
Daisy Dares You and Chipmunk - Number One Enemy / Denmark / 2010 03 20
Daniel Adams-Ray - Gubben I lådan / Sweden / 2010 10 10
Danny Byrd - Ill Behaviour (feat. I-Kay) / UK Dance / 2010 10 10
David Guetta feat. Makeba - If We Ever / Bulgaria / 2010 01 24
De Hobbyisten - Wij gaan door! / Netherlands / 2010 06 07
Dennis Ferrer - Hey Hey / Netherlands / 2010 01 24
Deolinda - Um contra o outro / Portugal / 2010 06 20
Dezil' - Danser sur la plage / France / 2010 07 11
Dido - Everything To Lose / France / 2010 08 16
Die Jungen Zillertaler - So a schöner tag (Fliegerlied) / Austria / 2010 01 15
Diggy Dex feat. Wudstik, Big2 & Skiggy Rapz - Links, rechts / Netherlands / 2010 10 24
Dj Defkline / Red Polo - Oh Why (Original) / DJ Download / 2010 05 09
Dj Defkline / Red Polo vs. Dustin Hulton - Cars That Go Boom (Original) / DJ Download / 2010 05 09
Dj Fresh - Gold Dust / UK Dance / 2010 08 16
Dover - Dannayá / Euro / 2010 10 03
Dred & Doris - Soha ne félj / Hungarian Dance / 2010 12 05
Due Di Picche - Fare a meno di te / Euro / 2010 09 26
Ed Drewett - Champagne Lemonade / Euro Club / 2010 09 26
Edalam - Helicopta / France / 2010 01 01
Editors - Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool / Latvia / 2010 11 07
Erick Morillo / Harry Romero / Jose Nunez / Jessica Eve - Dancin (Manufactured Superstars vs. Dj Franke 2010 Re-Edit) / DJ Download / 2010 09 26
Erik Hassle - Hurtful / Euro 100 / 2009 05 21
Eteson vs. Octagen - We Are Alone (Octagen Remix) / DJ Download - Trance / 2010 11 18
Fabienne Louves - Samschtig / Switzerland / 2010 07 04
Faithless - Not Going Home / Netherlands / 2010 05 08
Faithless - Tweak Your Nipple / UK / 2010 06 27
Fat Les - Vindaloo / UK / 2010 06 20
Féfé - VPC (Vilain Petit Canard) / France / 2010 06 27
Ferhat Gocer / Ferhat Göçer - Üzüm / Euro / 2010 05 31
Fettes Brot - Jein / Germany / 2010 02 28
Fred Worx - Softly (Rudy Rudy Dog Remix) / DJ Download / 2010 01 01
Frida Gold - Zeig mir wie Du tanzt / Austria / 2010 12 05
Gabriella Cilmi - Hearts Don't Lie / Slovenia / 2010 06 13
Gabriella Cilmi - On A Mission / Slovakia / 2010 03 13
Getter Jaani - Parim päev / Estonia / 2010 06
Getter Jaani - Saladus / Estonia / 2010 06
Goin’ Through feat. Isoropistis - Boro Ki Ego / Μπορώ Κι Eγώ / Euro / 2010 07 04
Gorillaz Feat Bobby Womack and Mos Def - Stylo / Netherlands / 2010 02 07
Graffiti6 - Annie You Save Me / Netherlands / 2010 09 05
Groove Armada - Paper Romance (Urchins Remix) / DJ Download / 2009 02 23
Gurrumul - Wukun (Loverush UK! Radio Edit) / Euro Club / 2010 10 10
Handsome Poets - Blinded / Netherlands / 2010 08 16
Hans Zimmer - Time / Switzerland / 2010 08 16
Hex - Nekonečný príbeh / Slovakia / 2010 06 13
Hey - Faza Delta / Poland / 2010 07 11
Holdviola - Bánat utca / Hungarian Dance / 2010 07 04
How To Destroy Angels - A Drowning / Latvia / 2010 07 25
HU? & Kare Kauks - Miks mõni asi on nii hea / Estonia / 2010 05 08
Hudson Mohawke - Fuse / France / 2010 06 07
Hydro Aquatic and Vir2l Vision - Vigor (Cold Blue Remix) / DJ Download - Trance / 2010 12
Illitheas - Perfect Day (Original Mix) / DJ Download - Trance / 2010 12 18
Jaa9 & Onklp - Partysvenske / Norway / 2010 11 07
Jamie Matrix - Gold Rush (Original) / DJ Download / 2009 02 23
Jana Hermann - Saules grieži ("Sun Times") / Latvia / 2010 12 12
Jana Kirschner - Keby si bol môj / Slovakia / 2010 05 31
Jay C/Felix Baumgartner - Souk (Original Mix) / DJ Download / 2010 08 06
Jedward Feat Vanilla Ice - Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby) / Armenia / 2010 02 28
Jenifer - Je danse / France / 2010 09 26
Jenni Vartiainen - En haluu kuolla tänä yönä / Finland / 2010 03 06
Jeremy Hills - Friday Night / French / 2010 11 07
Jitka Charvátová (aka "JI") - Real Life / Czech Republic / 2010 01 24
John Dahlback feat. Elodie - Bingo (Extended Original Mix) / DJ Download / 2010 04 20
Johnossi - Dead End / Sweden / 2010 10 24
JoJo - In the Dark / UK - NME / 2010 09 11
Josefine - Allt jag vill ha / Sweden (not on chart) / 2010 10 17
Josh Gabriel Presents Winter Kills - Deep Down (Original Mix) / DJ Download / 2010 03 09
Jurk! - Zou zo graag / Netherlands / 2010 01 15
Kamon - Brunyetka / Камон – Брюнетка / Estonia Russian / 2010 08 01
Kasia Kowalska - Baby Blues / Poland / 2010 04 16
Katerine (Avgoustaki) - Enjoy the Day / Belgium Flanders / 2010 02 28
Katka Knechtová - Slovensko na nohy / Slovakia / 2010 06 20
Keen'v - Le son qui bam bam / France / 2010 04
Kelis - Acapella / Slovakia / 2010 04 17
Kelly Kelekidou - Teleutaia Fora / Κελλυ Κελεκιδου - Τελευταια Φορα / Κέλλυ Κελεκίδου - Τελευταία Φορά / Greece / 2010 12 19
Kid Kenobi - Breakers Revenge 2010 (Drumattic Twins Remix) / DJ Download / 2010 07 11
Kite - Jonny Boy / Sweden / 2010 10 03
K-Liber 4 Life feat. Nikita - Drop Die Beat / Netherlands / 2010 06 27
Kontrust - Bomba / Netherlands / 2010 02 07
La Fuente feat. Rosenberg Trio - Guitarra / Netherlands / 2010 07 11
Lady Gaga - Alejandro / Croatia / 2010 04
Lady Gaga - Dance In the Dark / France / 2010 08 29
Las Balkanieras - Moje plave oči / Croatia / 2010
Lenna Kuurmaa - Rapunzel / Estonia / 2010 02 21
Les Jumo feat. Willy William - C Show / France / 2010 06 07
Lindstrøm & Christabelle - Lovesick / Netherlands / 2010 03 13
Lisa Miskovsky - Lover / Sweden / 2010 10 10
Lolita - Joli Garçon / Euro Club / 2010 10 28
Maciej Maleńczuk - Jak to dziewczyna / Poland / 2010 01 24
Magnetic Man - I Need Air (feat. Angela Hunte) / UK Dance / 2010 08 08
Maïka - Embrasse-moi / France / 2010 02 14
Maïka - Sensualité / France / 2010 05 01
Marc De Simon Feat Antonia B - Rainbow Sky (2009 Remix) / DJ Download / 2010 01 01
Marco V - Inconsistent Talk (Extended) / DJ Download / 2010 01 01
Marina and the Diamonds - Hollywood / Croatia / 2010 03 13
Mark Ronson & the Business Intl feat. Q-Tip - Bang Bang Bang / Netherlands / 2010 07 11
Mark Ronson & the Business Intl feat. Ghostface Killah - Lose It (In the End) / France / 2010 06 13
Markus Becker | Mallorca Cowboys - Das rote Pferd / Germany / 2010 01 15
Massive Attack - Atlas Air / UK Dance / 2010 12 05
Minilogue - Leloo (Original) / DJ Download / 2010 01 01
Ministry Of Funk - Sax Life (Original) / DJ Download / 2010 09 26
Misha - Ako dlho sa to dá / Slovakia / 2010 10 24
Missing Andy - Sing For the Deaf / UK / 2010 09 26
Molella Feat Alessia D'Andrea - Paradise / DJ Lorix - Italian Dance / 2010 07 02
Moonbootica - Men Of the Future (Kris Menace Remix) / DJ Download / 2009 02 23
Morgan & Bland - Bongo Congo / DJ Lorix (Italy) / 2009 12 25 to 2010 05 25
MVSEVM - French Jeans (Dada Life Remix) / DJ Download / 2009 02 23
My Chemical Romance - Nanana / Sweden / 2010 10 10
N.E.R.D. feat. Nelly Furtado - Hot N Fun / France / 2010 06 07
Nice7 - Elisa (Pirupa Remix) / DJ Download / 2010 01 01
Nick Rowland - Galactica (Original) / DJ Download / 2010 03 09
N-Trance - Is This Love / Euro Club / 2010 10 28
Nyusha - Chudo / Нюша - Чудо / Niusha - Chudo (Miracle) / Euro / 2010 09 19
One Night Only - Say You Don't Want It / UK / 2010 08 29
Ozan Doğulu feat. Sıla - Alain Delon / Ozan Dogulu feat. Sila - Alain Delon / Turkey / 2010 07 04
Petri Nygard & Mokoma - Sarvet Esiin / Finland / 2010 11 28
Petter - En tuff brud i lyxförpackning / Sweden / 2010 11 28
Potap and Vera Brezhneva - Потап И Вера Брежнева – Пронто / Estonia Russian / 2010 10 10
Professor Green - I Need You Tonight / Czech Republic / 2010 04 06
Renaud - Incendie / France / 2010 06 07
RlP and Barbara Tucker - R.E.S.P.E.C.T / France / 2010 12 05
Rob Ronalds - Hela hola! (Tut hola) / Netherlands / 2010 01 24
Robert Plant - Angel Dance / Poland / 2010 10 03
Ruda Z Ostravy feat. Pártlová Martina - Ostrava / Czech Republic / 2010 06 20
Sakis Rouvas - Parafora / Σακης Ρουβας - Παραφορa / Greece / 2010 12 19
Sel - Parašyk man laišką iš paryžiaus (Remix) / Lithuania / 2010 01 01
September- Kärlekens tunga / Sweden / 2010 12 12
Sertab Erener - Rengarenk / Turkey / 2010 08 24
Shout For England - Shout (feat. Dizzee & James Corden) / UK / 2010 06 20
Sia - You've Changed / Netherlands / 2010 09 12
Sigma - Baltimore (Original) / DJ Download / 2010 08 06
Sivert Høyem - Prisoner of the Road / Norway / 2010 10 17
Spankers - Chupa Rico (Nicola Fasano & Steve Forest Remix) / Czech Republic / 2010 07 11
Stas Michailov - Zhdi / Стас Михайлов - Ты Только Жди / Lithuania / 2010 10 28
Stereo Palma - Andale (Nicola Fasano & Steve Forest Mix) / Hungary / 2010 05 31
Stromae - Silence / Belgium Wallonia / 2010 06 27
Stunt - Fade Like the Sun / Bulgaria / 2010 05 24
Style - Love Killer / Sweden / 2010 07 18
Sunloverz / Rosette - Fire (Vocal Extended Mix) / DJ Download / 2010 12 18
Supershake - Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) (Alex Twister 2010 Extended Mix) / DJ Download / 2010 01 01
Superstars Feat the Supremes - You Keep Me Hangin' On / Norway / 2010 01 15
Tā Tā Tā - Domino / Latvia / 2010 11 07
Tempered Djs - the Greenhouse (Original Mix) / DJ Download / 2010 08 06
Tensnake - Coma Cat / UK Dance / 2010 09 12
The Dee feat. Shugga - Tick Tock 2 D Beat / France / 2010 10 28
The Gift - Facil De Entender / Portugal / 2010 01 15
The Pretty Reckless - Miss Nothing / UK / 2010 09 05
Tim Berg - Bromance (Avicii's Arena Mix) / Netherlands / 2010 06 13
Tim Berg - Seek Bromance / Euro Club / 2010 10 24
Tim Davison - Patrol (Original) / DJ Download / 2010 11 18
Timoteij - Högt över ängarna / Sweden / 2010 07 11
Tinchy Stryder feat. Taio Cruz - Second Chance / Euro Club / 2010 11 07
Tom Pulse - Cuando (Floresca El Chuno) / Sweden / 2010 02 07
Tommy Vee Feat Mr V - Bang Bang / DJ Lorix - Italian Dance / 2010 10 08
Traffic - Elekter / Estonia / 2010 08 16
Tydi / Tania Zygar - Half Light (Max Graham Remix) / DJ Download / 2010 11 18
Uffie - Difficult / France / 2010 12 19
Uffie - MCs Can Kiss / France / 2010 02 28
UNKLE feat. the Black Angel - Natural Selection / Latvia / 2010 05 17
VanVelzen - Take Me In / Netherlands / 2010 12 12
Venke Knutson - Jealous 'Cause I Love You / Norway / 2010 02 07
Venuto - Love (Original) / DJ Download / 2010 08 06
Vicky Devine - Starfire (Sean Tyas Remix) / DJ Download - Trance / 2010 07 11
Vinni & the Vagabonds feat. Timbuktu - Let the Monkey Out / Norway / 2010 10 03
Voe (Emilie "Voe" Nereng) - Don't Talk To Me / Norway / 2010 06 27
Waldeck - Get Up Carmen / Austria / 2010 04
Willem Barth - Bella bella signorina / Netherlands / 2010 01 15
Wilson, Smallwood and Ingram - Perfect Sunrise (Vocal Club Mix) / DJ Download / 2009 02 23
Wolfgang Gartner - Illmerica (Extended Mix) / DJ Download / 2010 11 18
Yann Solo / Just 1 Side - the India Girl (Original) / DJ Download / 2009 02 23
Yer Man - Talk Dirty 2 Me (Original) / DJ Download / 2010 12 18
Zlatko - Recejisa / Slovenia / 2010 12 26

Slow Change, Sudden Change, Art, Passion, Vocation

There is a very good quote about John James Audubon by his granddaughter Maria:

"Waiting times are long, longest to those who do not understand the silent, inner growth which goes on and on, yet makes no outward sign for months and even years, as in the case of Audubon."

Audubon trudged into his 30s doing stuff he wasn't all that interested in (mismanaging a few businesses, which landed him in jail for debt [he had a wife and two kids on the outside at the time--hardcore]). But in the back of his mind an idea was forming, which ultimately manifested itself in an ambition to capture in vibrant colors, fluid lines, and at life-size the likenesses of all the birds in the United States. When he announced his intention to realize this he must have seemed to others suddenly mad, but in fact the idea had long been in development. And fortunately for Audubon, not to mention all who enjoy his wonderful art, it all worked out.

His story reminds me of evolutionary theory, where you have gradualism (the slow change of organisms over time), and punctuated equilibrium (wherein we see a rapid rate of morphological change over a short period of time). Punctuated equilibrium is often associated with cataclysms--a meteor hits the earth, kills the dinosaurs, and suddenly a whole bunch of niches (think of them as job positions) open up, which are rapidly filled by other critters (giant birds, giant sloths, giant mammoths, other giants) that rise to the occasion.

So for years Audubon was a gradualist, and as such his mind was slowly evolving towards his goal. But after spending time in jail I suspect he entered his period of punctuated equilibrium (i.e., "I've got to make some changes fast"). Gradualistic thinking had prepared him to seize the opportunity that punctuated equilibrium thrust upon him.

One Audubon biography I read stated (and I have to paraphrase, since the book is not accessible to me in my motel room ;-D) that Audubon was not certain what he would do after his release from jail--but the one thing he knew was that he was through with business. As he returned penniless to a wife and two children, everything we know and love Audubon for today lay ahead of the then-34-year-old man.

UK Music Scene Insularity and Xenophobia

One aspect of the UK music scene that amuses me is the frequent British accusation that other countries' music scenes are insular, when in fact the UK music scene is about the most non-inclusive of all of Europe's. This article on the new French Radio London highlights the wanton ignorance the British have of a music scene that lies just 22 miles south of the English coast. While the British chuckle at the fact that France mandates that a certain percentage of the songs played on French radio be in the French language (oh that silly French pride!), for years (forever?) one has always been able to hear plenty of English on French radio, whereas the UK seldom returns such linguistical favors with its own radio programming.

French Radio London is addressing a French-speaking audience, which would seem to invite some obvious questions about the changing demographics of London, though the article fails to raise any. Why is a French-language station being offered now? I am left to guess, and mine is that it is in response to the recent influx of immigration not so much from "traditional" French people as the mighty wave of French-speaking African immigrants. The French Afro-pop sound, championed by such bands as the classic Magic System and the more recent Congolese artist Les Jumo, has long been a staple on the French pop charts. While the news media rightly reports on the ethnic tensions in France, one has to admire the French pop charts for their inclusiveness (something I can relate to as an American, since in the U.S., despite our oft-discussed Mexican immigration issues, we cheerily consume Spanish-language pop music). This interesting angle is left entirely out of the written article (it is barely touched upon in the included video); the focus instead being how funny French pop music has been over the years, with the most egregiously goofy examples rolled out to "prove" the point. But as Sturgeon's Law crystalized several decades ago, by cherry-picking the worst examples of music from any genre, one can always create the impression that the genre as a whole is a failure; 90% of any genre is crap, after all, with no exceptions.

The haughtiness of certain vociferous segments of the UK music scene was on display again recently when DJ Mag published its annual Top 100 DJs poll, leading to much hand-wringing over the fact that dubstep (90% of which is crap) was almost or entirely absent from the list, alongside much moaning that nobody listens to trance anymore despite many of the top DJs being champions of this form of music. Regarding dubstep, perhaps it is unreasonable to expect that joyless, dance-unfriendly music with English-language lyrics will play well in Romania*. And regarding trance, clearly the Dutch (who, it should be added, live in a country only a couple hundred miles away from the UK) are rightly pleased with their own DJ countrymen and the trance music that those guys play.

To the BBC article's credit, the quotes from Stuart Maconie, presenter of BBC 6 Music's Freak Zone, get everything right. But no sooner does Mr. Maconie finish speaking than the author pours on the snark again.

For the UK music scene the thought of anybody singing a pop song in a language other than English seems to be a terrifying prospect (thank goodness Daft Punk offer their lyrics in English). Fortunately, the demographics of the UK are changing and an ever more vibrant, multi-cultural society is emerging. The music will get even more colorful, and dreck like this BBC piece will come to be seen for what it was: a xenophobic curio from another age.

* Actually, I like some dubstep stuff, and some, like Chase & Status, can exhibit some joy, but let me have my moment of argumentation here. ;-)

Inna Gaga Divina - "Tiptoe"

All DJs Are 80s Teen Sex Comedy Characters

All DJs can be divided into four basic categories. These categories mirror the major players in American 1980s teen sex comedies.

(Note: female DJs are in the extreme minority in the DJ world; similarly, female characters in 80s teen sex comedies were usually ciphers. So, just as 80s teen sex comedies did, we focus on the guys.)

1) Jock DJs

In 80s teen sex comedies, the jocks rule the roost. They have ascended to this rank due to a fortunate mix of genes and testosterone. In these movies, they are also the least-interesting characters, due to a complete lack of taste, intellect, and individuality.

In the DJ world, these are the folks who spin the Rihanna remix followed by the latest Black Eyed Peas tune followed by Katy Perry. Their extroverted nature enables them to confidently hustle their skills, and clubs that are run by similarly-minded people hire them to entertain their patrons. These DJs make a good day-to-day living. Nobody who cares about music respects them, but it is impossible for these hyper-extroverts to notice or to care.


2) Nerd DJs

In 80s teen sex comedies, the nerds pursue sex under the misguided notion that women will be impressed by their extensive knowledge of computer languages and comic books. The women are not (except for that quirky female character who sees and appreciates the nerd for who he is, but is fated to be the perpetual "girl friend" instead of "girlfriend" as said nerd misdirects his energies toward bedding the head cheerleader).

In the DJ world, these are the DJs who focus on underappreciated genres--IDM in the 90s and early 2000s; dubstep today. They express frustration over their genre's lack of commercial acceptance (despite the fact that singles from that genre regularly appear on the UK dance charts). They emphasize how real their scene is.


3) Preppy DJs

In 80s teen sex comedies, preppies are generally well-adjusted, fashionable smart-alecs with all the right moves. Often, they are also enviously clever assholes. Like jocks, they are conformists, but they substitute intellect for the former's testosterone-fueled aggression.

The vast majority of DJs on DJ Magazine's Top 100 list are preppy DJs. They know what is in fashion, what is "right" in respectable dance music circles, and they always do the right thing to promote themselves. Yet their robotic nature (demonstrated by their perfect clothes, perfect hair, perfect photo-shoots, and perfectly large bank accounts) can be alienating. Jock DJs beware: a preppy DJ is most likely to fuck your girlfriend.


4) Slob DJs

In 80s teen sex comedies, the slobs pick their noses sans embarrassment and shrug when they pass gas. Their redeeming feature is their interest in partying at any cost, and their willingness to sacrifice themselves, their bodies, and their reputations selflessly in the pursuit of a good time. They are always in the moment, yet never "all there."

Hailing from the Fatboy Slim school of thought, the slob DJs spin whatever they want whenever they want, so long as the music generates some sort of a buzz. Why not combine 80s rap with Viking metal? This ADHD attitude can result in a jarring listening experience for the audience. The slob DJ is most likely to train-wreck, but so what?--that's just the nature of the beast. Note: slob DJs are the best DJs.

Rock

The bloody, tattered testicles of rock are being held aloft in two clenched fists, one of which belongs to "Idol," and the other of which belongs to "Dancing With the Stars."

EorE? Cinema: Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines, Or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes (1965)

The most famous comically-rambling movie title of the mid-60s was probably Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, but if you've seen that one already, then here's a really great/dumb movie with a similarly unwieldy title that you probably haven't seen--and should.

"Stereotype" is a word steeped in negative connotations, and usually rightly so, but an odd thing about stereotypes is that we sometimes perpetuate them in celebration of what we most admire about another culture. Consider the plain-talkin' American cowboy, the ever-wooing Frenchman, the detail-oriented German. Rather than being negative, each of these clichéd characteristics can also be viewed in an appealing light. We like romantic Parisians, the precision of German automotive engineering, and the blindly optimistic never-give-up American spirit. Stereotypes unfairly paint the disparate members of any society as the same, but cultural differences are also a reality, and those observable differences make the world a more interesting place.

Perhaps "satire" could be defined as the wielding of stereotypes to illustrate a greater truth. It's a highly delicate operation that the filmmakers behind TMMITFM understood (as did Stanley Kubrick). While TMMITFM perpetuates nationalistic clichés (including those of the British filmmakers' own countrymen), it does so affectionately. Besides, that's the whole point, for once one steps back from the cartoon character details one finds that those broad brush-strokes form a wonderful satirical portrait of pre-World War Europe.

The film is set in 1910, a time when "Britannia may rule the waves, but it does not yet rule the air." So a British newspaper magnate sponsors an international air race across the English Channel. Of course, the Brits are not above a little cheating in order to tip things in Britannia's favor; after all, Britain wishes to impress the rest of the world with a win, and it is determined to secure victory at any cost.

Pilots arrive from various countries in order to compete (most of these countries are European ones; a modern remake would likely cast a wider international net). Each pilot is an embodiment of the stereotypes associated with his country of origin. Having a cast of British actors play each of these international representatives would likely have resulted in an unwatchable and nasty movie, but here is where the film delivers its master stroke: all the leads are actually from the countries of the characters they portray in the film.

The much-respected French actor Vincent Cassell's dad is in it; Jean-Pierre Cassell plays an affable and (of course) perpetually love-struck Frenchman. Italian actor Alberto Sordi plays a pilot who discovers the perfect time and place to captitalize on anti-Protestant leanings. German-born actor Gert Fröbe, coming off of playing the title character in Goldfinger, proves an excellent comic actor as he sends up German stereotypes (he wears a Pickelhaube throughout). And in the film's cutest twist, Japanese-born Yûjirô Ishihara plays a pilot who baffles his hosts because he speaks perfect King's English (when you remember how the Caucasian Mickey Rooney cringingly played a Japanese man in Breakfast at Tiffany's four years earlier you really appreciate the higher-order comedy on display, here).

Benny Hill is in it, but don't let that be a deterrant; while his eponymous show and this film may share a few "screwball" qualities (including one sped-up-film chase scene), the comedy in TMMITFM soars in loftier realms. In addition to Hill, an odd foreshadowing of the future of British comedy can be experienced when one notices a familiar melody played by the band on the day of the big race: ah yes, that's the Sousa march that would later be used as the theme music for "Monty Python's Flying Circus."

After an enjoyable first hour getting to know the likable--and likably unlikable--characters, things shift to the big race. The comic tone remains consistent during this section, but with the change of focus also comes a new sense of wonder and adventure. The cast is wonderful, but the faithfully-reconstructed vintage airplanes are stars on an equal par--so historically accurate that one of them hangs in a museum today.

After 1910, Europe went to pieces, a serious point to reflect on while enjoying this comedy. But the film is really a celebration dance for the much-relieved and happier post-World War Western Europe of the 50s and 60s. An infectious joie de vivre permeates this endearingly silly movie, and so it is guaranteed to make you very happy.

Pioneer CDJ-400 Amendment

From Pioneer's CDJ-400 manual:

"The CDJ-400 may not support playback with all USB memory devices or provide sufficient electrical power...Erratic performance may result when a USB hub is used."

As one who has experienced the frustration of getting the CDJ-400 to recognize my USB memory device; and who has, since clearing that hurdle, experienced PLENTY of erratic performance, may I suggest a rewording of the CDJ-400 manual:

"We at Pioneer created a USB hub that we don't feel confident will work in any way at all, which is why we make no guarantees of any sort. In fact, we advise you not to use the USB hub we provided."

11 November 2010 ADDENDUM - Played with MP3s burned to CD-ROMs (as data) today; this went extremely well. I also enjoyed success with an 8 GB thumb drive. So, not all that I hoped for, but still an improvement over my Numarks.

Ode to a New Backpack

Getting accustomed to a new backpack is like moving into a new apartment. One empties the old backpack and then, finding that the new one is not laid-out in the same fashion, determines how best to fit items into the latest version. Kindle in this pocket, external hard drive in that, each pocket carefully selected based on considerations of ease of access and security.

I have now finished moving into my new backpack. It feels terrific when I wear it; it's a great improvement over the beaten and ripped version I used to tote around. Worth every penny. Here's to life's small pleasures!

Ke$ha

Sometimes I worry that Ke$ha will release a good song, because then I'd have to rethink my assessment of her as America's Least Talented Pop Star. I enjoy having my paradigm shifted on most things, but on Ke$ha I remain stubborn. If Ke$ha ever succeeds, then the skies will turn black as a plague of stinging locusts rain down from the heavens. These locusts will gnaw our flesh into a gelatinous pulp, leaving only bare bones behind.

Fortunately, her new song sucks.

How Much Three Months in Eastern and Balkan Europe Costs

As part of my plotting to return to Europe, I studied for the first time my finances from the last trip. Of course I had eyeballed the separate accounts periodically to make sure nothing weird was going on, but I hadn't diligently crunched the numbers to come up with figures regarding the overall expense of the trip.

So how much did it cost me to travel for three months in Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, and a day in Austria? (Drumroll please)

$6649.20

or

$2216.40 per month

or

$554.10 per week

Individual results may vary.

Colors

When did the LGBT community surrender the color pink to the breast cancer lobby? Was this a prisoner exchange for purple, now used by those expressing solidarity for bullied gay students? Is the garment industry behind this? Is American Apparel trying to move more pink and purple products? Is there a color conspiracy? Are lobbies haggling for colors on Capitol Hill in shady backroom deals? Has an activist been found lying in a puddle of blood, rain pelting her lifeless body, after a disagreement over the future of teal? My God! What's going on? I NEED ANSWERS!!!!!!!! B-| <--man in black <--that's "Black™," the Official Color of the Goth, Emo, and Metal Lobby!

$#*! My King Pigeon Says

It is absolutely not a wonder why society's best, brightest, and most ethical seldom go into politics. What I do wonder (and worry) about is how that pyschologically affects a country in general. If it is politically unwise for members of either party to publicly support the theory of evolution or climate change, how will politicians ever fix education? When the best-educated are branded "elitists," how does that foster a desire in others to achieve excellence? When politicians offer non-apology apologies for clear ethical lapses, what moral message does that convey to the rest of us?

Here's a test: If the recent racy GQ spread of 24 year-old "Glee" actors is causing you more consternation than what I wrote in the preceding few sentences, then I think your priorities are messed-up.

The Blueprint of This Observation Can Be Applied to Many Things in Life

A fan of 1977 Genesis might dislike the music of 1977 Wire, whose fans in turn might dislike 1977 ABBA; these determinations of dislike based on tangibles (such as a comparison of complexity of melody and the dexterity demonstrated in the playing of the instruments; or, in the lyrics, the proportion of flighty imagination to the level of confessional nakedness on display, further pitted against the presence [or lack thereof] of socio-political observations; or the rawness of one group's sound versus the polished gloss of another's), all of which blind each band’s committed followers to the one extraordinary quality that these artists had in common: their excellence.

For American nu Italo Disco Fans, Past and Future

American iTunes has recently acquired an astonishing collection of nu Italo disco releases from a decade ago. These songs were my favorites to spin during the early "Eurotrash or Eurotreasure?" days, so my jaw literally dropped, like this --> :-O when I saw the incredible collection of singles (with ALL THE REMIXES) now available. I used to pay a small fortune for imports of this stuff (when I could get my hands on the releases at all; more often than not I couldn't). Italy had terrible international music distribution at that time. Adding to the obscurity factor, I never met an Italian who was aware of the tremendous dance music scene going on within their country's borders.

Some favorites of mine that are now available on American iTunes:

Danijay (feat. Hellen) - Il gioco dell'amore (Extended Smat Mix)
Big boom-boom tune that perfectly captures that romantic/bombastic nu Italo disco spirit.

Quiki (feat. Lisa) - Together (Extended Mix) (the first of the unlabeled mixes offered here)
One of the coolest, sexiest dance songs I have ever heard.

Banshis - Day By Day (Banshiskipedia album version)
Not disco, but an especially gorgeous song from a group that had previously kicked out some dancefloor pumpers, vastly superior in its full running time and in the group's native Italian to the previously available shortened English-language version.

T42 feat. Sharp - Find Time (Fargetta Mix) (first of the unlabeled mixes on offer here)
My favorite feel-good nu Italo song from that era.

Supasonic - Love Again (Love Mix)
Emotional, romantic yearning appealingly hitched to the boom-boom sound.

Carolina Marquez - Pleasure Ground (Original Pleasure Extended)
This is my favorite of Ms. Marquez's catchy/trashy tunes because it sounds genuinely eerie, then turns weirdly beautiful at around the four minute mark. Only the Italians made songs that sounded anything like this--NOBODY ELSE. What a wonderfully weird fucked-up thing this is. The entire back catalog of the Colombian-born Italian seems to be available.

2 People - Holiday Ride (Piparo'S Main Mix)
Slighter than the other recommendations, but nonetheless an extremely cute and appealing representative of the nu Italo sound.

Prezioso feat. Marvin - Let Me Stay
Sort of silly sounding, but the melody of the sweeping-arm-gestures chorus is a killer. It looks like the entire Prezioso catalog is now available.

Levy 9 - I'm Not Scared (Hard Tunes Mix
Trash cover of an obscure 80s tune with huge synth riffs and boom boom beats.

Datura - Will Be One (Todo en Todos Extended)
A very theatrical tune.

Neja - Time Flies (Original Mix) (third of the mixes listed here)
I happily paid $20 for the CD single, but now you can have it for much less. ;-)

And a non-Italian bonus:

Jazmine - Makes Me Go (Mmm...) (Radio)
Sugar-overload track that acquired near-mythic status in the underground trash circles due to its scarcity. The whole single is now available.

You have to admire the nu Italo disco scene for its uniqueness. I feel it demonstrated greater originality and ambition than that displayed in most of the more fashonable dance music of the time. Now is a good time to find that out for yourself.

Weed Patches

Every day I like to go up on top of the GA Tech/Technology Square parking deck in order to gaze at the city skyline and survey the traffic on the interstate below. This gives my eyes a break from long periods spent staring at a computer screen.

Today I found myself gazing down at a GA Tech facilities guy cutting back weeds. These weeds have grown almost as tall as a person, and they have swallowed up the trunks of the ornamental trees planted in a row between the building and the sidewalk.

The guy used a hedge trimmer to carve the weeds back from the sidewalk they had been partially blocking, much as one might carve topiary. His actions resulted in a smooth, five foot high wall of weed by the sidewalk.

This was ridiculous, because the weeds obviously should have been pulled outright long ago. But somehow the opportunity for doing that had slipped by, and one day it was decided to simply trim them back. It struck me as being akin to using a laser to carve a malignant tumor into a beautiful, miniature Venus de Milo while leaving the tumor in place.

Since my mind runs away with itself very easily, the actions of the Facilities guy struck me a metaphor for the way society deals with many problems. Rather than pulling the weeds at the start, it seems to be human nature to let them grow until the problem cannot be ignored--when the sidewalk becomes impassable. By then the effort required to completely solve the problem is too much to contemplate, so we simply cut the weeds back.

Since this is (purportedly) a European-themed blog, in order to justify this musing I'll add a metaphor offered to me by my Slovakian former roommate Luboš to describe how America deals with its problems:

"America began its history like a quilt. But then the quilt got torn. So you sewed patches on the tears. And then the patches get tears. So you sewed patches on patches. And soon the entire quilt became patches on patches on patches..."

Charles Dana Gibson, Rudolf Eickemeyer, Jr., Evelyn Nesbit, and "The Eternal Question"

[September 27, 2010 - Changes made to this blog entry per ADDENDUM below]

This is a "Eurotrash or Eurotreasure?" departure, but since it's become my blog in general, and I've used plenty of Gibson girls to illustrate my Eurodance DJ set flyers, I feel I can indulge myself this one time.

Charles Dana Gibson's "The Eternal Question" [link] has long been believed to be a portrait of Evelyn Nesbit, the chorus girl and model who, a few years after Gibson's drawing was completed, found herself the center of a crime of passion that led to what is generally regarded as the first "Trial of the [20th] Century."

I think I have made a discovery. Last night, while looking through the Corbis website, a 1901/1902 image of Evelyn Nesbit jumped out at me [link]. I believe Gibson used this image as the basis for "The Eternal Question." I present my analysis below. No proportions were altered in any of the photographic images.


The eyelid is the most startling clue; the lighting and fold lines are nearly identical in the two images.


The interior of the ear forms a distinctive key-shape.


The lips and chin are nearly identical.


The two photos above are identically sized and angled. Increasing the size of Nesbit's hairdo along with the changed tilt of her head would have been changes made in order to emphasize Gibson's question mark. Although apparently doubled in size, that amazing sea of hair retains the same proportions and forms throughout.


The photos in the image above are also identically sized and angled. The facial features generally line up; there is a slight waver for the eyebrow and eye in my sizings (perhaps with more care I could align even those), but all else is a perfect match.

I think that the idea of Gibson working from a photo makes him an even better artist. He would have had stunning artistic insight to look at the photo, see that question mark potential there, and then fully realize that vision in his drawing. This is far more interesting to me than if he had sat Nesbit down in front of him and said, "OK, now make your hair into a question mark." :-D

So am I only the latest person to see this, or is this a new piece of insight into "The Eternal Question"?

---

ADDENDUM - September 27 - Paula Uruburu, who literally wrote the book on Evelyn Nesbit (the excellent American Eve [link]), kindly wrote back to me on this issue and offered something I could not bring to the table: real scholarship. :-D

First off, she informed me that the photograph was taken by Rudolf Eickemeyer, Jr. Eickemeyer took most of Nesbit's most famous shots, including "Tired Butterfly." [link]

Second, she agrees that Gibson must have seen this particular Eickemeyer photo, and complimented me on my "brilliant detective work." (I blush. Thank you, Paula!)

Third, there are not many profile shots of Nesbit to (literally) draw from.

But she also noted that Nesbit had also sat for Gibson in the flesh (thus I have deleted the lines in this blog entry where I had expressed doubts about this).

So, at this stage it seems to me that it went down like this: having been acquainted with her already, Nesbit came readily to Gibson's mind as he conceived of "The Eternal Question," and at some point in the creation of that drawing he turned to the Eickemeyer photograph to help fill in the details.

Buggles Sample Ruins Two Songs in One Summer

Orbital were one of the leading electronic music groups of the 1990s. Then they lost their way, and after that they threw in the towel.

In June 2010 they came back from the dead with a new single, called "Don't Stop Me," which featured a sample of a chick from the Buggles' song "Video Killed the Radio Star." It's quite irritating.*



A couple weeks ago, will.i.am rolled out a tune with Nicki Minaj called "Check It Out." It features that same Buggles sample, but this time it's run into the ground, making "Check It Out" one of the most unlistenable pop songs of the last several years. Lyrics consist of performers boasting about their awesomeness and an oft-repeated plea to "check it out."** Orbital's take is not sounding so bad now, is it?



Of course, it's unlikely that the sample's reappearance on "Check It Out" only a couple of months after Orbital's tune came out was a coincidence. But why steal an idea that was bad to begin with and turn it into something so much worse?

The original Buggles song:



* Their "The Gun is Good" is better.
** The reason these sorts of lyrics reappear like roaches is suggested in the verse:

Step up in the party like my name was that bitch
All these haters mad because I'm so established
They know I'm a beast yeah I'm a fucking fab bitch
Haters you can kill yourself

...which suggests that any complaints about the tiresomeness of hearing such clichéd lyrics (which would no doubt come from "haters") will fall on deaf ears.

Life Goes On

In the same way one might worry that no phone call or email for a few weeks from one's elderly father might mean elderly father is lying injured at the bottom of a flight of stairs, his cell phone inches out of reach, perhaps readers sometimes worry that my failure to update this blog means I have met some similarly unhappy fate.

The lack of updates simply comes down to this: this blog focuses on Europe, with an emphasis on my own direct interactions with that continent. Since I haven't been in Europe for many months, updates have been few.

For regular updates on European music, I encourage you to join my lately bouncing "Eurotrash or Eurotreasure?" Facebook group, which I have been posting to several times each week.

For more thoroughly digested music matters, please visit ye olde Kingpigeon.com website, where one will find DJ sets, music reviews, and other fine items.

When I find myself preparing to depart for Europe again, this blog will spring back to life. There's no need to call the paramedics at this time. ;-)

Prison Break Season 2: Sequel

I offer another personal blog entry, since the personal will impact the future, less-personal reportage you'll find here.

My mind is in two places. It will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me, if anybody really does*, that neither of those places is Atlanta, the city where my body shuffles around while its owner drifts along in a perpetual dream state.

One place I find my mind is in the past--way in the past--researching the 1890-1910 period of American history. I might make some sort of a book out of all that research one day, or maybe not, but I'm smitten by the period and am trying to absorb everything I can about it.

The second place I find my mind is the future, contemplating and laying a tentative foundation for a return to Europe, which may or may not happen (in case anyone from my office is worrying about making a contingency plan). This will, by extension, mean a return to the sorts of blog entries you read here from January to April, which was really what this blog was all about in the first place. As I strove to do on that earlier trip, I hope to keep the "travel blog" tone to a minimum and focus more on reporting specifically on the things I see, particularly as related to the European pop and dance music scenes.

The most appealing plan so far looks to be the Baltic states first, followed by a dive down through Belarus, then Ukraine, then Romania, then Bulgaria, then Turkey, then up and around to Georgia (since the Armenian-Turkish border remains closed), and then down to Armenia. Fortunately, I have contacts in many of these places. But I also want to visit friends in the Balkans, which is the one drawback to this currently Balkanless plan, so it will likely be revised (of course, some revision will occur at the spur of the moment).

As for the present, I'm just a body earning money at his job right now. If I return to Europe I will have to quit the job, which is why earning money now is of paramount importance. Not that I'm quitting my job. Just saying these are all the angles I am looking at right now.

* You don't.

Epically Flawed Analogies

For the benefit of those not living in the United States, I will explain that there is a proposal to build a Muslim cultural center two blocks from the "Ground Zero" site of the 11 September attacks. Those opposed to the center say that it is insensitive to build anything related to Islam near Ground Zero. Others argue that opposition to the construction of the center demonstrates an abandonment of our constitutional values.

It's worth writing about on this blog, since many of the analogies used by opponents to the plan focus on events that transpired in recent European history.

In making their arguments, opponents of the so-called "mosque" (actually, it sounds more like a mall) often talk about the "misappropriating" of a tragic historical event, but then misappropriate other historic tragedies to draw analogies to support their position.

I have noticed that all the analogies brought up by opponents to the plan fail on exactly the same point. Here are some the comparisons that have been made and why they all fail in the same way.

1) "Nazis don’t have the right to put up a sign next to the Holocaust Museum in Washington." -- Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich
Analogy: Muslims = Nazis, NYC = Holocaust Museum.
Fail: Nazis as a political entity planned and orchestrated the slaughter of Jews, whereas Muslims as a whole did not plan and orchestrate the 9/11 attacks.

2) "We would never accept the Japanese putting up a site next to Pearl Harbor." -- Newt Gingrich, again
Analogy: Muslims = Japan, NYC = Pearl Harbor.
Fail: Japan as a political entity planned and orchestrated the attack on Pearl Harbor, whereas Muslims as a whole did not plan and orchestrate the 9/11 attacks.

3) "The Atlantic's Michael Kinsley was typical in arguing that the only possible grounds for opposing the Ground Zero mosque are bigotry or demagoguery. Well then, what about Pope John Paul II's ordering the closing of the Carmelite convent just outside Auschwitz? (Surely there can be no one more innocent of that crime than those devout nuns.)" -- Charles Krauthammer, conservative columnist
Analogy: Muslims = The Catholic Church, NYC = Auschwitz.
Fail: The Catholic Church (a religious and, effectively, a political entity [both in method of operation and in the Vatican's sovereignty]), was complicit in the destruction of the Jews during World War II, whereas Muslims as a whole did not plan and orchestrate the 9/11 attacks.

4) “9/11 mosque=act of fitna, “equivalent to bldg Serbian Orthodox church@Srebrenica killing fields where Muslims were slaughtered” -- Sarah Palin, former Alaska governor and former Republican vice presidential candidate
Analogy: Muslims = Serbian Orthodox Church, NYC = Srebrenica.
Fail: The Serbian Orthodox church as a religious entity prominently and directly supported the Serbian government's actions during the Balkan Wars of the 1990s, whereas Muslims as a whole did not plan and orchestrate the 9/11 attacks.

To me, reasonable hatred (e.g., our feelings toward the 9/11 plotters and executors) evolves into unforgivable racism when one impresses one's negative impressions about a few individuals upon a much larger number of people (I suppose this is a wordy way of describing negative stereotyping). The analogies above all attempt to pull off this trick, attempting in each instance to equate 1.5 billion Muslim people to various political and religious entities who, either generally or, in the cases of the specific injustices cited, are worthy of censure. This is why the Atlantic writer Mr. Krauthammer attempts to refute was right all along: "the only possible grounds for opposing the Ground Zero mosque are bigotry or demagoguery."

Europe and America

Began writing this five months ago somewhere between visiting Croatia and Slovenia. Tweaked it a few times since. It probably isn't going to get any better, so I am giving up, posting it, and walking away! :-D

Europe, a continent the size of the United States, boasts myriad languages, faiths, and cultures. Some countries there were fighting wars with one another as recently as the 1990s, and other forms of cultural wars continue to divide Europeans today. Thus, it would be silly to generalize about Europeans as a whole. But I'm silly, so let's do it!

Europeans seem to be more pragmatic and susceptible to logic than Americans, perhaps to a fault, as pragmatism sometimes leads to pessimism, and pessimism leads to inaction ("The odds are I will fail, so I will not attempt"). But I can relate better to this form of logic than to American optimism, and the longer this economy drags the more American realists I think there will be.

Europe contends with a Babel effect; even with English as a fallback business language there is a large, disenfranchised portion of the population that cannot so easily participate in the international market. America is fortunate in that its citizens by and large speak the same language.

The Muslim issue seems to be roiling Europe, whereas America's analogous Mexican immigrant issue is not so big a deal (the U.S. immigration debate does not represent an all-out "culture war" on a par with Europe's Muslim one; and regarding our own recent Muslim issue, the "Ground Zero" "Mosque" [both terms need to be scare-quoted], this appears to be a trifle compared to the all-out European cultural battle).

Europe has a deserved reputation for paying more attention to detail, and generally is known to produce a higher quality of product (from clothes to furniture to cars to women*) than Americans, though sometimes at unreasonable cost.

Even if we are to trust the gloomy international standardized test scores, the United States' 300 million-strong population guarantees that a large number of smart and clever people will continue to drive the markets and innovation. Lack of hyper-pragmatism means greater ingenuity and innovation--the best entrepreneurs expect to fail sometimes and are not easily dissuaded by failure. That means we sometimes fail epically, but we also enjoy epic success (McDonald's, Microsoft, etc.).

All that said, I often think I would rather live in Europe. I identify more with its culture and lifestyle. America can become great, but if my life isn't, then why stick around cheerleading the richest 1%? There are plenty of European democracies I could choose to live in. And did I mention the girls?

* ;-D

Something iTunes Does That is Probably Illegal

For years iTunes begs me to update it, and afterward, if I see any change at all, it seems all I can do is flip through my album covers in some new way. More substantive, logical suggestions for improving iTunes have been ignored for years, so today it's still too easy to accidentally delete a playlist, the program cannot automatically find de-linked songs, and (despite there being simple freeware programs that can do it with mp3s) no BPM calculator has been installed.

But that's nothing compared to iTunes' most glaring flaw, which probably breaks the law. iTunes needs to introduce an option to view album covers and liner notes in greater detail.

Last Friday, my friend Goce Alice recommended a 1969 musical starring Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood. I said, "a musical starring Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood." It's called Paint Your Wagon, and those tough guys, God bless them, did their own singing. How awesome is that?

Goce steered me to this YouTube clip, which features a marvelous rendition of the song "Wan'drin' Star" by Lee Marvin (whose deep and gravely voice recalls Leonard Cohen's).

I rushed to iTunes in order to buy the song, but a few Paint Your Wagon soundtracks exist on iTunes, all of them suspect. I tried to study the fine print in order to pick out the correct one, but there was no reading of fine print. That's because iTunes doesn't allow one to study the album sleeves closely. Album covers are reproduced at a size of about 175 x 175 pixels, which is pretty tiny. Clicking such an image does not take you to a larger version.

I settled on an album that read, "Music from the Paramount Motion Picture." I am shrewd enough to know that this might have just been a very lawyerly way of saying that, while the record featured performances of songs "from the movie," the songs in fact were not the original movie versions, but rather versions by "sound alike" artists. But really, would the people behind this be such pricks?* It did not escape my notice that iTunes credited the singing to the "Rita Williams Singers." But maybe the Rita Williams Singers did the majority of the movie performances, and Lee and Clint stepped in now and then to accompany them. Who knows? It was the best I could come up with.

I bought "Wand'rin' Star" played it, and sure enough I'd been had. I felt stupid and ashamed, like you do when a con man successfully extracts a dollar from you. In fact, the original movie soundtrack version is not available on iTunes at all. Once again, they wonder why we file share.

Had I been more patient, I might have gone to Amazon.com and found this much larger version of the album cover, which made it clear via the absence of Lee Marvin's and Clint Eastwood's names that this was a "Countdown Singers" sort of affair. Oh well.

We all know it's ethically wrong to do shit like this. Nobody wants a sound-alike cover of an original song, and nobody who buys the version of "Wand'rin' Star" that I did does so for any reason other than having been tricked. Nobody. Adding the words "Music from the Paramount Motion Picture" to the album cover deliberately creates this confusion.

There is a special place in hell for the geniuses behind this. But the practice is not illegal. No doubt, the lawyers signed off on everything and Paramount was happy to collect licensing fees.

Where I think iTunes is breaking a law, however, returns us to the issue of the album cover. Back when the lawyers signed off on the original Paint Your Wagon arrangements, nobody at Paramount would have actually wanted somebody to hand money over to the sound-alike band instead of spending that money on Paramount's own "Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" version. It would be logical to assume that the lawyers for Paramount therefore demanded that information be present on the copy-cat's album cover in order to make it clear to the consumer that the record in hand was not the real version.

But in the iTunes world I cannot hold that record in hand and study its fine print. Not only is the cover shrunk down to an unreadable size, but no back cover is provided at all. This cannot have been what the lawyers for Paramount intended.

Even more amazing is the lack of data provided on iTunes m4a music files regarding engineers' names, session musicians, and producer credits. How would one know about David Gilmour's backing vocals on Kate Bush's "Pull Out the Pin"? What of Kate Bush's backing vocals on Peter Gabriel's "No Self Control"? What of Peter Gabriel's lead vocals for Lamb Lies Down on Broadway-era Genesis? Do we get any of that information from iTunes? It does not appear so, judging from what little I find when I click the "Get Info" option on my iTunes m4as. You wouldn't be able to learn from an iTunes m4a that Robert Plant and Jimmy Page were in Led Zeppelin; that John Lennon once sang for a band called The Beatles; that--good God--Justin Timberlake was once in 'N-sync!

Is this why so many hip-hop producers are nowadays into the irritating habit of yelling out their names throughout the songs they produce, like paranoid dogs marking their territory? In light of this, it seems they have a point; so forgive me, Jay-Z and Timbaland, for criticizing you for employing this practice. In the future, perhaps all the session musicians will get to do a self-promotional shout-out on every track as well. Songs can just be shouted out lists of names.

So keep your stagecoach clear of them sound-alike varmints, aided and abetted by iTunes' current policies. In the United States the only place you can hear Lee Marvin croaking the original version of "Wand'rin' Star" (outside of renting the poorly-reviewed movie) is by moseying on over to that YouTube clip--at least until Paramount's lawyers have it taken down, which will probably be soon. Then we'll all forget that Lee Marvin's unusual performance ever happened. That's 21st century entertainment law for you.


* Oh God why do I even ask anymore?

Gay or Eurotrash: Thoughts on Disco After the Proposition 8 Overturn

Here in the United States, the ban on gay marriage has been ruled unconstitutional once again, and so the long debate continues--astonishingly, since the arguments against gay marriage are among the most irrational, illogical, and (despite arguers' insistence to the contrary) obviously bigoted I have ever seen in print.

Of course, there has been a long and sorry tradition of homophobia in America. One aspect of that worth exploring is the relationship between gay and dance music culture.

Over the last year or two, the BPMs of American R&B have risen. This might be the result of a larger cycle; R&B and hip-hop beats were faster in the mid-to-late 1980s, then slowed down to appropriately dirge-like rhythms during the depressing 1990s when MCs were getting killed left and right. Lady Gaga's success with her Euro-influenced pop-dance sound deserves some credit for encouraging Americans to hit the dancefloor, but the growth of U.S. Latin culture over the last decade is perhaps of more significance (Hispanics became America's largest minority in 2003, and faster dance beats have long been a part of Latin pop music tradition).

Whatever the causes, it seems we are becoming a dance nation at last. Our new-found fondness for the 130 BPM song is the latest in a long line of Euro-pop-culture injections that (like the reality TV shows we have cloned from Dutch, Swedish, and UK ones) have taken hold of America over the last decade.

It's about time. After all, Americans invented disco, house, and techno music. But as soon as disco took off we crowned a European champion: Giorgio Moroder, the "Munich Machine" who produced all of Donna Summer's 1970s hits. Ever since, dance music has traditionally enjoyed a far higher level of popularity in Europe, both chart-wise and culturally, than it has in the United States.

Why? Well, you know why, because you know I began this essay with the subject of homophobia.

Disco music emerged from America's gay club scene. "During the late 1960s various male counterculture groups, most notably gay, but also heterosexual black and Latino, created an alternative to rock'n'roll, which was dominated by white — and presumably heterosexual — men. This alternative was disco," states Kelly Boyer Sager's in her general treatment of The 1970s. And so in its very conception disco was associated with sexual, as well as ethnic, minorities. And while a perhaps overly self-aware straightness prevailed over the popular 1977 movie hit Saturday Night Fever, that film explored a minority scene of its own--New York City's Italian-American culture, as the New York magazine article the film was inspired by demonstrates.

So despite its general popularity, disco remained a scene strongly associated with gays (Village People), gay blacks (Sylvester), Italian-Americans (Saturday Night Fever), and other American minority groups.

In 1979, a "Disco Demolition Night" was hosted by a radio station at Chicago's Comiskey Park during a baseball game. The publicity stunt called for disgruntled rock fans to bring disco records to the stadium; the records were to be blown up on the field. A crowd chant of "disco sucks" led up to the explosion. Afterward, rock fans took to the field and a surreal riot (of sorts; no one was injured) followed.

Wrote the New York Times in a reflective piece, "[Chicago DJ Steve Dahl] and his followers resented how disco threatened rock ’n’ roll." That thought is left undeveloped. How did disco in any way threaten rock 'n' roll? How does any genre of music threaten another? Craig Werner, in his book A Change is Gonna Come (as quoted in this Independent article) summed it up: "The Anti-disco movement represented an unholy alliance of funkateers and feminists, progressives and puritans, rockers and reactionaries. None the less, the attacks on disco gave respectable voice to the ugliest kinds of unacknowledged racism, sexism and homophobia."

In other words, disco was logically as much a threat to rock 'n' roll as gay marriage is a threat to the institution of marriage.

Disco remained popular for a few more years in Europe before it gave way to other sub genres of electronic dance music. But in America, the stigma of disco as a gay- and other minority-based counter-cultural movement warped and distorted white America's perception of the club sound for three decades. While America's gay scene rallied around house music, and more underground-minded sorts sniffed out warehouse raves, average Americans missed out on a lot of the fun enjoyed in the UK--no acid house summers of love, no sight of worried television reporters bemoaning the dangers of the drug-infused hardcore techno rave scene, no Gatecrasher style Euro-trance explosion in 1999. But if the latest crop of U.S. dance pop singles are any indication, perhaps we are finally putting that bigotry behind us. Put on your dancing shoes, America.

Vote for DJ King Pigeon

Voting has opened for the DJ Magazine top DJs poll. Please vote for me, DJ King Pigeon.

I certainly need more help than DJ "I'm not Dead" Tiësto does. But neediness is not a good enough reason to solicit your support, so let me do something novel and list my qualifications:

1) Ambitious mixes like this one, which promote the whole of the European music scene (and beyond).

2) Articles written to draw attention to music acts that rarely receive English-language promotion, such as this one and this one.

3) A decade-long history of supporting and spreading the word about under-represented music scenes through blogs, parties, and social networking websites.

4) I'm kinda cute. I mean, check out my beautiful red eyes in the picture above.

I don't have the impeccable fashion sense, the globe-trotting lifestyle, or the fancy cars enjoyed by the top DJs, but isn't that really the point in voting for me? It's time to upset the status quo!

Vote for DJ King Pigeon. :-)

Selena Gomez

Another item to add onto the long list of things Selena Gomez and I have in common: we've both been to Budapest.

Mark Ronson & The Business Intl feat. Q-Tip - Bang Bang Bang

This is the second Mark Ronson song I've heard in the last few weeks that I like, and it's my favorite of the two. Plus, a terrific video to go with.

Set 32: From Midnight to 3:30 AM

At long last, my latest DJ set featuring songs representing many different voices in Europe (and some other places) is finished. You can download it from here.

I began to write an essay about what goes into making such a set, but several paragraphs later I abandoned the effort, largely because the more I went on about my "philosophy of dj'ing" the more I sounded like a total twat.

Bottom line: 66 songs in 3 hours 40 minutes, enough to keep a party moving from, as the title says, midnight to 3:30 am--and then a little bit more, because I always love to give just a little bit more.

Edward Maya's "Stereo Love" Gets a Second (At Least) Cover Treatment

Edward Maya's "Stereo Love" (feat. Vika Jigulina) appeared on the Romanian charts in May 2009. When I visited Kiev, Ukraine in January 2010 the song was blasted everywhere. The tune steadily conquered dance charts throughout Western Europe (for more on the Romanian roll-out strategy, check out this interesting recent Reuters article). Now it's being covered for at least the second time.

Here is the original version:



Dancelovers (feat. Dominika) released a version which I first heard in April 2010. It is a nearly note-for-note clone of the original, but performed in the Hungarian language. It sort of makes sense to redo it in another language if one imagines that there is an audience that would appreciate that.



But this week, on the Radio One charts, I find this useless remake charting. It's done in the same style as the original, and in the English language, also like the original. The English is stronger and more front-and-center, and I will always have a spot in my heart for Velvet ever since hearing her trashtastic take on "Rock Down To (Electric Avenue)," but this is just not worth the effort, in my opinion.



If you know of more covers of "Stereo Love," please post links in the comments area.

Eurodancehits.com is Closed

25 July 2010 -- The website, which seems to have nine lives, has been restored.



As I was preparing to add (another) link to the website from my own, I discovered that Eurodancehits.com had closed in June. I don't know the details; the most I have read about the subject came from this bulletin board. The poster, who had worked extensively on the Eurodancehits.com site, advances the idea that the site's webmaster, Kris, was exhausted and disheartened after battling a barrage of homophobic comments posted to the discussion forums (a lot of HiNRG compilations were promoted on the site, including the unabashedly gay-marketed Let's Hear it for the Boy comps).

On other forums, some suggested that the site had simply withered away, rendered increasingly irrelevant as sites such as MySpace and YouTube emerged. Kris's message reads "It is time to move forward," perhaps an acknowledgement that the web site had become mired in the past. I can only speculate.

What I do know is that it was a great website. I discovered Eurodancehits.com for myself back in 2001, shortly after I had become addicted to streaming Romanian top 40 radio on the internet (which had been the gateway into my whole Euro music fixation). I was delighted by the massive body of reviews and music samples the site provided for a sound that was, at the time, brand new and extremely exciting to me.

After finding the site, I spent a giddy and extraordinarily happy couple of weeks digging through its archives. It was then that I was introduced to some of my all-time favorite songs, such as Mauro Picotto's "Like This Like That" and Angelic's "It's My Turn." It was where I first heard Scooter, those gleefully unapologetic village-idiots of hardcore dance whose music continues to damage my eardrums today. It also gave me my first taste of Infernal (the song was "Sunrise," a big trance tune quite unlike the more Eurodancy stuff that would follow from them). The site also taught me about pop obscurities of dubious talent such as fem@le, whose cover of J. Geils Band's "Centerfold" is...something else. The music video archives gave one a then-rare opportunity to see how European dance music was being marketed to its overseas audience. I still have several of those Real Media files burned to DVD.

I don't know him, but Kris was clearly a very accommodating person. When in 2003 I wrote in to inform him (just because I thought, hey, he might be interested) that one Scooter song on a recently-reviewed album was a reworking of Liquid's "Liquid is Liquid," he swiftly inserted my comment into the review and thanked me by name.

My favorite aspect of the site was its reviews of singles, but as time went on fewer and fewer of these were posted, until eventually, sometime in the mid-2000s I believe, the singles section ceased to be updated. This struck me as odd because dance music is a singles-driven market. That was the first time I worried about the site's future and wondered what was going on behind the scenes.

Review focus by 2006 had shifted towards compilations, and generally things there were limited to a few series: the aforementioned Let's Hear it for the Boy HiNRG series, which, to be honest, was often a little too, well, gay for my tastes, but clearly served its audience well, as shown by the series' many, many volumes. And then there were reviews of some epic Euro-trance comps. These appealed to me more. It was here, for example, that I was exposed to such awesome tracks as Dynni's "City Of Moving Waters (Robert Gitelman Remix)."

For many, the discussion forums were the site's biggest draw, but for me, after the singles reviews ceased, my favorite reason for visiting became the Euro mini mixes, which I greatly looked forward to each month. Sometimes the mixes featured classics, and other times they featured a ton of new acts I had never heard of before. The obscurity of some acts could be frustrating for a music fan; it was extremely difficult to find some of these tunes. On the other hand, successfully tracking down a Human Athletic Dance CD single after having heard it on Eurodancehits.com was, as they say, priceless.

The mixes were frantic, with songs blazing past after a couple of minutes apiece, often laced with a barrage of original samples (usually of the motivational shouted variety). This was the sort of place where (and I can't remember if it was actually featured, but it may as well have been) one would hear Dancing DJs' fantastic reworking of Roxette's "Like a Flower." That is to say (if you're not already looking for that song on YouTube), each mix was a sugar rush of pure pounding joy.

Admittedly, I found myself visiting less and less. I spent more time listening to streaming internet radio and checking the pop charts against YouTube video postings. The emergence of Web 2.0 took a toll on the site. Consider Eurodancehits.com's once-mesmerizing video archives of pixely Real Media files. These were abruptly marginalized by the rise of YouTube--a whole section of the site rendered obsolete in a single blow! As television and movie production houses are discovering, the world's attention is becoming increasingly divided. But every few months, right up until today when I found the site closed, I continued to check in on what was going on there, because the site was that important.

It's a huge loss.

I am hoping that Mr. Davis, the poster I linked to above, is not correct, that an entire website of such great musicological value (and dumb fun, which is a compliment) would be shuttered because of a single homophobe's comments.

So I would like to say, Kris, your work as both music archivist and promoter seems too important to be derailed by one hater's (or even a few haters') stupidity.

But if you have moved on because it just wasn't fun anymore, I hear you and I support that. Maybe that's our loss, but you have to live your own life for yourself. And hopefully your gain will become ours as well, if music continues to lead your heart to an even bigger and bolder venture.

In any case, huge, huge thanks for what you gave the world. The passing of Eurodancehits.com is something I will mourn like the passing of a friend. Haha, my friends will probably shudder at that! But no kidding. The site is irreplaceable.

Thanks to everyone who worked on Eurodancehits.com for a great ride.

-----


An interesting addendum, worth pondering if the site really is finished: CubeStat.com values Eurodancehits.com at $20,896.98. So, for any doubters out there, the site possesses more than mere sentimental value!

"Eurotrash or Eurotreasure?" DJ Set 32 Available Next Week

I haven't been posting much to this blog, my kingpigeon.com site has been in a state of suspended animation, and my journalistic endeavors have been temporarily put on hold as I have been investing hundreds of hours into the creation of a three hour and forty minute long Euro-themed DJ set which will be made available to you next week. I "test drove" it last night in order to sort out various glitches and volume issues, and having just taken that epic ride I can promise you this: it will be worth the wait.

There's nothing like a little marketing to whet your appetite. Here is the (probably) finalized flyer.

Congrats to Slovakia!

One of the better football songs, from Katka Knechtová (who has sung some other pretty good stuff). Comes with requisite African tribal drums and chorus, which seem to play a role in 78% of World Cup songs (no vuvuzelas, though, I'm not sorry to report). ;-)

Best Music Video of the Week

Poland is figuring out their election results right now, but they have already won my approval for top video of the last week. :-)

Ostrava State of Mind

Why should New York City get all the attention? Why not Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic?



UPDATE: 29 July 2010 - Well, another (probably stupid) copyright claim has kicked a video off of YouTube--and the timing of that booting is poor considering a newer Welsh parody has emerged that has begun to get press. Fortunately, you can still catch a glimpse of the Czech song here.

Swedish Royal Wedding

Yesterday, Princess Victoria of Sweden married her fitness instructor (i.e., one of the "small people"), Clark Kent, aka Daniel Westling, in a lavish ceremony.

There is an unfortunate tradition of insipid ballad-singing that accompanies wishing a couple well. As an an amateur ethnomusicologist, I submit these two Swedish examples.





Addendum (25 June 2010)-- Might as well add this, right?



...and this. Can you take any more?



Addendum (5 July 2010)-- The hits keep coming. My god, I'm ready to drive a nail right through my eardrums.

Estonia Hears a HU

This article was also picked up by the excellent Baltic Reports.


The music group HU? may be the finest Estonian invention since Skype. Their 2008 debut album Film aspired to be a classy underground effort, but far exceeded those expectations (wrote music critic Erik Morna of Film in Eesti Ekspress, "We've been waiting for this disc for over 20 years”). The album's songs were licensed to TV ads, its music was discussed by Estonia's leading politicians, and its lyrics won them both admirers and enemies (proof that they must be doing something right). The follow-up, HU2, has now arrived, and like its predecessor it is packed with shimmery synth hooks woven through a spectrum of musical styles that ably demonstrate the band's creativity, versatility, and unwavering sense of cool.

I exchanged email with the group's 23 year-old singer Hannaliisa Uusma—sociologist by day and rock goddess by night—to find out more about her life, the band whose name is plucked from her initials, and Estonian pop music in general. This is her first English-language interview.

EorE - Estonia looks set to join the eurozone in 2011. Are you ready to exchange your krooni for euros?

Hannaliisa Uusma - I am absolutely ready!

EorE - How were you "discovered"?

Hannaliisa Uusma - When I was 15 I was a member of an Estonian underground rap band called CSQ. There were four members: me and three boys from my neighbourhood. After that I performed with a rap group called Connected People (Ühendatud Inimesed) once in a while. Chalice—the head of this group—is a really honourable singer, poet, and producer. Chalices's first album came out in 2001. It was revolutionary and fresh, in contrast to the monotonous sounds which had generally characterised our pop scene in those days.

At one point, DJ Critical (producer and DJ in HU?) decided that the girl singing backing vocals to Chalice surely deserved her own chance! A bit later, Leslie da Bass (the author of HU?'s music and bass player) joined us. We worked terrifically together! We were full of inspiration and ideas, and we had the same vision about music.

EorE - So are you Hannaliisa Uusma, or are you HU?

Hannaliisa Uusma - Our band is called HU? True, this letter-combination comes from my initials, but it is the band's name. And jokingly, we can steal some of the spotlight from The Who! ;-)

EorE - Who are those people playing the instruments behind you?

Hannaliisa Uusma - Leslie Da Bass is a songwriter and bass player. DJ Critical (also known as "Bert on Beats") is a producer and DJ. Kristjan Oden plays the drums and Sigrid Mutso—who is actually a classical singer—is rocking on the keyboards. I am responsible for the vocals.

EorE - Who writes most of the material?

Hannaliisa Uusma - The main songwriter is Leslie. Film featured some other songwriters [also]. My good friend and old music mate Chalice was the author of two songs. And Sten Sheripov wrote the song "Linnasuwelaul". This song is definitely bright and full of sweet emotions. I believe it will live for many years in the hearts of the Estonian audience.

EorE - What is the songwriting process for HU?

Hannaliisa Uusma - Just three of us work together in the studio: Leslie, Critical, and me. Leslie writes all the lyrics and music at home. The next day we normally meet in Critical's studio. Leslie hums something. I catch it and let it through my brain, heart, body and soul. If it fits me, I add my own ideas and colours. Then it's Critical's turn. [The rest of us] go home, but he has to stay in the studio and work hard with recordings and beats!

EorE - How would you describe Estonia's music scene, and how do you fit into it?

Hannaliisa Uusma - Our success shows that we are fitting. Our pop scene was very unfashionable for a long time. Really "juicy" music was only in the underground. Critics have said that HU? spiced-up the Estonian mainstream pop scene with a fashionable sound. Many people have said that this was the key to our success. People were thirsty for modern sounds.

The last two years have been a time of change in our pop music and club culture. Suddenly, we are surrounded by more and more world-class local pop music. For example, bands like Vaiko Eplik & Eliit, Malcolm Lincoln, Pop Idiot, and Mimicry. The paradigms and generations have changed. And god damn, I'm really happy about it!

EorE - Who are Heini Vaikmaa and Kare Kauks, who are credited as guests on your new album?

Hannaliisa Uusma - They are the very best part of our old school pop music scene. Their creations have inspired and influenced our music a lot. Now we have had a great opportunity to make music together on our newest record. This is a great pleasure and honour!

EorE - Were the 1980s a major influence on your sound?

Hannaliisa Uusma - The 80s have definitely influenced our music. [80s music] was around me in my most formative years. It is strongly and maybe even unconsciously deep in my brain.

On our second record we have many nuances which also reflect the 90s. I think the next volcano in the world's pop music is the sound of the 90s. There was a lot of awful 90s pop, but also many extremely bright nuances. It is important to try to transform those good sides into modern pop-music.

EorE - Are you full-time HU'ers?

Hannaliisa Uusma - Most of us are working in different fields ["day jobs"]. I am a sociologist. Leslie is the owner of an advertising company. Kristjan is a designer also. After the working day, music is a brilliant opportunity to put the performing suit on and to rock out, to find inspiration, and to be passionate. It's like a creative orgasm. :-)

EorE - What songs do you most look forward to performing live in the coming days?

Hannaliisa Uusma - In performance, my favorites are "Riia Tallinn Vilnius", "Varas", "Tähed", "Sa meeldid mulle" , "Nõiaring" and "Kosmos". The last three are from our first record.

EorE - "Miks ainult mõni asi on nii hea?"—I love this song. What does the title mean?

Hannaliisa Uusma - It means: "Why Are Only Some Things So Good"? I also like it. It features Kare Kauks.

EorE - I presume I am missing out on a lot by not understanding the lyrics. :-/

Hannaliisa Uusma - Lyrics are the really important part of our music. This is the reason why we are at the same time so loved and so hated. People have written protest letters about us. But at the same time our albums are the most wanted and most sold in Estonia. Politicians have quoted us. The President of Estonia has said good words about our music. With Film we won most of the prizes in the Estonian Music Awards. Our concerts are sold out. We have been in the top of the local charts with both of our albums.

Our new record is still quite recent and I don't yet know how the audience is going to react. But the reviews have been very approving.

EorE - "Protest letters?" What sorts of controversies did you stir-up?

Hannaliisa Uusma - We have one song from Film called "Depressiivsed Eesti väikelinnad" ("Depressive Estonian Towns"). It was a very sensational song. Suddenly, we heard that a local association of small towns had written a public protest letter against us. Briefly, their statement was that our lyrics about these little towns were an overreaction and that the towns are not so depressive as we had said. There followed a long public and even political discussion in the media about social life in local small towns. It is still continuing.

EorE - I love that you sing in Estonian. Has this been a subject of discussion within the group, though? Can an Estonian musician do all right marketing oneself to the 1.3 million living in one's own country?

Hannaliisa Uusma - Well, a major part of our songs are in Estonian. But "backstage" we also have some interesting new stuff in English.

EorE - Do you perform outside of Estonia?

Hannaliisa Uusma - We have had some offers. Let's see how things go!

---

On the Web:

HU?'s Facebook page
Mindnote, HU?'s record label
Mindnote's YouTube Page

HU? tracks on YouTube:

"Miks ainult mõni asi on nii hea?"
"Depressiivsed Eesti väikelinnad"
"Sa meeldid mulle"
"Absoluutselt”