It’s no secret I’m a poolboi blu supporter, so whenever he has a new drop he instantly has my attention. His latest pair of singles, however, have me very excited, as this is the biggest jump I’ve seen him take to date in terms of being a songwriter and a recording artist. On the songwriting tip, we got vaxxbaby, a two-way analogy paralleling finding yourself in a relationship with finding confidence in our brave new post-COVID world with the vaccination process, and how both, while good for you, can also be a safety net for a false sense of security. In terms of his prowess as a recording artist, pilates shows poolboi blu pushing the limits of his vocal inflections and emotional subtext in ways I haven’t seen him due since the brilliant cloudy w/ a chance suite. Go listen, go comment, go like, and most important, go share these around and share the good word of poolboi blu, because this time next year, it may be too late to say you were there before he blew up.
Some of my favorite rock music comes from bands based out of central Texas. It seems that something about this area pulls in artists with musical abilities, musical virtuosos with talent in multiple dramas, walking encyclopedias of music knowledge and those with a deep DIY ethos that find ways to connect and form bands. Typical Girls has always been one of my favorites from the area, as their sound somehow manages to sound like the Austin bands I grew up with while at the same time sounding like bands from New York, Portland, London and many more places that shaped my love for alternative rock and roll. Memories of Old Love, even at just under 20 minutes, is able to take listeners on quite the emotional and sonic journey, giving us tinges of nostalgia while managing to still sound fresh and ahead of the curve. Definitely check this one out, support if you’ve got the money to do so, and if not, stream it on your favorite streaming service and encourage others to do the same!
“Some friends were kind enough to help me record this two-song, proof of concept video. This was recorded live on 10/13/21. I wanted to get a recording that would show some of the new things I’ve added into my live show, like song interludes, trippy lights, cryptic ramblings, and of course, homemade stage sweatsuits. I can’t wait to hit the road and start doing this in person!”
If you’re throwing any house shows in the Central Texas area, or you’re into creatives unashamedly afraid of being themselves, then get hip to Jupiter Mountain asap.
As a longtime friend and fan of poolboi blu, I’ve enjoyed seeing his growth as a songwriter, recording artist and performer, but I’d be lying to you if I didn’t admit that the foundation of my fandom is his production. My earliest exposure to his work (outside of the stellar and slept on cloudy w/ a chance, which he sang on and produced) were his beat tapes like potpourri., fine dining… & breathing. and Chocolat, but as he bridged over into the aforementioned cloudy era that transitioned into ANTSY, DIXIE and MASON (not to mention Rain of the Squids and a recent single run), I was preparing for poolboi blu to go full evolution into his version of a traditional recording artist. jubilee showed me he hadn’t lost his production chops, but the recent 318! drop is a remind to me (and everyone else) that poolboi blu is still dropping bangers that will work in your club and party mixes. Enough with my impromptu history lesson though… go check the single, run the numbers up, comment on the track for maximum engagement and share it around just because!
Though Austin will always be my home (and the city I claim), I have spent a significant portion of my life down the road in San Marcos. As a town full of talented artists and musicians, it is hard to not see folks soar to success these days that I remember as young, wide-eyed hopefuls, and David Beck is no exception to that rule. With a list of credits, accomplishments and credentials fitting for a man twice his age, David Beck is no stranger to musical diversity, but I doubt anyone saw the formation of David Beck’s Tejano Weekend coming. That being said, like everything he does musically, the project is not only valid, top notch content for the respective genre, but it mixes shades of his many other musical loves within the overall chemistry. Within a span of time just under a week, David Beck’s Tejano Weekend has dropped videos for For Somebody’s Sake and Put Me In Jail (which features David Lee Garza). Check out the videos, leave likes and comments, and share them around so they blow up!
Over the past couple of weeks, Maikéru has been doing major promo for Jets & Planes, a single and video he featured on with Andwan Zonez. The hype that he built up for it was major, and like everything else that he’s pushed recently, the quality stood up to the promise. The track is a well-produced mixture of R&B, hip-hop and club energy, and thanks to the well-known talents of videographer, director and editor extraordinaire Dan2TheL, the video looks as high quality as the track sounds with its vivid color displays and late 1990s/early 2000s aesthetic. In all honesty, not following Maikéru at this point is taking a social media L, as he continues to get himself involved in interesting and top notch content. Check out the video, leave a like and a comment if you dig it, and share it around to run the numbers up!
During a recent DJ set at The Porch, someone stepped up to the booth. This is nothing new, and normally, it’s the signal that someone is about to ask for (or, more often than not, obnoxiously try to force) a request. Luckily though, he just said what’s up and told me he was enjoying the mix. I thanked him and went back to focusing on my mix, as DJ’ng requires much more concentration than the average observer realizes, but he kept going with the conversation attempt. Normally I would feign interest or cut things off so I don’t run into a bad conversation situation, but I let it ride that time, and this is how I met Donja and learned about his music. The catalog was prolific, and much like MAIKÉRU, who I also recently met, Donja sounded seasoned, and he was doing genre-blending music that purposefully stood out from the norm in terms of both quality and approach. His latest single, the super catchy Phone Home, serves as a continuation of the vibe that I was picking up when checking out Donja‘s back catalog, and if you’re unfamiliar with him like I once was, then the single serves as a perfect introductory point. Check out the track on your favorite streaming service, and find Donja on your favorite social media site to stay in the release loop!
Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice 