PLAYLIST -- November (1/2) -- anything can happen at the night show

First of bi-monthly playlists coming on the first and the fifteenth of each month.  Since this is a first, some older snaps on it.  Song blurbs below:

COUSIN STIZZ -- 'Dirty Bands'

normcore rap over haunting production, one of the best tracks of the summer

MURA MASA x JARREAU VANDAL -- 'Lotus Eater (Vandalized Edit)'

an immediate slapper that shrinks and expands -- first heard at vandal's set in copenhagen ten days ago

ALLAN KINGDOM -- 'Take It'

newcomer kingdom slings dope over a hand-clapping, minimalist beat that stretches into a soul sample during the chorus

STUPID GENIUS x TORY LANEZ -- 'Clean'

lanez is a classic on the hook, and these two young kids from boston (1/2 of stupid genius is lil' rich, producer of stizz's 'bonds' below) are on the verge of something excellent.  occasionally reminiscent of busta and mariah's 'baby if you give it to me'

BRYSON TILLER -- 'Don't'

louisville's pen griffey jr. dropped his first ep, 'trapsoul,' last month to co-signs from drake and the ovo crew.  this snippet from 'don't' is a taster of his moody rap&b

K. CAMP x FETTY WAP -- '1Hunnid'

way too easy to bump, esp. fetty's verse

KYLE -- 'Endless Summer Symphony'

at first i hated kyle and thought he had an annoying voice, but i'm all in now -- fun timez beats with a high energy flow and a refrain that brings me back to summer make for a solid track

AMINÉ -- 'Rage/Peace'

reminiscent of chance's flip on 'missing you,' aminé goes from a hardcore, bombastic flow to an introspective verse as a coda

COUSIN STIZZ -- 'Bonds'

sick production from lil rich and hypnotic, off kilter flow from stizz as usual

ROME FORTUNE x D.R.A.M. -- '24/7'

two of the dopest in the game collab on a travis-scott-y trap track

RAURY x KATMANDU -- 'Devil's Whisper (edit)'

original track is solid, but katmandu flips it into a hymnal

MICK JENKINS x KAYTRANADA -- 'Your Love'

mick skis and sings over a funky, left field beat from kaytranana

FRESCO x RJ x DJ MUSTARD -- 'Popular'

classic mustard spin on the song from 'wicked'

OVERCOATS -- 'The Fog'

a duo of east coast unknowns with unbelievably catchy folktronica over warms synths and handclaps

CHANCE THE RAPPER x NONAME GYPSY -- 'Israel (Sparring)'

i could listen to these two spar for an entire album

SANGO -- 'Knew You'

some heavy, shifting, vibes over echoing samples and what seems to be a roomful of instruments

POST MALONE -- 'That's It'

screwed post malone over some snippets of what seem to be glam rock samples -- fire

TORY LANEZ x BENZEL -- 'Initiation'

the kids aren't alright

WUN TWO -- 'Give Me A Hug'

an old timey rework of 'in da club' that satisfies any situation

Spin Feature: Tory Lanez Take on Europe

just had a piece in Spin, which is a decent PG-13 recap of the tory lanez tour, and the kid behind it.

ONE YEAR IN PARIS

i just celebrated my one year anniversary of living here.  like, I didn’t celebrate it, persé, but it did happen.  i had some wine, i guess.  

cats on roofs looking at me

important update

important update: my hair is still growing. it's long and carefree because i haven’t cut it since march.  it’s past the point where it’s a novelty for me, so i’m trying to figure out its next steps.  it’s great to have it all over the place and free and people are like yeah i wish i had the courage to do that, but at a certain point, maybe it’s unruly and lazy and unkempt and i don’t want it long without any shape or direction or goals.

and i am definitely just talking about my hair and not my employment situation.

sicily, early august

view from the apartment

i went to sicily for one week.  it was one of the most beautiful weeks of my life.

sicily, yo.  sicily is bananas.  my aunt and uncle have an apartment in mondello, a sort of beach commune of palermo.  in early august, it’s about 85 degrees and everyone is out in very small swimsuits and the sun, yo, the sun -- it’s like a ton of bricks.  luckily, palermitans/sicilians/italians have invented all kinds of wonderful reprieves from the heat -- gelato, granite, cremino, beach clubs.

mid summer, paris

mid summer, paris

the temperatures are dropping below 60 degrees probably to compensate for the canicule that swept up paris just a few days ago.

i am wearing flannel and a jacket in my new office, which is actually a converted warehouse.  the doors are open and i am not sure if they can close.

the offices belong to les pain surprises, an artist collective made up of a label (or two, not totally sure yet), a burgeoning clothing brand, and a film production company.

29 may -- istanbul

two young girls wear the same outfits although they are different heights.  there must have been a deal -- buy in bulk, bulks of two.  cats dominate the city and behave unlike their american counterparts.

i speak with a man has just begun working at a turkish delight stand in the spice bazaar and he gives me samples.  he learned english by reading classic literature.  he speaks with flowery language.  i wish i intended to actually buy his products.

25 may - thessaloniki

(my only notes from five days in thessaloniki:)

(best photo of the trip inside)

22 may - quick advice on how to fit in at backpacking hostels

• be skeptical of official statistics and the policies of world superpowers
• value art and claim a practice
• speak about where you've been and where you're going
• have recently quit a job
• possess abstract philosophical aspirations
• drink
• smoke
• express exasperation with traditional employment
• speak english

22 may - berat, albania

an old man sits with his back to a fence outside a convenience store in an one road, agrarian town.  his face holds deep lines and dark ridges.  his skin is twinkling brown.  he clutches his knees close to his chest and keeps his legs close together.  i wonder what he's seen.  i wonder about his brothers.

his hair is white and pulled back.

other men stand around him; two in suits, two in blue jeans with loose, short sleeved button-up shirts.  they speak and some smoke cigarettes.

berat