Issue 8: Herbie
Welcome to the eighth issue of Everything Is Made Up.
Good morning/afternoon/evening to everyone. This is the eighth issue of my newsletter.
This issue is dedicated to Herbie Hancock because he was the next name on my newsletter names list and he’s my second favourite jazz musician behind Miles Davis.
Like before, I’m going to try and keep things short this time but if you have any suggestions for what you’d like to see more or less of, let me know!
Okay, enough gabble. Let’s get cracking!
For The Mind
9th Wonder talks about DUCKWORTH. for NPR’s ‘The Formula’ - I covered DJ Dahi’s episode of ‘The Formula’ back in April and later that month, 9th Wonder discussed the samples on DUCKWORTH from Kendrick Lamar’s album, ‘DAMN.’:
The first song I sampled in Kendrick Lamar’s “DUCKWORTH.,” – it’s a song by Ted Taylor, and the song was called “Be Ever Wonderful.” A lot of times, producers listen to samples, and they say, “That’s a great sample, but he didn’t do it right.” It’s just like fashion. Maybe a shirt on this side, jackets over here, but it takes a mind to put all those together. It’s the same thing with records. It’s like, if you don’t know how to dress this up man, just don’t wear it.
Binging with Babish makes Homer Simpson’s Patented Space Age Out-Of-This-World Moon Waffles - I love Binging with Babish and I loved the idea of Homer’s moon waffles so it was a match made in heaven when their worlds combined. When Babish tried it, it didn’t turn out so well for his tastebuds or his waffle iron (RIP). But he did make a Babish variant which looked significantly better.
How to hold up a table with strings - A bit of science for you. The video in this link shows how strategically placed strings can hold weight so well and how vital they are in what are called tensegrity structures. It looks like an illusion but I assure you it’s real.
For The Ears
Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia
Yes, I’m late but I don’t listen to chart music at all. That said, I do listen to pop music and often find it good (at least in an objective sense). Dua Lipa’s ‘Future Nostalgia’ is awesome and it’s a sonically and thematically cohesive album which I find rare in commercial albums these days.
James Beckwith – Long Distance
For the jazz lovers, I recommend James Beckwith’s ‘Long Distance’ which happens to be his debut as well. The long distanced relationship between his partner in Montreal (he lives in London) inspired the album and you can hear and feel the “movement” through space and time in the music and the genres Beckwith traverses through.
Cam Be – Summer in September
I found this via a Chicago Reader article this morning and it’s a bitesize soul-funk-hip-hop-R&B fusion of love and world events (COVID-19 is mentioned from the opening lines because of course it is). It definitely gives me Maxwell ‘Urban Hang Suite’ vibes in terms of feel and production so check it out if that’s your kind of thing.
For The Eyes
Some more great art I’ve found on the internet, courtesy of Bisa Butler.
Well, I’m gonna make like the Red Sea and split. Thanks for reading and join me next time for more of the same. Any comments or suggestions, get in touch!
Oh, and Merry Christmas and have a happy (as you can make it given how 2021 is likely to be bad too) year!