Of music and memory
Hey Mr DJ, put a record on
I grew up in an age when music on demand had yet to exist. Except when you called the radio stations to dedicate a song to your friends. The brilliant late 90's. Cassette tapes, public radio in Singapore ("Perfect 10" 98.7fm was my staple when I was a teenager, but now? "Symphony" 92.4fm if only to not listen to any unnecessary banter), pressing the 'play' and 'record' buttons at the same time in order to record the song playing into the empty magnetic tape. Then we graduated to CDs and bulky discman(s) because the ultra slim SONY ones were way out of my slim pocket money savings, and eventually (creative!) MP3 players where a playlist of 200 songs at a go was an amazing feat. Never mind that usually the songs were ripped off somewhere, with the string of names so long because I'd never bother to tidy up the song name list which made for such a mess.
Have you ever made a mixtape?
For Zoomers who are kindly reading my newsletter, this is an actual tape (ok, 'burning' music onto a CD more likely) where the homemade playlist shared your thoughts, your hopes for the friendship (since you tend to gift the tape to a friend or a crush because being subtle yi ge), and your dreams. I realise I've always been doing a digital version of a mixtape at the tail end of my newsletters so that I can share my state of mind that week.
These days, mixtapes come in the form of Spotify's mixes or playlists, and occasionally, I get reminded of really good music I miss. Like this modernised piece of Endlicheri's debut song which is already 20 years old. Chills just from listening to his voice.
The Gen Z 'shake' & Millenial 'pause'
Aesthetics on point while barely trying and also requiring me to remove my spectacles to squint a little or at least get my eyes to understand what I'm actually seeing. "That seems to be a Zoomer thing," is what is explained to me, but this article about the Gen Z 'shake' is written so poetically, come I rly clap for you.
While they are extremely online, millennials grew up interacting with video and social media in a much slower and more purposeful way, taking time out of their lives to make content, rather than living the content 24/7. Gen Z is growing up on frictionless and fast-cycling apps like TikTok, accepting that every moment can be, and often is, perceived online.
Slow and purposeful, sounds like a mixtape being collated, yessirree! But really, as Life will have it - and it usually does - I'm coming to realise that every generation will do things differently, and be lolled about (well, some things span generations and taste, eyes on you #gentlewomen) and the damn bubble tea will keep coming back to fashion even when it's not good for your health.
My friend Si Hui also shared that Zoomers are using Telegram as their personal blog platforms.
Compared to Instagram ‘main’ accounts, where there is societal pressure to keep up appearances, Telegram allows users to present an unfiltered version of themselves to a more curated audience. There is more vulnerability and a sense of closeness for the smaller circles that they allow onto these platforms.
Contextualized and personal. Private yet public. Perfect for Gen Zs.
Have I always been a secret Z?
My February mixtape for you (more for me)
Music really brings me back to when and where I first heard the songs. Here's a collection of mostly upbeat songs, lucky enough I've heard some of them 'live' and hopefully I get to watch the performances again:
neri per caso's le ragazze
blur's ong ong
aiko's kira kira
aimer's stardust venus
ocean colour scene's the day we caught the train
the fratellis' chelsea dagger
Salut! Almost March!
Medhā