2010: Year of the Hippie Dance Off

Sorry for not posting a lot since being invited to contribute to this wonderful blog. It's been a very busy year for me. Every time I try to post anything I keep getting an image in my head of Al Davis locked in a vicious field goal kicking contest with Jean-Claude Killy, but there's never a clear winner. Those glorified footmen were doomed from the start, though they never knew it. I would think that given the muscle mass of Killy's legs that it'd be a no-brainer. But never underestimate the power of greed. Davis was full of it, though so was the rest of his generation. Heavy, I know, but there's nothing I can do about it now. Shit, I'm talking crazy already aren't I? This is complete garbage so far isn't it? I've let that bastard Thompson and his friends get to me. Finally, after all these years, I get it. I understand. Onward then, leaving The Great Hummingbird behind.

2010 was a fun year for me musically. I listened to a lot of really moving music and danced with countless supplies of wonderful people. I tend to stick with hippie crowds when possible as other social groups, in my personal opinion, pale in comparison in the arenas of weirdness and love. In the last few years my tastes in music have underwent a sea change of sorts. The people of The Citizen are, with no doubt, partially responsible. I'm grateful. Here's a short list of the new music I've been into lately in no particular order (except Bassnectar, he belongs at the top):

Bassnectar - Wildstyle EP (2010), just an EP but it completely blew me away
The Glitch Mob - Drink the Sea (2010)
BoomBox - downriverelectric (2010)
Bonobo - Black Sands (2010)
Four Tet - There is Love in You (2010)
Sleigh Bells - Treats (2010)
Caribou - Swim (2010)
Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest (2010)
Girl Talk - All Day (2010)
Jonsi - Go (2010)
Buckethead - Captain Eo's Voyage (2010)
Lemongrass - The 5th Dimension (2010)
GOLD PANDA - Unreleased Medical Journal (2010)
of Montreal - False Priest (2010)

I've also gotten into several artists that I was previously unaware of, or maybe I wasn't ready to hear them at the time (thank you Alex). Here's a list:

Dr. Didg
Steve Aoki
BT
Thievery Corporation
Royksopp
Juno Reactor
The Cat Empire
Why?
Chase & Status
and a whole lot of BASSNECTAR.

I've also been listening to some really good live music:

Sound Tribe Sector Nine (STS9) - LIVE at the Filmore, Denver, CO; 12/31/2010
Dr. Didg - LIVE @ All Good 2010
The Glitch Mob - LIVE @ The Fenix, Seattle, WA
Pretty Lights - LIVE NYE 2009, Midnight at the Vic Theater

Now, I'd like to talk a little bit about "bass rituals." Every third night somewhere in this country a bass ritual is talking place. I've been to 2 of such rituals in the past year and can speak to their authenticity. This is the place where dreams are made. An individualistic orgy of societies ultimate caricature. Hippies, hipsters, ravers, metal heads, junkies, speedfreaks, and normies are all in attendance. The economy is liquid (and powdered), and flowing freely throughout the room. The atmosphere buzzes in anticipation so thick that even the "bro's" can't be bothered to spout off about how they're going to date rape some "stupid bitch" from Tulsa later at the pledge house. Or maybe they do, and I just misheard. Anyway, it starts slowly, though everyone in the room can feel the tension. Tension in their bones, in their ears, in their eyes, in their heart. It bubbles...it builds...until your mind can't handle the pressure. Then, your body takes over. You dance... hard. You find yourself wondering through a sea of love and aggression that rips your soul from the source (wherever that fiend may be hiding). You might fight it initially, but not for long. Soon 3 hours will have passed, and as you're stepping over the spent bodies littering the floor you realize that something in your life has changed. Very small, but definitely alien. Please go to a Bassnectar show and tell me what changed in your life. I still can't figure it out for myself. Even in the depths of the metaphysical there are no answers.

Peace and Love,
Brady

Edit: spelling