This Week In Music: 5th May 2022

A weekly update on all things music, advertising, and technology coming straight to you from Anthony Vanger at MassiveMusic. #TWIM

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: DOE PAORO

Paoro is a pointy, sharp artist. She is pointy because she bursts the bubble of what we think is normal. And she is sharp because she cuts to the quick with her music. This new song Divine Surrendering comes off her latest EP due on June 10. It is constructed like a secular hymn, working over the same musical motifs, until they translate into a quasi-religious experience. Doe Paoro, born Sonia Kreitzer, is an American singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, whose ethereal sound blends elements of pop, dubstep, soul and R&B and carries a strong influence of Lhamo, a vocally acrobatic, centuries-old Tibetan folk opera tradition. Lately, she has spent much of the last year deep in the Costa Rican jungle, exploring ways that music could activate deeper consciousness. This record is the product of that experience and marks a departure for her as an artist. Her tendency towards minimalism, already present in her sound for years, has now become more focused. The result is a gem of a pop song.

doepaoro.com

@doepaoro #doepaoro #petermorén #justinvernon #remixartistcollective #wayoutwest #sonlittle #indiepop #whiteiris #anti- #softpower #hypotheticals #after #slowtolove

AD OF THE WEEK:

Absolutely love this ad - the music, the story, the narration, the way it is shot - it is a great example of how powerful advertising can transcend the product and reveal a sub-culture. Cola & Pola, also known as refajo, only exists in Columbia and it combines cola and beer to create a uniquely Colombian beverage. The 60-second video traces the history of “Pico,” a colorful sound system unique to the region of Bogota and Colombia. Kicking off sometime between the ’60s and ’70s, a group of men carried a boombox known as the “Pollo Ronco” to events ranging from marriages to neighborhood parties, encouraging people to break into dance. No spoiler alert here: you will have to watch the end of the video, but suffice to say that the end only marked the beginning. Nice work from client ABInBev and agency Fantastica.

ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME 2022 INDUCTEES ANNOUNCED

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced the final list of 2022 inductees, with Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Duran Duran, Eminem, Eurythmics, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, and Carly Simon making the cut in the Performers category. This year’s ceremony, which takes place on Nov. 5 at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, will mark the first year in the Hall’s 37-year history that six female acts (across all induction categories) will be inducted in one class.

Performer Category: Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo / Duran Duran / Eminem / Eurythmics / Dolly Parton / Lionel Richie / Carly Simon Musical Excellence Award: Judas Priest / Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Early Influence Award: Harry Belafonte / Elizabeth Cotte

ASTROWORLD DOCUMENTARY TO AIR THIS WEEK DESPITE PROTEST FROM LAWYERS

A documentary covering 2021’s Astroworld tragedy in which 10 people died and hundreds were injured during a crowd surge at Travis Scott’s set will be screened this week.

The film, shot by documentarian Charlie Minn, is set to brandish the name Concert Crush: The Travis Scott Festival Tragedy.

Concert Crush will be screened this week in 11 cities across Texas where the event took place, despite pushback and protest from lawyers and the festival’s promoters, Live Nation.

Lawyers have claimed that the documentary could sway the jury who will go up in court to hear cases against both Scott and Live Nation, arguing that it might “taint the jury pool”. A gag order was placed.

While the documentary remains unbiased, with director Minn telling The Associated Press that it in no way is meant to act as a “hit piece toward Travis Scott”, Live Nation’s lawyers claimed that one attorney filing suits against the rapper has co-produced the film.

The film is set to involve interviews from fans who survived the crowd surge, as well as other event organisers alongside footage from the fateful night.

Crowd Crush is set to screen on May 6 across 11 cities in Texas, including Houston where the tragedy happened. Find screenings here.

INVENTOR CREATES CD-VINYL HYBRID THAT SOUNDS BETTER "THAN ANY OTHER FORMAT"

Producer T Bone Burnett has announced a new analogue disc, dubbed 'Ionic Originals', which transcends the technology of CDs and vinyl found today.

Using both lacquer and aluminium, Burnett claims that the sound quality of this analogue technology is greater than in all other formats - including digitally streamed music. 

A sample disc held up by Burnett in the press photo looks very much like a shiny vinyl record.

Vinyl LPs are made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) plastic and contain no metal. Polycarbonate plastic with a metal layer, generally aluminium, makes up standard compact discs. This combines aspects from both.

The method combines contemporary vinyl production with how mastering professionals produce metal "stampers" (and test acetate discs) to press records. Stampers are primarily used as "masters" for duplication, and because they aren't produced in big quantities, and therefore don't reach many listeners.

Speaking on the Ionic Originals, Burnett says: " [I have] developed an analogue disc that possesses a depth, resonance and sonic fidelity that exceeds that of vinyl, CD, streaming or any other means of experiencing recorded music.

"It is archival quality. It is future proof. It is one of one. Not only is an Ionic Original the equivalent of a painting, it is a painting. It is lacquer painted onto an aluminium disc, with a spiral etched into it by music. This painting, however, has the additional quality of containing that music, which can be heard by putting a stylus into the spiral and spinning it.

Burnett, a former Bob Dylan bandmate, says he's re-recorded some of Dylan's work for the new medium, though no release date has been set.

Beyond what was mentioned in the statement, representatives for Burnett and Dylan said there will be no new information regarding the Dylan project coming soon.

ROLAND UNVEILS NEW JUNO-106-STYLE HARDWARE SYNTH – JUNO-X

Roland has unveiled a new hardware polysynth called the Juno-X. Based on Roland’s hardware polysynth classic, the Juno-106, the Juno-X features a similar layout and colour style to the 106, with updated features you might expect from a modern poly. 

The Juno-X features 61 keys with aftertouch, and five ‘parts’, with one drum and four synth voices. There are over 4,000 presets, with 256 user slots and 90 drum sounds. While the Juno-X retains the classic Chorus FX sound of the original, it also adds a host of other FX, with 93 types in total. There are eight reverbs, five chorus types, five delays, a mic compressor and a master compressor, plus plenty of presets for each. 

The Juno-X is powered by Roland’s ZEN-Core sound engine, so while it’s fully digital, it’s designed to sound analogue and can also be used as a plugin, when you need access to the Juno-X sound on the go. Vintage and modern tones can be achieved with ZEN-Core, so expect the sound of the original Juno range with an updated twist. 

The X also features Models from other Roland hardware like Jupiter-8, SH-101 and JD-800. 

The Juno-X is priced at $1,999. Find out more on Roland’s website.

Written by Anthony Vanger

Additional research and reporting by Adam "Badger" Woolf

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