Phetasy News - Are You Dancing?
Greetings from the Phetaverse!
I’m currently obsessed with Ethio-jazz. It’s got the perfect hot summer vibe with it’s blend of traditional Ethiopian music, Latin rhythms, Caribbean reggae, pop, modern jazz, and Afro-funk. I’ve always loved the work of Mulatu Astatke, known as the father of Ethio-jazz, but recently I put his radio station on Spotify and have been discovering so many other great albums and modern artists, like Ahmed Malek. This is probably my favorite part about Spotify and the digital music revolution. It’s easy to fall down a rabbit hole of say, French rap, and not leave for weeks or months, until suddenly that music is part of the soundtrack to your life and you’ve expanded your musical horizons.
I’ve always wanted to be one of those nerds that could name albums and the year it came out and “oh so-and-so was featured on that.” In high school I was a bit that way, but never really could devote the kind of focus that kind of fandom requires. My dream is to have enough money someday to have a massive record collection. Like photographs shot on film, records have a certain kind of depth to them that can’t quite be recreated digitally.
Growing up all I wanted to be was a professional singer/songwriter but again, I lacked the discipline and focus that is required to make it in that profession. However, music keeps me sane—and when I’m not listening to enough of it, it’s like something is missing but I’m not sure what. Then I’ll take a walk and blast some tunes and feel better almost instantly. 90% of the thing that gets me on the stationary bike is the music.
My daughter loves music. She wakes up and immediately says “na na na na” because she’s wants us to play “Hey Jude” for her so she can dance. Part of my devotion to having a Summer of Fun is making sure that I’m listening to lots of music and dancing. What a beautifully instantaneous way to connect to your soul and remember who you are. Music and dancing are the perfect combination of the eternal meeting the temporal right here in this blessed moment.
What are you listening to lately? Are you dancing?
Thumbnail artwork by Lara Cullen.
Email laracullenstudio@gmail.com to inquire or contact her.
I am currently obsessed with First Aid Kit. Two sisters from Sweden. I will be seeing them live in Nashville next month. Can’t wait!
Each morning when I come into work, I put on Vivaldi. I figure if I'm going to have music playing at work, I'd probably better make it classical. Other than that, not a lot. I used to be massively into music, but I find too much just reminds me of where I was. I recently found my old iTunes library - so many songs! There are the Bollywood greats - the theme to Kambackkt Ishq (a Bollywood movie I was an extra in), Dhoom (think the Bollywood equivalent to the Fast and the Furious), Desi Girl (another absolute corker of a tune), along with music from Bllu Barber and Three Idiots.