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a head full of useless knowledge by
Timo Mämecke
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8 posts in Music

· 1 minute read

DI-RECT, August 4th 2023, Gebäude 9 Cologne

This was one of the best concerts I have ever seen. I was so blown away after the first song that I had to yell “holy fuck”. It sounded so incredible. The drums were super tight, everyone was putting all their energy into the music, and it’s unbelievable how good Marcel Veenendaal sounds live.

If you’ve never heard of DI-RECT (they’re quite popular in the Netherlands but not so much here in Germany), I highly recommend you check them out. This radio concert is how I found them, and I don’t understand how it only has 20k views.

· 2 minute read

On Repeat: Moby – Resound NYC

A few times a year, I come across an album that completely captures me. I get so hooked on it, and end up playing it on repeat, all day long. This summer, that album is Moby’s Resound NYC.

To be honest, I hadn’t really thought about Moby much lately, except for that one How I Met Your Mother episode where they meet a bald guy on New Year’s Eve and mistake him for Moby. Other than that, his music didn’t really grab my attention much. I mean, sure, I knew some of his banger songs, but that was about it.

But then, someone recommended this new album to me, and after the first minute, I knew that I’ll love it. Resound NYC doesn’t bring in any new songs, but instead it’s Moby’s older tracks from 1994 to 2010 in new orchestral arrangements. These versions are all absolute bangers. They’re both familiar but also refreshingly new.

Those songs were all influenced by his life in New York City, hence the title: Resound NYC. In a series of short videos on YouTube, Moby shares the stories behind each track. He talks about what life was like in NYC during those times, what he was going through personally, and how each song came to be. How he was living in decimated neighborhoods that were hit hard by the crack epidemic of the 80s and 90s, and even how we was living in an abandoned factory…? It’s super interesting, inspiring and emotional.

There’s also the album Reprise from 2021, which also consists of new versions of his older songs, but Resound NYC is just… a whole new level. Interestingly enough, both albums feature the track “Extreme Ways”, and listening to both, you immediately notice how Resound NYC is much more vibrant and cinematic.

Even though Resound NYC made me listen to the original versions again, I just like the Resound NYC versions much more. And maybe that’s by design. Why would he want to make something worse? He transformed it from the music he wanted to release 25 years ago, to the music he wanted to release in 2023.

· 1 minute read

Warhaus, March 18th 2023, Gebäude 9 Cologne

Went there with Chris, was a great night. I am a huge fan of Maarten. His solo music is much more chill than Balthazar, and it’s definitely different and slower compared to a Balthazar concert. But the guy is great, an incredibly talented musician. And I love it when he holds his guitar up under his chin.

Marteen’s concerts, both for Balthazar and Warhaus, are not just songs from the album but-it’s-live. Instead, he rethinks the songs and how they could work live, creating a very unique experience.

The first solo was kind of weird? It felt like the guitarist and the drummer had no idea what to do. But maybe they were just being musical geniuses, who knows.

· 1 minute read

There are some really good and well produced concerts on arte Concert. In the past weeks, I’m totally obsessed with this live session from Kid Francescoli. It’s not only chill music, but also visually very appealing. The setting on a boat makes for some really cool camera shots. Due to the lack of an audience, it has kind of a lonely undertone to it.

There’s a version on YouTube which cannot be embedded, hence the screenshot of a still frame. 🙃 Or alternatively on the Arte Mediathek

I only realized a few years ago that arte is actually kind of an interesting channel. When I was a teen and still watched a lot of TV, I thought that arte is just an artsy experimental TV station for snobs. It always felt odd when they were airing something appealing and interesting, because aren’t they supposed to be weird? Maybe arte is still just an artsy channel for snobs, and I’m the one who became a snob?

Anyways, there are also sessions from Jungle, French 79, Loyle Carner and the Grandbrothers which I can recommend if you’re interested in more.

I also watched this Live Show from the Parcels a few times in the past weeks. It’s not from arte, but I thought I just mention it. I watched a lot of those live sessions while I’m coding in the past weeks. Don’t know where that’s coming from.