Stray Kids, often abbreviated as SKZ, is not just another K—pop band, it's a whole musical phenomenon with its own unique genre, philosophy, and incredibly dedicated fanbase.
If you asked for a very detailed description, make yourself comfortable: we are immersed in the world of "lost children" who have found their own way.
Unlike the traditional K-pop system, where the agency forms a group of trainees, Stray Kids gathered differently. In 2017, JYP Entertainment trusted an intern with 7 years of experience named Bang Chan to assemble a team on his own for a debut.
The band went through a harsh survival reality show called Stray Kids. The name symbolizes teenagers who have lost their way, defying stereotypes and looking for their own path. The show was dramatic: Felix and Lee Know were temporarily excluded from the group, but thanks to the support of the leader and fans, JYP allowed them to debut in full (initially 9 people, but Woojin left the group in 2019, and since then there have been 8).
The official debut took place on March 25, 2018 with the mini-album I am NOT and the title track "District 9".
The main pride and distinguishing feature of Stray Kids is that they are a self-producing group. They write the lyrics, music themselves, and participate in creating the arrangements.
The internal production unit of 3RACHA (Ban Chan, Changbin and Han) is responsible for the musical direction. Later, other sub units joined the creation of music and choreography: DANCERACHA (Lee Know, Hyunjin, Felix) and VOCALRACHA (Seungmin, Jongin).
Their musical style is often referred to as "Mala Taste", after the spicy, scalding Chinese sauce. It's an aggressive, noisy, experimental mix of hip hop, EDM, rock and electronica. When critics called their music "just noise music," the guys weren't offended, but released a hit where they said, "Yes, we make noise, and you like it!"
Each of the 8 members has a vibrant personality, which makes the chemistry in the group incredibly strong.
Stray Kids' discography is huge, but there are several turning points that have made them global stars.:
The official name of the fandom is STAY. The band's slogan is "Stray Kids everywhere all around the world". Fans respond: "You make Stray Kids STAY" (You make Stray Kids stay/find their home). The connection between the band and the fans is very close: Bang Chan has been hosting weekly live broadcasts of "Chan's Room" for years just to chat with his FRIENDS, listen to music and support them.
Today Stray Kids are the titans of the 4th generation of K-pop.
Stray Kids has proven that you can achieve global success without adapting to trends, but by creating your own. They are sincere, hardworking, and make music that resonates with millions of people.
omg I don't even know what to write here...
I'll probably just copy the description. 😅
I have a Russian account that was abandoned for a year or even more, but I came back and even decided to run an English account My English is very bad and that's why I sometimes use a translator,sorry!
I will be happy to answer questions and am open to suggestions!
VARKAWKAZ 💞
We share our impressions of 11 shades of snake hissing, rank albums in the order of the stages of my acceptance, dig out hidden gems in the career of the main singer of the planet.
The author is neither a fan nor a spiteful admirer of the singer, and does not take into account her personal attitude to her character and personal life. The author is not as interested in the lyrics of the tracks as musical creativity and performance, coupled with the concept and artistic solutions.
Let's go!
Rather, the department of tortured listeners. After "Midnights" I had absolutely no expectations. I launched this album and started listening... and I fell asleep on the sixth track. Then I thought, well, it's not a bad album for falling asleep. When I turned it on again, I wanted to put matches in my eyes.
Taylor Swift's gigantomania has reached its peak here. More than an hour of material — and so voluminous for a pop album. But to emphasize the importance of every line ever written, here's an addition in the form of a second hour of the same stuffiness on the b-side. And it seems that the production is strong, the sound design is in place, but they forgot to compose the music. The singer is chewing through all the same breakup stories that would be better left in her diary, while the same synth is playing against the background for five minutes in a row — and so on each track. I don't know how those poets were tortured, but they say the experience of listening to this album is comparable to Chinese waterboarding.
Favorite tracks: So Long London, Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me.
Rating: 3/10.
* * *
He is loved, hated, and respected, but to this day he remains the most controversial album in the singer's catalog. Before I met him, all the criticism seemed unjustified to me, because I really liked the idea of the album and the two tracks that I had listened to earlier. It was a loud warm-up, a bold image step, an ingenious cover design and the first big concept in Taylor's career. What is the result?
As a result, we have a collection of gossip and pretentious attacks towards seven evil exes. It would be fine if it was implemented correctly, but the entire instrumental of the album is rough dubstep, which has doubtfully aged in just seven years. No beautiful verses, no melodiousness, no lines that I would like to sing along to. Even the main banger of the record, the track "Look What You Made Me Do", only puzzles with the sound pit in the chorus. The question is: why compose such a loud bridge to immediately fall into an annoying recitative. There is overclocking, but no drop.
What are the two tracks that I liked? "Don't Blame Me" and "I Did Something Bad" are just as pretentious and with the same abrasive arrangement, but... they are beautifully composed. Only these two tracks have a good melodic line, in conjunction with which even a strange dubstep sounds harmoniously.
I feel sorry for this album and the potential it wanted to be. This is a great promotion, a competent commercial investment - anything but good music.
Favorite tracks: Actually, Don't Blame Me, I Did Something Bad.
Rating: 4/10.
* * *
The saddest thing about this album is that I really had expectations for it. Warmed up by the wonderful "folklore" and "evermore", I thought that Taylor had grasped the principle of how albums with a concept and a solid sound, close to pure art, are written. There is indeed an intriguing concept on "Midnights", the same thoughtful production is not without a sense of style, even a strong level of lyrics. It would be fine, but there are no songs on "Midnights".
I noticed this problem back on Grande's "Positions" — I wanted to listen to this album, listen to its beautiful mix. But it was worth taking a break from the glossy design, and attention immediately dissolved into these boring vocal lines and monotonous beats. I'll say the same here. It's probably an important album for Taylor Swift's mythology, if you're a fan. But the world music culture will not lose anything if all other listeners ignore this album.
Favorite tracks: Karma, Snow On The Beach.
Rating: 4/10.
* * *
Very, very solid coursework. Thanks to her, the singer became a phenomenon twenty years ago, when she promoted the country genre to the masses, in which ordinary people used to see bearded rednecks with hoarse voices. Now country is an accessible blue-eyed pop rock about teenage experiences, infatuations and seven evil exes, which would later become a classic Swift motif.
The album often lacks catchy verses. The singer resorts to the most typical pop-rock cliches a la Avril Lavigne, which makes the tracks sound like screensavers from a show on Disney+. Nevertheless, for all the immaturity of songwriting, we have good arrangements on banjo and harmonica. Even though it sounds like a naive village disco... I'd go for one.
Favorite Tracks: Should've Said No, Picture To Burn.
Rating: 5/10.
* * *
Taylor Swift is a disgrace. I don't know how much this applies to an already pop artist, but this is the appropriate definition here. It was the safest possible solution after the scandalous "Reputation". Is it justified? Well, partly.
Here we have a standard set of pop songs of the most radio format. Glossy production, glass beats and sugary vocal parts. I'll give "Lover" its due, it doesn't sound tasteless. It has volume, an airy mix, sometimes catchy arrangements and rhythmic patterns. But at best it's music for a summer trip out of town, at worst it's just a playlist for studying.
The main contradiction of "Lover" is the absence of any kind of development. Up to this point, Taylor had always taken a step forward. Even "Reputation" was quite a statement. Now the singer calmed down and decided to just sing songs. Conceptually— it is a pale copy of "1989", in atmosphere it is a return to the carelessness of country albums, in sound it is not the most expressive imitation of "Pure Heroine". But the cover is gorgeous.
Favorite tracks: London Boy, Cruel Summer.
Rating: 5/10.
* * *
Whatever you want, but I don't think "Red" is a good album. From an artistic point of view, it really was a decisive departure from country roots into the merciless abode of pop music. Alas, to my ears, the album does not provide enough original material to make the image of the new Taylor firmly entrenched in the minds. Lyrically, it's still a mature work, but the bland arrangements in the spirit of a school disco make me yawn by the third track.
I can't say that the remaster of Taylor's Version has greatly improved the situation. The new recording brings life and breath to the verified production of the original. The problem is that the album is supposedly composed by boring. The new sound design of the tracks "Red" or "22" is head and shoulders better than the 2012 version, but... It was these songs that were listened to quite well there.
Not banjos anymore, not radio bangers yet. This is a strong middle man, who will become the basis for all Taylor's creativity for the next 6-7 years.
Favorite Tracks: I Knew You Were Trouble, 22, Red.
Rating: 5/10.
* * *
Even though stylistically it's still the same debut album, I'm pleased with how much Taylor has worked through the new material while staying in the same vein. I call it great work and mistakes. "Fearless" is a more concentrated album. The relational storytelling in the verses became more mature, the arrangements did not lose their taste and stopped mimicking Disney rock, becoming more calm and thoughtful.
The album does not enrich Taylor's artistic mythology, but it says one important thing about her: she is really hardworking and ready to painstakingly hone the material. I like that the ballads of the "Hey Stephen" level, which could have become the most stifling skips, turned out to be the same hits, just more balanced and minimalistic. Even if it's not without platitudes like kissing in the rain, but let's put it down to teenage standards.
Favorite Tracks: You're Not Sorry, Hey Stephen.
Rating: 6/10.
* * *
In fact, of course, "folklore 2.0". And it says a lot of good things about "folklore" if the collection of its b-sides becomes one of the best entries in the catalog. Conceptually, it's all the same wandering through the autumn forest. A minimum of time has passed between releases, and they were recorded, most likely, in one session, so for me the "evermore" tracklist sags a little. That's where my stuffiness ends, because otherwise the album takes over all the advantages of "folklore".
This is thoughtful lyrics, the most mature songwriting in his career, and a touching performance. The album became a little less whispering, a little more focused on singing along, and the spread between bright hits and just average songs became much more noticeable. Nevertheless, qualitatively it is still one of the best recordings, which is nice to include in cool windy weather, and the song "willow" once in a solo made the atmosphere of my new year.
Favorite tracks: willow, no body no crime, ivy, champagne problems.
Rating: 6/10.
* * *
Alas, there was not the same impressive progression between him and "Fearless" as there was between "Fearless" and the debut album. Nevertheless, she was, and this album absorbed all the best that was in the early Taylor. The singer returned to loud pop-rock hits and significantly enriched the production. "Speak Now" has become more diverse: here is the sunny country ballad "Mean", and here is the incendiary "Better Than Revenge". Something more serious? Please — an emotional "Haunted" with dramatic cellos and bells. The album does not fall apart, the guitar base acts as a common denominator in each track.
This is not a revelation for the genre. "Speak Now" did not give a new round of creative thought, but it is a solid collection of big hits, in which the quality of songwriting finally reached Taylor's ambitions. Tap anywhere on the album, and the selected song is almost guaranteed to stick in your head for the rest of the day.
Favorite tracks: Enchanted, Mean, Long Live, Haunted.
Rating: 6/10.
* * *
I have a concept of a summer pop. A good summer pop album is a glossy production of the highest quality, a simple concept without art, and most importantly, you can always turn it on at any party and have a good time without a single skip. "The Fame", "In The Zone", "Future Nostalgia" and, of course, "1989".
If before this album Taylor Swift could be perceived as a singer from Europe Plus, now it has become clear that she is an independent world—class artist. Because every star of the first magnitude can and should have such an album. "Bad Blood", "Shake It Off", "Blank Space" — wherever you click, you know each of these songs, and by heart, even without being a regular listener of the singer.
Wavy beats, high—quality bass lines, beautiful samples - all this weaves into the atmosphere of a pulsating metropolis. Each beat fraction is so delicately inscribed into the composition that even the remaster version could not spoil the original mix.
What's important: this is never a calculated pop song. Taylor's performance here is one of the best and most expressive in the catalog. The vocal lines beautifully beat each line and set the dynamics to the uncomplicated beats. In fact, if the country albums had all the salt in the instrumental, then this is a benefit for Taylor herself and her voice. This is pop in the best sense of the word and the most canonical album for Taylor as a great singer.
Favorite tracks: I Know Places (Taylor's favorite), Wonderland, Wildest Dreams, New Romantics.
Rating: 7/10.
* * *
By far, Taylor Swift's best album. The best concept, the best lyrics, the best production. Jack Antonoff has long been synonymous with tedium, but let's not belittle his talent for working with minimalistic sound. This does not suit someone, for example, the instrumental "Dance Fever" does not reveal the volume of Florence's voice at all. But Taylor's vocals feel best when accompanied by a calm guitar and piano, as if you were sitting together by a campfire or playing chords by the fireplace.
"folklore" became a renaissance of country style in Taylor's catalog. But now, instead of clockwork banjo dancing, there are walks in the autumn forest. The album sounds like a return to the parental home after a long journey. The singer calmed down lyrically. There are no disses for seven evil exes here. Instead, they reflect on music, time, nature, reflection on love and nostalgia through a kaleidoscope of tangible images, like walks in the park and hands running under a lover's T-shirt. The album itself is like that cardigan woven from invisible threads.
And these are not some subjective impressions of the lyrics - the album sounds exactly like that. Tremulous guitar overdubs envelop you, the keys with a dull echo evoke a painful feeling of light sadness, Taylor's voice whispers in your ear. It might have sounded hilariously boring if it hadn't been so well written, performed and mixed. Taylor and Jack created magic out of nothing. An album that gives you the creeps.
Favorite tracks: invisible string, seven, mad woman, hoax, exile, the last great American dynasty.
Rating: 8/10.
Which discography rating do you want to see next?0
Retro-style culture cannot be called mainstream, but it still occupies its niche. The insane popularity of Gosling movies, games like "Yakuza", "Katana Zero" and "Hotline Miami" suggests that there is a demand for the aesthetics of the neon 80s. The situation is about the same with music.
Compositions in the retrowave or synthwave genre have long been recognized by the people for their atmospheric character and relative ease of execution. In the wake of the popularity of retrowave music, micro-genres similar to it began to be born. This article will be devoted to one of them – a genre called Future Funk.
Future Funk is a genre of electronic music, which is a processing of old pop compositions that have not gained popularity, pop compositions wrapped in a special anime aesthetic. The style of anime plays an important role in this regard, since the genre mainly lives on the Internet in the form of various montages and clips on YouTube. Stills and animations from old-school anime of the 80s and 90s like "Sailor Moon", "Grendizer" or "Megazone 23", which complement the music, are simply called aesthetics or aesthetics in the community. For some compositions, there are several variants of different aesthetics.
Technically, Future Funk doesn't look too inventive, it's often just rhythmic remixes of popular music from previous years with the addition of a "cut-off" filter and synth tracks.
The main feature of Future Funk, which distinguishes it from similar genres, such as Vaporvawe, is that unpopular compositions of the Japanese or Korean pop scene are processed. The hieroglyphs in the track names act not only as an element of style, but also as the original title of the song. Future Funk always sounds rhythmic, incendiary and familiar. Although for performers of the genre, the main challenge is on the contrary to find the basis, that is, a track that almost no one has ever heard.
The very name Future funk literally means "funk of the future". But specifically, funk, popular in the 60s and 70s, has nothing in common with the musical direction. Rather, the fact that the very word "funk", or in Japanese "funk", sounds quite old-school and nostalgic, plays a role here. It is quite difficult to answer the question of why the genre exploits Asian aesthetics.
Perhaps the reason lies in its niche, and the entire audience, including the performers, are just fans of the old anime. It can also be assumed that the painted Japan in the eyes of the community is most vividly associated with the future, and the word Future is inserted in the name for a reason.
The first to start working in this genre is considered to be the American musician Skylar Spence or Saint Pepsi.
Prior to that, he wrote music in the Vaporvawe genre and in 2013 released the album "Hit Vibes", in which most of the tracks belonged to the then-new genre of Future Funk.
Now Future Funk tracks can be easily found on the Internet. Music of this format almost does not go beyond the network, no concerts or thematic events are held on it. This is quite obvious, because in fact Future Funk is just a not too complicated remix of an existing song.
Even in its niche of electronic music, funk of the future is not very popular, mainly due to the fact that anime style is not to everyone's taste. There are several online radio stations on YouTube broadcasting music in this genre, and a whole mountain of clips with aesthetics. In this regard, the Artzie music channel stands out especially, but among all the compositions there you need to look for exactly those with hieroglyphs in the names. The most popular song in the genre is probably the composition ("Break") from the artist Lordsun, more than a dozen aesthetic options have been made for it.
Future Funk is certainly not the most inventive and revolutionary genre. It sounds monotonous, and from the technical side, they don't put too much effort into it to admire the work done later. The funk of the future is well suited for walks, household chores or just nostalgia for the days when the grass was greener, games more difficult than "Ninja Gaiden" have not yet been invented, and only good anime was played on TV.
I took the article from here
