Jade 4U

I published this entry a year ago, but I realized I accidentally deleted it. Nonetheless, I am very grateful to bring it back, as I was able to recover it through a wonderful site called http://archive.org/web/. Thank you! =)


Jade 4U is probably the best known moniker of Belgian singer, lyricist and producer Nikkie Van Lierop. Born in Germany in March 7th, 1963, she started her career in the late 1980's when she met Maurice Engelen (Praga Khan), with whom she collaborated on his solo career and co-founded electronic music acts such as 101, Major Problem, Shakti, Lords of Acid, Digital Orgasm, Phantasia, and M.N.O. While her early stuff is tagged as new beat, she later transitioned into techno.

Indeed, it was her techno band Lords of Acid that gave her the biggest success and recognition. She was one of the writers and producers of all albums from the beginning until she quit in 1999. In addition, she sang lead vocals on the albums "Lust" (1991) and "Our Little Secret" (1997), and backing vocals in "Voodoo-U" (1994). Although being already out of the band, she still had some input in the 2000 album "Farstucker."

Chelsea Wolfe

Chelsea Wolfe is an American singer-songwriter from Sacramento, California. Born November 14th, 1983, she started her career in 2006 and has just released her fifth album Abyss on August 7th, 2015.

Her unique style is a beautiful combination of folk, rock and electronic music bath in a gothic/doom atmosphere. Besides singing, Chelsea Wolfe also plays guitar and piano.

In 2006, after composing an album titled Mistake In Parting, she decided not to release it and took a break from writing music for several years. She started performing live in 2009. A year later, she published her first album: The Grime and the Glow.

Her second album, Apokalypsis (stylized as Ἀποκάλυψις), came out in 2011 and it gained her an underground following. She started touring extensively in North America and Europe, even though she initially suffered from extreme stage fright. In those days, she would cover her face with a veil.

These first two albums sound close to indie/alternative rock and feature prominent bass lines, dark tones, and gritty, electronically layered vocals. My favorite track, which happens to be in both albums –albeit in two different versions,– is "Demons."

In 2012, she released her third album Unknown Rooms: A Collection of Acoustic Songs. This one features a more folk-oriented sound, as opposed to her earlier work. Her voice sounds cleaner as well. It contains the song that is probably my favorite by her: "Flatlands."

Katie Jane Garside

Katie Jane Garside is a British singer-songwriter and artist. She was born July 8th, 1968 and lived on a yacht around the world with her family until she was 17. She started her career in 1989 when she joined indie/punk band Daisy Chainsaw. She quit the band in 1993, one year after releasing the album Eleventeen. The band would continue with a new vocalist and publish a new album until they split in 1995.

After some years out of the public eye, she re-emerged in 1999. She formed a new rock/metal band, QueenAdreena, with which she toured and released several albums until their disbandment in 2010:

• Taxidermy (2000)
• Drink Me (2002)
• The Butcher and the Butterfly (2005)
• Djin (2008)

Björk

Björk, whose real name is Björk Guðmundsdóttir, is a singer and musician. Born in November 21st, 1965, in Reykjavík, Iceland, she started her career in 1977 when she released her first album "Björk." It was available officially only on vinyl and cassette, and it featured mostly cover songs in Icelandic.

Later, she formed her first punk band, all-girl alliance Spit & Snot, where she played drums. She was also involved in projects such as Exodus and Jam 80, all of which without known record releases.

In 1981, she launched a band named Tappi Tíkarrass (Icelandic for "Cork the Bitch's Arse"). They released an album, "Miranda," which combined punk with elements of funk, disco, and jazz. By 1983, the band had morphed into darker act Kukl (Icelandic for "Witchcraft"), which released three albums before disbanding in 1986: "The Eye," "Kukl à Paris," and "Holidays in Europe."

Björk's next band was to be the biggest group ever to emerge from Iceland: The Sugarcubes. In 1987, they published "Life's Too Good," with which they received critical acclaim. Two years later, "Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week" was released, but it did not fare as well. Their final release before disbanding in 1992 was "Stick Around for Joy." Afterward, Björk moved to the United Kingdom to start a solo career. Previously, in 1990, she had recorded "Gling-Gló," a collection of popular jazz and original work, with the jazz group Tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar.

Pro-Choice

Manhole was a rap metal band from California, United States, that was formed in 1993. However, due to legal reasons, they had to change their name after releasing their first album "All Is Not Well" in 1996. Thus, the band was renamed after cult actress Tura Satana. They released their second album "Relief Through Release" in 1997 and split two years later.

 

The band leader was vocalist and lyricist Tairrie B. In 1990, she released a gangsta rap album, "The Power Of A Woman," featuring artists like Eazy-E, Everlast, Dr. Dre, and The D.O.C.

After Manhole/Tura Satana, she formed metal band My Ruin, which is still active today. She has also The LVRS, a spoken word project with My Ruin guitarist and husband Mick Murphy.

I love her work. Indeed, I realize while I am writing this that I had already included one of her early songs on another post.

READ: Respect Yourself

Interestingly, Tairrie B will release her first hip-hop album in 25 years on August 14th, 2015. Of course, a post will be dedicated for the occasion.

Vertigo

Alan Wilder, formerly of Depeche Mode, one of my favorite bands, started a band named Recoil in 1986.

In 2000, Recoil released "Liquid", an experimental electronica album that features a song titled "Vertigen" ("Vertigo" in Catalan). The song was written and narrated by Rosa Torras. It features some chanting by my beloved Diamanda Galas.

These are the original lyrics:

Aquell matí em vaig llevar. No recordo on ni tan sols el temps que fa. I tot havia canviat. Però jo no ho sabia encara. I més m'hagués valgut no saber-ho mai. El meu món era petit, però suficient, abans. Deixà de ser-ho. La meva vida: un cel particular, nul·la incertesa, dolça soledat.

Més tard: cau soterrat, previsibilitat maleïda, asfixiant aïllament. Mai res m'havia fet tanta falta. Ni la sang que per les venes em corre no necessitava amb la mateixa urgència. Mentre el dolor creixia, de sobte, aquell soroll estrepitós, insuportable. Cridant, plorant, vaig córrer.

Era incapaç de sentir els meus crits, de segur esgarrifosos. De sobte, l'abisme s'obrí sota els meus peus. Morir volia, recuperar el meu cau, la meva estimada soledat, els meus llimbs, la meva preuada illa. I vaig caure. Queia, sentint-me cada vegada més prop d'aquell horror, del meu propi dolor, del més terrorífic despertar dels meus sentits, tot just acabat de descobrir.

Ja no recordo quan va ser que vaig despertar aquell fatídic matí, aleshores salvador. No recordo quan fa que estic caient, que caic, veient la fi més propera cada vegada, però amb la incertesa de si mai arribarà. Ara el dolor sembla no tenir límits. El dolor i la por són tot el que sento. Tinc por de caure per sempre.

And this is my translation to English:

I woke up that morning. I don't remember where, nor how long ago. And everything had changed. But I didn't know it yet. And I wish I never knew. Before, my world was small, but enough. That ceased. My life: a private heaven, no uncertainty, sweet solitude.

Later: a buried shelter, cursed sureness, suffocating isolation. Nothing had ever felt so needful. Not even the blood that runs through my veins, I didn't need it so urgently. While the pain was growing, suddenly, that thunderous noise, unbearable. Shouting, crying, I ran.

I was incapable of feeling my own screaming, creepy for sure. Suddenly, the abyss broke under my feet. I wanted to die, get my shelter back, my beloved solitude, my limbo, my appraised island. And I fell. I was falling, feeling closer and closer to that horror, to my own pain, to the most terrifying awakening of my senses, that I had just discovered.

I don't remember anymore when I woke up that fateful morning, salvation back then. I don't remember when I started falling, for how long I'm falling, while I see the end closer and closer, but not knowing for sure if it will ever come. Now pain seems to have no limits. Pain and fear are all I feel. I am afraid to be falling forever.

You can listen to it here.

Read this post in Catalan.

Birthday

Since today is my birthday, I am going to introduce myself and talk a little about me.

My name is Antoni Maroto (Toni) and I was born on July 2nd, 1983. I live in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, Catalonia – still a stateless nation.

Languages, music, reading, and writing are among my biggest passions in life. I am very grateful for being able to communicate, create and learn.

I live in three languages: English, Catalan, and Spanish. In addition, I have diverse levels of knowledge of French, German, Galician, Russian and Hebrew. This love for languages led me to complete a licentiate degree in Translation and Interpretation.

I consider myself an avid, creative and dynamic translator. I would love to get a full-time position as a digital & social media agent in the areas of content, communication and/or customer experience.

Currently, I have been working as a home banking agent for the past six years. There, I cover several channels on a 24/7 service: telephone, email, chat, and social networks. Indeed, social networks and digital media have been the areas in which I have excelled at.

I believe that my best quality is that I am highly decisive. I also execute my tasks quickly and handle them with great quality.

Tori Amos

As I previously wrote, I am dedicating an entry to each artist I saw live at Primavera Sound 2015.

After writing about Einstürzende Neubauten and Babes in Toyland, today it is about Tori Amos.

I cannot remember exactly, but it was in the mid-to-late 1990s when I listened to "Crucify" for the first time. It had been included in a cassette tape that a pen pal from Germany had recorded for me with her favorite music. It became a favorite instantly and it led me to dig into her work through the next years.

Tori Amos is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and composer of Eastern Cherokee ancestry. She was born Myra Ellen Amos on August 22nd, 1963 in Newton, North Carolina.

At age 5, she won a full scholarship to the Peabody Conservatory (Baltimore, Maryland). She was the youngest person ever to have been admitted. She was expelled at age 11 for insisting on playing by ear and because of her interest in rock and popular music. At age 13 and chaperoned by her father, she began playing at gay bars and piano bars.

She co-wrote a song called "Baltimore" with her brother Mike Amos for a competition involving the Baltimore Orioles. The song won the contest and became her first single, released as a 7" single that was pressed locally in 1980. It included another Amos-penned composition as a B-side: "Walking with You."

At age 21, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her music career after several years performing on the piano bar circuit of the DC area. In 1986, she formed a band: Y Kant Tori Read. The name made reference to her aforementioned days at the Peabody, where she was never successful at reading sheet music. In 1988, their self-titled debut album was released through Atlantic Records, but it was a failure and the group subsequently disbanded. Two singles were released and one, "The Big Picture," had a music video:

Babes in Toyland

As I previously wrote, I am dedicating an entry to each artist I saw live at Primavera Sound 2015.

After writing about Einstürzende Neubauten, today I am introducing you to Babes in Toyland.

This all-female American punk rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1987. The current line-up features original members:

• Kat Bjelland (lead vocals and guitar)
• Lori Barbero (drums)
• And Maureen Hermann (bass), who in 1992 replaced Michelle Leon.

They have released so far three studio albums:

• Spanking Machine (1990)
• Fontanelle (1992)
• Nemesisters (1995)

They disbanded in 2001 but reunited again in 2014. From then on, the band started to write new material and perform live.

I have been a fan of Babes in Toyland since I was a teenager. I was very happy when I learned they had got together and that they were coming to play live in Barcelona (Catalonia) on May 30th, 2015.

Though the gig had some sound issues due to Kat's guitar strings breaking, the band rocked and managed really well to bring back that raw energy from early 90's rock music. The set-list was amazing as well, featuring a great selection of songs.

Concluding on another note, the band members have stated clearly and several times already that Courtney Love was never a member of Babes in Toyland. In reality, Love had often "hung around" the band's practice space until she was asked to leave. The band was never part of the Riot Grrrl movement either since it was based in the Pacific Northwest.

Einstürzende Neubauten

As I previously wrote, I am dedicating an entry to each artist I saw live at Primavera Sound 2015.

This one is about Einstürzende Neubauten, a band from Berlin (Germany) that has been active since 1980. The band's name can be translated as "collapsing new buildings". These "new buildings" refer to a style of architecture that started after World War II in Germany: large concrete box-style buildings.

Their trademark is the use of metal plates, electric drills, metal cutters, and circle saws; along with traditional musical instruments, they create a sound which is described as industrial.

They use a logo that consists of a human symbol with two arms, two legs (one much shorter than the other), a thin body, and a big round head with a circle in its middle.

It is an ancient Toltec petroglyph, whose meaning is undefined. It was discovered in a cave in central Mexico and is believed to be created between 700 and 1200 CE (Common -or Christian- Era).

I have always wanted to see Einstürzende Neubauten live since I had been told countless times that their live shows are great and unique. After attending their concert in Barcelona (Catalonia) on May 30th, 2015, I have to say that I was positively impressed.

Even though I had only listened to their early work (like the one featuring Lydia Lunch), I am discovering them little by little and liking them more. And I will be seeing them live again if I have the chance.

Blixa Bargeld, the band's leader, was a member of a band I know much more: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. There, he played guitar and did backing vocals from 1983 until 2003.

Prince

Prince Rogers Nelson (born June 7th, 1958) was an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actor. He performed mononymously as Prince, but had also been known by various other names; the most well-known was an unpronounceable symbol (which can be spelled out as O(+>), that he used as his name between 1993 and 2000. During that time, he was usually referred to as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince, The Symbol or simply The Artist.

Other aliases that he had used were: Alexander Nevermind, Camille, Christopher, Jamie Starr, Joey Coco, Paisley Park, The Starr Company, and Tora Tora.

Prince was a prolific artist, having released several hundred songs both under his own name and with other artists. He has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. He has won seven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the first year he was eligible in 2004.

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Prince developed an interest in music at an early age. After recording songs with his cousin's band 94 East, he recorded several unsuccessful demo tapes before releasing his debut album, "For You," in 1978. His 1979 album, "Prince," went platinum due to the success of the singles "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover." His next three records, "Dirty Mind" (1980), "Controversy" (1981) and "1999" (1982), continued his success. These records showcased the incorporation of sparse and industrial-sounding drum machine arrangements, and the use of synthesizer riffs to serve the role traditionally occupied by horn riffs in earlier R&B, funk and soul music. This trademark sound was called the Minneapolis sound and has turned out to be very influential.

 In 1984, he began referring to his backup band as The Revolution and released "Purple Rain," which served as the soundtrack to his film debut of the same name. After the albums "Around the World in a Day" (1985) and "Parade" (1986), The Revolution disbanded and Prince published the critically acclaimed double album "Sign 'O' the Times" (1987) as a solo artist. This was followed up by "Lovesexy" (1988). He released two more solo albums before debuting The New Power Generation band in 1991. After changing his stage name to the unpronounceable symbol, also known as the "Love Symbol," in 1993, he began issuing new albums at a faster pace. He did so in order to remove himself from contractual obligations to Warner Brothers, who had been his record company since 1978. He eventually achieved it in 1996.

In 2000, he began referring to himself as Prince once again. He has published several albums since then. Some of these were never given a physical release. In 2014, he returned to Warner Brothers and released two albums: "Art Official Age," as Prince; and "PlectrumElectrum," under the moniker 3rdeyegirl, which had been Prince's backing band since 2012.


UPDATE (04/23/2016):

Prince sadly passed away on April 21st, 2016 at Paisley Park Studios, where he lived, recorded, performed, and threw parties for other artists.

As a fan, I had written this entry as a tribute to him for his last birthday. I am devastated by the news... Still, we have his legacy forever. Furthermore, he had mentioned several times that he had a lot of unreleased music. Who knows? We may start discovering it if it ever gets published...

On a personal note, I am sharing these two pictures regarding his latest releases in 2015. Although I never had the chance to meet Prince, he surely acknowledged my family through his Twitter account:

Tuc holding "HITnRUN Phase One"

My niece Stace holding "HITnRUN Phase Two"

Lydia Lunch

Lydia Lunch (born Lydia Anne Koch; June 2, 1959; Rochester, NY), is an American singer, poet, writer, and actress. Her work usually takes a confrontationalist approach. She has maintained an anti-commercial ethic, operating independently of major labels and distributors. Lunch's moniker was given to her by the rock artist Willy DeVille, because she stole food for her friends.

She moved to New York City in 1976 and started her first band, Teenage Jesus and The Jerks, a short-lived No-Wave band, which has been recently revived at times in the past years. After a couple more bands (Beirut Slump and 8-Eyed Spy), she released her first solo album "Queen of Siam" in 1980. This was an experimental delivery featuring No Wave and Punk Jazz and it is probably her best-known music album. Two years later, she pulled out another album, "13.13," in which she took a darker approach. This trend would continue in subsequent releases like "In Limbo" and "The Drowning of Lucy Hamilton."

Overall, she has been a very prolific artist, either solo, or with other musicians like: J. G. Thirlwell, Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Marc Almond, Steven Severin, Sadie Mae, Rowland S. Howard, Michael Gira, The Birthday Party, No Trend, Einstürzende Neubauten, Die Haut, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. She has also recorded and performed as a spoken word artist. Some of her collaborations feature Exene Cervenka, Henry Rollins, Wanda Coleman, and Hubert Selby Jr.

Lately, she has been recording and touring with her two current bands: Big Sexy Noise, featuring members of Gallon Drunk; and Retrovirus, including Bob Bert and Weasel Walter, in which she revisits all her catalog since the 1970's. She has, as well, collaborated recently with Philippe Petit, Mia Zabelka, and Cypress Grove.

Anne Frank

Comité Cisne was a pop band from Spain that existed between the years 1984 and 1991.

In 1987, they released a song called "Ana Frank", in which they paid tribute to this well-known writer, who died at a very young age in the Holocaust.

Ocean

Come with me

Into a cool blue stream

Bleed into oceans green

Lips open wide

Drinking the tide

Reach for me

Here where the ocean sea

Melts and you sink with me

Deeper inside

I'll make you mine

Take me down

Down where their voices drown

Down where the only sound

Echoes for me

Floating away

Under the waves

Kiss me again

You'll tell me when

Salt on my lips

Cool fingertips

Under the sea

Stay here with me

This song was created by Lush, the band - not the cosmetics company (which I happen to love, by the way).

Primavera Sound 2015

This year, I'm going to see several artists live at Barcelona's Primavera Sound on Saturday, May 30th, 2015.

The timetable is set and this is my choice:

• Swans: 7:25 to 9:55 pm - RockDeLux stage.
• Tori Amos: 8:30 to 9:30 pm - RayBan stage.
• Einstürzende Neubauten: 9:40 to 10:40 pm - ATP stage.
• Babes in Toyland: 11:45 pm to 12:40 am - ATP stage.

It's almost perfect, except for one thing: why doesn't Swans start earlier? Why do they have to partly overlap with Tori Amos? I'll have to leave the Swans concert halfway to go to the Tori Amos one...

At least, Swans seem to be coming every year to Barcelona: they've done so in the past 3 years. I hope they're here again in 2016!

Tori Amos, however, is playing in Barcelona for the first time in her career. It'll be my first time seeing her live as well - I've been a fan since the late 90s. This opportunity is, obviously, not to be missed: it's a dream coming true and I'm feeling very grateful!

UPDATE (05/31/2015):

It turned out that Swans were finally going to start at 5:45 and finish at 8:45 pm. Sadly, I learned that too late. Indeed, I got to the festival at 7pm and I could have still enjoyed part of their concert.

However, since I saw that The Vaselines were going to perform from 7:30 to 8:15 pm, I decided to drop Swans and chose to see them. It's a band that I know very little, but I was curious to get to know them more. What I didn't know, though, was that their concert was held in a limited capacity and an extra ticket was needed. Therefore, I had to give up on that idea too.

Eventually, I got to eat a lovely vegan dinner in no rush and see 3 full awesome acts: Tori Amos, Einstürzende Neubauten, and Babes in Toyland.

Respect Yourself

In times in which you do not seem to achieve what you want, remember to be grateful for what you already have.

Do not concentrate on what you do not have yet: it will make you unhappy.

Instead, take some time to look inside of you and around you; it may not be much, but it is quality that matters.

And last, but not least, remember that you will always have yourself, so you better respect yourself:

WOR(L)D

Words are very unnecessary, they can only do harm.

Words are useless, especially sentences.

But...

Don't you wanna hear the word?

Welcome to my world! The word is love.

Listen...

READ: Treat others the way you want to be treated

Believe

I believe in the power of a word.

I believe in the power of letting go.

I believe in me.

I believe in you*:

• [insert name here]
• partner / spouse
• offspring (no human/non-human distinction)
• family
• friends
• G-d

*The order of the factors does not affect the product

Read this post in Catalan.