1. When you listen to music, what feelings/emotions does it evoke?
I listen to various forms of music: Hard rave genres such as happy hardcore music, speedcore and the like. However, I am not quite fond of the electronic music industry, and I only listen to this when I'm so happy that I desire to run around the room and dance like an idiot on some kind of drugs. I barely do this, as I usually prefer to listen to spiritually atavistic music, like Cascadian metal. The purpose of it is to create an altered state of experience through the use of death metal, and since my spiritual beliefs are rather ancient and historic it only makes sense to, 'access,' the energies and current of this form of music in order to help me perceived what is known as the spiritual other: the sense of inhumanity and ancient alienness that is the deeper parts of our psyche. This part of our mind is used to facilitate a spiritual experience. Bands like Echtra, Fuana, Ekstasis along with Botanist. The band Botanist advocates for Entarchy, which is a system of government in which the forest and its attendent laws and natural rules are taken as the law of the land quite literally if you will. The forest is also worshipped as the ultimate god, and sacrifices of blood and other fluid is necessary. The ideology openly supports the dissolution of the human race and its attendents so as to allow the forest to dominant us and our lives until our demise. Obviously, this ideology will not catch on since it is rather niche in nature but since it sounds like something that I supported a year ago* so I decided to support the artist. Not only do I enjoy the music itself, I also like the message and what the artist stand for. I also perceive it as a very spiritual thing, despite the fact that it may sound extreme to some people. In conclusion my spiritual views, ideologies and associated subcultures (Like folk crust punk, hence me enjoying We The Heathens. Or like furry art and subculture, hence me enjoying Halley Labs) influence my taste in music very greatly. However, I do enjoy midwest emo, pop punk, dream-pop and et alia; this music reminds me of my youthfulness, and since I have a very serious outlook on life and philosopher, it reminds me to have fun with my time here on this thing called Earth; I also enjoy dark ambient, for spiritual reasons. Even though it really isn't music. It's more like a bunch of drones and dark chamber field-recordings.
2. What is your favorite song? Why? Is it connected to a certain time, event, or place?
List of my favorite songs, with genre and precedding explanation, not in any order:
a) PACEMAKER REV_2.1, album; NERVE'S ENDING by the Quick Brown Fox. Reason for enjoyment: It just sounds fun! Genre: Speedcore
b) Fallohides, album; The Blood Behind the Dam, by We The Heathens. Reason for enjoyment: I love folk music, and since I also enjoy modern forms of punk and metal the combination of the two (Along with the relaxing nature field-recordings present in the album) makes for a very earth-centered and modern experience.
Above: We The Heathens album art for, "The Blood Behind the Dam", all copyright goes to them. Taken from wetheheathens.bandcamp.com
d) One Thing, album; Blast Radius by Coyete Pepper. Reason for enjoyment: I like the associated company for obvious reasons,and since I desire to own a business in the future they are like a symbol that shows that even the most insanely odd ideas can grow into a successful business is inspiring to me. I also enjoy the music for its sound and what it means, and use the song for as a part of my vocal warm-up practices.
e) 电动少女, album; Here comes a new challenger! by Chinese Football, Reason for enjoyment: I like the youthfulness of the song, plus I enjoy midwest emo math rock.
3. How has your taste in music changed over the years?
The first ever song I heard and really enjoyed was by Queen. Growing up, since I was an aggressive and energetic boy I listened to a lot of Nu Metal bands, like Linkin Park (I listened to them for three years, then I discovered Green Day, Gorillaz). Soon I started listen to a radio through my television while doing homework and discovered Bring Me The Horizon, Deftones and other heavy bands. After listening to Metalcore and Dubstep music I started expanding my musical horizons even wider and discovered Dark Ambient while I accidently discovered minimalism and how it applies to music and as a life-style. Then I started to take my spirituality more seriously and started exploring older forms of music and other forms of metal. Everything weaves together into one strong path!
4. Why do you gravitate towards certain types of music? Why do you think you dislike certain types of music? (Influences, history, parents)
I love energetic music because I'm rather an energetic person. In public I'm more reserved and quite, mostly because I'm a thinking introvert and I'm shy. But being mute for long periods of time is very meditative to me, and meditation feels good. It's a spiritual thing I do: Meditate. It just feels so good. So sometimes my music may sound very nature-like and calm, other times it will be happy and fast, or dark and brooding. But I grew up with heavier music and rock and as a consequence I have a tendency to lean more towards that genre. Growing up, I hated anything to do with the country, especially what I called at the time, 'Hillbilly music.' Fortunately, I am not ignorant as I was back then, but I still do not really enjoy modern country music. I prefer the blues or bluegrass music, rather than songs about big green tractors or how whisky is or something cliche like that (I'm sorry if I offended any country musicians out there).
5. Do your friends listen to the same styles of music as you? What do you think this means?
No. My music, like most things I enjoy, are niche. Meaning they are orientated to a specific group of people that enjoy a specific thing; but I like to keep my music this way. It makes me feel good to be the only person I know who likes this music in my general vicinity. However, with genres like Indie folk or midwest emo, I just want to perform these songs with a group of musicians. Or listen to it while star-gazing with a close friend. Star-gazing is very meditative and you can learn a lot of history by studying the stars. I like to read about it, then when someone is star-gazing with me I tell them the history, mythology and science associated with it and people rather enjoy that.
6. "Without music, life would be a mistake," -Fredrick Nietzsche. Music can put you in different worlds, different states of mind, it can give you a new perspective on your emotions and have encouraged millions to keep on going in rough times and to enjoy the present moment. Sometimes, if I'm feeling down, I can sit outside as the sun sets listening to a song. I don't really like to listen to some songs, I like to experience them. Which is why I enjoy the music I like; it has an ambient tonality to it that makes it feel like it is alive, like it is living and telling you all that you already know how to feel. It allows you to put even the worse situations into a perspective that helps you understand and cope with them more.
15. Would you ever want to sing or be a musician professionally?
Yes, my side career will actually be writing, composing, producing and mastering my own musical albums. I'm also a trained vocalist. I'm trying to learn how to do extreme unclean vocal techniques; they are SO hard. These vocals are basically the safe way to, "Scream," in music without fully injuring yourself. However, if not done right to the highest degree it will slowly destroy your voice. Fun fact! My falsetto was permanently destroyed when I swallowed a mint whole while taking a test in eighth grade! It got lodged up in my larynx and it was there until it melted. It hurt, a lot.
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