All these facts and biography lessons, all though interesting and needed, I've always found to be rather cold. Who is Sa DingDing? During the interview for The Independent, she reveals that there is not one specific moment that changes her path but she forged it over time with every single one of her decisions. Music has always been her freedom and allows her to express emotion, to even build the world around her. Reading even a small fraction of her speech and thoughts, I can't help but admire her and her way of making art with attention and soul. The genres that can be loosely attached to her songs are world, electronic, ethnic, even folkloric, at the same time even pop. For the fans of such amalgama of sounds, she can be put next to huge names like Dead Can Dance, Azam Ali, and Niyaz. She even reminds me of a similar Bulgarian band - Irfan.

Sa DingDing reached the European media and public in 2008 by winning the BBC Radio 3 World Music Award. I was surprised to find that after the win and initial media coverage - she was still famous mainly in China and East Asia, not so much in Europe or the Americas.

Somewhere far in the distance, a faint sound can be heard. Is it Chinese? Is the melody Indian or Mongolian? Or even from the mystical Tibet? We settle, close our eyes and fall into the heavenly symphony of various cultures combined in a masterpiece. There is a soft female voice now but the language is unknown and unclear to me. Somehow tho, I understand it and follow the emotion it brings. Can you hear it?
​​
The official Facebook page of Sa DingDing
The official blog of Sa DingDing in Chinese

Статията на български може да намерите тук.

We need to take into account that this is a one minute per episode anime. With that being said - the arch and plot aren't life-changing material. But are they brilliant? Oh, hell, yea. The charm of the little snips of her life is that they remind us a lot of our own experiences. We all have bad days at work, we are put under pressure and most of all - we all know the annoying people around Retsuko. Most of us try to keep up a polite front, she tries as well and is actually very successful in that. I dare say tho, not any of us start screaming to the faint (at first) guitar riff tho. And this is where Retsuko is brilliant, she is on the verge of our own break-down and she breaks down so we don't have to. Ok, that may have sounded a bit too deep but the anime is truly a wonderful way to loosen up after a hard day.

By the way, the fact that they are just a minute-long means that we can both binge-watch them in like an hour AND we can squeeze in an episode if someone grinds your gears. Just a thought.

P.S. It is set to air on Netflix as well on the 18th of April.

Статията на български може да намерите тук.

And how honest they are indeed. There is a truly slim chance that you actually do not know anything about the game. Doki Doki Literature Club was all over YouTube, Reddit etc. but if by chance you are new to this, be warned - juicy (not really) spoilers from my around 5hour run of this absolutely free masterpiece wait ahead.

So. I adore Doki Doki Literature Club. Despite the fact that we seem to be warned all the way from the beginning in the Steam page, oh boy, somehow we forget every warning, let our guard down for the innocent club and are just prey to the brilliantly executed horror. During the first hour of the playthrough, not much is happening. I absolutely forgot everything I should've been looking out for and realized much later that we had loads of hints before our eyes the whole time.

When the game reaches its culmination. everything literally falls apart much quicker than we could've imagined and in all sorts of creative and chills-inducing ways. Doki Doki will basically shock you in all the ways you are not prepared to be shocked. The sounds and music, in particular, are used just the right way. Little things glitch here and there, bringing a feeling of insecurity, of constant stress for what may happen next.

Official site for Doki Doki Literature Club

Статията на български може да намерите тук.

In his interview for Jing Talk Show, the musician reveals the hardships his family has faced in the past as well as the hardship he faces now as a complete artist. While he talks and smiles ever so subtly I can't shake off the feeling that he is completely honest. His urge to create music out of the k-pop box that has the main audience of young adult girls shines through. Okay and Papillon are connected almost by a plot line in this order. In Okay we see the backstory, the roots to all of his nuanced emotions. In the video for the song, we witness strong symbolism and elements that connect with the video for Papillon. Jackson reveals that both MVs are made with thought and everything in them (especially in Okay) can be food for interpretation.

Both songs I loved immediately. They are just so true to him as an artist and a creator. Music that is made with love and a need - as if it just needed to be sang. The moods in the two songs are completely different and both of them as a whole is absolutely tremendously different than his Wang Puppy alter ego from the past. Jackson Wang used to be just a funny guy. Now, he is a brilliant artist which I come back to not to get a laugh but to get good music.

I told myself that I'll be okay - is a dominant line throughout Okay. Makes me wonder how often all of us need to repeat it to ourselves just so we don't fall apart. Makes me wonder how often he said it to himself? So much, it needed to be sang to the world. 

The official Instagram of Jackson Wang
The songs by Jackson Wang in iTunes

Статията на български може да намерите тук.

Tabula rasa in Latin literally means a blank or a clean board, referring to the wax boards the Romans used in order to write. No matter what is written tho, if the wax is heated and smoothed out, it becomes a tabula rasa - a clean (or better yet, erased) space which we can use anew. To start again is always easier in theory than in practice especially when we remember what the wax said before we erased it. 

It may sound as a bit of a stretch but "Tabula Rasa" illustrates brilliantly this precise moment of change that we've all experienced more than once in our lifetimes even. Not just that but the message is depicted in the image of something we oftentimes deem as more mundane than we can imagine - through food. The food that we all eat (hopefully) several times a day. The food that is a vital part of our well being and life to such extent that we forget about its spiritual worth. The movie delicately takes us on a journey not only through the wonderful cuisine of Indonesia but through the culture and soul of the local people. Meals are not just for blind consumption, to survive. They can also have history behind them - who we are, where we come from, where are we going. What do we feel even. The scenes I absolutely adored the most were set in the kitchen. Mak wasn't just cooking more so she was creating, molding with her two hands and with lots of love culinary masterpieces. Her character has a line about how the food, all of the food should pass through the hands of the cook. We see the food being created with such love and devotion - almost like a sacred ritual in the name of the holiest thing actually - food. And with food - life.

The full list of songs is available for browsing at the end of the article. For now, we'll look at a few accents among them, although I feel obliged to repeat again that the perfection of Sang hides in its entirety. I can't say any song is vastly better or worse than the others. In the sense of composition and musicality, there is not one weak piece of music on this album. This is the reason why my choice of specific songs to discuss is rather more based on the meaning. Songs that are so very much Kamijo and mark his success as a musician and as a singer.

"Nosferatu"  is the third song by the original order. You may have already encountered it during February, as it was released as a single. Just with the name of the song we can already see a connection with the album name and the whole theme (sang from French - blood, and Nosferatu as in the first and most iconic vampire film from 1922). We are very used to seeing the purely aristocratic side of Kamijo even with his career roots with Lareine, followed by a full aristocrat explosion with Versailles. Now we are introduced to a darker side of that nobility. The black color is dominant, dim lit candles and darkness during his live performances, as well as somber themes for many of his songs. Everything, of course, served with the uttermost excellence of a true aristocrat.

"Vampire Rock Star" can be described best as SO Kamijo. Heavier, a bit more aggressive than the others, with a faster tempo but oh so perfectly placed to sprinkle some surprise among the more classicly composed pieces. At a first glance, I wasn't too sure why this song, in particular, grabbed my attention and is slowly climbing to the spot of a favorite one. The energy in Vampire Rock Star brings the album to life, accompanied, of course, by brilliant guitar riffs, Yuki behind the drums and Kamijo... who, let's be honest, is truly a vampire rock star. Brilliant! (And the next song - "Emigre" comes just in time to pick up where we have left.) 

"mademoiselle" is the second single out of the album and we are including it here mainly to note how gentle it is. Probably the most gentle one. The piano and violin blend smoothly with the now calmer drums and guitars. Kamijo softly sings about his probably second biggest love after the roses - the French language.  

The trilogy Sang I, II, III concludes our journey into the dark aristocratic parts of Kamijo's soul. The overuse of this word is real but necessary - a brilliant end to a brilliant album. The combination between classical and metal instruments, the choir in the back, unmistakable vocals - every little tiny element is composed with consideration of all other to birth a perfect symphony for us to enjoy. 

Full track list of the album "Sang":

1. Dead Set World
2. Theme of Sang
3. Nosferatu
4. Bloodcast -Interlude-
5. Vampire Rock Star
6. Emigre
7. Mystery
8. mademoiselle
9. Delta -Interlude-
10. CASTRATO
11. Ambition -Interlude-
12. Sang I
13. Sang II
14. Sang III

There are a few tour dates announced but for now - only around Japan. Next to Kamijo live the audience will have the pleasure to hear Anzi (ex. Matenrou Opera) on guitar, Meku (ex. Galeyd) on guitar, Yuki (ex. Versailles) on drums and Shigure on bass guitar. Further information about Kamijo, the album, the tour and any future projects you can find at the following links:

Official page of Chateau Agency
Official Facebook page of Kamijo

Статията на български може да намерите тук.