🍱 Delicacy of the Day
This is from Belgian Beast H:dn.
Every single album cover in this dude’s discography is gray.
Despite that there’s not a lot of “gloomy” sounds. It’s like that “feel good sad songs” that are supposed to be sad and dark but have bright sounds and fast beats.
This one is much simpler by Dumpster Standards, but for reasons mentioned in the P.S., it made it into today’s selection.
It’s one of those that nails a fantastic melody and runs with it for the full song. It’s easygoing and does a good job at keeping you engaged.
The track is also short. You can have it as a “palette cleanser” before changing genres (I tested it).
Overall, it's the right vibe for a chill Saturday.
Njoy.
Tidal includes links to Youtube, Sloptify, and Apple Music.
💭 Quick Drivel
Something I’ve never figured out is what the electronic music industry considers as “mainstream. “
Sure, there are artists that most people can recognize, like David Guetta, Martin Garrix, The Chainsmokers, Armin Van Burreen, Tiesto, etc etc.
But they built that reputation thanks to the radio. It’s not a sustainable model, as fewer people listen to the radio by the day.
Some people say that if they show up at EDC or Tomorrowland, they can be considered mainstream.
Makes sense, but even those are falling and get filled by whoever can spend the most/have the best connections. (which is just part of the music game)
Of course, these have led to the rise of artists like John Summit, Kettama (who came outta nowhere lmao), FISHER, Knock2 and that’s all I really know hahaha. I mention these because most people who are “in the genre” can recognize these.
Then there’s social media which has given rise to artists like NOTION, Cult Member, and that’s also all I know hahaha.
The thing I can say about these artists is that they’re actually really good. As “basic” as the sounds can be, they sound a billion times better than whatever The Chainsmokers were doing lol.
So then… how does someone who isn’t on social media, goes to raves/festivals, or listens to the radio determine what’s mainstream?
The issue here is twofold.
There are so many genres that everything is splintered.
There are too many artists to keep up with.
I bring this up because my aim is to expand your and everyone who reads “map”
That is discovering new artists that you haven’t heard of before.
Of course, the 2 problems above make this a Catch-22 issue.
Do I go by monthly Spotify listeners? How many listeners does a song/artist need to be considered “mainstream” by the community?
Do I go by what the internet community recommends? A lot are still stuck in 2014, recommending Avicci (I wish I was making it up).
Do I keep flying blind as I have for the past 11 years? Maybe, but I can’t shake this thought that I’ve entered “mainstreamland” and thus am failing the core directive of this newsletter.
Unfortunately, no one seems to have answers. Even the robot doesn’t know.
So far I’ve been operating on the “if they have less than a million listeners, its more likely to get sent”
However, more and more artists hit that benchmark. It’s honestly very impressive to see.
And of course, they have been matching the high standards. It’s not one of these Alok types that keep spamming the same song over and over. Some are improving and doing new things with their sound.
The one “meh” thing I’ll say is that they are a bit more basic-sounding. It’s “playlist friendly,” and you can show it to your friends without getting odd looks.
Today’s song is a great example of this phenomenon.
It’s a good song by all standards. It’s simple, its easygoing, and it has a good melody. It’s a more “friendly” song than say, this song by Nicce.
They are in the same genre however one will get people asking you to send them the song and the other to get the hell of the aux.
Now this brings further ANOTHER theory.
It’s the fact that these songs are SHORTER that makes them more “mainstreamable”
Granted, that seems to be a consequence of the rapidly decaying attention spans.
So to bring it all together…
What makes a mainstream song?
Well… from what I could gather it’s a song that
Has more than 200,000,000 plays
Artist has less than 10,000,000 monthly listeners (since 1,000,000 seems to be the standard lmao)
Is short enough to be loopable (under 3-4 minutes)
Is widely recognized by people outside the genre (with comments like “oh yeah, its that tiktok song!)
If you have an answer to this conundrum or a different theory as to what makes an electronic song “mainstream,” I’d love to hear it.
Otherwise, you can expect your non-mainstream music (both shorter and longer than 4 minutes) today, tomorrow, and the day after.
Always trying to escape the mainstream hell Forward
Hz
P.S. My bad if the drivel is extra drivel-y. I’ve been afflicted with a day-long crushing headache. Another bonus of this song is that it won’t make your headache worse hahaha.
This whole “mainstream” topic came while I was staring at the screen thinking on what to write about. If it hurts to read… well, I guess we can both share that pain.
Post-Email Backstage
- Got this sent by a friend? Join them and start getting your daily song by signing up here.
- Artists: Want to have your music showcased? Let us know about you here.
- #VibeFind: Need a song for a special moment or the right tune for the vibe? Reply with #VibeFix, and we’ll get you sorted.
- Song Requests: Want your favorite song featured? Reply with it and a short story about what makes it special, and we’ll send it!
-Can't concentrate to screeching sounds or forced vocals? Brain.fm will fill the electronic void while doubling your focus. Get the first month FREE by clicking here
