Panasonic’s Technics Turntables are back!
Now that CDs are inching closer and closer to their death, their ancestors are reaching out from six feet under. Some will say that CDs are straight up useless, but since it can be atrociously long for bands to press vinyls because of the ever increasing demand for them, you might be forced to buy your favourite band’s little shiny disk once in a while instead of the vintage toy. But audiophiles will wisely remind naïve music fans that vinyl actually rocks. Panasonic has heard the specialists and is bringing back their famous Technics Turntable, which they announced at the IFA conference in Berlin. The turntable will be now be made of titanate aluminum and will have a better sound quality. Panasonic is planning on releasing the product between April 2016 and March 2017. The Japanese giant relaunched their Technics brand at last year’s IFA conference. National Public Radio’s Tom Terrell once called the turntable “the most important musical instrument of the last two-and-a-half decades.” Needless to say, a piece of history is coming back to life.
Austrian artist’s “Minute of Silence” tops the charts
In the wake of the refugee crisis in Europe, Austrian musician Raoul Haspel released a single called “Schweigeminute” or “Minute of Silence” to protest against the inhumane conditions in one of Austria’s biggest asylum centres for refugees, Traiskirchen, on the outskirts of the country’s capital. The song has topped the country’s charts and costs 99 cents on iTunes. All proceeds will go the refugee camp. The makeshift shelter has come to the attention of Amnesty International because of its “scandalous” state, they told Reuters, especially considering Vienna’s status as one the most liveable cities in the world. In an interview with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Haspel explained how he decided to show his outcry with silence: “I chose silence because everybody has such a strong opinion on the situation, and the debate just gets louder and louder each time.” As the situation evolves, we can expect to see even more showings of solidarity from artists. Haspel’s contribution will surely be heard.
Rapper Tyler the Creator banned from yet another country
Despite being in the country more than 20 times in the past 5 years for meet and greets, shows and others, wrote Tyler the Creator’s manager Christian Clancy on his Tumblr account. The artist apparently will not be able to perform under the Union Jack because of lyrics from six years ago. “BASED ON LYRICS FROM 2009 I AM NOT ALLOWED IN THE UK FOR 3-5 YEARS (although i was there 8 weeks ago) THAT IS WHY THE SHOWS WERE CANCELLED,” tweeted the LA-born star on Aug. 26. Lyrics from past CDs such as Bastard and Goblin were under scrutiny because of words that described rape, physical abuse, and murder, explained the Home Office, the British equivalent of Immigration Canada, in a letter they sent to the American rapper. In a recent interview with The Guardian, Tyler the Creator stated that he never plays those songs and insisted that he wasn’t homophobic. The controversial singer has now been banned by the UK, Australia and New Zealand–who’s next?
