Another two weeks flew by, bringing interesting news in the music world. Dr. Dre released his first album in over 15 years. He is fighting to maintain his relevance in the music world as an artist beyond Beats by Dre and his production skills. The Weeknd and Lana Del Rey each offered tracks from their respective upcoming (and highly anticipated) albums. Fetty Wap and Taylor Swift made the news when the rapper joined the pop star on stage during a stop in her tour, bringing to light a recent surge of cross-genre collaborations (such as Jamie xx and Young Thug’s “I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)”). And I would be remiss not to mention the ongoing Twitter/rap beef between Drake and Meek Mill (which has so far not been a close competition as a result of Drake’s track “Back to Back”).
Another two weeks have passed, and I have found myself in several different cities: Amsterdam, Copenhagen, New York City (and now Wilmington, Del.). Each fostered a unique type of music scene that was different from the one before. While I could write about each one of them, or about any of the albums or topics mentioned above, I instead realized what this column has showed me and reinforced throughout the summer. The world of music is unbelievably diverse and furthermore has few limits or boundaries. In each place I visited over the summer, the types of music were different and the culture surrounding the music and nightlife was different as well. What was consistent in each city, however, was a general love of and appreciation for music. One specific example that amazed me occurred during my last week in Barcelona. One of the city’s clubs and concert venues, Sala Apolo, is best known for an event they call “Nasty Mondays.” I at first expected to hear club music, whether it be electronic or hip-hop or R&B. Instead, the first song that was playing when I walked through the door was Steppenwolf’s rock classic “Born to be Wild,” albeit with a significantly louder bass. Throughout the night, the building was packed to capacity with Spaniards and internationals alike dancing and shouting to a variety of rock and alternative music names such as The Strokes, Artic Monkeys and the Rolling Stones. Some of the same people who were partying to pulsing house music over the weekend were enjoying a completely different genre, singing along with the massive crowd.
This year in D.C., I hope everyone takes the time to look through the concert listings at any music venue in the city, or to look at the offerings on campus outside of Uncommon Grounds, in Bulldog Alley or at the Healey Family Student Center. Pick a concert of one of your favorite artists or of an artist you may have never heard of before. Pick a genre that you love or one that you are less familiar with. Go support your classmates at GPB’s Break at 8 or any Battle of the Band-type events and prepare to be surprised by the amount of talent that exists right on campus. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. To conclude for the summer, stay Tuned In.
Andrew Minkovitz is a rising junior in the School of Foreign Service. Tuned In appears every other Monday at thehoya.com.
