This Week In Music: Thursday 23rd February 2023

A weekly update on all things music, advertising, and technology coming straight to you from Anthony Vanger at MassiveMusic. #TWIM

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: AVALON EMERSON

Anyone with a name as cool as Avalon Emerson has my vote. And it helps that this enigmatic artist has the music chops to back it up. Born at the tail end of the 80s, Emerson is an American electronic music producer and DJ. Interestingly, she is as well-known for her DJ-ing as she is a singer-songwriter, with regular sets at clubs such as Berghain in Berlin and festivals like Coachella, Sonar, and Pitchfork. The former software engineer’s own music has shades of the Cocteau Twins and the distinctive beats of the 90s acts like Massive Attack, but as with everything to do with this enigmatic artist, including her slightly bookish appearance, Emerson is difficult to pin down. Her latest single, Sandrail Siulhouette, has a homemade feel, but that does not diminish the impact of the music. Her smooth, West Coast vocals juxtapose perfectly against the strings, especially the deep cellos. Although the song’s structure is more experimental than pop, Emerson has managed to pull off a neat trick and released a highly commercial track.

Video Directed by Hayden Martin and Felix Geen, Cinematography by Josha Eiffel

Follow Avalon Emerson –

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avalon9000/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/avalon_emerson

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@avalon9000

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AvalonEmerson

#avalonemerson #berlin

AD OF THE WEEK: SUPERBOWL 57

The top 10 Super Bowl 57 commercials, according to USA TODAY Ad Meter

  • Workday: “Rockstar” (5.91) …
  • Disney: “Disney100 Special Look” (5.92) …
  • He Gets Us: “Be Childlike” (5.97) …
  • T-Mobile: “Neighborly” (6.00) …
  • Bud Light: “Bud Light Hold | Easy To Drink, Easy To Enjoy” (6.04) …
  • PopCorners: “Breaking Good” (6.26)

By the way, if you missed the Superbowl 57 Halftime Apple Music Show, watch it here. Super cool floating platforms, amazing choreography by Parris Goebel and all in all pretty impressive considering the star was three months pregnant. One of the best shows in memory.

BEYONCÉ WINS BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC ALBUM AT THE GRAMMYS, BECOMES MOST AWARDED ARTIST EVER

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Beyoncé has broken the record for the most GRAMMYs ever won by an artist with 32 awards.

The ceremony saw Beyoncé beat previous record-breaker classical musician Georg Solti who had 31 awards after she received the prize for Best Dance/Electronic Album for her album ‘Renaissance’.

On top of Best Dance/Electronic Album the artist won four awards at the event which were Best Dance/Electronic Recording for ‘Break My Soul’, Best Traditional R&B Performance for ‘Plastic Off The Sofa’ and Best R&B Song for ‘Cuff It’.

In her speech after winning best dance album, Beyoncé thanked God and her family including her late uncle Johnny who she said was “here in spirit”.

She credits her uncle in ‘Renaissance’ as she has previously noted that he introduced her to “disco/funk and soul” with that being the reason she was inspired to create a club-focused album.

GLASTONBURY AUCTIONS CHANCE TO PUSH “FIRE” BUTTON ON ARCADIA SPIDER STAGE FOR CHARITY

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Glastonbury is giving fans the opportunity to win “once-in-a-lifetime” experiences at this summer’s festival in a charity auction.

There’s ten experiences available to bid on via Trussell Trust’s eBay auction page, including the honour of pressing the “fire” button on the famed Arcadia Spider stage (the current bid is £7,700 at time of writing), taking in a Pyramid Stage set from its exclusive viewing platform, getting a reserved area of Maceo’s in Block9 and more. Each experience comes with two tickets to the festival. 

The auction is open now and will close on Monday, 13th February, at 5 PM GMT. 

NEW TURNTABLE ALLOWS YOU TO PLAY VINYL THROUGH A SONOS SYSTEM

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Long-running turntable manufacturer Victrola have announced a new record player, which will allow users to play vinyl through their Sonos systems.

With an expected shipping date of February 15, the Victrola Stream Onyx is fitted with an aluminium tonearm, and connects wirelessly to Sonos systems via the Victrola Stream app, as well as integrating with the Sonos app.

The turntable is belt-driven, and can play records at 33 and 45 RPM, and comes fitted with an Audio Technica AT-VM95E cartridge and needle.

For those without Sonos systems, the turntable will still be able to be connected traditionally via RCA cables.

It will cost $599 (£500) from the Victrola website, who is taking pre-orders now.

Written by Anthony Vanger

Additional research and reporting by Adam “Badger” Woolf

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