Steven Smith
@durianmilkshake.bsky.social
I write a weekly newsletter on the latest Japanese "City Music" with an accompanying playlist. It is free!
🚫No AI is used!🚫
Newsletter: https://neocitypop.substack.com/
Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1ojdY5RKVdES4RcvGFB6fJ?si=f7cda9e7015b4c
🚫No AI is used!🚫
Newsletter: https://neocitypop.substack.com/
Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1ojdY5RKVdES4RcvGFB6fJ?si=f7cda9e7015b4c
Pinned
Steven Smith
@durianmilkshake.bsky.social
· Dec 12
A Starter's Guide to Neo City Pop
The format of this graphic is inspired by (stolen from) @earfeeder.bsky.social. I posted this on Twitter a year ago, but it looked like they weren’t using Twitter by that point so there’s a good chance they didn’t see it.
The format of this graphic is inspired by (stolen from) @earfeeder.bsky.social. I posted this on Twitter a year ago, but it looked like they weren’t using Twitter by that point so there’s a good chance they didn’t see it.
This song is hot, but I've never seen more people look annoyed at a street-shot video before lol
youtu.be/XRsX_7EZT_s?...
youtu.be/XRsX_7EZT_s?...
Redman - Don't Give AF [J@q Boi Be@tz]
YouTube video by Redman
youtu.be
December 11, 2025 at 6:42 AM
This song is hot, but I've never seen more people look annoyed at a street-shot video before lol
youtu.be/XRsX_7EZT_s?...
youtu.be/XRsX_7EZT_s?...
And then they remixed the video for the video of the remix 🤌 youtu.be/NwtkyJ5WJc0?...
maco marets & RICK NOVA - Cyan 【illmore Remix】
YouTube video by Chilly Source
youtu.be
December 11, 2025 at 5:33 AM
And then they remixed the video for the video of the remix 🤌 youtu.be/NwtkyJ5WJc0?...
Due to my obsessive tracking of this stuff, I “noticed“ that Kota Matsukawa is now producing all of the artists that Shingo S. produced for. It’s a little different from Shin Sakiura who has a completely different style - both Matsukawa and Shingo S. are heavily influenced by 90s style R&B
December 10, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Due to my obsessive tracking of this stuff, I “noticed“ that Kota Matsukawa is now producing all of the artists that Shingo S. produced for. It’s a little different from Shin Sakiura who has a completely different style - both Matsukawa and Shingo S. are heavily influenced by 90s style R&B
Reposted by Steven Smith
Redman released 'Muddy Waters' 29 years ago on December 10, 1996 | Listen to the album + revisit our tribute here: album.ink/RedmanMW
December 10, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Redman released 'Muddy Waters' 29 years ago on December 10, 1996 | Listen to the album + revisit our tribute here: album.ink/RedmanMW
Instagram is the devil because it just gives you an unending stream of everything you ever wanted (in exchange for your soul). I just saw a string of comments talking about how shinu no ga e-wa was just Japanese cocoa butter kisses and where are the people having this convo in real life lol!!
December 10, 2025 at 3:31 AM
Instagram is the devil because it just gives you an unending stream of everything you ever wanted (in exchange for your soul). I just saw a string of comments talking about how shinu no ga e-wa was just Japanese cocoa butter kisses and where are the people having this convo in real life lol!!
The punipunidenki Kabu album preorder is up, they ship internationally
www.tuff-beats.com/product-page...
www.tuff-beats.com/product-page...
ぷにぷに電機 / 株(LP) | Tuff Beats
株は芽吹き、複雑性の森と化す――ぷにぷに電機の2ndアルバムがアナログ化！ ぷにぷに電機の2ndアルバム『株』がアナログ化！『株』はKan Sanoとのコラボ曲『真夜中はチャイナ・ブルー
』やストリーミングヒット曲『your room
』、和久井沙良がアレンジを務めた『海を』などを収録し、生命を育む根「株」と、価値を分かち合う「株」券、そして多様に枝分かれしていく微生物の「株」を重ね合わせたタイト...
www.tuff-beats.com
December 10, 2025 at 12:54 AM
The punipunidenki Kabu album preorder is up, they ship internationally
www.tuff-beats.com/product-page...
www.tuff-beats.com/product-page...
9
How would you rate this album on a scale of 1 (unlistenable) to 10 (indispensable)? | Listen to the album + explore our tribute here: album.ink/RSaadiqIV
December 9, 2025 at 11:54 PM
9
Reposted by Steven Smith
When A Byrd Flew To North Carolina Central
University
Jazz trumpeter #DonaldByrd pioneered jazz education programs at Historically Black Colleges.
#SaggGenius
#BornOnThisDay
www.ncarts.org/blog/2019/04...
University
Jazz trumpeter #DonaldByrd pioneered jazz education programs at Historically Black Colleges.
#SaggGenius
#BornOnThisDay
www.ncarts.org/blog/2019/04...
When A Byrd Flew To North Carolina Central University
Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II aka Donald Byrd is probably most remembered as a Detroit City born Hard Bop maestro. In the mid-1970s Byrd began to collaborate with the Mizell Brothers -- Larr...
www.ncarts.org
December 9, 2025 at 10:53 PM
When A Byrd Flew To North Carolina Central
University
Jazz trumpeter #DonaldByrd pioneered jazz education programs at Historically Black Colleges.
#SaggGenius
#BornOnThisDay
www.ncarts.org/blog/2019/04...
University
Jazz trumpeter #DonaldByrd pioneered jazz education programs at Historically Black Colleges.
#SaggGenius
#BornOnThisDay
www.ncarts.org/blog/2019/04...
Reposted by Steven Smith
PRhyme (a.k.a. DJ Premier & Royce Da 5'9") released their eponymous debut album ‘PRhyme’ 11 years ago on December 9, 2014 | Listen to the album + revisit our tribute here: album.ink/PRhyme
December 9, 2025 at 3:01 PM
PRhyme (a.k.a. DJ Premier & Royce Da 5'9") released their eponymous debut album ‘PRhyme’ 11 years ago on December 9, 2014 | Listen to the album + revisit our tribute here: album.ink/PRhyme
Breaking: the new punipunidenki album is getting a vinyl release. Also breaking: my mind because I bought the CD and it was NOT CHEAP TO IMPORT
December 9, 2025 at 9:22 AM
Breaking: the new punipunidenki album is getting a vinyl release. Also breaking: my mind because I bought the CD and it was NOT CHEAP TO IMPORT
Also they just released a full live version of one of the new albums I wrote about. I don't expect anybody to watch the whole thing, but this ~5 minute sequence was pretty smooth
youtu.be/oaSyL9mk-nQ?...
youtu.be/oaSyL9mk-nQ?...
Skaai - Gnarly (full film)
YouTube video by Skaai
youtu.be
December 8, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Also they just released a full live version of one of the new albums I wrote about. I don't expect anybody to watch the whole thing, but this ~5 minute sequence was pretty smooth
youtu.be/oaSyL9mk-nQ?...
youtu.be/oaSyL9mk-nQ?...
As a complete aside, I'm annoyed that a pro GenAI bot is the only "person" to ever "like" my demonstrably anti-AI newsletter 😅 I'd rather "nobody" ever "like" it!!
December 8, 2025 at 3:45 PM
As a complete aside, I'm annoyed that a pro GenAI bot is the only "person" to ever "like" my demonstrably anti-AI newsletter 😅 I'd rather "nobody" ever "like" it!!
I forgot to post this yesterday because I was completely exhausted and clicking two buttons seemed like too much work:
open.substack.com/pub/neocityp...
open.substack.com/pub/neocityp...
NEO CITY POP CYCLE vol.3 iss.17
Da Di Du De Do Da Di!
open.substack.com
December 8, 2025 at 3:33 PM
I forgot to post this yesterday because I was completely exhausted and clicking two buttons seemed like too much work:
open.substack.com/pub/neocityp...
open.substack.com/pub/neocityp...
Reposted by Steven Smith
this may not surprise you but they still believe they can turn it into a griftcoin protocol, which is why they refuse to talk about why they're consolidating all the identity management stuff, which the protocol is designed not to let you opt out of, under a completely opaque Swiss association
December 8, 2025 at 12:13 PM
this may not surprise you but they still believe they can turn it into a griftcoin protocol, which is why they refuse to talk about why they're consolidating all the identity management stuff, which the protocol is designed not to let you opt out of, under a completely opaque Swiss association
Reposted by Steven Smith
they still can't get over everyone (and their dog) coming onto their test server & forcing it to become a website "we wanted to make and sell a griftcoin protocol, not this"
December 8, 2025 at 12:04 PM
they still can't get over everyone (and their dog) coming onto their test server & forcing it to become a website "we wanted to make and sell a griftcoin protocol, not this"
Reposted by Steven Smith
Marvin Gaye's 'Trouble Man' Soundtrack was originally released 53 years ago on December 8, 1972 | Listen to the album + discover why it's one of the 100 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time here: album.ink/TroubleMan
December 8, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Marvin Gaye's 'Trouble Man' Soundtrack was originally released 53 years ago on December 8, 1972 | Listen to the album + discover why it's one of the 100 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time here: album.ink/TroubleMan
Almost all of it, though I actually liked the original of love of my life more than the remix (even though my fave Bahamadia is on it…) I’ve got the brown sugar soundtrack for that 😌
What are your favorite songs from Erykah Badu's 'Worldwide Underground' (2003)? | Listen to the album + explore our tribute here: album.ink/EBaduWU
December 7, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Almost all of it, though I actually liked the original of love of my life more than the remix (even though my fave Bahamadia is on it…) I’ve got the brown sugar soundtrack for that 😌
Classy
What's the first word that comes to mind when you think of this album? | Listen to the album + explore our tribute here: album.ink/sadeSTP
December 7, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Classy
Reposted by Steven Smith
Did you or someone you know dance on Soul Train in the 1970s?
I’d like to talk with you or them about that experience for my research
Thanks!
I’d like to talk with you or them about that experience for my research
Thanks!
December 6, 2025 at 11:28 PM
Did you or someone you know dance on Soul Train in the 1970s?
I’d like to talk with you or them about that experience for my research
Thanks!
I’d like to talk with you or them about that experience for my research
Thanks!
The newsletter is done, except it's not done. It can't be done, because my new favorite artist is releasing their second official single at 9PM tonight and there's no way I'm going to miss out on featuring them again!!!
December 6, 2025 at 6:25 PM
The newsletter is done, except it's not done. It can't be done, because my new favorite artist is releasing their second official single at 9PM tonight and there's no way I'm going to miss out on featuring them again!!!
I read a piece on substack this morning that rubbed me the wrong way. It was about how we need to look out for artists rights in the wake of all this GenAI stuff (which I totally agree with!), but I felt the way he went about it was clumsy. Here's an excerpt from a rebuttal I probably won't publish:
December 6, 2025 at 7:33 AM
I read a piece on substack this morning that rubbed me the wrong way. It was about how we need to look out for artists rights in the wake of all this GenAI stuff (which I totally agree with!), but I felt the way he went about it was clumsy. Here's an excerpt from a rebuttal I probably won't publish:
This month's Bandcamp purchases. I've actually included two that I did not buy during Bandcamp Friday, but *you* should!
punipunidenki's Kabu is the only Japanese album you need this year. No offense to whatshername that got the big Pitchfork review (bleh), but Kabu is all heat.
punipunidenki's Kabu is the only Japanese album you need this year. No offense to whatshername that got the big Pitchfork review (bleh), but Kabu is all heat.
December 6, 2025 at 2:38 AM
This month's Bandcamp purchases. I've actually included two that I did not buy during Bandcamp Friday, but *you* should!
punipunidenki's Kabu is the only Japanese album you need this year. No offense to whatshername that got the big Pitchfork review (bleh), but Kabu is all heat.
punipunidenki's Kabu is the only Japanese album you need this year. No offense to whatshername that got the big Pitchfork review (bleh), but Kabu is all heat.