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.
Somewhat unexpected, one of my favorite singers from last year did a studio session EP with Jeff Parker…
open.spotify.com/album/7jqsZX...
open.spotify.com/album/7jqsZX...
All the words you said
open.spotify.com
December 12, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Somewhat unexpected, one of my favorite singers from last year did a studio session EP with Jeff Parker…
open.spotify.com/album/7jqsZX...
open.spotify.com/album/7jqsZX...
Apropos of all that, who is checking this this morning
open.spotify.com/album/3pteKa...
open.spotify.com/album/3pteKa...
separate from the noise
open.spotify.com
December 12, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Apropos of all that, who is checking this this morning
open.spotify.com/album/3pteKa...
open.spotify.com/album/3pteKa...
Nas new album has a song where he shouts out a ton of female emcees and toward the end he mentions Sonja Blade (who also did a song with primo way back when).
I am embarrassed to say I still quote her every time I’m baking something fattening: “Hoes, put on pounds, get your weight up”
I am embarrassed to say I still quote her every time I’m baking something fattening: “Hoes, put on pounds, get your weight up”
December 12, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Nas new album has a song where he shouts out a ton of female emcees and toward the end he mentions Sonja Blade (who also did a song with primo way back when).
I am embarrassed to say I still quote her every time I’m baking something fattening: “Hoes, put on pounds, get your weight up”
I am embarrassed to say I still quote her every time I’m baking something fattening: “Hoes, put on pounds, get your weight up”
The 'you made it' youtube starter kit:
-Guy in an Incubus hat makes a video of himself listening to your song
-bots posting inconsequential edits
-Guy in an Incubus hat makes a video of himself listening to your song
-bots posting inconsequential edits
December 12, 2025 at 4:44 PM
The 'you made it' youtube starter kit:
-Guy in an Incubus hat makes a video of himself listening to your song
-bots posting inconsequential edits
-Guy in an Incubus hat makes a video of himself listening to your song
-bots posting inconsequential edits
Jokes aside some of you might not need coffee if you woke up with yogi jogi playing in your head
December 12, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Jokes aside some of you might not need coffee if you woke up with yogi jogi playing in your head
Reposted by Steven Smith
December 12, 2025 at 4:30 AM
Reposted by Steven Smith
Rewind your mind back to the 1990s and rediscover this classic album | Explore our retrospective tribute here: album.ink/JamiroquaiTWM
December 11, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Rewind your mind back to the 1990s and rediscover this classic album | Explore our retrospective tribute here: album.ink/JamiroquaiTWM
I have had this stuck in my head for a week straight youtu.be/-2BsaNjJUXI
Bubble Ring
YouTube video by Sala - Topic
youtu.be
December 11, 2025 at 5:43 PM
I have had this stuck in my head for a week straight youtu.be/-2BsaNjJUXI
Reposted by Steven Smith
they are really passing around those same billions amongst each other to force adoption / normalization of this bullshit.
BREAKING: Disney is making a $1 billion investment in OpenAI, and will allow its iconic characters to be on the company's Sora AI video generator.
December 11, 2025 at 2:24 PM
they are really passing around those same billions amongst each other to force adoption / normalization of this bullshit.
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"