Introducing...

ABELTESFAYTON

 

 

Capital City: Kiss Landia

 

Other Cities: Idolvania, Sidewalks, City Of Balloons, Dawndeen, Starburgh, Las Populas

 

Palace: The Hills

 

Supreme Leader: Abel Tesfaye

 

Queen: Simi Khadra

 

 

Friends of The Realm: Ariana Grande, Lana Del Rey, Metro Boomin, Mike Dean, Doja Cat, Future, Kendrick Lamar, KAYTRANADA & Daft Punk (RIP).

 

Sworn Enemies Of The Realm: Justin Bieber

 

 

BJSC Stats/Results

 

BJSC 152 | TCTS | Never Know | Semi Final (1) | 36/36 | 19 Points | Final | DNQ | N/A

BJSC 155 | KAYTRANADA (feat. Mach-Hommy) | $payforhaiti | Semi Final (2) | 24/30 | 38 Points | Final | DNQ | N/A

BJSC 156 | Kenny Mason | DRACULA | Semi Final (1) | 23/31 | 36 Points | Final | DNQ | N/A

BJSC 157 | McKinley Dixon | Run, Run, Run | Semi Final (1) | 13/30 | 69 Points | Final | 28th | 153 Points

BJSC 158 | Alan Palomo feat. Flore Benguigui | Meutrière | Semi Final (2) | 24/32 | 43 Points | Final | DNQ | N/A

BJSC 159 | Aaron Hibell | Destroyer Of Worlds | Semi Final (2) | 09/31 | 76 Points | Final | 16th | 187 Points

BJSC 160 | 1991 | Chant | Semi Final (1) | 08/29 | 79 Points | Final | 10th | 185 Points

BJSC 161 | Neon Indian | Slumlord/Slumlord's Re-Lease | Semi Final (2) | 02/29 | 113 Points | Final | 6th | 237 Points

BJSC 162 | Hunnygloss | Crimson | Semi Final (2) | 08/29 | 79 Points | Final | 26th | 160 Points

BJSC 163 | Dog Race | It's The Squeeze | Semi Final (1) | 20/32 | 50 Points | Final | 12th | 214 Points

BJSC 164 | Justice | Incognito | Semi Final (2) | 10/31 | 80 Points | Final | 5th | 229 Points

BJSC 165 | life | september | Semi Final (2) | 14/30 | 68 Points | Final | 25th | 148 Points

BJSC 166 | Joey Valence & Brae | WHAT U NEED | Semi Final (1) | 15/28 | 57 Points | Final | 32nd | 122 Points

 

Other Stats/Results

 

BJSC Spin-Offs

 

Foreign Language III: English Be Gone | Altin Gün | Doktor Civanım | 5th | 81 Points

Instrumentals II | Nicholas Britell | Succession (Main Title Theme) | 25th | 18 Points

Xmas V | The Killers, Elton John & Neil Tennant | Joseph, Better You Than Me | 23rd | 42 Points

Collaboration | Molchat Doma | Ty Zhe Ne Znaesh Kto Ya | 8th | 64 Points

 

PFSC

 

PFSC XII: Latin Bops | Danny Ocean & TINI | Tu No Me Conoces | 15th | 30 Points

PFSC XIII: Remixed | Miguel | Waves (Tame Impala Remix) | 12th | 70 Points

PFSC XIV: PFSC Goes Dark | Mareux | Little Lies | 5th | 85 Points

PFSC Special II: Best Pop Of 2023 | Nothing But Thieves | Welcome To The DCC | 1st | 128 Points

PFSC XV: It's Crazy, It's Party | AUGUST 08 | Bruises | 18th | 32 Points

 

Nuggets

 

Nuggets XV | Ekkstacy | I Just Want To Hide My Face | 11th | 71 Points

Nuggets XVI | MAY-A | Something Familiar | 11th | 66 Points

 

Unknown Pleasures

 

Unknown Pleasures XXXII | Goth Babe | Alone In The Mountains | 26th | 40 Points

Unknown Pleasures XXXIII | Surfing | Lifetime | 32nd | 35 Points

 

Club Bizarre

 

Club Bizarre XXIII: Big Energy | Subsonic & Aleya Mae | Launchpad | 20th | 25 Points

Club Bizarre XXIV: Eurodance & Trance II | T.H.K. | France (Mars Mix) | 20th | 34 Points

Club Bizarre XXV: Techno & Artistic/Experimental Electronica | Geo22 | Alchemy | 18th | 41 Points

Club Bizarre XXVI: Piano | Etienne Nogues | Piano In Trance | 19th | 39 Points

Club Bizarre XXVII: Transformations | Fontaines D.C. & Orbital | In ár gCroíthe go deo (Orbital Remix) | 1st | 148 Points

Club Bizarre XXVIII: Rap meets Dance | Interplanetary Criminal & SadBoi | No Time | 1st | 110 Points

 

__________________________________________________________________________________

 

2024 BJSC Entries

 

BJSC 161:

 

 

Neon Indian - Slumlord/Slumlord's Re-Lease

 

 

Average Semi-Final Prediction: Q

 

Semi-Final (2) Position - 02/29 (Q) | 113 Points

 

Final Position: 6th | 237 Points

 

 

________________________________________________________

 

BJSC 162:

 

 

Hunnygloss - Crimson

 

 

Average Semi-Final Prediction: Q

 

Semi-Final (2) 08/29 (Q) | 79 Points

 

Final Position: 26th | 160 Points

 

 

________________________________________________________

 

BJSC 163:

 

 

Dog Race - It's The Squeeze

 

 

Average Semi-Final Prediction: Q

 

Semi-Final (1) 20/32 (Q) | 50 Points

 

Final Position: 12th | 214 Points

 

 

________________________________________________________

 

BJSC 164:

 

 

Justice - Incognito

 

 

Average Semi-Final Prediction: Q

 

Semi-Final (2) 10/31 (Q) | 80 Points

 

Final Position: 5th | 229 Points

 

 

________________________________________________________

 

BJSC 165:

 

 

life - september

 

 

Average Semi-Final Prediction: Q

 

Semi-Final (2) 14/30 (Q) | 68 Points

 

Final Position: 25th | 148 Points

 

 

________________________________________________________

 

BJSC 166:

 

 

Joey Valence & Brae - WHAT U NEED

 

 

Average Semi-Final Prediction: Q

 

Semi-Final (1) TBA/28 (TBA) | TBA Points

 

Final Position: TBA | TBA Points

 

 

The 2023 Megamix: https://rave.dj/Gw3ADlN-TuWLWg

and that's on what? PERIOD

 

BJSC 155

 

KAYTRANADA - $prayforhaiti (feat. Mach-Hommy)

 

Album Track from Intimidated

 

Thoughts: So, my entry for BJSC 155 is '$prayforhaiti' by KAYTRANADA & Mach-Hommy. KAYTRANADA is one of my favourite artists of all time so i've enjoyed the fact that i have been able to enter his music. He's supporting The Weeknd this summer so it will be great to see him live.

 

 

Background Info

 

 

 

 

KAYTRANADA:

 

Louis Kevin Celestin, more commonly known as KAYTRANADA is a highly-esteemed Haitian-Canadian electronic, hip-hop, funk and house producer. He began to make his name in 2010 releasing a series of mixtapes under the pseudonym Kaytradamus. In total during 2010-2012 he released 7 mixtapes, a collaborative studio album with his brother (Under the group name 'The Celestics' and 4 EPs under that pseudonym.

 

At the end of 2012 he officially became KAYTRANADA, despite this name change he still continued to release mixtapes and singles frequently including producing for Juno-award nominated rapper Koriass. 2014 was his breakout, he started to become properly known. It started with production for some huge names including GoldLink, Vic Mensa and legendary hip-hop duo Mobb Depp. He topped off the year featuring in MixMag magazine and scoring a record deal with XL Recordings. 2015 was another big year, producing for the likes of Amine (A collaborator who would be vital in the rest of his career), Freddie Gibbs and Kali Uchis. He also featured on The Internet's song 'Girl', a song which has over 128 million streams on Spotify. He finished the year winning a SOCAN award and playing to over 12,000 people twice after he got a prestigious slot for supporting Madonna on tour.

 

2016 was the time for him to put a spotlight on his own music. That May he released his debut album '99.9%'. The record featured a broad array of talent from across the globe, including Craig David, AlunaGeorge & Anderson .Paak. The album was a critical success appearing on Pitchfork's, The Guardian's and The Independent's year-end album lists. The album managed him to attain the Polaris Music Prize, an Abilu Music Award and a Juno Award. For the rest of the year he continued to increase his list of collaborators through his production, adding the likes of Chance The Rapper and Katy B to it.

 

Between 2017 and 2019 KAYTRADADA was silent on the solo music front, he also started produce a bit less for well-known artists. However this was all worth it when he dropped his sophomore record 'Bubba' in December 2019. The record expanded on the House and Techno elements of '99.9%'. The record was once more a critical success winning him his first two Grammy Awards. He returned in 2021 with his 'Intimidated' EP. The title track which features H.E.R. became his biggest hit of his career so far (and scored him another Grammy Nomination).

 

This year he released a collaborative LP with Amine, showing how he has stayed loyal to his collaborators.

 

 

Mach-Hommy:

 

Mach-Hommy is a Haitian-American rapper from New Jersey, he is influenced by the likes of William Shakespeare. He came onto the scene in 2004 and has released 26 studio albums (Including a collaborative project with Earl Sweatshirt) and 18 EPs. Over his time he has collaborated with the likes of Conway The Machine, Westside Gunn & Knxwledge. As a result of his work ethic and elusiveness Mach-Hommy has garnered a cult following, this was boosted by his critically acclaimed 2021 album 'Pray For Haiti'.

Edited June 18, 20232 yr by Y'all Starlight

The first predictions are in where i'm classed as "Borderline Out" :(

Edited May 28, 20232 yr by Y'all Starlight

My position is in, Abeltesfayeton came 24th in the semis!!!!! A DNQ but still double the points of what i received in BJSC 152.

 

 

Edited July 14, 20231 yr by Y'all Starlight

Really enjoyed this entry, KAYTRANADA is reliably fab as a producer but this was my first time hearing Mach-Hommy, have seen the name a lot but never checked out any of his music, he reminds me a lot of GoldLink!

 

Hope you can get a qualifier soon x

BJSC 156

 

Kenny Mason - DRACULA

 

1st Single from 6

 

Thoughts: So, my entry for BJSC 156 is 'DRACULA' by Kenny Mason, Halloween has indeed come early! I first discovered Kenny Mason in 2021 after he featured on British-American rapper IDK's album 'USee4Yourself'. Since then I have come to very much enjoy his music, especially his feature on JID's 'Dance Now' (Arguably SOTY for 2022).

 

 

Background Info

 

 

 

 

Kenny Mason:

 

Edwin Kenneth Green Jr., more commonly known as Kenny Mason is a acclaimed American rapper, singer & songwriter hailing from West Atlanta, Georgia. Green is known for his unique blend of Grunge, Hip-hop and even Shoegaze within his music, he has been releasing music since 2014. Green has citied the likes of Kendrick Lamar, My Chemical Romance, Lil Wayne, The Smashing Pumpkins and most importantly, Coldplay as his main influences.

 

He began his music career by forming a group with his friends called House 9. Between 2014 and 2016 House 9 released three mixtapes, during this period of time Green also started to launch his solo career. He released six mixtapes in the same time-frame which laid the foundations for the type of music Green makes to this date. Green released a few singles between 2016 and 2018 but 2019 would be his breakout year. In the October of that year he released 'Hit', the song was a breakthrough for him. It currently has over 14 million streams on Spotify and its music video has gained over 5.5 million views as of July 2023.

 

Green went from power to power in 2020, releasing his debut album 'Angelic Hoodrat' to critical acclaim. He also used his success to collaborate with the likes of Denzel Curry, IDK and fellow Grammy-nominated rhymer JID. In 2021 he continued to release new music, most notably a deluxe edition of 'Angelic Hoodrat' was released. He also collaborated once again with Denzel Curry (alongside Kenny Beats) on his 'Unlocked 1.5' remix album. He also featured on a song for the video game franchise League Of Legends. 2022 has provided Kenny with his biggest hits to date. Firstly he featured on Dreamvile's 'Stick' which also featured J. Cole, JID & Sheck Wes, secondly he provided two features to JID's album 'The Forever Story' including 'Dance Now' which has nearly garnered 65 million streams on Spotify since its release in August 2022.

 

This year he is preparing to release his sophomore record '9', in anticipation for the record he has released projects 'pr3', '3' and '6'.

I sent 'Rih' by Kenny Mason to a contest on here a couple of years ago (not one of the main contests, it was a spinoff we do occasionally called BJFestivalen which has a different format), surprised but pleased to see him making another appearance! I've not listened to this song from him yet but he has plenty of bangers (also originally discovered him via the IDK/J.I.D feature).

I really hope you catch a break soon, I need to see Abeltesfayeton in a BJSC final where they belong!

BJSC 156 Results

 

So once again the end of the road for Abeltesfayeton is at the sem-finals, and I still maintain my perfect 100% DNQ record lol. We came 23rd out of 31 Participants in SF1 which is an all-time high for the nation :cheer: !

 

Pestolia, Harmonica, Danaevila, Persephonia, Kluminican Republic, Kathaldazia, Jupiterdonia & Trifoski. Thank You for voting for us

Edited July 25, 20231 yr by Y'all Starlight

BJSC 157

 

McKinley Dixon - Run, Run, Run

 

3rd Single from Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?

 

Thoughts: So, my entry for BJSC 157 is 'Run, Run, Run' by McKinley Dixon. I first came across McKinley Dixon after discovering that his album 'For My Mama and Anyone Who Look Like Her' received an A rating from Consequence. Since then I have fallen in love with his music, especially his latest album 'Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?'. It is a must listen!

 

 

Background Info

 

 

 

 

McKinley Dixon:

 

McKinley Dixon is an American rapper, singer, songwriter & producer hailing from Richmond, Virginia. He is best known for his critically acclaimed blend of conscious hip-hop and jazz. While he was at university Dixon began to make music, releasing his first two studio albums in 2016 and 2018. His talents began to be picked up by publications in 2021 following the release of his 3rd studio album which received critical acclaim from the likes of Consequence, Exclaim! and Beats Per Minute. In 2023 he returned with his 4th studio album which immediately received universal acclaim, including a 9/10 score from 'the internet's busiest music nerd' Anthony Fantano. The record also proved to be a minor commercial success, the album in full has accumulated over 1.5 million Spotify streams since its release in early June. In the future Dixon will only grow off on these successes, he is certainly one to watch in the broad world of hip-hop.

Edited August 19, 20231 yr by Y'all Starlight

We qualified.........

 

I'm in total shock right now

 

Thanks so much to the voters

Congratz on your first Q! Looking forward to hearing it in the finale :cheer:

Well done - always good to see someone Q for the first time ^_^

Happy for you and that I could help you in a small way get to the final! :)

BJSC Foreign Language III Spin-Off Results:

 

Abeltesfayeton recently competed in their first ever BJSC Spin-Off and we have received a incredible result! I decided to send Turkish rock band Altin Gün's 'Doktor Civanım' from their latest album.

 

 

I actually can't believe came 5th with this (Joint 4th on points but more nations voted for Sovarasma).

 

Many thanks to: The Spodic Empire, Eastovka, Scotland 2, Pestolia, Jadakissnia, Terra Avium & Aesthetica for the votes!

 

Lots of thanks to Bronzil, Danævila, Persephonia, Séyetana & Skall for the Bronzes

 

And thank you so much Bøtanikkä for the gold!

 

Final Result: 5th

Total Points: 81 Points

Edited September 2, 20231 yr by Y'all Starlight

BJSC 157 Results

 

In our first ever final we came 28th :cheer:. A really solid result for a rap(ish) entry imo! We also scored a whopping 153 points and we were only 16 points from the top 20.

 

Thank you for voting for us Aesthetica, Danævila, Fljótavík, Ingermanlandia, Jadakissnia, Lotunia, Nelionoir, Pagasa, Persephonia, Pestolia, Quintessa, Republic Of Adonia, Scotland 2, Singerpurear, Sovarasma, Terra Avium, Wholune, Yobnedorica & Zanmatony!

 

A huge thank you to Cumulonimbia & Séyetana for the silvers!

 

And big up Trifoski for the gold!!!!!!!!

BJSC 158

 

Alan Palomo feat. Flore Benguigui - Meutrière

 

3rd Single from World Of Hassle

 

Thoughts: So, my entry for BJSC 158 is 'Meutrière' by Alan Palomo & Flore Benguigui. I'm sure some people here have heard of Neon Indian, Alan Palomo is/was the frontman of the band up until now. I've known and loved their music for many years so I was very excited to discover that Palomo was embarking on his solo career, and I was not disappointed...

 

He also did an excellent TED talk on auteurs which i'll link below.

 

 

 

Background Info

 

 

 

 

Alan Palomo:

 

Alan Palomo is a Mexican-American singer, producer, songwriter, director and synth god hailing from Monterrey. Palomo is best known for his many works as the frontman and lead vocalist of influential 2010's texan electronic band Neon Indian. Neon Indian was formed in 2008 and they received critical acclaim right from the get-go. Their first album was released in 2009, It was quickly picked up on by Pitchfork who awarded it the 'best new music' title and a generous 8.6 out of 10. Their sophomore record was the one that shot them to success though. It arrived two years later. It would once again receive critical acclaim (inc. two 8/10 ratings by both NME & Clash), but this time it also earned them commercial success. The album charted at #74 on the Billboard 200 marking a turning point for the band. The record also features 'Polish Girl' which recently surpassed 70 million streams on Spotify. They left the gap a big longer with their third (and last as of 2023) offering which once more achieved all-round acclaim for the band.

 

Since then Palomo has began to embark on his solo career. He released his debut single 'Nudista Mundial 89' in May this year, the song featured Mac DeMarco. He released several more single in the lead up to his debut album which was released on Friday.

 

 

Flore Benguigui:

 

Flore Benguigui is a French singer who represents one sixth of pop and nu-disco band L'Impératrice. L'Impératrice have scored huge successes in the past and have hundreds of millions of plays on Spotify to their name.

Edited September 18, 20231 yr by Y'all Starlight

BJSC 158 Results

 

Once again we DNQed..... We came 24th on 43 points.

 

I'm actually quite saddened by this one, I have come to LOVE this song so much but i'm not surprised we didn't qualify. The competition was so, so high in my semi.

 

Thank you so much to: Pestolia, Greenfroze, Terra Avium, Singerpurear, Eastovka, Trifoski (extra thanks for the Bronze), Aesthetica, Quintessa, Neliönoir, Rolloland & Lotunia for the votes.

 

I promise we'll come back stronger next time :)

BJSC 159

 

Aaron Hibell - Destroyer Of Worlds

 

1st Single from Twilight Zone

 

Thoughts: So, my entry for BJSC 159 is Aaron Hibell's Robert Oppenheimer sampling trance banger 'Destroyer Of Worlds'. I really admire how this song perfectly balances being eerie and being a banger

 

 

Background Info

 

 

 

 

Aaron Hibell:

 

Aaron Hibell is a highly talented and accomplished music producer known for his exceptional skills in the industry. With a keen ear for sound and a deep understanding of music production techniques, Hibell has consistently delivered top-notch productions that captivate listeners. His ability to blend various genres and styles seamlessly has earned him recognition and respect within the music community.