Summer Beats, Short Stories, And More! (ZAN! #3)
five cool things by creators from across the Asian diaspora
Summertime is both wonderful and brutal in New York City. On long, muggy days like these, all I want to do is lay around in an air-conditioned room like a deflated slug.
Whether you’re loving the warmth or are a fellow slug like me, this week’s recommendations are perfect companions for those lazy summer hours.
In this week’s newsletter: Groovy digital AND analog beats! A Pulitzer prize-winning collection of short stories! And more!
🌟 FIVE ZÀN THINGS
🎵 Raveena
You know what’s embarrassing? Stumbling across an artist’s Spotify page and finding out that tens of millions of people knew about them before you did. Well, that’s me and Raveena. I’m ashamed. I’m disturbed. I’m distraught.
Citing Sade, Corrine Bailey Ray, and 1970s Indian singer Asha Puthli as her musical inspirations, among others, NYC-based Raveena’s music truly evokes pure goddess energy.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what genre her music is — while predominantly neo-soul, you can hear influences from R&B, pop, hip hop, funk, jazz, and South Asian instruments and sounds. But her warm, dreamlike voice is the through line that connects it all effortlessly.
🎥 Jimmy O. Yang - Guess How Much?
I don’t know how this became a pattern in my life, but I almost always listen to comedy specials when I’m doing laundry. This was especially useful during my laundromat days (so much walking and waiting around). But even if you’re living that in-unit laundry life, folding and hanging clothes is much more palatable with intermittent giggling.
Jimmy O. Yang’s laundry companion comedy special is definitely one of my favorites from this year. “Guess How Much?” is a reference to that game all Asian moms like to play which involves bragging about how steep of a discount they bought something for. (I’ve learned, like Jimmy did, to always guess high — if you guess too low, they get sad.)
The special is exclusively on Amazon, and is free to stream if you have Amazon Prime. Go watch it now! (Here’s a short clip.)
📖 Jhumpa Lahiri - Interpreter of Maladies
If you, like me, have had this 1999 Pulitzer prize-winning collection of short stories on your “to-read” shelf for too long, 🚨 THIS IS YOUR SIGN 🚨 to get it onto your “currently reading” shelf now!
Interpreter of Maladies features nine short stories centered around the lives of Indians and Indian Americans. If you’re not much of a reader, a short story collection is a great alternative to a potentially intimidating novel.
I also have a confession. I’m not done with this collection yet BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO BE FINISHED. The stories are too good. Let’s finish reading it together!
If you’re not sold on reading the whole thing, here’s my proposition: Just read the first short story, called “A Temporary Measure.” It’s just perfect.
(One downside of short stories, though — and feel free to chime in if you have an opinion on this — is that a lot of them are kind of a BUMMER. This collection is definitely melancholy but not as much of a downer as other ones that I’ve read. So do what you will with that info.)
📺 WRIGHT ONA PLANE + RE: ANALOG (Two for One!)
I’m a little concerned that everyone knew that this was a thing, and I’ve (ONCE AGAIN) just been blissfully unaware. Did y’all know about this?
WRIGHT ONA PLANE and RE: ANALOG are two DJs/YouTubers who upload live mixes of the funkiest, vibiest music you’ve ever heard.
First up is a Melbourne-based musician and videographer named Chang Seon Young, also known as WRIGHT ONA PLANE.
Chang’s mixes are notable for their odd specificity. His K-hip hop workout playlist was filmed live from in front of a weight rack. You can listen to “Dish Wash Pop” while he grooves from his kitchen counter. He’s even mixed while crammed inside of a bathtub (“Bathtub City Pop”).
Next up, RE: ANALOG is run by a Beijing-based vinyl DJ who goes by the name mingSquall. He mainly DJs from his living room setup, but I’m particularly a fan of this video from a beach in Aranya (in Northern China).
A relative newcomer to the YouTube scene, mingSquall’s thoughtfully curated mixes and retro vibes will inspire anyone who has ever thought about getting into vinyl.
There’s something wonderful about entrusting a full hour or so to someone with incredible music taste. I can’t even tell you how much I love these videos. Move over, Spotify.
🎵 Kaz Moon
I saved NYC-based Kaz Moon (aka Cody Yao) for last because I struggle to characterize this man’s music, IN A GOOD WAY.
There is much that is clear. His music is a higher evolution of “bedroom pop” with a stripped-back, electric guitar-forward, indie pop-rock sound. His vocals and lyrics are “charmingly self-deprecating” (Rolling Stone). There is no doubt in my mind that he is a highly deserving, fast-rising talent in the Asian-American music scene.
But here’s the part that perplexes me a little more. How does Kaz Moon’s music make me FEEL? Is it happy, sad, groovy, mellow, moody? In the end, I think it’s a combination of all those things — and that’s what makes it special.
So just listen to Kaz Moon. It’s good music, I promise. I’ll get better at describing things later. My bad.
🕺🏻SUBSCRIBER UPDATES
After the first edition of ZAN!, I started wondering what people actually do with all these recommendations. Luckily, a few subscribers responded with their own updates!
John David decided to include Bullet Train in his travel book rotation (along with my guilty pleasure, Crazy Rich Asians, and Convenience Store Woman, which I have not yet read). He plans to read Bullet Train while riding the Bullet Train in Japan.
Ruth confesses that she fell asleep while watching Only Yesterday — but to be fair, it’s more of a shocker when she doesn’t fall asleep while watching a movie. (She also fell asleep during Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, La La Land, and the Indiana Jones movies. I know all this because Ruth is my cousin.)
🙇🏻♀️ Now, it’s your turn!
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Until next time,
Rebecca
Really cool newsletter... thanks Rebecca for highlighting talent within our community!
guess i'm adding another anthology to my collection! perfect pre-sleep amount of reading time