Felix’s English Composition Blog

     I've written about music for the past few weeks, so I thought I might switch the flavor for this week, since I'm feeling like it. And I think it is pretty obvious by now, the fact that I have two major hobbies: music and cars, but I also love anything that comes with them. Many people don't know that, but music and cars actually intertwine with each other throughout the history of them. The Pixar movie CARS is a really good example of this, especially the first episode. If you haven't watched it, please do, because it is bloody amazing, amazing shots, soundtrack, and culture. Anyway, back to the topic for this week, the Nürburgring. If you wonder why you couldn't pronounce the name really well or even don't know how to read it, don't worry, it's not English. It is actually German, and that is the place where this race track of all race tracks is located.     Just to give you an Idea, it normally takes one to 2 minutes for a common type of race car...

    Fusion Jazz, Jazz Fusion, whatever you call it, is a popular type of Jazz many people don't even know the name of. It also happens to be one of my favorite types of Jazz, so I decided to talk about it this week. I mentioned Fusion Jazz as one of the genre Miles Davis created in my blog post last week, what I didn't say is that it might be the most influential type of Jazz ever created. After the late 60s since its creation, many artists took on this fresh style of Jazz and played with it, one of them is the band I'm going to talk about this time: Casiopea. From the quirky English name you might have guessed, it's a Japanese band. And don't worry, their music isn't the serious type like Miles Davis, quite the opposite actually.     Founded in the late 70s, the band took on all the swagger and style Japan had at that time. The band was known for its highly technical, melodic, and intricate funky music, they became a hit in the Japanese music scene as soon as t...

      Last week I wrote about many Jazz artists, from the ones that are super popular till this day, to the classics of the Jazz community. But among the many great Jazz musicians in  music history, there is one that has been my favorite for a long time: Miles Davis, which was the one I mentioned last week as the example of "Hard to listen to". But you couldn't be more wrong to categorize him as that type of artist, no, Miles is one of the most diverse and innovative music genius ever existed.      My relationship with Miles Davis's music started out very early, but unfortunately, too early for my young mind to comprehend. I think I was around 5th grade, and my German teacher recommended me some pieces of music as we did every week after we had class at the time. And that was when he showed me a live performance of Miles's famous song " So What". ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqNTltOGh5c  this is the exact video he showed me back then, en...

    Before I start my rant about Jazz, I just want to give a quick  recommendation about Nujabes from last week. He had a special album recorded with Japanese American rapper Shing02 called "Love(sic) Hexalogy", and as the name suggests, the mini album contains six songs that are a set. Give a listen to them from start to finish if you have the chance, you won't regret it. The lyrics Shing02 used are very beautiful and complex, it is a little challenging  for me  even after learning English for so many years. Also, it sampled many great Jazz songs, so have fun finding them!     So, Jazz! It is cool, stylish, and has a very long history with a unique heritage. At the same time, it is one of the most complex and difficult genre of music to get into. Jazz is constantly evolving and that is true still to this day, because being rebellion and experimental is a big part of its origin, so we should have the correct mindset when we listen to it. What sounds "g...

     When we scroll short videos online, or enjoy our time in a beautiful café, we were often accompanied by a type of music that has a distinct "relaxing" vibe to it, with soothing beats and catchy melodies, they are called Lofi. What most of us don't know is that, this style was started by a record shop owner that liked music in Tokyo, and his name is Nujabes. Often hailed as the pioneer of Lofi HipHop and Lofi Jazz, Nujabes's unique fusion of melancholy melodies,  soft hiphop beats, and soulful samples from other pieces of music captivated listeners all over the world. Despite his early death, his influence in contemporary still remains significantly today.     Nujabes's passion for music began at an early age, but because of his family condition, he wasn't able to pursue his dream career of being a DJ producer right away. With out conventional training and music school education, Nujabes developed his musical skill through self-explore and experiments. ...

 JGTC:   Japan’s Golden Era of Motorsport       In the annals of motorsport, many racing series came and went over the years, but only once in a while will there be a gem that captures the raw spirit of competiton and national pride like the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship, or JGTC. Launched in 1993, the series launched when the Japanese automotive industry was at its all time high. Fueled by the economic boom of the late 80s and early 1990s, for nearly two decades until it was renamed as Super GT in 2005, the JGTC was the pinnacle of Japanese engineering and post war economy. For the viewers at the time, it was a high-octane showcase of sheer excitement and national pride. In that period, Japan had also gave the world some of the most skilled and talented drivers of all time. The fierce rivalry between Toyota, Nissan, and Honda is a legacy that is still celebrated by motorsport fans around the world.     The series wa...