This article is a bit of a cop-out because I can’t, in good conscious, call “Majestic Casual” obscure. This YouTube channel has over two million subscribers, so it must be somewhat known if it garners so many followers. I’ll admit, I only recently stumbled across this channel, but call this an omnibus because “Majestic Causal” is nothing more than a middle-man to the obscure media of today’s topic: music and remixes. </p>
I love a good remix (shout out to “Pop Danthology 2014”), and I like discovering new music since listening to the same album can get old fast. Usually when I study I try to avoid music with lyrics because many psychological studies explain listening to lyrical music and studying isn’t good. Instead, I listen to a lot of classical or original soundtracks — music that is mostly orchestral. It’s not important how I got there, but this past fall exam period I came across “Majestic Casual.”
“Majestic Casual” is a YouTube channel that hosts tracks for small-time indie artists typically found on SoundCloud. The best way to listen is to choose a playlist and chill. Genres include indie, hip-hop, and house, though most songs are grouped together into (what I’ll assume to be) the “Casual” section. This is a catchall group of everything, but casual describes it well: subtle, medium to slow tracks with cool rhythms and lyrics, if there are lyrics.
There are a lot of channels similar to “Majestic Casual” (such as “Underground Charisma” or “Sound is Style”), but as far as I am aware it has the largest subscriber count. I can’t do justice to any of the songs in print, so I’ll just highlight a few of my favourites.
Saje performing “Who I Am (ft. Sabina)”
Saje is a French duo performing in English with six songs available on SoundCloud. “Who I Am,” is my favourite, though “Take Care of You” is also enjoyable. Their genre is French house, so a lot of phaser and filter elements are present (though what song doesn’t have that now amirite?). I believe “Who I Am” stands above the rest because of the feature artist Sabina. Listening to her other songs, the additional beats and occasionally drops by Saje creates a sum greater than its parts.
Jeremih performing “Planes (The Social Experiment & Lido Remix)”
This track is primarily R&B, but does have some rap-ish undertones. Despite being a remix, this version of the song came out before the official “Planes.” I came across the remix first, so I’m likely biased, but it is miles ahead of the original. What I really enjoy about the remix is the third verse featuring Chance The Rapper. It sort of samples the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory song “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket.” It gets stuck in my head, but in a good way. The opening sample of an airplane seatbelt light turning on also makes a strangely catchy beat.
Rascal performing “Elhae’s Joint”
“Elhae’s Joint” does not feature a vocalist, but is nonetheless catchy. The most prominent feature in the song is, what sounds to me like a trumpet or some horned instrument, but is likely synthesized. It could be called jazzy, but genres blur so heavily on “Majestic Casual” I find it difficult to categorize anything. The beat of the track is toe-tapping, so while I very much enjoy it, I wouldn’t recommend it for studying — it’s too easy to get lost in.
I can’t say that every song “Majestic Casual” features is good. Everyone has their preference in music, so some tracks speak to me and others do not. For anyone who is looking for something off the Billboard charts, but doesn’t know where to start, I would suggest browsing this channel.
Final recommendation: A must listen.
