Live Music Review: Djai Skjellerup @ SL Globe Theatre

Second Life Live Music Review
Written by Enniv Zarf (RL: Paul Kwo)
Metaverse Music
Djai Skjellerup
SL Globe Theatre
4.5 stars out of 5 stars

I have been the voice director of the SL Shakespeare Company for this past year directing all the voice performances of all the Shakespeare productions. But right now the company is having a bit of financial trouble mainly because it's trying to sustain a four sim corners venue to provide for the maximum amount of people to attend the events. A some shows we had near 200 people at all the different sims.

So Music Not Politics decided to support SLSC by throwing a series of concert this weekend. I actually didn't even know what has been going on in terms of fundraising until I got the notice myself and decided I may as well write up reviews there.

A little about SLSC. SL Shakespeare Compnany is a theatre company that has been producing full productions with sets and costumes and everything else to go along with it. They have a four sims set-up so to relief the amount of lag from so many people and sets and costumes. It is a very expensive endeavor. It's also great to see the arts supporting each other here in Second Life. We've seen a lot of fundrasier marathons for real life charities and issues, but it's nice to support something that is totally exclusive to Second Life. So if you are interested, do stop by the Globe Theatre which is a great build, detailed in architecture, and donate some Lindens to support their cause.

It's also a wonderful pleasure jump in and find someone who performs all original music at his shows (well almost all, he did end up singing some covers later in the concert). Djai Skjellerup is a singer/songwriter/pianist based in the UK and his music does have a sort of Elton John feel to it, but it's not Elton John. He does write on his website that he likes to write music that's familiar and sounds like things that we heard and he does do that rather well.

I guess I get to actually seriously review original music this time...

...instead of talking about how good or bad someone sings. Well I have to talk at least a little about that, but I'll do that later. The emphasis on this one is definitely more on the originality of the performance.

It's tough for sure to sell yourself off as an original music performer and it's very hard to hold an entire concert of your own music. But it does help that Djai's music is very familiar. But it's because it's so familiar that I am not sure what we can really do with it. It really has too much of an Elton John feel all the way from top to bottom. His singing style also reminisce of Elton John along with the piano accompaniment. I just can't get the image of Elton John sitting at the piano singing Candle in the Wind when I hear Djai. The more I hear Djai, the more I think Elton John wannabe. But I do think it's because he likes that kind of music and so he writes in that style and feel. Which is fine, derivative art is still art. In the end we all tend to emulate those who we admire and love. [UPDATE: I wanted to clarify, this statement was meant as a statement of all of music and all of art that has ever been created. We are all deriving them from something else. All art by nature is derivative unless if you were among the first human beings to walk the planet. But even then art was derived from nature.]

His original songs are good to listen to but unfortunately it's a bit forgettable because I feel like I've heard them all already. But it's great to occasionally come back and listen to him sing them. It reminds me of the days that has gone by. It kind of reminds me of this pseudo Moulin Rouge kind of an image for some odd reason, with Ewan McGregor singing "Your Song." And his vocal technique is about on that level. It's not on the level of Elton John, but if it was an actor singing a part, it would be more then acceptable. Well I really liked Ewan McGregor in Moulin Rouge and how he sang it, so I have nothing against Djai at all. I like it. It's fun.

And Djai's talking over his playing in between him singing really totally gives me that again, Elton John feel. Let's hold hands and save the world together. It's fun though, I think it's perfect for this kind of campaign. It's very smoochy and all emo. I am totally about to pull out my lighter and start waving my arms around and cry, well maybe not cry. But still he does it absolutely well and it's perfect for this kind of campaign. And when he holds these really long notes in his rendition of "First Cut is the Deepest", really I am about to fall out of my chair thinking can it be any more "Heal the world?" He would then tell people to sing along, and yell out lines like "can you hear me?" It's so cheesy and corny that I am just having a ball! It works because he takes it so seriously that I can't help but to just go with it and enjoy the whole process.

He even started a collaborative project where he had 24 musicians record together this Christmas song he wrote. He even commented that he tried very hard to write a song that's not cheesy, if that was possible at all. I am glad he has a great sense of humor and it's this that I find him and his performance just fun and absolutely thoroughly enjoyable. He is going to give out that track free for anyone to download and enjoy and rest assure I will definitely get my hands on that and let you all know what I think about it. You can read about the project here.

Perhaps it's just a British thing, but then I am pretty sure it's a Djai thing. He may not be the best singer and pianist around but he is still very good and is fantastic and fun to listen to. I'm also glad that he does a lot of originals which is something I want to see more in Second Life. He is an act, a good one, that if you are into Elton John type originals, Djai would be the one to go to. If you want to just have a retro afternoon and be all cheesed out, and we all do soemtimes I mean isn't that's why we all go Karaoke or go to Vegas and watch these Liberace shows? Oh I guess I'm the only one. Well I actually don't go to Vegas often so I don't really watch shows there. Nevertheless Djai is an act and I think it's a pretty good one to have fun with especially if this is your type of music.