Saturday 24 October 2009

Electro, House, And Big Bass Beats!




Right, So I'm a bit of a musical butterfly. By this I mean I'm really eclectically tasted, not that I'm some kinda freak playing musical chairs while flying or something, I just like a lot of music. I flutter between genres every now and then listening to different things as the mood takes me.

But a couple of genres have held my interest as of late. Electro, Dance, House and Techno. Even drum and bass to some extent, although I wouldn't consider myself a massive fan. If I get into a conversation with someone about D'n'B I have to talk about the Professionals, Skream, Rusko and Ram Records. Then slag off Pendulum a bit (even though I quite like them) and hope I pass off as someone who knows what I'm talking about. I fear I fail quite a bit though.

Together though, these 5 genres seem to be forming a cornerstone of modern music. Indeed, like Prodigy captured our hearts at the start of the underground rave scene, all those years ago, that baton seems to have been handed down to the bands, groups, and DJ's at the forefront of these musical styles.

The styles themselves seem to intermix and crossover quite happily. To the point where it's hard really to tell one from the other. Genre middlemen pop up all over the place, like Electro-house, Techno-House, House and Bass, Hard House and so forth. To the point where the old rave scene styles fade almost from existence, except in the record collections of anyone growing up in the 90's rave scene. The last time I heard anyone mention Garage and Jungle was on the "Ali G in Da House" soundtrack. But maybe I'm just milling around with the wrong people. Genre's never die off completely. But they do evolve. And I think this is what they've done.

I write this blog in a kind of half hearted fashion though. The Electric music genres are an acquired taste. If you're listening to oasis right now, chances are you wont like it. If you're listening to Green Day.... stop reading my blog and go buy a Dropkick Murphey's CD... Learn something. If you're listening to Mastadon... well you've made your choice, I salute you for it.

Most people who listen to these genres of music, know more than I could ever write down here. Probably more than I even know. Such is the intense fandom of the people who listen to this type of music. Especially with Drum and Bass, as I kinda already said. The Modern Electric genres don't really have part time listeners, although more and more people are being exposed to them through pop and Hip-Hop.

Take Dizzee Rascal for instance. His new album, and more over the single "Bonkers" has a lot of strong bassy and electro elements in it. Kid Kudi's single "Day and Night" was only made famous after it was remixed by one of the genres most prevalent DJ groups, Crookers. In the same way that no-one paid any attention to Craig David till Artful Dodger laid his touch to "Re-Rewind"

Other than it featuring in the charts more and more, the other reason this music is rising in popularity is because... well, It's simply getting better.

15-20 years ago electronic music was created and treated very differently than it is now. It was normally tinny, simple and minimalistic. Like Depeche Mode. Or Electric Light Orchestra. Or Mr. Oizo. And even then that music wasn't created JUST on computers, it was made by using analogue synthesisers, Turntables, circuit bending, and in the case of ELO, whole orchestras.

It had a very different, and very hands on technical feel to it. Even Garage, Jungle and House of yesteryear sounds very different to the stuff being pumped out in today's world.

Nowadays, a few samples and couple of illegally downloaded programmes (Cubase, Fruity-Loops, or even to some extent the latter versions of Ejay) will see someone creating music, on their computer, on their own. It may not be great, but it will be music. And that's just at your basement level. Anyone with talent and the time to spare can become good at it, and that's what's happened. It's blown the scene wide open for new artists in the same way that garage bands lead to a huge boom of rock, metal and punk in the 70's, 80's and even the 90's.

This is the year 2009 though damnit! We're surrounded my computers, televisions, mobile phones and CCTV. We're in a world where, like rats, you're never more than 10 meters away from a piece of technology. It surrounds us. Encapsulates us. We can't escape it.

We live in a world that would give Jules Verne a wet dream, H.G. Wells heart palpitations, and George Orwell big screaming nightmares.

So why should not this ease of life and technology infused state of being we reside to ebb into realm of music. It's natural evolution. It's doing wonders for the scene, and a whole cascade of new music is unfurling before us. Getter better, stronger and more popular day by day.

To some people, it'll be a bad thing. Like I said earlier, if you like Oasis, you wont have a clue what I'm on about. If you're into Enter Shikari, Fake Blood, Dan Le Sac, or anything in anyway even slight modern or synthesised however, watch this space. This scene will erupt. And I will be posting my ten favourite modern music greats in the near future. Probably even after dinner.

(Hey even in a digital world, a man's gotta eat!)

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