Friday, October 1, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
The first dance songs I fell in love with. What about you?
Do you remember the first dance songs you fell in love with?
I guess I would say I had a few experiences of electronic music bliss over the course of a few years starting in the late 1990’s and ending in the early 2000’s. The first and most influential song which started “it all” for me would have to be “Around the World” by French electronic duo, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, also known as Daft Punk,
If you can believe it, I remember the first time I took a listen, without even realizing I was doing so. It was while scrolling the channels in my teenage years, when I inevitably came to MTV, much like most teenagers did in those days. (I think I left if parked on that channel for the duration of high school.) And of course an episode of Daria was on, In this episode the main character, Daria, herself, a teenager with a cynical yet shockingly observant view on the realities of life, was perusing her closet for whatever reason, and guess what was playing in the background, but none other than Daft Punk’s “Around the World” off their 1997 album, “Homework” off of Virgin Records for Daft Trax.
The subtle groove of a vocoder-processed chant gently nudged my ear and I knew I had experienced something new and exciting. A sound that would be carried within me for all time.
Check out the video for the song. It's very French! Hopefully you'll take note of where some of American artist's music videos and TV shows derived inspiration from. Daft Punk's "Around the World" music video on youtube.
We move; we change. However we don’t forget our past and this was a moment in time that I will never forget. This song was my first, and like our first love’s in any genre (hint hint) it will always remain in my heart.
Trying to get my hands that new sound has seemed to be a treasure hunt I’ve been trying to keep up with most of my adult life. Trying to catch up to that beat, or get my hands on that DJ’s latest album. Take for instance Fat Boy Slim. And who didn’t rock out to “Rockefeller Skank,”
when it seemed to be in every teen movie of 1998, in a perfectly choreographed dance sequence during that obligatory prom scene? The song, off his 1998 album, "You've Come Alone Way Baby,"
peaked at #72 on the Billboard Top 100. A feet for a dance song at the time.
It took me a while before I was able to track down the originator of this song. The song itself contains samples from a myriad of artists, including, “Vinyl Dogs Vibe" by Vinyl Dogs featuring Lord Fitness, "Peter Gunn" by Art of Noise featuring Duane Eddy, "Beat Girl - Main Title" by John Barry, and "Sliced Tomatoes" by Just Brothers. This wasn’t a house song in it’s typical form, but a new genre pioneered by Fat Boy Slim (Norman Cook), himself, called big beat. His song, Rockefeller Skank, was released on Skint Records under exclusive license to Astralwerks in the United States, in 1998.
Check out the video for Rockefeller Skank. It's utterly American, or as perceived from one who might not live in America necessarily and has an unusual eye as to whom American's are and what they do, for fun. Maybe not. Take a look and draw your own conclusions and tell me you don't positively love the cheeky take on America and it's subcultures.
It was a time when house music was seemingly upbeat, no pun intended, a happy sound, where twisted disco vibes were purveying.
Emotions seem to be cyclical in dance music. It occurs in all genres. Basically, the cycle goes from underground to radio-friendly and back to underground with the corresponding emotions leading the way. And let’s not forget what’s happening in the world at the time the song is written, IE: a recession, or the rest of the world, IE: a war. I know this is a very basic generalization, but I promise you, the listener, that I will try my best to explain this cycle in my future blogs. Most of you are probably aware of this already. Now, with that said, I can only tell you what I know from what I see and hear in my primitive experience of immersing myself into the culture of dance music…listening to everything I can get my hands on and purchasing, when I can, the grooviest of the bunch.
However, I digress.
A few years later, I was in college and ready to change the world when out of the blue, I heard something new over the radio, It was unlike anything I had ever heard before, completely filtered and the beat that was just pop enough for radio airplay, but was able to mesmerize dance music enthusiasts such as myself. After a few phone calls to radio stations, I found out it was Basement Jaxx’ “Rendez-vu,”
off of their 1999 XL album “Remedy.
Of course, it was unlike anything I had heard at the time. A bit of synths, a strumming guitar, a chunky base line and a filtered hook of which the song is centered around letting us, the listeners, know that one is ready for a rendezvous. Note rendezvous with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe whom make up Basement Jaxx come from Brixton, just south of London, England and their radio-friendly song was new and completely shocking to my rock sensibilities, something different than my favorite bands at the time.
It was late at night, as most radio stations use the cover of darkness to test new songs they don’t know exactly how to classify. Was it a dance song? Could it make it into the top 40? Would normal day listeners enjoy it? After all, it did reach #1 on the U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. Needless to say, I bought the album the next day.
And lastly, I give you the video for Basement Jaxx' "Rendez-vu"
So my question for you, the listener, so little time. “What dance songs first turned you on?” Which of these dance songs had a groove that you just couldn’t get out of your head and sticks with you to this day? I gave you my first three, thus I would love to know your first three. After all, good things come in threes.
Now with those questions posed, were you able to see the similarities in all the videos? Well, I'll give you the answer to that one. They remind us we all wear masks, either to hide who we are or what we're doing, whether it be good or bad. Eyes Wide Shut anyone? Maybe Stanley Kubrick was on to something just before he passed away. The rational for hiding a person's true character, be it through the wearing of a mask, hiding it in the chorus of a song, or adapting it to film (or music video,) is one that will take us on a journey that we may not be ready for. Hopefully, you, the listener, will keep reading my blogs and together we'll explore these underlining rationals, however we must leave that for later consumption and continue to explore what originally turned us on?
So I leave you with a few websites where you can purchase these albums in their entirety:
Daft Punk: Homework
Fat Boy Slim: You've Come Along Way Baby
Basement Jaxx: Remedy
I guess I would say I had a few experiences of electronic music bliss over the course of a few years starting in the late 1990’s and ending in the early 2000’s. The first and most influential song which started “it all” for me would have to be “Around the World” by French electronic duo, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, also known as Daft Punk,
If you can believe it, I remember the first time I took a listen, without even realizing I was doing so. It was while scrolling the channels in my teenage years, when I inevitably came to MTV, much like most teenagers did in those days. (I think I left if parked on that channel for the duration of high school.) And of course an episode of Daria was on, In this episode the main character, Daria, herself, a teenager with a cynical yet shockingly observant view on the realities of life, was perusing her closet for whatever reason, and guess what was playing in the background, but none other than Daft Punk’s “Around the World” off their 1997 album, “Homework” off of Virgin Records for Daft Trax.
The subtle groove of a vocoder-processed chant gently nudged my ear and I knew I had experienced something new and exciting. A sound that would be carried within me for all time.
Check out the video for the song. It's very French! Hopefully you'll take note of where some of American artist's music videos and TV shows derived inspiration from. Daft Punk's "Around the World" music video on youtube.
We move; we change. However we don’t forget our past and this was a moment in time that I will never forget. This song was my first, and like our first love’s in any genre (hint hint) it will always remain in my heart.
Trying to get my hands that new sound has seemed to be a treasure hunt I’ve been trying to keep up with most of my adult life. Trying to catch up to that beat, or get my hands on that DJ’s latest album. Take for instance Fat Boy Slim. And who didn’t rock out to “Rockefeller Skank,”
when it seemed to be in every teen movie of 1998, in a perfectly choreographed dance sequence during that obligatory prom scene? The song, off his 1998 album, "You've Come Alone Way Baby,"
peaked at #72 on the Billboard Top 100. A feet for a dance song at the time.
It took me a while before I was able to track down the originator of this song. The song itself contains samples from a myriad of artists, including, “Vinyl Dogs Vibe" by Vinyl Dogs featuring Lord Fitness, "Peter Gunn" by Art of Noise featuring Duane Eddy, "Beat Girl - Main Title" by John Barry, and "Sliced Tomatoes" by Just Brothers. This wasn’t a house song in it’s typical form, but a new genre pioneered by Fat Boy Slim (Norman Cook), himself, called big beat. His song, Rockefeller Skank, was released on Skint Records under exclusive license to Astralwerks in the United States, in 1998.
Check out the video for Rockefeller Skank. It's utterly American, or as perceived from one who might not live in America necessarily and has an unusual eye as to whom American's are and what they do, for fun. Maybe not. Take a look and draw your own conclusions and tell me you don't positively love the cheeky take on America and it's subcultures.
It was a time when house music was seemingly upbeat, no pun intended, a happy sound, where twisted disco vibes were purveying.
Emotions seem to be cyclical in dance music. It occurs in all genres. Basically, the cycle goes from underground to radio-friendly and back to underground with the corresponding emotions leading the way. And let’s not forget what’s happening in the world at the time the song is written, IE: a recession, or the rest of the world, IE: a war. I know this is a very basic generalization, but I promise you, the listener, that I will try my best to explain this cycle in my future blogs. Most of you are probably aware of this already. Now, with that said, I can only tell you what I know from what I see and hear in my primitive experience of immersing myself into the culture of dance music…listening to everything I can get my hands on and purchasing, when I can, the grooviest of the bunch.
However, I digress.
A few years later, I was in college and ready to change the world when out of the blue, I heard something new over the radio, It was unlike anything I had ever heard before, completely filtered and the beat that was just pop enough for radio airplay, but was able to mesmerize dance music enthusiasts such as myself. After a few phone calls to radio stations, I found out it was Basement Jaxx’ “Rendez-vu,”
off of their 1999 XL album “Remedy.
Of course, it was unlike anything I had heard at the time. A bit of synths, a strumming guitar, a chunky base line and a filtered hook of which the song is centered around letting us, the listeners, know that one is ready for a rendezvous. Note rendezvous with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe whom make up Basement Jaxx come from Brixton, just south of London, England and their radio-friendly song was new and completely shocking to my rock sensibilities, something different than my favorite bands at the time.
It was late at night, as most radio stations use the cover of darkness to test new songs they don’t know exactly how to classify. Was it a dance song? Could it make it into the top 40? Would normal day listeners enjoy it? After all, it did reach #1 on the U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. Needless to say, I bought the album the next day.
And lastly, I give you the video for Basement Jaxx' "Rendez-vu"
So my question for you, the listener, so little time. “What dance songs first turned you on?” Which of these dance songs had a groove that you just couldn’t get out of your head and sticks with you to this day? I gave you my first three, thus I would love to know your first three. After all, good things come in threes.
Now with those questions posed, were you able to see the similarities in all the videos? Well, I'll give you the answer to that one. They remind us we all wear masks, either to hide who we are or what we're doing, whether it be good or bad. Eyes Wide Shut anyone? Maybe Stanley Kubrick was on to something just before he passed away. The rational for hiding a person's true character, be it through the wearing of a mask, hiding it in the chorus of a song, or adapting it to film (or music video,) is one that will take us on a journey that we may not be ready for. Hopefully, you, the listener, will keep reading my blogs and together we'll explore these underlining rationals, however we must leave that for later consumption and continue to explore what originally turned us on?
So I leave you with a few websites where you can purchase these albums in their entirety:
Daft Punk: Homework
Fat Boy Slim: You've Come Along Way Baby
Basement Jaxx: Remedy
Monday, August 9, 2010
I grabbed an article for you think over in LA Weekly, check it out::
So is the idea of the DJ leaving us, being replaced by these hybrid bands such as the Love Grenades here to stay? Have you listened to the radio lately? Have you noticed that every other song seems to be a dance song, purely produced for the sake of being a dance song and not a remix? My only hope is that dance music doesn't go the same way disco did and there be a huge backlash, causing it to be a joke in later years.
But is the idea of the DJ leaving us? After all, the best "dance music" events have been hybrid bands like Underworld, then you have Groove Armada and Goldfrapp. And lets not forget the orginals: Kernkraft and Afrika Bambaataa.
Just some thoughts for you to ponder.
-Jason
The Last Dance: Is the Superstar-DJ Era Over?
By Dennis Romero Thursday, Apr 2 2009Avalon co-owner Steve Adelman: “I don’t think it’s over, I think it’s evolving”
At the indie-meets-dance club Echoplex in
The quartet’s three frontwomen dressed up like pinup girls, opera-length gloves and all, and cooed and sang in a correspondingly sultry haze, complemented by ’80s-inflected musicians on bass, guitar, drums and sequencer. The Grenades’ dance-punk sound has been remixed by friend-of-the-band Sam Sparro, another local artist who has skipped deejaying on the way to dance-floor stardom. Love Grenades don’t deejay, but their recent single, “Tigers in the Fire,” is being peddled on DJ culture’s No. 1 online retailer, Beatport. Clubland is being invaded by artists like these, dance-friendly acts that don’t need turntables to get their point across.
The dance world has been rocked in recent years by laptop-, sequencer- and band-based acts ranging from Justice and the Black Ghosts to Booka Shade. Daft Punk’s Kanye West–led resurrection last year highlighted the duo’s own immersive, turntable-free live act. And the local nu-electro festival HARD
One of the hottest acts to emerge from the electronic–dance music arena in the past few years is Toronto-based producer Deadmau5, who got his start as a computer programmer before graduating to successful bedroom production. Because he came to deejaying from the tech-geek world, he faced culture shock on the club circuit. We can imagine him meeting all those douche jockeys caught up in drug-filled hazes of their own perceived stardom, egos stroked by groupies, guest lists and MySpace comments — all this stoke for, as Deadmau5 wrote on his own MySpace page, “some dude” who presses “the ‘play/stop’ button and occasionally move[s] a pitch slider.” Late last year, Deadmau5 was interviewed by Irish Daily Star and gave a money quote heard around the DJ world: “I don’t really see the technical merit in playing two songs at the same speed together, and it bores me to fucking tears. I’d like [DJs to] dis-a-fucking-pear. It’s so middleman. They’re like fucking lawyers. You need them, but they’re all fucking cunts.”
Here’s an artist whose music is required spinning for the biggest DJs, and he can’t hold his tongue (but his label can, and they declined to have him speak for this piece).
Deadmau5 admirer and former Angeleno Dave Dresden has worn many hats over the past two decades, including radio host, dance-music journalist, music scout for BBC Radio 1’s Pete Tong, and half of defunct DJ duo Gabriel & Dresden. He says Deadmau5 is right. “The day of the DJ as a guy who plays other people’s records might be done,” he says, pointing to newer acts like Morgan Page, who often play their own music live via laptop.
The superclub Avalon Hollywood has in recent years made more and more room for the post-DJ act while giving a cold shoulder to superstar DJs, especially those spinners who play straight-line hypnotic trance. While it still hosts plenty of big-name jocks — mostly of the minimal-techno variety — the venue has seen more than its share of hybrid live acts, including Booka Shade, Gui Boratto and Martin Buttrich.
“I don’t think it’s over, I think it’s evolving,” Avalon co-owner Steve Adelman says of DJ culture. “I think people are going more into electronic bands, live acts and semilive acts. We strive to have a whole production and visual experience that’s not just focused on watching a guy on two turntables.”
Adelman, who’s been in the superstar-DJ-booking business since the mid-’90s, says those most affected by the demise of the name DJ are local “midlevel” spinners, not huge trance names like Tiësto and Armin Van Buuren. URB magazine editor Joshua Glazer adds that some of the so-called midlevel DJs who had settled stateside around the DJ boom of the new millennium have gone back to
So is the idea of the DJ leaving us, being replaced by these hybrid bands such as the Love Grenades here to stay? Have you listened to the radio lately? Have you noticed that every other song seems to be a dance song, purely produced for the sake of being a dance song and not a remix? My only hope is that dance music doesn't go the same way disco did and there be a huge backlash, causing it to be a joke in later years.
But is the idea of the DJ leaving us? After all, the best "dance music" events have been hybrid bands like Underworld, then you have Groove Armada and Goldfrapp. And lets not forget the orginals: Kernkraft and Afrika Bambaataa.
Just some thoughts for you to ponder.
-Jason
Monday, July 26, 2010
Here is the track listing of Underworld's new album "Barking"
Bird 1 (Co-Produced by Dubfire)
Always Loved A Film (Co-Produced by Mark Knight & D. Ramirez)
Scribble (Co-Produced by High Contrast)
Hamburg Hotel (Co-Produced by Appleblim & Al Tourettes)
Grace (Co-Produced by Dubfire)
Between Stars (Co-Produced by Mark K & D. Ramirez)
Diamond Jigsaw (Co-Produced by Paul van Dyk)
Moon In Water (Co-Produced by High Contrast)
Louisiana
For more info check out Underworld's website: Underworldlive
Bird 1 (Co-Produced by Dubfire)
Always Loved A Film (Co-Produced by Mark Knight & D. Ramirez)
Scribble (Co-Produced by High Contrast)
Hamburg Hotel (Co-Produced by Appleblim & Al Tourettes)
Grace (Co-Produced by Dubfire)
Between Stars (Co-Produced by Mark K & D. Ramirez)
Diamond Jigsaw (Co-Produced by Paul van Dyk)
Moon In Water (Co-Produced by High Contrast)
Louisiana
For more info check out Underworld's website: Underworldlive
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Underworld's New Single - Scribble
This is about the third time I’ve tried to write an article about the upcoming single from Underworld, named “Scribble.” At first glance of the cover art, I could not help but wonder if some of their inspiration had come from Lady Gaga. Then when I finally purchased the music from their website underworldlive.com and listened to it, I realized that none of the music, itself, was inspired by her. Don’t get me wrong, I’m one of Lady Gaga’s biggest deeply devoted fans, however, I am even a bigger supporter of Underworld.
At first listen, I couldn’t believe the turn Underworld had taken…a twist for drum & bass? Yes, by the second listen I was damn sure it was drum & bass, I thought the byline from their website was mistaken, and I thought my ears were deceiving me. I didn’t believe it. I didn’t want to believe it. Where were my four on the floor beats?
However, by the third listen, I was a marlin caught with no chance of release, with the hook telling me that everything was going to be “OK.” It was in the same dance spirit as “Born Slippy,” however with a twist, no longer about shady blonds asking for a kiss, rather a new high, a euphoric one, reminding me of the days when I first started listening to dance music, when ecstasy was still readily available and wanted if not needed to go see a DJ spin live. Before the days when music became dark and twisted. Before everyone became depressed and deprived of that euphoric spirit that seemed to catch all of us at one moment or another.
(Don’t get me wrong folks. I understand there is a war going on and I am one of our soldiers’ biggest supporters, but music seemed to go in the same way the country and the rest of the world did… then came the economic collapse, which just turned the dark into twisted)…Twisted America Records anyone?
Unerworld’s first single, Scribble, is a joyous ode, if not overjoyed in the same spirit that Digweed’s “Heaven Scent” was…do I smell a classic brewing?
I longed for those days, before emo-tech caught hold and everyone tried to work out their depression and aggression through emotive lyrics and electro beats that when listened closely brought tears of despair, not joy, at least, to my ears and eyes.
I wasn’t able to dance for many years having been left with the “Beautiful Burnout” and only a Mark Knight remix to pick up the joyous slack.
Unbeknownst to us, this whole time Underworld, made up of Karl Hyde and Rick Smith, have been quietly collaborating with the likes of Dubfire and Paul van Dyk to create their new album, “Barking,” sure to be a hit. A few weeks after the initial posting of Underworld’s first single, which they co-produced with High Contrast, a drum & bass producer out of Newport, Eng.
What Underworld was doing was sending out their “raw material” to high class DJ/Producers and (hopefully) as I haven’t heard the album yet, getting back high class work, retooled of course in true Underworld style.
Needless to say, I can’t wait to hear the album which has yet to see a release date. Hopefully it hasn’t run in to any problems with their American label TVT, but according to Amazon.com, you can pick up “Athens” on June 29. That’s right around the corner folks.
For all of you whom love Underworld you can check out their website and see the track listing at:
New Album Details
Now remember, they do much more than just music, so be sure to check out the whole site, Tomato: their Art Depo included! I went to their art exhibit a few years back with my best friend, Steve, in NYC. Having missed them by hours, we checked out their art for ourselves. It wasn’t what I expected, rather, that of true artists, no scribbles there. But I’m sure with “Scribble,” you’ll be euphorically satisfied.
At first listen, I couldn’t believe the turn Underworld had taken…a twist for drum & bass? Yes, by the second listen I was damn sure it was drum & bass, I thought the byline from their website was mistaken, and I thought my ears were deceiving me. I didn’t believe it. I didn’t want to believe it. Where were my four on the floor beats?
However, by the third listen, I was a marlin caught with no chance of release, with the hook telling me that everything was going to be “OK.” It was in the same dance spirit as “Born Slippy,” however with a twist, no longer about shady blonds asking for a kiss, rather a new high, a euphoric one, reminding me of the days when I first started listening to dance music, when ecstasy was still readily available and wanted if not needed to go see a DJ spin live. Before the days when music became dark and twisted. Before everyone became depressed and deprived of that euphoric spirit that seemed to catch all of us at one moment or another.
(Don’t get me wrong folks. I understand there is a war going on and I am one of our soldiers’ biggest supporters, but music seemed to go in the same way the country and the rest of the world did… then came the economic collapse, which just turned the dark into twisted)…Twisted America Records anyone?
Unerworld’s first single, Scribble, is a joyous ode, if not overjoyed in the same spirit that Digweed’s “Heaven Scent” was…do I smell a classic brewing?
I longed for those days, before emo-tech caught hold and everyone tried to work out their depression and aggression through emotive lyrics and electro beats that when listened closely brought tears of despair, not joy, at least, to my ears and eyes.
I wasn’t able to dance for many years having been left with the “Beautiful Burnout” and only a Mark Knight remix to pick up the joyous slack.
Unbeknownst to us, this whole time Underworld, made up of Karl Hyde and Rick Smith, have been quietly collaborating with the likes of Dubfire and Paul van Dyk to create their new album, “Barking,” sure to be a hit. A few weeks after the initial posting of Underworld’s first single, which they co-produced with High Contrast, a drum & bass producer out of Newport, Eng.
What Underworld was doing was sending out their “raw material” to high class DJ/Producers and (hopefully) as I haven’t heard the album yet, getting back high class work, retooled of course in true Underworld style.
Needless to say, I can’t wait to hear the album which has yet to see a release date. Hopefully it hasn’t run in to any problems with their American label TVT, but according to Amazon.com, you can pick up “Athens” on June 29. That’s right around the corner folks.
For all of you whom love Underworld you can check out their website and see the track listing at:
New Album Details
Now remember, they do much more than just music, so be sure to check out the whole site, Tomato: their Art Depo included! I went to their art exhibit a few years back with my best friend, Steve, in NYC. Having missed them by hours, we checked out their art for ourselves. It wasn’t what I expected, rather, that of true artists, no scribbles there. But I’m sure with “Scribble,” you’ll be euphorically satisfied.
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