Post by Captain Galaxy on Jun 29, 2011 0:56:48 GMT -8
I think I've wasted almost eleven years of my life playing guitar, which is a shame because I'm pretty darn good at it. But now my interests are so far from any kind of music that a guitar is usually used for that I feel so limited by the instrument, and I've developed some disdain for it.
What have I turned to? Dance music. Some of you have known this for some time. I'm trading in my guitars and amps for a sampler, a keyboard, and an electric drum set. It just seems to me like it's the genre with the most diversity-- it's going in so many different directions. So here, over time, I will provide some examples for those who wish to check out and learn about some of the different ways the genre has evolved.
Why am I doing this and why is the genre important to me? Same reason you guys like the music you guys like. It just speaks to me. It's got so much of what I like in music: excess of melody and rhythm. It drowns you in sound. You can jam to it, you can dance to it, and it's pretty darn engrossing when you're making it. That's why I like dance music.
I want to know what you like and why you like it. You'll tell me. Because you're passionate about the music you like. Everyone is. Often times, I would reject other people's music. I have developed an identity defined by the music that I like; I want something to be my own. In practicing this I have realized that this is how other people feel about music and that it has become a part of who they are. So in essence, knowing what music you like and why you like it has become an important part of knowing who you are.
First up for me is You Love Her Coz She's Dead,Unicorn Kid, and Crystal Castles, the latter of which is my favorite dance band and has become the premier band in the emerging genre known as Chiptune. It's been around for a while, but it finally seems to be picking up speed. I feel it's the genre that would interest most of you, because at its core it is driven by the soundboards of old video game systems like the Gameboy and the NES. That means its dance music that sounds like it came straight out of an old school video game. What I really like is music that takes music in new directions:
First up is Unicorn Kid's Dream Catcher. This song is particularly notable because it mixes 8-bit sounds with Dubstep, another genre I will discuss later:
Then we come to YLHCSD's Dead End. It's pretty much just punk rock meets chiptune. The lyrics are not meant to be understood. Dance music is about the dancing, and what I really enjoy about this artist is that their music really tends to drive you to dance, albeit to want to do so in a very dark old school arcade:
Choosing a Crystal Castles song was difficult, because they've taken the "nintendo" sound to a more natural place, and are also so diverse. They range from dancepunk with harsh 8-bit melodies to ethereal trance-scapes, to unintelligible grooves; they have a sound all their own. You're going to hear their name, or have already heard it. They're one of the biggest things in dance music right now. Every new dance band is using the template they've established, they weren't the first but they're the biggest, a boy and a girl, a boy who does all the instrumentation, and a girl who does all the vocal melody and lyric writing. You know bands like this, bands like La Roux. You've heard the song, don't act like you haven't: "This time, baby, I'll be bullet proof... It was hard to choose an example, but in the end I think Black Panther represents the band the best:
And hell why not also throw in Alice Practice in there. I can't sell it so it'll speak for itself, but I love the anger:
And here's YLHCSD's Wizards for good measure. It will make you want to play Legend of Zelda or Scott Pilgrim Vs The World or something with 8-bit graphics:
What have I turned to? Dance music. Some of you have known this for some time. I'm trading in my guitars and amps for a sampler, a keyboard, and an electric drum set. It just seems to me like it's the genre with the most diversity-- it's going in so many different directions. So here, over time, I will provide some examples for those who wish to check out and learn about some of the different ways the genre has evolved.
Why am I doing this and why is the genre important to me? Same reason you guys like the music you guys like. It just speaks to me. It's got so much of what I like in music: excess of melody and rhythm. It drowns you in sound. You can jam to it, you can dance to it, and it's pretty darn engrossing when you're making it. That's why I like dance music.
I want to know what you like and why you like it. You'll tell me. Because you're passionate about the music you like. Everyone is. Often times, I would reject other people's music. I have developed an identity defined by the music that I like; I want something to be my own. In practicing this I have realized that this is how other people feel about music and that it has become a part of who they are. So in essence, knowing what music you like and why you like it has become an important part of knowing who you are.
First up for me is You Love Her Coz She's Dead,Unicorn Kid, and Crystal Castles, the latter of which is my favorite dance band and has become the premier band in the emerging genre known as Chiptune. It's been around for a while, but it finally seems to be picking up speed. I feel it's the genre that would interest most of you, because at its core it is driven by the soundboards of old video game systems like the Gameboy and the NES. That means its dance music that sounds like it came straight out of an old school video game. What I really like is music that takes music in new directions:
First up is Unicorn Kid's Dream Catcher. This song is particularly notable because it mixes 8-bit sounds with Dubstep, another genre I will discuss later:
Then we come to YLHCSD's Dead End. It's pretty much just punk rock meets chiptune. The lyrics are not meant to be understood. Dance music is about the dancing, and what I really enjoy about this artist is that their music really tends to drive you to dance, albeit to want to do so in a very dark old school arcade:
Choosing a Crystal Castles song was difficult, because they've taken the "nintendo" sound to a more natural place, and are also so diverse. They range from dancepunk with harsh 8-bit melodies to ethereal trance-scapes, to unintelligible grooves; they have a sound all their own. You're going to hear their name, or have already heard it. They're one of the biggest things in dance music right now. Every new dance band is using the template they've established, they weren't the first but they're the biggest, a boy and a girl, a boy who does all the instrumentation, and a girl who does all the vocal melody and lyric writing. You know bands like this, bands like La Roux. You've heard the song, don't act like you haven't: "This time, baby, I'll be bullet proof... It was hard to choose an example, but in the end I think Black Panther represents the band the best:
And hell why not also throw in Alice Practice in there. I can't sell it so it'll speak for itself, but I love the anger:
And here's YLHCSD's Wizards for good measure. It will make you want to play Legend of Zelda or Scott Pilgrim Vs The World or something with 8-bit graphics:
