Loading ...New Year, New Music
By Alan | January 5, 2009
New year, new you!
Gotta love this rhetoric that we are always hearing from marketers this time of the year. If you've been around the sun a few times, you know that most new year's resolutions don't last more than a few weeks. People always have grandiose ideas about how they're going to make their lives better; from losing weight to quitting smoking to managing money better, to spending more time with the family. It's all well and good, and it all comes from good intentions, but the reality is that it is always more difficult than you can anticipate. You start out doing really well, but as time goes on, you realize that in order to make life-changes, you have to change your life. Not easy.
Sorry to sound so morose...Here's some quick advice, then I am off to the fun part of the post! If you want to make life changes, you have to do something that few people actually do, and that thing is COMMIT. Committing to something is deeper than just saying what you want to do. Committing is all about putting a serious effort into making sure that you do what you set out to do. That is the hard part, and that is why people quit the gym in mid February, and head to off to the local hamburger joint and order up a double cheeseburger. One thing I have found that is very effective, and helps me commit, and stay committed to something is setting a schedule. People will make fun of you, and they'll call you anal, but if you are serious about making changes, you are much more likely to succeed this way. Commit to it, schedule it, and most importantly, DO IT. It is never too late.
Now, here's a fun new year's resolution that should be fun for the music lover: Try out some new music. I'm not talking about picking up the latest album from your favorite artist, I am talking about going outside of your comfort zone, and trying something totally new. If you've got friends that enjoy different music from you, have them burn you a CD. Go to Wikipedia, and read about a music style that is unfamiliar to you. It could be Turkish folk music, Country, Motown, or even Rock. You'll be amazed at how interesting it is to learn about new stuff. Read about some of the major artists within your new music. Head over to your local library, and see if they have any CDs from your newly discovered artists. Give them a listen. Rummage through used vinyl at your local record shop, see what you dig up.
You may not always like what you hear initially, but what you need to do is free yourself from preconceived notions, and really get into what the artist is trying to communicate. Think of what the music reminds you of, and get into that state of mind. I have always found it easy to enjoy new music right before I go to bed. I just lie back, relax, and listen.
This year, make a resolution that you can keep: Try some new music, and let the adventure begin.
Peace, love, enjoy the music.
-Alan
Topics: Music | No Comments »
In Defense of Hip Hop and Rap
By Alan | December 18, 2008
It's very fashionable to dislike hip hop and rap and make it known. I hear this rhetoric all the time, usually from older folks, and a surprising number of younger folks too. People say that hip hop is not music, that it's offensive, that it's not a useful medium. Hip hop is probably the most heavily criticized music in the world. Why is this the case?
Well, interestingly enough, many of the people who say they dislike hip hop are white. My intent is not to turn this blog into a discussion of social issues; this blog is about music, first and foremost, but I also believe it's difficult to talk about hip hop without talking about race. Anyway, before I offend anybody, let me make it clear that disliking hip hop does not make you a racist. However, I do want to make it clear that there is a very clear racial line between people who like hip hop and people who dislike hip hop.
For most people, this is probably due to upbringing. Many white kids are raised on classical, pop, and rock music--genres which are mostly dominated by white musicians, while many black kids are often raised on R&B--which is mostly dominated by black musicians. When you expose someone to something that they are not used to, it is completely human to be cautious. Many white people don't like hip hop since it is simply new and unlike anything that they're used to. On the flip side of the coin, it also seems true that black people aren't into rock music. So, many people don't like hip hop simply because it's not within their comfort zone. Fair enough, but what about the criticisms of hip hop?
Let's start at the top. Many people say "Hip Hop is not music". Ok, people. It is music. Hip hop is music. Get over it. There is rhythm, melody, harmony, instrumentation, vocals, and so on. I don't understand how you can say it is not music.
Some people might say "Well, what about instrumentalists? There are no instruments in hip hop". First of all, this is a stereotype, and not rooted in reality. You see, many people associate the instrumentation in hip hop and rap with record scratching. And it's true, hip hop does contain record scratching, but that's not all it contains. Most hip hop has a wide variety of instrumentation ranging from keyboards to guitar to horns to computer generated sounds. And even if it only included the sound of a record scratching, making those sounds is a skill that takes practice and finesse, just like playing any other instrument. Sure, anyone can scratch a record, but anyone can also pluck a string on a guitar. That doesn't mean it will sound good. Besides, most people have no trouble calling Britney Spears music, even though she doesn't really produce, perform, or write her melodies, she just shows up and sings.
Hip hop truly is a form of artistic expression, and it is musical. It takes a good ear to put together good hip hop. Even if you're using samples and loops and sounds, and all sorts of other things, it still takes hours of time, and a clear artistic vision to put all of the pieces together to make something interesting to the ears. Composers do it all the time, they simply use different instruments. Repeat after me, hip hop is music.
OK, next many people talk about hip hop being offensive. It's not all offensive, in fact, a pretty small percentage of it is offensive. Sure, we all know about violent and misogynistic "gangsta rap", but this style is not really the dominant force in hip hop. But, on the other hand, how can you completely dismiss it? When you listen to a group like NWA, there are some very revolutionary things being said, and quite honestly, if I was "Straight Outta Compton", I'd probably write a song like "Fuck Tha Police" or "Cop Killa" too. This early gangsta rap brought important issues of police brutality, racial profiling, gang violence, drug abuse, and other ills of society to national attention. This music brought the hard realities of the ghetto life into the public knowledge. It may not be pretty, but now that we're confronted with these problems, we are in a better position to address them. Reality isn't always pretty. Reality can be offensive. That doesn't mean we should hide from it.
Let's take a look at the majority of hip hop now. Most of it is not very offensive. Much hip hop has deep roots in old-school and modern R&B, as well as jazz and electronic music. A lot of this music is about peace, love, happiness, finding a better life, and other good things. Sure, there are some prudish people that are offended by the sometimes explicit descriptions of sexual acts in hip hop, but hey, at least they're not talking about killing people. Instead, they're talking about love, pleasure, making someone feel good, and so on.
**Quick soapbox: Why can they show violent movies on TV, with people getting shot and stabbed, and murdered, and beaten, and other violent, anti-social behavior, yet you'd better not show Janet Jackson's nipple, or two people making love? Just saying...**
Another attribute of hip hop is a keen awareness of social issues. Many great hip hop acts talk about racism, poverty, and violence in a negative way. Much of this music expresses a deep lament for the world in which many children have to grow up in. This is music with a deep consciousness, and while it is sometimes offensive, it does have meaningful things to say. This is a social music that is truly for the people. For the people who have lived it, and for the people who want to know more about it.
Many people also take offense to the language used by many hip hop artists. Of course, when you can look at this slang from a more rational perspective, you can see some more interesting things going on. First of all, much of the language used by hip hop is slang. These words have the same meanings of other phrases that people use all the time, but since they're in hip hop, they're considered more offensive. Bitch, for example. Many people like to say that rappers use the term to describe women. They're not really. They're using it the same way that everyone else does: To describe an unsavory woman. When a rapper says "nigga", he's saying "person". They're reclaiming the word and making it their own. They're taking power from white people who use it as a slur. It's genius and revolutionary. Also, people criticize hip hop because they don't use "proper English". Guess what people? Language evolves. Otherwise, we'd still be speaking middle English. Rappers don't feel supported by the English language, so they've created their own version of it. That is a radical and revolutionary act, and more power to them.
Finally, people say that hip hop has nothing to offer, that it is not a useful medium. I think if you can agree with some of the statements I made above, you can see that this is not true at all. Music serves an important purpose in humanity, and hip hop is music. In addition, hip hop has a lot to say about society and the world. It isn't always pretty, but it is always relevant. You don't have to like hip hop or listen to hip hop, but it does deserve the same artistic credibility as every other type of music.
"Peace and I'm out." -Chuck D.
Topics: Music, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Artist Profile: Herbie Hancock
By Alan | December 10, 2008
One of my favorite musical artists of all time is the jazz legend, Herbie Hancock. Herbie began his music career in the early 1960's when Miles Davis was putting together his "Second great quintet". Prior to working with Miles Davis, Herbie was a piano prodigy with a good amount of playing and performance experience under his belt. Working with Miles Davis earned Herbie Hancock instant fame and notoriety. While Hancock spent much time in the 1960's performing and recording with Miles Davis, he also recorded and performed several of his own albums with his own bands. One composition of his, "Riot" was recorded for the Miles Davis album "Nefertiti", and a different version was released on Herbie Hancock's "Speak Like a Child" album.
Working with Miles Davis in the 60's proved to be an extremely productive milestone in Herbie Hancock's career. With his work in the early 1960's, Herbie Hancock was regarded as one of the forefathers of the "Post-bop" sound: A style of jazz that is a blend of bebop, modal, and hard bop styles. Herbie Hancock's greatest achievement during this time was his masterpiece "Maiden Voyage", which is considered the quintessential post-bop recording. Other notable albums released during the 1960's are "Takin' Off", "My Point of View", "Inventions and Dimensions", "Empyrean Isles", "Speak Like a Child", "Fat Albert Rotunda", and "The Prisoner".
As the decade came close to an end, jazz was beginning to go electric. People like Sly Stone and Jimi Hendrix were a huge influence on forward-thinking jazz musicians, including Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis. Jazz musicians began to introduce electric instruments such as the Rhodes piano and electric guitars to their music, which in a few years would be known as "fusion".
In 1969, Miles Davis recorded "In a Silent Way" with Herbie Hancock on piano. This is considered one of the first fusion albums ever, and gave way to future Miles Davis projects such as "Bitches Brew" and "On the Corner". Being in the presence of a musical visionary like Miles Davis proved to be magical for Herbie Hancock's musical vision and career. In the early 1970's, he composed and recorded a series of musically complex and highly eclectic albums known as the "Mwandishi" albums. The three albums are "Mwandishi", "Crossings", and "Sextant". On these albums, Herbie places a soundscape before the listener. This type of music was not very approachable or easy to like, but these albums formed the basis for Herbie Hancock's next project, which would go on to become one of the greatest selling jazz albums of all time.
After the Mwandishi albums, Herbie Hancock put together a new band known as the Headhunters. In 1974, he released an album of the same name, which went on to become the greatest and most important fusion album of all time. Headhunters is a funky album with great melodies and beats, and has an amazingly wide appeal. Jazz people, R&B people, and Rock n' Roll people will all appreciate the music on this album. The success from Headhunters gave way to a few more funky fusion albums including "Thrust", "Man-Child" and "Secrets". Later on in the 70's, Herbie Hancock would produce more danceable, poppy, disco-y albums such as "Sunlight" and "Feets, Don't Fail Me Now". Unfortunately, many of these albums were not received well, but Herbie continued to write, record and tour.
The early 1980's brought another hit for Herbie, the classic song "Rockit" from his album "Future Shock". Part of what made this song so famous was MTV. It was a favorite video for its innovative cinematography, and use of the record scratching sound. Of course, within the next few years, the record scratch sound would be prominently used in hip hop and rap. Again, Herbie Hancock proved to be ahead of his time, and a major musical innovator. During the mid to late 80's, Herbie Hancock produced several more albums, played with many more musicians, and toured heavily. He even did some music for commercials.
Being as famous as Herbie Hancock was, he continued to perform and record in the 90's and 2000's. He collaborated with many different artists during this period, including old bandmate Wayne Shorter, and longtime friends Joni Mitchell and Stevie Wonder. In the mid 2000's, he released "Possibilities" which featured his collaborations with other famous pop and rock musicians. In 2008, his tribute to Joni Mitchell "River: The Joni Letters" earned him a grammy for album of the year, only the second jazz album ever to receive that honor.
I had the pleasure of seeing Herbie Hancock perform in November 2007 in San Francisco, and I must say, he's still got it! I remember in one song, he had 2 or 3 keyboards set up in front of him, and he was playing them all! He also did a great performance of "Actual Proof" from his fusion masterpiece "Thrust", and it was as funky as ever. The bass was turned up so high, I could hear all sorts of things rattling in the auditorium. I remember him also using a keytar to perform. It was awesome!
One of the most accomplished musicians in jazz, as well as one of its key innovators in the second half of the 20th century, Herbie Hancock is truly a musical legend. He has produced so much music that he definitely has something for everyone. I highly recommend checking him out if you haven't already.
Topics: Artist Tributes, Musicians I Like, jazz | No Comments »
Cleaning Your Stylus (Needle): An Essential Turntable Maintenance Practice
By Alan | November 21, 2008
Stylus
Here's a reality about the nature of vinyl records: As the stylus runs through the grooves of the record, static electricity is generated. This static electricity attracts dust and debris to the record. The moisture in the air, mixed with oils on your hand when you handle the record mix with the dust and debris, and stick to the record. As the stylus runs through the record grooves, this gunk gets stuck to the stylus (needle). Over time, you'll begin to notice that the records you play on your turntable begin to sound less clear, distorted, staticy, just plain different. You can clean your records all you want, but the sound is still "off".
What to do? It's time to clean your stylus (needle)! Fortunately, this is a very easy process, and only takes a few minutes. Here's what you do:
- Get some cleaner specially designed for turntable styluses, as well as a stylus brush. One source is AslanStore on eBay.
- Apply a drop or two of the cleaner to the brush.
- Hold the tone arm and stylus firmly with your hand to ensure that it doesn't move and turn on the turntable while you're cleaning.
- Rub the brush from the rear of the stylus to the front. Repeat this a few times: 5-10 should be great.
- Let the stylus air dry for about 5 minutes.
- Place your favorite record on the turntable, and enjoy the (clear) music!
That's it, folks. Easy enough, and it can make a significant difference in the quality of the sound. There are no real guidelines to how often you should do this. Fanatics will say do it after every session, but I think it's only necessary about once every 15-20 hours of record playing.