The Dumbing Down Of Electronic Dance Music

[shoodBworkin]

Say... do you remember bubblegum pop songs?

I remember "Hot Smoke & Sassafras" by Bubble Puppy!

[charlie2]

allends....sorry for misunderstanding you.

no offense taken

do you remember bubblegum pop songs? plus all those embarrassing band names. o ya. and all the productions were so primitive on everything back then.... but some of that music was really good.

i just heard a song from the band called "love" today. haven't heard it in years, but it was good!
(better than the stuff i write today)

maybe there's more emphasis on production today than songwriting. or maybe there's no time for songwriting. i don't know

i hear some ok sounding songs today but songs need to be developed and that's a lot of work. vocal harmonies play such an important role but i seem to be hearing less of that.

maybe i'm not hearing the same songs that you all know...i don't know

this is just my take on it....thanks for listening

ps. i forgot about the monkees!

thinking about it now....that name seemed like a put down attack on rock/pop music!

anyway... rock survived and those monkee songs were so good!

[allends]

I'm glad to have this conversation with you, Charlie.

For the record (pun intended - ha-ha-ha), I looked up on YouTube all of those bubblgum rock songs from Ohio Express like Yummy Yummy, Chewy Chewy, and Gimme Gimme. Then I found that old tune by The Sweet "Little Willy". All of these songs were so dumb that they turned my stomach back in the day and today they are what I've been offering here as proof that music hasn't necesarily been going down hill since then.

But wait!.... I really enjoyed hearing these silly tunes! What fun! I take back every nasty thought and word I've ever said about these goofy songs! I take it all back!

Ciao,
Allen

[charlie2]

all of those bubblgum rock songs from Ohio Express like Yummy Yummy, Chewy Chewy, and Gimme Gimme. Then I found that old tune by The Sweet "Little Willy". All of these songs were so dumb that they turned my stomach back in the day and today they are what I've been offering here as proof that music hasn't necesarily been going down hill since then

ah yes.....all those dumb, silly songs.......BUT! in the same time period there was great music being made.

and those other great songs was what i was talking about.

The American rock/pop canon (50s-90s) shook the world back then.

i hope to be part of the second show

[zircon]

Speaking as an EDM aficionado (and producer of many types of electronic music), I agree that most modern dance music is garbage. Massively compressed, overdriven samples with the most cheesy, predictable hooks, awful repetitive vocals and eurotrance synths. It's terrible. I can't stand the overwhelming majority of dance hits on stations like BPM on XM Radio. Of course, a lot of indie stuff is bad too. If you want more interesting tracks you have to look to either older electronic music (Crystal Method - Vegas, Prodigy - Fat of the Land, Infected Mushroom) or releases by artists like BT and Hybrid who have deep melodies, lyrics, and chord progressions with sparkling production and huge rhythms.

For what it's worth, I've been working on a new album of dance music for the last 5 years and putting every ounce of heart and emotion into it that I possibly can.

[DesireInspires]

For what it's worth, I've been working on a new album of dance music for the last 5 years and putting every ounce of heart and emotion into it that I possibly can.

5 years? Tell us more!

[fusilierb]

Speaking as an EDM aficionado (and producer of many types of electronic music), I agree that most modern dance music is garbage. Massively compressed, overdriven samples with the most cheesy, predictable hooks, awful repetitive vocals and eurotrance synths. It's terrible. I can't stand the overwhelming majority of dance hits on stations like BPM on XM Radio. Of course, a lot of indie stuff is bad too. If you want more interesting tracks you have to look to either older electronic music (Crystal Method - Vegas, Prodigy - Fat of the Land, Infected Mushroom) or releases by artists like BT and Hybrid who have deep melodies, lyrics, and chord progressions with sparkling production and huge rhythms.

For what it's worth, I've been working on a new album of dance music for the last 5 years and putting every ounce of heart and emotion into it that I possibly can.

For what it's worth: Infected Mushroom just released a new album and it kills. It's the new bar to my ears. They have managed to out Skrillex Skrillex on this one. Spotify it.

[zircon]

For what it's worth, I've been working on a new album of dance music for the last 5 years and putting every ounce of heart and emotion into it that I possibly can.

5 years? Tell us more!

Thanks It's inspired by cyberpunk imagery, such as Ghost in the Shell or even stories by Isaac Asimov. Collaborating with multiple vocalists, choir, violinist, guitarists, etc. The genres range from drum and bass to trance, dubstep, atmospheric chillout, etc., all with generally deep chord progressions, memorable melodies and so forth.

Here's an example of one of the instrumental tracks. This is the last one on the album so it's a bit funny to be linking it first, but it also happens to be the only one publicly uploaded. I will probably tweak the mixing soon.

http://www.independentmusicawards.com/i ... lectronica ("The End", at the bottom)

[shoodBworkin]

"Is America Killing [Electronic] Dance Music" Or Is It Just Going Pop?"

http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2012/07/ ... g-pop.html

[shoodBworkin]

A Powerhouse, And He's Not Yet 20

"The problems inherent in the dumbing down of electronic dance music to accommodate a mainstream audience aren't yet so grave that EDM requires a savior. But if it did, Porter Robinson might fit the bill. The 19-year-old out of Chapel Hill, N.C., is guilty of neither sin commonly committed by some producers who woo pop audiences: He doesn't create insipid tracks for melisma-mad name-brand singers to warble over . . . "

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 96814.html