“It is always like this- that the dance magazines leave the trance and proggy stuff left outside little bit and attention focuses mainly on the house, electro, techno, even D&B gets more attention in them, but the fact is, the music which fills the stadiums is only the Armin van Buuren and Tiesto concerts, which is mostly trance and proggy, but anyways, it really shows that press keeps that kind of music mostly down.” – Alex M.O.R.P.H.

As we continue to cross and destroy boundaries in our exclusive Past, Present & Future feature, we come across a group of artists, producers and labels that have an incredible “pop-sensibility.” In short, these individuals just have it. It being that subjective quality usually placed between two quotation marks that make both record execs and consumers alike very happy. Success is NEVER any small coincidence, whether it’s because of hard work or a great ear, and luckily we’re able to peak inside the head of such a man, maybe you have heard of him- Alex M.O.R.P.H.?!  Alex is an individual who obviously understands that good music is good music regardless of any tags or genres placed upon it. In the brief interview below, Alex tells the world how it is. Make the jump!

With the majority of music magazines, online blogs and zines coming out with their “Best Of” decade lists, trance and progressive tunes seem to be missing, what do you think?

It is always like this, that the dance magazines leave the trance and proggy stuff left outside little bit and attention focuses mainly on the house, electro, techno, even D&B gets more attention in them, but the fact is, the music which fills the stadiums is only the Armin van Buuren and Tiesto concerts, which is mostly trance and proggy, but anyways, it really shows that press keeps that kind of music mostly down.

Would you mind posting some of your favorite tracks of the past decade? Tracks that you think a made their mark on the entire EDM scene as a whole?

“Pop” is short hand for popular music. You make great tunes that are very popular among your fans and colleagues. Would you consider yourself a pop artist? What’s wrong with the connotations associated with the word “pop?” What artists and/or labels do you feel straddle that art v. commerce line effectively?

Well, I think pop is not a bad word. Many of the big guys climbed to the top by crossing EDM with pop elements, which is not a bad thing. It meant that people could start sing a long with a vocal dance track, no matter if it was branded electro, house, trance or whatever. EDM in general always has a crossover with pop, so, pop mustn’t be a bad word. The perception of art vs. commerce has been a problem for a long time. Some labels straddle this line very well and need to to survive, but many labels, especially the big ones only search for the obvious big hits which works well to make them money but keeps the art in the background. It is always up to the small underground indie labels to develop the artistic side and keep it alive.

How did you become involved with Sylvia Tosun’s Sea To Sun/Loverush Digital label? As you’re probably aware, her label is no stranger to the Billboard Dance/Club Play chart- it seems Sea To Sun/Loverush Digital operates on a higher level?! Do you see this release becoming much more successful this time around?

Well, our working relationship started in a very funny way. Initially, I was on holiday in Tenerife and Mark Loverush [A&R Director of STS/LRD) contacted me by e-mail, asking me to do a remix for his Loverush UK! feat. Carla Werner track [‘Give Me Your Love’]. Then, one day he asked me, “will ‘Sunset Boulevard’ be released in the UK and USA? I said, “not yet …”, and that was the start of a very promising story which has only just has started! After that, I got in touch with Sylvia [Tosun] and Anton [Bass]. I think what they have built up in the USA is amazing; their success speaks for itself, it seems they have a premium membership for the billboard dance chart (wow!) We will definitely have some surprises coming up this year, believe me!

This year you broke DJ Mag’s Top 100- congratulations.

Has this opened up more doors for you? Placed you in other territories/markets you wouldn’t have otherwise been exposed to?

Well, thanks, it is a pretty nice feeling to belong to the world’s top 100, as it opens doors and helps to enter other territories, but it is not like a royal flush in poker, you don’t have carte blanche worldwide! It is still all about one thing which needs to be done in the present and future: hard work!

There seems to be an emphasis on the divas of house music, but not so much on the vocalists associated with trance music. Who are some of your favorite vocalists/songwriters? Anybody you like to work with in the future? Any “pop” acts you would like to collaborate with?

My favourite vocalists/songwriters include: Ana Criado, Roberta Harrison, Raz Nitzan, Trishia Lee Kelshall, and, of course, Sylvia Tosun – I’m loving her voice and she is a superb performer….trust me! To make a comparison between house divas and the whole trance thing, well there are so many vocalists around for the trance genre, honestly, at the moment I don’t see that much about the house divas. Years ago, there was lots of attention on them, but I think these days it is more like that EDM is combining with the big vocalists out of the pop and R&B business. But I might be wrong! In terms of collaborations, it would be a dream to make a real trance tune with Kelly Rowland, or with The Killers or Pink, and I’m not talking about a remix or a bootleg, or even better, with the lead vocalist from Muse! I’m also really looking forward to a future collaboration with no less than Sylvia Tosun, which will be a big thing for 2010.

Trainpottr and its followers would like to sincerely thank Alex M.O.R.P.H. for taking time out of his busy schedule and giving us a peak inside his head!

Future

Alex M.O.R.P.H.- Sunset Boulevard ft. Ana Criado |Sea To Sun/Loverush Digital| (Street date: 3/1/2010)

w/ remixes by Paul van Dyk, Loverush UK!, Timothy Allan & Ilya Malyuev

*originally released on Vandit Records (6/17/09) w/ Paul Van Dyk Remix

Alex M.O.R.P.H. |Vandit Records|High Contrast Recordings|Ultra|Armada|Sony|

Ana Criado |Vandit Records|Euphonic|

Click here to view the embedded video.

Catch Alex at a city near you!

2/27 Crobar Outdoor (Buenos Aires- Argentina)

3/6 Trance.Mission/Four Runners Club -Ludwigsburg/Tammer (Germany)

3/12 Monday Bar Spring Break Cruise 2010 /MS Victoria (Stockholm-Sweden)

3/24 WMC 2010 Sea To Sun/Loverush Digital Pool Party (Miami-USA)

4/3 ASOT 450 Roseland Ballroom (New York City-USA)

4/24 Hamburg Dance Festival (Hamburg-Germany)

4/30 MAYDAY Mainfloor Closing Set  (Dortmug-Germany)

5/19 Heavens Gate DJ Meeting 2010 (Bochum-Germany)

…and don’t forget that little thing called radio

Alex M.O.R.P.H.’s Heavens Gate Radio Show syndicated globally!

Sea To Sun/Loverush Digital Podcast!

Past

Propaganda- p: Machinery |Island/ZTT 1985|

*ZTT Records is the personal label of Trevor Horn

Produced by S.J. (Stephen/Steve) Lipson |Parlophone|Virgin|Capitol|A&M|Geffen|Manhattan Records|

Written by (Ralf) Dorper |EMI|ZYX Records|Sony|Universal|

Click here to view the embedded video.

Extended 12″ Mix

Live

Present

Four Tet- Angel Echoes |Domino 2010| off of There Is Love In You LP

Written & Produced by Kieran Hebden (Four Tet) |Parlophone|Ninja Tune|Warp Records|XL Recordings|!K7|

Click here to view the embedded video.

Any one of those niches might have failed, but as a mix they aggregate a Nielsen-rated audience of 13 million weekly viewers from small towns and farm communities across the U.S. “No matter where you go, agriculture is important. Everybody’s gotta eat,” says Gottsch.

Enter the current music industry. The previous “Guilt & Resolution Always Leads To A Better Understanding…” article briefly touched on this last week under the guise of where the music industry is going. The horizontal combination of various markets is being used by industry execs to either pump life into existing markets or keep a certain genre afloat, to the to the potential loss of wandering ears and/or minds. A lot of sub-genres, niches and a plethora of tags are cleverly used by the industry to describe the same exact thing- the music of artists such as Ke$ha, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, etc. Many of the techniques, sounds and fads that are or once were the epitome of these styles are being revisited to (deliberately) shift the market and move it into a new direction. It’s almost a game of cat and mouse whereas a commodity or product is aggressively pushed to its full shelf-life, point of saturation or “ADD threshold”  before it must be pulled, scrapped, repackaged or transformed. This is where we are at. To the joy of most and to the dismay of many, the once underground sounds of house, disco, electro and synth-pop are coming full circle. While the entertainment conglomerates are usually slow to react to trends and emerging sounds, the fashion industry is always right there. I suppose this is due their inherently avant garde mindset and low-risk/minimal-cost business model. The fashion industry has already tapped and pursued a market in which the music industry has easily attached themselves to. Fashion’s urban-chic/hipster/80s look is rather synonymous and goes hand and hand with music’s present day electro/synth/hip hop sound. It’s pop. The viral nature of the internet combined with the outgoing, “cool” manufactured pop personality have forced people to take notice. Initially, it’s a particular style or look that attracts our ears. Imagine if Debbie Harry (Blondie) and Sid Vicious had the internet and tools available today?! Well look no further than Madonna- her net worth has increased ten fold thanks to modern day technology during the past ten years. Lady Gaga owes about 100% (give or take) of her success to Madonna. The archetype is certainly not new, but the way of exploiting and marketing it is.

The music business is seeing a fading star, hip hop, and is scrambling to to take various genres and throw them together into a cohesive product. And so far it has worked tremendously from Ke$ha breaking the weekly digital sales by a female artist record (second all-time to Flo Rida and previously held by Lady Gaga) to Miss Germanotta (Lady Gaga) scoring her historic fifth #1 single in a row. Additionally, artists such as David Guetta, Owl City and The Black Eyed Peas have been on the Billboard Top 200 and Hot 100 for 25+ weeks. The idea of stringing together electo, synth-pop, house and disco into one particular sound only to repackage it is very sly. Attaching words such as “electro-clash” and/or “-pop” provide the smoke and mirrors the industry needs to make sure it destroys any past sentiments or biases towards to the elements in which the new sounding pop came from. One must be careful what to call something- many genres, fads and styles have some bad connotations. Disco Demolition Night anybody? 1979? Comiskey Park? Chicago, Illinois?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Like how Patrick Gottsch consolidated a bunch of niches into his RFD-TV, the music industry is consolidating a bunch of their fringe markets into the pop market. It doesn’t take a Kellog or Wharton school grad to see the advantages. I, myself,  graduated from the Alfonse Capone D’Amato School of Commerce from Northern Southcentral Eastern Connecticut University (basically the West most Eastern tip of Long Island but just South of Martha’s Vineyard- if you’ve reached Plum Island you’ve gone too far). This synergy occurring in the marketplace is by all accounts a natural selection process- only the best elements from each niche, whether it be the various fashions, production techniques, sounds, attitudes, hooks etc. are being grabbed by the tastemakers. Granted it may not be “natural” but it’s something deliberate that occurs naturally in the marketplace.  One may not have the ridiculous Flock of Seagulls haircut or the jacket with big shoulder pads (or spikes) coming out of it, but you will see bright colors, a sense or surrealism and the embracement of pop culture- otherwise known as Pop Art. Pop culture not only to the masses, but pop culture specific to that particular niche or market (i.e. a picture of Ernesto “Che” Guevara). One will also hear the hooks and feel the rhythms that once attracted us to these styles of music. The fat has been trimmed off of these once appealing niche markets so to speak. After several decades of trials and tribulations, the industry finally knows the most effective ways to market this stuff and now has the tools to do so to their full potential. Lots of mud was thrown up against the wall then so the business will only touch the stuff that stuck.

While there’s not need to specifically look at agriculture, country music, horses and rural living (the niches that Gottsch fused together), there is a need to take a concise look at the music genres and their scenes now being utilized and tapped by industry executives: electro, disco, synth pop (Italo disco) and house.

ELECTRO

A genre of electronic music directly influenced by the use of the Roland TR-808 and funk records. Records in the genre typically have electronic sounds and some vocals are delivered in a deadpan, mechanical manner, often through a vocoder or other electronic distortion.

Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force- Planet Rock |Tommy Boy Music 1981|

Produced by Arthur Baker |Atlantic|Deconstruction|Perfecto|Manhattan Records|

Click here to view the embedded video.

Cybotron (Juan Atkins)- Clear |Fantasy/Concord Music Group 1983|

Click here to view the embedded video.

DISCO

A genre of dance music whose popularity peaked during the middle to late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, psychedelic and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Disco was a reaction particularly among New York City gays against both the domination of rock music and the demonetization of dance music by thecounterculture during this period.

Sister Sledge- He’s The Greatest Dancer |Atlantic 1978|

Written & Produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards

Click here to view the embedded video.

Donna Summer- Love To Love You Baby |Oasis/Casablanca 1975|

Written & Produced by Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte and Donna Summer (lyrics)

Click here to view the embedded video.

SYNTH POP

While most current popular music in the industrialized world is realized via electronic instruments, synthpop has its own stylistic tendencies which differentiate it from other music produced by the same means. These include the exploitation of artificiality (i.e., the synthesis of sounds from waveforms) where the synthesizers are not used to imitate acoustic instruments, the use of mechanical sounding rhythms, vocal arrangements as a counterpoint to the artificiality of the instruments, and ostinato patterns as an effect. The synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument.Synthpop song structures are generally similar to those of other popular music.

Human League- Don’t You Want Me |Virgin 1981|

Produced by Martin Rushent |Tirk|United Artists Records|PolyGram|

Click here to view the embedded video.

Pet Shop Boys- Heart  |Parlophone/EMI 1988|

Produced by Andy Richard(s) |Chrysalis|Epic|Geffen|

Click here to view the embedded video.

HOUSE

A genre of music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, USA in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American,Latino American and gay communities; first in Chicago, then in New York City, New Jersey, Detroit, and Miami. It eventually reached Europe before becoming infused in mainstream pop and dance music worldwide. House is strongly influenced by elements of soul- and funk-infused varieties of disco. House generally mimics disco’s percussion, especially the use of a prominent bass drum on every beat, but may feature a prominent synthesizer bassline, electronic drums, electronic effects, funk and pop samples, and reverb- or delay-enhanced vocals.

Mr. Fingers (Larry Heard)- Can You Feel It  |London Record/Warner 1987|

Click here to view the embedded video.

Inner City- Good Life |Virgin 1988|

Produced by Kevin “Master Reese” Saunderson |KMS|Planet E|Jive|Warner Bros.|

Click here to view the embedded video.

Although it seems the music business has had an epiphany, this melting pot of pop culture is nothing new. One could easily make the case that Lady Gaga is a carbon copy and an exact replica of Madonna, Deborah Harry and Grace Jones, especially in respects to their fashion sense and music roots in NYC’s Lower East Side, but the tools and business models were just not in place or existed back in the early to mid 80s. Thanks to artists such as those, pop acts such as Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Owl City, etc. are able to flourish. There always needs to be a blueprint before one can start building. The music business is taking that mud which stuck in the 80s and are currently repackaging it for mass consumption. The music industry is amazingly resilient and they usually learn from their mistakes. Being triumphant  requires you to position yourself  appropriately to ensure your success. The entertainment industry knows that through this specific musical synergy, combining popular music styles from the 70s and 80s, they will capture the bored current pop audience along with grabbing the ears of the older pop generation and appealing to the hip, new audience old enough to spend their disposable incomes on frivolous and materialistic goods. Basically, pop’s demographic has been tremendously expanded and ranges from the 1st Baby Boomer cohort to the Millennial (Y) Generation (ages 9-64). You know why it’s going to work? Because it has already. The same people who bought the stuff decades ago in the late 60s, 70s and 80s will buy the stuff being released now- hence the term “heritage” act. Artist such as The Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode are releasing new stuff and are still charting on the Billboard charts. Hip hop was new to everybody and quite abrasive to the older generations. The styles of electro, disco, synth pop and house are like a bunch of cheap, trashy hookers who have whored around for the past 25 years. They appeal to everybody, from high society to the lower classes, have zero shame, no standards and understand their sole function- fun with no strings attached. This is music for you, your parents, your children and even your grandparents.  The music that dominated the pop market for the past 25 years was just for you and/or your children. The expiring 25 year shelf life of hip hop ironically syncs up to about the duration of 1 generation (15-25 years). However, there is no small coincidence that the past sounds and fads that worked are being recycled on a much more grand and effective scale.

It’s taken Gottsch 10 years to hit cruising speed. He launched his channel, RFD-TV, in 2000 using old re-runs from the Nashville Network and a new concept: bridging the rural divide between farmers and ranchers. To do this, he blended four program genres: agriculture, horses, rural living and country music.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Present

Noferini & Marini vs. Sylvia Tosun- Push N Pull |Sea to Sun Records/Loverush Digital|                                                        Sea to Sun Recordings was found by Sylvia Tosun

*recently licensed to Ministry Of Sound (Germany)- Wicked Wonderland Germany 2010 Part 2

Stefano Noferini |BMG|Deeperfect Records|Cr2|Armada|LoudBit|

Matteo Marini (Myspace) |Deeperfect Records|Stealth|Vendetta|NEWS|

Sylvia Tosun (Myspace, Twitter) |Atlantic|Sea to Sun Records|ITH (Defected In The House)|

Click here to view the embedded video.

Miss Tosun seems to be the real star here. A quick Google search will remind us that Sylvia Tosun has been around the block, or more appropriately the world. She has the credentials and resume that would make a vocalist twice her age jealous. At only age 15, Tosun began her journey as one of the youngest sopranos ever accepted at the prestigious Juilliard School of Music in New York, performing with the New York Grand Opera Co., and platinum ensemble the Trans-Siberian Orchestra; while volunteering and touring with the United Service Organization. Here, she developed acumen for world music, singing national anthems for USO dignitaries. This led to 2002’s 10-track “Anthem: Vol. 1,” which featured native songs from the likes of Israel, Italy, Germany, France, Japan and the U.K. The project drew attention from producers of the 2005 Great Wall Concert, who invited Tosun to perform in Beijing, China, alongside Alicia Keys and Cyndi Lauper.

Sylvia Tosun’s Charting Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs

2008:

#6- Underlying Feeling |Sea to Sun Records|

Underlying Feeling (Adam K & Soha Club mix) |Sea to Sun Records|

*licensed to Defected In The House Goa ’09 |ITH (Defected In The House)|

Kaskade & Deadmau5 vs. Sylvia Tosun- I Remember The Underlying Feeling |White Label|

#28- Head Over Heels |Sea to Sun Records| off of Jump In

2006:

#8- Sleepless |Sea to Sun Records| off of Jump In

#20- Sanctuary (Ralpi Rosario radio edit) |SylviaTosun.com| off of Sanctuary (The Ralphi Rosario Remixes)

Interview (9/4/08)

Additional Awards/Accomplishments

Past

Kate Bush- Running Up That Hill |EMI Records 1985|

Written & Produced by Kate Bush

Click here to view the embedded video.

12″ Extended Version

w/ David Gilmour (Guitarist, Vocalist-Pink Floyd)

*Bush was signed to EMI at age 16 after being recommended by Gilmour

Future

Cinnamon Chasers- Luv Deluxe |Modus Records/Koch Entertainment 2010|

Written & Produced by Russ Davies (Cinnamon Chasers) |Telstar|Platipus|Cocoon|

*Russ Davies is the son and nephew of Dave Davies and Ray Davies (the founders of legendary English 1960s rock band The Kinks).

Click here to view the embedded video.

Luv Deluxe (Club Mix)

“Luv Deluxe” was originally released on Modus 12/1/08 as the Jetstreams/Luv Deluxe EP (MODREC 002EP) along with a Jay Shepheard remix.

The A Million Miles From Home LP was released on Modus 6/16/09  (MODREC 002CD) containing “Luv Deluxe” as well.

The Luv Deluxe Remixes EP was released on Modus 1/14/10 (catalog # NA) containing the Club Mix, Extended Album Mix, the original Jay Shepheard remix along with additional remixes by Scuba, Vasili Gavre, N-Type and Diamond Cut.

Russ Davies, along with being known as Cinnamon Chasers, also releases music under his Abakus moniker.

*California Sunshine appeared on VA- Silk Pearls |Cocoon| (Mix CD by DJ Eastenders COR SILK-1)

Click here to view the embedded video.

A Snippet from the rant:

Specifically, when it comes to the wallet, everyone’s suffering…of that there can be no doubt. And what of the financial prospects for musicians and recording artists in the years to come? Shaky, at best. Unless you’re one of the grotesque ‘Idol’-type pop disasters in the top 5, you’re looking at getting a day job or finding other sources of income. Conventional wisdom amongst my peers has been remarkably short-sided over the last decade: “Yeah, CD sales are down, but all the money is in licensing.” Not anymore. “Yeah, licensing money is down, but the video game industry is killing it.” Less so these days, according to recent data. “Well, the real money is in touring.” Really? When was the last time you saw a ‘new,’ post-record company artist headline a major music festival? At this rate, we’ll be stuck with Coldplay for decades (no offense intended).

Although the article is serious in nature, DJ Shadow lets us know he is aware of his status as an old-school cat & the effect it has on his perspecitve.. Shadow prefaces the article: “WARNING: RAMBLING TIRADE FROM A 37-YEAR OLD TECHNOPHOBE BELOW”

Support DJ Shadow : Buy his music here

Read more at the source :http://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=5&topic_id=2298479&mesg_id=2298479&page=

By definition an algorithm is a step-by-step problem solving procedure, especially an established, recursive computational procedure for solving a problem in a finite number of steps. This series will use this schematic and thought process to algorithmically demonstrate what you should and could be listening to. Even more importantly, turn one on to new things and build on your particular tastes. Genres and tags are incoherently rigid nowadays and people are scrambling to find and are ravaging through thesauruses to find the next new “tag/genre du jour.” I got you. Let me blur the lines and dissolve away any biases one may or may not have. Sit back, relax and let the sights and sounds pour in! Always remember that good music is good music.

Past: The artist, trend, cut, concept or label that influences, or has influenced, today’s market

Present: Right now- maybe it’s right in front of your eyes, or below your feet (alluding to the “underground”) but you happen to be missing it

Future: Something to certainly keep an eye out for

“Present” and “Future” should not be confused with release dates. Future simply implies that it can be your future is you choose so. Sometimes, a particular track, trend or idea takes some time to become relevant.

***These three ideas are communitive and have no set order. They can be used to highlight certain names, concepts and ideas.***

Present: Depeche Mode- Fragile Tension (Laidback Luke rmx.) |Capitol Records/Mute Records Ltd. 2009|

Original Produced by Ben Hillier |Perfecto|V2 (EMI)|Zomba|Island|

Written by Martin L. Gore

Click here to view the embedded video.

Past: New Order- True Faith |Qwest Records/Warner Bros. 1987|

Produced by Stephen Hague |Parlophone|Koch|Rhino|

Written by New Order

Click here to view the embedded video.

Future: Ilija Rudman- After Midnight |Love Is War|

Produced & Written by (Ilija) Rudman |Compost| Koch| Rong|Dessous|20:20 Vision|

*Ocean Colour recently licensed out to Jim Rivers- Global Underground: Nubreed 007 (2009)

LIVE @ D-Edge (Sao Paulo, Brazil 9-18-09)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Blake Jarrell – Dubai NYE

Click here to view the embedded video.

And here’s the full track played by Pete Tong on his BBC Show

Eric Prydz & Steve Angello – Woz Not Woz (Arno Cost & Norman Doray Remix)

Click here to view the embedded video.

So- what the hell is a “guilty pleasure?!” Remorse, resentment and guilt are tags associated with morality and ethics-not music, right? A “guilty pleasure” is a concept, or better yet a euphemism, that we use to rationalize and minimize potential shun and embarrassment from liking a particular song and/or artist. Depending on one’s scope of reference, “guilty pleasures” are usually associated with pop music. Despite the contrary belief, pop music itself is actually NOT a specific music genre- it’s shorthand for (pop)ular music. Any and all music can become popular due to the present market climate including but not limited to political, socio-economical and cultural changes, factors and shifts. One should certainly not feel guilty for liking a piece of music- regardless of who created it and/or how and why it was used (functionality).  Why should one feel guilt for liking something that is popular? More important than what pop songs actually sounds like, one should ask themselves “why?” and “how?” certain songs are popular- try to lay out the dots and proceed to connect them. Perhaps you’re witnessing first hand a market or paradigm shift. Maybe music is evolving right in front of your eyes and the particular “guilty pleasure” is the missing link.

Legally, a person who is incapable of feeling remorse is said to be a “sociopath” in the United States or a “psychopath” in the United Kingdom. The reason for the quotation marks sandwiching certain words is due to the specific, jargon and/or legal meaning  associated with them. Here’s a quite condeming scenario:

What if one enjoys a certain song and/or artist that is said to be a “guilty pleasure” and feels no remorse? We sing it in the shower, pump it from our vehicles, post it on our Facebook and do not care who knows? I guess technically you’re a sociopath (or psychopath if you happen to be reading this in the UK).

Well here ya go you sick, cold, guiltless,  INTJ type-personality, psychopath bastards:

Ke$sha- Tik Tok |SONY/Jive/RCA 2009| Prod. by Benny Blanco (Blanko) |Harem|OM Records|Azuli|Playhouse|

Click here to view the embedded video.

As of December 30th 2009, Ke$ha set the weekly digital track sales record by a female artist and second best overall by any artist behind Flo Rida’s “Right Round”- about  610,000 digital tracks sold for Ms. Ke$ha. Wow. Almost 200,000 more sales than the former female artist  record holder, Lady Gaga with 419,000 during the end of 2008. That’s a lot of digital singles being sold- aren’t we in a depression recession?!

At first glance, it seems real simple why Ke$ha has managed to sell over 500,000+ downloads:

1. Basically, you got a fun chick speaking directly to her generation..perfect.
2. Perfect song structure in terms of setup, hook, and recapitulation (Even the Beatles wrote like this).
3. And lastly you have all the basic studio sounds and techniques at work, but not pushing the envelope. You have melody, a story, structure and good producing.
4. This would be a hit for any artist that fit the demographic and look.

It’s good pop….you need to buy something after you buy Lady’s download, SO, here is another good track. That’s it.

That’s it? Really…it is as simple as that?! There is nothing else going on here?

First of all it’s “electro-pop.” That seems to be the music industry’s “tag du jour.” As with most music genres and interchangeable tags applied to recordings, electro (and synth) pop is a style that became butchered and bastardized throughout the 80s, disappeared for about 20 years, and now seems to be back in full force for the end of the decade into the next (i.e. Owl City, Katy Perry, Ke$ha, even the Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode are back on top of the Billboard Dance Chart). If you are reading this, then you most likely know your basic disco and all of her derivations from Italo-disco, synth-pop, electro-funk and hip hop to house and all of the modern day interpretations. The tags and genres record labels attach to certain recordings are as carefully conceived as the actual productions themselves. Ke$ha is a product as is with a majority of pop(ular) acts. People in marketing, publicity and a&r departments get paid  good money to make sure their commodity sells and using the proper language, imagery and allusions are all tools of the trade. The track was released by Jive. Being that I don’t feel like writing, nor is one inclined to reading, an entire novel on Zomba; long story short is that Ke$ha belongs to Sony Records one way or another. If there’s one label that understands dance music, whether urban, synth-pop or any combination thereof, it’s Jive (and Zomba). Jive sold to BMG for $2 billion, making it the most expensive acquisition since EMI bought and acquired Geffen, Island, A&M and Virgin. THIS IS WHERE POP MUSIC IS GOING. Industry execs are trying to merge hip hop and electronic dance music with one another and obviously it is working.

This may be the most successful go at it but it’s certainly not the first. The 80s, from the beginning til the end, were absolutely littered with these types of sounds and creative, artistic mergers- musical synergy. In the 80s, it went by a few different names and genre tags, mostly known as “electro-funk.” Tik Tok may be the missing link between urban music and dance music. This track obviously hit all demographics and clearly appealed to a target audience that I don’t think Zomba/SONY necessarily intended. Like I said, this is NOT the first time this has occurred (in reference to “electro-funk” in the early 80s along with”fresstyle” and “hip house” in the 80s and early 90s) but there is a serious shift going on. No small coincidences in the business world. We are quickly approaching on the age-old, perpetual argument of Art v. Commerce- perhaps even more polarizing than the Digital v. Analog/Vinyl discussion.

Hip hop is dying, if not dead already. We have seen an incredible 25-year shelf life on this musical phenomenon and cultural shift and now it must evolve into something else. Hip hop culture and its music has dominated pop culture for the past two and a half decades and execs have already clearly and concisely seen the direction they want to push it. The whole rap-rock hybrid didn’t fare too well, even though Linkin Park continues to sell but even Kid Rock’s label pushed him in another direction. Fred Durst who? The show must go on. The only logical choice is forcing and crafting hip hop towards electronic dance music. Both of which already have their roots in dance music and the clubs and both are considered urban music in my book. If one has any trouble understanding this idea then look no further than the top publishers, writers and publishing songs. Currently, the top publishers are EMI Music Publishing Group (the Black Eyed Peas, Kanye West), SONY/ATV Music Publishing (Lady Gaga), Universal Music Publishing Group ( Pitbull) and Warner/Chappell Music (Katy Perry). The top producers and songwriters are Nadir “Redone” Khayat (Lady Gaga) and  David Guetta (the Black Eyed Peas) and the top publishing songs are all produced by people you are incredibly familiar such as Nicola Fasano, David Guetta, Joel Zimmerman (Deadmau5) and Mark Knight. The charts are absolutely littered with producers, songwriters, and labels of the electronic dance music (EDM) realm. And by charts, I’m not referring to the Beatport or Juno Download Top 100 charts, I’m speaking about the Billboard Top 40 and Hot 100 Charts.

Remember this linear note from several paragraphs up:

Ke$sha- Tik Tok |SONY/Jive/RCA 2009|                                                                                                                                                             Prod. by Benny Blanco (Blanko) |Harem|OM Records|Azuli|Playhouse|

That’s right ladies and gentleman, Benny Blanco, the same man who created “Block Party” for Sultan’s Harem Records also penned and produced this record breaking pop single. I made it a point to include Blanco’s “underground” label affiliations as to an eye opener. To bridge this musical gap and to bring hip hop and its associated market into the next stage, industry execs and the big four record companies are commissioning your favorite “underground” producers to pen and produce hits for their next big things. I hope not to burst any bubbles or screw up one’s day, but this is nothing new in the industry. You know Ben Watt right? Ben Watt the top notch producer, DJ and label head of Buzzin’ Fly?! Well in case you didn’t know, Ben Watt was also half of Atlantic Records’ Everything But The Girl (along with Tracey Thorne). Not only is Ben Watt you favorite uber underground label’s owner and boss, he’s been a top selling producer of Atlantic Records since the mid-90s.

***Below is the well-known synonymous club remix by Todd Terry- original could be found here***

Click here to view the embedded video.

The same can said for most of your favorite present day and past producers including but not limited to David Bowie, Dave Spoon, Brian Eno, Martin Buttrich, Brian Transeau (BT), Kevin Saunderson, Charlie May, Alexander Coe (Sasha), Giorgio Moroder, Steve Angello, Stuart Price, David Guetta, Trevor Horn, Nile Rodgers, Nick Muir, George Martin, Bob Sinclar, Arthur Baker, Mark Knight, etc. If one only knew the different aliases and pseudonyms associated with some of the most “underground” producers. While some turn their noses up at pop music, one must realize what your favorite underground producer does during his down time- to put food on the table and a roof over his head. Making money from penning pop tunes also enables him or her to create the music you love so much.

In the past, music has evolved much slower and more fluently with very little attention given to the particular track, recording, and/or albums bridging the musical gaps and paradigm shifts. For example, when did disco become disco? When did soul, r&b and funk make the jump to disco? Was it when Neil Bogart (Casablanca) and the Cayre brothers (Salsoul) said so? Lines were incredibly blurred on the musical spectrum during the 60s and 70s- and it was not limited to just disco. If one cannot understand that, then go listen to Mother, Father, Sister, Brother (MFSB) and try to stick a reasonable label on that. Not so much now. The viral nature of (Al Gore’s) internet and other advances in technology have enabled the entertainment conglomerates (record companies, publishers, radio and television broadcasters) to control every aspect of the pipeline. Companies have more vehicles than ever to forcefully deliver their commodities. In other words, media management and other factors have sped up the evolution of music and have positioned the majors to be the ultimate taste makers of music leaving little to no room for free thought. I can assure you whatever thoughts are going through your head, whether it’s sticking it to the man or running out to buy the latest pop single are not preconceived or spontaneous decisions made solely by you the consumer- you can thank product branding and various commercial impressions for that. What normally took a generation, perhaps a cultural movement, maybe an unpopular war mixed with some discontent is taking a matter of quarters (as in maybe a few-under a year for sure). The changes and shifts in music nowadays occur rather abrupt. In under 12 months, fewer than 4 quarters, the masses have seen labels such as Interscope (Universal), V2 (EMI) Capitol (EMI) and Ultra (Indie but distributed by Warner Bros.) explode onto the scene Billboard charts and Soundscan data sheets with their house, synth and electro pop sounds. The Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode may be pre-established heritage acts, but the same certainly could not be said about the new breed graduating from “Pop U” this past semester, or quarter. And again, who do you think is producing and making this new music? Nicola Fasano, who produced Pitbull’s “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)”, could retire a happy man if he chose to after he tossed Ultra Records and Universal Publishng that Pitbull track (which had to be previously cleared along with writer disputes being settled due to the extensive sampling and origins of the track). <insert Eric Prydz here> I’ll do you a favor and not break any more hearts. Pryda and Cirez D couldn’t have occurred and come to fruition without the Steve Winwood/80s loving Eric Prydz.

Ke$ha’s track, Tik Tok, is making the leap in front of our eyes. Hip hop is evolving as it has failed and is done moving people- whether it be physically, emotionally or intellectually. It’s not working anymore. A 25-year shelf life is absolutely outstanding in this quirky, quickly paced, unpredictable and fast moving market place. To cohesively bring pop’s ears to the industy’s final destination, tracks such as Tik Tok must be utilized to ensure a smooth transition and to loose the smallest amount of people as possible along the way. Time is money and 125% of the population have ADD so this transition must be done as effectively and efficiently as possible. (The additional 25% on top of the technical limitation of 100% refers to 25% of the 100% who have ADD REALLY bad). This hip hop-EDM music merger/evolution/shift is nothing new in the music business and has been tried many times before but this is by far the most successful attempt. The fact that the music business has reverted back to an EP-based market has also nurtured this transition. Ditching the long player (LP) format has saved the industry an immense amount of money, time and energy. Dance music has always been a singles dominated market place while pop music has only finally accepted the consumer’s rejection to albums as of the past several years. Cost (as in the MSRP) and quality of the album or LP are among the factors leading to the long player’s unpopularity. All of the evidence is there in the form of tangible numbers. The entertainment industry could also thank the fashion industry because clothing retailers such as H&M, Urban Outfitters and American Apparel have almost ensured this transition with their hipster-80s-discotech-influenced urban chic fashions. I can’t wait to hear and see what’s next. Although the entertainment industry is said to be unpredictable, the individuals who make the big bucks are the sociopaths-  the sick, cold, guiltless,  INTJ type-personality, psychopath bastards geniuses who understand the functionality of music and lenses in which they are viewing something.

Let me leave you with my two expert “electro-pop” (cough cough) witnesses…

1. Mr. Greg  Wilson (b. 1960 Wallasey in Merseyside) |EMI|Strut|Tirk|Mercury|DFA|

Greg Wilson Wiki Electro Funk

Click here to view the embedded video.

2. Mr. Kevin Donovan a.k.a. “Afrika Bambaataa” (b. ? Bronx River Projects) |Tommy Boy Records|EMI|

Afrika Bambaataa Wiki

Click here to view the embedded video.

This one’s an easy one: The bassline in the breakdown in Joris Voorn’s tune sounds very similar to Giorgio Moroder’s “Chase”, the theme song he created for the 1978 movie Midnight Express. Both are great tunes, check them out below.

Joris Voorn – Chase the Mouse

You’ll hear the famous italo disco bassline at around 3:30 in Joris’ rendition

And the original:

Giorgio Moroder – Chase (Theme from Midnight Express)

Nic Fanciulli’s recent release on Rejected is bringing back that classic feel-good filter house sound, with updated production equating to a bigger, thicker, and cleaner sound.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Other recent releases from the Rejected label are moving in this direction, with Joris Voorn’s recent EP & another new release:

Pitto – Feelin (Joris Voorn Cant Cick This Feelin When It Hits Mix)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.