Posts Tagged Music Of Today

Brilliant Pointers On How House Music Passes The Test Of Time

Posted by on Wednesday, 25 May, 2011

It truly has not been that long since house music first surfaced. It is sometimes complicated to truly establish exactly what house music is, yet we have to understand that when it first surfaced a great many declared that it absolutely was merely a “fad,” and it was very unlikely to last. What we have observed, nonetheless, is really a continuous reinvention and so the house music of today is somewhat dissimilar to the house music that first arrived on the scene in Chicago.

As has been said time and again, house is a descendent of the disco period. Where did the line between disco and house come about and when did one essentially disappear to be replaced by the other? It seems very likely that disco simply overstayed its welcome, so to speak and lots of the tracks which were unveiled towards the end were a lot poorer quality. That most likely contributed to its decline.

It didn’t take very long until house started to take hold, even though there were certainly unique “styles” as well as “sounds” in a variety of parts of our world. We simply cannot truly put our finger on an actual beginning, despite the fact that London, New York and Chicago were all very contributory to the all round concept. It’s interesting to look back to see exactly how those 3 cities touted very different versions and solutions to house music. One city might focus on midtempo, with another much more high energy and frenetic, to cater for whatever the fan required for his or her dance music “fix.”

There were many offshoots and subcategories, garage being one of them. Progressive house grew to become very popular, as did hard house and they spurred all the more subcultures, for example tribal house. It seems that no matter what approach you adopt – if you want it more high energy, more sinister or darker, there was a little something inside of house music that might be guaranteed to make you happy.

Within the decades ahead we might look back at this time to see that house music was metamorphosing into something different. Nonetheless, currently it seems to be standing the test of time and satisfying clubgoers worldwide with no let-up in sight.


The Sweet Old Sound of Vinyl

Posted by on Friday, 17 July, 2009

Back when I was a kid, vinyl records were the vehicle used by diehard music lovers to listen to their favorite songs. Eight tracks were going out of style really quickly and the latest thing was the cassette tape. Even with the passing of the eight tracks and the appearance of the cassette tape, scores of music lovers, such as matt nathanson, stuck to the long-established vinyl records for their listening enjoyment.

We have come a long way since the hay day of vinyl records. CDs are all the rage now with good reason. The audio quality is truly pure and you almost feel as if you are in a sound-proof room when you focus your listening skills on the CD player. You can simply sit back with an xs energy drink and enjoy the songs. The clean sounds are a big improvement from the vinyl records that crackled as they played.

However, it is that crackling sound that is only offered by the vinyl records that I find so pleasing. There is something about that sound that is so fun to listen to especially when I’m in a wistful mood. Maybe it is because the crackling sound is tied so intimately to the songs I loved when I was a young person. I just can’t seem to separate the two.

I discovered my love for the one of a kind antique sounds of the crackling vinyl records accidentally. A close friend of mine offered free disc jockey services for my wedding. Of course I did not refuse the nice wedding gift. There was a catch. My friend plays vinyl records, nothing else.

This was not actually a hindrance for me. I wanted to forego all of the stylish pop-chart music of today and focus on older dance music and classic songs available on vinyl records. My friend started playing dinner songs at the reception. He chose traditional Irish music for the wedding meal. It’s not hot new music, but it’s pretty.

The entire reception hall fell silent during the prayer. Once the prayer ended, the DJ placed the needle on the record and the quiet room filled with soft crackling sounds followed by lovely Irish music. The transition was magnificent and the memory of the moment the crackling sounds overtook the reception hall still gives me chills. You simply could not duplicate that with a compact disc.

Technologically, we have come a long way when it comes to music. However, we should not altogether let go of the little gems from our past. The haunting sounds of the crackling vinyl records help us truly touch the past even if for just a flash.