KVR Audio

You™ · Post by **You™** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 6:46 pm

I know what you meant Techbot. Don't worry.

mystahr · Post by **mystahr** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 6:56 pm

ugo wrote: nice subtle groove mark! as opposed to a jam that immediately grabs you, instead this one sneeks up on you and quietly encourrages you to start moving. it whispers 'get down' rather than shouts it

Which was the intention too; to keep it basic and simple but allow for much to happen around it and slowly grab you. I feel I should one day get this back up and lay it out on a longer timeframe, but there's other projects that take precedent now. Thanks Ugo; and Rez surely helped building this subtle groove

You-TM wrote:When you said, "miniature programming and mixing going on," I knew exactly what you meant. I've taken a lot longer to finish a song, but I doubt I've done as much mixing and tweaking as this month. And of course right after I submit, I think of several things that would have made it a lot better...

Yup same here; every month again....

I'm not so keen on all this miniature sequencing normally, but I must say this month was fun to work on. But...... I'm just so darn impatient most of the time

the detuned chorus pads are pitchbent sounds I created for Podolski with a mixture of chorus and delay btw.

As for the homegrown percussion; more about that on a later date since it came from an ongoing challenge between respirator and me

warbug · Post by **warbug** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 12:06 am

its been exactly one year (metal revenge) since i have entered a kvr contest. please be nice.

ugo · Post by **ugo** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 12:33 am

warbug wrote:its been exactly one year (metal revenge) since i have entered a kvr contest. please be nice.

wow...it really has been that long, hasnt it? counting this month, i've only entered one other contest since then. (the solo contest, last sept.) i've really got to try to enter these things more often.

well, as i remember, i dug the track you entered in the metal contest, and i dig the track you just entered for this month.

(proper review coming soon.)

-ugo

Barnadine · Post by **Barnadine** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 5:24 am

Techbot wrote:Just pointing out that some genres do have certain qualities that may be linked to inflection in language or socio-economic factors and/or genetic differences. These are often not reproducable outside of that particular environment and any attempt to do so leads to a form of superficiality. (I'm thinking authentic blues recordings or tribal drumming)
It is when the genre is busted open and these qualities are replaced rather than imitated that succesfull cross fertilization occurs.

There's a small, depressing phenomenon here: Aussie hiphop. It's not as bad as it used to be, but you still get a lot of middle-class, suburban white boys rapping in half-American accents about their cool, hard gangsta lifestyles. It's not really a cultural appropriation issue - these kids are just imitating the music they love, which is how a lot of musicians start out - but like Techbot says, it feels hollow and superficial and sort of pathetic. They copy all the tics and mannerisms of another culture's music, without having the imagination to rebuild it into something relevant to their own lives. It's not all bad, of course, but I rarely hear Aussie rap without the vague desire to chew my own ears off. (And in the background there's the whole issue of local Australian culture getting squashed under the McDonald's/Hollywood/67-versions-of-f**king-'Law & Order' cultural steamroller.)

I had an interesting time with 'Hometown', Glooper's track last month. The song was very well done, but whether it was intentional or not, those lapses into American idiom and mannerisms set off a slightly humorous, incongruous note in my ears, and didn't fit well with the earnest lyrics. I don't think white rap is essentially wrong or bad. (Mostly, but not essentially.

) Talking rhythmically to music is an old, old thing, through talking blues and way, way back. But I agree with Techbot, it's a matter of replacement vs imitation. I don't have a problem with utm's rapping, he doesn't seem to be straining to sound like someone he's not, but American ears may pick up nuances I can't hear.

At the same time, I'm all for people trying on music genres from other countries and cultures. It's just a matter of kicking things around a bit till they fit comfortably, rather than aping the external details. Whatever you feel about an artist like The Streets, you've got to admire how he's dismantled US rap and rebuilt it into a shabbier, clunkier, genuinely British sound. If you're going to steal it, you should try and own it.

I remember Gillian Welch copping a lot of flak early on - how dare an educated, urban music student appropriate the sounds of traditional Appalachian folk and bluegrass? But then you hear her sing and all that flies out the window. Genuine love and respect for the music. Great artists make authenticity issues seem irrelevant.

To summarise: Aussie hiphop sucks.

(P.S. Glad you liked it, Wopelka.

)

respirator · Post by **respirator** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 6:44 am

Techbot wrote:Apologies to Repirator. That wasn't my review just a note. I was meant to get back to your tune but forgot. I will post a proper review with the next batch.

Thats fine - as long as you stop calling me repirator!

freeztar · Post by **freeztar** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 9:06 am

Yo yo, DJ Respy fo real!!!

Glooper · Post by **Glooper** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 9:29 am

Barnadine wrote: I had an interesting time with 'Hometown', Glooper's track last month. The song was very well done, but whether it was intentional or not, those lapses into American idiom and mannerisms set off a slightly humorous, incongruous note in my ears, and didn't fit well with the earnest lyrics.

That was kinda intentional... I was trying to be "Gangster"... The irony was that i was rapping about wanting to escape my getto... in fact a small half asleep town in sussex full of chav wannabe's...

Ben

Barnadine · Post by **Barnadine** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 11:05 am

Glooper wrote:That was kinda intentional... I was trying to be "Gangster"... The irony was that i was rapping about wanting to escape my getto... in fact a small half asleep town in sussex full of chav wannabe's...

Phew. That 'wid zem' bit would always crack me up, then I'd feel all guilty in case there was no intentional irony.

You™ · Post by **You™** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 2:14 pm

I blame Glooper.

Vanilla Gloop.

Subliminal messages in his song made my vocal come out with the get fresh flow.

In unrelated news: I had to drive a rental car this weekend and whenever I do, I always like to make assumptions about the previous driver based on the stations to which the radio is set. Well this minivan (ugh... don't ask) was tuned in to one of the more powerful Soul and R&B stations so I listened to it for a while. It wasn't the music that eventually derailed my interest, although that was really banal and homogenous. It was the commercials. So many commercials. At times, it was hard to tell them from the songs. But there's no difference really - it's all ads to sell goods and services, right? When I said the music was homogeneous, I not only meant the songs themselves, which despite their formulaic approach sometimes has a glimmer of an interesting idea or original sound trying to surface - but the mixing is all the same. I'd hazard to say most are working with the same drum and bass sounds, their all EQ'd and mastered nearly identically. In a self-same environment like that, anyone would look like an innovator. I don't mean this to be an indictment of R&B or hip hop in particular because I popped around to a few other stations to Rock, Oldies and yes, a bit of Country - it was all the same. Nice how the commercials have their jingles altered to blend in with their market segment. Did I say "jingles," I meant songs...

And if you think the so-called-Oldies music was immune because it was from a different era, think again. It's not exactly the same music I remember. The songs themselves have been re-engineered to sound more modern and unfortunately almost every tune in rotation had been associated with some product by those greedy philistines on Madison Avenue.

I wish I'd brought a CD of this months songs to enjoy...

It's good to see Warbug is back in full form. Glooper too. Both of your songs are excellent. I'm still trying to decipher Col.G's entry.