the most important influence thread

[Moritz Morpheus MkIII]

hi guys,
today I was thinking about what or who influenced me to become that creative person that I am.

which moments in your childhood, which great musicians, which instruments, ladies, cats, wars, good or bad experiences took a influence on your musical evolution?

..so here´s mine:



my uncle smuggled me to a club with the age of 6 to see Oscar Peterson playing. first time to see great musicians play in a completely new and exiting environment.dark, smoky jazzclub..

my father brings me a copy of a rather cheesy but perfectly played islandish jazz/funk group called mezzoforte. every night I sat in my bed with my cans on, dreaming I´m the drummer of the band in thr middle of a studiorecording session, whew!


my first sequencer workstation, a Yamaha SY77, borrowed from my father..a whole new world of creating music, not just practising piano.

Kenny Kirklands(R.I.P.) solo on Sting´s "Bring on the night" live..oh god, how inspirative

My first pieces of equipment payed with my own money -Atari Mega ST4, Kurzweil K1000, and an EMU Morpheus

the purchase of a Musicman Stingray, although being a keyboardist in the first place..after fiddeling around for years on a crap bass this instrument really forced me to dig deeper..

a brazilean friend of mine, wonderful musician, who took me out for gigs when I was rather young and unexperienced..he teached me that music happens mostly for joy, creativity and improvising and not just technique and knowledge..

....damn, this list could go on and on, but for shure this was my longest post on kvr, ever!

..so c´mon, peeps, share your inspirations with the rest of us nightoilers or dayamsels!

[jdg]

the police.

over and over.

i was really obsessed there for about 4yrs. nothing but.

[Stupid American Pig]

Marijuana, for making me notice music
The Beatles, for sounding so good while smoking marijuana, and making me concentrate on songwriting
Elliot smith- for the most authentic melancholy music ever made without sounding patronizing or trite
Ben Kweller- for making creative garage Rock, when it was so boring and lifeless
Brian wilson- for writing the perfect song in "God only knows"
80-90s Hip hop- for helping me find the music I love-(70s rock/jazz/funk) and helping marijuana become easier to find
Ben Folds- for making me want to start playing keys again
Epiphone- for making a holowbody electric that is both asthetically pleasing and affordable in my 1971 Riviera.

[VitaminD]

hmmm..

just about everything I've come in contact with.. I cant really pick out the more influential..

I guess family, friends, and the radio..




I'll also be submitting an entry for DT .. he wants to include BOSS in his list of influences..

[Moritz Morpheus MkIII]

I'll also be submitting an entry for DT .. he wants to include BOSS in his list of influences..

...oh yeah, absulutely great stompboxes!

[Gridlocked]

My dad...a total hi-fi buff and although not a musician himself a total lover of good music!

[adydub]

Dark Side of the Moon. Stereo headphones.

[VitaminD]

yeah.. gridlocked.. you just reminded me

I'd actually have to say my mom..

she is/was a decently trained classical guitarist.. but cant play anymore due to an injury. She also used to play folk music records when I was young.. peter paul and mary, cat stevens, simon & garfunkel etc

A lot of people cringe at that music.. and at the time I did too.. but now it just reminds me of back then and growing up.. good stuff, good times

[trappist]

Moody Blues, Yes, Genesis, & ELP mostly.

[pheeleep]

At age 7 I started playing the violin using the Suzuki method... classical music.. I did so for 8 years. This is where I developed my "ear", but I got tired of classical music and quit. I was 15 years old and playing the violin became suddenly very uncool to me..

The same year I quit, I heard "Public Enemy's second album: It takes a nation of million to hold us back". This album changed my life.. I finally found a music I really really loved: Hip hop.. a music that really got to me..

Before that I was really into Depeche mode.. I had all their albums, but once I discovered hip hop ( run DMC and the likes ) I didn't look back.

I listened to a lot of music for a couple years, Dj'd for a year but I sucked at it.. decided to go to audio engineering school because I thought I wanted to be a sound engineer...

But finally I really got the urge to start making beats.. MY beats.. MY music... I discovered that I wanted to make music more than anything.. not be a sound engineer.. but compose/produce. It took me a while to figure that out.. but the day the light bulb went off everything went very quickly..

I was broke ( always had been ) but took out a student loan, bought myself an Akai MPC 2000 ( which is the only piece of equipment I used for the first few years ), locked myself in my room 90% of my spare time and just started spitting out track after track.. I never got tired of it.

Growing up, I listened to a lot of my dads Jazz records, as he would play them all the time.. I think that was a major influence on me..

Now I make hip hop beats/trip hop and I use a lot of violin and orchestral instruments I picked up the real violin again a little less than a year ago and it's coming back to me.. I am playing the same violin I had when I started... it's the oldest thing that I own..

Influences:


Too many to quote, but here are a few: Amon Tobin, Air, Roni Size, Saint Germain, LTJ Bukem, Dr Dre, The Roots, The Jackson five, Digable Planets, Cut Chemist, Ronny Jordan, Morcheeba, Moloko, Public Enemy and lot's of 80's Hip Hop, Supreme NTM, ..... Film Scores.... Classical music ..... My Dad's Jazz records... African Percussions... etc..

[rpc9943]

Jeebus

RonC

[Gargoyle]

I'll also be submitting an entry for DT .. he wants to include THE BOSS in his list of influences..

DT... and... Bruce Springsteen?

Eesh, just when I thought the world was settled, you drop this bombshell?

[Moritz Morpheus MkIII]

great stories so far..keep ´em coming!

[Moritz Morpheus MkIII]

I'll also be submitting an entry for DT .. he wants to include THE BOSS in his list of influences..

DT... and... Bruce Springsteen?

Eesh, just when I thought the world was settled, you drop this bombshell?

oh , ..and I thought on his beer!

EDIT:duh you got me, Gargoyle!

[Hink]

the most important influence is a no brainer, many other influences exist, but I am my number one infuence