Critical Review #8

wayne&wax "we use so many snares"

Being an aspiring music producer myself, this post immediately grabbed my attention. I myself used to use Fruity Loops when I first started producing about 7 years ago and I admit, I am one of those people who don't take it very seriously. Throughout this post, Wayne talks in depth about "the music itself" and what makes reggaeton, well, reggaeton. He talks a lot about the instrumentation used, some reggaeton producers, typical reggaeton rhythms, other genre's reggaeton is similar to, etc. Wayne's knowledge of this music is truly incredible and he seems extremely passionate about what he is talking about. Wayne states that reggaeton's "caribbean polyrhythm, in all its modern, digital splendor, that gives the new style such compelling coherence", and I certainly agree. The caribbean rhythms and percussion have always gotten people moving and the use of synths gives the music a more mainstream/commercial feel.

Discussion question: In Wayne's post "we use so many snares", he talks about all the kids at home who try to produce reggaeton music themselves. Do you think it hurts the credibility and integrity of a genre when people who aren't as talented try to emulate what the professionals are doing? To go along with that, does it create a situation where there are no fans anymore because everyone is trying to contribute to the music being made instead of being a spectator?

Critical Review #7

Duany, Jorge. 1984. "Popular Music in Puerto Rico: Towards an Anthropology of Salsa." Latin American Music Review 5(2):186-216

In his article, Duany dives into the origins of salsa music providing his readers with an impromptu history lesson. Duany dismisses the common misconceptions about salsa music and Puerto Rico's assumed homogeneous culture. For this reason, he states that one cannot "develop an overarching framework of musical values" for the music. Salsa was generated from a fusion of African and Hispanic sources. Duany notes that one of salsa's greatest characteristics is that their sound is transcultural, taking elements from all different kinds of Caribbean people. Like so many other genres of music that appreciate its roots, Duany feels as if salsa has gone away from its true purpose by becoming commercialized.

Discussion Question: This is the first genre that people have tried to "put in a box". Do you feel that there are other genres of music that have become generalized by the common person but have much more complicated sub-genres when a closer look is taken?

Fieldnotes II: 'Im Comin' Home Again!"

Over Spring Break I got to do some of my best ethnographical work yet. There is nothing more useful than actually being immersed in the scene. Unlike most ethnographers I am actually already somewhat in the scene because I have produced a couple of songs for some underground ATL artists. Because of this, I was able to gain access to some underground artists and hang out with them in the studio for a bit. A few things I noticed while I was at the studio:

-It was very hot! Even with the fan blowing I was somehow sweating in less than 10 minutes

- It was a very relaxed atmosphere. Not very tense. Maybe because there is no pressure from some big-wig exec, no deadlines, and very little expectations from a "fan base", just creative expression.

-In the studio were two artists, Mums Fp & Siya, two friends of theirs, a singer who was doing the chorus from one of the songs, the producer of the song they were recording, Matt of the Super 3, an underground production group also hailing from Atlanta, and me. (Interesting side note, I used to play basketball against Matt back in my high school days)

- Everyone was very cordial and welcoming, something that is not common in the music business

PS: I definitely should've taken some pictures but I didn't feel like that would have been appropriate. I did, however, record an interview which will be posted in my final project post.

Additionally while at home, I got to attend a concert that was headlined by an artist from D.C. by the name of Wale.

-The venue was called the "CW Loft". Similar to a club but it wasn’t. Had only a bar, a stage, and an open area (no seats by the way) for the audience to stand.

- The crowd there was just what I expected. Hipsters! Well, ATL hipsters, who are a bit different from the ones you may know. I plan on further explaining this species of hipster in my final post. If you asked the people if they were hipsters, they would all probably say no because people hate to be classified, in general.

-Since Wale still isn't a household name, most of the people who attended were either from the DC area and knew of Wale previously, or were just music-heads who were up on their underground music.

-Wale is a typical underground success story. Started off underground in DC, made music without any major backing, built up a regional fan base that began to expand, had a big underground song (Nike Boots), and with that buzz, got signed to a major label in 2008 (Interscope) and now has a single, "Chillin" featuring Lady Gaga as well as an album slated to release later this year.

-A few ATL indie acts opened for Wale, including Mums Fp and Siya. B.O.B, a former ATL indie artist, now major (Atlantic), had a pretty long set and was accompanied by the person who signed him, T.I.





Please click some of the hyperlinks to hear some good music that you may not be familiar with!

Critical Review #6

Back, Les. 1996. New Ethnicities and Urban Culture: Racisms and Multicultural in Young Lives. London: University College London Press.

In Back's article, he talks about a wide array of things dealing with the topic of music generated from the African diaspora. It was very interesting to see how Back is able to break down music in such an academic way, but also on a grassroots level where it is relatively easy to understand (if you can weed through the scholarly language). One part of the article that was a bit frustrating was the mention of "sound systems". Despite his pretty lengthy explanation, I am still a bit unclear of their exact function and why they are used. Other than that, I think that Back does an outstanding job discussion music in the black diaspora.


Discussion Question: Back states that for many functions (i.e. family gatherings, parties, church activities) , music plays a key role. Do you find this to be true outside of the black diaspora? If so, why?

Critical Review #5

Walser, Robert. 1993. Running with the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England.

In Robert Walser's essay, he takes a look at Heavy Metal Music by interviewing some fo the biggest names in Metal such as Ozzy Osbourne and Iron Maiden. When talking about some of the bands that pioneered Metal, Walser mentions some of the same bands mentioned in the documentary that we watched in class (ie. Black Sabbath, Kiss, Metallica, etc.) Walser notes that one of, if not the important part of Metal music itself is the Power chord, found in almost if not every metal song. In the US, metal found its peak in the US making up 40% of all of the songs that were recorded. Interestingly enough, in his studies, Walser found that people who listen to Metal tend not to believe that metal is "pissed-off" music, which is one of the main arguments of its critics. I find it very interesting that on several occassions, Walser parallels Metal with Hip-Hop as they are both somewhat the "outcasts of music genres". Walser makes mention of Deena Weinstein in a not so positive light stating that "her book has all of the virtues and faults of most strictly sociological studies of popular culture." [23]

Discussion Question: In his essay, Walser made several parallels between Hip-Hop and Metal being sort of neglected in academic circles. Are there any similarities in the music itself (and lyrics), between "outcast" genres such as Metal, Hip Hop, Punk, etc. ?