A Golden Age for Dance Music

Think back to early 2008. A little-known singer named Lady Gaga had just appeared on American Idol to enthusiastic crowds who praised her strange costumes and innovative blend of electro and hip-hop/pop. Dance music was still largely relegated to those within the "scene," with innovators like Oakenfold, Tiesto, and even Justin Timberlake who laid the groundwork with blending more progressive pop influences into their songs. But then again, dance music was still largely unnoticed with the one notable exception being Cascada, who by some unknown miracle had managed to crack the Hot 100 with an upbeat eurodance song in 2006. David Guetta (and others) were making masterful dance albums, none of which charted on the Top 200 and dance radio airplay was doing about the same as it had been doing in 2002.

Everything has changed. When you see that Rihanna won a Grammy for Best Dance Recording and Usher and Ne-Yo come out with songs that sounds like Ferry Corsten mixed them in 2002, you know that Toto is dancing somewhere at a techno club in Kansas.

The reason? Gaga. As much as I criticize her for being unoriginal, annoying, and outlandish, no one can deny her immense contribution to the genre, so much so that I'd put the 21st century timeline of dance music into two quadrants: Pre-Gaga and Post-Gaga. Her innovative genre-blending of electro, pop, hip-hop, and house (that still hasn't gotten a proper label) made it COOL for artists to borrow things like dance beats, synth pianos, and progressive chord structures. And above all-- put attitude back into pop music. She hasn't been doing anything that say, Kylie Minogue didn't do in 2004...but she does it a whole lot better, and with controversy galore. Now that Gaga-sound has caught on to every aspect of Pop music, pop and R&B performers turn to dance music with open earbuds and even make some of the more hardcore elements of hip-hop don sequins and glowsticks.

Let's look at this dramatic transformation on a timeline to better illustrate what I'm saying: Pre-Gaga we had Cascada and SexyBack by Justin Timberlake, as well as a whole hoard of Pop Remixes that had some airplay in clubs (Deborah Cox, Madonna, Britney, etc.). Post-Gaga....Well, let's just take a look at the Hot 100! Usher - DJ Got Us Falling In Love, Ne-Yo - Beautiful Monster, Rihanna - Only Girl In The World, Pitbull- Calle Ocho, Britney Spears - Hold It Against Me, Katy Perry - California Grrls, Black Eyed Peas - Time Of My Life (Dirty Bit), Enrique Iglesias - Tonight (I'm Loving You) and the list keeps on going!

If it's dance music, it's hot right now. Electronic music is not only replacing organic music, but also in some way, the more electronic the better. My question is, what does this mean for the genre? Well, folks, I think we're entering another Golden Age for Dance Music.

What's really great about this electronic pop trend is that existing dance/electronica performers have had a Frankensteinian resurrection with the growing pop fascination with dance music. To some extent, yes, it's because of their own shift towards more commercially accessible music. Of course, there have been mixed results (I'll be the first to admit Tiesto's "Pop" album wasn't so great). But for the handful of crossover acts that have really taken off, the impact has been HUGE. And let's give a lot of credit to French DJ David Guetta for pioneering the movement. After somehow convincing wil.i.am.that dance music was awesome, David Guetta has become one of the top-selling music acts in the U.S., and conventional house performers like Daft Punk and Deadmau5 and electro artists like Robyn have cracked the Hot 100 and Top 200 for the first time in YEARS.

One only wonders how long this Golden Age will last. Even fleeting revivals of dance music like in the age of Technotronic, Ace of Base, and La Bouche in the early 1990's, are ephemeral at best. I gotta hand it to Gaga... She's got a good thing going on, and inevitably, there might be a cult of personality factor with how long this lasts. But (and this is a rare thing when I say this), here's to Gaga to see if she can keep it up so dance music can continue to flourish.

Ultra Records has been redeemed!

Remember waaaay back when I was complaining about how Ultra Records had sold out with abominable compilations like Ultra Dance 10? Well, I don't know if they're fans of my blog or if they finally woke up to all the controversy surrounding their recent turn, but they've turned back onto the path of righteousness!

Case in point: the new Ultra Trance 09! A new 2-disc techno extravaganza with literally some of the best hits of the '08 season and some new Summer '09 hits. The trance is back, with excellent artists like Armin Van Buuren, Oceanlab, and Kaskade headlining the project. Speaking of projects, this is the FIRST Ultra Trance compilation to top the itunes dance charts due to the strength of the new single "Infinity" by the Guru Josh Project and remixed by the very up-and-coming Klaas. Every song on the album is techno/trance brilliance, chosen carefully from the DANCE charts and not the pop charts. In fact, there's not a single pop remix to be found on the album. And Ultra has gone back to LEADING in the industry instead of following, including such breaking and more underground tracks like "The New World" by Markus Shulz.

The initial response from the techno community has been quite positive. "Infinity"'s succes has carried the compilation to the top of the itunes album and singles charts and is expected to fair quite well on Billboard's Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart this Thursday.

I personally am ecstatic that Ultra Records has returned back to their roots. I hope Ultra Trance 09 turns out well for them. For all technoheads out there, I would HIGHLY reccomending picking this album up.

Ultra Records has sold out

Woe to the music world when a respected techno record company such as Ultra Records commits the greatest atrocity known to good music: selling out. Even if you're not familiar with Ultra Records, listen to my requiem for a label.

First, a brief history lesson: Ultra Records was founded in 1995 by former Virgin executives who were tired of the way mainstream techno was being handled and thought they could do it better. In short, they were right. Ultra Records became quite literally the biggest and most respected record label for all things techno, producing records by techno gods like Armin van Buuren, Kaskade, Tiesto, Benny Benassi, and even Paul Oakenfold. Ultra was responsible for the growth of techno in the late 90's as a "mainstream" genre and by 2005, in the age of Cascada, had managed to create a substantial audience for techno with their excellent marketing strategies and command of the market. PS. if you're in business school, by chance, this is the paradigm of capturing a niche market. See me for details.

Here's a sample that's relevant to my discussion. Ultra Records, much to the dismay of #2 rival Robbins Entertainment (responsible for the Cascada/D.H.T. advent of 2005) had ALWAYS been able to draw people in to techno with one excellent tool: Compilations. Ultra consistently put together the BEST compilations of techno singles yearly with such series like "Ultra Dance," (their most popular) "Ultra Trance," "Ultra 200_" (insert year here. My personal favorite series), and "Ultra presents Thrivemix". Samples of some of the best of these compilations are scattered throughout this review.

Now, the thing that was great about these compilations, especially Ultra Dance, was the ability to take killer pop remixes, put together with Billboard Dance Top 20 hits and market it as a hip, sexy way to listen to cool techno music. Note that almost ALL Ultra Records compilations feature nearly-nude models on the covers, some of their older records even including pull-out posters. It's brilliant, really. The customer gets the excellent music, and the satisfaction that they are somehow on the edge of things and being risque or avant-garde. Terrific stuff.

And this is where Ultra Records has failed. On their newest compilation, Ultra 10, Ultra Records has included pop music. Yes, pop music. Not pop remixes. Standard, straight-up pop/hip-hop. Not even remixed. Just pure pop. The techno element is still there, but it's marginalized, shoved towards the back of the album. Hoping that people will keep the CD on long enough to get to the actual dance music and maybe like it. Don't believe me? Well, let's look at the tracklisting, shall we? The first two songs: "Live Your Life" by T.I. and Rihanna and then "Bust It Baby Part 2" by Plies and Ne-Yo. Both Top 40 pop songs by mainstream pop artists, no remixing, no techno.

How much more sell out can you get?! This unprecedented atrocity that Ultra has committed has not gone unnoticed by techno fans, who are quickly abandoning the series. However, as to be expected, the series is now more popular than ever with the pop crowd.

I'm usually not opposed to letting the techno element slide a little bit in favor of drawing people into the genre, but this is TOO MUCH. Ultra compilations were always a little dicey for hardcore dance/electronica fans simply because the pop remix element was so strong. I personally liked it, listened to it, bought into it. Ultra Records now is betraying the very same thing that made them so respectable in the techno community: they NEVER pandered to popular pressure. Ultra always had great taste and went with it, being a LEADER in the industry, not a follower. And it's not like their old formula wasn't working. People respected Ultra. Perhaps with recent economic strings tightening, Ultra was forced to sell out to pay bills, but that's against the spirit of the industry. To be quite frank, what the FUCK is T.I. doing on a TECHNO music compilation?! It's disgusting. And the rest of the compilation is barely-remixed pop songs: no new or original techno tunes involved. It's a nightmare.

Ultra has a difficult choice to make now: continue on the road they're traveling, win more Top 40 pop fans, and lose ALL respect from the people who supported them in the first place, or admit their mistake, repent, say a few hail Mary's and hope that their next compilation album will be able to bridge both gaps.

I personally am quite disappointed. This kind of shit is NOT tolerated in the dance/electronica community. Note that I'm not blogging about this just to whine. I'm blogging about this in the hopes that other people will recognize that this change has occurred, note the consequences it has for all techno music fans, and stop buying Ultra until they change their attitude towards their original fans.

Otherwise, it's R.I.P. Ultra Records in my book.

Fuck Lady Gaga

It's time to unearth the ugly truth about America's new reigning "techno diva." The catchy single "Just Dance" and follow-up single "Poker Face" seem innocent and catchy enough, but after I'm done with you, you'll see that this whack chick is an abominable sell-out.

I'm approaching my argument as I would a history lesson. I didn't always hate Lady Gaga. I heard about her WAYYY back in early April 2007 when she was first making major waves in the internet techno community as the newest brainchild of producers RedOne, the geniuses behind Robyn's newest electro-hip-hop comeback. Lady Gaga was unique in that she had a definite techno sensibility paired with the flashy performance style of glam rock, ala "Black Cherry"-era Goldfrapp. Her original single "Boys Boys Boys" started getting a bit of club play and I started taking notice.

Gaga finally got signed to a major label and produced the ORIGINAL single "Just Dance". It is here that I must be clear. The ORIGINAL club mix of the single in August 2007 played on techno radio was a fun jammin' techno track, heavily sythesized, heavy drums, fun danceable shit. The closest thing you can find now that resembles this version is the album cut on her album "The Fame", but note that the original version had no Colby O' Donnis. I liked the single because it had major crossover appeal. Lady Gaga's crazy pop antics and her mastery of catchy, danceable hooks had all the hallmarks of doing what Cascada failed to do in 2005/2006: introduce the mainstream pop crowd into the joys of true dance music, put hooks in 'em, and real 'em in with continually powerful hits.

But here is where my hate train leaves the station. Gaga, the shallow performer that she is, got a break on "Dancing With The Stars" in August 2008, performing "Just Dance" in front of a major television audience. Characteristically, when the Top-40 people are forcefully introduced to techno, they wake up and realize that it's awesome. Lady Gaga suddenly had the power to make a difference in the techno world. Lady Gaga, however, did the EXACT OPPOSITE: she sold out.

As soon as she got her break, Lady Gaga teamed up with Akon's Konvict music and crossed the bridge into pop music, burning the bridge behind her. Akon put Colby O'Donnis on the track, and created the version of "Just Dance" that's on the album. Gone was the heavy synthesized pumping bass and in came Colby's whining verse and dumb lyrics. The song became Pop. "Just Dance" topped the Itunes Dance charts. Itunes, sensing the sellout...*cough cough* excuse me, "cross over" appeal of the song stopped classifying Lady Gaga as dance and moved her into Pop in August 2008. Lady Gaga had finally betrayed her roots and had become cliche, bubblegum, silly danceable pop music ala Pussycat Dolls and began being picked up by Top 40 radio stations.

But Lady Gaga's betrayl of anything called "dance" was not complete! NO! Far from it. Lady Gaga invigorated by her newfound success changed "Just Dance" EVEN MORE! There not just two versions of the single, but three! Chances are, if you turned on the radio right now, the version that you would hear features Akon and Kardinal Offishal. Let me repeat, Akon and Kardinal Offishal! The song was COMPLETELY rearranged to include the best elements of Akon and Offshal's failed single "Dangerous" and put the beat and piano hooks centered around Gaga's vocals. Almost ANY traces of the original club mix were essentially destroyed by this new version of "Just Dance", now penned the "RedOne Radio Edit".

And as to be expected, Lady Gaga finally got the break she "deserved". As soon as it became pop, "Just Dance" shot up into the Top 10 of the Hot 100. Accordingly, the techno community has completely abandoned her. Want proof? Look on her "Remixes" of "Just Dance" on Itunes. Recognize a single REPUTABLE techno remixer or DJ who has produced any of the remixes? Nope. All the remixes are produced by hack DJs or are cleverly disguised re-versions of alternate Konvict remixes. (Note that the appearance of Richard Vission, a once-respected DJ may seem slightly contradictory, but it's not. Vission hasn't had a hit in years, and is, quite honestly, desperate).

In short, Lady Gaga is a fucking sell-out. If I could have 5 minutes alone with her, this is what I would say. I'd say, Ms. Gaga, I know "The Fame" of Top 40 success is lucrative, but if you continue on this dark, dark road, 5 years from now no one will remember you. At least Cascada is still respected in the techno community for staying true to their roots. The only people who respect you are drag queens and people who don't know any better. You are quite simply now just one of the many "rising pop stars" who, without a serious course correction, will never have another hit.

Lady Gaga = FAIL. If you're at all into techno, stay away from this sell-out shit. Pick up the newest Kylie album or Amin Van Buuren's GODLIKE "Imagine" and groove on.

Music Essay: An ode to Nu Metal. It’s significance, rise and fall, and hopes for revival

I was walking through Target today (go figure) and saw a copy of Disturbed’s album “The Sickness.” Remember that? Catchy, frantic, angsty, METAL! Great music to rock out to. Disturbed, and all the other bands that were pegged in the late 90’s-early 2000’s as “Nu Metal,” essentially dominated the popular metal scene, establishing some of the biggest names in modern rock (Linkin Park, Korn, Slipknot, etc.) and producing some classic albums.

But almost as quickly as it caught on, the very same angsty, chains-wearing teenage boys listening to the stuff suddenly decided that Nu Metal wasn’t cool and started ditching Nu Metal bands like the plague (or the Sickness, if you will). Bands like Linkin Park, Staind, Papa Roach, and P.O.D. were forced to adapt or die. And in many instances, some bands didn’t get off the Titanic quickly enough and are now swimming in the oceans of obscurity. The question that I want to explore today is “why?” Why was Nu Metal so popular, important, and (in my opinion) awesome in the late 90’s-early 2000’s and suddenly completely culturally IRRelevant today?

To find the answer, it’s necessary to briefly examine the history of Nu Metal. Anthrax is widely accepted for creating the genre with their song “Bring the Noise,” both a remake and collaboration with Public Enemy in 1991. The distorted, syncopated guitar riffs combined with the rapping created a decidedly noisy rap-metal combination that worked brilliantly (check out the original song). Out of the spark of Anthrax came the fire of Korn. Korn’s 1994 eponymous debut album ranks as one of the most influential metal albums of all time, matching hip-hop drumming, funk baselines, and rapped/sung lyrics with moody, dark guitar riff and a LOT of screaming. This would become the hallmark Nu Metal sound. Korn’s success with “Korn” and “Follow The Leader” inspired other bands to do the same, notably Limp Bizkit, who became the posterchild for the genre as time went on with albums “Three Dolla Bill, Yall$” and “Significant Other”. In 1999, something extraordinary happened. “Significant Other” exploded and gave Nu Metal Top 40 mainstream success with songs like “Nookie” and “Break Stuff” (metal, catchy, and awesome). Along with this came a horde of Nu Metal bands within the next three years. Notably, Papa Roach (“Last Resort”), Slipknot (“Wait and Bleed”), Staind (“It’s Been A While”), P.O.D. (“Boom”, “Youth of a Nation”), and the most popular Nu Metal band of all time, Linkin Park.

Linkin Park is worth mentioning separately for a minute. At the time of Linkin Park’s wildly popular debut “Hyrbrid Theory” in 2000 (which later went diamond), Nu Metal was at its apex. Mike Shinoda’s rap-metal fusion had worked well, creating a classic album that really can’t be paralleled or exceeded. It was at this time that Nu Metal was doomed.

Nu metal’s ultimate demise comes from the fact that the genre is surprisingly inflexible. Nu metal is by definition unable to do much that isn’t metal or rap. The metal-inspired guitar riffs are generally too simple to yield experimentation and most band DJs were unable or unwilling to draw more samples from hip-hop or electronica to explore more of Nu Metal’s potential. Faced with these limitations, Nu Metal MCs/lead singers were unable to crank out catchy new songs that could beat Linkin Park’s grip on the genre, Nu Metal gradually became hackneyed and boring.

By 2002 Bands were forced with the not-too-difficult choice. Ditch Nu Metal or die. Bands who continued to try failed, such as Crazy Town’s pitiful second album “Dark Horse,” Korn’s “Untouchables,” and Papa Roach’s “Lovehatetragedy.” Limp Bizkit’s 2003 effort “Results May Vary” is considered by many to be one of the worst albums of all time. By Linkin Park’s less-successful “Meteora” in 2003, it was clear that Linkin Park was no longer able to carry the genre on it’s own. Nu metal was dead.

Established bands like Staind and Korn began to drift into the broader world of Alternative Rock, wielding more organic sounding guitar riffs, while some like Slipknot and Disturbed, abandoned the hip-hop element almost entirely and dove headfirst into Alternative Metal. Even Linkin Park changed its tune on “Minutes to Midnight” in 2006 to a much lighter, much less electronic rock.

Today, no successful Nu Metal band exists. The genre has become extinct. Is there hope for a revival? Chances are, not for a few years at least. The genre is still far too fresh in the minds of Top 40 kids and too painful for metalheads to remember (who now consider Nu Metal a blemish on the face of rock, due to their painful failures towards the end of the period). Rumor has it that Linkin Park will be returning to Nu Metal on their 2009 album, and thus, have a hope of reigniting the genre.

In my opinion, if any band wishes to learn from the rise and fall of Nu Metal, it’s that you can’t be inflexible. There’s constantly more room for experimentation. Not EVERYTHING has to be hyper-heavy, driven by hip-hop beats, and feature a catchy syncopated guitar riff/electronic hook. Let’s take Linkin Park’s “Given Up” off of “Minutes to Midnight,” which is brief restyling of their older work. It starts off with completely different instrumentation: organic clapping, and live-recorded drum beats. Still the syncopated guitar riffs, still the scratching and the dark baseline with screaming. But new song structure: a bridge with a build up to screaming and an synthesized guitar riff, then back to the main chorus. Inventive, no?

I’d like to see more of Nu Metal in the future. But until then, I’ve still got some “Issues” with Korn, and some “Chocolate Starfish” with Limp Bizkit to tide me over. If Nu Metal can “Break The Cycle” (Staind reference, for all you fans), maybe we’ll see a resurgence.