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Wednesday, June 29, 2011

My own little production series gets a kickoff - Elvis Blue

A photo of a cup of coffee.Image via WikipediaWho would you invite to your office for a coffee and an impromptu performance?

In this series, we invite SA's top musicians to join us for coffee at the Channel24 offices. We also ask them to perform a song completely unplugged for the '24' staffers.

In this first episode, Idols winner Elvis Blue took some time to visit some of the departments at the 24 building – where he has many fans!

His performance of his new single Save Me was impressive, given that he accepted the challenge posed: No amps, no mics... just one acoustic guitar and a voice.

Click here to see the performance.


Elvis posed for pics and signed autographs before and after his performance.

Who will take up the Channel24 Coffee Break challenge next?

Music - or the player? Chris Roper, Steve Hofmeyr and Me - an exchange.

A 12" record, a 7″ record, and a CD-ROM.Image via WikipediaJust had a very interesting exchange with Chris Roper and Steve Hofmeyr (no, really), about a seemingly random thing...

To contextualise, here's a brief summary:

CHRIS ROPER: Always fun funding the limited edition stuff. VOD minidisc and steel cover VOD side project.

STEVE HOFMEYR: Just bought Ion's 'tape&record to Ipod' for my 2 suitcases worth of casettes&records.
 

CR: But some stuff I can't let go of. And some stuff doesn't translate to digital eg Coltrane. Or iggy Pop.
 

ME (totally conversation-bombing): But maybe music as an artefact is declined anyway. You all have ipods now. Isn;t technology the artefact now?
 

CR: You can never have too many artefacts. And all give different pleasure. Ok, I. do have too many. Grr.
 

SH: I dunno if music can be an artefact. Old tech can.
 

SH: I've always seen artefacts as something old, passé & tangible. Music is still huge. Old format is declining.
 

CR: the format is the artefact. Eg.Just found this Ella Mental seven single." Gosh.I was about 22.

Interesting perspective. I was thinking that music was the artefact in the sense that it imprints on memory very vividly. It represents more than itself in that sense... it actually may come to represent a time and space for people.

But of course I agree with Steve, too. Music before the digital era came with very specific "items" like a vinyl record (and to a degree CDs for a short while). This involved the physical action of "putting something on" to listen to, within a very specific space (your home, your office, your party) using technology or devices that for all intents and purposes were social and not "portable"...

... At least not in the sense that MP3 players, iPods and such are. The "personal listening experience" as first imagined by Sony's Walkman, effectively took music out of the realm of "social". And now, the likes of the iPod, etc, the music doesn't  even have a physical representation – not a visual one, or a social one. It is effectively a stream of consumable data, which for me diminishes it as representational artefact.

It doesn't in itself mean a moment or a place for you anymore, because you take it everywhere. Or you CAN take it everywhere. Without sharing it. It's a personal listening experience.

As a musician myself I find that both comforting and ironic. For me, music was once shared. Not in the data sense, but in the social sense.   Now, with the ease of actual 'sharing' of digital data, music seems more widely distributed, but less shared... funny.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

The Wrong Rock Show episode 60

Image representing Mixcloud as depicted in Cru...Image via CrunchBaseWas my privilege to be back on The Wrong Rock Show again yesterday. here is a COMPLETE show (2hrs) which you can stream while you're working. I decided to bring some old classic rock and mix it up with host Botha Kruger's left of centre entries. makes for an interesting, multi-perspective show.

The Wrong Rock Show is broadcast on Bush 89.5 in Cape Town. Bush is a community station that has a varied and interesting programming lineup, particularly in the evenings. Listen out on Sundays for the The Unhappy Hour as well.

Full playlist in the player... also if you let the player load up, you'll be able to skip ahead - just like YouTube... narf!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Will Smith – Wild Wild West

Wild Wild WestImage via WikipediaSlick Willy is the consummate showbusiness all-rounder. Actor, rapper, presenter... he's a fine example of how charisma and likeabilty will take you far far beyond your small beginnings.

He had a fair crop of hits in the early 90s ("Girls of the World Ain't Nuthin but Trouble!", even though he's kept his brand of rap fairly innocuous, pushing fun and light over hard and mean.

While the movie Wild Wild West turned out to be a bit of a dog - or giant spider, whatever - the accompanying single is a killer of note.

Sampling and referencing solidly from Stevie Wonder and hip-hop icon Kool Moe Dee, the groove that's produced is as good as anything in the preceding decade.

In fact, so good is the arrangement, even Sisqó's, slightly overcooked delivery of the chorus hook works deliciously!

It's a perfect flatbead for Smith's ever-the-wise-ass lyrics and posturing, and as a result the whole thing comes off like it should: Fun under a very VERY slick delivery.

Along with "Boom Shake the Room", this is Slick Willy's finest moment, despite criticism from the gallery at the time of its release.

Note a hilariously stiff dance segment in the video (which is actually pretty funtastic as well) actually seems to add to the charm of the whole shebang. If you don'f feel your feet tapping to this, you're dead from the ears down.


Audio interview: The Script

The Script en BarcelonaImage by alterna2 via FlickMark Sheehan turns out to be an honest man. He openly admits that the moments that made the band successful were scary as hell, and that the rise to fame was as much of a surprise to them as anyone else.

Mark talks about the legacy of being an Irish band in a world that's known U2 and Van Morrison, how success came about for the band, and what playing for 70 000 (20 000 more than Oasis the night before)  felt like.

Click here to hear the Interview in full (7 mins).



Tour Itinerary

Johannesburg
Friday June 24 2011
Coca-Cola Dome
Tickets from R246 –R399

Cape Town
Sunday June 26 2011
Grand Arena, Grandwest Casino and Entertainment World.
Tickets from R246 –R374

Tickets available from computicket, or phone 0839158000.

Originally published on Channel24

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Friday, June 17, 2011

Destiny's Child - Independent Women

Before Beyoncé Knowles became an unstoppable hairforce unto herself - or perhaps while she was on her way there - Destiny's Child had a clutch of successes with their irritatingly spot-on vocal delivery and perfectly pitched-yet-strangely-reserved sexuality.


Some time around the third album, team Destiny came up with this killer pop track, driven not so much by its "slammin' beat", but actually by a huge basket full of vocal hooks, which didn't rely on the hystrionics so evident in modern RnB.


The production (kudos to Beyoncé Knowles, Sam Barnes, Jean-Claude Olivier and Cory Rooney) rightly saves any vocal improvisations only for weak musical moments - the bridge is a low point in the song to be over-critical.


But be honest now: Can you truly resist lip-synching that opening word:"Question..."? Or even being a backup singer later on in the prechorus and chorus ("I bought it!", "Throw your hands up at me!")


By the time the link ("The shoes on my feet...") arrives in the song you're sold. It's strange but true to assert that the actual chorus hardly matters in this one, because the entire track is basically a neverending series of utterly singable melodic lines, which the understated beat does well to colour by being almost by-the-way.

Despite a video that looks a bit random due to the Charlie's Angels movie attachment, it's an object lesson in how to put together a dance tune with credibility. And if, by chance,  you've ever heard Elbow's skiffle version, you'll agree that a great pop song's acid test is to be overhauled in a completely different style... and still work.In this case... Oh yes. Oh yes indeed. Winner.




Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Six great child pop acts

Performing WomanizerImage via WikipediaOriginally published by Channel24.co.za/music

By Anton Marshall, Carli McAdorey, Dani McAdorey, Art Pereira, Lauren Hess, and Syminn Tamblyn

Many names go on the brainstorming page when you embark on a quest to mention great child pop stars. But add a few criteria and seemingly obvious choices are eliminated off the bat.

For example, specify that the child-star in question cannot be simply young. Being young but being sold as an adult eliminates the likes of Britney Spears, in this case. She was around 17 when her debut album arrived. Certainly her schoolgirl outfit in her debut video was not to allude to playtime – at least not for kids.

So we decided to keep this short list to the acts that were obviously children and meant to be seen as such. Here are six we felt deserved a mention:

Bad 4 Good

A heavy metal band formed in 1991 by guitarist Steve Vai, the band featured a quartet of teenagers, none older than 16. Of the four, drummer Brooks Wackerman had arguably the most post-Bad success, playing for Bad Religion.





Jackson 5

It's hard to argue that there was ever any other vocal or pop child group with more pure talent and appeal than the Jacksons. And it's even more scary when you observe that even amongst that lot, Michael was a standout performer by a long, long stretch.




New Edition

In the early eighties, Robert Bell of Kool and the Gang helped put together a group of talented kids and a pop sensation was born. Testimony to their enduring talent is what became of their respective careers immediately after New Edition split up, especially one Mr Bobby Brown.






Hanson

These days they're written off as a cheesy 90s schlock. But bear in mind that the brothers Hanson actually performed their own instrumentation in studio and live, and that "Mmmbop" track is pretty catchy.. for cheesy 90s schlock. Oddly, some people think they're related to Beck Hansen. Weird.




Musical Youth


In an unusual twist, UK band Musical Youth brought a reggae bent to proceedings and were nominated for a Grammy! Their wildly misinterpreted hit "Pass the Duchie" is still an anthem for stoners, and a source of outrage for concerned parent groups everywhere. Naturally, the duchie in question has nothing to do with either drugs or sports dexterity.






Willow


Precocious and born to Hollywood royalty she may be, but on the strength of her debut song – the gratingly inspired "Whip My Hair" – Willow Smith has star quality. If she remains focused into her teens, she may even buy some credibility in the music scene.







Justin Bieber

Bieber wins everything. Grammys, MTV Awards, BET (Black Entertainment) Awards, CMT (Country Music) Awards...we expect him to take home the Oscar for best supporting actress next year. So... yeah, Bieber's in. Here he collaborates with another spawn of Smith and Pinkett, Jaden.







Any more to add? Let us know in the comments below.



Taxi Violence - Long Way From Home

Taxi Violence has taken a turn for the better.

The band's strongest claim to stardom has always been an electric live set – electric in the sense that it is high-voltage energy on a stick of short-fused dynamite – and though the album work hasn't been bad per se, it gave a muted impression of a band that's actually a lot better under lights than in a CD player.

Not so with Long Way from Home, which almost reverses the image completely. It's easily their best complete album to date, bound together more holistically than the harder singles-generating efforts from before.

If there is a track that rises out from the rest, it's the new "Devil & Pistol" and the title track "Long Way from Home", though very marginally. This is an album more about performances and effect within songs.

The rearrangements have exposed vocalist George vd Spuy to be a singer very aware of and in control of his intentions; his delivery and especially harmony constructions are a superb example for young vocalists to follow.

Rearranging the songs so strongly has also had the knock-on effect of separating them from their observable influences, most obviously for me the likes of Queens of the Stone Age, Zeppelin and so forth.

If rock n' roll's associations with whiskey are really that ingrained, perhaps it's time a band tapped Southern Comfort as its calling card. It's sweeter, smoother, and has its own sense of history. A lot like Long Way From Home, which offers hope for all SA bands attempting a third album, even if mostly as a set rearrangements.

Originally published by Channel24.co.za/music
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Friday, June 10, 2011

Hunters & Collectors - True Tears of Joy

Great pop songs are very simple to achieve in principle. Listing the requirements on paper, it's easy to think "how hard can that be to do?" And yet, so few actually achieve it, because in reality, of the 50 things that could make a great pop song, hitting 5 or even ten just ain't good enough.

And then you get those moments where every box gets ticked. And in many cases it's not by the top-selling or most-played artists on tv or radio. In this regard, Australian artists really hit the ball out of the park when you least expect it.

The first time heard Hunters & Collectors was on one of Donna's radio mixtapes. Must have been around 91 or 92. Back then radio was a platform for discovery (much like the Interwebnets is for some these days, but in a different way).

When I eventually caught a glimpse of the band in press photo, I remember thinking that it was a side project for Crowded House. Of course it was Mark Seymour's resemblance to House bass player Nick Seymour that confused me – and given that they're brothers, well... you understand my mistake.

ANYWAY... they had a handful of hits in the Aus, couple of good albums, a reputation for being a top live band – Seymour even scored a few ARIA awards.

But True Tears of Joy is a gem of a tune, partly because it features all the ingredients of a great pop song: Strong opening motives, prechorus and hook; excellent vocal performance, quietly confident musical arrangement...

And when it came to the video they chose to go simple and unsophisticated. This is still one of my favourite songs to play at home when I'm thinking about where to take life to next... and if I ever open a songwriting and performance school, this will feature in the curriculum.


Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Sigue Sigue Sputnik - Love Missile F1-11

I'm not sure that Tony James or Martin Degville knew exactly how mindblowing this concept is... yes, still is. Entertaining as it is to look at... weird and wacky as it sounds, it's actually a grandiose piece of concept pop that William Gibson might have been rather interested in pondering.

If Johnny Mnemonic was the archetypal cyberpunk terrorist, Sigue Sigue Sputnik was on his iPod (or whatever they had in Sputnik City, 1990).

In trying to retro-engineer the original versions of the songs that became the first album (I have a copy of The First Generation), you get the impression that this was the foundation of what was to become the automated mix era of music.... a combination of samples, dropout, four-track cassettes, voxpops ripped from TV, radio, and all manner of guerrilla-styled audio adventures.

That Sputnik carried that mentality into its video presentations must have seemed like sheer lunacy at the time. But you have to concede in retrospect that it acerbically and accurately predicts the plasticity of pop culture to come, not to mention the total artificiality of its soundtrack.

Seriously, how far removed is the preening and posing of Neal X from a modern day Heidi Montag or Kim Kardashian? X probably had less plastic in his bodysuit than Montag does.

Yet Sputnik has more social relevance – intended or not - than many "smart" bands have had since. Added to this mix of crazy subterfuge is the context of global annihilation anxiety (1986!) and the hysterical excess and aspiration of the 80s (1986!).

The culmination – probably the zenith – of which is the iconic song and video "Love Missile F1-11".

Monday, June 6, 2011

Backstreet Boys – As Long as You Love Me

Those who know me do understand that I've never been one to follow the candypop bands – especially those who require dance routines to sell their music.

BUT I do give credit where it's due, and sometimes even a boy band from the nineties deserves a mention for getting a single right.


Backstreet Boys were never really on my radar – I kind of regarded them as an American phenomenon, neither unimportant nor particularly critical to music and its legacy. Their second album, Backstreet's Back, did contain at least one little gem of a song.


The official music video is rather predictable, but this live performance for Disney appropriately captures the band's appeal for that intended audience; they were good performers who never really felt they needed to take things over the top (looking at you, Gaga), but managed to come across as friendly, fun, and just smart and respectable enough to be acceptable at your Dad's dinner table.


In this case, a great pop song, complemented by a great live performance. Respect.