Monday, September 24, 2012
PEER COMMENT ENTRY WEEK 4
Todd,
I find your blog entry about 2Pac very interesting. I really like how you discuss his start in the music industry. A lot of people don't know that he actually was a backup dancer for Digital Underground before he started rapping with the group. When he released his first album his lyrical content truly went over peoples' heads at that time because the harsh realities he spoke of were not being mentioned in rap songs in that manner. His later music and acting talent proved that he was a very passionate thinker and speaker. To this day 2Pac's music is influencing people. A young man that was definitely taken before his time. Excellent post Todd, keep up the good work.
I find your blog entry about 2Pac very interesting. I really like how you discuss his start in the music industry. A lot of people don't know that he actually was a backup dancer for Digital Underground before he started rapping with the group. When he released his first album his lyrical content truly went over peoples' heads at that time because the harsh realities he spoke of were not being mentioned in rap songs in that manner. His later music and acting talent proved that he was a very passionate thinker and speaker. To this day 2Pac's music is influencing people. A young man that was definitely taken before his time. Excellent post Todd, keep up the good work.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
INDEPENDENT RESEARCH ENTRY
The person I chose to write about for my independent research blog is Pharrell Williams. Pharrell Williams is a rapper, singer, composer, record producer, songwriter and a fashion designer. When he is paired with his partner Chad Hugo they are known as the production team The Neptunes. Pharrell and Chad are also members of the band N.E.R.D. with their good friend Shay Haley.
Pharrell has been a very influential person in the music industry since he got started back in 1992. Since then Pharrell has worked in various genres of music. Whether he is singing with Gloria Estefan and Snoop Dogg, producing tracks for Justin Timberlake and Shakira or rapping with the Clipse and Young Jeezy. Pharrell has not only had an impact on the music industry from a musical standpoint; he has also had an impact on pop culture with his successful clothing line Billionaire Boys Club and by gracing the covers of GQ and Esquire magazines.
There are some things about Pharrell that have allowed him to stay relevant in the music industry for 20 years. His production style is heavy percussion and synth laid. He uses unusual sounds that give his music a "spacey" feel. As a part of The Neptunes he has won 3 Grammys and 2 Billboard awards. The Neptunes were also named the top producers of the decade by Billboard magazine. Pharrell as a solo artist also scored the movies Despicable Me and Madagascar 3. He also expanded his name by branching out of music and involving himself in various business ventures such as designing jewelry under Louis Vuitton and becoming the Creative Director for KarmaloopTV.
Pharrell Williams is truly an iconic musical figure in this era. He has had the luxury of working with some of the top mainstream artist in various genres. Pharrell's production is one of the main reasons that I became a producer. Having a similar musical background; I studied his music and process for producing beats. I could not wait till new songs would come out that he did the production on because I knew there would be something I could learn to use in my own tracks. Then being given the opportunity to compose for major films is awesome. I would also like to compose for films one day even if it would be something small. There are many hip hop producers that crossover into other genres but only a few have had the commercial success that Pharrell has had over an extended period of time. For that reason Pharrell Williams is truly a special individual. In 5 years I see myself as a success engineer in Europe. My goal is to be considered as mixing and mastering engineer that helped bring a lot of projects to life for artists. Whether working solo on a project or with a team of engineers I want every artist that crosses my path to leave with some small kernel of knowledge that will help become for successful in their future.
Monday, September 17, 2012
PEER COMMENT ENTRY WEEK 3
Todd,
I fully agree with you when saying that Run-DMC are pioneers of hip hop. They were a group that got known for their fashion just as much as their music. Run-DMC did push the musical envelope with the type of tracks they would rap over. Their album, Raising Hell was one of the first rap albums I ever owned and from the first track to the last track it was an excellent album both musically and lyrically. With a deejay/producer like Jam Master Jay proving the music it truly made the group flourish into hip hop greats. Excellent job on this post Todd. Keep up the good work.
Ed Phillips
I fully agree with you when saying that Run-DMC are pioneers of hip hop. They were a group that got known for their fashion just as much as their music. Run-DMC did push the musical envelope with the type of tracks they would rap over. Their album, Raising Hell was one of the first rap albums I ever owned and from the first track to the last track it was an excellent album both musically and lyrically. With a deejay/producer like Jam Master Jay proving the music it truly made the group flourish into hip hop greats. Excellent job on this post Todd. Keep up the good work.
Ed Phillips
ELECTRONIC MUSIC INNOVATIONS ENTRY
The technical innovation I will be discussing is the vocoder. The vocoder is an instrument designed to reproduce human speech by diagnosing how spectral characteristics change over a period of time. The vocoder recreates human speech by reversing the process by processing a broadband noise source. Then it passes through a stage that filters the content of the frequency based on the original set of numbers recorded.
The vocoder has had a huge impact on the music industry. The first initial thought of creating a vocoder was in 1951 by Werner Meyer-Eppler, who was a German physicist, experimental acoustician and phoneticist. Throughout the years several people have worked to build vocoders. It was first used on a rock album titled, The Electric Lucifer by Bruce Haack back in 1969. It was later made popular by the electronic music group, Kraftwerk.
The vocoder instruments have been used in the music industry for many decades. It is an instrument that supplies a special effect on songs as well as being the main instrument used on vocals. All types of vocoders have been made in television programs, movies and also video games have been created by a vocoder. Through the popular use of a vocoders and synthesizers a new genre of music was created called, Synthpop.
The use of the vocoder has been an impactful tool on the music industry for many decades. It is an instrument that has allowed a genre of music to be created as well as been used to enhance and correct vocals. It has migrated from the music industry to films and television. It was even used on the voice of one of my favorite cartoon character, Transformers' Soundwave. As an engineer in the industry I have not had the pleasure of working on any projects that have involved using a vocoder. Hopefully in the near future I will be fortunate to work on a project where one is used.
The vocoder has had a huge impact on the music industry. The first initial thought of creating a vocoder was in 1951 by Werner Meyer-Eppler, who was a German physicist, experimental acoustician and phoneticist. Throughout the years several people have worked to build vocoders. It was first used on a rock album titled, The Electric Lucifer by Bruce Haack back in 1969. It was later made popular by the electronic music group, Kraftwerk.
The vocoder instruments have been used in the music industry for many decades. It is an instrument that supplies a special effect on songs as well as being the main instrument used on vocals. All types of vocoders have been made in television programs, movies and also video games have been created by a vocoder. Through the popular use of a vocoders and synthesizers a new genre of music was created called, Synthpop.
The use of the vocoder has been an impactful tool on the music industry for many decades. It is an instrument that has allowed a genre of music to be created as well as been used to enhance and correct vocals. It has migrated from the music industry to films and television. It was even used on the voice of one of my favorite cartoon character, Transformers' Soundwave. As an engineer in the industry I have not had the pleasure of working on any projects that have involved using a vocoder. Hopefully in the near future I will be fortunate to work on a project where one is used.
ELECTRONIC MUSIC ENTRY
The German electronic group, Kraftwerk was founded by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970. Florian Schneider would eventually leave the group in 2008. Kraftwerk is considered a pioneer group in electronic music because they were one of the first groups to make the genre popular. Kraftwerk's sound is made up of repetitive and driving rhythms combined with catchy melodies. Sound patterned after Western Classical harmonies, with minimalistic and strictly electronic instrumentations.
In 1974, Kraftwerk released the album, Autobahn. This was the group's fourth studio album. The album was not fully electronic because guitar, flute and violin were used with synthesizers. For the title track Autobahn, the group wanted to capture the feeling of driving on the Autobahn, using high speed concentration on the fast lane, the monotony of a long trip and tuning of a car radio.
In 1975, Kraftwerk released the album, Radio-Activity. This was the group's fifth studio album. This was the first album that did not use violins, guitars and flute. The track, Radio-Activity was a single that was a hit in France after being used on a popular music show.
In 1976, Kraftwerk released the album, Trans-Europe Express. This was their sixth album. The 7 track album showed much change from their earlier improvisational style and consisted of more formatted melodic electronic songs.
In 1978, the group released their seventh album titled, The Man-Machine. The 6 track album reached number 12 on the Germany album charts. The song, The Model topped the charts in the United Kingdom in 1982.
In 1981, the group released their eighth album titled, Computer World. The 7 track album was released in both German and English languages just like the 2 previous albums. The single, Computer Love peaked at #36 on the charts. Computer World, was listed as the 25th best album of the 1980s's by Slant Magazine.
There are many things that have made Kraftwerk pioneers in the electronic music genre. The group was constantly pushing music technology to the limits by using instruments they created and built themselves. P. Leunig and R. Obermayer from PTB Braunschweig built the custom vocoder the band used on a few of their albums. Most of the group's lyrical content was based on technology and European urban life. Their songs displayed a side of modern urban life from a parodical nature. Celebrating the joys of modern technology with a strong sense of alienation.
I became a fan of Kraftwerk from learning about them in the Music History I course. Now working here in Germany where electronic is the most popular music in my area. I have spoken to a few electronic deejays and they have had nothing but good things to say about the group. From an industry standpoint to learn about a group that wanted to push the musical envelope by building their own instruments in remarkable. Even more than that to achieve the success that they have had over such a long period of time is even more amazing.
In 1974, Kraftwerk released the album, Autobahn. This was the group's fourth studio album. The album was not fully electronic because guitar, flute and violin were used with synthesizers. For the title track Autobahn, the group wanted to capture the feeling of driving on the Autobahn, using high speed concentration on the fast lane, the monotony of a long trip and tuning of a car radio.
In 1975, Kraftwerk released the album, Radio-Activity. This was the group's fifth studio album. This was the first album that did not use violins, guitars and flute. The track, Radio-Activity was a single that was a hit in France after being used on a popular music show.
In 1976, Kraftwerk released the album, Trans-Europe Express. This was their sixth album. The 7 track album showed much change from their earlier improvisational style and consisted of more formatted melodic electronic songs.
In 1978, the group released their seventh album titled, The Man-Machine. The 6 track album reached number 12 on the Germany album charts. The song, The Model topped the charts in the United Kingdom in 1982.
In 1981, the group released their eighth album titled, Computer World. The 7 track album was released in both German and English languages just like the 2 previous albums. The single, Computer Love peaked at #36 on the charts. Computer World, was listed as the 25th best album of the 1980s's by Slant Magazine.
There are many things that have made Kraftwerk pioneers in the electronic music genre. The group was constantly pushing music technology to the limits by using instruments they created and built themselves. P. Leunig and R. Obermayer from PTB Braunschweig built the custom vocoder the band used on a few of their albums. Most of the group's lyrical content was based on technology and European urban life. Their songs displayed a side of modern urban life from a parodical nature. Celebrating the joys of modern technology with a strong sense of alienation.
I became a fan of Kraftwerk from learning about them in the Music History I course. Now working here in Germany where electronic is the most popular music in my area. I have spoken to a few electronic deejays and they have had nothing but good things to say about the group. From an industry standpoint to learn about a group that wanted to push the musical envelope by building their own instruments in remarkable. Even more than that to achieve the success that they have had over such a long period of time is even more amazing.
Monday, September 10, 2012
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