Friday 11 November 2011

Song Of The Day - Chilly Gonzales "You Can Dance" (Robotaki remix)



Happy Friday, everyone!
Here's some modern day 'old skool' tune-age to set you up for the weekend. Chilly Gonzales' track from the "Ivory Tower" album, "You Can Dance" harks back to the good old days of 70s dance and disco (as my dad used to play for me and my sister when we kids off of vinyl, would you believe?) but with a modern twist, a twist emphasised in this remix. Upbeat and familiar with a hint of Daft Punk circa "Discovery". Enjoy.

Wednesday 9 November 2011

Down With The Mainstream?

I was originally going to do a "Song of the Day" post but after reading the comments under the YouTube video for my selection ("You Don't Know How Lucky You Are" by Keaton Henson; it's a gorgeous tune, do check it out if you love your singer songwriters. He has an air of Bombay Bicycle Club about his vocals) it got me onto a completely different tack. Forgive me this rant, normal service will be resumed in the near future.


Human beings are programmed for curiosity. It's how all of the great discoveries of our age came about. It's how continents were discovered, lands populated, how medicine became great and how we industrialised and became prosperous. We want to see what's out there and share what we've found with others. So when someone says that you aren't allowed to share things you find out with other people, looking down on them for wanting others to be a part of something, it's telling someone to repress an aspect of humanity, all for the sake of a little snobbery.


I'm all for people discovering music however they can, wherever they can. I'm also hugely proud of radio stations who take bands and artists who might be slightly less well known and give them a break that the vast majority of them deserve. We're constantly being told that the music industry is a tough ol' game to be involved in, that record sales are going down and illegal downloads are damaging artists. Musicians work incredibly hard to get themselves onto the map, to get word out of their material and to get interest. It's a job like any other; at the end of the day you want to make a success of yourself by doing something you're passionate about. While talent shows give the illusion that the industry is easy to get into, in the vast majority of cases it takes a lot more than singing on a stage for two minutes in front of label big-wigs (paid to be there) in order to get someone to take notice and to take a chance on you.


Radio 1 in particular always used to be (and still remains) the Holy Grail for up and coming artists to get their material recognised and played. Over the past few years, the station has upped their game and really done their utmost to promote unheard of, under-the-radar and unsigned artists. I love listening to the likes of Zane Lowe, Huw Stephens, Nick Grimshaw and the specialist DJs on at night. A lot of the time, that's how I discover new music. They have a passion for it and love to give artists a chance. What I can't stand is musical elitism and the call from individuals who call themselves "fans" of an artist when, just because they get played on a "mainstream" station they are, for all intents and purposes, "selling out".


Which leads me on to my main point.


A comment under the video for Keaton Henson's video basically implied that Zane Lowe could fuck himself, that anyone who had discovered the track from Radio 1 was a moron and "whatever happened to people discovering music for themselves?" Dear Special Snowflake, would you like a medal? I mean congratulations if you found this song by randomly typing words into the search bar and seeing what came up but I'm fairly certain the reason you are there, listening to the song yourself is either because someone told you about the artists work and suggested you listen to it or it came up as a suggestion after you'd watched someone else's video. In short, you found out from word of mouth or being susceptible to other people's opinion. When it boils down to it, how is that too far removed from having the work of a deserving and incredibly talented musician recognised on national radio and people discovering it that way? It's still someone suggesting you give it a play. Music is to be shared. It's how people form bonds and relationships, it's how people find themselves and form their identities. It alters moods. Gigs are an opportunity to be taken in by someone's talent and enjoy the atmosphere they create. Feeling passionate and expressing that towards others is how music is shared. Get off your high horse. If you truly liked and respected the artist, you'd be glad if their following increased and they got some recognition. Don't bitch about how someone found out about the artist, just celebrate the fact they did. If you're into them to be 'underground' and 'unusual', it seems as though you're in it for all the wrong reasons.