Current pop charts


Dadrian

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Disclaimer: please disregard this topic and forgive me if there is already a thread about this.

I can't help but notice how much Jan Hammer influence is in the current Billboard Top 100. I've heard at least 20 songs with Crx Theme-like basses and pads (Jupiter 8). Also, there are many tunes using Linn Drum samples (ex. "The night is still young" by nicki minaj). You can check out my "Jan Hammer for Dummies" sticky in this forum for more info on said instruments. That thread is also for intellectuals ;)

I'm thinking that many producers of the current generation maybe watched MV as a kid, and/or can't help but think of JH when they look at a synthesizer. Okay, I'm just talking about myself now :)

Anyway, the most blatant example has to be "Style" by Taylor Swift. Even if you don't like her, the comparisons I'm speaking of are undeniable.

There's hope!! :)

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Interesting. That JH is influential I have no doubt; but about the Top 100 I can't say much. I do think that a) the quasi-'80s synthwave sound is pretty fashionable in the pop scene currently; and b) the sounds of the LinnDrum and JP-8 have become very much instruments in their own right, and integral to a variety of genres, much like 'the Strat' etc. has.

 

Trivia: Apparently Taylor swift uses a Prophet-12 on stage. 

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I haven't heard any Jan Hammer influences. Taylor Swift's "Style" isn't influenced by Jan, it's influenced by the ever-growing Synthwave/Retro Wave scene. You could say the same with Pitbull's new crap, and one other song which I don't know the name of because I don't pay attention to new pop. (I only listen to it when I'm basically forced to due to somebody else having the radio on the pop station)

But yeah, there aren't really specifically Jan Hammer influences. Just pop trying to be cool.

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I think I'm hearing what I want to hear. I see the world thru a pair of Wayfarers :)

You guys are both right, though, and I don't mean to sound like I'm condoning the entire pop scene. As always, it's mostly garbage.

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Well, I'd say that music influences are never about instruments used. That's a common mistake especially non musician do, though it also happens with pros sometimes. All the 80s keys/synths mentioned were widely used from virtually any band/keyboardist worldwide back then. Some of them are back now, as it happened for the Fender Rhodes, the Clavinet etc. but they are just "sounds", just colors. It's like saying I'm influenced by Van Gogh cause I use the yellow most.

 

It's about the way they're used and blended instead and - most of all - it's about personality and talent. More or less it's what happens with white blazers and wayfarers when it comes to imitate Crockett ;-) It's not about that.

 

Today there's a big hype about this pseudo revival scene of the 80s, call it retro-wave, new retro, synth wave etc. but - frankly- nothing I heard really grabs the essence of that decade. It sounds much more like "videogames background music" to me, and it doesn't surprise me. I honestly don't find a single trace of JH or any 80s vibe in anything aired on the radio nowdays.

 

Guess why? Because we're no longer in the 80s. And music is a product of the era it belongs to. Mozart, Sinatra, Elvis, Led Zeppelin, the Disco scene etc. were all products of their respective time. Sure, you can learn the formula and put all the right ingredients into the pot to make let's say, a "perfect 60s" song: you can buy vintage instruments or (worse) their digital emulations, you can use tube microphones, mono mixing techniques etc. You could even come up with some 60s songs being "more 60s" than the original, but you'll never be able to catch their true spirit. That's it, folks.

 

PS For the ones who didn't read it already, here is a music-wise analysis about the work Hammer did for Miami Vice. Surely not complete, but it could be interesting for the ones who want to go beyond his instrument list.

 

Also, take a look at my signature ;-)

 

http://miamiviceonline.com/index.php/topic/12200-a-music-wise-analysis-of-jan-hammer-work-for-manns-miami-vice-long-post/

Edited by Jerry Beck
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I have greatly misrepresented myself with my own words in this thread :(

I had no idea there were such informed members on this site these days. I'm really glad, though!

I promise to step it up :)

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:) :) :) Ikr??

Trust me, I can't wait for the next one. I've been working 60 hr weeks while my wife goes to college. Now she's out and starts as an RN tomorrow! As soon as things slow down for me a little, I promise to get back to the music!

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about the only people I know who have been influenced by Vice were well the guy I took my name from

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYfdmWg_EMM

 

as testarossa, 80's musical insturments of which I know he uses and a mixture of that and a little beverly hills cop  style.

 

 

and Junkie XL, of whom I've followed loyally since my teenage years.

 

 

 



Test Drive anyone?

 

although I know for a fact sometimes musicians liberally steal pieces of other music for their own songs, sometimes right at the start, as I know of two songs that I always get mixed up with each other as the same chords and pieces are used in it.

 

despite one being terrible, and its always the terrible one that gets airplay.

Edited by Kavinsky
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Well, I'd say that music influences are never about instruments used. That's a common mistake especially non musician do, though it also happens with pros sometimes. All the 80s keys/synths mentioned were widely used from virtually any band/keyboardist worldwide back then. Some of them are back now, as it happened for the Fender Rhodes, the Clavinet etc. but they are just "sounds", just colors. It's like saying I'm influenced by Van Gogh cause I use the yellow most.

 

It's about the way they're used and blended instead and - most of all - it's about personality and talent. More or less it's what happens with white blazers and wayfarers when it comes to imitate Crockett ;-) It's not about that.

 

Today there's a big hype about this pseudo revival scene of the 80s, call it retro-wave, new retro, synth wave etc. but - frankly- nothing I heard really grabs the essence of that decade. It sounds much more like "videogames background music" to me, and it doesn't surprise me. I honestly don't find a single trace of JH or any 80s vibe in anything aired on the radio nowdays.

 

Guess why? Because we're no longer in the 80s. And music is a product of the era it belongs to. Mozart, Sinatra, Elvis, Led Zeppelin, the Disco scene etc. were all products of their respective time. Sure, you can learn the formula and put all the right ingredients into the pot to make let's say, a "perfect 60s" song: you can buy vintage instruments or (worse) their digital emulations, you can use tube microphones, mono mixing techniques etc. You could even come up with some 60s songs being "more 60s" than the original, but you'll never be able to catch their true spirit. That's it, folks.

 

PS For the ones who didn't read it already, here is a music-wise analysis about the work Hammer did for Miami Vice. Surely not complete, but it could be interesting for the ones who want to go beyond his instrument list.

 

Also, take a look at my signature ;-)

 

http://miamiviceonline.com/index.php/topic/12200-a-music-wise-analysis-of-jan-hammer-work-for-manns-miami-vice-long-post/

I can agree with you that most of it does sound like it belongs in a video game or on Knight Rider. That's why I mostly only listen to the vocal stuff, they sound more 21st century indie, but the inspirations are definitely strong.

There's also some dark stuff which can sound pretty vicey.

Feel free to explore my playlist.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL9xYVyVtkAa7TzbDWduKvgqmmQu5Wk1K

 

Pretty much the only new music I listen to.

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Hi James, thanks for your post.

Well, the tracks you submitted are not bad, but the matter is more complex, at least for a guy who's born in 1961 and even more if he lived the 80s as a musician. Let me try to explain. What I loved about the music from that decade (or - better said - until that decade) is basically how much music there was into the records. Less obvious than how it seems.

See, all the new retro tracks aim to recreate that "sound": perfect 80s production, huge gated snares, pointed kicks, analog (or fake analog) gear, and a plethora of writing tricks taken from the easiest pop/dance music of the era. The guys made their homework well, and the cuts actually have the 80s sound, but to me there's something missing.

You know why? Cause it's a formula, and couldn't be anything else. You see, today everything has been decoded and can be re-encoded easily. And while this process guarantees a perfect formal result, it hardly leads you to something fresh and true.

In 1988 an art critician wrote we live in a Xerox-grade of culture, and I agree.
If you like let's say, Jamiroquai, listen to Stevie Wonder's Innervisions, 1973, or the early records from Deodato and you'll see what I mean. Speaking of 80s, if you like these new retro bands, listen to the early records of ABC or Go West and you'll clearly see the difference.

Don't get me wrong: is great that young people still love the 80s and make records like that, much better than rap-crap things, or grungy depressing rock with wailing lyrics and out of tune singers. But this only catches the superexterior side of the music it aims to citate.

I don't want to sound preachy, believe me, this problem affects me personally everyday, so I'm not criticizing, I'm just describing the state of things in 2015. We could talk about the market and distribution too, and the subject would be even more painful.

Maybe a time is coming when we'll able to put some soul into the music of today but - doing our best - we'll end up with just a good copy.

Edited by Jerry Beck
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That's a good call on Kavinsky sounding like "Knight Rider" Music. haha. A lot of this stuff sounds like 8 bit video game music but updated

 

 

I heard this on the radio and thought it sounded very 80s euro pop. Sounds like something Kate bush would have released In 1985 

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Hi James, thanks for your post.

Well, the tracks you submitted are not bad, but the matter is more complex, at least for a guy who's born in 1961 and even more if he lived the 80s as a musician. Let me try to explain. What I loved about the music from that decade (or - better said - until that decade) is basically how much music there was into the records. Less obvious than how it seems.

See, all the new retro tracks aim to recreate that "sound": perfect 80s production, huge gated snares, pointed kicks, analog (or fake analog) gear, and a plethora of writing tricks taken from the easiest pop/dance music of the era. The guys made their homework well, and the cuts actually have the 80s sound, but to me there's something missing.

You know why? Cause it's a formula, and couldn't be anything else. You see, today everything has been decoded and can be re-encoded easily. And while this process guarantees a perfect formal result, it hardly leads you to something fresh and true.

In 1988 an art critician wrote we live in a Xerox-grade of culture, and I agree.

If you like let's say, Jamiroquai, listen to Stevie Wonder's Innervisions, 1973, or the early records from Deodato and you'll see what I mean. Speaking of 80s, if you like these new retro bands, listen to the early records of ABC or Go West and you'll clearly see the difference.

Don't get me wrong: is great that young people still love the 80s and make records like that, much better than rap-crap things, or grungy depressing rock with wailing lyrics and out of tune singers. But this only catches the superexterior side of the music it aims to citate.

I don't want to sound preachy, believe me, this problem affects me personally everyday, so I'm not criticizing, I'm just describing the state of things in 2015. We could talk about the market and distribution too, and the subject would be even more painful.

Maybe a time is coming when we'll able to put some soul into the music of today but - doing our best - we'll end up with just a good copy.

Yeah, I'm not saying the 80s are back or anything like that. I'm just saying the inspiration is there to create new styles inspired by the 80s. And they're way better than anything on the radio, let's be honest. :)

Past decades cannot be replicated, those chapters are closed. For example - American Pie, Hotel California, Cats in the Cradle, the fact is that nobody will ever be able to create masterpieces like that ever again. Just like how nobody will be able to create 80s tracks, even if they had the same technology. Times change, influences change, people change. They can try, but it won't have the same vibe, or atmosphere. I hope you understand what I mean. 

But if you want new music, the Retro Wave scene is the closest you'll get to 80s music. I've even heard a handful which I thought would sound pretty good in Miami Vice, if they ever decide to make new episodes. :)

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That's a good call on Kavinsky sounding like "Knight Rider" Music. haha. A lot of this stuff sounds like 8 bit video game music but updated

 

 

I heard this on the radio and thought it sounded very 80s euro pop. Sounds like something Kate bush would have released In 1985 

Have you heard Highway Superstar's remix?

 

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I gotta admit I think all the songs that I want to write down after hearing them on the radio (I gotta remember to put that damn pad and pen in the glovebox today!) are from the pre modern age

 

hell the last one I can remember was this

 

 

also remember what I said about hearing songs that sounded like they used stolen bits to pull you in? I swear I think someone stole from this song as well.

 

 

also where did the thing about Kavinsky sounding like knight rider music came from lol not that I Object, I like the knight rider theme lol but I didnt think that was the intended meaning

 

and the last time I remember liking modern music was like the pre 2005 age, as I think that's when things started to go sour, hell I remember someone saying the only good music that came out in 2004 was the Gorrilaz. and as weird as that sounds, I really cant remember going for anything modern post that besides kavinsky that pulled me in that was mainstream.

 

hell I think the only reason he went mainstream is because his song was in the GTA 4 soundtrack really, actually if you come right down to it, the GTA, Sleeping Dogs (Queens Dragon Attack seems to have come back because of that) and Saints Row games are really the only sources of discovery outside of the internet that people have right now, that and BBC Radio

 

and the independent music stations that play anything and everything at late hours at night. 88.1 and 88.9 here in MA

 

also I swear no one was playing Ted Nugents Stranglehold before it was used in Vice City Stories, now its shows up once in awhile on the stations around here.

Edited by Kavinsky
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