Dong Min MH2 Blog: December 2011

Monday, December 19, 2011

Podcast 2-Dr.Dre

Peer Comment3

Great job Norkus.

Your introduction is very informative and offers a great insight on Martin O’Donnell. The structure of your post is very organized and clear. I like the way that you explained his background information with providing his youth and how he started his career in the game music. I also found interesting information that only three people made Halo’s huge orchestral game music. I also impressed that you provide Marty’s philosophy for his work and how he expressed his work and philosophy in Halo. I cannot provide any constructive criticism, as you have fulfilled all the requirements. I also think you put a lot of effort into this paper. I have learned a lot about Martin O’Donnell and his work in the game music.

Independent Research Entry

 Andre Romelle Young, known as Dr. Dre, was born Feb 18, 1965. As a record producer, rapper, record executive, and entrepreneur, he is one of the most influential people in music industry. Dr. Dre, began to DJ at house parties, eventually becoming employed at the nightclub called Eve’s After Dark. And he started his rap artist career as a member of the World Class Wreckin’Cru. After while, he became and founded member of the influential gangsta rap group N.W.A. With his successful artist career, he became a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records and now he is the CEO of Aftermath Entertainment. With the creation of his successful brand of headphones, Beats by Dre, he has improved the quality of music heard by consumers and stated him as a successful entrepreneur.

As a recording producer, he has had huge effect on popular music. He developed and helped popularize the musical genre, West Coast G Funk. West Coast G Funk is a sub-genre of hip-hop music that used multi-layered and melodic synthesizers with slow, heavy beats and was popular rap music in early 90’s. He has produced so many smash hit albums with famous rap artist such as 2 pac, Snoop Dogg, The Game, Eminem and50 Cent. In 2001, Dr. Dre co-produced six tracks on Eminem’s landmark album Marshall Mathers LP, including the Grammy-winning lead single, The Real Slim Shady. In 2002, he focused on producing his most successful album, Get Rich Or Die Trying, for rapper 50 cent.

Dr. Dre is one of hip-hop producers who started to use electronic instrumental devices such as synthesizers and drum sequencers because his primary musical influences came from 70’s funk musicians such as George Clinton, Isaac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield. Based on his musical inspiration from 70’s funk music, he developed his famous hip-pop style G Funk. Unlike other hip-hop producers, he tries to avoid using samples in his rap music. Instead of using samples, he actually makes studio musicians to play pieces of music he wants to use. This allows him to have more flexibility to control rhythms and tempo of pieces. This is why G Funk often utilized fewer, unaltered samples in a song.

As a listener, he is one of musicians who has had a huge influence on me. I really like to listen his songs with using his headphone. His mixing and recording is so experienced and well made. As an industry professional, he is one of great producers and engineers in music industry. He has his passion and style in his music. He always tries to create perfect music, beats and sound with new technology.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Peer Comment2

To Norkus
You had a lot of good material and explained each section really well. Providing background information of the band and electronic instruments and each album’s concept with detail makes your entry really strong and informative. And I like how you describe the sound of Kraftwerk in the end with your thoughts about the band. I was also impressed about your explanation with own opinion and agree with that people of the time could lose themselves in such a fantasy world with kraftwerk’s music. I enjoyed reading your post on Kraftwerk and seeing your point of view on such a great band. Great job!

Electronic Music Innovations Entry

Kraftwerk, the most influential electronic music band in 70’s and 80’s, was formed by Ralf Hutter and Florian Scheider from Dusseldorf, Germany in 1970. Their music was innovative to music at that time. The primary songwriters and leaders of kraftwerk, Florian Schneider and Ralf Hutter met and started as a duo in Organisation. After short period time as Organisation, they started the band Kraftwerk. Even though they worked with many different musicians as band members, Florian and Ralf were the only main members. Their music was fully experimental. They used repetitive rhythms with catchy melodies and electronic instrumentation. Kraftwerk are considered pioneers in electronic music history and electronic instrumentation and devices.

Kraftwerk truly helped development of music technology and electronic instruments such as the vocoder, the electronic drum kit and synthesizers. They always tried to create unique sounds with electronic devices in their Kling Klang Studio and even created their own instruments. They built an electronic drum pad that triggers synthetic percussion sounds. They even created conceptual electronic instruments such as light beam activated drum cage triggered sounds by arm movements. Kraftwerk was the first band that used the music sequencer. Their experimental effort with creating electronic instruments had a huge effect on today’s electronic music and technology.

Kraftwerk was one of the early users of the conceptual album form. Before the Kraftwerk, most albums were track based. Each song in the album had different lyrics and idea. However, Kraftwerk put one concept to the album and each track was connected to the main theme of the album. These types of albums gave an artistic impression and uniqueness to kraftwerk. This conceptual album concept and totally new sound allowed kraftwerk to become revolutionary artists. Their music has influenced other artists in many different genres of music. Cabaret Voltaire, Gary Numan, Joy Division, New Order, Soft Cell, Depeche Mode, and many other electronic music bands were probably influenced and developed by Kraftwerk, even if it was in indirect ways.

2 years ago, I had a chance to use a vocorder. It wasn’t impressive back then because I got used to the hi-tech instruments. However, I never thought about creating vocoders or some sort of electronic instrument. I think their music was an experiment and a challenge to them. They successfully created their own music with their own technology. It is so impressive to me that the music form 30 years ago still has a huge influence on today’s music.

Electronic Music Entry

Kraftwerk was one of the most influential and innovative groups from 1970’s and 1980’s. This German band, Kraftwerk, showed and provided us the beginning of electronic music. Their music was totally innovative and new back then. They mostly used electronic synthesizers, keyboards and basic forms of electronic instruments to write the melody and rhythm of their music. Also each album had unique conceptual themes. However, they had a similar image of the rest of pop bands back then. They wore matching suits just like The Beach Boys and The Beatles.

From 1974 to 1981, Kraftwerk released 5 albums that could be remarkable to electronic music history. At the end of 1974, kraftwerk released album, Autobahn. This was their first conceptual album that inspired by The Beach Boys. With huge success with Autobahn, they came to the U.S. in 1975 and then they released album Radio Activity with concept of nuclear energy and the radio. After success with two albums, they released another conceptual album Trans-European Express in 1977. They came up with the idea of European interconnectivity and train travel as their new concept. They tried to emulate the train sound as rhythms and beats. However, this album didn’t make commercial success. In 1978, they released the album, The Man Machine and found success in the UK and the U.S. This was their first pop looking album. After while, kraftwerk released their remarkable album, Computer World in 1981. This album was about the rise of computers within society.

Kraftwerk earned the position of the biggest influence on electronic music history and forms. They experimentally tried to make new sound with synthesis and combined electronic music with the pop sound. They also started the form of conceptual albums. Kraftwerk put unique concept on each album. In the album Autobahn, they used Road Travel as their concept and used nuclear energy and the radio in the album Radio Activity. Not only did they put concepts in their albums, they tried to give messages to audiences. In their live performances, they used showroom dummies to express their ideas and concepts.

As a listener, kraftwerk leaves a huge impression on me. They did make music, which is what they loved to do and had a huge influence on electronic music and musicians. They used unique concepts on albums with serious messages. As an industry professional, the sound of kraftwerk was all about innovation. Their revolutionary sound and skills leaves a huge effect on electronic music and modern music.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

What's Going On Podcast1

Monday, December 5, 2011

Peer Comment1

To Norkus

I like the detail that you explain information really well. Especially, you mentioned how social event affected Marvin Gaye’s music and provided your thoughts about it. That made me impressed. I can tell you paid attention to the reading material and searched a lot of information. I think there are enough information and your opinion, which makes your blog entry more professional. Your entry has several good points with your own ways to explain. One thing that you could add to your entry is details about what Marvin did for releasing his album. That will explain his passion about the album more. Good job!

What's Going On Entry

Prior to the recording of What’s Going On, his music and image was similar to other typical Motown musicians who sang love song without political and protest concerns. Before the album, What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye already had huge success on his career and was famous sex symbol at that time. However, he wanted to do jazz instead of typical Motown R&B and make his own creative music.

There were many social and national concerns that influenced the lyrical content of What’s Going on and Marvin Gaye himself. During the 60’s and 70’s, America was in dark period and socially unstable. African-American poverty, unemployment, protest against the Vietnam War, and indiscriminate violence, these were hugely influenced on Marvin Gaye at that moment. And he focused on these social tragedies more when Renaldo “Obie” Benson brought the song What’s Going On inspired from his awful experience that watched violent between protesters and police from San Francisco in 1969. Also, his brother Frankie Gaye who went to The Vietnam War told tragedies in the war and what was going on in the war to Marvin Gaye. After that, Marvin started thinking and questioning about why the World around us is full of tragedies. And these social and national concerns naturally influenced the lyrical content of What’s Going On.

Marvin Gaye faced many obstacles to get What’s Going On released. Berry Gordy who was a founder of the Motown record label didn’t want Marvin Gaye to sing controversial and protest songs. Marvin’s song totally broke the typical Motown sound and Berry Gordy said, “The worst thing I’ve ever heard in my life”. Berry also worried that it would hurt Marvin’s career and losing his fans. So the Motown record refused to release Marvin’s album. After the company refused to release his album, Marvin refused to enter the studio and record anything else for the company until they released the album. After the company released Marvin’s album desperately, the album What’s Going On recorded a huge hit and became one of the most influential album.

There are many aspects that set What’s Going on album apart from other soul and R&B recordings of the mid 1960’s and 1970’s. Compare to typical Motown sounds, this album was totally shock to the record label. They made typical love serenades and pop songs without political and anti-war protest concerns. The record company didn’t want to take a risk and keep their musicians in certain ways. However, the album What’s Going on broke their rules and recorded huge hit. Also Marvin Gaye tried completely new recording and musical approach to his album. During this time, Marvin accidently created his signature sound, Multi layered vocal technique. And he also treated emotional facts as the most important fact to his album. For example, he recorded his intro while the sax player was in warm-up.

As a listener, this album has been one of my favorite albums through my life. His voice is perfect for the song and truly inspiring. The song really touches my heart and emotion. Now I understand why this song was so influential back than. This song touched people’s emotion when they were in dark era of history. As an industry professional, this was first album that Marvin Gaye broke his typical image and music. He tried to put emotion into his album with creating new technique of recording and efforts. He took a risk with his career and put so much passion and effort. I think that makes his album What’s Going On legend.

The Velvet Underground Entry

The Velvet Underground and Nico was an experimental and unique rock band formed in New York City with a famous pop artist Andy Warhol as the band’s producer in 60’s. Andy Warhol influenced the image of The Velvet Underground & Nico strongly because he wanted to make The Velvet Underground a combination of music, art, and film experimentally. Their music also was very unique and odd back then and resulted in little commercial success. Even though their music didn’t have huge success, the band is treated as one of the most important bands of the 60’s. In their album, they used abstruse and serious lyrics and messages with a dark and avant-garde melody while the rest of U.S music indulged in drugs and psychedelic rock.

Lou Reed and John Cale were founding members of the Velvet Underground in 1965. Both of them played important role as guitarists, vocalists, and primary songwriters for The Velvet Underground. Lou Reed was born in Free Port, Long Island on March 2, 1942. He was one of the primary songwriters in the band and wrote about topics that were influenced by Andy Warhol and were not so openly expressed in other bands at that time such as personal experiences, drugs, and sexual expression. In 1970, Lou Reed left the band and started his solo career. John Cale was born on March 9, 1942. He created avant-garde, unique, and experimental music and sounds with his violin for the band.

Andy Warhol promoted, supported and produced The Velvet Underground. In 1965, Andy Warhol became the band’s manager and brought the band to his studio, The Factory. He also brought a German model and avant-grade artist Nico into the band. Andy Warhol influenced the band in artistic ways a lot and gave unique pop-art ideas.

The Velvet Underground and Nico album was set apart from all of the other recordings in 60’s. The majority of bands wore same suits with matched hair and sang love songs. The Velvet Underground tried to create unique and experimental image and music. They put their thoughts and expression to lyrics with experimental sound. They also tried to connect art and pop music. With famous pop artist Andy Warhol, they could be more experimental and unique. The album cover had an artwork of a yellow banana with removable skin that could be peeled off by the consumer to reveal a pink peeled banana, which was a sexual expression and became a huge issue to the public.

As a listener, The Velvet Underground & Nico has left a unique impression on me. Their sound was so experimental and odd to me. Melody was very exceptional and lyrics were dark and metaphorical to me. As an industry professional, The Velvet Underground evolved music before the band. They tried to create completely new things and experimented with their music as pop art. Their music was revolution.