Hubby likes to mix. Most days he can be found in front of Virtual DJ on the pc for an hour or two in his 'After Dinner' slot. Mixing up a messed up shuffle suggested storm of several different genres of music for me and the kids to go crazy in the lounge to. Put your hands in the air like you just don't care! Ahem.
Come night time, when the kids have gone to bed he's a Trance boy at heart. But he knows I'm a Deep House girl and he loves me (*sigh*) so I'm lucky enough to get my own personal mixes from time to time. And it was listening to one such House mix the other night that we both noticed something.
House music producers are getting really lazy dude. I should rephrase that. SOME house music producers are getting really lazy.
Whatever kind of music you're into, it is an art in the true sense and I don't like when folk make art in a "can't really be arsed, just after the $kerching$" kind of way.
At least, that what it sounds like to me when I buy a mix and several tracks leave me with the same, empty, I don't-feel-like-grooving-anymore feel to them because they suffer from a total vocal let down.
They often start well, these are talented producers (well, some of them ...) which makes it all the more disappointing. They have found a good beat, a good rift, a funky rhythm. They've maybe sampled something, remixed an old piece of music and it's sounding good. They've worked in an awesome breakdown, and a drop back in you can feel in your toes and in your chest BOOM!
Then they decide they need a vocal. An extra special hook they're not getting in their flute or piano maybe.
STOP!! GO NO FURTHER!! Hit save and walk away.
Damn it, really intent on putting a vocal in there? I know, I know. You don't just want a DJ hit, you want a chart topping 'House Anthem'.
So then go sample an awesome vocal. There's SO many good vocal performances out there from many, many decades of music. If you can't be arsed to write and produce a vocal and find a vocalist yourself then pay some royalties and find a cracking old piece of tuneage.
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| My all time fav Deep House mix. Called 'Lazy Dog'. Irony duly noted. |
What Hubby and I are hearing is a lot of random muttering about love, peace and happiness. And freedom's another popular one. Are the current generation of House Clubbers enslaved or otherwise downtrodden in some way? I'm now wondering if I've stumbled on the reason cheesy House is so popular out here in South Africa ... hmmm.
"Live your life, be free. Yooou know you can have it all". Hmm, bit lame. Can we be a bit more realistic? I can't have it all really, can I. Let's be honest.
"Everybody's freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee to feel love". Okay. Cool. Your point being? Oh, okay. We're just singing that over and over. Got you.
I get these guys are going for the uplifting vibe, but don't just make up some repetitive crap and then pat yourself on the back for your winning 'How to Make a Hit House Track' formula.
It's because I appreciate the vocal, I hate it so when I hear a lazy arsed attempt to add one to a track that would probably have sounded better if the Producers had left it out and focused on the basics. Energy, feeling. Instead of focusing on their dream of big bucks and making a (I'll say it again) House Anthem.
I'm just lucky I have my own in-house DJ to mix out all the bad vocals some of these guys unashamedly try and con us into falling for.
And if any house music producer's (er, likely?) recognise themselves in this post, feel free to send me an angry email. Although ... then you'd be kind of admitting to something.
** I like the track I used for the title of the post by the way, it just fitted was all. That's good vocals right there my friend.
