Independent Research Podcast

Larry Beasley Independent Research Peer Comment

I really enjoyed your post about Public Enemy. I like how you really knew what you talking about too. Public Enemy is one of my favorite groups of all time. There music was as you put it relevant and conscious. It had substance and had great production behind it also. They also used old school samples over Hip Hop Drum Patterns. As you put it Public Enemy did pioneer the audio soundscapes used today in this genre.  In your post you mention how their mastering process kicked up their album volume to the maximum volume across all the media. I never knew that. All in all great post!

Independent Research

Dr. Dre is the most innovative and most successful producer in Hip Hop history. He took the instrumentation level in the genre to a higher level. He is has given Hip Hop some of its most successful artists of all time also. From the beginning when he started out with NWA he was the man behind the scenes making sure everything was well put together. He wasn't always a producer he first started off his music career as a DJ.  At the time his name was Dr. J he was working with the World Class Wreckin' Cru. Things really started to pick up for him when became N.W.A. His sound completely changed, it became more aggressive. His productions consisted off old school samples on top of gritty Hip Hop drum patterns. For the hooks he would scratch vocals on top of it jus showing off his skills as a DJ. The group N.W.A were completely rebellious addressing racially charged political issues. It got so bad the F.B.I sent their labels numerous warnings. After that Dr. Dre felt it was time to branch off and do his own thing. Thats when he came out with the G-funk sound. Funk music with lower tempos incorporating multi-layered and melodic synthesizers and deep bass. The lyrical contents of this sub-genre usually consists of drugs, sex and violence. That G-funk sound would go on to dominate the music scene for the entire early 90s era. Snoop Dogg, Warren G, Nate Dogg, and almost every west coast artist  were in the G-funk category. Dr. Dre used plenty techniques only he could pull off. Now some point in time he began to take on the role of an organizer. He would bring all kinds of instrumentalists and tell them what he wanted and how he wanted it to sound. He would program a beat on one of his many drum machines and then asks the musicians to play along. Whenever he heard something he liked, he isolates the musician and tells him how to refine the sound.  He says his greatest talent is knowing exactly what he wants to hear.  Through the years there have been hundreds of producers who have tried to be like Dre. You can hear his influence in nearly every Hip Hop producer after him. The impression this great producer has left on me is that he is hands down the most creative and successful producer ever in the Hip Hop genre. As an industry professional his music production quality is flawless. There is no other word i can use. His music is always so "larger than life" and "in your face"

Independent Research

Dr. Dre is the most innovative and most successful producer in Hip Hop history. He took the instrumentation level in the genre to a higher level. He is has given Hip Hop some of its most successful artists of all time also. From the beginning when he started out with NWA he was the man behind the scenes making sure everything was well put together. He wasn't always a producer he first started off his music career as a DJ.  At the time his name was Dr. J he was working with the World Class Wreckin' Cru. Things really started to pick up for him when became N.W.A. His sound completely changed, it became more aggressive. His productions consisted off old school samples on top of gritty Hip Hop drum patterns. For the hooks he would scratch vocals on top of it jus showing off his skills as a DJ. The group N.W.A were completely rebellious addressing racially charged political issues. It got so bad the F.B.I sent their labels numerous warnings. After that Dr. Dre felt it was time to branch off and do his own thing. Thats when he came out with the G-funk sound. Funk music with lower tempos incorporating multi-layered and melodic synthesizers and deep bass. The lyrical contents of this sub-genre usually consists of drugs, sex and violence. That G-funk sound would go on to dominate the music scene for the entire early 90s era. Snoop Dogg, Warren G, Nate Dogg, and almost every west coast artist  were in the G-funk category. Dr. Dre used plenty techniques only he could pull off. Now some point in time he began to take on the role of an organizer. He would bring all kinds of instrumentalists and tell them what he wanted and how he wanted it to sound. He would program a beat on one of his many drum machines and then asks the musicians to play along. Whenever he heard something he liked, he isolates the musician and tells him how to refine the sound.  He says his greatest talent is knowing exactly what he wants to hear.  Through the years there have been hundreds of producers who have tried to be like Dre. You can hear his influence in nearly every Hip Hop producer after him. The impression this great producer has left on me is that he is hands down the most creative and successful producer ever in the Hip Hop genre. As an industry professional his music production quality is flawless. There is no other word i can use. His music is always so "larger than life" and "in your face"

Peer Comment Larry Beasley.

I like how you were able to go into detail about the instrumentation of electronic music. You mentioned how the instrumentation adapted elcctronic sound sources for the purpose of musical instrumentation. You were able to detail the drum sequencing techniques used by the artists. You were able to describe the sound that they were going for with those specials techniques they used. I also agree with you when you mentioned how in the last thirty years you couldn't imagine how music would have been without electro instrumentation. That type of music really did have a major impact on other genres of music.

Electronic Music Innovations.

Kraftwerk I mean they started that whole electronica genre. They were the pioneers of that sound. They made it popular and carried it on for generations to come. You can tell the modern day bands were greatly influenced by Kraftwerk's sound. Kraftwerk served as a bridge between deep meaningful music and popular mainstream techno music. The vocoder and auto-tune effects used on several artists projects were similar to that of Kraftwerk. They were extremely popular in France. Daft Punk was clearly influenced by Kraftwerk. You can tell that the effects they chose to use on their vocals were almost direct replicas of the ones used by Kraftwerk. Daft Punk has been a great impact also the genre. They have brought in new sounds and ideas. They have made it even more mainstream. One of the things Daft Punk did that made them so famous was they ability to come up with very catchy tunes. They kept it very electro also the techniques they used were never heard of. They were so innovative they mixed fast paced beats with pop tracks and dance tracks. Its almost like they were creating different genres. Many Hip Hop artist have used Daft Punk samples in their music today. It just goes to show the strong impact they had on many different cultures. The impression i got from them was that they were the most creative band of that music. There music was very meaningful and was the heart of techno and house music. From a professional standpoint the quality of their music was very impressive. They were artists who also mastered the craft of perfect mixing.

Electronic Music

Kraftwerk were more into the synthesized music sound. They created the basic foundation for influencing the modern day electronica music. At a time when artists stuck with the traditional instruments, they went into a whole different direction. They wanted to be different and that they were. There image too was like no other at the time, they had a robotic image. They showcased their robotic image to the world be it through photo sessions or concerts. The albums Kraftwerk released from 1974 to 1981 were extremely successful. They were also very critically acclaimed and just set a whole new level of sound in the music industry. The album Autobahn was the first commercial release. This one right here set the band up for the limelight. With Autobahn the band was able to showcase Germans in a special light avoiding their very dark history. The Trans-Europe Express their third album though not as well received as Autobahn was able to let them travel internationally. They were accepted everywhere. There themes were about European connectivity. Radioactivity was about the radio and nuclear energy. One of the characteristics that earned them the position of being the biggest influence on electronic music was the fact that strong concepts and messages behind it. And also the way they branched to different cultures making them international. The impression i got both from a professional and listener standpoint is that i can see how there music is the reason we have electronica today. Production-wise also they were way ahead of their time.

Peer Comment. Larry beasley What's Goin on.

I like how you were able to write a very in-depth yet precise blog about the album. You talk about the issues he was going through that inspired the album. Your blog is very similar to mine. You were able to give specific reasons why the album stood apart from other soul recordings at the time. You were able to pinpoint certain details that defined the sound of the album i was able to pinpoint. give your industry professional stand point with the knowledge of arrangement and recording techniques. Great Blog about the album. Congratulations.

What's Going On

Marvin Gaye was already an established recording artist prior to "What's Going On" He was the ladies man of his time and that led to his many romantic duets. He was Motown's best selling male vocalist. He had made a number of energetic, dance songs that cast him as a smooth soul figure. His success lead him to fellow best selling female artist Tammi Terrell. Their partnership symbolized the peak of a soul duet. Over time though Tammi developed a brain tumor and eventually died from it. His earlier music was a young spirited Rhythm and Blues and soul that would define the Motown Sound. The social concerns that influenced this album were the police attacks on the minorities of society. The drug trade and scene that had started to pick up pace in America. The racism that very strong at that point in time. The government oppressions and the unnecessary wars. The lyrical themes on the album were very politically driven. He questioned the government's ways of handling situations. All the social injustices he had to endure he put it in his music. The album is a very personal outspoken album that reached millions. The obstacles Marvin Gaye faced were very grave. He had lost a friend that was very near and dear to him. That affected him as a person which obviously affected his music. The overall content of the album was just so different from the Marvin Gaye everybody knew that made it hard for people to accept. They had to make the music more radio friendly against Gaye's will. What set the album apart was that it was socially conscious. He took care of the production and songwriting himself. The classical and jazz mixed instrumentation was brand new. The impression this album gives is that it definitely was going for a revolution. He wanted to change the game with this one and surely did.

The Velvet Underground & Nico

The Velvet Underground & Nico record is a combination of the sweetest beautiful tunes and some dark twisted music. Even the softer songs have a dark atmosphere. It is a very different type of album, the characteristics of the album are very unique. It is sort of a disturbing album but definitely a classic one that would influence generations of artists to come. The album explores different sides of the bands sound. The primary songwriters in the group, Lou Reed and John Cale give so much depth to the project. John Cale is a talented multi-instrumentalist everything from the organ to the harpsichord. He was the co-founder of the Velvet Underground and greatly responsible for their chart topping success throughout. Lou Reed played the same role as Cale. They both were founders of the Velvet underground, wrote and produced the record also. Reed was also known for his photography work.  The Velvet Underground & Nico was supported by Andy Warhol. He went out of his way to make sure the group was successful in every aspect. He was Carnegie Institute graduate and would go on to be recognized as a extremely talented painter. He use various colors to design covers. Shows would include 16 mm film projections and colors by warhol. In 1968 he became their manager. Some characteristics that separated this album from others was the art of the project. The way the pop and art mixed. The content was different too the concepts they came up with. Also a lot of their videos were in black and white. The velvet Underground was definitely one of the most influential bands in the genre. The impression they gave were that they were immerse in the dark oppressive atmosphere of German expressionism.

Marvin Gaye What's Going On

Pet Sounds

The Beach boys were already a very successful and popular rock band before they created "Pet Sounds" Brian Wilson had already established the group as untouchable however things changed when "The Beatles" came out. The Beatles were such a smash it was unbelievable, that is when the Beach boys came up with Pet Sounds. That record "Pet Sounds" would put them back where they needed to be. Brian Wilson was very important to the Beach Boys. I mean he was the center of everything, being the founder, producer, writer and orchestrator for the group. When things were not going as the Beach Boys wanted it to, it was Brian's musical talents that carried them. What influenced Brian to write Pet Sounds i think was the fact that the Beatles had came along and basically took over everything. Brian felt it was very necessary and dug deep for that one. Pet Sounds went straight to the top. What sets Pet Sounds apart from the others is the depth they went into in describing real life situations. And also the instrumentation was innovative and refreshing. The album's concepts are very easy to understand. They wanted the people to definitely understand how they saw the world. And they accomplished that beyond belief. The impression Pet Sounds has on the listener is that it is very real. The album consisted of personal relationship stories, just everyday life situations. If you are a fan of expressive music, not everyone is then you would love this.

Revolver

The Beatles had sort of a folk rock sound before they released Revolver. They were already an established successful band. They were the English rock band that just took over and continued to dominate the charts for years. They had some non-musical interests that affected the album. They were very politically charged throughout the record. They felt that had to address some issues that were not sitting well with them or the people. They also made a lot of references to drugs on the album too. The Beatles used the studio in so many different ways. I mean these guys just got very creative with it and started techniques we still use today. They would do things like record their tapes backwards. The reverse tape effect, simply putting the needle on the record and spinning the opposite way. They would carefully pre-record the track then reverse it. After that they would edit the master tape to synchronize with the music. They also did things like double vocal tracking. Where they would record different vocals takes on top of each other. That would make a beautiful blend of sound. The innovation found on this Beatles album is amazing. The way they recorded their instruments, stacking them making sound larger than life. The recording techniques on the vocal tracks. The album as a whole is just a classic. The impression Revolver has on the listener is that its definitely an album where they and trying to be different. There is no question about that they were definitely going for a revolution. As an industry professional i would be in awe. The production is so before its time and the overall quality of the record is pure masterpiece.

Welcome

Hi my name is Charles Ajoloko and i'm 20 years old. I was born in Mesa, Arizona but do not remember anything about it. When i was 7 my family and i moved to Nigeria. My father was from Nigeria and my mother is from New York. My father passed away in Africa after that we moved back to the States. Since then we have been living in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.   I have always loved music since i can remember its always been the biggest part of my life. When i was younger i used to make music and record them on cassette tapes. My brother and i use to perform at colleges and at talent shows in Nigeria. My favorite genres of music are Hip Hop, R&B, and Jazz. I love those so much, there are like soundtracks to my life. My primary focus now is to become a successful record producer/artist/songwriter. I have serious talents in all those occupations. I believe that is truly my calling.