Word: musics
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...danger of any strong focus on music is the competition of the classical music world. Although Castelli sees competition as a natural reaction to many situations, she says, "I don't see the point of not wanting to talk to someone because he's a competitor of mine. I go in there and I introduce myself to everybody...
...easy enough to lump all dance music under the neat-to-fit category of "techno." Or "electronica," which according to reports is a sneaky term created by American record companies to avoid calling it "dance" music. Apparently record companies think Americans look down on music made for dancing. But then you go out for a night on the town, and with the Lansdowne St. clubs all proudly advertising their music allegiances for that particular night, your bluff is called...so here's The Crimson's helpful guide to dance music genres...
...Beat is perhaps the most rock-oriented form of dance music and thus has had the biggest crossover success. It borrows the percussion style of breakbeat (common samples include the drums in James Brown's "Funky Drummer" and those in Incredible Bongo Band's "Apache"), and throws in the squelch of the Roland 303 synthesiser, rock guitars, and whatever else fits. Fatboy Slim's You've Come a Long Way, Baby or the Chemical Brothers' Dig Your Own Hole are both fairly well-known albums, but try the import-only Fatboy Slim mix album On the Floor at the Boutique...
...specific, its roots lie in '80s Detroit, which might explain its darker, grittier sound, compared to the escapism of house. As its name suggests, techno tends to focus on the possibilities of the machine, involving perhaps more daring explorations, although detractors claims that takes away from the music's danceability...
...Four genres is hardly scratching the surface of the genre jungle, and indeed we will explore other genres in future columns. The best way, of course, to familiarise yourself with musical genres is to listen to any of the representative albums, although DJs and dance music acts often cross genres themselves. Plus, genre names change on either side of the Atlantic, which makes it even more confusing. But remember, dance music sprouts genres because beats and tempos change, so they're useful because they describe something, but they're not a code. We'll surely see new forms...