Podcast

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3_Mn5DzNDY

Peer Comment #3

Best known for his work as a producer in the studio, George Martin has been a pioneer and driving force for popular music productions both past and present.  While Martin has helped countless bands achieve success throughout the years, none have seen the benefits of his expertise like the Beatles.  As the primary producer and arranger for the band, Martin has been unofficially credited by some as the fifth member of the Beatles, and is responsible for many of the groundbreaking techniques discovered in the studio while recording with the group.  Leveraging his immense knowledge in studio recording and a strong foundation in classical music, Martin's contributions to the musical community are second to none, and continue to inspire artists, engineers, and producers alike.

Unlike many producers before him, George Martin dared to inject great amounts of creativity into the studio with regards to the equipment available to him, and how it could be manipulated to produce something entirely different from what was being made at that time by pop vocal groups.  This would be ever apparent in their later albums starting with Rubber Soul and leading into the massive studio experiment, Revolver.  With Revolver, Martin and the Beatles introduced many studio techniques to take their album to the next level like;  backwards tape loops, double tracking, experimental microphone placements, running vocals through a leslie cabinet, and many others.  While Revolver may have been George Martin's most lauded accomplishment by critics and music fans, his body of work spans much further than just a producer, arranger, and session musician for the Beatles.  Martin would continue to lend his talents to artists like Gerry & The Pacemakers, America, Jeff Beck, and Celine Dion just to name a few.

Given his success with so many pop recordings over the years, it's easy to overlook some of George Martin's other achievements outside of the studio recording world.  Trained in classical music during his early years, Martin continued to pursue that interest by composing scores for film, most notably "Yellow Submarine" as well as  the themes for James Bond films "Live and Let Die" and "Goldfinger".

George Martin is an incredibly talented musical mind, and can certainly be considered one of the most influential producers of all time due to his work with the Beatles.  Perhaps his greatest asset throughout his career was the ability to think outside the box, and successfully apply that to many recordings that have continued to mold popular music throughout recent history and today. 


In Response to Dean:


Hey Dean,

I really like your post on George Martin. It really taught me a lot about the "behind the scenes" of The Beatles. I had no idea he contributed on those two famous Bond movie themes. Your post was very to the point and well written. 

Well Done.

M.I.A.

MIA is truly an artist that makes her own music and does her own thing.  MIA, Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, was born in July sometime between 1975-1977.  She was born in Hounslow, London but shortly after moved to Sri Lanka where her family originated.  Mathangi’s father took part in a civil war that took place in Sri Lanka during her youth.  Arul Pragasm, MIA’s father, was part of the rebel group the Tamil Tigers.  Since the tension of the war increased and Mathangi’s school was destroyed in the war the family moved to London.  MIA was raised in London developing a love for punk and electro.  Originally involved with design, painting, and photography, she attended Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.  Only after graduating did she start he music career.

            MIA released her first album Arular in 2005.  Since MIA fell out of contact with her father and could not find a way to contact him she named the album after him hoping that if he searched his name he would find her and contact her.  The album was successful reaching number three in the U.S. Billboard of Top Electronic Albums.  Two years later MIA released her second studio album Kala; named after her mother.  The album was recorded in various studios except in the United States where MIA’s visa was rejected.  Kala had an outstanding commercial success with the single Paper Planes.  The song Paper Planes was used all across America in films such as Pineapple Express and Slumdog Millionaire.  The song utilized samples from Straight to Hell by The Clash and samples of gunshots and cash registers.  In 2010 MIA released her latest studio album Maya, written /\/\/\Y/\.  The album was helped produced by Rusko, a famous UK dubstep artist.

            What sets MIA apart from the masses is her culture and creativity she brings to her music.  Similar to Brian Wilson MIA traveled to multiple countries and studios to record her albums incorporating music from a variety of cultures.  On her song Hussel she features the Nigerian artist Afrikan Boy.  Mathangi continued to stick to her Sri Lankan roots on all of her studio album and continued to be herself despite the stardom.  Her creativity knows no bounds; each of her songs sounds like a melting pot of music.  As an industry professional everything about MIA astonishes me.  Her sounds, art style, and lyrical content all remain unique to her.  I hope that one day I may be able to work for MIA.      

Peer Comment #2

Daft Punk has left a huge impact on today's electronic music scene. They are true innovators and have managed to hit the mainstream market in ways that few other electronic musicians have been able to. They have innovated by taking sampling to another level by messing with sounds from other songs and meshing them together with their own sounds to create undeniably catchy songs. The French duo keeps a somewhat of a mysterious image, choosing to always perform with costumes and helmets on. Daft Punk first saw success in France and they have often been accredited for helping shape the sound of the 'French House' music genre by many other successful artists.

After trying out the whole guitar-driven band with a couple of rock tunes and becoming bored with the concept, the duo disbanded their rock band, 'Darlin' and went onto to trade in their guitars for drum machines and synths. They wanted to go beyond making music that everyone had already heard. Daft Punk was able to take old songs that had already run their course and bring them back to life in a completely new light. Their highly successful "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" was a direct sample off of Edwin Birdsong's 1979 song, "Cola Bottle Baby". While many people haven't even heard of Edwin Birdsong, Daft Punk was able to take the hook of the song and make it highly successful. Something Edwin Birdsong wasn't able to do as well as Daft Punk did.

Some may argue that sampling is cheap. Some may argue that it isn't even real music. The proof is in the numbers, however. People really liked what Daft Punk had to offer. They were taking songs that didn't do entirely too great in the past and giving them a second chance. Daft Punk has had a huge influence on the electronic music scene and all sorts of musicians are drawing creativity from their music. Daft Punk was even asked to create the entire soundtrack to Disney's latest blockbuster film, "Tron". Being asked by Disney to create a soundtrack in an industry where composers have to work hard for years to even be considered to create the soundtrack for a half decent movie is not an easy feat. Clearly, Daft Punk has something innovative going on for them.

As a musician, listener and recording engineer, Daft Punk definitely speaks to me on many levels. They are both musicians and producers in the sense that they can take old songs and bring them to life in a totally different perspective. They really know how to sample a song without stealing it. They make the song theirs. Their production value is like ear candy and just gives you something fun to listen to the entire ride through the song. Daft Punk is definitely a milestone in electronic music.

In Response to Raul Garcia:

Hey Raul, I really like your post on Daft Punk.  I had no idea that they are doing the soundtrack for “Tron”, I will actually watch the movie now.  Daft Punk’s album Homework was my very first album and I have always loved it.  I love the bands creativity, and their “boring” Interstella 5555 film.  I am really happy that you appreciate them like I do.  

Gorillaz

Gorillaz is quite possibly the greatest fictional band ever.  The band consists of four cartoon characters 2D, Noodle, Murdoc, and Russel.  2D is the anime-looking lead vocalist, Noodle is the cute guitarist and back up singer, Murdoc is the grungy rocker bassist, and Russel is the big hip-hop percussionist.  The band has released three electronic studio albums loaded with hip-hop rock and techno influences.  Gorillaz has collaborated with many artists, among them, Snoop Dogg and The Clash.  The most recent Gorillaz album, Plastic Beach, has the single Stylo.  The Stylo music video had a main character cop played by famous celebrity Bruce Willis.  Gorillaz has honestly accomplished a lot considering it isn’t a real band. 

            The man behind the fictional band is Damon Albarn.  Damon and cartoonist Jamie Hewlett teamed up to create Gorillaz in 1998.  Together the two created an alternate universe in the songs and music videos for the fictional band.  They posted stories of the characters online and short skit videos of the band.  Gorillaz third studio album release was successful and I hope the virtual band continues to keep creating songs for me to enjoy. 

            An aspect of Gorillaz that sets them apart from any other band is the fact that they are not real.  There are no bands similar to Gorillaz in this aspect.  Another and more important aspect that sets Gorillaz apart from other bands is their ability to combine music from multiple genres fluidly.  Listening to a Gorillaz album takes you on a journey through modern music taking elements from hip-hop, acoustic, punk, electro, and techno.  Gorillaz is beyond intelligent dance music, or IDM.  The music is well thought out and compositionally genius in my opinion.  As an industry professional and musician I can say that Gorillaz has influenced me greatly.  The Gorillaz album “Gorillaz” was my second album and has always been one of my favorites.   

Kraftwerk

Kraftwerk is a very different kind of band.  The band consists of two primary players, Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider.  These two German musicians became one of the most influential forces in electronic music.  Ralf and Florian didn’t look like rockers, which set them apart from the masses; they wore their hair short and dawned business suits.  Their music was very experimental at first.  They had no real concept, just a mesh of electronic sound.  Kratwerk then began to recruit new members and change their direction to more conceptual music, thus creating their album Autobahn.  This album was much more successful than their previous albums leading to American tours.

            In 1975 Kraftwerk released Radio-Activity, another conceptual album influenced by radio and nuclear technology.  Radio-Activity contained both English and German lyrics.  Although Kraftwerk was proud of its German heritage, English lyrics were essential so success.  Later in 1977 Trans-Europe Express was released.  This album was somewhat of a homage for Europe.  Kraftwerk continued to release albums with unorthodox themes releasing The Man-Machine and eventually Computerworld in 1981. 

            Kraftwerk is different from other musical groups of its time in many aspects.  The most prominent aspect is their use of electronic instruments.  Their use of imagery is also unlike regular rock music using images that look like they are from an art gallery.  Kraftwerk’s bilingual lyrics also set them apart from commercial music.  Most of all I feel that Kraftwerk is set apart from most music based on the bands concepts.  Kraftwerks subject matter of Europe, Germany, the Autobahn, computer technology, and radioactive technology is very creative and non-commercial. 

            As an industry professional I love Kraftwerk and everything they have done for the electronic music industry.  I am very proud to have such creative pioneers for my favorite genre.  Kraftwerk’s use of imagery and subject matter set them apart from any other artist.  Their sound is also phenomenal.     Their music sounds fluid-like and the sequenced synth lines seem to mesh together naturally.  

Podcast: Revolver

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyCKqQoPzCg

What's Going On

Before Marvin Gaye released What’s Going On he had a very different image.  Early in his career his music was influenced by gospel as he worked for Motown.  Before he began his career as a professional musician and songwriter he learned music at his father’s church.  Marvin eventually moved away from his gospel roots and began singing mostly love songs with Tammi Terrel launching a semi-successful career.  Before What’s Going On Marvin never really dabbled into political songs.   

            The Vietnam War was the influence of What’s Going On.  Marvin sings lines such as “war is not the answer” and “don’t punish me with brutality” to prove his anti-war points.  Although I am against war in any aspect, I feel that Marvin was hypocritical having previously served and being discharged. 

Marvin Gaye’s main obstacle in the release of What’s Going On was the Motown head Berry Gordy.  Berry did not care for What’s Going On at all and mentioned to Marvin that it was not commercial enough.  Motown mainly made revenue on the singles market and an non-commercial political son was not ideal.  Marvin told Berry that he would no longer release or record songs with Motown until the song was released.  Marvin’s stubbornness succeeded and he released his hit What’s Going On. 

What’s Going On was particularly interesting because of it’s anti-war message.  Although protest songs were common at the time, Marvin’s song is of a very different genre.  I feel like there were no other soul/funk protest songs of the time and that there were mostly just psychedelic rock and roll songs.  What’s Going On’s song format is also very interesting.  It is noncommercial and a surprising release from Motown.   What’s Going On may be the reason why Motown began to open their doors and minds.     

My opinion on What’s Going On is skewed.  I feel that it was entirely fake form Marvin Gaye to find fame off of a peace songs after being in the Air Force.  The best and most effective motto of protest is to not let them use your body to fuel their war machine.  Meaning that you shouldn’t fight murder or kill in any situation.  Marvin may have not killed anyone, but he fueled the machine.  As for a professional standpoint I feel that the song was correctly executed.  Marvin sings excellently and is very pitch accurate.  The song also has a really groovy funky feel to it that is very appealing.   The entire mix is clean and balanced.     

Peer Comment

Before releasing "Revolver" in 1966, The Beatles had already exploded onto the U.S. pop scene in 63' with "I Want to Hold Your Hand", triggering the British Invasion, and offering Americans a new sound.  Much like many other bands of the time, the Beatles released several albums with great success that relied on strong rhythms and upbeat lyrics, but taking little chances musically as radio at that time often wouldn't air anything considered to be experimental music.  However, the group aimed to push the limits with Revolver, and as a result, were responsible for creating many studio techniques that are standard today, in addition to paving the way for the psychedelic rock movement.

With the counterculture rapidly spreading throughout the United States in the 1960's, drugs were gaining popularity at a comparable pace, and even more so in circles of musicians.  During the mid-60's, members of The Beatles began experimenting with marijuana and LSD.  The result were experiences that the group would both treasure and fear, but also be largely influential on their approach to making music in years to come.

With several "trips" under their belts, and a new outlook on songwriting, The Beatles hit the studio in 66' to record Revolver.  The sessions would soon become the benchmark for what studios and recording technology were capable of producing.  Prior to Revolver, most sessions had used the studio as a means of attempting to record and reproduce the most accurate sound possible.  The Beatles however, saw these new technological possibilities in the studio as a way to add layers of sound and creativity that had not yet been heard in pop music.

While in the studio recording Revolver, the band introduced many elements that had never been heard, or even contemplated in any recording.  One of the more interesting aspects of the album, in my opinion, is McCartney's fascination with his tape recorder, and the range of sounds he captured while experimenting with recordings.  A great example of this is the haunting tape loops used in "Tomorrow Never Knows".  Maybe the most important technique introduced on this album though is the use of automatic doubling through linking the tape recorders.  This adds a level of "fullness" that is definitely noticeable when compared to other albums of that time, and really helps the mix shine.

Since first listening to Revolver in it's entirety several months back, it's quickly taken a spot in my favorite albums.  The Beatle's ability to create a record with such different musical characteristics on each track, yet still retain a sense of continuity throughout is an incredible achievement, and one that can largely be credited to the chances they took in the studio.  Revolver is a clear example in what kind of results can be yielded by thinking outside the box, and manipulating what equipment is available to engineers in order to get the sound you want. 

In Response to Revolver Post:

Hey Dean,

I really like what you have written about the Revolver album.  I also feel that The Beatles use of drugs heavily influenced their writing and lifestyles.   I feel the drugs were used constructively and helped the band open their minds to new aspects of music.  I like how you also mention their additions to the recording industry with their Revolver album and how Paul McCartney’s tape recorder was utilized.  I do not see any aspects of your post that needs improvement.  It sounds like you appreciate Revolver for the same reasons that I do.     

The Velvet Underground & Nico

The Velvet Underground & Nico are essentially the definition of art rock.  Being produced by the most popular artist of the time, Andy Warhol, and their interesting drummer also adds to the fact.  The cover art also created by Andy Warhol is an iconic image for the band and album.  The Velvet Underground are a significant part of history.

Lou Reed is truly living his life as he dreamed.  As a child he dreamed of playing rock n’ roll music and he succeeded becoming a world-renowned songwriter.  I feel that Lou Reed’s lyrical style and songwriting is heavily influenced by his youth and relationship with his parents.  I also was raised alienated from my parents, and although I did not receive shock therapy, I feel that I can relate to him.  When I was a child I shared the same dream as Lou Reed and took part in many similar scenes.  This resulted in the alienation from my parents and all sorts of “fix your son” medications.  During Reed’s career he met with John Cale and formed a band.  Reed wanted to put songwriting on hold to pursue his rock n’ roll career.  Together they eventually formed The Velvet Underground on of the most influential rock-art bands of all time.          

            The Velvet Underground & Nico were supported, produced, and promoted by famous pop-art artist Andy Warhol.  Warhol helped fund The Velvet Underground and created the album artwork.  Although Warhol had little influence in the studio on the music, with out him there would most likely be no Velvet Underground. 

There virtually has been to pairing of art and music like The Velvet Underground.  This combination of Andy Warhol’s strong visuals with the musical influence of Lou Reed and John Cale created a beast in the music industry.  Although the record sales were low, The Velvet Underground developed a cult-like fan base.  Maureen Tucker’s drumming technique also stood out to me as an interesting characteristic of The Velvet Underground.   I have never hear of a rock n’ roll band that has a drummer who stands up and strikes the bass drum with a mallet.  In an interview Maureen mentions that the purpose of a drummer is to keep time to she does not use cymbals.  Her opinion is very interesting to me because I tend to never use cymbals in my music creation process.   

The impression The Velvet Underground & Nico left on me as an industry professional was positive.  The songs are very different from commercial pop music of its time and are creative in a very different way.  Unlike The Beatles creativity The Velvet Underground & Nico are creative in a different aspect.   There is a feel of androgyny and a lack of masculinity in the music that is similar in David Bowie’s style.    

Revolver

The image of The Beatles prior to the release of the Revolver album was similar to their image after the release.  They had the image of a pop band before the release and after the release they had more of a psychedelic aspect.   Although their deep creative psychedelic side existed before the Revolver album, it was not as prominent until the release.   I feel that the non-musical influences in the Revolver album are obvious.  The reversed audio in the album is a non-musical effect that adds to the psychedelic feel.    The samples used in Tomorrow Never Knows are very creative and non-musical.  The “seagulls” sound created from John Lennon laughing sounds outstanding and is one of the most remembered parts of the song.  The Beatles used the recording process as an instrument in Revolver in many ways.  The previously mentioned “seagull” sounds were created in the studio.  Other vocal techniques and processes of recording the Revolver album were revolutionary in the recording industry.  The ADT technique was created during the recording process.  Since many of the recording aspects of Revolver had never been heard before in popular music, the album is credited with the new processes.  The use of the sitar in Revolver was also groundbreaking.  It in addition has not been used in popular music.  I had not listened to any of The Beatles work until receiving my Revolver album from Full Sail and I feel that it was worth it.  The Beatles for their time were revolutionary.  I wish that there will be a modern artist as creative as The Beatles.  The sound quality of the Revolver album is outstanding.  The snare stands out to me in particular.  It is EQed and compressed so well that it almost sounds like a sample from modern music libraries.  The vocal effects on Tomorrow Never know is also amazing.   In conclusion  I feel that the Revolver album is influential to modern music. 

Pet Sounds

The Beach Boys can best be described by their name.   Their image is laid back and surfing.  Their songs are upbeat and happy and almost make it feel like summer will never end.   Prior to the release of Animal Sounds The Beach Boys were very pop.  Their music sounded commercial and very safe.  Brian Wilson is the cause of this.  He began writing in a very pop style with the Beach Boy basically being the mastermind of the entire image and sound.   I feel that after Brian learned that The Beatles were releasing Revolver around the same time as Pet Sounds that he changed his direction.  I think that Brian Wilson began using drugs such as LSD to try and beat The Beatles in their friendly competition.  His use of LSD influenced his work similar to the way it influenced The Beatles.  Brian Wilson began to experiment with sounds much like The Beatles do in Revolver.  Pet Sounds was released and it utilized these unique sounds along with the uncommon theremin.  The Beach Boys use of the theremin in their songs was unheard of in the popular music of their time.  Brian Wilson would also travel to multiple studios to record segments of the songs to get certain tones.  This was also unheard of in regular pop music.  I feel that Brain Wilson decided to do that after being inspired by Phil Spector.  The sound quality of Pet Sounds is not very impressive to me.  Given the budget of the project I feel that the over all quality is lacking.  The Revolver album released the same year in 1966 sounds outstandingly better.  Brian Wilson should have spent more on the sound quality in my opinion.  I also feel that the music should have just been released in stereo.  As influential as Pet Sounds is, I feel like it could have been executed better.  

Welcome Entry

I am Zachary Hahn a current student of Full Sail University.  I go to Full Sail for a Bachelor's degree in Recording Arts.  I have always been into the arts such as music, movies, fashion, and photography.  I also play video games regularly.  I mostly like to play first person shooters and role playing games.  I am getting Halo: Reach this month and Fallout: New Vegas when it comes out.  I am really interested in science fiction such as the Alien movies.  My favorite types of movies are the 80s futuristic ones.  I love Blade Runner, Akira, Alien, Videodrome, Screamers, Virus, Predator and generally those types of crazy science fiction movies.  I also read frequently.  I love to read the Halo, the Alien, Predator, and Mass Effect books. My music and fashion styles go closely hand-in-hand.  I listen to a lot of electronic fashion core music.  During high school I was very into the nu-rave style of music and clothing.  I would listen to bands like Hadouken!, Klaxxons, MIA, and Afrikan Boy.  Along with nu-rave I was also into grime music a lot.  I listend to grime artists like Wiley, Dizzee Rascal, JME, and Uffie.  During my senior year of high school my music interest developed from nu-rave/grime to dubstep and glitchstep.  I began to listen to artists such as Rusko, Caspa, Benga, Skream, and Boregore.  This love for dubstep traveled past high and into my early Full Sail career.  I began to make my own dubstep music and my personality became more laid back from listening to the music.  My new laid back style lead me into an even deeper music style.  I became very interested in psychedelic music and now listen to artists like MGMT, Kid Cudi, Wavves, and MIA's older music.  I listen to a fusion of psychedelic synth lines with very grungy African drums with lots of falsetto vocals.  My style is always growing as I find more and more influences.    

References

Edwards, Bob. (Producer). Brian wilson podcast. [Web]. Retrieved from http://soundcloud.com/chrispyspears/brian-wilson-podcast

Lou reed biography. (2007). Sing 365, Retrieved from http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Lou-Reed-Biography/5511940358C8BE1A48256988002F1B32 

M.i.a. biography. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.starpulse.com/Music/M.I.A./Biography/