Disco

The Joy of disco

    Disco started in the late 1960's it was aimed at the people who were valued less in society. An example was the homosexuals who found life very hard by being discriminated from the law, society and the general public. It was said that homosexuality was a mental illness and was very shameful. This was reflected from the bible as it states that "You shall not lie with a man as with a woman; that is an abomination."

Not only did homosexuals have no rights but also women didn't have equal rights as men did. This was because of the whole 'housewife' image still being taken as a view by society. It was almost as if homosexuals, women and black people where in the same boat with not having equality.
Disco was a dancing music culture that accepted those who wanted to get away from the critical world. By dancing it was an easy form of expression and it was a necessity for crowds that needed escapism for the judgmental public.
 For a while disco and gay liberation enjoyed a synergistic relationship. Years later Stonewall, gay clubs, which had been sites of repression and supervision, became something related to liberated zones. Through Disco, gay men felt sexually legible to each other. There was also a thriving drug subculture, particularly for drugs that would enhance the experience of dancing to the loud music and the flashing lights. They took drugs such as cocaine, poppers and Quaalude etc. The drugs caused a lot promiscuity and public sex. Disco became kind of a main reason in a hedonist's menu for a night out.

Histories of disco emphasize the antagonism between rock and disco. But just like disco that was used to express and escape from an oppressive society by those who were oppressed, Punk was also invented by working class people so they could escape the Thatcher government. Nevertheless, unlike disco which was a dancing joyous genre for expression, punk was an escapism of anger. 
The reason why the working class punk rockers were so angry was because the Thatcher government had caused a recession which meant there were no jobs so there was no source of income. Punk rockers also hated disco because everybody enjoyed and danced to it whilst rock was going down the drain at the time. The era of disco ended in 1979 when an event called 'Disco Demolition Night', which was held at the Chicago White Sox stadium. It quickly became one of the worst sports disasters of the century when disgruntled rock fans wrecked the stadium screaming "Rock Sucks!" while racing to get the disco records burned and blown up.

Disco can also be compared to a more recent movement in music, to censorship in Iran. There are many similarities within this field.  With Disco, homosexuals were segregated by there own American government and weren't allowed to express there sexuality. The Iranian government censored all the music that was not cultural to the Iran's, the government were not giving them rights to express themselves and listen to popular music. The similarities they have is not being able to have rights as the government stopped them. 

Also both Homosexuals of America and Iranians stood up to their oppressors. The Stonewall riots began in 1969 on June 28th. This was a riot by the gay members against a police raid. It started at 1:20am in the morning where four undercover cops entered the bar and started arresting people for performing homosexual behaviour. The homosexuals refused to go to the police and thats where everything became explosive. They stood up to the police and fought for equality.
Till this day from the 1980's popular music is still banned from Iran. Reasons being is that the government fears the radical spread of western music, therefore they think it will invade the cultural revolution. They fear the people of iran will start a political revolution which would mean a war against the government. However, Iranian musicians still rebel and sneak in popular music instruments in order to play them. They also throw private gatherings to show their music which is very risky as Iran's are not allowed to be in groups. Furthermore, they wait days to download JUST an introduction to a song because the government controls the internet to the country which means that all software available to download music works very slow. The Iran's are rebelling which they believe is fighting the oppression.

Both movements show that it is important to fight for your rights, equality and most importantly FREEDOM.

To create a customized embed tag for this timeline

My action plan; westking music

History of Electronic music; House Music

Before electronic music many composers tried to create different technologies for musical purposes. There were creations such as the 'Telharmonium'(an electromechanical instrument) developed by Thaddeus Cahill in the early years 1898-1912. Another example of an early electronic instrument was the 'Theremin' which was invented by Leon Theremin. Music would have surely gone down another route if these people did not experiment with the electronic sounds using noisemakers etc. Genres such as Synth pop, Techno and House music would have probably not been created.

In the 1940's and 1950's the development of electronic music grew even bigger as Halim El-Dabh was the first known composer to record sounds using a cumbersome wire recorder and then processed the sounds using echo, reverbation and voltage controls etc. At this period of time composers got an understanding of visible waves and the very beginning of synthesisers.
In the 1960's more computers began to create an impact on electronic music. Synthesisers were used to create electronic sounds also new genres appeared such as Acid etc. Also this was the period that pop and rock musicians began using electronic instruments. Developments around these times led to new genres such as synth pop. The main people to use this type of genre was the Eurythmics, Talk Talk and Spandau Ballet etc. The style later did lose popularity in the mid-1980's.

The 1980's was the birth of MIDI and also this is when House music was born. At the very beginning House music was basically known by repetitive 4/4 beats and synthesized basslines. It has similar characteristics to Disco music(which influenced house music) but obviously more electronic and minimalistic. House music now-a-days varies a lot in style and influence as it ranges from soulful to deep house using more electronic instruments. It has fused with many other genres creating fusion subgenres such as Euro house, tech house and electro house. Many more house musical elements included the range being between 118 and 135 bpm it is usually mid-tempo now-a-days but back in the early years house music tended to be slower. The main and common element of house is a prominent kick drum on every beat which is usually generated by a drum machine or sampler. Producers use a various of different sound sources for bass sounds in house on a synthesizer such as Roland SH-101 etc. It wasnt a matter of time before house music started hitting the clubs and charts, It emerged into the UK mainstream pop market in the mid-to-late 80s.

Going back to the early 1980's, Chicago clubs and radio DJs were playing various styles of dance music. The electronic dance song 'On and On' produced in 1984 had element that became staples of the early house sound. 'On and On' is sometimes stated as the 'first house record'. Deep house origins come from jazz and soul music. The early 1990's additionally saw the rise in mainstream US popularity for house music. Madonna's song 'vogue' was known to bringing house mainstream.

In the late 1980's-1990's in Britain the genre got even more bigger in raves and clubs and it continued to grow and change. 'Release the pressure' by Leftfield introduced dub and reggae into the house sound. Towards the end of the 1990s and into the 200s, producers like Daft Punk and Stardust began producing a new sound out of Paris's house scene. They together thought of something which was known as the French House movement combining more soulful elements with the melodies of obscure Funk.

In the 2000's it was proclaimed in 2005 to be 'House Unity Day' in Chicago bringing all the originators of house music together. Today, house music is celebrated and showcased at many venues and can be heard on popular radio stations such Radio 1, bbc 1 extra etc. House music has now become mainstream again with producers like Daft Punk and David guetta etc. You'll hear many DJ's today blending all sub-genres of house. Electro house is still very popular in Australia, Europe and North America, and now this genre has produced acts that are touring the world.

Bibliography

.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tape_music#Electronic_music

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_music

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_house_music

Microphones

1)  As a general guideline, it can be said that dynamic microphones are best suited for live sound work, and that

condenser microphones are more suited for use in a recording studio.

Give technical and practical reasons for why this may, or may not, be a valid statement (include diagrams if

necessary).

This is definitely a valid statement as a condenser microphone is too sensitive to be used for live work and are going to be more prone to feedback(they have unnaturally hyped high-end) and will pick up the band which won’t be a pleasant sound. Furthermore, you’d have to tell with phantom power which may or may not be full of 48V voltage making it to the stage. They are more suited in studio work as they are generally acknowledged to be the best microphones for recording vocals, acoustic instruments, and indeed all sources where subjective sound quality and musicality are essential.

Dynamic microphones are best suited for live work as they are most effective when working with relatively loud sound sources that don’t contain a lot of very high-frequency detail. They have no internal amplifier and do not require batteries or external power. They’re also really tough which makes them brilliant for live work. The dynamic mics could be cardioids or uni-directional’s which means that the mic has one area in which it picks up sound which means unlike the condenser it will not pick up the sound of the whole band in one mic.

2)  What are the three main polar patterns found on microphones? Describe the differences and give examples of how each could be used.

The three main polar patterns; Omni-directional, Bi-directional and Uni-directional.

The Omni-directional picks up sounds evenly from all directions; it is useful for capturing ambient noises. The smallest diameter microphone gives the best omni-directional characteristics at high frequencies. This is great for studio work. The most common uses of an omnidirectional microphone involve groups of singers or instrumentalists. This equipment can also be useful for meetings and events where there may be many speakers but a single microphone to capture the sounds from several angles.

The Bi-directional uses a figure 8 pattern and picks up sound from two opposite directions. A possible way you could use this mic is for an interview where two people are facing each other with the mic between them.

The Uni-directional picks up sound predominantly from one direction. This includes cardioids and hypercardiod microphones. An example of this is recording a teacher’s lecture in a classroom in a scenario where only the lecture of the teacher needs to be recorded without any noise coming from the students behind. Uni-directional microphones have great application when a sound source can stay put in front of the microphone to record only that sound source and no other.

3)  Dynamic and condenser microphones are the two most commonly used type of microphone found in the studio. Can you name any other types? Also include their basic technical features and how, or why, they might be used.

Ribbon microphones are another type of microphones found in studios, it used a string of foil rather then a coil of wire in the diaphram. It doesn't have a huge output but it picks up high frequencies. It is good for studio work to record acoustic instrumentals because it doesn't need external power.

Another type of microphone is a fiber optic it converts acoustic waves into electrical signals by sensing light intensity. They have proven especially useful in medical applications, such as allowing radiologists, staff and patients within the powerful and noisy magnetic field to converse.

4) Give suggestions as to what you might use the following microphones for and explain your answer:

a) Audix D6

b) SE Electronics titan

c) microtech gefell M300

For an Audix D6, i would use this for recording lower frequencies such as the bass amplifiers and bass drums. The D6 is lightweight, compact and easy to position. It has a balanced output allow for interference-free performance.

An SE Electronics titan  is a large-diaphragm condenser microphone. It needs phantom power(48V) in order to be powered up. It is ideally suited for percussive recordings, including stuido use for drums, picked guitar, kick drum and slap bass etc.

The microtech Gefell M300 is great for recording instruments such as the parts of the drum kit and pianos atc. It is a compact cardioid condenser so therefore it would mainly pick up sounds directly from the front. It is good as it gives a very clear detail of the sound from the instrument/s.

5) When using microphones, why is a mic pre-amp necessary? What features would you expect to find on a

professional pre-amp (either standalone or as a part of a mixing desk)?

A mic pre-amp is definitely necessary as the sound created needs to be amp'd up to a specific line level which is the main role of the pre-amp. It comes with 'Gain' so you can control how much sound that goes through the pre-amp. You will see a meter(on the top of the mixer) that indicates when the sound is being too pushed. There is a DAW button to make sure so the performers can hear through the mixer and also phantom power that should be switched on for condenser microphones in order to power, which is known as 48V on the mixer. Also there is a low frequency switch and a HI-Z which needs to be put on when recording other instruments.

Song 1 Recording

I will talking about the making and process of a song my group did in the recording studio. It will involve the equipment we used (such as mics & instruments etc) and how we used it so it could be effective.

On the 19th of November my group (John,Roy,Daniella and Christina) and I discussed what we'll be recording and what microphones we'll be using for Christina's original song 'Kiss on'. We had to record vocals, bass, drums and keys in order for it to work. The microphones we decided to use were an Audix D6, two Shure SM57's, a Rode NT 100 and two Rode NT5. It didn't really take too long to set up as everyone had a role and a mic to set up. I was mainly in charge of setting up Logic and making sure all the microphones where in the right channels. Once all the microphones were set up, we were ready to record the guide vocal and guitar. Unfortunately, that was a mistake as we recorded using a Rode NT 100 that is mainly for vocals with the guitar and because of the sensitivity of the condenser mic it managed to pick up the guitar. This meant that the guitar and vocals were recorded into one track which was wrong.  However we had enough time to delete it and start again but this time doing it one at a time. We decided to record the guitar first using the Shure SM57 as this  is a dynamic, uni-directional microphone. We did not have to power up the Phantom power(also known as 48V) as it is not a condenser microphone. We then went on to do the guide vocal next using  the NT 100 we had to make sure  Christina(the performer) was listening to DAW rather than the mixer as this would have made a really unpleasant sound.

Further we recorded the bass using the Audix D6 which is a dynamic, cardiod microphone. This worked really effectively as it picked up a real 'bassy' and clear sound. The microphone works really well for picking up low frequencies.

On the 26th of November we decided we want to record the drums. We made it easier and more time consuming by asking Roy to come in 10 minutes before the lesson to set up the drums. John and I then went to search for the mics we needed for it. We used a pair of Rode NT5's as overheads in order to record the drum kit, it is great on picking up things such as the high hats and cymbals. The reason it works so well is because its an Omni directional, condensor mic which means it can pick up delicate sounds. We used the Audix D6 on the bass drums as like the bass amplifier it was really good for picking up low frequencies. We then lastly recorded the piano part which I played, I decided that the NT5 was the best to use as it captured the sound really well and clearly. We had two microphones on this so the notes wont be missed on the playback.

Unfortunately due to being very ill i wasn't able to be there for the final week but did get informed by the group that the existing recordings except the guitar was deleted as it wasn't played properly to a click but it had a great quality in the sound.

Solo Repertoire

In this document I am going to justify my hour long repertoire. I will mention why I suit these in particular pieces and why I chose them. Each piece has similarities and differences to each other but will definitely define the type of musician I am and the type of musician I want to become. My solo repertoire consists of soul, R&B, alternative hip hop etc. I have links of me singing some of these pieces.

Here is my first video to a cover of Jill Scott's song 'getting in the way'. The genre is soul & r'n'b. I used a backing track for this. This is one of my favorite songs to sing as I can express myself to this and it also brings out my alter ego. It shows a lot of 'attitude' which you can do a lot of hand gestures to.

Jill Scott herself and Vidal Davis are the writers of this song. It was written at the end of 1999 and released in the beginning of the year 2000. It was wrote for the 'who is Jill Scott? Words and sounds' album which is an album about a strong woman who is fearless. This definitely can be portrayed in this particular song as she talks about standing her own ground.

The next song is an original written by me called 'That’s how I (no worries)' it’s about a girl who’s looking for love but doesn't want to be treated like a princess which is ironic because most girls love and want to be treated like this ideal 'princess' fairy tale type. I accompanied myself on the piano for this.  I wrote this in October 2011 for my E.P 'Sinister' and it fit perfectly as I have relations to the famous crime couple 'Bonnie and Clyde' in this song.  I chose to perform this piece as it shows a different side to me and it also helps me feel an emotion on stage. There is not much gestures and movement for this song, I chose to be in a neutral position for this to symbolise a 'lost lover'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=h52lresAS98

I also chose the song 'Un-break my heart' (written by Diane Warren) sang by Toni Braxton which completely contrasts my original song 'that’s how I (no worries) as it appears to be more heartfelt and more in relation to 'wanting good love'. The song was released in 1996 for her second album 'secrets'. I chose this song to sing because it brings out more of my feminine side and also it shows my low rage and my soft falsettos.  I sang this to a karaoke backing track on YouTube which didn't really do me justice as it played the melody on the track. I used good mic technique by when arriving to the high notes I would step further away from the mic. 

The next song I chose was 'Blue Jeans' written and sang by Lana Del Rey. It was wrote in the year 2011 and released in May 2012. The reason why I chose to sing this indie pop & alternative hip hop style song as I feel I can connect more with the style as it fuses elements of funk, rock and even folk which makes me more versatile. This song is about two young adults falling in love. Lana talks about how she grew up listening to hip-hop and hanging out with gangsters, whereas the guy is more of a punk. The second she sees him, she likes him and they begin dating. He leaves to go sell drugs and make some cash but eventually gets caught. Another reason why I chose to sing this song as it’s appears to be your 'average' love song but also has a hint of tragic which makes it diverse. I performed this using a backing track as there were certain instruments and rhythms/melodies in it that would have been quite difficult to do with a live band. Again this was not much of a movement song but Morley an expressive type which involved 'telling a story with your eyes' to the audience.

Another song I chose was an original written by me called 'Beloved Killer'. This song is about a girl who has high hopes and dreams for her relationship to go well but lately finds out her partner is a killer. ‘Killer’ metaphorically for a heart breaker who means he broke her heart unexpectedly. I wrote this last year 2011 for my E.P ‘Sinister’ as well. Again I chose to sing this to bring out more of a ‘sinister’ side. I used a live band with this song which consists of a pianist, bassist, guitarist and the obvious a vocalist. It took only a week to prepare this as it is a clear arrangement and I gave printed sheets of music.

Another song I chose was the famous ‘Summer time’ written by George Gershwin and covered by many artists such as Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald and David Elliot etc. I chose to do this as an accapella as it is a song that can have a lot of space and time to breathe. The audience can digest what the song is really about by doing this. I chose this song to not only have time to breathe but to bring the audience more on my side. When performing this I had my eyes closed for the beginning and when going higher into the second verse ‘One morning you’re going to rise up singing’ I looked directly at someone in the audience and used hand gestures.

The next song I chose was ‘Haunted’ sung by Rihanna written by Evan Rogers. I made up my own chords for this and accompanied myself of the keyboard to bring it more to my in particular style. I chose this song because I adore the dark poetic lyrics. I personally feel like this song is about a couple where the man’s old lover has died. It makes me feel like the ‘other woman’ that Rihanna is referring to is dead, which may be why the man has such trouble letting go of her which she mentions ‘I can’t compete with a memory’.

Furthermore, another song I chose was an original by me called ‘My way’. This song is quite similar lyrically wise to the first song I did, Jill Scott ‘Getting in the way’ because the lyrics are very demanding. I wrote this song in April 2012. The song is about ‘being in control’ and having things done ‘your way’ in whatever situation it could be. I performed this song with a full band which worked very well especially with the half time effect which I went into a soft falsetto with. The song was roughly about 120bpm on the verses which I showed aggression and movement within these sections then when it came into the chorus (half time effect) I then became softer with my vocals and movement. The reason I chose to sing this song is because it has a nice tempo to keep the audience up and entertained.

Another song I chose to do was ‘All the things she said’ by TaTu. It was released on 18 September 2002 by Interscope Records. It is about the relationship between the two girls and describes the effects of not being able to stop thinking about each other. The song is a mid-tempo pop rock song that draws influences of electronic, europop, R&B and hard rock music. The song did cause controversy in many countries. However, I did this song in my own version which is called ‘All the things he said’ and I used my own chords but still kept a remainder of some lyrics. The reason I chose to sing this song as I love the feeling and emotion I put behind when putting it across. I feel the audience can relate to the fact of ‘not being able to stop thinking about someone’. I accompanied myself on the keyboard with this so the audience doesn’t get too distracted by the synthesizers and electronic things in the backing track and can focus on more of the lyrics and message behind the song.

The next song I chose was ‘Cry’ by Rihanna which has a similar emotion to ‘All the things she said’. I accompanied myself on the keyboard and had just a bassist. I chose to have a bassist as I loved the bass line on the actual track and I felt it would have lost its element if I hadn’t included it in.

My next song is an original by me called ‘Save me’. I got inspiration from ‘A change is coming’ by Al Green with the melody and also in this song I do some scatting in the bridge which is very similar. I chose this song to sing to show versatility in my writing.

Finally, the last song I did was ‘Loving you’ by Minnie Riperton. The song was written in 1975. Minnie Riperton was best known for her vocal range of five-and-a-half octaves. I chose this song as I’m able to hit the high note which is an F#7. To hit that note I needed to be able to learn how to sing really low which I did which is show in ‘un-break my heart’ where I reached a note of D3. When performing ‘Loving you’ I stood with my feet apart in line with my shoulders and back straight so I could reach the notes. I performed this as an accapella with gave me enough time to breathe deeply and it gave the song more space. It was good to hear the transitions in my voice between my head and chest voice which blended in nicely.

In conclusion, I feel the songs really defined what type of musician I am which is a soulful, alternative hip hop and R&B musician with very dark poetic lyrics. I will then chose 4 of these songs, two contrasting covers and two contrasting originals for my 20 minute solo performance in class.