Happy New Years Everybody! This post is coming to you late because I hurt my voice while I was watching Calvertron and Feed Me tear up The Complex (I’ll post a video later when my buddy puts it up on youtube) and since then I’ve been sick. I hope everyone had a great time bringing in the new year. Mine was pretty good. Not quite Ryan and Marissa from the OC good, but still pretty good.
In honor of how I brought in the new year, todays post will be about dubstep and other such electronic music genres. I’ve been into electronic music (Just in case you didn’t read the last post) since 2007. It started with Daft Punk, then went to Dj Sammy, Alice Deejay and Venga Boys in high school. After I graduated I discovered Tiesto and Swedish House Mafia (I got into them because all the kids I went to the International School with In Duesseldorf, Germany kept on posting stuff of theirs on facebook) who, in turn, blew my mind. And more recently thanks to Turner and now Ryan, I’ve gotten into artists like Skrillex, Flux Pavillion, Feed Me, Kaskade, Knife Party, Porter Robinson, Datsik, Pretty Lights (Logan first put me onto this dude down in Phoenix), Rusko, Caspa and Deadmau5. So without further ado, here are the Top 5 songs (in chronological order) that made me love Electric Dance Music.
To everyone mentioned above: Consider this my “Thank You”
5) A 3 part special… Aren’t you guys excited?! What got me into Daft Punk originally was Alive 2007. After that I learned to love their studio albums, but until then, these three songs (song #’s 3,4 and 5 on Alive) are what made me fall in love with these two French Dj’s.
Television Rules the Nation / Crescendolls Too Long / Steam Machine Around The World / Harder Better Faster Stronger
4) “Better Off Alone” Alice Deejay
3) “Sweet Caroline (Techno Remix)” Angelo Venuto – I didn’t respect this song quite as much once I learned it was a Neil Diamond re-make, but I still yell “BOM BOM BOM” in the chorus during parties and sporting events whenever it makes an appearance.
2) “Lethal Industry” Tiesto – I tend to like Tiesto a lot because of his use of elongated buildups. I got into them after Daft Punk started playing a major role in my iPod’s life. Some people have a hard time staying with a song that long but I’m all for it. If you couldn’t get into the Daft (referencing the band, not the literal meaning of the word) songs above, you might not like this one either. But its worth a shot, so just do it.
Start at 4:40 for the song, or listen to the whole thing. This is the 2nd part of a 3-video long set he did at Sensation in 2007 which was SO good. Check the rest out if you dig it.
So todays (very late night) post is inspired by the band-aids from the movie Almost Famous (if you think I’m referencing adhesive bandages then bookmark this page, watch the movie, come back and then keep reading). Right after the band thinks they’re gonna break up (this isn’t a spoiler, it happens in every movie with a band in it), one of the band-aids is talking to Stillwater’s manager about the new groupies and says: “They don’t even know what it is to be a fan. Y’know? To truly love some silly little piece of music, or some band, so much that it hurts.” During the concert scenes of the movie, the band-aids are shown simply listening to the music. Soaking it in with a smile on their face as if to say I wish this moment would never end. And from this comes the theme, if you will, of this post.
Songs that make you feel good.
It can be when you’re having a great day and a song comes on that makes you smile from ear to ear. Maybe you’re having a bad day and all you wanna do is sing at the top of your lungs to a song that, may not be the best song ever made, but It’ll bring the tears. And sometimes thats the one thing you (and I) need. So heres a list that covers that for me, anyways. Its hard to categorize such a wide variety of music into a few basic groups, but here are the main ones I can think of. Songs that:
1) You can listen and relate to 2) Bring back memories, either personal or just something you think is funny 3) Are funny. For me there isn’t much better than hearing a line in a song that makes me start laughing hysterically 4) Are just good songs. Listening to my favorite music and feeling better after makes me re-realize why I listened to those songs in the first place
Before I (finally) start this list, there is one basic, but very key rule. It ALWAYS makes the song better when you sing along. Period.
1) Songs you can listen and relate to:
“Chicken Fried” Zach Brown Band – This is one of only 2 country songs on this list, and for good reason. a) I just dont get country. and b) the only time I can listen to it is when I’m heartbroken, and it doesn’t cheer me up. But every line in this song reminds you of the simple things in life. Fried chicken, cold beer, comfy jeans, and good music? Country or not, if you can’t get down with that then I’m not sure you can call yourself an American. Shout out to James Ganley for showing me this
“Callin Baton Rouge” Garth Brookes – Long. Lost. Love…. Pretty self-explanatory. I usually kick up the volume (and sing louder) when the second verse starts
2) Songs that bring back memories (It’s all about the buildup)
“Lose Control” Missy Elliot Ft. Ciara & Fat Man Scoop – This is the only song that has always stuck with me as the song I will always get up and dance to. Or in the case of Sean, Justin and me driving down University Ave past Panda Express with the windows down throwing ourselves around the car like lunatics while Justin has his foot out the window into the next lane doing some kind of stanky leg, sitting down and dancing to.
“Crescendolls” Daft Punk – Prospect park, 3rd St. playrground (BK,Ny) As David Butler wisely put it, “It’s so welcoming” (2:24)
“Canned Heat” Jamiroquai – First off, until I looked up this band, I thought the singer was a black chick. And secondly… Napoleon Dynamite anyone?
“Let Me See the Booty” The Dream Ft. Lil Jon – The constant presence in every gym visit. You know you have no shame when you dance in front of the mirrors in a full gym. Thanks to this song, and Sean, that shame left me a long time ago.
3) The Funny Songs (What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny?)
“Girl I Wanna Lay You Down” Jack Johnson – As much as this song might have been meant to be somewhat romantic, that got thrown away when he wrote “wrap your arms around my love handles”, and every other punch-line in the song for that matter. p.s. I love the difference the audience makes in the live version…helps me get into it***
“Dirty Girl” Atmosphere – A little dirty, but in the best way. Probably in the top 5 of my favorite Atmosphere songs. (Woman Tonight by Murs & Slug almost made it on the list simply for the reiteration of the best date ever in the 2nd verse)
“Just Playin (Dreams)” Notorious B.I.G. – There seems to be a reoccurring theme in this group but I cant quite put my finger on it… This song makes me laugh. The simple reason being that I think its hilarious C. Wallace decided to make a song telling everyone all of the singers he wants to get with. I had “smack Tina Turner give her flashbacks of Ike” stuck in my head forever until my friends in provo (mike, mostly) got sick of it so I moved on…to the 2nd phrase of “Suicidal Thoughts” (don’t make sense…)
***pun was not intended
4) The Ones that Stick With You (You got what I neeeddddddddd)
“Feel It” Three 6 Mafia Ft. Tiesto – (how did they win an oscar?) I first heard this song in the library at BYU in one of the single person cubicles. Arnold Palmers and redbulls lined the back of the desk as I sat down to study for midterms. Saw this song when someone posted it on facebook, ended up replaying it for 45 minutes or so, packed up, and went back to my place. Wish I could say that wasn’t true. Its a good song, but what makes it for me is the buildup, and then the drop. And then after the drop it picks up to a whole new level above that. It makes me feel giddy.
“Defying Gravity” Wicked – Once I started hitting the high notes at the end this became my number one song to sing as loud and care free as I please. Not quite my favorite song on the album (“For Good” but that makes me cry if i sing it) but this one still gets me emotional enough if I’m in the mood (I may or may not have teared up during this song when I saw it on broadway).
Some Honorable Mention:
(2) “Africa” Toto – Troy and Abed singing with Betty White. (Donald Glover has a great voice). J.D. in Elliot’s bath…mango body butter anyone?
(2) “Shout” Otis Day & The Knights – Pick your own favorite quote. Dibs on the cucumber line.
(3) “Beer” Reel Big Fish – not a big fan of the verses, but the chorus gets me. “And if you’re drinkin well you know that you’re my friend and ill say, I guess ill have myself a beer” In the words of a kid named Peter that I met at a party “You gave me a beer. Thats friendship”
Obviously this list wont apply to everyone, but for those reading, if you find even 1 or 2 songs that you can take with you, then I’ll take that as a win (FTK!)
As I look back on this a couple of thoughts come to mind. First, if it wasn’t Hana’s birthday today, would I still be up writing this so she could see it whenever she got up (Happy birthday Hana!). And second, did anyone actually get this far. But that second one is besides the point. The point is:
If someone asked me the question; So Nate, what do you love about music? I’d flip my chair around, sit down and say…
WeDontBelongg 