Tito writes:
What up Wayne,
Hope all is well. Felicidades on 3-2, you don’t look a day over 25.
So the other day I was listening to Tony Dize’s new album “La Melodia de la Calle” & one track struck me. The song “Permitame” feat. Yandel, which also happens to be the 1st single off the album is a completely different sound for Tony Dize & I would argue much of Reggaeton. The track is infused with Timbaland/Timberlake type sounds & I could envision someone like Justin Timberlake singing over this track & it being a hit.
I was wondering if you could lend your musical ear to the track & let me know what you think. I haven’t been on my Reggaeton game as much as I used to, my MA thesis is has been taking up most of my time, so maybe this track is something not out of the ordinary. Anyway, I find it musically intriguing & wonder if this American Pop style of Reggaeton (is it even Reggaeton anymore?) could possibly be a new wave of the genre? The track is getting a lot of play in PR & is making its way to the radio here in the states, I heard it the other day on “La Kalle” here in Chicago.
and before I could answer, he follows with
Hey,
In the same vein, check out Daddy Yankee’s new track “Pose”
Here’s what I wrote in response:
Hey Tito,
These are some interesting examples. Thanks for bringing them to my attention. They definitely depart from recent orthodoxy in reggaeton (though perhaps suggest an emerging new orthodoxy). For one, they’re faster than a lot of reggaeton ca. 03-07; instead of around 100bpm, they’re closer to 120/130, so more like house/techno/club/dance tempo, which is — as usual — pretty consistent with contemporary hip-hop/r&b/pop. Also significantly, — perhaps in part b/c of the tempo — I don’t hear any “Dem Bow” samples; there’s still that ol’ boom-ch-boom-chick (which some might hear as a general “dembow” rhythm), but even then it’s less pronounced/consistent. And the type of synths in use on both tracks, that buzzy/tactile, mid-range wheeze — which perhaps is what suggests the work of Timbaland/lake to your ears — is pretty au courant, not just in hip-hop but all kinds of genres. I think that’s, to some extent, a matter of shared software, but it’s also an aesthetic thing: a return to “ravey” synths that may have been reinitiated, at least in the mainstream, by Lil Jon’s refitting of rave presets for crunk tracks a few years ago.
To my ears, once again, reggaeton shows itself very in touch with contemporary global/American pop trends, while maintaining a distinctive sonic profile all its own.
Cheers,
Wayne
Ok, I really need to get that “raveyton” post in order at this point, to help put all this into context.
!Hasta pronto!
Randomness—-
When I listen to Chica Virtual and Algo Musical I’m not quite sure what to think. But I like it!
You know who has been on my mind lately? DJ Laz, a lot of the new stuff reminds me of him. I believe he has a new hit, actually.
My stepkids are 19-25 and fans of reggaeton (and all that crunktivity too), but spent time with their dad and me listening to Booty Bass Classics and stuff on road trips. When I realize the ages of some of these hitmakers it kinda makes me feel ancient. As if Im not CURRENT, but a mom whose cassette collection the kids raid to liven up their reggaeton with some “oldies”.
Has it been that long, Wayne??
Get to that raveyton post, ok?!
Is DJ Laz and 1995ish Florida along the lines of what u mean, btw? Thats what I think of, but not sure if thats what you’re thinking of. Any representative artists/songs?
Am I trying to make you come up with that raveyton post ahead of schedule? Sorry. :)
thanks for the continued encouragement to get that post out, nina (y tu también, iván). pronto pronto, pa’ verdad.
iván raises an interesting point that calls for some clarification. is this kind of synth sound the same thing that martin clark has dubbed “wonky” — an aesthetic preference/preset currently sweeping the world of electronic/digital music, especially as produced via popular software programs (FL, Reason, Logic) and softsynths? to be honest, i’m not quite sure, but i do think it’s significant that we have the same sort of buzzy synth sounds cutting — across genre — through all the crappy, bassless speakers we tend to use in our everyday, non-club listening. coincidental? i think not. zeitgeisty? maybe more than that, maybe less.
frankly, i’d like to see a more precise — in terms of frequencies/oscillators/etc — description of what makes wonky wonky. does anything in particular distinguish it from the thick, buzzy, now “vintage” “analog” sounds of, say, the Juno or Jupiter — the kind of thing that produced Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams,” which I’m often reminded of when I hear these newfangled synth tracks? martin calls them “off-kilter, unstable” — and i kind of get what he’s saying on an intuitive level, but i’d like to know in greater detail what’s producing these sounds and why producers are favoring them right now.
& actually, nina, as i’ll explain, i’m thinking more of the late 90s / early 00s stuff by DJ Blass, DJ Joe, even DJ Playero, all of whom started to employ software like FruityLoops (and its preset techno synths and effects) and turning to sample sources from club/dance music rather than, say, dancehall or hip-hop. though, i think you’re right that we could look to someone like Laz and other people doing “latin”-bass (post-freestyle?) stuff in the early to mid 90s as another moment of such club cross-currents. i recently got into DJ Laz b/c of his early attempts to fuse merengue with Miami bass. fun stuff!
but while the topic’s fresh, allow me to paste in some cont’d convo btn me & tito:
Gotcha.
Im glad you have a hard time describing the synth sounds,makes me feel better about my frustration with my lack of musical vocabulary to describe certain things I hear.
My favorite term for assorted mid 80’s techno/electronic sounds is “video gameish”, sounds like Atari to me. Vocorder stuff is all “Transformers sounding” according to me. I cant describe it, but I know what that means.
I’m still a bit confused as to which synth sounds specifically are the ones called “Wonky” by Blackdown – is it the mid-range warping bass ones (the ones everyone else seems to be calling “electro bass” or “lazer bass” as found in niche house) or is it the thin sounds that are reminicent of old gaming consoles? The latter would make more sense, since the electro bass thing has been going for several years now, and both appear in many of the tracks in the article.
I tried to ask him on his blog but I didn’t get a reply.
that is hot get that on BET now that i go cable