Producer Podcast

Brendan O'Brien's productions have a "sound" in my opinion in which he marries a "raw" sound along with a "produced" one. Which is what I love about the records he has produced such as "Evil Empire" by Rage Against The Machine" and "Light Grenades" by Incubus for example. Both albums have mainstream quality, but also have this "rawness" and sound very "honest." Which to me...is the perfect combo in a music production.




REFERENCES:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan_O'Brien_(music_producer)

REFUSED - The Shape Of Punk To Come

Refused was a hardcore punk band from Umea, Sweden, formed in early 1991. The band released 3 albums between 1994-1996. This Just Might Be the Truth in 1994, Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent in 1996, and their most definitive and final album The Shape of Punk To Come in 1998, which has been lauded as “the most influential hardcore album of all time." Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello once described the record as "one of the great rock jams of all time,” and helped change the game forever influencing a range of genres still to this day.

The record took the foundation of American hardcore and added elements of free jazz and techno to form a unique amalgam of music. From the explosive, off-time opener “Worm of the Senses,” to the freefall jazz drop-outs of “The Deadly Rhythm,” and to the jaw-dropping hardcore anthem “New Noise,” that after a decade has somewhat inexplicably became the band’s most popular song.

The Shape of Punk to Come was way ahead of its time, and did not become popular until after the demise of the band, shortly after the release of the album. Refused frontman Dennis Lyxzen stated, “We were one of those bands who rubbed a lot of people the wrong way when we were around. So it made perfect sense that we would have to break up to be popular. “To me,” he adds, “It’s a fitting legacy.”

Refused was one of those bands that til’ this day people are still discovering. I did not discover them until 5 years after they had broken up, and thought to myself when I first heard them, “wow, they should have been a lot bigger than they were when they were still around.” You can definitely hear the influence of Refused's music in modern day emo/post-hardcore bands such as Thursday, Thrice, and Underoath to name a few.

Refused - The Shape Of Punk To Come Podcast

Peer Comment

I agree with Ben saying “I respect anyone who is ahead of their time and has the disregard for what is or isn’t popular and just makes the music that they want to make in the name of art and not money.” However, I disagree when Ben says “I find it interesting that Kraftwerk faded back into the shadows once their style of music finally started to become popular. That is the trait of a true artist in my opinion.” In response to that, to veer away from a sound that you created for the simple fact that it has become popular is just plain stubborn. Who cares if now all of the sudden your music has become popular. That’s a good thing. That means you created a sound that made an impact on people. As long as you’re creating music that makes you happy, what does it matter if at one point it becomes popular to the masses? “Trying” to be different is just as trendy as trends themselves.

Electronic Artist/Composer - Nine Inch Nails

Nine Inch Nails were the most popular industrial rock group ever, and were largely responsible for bringing the music to a mass audience. Nine Inch Nails was founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor, the main producer, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist for the group. Reznor is the only sole member of Nine Inch Nails, but is supported in concert by a live backing band.

Nine Inch Nails produced several highly influential records in the 1990’s that achieved widespread popularity such as Pretty Hate Machine (1989), Broken EP (1992), The Downward Spiral (1994), and The Fragile (Left)/The Fragile (Right) (1999). They would later be followed with albums such as With Teeth (2005), Year Zero (2007), Ghosts I-IV (2008), and The Slip (2008). Many Nine Inch Nails songs went onto becoming radio hits. Two Nine Inch Nails songs won Grammy Awards, and have reached record sales exceeding over 20 million albums worldwide with 10.5 million sales certified in the U.S. alone. In 1997, Reznor appeared in Time magazine's list of the year's most influential people, and Spin magazine described him as "the most vital artist in music.”

Reznor wrote melodic, traditionally structured songs, but with harsh electronic beats of industrial music, which sounded very mechanical at times. However, the lyrics are the focal point of the music, and Reznor's singing is very dynamic and frequently moves from whispers to screams. Nine Inch Nails' music occasionally features complex time signatures, most notably in The Collector from the album With Teeth, and concert favorite March of the Pigs. Reznor also uses noise and distortion in his song arrangements, and incorporates dissonance with chromatic melody and/or harmony.

As a listener, I’m more of a fan of earlier Nine Inch Nails albums such as Pretty Hate Machine and The Downward Spiral, but have an appreciation for all of their records. Nine Inch Nails has definitely influenced many newer artists most specifically in the mid-late 90’s during the “nu-metal era.” The harsh, electronic mechanical-esque industrial sound that has made Nine Inch Nails who they are is made apparent in the music and sound of industrial rock and metal artists such as Marilyn Manson, Static-X, and Fear Factory. 

Electronic Music - Kraftwerk

The music and image of the band Kraftwerk was electronic and experimental. Kraftwerk was formed in 1970 by Florian Schneider (flutes, synthesizers & electro-violin) and Ralf Hutter (electronic organ & synthesisers) in Dusseldorf, Germany. They were pioneers of electronic music in the 1970’s, and are considered as one of the most important and influential bands of their genre. Kraftwerk are often described as “The godfathers of electronic music.” Ralf Hutter and Florian Schneider were the primary members/songwriters of Kraftwerk, and all other members who came and went were just studio musicians. Kraftwerk’s music has been dubbed by the press as “Krautrock.”

From 1974-1981, Kraftwerk released 5 albums, all of which were conceptual albums. Autobahn (1974), Radio-Activity (1975), Trans-Europe Express (1977), The Man-Machine (1978), and Computer World (1981). German producer and engineer Konrad "Conny" Plank was highly significant in the early years of Kraftwerk, and co-produced the first four Kraftwerk albums. Autobahn was Kraftwerk’s fourth album, and reached number 25 on the US Billboard 200 chart. Autobahn was also the final recording Conny Plank would produce for Kraftwerk. Radio-Activity was a bilingual album featuring lyrics in both English and German, and is also a bit more experimental than Autobahn. Radio-Activity was also less successful in the UK and American markets. Trans-Europe Express was their sixth studio album, which differed from the group’s earlier "Krautrock" style focusing on electronic mechanized rhythms as well as taking more of a minimalistic approach. The album was a flop and failed to chart in both the UK and America. The Man-Machine is a build off of Trans-Europe Express, and charted at number 9 in the UK, and 130 on the US Billboard 200. It was also voted at number 96 on Q magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Albums. Computer World was their eighth studio album. The sound of the album is more reliant on computers and vocals, and was deemed by critics as the peak of their career.

One of the characteristics of Kraftwerk’s music that earns them the position of the biggest influence on electronic music was their album concepts. For instance, Autobahn is about the road and driving through the Autobahn, and Trans-Europe Express is about train travel and European connectivity. Kraftwerk’s music was also an influence in Hip-Hop such as the group Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force, who used samples from Trans-Europe Express and Numbers, and interpolated the samples into Planet Rock, one of the earliest hip-hop/electro hits.

Although I’m not too into Kraftwerk or most earlier electronic music in general, I do respect them for being pioneers, and for their minimalistic ideology.

The Beatles - Revolver Podcast