Just as dance music was pronounced
“dead” by an over zealous rock press and
the baying broadsheets in the early-2000s,
now things couldn’t be more different.
Skinny jeaned indie guitar bands have
again been exhausted, with music fans
from across the spectrum turning to the
exuberant energies of electronic dance,
its infl uence everywhere to see. Similarly,
clubbers and producers have grown increas-
ingly tired of the stripped back, spare
sounds of minimal.
“I’ve been making dance music for over 20
years now and I’ve seen the cycle of trends,”
points out DJ/producer Eric Kupper. “There
was a shift towards and away from vocals
and melody, in different incarnations, from
the beginning. There is often a ‘backlash’
to whatever has been dominant previously.
Right now, with so much minimal and
tech-house out there, there is a longing by
both clubbers and DJs alike for songs and
melody.” a record label and production outfi t from One of the fi ercest advocates of the old
Munich, have the kind of propulsive, grand skool ways and part of this neo-acid house
Slovenia’s techno master Umek reckons chords and the strong vocals to crossover revival is Australian producer Cam Farrar,
that minimal has simply had its time and from their cosmic disco roots to major club aka Kikumoto Allstars, whose album, titled
old skool rhythms were bound to take over fl oors and even potentially the pop charts. — you guessed it — ‘House Music’ is a true
soon or later. Clearly created with a retro feeling in mind, fl ashback to classic Chicago warehouse
Joey Negro
“The electronic scene hasn’t done anything it shows that younger dance producers are grooves and a tribute to godfathers like
new for a couple of years. The only thing we going back to the roots of dance music to Larry Heard and Phuture. The title track
could hear was the recycling of the basic discover the classics, and in turn are begin- harnesses every trick in the book, from the
Melodies have been fundamental to the elements of the tracks, so it was just a ques- ning to create music hewn from the original stuttering vocal samples to the euphoric
spirit of house music since the genre was tion of time before you'd be able to hear components. pianos and blistering bassline, bringing the
fi rst coined by Chicago legends Marshall these huge piano rave sounds.” “Melodies in dance music, within techno, rhythms of yesterday bang up-to-date with
Jefferson, Jesse Saunders and Steve ‘Silk’ DJ/producer Trevor Loveys, whose produc- house, whatever, have never gone away,” modern studio technologies.
Hurley. If house is disco’s revenge, as tions have touched on electro, deep house believes Classic Records/Rekids’ Luke “I feel the book still hasn’t been written
Frankie Knuckles once stated, then the pi- and fi dget, also thinks the cycle has simply Solomon. on house music and people are picking up
ano is its primary weapon. Piano and synth come full circle. “They existed in minimal but the sound and from where the pioneers left it,” Farrar says.
riffs are memorable, hook you in, engage “We get bored hearing the same sounds so production was treated in a very different “Dance has gone through many rubbishy
your emotions, elements imperative to the end up looking back for inspiration. For me, way. Minimal relied on the drugs to do a lot and cheesy phases and lost its way at vari-
growth of the movement of dance music as it’s going back to the tracks that got me of the work. We have crossed a generation ous stages.
we see it today, from Ce Ce Rogers’ emotive excited about the music in the fi rst place,” and there is a whole new bunch of people “At the moment people are returning to the
‘Someday’ to its hardcore counterpart Loveys points out. discovering dance music that now has a essence of dance music and holding onto
‘Sweet Harmony’ by Liquid, which samples For Joey Negro — another DJ/producer history. This has in turn inspired the current those simple pure magical elements that
it. who has seen and been behind many of the trend.” make it so amazing. With the piano riffs
“Riffs, melodies, sounds are all very musical shifts in dance music — the cyclical it’s all in the rhythm and groove and the
important to building uplifting songs, nature of house has demanded that it’s chords,” adds Farrar. “The staccato nature
giving people the option to sing along, returned to the melodies and pianos absent drives the whole track. It just makes you
to feel along, to create a hook,” believes for so long. wanna move your arse!”
Kevin Saunderson, founder of Inner City, “It became unfashionable to play tracks Dutch DJ/producer Joris Voorn agrees,
KMS Records and one of the original Detroit with obviously uplifting breakdowns and going so far as to say that the piano hit, or
techno and house innovators. chord progressions for a while, but that stab, is one of the fundamental elements of
“That was a very big part of Inner City — big couldn’t go on forever,” he says. “Lots of a strong track.
melodies, songs and hooks — and it’s a DJs are sheep and will shift their style to “Piano or synth stabs are essential for
great thing to be coming back. What it boils whatever they think is in vogue, so if it be- dance music,” claims Voorn. “Their simple,
down to is that you have to be able to feel comes big piano screamers then that’s what melodic and repetitive structure creates
it. I’m not sure in minimal there was much they’ll play — as long as the dancefl oor is recognisable and, most of all, euphoric
to feel. There’s some pretty good sounds busy. ” moments on the dancefl oor. If the sound
but not much to feel. So it’s a void fi lled, of the stabs is warm, powerful and a little
which has been needed.” Songs Not Scenery aggressive it punches through everything
Songs are something that the new piano- else.”
Cycles propelled melodic movement is already
But why now? One rea- excelling at. Tracks like ‘Tic Toc’, Kathy Stimulation
son is undoubtedly Diamond’s new collaboration with The power of dancefl oor music has always
the cyclical nature the Permanent been tied to the groove-enhancing proper-
of musical Vacation ties of drugs. The prevalence of certain
trends. crew, kinds of stimulants has undoubtedly
Kikumoto Allstars
infl uenced how we respond to music, and
074
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DJ474.piano feature.indd 74 13/5/09 17:00:26
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