This story appears in the April 97 edition of U. The National College
Magazine
"Electronic Avenue"
Electronica: the new alternative to alternative
by Tricia Romano(from Univ. of Washington)
In 1991, the music charts were crowded with benign R&B acts like
Paula Abdul and Mariah Carey and bland pop and country like Wilson
Phillips and Garth Brooks. The world of popular music was safe,
formulaic and incredibly dull.
Not long afterward, a trio named Nirvana released its stellar
album, "Nevermind", which rocketed to the number-one position on the
"Billboard" charts. Popular music hasn't sounded the same since.
Now, five years later, the top of the charts look suspiciously the
same as in '91. Bland R&B (Toni Braxton), bloated pop (Kenny G.) and
generic country (LeAnn Rimes) acts are perched alongside Pearl Jam
wannabes (Bush) and whiny aggrogirl rock (Alanis Morrisette). It's a
period when R.E.M. and Pearl Jam turn in critically acclaimed records
that flop with the fans. Music, the kids say, is not all right. And
everyone from the record industry to the fans is taking a big breath
and waiting for the face of popular music to metamorphose once again.
Techno revolution
They may not know it yet, but they're waiting for techno.
Techno (now called electronic) music has been ignored, denounced
and ridiculed by American critics and mainstream listeners for the past
decade. At the same time, electronica has quietly built a small army
of fans who learn of the music mainly through underground dance parties
("raves") and electronica insider magazines like "Urb" and "XLR8R". In
the past few months, "Spin", "Rolling Stone", "Newsweek", "The New York
Times" and even the "Wall Street Journal" ran stories posing the
question: Will electronic music be the next big thing?
"Electronic music is just going to explode in the next 18 months,"
predicts junior Jake Buffington, station manager at Arizona State U.'s
KASR radio.
Many people in the music industry agree. Marco Collins, DJ and
music director at The End 107.7 radio station in Seattle, has been
instrumental in getting electronic-based acts on the air. Like any
other mainstream radio station, The End has a predetermined format that
leaves little or no room for experimentation. But Collins gave it a
whirl anyway, spinning bands like Prodigy, Chemical Brothers and
Orbital on prime-time radio, unedited.
"It's a risk throwing electronic music on," he says. "But it's
important for a station that is supposed to be about change - new
things and new ideas - that we go there. You know, actually delving
into it before it becomes a fad."
Euro stash
Funny thing. Because in England, techno has been a staple of
radio for roughly a decade. Bands such as Prodigy, which is relegated
to playing to audiences of less than 1,000 in the Sates, will play to a
crowd of 60,000 in the Mother Country. In England, it's not uncommon
to find a Chemical Brothers track charting in the Top 10 with the likes
of Oasis, Elastica or Echobelly.
Nils Bernstein, a represenative at the mother of all grunge
labels, Sub Pop, explains the phenomenon quite succinctly: "The youth
culture in England and Europe is far more centered around dance clubs
that it is here," he says. "Also, England and Europe are relatively
tiny markets compared to the U.S. - small enough that a simple fad can
have seriously commerical consequences."
Andrea Mulrain, a regional represenative for electronica
front-runner London Records, agrees. "[England} is the more progressive
nation when it comes to dance stuff," she explains. "Our country is
grounded in formatted radio. Everything is so compartmentalized."
Reborn in the U.S.A.
In a country where every little nuance in music needs to be labled
and defined, is American music ready for such an extreme change?
Collins points out that traces of electronic music's influence
have already made a dent on the music scene - albeit in a rock-hybrid
form. Trip-hoppers Massive Attack remixed Garbage. The Chemical
Brothers remixed the Charlatans UK. Tori Amos got special treatment
from Armand Van Helden and Rabbit in the Moon. And Bomb the Bass' Tim
Simenon remixed Depeche Mode.
Meanwhile, other artists have been stealing stylistic snippets
from electronica tracks and incorporating them into a more traditional
"verse, chorus, verse" format. "Spin's" Artist of the Year, Beck, has
been the most successful at meshing all these styles. Meanwhile,
newcomers the Sneaker Pimps (from England, natch) combine Garbage-like
layers of manufactured beauty with saccharine-sweet vocals and catchy
melodies.
Not everyone on the campus music scene is jumping on the
electronic bandwagon. "Since we're close to L.A., we're big on ska,"
says Tony Mayberry, KUNV assistant operations manager at the U. of
Nevada, Las Vegas. But he adds that requests for electronic music have
surged during the past few months.
The problem with promoting electronic music as the "next big
thing" is that it could spell an inevitable doom for the art form.
Longtime fans of techno are watching and listening with mixed emotions
of glee and horror as MTV installs "Amp", a new show devoted entirely
to electronica.
But Collins remains optimistic. He's obiviously hit a nerve with
his listeners. The DJ relishes stories about kids calling the station
and requesting Tool, Nirvana, and...Prodigy. Collins says it doesn't
matter if the music was created with guitars or with a drum machine. If
kids connect with the music, then the music will survive. "I said it
before, but the energy of Prodigy [and all electronica bands] is
parallel to that of Nirvana."
Only time will tell.
Along w/ the story came:
two pictures: The Prodigy("Prodigal son.") and Orbital("Lost in
space."),
Guest Expert: Coolio on techno: "I hate techno. You have to be on
drugs to get into it. I can't get into it."
and
Techno Lowdown
A techno-phobes's guide to electronic music:
House: Originated in Chicago and is noted for its consistent,
repetitive beats - about 120 beats per minute (bpm) - and diva-style
singing. Ex: Boris Dugosch, Love Tribe
Deep Dish Techno: The most common and popular format, it's also the
most computer-generated. Very high-energy with different layers of
sounds and high bpm. Ex: Hardfloor, Prodigy
Trance: Generally more melodic and complex thant your garden-variety
techno. So named because the music should guide the audience into a
trancelike state. Ex: Underworld, Future Sound of London
Ambient: Moure soundscape and setting that a cohesive form of music.
It rarely has steady beats and is sometimes mixed with other house or
techno. Ex: The Orb, Brian Eno
Drum and Bass (a.k.a. Jungle): Comes from London and is characterized
by erratic double-layered beats and bass lines, with a second melody
floating over the top. Ex: Goldie, Alex Reece
Trip Hop: Arrives straight from the Mother Country. Shifty, layered
noise with slow hip-hop beats and emphasis on vocals. Ex: Tricky,
Portishead
Acid Jazz: A mixture of hip-hop beats and jazz-influenced sounds that
usually features lots of saxophone and some slick rapping. Ex: Guru,
Courtney Pine - TR
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