Yesterday I visited the British Music Experience museum at the O2 in London. The first thing to say is that I have never before been so emersed in musical history, because this museum holds practically all records about music that has shaped our modern culture in Britain. Here is their promo video:
Before I even got there I knew that they keep up with modern customer desires – they use ‘smart tickets’ which allow you to bookmark your favourite parts of the exhibits – there were card readers throughout the museum where you just place the card on the reader and it registers for you (a bit like an Oyster card); you can then look back at what you have seen, on the website.
When you got in you were shown a really well-made video explaining what they have in the exhibits and how the smart ticket works.
I also knew, when I entered the main exhibition area (which they call ‘The Core’), that they ensure a pleasing appearance, with a multitude of lighting and projector effects throughout.
I was a little bit surprised as to how small the whole museum was, but that didn’t matter – there was already enough information to take in…
They had certain rooms designated to certain time periods and eras of British music. It started off with the mid-50s when Britain was inspired by American styles such as jazz and blues, creating the skiffle genre, which was responsible for creating pop music (with groups such as The Beatles and The Kinks), while some artists started to use harder sounds, forming early rock music – more artists started to follow this trend and some used inspirations from other genres such as RnB from the US, creating many diverse styles of rock – in the mid-70s during harsh economic times, artists such as the Sex Pistols started punk rock to protest, while other artists were developing hard rock, progressive rock, and heavy metal started to appear in the 80s, which was also a time when electronic instruments had started to be used by pop artists making electro-pop and new wave, which inspired underground rock artists to a new genre: brit pop, which was responsible for the more modern pop sounds, e.g. with boy and girl bands, and singer-songwriters, which is where we are in the present day.
It was totally fascinating experiencing this broad journey of how musical styles have evolved throughout time, and I’m sure, if you are a musician and keen in this gripping history, then I’m sure that you will love it too.
There were bucket-loads of interactive artefacts with hundreds of video clips and timelines which give insight into certain genres’ histories. There were even display cases filled with historic and valuable items, including guitars and clothes that various rock legends have played and worn, but they’re not your stereotypical boring cabinets with tiny bits of text – you put headphones on and a commentary gives more information about them, with video clips of them being used, on screens to the side.
It doesn’t stop there either. There were also displays (with headphones and commentaries) of various types of playback mediums used throughout history, such as gramaphones, cassette players and VCRs. Opposite were screens with headphones, with timelines of big broadcasts (e.g. TV and radio shows) throughout the years.
I’m not even nearly finished. There was a touchscreen (and headphones), which they called ‘Hey DJ!’ which showcases classic and important dance tracks (most were from the acid house era of the 1980s).
Last, but certainly not least, there was an interactive studio with various instruments and a vocal booth, with video tutorials on how to play them – I had a go at the guitar.
At the end of the visit, you are put into a room with a great big 3-sided cinema screen, with a number of screens behind it giving 3-dimensional effects, with strobe lights and a big sound system – in here they show highlights from famous concert videos – the lights and the sound really make you feel like you’re at a festival.
Coming here I think has really been valuable to me, to understand more about how modern styles of music and cultures of music in Britain have formed, and how people used to experience music.
I rate this museum 4 out of 5 – I would love to have rated it 5 but there are two things which are stopping me from doing that.
Firstly, I was in there for a while and I was getting hungry, and it was about lunchtime. Me and my mum therefore asked one of the members of staff if we could leave and come back in again – they didn’t let us. We eventually had to get the manager involved in order to let us leave. Not letting you go and have something to eat when there are no food facilities in the museum is really stupid.
Also, the smart ticket system is confusing – I realised, when I registered my ticket on their website, that you can only look at the information that you have bookmarked if you scan the ticket after you have looked at it (I did it mostly the other way round, so I got barely any information available) – they could have made that clearer.
Despite the mishaps, if you’re an aspiring musician like me, then visiting the British Music Experience is an unmissable chance to learn once and for all how music in Britain has got to what it is today.
( Cite notes are indicated in square brackets [ ] )
“I can envision one person with a lot of machines – tapes, electronic setups – singing and speaking, and using a lot of machines” - Jim Morrison (lead singer of The Doors), 1969
These days it has never been so easy to produce great music. As little as 25 years ago, producers needed to be wealthy enough to afford an enormous studio, using analogue synths that produced basic sounds while still taking up an entire room. Nowadays, thanks to computers becoming smaller and more affordable, we can make tracks that are able to make tens of millions of views on YouTube, just by using cheap and affordable computers and laptops.
Electronic songs have changed the way that we think about music; it has brought artists from only being known in small venues and communities to people all over the world, and has transformed our attitudes towards this music, in good ways and bad ways.
The talents used to produce these tracks used to be shown in a few gifted people, but now anyone can spend a few hours on a computer and write a banger.
This is exactly how a producer from Los Angeles managed to become world-famous, and his name is Skrillex. Here is an interview of him explaining his journey of successes:
He started off his life in music as the lead singer in an emo-hardcore band called From First To Last; in 2006, he began making his own tracks [1] and he left the band in 2007 to focus on his new solo dance-orientated project. He began performing under the name Skrillex in nightclubs in Los Angeles in 2008 [2] and played mainly electro music. [3]
In 2010, he released his debut EP ‘My Name Is Skrillex’ as a free download on his MySpace page. His luck came when he started touring nationally with electronic music legend Deadmau5 later in the year, who ended up signing a record contract with Skrillex to his label, mau5trap, as he very much appreciated the new EP. [2][5]
Skrillex then started working on another new EP, focused on dubstep and electro, which he released under mau5trap in October 2010, with the name ‘Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites’. [4] It was this EP, that was unlike any other of its kind, that managed to get to place number 2 in the Beaport Top 10 within 4 days [5], and what sent him on 8 months of constant touring, [6] and what made him world-famous, and this was the headline track:
Not only was this record famous for him, but it has also changed the genre of dubstep like it has never seen before. His sound was so different to what dubstep records were like before him, that it changed the sound and culture of dubstep forever.
The genre used to be very underground in the suburbs of South London, before it started to become heard of by a slightly larger audience in 2009 [7] when artists like Nero and Skream started remixing pop tunes from artists such as La Roux. However, the genre still only remained within the UK, with only a few producers recognising it abroad.
But, when Skrillex entered the scene, he opened up the genre to people from all over the world by including new elements of other styles of music that appealed particularly to audiences within the United States, as he included elements of heavy metal in his tracks, giving a more aggressive tone, with more fluctuation in synth parameters. [7]
Other artists such as Datsik and Excision had been developing this new ‘Americanised’ dubstep before him [7], but Skrillex was the first to make it well-known.
Since Skrillex stormed the dubstep world, many other artists started to use similar sounds, with sharper, more piercing tones, throughout 2011 and 2012. Some notable ones include Doctor P, Zomboy and Knife Party. Skrillex even started his own record label in August 2011 [8] called OWSLA, with artists signed to it adopting his harsh and aggressive style, including artists such as Kill TheNoise, Dillon Francis and Zedd. In fact, if you look at all artists in all electronic music styles, you will have noticed an increasing popular use of aggressiveness in the tones that are used, and Skrillex was definitely a pioneer of this convention.
Electro house is a genre that particularly uses the styles of modern dubstep, and it was brought big and mainstream in 2011 when Knife Party released their debut EP called ’100% No Modern Talking’ with this being the headline track:
This track managed to get into BBC Radio 1′s top 40 dance chart – that must mean success.
Now, for a bit of backstory. Knife Party is consisted of two members, Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen, of the drum & bass/electronic rock band Pendulum, and while the band split up for a break, they both decided to create a side-project for electro house and dubstep, and other club-related genres. [9] In an interview by Radio 1 producer Zane Lowe in May 2012, Swire stated that “we weren’t sure if anyone was going to take notice at all; it was just going to be a little underground thing; it’s just blown me away how quickly it’s taken off.”[10]
They have now played in clubs and festivals all over the world, including Ultra Music Festival in March 2012 in Miami.
Now, let’s just hold on a minute. We have here two very successful dance music acts, who have achieved outstanding fame, but how do these people manage to get so many fans in such a short space of time?
Well, first off, they were both originally in bands, meaning that they would have fans that were previously fans of their bands as well; however, could this mean, that as these bands are splitting and going on breaks, that bands are dying out?
You may think, ‘what is he going on about’, but here’s something for you to consider:
Take a look at the music in the current top 40 chart. How much of that music is electronic or sounds like it has obviously been arranged by a computer, and how much of it is from bands?
Now, compare that music to a chart from 20 years ago. Do you notice any difference?
That’s right. Mainstream pop songs are starting to all become made by single producers, on computers with synth software. This proves that it is possible that anyone can make great music; you don’t have to be in a group, or able to play an instrument, like 20 years ago. You don’t even have to have good keyboard skills to make good melodies; you can just draw the notes in. If you want to become famous – go ahead. It might be more straightforward than you think.
Unfortunately, huge fame can come at a price. When Skrillex had the high point of his career in 2011, there started an internet war of trolls who constantly spam any YouTube video to do with dubstep, about how they think that Skrillex ruined the genre, that he doesn’t make proper dubstep, and that he’s a complete showoff. Well, the main reason that these spammers would be doing this is because they weren’t expecting such the success that dubstep has had over the past couple of years. It may have been an underground scene since the late 1990s, [7] but genres and their culture change over time and they probably haven’t got used to its success, neither have they learnt that people who have made changes in the music industry need a good amount of respect for their hard work.
But then, people keep saying that ‘Skrillex isn’t a real DJ’, well they can look back on themselves and see how much they have achieved and compare it to what this guy is able to do, and consider how difficult it is to perform in front of thousands of people, and how they’re successful risk takers – yes, they risk being hated, because they’re fearless people when it comes to music and if people are going to complain about that, well, they’re just insecure about music and they just need to get a grip on themselves.
Another example of an artist that has received hate like this (but on an even bigger scale) is a French producer called David Guetta.
Let’s look back at Skrillex and how he raised electronic music from the underground scene to being featured heavily around the world. Well, Guetta has raised that bar 5 times higher, so much so that he almost always has a track in the top 40 chart and is always featured on mainstream radio stations such as Capital FM. In fact, he has made at least one track into every compilation in the “Now That’s What I Call Music!” series since volume 79 (at the time of writing this, the latest is 83), [11][12][13][14][18] as well as a few before that.
If Skrillex has loads of haters because he brought dubstep mainstream, imagine how many Guetta must have.
Just like Skrillex, Guetta began making tracks using just a laptop, and DJing in his bedroom, not being used to huge studio equipment. [15]
His original fame began as he played in numerous different night clubs; he started in the Broad Club in Paris at the age of 18 and began hosting his own club nights [17] – starting young is guaranteed to get you good attention.
He also began producing, collaborating with numerous different other artists, including producers, singers and rappers, also starting a compilation series called ‘F**k Me I’m Famous’, of the songs that he played in Ibiza. [17]
This seems pretty normal for a producer and DJ who has made good success, to do collaborations and end up playing Ibiza; however, he became famous in the mainstream market because he began working with many more famous pop artists, including will.i.am, who heard his track with Chris Willis ‘Love Is Gone’ and was very pleased with it, so he wanted him to start producing for The Black Eyed Peas, which resulted in the track ‘I Gotta Feeling’. [15]
One of his other major breakthroughs was his track ‘When Love Takes Over’ featuring Kelly Roland. The way that this track turned out was where Roland heard an instrumental of David’s and was impressed so she wanted to collaborate with him. [16]
Here’s an interview with Guetta on the Jonathan Ross show [15]:
It was almost as though it only took a couple of collaborations with mainstream pop artists and he was getting requests by so many other artists to make tracks for them – practically a snowball effect; however, in order for him to have done those collaborations, he would have needed to have worked hard with so many other producers and artists before them to be able to get to that level – he was obviously someone who wanted to carry on and achieve more than his original goals.
Conclusion
So, we have two artists, Skrillex and Guetta, who became famous in similar ways – through getting their tracks heard by other big artists (Skrillex being heard by Deadmau5), which brings me on to my next point.
These days, it is easy for anyone to get their music heard, through various websites, like Facebook, YouTube, SoundCloud, and Twitter, and making the music has been cheaper and easier than ever before.
You never know when your music will get heard by someone famous, so go on! Start making some music and sharing it today! You never know what will happen…
References:
[1] ‘Making of “Break’n A Sweat”‘ – YouTube video uploaded by user SkrillexMothership – uploaded 15/03/2012 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT40_00AGQU
[2] ‘Skrillex’ – Wikipedia – last updated 28/12/2012 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skrillex
[3] ‘BBC – Sound of 2012 – Skrillex Interview’ – YouTube video uploaded by user electronik666 – uploaded 03/01/2012 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucLDfg276co
[4] ‘Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites’ – Wikipedia – last updated 18/12/2012 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scary_Monsters_and_Nice_Sprites
[5] ‘Skrillex Talks Dubstep And More’ – YouTube video uploaded by user Chris Banuchi – uploaded 02/11/2010 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_EPt6L0llg
[6] ‘Rock n Roll (Will Take You to the Mountain)’ – YouTube video uploaded by user TheOfficialSkrillex – uploaded 20/06/2011 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOofWzI3flA - I used just the description of this video for my research
[7] ‘Dubstep’ – Wikipedia – last updated 02/01/2013 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubstep
[8] ‘OWSLA’ – Wikipedia – last updated 03/01/2013- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OWSLA
[9] ‘Pendulum (band)’ – Wikipedia – last updated 01/03/2013 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendulum_(band)
[10] ‘BBC Radio 1 – Zane Lowe, 28/05/2012, Knife Party – Interview with Zane Lowe’ – BBC Radio 1 – published 29/05/2012 - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00t7jbv
[11] ‘Now That’s What I Call Music! 83 (UK Series)’ – Wikipedia – last updated 04/01/2013 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Now_That’s_What_I_Call_Music!_83_(UK_series)
[12] ‘Now That’s What I Call Music! 82 (UK Series)’ – Wikipedia – last updated 22/12/2012 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Now_That%27s_What_I_Call_Music!_82_(UK_series)
[13] ‘Now That’s What I Call Music! 81 (UK Series)’ – Wikipedia – last updated 22/12/2012 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Now_That%27s_What_I_Call_Music!_81_(UK_series)
[14] ‘Now That’s What I Call Music! 80 (UK series)’ – Wikipedia – last updated 05/01/2013 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Now_That%27s_What_I_Call_Music!_80_(UK_series)
[15] ‘David Guetta Interview on The Jonathan Ross Show’ – YouTube video uploaded by user biffycat0791 – uploaded 22/09/2012 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEv-w30dCQw
[16] ‘How Clubbing Changed The World’ – Channel 4 Documentary – from August 2012
[17] ‘David Guetta’ – Wikipedia – last updated 13/01/2013 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Guetta
[18] ‘Now That’s What I Call Music! 79 (UK Series)’ – Wikipedia – last updated 31/12/2012 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Now_That’s_What_I_Call_Music!_79_(UK_series)
As part of my Silver Arts Award which I am taking, I have to set myself a challenge which I must follow.
I’ve decided to do what many early producers do and that is to make a debut EP of at least 3 tracks. The EP will be multi-genre although mainly dubstep-based with some drum & bass and possibly some glitch hop.
I have decided to name the debut EP: ‘Bass Matters’, as my style focuses on heavy, growly basslines, although I still want to maintain the wobbly feel of classic dubstep.
I have already made one track which I would like to use for the EP, called The Curve. Check it out:
This EP will define my style of sound, which has been heavily inspired by many famous artists in the business today. I have come up with ideas using:
The growls of Excision
The scream of Skrillex
The thumping subs of Caspa
The wobbles of Rusko
The tunes and soundscapes of Benga
The power of Flux Pavillion
… and the craziness of both Datsik and Doctor P
Here’s just about one of the most heart-pounding dubstep tunes out here:
I would like my style to be similar to this, but more varied with glitchy, wobbly and percussive elements, exploring the different elements of dubstep. I would like my style to be one that people will definitely throw their hands to.
I do hope that you enjoy the EP. I’m still working on it but it should be a blow-up.
If you’re keen in the world of drums, whether you love watching geniuses max out their drum sets on stage, learning pro tips from experts or trying out kit from all of the major leading drumming brands, then the London Drum Show weekend at the Olympia Conference Centre in Kensington is something that you’ll love.
As soon as I stepped out of the elevator leading to the entrance, the spirit of drums hit me right in the face. There was a huge array of stands from different brands selling their latest gear, as well as an area where jamming sessions were taking place every two hours, where you can just turn up and play with up to four other players.
Naturally, there was an excessive amount of noise throughout the entire exhibition, so upon arrival, you’re given free foam ear plugs, as you will certainly need them. There was also a stand from a hearing protection brand where you can have ear plugs molded.
What I was most keen in seeing were the performances, and I was in the right place for being entertained.
First, I saw the brilliant Andy Gangadeen perform a fusion of electronic beats and acoustic charm. He played many live versions of tracks including 2 Chase & Status ones (the main group that he works with), which were ‘Flashing Lights’ and ‘Hocus Pocus’; these tracks and various electronic sounds and breaks were played through samplers and he added acoustic parts (including his top-end cymbals) over the top.
The next performance I saw was that of Rick Latham from the US, who busted out some classic funk fusion with his bass player (who’s name I can’t remember); a lot of rudiments that he used were inspired from artists such as Steve Gadd. He also gave some important tips on how to effectively use rudiments in your playing, as well as how to get your desired sound from your playing.
The performance after that came from none other than death metal legend Derek Roddy, also from the US. I had never properly heard death metal before and was surprised. It’s not just noise. It actually combines almost every drumming skill: rudiments, extreme durance, changing time signatures, just to name a few. He explained what practicing and playing metal drumming is like, saying how unlike most styles where you start slowly then speed up, in metal drumming you have to start fast from Day 1 to get your muscles used to the speed, and what speed it is. The main skill to master is hitting the kick drum at 400 BPM… Not easy. I was also very pleased that he mentioned that the modern music industry is, in his opinion, not about talent, but about getting money, and he mentioned how modern artists using drum machines in styles including metal completely get rid of the feel of metal as it should be. Everyone in the audience was pleased that he mentioned this.
There were also a number of masterclasses across the weekend, and I saw the legend Geoff Dugmore and his bass player (who’s name I also can’t remember) explaining how to become better at working with other musicians and getting yourself known. They explained that being a good musician does not mean that you are good by yourself; being a good musician means that you are good at working with other musicians effectively, creating a groove/tune that sounds catchy, not complex.
Today really inspired me to do better as a drummer and should inspire many others as well. If you want to feel part of a huge drumming community and see some amazing people, then don’t hesitate. Go to the London Drum Show.
Yesterday, I visited the BPM DJ exhibition at the N.E.C. In Birmingham.
When I walked up to the hall, I could immediately hear loads of noise, which was a good sign of activity.
When I got in, I was surprised that there was such a huge number of exhibits. I was eager to try out as much equipment as possible. There were stands from all of the leading brands such as Pioneer, Numark, Denon and Native Instruments, all showing off their latest and greatest gear. There was an endless array of controllers, decks, mixers, PA systems and lighting gear. There were also many smaller exhibits from various suppliers and academies selling their services.
However, first I attended a seminar (there were many going on throughout the day focusing on certain skills such as how to effectively DJ at parties and weddings, video mixing and bass production) on how to effectively use synths in music production; I felt that it really gave me some tips for using when I produce my own tracks. It covered topics such as how to use oscillators and filters effectively, and what sort of sounds to use for different scenarios.
I also saw a performance from the DJ duo ‘The Squatters’ in the arena in the centre of the hall, who were playing some thumping electro house, techno and dubstep. I was also surprised to see Jonathan, the famous ‘DJ Tutor’ on YouTube came on at the end to hold a competition for winning a DJ console.
Above: The Squatters live in the arena
Then, I went to another seminar, where The Squatters and another duo called ‘Sick Elektrik’ listened to and commented on tracks made by members of the audience, including my remix of Skrillex and Damian Marley’s ‘Make It Bun Dem’. Please check it out here if you haven’t already:
They liked the nasty bass and chopped-up samples, and said that the kick drum should be more bassy and that I should make the structure more predictable next time so that people can anticipate the parts; they said that to do that I could use more build-ups such as using more white noise.
Despite that, they thought that my style was different and something that they’d never heard before, which is something I was pleased with hearing.
I was quite happy with the feedback that they gave me.
Overall, if you’re a sort of person who likes experiencing different types of DJ equipment and learning valuable skills for DJing and production, the BPM Show is certainly worth visiting.
So, back in August I went to this year’s South West Four festival on the Sunday, seeing some awesome DJs and other acts, including Skrillex, Skream & Benga, Diplo and DJ Fresh. Here’s the link to the PDF (I will write in directly next time):
