There’s no doubt that music has gone through many phases and transformations in the last 40 years. Styles come and go but there has been one particular driving force that has changed forever the way music is created – the rise of technology. Music technology has come down hugely in price over the years, a fact which has launched a new generation of bedroom recording artists who can produce professional sounding material on little more than a laptop. In the latest 5 minute guide we take you through some of the biggest leaps forward in music technology that have not only changed the way music sounds, but intrinsically shaped the way musicians write, record and perform.
Moog Synthesisers
In the early 1960′s Robert Moog pioneered the concept of the analogue synthesiser – a series of keyboard controlled interconnected hardware modules covered in dials and switches that looked as if they should be operated by Dr. Who.
Although they were fiendishly complicated to operate, expensive and hugely impractical: early Moog synths opened up a new world of sounds to the few artists who could afford them. Groups like Emerson, Lake & Palmer embraced the new technology by incorporating it into their existing sound with tracks like ‘Lucky Man’. Pink Floyd were enthusiastic users of early synthesisers on the classic ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ while groups like Kraftwerk opted for entirely electronic compositions as on the seminal ‘Autobahn’. As smaller, cheaper, new versions such as the Minimoog and Polymoog became available more and more acts saw the benefits and entirely new genres of music were developed. Georgio Moroder gave disco a kick-start with the throbbing Moog bass-line of Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’, and later Gary Numan’s Tubeway Army stormed the charts with help from his Polymoog on ‘Are Friends Electric’ and ‘Cars’
As one half of Force Of Nature, KZA has been flying the flag for tasteful house music and obscure disco in Japan for the best part of a decade. An obsessive vinyl junky, his tracks take un-placeable samples and meld them into collage of emotive dancefloor friendly gems.
His latest track, ‘Le Troublant Acid’ is a case in point. Starting with a dusty ‘70’s lounge track from Gallic singer Jean Pierre Castaldi, KZA adds a burbling 303 bass line to swelling strings to create something both placeless and timeless. A comparison to Daft Punk would not be out of the question, especially when the twee French vocals make an appearance.
The record is in a steady continuation of KZA’s recent back catalogue Endless Flight and Mule – two of Japan’s premier outlets for off kilter electronic sounds. Along with labels like Combi, Jazzy Sport and ESP Institute, they’re showing why Tokyo’s gaining a reputation as one of the main hot beds for record geeks and musical train spotters alike.
Despite achingly low levels of musical productivity, Daft Punk remain the most influential electronic act on the planet. They’ve set the tone for two generations of dance music, helped Kanye West rule the world of hip hop and created some of the most spellbinding live shows the world has ever seen. They’ve defied convention at every stage of their career – whether it’s creating enigmatic Robot alter-egos for themselves or making self indulgent feature films whenever they get the chance. And that’s without even mentioning the fact they’ve created some of the most endearing music of the last two decades.
Now on the eve of the release of the soundtrack to Tron Legacy, Daft Punk’s first original output in five years, we give you the low down behind the masked men in Shazam’s 5 Minute Guide to Daft Punk.
Daft Punk are Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, son of French musician David Bangalter who wrote such timely disco ditties as Otowan’s ‘D.I.S.C.O.‘. The pair met in 1987 and formed a band, Darlin’, along with Laurent Brancowitz; who later found fame with the band Phoenix. Darlin’s early output was described as a load of ‘daft punk’ by UK magazine Melody Maker. Although the band eventually disbanded, the name stuck.
The televisual juggernaut that is Simon Cowell’s X Factor is a phenomenon that always manages to divide opinion. Love it or loathe it, the show dominates the popular consciousness and is almost inescapable to anyone who reads a paper or turns on a TV screen during the shows run. However, the latest controversy may be the show’s biggest yet.
The early stages of the competition are often the most entertaining due to the stark contrast between the more talented performers and the tone deaf wannabes that slip through to the televised rounds. In spite of this the X Factor post production team has decided to add a hefty dose of auto tune – software that masks vocal mistakes – to proceedings; thus giving performances a homogenous robotic twang.
It’s a move that’s seen both fans and critics of the show up in arms. However, adding a manipulated voice to a track is not always a bad move… In honour of the latest X Factor hoo-hah we’re compiling some of the best moments in vocoder history.
It’s hard to remember a movie soundtrack that’s generated as much heated enthusiasm as ‘Tron Legacy’. The soundtrack has been produced by Daft Punk – the French robot duo that pretty much single handedly catalysed popular music’s current obsession with ‘80’s influenced electro sounds. Already there have been several hoax tracks leaked on the web claiming to be from the film, such is the clamour of excitement surrounding all things Daft Punk. With bloggers furiously speculating on what the tracks may sound like and potential remix packages, the levels of anticipation that the soundtrack for ‘Tron Legacy’ has produced could probably out way the actual movie.
Well now the wait is over… You can now stream tracks from Daft Punk’s score direct from the Tron Legacy official site. However, those expecting something akin to Daft Punk’s more tuneful moments (‘One More Time’ / ‘Harder Better Faster’) may be disappointed. What we’re presented with, so far, is a more orthodox sci-fi soundtrack awash with moody synth action a la Vangelis or Tangerine Dream.
Those feeling nostalgic for the party rocking, robot helmet wearing Daft Punk should check out the above video that shows how to make that signature head gear from scratch. All you need is a spare 17 months and a mastery of complex injection moulding techniques.
If one subject has dominated the blogosphere this week, it’s the emergence of a track called ‘The Crash’ – rumored to be the first song taken from Daft Punk‘s highly anticipated soundtrack to Tron Legacy. It’s a ten minute long space disco epic that gives a clear nod to Vangelis, never a bad place to start if you’re composing a score. At the moment the track still hasn’t been confirmed by the French duo, but if it isn’t them then someone out there has composed a song worthy of comparison.
In 2001 Daft Punk released ‘Discovery’, an album that continues to influence countless other artists. A leaner affair when compared with their 1997 debut, ‘Homework’, on this album Daft Punk embraced an 80’s synthpop feel, rather than the Chicago House sound of their early work. While it took Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo six years to craft the album, for many it was well worth the wait. Opening with the stomping ‘One More Time’ ‘Discovery’ immediately grabs the listener and engages them through to the final chords of epic album closer ‘Too Long’.
The album was also accompanied by an animated film, Interstella 5555, in which the songs were juxtaposed against the adventures of a band in a parallel galaxy. The album also featured Daft Punk’s first ever collaborations, with American DJ/producers Romanthy and Todd Edwards on ‘One More Time’ and ‘Face To Face’ respectively. The album would go on to be a huge influence on the likes of Justice, Soulwax and LCD Soundsystem – who penned the track ‘Daft Punk Is Playing At My House’ in tribute to the French duo.
Yesterday Irish stadium fillers U2 were announced as one of the three headline acts for Glastonbury Festival in 2010. Next year’s festival will be the 40th year in which thousands of music fans invade a usually serene and peaceful farm in Somerset. Festival organiser Michael Eavis had previously hinted that he would be pulling out all the stops to ensure 2010′s celebrations would go off with a bang and with U2 he has secured one of the world’s most popular acts. Despite filling arenas around the world, U2 have never played Glastonbury before so it’s an almost certainty that their set will be one of the most memorable of the weekend.
While this news proved the perfect Monday morning antidote for many ticket holders, some of the festivals regular goers may be slightly less than enthused about the prospect of seeing Bono strut along the Pyramid Stage. However the key to Glastonbury’s success has always been its versatility, while U2 are the only band announced so far; it’s safe to assume Michel Eavis already has his eye on a few other potential targets. We weigh up a few of the other possible contenders… Read more…
Duck Sauce, the collaboration between A-Trak and Armand Van Helden, has rocketed up to second place on our UK Pre-Release chart. The track has become a firm favourite within Shazam Towers and is sure to continue to win over more fans. Taking its cue from American 70’s talent shows, the video for ‘aNYway’ echoes Outkast’s ‘Hey Ya’ as well as a certain 5 piece called The Jacksons. In a similar fashion to Daft Punk, Duck Sauce have re-imagined a lost disco track and repacked it for modern dance floors – let’s just hope this excellent single isn’t a one off!
Despite not releasing any original music since 2004’s ‘Human After All’, Daft Punk remain one of the most important and influential acts in the current pop climate. Their mix of Gallic disco and balls to the wall electro has helped inspire the careers of many from KanYe West to Justice and inadvertently stimulated the current craze for vocoder and synth drenched pop / R&B. Now, after months of rumours, Daft Punk confirmed they will be providing us with some eagerly awaited new music in the soundtrack for the forthcoming blockbuster ‘Tron Legacy’. Announced at the Comic-Con event in San Diego, Daft Punk are set to provide 24 tracks for the much hyped film. Added to this ‘Tron’ director, Joseph Kosinski, let slip that there will be “some Daft Punk Tron-themed events on the horizon” – cueing all sorts of crazy internet speculation regarding a potential return of Daft Punk’s amazing live show. If that’s not enough to wet your appetite, you can check out the first glimpses of Daft Punk’s new tracks as the new Tron Lightcycle is unveiled at Comic-Con. Look out for some seriously over excited comic book fans as the bike is exposed for the first time!
