Monday, April 26, 2010
Performance Report 2
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
List from Class
1. Alternative
a. Grunge
i. Angry
ii. Apathetic
iii. Dirty performers
b. College Rock
i. 80’s version of alternative
c. Emo
i. Screamo
2. Indie
3. Classic
a. Southern Rock
b. Metal
c. British Invasion
d. Psychedelic
i. Influenced by Progressive
e. Folk
f. Hard
i. Loud
ii. Lots of distortion
4. Metal
a. Hair Metal
i. High Pitched
b. Thrash Metal
i. Fast
c. Death Metal
i. Bellowing low voices
d. Power Metal
i. Fast
ii. Fancy Themes
iii. Falsetto
e. Speed Metal
i. Techno Influence
5. Punk
a. British vs. American
b. Post Punk
c. Ska
i. Jamaican Reggae influence
d. Hardcore Punk
i. California Punk
6. Christian
a. Every other genre but with Christian themes in lyrics
7. Arena
a. Queen
b. Journey
c. Anthems
8. Progressive
a. Pink Floyd
9. Pop Rock
a. Commercialized Rock
b. Mainstream Radio Rock
10. Folk Rock
a. More about themes and lyrics
b. Tell stories
11. Rap Rock
a. Kid Rock
12. Experimental Rock
a. Instrumentals
13. Rockabilly
a. Country
b. 50’s influence
c. Psychobilly
i. Mix Rockabilly with Metal
14. Funk Rock
Monday, April 19, 2010
Rock
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Gullah People
Monday, April 5, 2010
Shakespeare in Song
The performance I attend was the Shakespeare in Song performance by the UTD Chamber Singers. It was on March 27th, 2010 at the Jonsson Performance Hall at 8pm. Most of the pieces were part of original Shakespearian plays sung in the style of madrigals.
Music
The music featured a polyphonic texture. At each point during the piece only one voice part would be singing the melody line. The tempo of each piece would vary depending upon the speeches that preceded the pieces. The concert was broken into speech parts and music pieces that would coincide with the plot lines of the Shakespearian plays. Accompaniment was there to support the singers in order to keep them on pitch. All the pieces were split into respective soprano, alto, tenor, and bass parts. Most pieces were conjunct in nature, by using only small steps in between each note sung. Some pieces would be interrupted by speech parts which would create a feeling of urgency in the music. The tone of most of the pieces was minor in feeling and felt like they conveyed an emotion of sadness.
Performers
To match the theme of the pieces sung, the performers dressed in traditional Renaissance attire. Each scene/act would start with a speech that was transcribed from the original play. In response to the speech, the performers standing on the risers would sing along with the performers that were speaking off the right of the stage. The chorus itself would remain still on the risers, unless otherwise noted by the director, who informed performers and the chorus where to move. Interaction was restricted by speech, in which the speakers did not move around or about the stage, manipulating the space, they stood in their respectful corners, with a stand in front of them and read off the script. Tonal infliction in their speeches would illustrate whatever emotion they are to portray to the audience. Individual performers who were from the advanced voice classes had solos and stood apart from the chorus considering they are not part of the chamber production. Their solos would be separate acts and scenes taken from Shakespeare.
Audience
The Audience for the most part seemed genuinely uninterested in the performance. I say this because there were many glowing blue lights as the result of people texting on their phones. The audience was small and dispersed throughout the auditorium. Most of the audience collected in the back and it was apparent that most of the attendees were there for some sort of class requirement. It was a free open event, however most of the audience consisted of students with a few of the performers parents collecting at the front of the auditorium. After intermission, most of the audience disappeared and only a few saw the performance to its completion.
Time and Space
Because this was the final performance, most of the people who wanted to see it had already seen it. Also because it was on campus it was more accessible to UTD students as opposed to outsiders. However because it was on a Saturday evening, only people who truly wanted to attend the concert would go as opposed to others who would most likely have other plans. He familiar location of the Jonsson performance hall made the concert easy to find however it was a small auditorium. The lighting was not that dim, so most of the performers could see the audience and there was interaction between some of the performers and the audience.
In conclusion, the Shakespeare in Song Performance at the Jonsson Performance Hall by the UTD Chamber Singers, turned out to be a performance of madrigal music for a small audience that consisted of mostly students.
Works Cited
Shakespeare in Song. Dir. Director Kathryn Evans. Perf. UTD Chamber Singers. University of Texas at Dallas, Jonsson Performance Hall, Richardson, 27 Mar. 2010.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Blog 10
Monday, March 22, 2010
Avatar music
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Insomnia
Introduction
The particular music culture chosen for this report is the music culture surrounding Insomnia night club in Dallas, TX. The after-hours rave club opens its doors at 4am and closes at 8am every weekend. The music culture surrounding this club consists of the PLUR lifestyle, light shows, and hardstyle techno beats. What makes the club specific in culture as opposed to other areas is its exclusiveness in the Dallas area. It is the only after-hours rave club in the area meaning all the attendees of the shows by major DJs will attend the after-party that is thrown at Insomnia.
Methodology
In order to conduct research I sought out two methods. First, I interviewed some friends who frequent the club and asked them for their thoughts on what they though the music-culture of Insomnia consisted of. This was a good source of information to know what to expect when attending the club. The second source of research was actually going to Insomnia. I did not attend an actual “Insomnia Event” but I instead went to the club on a regular night. Other sources I used were websites devoted to the lightshows to examine the material aspects of the music culture.
Ideas about the Music
I conducted two interviews one male and one female. The first interview with a male conceded that a major aspect of the music culture was the drug use. “Imagine seeing the world through virgin eyes, everything is more beautiful and you have an appreciation for the simple things in life. Naturally music is the same way, you don’t just listen to the music you feel it and it controls you.” His interview created a subdivision in the music culture. There is the “straight” Insomnia music culture and the music culture when one is “rolling”, that is to do ecstasy. This division made interviewing very eye opening because it became a point of view that I had never experienced. The summary of the female interview was concluded by her statement, “When you get there you will see lights waving around like crazy, people stomping and looking ridiculous, everyone drinking water, and everyone being loving and nice.” Upon questioning the reasons for being “loving” and “nice” she said, “It is all about the PLUR lifestyle.” I discovered that this is a major driving force behind the ideas about the music culture of not just Insomnia but techno music in general. PLUR, an acronym standing for Peace, Love, Unity, Respect, brings the techno community together. Insomnia, being the techno/rave club that it is relies heavily on the PLUR lifestyle to bring people together to enjoy themselves at the club. I experienced the PLUR lifestyle firsthand when I attended Insomnia. Everyone was in a state of euphoria and people were loving and happy with each other. I was embraced with hugs and other various forms of general positive disposition. The PLUR lifestyle translates to the ideas about the music in that the music played at Insomnia is “happy” music. People are not going to listen to the music at Insomnia and feel sad or depressed they will instead be overjoyed by the positive emotions being set forth by the atmosphere.
Activities Involving Music
The activities of the music culture can be defined by two words: light shows. What exactly is a light show? From my point of view at the club, a light show is the rapid movement of LED lights or glow sticks in rhythm with the club music. Most of the light shows I viewed were conducted in close proximity to the viewers face. I believe the ultimate goal of the light show was to take the viewer out of the club and into the music. I asked someone at the club what a light show was and the response I received was, “A light show can be magical, you are completely focused on the lights and the motion, it is beautiful and completely mesmerizing if done by the right person. The lights are beautiful and when in sync with a good song it is truly mind blowing and it often causes euphoria among the person receiving it.” When receiving a light show, I did not feel this, but I believe that was due to my lack of drug intake. I do understand where that person was coming from however. When receiving a light show, the rest of the world is blinded out by these very bright lights. They become the only thing your eyes can focus on and as a result you lose your sense of sight. This naturally leads to the heightening of one’s sense of hearing, but the only thing one can hear is the techno music being played by the DJ. Finally, over time, you lose track of your surroundings and you feel as if the only thing in the world is the song you are listening to. It is a major hit with the club scene. This video captures the essence of a what a light show is:
The next major activity of the Insomnia music culture is the dancing. There are 2 styles of dancing at this club. You either stomp, or you shuffle. Describing the shuffle through words is very difficult. It becomes one of those things where you just have to see it to truly grasp its concept, and the only way to actually appreciate the dancing styles is to attempt them at the club. First was the stomp. It is a basic dance that is pretty much straightforward. You stomp your feet on the beat and basically jump in the air on beat. When your foot hits the ground, it should be the same time as a downbeat in the song playing. It is a simple dance and it is very popular in the club. The other style of dance present at insomnia is the shuffle. The shuffle is a very interesting dance but when performed correctly it is amazing. You start off with your left foot vertical and your right foot perpendicular horizontally to your left foot. On beat, you pivot your left foot to the right and bend your right knee to pick up your leg. On the down beat you pivot your left foot back to a vertical stance and bring your right foot back down. You keep doing this as you shuffle along the floor on beat. These two styles of dance along with light shows make up most of the activities of Insomnia’s night club. This video better explains what the hardstyle shuffle really is:
Repertoires of the Music
The repertoires of music at Insomnia focus on one particular style of music, and that is hardstyle. Hardstyle is a style of techno music characterized by a four to the floor beat (That is one where there is a constant kick on every beat.) with an inverted kick half a step after each regular kick. The tempo normally ranges from 140 to 160 beats per minute (http://www.realhardstyle.com/what-is-hardstyle-music). Because of the heavy tempo, stomping and shuffling to the music is normally very intense and tiring. To truly grasp the concept of the beat of hardstyle music, one could watch this video:
Material Culture of Music
I observed three things that make up the material culture of the club. The first of these things are drugs. There is extensive drug use at Insomnia and it is a heavy influence in the Insomnia music culture. It affects the dancing, the light shows, the PLUR lifestyle, how people feel about the music, the activities of the music, and what people want to hear at the club. The next material object is the clothing. Most of the clothing selected for the club seems like it selected based upon how it will appear in black light. The main dance floor is one big black light and as a result people aim for outfits that accentuate this feature. Finally the lights selected for the light shows are a major part of the material culture because of the heavy influence light shows have on the perception of the music culture.
In conclusion, Insomnia presents a music culture that has heavy influence from the activities and material surrounding the music than the music itself. It features shuffling, and light shows, peace, love, unity, respect, and stomping. Specifically for Dallas, it is the only place you can experience all of this on a major scale at 4am on a Saturday or Sunday morning.
Works Cited
Insomnia-Perf DJ Raydar, DJ Shaolin, Insomnia Dallas, Dallas, 7 Mar. 2010.
"What Is Hardstyle Music? | REALHARDSTYLE." Real Hardstyle and Hardcore Radio, Music, Mp3, Download, Liveset, Forum, Community Visit Site. Realhardstyle.com. Web. 09 Mar. 2010.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Blog 8
Friday, March 5, 2010
Insomnia Dallas Blog 7.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Noh Theater
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Hindustani music
Monday, February 8, 2010
Googoosh
The performance I chose to blog about it is this one, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lspH0xvULoY. The song is typical of the traditional Middle Eastern style with heavy emphasis on chordophones and long drawn out vocals with lots of ornamentation by use of vibrato. This music has an influence from western pop music because pop music at the time this was produced in Iran was unheard of, especially by female singers. The progression of the song deviates greatly from typical instrumental music of the Middle East. Inclusion of female vocals before Umm Kulthum and Googoosh was unheard of. Based on the timeframe, I think another heavy influence on this music is from Umm Kulthum, who has been one of the most influential singers in the Arab Music world. Their solo styles are very simillar and it seems like these two female singers have created the path for more female Middle Eastern singers to breakthrough. Googoosh is an Iranian pop idol and as a result this song is a huge hit. Googoosh's solo singing with heavy ornamentation is the definitive style of the Middle Eastern pop music movement. Both Kulthum and Googosh have redefined the world of Middle Eastern music.