Blog 10

Probably one of the most recognizable pieces in opera, this particular version was performed at the Real Teatre in Madrid. The music uses a strong timbre that makes the music more intense. The conjunct notes as the singer moves up and down the scale with his singing helps guide the music along and the ornamentation provided by the singer makes the performance unique to him. This is an aria so it is a solo performance by the character of Figaro which as a result brings all the focus to only Figaro. Even though there is a lot going on on stage, the viewer tends to only focus on Figaro because that is where the music is coming from. The quick tempo of this aria parallels the vibrato used by Figaro when singing. The orchestral music is very strong. The strings guide most of music along as it bounces along the beat. The whole orchestra provides the background for each accented note. This would be considered a cabaletta aria. The set is all black and white which which creates a contrast in the opera that isn't normally seen in operas. The set was designed with added symbolism as opposed to the stage normally just serving as an area for performance.

Avatar music

I did not get a chance to see the movie, however I did listen to the soundtrack online. My perception of the music is hindered from not viewing it with the accompanying visuals that are an integral part of the music culture because the movie is made for a movie. However upon listening to the just the soundtrack and having a vague idea of what the movie is about, I can tell that the composer went for a tribal feeling of the music. What i mean by that, is most of the music is fast paced and has heavy drumming for the feeling of tribal roots and being set in a forest. When listening to the music it seems that a key instrument incorporated was a wood block which seems to enhance the setting of of a forest type area. However because this is an alien race, and the movie is set in the future, one can hear electronic instruments used to enhance this feeling. It seems as if the ethnomusicologist translated the music culture of Native Americans to the big screen and digitally remastered for the futuristic alien feeling. Most of the songs feel fast as if someone/something is running most of the music is really upbeat and tends to be over the top and goes for an epic feeling. The view vocals that are dispersed through the soundtrack seem over dramatic just to further emphasize the feeling of foreign alien lands.

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. .

Blog 8

Problems I encountered in my research:

Taking notes

This was difficult considering the music culture took place in a club. Most of my research I'm citingfrom memory. The atmosphere was dark and as a result I was not able to see what I was writing. Also I enjoyed the music so much that I didn't want to stop and take notes.

Conducting Interviews

Interviews were very hard to conduct at the actual club for many reasons. First of all the music was ridiculously loud. In the sense that I'm surprised that people who frequent the club are not at least partially deaf. Another reason interviews were difficult was that club attendees were into the music so much that it was almost impossible to get them to focus on anything else. To conduct interviews I decided to interview some friends that I know frequent the club often. Light shows that were going on also distracted interviewees leading to unsuccessful inquisitions.

The actual information of the music culture was not too difficult to obtain aside from the previously mentioned points. Most of the activities associated with the music culture were straightforward and easy to observe. The music repertoire has a very definite genre. The material culture involves drugs and lights. The ideas about the music culture center around a certain "PLUR" lifestyle. The information was all laid out from one visit to Insomnia.

Insomnia Dallas Blog 7.

This music culture contained within this club is an interesting one. It is one of the few after-hours clubs in the Dallas and it features Hardstyle and electronic music all night, and by all night I mean the very very early hours of the morning. The club opens at 4 am and closes at 8am. As a result of the hours, the club itself creates an interesting environment. The hardstyle music featured in this club relates to a certain dance called the Melbourne shuffle but is also referred to as stomping. Here is a video featuring the shuffle as well as another popular dance style called jumpstyle:

The the constant bouncing to the beat by all club attendees creates a very upbeat atmosphere even for such a late hour in the night. The whole club bounces.

Another popular feature of the club are light shows. These are created by either LED finger lights or glowsticks that are swung as poi. Here is an example of a typical light show:

The major thing that creates a unique culture for insomnia as opposed to other rave clubs in the area is that it is an after-hours club. The late night atmosphere attracts only the most dedicated fans of techno. Also because it is based in Dallas, it serves as the after-party club for all the major Djs that come to Dallas.