We -need- progressive rap.

Magog wrote:

Because each time has its music, and prog, -like it or not, for hundreds of reasons- has some precise characters which has gone with seventies...I have nothing against original opinions like yours, and this lounge raised a great interest (9 pages till now, congratulations) but sometimes I have the impression that limits of this wonderful music we all love are too enlarged

I get your point about Prog' being too wide today, but I believe that's not the point, there are IMO some things that only happen in this forum, many people who became Prog' fans after listening other genres want to see their favorite band or style included as Prog, almost as believing if being Progressive was the greatest achievement.

This started with Prog Metal, I of course agree that there are definetely some bands that blended both influences and it works, but is very common to see people that want to add a plain, doom, death metal band in the Archives just because they had keyboards, despite the fact they have no relation with Progressive Rock as a genre..

It's great that people like Bryan and Mike have enough knowledge to include only what should be included. I disagree with them sometimes of course (I disagree even with people who like classic Prog in some things, we're intelligent beings and should not always agree, this forum or anyone would be useless and change into fan clubs).

But this doesn't end here, some want to include their favorite band of the youth (Journey, Toto, Boston, Nazareth, etc) as Prog', some younger progheads love alternative Rock and try to include their favorite Indie band.

If you read all the Progressive respected sites (which are few) you'll see most of them agree in lets say 90% alll this sites have a 10% (Not exact average for those statistics experts) of bands that no other sites share and send them into Art Rock, Prog Related or any other wide box for not described bands, but I believe Prog Archives is going too far.

Lately and especially here in Prog Archives, you can find people that grew with Rap, Hip Hop or even Boys/Girls bands, and find some merit in them, that I don't deny (even when strongly disagree), so they want to find a way to mix both even (when IMO this is impossible without both genres loosing their main characteristics) don't be surprised that if some boy band stars singing things like Lucky Man, Your Own Special Way or Owner of a Lonely Heart there will appear some people who say they are prog' and the next step in the evolution, soon will shout to the four winds that we are close minded because we don't want to accept them.

The purists as me (Not asahamed of this, on the contrary very proud), who grew in the 70's (or early 80's as in my case), believe Prog' has survived ONLY because the genre has always tried to keep a safe distance from mainstream.

I honestly believe that more mixtures (some unnatural like Rap or Hip Hop) will make Progressive Rock to loose identity and become a hybrid that will soon be absorbed by stronger and much more popular genres.

Iván

IVAN,

I was relistening to DJ Shadow's "Endtroducing" earlier this evening. No, it is not "prog rock" in the sense of Yes or early Genesis. But in terms of being evocative, it is not far from Floyd's "Dark Side" (which is a spectacular album without being complex or virtuosic). Your requirement of virtuosity might not be met in the fingers-on-a-fretboard-or-keyboard sense but it is certainly there in terms of cutting and splicing of various musical pieces in inventive, imaginitive and MUSICAL ways. The album is not necessarily "rap," per se, but it is certainly of the "hip hop" world. Also, you may be interested in some drum 'n bass. Again, not "rap" but still informed by hip hop. Artists such as Squarepusher and Photek often deal in very tricky rhythms.

Just for kicks....