Prog lover = low self esteem

Actually, I had my lowest self esteem/depression/moodyness and bleak out look back a few years ago. As my musical tastes got more and more progressive my overall mindset has actually gotten better!

Ivan_Melgar_M wrote: Hey guys be positive.   If we had low self esteem, we would need something to boost our insignificant egos, and we would be listening something that made us cool.   If we dare to listen a genre that will never be cool, we proved that we [don't (I think you mean)] give a sh!t about what others think, in other words our self esteem is pretty high.   Iván

Edited by King Crimson776 - June 18 2009 at 03:40

Anderson III wrote: jammun wrote: Darklord55 wrote: Ya but, I'll never be able to understand why  a person would  like country or rap.  Someone please explain.           For that reason alone we need a progetariat.  Power to the proggers!!   Hmm, can't explain the rap part, because I am part of the progetariat, but country is easy.  Pedal steel guitar!    "I was drunk the day mama got out of prison..."     Don't worry. I'll take care of the rap thing... The way rappers use the human voice as a musical element is actually quite unique and remarkable. As a rhythmic instrument it's definitely my favorites, because one can experiment with all these different tones and express any emotion easily. Unlike in other styles of vocal music where the lyrics are usually built within the melody, in Hip Hop it's in the rhythm - which actually insinuates that when done right, rapping is more versatile than drumming. But there's more: when the rhythm is put into rhyme, the correspondence of sound actually makes it "flow" beautifully. I can't say I'm surprised that PA members don't like Hip Hop beats very much. After all, they are similar to standard Rock 'n Roll: loud and minimalistic. But of all the genres that focus on hard-hitting beats, "hooks and loops", Hip Hop is still without a doubt my absolute favorite. I guess it's a question of taste, but I'm in love with filthy sounding music! I also prefer a clever arrangement of samples from various sources (rock, jazz, prog, funk, etc.) to that boring old guitar riff. Even if you're one of those who just like to sit back and marvel at the technique of the musicians, Hip Hop still has something to offer! There are MC's like The Gift of Gab, Lateef the Truthskeaper and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony if you want to go "how do they do that?". Plus rappers have attitude! And do I even have to mention Hip Hop as a performance art?

The spectre of Rap has moved things a bit off topic, and got me thinking...

(Exhale...) Alright, I'm coming out of the closet.  I spent a little time into Rap (though not at the expense of everything else) when I thought that it was exhibiting what you might call progressive tendencies (I don't mean that I go about programmed to consciously accept or decline music based upon specified parameters; I just mean that, in retrospect, I think I know why my tastes fell where they did). 

There where actually two periods.  One was when Three Feet High, Nation of Millions, By All Means Necessary, and Paul's Boutique came out (1987-89).  Then 'gangsterism' caught full hold (despite protestations from Rap's brightest at the time) and I thought, "well, there's that."  The second spot was from the surprising Wu-Tang Clan member's: The Liquid Swords and Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, both beautifully produced by RZA (1995).  These two records really made me think that Rap was going to highly interesting places with it's music; but, alas, it would not hold.  (BTW, I'm not addressing the matter of lyrics here at all, but I guess I'll say two things: with Liquid Swords I do like many of the lyrics, I guess because there's a sadness and regret about them, a human power; I don't know what Raekwon is talking about, but the poetic flow on Cuban Linx was fascinating to me.  But yes, I too can do without deriding women and the rest of the crap that goes on in most rap lyrics.  Admittedly these rappers are not speaking to my experience, so I can't really comment.)

However, in the inspired interem, I started to put together an idea for music in Hip-Hop form.  I would produce some tunes without vocals by an almost classical approach, perhaps interest someone in them.  It took longer than I expected to put together the means though (life got "interesting" for me in the late 90's and also money was an issue, plus I knew nothing then about computers), and it didn't happen for me ("official" interest I mean).  And in the end this was probably for the best.  However I did make what I think are some interesting instrumental, or should I say sample-based, tracks.  (All an admittedly 'white' approach, I know .)

If you care to (here's the part where I "come out") you can hear some of these things on my MySpace page.  I'd love to know what people think of course, and I would like more 'friends' and 'comments' if you care to .  If you want to take the time I suggest listening through them in order, as if it were an EP.  At least one tune should make people here laugh, others I guess are more "serious".

(Note: I write about the stuff on the lower left of the myspace page, under "The music in the player..."  Double Note: I highly recommend NOT viewing the page in Internet Explorer because the formatting comes out all crazy.)

Thanks, and sorry for the off-topic.  But I've unburdened my soul somewhat this morning. 

being a prog lover mean low self  esteem? disagree!
you need to be enough confident to find your own music, ideas in defiance of the comercial stuff overhelming people.

and what about girls I remember that in school you could always find beautiful girls bored with mainstream music and wanted to find out more about my albums collection...


Edited by Marcin - June 18 2009 at 08:48

Thanks for the kind words Anderson III (assuming by "dem beatz" you meant mine and not RZA's).  I'd love to hear yours.  With mine it was definitely a fine and minimalist approach, with music theory thrown in, and not a dirty and expansive approach (though I dig that too - can you say Company Flow?).

^
Great, definitely interested in hearing!  If you read the blurb I threw up on my MySpace page then I hope you understand why, in my case, I used repetition; I went with the theory that that is what Hip-Hop's identity is based in.  Now you're doing no choruses, no repetition - I've got to hear that.

You're in Finland?  I was there once ten years ago on a tour.  Great country you got there, great people!

[Jeez I better swing back to the topic.]  Um, okay everybody, it isn't easy being a prog fan and moving among all these norms in this world, it's not as easy as it may seem, just remember that yerself is steam.

King Crimson776 wrote: Ivan_Melgar_M wrote:   If we dare to listen a genre that will never be cool, we proved that we [don't (I think you mean)] give a sh!t   Iván

Slartibartfast wrote: Well, I was feeling kind of good about myself until I read your post.

then when i usually go to the political or other cartonns thread

This is Post-style, Post-fashion, Post-I-give-I-damn.

Post-post-whatever-stimulates-your-brain.

Henry Plainview wrote: I think we have low self esteem because we're on the internet.

I`ll second that. Speaking for myself I listen to all kinds of other sh*t.