Music Fashion Predictions

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

One of the funnier pieces Simon Reynolds did was a long-ago article in a mag called The Lizard, where he straightfacedly offered up an index of music tastes - which bands/genres/scenes it was currently safe, in hipster terms, to say you liked. Now I know you all find hipsterism repugnant, etc. etc. but this strikes me as an amusing idea.

Reynolds divided his suggestions up into various categories - Safe Bets (never out of fashion), Passe (fashionable last year, getting a bit boring now), Currently Hot, Soon To Be Hot, Long Shots and No Hopers. So Krautrock at the time was in the Currently Hot, early Scritti Politti in the Long Shots, and so on.

What do you think should be in the hipster taste portfolio now?

(Incidentally if anyone knows where that article is drop me a line)

― Tom, Wednesday, 21 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Here's my take... Safe Bets: Warp, Coltrane, 70s Dub. Passe: Two Step Currently Hot: Metal Soon to be Hot: Prog Rock (really! "There's always been a spot for Yes in my record collection!") Long Shot: trance No Hopers: funk metal

― Omar, Wednesday, 21 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

safe bets: nwa, harpsichord music, jazz, eminem, dick hyman, 80s synth-pop, whodini, can, randomly-picked mainstream r&b tunes, the zombies, wu-tang clan

passé: blues, anthem-rock, 'glitch- tronica', lee perry, dr.dre, elvis costello, yo la tengo, mos def, fela kuti, lil wayne, sun ra, pj harvey, outkast

currently hot: shaggy!

soon to be hot: idm remixes of country-rock hits, punk-rap, happy hardcore, pete rock and cl smooth, oingo boingo, the glands, little richard, cibo matto, alice in chains, wall of voodoo, bjork (part two), mike ladd, tony williams, das efx, beck (part three)

long shots: johnny cash, canibus, us3,

no hopers: radiohead

― ethan padgett, Wednesday, 21 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Beck will never be accepted again by hipsters, midget-boy might as well start wearing a t-shirt with No Hoper printed on it. Instead, following the careful Reynolds' endorsement, watch for a sudden horde of hipsters coming out of the woods claiming "Kid A" to be the best thing since Eno's 1st album. Mmm, this is hanging between Safe Bet and Soon to be Hot (again).

― Omar, Wednesday, 21 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Soon to be hot:

The 1980's Yuppie pop rock scene! A whole wave of bands inspired by Fairground Attraction, Rick Astley and M-People will be featured in NME. They will be totally "ironic". The fans of these new bands will wear power suits with gigantic shoulder pads and carry those mobile phones which look like bricks prefably with the mobile battery pack, they will be seen in HMV asking when the LA Law DVD will be released. The most famous Neo-yuppie band will be called "buy,buy,sell" and will have a number 46 hit single called "I met her at a wine bar". The scene won't last long.

― jel, Wednesday, 21 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

heh!!

― Kim, Wednesday, 21 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Note: these statements do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Tim...

Safe Bet: Dr. Dre; eighties US hardcore punk; Radiohead and Nu Post Rock; house; post-punk revival; metacultural commentary; Aretha Franklin; dope

Passe: Mannie Fresh; emo; Coldplay, Muse and the Nu Wave of New Grave; 2-step & hard house; eighties revival; positivity; Macy Gray; cocaine

Currently Hot: The Neptunes; rrrrrrock!; Kings of Convenience and Nu Acoustica; booty; prog house revival; non-pc; Jill Scott; ecstacy in US, ketamine in UK

Soon to be hot: Shrondae; metal; The Avalanches and Nu Sampladelica; booty (more so); idm revival; sex fixation; [insert next soulful R&B diva here]; liquid meth

Long Shot: Puff Daddy; grunge; Rancid and Nu Oi!; nu-skool breakz; paisley revival; u can't touch this; Dionne Farris; nitrous oxide

― Tim, Thursday, 22 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You can move The Avalanches to Safe Bet, in the March edition of The Face there's a big article about them, which means they are now officially The New Basement Jaxx! Or does this in hipster terms read Passe?

― Omar, Thursday, 22 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Almost Certain 2001 Critical Darlings: I can see the Neptunes album and Tenatious D album being super hyped and on year end list. Both albums are patched together by big named producers who have made critics sqirm already. The question is, will Tenatious D be Paul's Boutique Part 3 (after Odelay, Part 2)? Now I'm not saying these albums will be good (Although I hold high hopes for the Neptunes). I can just see them getting tons of press, which is all that matters in the long run.

Oh, and that Air album.

Bands about to get hot, 2001: my guesses for this year's Clinic/Badly Drawn Boy/Coldplay/Idlewild UK flavor of the year: V-Twin, Mull Historical Society, Clearlake, Life Without Buildings

It feels like the 80s are well into "being back." Ladytron, No Doubt, The Faint. I'm still guessing that Latin/Southern American music will continue to infiltrate American indie. Albums like Bebel Gilberto and Moreno Veloso and people like Amon Tobin will keep building. Then again, Beck and Super Furry Animals already did their "tropicalia" singles.

My Greatest Hope For 2001: The Beta Band. After that last single and the news that they're working with a hip hop producer (instead of a relic of the 60s) I have chills.

― brent d., Thursday, 22 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Safe Bets: Proto punk, post punk, Hank Williams, Billie Holiday, beer, Steve Austin

Passe: Destiny's Child, Marilyn Manson, Dr. Dre, free jazz, rave drugs, champagne, krautrock, The Rock, dare I say it: Britney?

Currently Hot: POP, jazz, Eminem, post-post-emo, rap songs produced by people from Virginia, cowboy gear (hats, bandannas, aviators, etc), glam, rocker girls, Ramones t-shirts, Nate Dogg, asses n' titties, big, chorusy metal, red wine, opium, Lita, Chris Jericho

Soon to be Hot: Guitar solos, black psychedelia, electro- psychedelia, psychedelic disco, neo-no-wave, distortion, moustaches, whiskey, acid, Chris Benoit

Long Shots: Explicitly political music, rock parties, ketamine, Tajiri

No Hopers: Indie rock, Creed, Vodka and Red Bull, cocaine, the Undertaker

― Branch Rickey, Thursday, 22 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

three months pass...

the post i did to this thread is my favorite thing i've ever written.

― ethan, Saturday, 26 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

if it's not rap/metal, i'm not interested.

those dudez are HARD CORR!

heh

― harrizonn, Saturday, 26 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Up and coming: late '80s/early '90s-style New Age Big Business "adult contemporary." Kenny G, Yanni, John Tesch, and whoever plays the music you get when put on hold when you call an 800 number. Music for Claritin commercials and the like. Music you'd be ashamed to ever catch yourself actually recognizing as music. Music for going under in the dentist's chair. Mark my word, New Age Big Business without a trace of irony is the coming retro-trend for all the bright young things.

― X. Y. Zedd, Saturday, 26 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Safe Bets: Boards of Canada, post-Punk, MBV, dub, nepalese gold

Passe: R+B, manchester united, xtc, lad culture, porn, Eminem

Currently hot: Kid 606, Avalanches, 'Discovery', Cannibal Ox, Green Velvet, Broadcast

Soon to be hot: Jamaican Dance-Hall, nu-politics, early Pil, Boney M.

Long Shot: Trance, electro, gabber revival,

No Hopers: rap-metal, indie, heroin,

― Stevo, Saturday, 26 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Heyyyy. Stevo gives me an excuse to turn this one into another footie thread :) Yes fashion predictions for next year's futbol!!

Safe Bets: Man U, Real Madrid (esp. if they get Zidane), AS Roma

Passe: Juventus, Ajax, AC Milan, Deportivo La Coruna, Arsenal

Currently hot: Bayern Munchen, Mallorca, Schalke 04

Soon to be hot: Liverpool,

Long Shot: Spurs (if they get Guardiola)?

No Hopers: Barcelona, Inter Milan, Paris St.Germain, Chelsea

― Omar, Monday, 28 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

six months pass...

(Incidentally if anyone knows where that article is drop me a line)

Blimey, I must have forgotten that I have a copy of that issue at home. Would you like a photocopy of the article?

― RickyT, Wednesday, 12 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

eight years pass...

Interesting thread. I guess one can't really predict trends. I lol'd at the Avalanches are gonna be hot bit. Of course, who knew they would never release a followup. And I too would've predicted both Coldplay and B. Spears were nothing but short-term novelty acts **Sigh**

― musicfanatic, Monday, 15 February 2010 03:50 (fifteen years ago)

wtf

― moullet, Monday, 15 February 2010 04:04 (fifteen years ago)

six years pass...

http://lo-pie.com/sick-sad-scene-ysl-x-burger/

"what started out as good clean fun quickly devolved into a shitshow that ended abruptly when an attendee fell off a balcony"

― maura, Thursday, 18 February 2016 01:57 (nine years ago)

"Predictable fashion, what the fuck!" As Fiona would say.

― dc, Thursday, 18 February 2016 05:14 (nine years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.