Mr Wilson's assertions that pop revolutions happen every 13 years should mean that there is one this year (signs of similarities large amount of covers in charts, dead people charting etc similar to just before punk/acid house) is it going to happen... or not... and if so what genre.... I personally don't think white stripes, strokes, because I cant find anyone under the age of 25 who is going ape about them.... they are too busy listening to nu metal, Uk garage, or Hip-hop... but as far as I can see those genres are not hierachy destroying as punk and acid house were.... or is it going to be a revolution of technology and distribution rather than musical styles
― thermic lancer, Monday, 21 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
Dunno if I buy this 13 year theory (In fact there's loads of variations of it: 11/14/9/etc year theories...), but for the sake of argument...
How about UK hip-hop? (at least in the UK, anyway?) According to a recent article in DJ magazine does seem to be a few up-and-coming UK hip-hop acts (ie other than So Solid Crew playa-types) that seem to be rather bolshy and dissing the music industry. The odd band slagging off current pop hits you might expect, but this appears to be a (admittedly small: in the order of 5 or 6) number of bands apparently singing from the same slightly punky-sounding hymnsheet. (The music industry sucks, pop music should connect with the audience, stop waiting around and do-it-yourself) There's also a sense of an "outsider" ethos (A great deal of the UK hip-hop scene, particualrly the areas from which most of these groups originate, has generally been ignored by the mainstream music industry until recently) and a bit of "Kill Your Heroes", particulary when US rap gets some criticism for being too safe and unimaginative.
The main probs with the "UK hip-hop as new Punk/Rave Youthcult" theory is that (a) most of the acts aren't actually that young- in fact, some of them have been plugging away for years (eg Mark B & Blade) (b) some of the rhetoric dangerously veers towards "keeping it real" and other "real music" cliches (although to be fair, most of the acts plug themselves on the strength of their ecleticism, and there are mentions of influences from rave, etc.) (c) One or two of the records I have heard are not that exciting. (But then, not all of the punk or rave records were that brilliant either...)
Anyway, interesting thought. I'll see if I can dig up the DJ article, and get more infos...
― Old Fart!!!!, Monday, 21 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
i'm not sure about the music revolution thing. perhaps a while ago i
would have had maybe some sympathy with it, but these things look
more like a revolution in retrospect. often, a revolution could be
happening while people at that time are looking around going "wheres
the next revolution"? i mean, the acid house revolution, really
lasted about 5 years, at the end it segued into jungle circa 93/4,
from which garage grew 97ish, so it seems to be more a process of
continuity. punk had many precedents beforehand (certainly in
america), but only hit big here in 76, but by the time it had seeped
into middle england it was surely something different again.
maybe there will be the revoultion coming from somewhere no one is
thinking of, but i don't think that is going to happen in the form of
a sudden BOOM!
― gareth, Monday, 21 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
Check the "Pet Theory I: Cyclical Upheaval" thread for possible answers.
― Lord Custos, Monday, 21 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)