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Why do people hate dance music?

2Son said:
Tony,

I was thinking deeply about this nearly 1.5 years ago. Even when listening to many of the dance stations, (whether they were the Energy's or Party's, etc..) the element missing seemed to be the education of dance music for the masses. If you are trying to lure new listeners to dance music, why not have information on the artists, dj's, vocalists, etc so that the new listeners can feel more "in touch" with who they are listening to? Let's get to know who these people are, where they come from, etc. I was even interested in displaying a section like this on my website, but alas the cost for continuing my own station was too much. In addition, we know that dance stations crank out new music faster than most people can keep up - so to the "average listener", this would seem very overwhelming for them to try to keep up with all the new artists, especially if they do not know who they are in the first place.
Click to expand...

2Son, you're spot on. The concept of educating fans to help grow the genre is why I launched the "Bullet Points" dance music news updates on XM's BPM in 2004, lasting until I left in 2007. I also produced a deeper version, "The Word," for The Move which ran during the summer of 2004. When I joined WorldSpace and The System I brought the concept with me and began the "System Update."

Fans of any type of music love the music and they also want to know about the music...who the artist is, what the songs are about, how the songs came to be, what else the artist is doing, where they can see the act, etc.

Bullet Points and the System Update grew into popular features among listeners; soon labels, PR reps, subscribers, even artists themselves were pushing information and story ideas to me. For many reports I grabbed audio from on-air artist interviews and from off-site visits so the reports were more than just a straight read. It had production value. And they moved fast, never more than a couple minutes. Often I was able to report late-breaking events or break news. In a relatively short period of time BPM grew into a trusted source; subscribers began to ask us for details about things they had heard on the reports and elsewhere, and about the upcoming events across the US and Canada that I included for which they wanted more information.

There is plenty of content to support a feature like that (in addition to the hosts working things into the regular programming). Anyone who can't find information in this age of Facebook, MySpace, web sites, IM and Twitter (not to mention working your own address book of contacts) just isn't being resourceful. Dance music needs this type of education/introduction more than any genre. Done well, it is a benefit to both the audience and the provider.
 
Tony Santiago said:
Morpheux said:
Here's the thing about the freestyle boards,most are in their 30's or above. You get 20 s0methings that drop in from time to time but they get run off because thei taste is too modern for the older crowd.Freestyle has been out for more than 25 years or so depending on what you consider to be the first freestyle track and is still being made regardless of when it peaked.

I used to butt heads with most of what I like to call the "traditionalists" (even though I'm 34 myself) but then I thought....Classic Rock fans who listen to the likes of Black Sabbath,Led Zeppelin or Aerosmith are not listening to Korn,Linkin Park or Cage The Elephant for the most part or care to at all. Even though it's obvious that the new r&b is relying more and more on what are consider to be freestyle beats.

Such as the new Chris Brown:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTKdaU7MOWE

Jay Sean:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m34xyw8E-Qs


Or pop acts like this one from Britney Spears and Lady Gaga:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYOf2twY9zE&feature=fvw


Even Jordin Sparks has remade Shannon's "Let The Music Play"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU80l4PkHB8


I agree with your assesment on how the dance music is having such a difficult time accepting new uptempo music as dance. I think that perhaps we're starting to see a generational gap with dance fans who probably grew up with the 90's dance sound. There's a new dance sound emerging on the pop scene and not everyone is going to embrace it.
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OMG! Did you steal that from one of my posts on the freestyle boards? lol :)

The part about classic rock is something I ALWAYS harp on when I talk to freestyle fans. If "freestyle" as we know it is going to make some sort of comeback it....

1) Has to cater to the 20 somethings.
2) Can't sound anything like the classic freestyle of the 80's and early 90's
3) Drop the name "freestyle" altogether.

I've been throwing out "Latin R&B" as a possible name because it does go back to the history (in the sense of "Latin Hip-Hop), but being that it is about singing and relating to the lifestyle of that crowd, that is where the R&B comes in. And as far as it goes, yes the Latino aspect is covered but also Italians have "Latin" in their culture as well...so it works out :)
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Actually,it was I who came up with the analogy first on the freestyle board. ;)

You already know my feelings about calling it Latin R&B.

As for dropping the name freestyle altogethe...,I'm with you on that.

Hell...a third of these pop and r&b songs are just that-freestyle with a new twist and without the stigma attached that goes with the name.
 
I wonder if this will be OK to put on the table.

This may be old school, but it's a shot.

Duke: So In Love With You
Dee Roberts: I believe
Soul Central feat. Kathy Brown: Strings of Life

They were on rotation though.

But remixed R&B just isn't the same as real dance music.
 
One more thing I've been dying to say!

Have you ever noticed how whenever you are around people or try to show them an example of dance music by letting a station / Ipod...etc. randomly "just happen to" play a dance song, it always turns out to be the most, obnoxious, long, weird, song that it could ever be?

It's almost NEVER the good song to set a good example and make people think "This is cool".

For example, I was with some people listening to a radio station, when "call on me" came on. They just happened to come out and hang around the stereo when that song popped up, and of course since it was a mix with some extended version where all they said was "call on me" over and over and over for OVER 5 minutes. I just kept praying "please let some break come quick or let the freakin song end.." I knew eventually someone was going to make a comment about it, which did happen when one said "what the heck is this?" and the other said "This is K...'s music".

What's sad is that in this case, those "people" were my mom and sister and the station was Dance Party Radio.. (but it wasn't my mix of course!) But even outside of family, I notice this always tends to happen! You try to talk about it and wait for an example to randomly pop up, and what do you get? Something where you have to say "but this is not the best song though"!

"Call on me" isn't really all that bad, but there are way too many dance songs out there that are just plain awkward and do nothing to help the dance community.

As far as freestyle, I might as well give that up if I'm planning on moving to London relatively soon. I don't need to discuss the death of freestyle because I'll have plenty of opportunity to join the discussions of 2 Step and Garage being dead... bassline and funky took over and grime ruined it....etc. But one thing I will say is that Europe is more united on dance music, and there will be far less awkward songs and even less people who will need to hear examples of what dance is, since their urban formats themselves also consist of dance music! They may argue about 2 Step and stuff, but they are also very supportive with their people and suggestions and use their forums to make things happen at times....

www.slicknfresh.co.uk - Garage, and other forms of electronica
www.freestylemusic.de - the REAL #1 freestyle music site
 
If you want to show dance music, play the #1 dance song on the Hot Dance Airplay song. If it is a pop remix, play the #2 song, and so on.
 
I find this topic interesting..gotta chime in. Disco was hot because it appealed to the masses, Chr/Urban Top 40 from 1988-90 was hot because it appealed to the masses. What I call the Miami sound Expose, Black Box, C& C Music Factory appealed to the masses. I don't know what happens in the clubs but.....more people dance to Sexyback or a Flo Rida Song then they do T-Pain or Sean Kingston. Yes you can play a REMIX, but it still doen't have the same appeal. When you can get a hit that the 15 year old likes, and will appeal to the 30 year old. Then you lose the I hate dance music comment. Note to record companies, quit trying to sign the same artists with the same vocal style, the same tired beat. If you try to put a list of the most memorable and lasting dance songs of this decade it would be very difficult, and quit releasing songs with a artist, featuring the artist with an artist. Do we really need a single with three or more artists (Not a group). Damn that rant felt good :)
 
I believe that artists who modernize their sound and make it relevant to today could manage to appeal to the masses - if their records could get more recognition or play!

I like the rapper Flo Rida:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvFRq1L89Xk

But I also don't see how Freestyle Artist Stefanie Bennett can't achieve the same success with her latest (modernized sound) freestyle hit today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W7WebKwJqA&feature=PlayList&p=59BB2F3AAC3D2743&index=49

Hear her song better here (CAN U STOP THE RAIN):
http://www.myspace.com/stefaniebennettfreestyle

Or hear it in my mix, here:
http://7000express.multiply.com/music/item/280
 
KDM 7000 said:
I believe that artists who modernize their sound and make it relevant to today could manage to appeal to the masses - if their records could get more recognition or play!

I like the rapper Flo Rida:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvFRq1L89Xk

But I also don't see how Freestyle Artist Stefanie Bennett can't achieve the same success with her latest (modernized sound) freestyle hit today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W7WebKwJqA&feature=PlayList&p=59BB2F3AAC3D2743&index=49

Hear her song better here (CAN U STOP THE RAIN):
http://www.myspace.com/stefaniebennettfreestyle

That's one of my fav freestyle songs that came out this year. Too bad no label has picked it up. Another modern sounding freestyle song thats worthy of mentioning is from Jeesica Fabus:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JRnQd04y8U

Or hear it in my mix, here:
http://7000express.multiply.com/music/item/280
Click to expand...
 
I don't think we've come far enough in the musical evolution process for that song to make it..... quite yet. The song is good, but contains one large flaw:

It hasn't been ghettotized enough for today's standards!

I don't think we're quite there YET, but... I believe the time is rapidly approaching. As you can see, songs like "Beautiful" by Akon and "down" by Jay Sean were successful, even with the quality and meaningful lyrics, but notice how in each they had to throw in some level of rap in both. Akon's "right now" made it without rap surprisingly, but look at how that song measures up to the other two in chart success.

There is one new freestyle song, however, that I do believe could've made it BIG time, and that is Joei Mae "Do you want it right now". It just has the right sound and style to it, while still being an obvious freestyle track.

Rockell's "I fell in love" I wish was released today, because that was another one that was seriously underrated.

Maybe at some point, soon, we'll reach the point where people like Lil Jon and others are rapping or making guest appearances on the modernized Jessica Fabus / Carlos Berrios type and style of sounds. We're already close, but not completely there yet, where you have the latin freestyle vocal sound mixed in with the urban sound. Everything is still too urban at this point.. but remember, before freestyle, that's how it pretty much all started out in the first place. The "planet rockers..." then an evolution in sound and a birth of "latin freestyle sound". Only difference between then and now is
1. electronic vocoded voices used back then, and
2. use of auto-tune today.
Who knows. Maybe this will turn out to unfold very similar to how it did back then and lead to something. However, another difference is the fact that the first time around, that (uptempo/break dance) sound came first, THEN the slower rap & hip hop. Not vice versa, as what's taking place today, so in this case it's hard to accurately predict what might happen next based on history.
 
I don't expect the song to make it pass the usual circles.Its noteworthy for being a modern approach to freestyle while not compromising the essence of a freestyle song. Truth is we have had freestyle hits in the last few years only with a more urban approach. You mentioned "right now" by Akon and in my book that's freestyle 2009 so is "beautiful". First time I heard Colby O'Donis "what you got" I thought that was the direction Akon might be heading.Even Nina Sky's "On some bullsh*t" is an updated more urban twist to freestyle.

Now,the Chris Brown song "dont know what it is" produced by Scott Storch is just mind blowing! That is a straight up freestyle production with the brass horns and high hits and the beat is more fuller than the typical Akon beats. The only difference its more r&b in its singing style than what you are used to hearing with freestyle.It would be interesting to see if this song will make it on to his cd. I know the label is testing the waters but its too early to tell.

And yet the classics won't go away. I was listening to WFLZ two sundays ago and they slipped in Johnny O's Fantasy Girl during a mix show. Today while on campus I heard diamond girl and dream boy/girl during some back to school activity.
 
LOTS of people (usually 23 & up white males) are prejudice to anything with a beat. I think they think unless they listen to the manly AC/DC, Metallica & Buckcherry then it's "girly music". Others are just prejudice to ANYTHING on a CHR station because they're racist toward "rap crap" they call it (even Beyonce or ballads getting shunned by these types of narrow minded ones).
I'll give everything a try (except Kanye West who when I hear the first word of one of his throwtogethers I turn it).
Usually it's the corny lyrics & a killer beat that keep me locked in.
 
as posted before, with alot of great debate,
and....merely, pointing out the facts, with
no drawn conclusions...

why...hate dance?
do you, posters, think the label of being "gay"
still imposes a problem...

ie: u listen to 'emo' ur "weird"
ie: if one listens to ...... then you're ______
(etc etc) my intention is NOT to offend here,
so im not filling in a format, or stereo type.
 
Who gives A Rats butt............. What is wrong with gay people for one thing, its thier own bussiness. my g/f knows im straight and thanks to me and good mass apeal dance stations like energy 98, she is now too a fan.... IF they are some prep,,,, who cares, we dont need em........
 
I don't think people hate dance music they just didn't hear it often. It's hard to hate something that you are not exposed to. In the early 90s CHR/Dance stations started playing hip hop. That was what was hot for a long time. Now things have changed. Hip Hop is not big in the suburbs anymore. Look how hot Lady GaGa is. I suppose dance purists won't be satisfied but we are at the start of a good cycle for dance-pop music, the type that fits in on CHR.
 
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