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Alternative Music – History and Facts Revealed

January 29th, 2011
Alternative Music

The evolution of music has brought forth hundreds of music variations in so many forms to the basic music categories. This diversity in music forms have categorized in alternative music those ish style music that come as slight style alterations to most popular music forms (i.e. alternative rock or rock-ish music for rock music that does not really fit into the mainstream genres of a particular time period).


Alternative music is a category coined as a sort of catch-all for those sub-genres that are unclassified but can be traced with similarities to popular genres. These alternative music are usually those that were not released commercially and are recorded on independent labels. Some music from this category, from word of mouth, would soon find its way into the mainstream and become commercially successful.


Off-Country

Country music that does not conform to the prevailing country style is generally classified as alternative music. Musicians playing alternative country music are generally those who do not subscribe to high production values and popularity concerns. Their music are of lo-fi sound quality and often incorporated strong punk and rock and roll qualities and contained lyrics that are bleak, gothic or socially aware. The range of their music spans American folk tune to rockabilly and honky-tonk to a fusion of rock and country music. Alternative country music has developed several namesakes like Americana, neotraditional, progressive country, lo-fi country, and twang core.  Read more...

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The History of Music Therapy

November 25th, 2010
Music therapy

The idea of music therapy actually has its roots in ancient times, but it really only started to get serious attention after World War I and World War II. During these times, community musicians visited Veterans hospitals, and they played music for veterans who were suffering physical and emotional trauma brought on by the wars. The patients at these hospitals showed significant improvements after the music performances. Consequently, the doctors and nurses requested that musicians be hired to come to the hospitals.

In due course, it was decided that musicians assisting in hospitals needed specialized training.  In 1944, Michigan State University began offering a music therapy degree program, the first of its kind in the world.  The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) was founded later, in 1988.

The positive effects of music therapy have been so well recognized that many insurance companies cover it as a form of medical treatment. Both Medicare and Medicaid cover it, also, provided that it is prescribed by a physician and the patient shows improvement from the music therapy.

Many people erroneously believe that clients of music therapy need to have musical abilities in order to benefit from music therapy. This belief is not true. Also, some believe that only one type of music can be beneficial for use in music therapy. This belief is also untrue.  In actual fact, any type of music can be helpful in helping a client. The type of music used depends on the client’s preferences, as well as on the individual circumstances and the purpose of treatment.  Also, the client’s overall goals from the therapy help determine the type of music to be used in the music therapy.  Read more...

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A History of Techno Music

October 24th, 2010

Irrespective what end of the spectrum of techno music, whether you love it or hate it, chances are you don’t know a thing about its history and even less about what has made it one of the most popular forms of electronic music today.

Whilst techno is without doubt most popular in Europe today, techno music in fact originated from a Detroit Michigan during the 1980’s. Although Detroit is far more famous for exporting cars rather than music, the vast array of techno music genres we listen to today are variants on the original style of “Detroit Techno.” (Ironically Eminem, one of the 2000’s biggest names in rap music who openly hates techno music also comes from the same city)
The pioneers of techno music are without question the Belleville 3, given that label by adoring fans because they all attended Belleville High School, who’s first 3 albums popularised the fledgling genre of music.

However the main reason for the growth in techno music during this period was the fact that synthesizers and sequencers required to produce techno music became increasingly affordable. As a result, experimentation with techno music became increasingly popular within Detroit, in particular by those not wishing to follow the mainstream music of the time.
It wasn’t long before the techno music genre started to make inroads into Europe, with Germany and England becoming early adopters of this new style. When the Berlin wall fell in 1989, techno music exploded in German bars, nightclubs and underground venues, the most famous of which was UFO, hosted by DJ Westbaume and DJ Maute. This underground venue would be the first steps to founding the most epic festival of techno music being The Love Parade.  Read more...

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Top 10 Samples in Hip-Hop History ~ Part XXVI (The 7 Inch Edition)

July 4th, 2010


hubpages.com Volume 26 1) Burning Bridges – Mike Curb Congregation Come On Down – Big Daddy Kane, Q-Tip & Busta Rhymes Knock Em Out Sugar Ray – MC Sugar Ray & Stranger D 2) (Do The) Push and Pull- Rufus Thomas Eazy Street – Eazy-E Contact – Jurassic 5 Believe in Yourself – K-9 Posse 3) Memphis at Sunrise – The Bar-Kays Take It Back to Brooklyn – Ol’ Dirty Bastard 4) Sparkling in the Sand – Tower of Power Sally Got a One Track Mind – Diamond D 5) Mother Nature – The Temptations Untouchable – The Firm 6) Find Yourself – The Meters Feel Me Flow – Naughty By Nature Cantwinfaloozin – Kwame 7) Hollywood Swinging – Kool & The Gang Let Me Clear My Throat – DJ Kool Feels So Good – Ma$e Harlem World – Ol’ Dirty Bastard Got to Go – Redhead Kingpin Bring the Horns – Stezo The Blues – Terminator X Money in the Ghetto – Too $hort Basic Mega-Mix – DJ Shadow Coolin’ in cali – 7A3 Inglewood Swingin’ – Mack 10 8) Razor Blade – Little Royal and the Swingmasters Lethal Weapon – Ice-T No Sell Out – K-9 Posse Kool Is Back – Kool G Rap Can’t Stop The Bumrush – Masta Ace Party Over Here – Lord Finesse 9) I Don’t Believe You Want to Get up and Dance (Oops) = Gap Band Snoop’s Upside Ya Head – Snoop Dogg Ooops Upside Your Head – Snap DJ Quik – Mo’ Possy Spice 1 – Strap On The Side 10) Reach Out of the Darkness – Friend and Lover Albee Square Mall – Biz Markie Psyko Funk – Boo Yaa TRIBE 2 Hype – Kid ‘N Play Special Thanks to GILLY & POUNDCAKE and…. Music Trends – The DJs Toystore 2947 Hempstead …

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London Calling ? a Brief History of the Capital?s Musical Heritage

March 19th, 2010

Way back at the beginning of this decade we’ve come to know as the ‘noughties’, it was The Libertines that first kick-started the new revolution of bands loudly and proudly proclaiming their London roots; name-checking both Caledonian Road in Islington and Vallance Road in Bethnal Green on their debut album, ‘Up The Bracket’. Later, rapper Dizzee Rascal also paid homage to his hometown through his rhymes – “I socialise in Hackney and Bow / I wear my trousers ridiculously low”.

Likewise, during the 1960s and 1970s bands such as The Kinks, The Clash and The Jam penned numerous odes to their hometown, most notably The Clash’s anti-Racism anthem “(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais”.

So it’s not that this was a new trend; it was just that London bands proclaiming their hometown pride had become scarce in music for over a decade. Previously, for example, in the late 1990s, Manchester had stolen most of the nation’s musical limelight, with the emergence of the massively popular ‘Madchester’ scene, as well as the rise of bands such as The Smiths and The Fall during the 1980s.

Today, London again seems to be experiencing something of a renaissance. A handful of recently founded independent record labels have helped breathe some new air into the somewhat smoggy London scene. Founded in 2004, Transgressive Records released early singles by recent Mercury Music Prize nominees ‘The Young Knives’. Its reputation for being synonymous with new cutting-edge British indie music soon saw it snapped up by Warner Brothers as a subsidiary. Likewise, the Angular Recording Corporation was founded in 2003 and gave the likes of Bloc Party their first exposure.  Read more...

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