cyan's Journal: Music

I just got back home from a great thanksgiving dinner, a night of playing hearts and working on amateur radio equipment. What more could I ask for out of life?

After I got back, I put the headphones on and realized that my usual musical choices are beginning to sound a little old and stale. This happens every now and then, every year or two. Thus, I'm on the hunt for some new music, and this time I've got a few specifics about what type of music I'm looking for. I've always been a fan of music with a strong melody and bassline, so 80's music fit that bill rather nicely. Music with lots of power behind it (and not just in volume, but in the raw strength of the music itself) and great-sounding chord progression is a plus, as well.

I did some searching around and came up with two groups that I've never listened to before: Kraftwerk and Yellow Magic Orchestra. Both groups have a long history going back to the mid 1970's, and were pioneers of various forms of electronic music. I was surprisingly disappointed with Kraftwerk; their music sounded very mechanical and robotic, and there wasn't much emotion or power in the music. This might be because I listened to an album from 1975, but it was still disappointing. Yellow Magic Orchestra had more of what I was looking for: strong beats, powerful music, and melody. I didn't hear anything that I'd consider noteworthy, but it was clear that I was getting closer to what I was seeking.

So, I've decided to compile a list of some noteworthy music in the hopes that some of you readers out there are able to recommend something new based on my musical preferences. Maybe you'll find something new and exciting in this list. Who knows.

• Starshine (Purple Motion) - One of my favourite musical pieces of all time. I've been listening to this since 1994 and still love every moment of it. Purple Motion recently released a remix of this tune on his new album "Musicdisk", and it sounds great. Heavily synthesized, complex piece with a powerful melody and strong beat. The percussion and heavy strings in this piece take the place of a traditional bass guitar. A classic example of how demoscene music fits the bill rather nicely.
• Explosion (Project A-Ko) - This wacky anime sure had a lot of great sounding music. Considering the fact that the anime was produced in the 80's, this shouldn't be a big surprise. This particular tune featured a synthesized lead that gives way to a great guitar solo, and then to a piano. Very strong bass guitar keeping the beat, and lots of power all around. By the way, if anyone can figure out who composed the music from Project A-Ko, let me know.
• Chains of Love (Erasure) - Straight from the 1980's, this popular song has some great synthesized chords that mix wonderfully with the strong bass guitar. For a piece of pop music, this sounds rather pleasing to the ear. Listen to the song, in particular around 2:39 when Andy Bell sings, "making plans together" and notice how the bass guitar and background synth mesh together perfectly.
• Relax (Frankie Goes to Hollywood) - Another popular piece of 80's music, almost everyone knows this one. The bass here is very, very strong and sets the beat very forcefully. The melody and chord progression isn't as important here, but the power behind the song sure is.
• Da Funk (Daft Punk) - My first experience with this tune was when I stepped off of the West Coast Express in Maple Ridge to meet Shaun. Just as I stepped off of the train, he pulled up to the main entrance to the station and pushed the passenger side door open. The heavy beat of Da Funk rang out, and the perfectness of it made me wonder if I was in a scene fresh out of The Matrix or something. I'll go to my grave with that memory, I swear it. But it just goes to show my attraction to music with a heavy bass and percussion working together to create an awesome piece of music.
• Over The Line (The Crystal Method) - Strong use of synthesized instruments that create a very electronic feel to the music. The heavy beat doesn't detract from the piece feeling 'smooth' and progressing with its own set of chords. Instead of relying on repetition, this piece is actually quite dynamic.
• Bridge to the Universe (Bjorn Lynne) - Very strong synthesized melody that follows the same type of 'strong lead' that Starshine does. Not a big surprise for a piece of demoscene music. The song feels strong, but isn't as loud as a great many other selections on this list. Very complex-sounding with some great guitar work as well.
• The River of Dreams (Astal) - A nice symphonic rock type piece from Astal for the Sega Saturn. What makes this piece stand out from the others is the pure power behind it. Very nice and pleasant chord progression. I fell in love with this tune after hearing it for the first time over a dozen years ago. Too bad the soundtrack for this game seems to be impossible to find. I don't know the name of the composer, so if anyone knows it, do pass it on.

There are, of course, tons of other music that I enjoy listening to. Pink Floyd doesn't really fit into any of the categories above, and rightfully so, but I still enjoy it thoroughly. There is also a ton of video game music that would match my criteria rather well (a few pieces from the Battle Arena Toshinden series comes to mind,) but I'm looking for more mainstream artists in this case.

One last piece of music that deserves an honourable mention is "Black Helikopters" from a group that was previously on mp3.com as "Groove Lab." As far as I can tell, they only ever created three songs: Black Helikopters, Black Helikopters Bible Black Mix, and Black Helikopters Kissing Teeth Mix. They took these three songs (which are all variations on the same theme, but three very different pieces of music) and released them on an album called "Sightings: Black Helikopter." Unfortunately, they seem to have disappeared off of the net.

My favourite is the Bible Black mix, which is a slow, smooth-sounding piece of music that relies heavily on its ability to set the tone and tell a story. You can just imagine this guy sitting in an interrogation room as he nervously tells his story:

"So I broke into an Area 51 secure installation after monitoring months of.... black helicopter activity in the area.
Through a window I entered a chamber, where I witnessed several aliens of different.. species.. utilizing various types of.... equipment.
One of the aliens noticed me, and began to approach.
He.. stopped suddenly and picked up a case.. uh.. which I was sure contained equipment he would use to perform tests on me.
He reached into the case... and he pulled out.... an electric bass!
No shit. Fender Jazz, strapped it on, not even plugged in, and the cat started to play.
Freakin' alien, man, playing bass. Blew me away.
Black helicopters are now watching me. Black helicopters. In whisper mode. Watching me."

Then the strong beat begins and the song continues to play smoothly until the very end. I'm surprised that a person (or group of people) so talented would vanish off of the net without a trace. Doing a search only yields the odd DJ or two that have used the piece in a playlist. I've included the full lyrics here in hopes that someone, somewhere has more information about who composed this piece of music and what they're doing now.