Korean Job Discussion Forums

[nero]

Okay, let's start by asking what happened to culture?
What about those films? music? photography is easy-everyone has a @3$ iphone and considers themselves a photographer.

It used to be that songs had meaning (not all of them) and that artists stood for something -- anti war, current events, personal statement. Again, not everyone.

If Eve of Destruction were released today, record label executives and society as a whole would take one giant shit before launching into a social media frenzy.

Also, music wasn't the same spectacle that it is today. Yes, there was Glam Rock, but that type of spectacle added to the music and was not the destraction that we have today. Does anyone remember what song it was that Gaga performed at the show where she wore the meat dress? Is it Gaga's music or fashion that gets the most press? American Idol, The Voice are profit seeking spectacles.

I applaud the advent of the MP3. It now gives many indie artists freedom to create music. Whereas profits, political correctness and spectacle have reduced music to lyrics like...

"You had my heart And we'll never be worlds apart Oh, Maybe in magazines But you'll still be my star.. Baby 'cause in the dark You can't see shiny cars And that's when you need me there With you I'll always share Because When the sun shines, we'll shine together

Yeah, I can hear the autotune as I read those lyrics.

[nero]

Also, a few things to consider.

First of all, most of the people in this thread sound like passive music listeners. They listen to whatever is popular at the moment. That's fine, but most new, mainstream music is aimed at young people. If you no longer find top 40 music appealing, it's because you've aged out of the demographic.

It's always taken work to find the really great music. Even in the late 60s/early 70s, some of the best music from the period was never that popular, and people didn't start paying attention until years later. Think the Velvet Underground, Big Star, Kraftwerk, Zappa and so on.

Prior to the internet, it took a lot of work to find that music, whether it was hanging out in record stores or rock clubs or trying to find off-the-radar radio stations or studying the music press. For most people, actually hearing something out of the mainstream meant tracking down a copy and buying it.

Now, you can easily listen to pretty much any new music online, for free. You don't even have to get off your sofa.

Right now, 80s music is a huge influence on a lot of indie rock bands. There are a ton of really interesting electronic/synthpop artists making music now. M83, Passion Pit, Hot Chip and Washed Out to name a few.

The Black Keys are a '70s-inspired blues rock duo with million-selling singles and a current arena tour. Jack White's output has diminished somewhat since the White stripes, but his new solo album is pretty great.

Neil Young is a huge influence on a lot of modern bands, whether it's CSNY (the Fleet Foxes) or Neil Young solo (My Morning Jacket).

There's even some interesting stuff in mainstream country right now. Fleetwood Mac/the Eagles/Tom Petty are huge influences in that genre. You want to hear a really great, old-fashioned torch song? Look up Sugarland's "Stay." The Zac Brown Band plays really melodic, 70s southern rock. (Or if you want a grittier version, look into the Drive-By Truckers.)

Bluegrass/Americana is a big thing again. Check out the Avett Brothers or Dawes or Andrew Bird or Mumford and Sons. Or if you want to get more hippie-ish, Edward Sharpe or Father John Misty or Dr. Dog.

Great current female artists: Sharon Van Etten, Beth Jeans Houghton, Laura Marling, Tune Yards, Wild Flag, Laura Gibson. Florence and the Machine are huge right now, playing a variation of what Kate Bush used to do.

You love REM? Check out the Shins. Peter Gabriel? Try Gotye. Did you know there's a disco band from Brooklyn called Escort that makes old-school disco and plays live with a mini orchestra? Or Muse, a Queen-inspired trio that makes noisy space rock music with Pink Floyd-style album covers.

Or how about Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings for some retro R&B/soul. Her label, Daptone, has some other great artists, like Charles Bradley.

If you can't find music you like anywhere in there, you must not actually like music. That's fine, live in the past permanently. Just don't spout off about new music being shitty when you aren't even trying to hear any of it.

[NilesQ]

I just BOUGHT the new Alabama Shakes album. When I first heard their music in a bar, I thought it was the most original sound I'd heard in a long time.

Good music is still being made. I think the change in the way music is made, big record companies vs band with a mic and a mac-book, has created a period of transition. Bands that record companies would have developed in the past aren't getting support from labels anymore so they have to find a way to make, market, and distribute their own stuff.

I think that, in the long run, this will have a positive effect on music as a whole. DIY ethic in music, or any artform, is a good thing. One less filter on what makes it out into the public. The music fans get to decide what they like rather than record companies culling down the pool of options before we get a chance to judge it.

[DIsbell]

[MoneyMike]

I think it might be true that we're in a period where musicians are expanding genres rather than inventing completely new ones. And I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

This is really a great time to be a music fan, especially if your musical tastes aren't mainstream. The internet lets lesser known, more diverse acts show their stuff to the world, and we can all find it pretty easily.

Myself, I'm a funk fan, but to be honest these days I'm way more into modern funk than anything from the 70's or 80's. Want straight up great funk? Breakestra, The Bamboos, Speedometer, Cookin on 3 Burners, Lefties Soul Connection. Want some soulful stuff? Sharon Jones, Kylie Auldist. Great fusion? Maceo Parker, Karl Denson, Greyboy Allstars. Want some of that acid jazz vibe? Check out Lack of Afro.

In the 90's if I wanted to hear music like this I probably would've been shit outta luck most of the time, unless I happened to live in a city with a scene for it.

[tideout]

My first job after high school was playing as a musician and we all saw the changes happening then. As best I can recall the following were big factors in the decline of the music scene.

BTW, I played 3-4 nights/week and felt rich at the time.

Technology changes - Disco really started to take off and about the same time Michael Jackson kept the music industry alive almost single-handedly with the Thriller album. Clubs that catered to the rock, blues and r&b folks lost their crowds to the dance club and disco scene. Owners could install a decent sound system with a one time expense instead of paying a house band every few nights.

On a related note: It was quite expensive in the late 70's into the early 80's to get a demo cut in a studio. Even some medium size cities might only have one place to get it done. The could charge whatever they wanted and in many cases bands needed a backer of some sort. This upped the level required to do something. If your band sucked nobody wanted to pay for cutting a 45 of it. In short, you couldn't cut a Youtube video for free of yourself learning how to play guitar and call it your "album etc...."

The studios, big and small took advantage of this in some awful ways but on the other side somebody had to put a name on what was being produced - something of a quality control check.

Drugs - coke came onto the scene and while it was looked down upon by a lot of the musicians (vs. weed) it was a big part of the club and dance scene. Something new if nothing else. In a lot of ways this replaced playing with loops, synthesized stuff that sounded crazy for the time but might not have been terribly creative in the long run etc..

Rents & spaces - This was an era before gentrification and real estate; before a building was thought of as an ATM or a gold nugget. Hard to imagine in this era but houses, flats, apts were thought of as places to live in not economic investments the way it bubbled into the 2000's housing crisis.

People could share an undivided corner of a building to live in and have a football field's worth of space to have band practice in at night. This created a scene that's impossible to maintain now I think. Artists, photographers etc physically mixed and could socialize around music, photos a piece of art etc.. Now people individually click a hyperlink and then look at twenty other things w/o really interacting much w/ others.

Social scene:

A lot's been written on this by a lot of people and for some it might be the most controversial point but for those alive now and then I think we'd agree things have changed dramatically in social and technological ways.

There were no cell phones. There were no computers or ipads to take everyone's focus off of the world that exists outside of the little screens that rule what people do today. The pre-screen era was a much richer experience socially and physically etc.. People conversed and at length about albums, pieces of art and more. I think this had a big effect on creativity and how we think about what is creative or meaningful.

[fosterman]

this is another good example of how the drug scene help fuel the music scene.

I think without the use of drugs by musicians or artists, we would really be living in a different time listening to different music.

Drugs by themselves have driven scenes to climax. the most recent one which comes to mind is the EDM scene. back in the 80's the chicago house scene or the rave scene in Manchester were really build on the backs of the ectasy users who took the drug from the lovey dovey to the dance floor.
and with that came and uplifting fast beats for the dancers to rave to.

without the huge rave scene with all the drugs I really doubt the scene would of taken off.
and you can get a real clear sense of understanding by what I mean if you are someone who has been to clubs back home where you know more than 50% of the people are on pills and you can see the energy of the dance floor. now compare that to the best club in Korea and you will clearly see what I mean. Korean dance floors with young people really don't have the same energy or vibe with their soju highs compared to clubs back home.
I think this is also why the Korean music scene is rubbish, no artists are experimenting with drugs. now there were some original artists here who did, and their music is considered legendary. coincidence?
now of course there are COUNTLESS musicians who never touched drugs or would never advocate them are are brilliant musicians. I am just talking about a few.

looking at tribal music, the beats of ancient tribes and listening to that music the majority of those tribes would get high on natures herbs and create music and dance.

hip hop, gangsta rap, reggae etc. the marijuana scene.
EDM- the upper drugs scene

the 80' with those twisted sounds like tideout said. the coke scene.

Acid - the psychedelic music scene.

now of course not all music or dances are affiliated with drugs.
I am just pointing out a few.


and regarding the 2000's well I guess Adele and Amy winehouse are up there as your own.

[Martin_Brez]

This is my opinion on music!

Last weekend, saw Stone Roses in Manchester!

Seen RATM (my fav band) four times live since 2007!

Seen Public Enemy!

Seen Black Sabbath at Download!

Seen Pearl Jam a few times in Europe!

Best gig I've been to, Diamond Head!

I've seen so many bands! I love 90's Rock like Helmet, AIC, RHCP when they were good, RATM my fav! But seen acts like Public Enemy, Steely Dan Tribute Bands, etc. My taste in music is varied. I mainly like Rock/Metal but I also like Rap, Hip/Hop.

But bands today just suck! Pavement being the best example. Yanks who want to be English, Anglophiles! You suck! May as well call yourselves 'Sidewalk'

England gave the world so much music to list a few bands:

Stone Roses
Oasis
Blur
Led Zeppelin
Deep Purple
The Clash
The Rolling Stones
The Beatles
The Who
Diamond Head
Black Sabbath
New Order
Joy Division
Judas Priest

TBH, music today I have given up on it. I feel bad because I'm English and my crappy little country has influenced music significantly!

Do Koreans like Rock music or is it just K-Pop? Does K-rock exist? Sorry if I sound nostalgic but I hate the music industry right now! I wish the early 90s still existed (in terms of music)!

Brez

[Squire]

Of my favourite bands/artists most are 90s acts and some later and earlier. The most original and creative of my favourites since 1990 are Radiohead and Bj�rk. I think Billy Bob Thornton is wrong in claiming the 90s was all derivative of earlier times. However, I can't think of anyone from the 2000s that was truly original and changed music, but then I'm no expert.

It would be foolish to claim creativity is dead though. For all we know something new and exciting could be right around the corner, or already in it's early stages somewhere. That's what I've been hoping for for a while now

[fosterman]

[Zyzyfer]

Just a +1 to Stone Roses

Is Jisan sold out?

[Died By Bear]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadmau5


Melleefresh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPDSiL1nH0k

[KimchiNinja]

The rule governing here is "quality declines to equal price paid".

In the 90s you could sell a ton of CDs, when you can sell CDs you get financiers willing to take a bet on a creative artist, give them a three album deal and see if they can develop something. Invest in 10 bands like this, one explodes, sells millions of CDs you make your money back...repeat.

Once everyone just steals the music the market dries up, most financiers leave, and the ones remaining don't want to take any risks (they are interested in only the most obvious quick-money crap artists). There is a Cobain/Dylan somewhere out there right now but without financial investment (fronting the money for a record and tour) he remains a Youtuber with 100 hits and eventually gives up to support the nagging wife.

That's the easiest explanation, you've seen not only the quality of the artists, but also the quality of the record production go to hell over the last 10 years with the "awesomeness" of the internet. Same will happen to film.

It's a transfer of money from the entertainment industry to the tech industry, and ART gets screwed in the process. That's my analysis.

[Underwaterbob]

Only there is zero actual evidence that piracy has led to a decline in profits in the film and music industries...

[tideout]