Guilt implies that one experiences, realizes and believes – accurately or not- that they have violated a moral standard and that they are actually responsible for that violation. This cognitive and/or emotional experience one goes through can be fabricated, sub-conscious or based in reality. In other words, guilt can be blatantly self-inflicted and used to rationalize a completely different emotion or action.

So- what the hell is a “guilty pleasure?!” Remorse, resentment and guilt are tags associated with morality and ethics-not music, right? A “guilty pleasure” is a concept, or better yet a euphemism, that we use to rationalize and minimize potential shun and embarrassment from liking a particular song and/or artist. Depending on one’s scope of reference, “guilty pleasures” are usually associated with pop music. Despite the contrary belief, pop music itself is actually NOT a specific music genre- it’s shorthand for (pop)ular music. Any and all music can become popular due to the present market climate including but not limited to political, socio-economical and cultural changes, factors and shifts. One should certainly not feel guilty for liking a piece of music- regardless of who created it and/or how and why it was used (functionality). Why should one feel guilt for liking something that is popular? More important than what pop songs actually sounds like, one should ask themselves “why?” and “how?” certain songs are popular- try to lay out the dots and proceed to connect them. Perhaps you’re witnessing first hand a market or paradigm shift. Maybe music is evolving right in front of your eyes and the particular “guilty pleasure” is the missing link.

Legally, a person who is incapable of feeling remorse is said to be a “sociopath” in the United States or a “psychopath” in the United Kingdom. The reason for the quotation marks sandwiching certain words is due to the specific, jargon and/or legal meaning associated with them. Here’s a quite condeming scenario: What if one enjoys a certain song and/or artist that is said to be a “guilty pleasure” and feels no remorse? We sing it in the shower, pump it from our vehicles, post it on our Facebook and do not care who knows? I guess technically you’re a sociopath (or psychopath if you happen to be reading this in the UK).

Well here ya go you sick, cold, guiltless, INTJ type-personality, psychopath bastards:

Ke$sha- Tik Tok |SONY/Jive/RCA 2009| Prod. by Benny Blanco (Blanko) |Harem|OM Records|Azuli|Playhouse| Here is the unrestricted embeddable version.

As of December 30th 2009, Ke$ha set the weekly digital track sales record by a female artist and second best overall by any artist behind Flo Rida’s “Right Round”- about 610,000 digital tracks sold for Ms. Ke$ha. Wow. Almost 200,000 more sales than the former female artist record holder, Lady Gaga with 419,000 during the end of 2008. That’s a lot of digital singles being sold- aren’t we in a depression recession?!

At first glance, it seems real simple why Ke$ha has managed to sell over 500,000+ downloads:

1. Basically, you got a fun chick speaking directly to her generation..perfect.

2. Perfect song structure in terms of setup, hook, and recapitulation (Even the Beatles wrote like this).

3. And lastly you have all the basic studio sounds and techniques at work, but not pushing the envelope. You have melody, a story, structure and good producing.


4. This would be a hit for any artist that fit the demographic and look.

It’s good pop….you need to buy something after you buy Lady’s download, SO, here is another good track. That’s it.

That’s it? Really…it is as simple as that?! There is nothing else going on here?

First of all it’s “electro-pop.” That seems to be the music industry’s “tag du jour.” As with most music genres and interchangeable tags applied to recordings, electro (and synth) pop is a style that became butchered and bastardized throughout the 80s, disappeared for about 20 years, and now seems to be back in full force for the end of the decade into the next (i.e. Owl City, Katy Perry, Ke$ha, even the Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode are back on top of the Billboard Dance Chart). If you are reading this, then you most likely know your basic disco and all of her derivations from Italo-disco, synth-pop, electro-funk and hip hop to house and all of the modern day interpretations. The tags and genres record labels attach to certain recordings are as carefully conceived as the actual productions themselves. Ke$ha is a product as is with a majority of pop(ular) acts. People in marketing, publicity and a&r departments get paid good money to make sure their commodity sells and using the proper language, imagery and allusions are all tools of the trade. The track was released by Jive. Being that I don’t feel like writing, nor is one inclined to reading, an entire novel on Zomba; long story short is that Ke$ha belongs to Sony Records one way or another. If there’s one label that understands dance music, whether urban, synth-pop or any combination thereof, it’s Jive (and Zomba). Jive sold to BMG for $2 billion, making it the most expensive acquisition since EMI bought and acquired Geffen, Island, A&M and Virgin. THIS IS WHERE POP MUSIC IS GOING. Industry execs are trying to merge hip hop and electronic dance music with one another and obviously it is working.

This may be the most successful go at it but it’s certainly not the first. The 80s, from the beginning til the end, were absolutely littered with these types of sounds and creative, artistic mergers- musical synergy. In the 80s, it went by a few different names and genre tags, mostly known as “electro-funk.” Tik Tok may be the missing link between urban music and dance music. This track obviously hit all demographics and clearly appealed to a target audience that I don’t think Zomba/SONY necessarily intended. Like I said, this is NOT the first time this has occurred (in reference to “electro-funk” in the early 80s along with”fresstyle” and “hip house” in the 80s and early 90s) but there is a serious shift going on. No small coincidences in the business world. We are quickly approaching on the age-old, perpetual argument of Art v. Commerce- perhaps even more polarizing than the Digital v. Analog/Vinyl discussion.

Hip hop is dying, if not dead already. We have seen an incredible 25-year shelf life on this musical phenomenon and cultural shift and now it must evolve into something else. Hip hop culture and its music has dominated pop culture for the past two and a half decades and execs have already clearly and concisely seen the direction they want to push it. The whole rap-rock hybrid didn’t fare too well, even though Linkin Park continues to sell but even Kid Rock’s label pushed him in another direction. Fred Durst who? The show must go on. The only logical choice is forcing and crafting hip hop towards electronic dance music. Both of which already have their roots in dance music and the clubs and both are considered urban music in my book. If one has any trouble understanding this idea then look no further than the top publishers, writers and publishing songs. Currently, the top publishers are EMI Music Publishing Group (the Black Eyed Peas, Kanye West), SONY/ATV Music Publishing (Lady Gaga), Universal Music Publishing Group ( Pitbull) and Warner/Chappell Music (Katy Perry). The top producers and songwriters are Nadir “Redone” Khayat (Lady Gaga) and David Guetta (the Black Eyed Peas) and the top publishing songs are all produced by people you are incredibly familiar such as Nicola Fasano, David Guetta, Joel Zimmerman (Deadmau5) and Mark Knight. The charts are absolutely littered with producers, songwriters, and labels of the electronic dance music (EDM) realm. And by charts, I’m not referring to the Beatport or Juno Download Top 100 charts, I’m speaking about the Billboard Top 40 and Hot 100 Charts.
Remember this linear note from several paragraphs up:

Ke$sha- Tik Tok |SONY/Jive/RCA 2009| Prod. by Benny Blanco (Blanko) |Harem|OM Records|Azuli|Playhouse|

That’s right ladies and gentleman, Benny Blanco, the same man who created “Block Party” for Sultan’s Harem Records also penned and produced this record breaking pop single. I made it a point to include Blanco’s “underground” label affiliations as to an eye opener. To bridge this musical gap and to bring hip hop and its associated market into the next stage, industry execs and the big four record companies are commissioning your favorite “underground” producers to pen and produce hits for their next big things. I hope not to burst any bubbles or screw up one’s day, but this is nothing new in the industry. You know Ben Watt right? Ben Watt the top notch producer, DJ and label head of Buzzin’ Fly?! Well in case you didn’t know, Ben Watt was also half of Atlantic Records’ Everything But The Girl (along with Tracey Thorne). Not only is Ben Watt you favorite uber underground label’s owner and boss, he’s been a top selling producer of Atlantic Records since the mid-90s.

***Below is the well-known synonymous club remix by Todd Terry- original could be found here***

Everything But The Girl – Missing
Uploaded by MeGustaTuMusica. – Watch more music videos, in HD!

The same can said for most of your favorite present day and past producers including but not limited to David Bowie, Dave Spoon, Brian Eno, Martin Buttrich, Brian Transeau (BT), Kevin Saunderson, Charlie May, Alexander Coe (Sasha), Giorgio Moroder, Steve Angello, Stuart Price, David Guetta, Trevor Horn, Nile Rodgers, Nick Muir, George Martin, Bob Sinclar, Arthur Baker, Mark Knight, etc. If one only knew the different aliases and pseudonyms associated with some of the most “underground” producers. While some turn their noses up at pop music, one must realize what your favorite underground producer does during his down time- to put food on the table and a roof over his head. Making money from penning pop tunes also enables him or her to create the music you love so much.

In the past, music has evolved much slower and more fluently with very little attention given to the particular track, recording, and/or albums bridging the musical gaps and paradigm shifts. For example, when did disco become disco? When did soul, r&b and funk make the jump to disco? Was it when Neil Bogart (Casablanca) and the Cayre brothers (Salsoul) said so? Lines were incredibly blurred on the musical spectrum during the 60s and 70s- and it was not limited to just disco. If one cannot understand that, then go listen to Mother, Father, Sister, Brother (MFSB) and try to stick a reasonable label on that. Not so much now. The viral nature of (Al Gore’s) internet and other advances in technology have enabled the entertainment conglomerates (record companies, publishers, radio and television broadcasters) to control every aspect of the pipeline. Companies have more vehicles than ever to forcefully deliver their commodities. In other words, media management and other factors have sped up the evolution of music and have positioned the majors to be the ultimate taste makers of music leaving little to no room for free thought. I can assure you whatever thoughts are going through your head, whether it’s sticking it to the man or running out to buy the latest pop single are not preconceived or spontaneous decisions made solely by you the consumer- you can thank product branding and various commercial impressions for that. What normally took a generation, perhaps a cultural movement, maybe an unpopular war mixed with some discontent is taking a matter of quarters (as in maybe a few-under a year for sure). The changes and shifts in music nowadays occur rather abrupt. In under 12 months, fewer than 4 quarters, the masses have seen labels such as Interscope (Universal), V2 (EMI) Capitol (EMI) and Ultra (Indie but distributed by Warner Bros.) explode onto the scene Billboard charts and Soundscan data sheets with their house, synth and electro pop sounds. The Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode may be pre-established heritage acts, but the same certainly could not be said about the new breed graduating from “Pop U” this past semester, or quarter. And again, who do you think is producing and making this new music? Nicola Fasano, who produced Pitbull’s “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)”, could retire a happy man if he chose to after he tossed Ultra Records and Universal Publishng that Pitbull track (which had to be previously cleared along with writer disputes being settled due to the extensive sampling and origins of the track). I’ll do you a favor and not break any more hearts. Pryda and Cirez D couldn’t have occurred and come to fruition without the Steve Winwood/80s loving Eric Prydz.

Ke$ha’s track, Tik Tok, is making the leap in front of our eyes. Hip hop is evolving as it has failed and is done moving people- whether it be physically, emotionally or intellectually. It’s not working anymore. A 25-year shelf life is absolutely outstanding in this quirky, quickly paced, unpredictable and fast moving market place. To cohesively bring pop’s ears to the industy’s final destination, tracks such as Tik Tok must be utilized to ensure a smooth transition and to loose the smallest amount of people as possible along the way. Time is money and 125% of the population have ADD so this transition must be done as effectively and efficiently as possible. (The additional 25% on top of the technical limitation of 100% refers to 25% of the 100% who have ADD REALLY bad). This hip hop-EDM music merger/evolution/shift is nothing new in the music business and has been tried many times before but this is by far the most successful attempt. The fact that the music business has reverted back to an EP-based market has also nurtured this transition. Ditching the long player (LP) format has saved the industry an immense amount of money, time and energy. Dance music has always been a singles dominated market place while pop music has only finally accepted the consumer’s rejection to albums as of the past several years. Cost (as in the MSRP) and quality of the album or LP are among the factors leading to the long player’s unpopularity. All of the evidence is there in the form of tangible numbers. The entertainment industry could also thank the fashion industry because clothing retailers such as H&M, Urban Outfitters and American Apparel have almost ensured this transition with their hipster-80s-discotech-influenced urban chic fashions. I can’t wait to hear and see what’s next. Although the entertainment industry is said to be unpredictable, the individuals who make the big bucks are the sociopaths- the sick, cold, guiltless, INTJ type-personality, psychopath bastards geniuses who understand the functionality of music and lenses in which they are viewing something.

Let me leave you with my two expert “electro-pop” (cough cough) witnesses…

Danny Mullins

1. Mr. Greg Wilson (b. 1960 Wallasey in Merseyside) |EMI|Strut|Tirk|Mercury|DFA|
Greg Wilson Wiki Electro Funk

2. Mr. Kevin Donovan a.k.a. “Afrika Bambaataa” (b. ? Bronx River Projects) |Tommy Boy Records|EMI|
Afrika Bambaataa Wiki

Comments (3)

3 Comments

1. 

   American club music is doing what European club music did 10-20 years ago. Back to the roots, we had R&B, Soul, Psychedelic, Jazz, Traditional Pop and Rock, etc, in clubs. Then there was Funk. Funk was the new Jazz, just as much Jazz was the new Blues (or R&B). Then Disco and Hip Hop came along. That’s really where the roots of today’s club and dance music began.
   Hip Hop split in two, one form was light-hearted disco-rap, the other was street music (rap music’s stereotypical form).
   Hip Hop became the new Funk. As you can probably read, there was a vibe that existed since R&B, it was evolving through time. Hip Hop became associated with gang crime, meanwhile a disco and rock boom laid down the foundations for modern pop music. Then there was Electro, Boogie and Post-Disco. During that time, the vibe was struggling. Disco collapsed, it died off commercially, it’s fusion with rock music made pop-rock and dance-pop. People in pop culture cared nonetheless for Hip Hop. A new style of R&B music evolved that fused the dying Hip Hop genre, it’s still popular now as ‘Contemporary R&B’ or ‘Lyrical Hip-Hop’. The new R&B became the new ‘street music’, borrowing gangsta rap as a background vibe. During the advent of underground Electro, two new genres and their relatives were born, Techno and Chicago House. Chicago House became popular amongst the gay community, thus amongst the homophobic audiences of Hip Hop, it was scrutinised. House music adopted Disco beats and the Tribal-like rhythms of Reggae and African pop music. House was both comfortably identified as the new version of Disco, and it became very popular in the straight Afro-American, Latin, Hispanic and American dance communities due to that being so. Techno was dying off, so DJs started blending Techno and Electro elements into House. But it wasn’t until House became popular in Europe did Electro House and Tech House first appear, with Eurodance, Hi-NRG and Trance evolving from those genres. Tech House blended with Electroclash, a fusion of New Wave and Electrofunk, that made today’s popular variation of ‘Electro House’. Anyhow, amongst the Afro-American communities, House DJs and Hip Hop rappers started having talks. A new genre called ‘Hip House’ was born, which blended the straighter 4/4 rhythms of House with Rapping. For a while, that became the new Hip Hop, until people started pointing out it adopted the apparently ‘gay-like’ elements and history of House music. So Hip House died in Homophobia, but it fused into Eurodance to nudge its dependence on rich, melodical soulful, playful, light-hearted, clubby vocals all the time, thus Eurodance mirrored Hip House and Contemporary R&B club music, adding Rap vocals to the genre. Electronic dance music didn’t die out in the US, however. The Dirty South used an Electro genre called ‘Miami Bass’ to create a new form of music called ‘Crunk’. Crunk blended Chopped & Screwed, Hip Hop, Gangsta Rap, Disco Rap, Electro, Video Game Music and Miami Bass. Usher’s ‘Yeah’ proved the genre’s popularity through a blend of Crunk with Contemporary R&B called ‘Crunk&B’, with collaborations with ‘Lil Jon’, a well known Crunk music MC. The famous popular ‘hip-hop’ group ‘Black Eyed Peas’ decided (very recently) to make a futuristic music album, combining Hip Hop, Electro and New Wave factors. However, the lead MC of the ‘Black Eyed Peas’, ‘Will.I.Am’, whom had already collaborated with Electropop and Reggae artists, decided to go and have talks with Electro House DJs. This is where French House DJ ‘David Guetta’ made his break for US fame. Akon also had talks, and before you knew it, many Club-orientated Hip Hop and R&B artists were signing up for collaborations. A new genre called ‘Electro Hop’ was born, similar to the Electrofunk and Rap fusion under the same name before it. Electro Hop utilised either Electro, Electro House, Dance-Pop, Electropop, House, R&B or Hip Hop beats; electrofunk, electro house, tech house or electropop synthesis; and disco rap vibes. I think soon, as Contemporary R&B grows old, Electro Hop will become the new Hip Hop. Electro Hop is really the fusion of any pre-existing electronic dance of electronica music genre with Hip Hop. And the majority of Electronic Dance broke off from Hip Hop and House, anyway. Except Techno favored no vocals or punchy/catchy MC vocals (though, not usually aggressive). Electrofunk (or ‘Electro’) itself broke off from Hip Hop after Kraftwerk started emulating breakbeats in their Synthpop music. Electropop already has Hip Hop in it, since it fused earlier Synthpop with soulful R&B-like vocals and Electro. Electropop is now replacing soulful R&B-like vocals with Crunk-themed Contemporary R&B stylised, punk-pop influenced soulful vocals. Like what Eurodance did, it’s now adding ‘Rapping’ as a vocal style. As Hip Hop’s era finally finds an end and something else rises from its ashes, Hip Hop’s elements will dissolve into other music genres. Electropop is also replacing its Electrofunk/Synthpop beats and synthesised sounds with ‘Electro House’.
   I just wonder what comes after Electro Hop. I don’t, however, think that Hip Hop will die very soon. Hip Hop culture is so large, even if it becomes an underground genre, its many die-hard fans and rappers aren’t going to disappear anytime soon. Although, even ‘Hip Hop dance’ has been evolving into ‘Electronic Dance’, while more impromptu (thus less articulate) street dances related and non-related to Hip Hop culture/music have been evolving within the worldwide dance community, and even amongst the rave community in Europe. We can also see that Nu Metal, Rap Rock, Big Beat, Glitch, Dubstep, Breakbeat, Hardcore Techno, UK Garage and Nu Rave has become very Hip Hop like and/or Rap-orientated. The first time synthesisers were used was neither in Rock, Blues nor Hip Hop, but rather, ‘Classical’. Fluxus, Music-Concrete, Industrial, Electronic Body Music, Video Game Music, Computer Music, 8-bit, Chiptune, Electronic Art music and Ambient were the first Electronic music genres, experimental in nature, as was the invention of the synthesiser, the idea was to science fiction and a sport amongst electronics and computer students. Synthpop was no doubt the first Electronica genre, and Electrofunk the first electronic dance genre. And don’t forget Electronic Rock’s wild use of electronic music experimentation.
   All in all, I’d say electropop is the new Contemporary R&B and Electro Hop the new Hip Hop. UK garage oddly enough is a very Hip Hop orientated form of House music, and it’s much more Hip Hop than Eurodance, Electropop or Electro House, especially it’s gangsta-rap like Grime music derivative and Rap-Rock like Grindie derivative through Grime. And don’t forget Dubstep, Drum n Bass and UK hard house. But we can expect to see fusions with electronic dance music. It’s only the evolution of music. We now live in a technology-orientated world, what’s wrong with technology-orientated music?

   Comment by P5H2XLR8 — August 7, 2010 @ 7:03 pm

2. 

   Excellent article. I’ll be reading more of this site from here on out

   Comment by E.E.E. — December 23, 2010 @ 8:41 am

3. 

   BOOOO URNS – none of this is real hip hop to the purists.. its hip POP aka fake mainstream crap

   Comment by Chris — January 20, 2011 @ 8:45 pm

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