What is hipster music?

Bitching is a treat with friends and when you are digging into someone or something you all mutually despise, it can get really wild! A topic that came up at a lovely b-day party was dub-step/fidget.

The loveable enigmatic characters of the bunch recounted an experience at a gig, where a bunch of pimple faced hip ones hovered around the dancefloor waiting for the dubstep segment of the night. In a display of euphoric unity, the adolescent stricken beings congregated, waiting, for the almighty bassline to go mental.

Minimialism and distorted sounds seem to be the order of the day to be deemed scene worthy. Some bassline tracks have the most catchy melodic intros but end up being drowned in what I can only describe as ear piercing wah wah sound patterns.

Call it a show of old age, but is it better to lack melody and structure to be considered avant-garde and down with the kids?

Hypem (the famous blog music search) is all about hipster music. It is transient, goes with the fashion, but in a underground-I-discovered -it-myself kind of way. It can’t be too popular, obviously it will lose its street credibility appeal.

We loath it and we love it. We probably are hipsters ourselves. It’s funny how each generation questions the existence of melody and structure in current music. From rock n’ roll to hip hop, they all have seen criticism from past generations of lacking ‘musical’ qualities.

The younger generation certainly has a even higher threshold for what carries a beat/melody. What was considered noise to our parents is music to us now. I’ve heard ‘music’ that has been stripped down construction and drilling sounds, the only thing that saved me were ear plugs.

First year anniversary

Beloved live acts

With humble beginnings of searching Myspace pages of artists/DJs and attending different nights, the boys have a built up great friendships with a diverse group of artists and continue to support them.

Jason Jermaine

Jason Jermaine: From the moment with chatted on Myspace we had an instant chemistry about music. Loving his contemporary take on 80s rnb/pop/funk without the sense of nostalgia, we needed to have him as our headlining act! His performance and sheer dynamic with the crowd was among the defining moments of the night. It really kicked started some magical moments. His music can be found on Itunes and he has appeared on the Orange Unsigned Acts. Watch his performance

The Machines: a.k.a Huskie and Dorian are great. With one can only describe as 2-step electro funk rap, the boys have certainly got some serious heat (and penchant for changing group names) brewing. You might know them for their dark and hypnotic beat called ‘Miami Vice’ a homage of sorts to the old TV show that expressed the decadence of the 80s which the boys find their inspiration from.

INX: You never know what these guys are going to bring to the table. Their diverse array of music that mixes heavy urban funk bass sounds with edgy pop-electro instrumentals!

Lingo Scott

Lingo Scott: Fun, electro-pop singer who you can catch around East London. If there is a bangin’ party, you a sure enough to see him sweating it out on the dance floor. His energy is immense. Funny enough, his dad, Pav is much as a party animal as he is.

Jolean: A now rising conscience rap star in Norway with a solid London following brought down the house with his amazing ensemble of musicians. Honestly – biggest band we’ve had. The sound was tight, the people were grooving. The buzz fueled the night well.

Gazelle: Linked through the afro-chic duo called Sweat X (another one of our favorites), Gazelle was certainly a unique performance. His brand of afro-electro music, expressing the social dysfunction of South Africa and catchy party tunes (plus umbrella and elaborate outfits) had the crowd both in stitches and on the dancefloor.

Olivier Day Soul: We met him at the Deviation’s Birthday party, Dam- Funk special. We were dancing and screeching to a west-coast boogie track and it was clear who won that contest. His brand of silky falsetto electric R’n’b has been causing waves in the music scene, collaboration Hudson Mohawke and many others. He performed at AIBs 1st birthday celebration, it was a killer.

Gazelle

Oliver Day Soul

The noughties: Emulating or renovating the 80s era?

I think the noughies was all about reinventing decadence and electronic music. What better era to look for inspiration? Unbelievable synths, legendary drum machine patterns, and rebellious fashion statements.

With many artists (Calvin Harris, Sam sparro, Tings Tings, Daft Punk) channelling artistic influence from the period, I think there is a danger of imitation. You could say we’ve had a decade flirting with nostalgia.

Nostalgic it has been. The amount of sampling and affordable access to technologies that even basic users now can make a tune, everything is now a lot simpler to imitate. Only time will tell, like all things ‘retro’, what really deserves the test of time. Will these influenced artists make their mark or just known for become known for sound-alikes? A thin line between parody and paying tribute.

For the time being, I happy to hear the sound being emulated and hope it is a means to an end for renovation. The odd thing with music, like wine, is that it has to linger much longer for one to appreciate its beauty.

AIB: Afro funk special

AIB: In the house