general music related

Gone, but never forgotten…so true!

People who work in catering jobs will probably confirm it: a delicious and tasteful dish often depends on a proper mixing and choice of the ingredients.
The kind of ingredients we choose to make our dish, a subtle calculation of the amounts of food, the specific spices we add will determine color, taste, smell and the aspect of our dish.

With the same ingredients, two individuals can make either a crappy, disgusting plate or a subtle, aromatic and delicious dish. The cook s know how, his personality, his creativity will play a determinant role in composing an unforgettable plate of tasteful food that will make the customer come back and order it over and over again.

The same rules apply to the artistic world. Many people claim to be artists or musicians. Many of them have a swollen ego and pretend to be the bests on their local scene. Many of them pretend to have a unique style, but when you look at it closer, you will notice that they often bite other artists style.

In the very diverse world of rap music, so many emcees sound the same. There are armies of new Jay Z s, Eminem s, Westcoast imitators etc, all using overwritten themes in order to play it cool.

If you had no other choice than eating couscous during 30 days, wouldn t you like to eat something else as soon as the 30 days were over? I assume you would.

The selective listener wants to taste something unique, a music that talks to his 6th senses. Yes, the listener wants to eat a delightful and perfumed dish , which will allow him/ her to appreciate the subtle sound texture, a good beats quality, a flow that will run faster than light speed, creative lyrics and an innovative way of expression.

After a hard day of work, the listener wants to escape from his monotonous world. His always curious mind wants to explore new worlds of sensations and ignore time and space while enjoying the music to the fullest. Your music is his relaxation dream island, a unique moment during which you and him share this very specific communion between ear and sound.

Artists, don t forget that the listener is like a customer in a shop. New smells and new colors are more likely to catch his eyes and nose than the same old stuff he sees day after day, week after week.

Don t sound like everybody else: be unique, original, creative. Try to create that relationship with the listener that will make him recognize you at first sight because your voice is special, your style and the beats are a unique composition of yours.

Of course, it requires more intensive efforts, but it is really worth it in the end. You don t wanna be the next Jay Z, do you?

Go to the lab, put your colorful and spicy ingredients together and be the mad chemist that will enchant our ears for years. You can be that person if you really want to!

Copyright© 2007 by Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved

What makes a real artist?

While many carry the artist title because they are part of the music industry, very few can actually pretend to be entitled to the golden crown that makes them real artists.

As far as I can look back, music has always been full part of my life. Growing up with classical music with some openings towards jazz and pop music, I have extended my interest to black music including gospel, soul, blues, and of course, hip hop. I am usually open minded about music, as long as it pleases my ear. However, I am very picky when it comes to define somebody as a real artist. Only the Great who influenced music history deserve to be classified as real artists.

Johann Sebastian Bach is one of those real musicians. His music is an example of hard work. His incessant quest for perfection and harmony characterizes his music. Among the Great, you can count people like John Lennon, Ray Charles, Duke Ellington , James Brown, Eazy E, Nas-and yes- Eminem, whatever his haters might have to object. (This list of artists I mentioned here, is of course, non exhaustive)

Despite the fact RIP Proof was less known from the public than other famous artists, he had all the qualities that make a real artist.

So what is the definition of a real artist?

A real artist, a plain artist is a person who makes music for the love of it, not for the money only, even if he is perfectly conscious that he has a family to feed. A true artist must be inspirational to the listeners. Whatever his message is, people must be able to feel the music and to acknowledge the feelings expressed through the voice, lyrics and instrumentals.

A true artist usually has high requirements regarding the quality of his beats, instrumentals and recorded voice. Never satisfied with himself, he keeps working hard over the years in order to satisfy his public.

A true artist will always put his passion for the music, the will of sharing it and to satisfy his audience before the material aspect of the show biz.

A true artist definitely manages to generate a genuine enthusiasm among his audience.

While being on stage, he becomes the music. He and the audience are one and that’s the full beauty of the musical fusion created by dedicated artists and a very receptive audience.

When you hear the song, you must be able to feel the artists feelings and to forget about yourself, because during such moments, there is only place left for the music. Yes, this can happen if the artist is a real, dedicated person towards his art.

When you heard a person like James Brown tell their audience: I feel so good I wanna screeeeaaam , you perfectly know that his words werent made up. There is a wonderful chemistry between such artists and the public. Good vibes are in the air and they penetrate into the mesmerized audiences.

Real artists usually stay humble in front of other great artists. Not only do they possess a good musical culture, but they will never mind quoting other legends. I heard James Brown paying homage to Ray Charles, for instance. So did Nas.

I do consider Eminem as a plain artist, because he changed the face of the rap game. He dared to use different themes than the usual themes used in hip hop and proved to be an astute word acrobat, playing with syllables and foolishly putting words together that you would never see side by side in real life. Moreover, his music touched a lot of people from different backgrounds all over the world.

RIP Proof never failed in naming big influences of his like Kurt Cobain, Jerry Garcia and John Lennon numerous times. One can consider D12 s Proof as a rhyming genius too. He had an amazing sense of realness and more importantly, a great passion for hip hop that won t die away since his
murder on April the 11th, 2006.

The Great in the music have the power to influence generations and usually make history. Even their deaths will never erase their contribution to the music history.

Entire artists are the ones who deserve your respect, because you know, deep inside of you, that they are the ones who live and breathe the music for your ears greatest pleasure. Only those guys will live on through their music over the centuries.

Copyright ©2007 by Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved