Hey y'all, it's time for another session of Music You've Probably Never Heard.
Now, I like techno. That should be abundantly clear to anyone who's read my blog. Thing is, a lot of techno seems to be repetitive and all about the artist rather than about making good music. It's a modern thing. Back in the 90s, particularly the first half, is the glory period of the genre. Nowadays everybody's remixing everybody's songs, which is why there's forty million inane remixes of the same classic song, and only rarely are these remixes actually worth it. In all this nonsense and bullcrap, I present to you an artist that's actually making new stuff. And this new stuff is good.
His name is Andy Hunter, and he's a DJ from Britain. This guy was introduced to me by a friend of mine when we were driving in the car to a friend's house. This dude is worth a listen, particularly if you're not into the darkest stuff like I am. He concentrates on making stuff that is artistic and yet listenable, and beautiful with or without lyrics. He's hard to classify, as some of his stuff is more dramatic and others are trancier. Still others are just fun dance stuff. I'd call this guy a producer of modern electro pop or electro dance. General house, at least.
Let's kick this off with a good one, shall we?
Come On: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGYjxiGsy8g
Come On is a great song. The beginning is very dramatic, but it quickly jumps into a pulsing beat that's highly energizing. This is not a song you can just listen to for five seconds and move on. If you do, you lose out. This song is not static. You really just need to get this music playing as you're going down the road or messing on the computer, or biking. Good stuff, good stuff.
You want a song with lyrics? Pssht, who needs lyrics? What, really? Well, okay then.
Stars: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCxMoeEJexU
Yeah, normally I don't require lyrics in what I listen to (or lyrics that I understand), but heck, these rock. Or they would if they were less chill. Now, this song is very mellow, very poetic, and if you like to relax to music, then this is your tune. It's perfect for being out at night and just cruising in your car. Heck, I think most of Andy's stuff is good car trip material. Better get it on iTunes or somethin', because you won't regret it.
Lifeline: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHIGBKUiR2k
One of the things I really like about Andy Hunter is that he is unapologetically Christian. He's not there to get all up in your face, but at the same time he's not going to fudge about his beliefs. We all really need the things that only God can bring, and that's what this song is about. It starts off kinda mellow, but then it starts jumping and kicking, being all awesome and stuff. This is my favorite, okay, no second favorite Andy Hunter song. It's just so much dang fun.
Open My Eyes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKAwWQjLew0
This song is really pulsing, really awesome. It's not as good as Lifelight, I think, but it's not bad at all. It's fun stuff!
Sapphire: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opPTElqesQI
You are legally required to listen to this song. No, really. Sapphire is one of the pwnest things I have ever heard in my life, and it is the pwnest of the pwn. It's a very story-esque piece, telling a story without words. Stop what you're doing right now and click the dang link above. It is your duty! It has this really awesome old-fashioned feel to the music...definitely my favorite.
Let's change up this feel with another favorite of mine.
System Error: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIRYIo4D3Dw
This song doesn't have but two words as its lyrics, and it doesn't need any more. This song just rocks out, is totally weird, and totally uplifting in a weird rock/tech sort of way.
You know what a really good addition to techno is? Or electronic music in general? Black people. EDM and black people is like chocolate and caramel: awesome together. Chicago House is a great genre, for example, because it's all soulful and not pretentious. One of my favorite kinds of songs to hear is black folk songs from like the 1800s (or at least sound like that) done all up in techno. Huh, I really should do an entry about black people in music at some point. Sounds like a good idea for February.
Anyway, for right now, Andy Hunter has done a song sort of in this area, or at least has a really soulful singer. Honestly, it's songs like these that make Andy hard to classify. Check out this song. It really has nothing to do with the others, but it's still good.
Miracle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra1wx8jlWqA
Okay, here's another odd one, very meditative and spiritual. This song is deeper than anything I've ever posted, and is really for getting closer to God. Listening to this just makes you want to be quiet and listen. It really feels me with a sense of humility. A lot of trance tries to pretend that it's spiritual, but it's really that cheap knock-off spirit crap that basically lends credence to every spiritual thing out there. Well, I got news for you, peeps: not all spiritual is alike, and not all of it is good. This song, however, is. So listen to it, why don't you? Lift your hands and open your heart, this stuff is for real.
Translucent: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hs3TXH7ey4
This next song, Technicolor, is another reason why Andy is so dang hard to put in a set musical genre. Andy Hunter just pwns. This song just is weird as crap in the beginning, then gets into a synthpop/black gospel groove. Quintessential party groove right there. Pretentious people, leave your drama behind.
Technicolor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd-2v5izhxQ
Let's finish this entry off with some weird techno mess, shall we? This next song is some crazy mess that is all out party. It leans a little more towards techno, but technically speaking it's still house music. This is called Radiate. It's all about the party, all about movement. You just have to check this out.
Radiate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj26p8J6ofQ
I seriously hope Andy Hunter gets more popular. He deserves it. So much pop crap today sounds all the same like it all came out of a cookie cutter. All the genres are suffering from stagnation these days, mostly because music is being more about the artists than it is about people. Okay PSA to all artists out there, underground or glitzy pop. Music is best when it's all about the person listening, not about how great the artist is. People want songs they can connect to, not crap about how much money the artist has, or the latest boring trite the artist has to say.
So that's why Andy Hunter's line of work is so refreshing. It doesn't sound like all the pop nonsense that's out there, and it doesn't even have to stray into the darker, more industrial side of techno to do so. See, good music can be both relaxing and not boring crooners singing boring things to boring tunes.
Now, I like techno. That should be abundantly clear to anyone who's read my blog. Thing is, a lot of techno seems to be repetitive and all about the artist rather than about making good music. It's a modern thing. Back in the 90s, particularly the first half, is the glory period of the genre. Nowadays everybody's remixing everybody's songs, which is why there's forty million inane remixes of the same classic song, and only rarely are these remixes actually worth it. In all this nonsense and bullcrap, I present to you an artist that's actually making new stuff. And this new stuff is good.
His name is Andy Hunter, and he's a DJ from Britain. This guy was introduced to me by a friend of mine when we were driving in the car to a friend's house. This dude is worth a listen, particularly if you're not into the darkest stuff like I am. He concentrates on making stuff that is artistic and yet listenable, and beautiful with or without lyrics. He's hard to classify, as some of his stuff is more dramatic and others are trancier. Still others are just fun dance stuff. I'd call this guy a producer of modern electro pop or electro dance. General house, at least.
Let's kick this off with a good one, shall we?
Come On: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGYjxiGsy8g
Come On is a great song. The beginning is very dramatic, but it quickly jumps into a pulsing beat that's highly energizing. This is not a song you can just listen to for five seconds and move on. If you do, you lose out. This song is not static. You really just need to get this music playing as you're going down the road or messing on the computer, or biking. Good stuff, good stuff.
You want a song with lyrics? Pssht, who needs lyrics? What, really? Well, okay then.
Stars: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCxMoeEJexU
Yeah, normally I don't require lyrics in what I listen to (or lyrics that I understand), but heck, these rock. Or they would if they were less chill. Now, this song is very mellow, very poetic, and if you like to relax to music, then this is your tune. It's perfect for being out at night and just cruising in your car. Heck, I think most of Andy's stuff is good car trip material. Better get it on iTunes or somethin', because you won't regret it.
Lifeline: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHIGBKUiR2k
One of the things I really like about Andy Hunter is that he is unapologetically Christian. He's not there to get all up in your face, but at the same time he's not going to fudge about his beliefs. We all really need the things that only God can bring, and that's what this song is about. It starts off kinda mellow, but then it starts jumping and kicking, being all awesome and stuff. This is my favorite, okay, no second favorite Andy Hunter song. It's just so much dang fun.
Open My Eyes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKAwWQjLew0
This song is really pulsing, really awesome. It's not as good as Lifelight, I think, but it's not bad at all. It's fun stuff!
Sapphire: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opPTElqesQI
You are legally required to listen to this song. No, really. Sapphire is one of the pwnest things I have ever heard in my life, and it is the pwnest of the pwn. It's a very story-esque piece, telling a story without words. Stop what you're doing right now and click the dang link above. It is your duty! It has this really awesome old-fashioned feel to the music...definitely my favorite.
Let's change up this feel with another favorite of mine.
System Error: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIRYIo4D3Dw
This song doesn't have but two words as its lyrics, and it doesn't need any more. This song just rocks out, is totally weird, and totally uplifting in a weird rock/tech sort of way.
You know what a really good addition to techno is? Or electronic music in general? Black people. EDM and black people is like chocolate and caramel: awesome together. Chicago House is a great genre, for example, because it's all soulful and not pretentious. One of my favorite kinds of songs to hear is black folk songs from like the 1800s (or at least sound like that) done all up in techno. Huh, I really should do an entry about black people in music at some point. Sounds like a good idea for February.
Anyway, for right now, Andy Hunter has done a song sort of in this area, or at least has a really soulful singer. Honestly, it's songs like these that make Andy hard to classify. Check out this song. It really has nothing to do with the others, but it's still good.
Miracle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra1wx8jlWqA
Okay, here's another odd one, very meditative and spiritual. This song is deeper than anything I've ever posted, and is really for getting closer to God. Listening to this just makes you want to be quiet and listen. It really feels me with a sense of humility. A lot of trance tries to pretend that it's spiritual, but it's really that cheap knock-off spirit crap that basically lends credence to every spiritual thing out there. Well, I got news for you, peeps: not all spiritual is alike, and not all of it is good. This song, however, is. So listen to it, why don't you? Lift your hands and open your heart, this stuff is for real.
Translucent: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hs3TXH7ey4
This next song, Technicolor, is another reason why Andy is so dang hard to put in a set musical genre. Andy Hunter just pwns. This song just is weird as crap in the beginning, then gets into a synthpop/black gospel groove. Quintessential party groove right there. Pretentious people, leave your drama behind.
Technicolor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd-2v5izhxQ
Let's finish this entry off with some weird techno mess, shall we? This next song is some crazy mess that is all out party. It leans a little more towards techno, but technically speaking it's still house music. This is called Radiate. It's all about the party, all about movement. You just have to check this out.
Radiate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj26p8J6ofQ
I seriously hope Andy Hunter gets more popular. He deserves it. So much pop crap today sounds all the same like it all came out of a cookie cutter. All the genres are suffering from stagnation these days, mostly because music is being more about the artists than it is about people. Okay PSA to all artists out there, underground or glitzy pop. Music is best when it's all about the person listening, not about how great the artist is. People want songs they can connect to, not crap about how much money the artist has, or the latest boring trite the artist has to say.
So that's why Andy Hunter's line of work is so refreshing. It doesn't sound like all the pop nonsense that's out there, and it doesn't even have to stray into the darker, more industrial side of techno to do so. See, good music can be both relaxing and not boring crooners singing boring things to boring tunes.
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