Poptimists Tracks Of 2008 PART ONE

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

THE MAIN EVENT! These are #s 50-42 of the Top 50 as voted for by you (there's a tie at #40 so we'll see those tomorrow). Thanks to the miracle of embedding disabled by request you'll have to investigate some of these away from the comforting womb of LJ - sorry, it's The Man's fault.

50. BRITNEY SPEARS - "Womanizer"

Something of a fall from grace for poptimists favourite Britney: the nudie video to her song about a machine that makes women can be found here.

49. BLACKOUT CREW - "Put A Donk On It"

A lesson we can all learn.

47=. THE VERONICAS - "Untouched"

Imperious, desperate teenpop.

47=. DAVEIGH CHASE - "The Happiest Girl In The Whole USA"

Something of a surprise entry, this isn't a single or even released track, it's a performance from TV drama Big Love, which I had never heard of. I will leave it to its nominators to explain the context (tho you can get the gist on Wikipedia)

45=. PUSSYCAT DOLLS - "When I Grow Up"

Embedding disabled on all PCDs' videos, here is this one.

45=. BLACK KIDS - "I'm Not Going To Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You"

It strikes me that Universal are shooting themselves in the foot a bit by refusing to make the video from nindie pan-flashers Black Kids embeddable! Hear its jaunty retro-jangle here.

44. PUSSYCAT DOLLS - "I Hate This Part"

Them again! Beating its fellow Pussycat track by a whisker - here the girls get a bit more sensitive.

43. IDA MARIA - "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked"

A scratchy vid that takes me back to the halcyon days of Mambo Taxi etc. Not much talked about on Poptimists, it seems to me.

42. PALEFACE ft KYLA - "Do You Mind (Crazy Couzinz Remix)"

For whatever reason, funky house hasn't caught the poptimist imagination the way bassline did last year (though actually I think only T2 showed up in last year's poll). I like Kyla, she has an honest face.

Check back tomorrow for #40-31!

Comments

Re: Reasons this poptimist has not warmed to Funky House:

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

I thought this time out it was just called 'funky'?

Re: Reasons this poptimist has not warmed to Funky House:

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I think this is right actually.

The idea is that it's an evolution of the existing sound of funky house, so it doesn't need a shiny new name.

Re: Reasons this poptimist has not warmed to Funky House:

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

It does seem like bad pop not to mark the rise to prominence with a new moniker though! Is it just that this used to be done by NME/Smash Hits/MM and this situation doesn't apply any more (I really have no idea if the fans of funky would care if EG Mixmag decided that tomorrow it would be called "Francis")

Re: Reasons this poptimist has not warmed to Funky House:

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

OH GOD STOP USING PHRASES LIKE "BAD POP" AS IF IT MEANS ANYFUCKINGTHING AT ALL, jesus

Re: Reasons this poptimist has not warmed to Funky House:

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

Well, it means something to me, and I hope it means something to Tom: that the genre seems less interested in making people exited in it than other genres, that this relates to the impression stated above that it's less thrill-powered than Bassline. There is of course all sorts of assumptions about 'good pop' in there, some of them present in the context of "when we were kids" that I try to establish later. I'm not suggesting that Tom agrees with my opinion, or even thinks that the concept is particularly useful, but I think it's a useful unit of communication.

Re: Reasons this poptimist has not warmed to Funky House:

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I dunno Andrew, I think funky is as immediate as bassline - bassline is ticking more of my particular boxes because the stuff it's drawing from (bittersweet happy hardcore, speed garage, northern house) is stuff I like more than the new york house, broken beat, etc. that funky house draws from.

Re: Reasons this poptimist has not warmed to Funky House:

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

As for the name I wished "Niche" had been the one that stuck for bassline!

Re: Reasons this poptimist has not warmed to Funky House:

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

this would've just caused so much more head-scratching tho, i don't think i could stand it. at least Bassline gives you some idea of what to expect. i know we had this earlier in the year tho (i know Garage isn't really any more indicative without greater context).

Re: Reasons this poptimist has not warmed to Funky House:

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

"less interested in making people excited in it" is an odd criticism, as I can't think of any genre that applies to - it's just that obv different genres have different rules about how excitement is attained. Really, UK funky's rules aren't hugely unfamiliar: big, warm vocal hooks, build-ups and breakdowns, the general atmosphere of "good vibes". (When I interviewed Crazy Cousinz, Flukes said that if he had to sum up funky house with one phrase, it'd be "good vibes".)

Re: Reasons this poptimist has not warmed to Funky House:

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

On the other hand 'emo' is in fairness 15 years old, so shut up Andrew.

Re: Reasons this poptimist has not warmed to Funky House:

[koganbot]

The term "emo" is 23 years old. But then again, the term "jazz" is more than a century old.

Re: Reasons this poptimist has not warmed to Funky House:

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

no, it's an entirely new genre which owes more to soca and broken beat than to the old "funky house" (though it's got roots in straight-up 90s house too, and now that all the disillusioned grime dudes have jumped in, it's pretty recognisable as part of the UK garage lineage too). basically it's a bit like the new 2-step. oh god i bet you all hated 2-step too? too "classy" and "smooth" and, like, good. but fine, get hung up over the name and ignore the music!!!

Re: Reasons this poptimist has not warmed to Funky House:

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

For some reason I thought you might be happy that a funky track had got into the poll Lex but obviously not, carry on shouting eh?

Re: Reasons this poptimist has not warmed to Funky House:

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I had a shitty and tiring morning and coming home to these comments was a bit deflating.

Re: Reasons this poptimist has not warmed to Funky House:

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

Really? All the evidence I've heard to date makes it sound quite conservative in house-terms, and again most doesn't sound all that UK-garagey either.

(and I love 2-step, BTW)

Re: Reasons this poptimist has not warmed to Funky House:

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I think this article (http://idolator.com/391655/peering-through-the-front-door-of-funky-house) explains the hows and whys of funky innovation quite succinctly (it acknowledges the conservative roots of the genre, and argues that that's why its producers can get away with a lot more). Key sentence -

increasingly abandoning the basic 4X4 house template, funky house producers have been able to concoct a sound entirely distinct from its forebears, neither monolithically pummeling, nor nervous and fidgety, but somehow both and neither of these at the same time, all combined with a loose-limbed, well, funkiness that's entirely its own

a sub-editor writes

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

i think the word "entirely" is ill-considered, BOTH times, in that quote

i'm stlll torn whether i prefer some of the noize-heightened mixes of this, or the one in the youtube -- probably a matter of mood (mine i mean)

Re: Reasons this poptimist has not warmed to Funky House:

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

The problem is, though, does it sound innovative to someone who isn't familiar with the ins and outs of existing house traditions and productions? (Something Tim F also acknowledges in this piece!). There's no reason it NEEDS to, of course - but if it doesn't it's not likely to cross over to a community like this one, most of whose members don't have an in-depth knowledge of this particular strand of pop development.

I think this is part of why you're getting frustrated. Because you're familiar with the patterns it's breaking and the new ones it's making it seems intuitively exciting to you: very few of your posts on Funky here have had much critical or explanatory content, they've been more "OMG listen to this" with the assumption that anyone hearing must be able to hear why it's special. But if the innovations aren't immediately apparent to people not steeped in it that won't happen, and arguments like Tim's will read like hair-splitting. (FWIW I can understand what he's getting at but can't quite hear it - "Do You Mind" sounds lovely and smooth and melancholy to me, but it's not registering as 'innovative'). I'm reminded of the discussions I see on the Pitchfork staff board where people get terribly excited about a band like No Age who are putting some particular kink or other in the (other) "hardcore continuum" of small-bore punk music. I can appreciate that No Age make catchy punk tunes but I can't hear the distinction that's making those who follow the scene go mental.

Beyond all this it does strike me that every 10-12 years British clubland has an infatuation with vaguely latin sounds, and these always cause great excitement among the cognoscenti and much wailing and gnashing of teeth when Blue Rondo A La Turk (or whoever) fail to appeal to anyone else.

Re: Reasons this poptimist has not warmed to Funky House:

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I'm nowhere near as steeped in some of these traditions as Tim (which is why I linked to his article) but the reasons it rung as innovative to me don't, I think, need all that much knowledge -

- the UK garage lineage has been quite "dark" and "harsh" for a while, 2-step seems a long while ago now. I love grime, dubstep and bassline 4eva but in that context these sunny, pretty, feminine sounds are acting on some sort of manna-from-heaven level, esp with the effect they're having on the other three subgenres. (I'm pretty sure most poptimists are familiar with the basics of 2-step/grime/dubstep/bassline.)
- it's tying together two listening strands of mine which had hitherto been a bit "never the twain shall meet" - 4x4-centred tracky house and the "urban" end of things, r&b choruses and UK garage production. One of the most incredible moments for me this year was going to a funky night and discovering that Claude VonStroke's 'Who's Afraid Of Detroit?' (huge in mnml techno nights in 06/07) was a huge anthem on that scene too.

Plus even apart from the "innovation"/"new development" angle, I really think the biggest anthems' feeling of "good vibes" is unparalleled right now. It's just...really joyous and relaxed.

Re: Reasons this poptimist has not warmed to Funky House:

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Right, innovative as in a return of some much needed sweetness and light to the scene! I can get behind that certainly. But I think that's also why a lot of poptimists responded to bassline so much - it didn't code as dark or harsh in the way dubstep does (because bassline's aggression was more like the aggression of scouse house or clubland-live stuff - the harshness is in the melody rush and speed).

So I can see why it's frustrating that pop people don't like it more - it's feminised, it's good vibey, these are pop things right? So there must be something else acting as a stronger counterblock, probably the very trackiness you cite in point two, possibly the long-term resistance British pop audiences seem to have to latin-ish music, and possibly what you're characterising (here and on the Badu and Ne-Yo discussions elsewhere) as a resistance to polish, sophistication, classiness.

Re: Reasons this poptimist has not warmed to Funky House:

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Yes this is exactly it - I'm not in the habit of putting dubstep youtubes on poptimists because...it's dubstep. But I genuinely thought that the vocal hooks, catchiness, good vibes etc would make poptimists fall as hard for UK funky as...well, everyone else I know who knows what it is! It seems tailor-made for pop audiences.

Trackiness - don't think this is a problem, it's more apparent at actual club nights - most of the big anthems have pretty obvious choruses and so on
Resistance to Latin music - didn't realise this was a long-term British problem? I thought it was reasonably popular here!
Resistance to "smooth" "classiness" - yes, I'm beginning to be aware that poptimists don't go for this at all, but...why? I can't think why these are bad things. And it seems to be more the FT old-skool poptimists who are anti-smoothness too.

Re: Reasons this poptimist has not warmed to Funky House:

[koganbot]

I'm pretty sure most poptimists are familiar with the basics of 2-step/grime/dubstep/bassline.

Hah! Actually, I'm not in position to evaluate the word "most" in that sentence, but I'd guess that at least some of the Americans who post here may live somewhere where there are no clubs that have ever played any of this and no radio station that has played anything remotely like it - leaving it up to the Internets to give us the music and its context.

Re: Reasons this poptimist has not warmed to Funky House:

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Yeah I guess "UK poptimists" would've worked better, there. If you ever feel like having a primer to any of these let me know!

Re: Reasons this poptimist has not warmed to Funky House:

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I missed most of this thread, whoops!

I don't think that Funky House and I gel together very well - I have given it plenty of chances to impress and I trust Lex's cherry-picking enough that I'm fairly sure I'm hearing the best bits of the genre.

Possible explanations: Most of my listening time is spent on techno and minimal house - I've never liked breaks AT ALL and have only recently come to appreciate the odd bit of Balearic/vocal house (alas, an average vocal can spoil a really good beat sometimes). The latin/soca element also jarrs with me on some level too as I prefer more dubby/ska stuff usually. It can cause me a lot of conflict! Take that Matias Aguayo track off Total 9 - it's latin house with tons of vocal and it's great, but also I can't actually listen to it ever as the dude's voice puts me off :( I'm not explaining this very well, sorry.

Bad metaphor to summarize: I hate trifle (yuck) but I like custard, and I like cream, and I like sponge fingers - surely I must like them all put together? NO, but I can understand why other people *do* like it.

Lightbulb *ding*

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I have just realised that my love of ska is almost certainly directly related to my liking of Kompakt-style schaffel-bosh! (The dub --> jungle link is a bit more obvious).