ELECTRONIC MUSIC: THE EXCITING 80s

The end of the 70’s brought the start of different music styles inside the electronic world. The outlook duplicated by the lower price of electronics like the synthesizer, that evolved from the analogue model to a digital one, and the Samplers. Electronic music became accessible to everyone, which made it a popular genre. 

If in the 70’s Roxy music, Jean Michell Jarre, Vangelis or Kraftwerk had represented the electronic genre, the 80’s were characterized by the number of bands that used the synthesizer, like Duran Duran.

                                   

In 1979, Synthpop was born with the first record of Orchestral Manouvres in the Dark “Electricity” and its first single with the same name. This inspired many groups. 

Despite the progress, some bands like Depeche Mode used a darker musical genre.

                                                                    

Electro music TODAY

Commonly, electronic music is labeled nowadays as “very good”. But as time goes by, the genre varies and can be misunderstood.

It lost some value on its name because, basically, almost all musical genres -like hip hop or pop- use electronic music, especially in songs released since 2011-2012 onwards

Also, we could say that electronic music can seem repetitive. Obviously, each song uses different types of sounds but most of them can be heard similar.

Today, electronic music has grown from an underground niche into one of the biggest genres in the world. Actually, electronic music festivals are now a new trend.

It all started with the Ultra Music Festival.

Since 1999, in March, Miami celebrates with the most prestigious and famous DJs.

But Tomorrowland might be the most popular one. The journey began on August 14th 2005 with the presence of Coone, Yves Deruyter, DJ Ghost, Cor Fijneman and Armin van Buuren. It is held in Summer every year, changing locations and bringing thousands of fans from all over the world together.

This journey is coming to an end. For you to fully enjoy electronic music, we have chosen five of the most popular songs. Jus press play...

                                                                

                                                              

                                                   

                                                     

                                                   

Federico Vargas, Kevin Vera and Magalí Nenezian - 3rd Year

THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF MUSIC: THE THRILLING 80'S

The 80's decade was very important because there were a lot of changes in music. The characteristic genre was the disco music. This type of music is just for dancing, quite opposite from classical music.

There were a lot of discos; friends and couples went dancing at night, having a lot of fun. The 80's are commonly remembered for an increase in the use of digital recording and also electronic genre with non-traditional instruments, like techno, electro and house, among others. Besides, the most outstanding musicians were Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Axl Rose, Aerosmith, Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, Whitney Houston, Queen, Depeche Mode, Billie Joe, Oasis, Pink Floyd and Bonnie Tyler, just to name a few.

Pop music also generated a great shaking in the world of music in that time. Pop it's a genre of popular music that originated in the late 1950's as an outgrowth of "Rock & Roll", in combination with other musical genres that were in vogue at the time.

In the 60's, the introduction of radios and portable receivers meant that teenagers could listen to music outside home. In the early 80's, the promotion of pop music nurtured the rise of programs and musical TV channels like MTV, which favored artists such as Michael Jackson and Madonna who had a strong visual appeal.

Speaking of controversial artists, we will talk about one of the most recognized over time: Michael Jackson.

The King of Pop

Michael Joseph Jackson (Gary, Indiana August 29, 1958 - Los Angeles, California, June 25, 2009) better known as Michael Jackson, was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actor, producer and entrepreneur. Known as the ‘King of Pop’, his contributions to music and dance, as well as his publicized personal life, made him an international figure in popular culture for over four decades, being recognized as the star of the most successful pop music worldwide.

He began his artistic career in the mid 1960's in the musical group "The Jackson 5" with which he published with some of his siblings, ten albums until 1975. In 1971 he started his career as a soloist although he continued belonging to the group. Due to the success of his album "Thriller" (1982), the best-selling disco in history, he became the biggest star in pop music at the time.

Among his greatest hits are:

Billie Jean/Thriller · 1982

Beat It/Thriller · 1982 

Smooth Criminal/Bad · 1987 

The Way You Make Me Feel/Bad · 1987 

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough/Off the Wall · 1979 

Thriller/Thriller · 1982 

You Are Not Alone/ History: Past, Present and Future, Book I · 1995 

Black or White/Dangerous · 1991 

On the morning of June 25, 2009, Michael suffered from a cardiac arrest at his rented mansion in Holmby Hills. The public funeral was held on July 7, 2009 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, before a memorial service for family and friends was held. The public ceremony was followed live by about 2,500 million people worldwide.

His death was very controversial. On February 8, 2010, the court charged Murray, his personal doctor with ‘involuntary manslaughter’. The accused, who pleaded ‘not guilty’ of all charges, paid a bail of $ 75,000 for not entering prison. In 2011, Murray was sentenced to serve four years in prison for the manslaughter of Jackson. The doctor only served half the time in prison and was released in 2013 as part of a state plan to reduce overcrowding in detention centers.

After his death, Michael Jackson became the biggest selling artist in 2009 in the US, where more than 8.2 million albums were sold, while in the rest of the world it sold more than 35 million albums during the twelve months after his death.

Although he may not be physically among us anymore, his legacy continues to grow and, -as many people commonly say- 'he sings better every day'. 

Stendler, Pensotti, Palaziol and Estaras - 4th Year