They existed because the majors would not distribute the music. What they built outlasted that problem. The independent labels that...
Month: August 2026
Specific machines produced specific eras. The limitations did as much shaping as the features. You can date a great deal...
A late-night programming decision created demand for a specific kind of record, and artists supplied it. Quiet Storm began as...
Replaying a part instead of lifting it changes who you owe, how much, and who can say no. Two records...
The remix, the version, the MC and the mobile rig were all working in Jamaica before hip-hop existed. Several of...
The pocket is a real, describable relationship between players. It is not mysticism. Musicians talk about the pocket as if...
The names are nearly identical and the music is not. Conflating them erases both. Afrobeat and Afrobeats differ by one...
National distribution usually flattens regional difference. In hip-hop it kept producing new ones. Most genres converge as distribution widens. Hip-hop...
Melisma, call and response, and the build to a climax are church techniques doing secular work. Most of what people...
A small number of house bands played on an enormous share of the records. The consistency was not an accident....