Strange Musical Genres

Believe it or not, there are 1264 musical genres that have been identified by someone called Glenn McDonald. More precisely, these are micro-genres, which means that they stem out of a bigger blanket-genre of music and then they branch off into many styles, quirks and approaches. The sheer number may seem like an exaggeration, and I believe that it is. Should we consider Brazilian Rock as a separate genre of rock music? If it was played and recorded in Brazil doesn’t mean it is a whole new style of music, unless it really is. The query of how many musical genres provides the ground for an article with quipps and double entendres and that’s all ok. But are there really that many subgenres of music? Most definitely not. There are however some really interesting musical niches that have followers around the world. I know of people who like drone music, but I have never met or heard of anyone who has said anything about skweee, except Glenn McDonald, of course.

Let’s cut to the chase and discuss few musical styles that are pretty amusing for what they are and for the sonic pleasures that they deliver.

Drone

Drone is a musical genre that all about long tracks made of sound-walls, which are recordings. This is where the definition for drone music stops. Everything else is left to the producer’s imagination. Drone music can be many things, but mostly it is made of long recordings without too many sound channels and oscillations. An example of drone music is a recording of a power generator whose sound has been pitched down and thereby the recording lengthened. Now add some unobtrusive, pads and a recording of car traffic taken from afar, and you can have a pitched-down growl of cars with dropped high frequencies. This music can be quite relaxing actually, but it does require the unwavering attention of the listener or for him or her to be in REM sleep.

Noise

Noise is exactly what it is. Unlike drone, noise can be obtrusive, high frequencies abounding, as well as interruptive slashes of… whatever; those can be hits on a huge metal railing or the sound that is produced by dropping a bucket full of glass bottles from the fourth floor of an abandoned tootoo factory. Noise can be a part of track of another genre – if can be inserted as a break or as a bridge to shuffle things around. Strange thing about noise music is that there are shows where bands and producers play it. Noise can be played on analog synthesizers and effect boxes that produce violent stabs on top of sandpaper-like textures of ear-drum destroying hooks. Noise can have its rock version as well – with bands playing “stuff” with extra-distorted guitars.

Elevator Music

And to cool things down, or to bring some sense into this article, for the sake of balance and sanity, we’ll throw the Elevator Music genre in there. Elevator Music is inconspicuous, hence the name, but it has qualities that can win you over – precisely, its unobtrusiveness has an appeal. You can let an Elevator Music playlist unfold in the background and you wouldn’t even know its there, yet, it will fill your auditory spectrum with sound so that you don’t feel like you are all alone. This music can be heard in dentist offices, in elevators, some malls or salons that sell exclusive objects and art. Elevator music can make feel you kind of light-headed so good thing to do is balance it with some noise in your playlist. Elevator music is also heard in the grand casinos of the world, especially those in Vegas, so we know it has its place. If you can’t head to Vegas for an Elevator music party, then simply pick a slot machine from https://blog.secretslots.com to get a kick out of online slots sounds.

Giorgio Moroder the Legend

Legendary Hitmaker

Giorgio Moroder is one of the legends of pop music. Most people would not be familiar with his name, but Moroder is responsible for producing and composing more music hits than anyone else. His beginnings in the disco era generated so much success that he was titled the “Father of Disco.” After making big waves in that genre, Moroder continued producing pop and rock hits. Today he is still active as a producer, remixer and a DJ, and released the album Deja Vu in 2015.

Moroder rose to subtle fame among people in the music industry in the early 70s when he worked with Donna Summer, among other disco performers of that time. Giorgio, as he is popularly known, produced Summer’s hits Love to Love You Baby, Last Dance, Hot Stuff, No More Tears, On the Radio and I Feel Love. Many electronic music buffs argue that it was Moroder who first set the direction in which disco music will develop – the regular 4 by 4 rhythm and the 16-bar riffs and synthesizer elements, eventually morphing into house and techno.

I Feel Love

I Feel Love by Donna Summer is Giorgio Moroder’s best work, despite the fact that four decades later music production has become much more advanced in terms of concept and the physical values of the sound. What I Feel Love did for the future of music was bold innovation. The entire song’s four by four beat goes on while the oscillating synthesizer effect and Summer’s vocal fill the space with frequencies. The break midway brought a psychedelic tinge and creativity in the way in which sound can be panned to create a masterful stereo effect.

But Moroder’s innovation did not stop there. The extended version of I Feel Love was the first song designed with mixing in mind. Decades later, dancefloor-friendly tracks were all made to work for the decks. Even shorter songs were given some additional loops on the beat to allow DJs to mix in and out of songs, as well as layer or combine the elements of two or even three songs into one.

Today Moroder has clocked in hits with pop artists like Sia, Maroon5, Janet Jackson, Lady Gaga, Coldplay and a long list of other bands and solo artists. He has also collaborated on Daft Punk’s 2015 album Random Access Memories.

Awards

Moroder has received many awards. He has received Academy Awards for his contribution to the musical scores of the movies Midnight Express, Flashdance and Top Gun. He has also won four Grammy Awards, four Golden Globes and he has received a medal of accomplishment from the Italian government.

Moroder’s work is interesting to delve into by any kind of music enthusiast because there is a lot that can be learned, especially for pop, pop-rock and electronic music producers. The music industry is very diverse today and even slots machines such as those at www.bingoscanner.com have innovative musical scores that sound like someone has put real effort and heart into it.

Indie Record Labels You Should Know

There are certain indie record labels you should know because they’ve been making an impact in the music world for decades. With the traditional media, TV and radio, being reserved for major label clients, the Internet acts as a platform where indie labels can compete on a large scale. Aside from record labels, the Internet has also become a platform for many new slots sites who are trying to compete with well-established large companies. One such site is Secret Slots which can be found at blog.secretslots.com.

Nowadays, indie record labels account for over 30% of the overall record sales, with some indie labels standing out among the rest. Our list of indie record labels you should know is as follows:

4 AD

Established in 1979, the genre focus of 4 AD is mainly underground American rock, electronic, and indie pop music.

4AD is a British indie record label that was started in 1979. Its initial intention was to serve as a testing ground for its parent company Beggars Banque Records. The idea of Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent was that all new acts would spend at least one year with 4AD, and if they managed to achieve a certain level of success, they would then be transferred to Beggars Banquet.

In the mid-’80s the focus of the label was mostly on underground American rock acts. These acts would include such bands as Dead Can Dance, Cocteau Twins and The Pixies.

MATADOR RECORDS

Established in 1989, the genre focus of Matador Records is Indie Rock.

In 1989, Chris Lombardi started Matador Records in his New York City apartment and the rest is history. Since then, the label has two operating locations: one in NY (not in Lombardi’s apartment) and a second in London. With its focus mainly on indie rock bands and artists, Matador has represented a decent amount of the genres biggest names. The label current acts include Cat Power, Fucked Up, Interpol, Pavement, Sonic Youth, and Yo La Tengo.

SUB POP

Established in 1986, the genre focus of SUB POP is on Grunge, Indie, and Hip-Hop.

What was originally started as a fanzine called Subterranean Pop in 1986 has evolved into one of the most recognizable and iconic indie record labels in U.S. history. The original intention of the fanzine was to focus exclusively on stories about American indie record labels. By the fourth issue, its founder had shortened the name to Sub Pop and started including compilation tapes of underground rock bands.

In the late ’80s, after signing a series of Seattle-based bands like Soundgarden, Nirvana, and Mudhoney, the label got its first taste of the business. SUB POP released Soundgarden’s first single which was a split record titled “Hunted Down” / “Nothing to Say,” in 1987, as well as their debut EP the same year. This was followed by the release of Nirvana’s debut single, “Love Buzz,” in 1988. It was because of their early work with these bands that Sub Pop was hailed for helping to popularize grunge music at the time.

 

The 3 Essential Grunge Albums

Our list of The 3 Essential Grunge albums will tell you all you need to know about the albums that have influenced a generation. Grunge is one of those musical styles that you either love it or hate it. Regardless of which one applies to you, you have to give credit to it. Without grunge, we’d probably still be neck-deep in hairspray and makeup bands singing about fast cars and easy women. Three particular bands that could easily be named the Holy Trinity of Grunge helped bring about the change in popular music.

If you haven’t heard of Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, you have probably lived on another planet or under a rock. This trio, along with other bands, decided to go against the popular music of the time and had great success. It was a successful risk-taking because they have succeeded in becoming worldwide famous rock stars and influenced an entire generation of young people.

Some of them may even get immortalised in online slots, just like Jimi Hendrix, Guns N’ Roses and Motorhead. If you want to see these slots, you can find them at www.slotswise.com. And now, without further ado, The 3 Essential Grunge Albums:

Nirvana – Nevermind (1991)

If you want to know which record is most synonymous with grunge, the most common answer you’ll get will probably be Nirvana’s Nevermind. This is due to the fact that the record contains a remarkable set of songs that appealed to fans of punk, metal, and even pop. Nevermind is also the album that includes Smells Like Teen Spirit which can easily be considered the official grunge anthem. The album also contains such hits as Come As You Are, Lithium, and In Bloom. Also, who could forget the iconic album cover of a baby chasing a fishing hook underwater with a dollar as a bait.

Pearl Jam – Ten (1991)

Pearl Jam’s debut album is also their most commercial and most successful album. After the death of Mother Love Bone’s singer, guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament put together Pearl Jam. They were joined by Eddie Vedder on vocals, and the rest is history. Born out of tragedy, Pearl Jam’s Ten included such landmark songs as Alive, Even Flow, Jeremy etc. An interesting fact about this album is that its best song, Black, was never issued as a single.

Soundgarden – Badmotorfinger (1991)

Along with The Melvins, Soundgarden was one of the first Seattle bands whose speciality were the slow, murky riffs. This in combination with Chris Cornell’s excellent voice and talent for lyrics resulted in one of the biggest names in the genre. By the time their third album appeared, 1991’s Badmotorfinger, the band had transformed into an adventurous outfit. With prog-like structures and even saxophone on several songs, the album was propelled up the charts. Who could forget such songs as Outshined, Rusty Cage, and Jesus Christ Pose. Soundgarden as a band was seven years old by 1991, but it wasn’t until Badmotorfinger that it all came together for them.

Online Streaming – Twitch and YouTube For The Community

There are many people that think Twitch and YouTube game streaming has nothing to do with the constant growth of the gaming community and are sceptic about them. One thing is certain – they are absolutely wrong.

Since both, Twitch and YouTube, are sites where you can promote basically everything and record yourself live, or place videos that are being recorded, it is the best way to promote and market the games that are currently leaders in the industry. As on these channels, we can see everything, from live cooking to how to fix an aeroplane engine, it can reach a large number of people that will eventually want to see some of the gaming movies that are presented there.

If you are on this site, you are probably a gamer, and you have probably watched some of the fantastic games that are playing your game just to see how professionals do it. If you are a true gamer, you have probably played more than 20 games in your life, that means at least 20 videos if you watched one for every, which you didn’t. All the watching hours on Twitch are being recorded, and the more hours a video has, the more it’s being presented and lifted prior to the other videos.

It is expected for many people to be a sceptic when it comes to live streaming and video games, as it is a phenomenon that received its popularity not more than 10 years ago. Before the satisfaction was large when you hear someone speaking some silly, sloppy English and you were playing some game together on Xbox connected to the internet.

It is totally different now and way pass these scales, a sit’s a 24/7 media which is a business itself, and streams some games from www.Slotswise.com more than ever!

Let’s not neglect the fact that Twitch is owned by Amazon, one of the biggest online selling and distribution platforms. They are most profitable during their sale season, and that’s practically throughout the whole year. This means that Twitch can use the Amazon platform to advertise as much as they want, and reach to people with the same or similar interests with no problem.

This turns down and drowns every thought that the live stream is a bad idea for the gaming community, and does nothing but wrong. YouTube Gaming and Twitch are nothing but a game spreader, and they may be one of the best reasons why gaming, the number of players, the revenue, the games of different, new and modern genders and everything else that is connected to it are only experiencing an uphill performance and the graphs are only rising.

As a true gamer that I am, and I know you guys are, we are contributing for the numbers to grow with every twitch and Gaming YouTube video that we watch. Let’s keep it that way, and the developers will reward us back with better, more challenging games that have fantastic graphics and gameplay.

Making Indoor Recordings

Making indoor recordings does not have to be a complicated process if you want to produce a quality recording. Neither is this something that requires a massive invesment in music equipment. There are few ways how to go about making the indoor recording that you need for your video channel. I will share couple of methods and some tipis that will deliver the best results for your money.

Field Recording

First off, you don’t need to invest in expensive recording gear. That also implies you don’t have to buy the most expensive microphone. Unless you are recording sound for a feature presentation that will appear on television, then you can get great results on a near-shoestring budget. Start with the question “what is the lowest level of tolerance to the quality of your recording?” Your audience probably wants to get the point – of you talking or presenting, in the middle of the natural environment where the recording occurs. The speech needs to be understandable but you also don’t want to cancel out the ambient noise.

A way to achieve this is by purchasing a field recorder. There are a few out there that work on two AA batteries and are under $300. Quite frankly, most of these (save for the cheapest one) will deliver great results when you record using their built-in mic. However, if you want to record yourself speaking, then bring the recorder closer to your chin in order to catch the surrounding environment as well. The key here is to play with the settings. When talking directly into the mic, bring down the gain to the lower levels – say 30% of 100%. Play around, see how much sound it picks up. If the line goes all the way in the red levels, then turn the gain down.

Setting the Frequencies

Some field recorders have an option to pick up or cut low frequency sounds. You will probably want to have this option turned off, as the recorder will focus on a broader spectrum of sounds. Furthermore, you can use a sponge or a “muffler”. You can buy one that wraps around the recorder’s microphones or you can improvise it. You can build one yourself from cotton or cotton gauze. Use rubber bands to hold it into place. This way, the cotton will keep out high frequency sounds that tend to deafen the ear because they occur suddenly and you can’t control against them.

Cell Phone Recording

The second way to go on recording yourself in a closed environment is by simply using your cell phone. Make sure to install an app that lets you play with the settings. You want to have the app record at 44 KhZ in a Wave format to ensure you get the highest quality. Here you can also improve the recording by purchasing a lapel microphone for $20 or under. Peg this onto your shirt and record away. The downside to cell phone audio recording is that it is hard to control what frequencies are filtered in or out. You can also attach some cotton on the lapel microphone to keep the high sounds out.

Indoors Casino Recording

Finally, any of these methods should be used by people who record in casinos and post videos on Youtube. Most times the videos have very poor sound, so these tips are of high order for the slots reviewers out there. For those who enjoy online slots all is needed is a field recorder and finding the right setting for your room for checking out online slots at www.slotswise.com

Importance of Sound and Video Effects in Modern Online Slots

Additional gaming equipment, such as speakers, headphones and microphones has been very important for gamers, especially in the last few years. Some of us remember the days when game music was limited to simple techy tunes, and earlier we did an article on the most renowned Japanese composers who composed video game music and we reminded you of some of their best and most iconic tunes.

Technological Advances

And while 90s game music was certainly good and recognisable in its own unique way, gaming back then was a lot less about music and sounds. Nowadays, if you don’t have a good set of speakers or headphones, you will be missing out on a lot and you will not have the same experience as the players who do own a good headset or a pair of speakers. In addition, nowadays microphones are also used, especially if you play in multiplier mode.

The evolution of video games in terms of how important sound and visual effects became has to be seen in perspective, as computers and game consoles these days have a lot better graphic and sound capabilities, so it is possible for game developers to create games that are both visually and audio-wise advanced and now players require the upcoming games to be even more advanced and of higher quality compared to earlier releases.

Improved Sound and Graphic Features

If we have a look at slot games the situation is even more dramatic. Online slots, even older ones, released ten or more years ago are superior, both in terms of sound effects, as well as visuals, compared to older retro land-based slots. In fact, even the nature of the gameplay changed drastically.

Older slot games featured basic and simple symbols, there were usually just three reels, and there were no bonus features. Modern games feature larger grids, include bonus features, players get to make choices, and in some cases their choices can even alter their chances of winning. When a player has a chance to make an informed decision and thus alter their chances of winning, that makes the whole gameplay experience a lot more dynamic.

VR Online Slots

Perhaps the biggest innovation is the introduction of the concept of virtual reality in the online gaming world. First, the live casino games that are streamed in real time brought the land-based casino to your computer and even your smartphone or tablet, but it seems that the VR slots will be the ultimate step into the future of online casino slot gaming.

The first VR slots have already been introduced and players seem to be very receptive and generally respond well to this new genre. However, VR slots are still not the norm, and most players still prefer conventional online casino slots. At www.slotswise.com you will find plenty of reliable and trustworthy online casinos where you can play a plethora of great online slots. The site also provides a wide range of online slot reviews which will help you get familiarised with the games before playing.  

 

Choosing The Right Gaming Headset

In the gaming world, a nice pair of headphones is a really important for your gaming time. Whether it’s hardcore gaming, playing casually or just competitive among your friends, a fancy new pair of wireless headset can change the way you look at the game. They will enhance your gameplay, give you a better understanding of it and most definitely give you an advantage over your friends. We have a list to look upon which will help you choose the best and most suitable headphones for you.

  • Budget – Just like every high-end gear, the best headphones are really expensive. You might want to take a look at your budget before jumping in the big pool of headphones on the market. There are some budget-friendly headphones that offer very similar performance as the high-end ones, and those are the ones you should be looking for.

 

  • What are you gaming on – The device that you game on plays a major part in the decision of the headphones. Whether you are a PC player, Mac one, or you prefer consoles like PS4 or Xbox, you should choose it depending on your playstyle. Most of the headphones are compatible with all the devices but there are some that suit more for one of the other console for example. Always keep in mind this before you buy them.

 

  • Extra features desired – There are many extra features that the headsets are offering, and as an example we can take longer battery life, adjustable microphone, indicator life, extra buttons on the ear pad and many other options which might be very useful for one player, but be annoying for other ones, which would be just a waste of budget. Carefully see whether you would need more battery life not to stop you in the middle of gaming or walking around the house, or the light that will help you in the dark. Maybe you want to play in complete light, therefore this would only drain the battery from the headsets and they are automatically useless. Check the features before choosing the right one for you.

 

  • Comfort – If you have played a game or listened to music for more than 2 hours using headsets, you surely know what we are talking about. The material and design of the ear pad is really important for the ear, and if you are a player that sits and plays for more hours, this should be among your top priorities.

 

  • Open or Closed – Many of the gamers and musicians are not familiar with the open or closed option for gaming headset. There are two types of headset – the ones that are open provide a quality sound as well as open space in the ear pad to be able to hear the surrounding where you are at as well as cooling off the ears, while the closed ones cut off the sound from the surrounding and provide gaming time and perfect sound without interruption from the noises around you. Choose wisely!
Greatest Japanese Video Game Music Composers

Our list of Greatest Japanese Video Game Music Composer will give you the names and work of the people who have made video games more enjoyable. While you may be familiar with the music, you may not know the composers who have created that music. Although many people do not consider video game music as art, there are many compositions that are definitely a work of art. Without further ado, here’s our list of the Greatest Japanese Video Game Music Composers responsible for some of the most famous gaming soundtracks ever composed:

Koji Kondo

Key Titles: The Legend of Zelda series, Star Fox, Super Mario series

One of the most famous video game music composer of all times is Koji Kondo. Although he had no intention of becoming a video game music composer, he got a job as a sound designer at Nintendo in the early 1980s. The rest is history since his work includes some of the most recognisable video game music. It is simply impossible to consider yourself a gamer without knowing the music from The Legend of Zelda.

Yuzo Koshiro

Key Titles: The Revenge of Shinobi, Actraiser, Streets of Rage

Yuzio Koshiro became known as ‘The Genius of FM Synth’ because he revolutionised video game music on many levels. He was a genius programmer who managed to get the imitate the sounds of drums and guitars with sounds from rudimentary technology. Moreover, he blended different types of his favourite music genres to create such video game soundtracks that no one has heard at the time. His talent is boundless, and his influence can be found even in today’s gaming music.

Takashi Tateishi

Key Titles: Mega Man 2, Side Arms, U.N. Squadron,

This composer was once considered the lost prodigy of the video game music. Takashi Tateishi was hugely influential yet almost anonymous due to the Japanese culture which put the team effort before the individual. On the excellent Mega Man 2 soundtrack he is even credited as Ogeretsu Kun. His present role is working as a sound designer and composer at Konami. The theme for the final gauntlet of Mega Man 2 still gets your blood pumping.

Yoko Shimomura

Key Titles: Street Fighter II, Kingdom Hearts, Legend of Mana

The only woman on our list is Yoko Shimomura who is considered one of the grand matriarchs of Japanese game music. Her work dominated arcades all over the world in the early 1990s. In her later career, she created soundtracks for some of the most beloved J-RPGs, including Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy XV. However, she is most renowned for creating almost the entire music for Street Fighter II: The World Warrior. This game is considered an industry changer, with a soundtrack which is deeply in the hearts and minds of gamers around the world.

Besides arcade games, more recent video slots also offer excellent gaming soundtracks for a complete enjoyment. You can find excellent examples of such online slots at www.slotswise.com.

Best Video Game Songs From The 80s and 90s

Our list of Best video game songs from the 80s and 90s will give you information on the best songs that were used in games from the 80s and 90s, as well as their composers. Video game music composers are a bit stigmatised due to the idea that video games are childish and thus the music composed for games cannot be a work of art. However, video games sometimes could be a source of really great music.

When the video gaming systems first came to be, composers were very limited in options which is the reason why video game music from the late 1980s and early 1990s sounds much different than music featured in modern video games. Games for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System featured mainly MIDI keyboards, while modern-day games, with their massive budgets, can afford to use full orchestra recordings.

Besides video games, great music pieces can also be found in various online games like slots, video poker, blackjack, etc. Slots software providers like NetEnt, Yggdrasil, and Playtech, to name a few, recognised that music can make a big difference in the gameplay and decided to always use excellent soundtracks.  You can find numerous examples of such online games at www.slotswise.com.

The list contains songs both from the 80s and 90s, and each song could be considered a small piece of art! For some of you, these songs might even bring back some wonderful memories!

 

  •        Super Mario Bros., composed by Koji Kondo (NES, 1985)
  •        Out Run, composed by Hiroshi Kawaguchi (Arcade, 1986)
  •        Metroid, composed by Hirokazu Tanaka (NES, 1986)
  •        Bubble Bobble, composed by Tadashi Kimijima (Arcade, 1986)
  •        Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards, composed by Al Lowe (PC, 1987)
  •        Megaman 2, composed by Takashi Tateishi (NES, 1988)
  •        Altered Beast, composed by Tohru Nakabayashi (Arcade, 1988)
  •        Duck Tales, Hiroshige Tonomura (NES, 1989)
  •        Shadow of the Beast, composed by David Whittaker (Amiga, 1989)
  •        Tetris, composed by Hirokazu Tanaka (Game Boy, 1989)
  •        Revenge of Shinobi, composed by Yuzo Koshiro (Genesis, 1989)
  •        Golden Axe, composed by Tohru Nakabayashi and You Takada (Arcade, 1989)
  •        It Came From the Desert, composed by Ken Melville (Amiga, 1989)
  •        The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, composed by Koji Kondo (SNES, 1991)
  •        Kirby’s Dream Land, composed by Jun Ishikawa (Game Boy, 1992)
  •        Doom, composed by Robert Prince (PC, 1993)
  •        Super Metroid composed by Kenji Yamamoto and Minako Hamano (SNES, 1994)
  •        Alien Soldier, composed by Norio Hanzawa (Genesis, 1995)
  •        Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest, composed by David Wise (SNES, 1995)
  •        Chrono Trigger, Yasunori Mitsuda, Nobuo Uematsu, Noriko Matsueda (SNES, 1995)
  •        Quake, composed by Trent Reznor (PC, 1996)
  •        Super Mario RPG, composed by Yoko Shimomura (SNES, 1996)
  •        Parappa the Rapper, composed by Masaya Matsuura and Yoshihisa Suzuki (PSX, 1996)
  •        Ridge Racer Type 4, composed by Kohta Takahashi, Hiroshi Okubo, Asuka Sakai, Tetsukazu Nakanishi, Koji Nakagawa (PSX, 1998)
  •        Parasite Eve, composed by Yoko Shimomura (PSX, 1998)
  •        The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, composed by Koji Kondo (N64, 1998)
  •        Silent Hill composed by Akira Yamaoka (PSX, 1999)