Miss Jag
04-14-2005, 12:02 AM
Energy Radio Ignores Drum and Bass
Jennifer Tanguy
Essentials of College Writing COMM/215
Kathryn Geranios
April 13, 2005
Energy Radio Ignores Drum and Bass
The state of music on Phoenix, AZ FM radio is a disgrace. Hip-hop, r ‘n b, pop, rock, and alternative genres dominate the radio waves; several of the stations duplicate each other and play the same music in heavy rotation. The music is repetitive at best, with tunes and certain artists being played multiple times in the day; and caters mostly to listeners between 14-24 at its worst. The light at the end of the tunnel has a dimly lit countenance with the emergence of a new station called Energy 92.7, catering to Electronic Dance Music, or EDM for short. Energy 92.7 was thought to be a giant step forward for the EDM culture in Phoenix. Unfortunately, Energy 92.7 has failed to collaborate with the club and rave scene members that champion the sounds of EDM the most. As a result, Energy Radio fails to reach out to a large portion of its potential audience, a large number of who are Drum and Bass fans ranging in age from 14 to 40. Drum and bass, as a genre of EDM, has a well-established fan-base in Phoenix, Arizona that is ignored entirely by Energy Radio.
Drum and Bass, or DNB, is arguably the most popular form of EDM in the Phoenix rave culture. Most Phoenix-area raves feature a stage dedicated entirely to DNB, as it tends to be the main draw. Promoters book DNB headliners from all over the world as well as local talent for support. Menage A Trois, touted by Niki D’Andrea in the Phoenix NewTimes as “the grand Pooh-Bah of dance events” was a large EDM event held at Phoenix’s Ice House on January 15th, 2005 (2005). Menage had more Hardcore headliners booked from outside of Phoenix, but the DNB stage was the main draw at the party. The promoters knew in advance that DNB would be the main draw even with a slightly less spectacular line-up of artists, but placed it in the largest room where attendance proved to be the greatest throughout the night. The promoters of Menage are throwing another event on July 2nd, 2005 called Wonder 2 and features DNB as the main event with four international headliners; however none of the music played on the most popular stage at one of the largest events Phoenix will see this year is to be heard on Energy Radio.
It is true that DNB has been slow to catch on in North America and popularity seems to have waned:
Earlier this year, Q magazine dismissed drum'n'bass as a "genre that never caught on". A few weeks later, The Observer declared the untimely death of the sound, while Radio 1 jock Steve Lamacq continued the trend with a show dedicated to the question "Is drum'n'bass dead?". In the space of only 18 months, the genre which has practically soundtracked the advertising world in recent years has gone from the peak of winning that Mercury Award - in the form of Roni Size - to the trough of a media backlash (James, 1999, p.15)
DNB, however, has influenced many different areas of music and has managed to take on other influences itself as what can only be described as a cross-pollination of musical styles. Virtually all forms of influence in EDM can be heard in the different styles of DNB and nearly all other forms of music have taken a note or two from DNB:
The influence of drum'n'bass can also be heard in the mainstream through r'n'b and hip hop artists such as Timbaland (currently taking over the Puff Daddy slot as the No 1-selling producer in the US today), and Busta Rhymes. Perhaps what is even more poignant is the fact that house legend Todd Terry has produced an album which wears its drum'n'bass styling clearly in its arrangements.
"The problem with drum'n'bass," explains Terry, "is that some people are too scared to take it mainstream. They just want to keep it underground. But to say it's dead is ridiculous. Everywhere I go, I hear drum'n'bass. It's the UK sound and you guys should be proud of it" (James, 1999, p. 15).
The appeal of DNB is apparent in its diversity in styles and sounds as well as its wide use in the media; it is used in motion pictures, television and video games, regardless of its limited success on music charts (Pride, 1997, pg. 13). Examples of DNB in the media could include Cartoon Network’s Powerpuff Girls opening theme-song, a catchy, happy DNB tune reminiscent of 1970’s crime-stoppers themes with an added kick. Even luxury auto-makers have used more atmospheric and melodic DNB tracks as background music. There is a form of DNB for every listener, in any age group. DNB can be funky like house; it can be hard, edgy and industrial; it can be jazzy. There is no one form of DNB that can be valued over another although the champions of DNB tend to stay true to the form they like best.
So exactly how does Energy Radio justify ignoring a form of music that is heard everywhere else in the media all over the world? It can’t be due to attendance at DNB events or lack of the events themselves. “As the electronic music equivalent of Ozzfest, Warped and other summer tours, Planet of the Drums is an annual event that consistently packs venues nationwide” (McGarvey, 2004, p. 29). Radio stations across the country, such as WRAS in Atlanta, GA, have at least one program during the week dedicated to DNB and air tunes randomly throughout its rotation during the day as well. And yet Phoenix, AZ has no DNB on the radio waves of which it can speak. The listeners are there, but there is no medium outlet other than to patronize raves or clubs or listen to DNB internet radio shows. Frank Mendez, who produces and DJs under the moniker ‘Mr. Mendez’ was quoted in the Phoenix NewTimes, "The scene is very hungry, very young," he says. "I've performed at Freedom a couple of times where [the age restriction] is 18 and up and the youth is great, 'cause the kids have the energy. It's very unfortunate with the drum and bass weekly downtown that we can't do an 18-and-up night. When we did this, only a handful of people came out, and the reason is we don't have a medium for drum and bass in Phoenix where we can turn other people on to what we're doing” (Nelson, 2004). It would seem that Energy Radio, being the only EDM medium outlet in Phoenix, is rather out of the loop in its own area of expertise in accordance with the rest of the EDM world and needs to revisit its format.
References:
D’Andrea, Niki (January 13, 2005). Three’s Company. Phoenix NewTimes. Retrieved April 13, 2005 from http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/2005-01-13/calendar/calsee.html
James, Martin. ( June 4, 1999). Pop: It's a jungle out there From dancefloors to TV ads, drum'n'bass has been the soundtrack to the Nineties. Now it's being written off as dead and buried. But is that just because the critics can't keep pace? The Independent, Pg 15. Retrieved April 10, 2005 from ProQuest Database.
McGarvey, Sterling. (June 3, 2004). Sound Check: Planet of the Drums tour goes thump into night. The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Pg. 29. Retrieved April 10, 2005 from ProQuest Database.
Nelson, Jessie. (January 22, 2004). Drums + Bass = Heads: Can the Valley's spirited drum and bass enthusiasts keep their scene going -- or growing? Phoenix NewTimes. Retrieved April 13, 2005 from http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/2004-01-22/music/music.html
Pride, Dominic. (September 13, 1997). Roni Size & Reprazent win opens doors for drum'n'bass. Billboard, 109(37), 13. Retrieved April 10, 2005 from ProQuest Database.
Jennifer Tanguy
Essentials of College Writing COMM/215
Kathryn Geranios
April 13, 2005
Energy Radio Ignores Drum and Bass
The state of music on Phoenix, AZ FM radio is a disgrace. Hip-hop, r ‘n b, pop, rock, and alternative genres dominate the radio waves; several of the stations duplicate each other and play the same music in heavy rotation. The music is repetitive at best, with tunes and certain artists being played multiple times in the day; and caters mostly to listeners between 14-24 at its worst. The light at the end of the tunnel has a dimly lit countenance with the emergence of a new station called Energy 92.7, catering to Electronic Dance Music, or EDM for short. Energy 92.7 was thought to be a giant step forward for the EDM culture in Phoenix. Unfortunately, Energy 92.7 has failed to collaborate with the club and rave scene members that champion the sounds of EDM the most. As a result, Energy Radio fails to reach out to a large portion of its potential audience, a large number of who are Drum and Bass fans ranging in age from 14 to 40. Drum and bass, as a genre of EDM, has a well-established fan-base in Phoenix, Arizona that is ignored entirely by Energy Radio.
Drum and Bass, or DNB, is arguably the most popular form of EDM in the Phoenix rave culture. Most Phoenix-area raves feature a stage dedicated entirely to DNB, as it tends to be the main draw. Promoters book DNB headliners from all over the world as well as local talent for support. Menage A Trois, touted by Niki D’Andrea in the Phoenix NewTimes as “the grand Pooh-Bah of dance events” was a large EDM event held at Phoenix’s Ice House on January 15th, 2005 (2005). Menage had more Hardcore headliners booked from outside of Phoenix, but the DNB stage was the main draw at the party. The promoters knew in advance that DNB would be the main draw even with a slightly less spectacular line-up of artists, but placed it in the largest room where attendance proved to be the greatest throughout the night. The promoters of Menage are throwing another event on July 2nd, 2005 called Wonder 2 and features DNB as the main event with four international headliners; however none of the music played on the most popular stage at one of the largest events Phoenix will see this year is to be heard on Energy Radio.
It is true that DNB has been slow to catch on in North America and popularity seems to have waned:
Earlier this year, Q magazine dismissed drum'n'bass as a "genre that never caught on". A few weeks later, The Observer declared the untimely death of the sound, while Radio 1 jock Steve Lamacq continued the trend with a show dedicated to the question "Is drum'n'bass dead?". In the space of only 18 months, the genre which has practically soundtracked the advertising world in recent years has gone from the peak of winning that Mercury Award - in the form of Roni Size - to the trough of a media backlash (James, 1999, p.15)
DNB, however, has influenced many different areas of music and has managed to take on other influences itself as what can only be described as a cross-pollination of musical styles. Virtually all forms of influence in EDM can be heard in the different styles of DNB and nearly all other forms of music have taken a note or two from DNB:
The influence of drum'n'bass can also be heard in the mainstream through r'n'b and hip hop artists such as Timbaland (currently taking over the Puff Daddy slot as the No 1-selling producer in the US today), and Busta Rhymes. Perhaps what is even more poignant is the fact that house legend Todd Terry has produced an album which wears its drum'n'bass styling clearly in its arrangements.
"The problem with drum'n'bass," explains Terry, "is that some people are too scared to take it mainstream. They just want to keep it underground. But to say it's dead is ridiculous. Everywhere I go, I hear drum'n'bass. It's the UK sound and you guys should be proud of it" (James, 1999, p. 15).
The appeal of DNB is apparent in its diversity in styles and sounds as well as its wide use in the media; it is used in motion pictures, television and video games, regardless of its limited success on music charts (Pride, 1997, pg. 13). Examples of DNB in the media could include Cartoon Network’s Powerpuff Girls opening theme-song, a catchy, happy DNB tune reminiscent of 1970’s crime-stoppers themes with an added kick. Even luxury auto-makers have used more atmospheric and melodic DNB tracks as background music. There is a form of DNB for every listener, in any age group. DNB can be funky like house; it can be hard, edgy and industrial; it can be jazzy. There is no one form of DNB that can be valued over another although the champions of DNB tend to stay true to the form they like best.
So exactly how does Energy Radio justify ignoring a form of music that is heard everywhere else in the media all over the world? It can’t be due to attendance at DNB events or lack of the events themselves. “As the electronic music equivalent of Ozzfest, Warped and other summer tours, Planet of the Drums is an annual event that consistently packs venues nationwide” (McGarvey, 2004, p. 29). Radio stations across the country, such as WRAS in Atlanta, GA, have at least one program during the week dedicated to DNB and air tunes randomly throughout its rotation during the day as well. And yet Phoenix, AZ has no DNB on the radio waves of which it can speak. The listeners are there, but there is no medium outlet other than to patronize raves or clubs or listen to DNB internet radio shows. Frank Mendez, who produces and DJs under the moniker ‘Mr. Mendez’ was quoted in the Phoenix NewTimes, "The scene is very hungry, very young," he says. "I've performed at Freedom a couple of times where [the age restriction] is 18 and up and the youth is great, 'cause the kids have the energy. It's very unfortunate with the drum and bass weekly downtown that we can't do an 18-and-up night. When we did this, only a handful of people came out, and the reason is we don't have a medium for drum and bass in Phoenix where we can turn other people on to what we're doing” (Nelson, 2004). It would seem that Energy Radio, being the only EDM medium outlet in Phoenix, is rather out of the loop in its own area of expertise in accordance with the rest of the EDM world and needs to revisit its format.
References:
D’Andrea, Niki (January 13, 2005). Three’s Company. Phoenix NewTimes. Retrieved April 13, 2005 from http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/2005-01-13/calendar/calsee.html
James, Martin. ( June 4, 1999). Pop: It's a jungle out there From dancefloors to TV ads, drum'n'bass has been the soundtrack to the Nineties. Now it's being written off as dead and buried. But is that just because the critics can't keep pace? The Independent, Pg 15. Retrieved April 10, 2005 from ProQuest Database.
McGarvey, Sterling. (June 3, 2004). Sound Check: Planet of the Drums tour goes thump into night. The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Pg. 29. Retrieved April 10, 2005 from ProQuest Database.
Nelson, Jessie. (January 22, 2004). Drums + Bass = Heads: Can the Valley's spirited drum and bass enthusiasts keep their scene going -- or growing? Phoenix NewTimes. Retrieved April 13, 2005 from http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/2004-01-22/music/music.html
Pride, Dominic. (September 13, 1997). Roni Size & Reprazent win opens doors for drum'n'bass. Billboard, 109(37), 13. Retrieved April 10, 2005 from ProQuest Database.