The New Breed – Why Young People Suck
The New Breed – Why Young People Suck
As every young person gets older, they start to criticise and look down upon the newest generation. I’m 26 now, and I have already started to feel like this new breed are awful. The music in the chart is all that seems relevant to them. They walk around in Run DMC T-shirts, but if you drop ‘It’s Like That’, they seem non-plussed.
Ramones T-shirts are sold in UK chain store PRIMARK to people who would leave the dance floor if you played ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’. Even ‘Obey’ has become a brand, worn by people who have never seen ‘They Live’ and are unaware of the late great WWE legend Rowdy Roddy Piper’s finest acting performance.
So what is the cause of this cultural ignorance and musical malaise? I think it’s the current crop of chart music. The majority of it is dull, repetitive dross. It has a few catchy hooks that people know, but the rest of it is just white noise, background. They request it, I play it and before the songs even over they want to request another three minute, mindless piece of chart garbage.
In my time as a DJ I’ve discovered so many inventive covers and remixes of current chart music, but unless it’s the original they know from the radio, the people just don’t give a shit.
For example, I’ll play something like this excellent cover of ‘Timber’ by Pitbull and Ke$ha, which was created by Postmodern Jukebox (Click Here). But your average, youthful crowd just seem confused, rather than excited to hear a fresh take on a song they’ve heard a million times before.
They’re more than happy to enjoy horse-shit like Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars’ ‘Uptown Funk’, however, despite the fact it’s basically one part James Brown, one part Michael Jackson and a dash of Little Richard for flavour. The reason they don’t care about this awful musical thievery, is because they don’t educate themselves on the history of music. I wish I could be happy that these great artists inspire modern chart toppers, but the end result is just a cheapened, watered down versions of these legends’ best work.
So is there a cure for this audio cancer? In my own small way I’m trying to help. Don’t get me wrong here, I don’t think I’m the only person with any taste and I am not an elitist; I love all music and if it gets a dance floor going, that really is all that matters. However, in my capacity as a DJ and radio show host, I try to educate the masses by sharing some of history’s greatest artists and fresh new music that deserves to be heard.
Editor’s Note – We thought we’d get one of Alex in the act, well sort of. He’s that good, he doesn’t even need to look at the decks.
MS.
Photo by Soul Media – Click Here.
Unfortunately I’m fighting a losing battle. I have to to play to the crowd and make sure the dance floor is full. Sometimes I reach people with something awesome and they dig it, but, the majority of the time, some dick in a peaked cap walks over and asks for some new bullshit single from Drake.
And they do this without saying, ‘Hello’, or asking if I’m taking requests. And I routinely and dutifully nod and say, ‘if that’s what you want to hear’. As my fingers glide over the cross-fader and that over-privileged ghetto wannabe Drake tells the room how he, ‘started from the bottom‘, a little piece of me dies.
Unfortunately, for me, this is one of the problems of DJ-ing a small City like Bath. In the last five years since I’ve been here, I’ve seen the most unique and interesting nights get swallowed whole by nights where the drinks deals are more important than the music. Compare Bath to the nearby city of Bristol and you can see the stark contrast between them. A Bath audience want songs they know, whether that’s well-worn classics from yesteryear or modern chart hits, they’ll fill the dance floors and get down to the same old tune. Every time.
In contrast, a Bristol audience want to hear songs they don’t know. Bristol is an edgy, hip city, constantly striving to find the next big thing. This manifests itself in local talent like Reggae/Dub outfits Laid Blak and Dub Mafia, or more Avaunt Garde music like Slamboree.
However there is hope for the city of Bath and the youth of today. Heartfelt solo artists like Jack Paradise are bringing great music to this little city. An Arcane Dispute, a fantastic Post-Hardcore band we featured earlier this year, are also bringing some fantastic noise to this city. There are new nights and great gigs popping up all over the place right now, so if you’re from around here, go find out what’s on. And if you’re in some other sleepy little town with no scene, pick up a guitar or a pair of decks and go start one.
- Jack Paradise can be found – Here.
- An Arcane Dispute can be found below as well as on Facebook – Here.
#StayFresh
