Go Forward, Move Ahead, 2009

Jan 1, 2009 12:00 PM, By Remix Editors

If 2008 was like the Wild West for the music industry, what does that say about our future in 2009? Brace yourself because it's not all good news, but from conflict and struggle comes creativity, which is all the more reason to forge ahead. Remix is back again with its fourth annual special feature where we peer into the not-so-distant future and hand over 29 of the latest developments (you could call some of them survival tactics) coming ahead.

Last year, we had rant-master Bob Lefsetz deliver five mind-blowing predictions for 2008; this year, industry expert Paul Resnikoff (check out his site, www.digitalmusicnews.com) steps up to the plate to bring you 10 brand-new predictions for 2009. Meanwhile, laptop DJs get more control for live performance, MySpace spawns new stars, iPhone apps become tools for musicians, indie hip-hop makes a comeback, everything and anything gets an MP3 player attached to it, Casio keyboards and videogame consoles rock the house, social networking furthers music collaborations, thermoacoustic renewable energy leaves nothing to waste — and that's just some of what's going on in 2009. So strap in, hold on and don't let go as we take you into this crazy thing we call “the future” (cue spooky music, please).

DJ/PRODUCER DUO ON THE RISE: N.A.S.A.

The sounds of N.A.S.A. (www.anti.com/artists/view/63) can't be confined. An acronym for North America/South America, N.A.S.A. is the cross-continental collaboration between two freewheeling DJ/producers — L.A.'s Squeak E. Clean (Sam Spiegel) and DJ Zegon (Ze Gonzales) of São Paolo, Brazil — neither who care for sonic normalcy.

As the duo first bonded because of a mutual appreciation for old-school Brazilian funk, their debut, The Spirit of Apollo (Anti-, 2009), naturally carries traces of that Rio party sound. But throughout the five years it took to complete the project, N.A.S.A.'s output has considerably transformed. Summoning more than 30 of their favorite artists to join the movement, Squeak E. Clean and Zegon have created a peculiar platform where gruff singer/songwriter Tom Waits can feel right at home sharing the mic with left-field MC Kool Keith (on “Spacious Thoughts”).

“I think that people's taste is so eclectic right now — more than ever,” says Squeak E. via cell phone from his studio in L.A. “And certainly me and Ze's taste is very eclectic, which is part of why the record ended up like that — with so many different artists involved.”

Not too long after their first freestyle studio session where the pair found themselves manipulating old Brazilian tracks on Technics SL-1200 turntables and an Akai MPC2000XL, they recorded their first song with Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, ex-Pharcyde MC Fatlip and the late great Ol' Dirty Bastard. That single, the aptly titled “Strange Enough,” is a part-rock, part-electro, part-hip-hop experience that defined what N.A.S.A. would become.

As Squeak E. explains, “Once we did the Karen/O.D.B. track, I was like, ‘This is what this record is about’ — bringing people together from different worlds and [making] every song a crazy collaboration with people you would never expect together but that somehow makes sense.”

In addition to taking influence from what they dub their “dream list” of guest stars, it was Squeak E. and Zegon's experiences as DJs that helped make The Spirit of Apollo an ever-evolving release. “The record really started off heavily hip-hop influenced [with] a little indie rock,” says Squeak E. “Then as the record progressed, it got more and more futuristic sounding, using stuff from dance music as we started to DJ and play more electro and B-more.”

Keeping true to their tastes, working with everyone from Karen O to Kanye West and relying on both the MPC and the Moog Voyager, N.A.S.A.'s debut represents progression. As Clean says, “We always try to come unexpected.” — Max Herman

GROWING TREND: LAPTOP DJs TAKE CONTROL

Once upon a time, electronic acts looking to play live had to re-assemble a studio's supply of equipment onstage for each night's performance. Eventually, software advancements like Ableton Live shrank the performance essentials and the visually static laptop set became possible. The sounds could be seriously worked, but the keyboard/mouse interface connected more with the computer than the crowd.

Now things are again getting bigger as powerful external controls and programmable interface devices are letting performers use the laptop as an engine while manipulating the fun from outside the box. Deadmau5 and Gui Boratto both employ JazzMutant's Lemur (www.jazzmutant.com/lemur_overview.php) in their compelling techno sets, and versatile beatsmiths Flying Lotus and Daedelus swear by the freedom of movement they find in the Monome (http://monome.org).

“In my early tries at live electronics, I felt a disconnect often with myself and the music and the audience,” Daedelus says. “When I first gazed upon the Monome, it was as if the sky opened and visions of sugarplums danced in my head; that is to say I felt like I was witnessing a new way of expressing very complicated ideas, button-pressingly straightforward and musically engaging.”

For the one-time double-bass player and early Monome booster, the responsive control box gives Daedelus the flexibility to emote and react to the crowd. The device is his instrument of choice for delivering the musical ideas from his head to people's ears.

Laptop musicians aren't the only performers using these tools. Software like Serato Scratch Live brought DJing into the computer, and Mike Relm is among the DJs getting back outside the box. Using a Rane TTM 57SL (www.rane.com/ttm57sl.html) mixer frees him from spending “precious time onstage typing commands on my computer,” and a Lemur set to be a MIDI trigger “becomes a whole other instrument.”

“If I add a new piece of hardware, it's gotta be able to do things that nothing I already use can,” Relm says.

Nothing will replace the hands-on control Relm has with turntables, but his added components open almost limitless possibilities. Daedelus finds similar possibility in his Monome and thinks things will only get better.

“The future is in bridging software and connection interfaces that allow for more outside devices to communicate cleverly with evermore powerful laptops,” he says. “That is until my watch-computer is USB 3-ready and my neural network's wetware is upgraded or some sci-fi silliness.” — Noah Levine

PREDICTION NO. 1: MAJORS BECOME LESS MAJOR

Economically, 2009 is set to be a very difficult year, perhaps the most difficult one that anyone can remember. That will have a profound impact on the music industry, already in disruptive transition. The majors are in serious decline, outside of the recent economic meltdown. But expect the typical music fan to spend even less in 2009, especially on traditional items like CDs. That means less shelf space at big-box retailers like Wal-Mart and serious downward pressure on label balance sheets. The result? Majors will be further forced into a defensive position. Expect four major labels to move to three, either through acquisition, bankruptcy or another disruptive event. The consolidations will continue. — Paul Resnikoff

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST: THE MYSPACE GENERATION

Every so often, the hip-hop world touts a potentially game-changing wave of talent. In 2005, it was the hyphy scene in the San Francisco Bay Area and artists like Keak da Sneak, Mistah F.A.B. and the late Mac Dre. In 2008, it was the so-called MySpace generation of young MCs such as the Cool Kids, Mickey Factz, Pacific Division, Jay Electronica, The Knux, Kenan Bell and many others.

Fans and critics devised other names for this new group, too, like electro-rappers and (somewhat derogatorily) hipster rappers. The one thing they have in common, though, is their canny use of Internet phenomena — from conquering social networks like MySpace (www.myspace.com/music) and popular blogs such as Nah Right (www.nahright.com) and 2 Dope Boyz (www.2dopeboyz.com) to exploiting online trends like unauthorized remixes of hit songs. Charles Hamilton launched “The Hamiltonization Process,” a campaign where he issued a mixtape every two weeks for three months, each one posted exclusively to a popular online rap site. (One of the tapes was called Sonic the Hamilton, a reference to Sonic the Hedgehog.) Other artful tricks include rapper Wale rhyming over Justice's “D.A.N.C.E.” and dropping a mixtape dedicated to the classic sitcom Seinfeld; Pacific Division turning '80s electro-rap novelty the Fat Boys into a catchphrase; and Jay Electronica building a buzz with songs made out of the late J Dilla's prerecorded beats.

The eccentric antics and occasional sonic brilliance of these artists brought new creativity and styles to the rap game. Now, with the audience's attention focused on these upstarts — most of them earning major-label deals — 2009 will be a crucial year. Can artists turn fleeting buzz and kitschy-but-ear-catching demos into solid debut albums? The Cool Kids, with solid sales of their 2008 debut, The Bake Sale EP, have proven that this new MySpace generation may not be a flash in the Web. But the eventual demise of the aforementioned hyphy craze is a cautionary lesson — it disintegrated without producing any national breakout artists, demonstrating that it takes good, well-executed material to build careers, not just hastily made demos and mixtapes. Step lightly. — Mosi Reeves

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