reggaeton

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Girl Toes
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reggaeton

Post by Girl Toes » Tue Dec 06, 2005 7:19 pm

We have been listening to the reggaeton station a lot lately. We got a used van, and haven't changed the station since.

I've been thinking about doing some reggaeton tracks on my next record. Anyhoo, I'm trying trying to come up with as clear of a definition of the genre as I can. SERIOUSLY, please. It usually has a calypso sort of beat, maybe some traditional spanish styled singing. Sound effects are good. What else??? has anyone else listened to much?? I must say its top notch.

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Post by antonlamont45 » Tue Dec 06, 2005 8:27 pm

gotta have girls in the chorus.

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JohnDavisNYC
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Post by JohnDavisNYC » Tue Dec 06, 2005 8:35 pm

i think sucking is a prerequisite.

since i suck, for $35 i'll make you a reggaeton track in like 20 minutes. it's pretty much musical refuse, as far as my taste goes.

it's basically dancehall grooves, and someone rapping in spanglish over the top.

i might not hate it as much if i didn't live in the dominican hood and hear it blasting from every 1987 honda civic with running lights and x-box tshirts over the seats to keep them fresh. ugh.

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Post by Girl Toes » Tue Dec 06, 2005 10:13 pm

toaster3000 wrote:i think sucking is a prerequisite.

since i suck, for $35 i'll make you a reggaeton track in like 20 minutes. it's pretty much musical refuse, as far as my taste goes.

it's basically dancehall grooves, and someone rapping in spanglish over the top.

i might not hate it as much if i didn't live in the dominican hood and hear it blasting from every 1987 honda civic with running lights and x-box tshirts over the seats to keep them fresh. ugh.

john

I think we live in the same neighborhood. I am on the Morgan stop.

Anyhoo, you are wrong.

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Post by bradb » Fri Dec 23, 2005 7:48 pm

Ah... reggeton... It used to KILL me. EVERY single car in my neighborhood would be playing the reggeton song (yes there is only one), OR have its car alarm going off for no reason.

Every SINGLE song has the same beat. that is insane

there is a weird thing about that beat however, its like a mantra or a chant, try tapping it out with your fingers.. the reggeton songs are very hectic, but the naked beat itself is calming.

my favorite restaurant is a dominican place and i actually made them a theme song with a reggeton beat and me yelling "camino real" (the name of the place) over and over.. it was totally stupid... their reaction? "can you make it longer?"

seriously tho, do a search at gearslutz there was a reggeton thread there.

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Post by pulse_divider » Sat Dec 24, 2005 7:58 am

Is this the stuff with airhorns blasting out every 15 seconds?

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Post by bradb » Wed Dec 28, 2005 12:29 pm

Two worlds collided yesterday. NPR did a music review on reggeton as the "success story of 2005" if I remember right. I think the reviewer described reggeton as refreshing and light. That to me was the biggest stretch.

but if its your thing, rock on.

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Post by sthslvrcnfsn » Thu Dec 29, 2005 3:18 pm

Listen to one of the songs, then copy the beat. The beat is exactly the same for every song. Maybe some little castinet or 808 hat accent sound is varied, at best.

Um, add some cheesy sounding synth (think wal-mart, $40) playing on the ON beats.

Bad rapping over the top, in spanglish, as mentioned before, completes the deal.

the girl chorus is a nice touch - about 70% of the songs have it.

I mean seriously, I have heard so many reaggaeton songs, and I can seldom tell them apart. every time i flip past some of that on the radio, i say to my girlfriend, "isn't this that "gasolina" song your students listen to?" it's never that song, but it always sounds like it to me.

jim!

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Post by JGriffin » Thu Dec 29, 2005 6:14 pm

I haven't heard this genre, but: any genre or band you're not into will all sound the same. If you're into it, you'll hear the differences. I can't stand Depeche Mode, and so to me it all sounds like the same stuff. My ex loooooves DM, and hears all the nuances that make one song different from the other, and one album different from the other. YMMV.
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Post by bradb » Thu Dec 29, 2005 9:02 pm

um..you need to hear this genre...

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Post by JGriffin » Thu Dec 29, 2005 9:34 pm

bradb wrote:um..you need to hear this genre...

Not according to this thread, I don't.
"Jeweller, you've failed. Jeweller."

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Post by sthslvrcnfsn » Fri Dec 30, 2005 12:52 am

this is different from many so-called "genres". the reason for this is that it sounds so much the samefrom song to song. i feel pretty open to many things, despite the fact that most of my enjoyable listening time is spent on things most people don't even consider "music".

really, check it out, i encourage you. i'm totally not trying to be a drag. like what you fucking like.

jim!

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Post by PeterAuslan » Fri Dec 30, 2005 6:34 am

That reggaetone beat is probably thousands of years old. It comes from the Middle East where bellydancers would perform to it.

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Post by YOUR KONG » Fri Dec 30, 2005 10:11 am

It's a clave rhythm (dotted quarter, dotted quarter, quarter) , but split up between the bass drum and snare.

A lot of 50's rock songs have the exact same drum beat. And chord progressions. And structure. It's not the genre's fault, which is true for any type of popular music.

You have to remember that any "pop" genre (including rock) is going to suck and all sound the same, because people aren't playing it to push boundaries - they're playing it to make some bucks. And 99% of consumer don't want their boundaries pushed - they want music that sounds like what they like.

It's true for reggaeton, lite jazz, and yes even 50's rock. To say "it all sounds the same" is a sweeping generalization that is also probably thousands of years old :P

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