Artist Direction?

[MARKLUVZCYNTHIA]

every now & again when i'm listening to a dance/freestyle artist i think, "damn, this person deserves so much more credit!" but since freestyle has become underground club music (which is kewl), you wonder what other directions these artists can get into and be heard by more, outside the club world. me personally, i was doing some serious head-nodding when i heard "no holding back" for the first time. volume on full blast when i heard the urban misfit version! it quickly became my favorite cut off that album. i would love to see Cynthia maybe doing more hip hop-pop type tracks. mixing that sound along with her infamous old-school type house tracks, and of course freestyle could maybe give the spotlight that she definitely deserves. i would love to see Cynthia doing videos, tour (or just come to DC!), all that good stuff. i love listening to her but u can feel an aritst on a whole new level when u get to visually see their own interpretation, their style of performing their work. i would really to visually see her do her thing as well as hear it.

i would also be in interested in seeing Safire and Lisette trying more of this as well. you have to also keep in my mind that these are also three very attractive women as well, which never hurts when you get into marketing! especially in the hip hop/r&b game. proven in the success of artists like Mariah Carey, Aaliyah, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Lopez, etc. they are all talented at what they do mind you, but we also wanted to SEE more of them as well.

so what do you guys think. were you guys feelin' the "no holding back", "i'm feeling it too", "never ever" type tracks from these ladies? do you think more of it would be good for them in boosting popularity? would you still continue to support them, or complain that it's not freestyle enough? (be honest)....

 

[Enigma]

I hear you 😛

I want more blends from Freestyle artists...like some Freestyle music mixed with club/hip-hop. Mixed with Dance/techno even better!!

Redifine the genre...and to me...the only way is to mix it up. Like Johnny O...perfect blending!!!

I want them to reach boundaries that in today's market is what is playing and what is heavily embraced. I think they will succeed because of many of the Freestyle Artist's lovely voice. (Sa-Fire, Cynthia, Coro, etc etc etc) Tag those lovely voices with today's music...you got yourself a jam.

~Antonio

 

[superfly]

I agree with the two of you. I would love to hear and see more freestyle artists get some overdue recoginition and even be in videos one day. I feel personally now is the perfect time for Freestyle music to hit the airwaves with full force, due to all the dance top 40 & Rhythmic radio stations that are popping up all over the country, this is the perfect time to take advantage and get some airplay accross the country. People in America seem to be opening up to Dance music more now as it seems to go in cycles. I think the sound that the Bay area & Florida where kickin out for a while were on to something in the mid to late 90's. I know artists like Angelina, M:G, Buffy, etc & Larissa, Precious, and of course Planet Soul's "Set you free" sound help give an extra boost in the last half of the decade with a great mixture of trance, breakbeat, freestyle, with a slight hip hop feel. I think it's all about marketing, like "My Boo" by Ghosttown DJ's for example and a few other's with R&B style vocalists in my opinion that was freestyle but to others that didn't know the distinct vibe of latin freestyle it was known as "booty bass". Another hit out now by a group from the U.K. I think, well the name Kosheen there hit "Catch" that's freestyle if you've heard it the vibe's there and another Fiori's "Take me where you are", I'd almost consider "Gotta get through this" by Daniel Bedingfield as European Freestyle. The sound is out there an some are experimenting with different style's(like mixing it with drum & bass, and 2 step garage) all it needs is some good marketing so coporate radio accross the country can start playing it more.

 

[cafreestyler]

no, freestyle does not need changing. it can progress, much like supafly said with the sound that angelina, buffy, m:g, larissa had. that sound would work today too. its only that no one is making much of it at all lately. one of the last more progressive sounding songs- Adriana- until tomorrow, got airplay on several stations and mixshow play on many stations. how much GOOD new progressive freestyle has come out since the mid/late 90's? a few, Rosalinda for example who got airplay on several stations. what about when cynthia came out with "if i had the chance" or rockell with "what u did to me", or science with "masquerade"? those songs got airplay in many places. THE REAL PROBLEM WITH FREESTYLE IS NOT THAT IT HAS TO BECOME EURO OR TRANCE OR HOUSE, ITS THAT NEW QUALITY FREESTYLE HAS TO BE MADE, AND THE PROGRAM DIRECTORS AT RADIO STATIONS HAVE TO STOP BEING ASSES, AND STOP TAKING MONEY FROM BIG LABELS WHO PUT OUT HOUSE AND TRANCE SONGS. what about now? well since i'm spending some time in california right now, it seems wild 94.9 is playing some freestyle, new songs by malyssa and natliese. trust me freestyle can work. this is coming from someone who worked in radio in florida, and not an intern or anyone, but in the music dept., also worked at a station in the north east. i'm telling you it can work. but the old school sound may have to go (BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN EURO, HOUSE OR TRANCE). see angelina, jocelyn enriquez and others for the way for success.

 

[MARKLUVZCYNTHIA]

wow, those were some really good, thought out, responses!

supafly:
welcome to the site! i definitely remember the "so so def bass" comps. you're exactly right too, it just got passed off as "booty" bass because most people aren't familiar with freestyle, or maybe producers were scared to label it as freestyle. especially considering that most of the songs off those albums directly sampled old school pandisc cuts from debbie deb, freestyle, etc (if u can't tell just by listening, just check the album credits). then on top of that, u have corina's slammin' cover of "summertime, summertime"!

enigma:
johnny o. is a great example of someone who is going to try a different direction. with his new sound on top of his enthusiasm, he's got a great chance of breaking in the popular u.s. dance market!

cafreestyler:
i hear u and i definitely agree, the freestyle sound (as far as the actual music), shouldn't change. but maybe more artists should try breaking in different markets to increase their audience and popularity. i think that would ultimately result in a popularity boost for the music in general! jocelyn enriquez is the last new artist i can think of to have that crossover success. she had pop status back in '96 off the success of the "jocelyn" album and it's first two singles. but do you really think that "do you miss me?" would've had the same success if the "running mix" or "freefloor" versions of the song were the commercial version (as opposed to the "dreamhouse radio vesrion")? u have to remember that the majority of that song was pop-house and in its original version is considered a house cut. it was only the ending minute that used a freestyle beat.