Changes to Freestyle Music

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SantanaTwins

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What changes, if any, would you make to Freestyle to help revive it?
 
One thing that stands out besides the lack of quality are lyrics.Freestyle lyrics today are plain boring and not catchy.The hooks are missing and it seeems like there is no structure,no build up.Everything is just thrown together and however it sticks that's what we get for a single.
 
Ph@tbreakz said:
One thing that stands out besides the lack of quality are lyrics.Freestyle lyrics today are plain boring and not catchy.The hooks are missing and it seeems like there is no structure,no build up.Everything is just thrown together and however it sticks that's what we get for a single.
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Yes I agree it seems like the guys in the studio are working at a fast food joint making all sorts of lousy concoctions just to kick the
song out the door, resulting in lame music while at the same time disappointing devoted freestyle followers. I like that "build up" you mentioned Phat.I'm sure you know that was mentioned in another post.A good catchy build-up takes time and hard work.
 
. I like that "build up" you mentioned Phat.I'm sure you know that was mentioned in another post.A good catchy build-up takes time and hard work.


What can I say Freejack...great minds think alike.I've always been a fan of the "build up" that the early Micmac songs had.I remember the first Johnyy O tape that came out.I played it non stop in my walk man and that's one way that I learned to appreciate what flawless productions was all about
 
Ahh yes the build to the chorus...quite a think needed indeed...I personally liked the build in "Memories" by LiL Suzy...not the greatest build in the world, but it was definitely upscale.

Micmac...need you even say anything more? Thank God Mickey is coming back and will hopefully bring freestyle back some fame. 🙂
 
DJJoshuaEdward said:
Micmac...need you even say anything more? Thank God Mickey is coming back and will hopefully bring freestyle back some fame. 🙂
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Nope. Mickey Garcia will do nothing but capitalize off of the golden classics in the old Micmac Records catalog, by selling custom CDs on his website and not giving any royalties to the artists that recorded them. The new Micmac Records will be going the route of whatever sounds are popular in the clubs such as Trance, Breakbeat and Hard House. You can expect to see a new Micmac CD of the classic songs remixed as Trance and House music. Perhaps a new compilation of old material with a new intro and/or edits is not out of the question, but I wouldn't hold my breathe for any new Freestyle from Micmac Records (you might turn blue and die from suffocating!)
 
Ph@tbreakz said:
One thing that stands out besides the lack of quality are lyrics.Freestyle lyrics today are plain boring and not catchy.The hooks are missing and it seeems like there is no structure,no build up.Everything is just thrown together and however it sticks that's what we get for a single.
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I second this!! but i say not all of it..
 
Ph@tbreakz said:
One thing that stands out besides the lack of quality are lyrics.Freestyle lyrics today are plain boring and not catchy.The hooks are missing and it seeems like there is no structure,no build up.Everything is just thrown together and however it sticks that's what we get for a single.
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Well put.

Also think maybe the beats could be updated a little bit. Sometimes when i'm listening to some fairly recent freestyle (within the last 5 or 6 yrs.) in my car, and people always think it's old school. I think a lot of songs, if I didn't know their release date, I might think the same thing.

I thought it was hot the way Cynthia made the "old school mix" for "If I Had The Chance" but the main mix was a more up to date sound. That was a good way to kinda give everyone what they wanted and a dope marketing strategy. It's always kewl to take it back every now and then but you also have to keep up with the times or you kinda get left in the past.

I think beats are madd important to freestyle music. So maybe just step up the beat game. That's what draws me to it most of the time. Other than that I think the main obstacle is marketing and promotions (radio, ad campaigns, etc.). Cuz if people don't know about it, how can they support it?
 
I think beats are madd important to freestyle music. So maybe just step up the beat game. That's what draws me to it most of the time.



Exactly.90% of the beats now are weaker than the old skool beats.Freestyle needs better beats if we're going to call it dance music.
 
I think to be truly successful, realistically speaking, you need to produce more radio friendly freestyle. At the same time, I would look back to some of the old formula.

Specifically, I'd:

Make beats that hit harder and slow them down a bit. The new beats are so weak and so soft. It's not trance.

Add a touch of house (a 2003 house feel of course), as opposed to making it "too freestyle". Afterall, wasn't that the way it used to be? Most freestyle songs had a major house element.

I'd also add the latin feel that has somehow been lost along the way.

I suppose what I'm saying is: Bring it back some, but with a 2003 radio friendly feel to it.

The new formuala isn't working. The faster beats, the blatant planet rock beat, etc are not getting it anyway.

Also, step up the production. I always talk about this with my friends. Back in the day, freestyle had many sounds going at once, with some fading in and out. You'd hear 6 or 7 sounds at once, as compared to 2, 3 or 4 now. That is a lack of effort by the producer in my opinon. Just wanting to make something basic and get it out.

Well, that's my friendly advice 🙂
 
In regards to the Micmac thing, well I will come straight out and say it, that I think it's a shame. I was discussing this with a friend last night though, and I can see how it's not surprising how everything in the music industry its all about what sound can sell @ the time. Often times, those harder sounds sell, so obviously, cheese trance and hard house, both in my opinion are probably the worse sub-genre is electronic music sell so well.

Addressing Anthony's comments...well...I totally agree that house elements would be nice in some newer songs. Often times, the old skool would switch kicks from the breaks to house beat and I thought that was sometimes cool, changing it up, keeping it fresh.

I think that the latin feel does need to be there...LoL no I'm not latin, but freestyle is known for having that latin vibe.

I agree with Anthony somewhat. I do not enjoy radio mixes at all. I'm not the average human that enjoys a song for 3 mins and then wants the next. I enjoy 5 - 8 minute songs usually. I am not saying that freestyle songs should be that long, but I am saying that a freestyle MIX should in my opinion should be about 4-6 minutes in length. As freestyle SONG in the radio MIX, could understandbly be shortened.

LoL, the same friend I was talking about the money issue with thinks I enjoy the planet rock beat. Heh. I will admit I do enjoy it. However, Anthony brings out a good point, that it's not working. When things become overused, they become undesireable.

I have said this to myself : that freestyle needs more sounds going on...Anthony said it all right there...I wouldn't mind seeing more edits in the tracks...I see a lot of newer tracks that don't have edits.

Anyway those are a few more thoughts...
 
Anthony,I couldn't have said it better myself.I hope some producers take your friendly advice.What you said is basically what I hear from friends and some ex-freestylers.
 
Not to knock any of you since that's not my style but I for one am still having flashbacks in the middle of the night as if it were 1989. I don't like any of the recent updating of Freestyle music. I've mentioned this many times , Freestyle is a "recipe" a "sound".... to divert from it is NOT Freestyle.
Please spare me of any "Freestyle must evolve" responses.I mean is that Planet Rock beat evolution? That came out way before the Freestyle years.
New music must capture the essence of what it was.Once it accomplishes that then maybe it has a chance. A few latin lines here and there, yeah sure some house beats (a lot of those great New York Freestyle jamz had that darker side to them because of the House flavor eg "When the pieces fall","Out of Control"and even"Just like the Wind")throw in a couple of "orchestra hits",some snares, and of course a forever outta this world ass kickin intro. Then maybe I figure it'll work.Don't forget >>NON COMPILATION RELEASES<<

:nah and :blah to all who oppose
 
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