VH1 Bands Reunited--Information Society!!

[Dave G>]

I'm going to sample Seseme Street's theme song, give it to Stevie B. remix it with the Wiggles, rap on it and call it freestyle. $$$$$$$

Seriously, we need to get off disecting music like this. We know when a song is Freestyle, dance, rap or pop. Can't we just all dance along?

 

[Hajas]

Information Society is NOT Freestyle, and never was... they are Synthpop (or Technopop like was called in the 80's).

Running was made in 1984, that version that appears in the compilation is a remix by the Latin Rascals, which of course, is freestyle, and that's it.

If you are calling them as freestyle group, you probally never listen to ANY of their albums to say that, you should listen anyway, bacause all of them are pieces of art aside not be Freestyle.

Like InSoc, I never say that Noel, Kon Kan, T42, Red Flag or Cause & Effect are too, all are Synthpop, more close to Depeche Mode than Stevie B.
And of course "Strange Love" by Depeche Mode never was a freestyle track! 🙂

Noel made a lot more success in Freestyle scene and he were also a Latin boy, but this doesn't mean that his sound and songs are Freestyle, since in his first album, he was produced, and had many songs written by Paul Robb, the leader of Information Society,
and because that had a lot in common with InSoc sound.

Since the second album was Pop/Rock, and the last single was Trance, I think he only recorded 2 freestyle tracks, The Question and How Could You Have The Heart, and that's it.

Exemples of freestyle artists are: TKA, Coro, Clear Touch, Shana, Stevie B., Nyasia, etc...

Freestyle is nothing more than Latin Synthpop, simply Synthpop with Latin rythms and beat, and a good energy to dance. Both styles are VERY close, but are different, especially in the energy, when Freestyle songs are more focus in happiness, the Synthpop songs are more focus in Sadness, are more serious and not focus in dance clubs (their remixes that focus that).

If you want to watch the VH-1 Show with InSoc, go to http://www.insoc.com.br and Enjoy! 🙂

cheers from Rio,
Freddy

 

[Angelino]

I like information Society but i never thought of them as freestyle.....I think they sound like New-Wave..........That song running is the bomb........

 

[SurfNYC]

Information Society is NOT Freestyle, and never was... they are Synthpop (or Technopop like was called in the 80's).

Running was made in 1984, that version that appears in the compilation is a remix by the Latin Rascals, which of course, is freestyle, and that's it.]

Actually "Running" was mixed by Joey Gardner and Louie Vega, not the Latin Rascals. The Rascals just did the edits. "Running" was one of the biggest records EVER at the Devil's Nest (the unofficial birthplace of Freestyle). It was bigger actually than any TKA or Cover Girls record. They had the largest turn out for ANY performance at that club back in 1986. Information Society was as big a part of the Freestyle scene in New York and Miami as any Freestyle artist. I will agree that the subsequent album that contained "Running" was more synth pop, but with Joey Gardner, Louie Vega and The Latin Rascals putting their stamp all over "Running", how can it be considered anything else but a Freestyle record? That's like Dr. Dre, P Diddy and The Neptunes collaborating on a record and not calling it Hip-hop.

 

[Dave G>]

$@*%*^*^#@ @$^*^ 7^$^
#&%*&*^ *^%#*%&^*

 

[myonlysweetie]

Who cares? I like the song .. you like song... she likes the song ... he likes the song... The songs were great!!! Leave as that!

 

[Dave G>]

Who cares? I like the song .. you like song... she likes the song ... he likes the song... The songs were great!!! Leave as that!

Well said! That's why your myonlysweetie. 😉

 

[Hajas]

Information Society is NOT Freestyle, and never was... they are Synthpop (or Technopop like was called in the 80's).

Running was made in 1984, that version that appears in the compilation is a remix by the Latin Rascals, which of course, is freestyle, and that's it.]

Actually "Running" was mixed by Joey Gardner and Louie Vega, not the Latin Rascals. The Rascals just did the edits. "Running" was one of the biggest records EVER at the Devil's Nest (the unofficial birthplace of Freestyle). It was bigger actually than any TKA or Cover Girls record. They had the largest turn out for ANY performance at that club back in 1986. Information Society was as big a part of the Freestyle scene in New York and Miami as any Freestyle artist. I will agree that the subsequent album that contained "Running" was more synth pop, but with Joey Gardner, Louie Vega and The Latin Rascals putting their stamp all over "Running", how can it be considered anything else but a Freestyle record? That's like Dr. Dre, P Diddy and The Neptunes collaborating on a record and not calling it Hip-hop.

I want to mean that the remix (single) was made to be freestyle, while the original song not. so like I said before, the remix is of course freestyle, I never regret that. 🙂

If you want to call them as freestyle, doesn't matter, but they ALWAYS said that were a Technopop band.

anyway, the main point is to listen to them, because they are really great! doesn't matter what you gonna label them. 🙂

Freddy

 

[Gornicevo]

Information Society is NOT Freestyle, and never was... they are Synthpop (or Technopop like was called in the 80's).

Running was made in 1984, that version that appears in the compilation is a remix by the Latin Rascals, which of course, is freestyle, and that's it.

If you are calling them as freestyle group, you probally never listen to ANY of their albums to say that, you should listen anyway, bacause all of them are pieces of art aside not be Freestyle.

Like InSoc, I never say that Noel, Kon Kan, T42, Red Flag or Cause & Effect are too, all are Synthpop, more close to Depeche Mode than Stevie B.
And of course "Strange Love" by Depeche Mode never was a freestyle track! 🙂

Noel made a lot more success in Freestyle scene and he were also a Latin boy, but this doesn't mean that his sound and songs are Freestyle, since in his first album, he was produced, and had many songs written by Paul Robb, the leader of Information Society,
and because that had a lot in common with InSoc sound.

Since the second album was Pop/Rock, and the last single was Trance, I think he only recorded 2 freestyle tracks, The Question and How Could You Have The Heart, and that's it.

Exemples of freestyle artists are: TKA, Coro, Clear Touch, Shana, Stevie B., Nyasia, etc...

Freestyle is nothing more than Latin Synthpop, simply Synthpop with Latin rythms and beat, and a good energy to dance. Both styles are VERY close, but are different, especially in the energy, when Freestyle songs are more focus in happiness, the Synthpop songs are more focus in Sadness, are more serious and not focus in dance clubs (their remixes that focus that).

If you want to watch the VH-1 Show with InSoc, go to http://www.insoc.com.br and Enjoy! 🙂

cheers from Rio,
Freddy

Hajas,
I was with you until the Noel part. :buggin

Noel...not freestyle??? WTF???

These threads always have a wide variety of opinions but you know this discussion has gotten out of hand when we're debating if Noel is freestyle. :rolleyes

 

[alexander351]

It was truly disappointing that Kurt did not show up. What was more disappointing was the fact that he apparently did not want to perform Running, Information Society's only true Freestyle song! Remember when Aamir first approached Kurt? One of the first things out of Kurt's mouth was "I don't have to perrform Running, do I?"

 

[jboyvip]

Let's Get Thing Straight

Planet Soul's "Set You Free" is DEFINITELY Freestyle! It is Electro-Freestyle, released during a period where Freestyle was revived in an Electro/Trip Hop re-surface period (1995-1999 and beyond). Robin Fox's "I See Stars" is Freestyle as well. These are not "breakbeat" tracks. They do have breakbeat remixes, but in its original form, it's Freestyle-LATIN HIP HOP AND LATIN POP, even once called Maimi Disco. Pure breakbeat is, for example, Hashim's "Al Naafiysh". Most Freestyle has or used to have a heavy emphasis on Latin-sounding instrumentation with syncopated, danceable beats (kind of like breakbeat sounding). "Planet Rock" is Old School Electro-Funk, yet it is also Freestyle (many Freestyle songs have sampled Electro moreso than Disco-espeically Bam's "Planet Rock"). Electro-Freestyle was popular during the Shannonesque era before Lisa Lisa's "I Wonder if I Take You Home" introduced the Hip Hop form of Freestyle and soon began to take over with the Miami sound. Angelina and Tora are Freestyle. Remember, Freestyle includes Bass, Hip Hop, R&B, Latin, Pop (uh, hum, hence the name). Jus' Good Ol' Dance music does not cut it. House, Techno, Trance, Electro-although coming from the same roots, they have distinguishable sounds. Freestyle is not fully dance music either-there are love songs (Sa-Fire's "Thinking of You", Will to Power's "Baby I Love Your Way", etc.) Freestyle is not a sub-genre of Dance music either. It is a genre itself in Dance/Electronic music (ex: rap genres include reggae rap, Gospel rap, etc.), however, it is also Latin Hip Hop and Latin Pop. And Information Society back in the day had a lot of Freestyle songs so they were a Freestyle group! They debuted in the around 1984/1985 just as the Freestyle scene was booming.

 

[PeteZavala]

Planet Soul's "Set You Free" is DEFINITELY Freestyle!

NO! NO! NO! It is NOT freestyle. Why do you say it is freestyle? Cause it used a Planet Rock beat? No bro, you got it all wrong. George Acosta, the producer of "Set You Free" was an acid breakbeat producer at the time. That song was an underground track that got some airplay and blew up. I have tons of George Acosta records that came out before, during, and after "Set You Free" and they are all similar acid breaks but since the Planet Rock beat was used and Freestyle was still making noise, it made it's way into the scene giving Freestyle it's new sound. I have always been a huge fan of underground acid music since the early days of Phuture who was around in the early to mid 80's. The acid sound was super underground and most people have never even heard it. Well, "Set You Free" blew up exposing acid to mainstream radio and Freestyle producers heard the sound and jumped on it. Lina Santiago I believe was the first with "Show Me Your Love" and everybody else started to do it. It really took off here in the bay area and the entire west coast. Classified & Galaxy Freestyle Records were two of the labels that took this style to the new level. BAM! Progressive Freestyle was born.

Planet Souls "Set you Free" is not and never was a freestyle track. Buy their album. You'll get a better feel of the underground acid breakbeat style that they are and have always been.

 

[PeteZavala]

...released during a period where Freestyle was revived in an Electro/Trip Hop re-surface period (1995-1999 and beyond).

Exactly...it was revived because of this new sound which was released in 1995. "Set You Free" was the reason behind the revival. It was a fresh new sound for the air waves even though it was well known in the underground rave scene. Soon after that, just about every freestyle track that was released had an acid bassline. The track was released on Strictly Rhythm Records, a label that was known for underground music.

 

[Caleb-B]

PeteZavala Nailed It..........But Forgot Angelina, Spanish Fly, and Adriana......Deffinatly Became "THE BAY SOUND" for a while.

 

[Dave G>]

alexander351, I noticed that too, he didn't even seem shocked that people walked into his office. He was not with it at all, i'm surprised he even talked to the host of the show. I guess behind the scenes, hit or no hit song, things can really cause P.T.S.D. (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)

 

[Gornicevo]

Freestyle is not a sub-genre of Dance music either. It is a genre itself in Dance/Electronic music (ex: rap genres include reggae rap, Gospel rap, etc.), however, it is also Latin Hip Hop and Latin Pop.

So you're basically saying that freestyle is NOT a form of Dance music???
You can't say it is not a sub-genre of Dance, and then say it is a form of Dance. Either it is or it isn't.

And Information Society back in the day had a lot of Freestyle songs so they were a Freestyle group! They debuted in the around 1984/1985 just as the Freestyle scene was booming.

Just because they debuted when freestyle was booming doesn't make them freestyle. And they didn't have "a lot of freestyle songs", they had ONE!

 

[jboyvip]

Get Things Straight

OK, probably I got too carried away and went too fast on the Info Society thing. Yes, they had a few Freestyle numbers such as "Running" and "What's on Your Mind" in the 80s, but as the 90s came around and New Wave and Freestyle were "dying" because of the extreme success of pop, hip hop, and rock, they did begin to have their own style that set them apart from Freestyle (Most of the artists/groups were going away from the 80s wave-a dance decade as the 90s appraoched). Back then, they were considered Freestyle just as Taylor Dayne, Samantha Fox, and Debbie Gibson were-poppish dance-everyone almost took to the Miami sound-that's why freestyle was the biggest form of dance music of the 80s before House and Eurodance ruled the charts definitely in 1989.

What I meant was that Freestyle is not only dance music as I have described above. It is a genre of Dance/Electronic music but at the same time a genre of its own which makes it unique with a "free" style. Info Society debuted during a booming Electro/Freestyle period, and many dance artists jumped on the bandwagon to this increasingly popular music. Their songs were new-waveish-dance with heavy elements of electro/freestyle/disco.

ON PLANET SOUL...

HOW CAN YOU TELL ME THAT PLANET SOUL'S SONGS ARE NOT FREESTYLE? Most, if not all, of their songs are mainly a combination of Electro and Freestyle-electrofreestyle, the second wave after the first in the 1980s (Debbie Deb, Tina B.). The songs' bassline parallels Bam's, The Jonzun Crew's, Newcleus', Planet Patrols', etc. with many of its instrumentation. First of all, breakbeat and Electro are closely paralleled. Hashim popularized the genre breakbeat. And acid? That stemmed from the popularity of disco (note, disco is black music and it stemmed from funk, be bop, etc. which were fast forms of music) I'm not going to go in detail about the history of how the Europeans noted the African American music before those in this very country did and popularized it and we jumped on the bandwagon! And I'm not going to go into the detail that House, Techon, Garage, etc. are direct descendants from disco-african american music-check out Jahsonic.com and various scholarly books and essays on the subject. Ayways, A DANCE BEAT THAT SAMPLES ELECTRO CAN OPNLY BE TWO GENRES-FREESTYLE OR ELECTRO-THE MOTHERS SUCH AS HOUSE AND TECHNO. I'm not going to go into detail of the close descendants of Freestyle with Electro and how both gained influence from Disco-hip hop back then jumped on the disco beat. Freestyle and Electro both have breaks-the syncopation-universal in all African American music-ragtime, jazz, swing, spirituals, slave songs, etc. Acid back then was not really considered and recognized as a music genre. It's recognition came when acid-house was popularized in the mid to late 1980s. House music was an offshoot of Disco in the late 1970s. Blah blah, i have replete informtion and many scholarly historians and evidence to back me up that PLANET SOUL IS FREESTYLE. It's beat, insturmentation, etc. etc. are almost entirely Freetsyle and Electro.

 

[PeteZavala]

Buy the Planet Soul album and then hit me up when you listen to it. The entire album. Then do some research about George Acosta, in fact...email George Acosta and see what he tells you.

Planet Soul was far from Freestyle. The fact that he used the Planet Rock beat does not make them freestyle.

 

[PeteZavala]

I'm not going to go in detail about the history of how the Europeans noted the African American music before those in this very country did and popularized it and we jumped on the bandwagon!

If your talking about acid house, you're wrong again. Acid house was born in Chicago. Guess what else...it was invented by an African American.

Acid back then was not really considered and recognized as a music genre. It's recognition came when acid-house was popularized in the mid to late 1980s.

That's cause acid didn't even exist "back then". The term 'acid' came from a bass synthesizer called the Roland TB-303 that was invented in 1982. It's purpose was to emulate a real bass guitar but was a flop...at least until DJ Pierre got his fingers on it and started twisting the knobs while it was playing. The sound that is generated by this little silver box sounded really bubbly like acid (hence the name). Phuture synced the TB-303 up to their drum machines and BAM! Acid House was born. The sound was so amazing and fresh that it was givin its own genre, Acid House. The bassline used in "Set You Free" and many, many other George Acosta tracks, was a Roland TB-303. I'm not saying that a TB-303 can't be used in a freestyle track, cause it definitly can. I have used mine in a few freestyle tracks, but I'm sure freestyle was not on George Acosta's mind when this track was created. He just got really lucky that the song got the recognition that it did.

 

[jboyvip]

If your talking about acid house, you're wrong again. Acid house was born in Chicago. Guess what else...it was invented by an African American.

WHAT R U TALKING ABOUT? I'M SAYING THAT REALLY THE EUROPEANS WERE THE FIRST WHO REALLY UNDERSTOOD AND ACCEPTED AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC LONG BEFORE AMERICA REALLY DID IN THE 21ST CENTURY. THEY HELPED INITIATE THE ELECTRO CRAZE, THE NEW WAVE CRAZE, ETC. ETC. SOME EUROPEANS EVEN KNOW AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC THAN THEY DO IN AMERICA, BELIEVE DAT. AND WHAT ARE YOU SAYING, TELLING ME THAT ACID HOUSE WAS BORN IN CHICAGO? DUH! THAT CITY HAS A LARGE AFRICAN AMERICAN POPULATION, AND, LIKE I SAID EARLIER, HOUSE IS A DIRECT DESCENDENT OF DISCO, AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC. DUH THAT HOUSE (AND ITS SUBGENRE ACID HOUSE) WAS BORN IN CHICAGO. I NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT CHICAGO OR THAT (DUH) IT WAS INVENTED BY AN AFRICAN AMERICAN ANYWAYS. GUESS WHAT...JUST AS TECHNO CAME FROM HOUSE, IT WAS STARTED IN DETROIT.

That's cause acid didn't even exist "back then". The term 'acid' came from a bass synthesizer called the Roland TB-303 that was invented in 1982. It's purpose was to emulate a real bass guitar but was a flop...at least until DJ Pierre got his fingers on it and started twisting the knobs while it was playing. The sound that is generated by this little silver box sounded really bubbly like acid (hence the name). Phuture synced the TB-303 up to their drum machines and BAM! Acid House was born. The sound was so amazing and fresh that it was givin its own genre, Acid House. The bassline used in "Set You Free" and many, many other George Acosta tracks, was a Roland TB-303. I'm not saying that a TB-303 can't be used in a freestyle track, cause it definitly can. I have used mine in a few freestyle tracks, but I'm sure freestyle was not on George Acosta's mind when this track was created. He just got really lucky that the song got the recognition that it did.

WHOA. SLOW DOWN, I SAID ACID HOUSE BLEW UP IN THE LATE 80S (HOUSE POPULARIZED BY 1985/86). YOU'RE THE ONE WHO TALKED ABOUT ACID AND ITS PIONEER PHUTURE "BACK THEN" IN THE EARLY TO MID-80S. TOO BAD. LIKE I SAID, IF ANY SONG COMBINES A PLANET ROCK BEAT, IT'S EITHER ELECTRO OR FREESTYLE AND PLANET SOUL'S SOUND HAS THAT MAJOR DRIVING BEAT THAT GOT THE ATTENTION, ESP. IN "PLANET SOUL" (RARE INSTANCES WILL IT NOWADAYS BE ACCPETED AS HIP HOP ALTHOUGH "PLANET SOUL" DID CHART ON THE BILLBOARD BLACK CHARTS IN ITS NAMED FORM AS ELECTRO OR FREESTYLE-SUCH AS DEBBIE DEB DID WHEN SHE HIT WITH "LOOKOUT WEEKEND" AND "WHEN I HEAR MUSIC"). HOUSE, ORIGINALLY, SHARES ALMOST THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS OF DISCO. BREAKBEAT IS TRULY HIP HOP, FREESTYLE, ELECTRO, AND BASS/BOOTY BASS-ANYTHING HIP-HOP SOUNDING (SYNCOPATION IS AN AFRICAN MUSIC ELEMENT), EVEN JUNGLE/D&B, TRIP-HOP, ETC. THE DOMINATING FACTOR IS WHAT COUNTS. IF YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE A TRACK WITH THE INTENTION OF NOT WANTING TO SOUND TOO MUCH LIKE A DIFFERENT GENRE SUCH AS ELECTRO OR FREESTYLE, THEN STAY AWAY FROM ELECTRO AND AFRIKA BAMBAATA (ONE OF THE MOST SAMPLED IN HIP HOP NEXT TO JAMES BROWN). AND WHAT ARE ALL THESE TERMS COMING UP-"FLORIDA BREAKS"/"MIAMI BREAKS". THAT'S JUST MASKING BASS AND FREESTYLE THAT ONCE REIGNED SUPREME (JUST AS HOW WHITES MASKED ROCK N ROLL AND COUNTRY TO LABEL IT AS THEIR OWN MUSIC WHEN IN TRUTH IT'S MOST HEAVILY INFLUENCE WAS AFRICAN AM-IN FACT, COUNTRY IS A DESENDANT OF BLUEGRASS, FOLK, ETC, AFIRCAN AMERICAN MUSIC.