generation glam pop
I label this mix of music glam pop because of its musical and creative affinity to the UK new wave movement of the 1970s and 80s. In the same way that British artists from this period aligned an eccentric image of flamboyant and androgynous media personas with a dark reinterpretation of popular music, the artists featured in this mix offer an alternative to commercialized hip hop and electronic dance music that weaves familiar sounds into experimental digital signal processing and recording techniques met with an attitude of youth and generationalism.
Interestingly, this new North American glam pop also relates to the British new wave in terms of overall sound. Located somewhere at the intersection of synth pop, experimental industrial music, r & b, and techno, these artists--mostly from Atlanta, Chicago, and New York--deploy a colorful fusion of electronic style production, acoustic instrumental loops, and industrial special effects reminicent of collectives like the Art of Noise, On-U Sound, and Kraftwerk. Their music is fun, warm, poppy, and accessible, but also dwells in synth, bass and low-end frequencies, and ominous electronic and mechanical tones in a way that makes you feel like you're a robot in some perennial underground factory where labor never stops.
While listening to the below tracks, you'll notice a wide range of musical styles, so much so that the overarching relationship between tracks can at times seem opaque. But as you move from Δbra's lo-fi electronica, to Trinidad Jame$' ambient music, to Keef's avant-garde hip hop, to DEJ Loaf's lazy part-rap-part-r&b gangster anthems, and end at Father and Ethereal's dark, psychadelic productions, listen for commonalities in the form of an obsessive relationship between artist and synthesizer, a purposeful mix of electronically processed music and live instrumentation, and an overall feeling of and commitment to experimentation throughout. Generation glam pop y'all! Check it:
| 0:00 | "Roses xoxo" - Δbra - (2015) |
| 3:38 | "June 29th" - michaeluzowuru - (2015) |
| 6:48 | "Joker" - Jean Grae - #5 |
| 10:05 | "Lost In My Dreams" - Trinidad Jame$ - The Wake Up EP |
| 12:43 | "Room 302 (feat. Tink)" - Future Brown - Future Brown |
| 15:40 | "Diamonds & Gold" - Δbra - (2014) |
| 19:20 | "Water Me - Theophilus London (remix)" - Martin $ky - Martin $ky Productions |
| 24:58 | "Fuck Nigga [prod. DoLan Beatz]" - Chief Keef - GloGang Presents: Mansion Musick |
| 29:53 | "Stacy Keibler" - Denishaze - (2014) |
| 32:53 | "Lil Earnhardt [prod. F1lthy]" - B L A C K K R A Y - (2015) |
| 35:54 | "Gone Today [prod. SpaceAgeWeezy]" - Zeus Trappin - (2015) |
| 38:51 | "Destiny [prod. SpaceAgeWeezy]" - SpaceAgeWeezy - (may 2015) |
| 43:02 | "Dead People (feat. Raury)" - Gucci Mane - (2014) |
| 46:03 | "Alone (feat. Alia Rose) [prod. JGramm, Detrakz & Cash Jordan) - Bric Baby Shitro - Nasty Dealer Mixtape |
| 49:45 | "Givin N' Takin (feat. Danny Seth & Dej Loaf)" - The Neighbourhood - #000000 & #ffffff |
| 53:31 | "Eyes Closed" - Indeed Face x Trinidad Jame$ - (2015) |
| 58:39 | "Scanner" - Gahm - In This Dark Room |
| 1:01:52 | "Try Me [prod. DDS] - Try Me - (2014) |
| 1:05:20 | "Wishing You Well [Prod. By Mike WiLL Made It]" - ILOVEMAKONNEN - (2014) |
| 1:09:58 | "Risk (feat. Alex Phoenix)" - Powers Plant - The Powers Pleasant Experience EP |
| 1:14:02 | "Styx (feat. Δbra & Father) [prod. Ethereal" - Awful Records - (2014) |