Cities that are not Boston and may or may not be better.

[vanshnookenraggen]

Oh you trolls.

 

[kennedy]

I feel like Europe would have raves that put any North American city to shame. aOm, you certainly have an interesting taste in music. I don't know much about the history of my favorites, but I know most of them come from NYC. Well, Cleveland too. Kid Cudi, Jay-Z, Ratatat, Peter Bjorn and John, Spoon, Vampire Weekend, Talib Kweli, Matt & Kim, and MSTRKRFT have dominated my playlists lately (if you cared to know).

Regardless: can cities really be judged on how much original music comes out of them, or should they be judged on how their venues, populations, and environments attract established musicians? No artist on tour would think to skip NYC in favor of a less vibrant city, even if said hypothetical city had more "original" artists. Just my opinion.

 

[Ron Newman]

If you judge US cities solely by that criterion, NYC would be joined near the top by: Austin, Nashville, Chicago, New Orleans.

 

[armpitsOFmight]

Kennedy, are you smoking something good tonight? MSTRKRFT is from Toronto not NYC!!!!!

 

[kennedy]

If you judge US cities solely by that criterion, NYC would be joined near the top by: Austin, Nashville, Chicago, New Orleans.

Never solely by that criterion, but it should be a factor in judging cities (obviously, nightlife is a big part of what makes a city, a city). I'm just saying that the actual performances on a regular basis are more important than where performers trace their roots.

Kennedy, are you smoking something good tonight? MSTRKRFT is from Toronto not NYC!!!!!

I know, those weren't necessarily NYC musicians, just those which I've been listening to recently. Hence, the "if you cared to know" clause.

 

[GW2500]

Armpits, Detroit's real sound is the awsome motown. Songs that people still play and listen to 40 - 50 years later. I really don't thik that anyone will be listening to a popular 2010 electronic song in 2020. It's a lesser form of music that has a very high glowstick-swinging ducebag following.

 

[Ron Newman]

People still listen to Kraftwerk, which was electronic music from the 1970s.

 

[kennedy]

Yeah, man, don't hate on music just because it's recent. I respect Motown like anyone else, but people who continually shit on new music are obnoxious. Makes you sound like a snob. You've got a point, that there sheer volume of music being produced makes it easier for talentless artists to make it big, but technology has also allowed a lot of brilliant musicians to come under the radar and really expand musical horizons.

All this talk about music makes me wish Boston had some sort of music festival to call it's own. Something like a Coachella for the Northeast. Hosted on the Common? Or maybe down by Fan Pier, to bring some life? The Greenway? Just a weekend-long party with tons of awesome live performances.

 

[armpitsOFmight]

SF has a yearly dance music (love) parade Woot!!!

Movement: Detroit's electronic music festival 60,000+ people take over downtown Detroit for a weekend and dance their asses off (their official website is down right now). I really want to dance with Robocop!

I'd love to see a love parade come to Boston for a day. Maybe it could coincide with the pride parade for the first few years so NIMBYs like GW don't get pissed off and try to shut it down.

Just a thought, but I know alot of you guys think a city is more than just buildings and urban planning. Why isn't there a section dedicated to event planning on this site? Events like these also help define a city's arts & culture scene.

 

[GW2500]

I'd be the last guy to stop a music festival. Berklee's seems to be getting stronger every year. But electronic music is something I don't care for, there's too much point drag and clicking on computer software and not enough of playing instruments. A lot of it dosn't even have melodies, so it's just a danceable beat, which sure is fun at a party, but it's not like I'd really be listening to the music.

Listened to Kraftwerk, I found it cheesy really don't think it gets requested that much.

 

[kennedy]

Just a thought, but I know alot of you guys think a city is more than just buildings and urban planning. Why isn't there a section dedicated to event planning on this site? Events like these also help define a city's arts & culture scene.

Brilliant. Perhaps as a subforum to General Architecture & Urban Planning? I think we pretty much use the "General" subforum to satisfy all of our culture posts, but I think it could use a dedicated section. I don't think I've ever used the actual "Events" section of the website. A section dedicated to the culture of cities would definitely be a hit for me. Post music events, sociological observations, art installations...the things that make a city a really great place to be.

But electronic music is something I don't care for, there's too much point drag and clicking on computer software and not enough of playing instruments. A lot of it dosn't even have melodies, so it's just a danceable beat, which sure is fun at a party, but it's not like I'd really be listening to the music.

What kind of electronic music have you been listening to? Give Ratatat a try, they combine live guitar with synthesizers and occasionally an MC to create some awesome sound. They aren't DJs or mash-up artists (like Girl Talk or Super Mash Bros.) - they create their own music. My favorites are ("Seventeen Years," "Loud Pipes," "Gettysburg," "Tacobel Canon," and "Kennedy" are my favorite tracks. Check out their album Classics).

 

[czsz]

Oh yay a free for all thread about Canadian cities and American cities' music scenes (?) with a title that could include anything!

So here's my $0.02 about Vancouver: how does anyone justify calling Downtown Eastside a "slum" compared to such U.S. locales as Camden, NJ, Gary, Ind., or East St. Louis? Canada, call me when you have a real ghetto, and not just a slightly disheveled skid row.

Oh, and KRAFTWERK REGELT IMMER JA!!!

 

[kennedy]

Yeah, from pictures I've seen, I can't imagine a slum in Vancouver being worse than the East Side of St. Louis. That place is a hellhole.

 

[armpitsOFmight]

Speaking of the motherfuckin devil

Boston's having an Electronic Music Festival this entire week!!

Even our mayor has given his sign of approval!! This is one step closer to getting a love parade! I already have a potential route picked out; Forest Hills station -> South St -> South Huntington Ave -> Huntington Ave -> Mass Ave -> Boylston St -> Tremont St -> Party @ City Hall

Picture this shit here in Boston.

I chose this one because of SF's street rails and overhead wires. I know all of you get wet dreams when you see rails.

Even the boring rock guys can come and have a good time!

Density!

Even the guy on the back of the float is having fun!

SF's City Hall

This event is what makes a city a city.

 

[Ron Newman]

What you're describing already exists, with very different music, in the form of the Caribbean Carnival parade in last August. Cambridge has one too, in September.

 

[armpitsOFmight]

What you're describing already exists, with very different music, in the form of the Caribbean Carnival parade in last August. Cambridge has one too, in September.

Ron, I know it's Sunday, but you really need to focus on your reading comprehension. I never said that Boston doesn't have parades, I said we don't have a LOVE parade. It works for SF and brings in money and it can work for Boston too.

 

[kennedy]

What is this LOVE parade? Free love hippies? Isn't that just April 20th on the Common?

We need a Boston version of Austin City Limits. Except, it should be Boston Inner City. Weekend-long event. Perhaps it could coincide with another event, but it should not be restricted to single genre, and personally, I've never been a fan of parades.

 

[Ron Newman]

I didn't say we have a Love parade, but we do have a huge parade where people dance in the street behind floats with live bands and recorded music, often quite scantily-clad. Because the parade is in Roxbury rather than (say) Back Bay, a lot of Bostonians don't even know it exists.

 

[czsz]

What is this LOVE parade?

Techno and topless girls, generally.

I wouldn't get too psyched about this excitement coming to Boston in conjunction with this electronic music festival, so long as it's held in February.

 

[armpitsOFmight]

Love Parade

And there are many genres of Dance music that you can listen to at this event:

-Drum & Bass
-House
-Trance
-Techno
-Happy Hardcore
-Dubstep
-Psy-Trance

There's something for everybody!