Clean or Christian Techno

Wait? What?!? Skillet rocks! Sure, frontman John Cooper's voice may have an edge in it that doesn't appeal to everyone, but he isn't screaming in every song. For every flat-out no holds barred song like "Savior" and "Obsession" there are "relaxed" ballads, such as "Rest" and "You Are My Hope." There probably isn't another Christian band out there that has been more diversified in its offerings. Skillet has explored nearly every sub-genre of rock sans nu metal (which isn't necessarily a bad thing).

As for Toby Mac, it'd be nice if DC Talk came back for another round. It's cool to see "Slam" attached to the trailer of a secular movie. It was kind of funny to read a review on Toby Mac's "Welcome to Diverse City," I didn't realize just how similar "Slam" was to POD's "Boom" until the critic pointed it out.
 
yeah i just dont like i guess, John Cooper's voice cus, its sounds bad lol. I would rather listen to Switchfoot or Relient k, cus there singers are really good. I just cant stand his voice. As for the DC Talk thing, yeah i would like to see them come back again, they were awsome.
 
MASH 4077 said:
As for the DC Talk thing, yeah i would like to see them come back again, they were awsome.
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DC Talk > all other Christian music, at least in terms of raw musical skill.

"Socially Acceptable," "Free At Last," "What Have We Become," "The Truth," "Supernatural"--the list of skillfully created tracks goes on and on. I would put DCT up against any mainstream secular group (granted, that's not a very high standard, nowadays) in terms of lyrical and production quality. Most modern artists who attempt to deliver a social message (and the number of artists doing so is far, far fewer than what it once was) usually come off as pompous, lacking conviction, or big whiners.

Anyone hard the DC Talk remix of Atmosphere on Toby Mac's new CD? I could take or leave the rest of the album, but that track proves that DC Talk still rocks.

EDIT: This may be one of the few times I publicly voice my opinion on music of any kind. Disagree with me if you feel so inclined, but please be nice. ^^
 
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IceBladePOD said:
Wait? What?!? Skillet rocks! Sure, frontman John Cooper's voice may have an edge in it that doesn't appeal to everyone, but he isn't screaming in every song. For every flat-out no holds barred song like "Savior" and "Obsession" there are "relaxed" ballads, such as "Rest" and "You Are My Hope."
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I don't mind Savior so much, but I just don't like it when he tries to sing, I don't mind gruff voices at all, I just don't like his :p

Tek7 said:
DC Talk > all other Christian music, at least in terms of raw musical skill.

"Socially Acceptable," "Free At Last," "What Have We Become," "The Truth," "Supernatural"--the list of skillfully created tracks goes on and on. I would put DCT up against any mainstream secular group (granted, that's not a very high standard, nowadays) in terms of lyrical and production quality. Most modern artists who attempt to deliver a social message (and the number of artists doing so is far, far fewer than what it once was) usually come off as pompous, lacking conviction, or big whiners.

Anyone hard the DC Talk remix of Atmosphere on Toby Mac's new CD? I could take or leave the rest of the album, but that track proves that DC Talk still rocks.

EDIT: This may be one of the few times I publicly voice my opinion on music of any kind. Disagree with me if you feel so inclined, but please be nice. ^^
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lol? Production? Maybe. Raw musical skill? Definately not. Go here http://fireprooftunes.bizhat.com/fireproof_tunes18.htm and listen to Saviour Machine, Ballydowse, Five Iron Frenzy (Dandelions, A New Hope, and One Girl Army seem to be their best songs lyrically on there), Frost Like Ashes (if you're not afraid of some metal listen to these guys for instrumental talent), Havalina Rail Co (get Russian Lullabies, it's amazing), Pedro The Lion, Tourniquet (more of that intense stuff, instrumentally impressive), Virgin Black, and there's alot of others that I would show you but aren't hosted anywhere on the internet. Anyway, I guess I'm sort of getting out of line here, but DC Talk isn't even close to the best christian band musical skill wise. I do love them though because I was sort of brought up on them. Anyway, listen to what you like, that's what I do. Don't listen to anything I say, that's just my taste in music.
 
Tek7 said:
DC Talk > all other Christian music, at least in terms of raw musical skill.
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Gotta agree with Tek here, at least in some regards. DCT, for a time, was definitely top dog in the christian contemporary music world. Their productions values were tight, they were lyrically deep and nimble, and had a fan base across ages, races and borders.

If DCT can be faulted for anything, it would be musical originallity. DCT basically aped, emulated, sampled, "homaged" and essentially ripped off whatever the popular music style of the day happened to be. Compare "Jesus Freak" to Nivana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit", or "That Kind of Girl" with any Bel Biv Devoe track. Toby seems to have continued the tradition, doing that whole nu metal/rap rock thing.

But they were great lyricists and they knew how to write a good pop song. Anybody can write a punk song - that's what punk's all about after all; power chords, DIY, anybody can grab gitar and rock out, etc. - but to write a pop song that can get stuck in your head for weeks on end...that takes REAL musical skill.

DCT provided an christian alternative to a generation of kids who wanted comtemporary stylings with a christian core, and DCT was insanely sucessful at doing it. Fault them for not being original musically, but don't fault them for being a pop band.

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re: electronica...while Kraniac's correct about the use of the term, and it's a good catch all term, "electronica" as a word for electronic music actually originated as a marketing word from music press and major labels. They used it to describe everything from the rock 'n breaks of The Prodigy to the stadium thump of Underworld to the dark, moody musings of Portishead.

"Electronica" was going to be the "next big thing" after grunge went belly up. While The Prodigy, Chemical Bros, Underworld and others (Propellerheads, Crystal Method, Fat Boy Slim...funny how a lot of these bands were filed under "big beat" back in the UK) gained some success in the main stream and found a home in the record crates of alternative rock djs (at least that's what happened here in Canada), the faceless, egoless nature of the music didn't quite wash with the masses, who were use to photogenic front men and lyrics, not geeky white guys hiding behind lots of gear.

But then 3 teenagers came along with a little ditty called "Mmmm-bop" and the rest is boy/girl band history...so much for the electronica revolution.

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I promised myself I'd keep this short, but I'm failing... :p

Kraniac, I can't believe you didn't mention Andy Hunter, current poster boy for all christian electronic music. And you also didn't shill for Tasty Fresh, a website dedicated to all things that intersect between christianity and club culture. (Be sure to check out the forums for dj mixes, internet radio stations and indie productions, plus lots of other recommendations on christian artists). What kind of community booster are you? ;) :rolleyes: (Thx for the props, BTW)

Other christian artists: Look for Hydro (no link, because they don't exist anymore), a UK techno/trance/breaks outfit from a few years back. Andy Hunter used to be their studio assistant. They have two albums, Spiritualisation and Aborgination, the latter being the better of the two.

I also understand that A Skillz, of the dynamic dj duo of Krafty Kuts and A Skillz, is a christian, although they produce mostly old school party in the park family block party hip hop heavily informed by New York in the 70's.

You can also check Uberzone, a christian (at least I believe he is) doing his techy breaks thing from within secular club culture, and BT, who isn't a christian but is very spiritually minded and makes fantastic epic house/trance/nu skool breaks/lots of other stuff.

And I will also second Kraniac's recommendations of Hybrid, Theivery Corp and the Verve Remixed series.

K, c'est ca for now...have fun exploring all those different groups!
 
I mentioned Tasty Fresh to him talking on Xfire one time. Besides, some of the stuff there is the reason Christian electronica gets such a bad reputation.

I dropped the ball on Andy Hunter, though. Totally slipped my mind. I just got his new album too. It's only six songs :confused:, and it's obvious that since "Go" became such a big hit, he's limiting his generally broad range of artistic output to just songs in the same style that "Go" was. His first album, Exodus, is definitely a good call, though.
 
I was gonna mention Andy Hunter, but I forgot. I have his 1st CD, but not his new EP. I heard some samples on his site though and it sounded pretty cool.
 
Sorry for double posting.

My mother sometimes requests burned compilation CDs that she can listen to at work. She likes to sing a lot and she says that unless she listens to instrumental music she gets distracted by singing. Anyway, she asked for another one recently, and I had an idea kicking around in my head to try making a normal, hour-long DJ mix, except using audio editing, mash-up style, instead of using the usual turntables and mixer setup. I don't own turntables and I don't profess to be a DJ or have any mixing skills, but I think this turned out nicely. It's not meant to be a cutting-edge set or have all the latest tracks on it. In fact, it's got a few that are five or six years old, or "overplayed," so don't expect this to be state-of-the-art. It's about 1.25 hours of 132 BPM breaks. It's got tracks from some of the bands I mentioned though, and that's why I'm putting a link here even though I'm not mentioning it on the website. Think of it as a few of my favorite tracks from 1997 to present-day that have been mixed as an experimental application of Acid Pro.

It's got tracks from The Crystal Method, Elite Force, DJ Icey, Bassplugger, Adam Freeland, Orbital, and Ming + FS. The low quality one is 64 bitrate, the high quality one is 96. Enjoy.

Enjoy the FM radio quality version, at a slim and trim 34 MB.

Go for the hard stuff and get the near-CD quality, 51 MB version in wanton disregard of bandwidth. You rebel, you.
 
kraniac said:
I mentioned Tasty Fresh to him talking on Xfire one time. Besides, some of the stuff there is the reason Christian electronica gets such a bad reputation.
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Hehe...ouch. True, but ouch. :)

kraniac said:
I dropped the ball on Andy Hunter, though. Totally slipped my mind. I just got his new album too. It's only six songs :confused:, and it's obvious that since "Go" became such a big hit, he's limiting his generally broad range of artistic output to just songs in the same style that "Go" was. His first album, Exodus, is definitely a good call, though.
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I haven't heard the new "EP" (hence only 6 songs) all the way though, but the one track I did hear was full of vocals and was a banging epic house track, much different than his Tiesto/Underworld inspired musings on Exodus. Perhaps the tracks sound similar to "Go" because they're B-Sides from Exodus, or built upon ideas that would have gone on Exodus but didn't make the cut.

I'll let it "go" this time (pun intended)...but if he does it a third time...

It's not meant to be a cutting-edge set or have all the latest tracks on it. In fact, it's got a few that are five or six years old, or "overplayed," so don't expect this to be state-of-the-art.
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Don't ever let anybody tell you a track is "overplayed" or dated because it's 5 or 6 years old. If it fits the mix, use it. Granted, some tracks can be "killed" by radio or djs who just play the song where every they go. (That Phil Collins sampling "Call On Me" house track is a perfect example) But just because you've heard a track a million times doesn't mean everybody else has.

It's one thing to be a DJ who spins only the lastest tunes from the past month; but it takes a much more skilled and knowledgable DJ to figure out how to lead into an old rave up ditty with something that came out yesterday, and then add context by dropping into the original 80's disco song that both tracks sampled. That, to me, is much more imperssive, more skillful, more surprising, and in the end, more entertaining, then the guy who's just playing the top 10 of the day.

Anyways, I've downloaded yer mix 'n I'm listening now...digging it so far. :) Tracklist?

And I *love* Elite Force! :)
 
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I meant that I don't have the largest collection to mix from. Lots of tracks that I enjoy are vinyl only. Besides, I did this in one evening.

Tracklist:

The Crystal Method - Bad-ss Community Service II iTunes exclusives
Elite Force - Hi>5 RGB: Green
Sarah Vaughan - Fever (Adam Freeland remix) Verve Remixed 3
Bassplugger - Counterflow RGB: Green
DJ Icey - Slake Different Day
Ming + FS - Hellion Wipeout XL Soundtrack
Orbital - You Lot Blue Album (I edited a bit of cursing out of this one but you shouldn't notice unless you've heard the original and are listening carefully)
DJ Icey - The Future Different Day
Bassplugger - Counterflow RGB: Green
The Crystal Method - Bound Too Long (Hyper remix) CS II iTunes exclusives
DJ Icey - 5th Dimension A Little Louder, B-side
The Crystal Method - Starting Over (Elite Force remix) CS II iTunes exclusives (I added a homemade drum track to the end to smooth the transition)
Elite Force - Cross The Line Wipeout XL Soundtrack
Evil Nine - Cakehole Single (This one was also on Community Service 1)

The two tracks from the Wipeout XL soundtrack are exclusive to the game and never saw release, but I loved them both so much that I was able to track down the soundtrack on the internet to find them. The last two tracks are done in a bit of a mash-up style since I liked how the synth hits from Cakehole sounded over the other track. :eek:

I wanted to mix in Melodik Hypnotik by Elite Force, and maybe Pants from Orbital, but I ran out of space. One of the stipulations was that it had to fit on a CD.
 
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Tek7 said:
DC Talk > all other Christian music, at least in terms of raw musical skill.

"Socially Acceptable," "Free At Last," "What Have We Become," "The Truth," "Supernatural"--the list of skillfully created tracks goes on and on. I would put DCT up against any mainstream secular group (granted, that's not a very high standard, nowadays) in terms of lyrical and production quality. Most modern artists who attempt to deliver a social message (and the number of artists doing so is far, far fewer than what it once was) usually come off as pompous, lacking conviction, or big whiners.

Anyone hard the DC Talk remix of Atmosphere on Toby Mac's new CD? I could take or leave the rest of the album, but that track proves that DC Talk still rocks.

EDIT: This may be one of the few times I publicly voice my opinion on music of any kind. Disagree with me if you feel so inclined, but please be nice. ^^
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I have to agree here. Although there are many many talented and creative artists/groups, DC Talk is one of the earliest, and longest running christian groups (not saying that there arent many others). There are other bands that I like more, but I do have to give DC Talk a thumbs up. I've heard that song, I like it!
 
Heh, I bought Wipeout XL a really long time ago for 2 bucks. I ripped the soundtrack right away, but I don't see those two songs, did you mean they weren't on the soundtrack or just that the artists never released them anywhere else? Maybe they're just on the PSX version of the game, I have the PC version.
 
A bit off topic, but if anyone is into hardcore/metalcore/grindcore or whatever it is they call metal stuff nowadays, Facedown Records is a christian label, and the latest cd I got from one of their bands (Bloodlined Calligraphy) is just spectacular. Best female vocalist I have heard in a metal band ever. Also, for you metalheads, Symphony in Peril is most excellent. I'm a big fan of them. I'm still kinda looking for more to replace my not-so-wholesome metal collection, working on editing out some vocals just so I can have some sick instrumentals to rock out to.
 
That's what I'm into, when I first heard them talking about "Happy Hardcore" I got all confused. Facedown records is awesome, BLC is sweet, that girls vocals are amazing. Have you tried Nodes of Ranvier and Shockwave on that label?
 
Nah I haven't heard them, but hopefully I'll have enough money this week or next to order the Facedown Fest 2004 DVD. None of their bands ever come around here, but BLC is playing a show *in* a church near where I used to live.
 
Sorry, I had a brain fart. That's Wipeout Pure, not Wipeout XL (although Pure does have a few racetracks that were on XL). It's considerably easier to get songs off a CD or CD-ROM than it is to get them off of a UMD. :eek:
 
blackgravity said:
Nah I haven't heard them, but hopefully I'll have enough money this week or next to order the Facedown Fest 2004 DVD. None of their bands ever come around here, but BLC is playing a show *in* a church near where I used to live.
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I envy you. I doubt I will ever see BLC live. Unless at some point in my life I end up moving back to Michigan or go to Cornerstone (hopefully next year).
kraniac said:
Sorry, I had a brain fart. That's Wipeout Pure, not Wipeout XL (although Pure does have a few racetracks that were on XL). It's considerably easier to get songs off a CD or CD-ROM than it is to get them off of a UMD. :eek:
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Ahh, yeah, that explains it. They probably just ran a wire from the sound output on the PSP to a the line in on the PC and used windows sound recorder or something. Because I don't have any idea how they would be able to get it off the UMD itself.
 
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