Might be alittle off topic, but I just wanted to know if anybody else but me and the rest of the interns here at universal have heard Ashanti’s new song Only U. I just wanna know if peeps is feelin it,cause tha album is droppin this DEC.
HOLLA BACK
I like the use of the Pro -53 (Prophet 5) by Native Instruments. It will make it much easier for anyone playing this live over trying to haul around an original Prophet.
That’s me! 
Are we playing the ignoring game? Anyway yall should up the site and take a listen. www.theincrecords.com
Nope, not ignoring you. Not all of us read this board every day, and some of us still have dial-up. I tried to listen to the clip but it kept stopping.
Hello,
My own opinion may be a bit biased, as I grew up during the seventies, before MTV and music videos, and l think that R&B/HipHop thats rooted in 70’s R&B has a sound that appeals more to me.
That sound is still widely present in urban music played in the UK.
The track “Rain on Me (remix)” in the video clips section has that vibe.
Its from a previous release however, the vibe on “Only U” has a more recent type of production sound that doesn’t appeal to me.
Most forms of art, when they first emerge are experimental and highly innovative and as they become more mainstream and corporate- appropriated, they take on a sound thats formulaic, like its made from a recipe. This is influenced by the fact that many artistic decisions in the biz are made by bean counters and lawyers, not the artists themselves.
This has occured not only in R&B/HipHop, but in Prog rock, Jazz fusion, and other art forms.
Some of the more innovative acts in R&B/Hiphop have gone back to playing instruments like the Fender Rhodes, clavinet, Minimoog, Wurly, electric bass, live drums, and other classic instruments in combination with more recent technology (like MPC’s, drum loops, etc.) to get an old-school/new school mix in their sound. Among these are Mos Def, Usher, Public Enemy, MeShell Ndegeocello, Macy Gray, DeAngelo, and others.
I haven’t heard any of the other tracks on Ashanti’s new cd yet, so I
can’t give much of an opinion, other than that one track.
The industry tends to be more vested in selling image (and consumer items) through videos, than having writers that produce exceptional material for young vocalists.
Best Regards,
LWG
My birthday today and 1 year since I received the Voyager!
Anyone else think that Dr. Dre is a legend? I really like his work!
Hello,
Much of his earlier work and west coast rap in particular, drew very heavily from samples and sounds from mid-seventies funk. Many of the basslines and effects are patterned after the sounds Bernie Worrell used on his Minimoog D.
The “Compton Lead” preset in the Voyager’s soundset is an example of
the sounds that you heard being done on the Mini D by by Bernie over twenty years ago that a younger generation has discovered and is using in a more modern context.
Happy Birthday. Btw: Someone gave you the Voyager for your B’day?..
I never got presents like that. 
Regards,
LWG
How do you know it’s NI Pro53 and not a real Prophet 5?
Dre is the shit, thank god for Snoop for really bringing back the Moog from the 80’s and Ashanti chews ass. The US pop music market makes me absolutely sick. Cheers! HIMMM
Er…?
HRx