Having to organize your music collection into various genres is an anal undertaking. But the rewards of completing such task far outweighs the trouble of going through your mp3s and putting them into pre-set folders. Question arises about albums. What if we download or even rip the album's contents without missing a single track? What if we find the cover's artwork so striking, we wish to see it emblazoned on each album folder?
Much as I would like to enlighten you with a plausible answer, the truth must come first. I have never copied or stole an entire music album nor am I planning to do one in the near future. Adhering to my policy of "music sampling," not all songs penned by a music artist will please my ears. Rather than waste megabytes of disk space on some tunes I will not hear, I let other mp3 files take their place instead.
Meanwhile, here is the final five genres that make up my library.
11. Club Electronica
Electronic dance music traces its origins from disco and new wave sounds. It relies heavily on electronic instruments such as synthesizers, drum machines and sequencers. The music is largely produced by disc jockeys, whose intention is to produce beats that could be played continuously in a set. Heard in night clubs and select radio stations, the sole purpose of this sound is for people to dance.
Known by its previous reincarnation as techno, electronic dance music branched into different sub-genres we know today. Some examples include House, which is the direct descendant of disco and Trance, whose seamless melodies leave its listener in a state of emotion so intense that one is carried beyond rational thought and self-control.
Club Electronica is the largest music collection in my library in terms of data size. Some songs incorporate complex audio layers and sonic textures that a single mp3 file could take up to 20 MB of disc space.
And while clubbing has been taken out of my system recently, the collection continues to grow. Fueled by my desire to maintain a healthy lifestyle, the sound from this collection has found other worthy uses.
Trivia:
- The workout will not reach its peak efficiency without club sounds to support my activity. The loud and hypnotic beats allow me to enter a state of trance, which kicks off the adrenalin rush. Others at the gym share this common belief. When there is a need to share my music with other weightlifters, my collection turns Eclipse into our mini-dance club.
- Every dance floor has a different anthem and a club has a distinctive sound that makes it unique. Years of bar hopping has let me identify some of the dance songs popularized by the clubs that became my home.
LaDida | Moody Inc - Find Another Love
Mint | Daft Punk - One More Time (Tribal Entity Remix)
Mister Piggys | French Affair - Sexy
BED Original | Who Da Funk - Shiny Disco Balls, Maya - First Time (Offer Nissim Remix)
Che-Lu | Ashlee Simpson - Outta My Head (Dave Audé Club Remix)
O-Bar | Chuckie feat Lmfao - Let the Bass Kick in Miami Beach
- In a debut party a decade ago, friends were asking why I don't dance with them. They were swaying their hips and raising their arms to Fatima Rainey's "Hey." I told the revelers that I only dance to techno. Eager to see me bust a move, they played Prodigy's "Breathe." Setting free my inhibition, I did a freestyle in front of them. When the song ended, no one spoke of my "pagwawala." It was also the last time they saw me dance.
12. Chill-Out - New Age
Plug your earphones and stretch your legs. Do not hesitate to slouch your back against a solid bench. You deserve to relax, even for a moment. And what better way to soothe your mood and calm your senses with chill-out music.
Known by its many names such as ambient, sunset, cafe del mar, and even meditative music, its effect is one and the same: Put the mind on a state of bliss and slow down the journey of synapses.
Chill-Out evolves from New Age. A genre that used to search the world for melodies seldom heard by western ears. Nowadays, Globalization carries these homegrown sounds across the globe. Remixing is not required, unless the sound is used to accentuate another sound. Fusing electronica and ethnic attracted a more mainstream audience during the past decade. The genre had soon outgrown its background music reputation.
The music, stripped to its barest essentials is its allure. Often delivered in breathy, repetitive vocals, songs from this genre captures the tranquility of minimalist sound. The genre's sizable presence in my music library provides a sharp balance to Club-Electronica. Life is not always a party after all.
Trivia
- Enya is one of my early musical influences. While plans are underway to write a separate blog entry for the artist, the eccentric lady from Ireland will always have a special place in my Chill-Out/New Age collection.
- Most of the mp3 files from this genre came from Café del Mar, Hed Kandi: Winter Chill and Buddha Bar series.
- World Music falls under this genre. French music along with Indian-western fusion are included in my collection.
- Favorite track: Chicane - No Ordinary Morning
- Hard to find songs: Cellar 55 - With or Without You, Lali Puna - Alienation (Alias Remix)