Creative Family Tree

 One Inspiration for me (as seen on my creative family tree) is The Beastie Boys. I consider them to be some of the founding fathers of not just modern hip-hop music, but modern music as a whole. The Beastie Boys can be credited for pulling rap music into the mainstream, the creation of modern sampling, and pioneering genre-blending. These tactics are all extremely prevalent in today's world of music that is dominated by electronic production. 

This got me thinking about what inspired the Beastie Boys to dive into the world of electronic production, and this led me to Kraftwerk. I can't say that I was unfamiliar with Kraftwerk before this project. I knew who they were, and that they recently got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. However, one thing that I did not realize about the group was the influence that they had on modern music production.

I think a good place to start is by giving a short intro into who, and what Kraftwerk is. They are a German band that is credited with being the creators of the electronic music genre. They were founded in 1969 and popularized the use of synthesizers, drum machines, and other electronic instruments in music. They have a wide range of work that consists of everything from techno, synth-pop, and dance, to hip hop. In 2021 they were inducted into the rock and roll HOF in the early influence category.

While I worked on my project, I listened to a Kraftwerk greatest hits compilation on YouTube. I had never really listened to them before, but I can see why they are considered early influencers. I do not think that it is an understatement to say that these guys hold an influence on almost every major artist today. They invented electronic production. Every rap song that you have ever heard was inspired by them. In my research, I found an interview with LL Cool J and Jay-Z where they credited Kraftwerk for the creation of rap beats. I also know that Run DMC, one of the greatest Hip-Hop groups of all time, holds Kraftwerk at the top of their list of influences. Every pop song has a little bit of Kraftwerk in it as well because they created the house synth sound that you might hear in a Calvin Harris song. Every synth-wave and new wave song from the 80s has a piece of them in it also. 

One song that stuck out to me was called “Das Model”. The song was released in 1978, and if you didn't know that, you would probably say that it was released five years later. Everything that Kraftwerk made just sounds like it is before its time, which I believe shows the influence that these guys have on music. Some of their discographies include music that is still popular today (or at least more recently than 1978) including Pump That Bass by Lil Wayne (producers of the backtrack for the song), Dooo It! By Miley Cyrus, and Light Your Ass On Fire by Pharell Williams. 

My honest opinion of Kraftwerk is this: are they musicians that I hold in high regard because of their contribution to modern music? Yes. Are they a group whose influence has inspired me? Also yes. Would I go out of my way to listen to them? Probably not. I am not going to pretend like their music was something that I thoroughly enjoyed because it wasn't. That being said, some of the elements in their music were truly impressive. Like I said earlier, a lot of songs you hear today have sounds that they created in them. However, Their music as a whole was pretty weird and just wasn't my cup of tea. 

Even though their music as a whole was not to my taste, I still think that they are definitely worth stealing from, and I think that it is safe to say that I have already stolen from them before. The main genres of music that I produce are electronic trap, Hip-Hop, and lo-fi music. A Lot of what I heard from them almost sounded like a lo-fi beat with some added weirdness to it. I also think that things like the 808 base can be credited indirectly to them. They popularized drum machines, and 808s came from drum machines, and they are something that I use(d) in pretty much every song I create or have created in the past. The last thing that I found interesting about their music is the use of distortion. I traditionally prefer smooth sounds over distorted ones, but there were a few sounds that I enjoyed, and will probably try to recreate. A good example comes from the song Autobahn around 4 minutes in. They distort what sounds like high hats and layered them over the bass to make a pulsing sound. 

To wrap everything up, going down a rabbit hole can be extremely interesting. Finding out who influenced your influencer is a good way to find a creative spark. I have always been a fan of the Beastie Boys, so it was cool to read about what inspired them to create what they did. I also found it interesting to hear the origin of some of the sounds they used when listening to Kraftwerk. All in all, knowing a little more history about a band that influenced me is something that I think will help me in the future. 

910 words A workload. 

(Part 3) Link to created project: 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qmgrbu3jaj862b9/Nami%27s%20Theme%20Remix%20.wav?dl=0