DU on Music Theory Print

Dub music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Name#

The use of the word dub in a recording context originated in the late 1920s with the advent of “talking pictures” and referred to adding a soundtrack to a film; it is an informal abbreviation of the word double. Over the next 40 years or so the term found its way into audio recording in general, often in the context of making a copy of a recording on another tape or disc. It was in this sense that the term was first used in the Jamaican recording industry: new recordings were often initially copied onto one-off acetate discs, known colloquially as soft wax or dub and later as dubplates, for exclusive use by sound system operators; playing a song as an exclusive recording on a sound system was a good way for a producer to test the potential popularity of a recording before committing to the pressing of hundreds or thousands of copies of singles for retail sale. Initially, these acetates would simply be the standard recording of a song that was yet to be released on a single; around 1968–69, however, they started to be exclusive mixes with some or all of the vocal mixed out. Producer Bunny Lee notes: Yeah… it was really VERSION those days it wasn’t dub yet beca’ it was jus’ the riddim. One day an incident: Ruddy’s (sound system operator Ruddy Redwood) was cutting dub, an when it start, Smithy (recording engineer Byron Smith) look like ‘im start bring on the voice and Ruddy’s say: no, mek it run and ‘im take the whole backing track off it. ‘Im say, alright, run it again, and put in the voice. ‘Im didn’t do no more like that yet. After describing how Redwood then had his deejay first play the vocal version and then the instrumental version at a dance, and how popular this novelty was, Lee continued: The next day now, ‘im start it and just bring in the riddim. Or… down in the tune, bring a little voice and drop it out again… yes. Ruddy use to handle that part himself, drop in the voice and drop it out. All Smithy do was cut the dub… It is possible that the existing use of the word dub for other meanings in Jamaica around the time of the music’s origin may have helped to cement its use in the musical context. The most frequent meanings referred to either a form of erotic dance or sexual intercourse; such usage is frequently present in names of reggae songs, for instance, of the Silvertones’ “Dub the Pum Pum” (where pum pum is Jamaican slang for female genitalia), Big Joe and Fay’s “Dub a Dawta” ( is Jamaican patois for daughter). I-Roy’s “Sister Maggie Breast” features several references on sex: I man a-dub it on the side Say little sister you can run but you can’t hide Slip you got to slide you got to open your crotches wide Peace and love abide However, all three of these songs were recorded after the use of dub for a style of remixing was already prevalent.

Dub poetry

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Political nature#

Dub poetry has been a vehicle for political and social commentary, with none of the braggadocio often associated with the dancehall. The odd love-song or elegy appears, but dub poetry is predominantly concerned with politics and social justice, commonly voiced through a commentary on current events (thus sharing these elements with dancehall and “conscious” or “roots” reggae music).

Notable albums#

Dub poetry has established itself as a major form of black popular art and its breakthrough was made through Linton Kwesi Johnson’s (LKJ)’s seminal album Dread Beat an’ Blood, which was released in the UK in 1978. Oku Onuora’s Reflection In Red in 1979 was the first Jamaican recording of a dub poem, followed by Lillian Allen’s Revolutionary Tea Party and Benjamin Zephaniah’s Rasta, both produced in 1983, and many others from the early 1980s onwards such as Anti Social Workers ‘Positive Style’ produced by leading dub producer The Mad Professor on Ariwa Records.

Dub techno

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Origins and evolution#

Dub techno appeared as a combination of two distinct musical movements: dub music from 1960s-1970s Jamaica and techno from 1980s Detroit area of the USA. Dub music evolved from reggae, characterized by slow tempo, instrumental remixes featuring heavy reverb, delay, deep bass and a laid-back, organic feel. Techno, pioneered by Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson in Detroit, used much faster-paced synthetic sounds and repetitive structures aimed at dance floors of nightclubs. By the early 1990s, these seemingly opposite genres morphed into an unlikely hybrid in Berlin, where the Fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet withdrawal created a surplus of cheap or abandoned properties. Which, in turn, attracted musicians, rave organizers and party goers in a city living a brief period of quasi anarchy, low costs of living and fertile ground for cultural experimentation. Although precise historical data are sparse, the foundational moment in dub techno came when Moritz von Oswald, a percussionist from Hamburg, moved to join that Berlin’s effervescent techno scene and met Mark Ernestus, who ran the Hard Wax record store there. In 1993, they formed Basic Channel, the duo credited with merging the echo-heavy production techniques of dub with the minimal structures of techno. Their early releases, first under the pseudonym of Maurizio, introduced a new sound, blending Detroit techno’s mechanical rhythms with the spacious, hypnotic effects of dub. Moritz von Oswald and Mark Ernestus later expanded on these musical ideas through projects like Burial Mix and Rhythm & Sound, which included collaborations with Caribbean vocalists from Jamaica and Dominica. These projects reissued early works in a new form, highlighting a historically rare, two-way relationship between European electronic music and Caribbean dub traditions, countering the more common practice of cultural appropriation by the First World Countries.

Dubstep

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics#

The music website AllMusic has described dubstep’s overall sound as “tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals.” According to Simon Reynolds, dubstep’s constituents originally came from “different points in the 1989—99 UK lineage: bleep ’n’ bass, jungle, techstep, Photek-style neurofunk, speed garage, and 2 step.” Dubstep is generally instrumental. Similar to a vocal garage hybrid – grime – the genre’s feel is commonly dark; tracks frequently use a minor key or the Phrygian mode, and can feature dissonant harmonies such as the tritone interval within a riff. Compared to other styles of garage music, dubstep tends to be more minimalistic, focusing on prominent sub-bass frequencies. Some dubstep artists have also incorporated a variety of outside influences, from dub-influenced techno such as Basic Channel to classical music or heavy metal. A softer and more melodic offshoot of dubstep, known as chillstep, also emerged in the late 2000s. It incorporates elements of ambient and chill out music.

Duet

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

When Mozart was young, he and his sister Marianne played a duet of his composition at a London concert in 1765. The four-hand, described as a duet, was in many of his compositions which included five sonatas; a set of variations, two performers and one instrument, and a sonata for two pianos. The first published sonata or duet was in 1777. In Renaissance music, a duet specifically intended as a teaching tool, to be performed by teacher and student, was called a bicinium (see Étude).

Duma (epic)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Origin#

First mention of the term “Duma” in the meaning of epic song comes from a Polish translation of the Bible published in Kraków in 1561. The word duma originates from Polish rather than from Ukrainian (or Ruthenian). The word duma was already used in Old Polish literature (Old Polish literature spanned from the medieval period through the Baroque era). Polish Dumas typically told of the deeds of a historical hero or an otherwise unknown person who had achieved something noteworthy. Its action was usually set in an atmospheric landscape and included reflections on the past. The style of the duma was simple, often drawing on elements of everyday speech. Later, Polish dumy were also written with elements of the supernatural—centered on meditations over knights’ graves, ruins, or nocturnal settings—as well as romantic dumy recounting the amorous adventures of knights. Poles used the word duma for their own ballades as well as foreign ballades (including Ukrainian ones), from very early on, Mikołaj Rej calling Ukrainian epics dumy. Some popular Polish dumy include “Duma o Żółkiewskim”, “Duma o Chodkiewiczu”, and “Duma Kamieniecka.” While the name ”duma” for Ukrainian epic songs is a Polonism (a word borrowed from Polish), the songs themselves do not derive from Polish literary or musical traditions. Ukrainian dumy constitute an indigenous oral-epic form rooted in the historical and social experience of the Cossack Hetmanate and transmitted by itinerant bards known as kobzari and bandurysty. In the early 19th century, the Russian poet Kondraty Ryleyev applied the term duma to historical or heroic songs in East Slavic culture, following his translation of Niemcewicz’s “Duma o Michale Glińskim” (“Duma about Michał Gliński”). This adaptation popularized the word across the Slavic literary world, where it came to denote epic or patriotic songs associated with national history and heroism. The relationship between the military and the religion with dumy originated in the times of the Cossack rebellion of 1648. Ukraine fell under the control of the Catholic Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, that imposed discriminatory measures on the Eastern Orthodox Church. This rebellion was followed by “partition and eventual subjugation of the Ukrainian lands and the Ukrainian church. The Cossacks rebelled against the religious oppression and their lands were eventually lost to the oppressor. This causes a great dilemma in the church because the Cossacks were defenders of the faith, and since they lost, and the faith is infallible, the Cossacks themselves must have done something sinful. This is why a duma has a great religious undertone and is a song that tells of death and defeat, not of victory. Pavlo Zhytetsky suggested that the style of duma’s evolved as a unique combination of folk and educated cultures. The Encyclopedia of Ukraine describes dumy as lyrico-epic works of folk origin that arose in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries out of the military and social life of the Zaporozhian Cossacks and frontier communities, only later acquiring the name duma. Filaret Kolessa’s classic study of the genre’s genesis argues that their style developed through the interaction of older historical songs, church chant and the syllabic verse of early modern school drama and religious poetry. Some scholars push the roots of the genre further back. Drawing on comparative metrics and motifs, Kolessa and later authors have pointed to similarities between dumy and earlier East Slavic chant and lament traditions, including the medieval Slovo o polku Ihorevi, and have suggested lines of continuity between Kyivan-period epic forms and the Cossack-era dumy. In a different line of argument, Natalie Kononenko notes that many Western researchers understand dumy, together with South and East Slavic heroic songs, as regional survivals of a broader, hypothetical Proto-Slavic epic tradition rather than isolated creations of the seventeenth century.

Dumka (musical genre)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Examples#

Major examples in the classical repertoire include:

Stanisław Moniuszko#

Jontek’s aria from the opera Halka (1858)
Jadwiga’s aria from the opera The Haunted Manor (1865)

Antonín Dvořák#

Dumka in D minor (Elegy), Op. 35 (1876) for piano solo
String Sextet in A, Op. 48 (1878), mvt. 2: “Dumka: Poco allegretto”
String Quartet No. 10 in E-Flat Major, Op. 51 – B. 92 (1878–79): II. Dumka. Andante Con Moto
Dumka in C minor, Op. 12a No. 1 (1884) for piano solo
Slavonic Dances, Op. 46 (1878) and 72 (1887), (Three of the sixteen)
Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 53 (1879/80), mvt. 3 – though based on a Furiant, the middle part is a dumka
Piano Quintet No. 2 in A, Op. 81 (1887), mvt. 2: “Dumka: Andante con moto”
Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor, Op. 90 (1891) — the Dumky-Trio

Leoš Janáček#

*Dumka for violin & piano

Dunedin sound

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics#

According to Matthew Bannister, Dunedin sound “was typically marked by the use of droning or jangling guitars, indistinct vocals and often copious quantities of reverberation.” Many Dunedin sound bands drew inspiration from punk rock, as well as pop, rock, and psychedelic music of the 1960s. The origin of the Dunedin sound is often associated with the particular venues that the bands played at, such as the Empire Hotel and the Oriental Tavern.

Dungeon synth

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics#

The genre employs aesthetics and themes typically associated with black metal juxtaposed to the typical heavy tremolo-picking, blast-beats, and harsh, shrieked vocals of black metal by way of compositions of instrumental or ambient music commonly used as introductions, interludes, or “outros” in black metal, death metal, and heavy metal albums throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Though often paired with medieval and fantasy motifs throughout the 1990s onward, some prominent contemporaries of dungeon synth reject the excessive prevalence of high-fantasy themes. Dungeon synth is contentiously likened to video game music, due to fantasy influences, the usage and layering of synths, and a focus on ambience. Though traditional acts such as Mortiis have rejected the influence of video game soundtracks on dungeon synth, more recent dungeon synth acts take heavy influence from video games, especially RPGs.

Duranguense

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

The term duranguense refers to the people from the Mexican state of Durango. Paraíso Tropical de Durango are believed to be the first to begin the movement in the early 1990s. The genre’s popularity peaked in the mid to late 2000s among the Mexican and Mexican American community in the United States, as well as in many parts of Mexico. It also popularized the dance style, Pasito Duranguense.

Artists#

Other famous Duranguense acts include Montéz de Durango, K-Paz de la Sierra, Alacranes Musical, Los Horóscopos de Durango, Patrulla 81, Conjunto Atardecer, and El Trono de México.

Dutch hip-hop

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

1980s#

Between 1980 and 1985 a few Dutch Hip Hop records had already been released, but in 1986 Dutch rap duo MC Miker G & DJ Sven had a top 10 hit in at least ten countries across Europe with their Holiday Rap, which sampled Madonna’s “Holiday”. It caused notable financial disputes, four years ahead of Vanilla Ice’s similar sampling troubles with Ice Ice Baby. That same year Dutch rapper Extince released his first record Rap Around The Clock, and in 1987 he scored a modest hit with The Milkshake Rap. However, in the late 1980s Nederhop (“Netherhop”) emerged, as artists began to rap in Dutch, such as Def Rhymz, Blonnie B, Alex and the CityCrew, Dynamic Rockers, and the Osdorp Posse. Though there is disagreement about who were the first, the pioneers’ work was at first only experimental, except for the Osdorp Posse, a group from Osdorp, a “hood” in Amsterdam, who were first to release tracks in Dutch, for instance the single Moordenaar (“Murderer”) in 1989, marking a beginning milestone of Nederhop. The result was described by rapper Ali B as highly visual and captivating. Once Extince switched to Dutch in 1994, having rapped in English since 1984, both he and Osdorp Posse became highly influential in Nederhop in the 1990s and beyond. Notable in the late 1980s were All Star Fresh of King Bee, topping charts with “Back by Dope Demand” in early 1990, and Rudeboy of Urban Dance Squad, who, at the time, were arguably more widely known in New York City than in the Netherlands. DJ and Producer All Star Fresh turned professional as early as 1979. After winning the Dutch Mixing Championships (DMC) in 1988, he was invited to the World Mix Championships in the London Royal Hall and won third place among strong competition. He was invited by Dave Funkenklein to enter the lion’s den in New York. He made history in the Big Apple of hip-hop by being the first non-American to fly into the finals of the World Supremacy Battle of DJs. He gained the highly respected second place of this prestigious DJ contest. The impression that he made that year resulted in many invitations to perform with artists like Public Enemy, Stetsasonic, Ice T, and Ultra Magnetic MCs. All Star Fresh. As performer and producer he is better known as KING BEE. With his second floor filler Back By Dope Demand he achieved one of his biggest hip-hop hits. In the Netherlands, it resulted in a Top 3 position and best Dance Product by The Edison Awards in the Netherlands. (The Edison Awards is an award by the Dutch Music Industry.) This also meant that with this title, he was the first black artist to win this award in the Netherlands. After that, he appeared as a supporting act for Madonna’s show in the Netherlands. All Star Fresh kept entering the dance floors. The last titles mentioned were also popular worldwide, selling over 2.4 million copies. He didn’t only work within projects like King Bee or Capella, but also was featuring well known production teams like Snap (I Got the Power). This teamwork resulted in the single Lets Get Busy (Clubland Quarts feat Snap King Bee). This record ended up No. 1 in the Billboard Dance Charts (United States). Other productions in this line were Deepzone “It’s Gonna Be All right”, Kellee- my love, Ty Holden- you’re my Inspiration and His Royal Freshness- They don’t understand.

Dutch jazz

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Early period#

In the Netherlands jazz began around 1919 to 1921. In the early thirties Paul Whiteman and Duke Ellington would perform in the nation sparking further interest. By the late 1930s the Dutch jazz group The Ramblers performed with Coleman Hawkins among others. The AVRO employed the Dutch Dick Willebrandts between 1937 and 1940 as a pianist with the AVRO Dance Orchestra the bandleader of which was the clarinetist Hans Mossel. Willebrandts also wrote arrangements for the AVRO Dance Orchestra. Still there was some discomfort with the jazz clubs and fear the musicians would be corrupting on Dutch women. In addition to that the staffs were often Surinamese and racial aspects came into play at times. The clubs also had Surinamese musicians like Teddy Cotton.

Dutch Punk

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The beginning of punk in the Netherlands (1977-1979)#

A seminal event for punk in the Netherlands was the Sex Pistols’ concert on January 6, 1977, at the Amsterdam Paradiso. The Sex Pistols played three shows in the Netherlands on that tour, along with the Heartbreakers and the Vibrators. On May 1, 1977, the Damned gave a concert in the Paradiso. On May 11, 1977, the Ramones and Talking Heads gave a concert in the Rasa in the Pauwstraat in Utrecht. In October 1977, Iggy Pop performed on the popular television show TopPop with Ad Visser. On November 19, 1977, Blondie played at the Amsterdam Paradiso. At the end of 1977, the VARA television program Wonderland also highlighted punk in a theme broadcast including performances by the Stranglers in the Paradiso in Amsterdam and the Sex Pistols in Maasbree. These concerts and performances by bands from the UK and USA led to an explosion of interest in punk in the Netherlands in 1977. Dutch punk bands and fanzines were rapidly established. In the audience of the Ramones’ Utrecht concert were Rob and Erik de Jong, who formed the band Blitzkrieg, sometimes hailed as the first punk band in the Netherlands (Blitzkrieg quickly changed their name to The Duds ). Two rock bands that predated punk, Ivy Green (formed in Hazerswoude-Dorp in 1975) and Flyin’ Spiderz (formed in Eindhoven in 1976), shifted to playing punk rock; these bands are often also discussed the first punk bands in the Netherlands. The lead singer for the Flyin’ Spiderz, Guus Boers, had not heard punk before a concert of the Vibrators in early 1977 at the Technical University of Eindhoven. In August 1977, the popular fanzine KoeCrand was founded, inspired by the UK fanzine Sniffin’ Glue. A second early Dutch fanzine Raket, associated with the Rotterdam punk scene and featuring the cult comic Red Rat, soon began being published, initially as a wall newspaper. The first punk single released by a Dutch band was the song “Van Agt Casanova,” released by Paul Tornado on the record label 1000 Idioten in 1977. This single was frequently played on the radio by the VPRO. This song references the Dutch Catholic politician Dries van Agt, who in 1977 required that pornographic films only be shown in cinemas with less than 50 seats, as a way to limit who could see such films. The first Dutch punk LP released was the self-titled album of the Flyin’ Spiderz, who opened for the Damned at their May 1977 show. Dutch punk bands from this period that were well known in the scene include the Speedtwins, Soviet Sex, Ivy Green, Jesus and the Gospelfuckers, Neo Punkz, Helmettes, the Filth, Tedje en de Flikkers, the Ex, The Suzannes, the Rondos, Panic, Subway, The Boobs, and Two Two 79. The first Dutch punks gathered around record labels and clubs. One of these was Rotterdam’s Huize Schoonderloo. The record label Plurex Records, founded by Wally van Middendorp (of the band the Tits, and later Minny Pops) in 1977, was also a hub of the early punk scene. A third important Dutch punk record label, Torso Records, was also founded in this period by Dick Polak, Hans Joustra, and Peter Dispa.