SquirrelMeat said:

Good god. Its not "Techno" at all. Its Prince's bad attempt at european house.

The USA have never really gotten it. Its only in the last few years that the likes of Black eyed peas, Gaga and Madge has fully embraced the sound, ahead of standard US RnB drivel.

Without starting an Atlantic war, any European that has frequented a local club in the last 5 years knows that the US mainstream are 20 years behind on this.

Yeah, it's definitely not techno. Dave Angel 39 flavours of tech funk is more technoey.

But also not true techno, which I admit a lot of can be nothing but a humdrum.

About being 20 years behind also true. I had young friends from Chicago here in A'dam for NY and we went clubbing. They are music fanatics and complained bitterly about the US being nothing but R&B, Hiphop and Rap. No genuine underground brilliant dance music like EU.

Still I wouldn't say it's Prince's bad attempt at EU House. I think he should experiment more with that kind of sound or with progressive tracks like the ones on Jody Wisterhoff Way out there September 2010 mix. Prince has all the know how to create housey magical stuff. he probably does already, he just doesn't share it.

HonestMan13 said:

"Can U freak me dirty?"

LOVE THIS SONG!!!

EXACTLY!

With The Human Body I was taken back to Batdance and the mixing pot of sounds and melodies that was. The mix of isolation and celebration collide in such wonderful tones here. A true joy to have pounding in my brain. Especially the elongated final passage.

NouveauDance said:

joyinrepetition said:

Honestly, Prince probably ushered in the first "house/techo" song and did it extremely well in Controversy.

I see where you're coming from, Controversy is often cited as an iddy-biddy-biddy influence on House, but he's not the originator, nowhere near, and don't be that guy - ignorance or delusion, the choices aren't pretty.

Where on part of the planet has Controversy been cited as an influence on House music? Controversy had no influence whatsoever on House music. Real HOUSE music. They weren't even playing house music in late 70's/early 80's Minneapolis!

I understand we want to acknowledge the various forms of music Prince has either touched or types of music he has influenced. But Prince has NOT influenced anything related to House music at all.

First Choice, Mainline, underground Disco artists; THESE are the artists that had a DIRECT influence on the true pioneeres of REAL house music that later went on to create the sound that eventually because "house".

starbuck said:

Avaspeaks said:

Yes you are wrong!

I'm from Chicago and Chicago is the birthplace of real house music. REAL house music. ALOT of the stuff that is passing for "house" music now, or being called "house" is not House Music. Yes there are differences, and yes different forms of techno, club, dance, electro exist but the fact of the matter is, they have ALL came from the original House music.

If we are talking the early years of Prince pre-1999, then NO Prince has never done a House music track, sorry he hasn't. Disco, yes, House no.

Now he has played around with techno and electro beats and stuff like that but real House music is not this crap that is being passed as House music now.

I am a house head and yes, some of these record labels are doing some deep house but it still isn't based off the original beats that made up the deep house sound. Alot of it is based off of remixes and chillout beats, which is also part of the House Music genre.

I can go on and on about this but um no, real house music, there is a difference and Prince ain't NEVER done a house track.

But I too love The Human Body

I was always under the impression that House music was born in Manchester, The Madchester Factory years... But ofcourse I could be mistaken...

Yes you are mistaken! House music is named after the "Warehouse" here in Chicago, where it was first being played beginning back in late 79'.

joyinrepetition said:

NouveauDance said:

I see where you're coming from, Controversy is often cited as an iddy-biddy-biddy influence on House, but he's not the originator, nowhere near, and don't be that guy - ignorance or delusion, the choices aren't pretty.

I'm glad someone has the sense to see where I'm coming from. Controversy is one of the first electronica/house/techno songs from 1981. By no means am I saying Prince invented the genre.

Um no, Controversy is NOT one the first House songs from 1981. Controversy and Prince wasn't House music and had nothing to do with House music back in 1981. House music back in 1981 was at first mixing old disco, funk and r&b that were being played in the "basements" in houses on the South Side of Chicago. Certain DJ's started mixing those records up, and in 1980-82, some were even creating songs by mixing, sampling, and using 303 bass and drum machines.

House music didn't start with the artists, it started with the DJ's! And not all DJ's that were playing old disco records were House DJ's either.

And for the record, there MANY artists playing music and songs like Controversy WAY before Prince did. It's a helluva song, but he wasn't the only one combining elements of funk and rock to create song like Controversy.

In fact, Controversy is considered a Funk song, one of the early funk songs that combined funk and synthesized beats. ZAPP was doing just before Prince. I love me some Prince Roger Nelson and that song, but um, yeah but early Prince wasn't House or Electro or Trance, which by the way came about a good 10 years later after original House music.

Spinlight said:

benjaminira said:

Yes! I HATE when people refer to it/them as Techno! "Loose" would be considered Techno.

It's just pop music. All of it. It might have influences by things like techno or country or whatever else. But Prince writes pop songs. He can't not. Put "Loose!" before a Techno professional and see how they laugh at the effort.

Exactely

Bohemian67 said:

Dave Angel 39 flavours of tech funk is more technoey.

Wow, that reference brings back memories!

novabrkr said:

I like "The Human Body" for what it is and enjoy listening to it. I don't have a problem with anyone calling it "techno" - because that's such an umbrella term - but it's quite clear to me that he still couldn't get away from approaching the piece like he was making a yet another electronic funk track. "New World" is a whole lot better though.

"Umbrella Term," I like that.

Both of these songs have a house flavor. In a vibrational sense, much higher than a typical house song, which in my opinion is extremely repetitive.

I Love the line..."When the lines blurr, every boy and girl...how we gonna make it in this brave new world."

thedance said:

Average song - The Humnan Body, but I like it.

Loose! and I Wanna Melt With U are better, I agree.

The COME album is fantastic.

(Way better than Emancipation imo)

Me too.

0ne0n0ne said:

novabrkr said:

I like "The Human Body" for what it is and enjoy listening to it. I don't have a problem with anyone calling it "techno" - because that's such an umbrella term - but it's quite clear to me that he still couldn't get away from approaching the piece like he was making a yet another electronic funk track. "New World" is a whole lot better though.

"Umbrella Term," I like that.

Both of these songs have a house flavor. In a vibrational sense, much higher than a typical house song, which in my opinion is extremely repetitive.

I Love the line..."When the lines blurr, every boy and girl...how we gonna make it in this brave new world."

Well, the "official" umbrella term would be these days "EDM" ("Electronic Dance Music").

I just think there's plenty of retroactive history writing involved in these things. People are only now trying to sort out the mess with genre definitions now that the internet is around. Everyone used the word "techno" for ages to refer to pretty much anything that they could associate with it (it was also used for non-dance genres like IDM). Did anyone use terms such as "EDM" before internet word games became commonplace? Genre definitions might get misappropriated when the larger public starts using them as well, but you'll just have to live with that. I couldn't imagine giving some sort of a lecture on the historical development of electronic music to each an every person that uses the word "techno" when they are talking about a trance track playing at a club, or something like that.

However, "Controversy" wasn't one of the first house tracks, for fuck's sakes. It's a funk song.

novabrkr said:

0ne0n0ne said:

"Umbrella Term," I like that.

Both of these songs have a house flavor. In a vibrational sense, much higher than a typical house song, which in my opinion is extremely repetitive.

I Love the line..."When the lines blurr, every boy and girl...how we gonna make it in this brave new world."

Well, the "official" umbrella term would be these days "EDM" ("Electronic Dance Music").

I just think there's plenty of retroactive history writing involved in these things. People are only now trying to sort out the mess with genre definitions now that the internet is around. Everyone used the word "techno" for ages to refer to pretty much anything that they could associate with it (it was also used for non-dance genres like IDM). Did anyone use terms such as "EDM" before internet word games became commonplace? Genre definitions might get misappropriated when the larger public starts using them as well, but you'll just have to live with that. I couldn't imagine giving some sort of a lecture on the historical development of electronic music to each an every person that uses the word "techno" when they are talking about a trance track playing at a club, or something like that.

However, "Controversy" wasn't one of the first house tracks, for fuck's sakes. It's a funk song.

OMG! Please SAY that last line again! Anybody that considers Controversy one of the first House or techno tracks of 1981 OBVIOUSLY don't know what House music, especially from 1981, was or is!

Hell, if you want to talk about early pre-electro House, then mention White Horse by Laid Back, which actually is the song Erotic City is musically, based off of.

Avaspeaks said:

novabrkr said:

Well, the "official" umbrella term would be these days "EDM" ("Electronic Dance Music").

I just think there's plenty of retroactive history writing involved in these things. People are only now trying to sort out the mess with genre definitions now that the internet is around. Everyone used the word "techno" for ages to refer to pretty much anything that they could associate with it (it was also used for non-dance genres like IDM). Did anyone use terms such as "EDM" before internet word games became commonplace? Genre definitions might get misappropriated when the larger public starts using them as well, but you'll just have to live with that. I couldn't imagine giving some sort of a lecture on the historical development of electronic music to each an every person that uses the word "techno" when they are talking about a trance track playing at a club, or something like that.

However, "Controversy" wasn't one of the first house tracks, for fuck's sakes. It's a funk song.

OMG! Please SAY that last line again! Anybody that considers Controversy one of the first House or techno tracks of 1981 OBVIOUSLY don't know what House music, especially from 1981, was or is!

Hell, if you want to talk about early pre-electro House, then mention White Horse by Laid Back, which actually is the song Erotic City is musically, based off of.

Avaspeaks, I've been listening to House for years and I know it started in Chicago. House isn't anything new but rehashed disco music. Many people(DJ's)have stated that Controversy is one of the first electronica/new wave songs out there. I never said Prince created the genre, and Controversy is more new wave than it is funk. Believe me I go way back with music.

[Edited 2/1/11 14:54pm]