Synths are not a bad thing. Even synth horns or strings are not a bad thing. Cheesy-sounding synth horns are a bad thing.

Everyone has different taste. The fact that someone doesn't like something you find acceptable does not make him or her an elitist.

thebanishedone said:

jayARDAHB said:

i fail to see how anyone could consider any of prince's recent key triggered instrumentation

to be cheesy after they've lived with Face Down and it's gruyere """orchestra""" for 16 yrs.

Being a big fan of the neo-industrial stuff that had mad it relatively semi-mainstream in the 90s, and liking some of the techno stuff out there, I don't think it's the instrument that's important to me--it's to what affect it has on the output.

Trent Reznor's Downward Spiral will be more endearing to me than Prince's Musicology, though it could be argued that Musicology uses real instruments by a more gifted musician. It's not the instrument--it's how it's used for me.

thebanishedone said:

jayARDAHB said:

A trend here? I've never heard anyone say much about his use of synths and drum machines. Weren't we all first attracted to his music because of the synths and drum machines?

no Jay look at the forum discussing new song.lot of people said they hate synth horns and some guy said Prince is addicted to his drum machine and someboidy should take it from him

following Genesia pst#2 its the weak or cheesy feel to the synth

compare it to his 1980s Lovesexy synth even, Tricky etc there is a power behind it, Lotusflower 20Ten its like hes scared to play it because someone might say hes trying to regain his 80s feel

yeah, it's confusing... synth horns are part of the minneapolis sound! You'd better believe the synth lines in a song like DMSR were written as horn lines. Synth horns aren't automatically bad. Bad-sounding synth horns are bad.

I sometimes think that Prince doesn't really understand what makes drum machines and synths great. Like his mindset is old-fashioned, 'a drum machine is a drummer who doesn't need to eat and always plays in time! Wow!' and 'strings at the touch of a keyboard?! Get lost, you session musicians! The future is here!!' I imagine a conversation where a fan complains about some terrible 90s synth sounds and Prince says, 'Huh? Fake horns are fake horns... how come nobody cared in the 80s? In fact these synths sound much less fake than they did before! You guys are crazy!'

[Edited 9/18/12 17:58pm]

I prefer live drums. I tend to not really care for his songs that are electronic. I think that why I like his 90s output so much compared to the rest

IstenSzek said:

i fail to see how anyone could consider any of prince's recent key triggered instrumentation

to be cheesy after they've lived with Face Down and it's gruyere """orchestra""" for 16 yrs.

Dude, that part of "Face Down" is a joke.

thebanishedone said:

There is a trend here on org to dismiss Prince's songs because they have drum machines and synths.Did Prince's fan base grown old or what? Prince is one of the artist who popularise Electro Funk.electronic was always a part of his sound.yet some people hear dismiss every song that don't use reak drums,guitar solos and real horns.what kind of elitistic crap is that? Synths and drum machines are just a tools and in the hands of somebody who knows how to use 'em they can not only sound great but give songs a distinctive feel. Artist like Sos Band,Cameo,Climmax,Midnight Star made amazing songs with synths and drums,so did Prince.

I know what you are referring to and was about to comment on the same thing myself sooner or later.

novabrkr said:

IstenSzek said:

i fail to see how anyone could consider any of prince's recent key triggered instrumentation

to be cheesy after they've lived with Face Down and it's gruyere """orchestra""" for 16 yrs.

Dude, that part of "Face Down" is a joke.

oh i know that, and i don't hate it. in fact, i like it. but it was very, very cheesy,

despite it being a joke.

kind of like parke's care horn being on it. if you're in on the joke, it's funny. but

to a casual listener is just sounds cheesy as hell.

but who cares anyway if i'd be invited to sit in the paisley park studio's and

just listen to prince play cheesy keys all day long, i'd pack a suitcase with a few

week's worth of clothes.

Since when did Prince fans hate synths and drum machines?

NouveauDance said:

Since when did Prince fans hate synths and drum machines?

We don't (as you know). We dislike a certain lazy reliance on them.

since he forgot how to use them. They are either full of cheese , totally lacking in puch [go listen to Dirty mind, 1999 Cds etc] - if they are used well they are applied to crap songs i.e. a lot on MPLS & 20Ten.

I just don't get it, maybe Lisa and Fink were always the geniuses behind it, maybe his JW faith shackles the umph !, what ever the reason it just lacks.

Anyone who doesn't understand the difference between good synths and bad synths should listen to Dirty Mind and Kamasutra back to back.

Genesia said:

Anyone who doesn't understand the difference between good synths and bad synths should listen to Dirty Mind and Kamasutra back to back.

I'm not falling for that! Last time I listened to Kamasutra I had blood pouring from ears for days.

funkyhead said:

since he forgot how to use them. They are either full of cheese , totally lacking in puch [go listen to Dirty mind, 1999 Cds etc] - if they are used well they are applied to crap songs i.e. a lot on MPLS & 20Ten.

I just don't get it, maybe Lisa and Fink were always the geniuses behind it, maybe his JW faith shackles the umph !, what ever the reason it just lacks.

There you go, I really think a lot of bandmembers had great influence on him.

More than he admits.

NouveauDance said:

Genesia said:

Anyone who doesn't understand the difference between good synths and bad synths should listen to Dirty Mind and Kamasutra back to back.

I'm not falling for that! Last time I listened to Kamasutra I had blood pouring from ears for days.

lol just listen to Dirty Mind then lol

NouveauDance said:

Genesia said:

Anyone who doesn't understand the difference between good synths and bad synths should listen to Dirty Mind and Kamasutra back to back.

I'm not falling for that! Last time I listened to Kamasutra I had blood pouring from ears for days.

robertlove said:

funkyhead said:

since he forgot how to use them. They are either full of cheese , totally lacking in puch [go listen to Dirty mind, 1999 Cds etc] - if they are used well they are applied to crap songs i.e. a lot on MPLS & 20Ten.

I just don't get it, maybe Lisa and Fink were always the geniuses behind it, maybe his JW faith shackles the umph !, what ever the reason it just lacks.

There you go, I really think a lot of bandmembers had great influence on him.

More than he admits.

Good point!

OldFriends4Sale said:

thebanishedone said:

jayARDAHB said: no Jay look at the forum discussing new song.lot of people said they hate synth horns and some guy said Prince is addicted to his drum machine and someboidy should take it from him

following Genesia pst#2 its the weak or cheesy feel to the synth

compare it to his 1980s Lovesexy synth even, Tricky etc there is a power behind it, Lotusflower 20Ten its like hes scared to play it because someone might say hes trying to regain his 80s feel

Ever thought that maybe he just doesn't wanna sound like that anymore? I mean really.

He worked with the drum machine when he first started out. He still works with it from time to time. Do you use every single tool you ever used in the beginning of your career? No.

It's just weird that he's been using the LinnDrum again on so many occasions since the late-90s, but he hasn't gone back to using the analog synths from his classic era. He could afford to use them at least in the studio, even if he wouldn't want to tour with those old and very unreliable units.

At least he used a real Rhodes piano during the TRC era, which was a big plus.

Spinlight said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

following Genesia pst#2 its the weak or cheesy feel to the synth

compare it to his 1980s Lovesexy synth even, Tricky etc there is a power behind it, Lotusflower 20Ten its like hes scared to play it because someone might say hes trying to regain his 80s feel

Ever thought that maybe he just doesn't wanna sound like that anymore? I mean really.

He worked with the drum machine when he first started out. He still works with it from time to time. Do you use every single tool you ever used in the beginning of your career? No.

I didn't say that he should sound like it

But when you do an album called MNSound and the Minneapolis Sound is no where on there and then you do 20Ten which definately sounds like his 'sounding like that' going so far as to compare it to Controversy era

He's using the linn, electric drums and synth now, but again it sound like he's not committed to it

I don't get your point fella

OldFriends4Sale said:

Spinlight said:

Ever thought that maybe he just doesn't wanna sound like that anymore? I mean really.

He worked with the drum machine when he first started out. He still works with it from time to time. Do you use every single tool you ever used in the beginning of your career? No.

I didn't say that he should sound like it

But when you do an album called MNSound and the Minneapolis Sound is no where on there and then you do 20Ten which definately sounds like his 'sounding like that' going so far as to compare it to Controversy era

He's using the linn, electric drums and synth now, but again it sound like he's not committed to it

I don't get your point fella

My point is that I think we, as fans, sort of have to accept that Prince releases music because he likes the sound he's made. He's really shown that he has zero interest in folks who want to pick his sound apart or claim they know what his motives are, etc. You know what I mean? Prince just is going to do what he wants to do and if he releases it, then its out there and that's that.

If Prince weren't happy with the release, I really doubt he would put it out.

Additionally, I get what you mean about it sounding half-hearted. I just don't think Prince feels its half-hearted. I don't think Prince wants to sound like 1999 again (the album). I don't think Prince intended MPLSound to sound exactly like Purple Rain. I think Prince was the creator of the Minneapolis Sound therefore he dictates what it is, at least in his mind.

BTW, I love the new track. I can't believe I'm saying it, really, because 20TEN really put a hurting on my faith in ol boy. As did "Rich Friends"....

But the new track? It sounds like he gives a fuck about the way it sounds. The inflection and tone in his voice. The lyrics. The attention to detail. I don't need Prince to wail on his guitar in every "rock" song. I don't need him to do a crazy synth solo in every "funk" song either. Maybe I'm just getting old.

GOOD thread

I think that there's a relatively big (sadly) portion of the "fanbase" which was never a BIG fan of the original synth/electro MPLsound of tha 80s; Prince is probably the only electro artist that got their attention; that part of the fanbase usually prefers "semi-organic" albums like TRC, Planet Earth, Lotus, NEWS, C&D, ATWIAD, SOTT, Parade or even For You...

and then there's a portion of the fanbase which digs hard-hitting synths, not cheesy-sounding modern stuff like MPLS, Emancipation or even 20TEN (I like 20TEN's production). Personally, the retro-modern electro tracks of 3121 are probably the best example of a GOOD use of modern synths/drum machines; of course, many fans still think he crossed the line (entering Timbaland/Neptunes-like territory)

personally, I like the electronic sound of Prince a lot more than his several attempts at "organic" music...sometimes I can't believe that the man who created 1999 also released something like The Truth ; I would be mad as hell if he released a jazz album again, or something old-fashioned like a pure soul/blues album...KILL ME...gosh the 01-03 era was hard to stomach...for me, Musicology will always be his BEST organic album...

[Edited 9/19/12 18:26pm]

There's nothing wrong with them as long as they have some real drums and bass underneath them to make the music sound powerful. Otherwise, it just ends up sounding like music made with a cheap Fisher Price toy. That's the difference between the way the "1999" album sounds and the way "MPLShit" sounds. As for real horns, I never wanted him to use them in the first place because they made the music sound similar to jazz.

Synths when they first came out, especially with Prince was the cutting edge, it was very fresh and no one used them, programmed them better than Prince. Prince said that when his sound was co-opted he threw out his drum machines. He also started using real horns more and drummers too. I don't really have an opinion on his current use of them but he definitely doesn't use them in the same way he did in his prime.