I first started listening to music during the disco era of the mid to late 1970s. I was in love with the whole "party" atmosphere of the whole era. The music was uptempo, fun, and for the dance floor. I remember reading about the whole "lifestyle" of the era such as blacks, whites, gays, hispanics, and every "freak" of society dancing along side of celebrities in Studio 54. Partying all night and permiscuous sex. I would have loved to have been older during this time so I could have fully enjoyed it.

As the disco era ended, I turned to the next best thing, the funk of the early 1980s. During the disco era, funk groups were also a big part of it so after the era died, the funk groups were still around and the music still had that tempo and "party" feel of the disco era. I totally converted to a "funkateer" and totally neglected the "pop" scene during these years.

As Prince once said "life is just a party and parties weren't meant to last", that is so true. In 1985, the party started to become much slower with R&B "adult contemporary" acts taking over the airwaves and funk acts dying out. During this time, I discovered house music, which was underground at the time. It had that same uptempo "party" feel as disco had earlier. When it came above ground for a little while in the early 1990s, it was almost like the disco reincarnated.

During the early 1990s, I listened mainly to house music and uptempo "Miami bass" type rap. Those were the only two forms of music that had that "party" feel that I had always been into since day one. I finally got tired of the uptempo "Miami bass" type rap because it finally gets boring once you hear songs like "Planet Rock", "Egypt, Egypt", and "Electric Kingdom" sampled in every way, shape, and form imaginable. The house music went back underground and became less funky, most of the vocals were stripped off, and most of it became actually "too fast to dance to". It turned into techno, acid, or whatever the hell they are calling it now. By that time, I knew I had better just pull my old music out and play it until something better comes along.

So actually, I got into music with disco and never really left it. I just followed the trends that it evolved into.

There is a slow side to me though. The slow jams I like are the sensual, late night type jams by groups like The Stylistics, Heatwave, Switch, Blue Magic, The Delfonics, etc. In other words, the type of slow jams that you play at three or four in the morning when you leave the club, bring someone home, and get lucky. Never the type that you just sit around and say "Oh what a beautiful song". I'm all about a party in every aspect.

Anyway, that's my story. What's yours?
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[Edited 3/15/06 1:19am]

I have a spine now.

I was raised in a home that listened to classical music, jazz and Broadway recordings. During early teens I listened to the Beatles like everyone else. Growing up first with classical music (and being formally trained in it as an oboist and flutist), you learn that a lot of popular music evolved from it.
Last year I visted Sedona, AZ and met a Navajo who played American Indian flute.....he shared some flute music with me that showed the almost exact likeness between African flute, American Indian flute, and Island flute.....all music has its roots in the same place.
Back to the REAL topic, I think what you heard in your home as a child forms your tastes in music for the rest of your life. My parents were very open to any music and were not judgmental in that regard - that's why my tastes in music are all over the place - I like and can appreciate most anything (except, of course, whiney country stuff from many years ago!).

Illustrator said:

I'll raise you your spine, and add a prehensile tail.

minneapolisgenius said:

My spine is easily raised by tail, prehensile or not.

when i was younger i cared more about the beat and not the lyrics. of course i still like the music but the lyrics are so much more important now.

brownsugar said:

I started out with the Funk of JB in the 60's and I'm still grooving on the one. I do listened to a lil bit of everything but I do have my favorites. Funk and R&B will ALWAYS be number one. i still dig Chicago House music and what ever the genre Depeche Mode does. What do they call that anyway?

Graycap23 said:

i dunno. i wanna say alternative or new wave. i like depeche mode...never thought about the genre tho

Very thoughtful question Andy.

The first music I heard was from my parents (Dad-Jazz, Mom-Melodic Pop) and grandparents (Gospel).
These musics (and their variants) remain at my core to this day.

Through all the music i've listened to over the years (quite a bit), it's those great Jazz players (Miles, Coltrane, Oscar Peterson, Max Roach, etc.) and amazing singers (Mahalia Jackson, Marian Anderson, Nat King Cole, Johnny Mathis, Ella Fitzgerald, etc) that taught me early on what true musical artistry was all about.

Development of skills and 100% dedication to the craft.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

Illustrator said:

Damn, I need time to think about this one!

Illustrator said:

I didn't know it was called a spine

1983: R&B radio like Michael Jackson, New Edition, Run-DMC, the Breakin' soundtracks, etc.

1984: Prince and everyone associated with Prince

1987: Freestyle & house music

1989: Alternative rock - The Cure, Love And Rockets, Siouxsie And The Banshees, Ministry, etc.

1991: Industrial - KMFDM, MY Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, and a lot of Wax Trax singles

1992: Gothic rock - The Sisters Of Mercy, Fields Of The Nephilim, Bauhaus, Alien Sex Fiend, Christian Death, I could go on and on here.

1997-present: Now I listen to pretty much anything and everything. People still tag me as a goth guy by the way I dress, but my tastes are wide open--Latin alternative, classic country--I have a few albums from almost every genre.

cubic61052 said:

Evolution separates the ape from the man with the intro of an erect spine.


On subject,
I don't consider myself to like any particular style of music. When I was younger, I might have labeled myself as a connoisuer of R&B, funk, rock, whatever...but now I take it on a song by song basis.
No matter what genre it spawns from (heck, even country), if I like the song, that's all that matters to me.

On subject,
I don't consider myself to like any particular style of music. When I was younger, I might have labeled myself as a connoisuer of R&B, funk, rock, whatever...but now I take it on a song by song basis.
No matter what genre it spawns from (heck, even country), if I like the song, that's all that matters to me.[/quote]

I agree with that.

Very true. It's all about what you've been exposed to at an early age. I was exposed to many types of music growing up such as disco, funk, rock, heavy metal, blues, and country. Of course, I have my favorites that I mainly stick to but I do get into other types from time to time.

The bad thing about a lot of kids today is that they are only exposed to one type of music.

vainandy said:

When I went to college and met different people, I was exposed to all kinds of cool music that I didn't know about before.

The stuff I used to tolerate (white pop-rock and R&B soul ballads) to meet chicks I really dislike. I have developed an ever increasing dislike for rap and no tolerance for jazz-meets-rap bullshit.

i'm 23, and i've gone from Michael Jackson, to Prince. With Missy and Kelis in between.

DynamicSavior said:

Great script for a movie...

MikeMatronik said:

Without me in between them of course.

DynamicSavior said:

may I?

MikeMatronik said:

be their guess.

From Kiss and Alice Cooper (ages 5-12) to Michael Jackson (13-14), and from Prince (14 onwards) to soul jazz and funk legends (14-16) and to avant-garde jazz (16-18). Then I got more into glam rock and decadent 60s/70s art rock / folk rock and 80s goth pop (18-20) and finally into industrial and more and more experimental electronic music at around 20 years of age. There was a relative hiatus between the ages of 22 and 23 when I was working in a shitty recording studio and didn't feel like listening to any music at all when I got home from work. After that it's been mostly Industrial & Noise (about 70% of all music I listen to falls into these categories), IDM and some more straightforward electronic dance music. I am somewhat involved with the free improvisation scene over here as well, but to a quite restricted extent.

Well when i first started listening to music proper i wasnt nearly as open minded, but now i can listen to all kinds of stuff!!

Childhood: whatever sounded good to me, despite what it was, because I really didn't develop a musical taste yet. Pretty much whatever was played on K-BIG radio and in my dad's stereo at home. Anything from Seal to the Beastie Boys to the Eagles is what I'm talking about.

Early teens: listened to the radio a lot and got into some r&b and whatever was popular at the time, but I really started getting into more rock music from whatever my dad was playing. People like the Beatles, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and Bill Withers I liked. Some friends showed me some of Lenny Kravitz's stuff and honestly, he pretty much became my favorite artist for a long time. But come on, you know the guy was big in the 90's. From there, I started listening to Prince a lot too.

Mid teens: kept listening to whatever it was my dad was listening to, but started getting into more of the alternative sounding stuff on my own, and more classic metal and heavier rock & roll. Anything from Limp Bizkit and Korn, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, Nirvana, the Chili Peppers, the Rolling Stones, Metallica, and Depeche Mode I was into. I stopped listening to popular radio and pretty much abandoned bands like the Beatles and softer junk like that.

Later teens: some friends introduced me to Marilyn Manson and from then on, it opened up a whole new musical world for me, which is where I'm at now. I love, love straight up metal, new and old, like Pantera, Lamb Of God, Trivium, and Avenged Sevenfold, and black/goth/nu metal bands like NIN, Children Of Bodom, and Slipknot. After having been shown stuff like that, any other kind of music just doesn't sound as complete to me. I still listen to a lot of the classic bands, like Led Zeppelin, Metallica, and the Rolling Stones, and I don't think I'll ever get rid of my old alternative CD's, but from here on I can see that it's going to be metalhead for life and I definitely don't regret giving up on people like Lenny Kravitz and any other MTV, commercial, pop and rap groups that dominate the airwaves today.

Fuck these stupid rappers who think they can pull in the most money or girls or whatever. The reason I still listen to Prince (he's probably the closest thing to rap or the only r&b that I listen to) is because that guy is the ultimate pimp and party monster. That guy is a fucking OG when it comes down to nailing girls that it'll make anyone jealous. Anyone. But I only really listen to him when I'm by myself at home or with people that like him too. He really has become this huge cult phenomenon for me but at the same time a true guilty pleasure. I respect the guy and the music he makes and will definitely defend him the argument about who's better, Michael Jackson or him, but I generally don't listen to him or speak about him when I'm out with friends on a daily basis. I'm still down to go to one of his concerts this year though, that's for sure.

PurpleMusiq8 said:

Did he really nail these babes
or just buy 'em pretty things?
I've always wondered cuz they cum & go
like lil' lost hoes.

And of course after I first started listening to music I've evolved into a hydrogen-breathing, 9ft. tall, banshee-like creature with additional tentacles growing out of my back.

PFunkjazz said:

Well I meant people like Carmen Electra and Kim Basinger and Vanity who even if he didn't bang, he still got with them somehow...