Genre - Codes and Conventions
House music is a type of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois in the 1980's. Early house music was generally dance based music characterized by repetitive 4/4 beats and rhythms revolving around drum machines, and synthesized baselines with use of hi hat cymbals. There are around 30 different categories of house music with one of those being Deep House.
Our genre is Deep House, common codes and conventions within this genre include clubbing, dancing and having a good time. Deep House mostly promotes positive vibes, however occasionally it includes consciousness and real life meanings away from clubbing/dancing. The music videos usually contain certain recognisable conventions. for example, they contain a lot of romantic themes, glamourising romantic relationships and raving scenes for a great deal of lighting.
Our genre is Deep House, common codes and conventions within this genre include clubbing, dancing and having a good time. Deep House mostly promotes positive vibes, however occasionally it includes consciousness and real life meanings away from clubbing/dancing. The music videos usually contain certain recognisable conventions. for example, they contain a lot of romantic themes, glamourising romantic relationships and raving scenes for a great deal of lighting.
The music video below is a song that is produced by MK a DJ that makes deep house music, you can see within the video that it includes the common codes and conventions of the genre such as dancing and having a good time, however it is very unique in the aspect that it is not set in a nightclub or a party. In terms of the image of the characters involved in the video they are dressed in streetstyle in urban areas which include items such as bucket hats, hoodies patterned sweatshirts/T-shirts, nike/puma/adidas sneakers etc.I feel as the characters are dressed in these items of clothing because it represents the youth culture of today, which links to the genre of music as a lot of youths in this generation listen to Deep House.
In terms of the camera work there is no particular camera shot or angles which actually link to the Deep House genre, however parts of this music video was a one take in an actual setting when the characters are dancing on the train. This could link to the idea of being a DJ because they only have one chance to not make any mistakes as they play towards a live crowd in nightclubs and music events.
There has been an extremely recurring theme in the deep house videos being released in this day and age, and that is the fact that it moves away from the common stereotype of clubbing and parties and adapts a more experimental and unique music video narrative. This is seen through the examples below:
This video by Duke Dumont breaks the typical conventions of Deep House videos, romance is significantly reduced through this video, where as other Deep House videos contain a great deal of romance. Even so, women are still within this video for males to gaze and lust. Dancing is apparent in the video which is common for deep house videos, however the narrative in this video is very surreal an example of this is when the main character has a boom box lodged into their stomach. The editing also fits the pace of the song, so the video makes a lot more sense.
Secondcity's video for 'I Wanna Feel' also breaks the common conventions of Deep House videos although it contains a significant amount of dancing, flashing lights and disco balls it is still set in a very different surroundings including the desert, gas stations and a barber shop. The reason it breaks common conventions is due to the fact the narrative of the video is an old man on a moving vehicle which holds a boom box and flashing lights, this is a very surreal thing to be contained in a deep house video.
Deep house videos usually have a set of recognizable conventions, it is usually very uncommon for the videos to be performance based they tend to be consisting of a more conceptual, abstract and artistic idea and tend to have no direct correlation to the actual lyrics and meaning of the song. The artists that have created the track usually don't feature in the videos themselves and usually lip syncing does not occur, However when you look at Kiesza's video for Hideaway this breaks the common code and convention as she is the main focus in the video and lip syncs the words.
This video by Kiesza is also a in one take, which yet again illustrates the idea of being a DJ, as you are on the spot and only have one chance not to make any mistakes. It also shows culture,style,fashion, love and dancing which are all big influences in the house music genre. However, something in this video that challenges usual forms and conventions is that the female has the power in this video and is the leader, when usually females do not usually hold the main role or power in most house music videos.
Camera work and editing
When viewing music videos made specifically for house music, you can clearly see that camera work is a very big factor in creating a certain vibe the audience may feel. Typically a house video that that is created for a fast paced song usually includes quick editing e.g. fast straight cuts and jump cuts. A more down tempo house song will include slower paced editing to fit the atmosphere that the song creates. Medium/long shots are often used in order to establish a relationship between 2 characters, usually showing their romance for each other.
The Underground scene
So far I have mentioned deep house mostly in its place within mainstream culture, However like the majority of music in this day and age it also includes an underground scene. What I mean by underground scene is that music which is not topping charts and not recognised by most of the population. The audiences who listen to Deep House in its underground and less recognised form tend to be more passionate about the music and really appreciate it, usually making it part of their life and researching the latest music and getting to know the DJ's who make the music.
Individuals who listen to Deep House in the chart list will not have a great understanding of the genre and are no way near as passionate about the music compared to individuals who go into the deep abyss of the genre. These audiences who are passionate about Deep House usually express their passion by attending DJ sets at venues such as nightclubs or festivals. There are also nightclubs which strictly only play house music and only open when DJ's come to perform.
Mixmag is a Dance music and clubbing magazine which posts information about upcoming events and performances a DJ is going to make, it also creates information to provide its fans with news about the genre etc. Something that is great about MixMag is that in their offices they have created a venue called the MixMag Lab which DJ's come every week to perform to the staff that work there they also send out invitations to individuals to attend. This gives us an example of an underground scene,because only people who are invited can see the DJ perform so they tend to be passionate fans of the music. Below is a performance by Hot Creations artists at the MixMag lab.
Boiler Room is a music project created especially to provide underground music, they host live music sessions with an invite only audience in private locations across the world, streaming the performances live on the Boiler Room website and through video streaming services such as Youtube and Dailymotion. Deep House DJ's always perform at the Boiler Room providing their passionate fans with performances, new mixes and new tunes. Below is a performance by a deep house DJ at Boiler Room.
So altogether, away from the mainstream scene you can really see extreme diversity from mainstream and underground, However most of these DJ's may not promote their music to a wider target audience as they feel their passion is meant to be underground. Not a lot of music videos are created by certain DJ's, So I am unable to comment on the codes and conventions of the music videos however the underground scene does include common codes and conventions, as it takes place mostly in a club, and includes people who are having a great time dancing, drinking and socialising and there is always a DJ playing and mixing the tracks on the decks.
In terms of the camera work there is no particular camera shot or angles which actually link to the Deep House genre, however parts of this music video was a one take in an actual setting when the characters are dancing on the train. This could link to the idea of being a DJ because they only have one chance to not make any mistakes as they play towards a live crowd in nightclubs and music events.
There has been an extremely recurring theme in the deep house videos being released in this day and age, and that is the fact that it moves away from the common stereotype of clubbing and parties and adapts a more experimental and unique music video narrative. This is seen through the examples below:
This video by Duke Dumont breaks the typical conventions of Deep House videos, romance is significantly reduced through this video, where as other Deep House videos contain a great deal of romance. Even so, women are still within this video for males to gaze and lust. Dancing is apparent in the video which is common for deep house videos, however the narrative in this video is very surreal an example of this is when the main character has a boom box lodged into their stomach. The editing also fits the pace of the song, so the video makes a lot more sense.
Secondcity's video for 'I Wanna Feel' also breaks the common conventions of Deep House videos although it contains a significant amount of dancing, flashing lights and disco balls it is still set in a very different surroundings including the desert, gas stations and a barber shop. The reason it breaks common conventions is due to the fact the narrative of the video is an old man on a moving vehicle which holds a boom box and flashing lights, this is a very surreal thing to be contained in a deep house video.
Deep house videos usually have a set of recognizable conventions, it is usually very uncommon for the videos to be performance based they tend to be consisting of a more conceptual, abstract and artistic idea and tend to have no direct correlation to the actual lyrics and meaning of the song. The artists that have created the track usually don't feature in the videos themselves and usually lip syncing does not occur, However when you look at Kiesza's video for Hideaway this breaks the common code and convention as she is the main focus in the video and lip syncs the words.
This video by Kiesza is also a in one take, which yet again illustrates the idea of being a DJ, as you are on the spot and only have one chance not to make any mistakes. It also shows culture,style,fashion, love and dancing which are all big influences in the house music genre. However, something in this video that challenges usual forms and conventions is that the female has the power in this video and is the leader, when usually females do not usually hold the main role or power in most house music videos.
Camera work and editing
When viewing music videos made specifically for house music, you can clearly see that camera work is a very big factor in creating a certain vibe the audience may feel. Typically a house video that that is created for a fast paced song usually includes quick editing e.g. fast straight cuts and jump cuts. A more down tempo house song will include slower paced editing to fit the atmosphere that the song creates. Medium/long shots are often used in order to establish a relationship between 2 characters, usually showing their romance for each other.
The Underground scene
So far I have mentioned deep house mostly in its place within mainstream culture, However like the majority of music in this day and age it also includes an underground scene. What I mean by underground scene is that music which is not topping charts and not recognised by most of the population. The audiences who listen to Deep House in its underground and less recognised form tend to be more passionate about the music and really appreciate it, usually making it part of their life and researching the latest music and getting to know the DJ's who make the music.
Individuals who listen to Deep House in the chart list will not have a great understanding of the genre and are no way near as passionate about the music compared to individuals who go into the deep abyss of the genre. These audiences who are passionate about Deep House usually express their passion by attending DJ sets at venues such as nightclubs or festivals. There are also nightclubs which strictly only play house music and only open when DJ's come to perform.
Mixmag is a Dance music and clubbing magazine which posts information about upcoming events and performances a DJ is going to make, it also creates information to provide its fans with news about the genre etc. Something that is great about MixMag is that in their offices they have created a venue called the MixMag Lab which DJ's come every week to perform to the staff that work there they also send out invitations to individuals to attend. This gives us an example of an underground scene,because only people who are invited can see the DJ perform so they tend to be passionate fans of the music. Below is a performance by Hot Creations artists at the MixMag lab.
Boiler Room is a music project created especially to provide underground music, they host live music sessions with an invite only audience in private locations across the world, streaming the performances live on the Boiler Room website and through video streaming services such as Youtube and Dailymotion. Deep House DJ's always perform at the Boiler Room providing their passionate fans with performances, new mixes and new tunes. Below is a performance by a deep house DJ at Boiler Room.
So altogether, away from the mainstream scene you can really see extreme diversity from mainstream and underground, However most of these DJ's may not promote their music to a wider target audience as they feel their passion is meant to be underground. Not a lot of music videos are created by certain DJ's, So I am unable to comment on the codes and conventions of the music videos however the underground scene does include common codes and conventions, as it takes place mostly in a club, and includes people who are having a great time dancing, drinking and socialising and there is always a DJ playing and mixing the tracks on the decks.
No comments:
Post a Comment