 It was always abundantly clear that Kanye West was becoming corrupted by the pleasures and creative potential of electronic music.
First he sampled Daft Punk, then he headlined UK dance festival Global Gathering in July, and then there were those neon plastic glasses - a tip of the hat to rave, if ever there was one.
Now hip hop’s new messiah Kanye West is releasing his very own electronic music album. Should we be scared or delighted?
Due out on November 25th, Rolling Stone are reporting the preview of Mr. West’s ‘808 & Heartbreak’ LP that they heard on Tuesday in Los Angeles is pure electronic music. “All the vocals were sung and treated with the electro “auto-tune” effect. But there was no rapping or overt sampling, just emotional waves of electronic sound, beats and occasional strings,” writes Steve Appleford.
Kanye West is touting the album as a very personal project.
He reportedly grabbed the mic after the album preview and shouted: “It’s from my heart. I don’t give a fuck if someone rates it ‘hot’ or ‘not.’ I’m here to bring positivity that cannot be judged.
“It’s like judging a grandmother’s love, and someone says ‘Your grandmother gets two and a half mics.’ Or, ‘You grandmother didn’t sell a million the first week.’”
So how should we interpret Kanye’s move into electronic music?
Many critics will view his album through cynical eyes - a chance to cash in on dance music’s vastly untapped mainstream potential (especially in the US) they might say.
Others may herald him as a genius who has managed to bring together two of the greatest opposing youth culture movements the world has ever seen.
What do you think? Let me know below!
Labels: Kanya West |
