Tag Archives: music industry

My Music

The Bad Boys from Boston: Aerosmith

Xavier Capdepon Aerosmith Dream On MusicThe Bad Boys from Boston, better known as Aerosmith, is considered one of the greatest Rock and Roll bands in the history of Rock and Roll. Their music style incorporates elements of pop music, heavy metal, and blues to encapsulate as blues-based hard rock. The band began in Boston in the early 70s with Joe Perry on the guitar, Tom Hamilton on the bass, Steven Tyler on the vocals/harmonica, Joey Kramer on the drums, and Brad Whitford on the guitar.

In 1972, Aerosmith was signed to Columbia Records and their onslaught of gold and platinum records began. They released their debut album, Aerosmith, in 1973, followed by Get Your Wings in 1974. The band really began to rise to stardom after releasing a set of more mainstream albums: Toys in the Attic in 1975 and Rocks in 1976. Aerosmith’s first five albums reached multi-platinum status. By the end of the decade, the band was one of the most popular bands in the world, followed by their extremely loyal fan base that called themselves the “Blue Army.”

After the 70s, internal band-conflicts lead to the departure of Whitford and Perry. Their replacements were Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay; however, the band was unable to match their previous success. Aerosmith remains at the top spot for best-selling rock band in the United States. They’ve sold over 150 million records worldwide and 70 million in the United States. They also hold the US record for most gold albums with 25 gold albums in their repertoire.

Xavier Capdepon recently remixed one of Aerosmith’s most popular songs, “Dream On.” Take a listen below and let us know what you think:

 

My Music

The Anonymous EDM Producer & DJ, Zhu

Xavier Capdepon Zhu Faded nycWho is Zhu? That’s the pivotal question nowadays in the electronic dance music community. He first came on the scene with an anonymously disclosed remix of Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson.” The song was a big hit on all the major music blogs, but no one knew who actually made the song. The deep house sound from this remix led people to believe that the famous EDM group, Disclosure, was behind the popular remix. A week after releasing the Outkast remix, the anonymous EDM artist came out as Zhu, with the release of his first original track, “Superfriends.” In April of 2014, he came out with his first EP The Nightday, which featured his first single “Faded.”

Zhu’s entire aura revolves around anonymity and judging him solely on the music that he makes. It took a lot of digging to finally unearth the anonymous artist as Steven Zhu from Los Angeles. Zhu has apparently been working on various music projects since 2011, but he has kept completely quiet on social media projects until now.

His marketing tactics keep up with his air of anonymity, focusing on a gorilla and grassroots approach. Zhu recently had a secret show in Brooklyn, NY where he made his fans aware of a show somewhere in NY, but never specified the place or time. He posted posters all over the city of an upcoming show, but the details remained anonymous.

The anonymous approach in this day and age is reliving in the face of huge marketing tactics used my EDM producers in the modern age. Rather than judged by the music, their marketing team is judges on whether or not they were able to find more followers. Zhu’s tactic is reminiscent of Daft Punk before they were discovered. Critics believe that Zhu’s marketing techniques could possibly change the EDM scene, with more of a focus on the created rather than the creator.

Check out Xavier Capdepon’s new remix of Zhu’s first single, “Faded.”

My Music

Profile of Schoolboy Q and DJ 20syl

Schoolboy Q:
Schoolboy Q, aka Quincy Hanley, is the California hip hop artist best known for his Oxymoron album release in 2012. Even though he’s only been rapping professionally since 2006, Schoolboy Q was able to secure a recording contract with Interscope Records in 2011/2012 alongside labelmates like Eminem and Kendrick Lamar.

Q started his career with Top Dawg Entertainment, an independent record label that began to take him under his wing at the tender age of 21. Jay Rock and Ab-Soul of Top Dawg liked what they heard and continued to invite Q back until they eventually signed him in 2009. The generally positive reception to his mixtapes in 2008 and 2009 helped him start touring and getting material for his first independent album, Setbacks, in early 2011.

Setbacks was hardly a setback for Schoolboy Q; it brought critical acclaim, plenty of attention, and a large fan following. Building off that momentum, Q released Habits & Contradictions in 2012 and eventually announced his major label debut on Interscope Records. His various releases have shown just how flexible Schoolboy is with his rapping technique and rhyme style. Though he cites Jay-Z as a major influence, Schoolboy Q pulls some aggression from 50 cent and lyrical strength from the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Macklemore.

20syl
20syl (pronounced “vin-sil”) is a producer, producer, and DJ extraordinaire from Nantes, France. He’s earned a solid reputation for his jazz, funk, and soul influences and for his collaborations with the likes of The Procussions and Thomas Lawrence.

Aside from his own blossoming solo career, 20syl has actually been a part of the musical landscape for over a decade thanks to collaborative projects with DMC World Team winners C2C and the acoustic hip-hop/jazz group, Hocus Pocus.

Where the magic happens:
If you haven’t already heard 20syl’s remix of the Schoolboy Q Rapfix Cypher, then you need to check it out pronto. It’s a masterfully smooth and professionally mixed recording of a Schoolboy Q freestyle. 20syl somehow takes a cypher full of pauses and stutters and turns it into a fresh and polished mix absolutely brimming with feeling and soul. Check out the song below!

Also, check out Xavier Capdepon’s dubstep remix of 20syl’s remix below!