AROIOS Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 I've been trying to figure out the genre of a Yamaha demo song (see SoundCloud link below) and artists/records that have a similar style (especially harmony-wise). So far, the closest genre I've found is Urban Gospel. Have you heard of songs/music similar to this tune? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AROIOS Posted October 16, 2020 Author Share Posted October 16, 2020 Here's another example with a heavier Blues flavor. It reminds me of Bonnie Raitt's "Love Sneakin' Up On You". But I haven't heard many other tunes with similar harmony. Again, any suggestions would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobadohshe Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 It's a little of all of those things you mentioned but if I had to put it down to one style I'd say it's got an 80s fusion and smooth jazz vibe. Check out stuff like Fourplay and The Yellowjackets. For the second tune check out the stuff that David Garfield was involved with in the 80s including Steve Lukather's 'Los Lobotomys'. Quote Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37 My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 Special blend? Pop drum beat. Bass was kinda prog-funky-ish lays back. Lead synth was kind of Captain and Tennille get woke? Blospazz or GospJaBlu? Not much help, it is packed with influences!!! Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 Second one reminds me of a Stevie Wonder cover band just jammin'. Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timwat Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 To me the first one reminds me of mid-80's GRP All Stars (Grusin, Ritenour, Laboriel, et.al.). If I had to assign a genre "label" to it, it might be "smooth jazz played by actual jazzers". [video:youtube] Quote .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AROIOS Posted October 16, 2020 Author Share Posted October 16, 2020 It's a little of all of those things you mentioned but if I had to put it down to one style I'd say it's got an 80s fusion and smooth jazz vibe. Check out stuff like Fourplay and The Yellowjackets. For the second tune check out the stuff that David Garfield was involved with in the 80s including Steve Lukather's 'Los Lobotomys'. Thanks for the recommendations, Bobadeath. I'm a big fan of YellowJackets, Garfield and Lukather. And I agree that it's most likely the tasteful mixture of the different ingredients that made the first piece so refreshing to me. And you're absolutely right that the second piece would fit perfectly in a Los Lobotomys album. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AROIOS Posted October 16, 2020 Author Share Posted October 16, 2020 Special blend? Pop drum beat. Bass was kinda prog-funky-ish lays back. Lead synth was kind of Captain and Tennille get woke? Blospazz or GospJaBlu? Not much help, it is packed with influences!!! Yes, it sounds simple but is packed with influences like you said. I like the way you named it: GospJaBlue, maybe we'll just call it something like BluJaspel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AROIOS Posted October 16, 2020 Author Share Posted October 16, 2020 To me the first one reminds me of mid-80's GRP All Stars (Grusin, Ritenour, Laboriel, et.al.). If I had to assign a genre "label" to it, it might be "smooth jazz played by actual jazzers". [video:youtube] Yes, I do hear the early 80's Gospel/Jazz keyboard influence in the first piece. Richard Tee and Koinoia's music comes to mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
16251 Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 Buffalo Soldier meets Steely Dan Quote AvantGrand N2 | ES520 | Gallien-Krueger MK & MP | https://soundcloud.com/pete36251 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theo Verelst Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 I don't know what early unset of the artificial intelligence age is supposed to teach mankind, "being a label nerd serves a greater purpose"? Could simply call it slightly fun semi-pro rubbish for keyboard (arrangers and stuff) players, which of course like most decent fusion/jazz mindfull music pays some tribute to blues elements, what's gospel has got to do with it is lost in all the contemporary fake good news message mixup, imo. T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoken6 Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 slightly fun semi-pro rubbishAs opposed to the extremely fun amateur rubbish that I put out. The OP's track (disregarding the spacey opening bars) reminded me more than anything of Donald Fagen's cover of Ruby Baby, accelerated slightly - cueing from the midtempo shuffle and the occasional hits on 4&. Cheers, Mike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theo Verelst Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 Add one more gear to that in-keyboard (I presume) production type, and I'd dig it myself, it's not bad and musical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AROIOS Posted October 16, 2020 Author Share Posted October 16, 2020 Buffalo Soldier meets Steely Dan Yes, I can definitely hear some Steely Dan in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoken6 Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 Add one more gear to that in-keyboard (I presume) production type, and I'd dig it myself, it's not bad and musical.Praise indeed from you Theo. And do you know what? I know what you mean and I agree. Cheers, Mike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AROIOS Posted October 16, 2020 Author Share Posted October 16, 2020 slightly fun semi-pro rubbishAs opposed to the extremely fun amateur rubbish that I put out. The OP's track (disregarding the spacey opening bars) reminded me more than anything of Donald Fagen's cover of Ruby Baby, accelerated slightly - cueing from the midtempo shuffle and the occasional hits on 4&. Cheers, Mike. Yes, I'm a sucker for shuffle so rhythm certainly contributed to my fondness of that piece. But it's mostly the harmony that sounded refreshing to me. While I do dig Donald Fagen's Ruby Baby and lots of Steely Dan's music, I don't recall any harmony similar to the first demo song in their tunes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusker Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 Here's another example with a heavier Blues flavor. The "big horns over shuffle" feel of this second tune reminds me of , a track on a guitar shred-fest by an early 90s Mark Varney. Taken together the tracks make me nostalgic for genre-blending instrumental music from 80s and 90s. There is a slight LA studio feel as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoken6 Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 There is a slight LA studio feel as well.Yup - that's the correct name for whatever this style is! Cheers, Mike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Lobo Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 There is a slight LA studio feel as well.Yup - that's the correct name for whatever this style is!I think that's a pretty apt label/description. Perfect production but somewhat synthetic feel. Kind of smooth jazz crossed with Toto and some Steely Dan, but lacking the pop songcraft so it's ultimately sterile, at least for me. Quote These are only my opinions, not supported by any actual knowledge, experience, or expertise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AROIOS Posted October 17, 2020 Author Share Posted October 17, 2020 Here's another example with a heavier Blues flavor. The "big horns over shuffle" feel of this second tune reminds me of , a track on a guitar shred-fest by an early 90s Mark Varney. Taken together the tracks make me nostalgic for genre-blending instrumental music from 80s and 90s. There is a slight LA studio feel as well. Yup, it's got that "LA Studio", "Westcoast Session" vibe. There's a bit of Jam & Lewis and Tower of Power in there too, if I try split the hair a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AROIOS Posted October 17, 2020 Author Share Posted October 17, 2020 There is a slight LA studio feel as well.Yup - that's the correct name for whatever this style is!I think that's a pretty apt label/description. Perfect production but somewhat synthetic feel. Kind of smooth jazz crossed with Toto and some Steely Dan, but lacking the pop songcraft so it's ultimately sterile, at least for me. It sounds synthetic because it is. The whole tune came out of a 90's Yamaha entry-level XG sound module. the XG modules (DB50, MU10~MU2000) are Yamaha's answer to Roland's Sound Canvas series that were popular among PC gamers and DTM (DeskTopMusic) enthusiasts in Japan. When compared to Yamaha and Roland's pro lines like the SY and XP/JV series, the MU and SC romplers are typically a compromise in terms of features and sound. For that reason, the second song is about as good as what we can squiz out of a $200 XG synth. Rom sample/programming qualities aside, MIDI programming of XG and GS official demo songs are often top notch. One of these demo tune creators, Ujiie Katsunori, has a popular Youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/musictrackjp/videos) and regularly demos synths from all kinds of era and manufacturers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Threadslayer Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 The OP's track (disregarding the spacey opening bars) reminded me more than anything of Donald Fagen's cover of Ruby Baby, me too. Quote Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. -Mark Twain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkfloydcramer Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 Here's another example with a heavier Blues flavor. It reminds me of Bonnie Raitt's "Love Sneakin' Up On You". But I haven't heard many other tunes with similar harmony. Again, any suggestions would be appreciated. With the combination of a heavier sound and the swing, it puts me in mind of Aerosmith's Rag Doll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzpiano88 Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 It sounds synthetic because it is. The whole tune came out of a 90's Yamaha entry-level XG sound module. the XG modules (DB50, MU10~MU2000) are Yamaha's answer to Roland's Sound Canvas series that were popular among PC gamers and DTM (DeskTopMusic) enthusiasts in Japan. I was going to say that it reminded me of the kind of canned demo that would come with the Sound Canvas, and you nailed it. Like everyone else, to my ears it's trying to achieve the smooth jazz vibe that you'd hear on FM radio or Muzak in the 90s. Quote J a z z P i a n o 8 8 -- Yamaha C7D Montage M8x | CP300 | CP4 | SK1-73 | OB6 | Seven K8.2 | 3300 | CPSv.3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AROIOS Posted October 18, 2020 Author Share Posted October 18, 2020 Here's another example with a heavier Blues flavor. It reminds me of Bonnie Raitt's "Love Sneakin' Up On You". But I haven't heard many other tunes with similar harmony. Again, any suggestions would be appreciated. With the combination of a heavier sound and the swing, it puts me in mind of Aerosmith's Rag Doll. Yup, I had the exact same thought. Too bad Aerosmith only did two songs in swing rhythm (the other one being "Love in the Elevator") as far as I remember, I loved both songs and wish they had collaborated with some Jazz players on a hybrid project. Well, I guess that where Steve Lukather and projects like Los Lobotomys come in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AROIOS Posted October 18, 2020 Author Share Posted October 18, 2020 It sounds synthetic because it is. The whole tune came out of a 90's Yamaha entry-level XG sound module. the XG modules (DB50, MU10~MU2000) are Yamaha's answer to Roland's Sound Canvas series that were popular among PC gamers and DTM (DeskTopMusic) enthusiasts in Japan. I was going to say that it reminded me of the kind of canned demo that would come with the Sound Canvas, and you nailed it. Like everyone else, to my ears it's trying to achieve the smooth jazz vibe that you'd hear on FM radio or Muzak in the 90s. The strange thing is I've listened to a ton of Smooth Jazz from 70's to 90's and have yet to hear something similar to the first tune harmony-wise. On the other hand, modern Black Gospel sometimes offer refreshing harmony patterns that remind me of this song. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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