Why do male vocals work in Rock Music but Not so well in EDM

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-- Why do male vocals work in Rock Music but Not so well in EDM
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Posted by Ian on Sep-14-2004 22:55:

Why do male vocals work in Rock Music but Not so well in EDM

As usual i'm thinking too much here, but It's kinda come to my attention that I listen to so much male vocaled rock music, foo's, muse, chilis etc etc etc yet the 'majority' of male vocals in trance don't go down well. was wondering what theories people had on this ?

Posted by on Sep-14-2004 23:03:

I find that male vocals work with EDM... just harder styles... Hard Trance/House... DnB, hardstyle, hardcore.. etc.. where female vocals work best with more melodic, uplifting Trance...

Posted by ThomB on Sep-14-2004 23:03:

i think this is a common belief but at the same time i think producers avoid male vocals on the whole.

male vocals seem to work better within proggy tracks imo but I am sure that with the right beat and melody male vocals could be great.

i think the keys used in trance are more suited to female voices too - probably a major reason for the lack of vocals from men

Posted by NiteMer on Sep-14-2004 23:05:

Male vocals definitely go better on Prog, like Dave Gahan for example.

Even though I'm sure most people on this board didn't like it, Yet Another Day was good IMO.

Posted by Laushinameee on Sep-14-2004 23:11:

I disagree - I really like male vocals

Posted by Ian on Sep-14-2004 23:13:

quote:
Originally posted by Laushinameee
I disagree - I really like male vocals

I do, but there's blatantly (in normal trance anyway) less male vocals, just interesting to wonder why, if they don't fit as well, or if they're just not sought after like in other styles.

Posted by beats and beeps on Sep-14-2004 23:16:

Well as far as the rock comparison goes, rock hasnt always been about how good the vocalists were. It was more on what they "sang" not how they sang it.

Posted by memusa on Sep-14-2004 23:19:

As in all styles, it depends I guess, but yes, it is true that male vocals don't work with all styles within EDM. Prog seems to work well but trance not too much. I mean...could you really picture a guy singing in a low voice "As the ruuuush cooomes" LOL

I personally try to stay away from male vocals or vocals in general unless the song really blows my mind.

Posted by Dave Piazza on Sep-14-2004 23:20:

I actually beleive male vocals work very well in EDM.

Especially in trance.
Few examples:

Dave Gahan
Ray Wilson
Paul Van Dyk - Thats Life

there are others but I dont want to give away all my male gems in my record box ( well not before my radio show atleast )

I think male vocals are more prodominate in progressive house/trance.

I actually picked alot of male vocal tunes yesterday in the record store ( some new some old).

here is one of the tunes I picked up yesterday:

Aimar - Confusion

Posted by Minhaj on Sep-14-2004 23:26:

Paul van Dyk was the singer in Thats Life

Posted by Laushinameee on Sep-14-2004 23:32:

quote:
Originally posted by BrownTA4Life
Paul van Dyk was the singer in Thats Life

with John McDaid - in fact its quite hard to hear Paul which is a shame, because his voice sounded very sexy

Posted by Tranc3 on Sep-14-2004 23:34:

Tiesto remix of Caught Me Running by Jaimy & Kenny D does an awesome job with the male vocals...I just wish there were more tracks like it.

Posted by InDeepSpace on Sep-14-2004 23:40:

This Boss@nova-guy has such a great voice. For me one of the best vocals ever in a trance-tune!!!

'You left me stonecold, you left me hours in the rain'

Posted by mndeg on Sep-15-2004 00:05:

they work fine
they might seem to work "better" in rock because most rock needs to throw in some random vocals so they can sell their music

they are used to using vocals with no meaning, trance vocals if put on randomly usually get criticized and then people demand a dub

Posted by Torley Wong on Sep-15-2004 00:34:

I agree that if more people get used to it, it won't seem like such a big deal. Acclimation and desensitization ya know... at first you may passively, perhaps actively try to resist -- especially if you're a guy in the first place -- but things change. Just like how forms of technological music used to have more of a "faceless, anonymous one-man" vibe before the ascent of superstar DJs and producer personalities like Moby and Keith Flint of the Prodigy.

Or, if there were more trance 'n' bass combinations with MCs from the latter joining the supersaws of the former.

I also point to psy/goa-trance as experimentation in this regard. For example, Infected Mushroom and their layering and messing-around of their own vocals with gate effects and modulators.

It's such an obvious idea -- dudes singing, yay! -- that it'll be generally overlooked. So we can still make a unique case for all the Tiesto & BT "Love Comes Again" pairings of the world.

Posted by Dan1584 on Sep-15-2004 02:41:

Even though the male to female vocal ratio within EDM is drastic I found a few male vocal tracks that I like MORE than female vocal tracks...

NuBreed & Luke Chable - One Day
Kevin Aviance - Give It Up (Tony Moran Mix)
Bossanova - Stonecold (Agnelli & Nelson's Afterburn Remix)
BT ft. JC Chasez - Force Of Gravity (DJ Tiesto Remix)
DJ Tiesto ft. BT - Love Comes Again (Mark Norman Remix)
Kane - Rain Down On Me (DJ Tiesto Remix)
Paul Oakenfold - Hold Your Hand (Bill Hamel Remix)
Paul van Dyk ft. Second Sun - Crush (Radio Edit)
Paul Van Dyk ft. Vega 4 - Time Of Our Lives (A Time To Chill Mix)

Posted by BLuEOcEaN420 on Sep-15-2004 03:37:

i used to think male vocals in edm songs were gay but not so much anymore. though i still think ray wilson in yet another gay song.. now that song is awful and the vocals make it even less tolerable lOl... song songs w/ male vocals that work well imo:

*Nubreed & Luke Chable - One Day
*Ian Brown - Fear (U.N.K.L.E. Mix)
*U.N.K.L.E. - What You Mean To Me (Sasha Mix)
*Grand Nationals - Talk Amongst Yourselves (Sasha Mix)
*Quivver - Twist & Shout
*Dave Gahan - I Need You / Dirty Sticky Floors
*Depeche Mode - Only When I Lose Myself (Lexicon Avenue Mix)
*Peter Gabriel - Darkness (Greed Meets Engelposst Mix)
*Lenny Kravitz - Believe (Blackwatch Mix)
*Tears For Fears - Shout (Skylark Mix)

i guess male vocals work better in progressive than trance.

Posted by sigmanova on Sep-15-2004 03:48:

quote:
Originally posted by J:\Digital
I find that male vocals work with EDM... just harder styles... Hard Trance/House... DnB, hardstyle, hardcore.. etc.. where female vocals work best with more melodic, uplifting Trance...

i totally agree...harder driving tracks like Infusion-Legacy (Junkie XL Remix) or Dogzilla - Your Eyes, male vocals work very nicely there. However, if i was to hear male vocals for tracks like

Mike Shiver & Elevation - Hurricane or Andain - Beautiful Things it just wouldnt work as nicely.

Posted by Dj Gracjan on Sep-15-2004 05:31:

i just think its a lot harder with male vocals becuase they have to be more picky to find that perfect beat/melody where as female vocal seem to sound good in just about every trance or edm song!

Posted by A.J. on Sep-15-2004 07:39:

Dave Gahan - Dirty Sticky Floors (Junkie XL Mix) = TUNE!!!!!!!!!!!

I think that is a great example of it working well.

Posted by Tenshi on Sep-15-2004 07:57:

I like male vocals and it the past few months great tunes were released using male vocals!

for excample:

Quivver - These are the Days
Grayarea - Gravity (Grayarea's Albatros Remix)
New Order - Crystal (Lee Coombs Dub) - this is kinda old but released a few days ago!

i think male vocals are coming - and people begin to appreciate it! Sometimes they can be more sexy than female vocals

Posted by Ian on Sep-15-2004 08:34:

quote:
Originally posted by Dan1584
Even though the male to female vocal ratio within EDM is drastic I found a few male vocal tracks that I like MORE than female vocal tracks...

NuBreed & Luke Chable - One Day
Kevin Aviance - Give It Up (Tony Moran Mix)
Bossanova - Stonecold (Agnelli & Nelson's Afterburn Remix)
BT ft. JC Chasez - Force Of Gravity (DJ Tiesto Remix)
DJ Tiesto ft. BT - Love Comes Again (Mark Norman Remix)
Kane - Rain Down On Me (DJ Tiesto Remix)
Paul Oakenfold - Hold Your Hand (Bill Hamel Remix)
Paul van Dyk ft. Second Sun - Crush (Radio Edit)
Paul Van Dyk ft. Vega 4 - Time Of Our Lives (A Time To Chill Mix)

the problem there is that Rain on Me & TOOL are hideous

I'm not against male vocals, infact I think they can be better than female ones, I'm just wondering why there's not as many in EDM as female ones

Posted by |cEbLu3 on Sep-15-2004 09:25:

Actually the vocal trance track that i think has the best lyrics , features a guy:

Ameoba Assasin - Piledriver

nuff said!

Posted by eRRaTiK on Sep-15-2004 10:08:

BT should not be singing. `nuff said.

Posted by BLuEOcEaN420 on Sep-15-2004 10:18:

quote:
Originally posted by Tenshi
I like male vocals and it the past few months great tunes were released using male vocals!

for excample:

Quivver - These are the Days
Grayarea - Gravity (Grayarea's Albatros Remix)
New Order - Crystal (Lee Coombs Dub) - this is kinda old but released a few days ago!

i think male vocals are coming - and people begin to appreciate it! Sometimes they can be more sexy than female vocals

ive noticed that quivver uses alotta male vocals in his tracks, and hes pretty good @ it too! im not a big fan of grayarea gravity but u are right sometimes male vocals can be sexier than females... well maybe im bias cuz im a female but seriously, dave gahan has a hot voice. so deep & seductive. makes me go weak! lol...

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