Competition Winner!

Congratulations to Gurveer Ubhi whose newspaper article was recently selected as a winning entry in the National Newspapers Diversity Forum school journalism competition. He has won a £200 cash prize for himself and £500 for the school, along with the chance to get a week's work experience at a top national newspaper in the summer.

We reprint the excellent article here in full...

DEAD OR ALIVE?

Is the music scene dying out, where it is being slain by technology? Is the younger generation the cause of this? One thing stands to reason, that music is not the same as it used to be.

When you think of music, what is the first image or word that comes to your mind? classical; opera; piano; guitar; all things of the long forgotten past. Nowadays, the only thing that comes to one’s mind is commercial music.

Is it true? The majority of artists and bands these days are aided with one important member, the computer. The Spice Girls, whom everyone remembers, but why? They sounded more like a bunch of cats slung in a sack being hurled against a brick wall, but at the click of a button and with a few adjustments, were able to sound like heavenly angels, serenading us with their atrocious lyrics. Since that monstrosity, many have followed.

But why are they making such a success? It is the youth falling for the controversial lyrics, computerised samples and sexual iconography, but most importantly; they are following each other. There is no thought behind the song or meaning behind the lyrics, just a façade of half dressed women, flash motors and masses of jewellery.

What happened to songs that could make a tear crawl out from the corner of your eye? Songs that could change your mood in an instance? Bob Marley, Sinatra, The Jackson 5, Elvis, Stevie Wonder, The Carpenters, Marvin Gaye and Barry White all wonders of the past, yet who now is able to carry on the level of musicianship?

Nowadays, there are but a mere handful of artists that have had an effect on their fans through the quality of music, and not an incessant sample accompanied with either obnoxious, foul mouthed or ignorant lyrics. Artists that have made use of real instruments, inspiring and emotional lyrics and produced to perfection, until everything is in the correct position, at the correct level.

Musicians are now at an endless war against machines. The majority of songs produced are created or even inspired by computer samples, but there is only a certain limit to what one can accomplish. A computer cannot produce the same phenomenal yet unique guitar solos as Jimmy Hendrix, Eric Clapton or Slash, nor can it produce the same rhythm and fiery passion as the drum solos of Dave Weckl or Steve Gadd. So what is the solution?

Well, many artists these days have resorted to covering an old hit with their claptrap, desecrating what was once a piece of music, to just infernal racket. These phoneys make millions from this because of the uneducated, mindless youth and there duty to follow one another.

So what is the future of music? With just a few artists out there rebelling against commercialism, and musicians forever battling machines, what are the chances of real music surviving? The younger generations need to open their ears and hear what is actually being produced. They need a change in direction and to be educated in the ‘Greats of our Time’. After all, they are our future where the fate of the music scene lies.

Do you agree with him?? Post a comment with your views.