Slow economy, dying club scene and the revival of synth pop

If you haven’t noticed yet, American pop music is going through a major change. For the past 18 years, the standard pace has been slow, with an R&B beat underscoring even the most club-like tunes. Not so of late. The pace has picked up. We’re hearing more and more synth and electro tunes.

Britney Spears’ 2008 album, Circus, testifies to the need for faster, club-influenced tracks. But, what of clubs? Now that the energy in music seems destined for a comeback, club life seems destined for the highway. In this economy, hardly anyone but celebrities can afford nights of decadent booths where the champaign flows and go go dancers flaunt their fringed undies.

Where will all this high energy music go? Will the tide be reversed? I am hoping for a final blow to contemporary R&B beats. Perhaps the need to galvanize into action now that we’re left jobless and lost will give the final boot to R&B sluggishness? I am not clairvoyant enough to predict how this will turn out, but I’ve given you all the pieces of the puzzle. Let me know where fast-paced pop is headed.

~ by rottenfruit on November 24, 2008.