[Official Message] New Album; Tour: ayumi hamasaki PREMIUM SHOWCASE ~Feel the love~

[Coelacanth]

I notice a lot of people in the fandom have issues with production sounding "dated"... has Ayu ever kept ahead of the trends? She's never been an innovator musically. Instead, she has her own distinct style that is poorly imitated by other artists (Tomomi Itani being a recent example, and I think she's totally throwing shade at her in 'My Way')

Michael Jackson's 'Dangerous' has production that hasn't aged well at all (major New Jack Swing influence), but that doesn't take away from it being an amazing pop album. Great music is timeless. Stop being trend snobs!

Ayu does "dated" R&B very well (LOVE n HATE, In The Corner, Tell me why). I actually hope Darkchild goes for an early noughties R&B sound because I think it suits her well. Heavy bass and snare, plz!

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by Coelacanth

I notice a lot of people in the fandom have issues with production sounding "dated"... has Ayu ever kept ahead of the trends? She's never been an innovator musically. Instead, she has her own distinct style that is poorly imitated by other artists (Tomomi Itani being a recent example, and I think she's totally throwing shade at her in 'My Way')

Michael Jackson's 'Dangerous' has production that hasn't aged well at all (major New Jack Swing influence), but that doesn't take away from it being an amazing pop album. Great music is timeless. Stop being trend snobs!

Ayu does "dated" R&B very well (LOVE n HATE, In The Corner, Tell me why). I actually hope Darkchild goes for an early noughties R&B sound because I think it suits her well. Heavy bass and snare, plz!

Eeew! Dangerous!

[Coelacanth]

Regardless of whether or not one likes the music itself, 'Dangerous' set the blueprint for all pop music thereafter both sonically and visually. An experimental pop album with varied styles and genres like (miss)understood could have never existed without 'Dangerous.' The album was also brilliantly engineered and greatly emphasized the importance of mixing and mastering in pop music.

Susan Fast is writing a book about the album.

Anyway, I think MJ and Ayu have more in common in the sense that they're not so obsessed with being perceived as trendy per se, but more concerned with staying true to themselves and making music that reflects that. Madonna, on the other hand, just does whatever she thinks is in vogue at the moment and creates an entire era based off that one sound/style. Her last few albums particularly show that she's suffering from an identity crisis and that there's no real sense of continuity in her work at all.

[marty]

Originally Posted by Coelacanth

. Madonna, on the other hand, just does whatever she thinks is in vogue at the moment and creates an entire era based off that one sound/style. Her last few albums particularly show that she's suffering from an identity crisis and that there's no real sense of continuity in her work at all.

I'm going totally off topic, but yeah, her music-life crisis at the moment has EPIC PROPORTIONS.
For me Madonna always had an amazing talent in finding out what the new trend would be and building a stunning image and music product to use that style at its best, and that's what acted as a cohesive element for her albums.
But lately, that talent mostly failed her.

[kagami]

Originally Posted by Coelacanth

Regardless of whether or not one likes the music itself, 'Dangerous' set the blueprint for all pop music thereafter both sonically and visually. An experimental pop album with varied styles and genres like (miss)understood could have never existed without 'Dangerous.' The album was also brilliantly engineered and greatly emphasized the importance of mixing and mastering in pop music.

Susan Fast is writing a book about the album.

Anyway, I think MJ and Ayu have more in common in the sense that they're not so obsessed with being perceived as trendy per se, but more concerned with staying true to themselves and making music that reflects that. Madonna, on the other hand, just does whatever she thinks is in vogue at the moment and creates an entire era based off that one sound/style. Her last few albums particularly show that she's suffering from an identity crisis and that there's no real sense of continuity in her work at all.

Well said. I particularly agree with the bolded part. People around here (and everywhere else probably) are so stupidly obsessed with everything sounding and looking shiny and trendy-it's kinda boring to be honest.

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by Coelacanth

I notice a lot of people in the fandom have issues with production sounding "dated"... has Ayu ever kept ahead of the trends? She's never been an innovator musically. Instead, she has her own distinct style that is poorly imitated by other artists (Tomomi Itani being a recent example, and I think she's totally throwing shade at her in 'My Way')

Michael Jackson's 'Dangerous' has production that hasn't aged well at all (major New Jack Swing influence), but that doesn't take away from it being an amazing pop album. Great music is timeless. Stop being trend snobs!

Ayu does "dated" R&B very well (LOVE n HATE, In The Corner, Tell me why). I actually hope Darkchild goes for an early noughties R&B sound because I think it suits her well. Heavy bass and snare, plz!

She may never have been an innovator and yes had her own style and that's the problem. She doesn't do "other people's" style that well... And that's what this whole era is shaping up to be. It is ayu singin over other people's visions for sound and music.

[Coelacanth]

Originally Posted by Zeke.

She may never have been an innovator and yes had her own style and that's the problem. She doesn't do "other people's" style that well... And that's what this whole era is shaping up to be. It is ayu singin over other people's visions for sound and music.

Did you enjoy LOVE again? Because that album was classic, quintessential Ayu from beginning to end, even using old composers like Hoshino and Kunio Tago.

Fans here are basically saying "Ayu! Do something that isn't recycled but don't be too experimental!"

Most of you have no idea what exactly you want from her. You're looking for a "feeling" you get from her new material that you can't adequately describe. Most want her to do an album full of Mirrorcle Worlds and Sparkles.

[orangeakira]

Originally Posted by Coelacanth

Fans here are basically saying "Ayu! Do something that isn't recycled but don't be too experimental!"

Most of you have no idea what exactly you want from her. You're looking for a "feeling" you get from her new material that you can't adequately describe. .

I want her to be as experimental as she can. I know exactly what I want. I want her to try different genres out. I've been really into the bossanova, jazz lounge sound lately and I think she could try that out. If it sucks, we move on. If it's a hit she can keep going down that path. I'll take an album of experimental fails over an album of standard love songs, winter ballads, and upbeat summer songs any day.

Originally Posted by Coelacanth

Most want her to do an album full of Mirrorcle Worlds and Sparkles.

That would be amazing!

[Coelacanth]

I think we should all realize that, at the end of the day, there is still a bottom line involved. She's not an indie artist, for Christ's sake. Avex certainly gives her a lot of creative freedom for a pop artist, but I don't think they'd be okay with Ayu making an album full of acid rock, bluegrass, or bossa nova tracks. She's still pulling in substantial revenue for Avex.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE when Ayu takes risks and gets really gritty — but I admire the current attitude she has regarding making music. She wants to try new things but she also knows what works best for her. There's something really beautiful about trying to maintain this balance in life. I think she is wise beyond her years.

[Tony G]

Originally Posted by Coelacanth

I notice a lot of people in the fandom have issues with production sounding "dated"... has Ayu ever kept ahead of the trends? She's never been an innovator musically. Instead, she has her own distinct style that is poorly imitated by other artists (Tomomi Itani being a recent example, and I think she's totally throwing shade at her in 'My Way')

Michael Jackson's 'Dangerous' has production that hasn't aged well at all (major New Jack Swing influence), but that doesn't take away from it being an amazing pop album. Great music is timeless. Stop being trend snobs!

Ayu does "dated" R&B very well (LOVE n HATE, In The Corner, Tell me why). I actually hope Darkchild goes for an early noughties R&B sound because I think it suits her well. Heavy bass and snare, plz!

When I saw Darkchild named as a producer, I looked at his recent production discography and unfortunately he's dabbled in non-r&b music over the past few years, so it's a possibly Ayu might get something electronic out of him, which make sense given the other producers she's working with.

After Ayu's last album and Pray, I don't think I can take any further cookie-cutter productions, so I'm glad she's moving to more experimental territory (well, at least for Ayu anyway).