Nope you not getting old at all just wiser, & believe me your ears are fine, people are really making a lot of terrible songs cause it's catchy and can make them a quick buck. You stay focused on the wonderful music you making.
 

I feel all of your feelings on this matter is right on target. Artist are to blame for like you said Josh "making money at the expense of generations and the listeners". Why they are compelled to do this? I would say its the sign of the time so to speak. Todays generation of artists come from the ME first generation....Its all about me and forget everybody and everything....They all work for the fish market...they're SELFISH. The catch 22 to that is the music of the last 10 to 15 years feeds that mentality, which is one of the reasons why its seems like theres no way to stop it. But having said that, the REAL BLAME has to be placed in the hands of the major labels and major radio stations...(they both are in bed together) They are the ones financing, promoting and selling this music. If they wanted to change the face of music all they would have to do is raise the bar, and invest in a better more resonsible product. It would be as simple as that.

But they won't do that...Why ? Well you have to look deep into the situation and connect the dots. Let me try and give you a short example. If there were more Public Enemies, Dead Prez, Blaze etc. and they're music was at the forfront, that would awaken the conscious and inspire the minority people of the world. As it did in the late 60's to mid 70's and that would change a lot of things. Then you have to ask yourself who would NOT benifit from that ? When you connect those dots you find that the people that wouldn't benifit are the same ones sitting on the board of directors to these major labels, major radio stations, and corporations that sponser them. In order for THEIR communities and future generations to remain in front so to speak...when it comes to opportunities/power and control they have to keep everyone else at bay. Music will always have a big influence on society, Positive or Negative.

Thats the bad news. The good news is there is HOPE. They arent profiting anymore because of mp3's and the WWW. Which shifts the control to us "The Artist". Independent music is about to take the lead once again (Motown, Stax, Profile, Sleeping Bag etc.) And quality music will flood the world again...GOD WILLING.

So no your not getting old my dude. Don't accept that propaganda...created to justify the horrible music thats being targeted to our kids. They want us and our kids to believe that the older generations don't get todays music and thats why we don't like it. But the truth is kids are being exploited and they don't realize it.
Try taking a kid out to a GREAT restaurant. They will pick over their food and still be hungry when you leave. Then take them to MCdonalds, they'll inhale the food and have the time of their lives. These Kids are being sold FAST FOOD music and their loving it. but music as a whole is suffering because of it.

Sorry if I got a little long winded but the answers to these situations are not simple ones. If that were true it would have been resolved a long time ago.


Peace & Blessings

Buc and the Preecher
 

luv you man!!!!!keep speaking the truth and making music that elevates our minds . peace!
 

Josh,

I commend you on taking a sho'nuf stand on what is happening or actually not happening in this thing we call the music game. It is entirely upon a few shoulders the direction, in which the music being channeled to mainstream outlets is dispended. And simply due to this insatiable need to make money, instead of real music we often become scapegoats for the garbage, buy it, swallow it up whole and just DEAL with it. NO! You are not old-just TIRED, WORN out and FED up with those who have REAL gifts being relegated to the dusty shelfs in the little mom and pop music shops. Keep doing what you are doing and let's pray that there will be a turn around...way before we can't physically turn around. Because when that happens...yessiree...we must bite the bullet and admit WE ARE OLD! Until then...go down fighting, creating, believing and trusting that the concept of music from the heart isn't a moot issue......
 

You are not getting old, you are getting wise. Music is an invaluable tool that can easily penetrate the mind, especially of our young people. When I was growing up, music was fun. We didn't have to bleep out every other word. So keep doing whatcha do. Keep speaking on the issue! Let your voice be heard!
And by the way you are not fat! But you are sexy.
 

YOU ALREADY KNOW WHAT IT IS JIZZ.YOU ARE NOT OLD AT ALL.YOU JUST LIKE REAL MUSIC,REAL PEOPLE,AND REAL THINGS..I WISH MORE PEOPLE THOUGHT LIKE YOU DO,AND MAYBE THE MUSIC INDUSTRY WOULD BE SO MUCH BETTER,AND PEOPLE WOULD REALLY GO OUT,AND SUPPORT THE ARTIST.(ATLEAST THE ONES WHO ARE OUT HERE BUSTIN THERE ASS,AND WHO CAN REALLY SING) AS A SINGER MYSELF I FEEL THE SAME WAY AS YOU DO,BUT I KNOW I AINT OLD!!!! LOL!!! AND YOU AINT EITHER!!!!! PEACE,AND BLESSINGS.
 

Keep doing what you are doing. These days with faster technology and mass media, it has made society think they want things NOW, QUICKER, FASTER... Thus, it's an indication of laziness. People are too lazy to hear what you have created with melodies, rhythms, and harmonies. The musicality indeed has no meaning for the masses, instead, we have 3 minute songs expressing how much money 50 makes, a woman's ass used for credit card swiping (Nelly's video), and simple self degradation of the artist. Everyone wants to make a buck, but at who's expense. Everything goes in cycles. Patience is a virtue. ;)

peace!
 

I was just having the same sort of conversation with a friend the other day and questioning my age (although i'm not as old as u Josh...lol *smile*) but I agree and it needs to begin with the consumers so that the people holding the purse strings will be forced to reevaluate the quality of "music" that is being put out there for mainstream consumption...it seems that most folks these days are more interested in no brainers, sex appeal and vulgarity than real talent because that's what they are mostly fed, alot of folks dont want to search beyond what is given to them and they accept it, maybe i'm wrong but i dont think the labels were putting out this kind of stuff back in the day...its a vicious cycle...will people demand more?? i hope a change comes soon and we can get back 2 the old days of real goooood music in everybody's reach.
 

Who Loves Paris?

Not I.


Yeah, a lot of ignorant music I hear is ridiculous! Why would have kids saying ' Superman that **' when they do not know what it means. It is a sexual connotation, in all honesty.

Boondocks makes me laugh when they mock people like this. Crazy


Much Love Josh and Blessings! :)
 

i'd say even more sagacious is the state of mynd you are frequenting at 38. your blog is right on the money. culture is a set of values and understandings of the world that people have. it is reflected through several media, including language, art and especially music. not only is much of the music we have the misfortune to hear today a function of a lost sense of direction towards one's true, GOD-giving purpose in life, but it is seemingly spawned by those that had that same sense of direction (or lack there of) 10 or 15 years ago.

i mean, as much as i loved 'ready to die', purchasing that kind of cd was a testament to the mentality many of the yesterday's youth had and now, is reflected in the mentalities and "ARTistic" expression of many youth today. most people are literally rapping about the same thing...nothingness. kudos to common, kweli, little brother, mos, the roots and ?uestlove--yes, he deserves to stand apart--kanye, 'fest--and even eminen--he keeps hip-hop fun, and even jay-z and nas for keeping the bar higher for hip. the standard is lowered in hip-hop by the others unmentioned and everyone seems to be fine with it, well, some are.

one of the reasons i truly appreciate house is not only it's attention to detail (recall michelle weeks "movin on" and the brass and string sections and solos), but it's timeless and hardly reflective of a given chronosystem. it truly transcends.
 

Now You know that you are not getting old, that's just the wise man in you talking! I've heard all kinds of music coming from africa, and having grown up here in the US, I've heard all different types of music, let's just say there's a bigggg difference in what they call music from when I came in the 80's and now. Like you say a lot of it is just people making a quik $$$$, no matter what the messege is, and the sadd thing about it is that there are people out there who spend $ on those things. I can be proud to say that I'VE NEVER SUPPORTED ANY OF THOSE BOOTY TYPES MUSIC. We need people out there like you to keep making the type of music that you make. I like to feel my music and I mean FEEL it, and it is a spiritual thing, and that's not around anymore. So brother man... No you're not old just full of Wisdom and speaking the truth.....PEACE and BLESSINGS. From Africa...
 

Josh you are not getting old man.

I was surprised when i saw that you are 38 and you got a kid too.
My name is Tasos and i'm from a small island in Greece.
Man you don't even realize what is going on here with the shit music.
In a country with that history, people goes crazy. I found house by my self.
It was that soul thing that moved me when i was 16. Even if my friends didn't liked it that much, i was stuck in that spiritual thing. The sound of soulful & deep house. my god is like heaven.
I only knew you by the name artist Blaze, and i have so much respect for you. I am also glad i can see your picture at last!

Keep making us feel good, we are all a family, a house family!
much love man!
take care!
 

I'm feeling all of your words 100% my brotha!!

Music is indeed a feeling an expression of the artists soul, thier feelings, etc. that just has to move the listener. If music fails to move or truly inspire then then it has no meaning, no soul and that is a very sad thing indeed. Truly good music regardless of genre will always stand the test of time and will be played over and over and over again. How many songs portraying negativity by over-exposed artists will be played in a years time let alone 5 or 10? Not many i'd say.....
You keep doing your thing though man making beautiful music that never fails to inspire and bring happiness and by the way your definitly not too old!!!

To all those spreading the vibe and that good sound .. Peace
 

Bless the universal consience. Thanks for putting this up, Im confident that when artist like u are prepared to voice some honest sharing then there is hope. Hope that somehow the message is received somewhere.
I was in a house bar the other night.. the DJ informed me house music started in belgium with PUMP UP THE JAM lol Well; funny, but also worrying.
I been doing my bit on my myspace to suggest similar opinions. Im no DJ just love the feelings that music made by u and ur peers makes me feel. Im also a southport soul weekender veteran , so, go figure ;) .. 36 and still sexy apparently lol I totally identify with the am I getting old thing, sound like my mum. Mum knows best apparently.
Your words are like a prayer. A message to the cosmos. Sure.

Thanks for everything, and I wish u all the best over the holiday season. A bitter sweet time because of Mel Cherens passing no doubt.

Hugs from Belgium... the chocolates here are literally to die for fat boy ;)
 

Hi, Josh,...

Jack (the previous writer on your blog) and myself were sharing similar thoughts on his blog,...
First of all, don't worry about the age,... I'm 26, I was literally wearing diapers still when house music started,... I missed quite a big bit of the house history but still things like pump up the jam, dr Alban, SNAP, Capella and many others who made it into the charts in the earlier 90ies, made some interest grow in me,... It took a whole lot of time and different steps to get where I am now, a deep sound, music lover that can get carried away, getting completely stoned, just listening to some lovely sound created by a passionate music lover, and put on at the right moment by an at least as passionate DJ,... No drugs, not even alcohol needed to get me there,... Feels soooo great!


But now to the point,... You are completely right about economy driven mainstream shit on the radio and in the stores,... Even I think it's hard to find records I like in the charts of the last couple of years, it's become jus one big bunch of immoral lyrics and provacative language. Especially the one to much african-american rap or hiphop singer that hits the charts for a few months, with an even more disrespectfull tune towards women. All that before he gets locked away for whatever crime he was involved in. ( To see his popularity and record sales go up after the conviction)


Having read a column earlier on a dutch photography website, where I heard similar comments. Too many passionate people are getting disrespected for the things they do/create for the pleasure of others,... Why is that? Is it the marketing strategy of some money driven multinationals? Is it a consequence of the new digital era? Is it possible that the power of creation is coming in too close reach of the general audience? Within reach of everyone who has a computer and is able to find the A, B and C keys on a keyboard? How come owners of a 75€ digital compact camera all at once and all together get the idea that they are great photographers? Did that camera include a degree in photography skills? Does the playstation singstar game give away record-contracts?
These things may be a phase in life or a reason to step up, if you're really good. In a way just as I needed the charts listed songs to catch an interest in house tunes. And now finally being able to see the passion of the creator when I close my eyes and float away towards another dimension on his/her sound.


I sincerely hope passionate people will never give up and neither give in to this kind of commerce, but keep doing what their heart tells them to do.
 

Josh...in some ways, we grew up in a world populated by adults who believed they could change the world...and they did. Their music reflected it, our schoolteachers (the younger ones anyway) were immersed in it. So many of my cousins and 2 of my siblings marched with MLK...it was a different time. But their worldview affected ours because they were in the classrooms with us, because we listened to that next generation of music...PFunk deconstructing commercialism (syndrome, tweedley-dum, humdrum, don't succumb...funkentelechy is one example...the bigger the headache, the bigger the pill...), EWF with their transcendental meditation...the list goes on...
It was a different reality. With the advances in tech and the frantic building of the music marketing method and machine, someone figured out that the crowd screaming for the beatles had been teens, the crowd screaming for Bon Jovi had been teens...and the crowd screaming for the Sugar Hill Gang, for Kool Moe Dee, for Big Daddy Kane...they were all teens. The focus on getting teen attention went into hyperdrive - and that is the only market that matters to the big labels because the 12-24 crowd spends pretty indiscriminately. They like to dispose of disposable income, so to speak. After 24 their tastes get a little harder to pin down, so their money doesn't get chased as hard. And they are growing up in a different reality from ours.
If you add that to the fact that the big label part of the music industry is DYING and doesn't seem as aware of it as they ought to be, you have "let's produce what sells" and "quality be damned." No one fills stadiums anymore on their own, except older acts. Smaller venues = smaller return on investment. Who, in the young crowd, buys entire albums anymore? Do labels come close to recouping what they might spend on any acts?
What sells? Looks, surface...VIDEO killed the radio star (sorry to crib a title) - But think about it...when I was in India, I heard Roberta Flack and Bob Marley on the hotel elevators. I heard Curtis Mayfield. Whoever owns those libraries still makes money. Will a music publishing library full of krunk or whatever still be a valuable library in 20 or 30 years? For movie making, perhaps. I doubt it will work anywhere else. But a library full of beautiful music will last. For house & jazz, it ain't about the fast money, it's about moving the publishing intelligently and settling in for the long haul.
Heck, I play Return to Forever's Romantic Warrior for my students... and I play house too...
 

Amén that!
 

Totally agree Josh.
You are in US,main source of the best Music from last century to today.
I'm in Spain,Europe from 36 years,feeling,listening,learning and enjoying,and now i feel,like always,in a musical oasis,the rest are desert.

Please keep alive the music with soul,not the music sales or market,or a fake way of life,only the real music moves the hearts and soul.

A little fan,dj and producer from Spain.

Sorry for my English... ;)


Blessings and Peace and of course....Real Music.
 

I'm glad I'm not the ONLY one who feels this way...