Awlstylz DJ
Bio
I am a DJ for over 20yrs and I teach music as well. My goal is to entertain as well as educate. The environment creates the music!
Stories (4)
Filter by community
Music 2020: What happened?
When we think of music, music is the soundtrack of our lives. If music is the soundtrack of our lives, it should evoke some feelings or move you. I see the current landscape of music today. From Serato Studio to Garageband, music today can be made by any and everyone. Billie Eilish, along with her brother, created the song of the year from the home. Now to the novice music lover or casual lover of music, that may sound like a huge accomplishment. But it also illustrates how music has changed. The passion in the music of the past could be felt in the chords of the songs, the love of music was felt in the arrangements of the instruments. Loverboy's 1980 hit "Turn me loose" is a perfect illustration of the passion that music radiated to its listeners. When you hear the first cymbals of that song along with the keyboards, you felt the energy in that song. There was a certain buildup of the song that you knew that the musicians loved what they did and it emanated through the song. On the other hand, music today has no emotional connection, when music is mass-produced, there is no human element required. Music also is supposed to be a reflection of the times. Weirdly, music today is a reflection of society. Music used to be the reporters of the streets, from N.W.A. to Eric Clapton, music was supposed to give you a snapshot of that era. Social media, reality shows have forever changed the way people perceive reality. Music now is about likes and followers. Music has become watered down to the point where it is no longer escapism of music past. It is the escapism to superficial and unrealistic realities. Another reason that music is passionless is music has become a cash cow or ticket to riches. When your money as the forefront and not the artistry, it's inevitable that music will be able what the consumer wants, not what the artist feels. With the advent of streaming and various platforms to release music, it's easier to make music to release and the more music that's release, the more money can be made. Music also should evoke harmony and unite people. In the 1970s, Disco was genre originally made by blacks and Puerto Ricans but all races and colors were dancing to disco. That was the only, and perhaps the last, time that music brought everybody together. Disco Music had passion because they were telling people to enjoy life. After all, we had to go through so much in the '60s. Songs like Chic's "Good Times" or McFadden and Whitehead's "Aint no stopping us now" were a reflection of the times. They had passion because the music was speaking to people in real-time. Disco music transported people to what a society could be and should be. Passionless music is music that does not inspire the good in people, but an image of what people perceive is good. When artists start caring about what the music sounds like and talk about real-life events, then the passion will come back to music, and people will be able to connect to the music. How can the passion come back to music you ask? First, are you making music that you want or for the money? Secondly, what story are you telling? Is the story a real-life experience or just what you think people want to hear? Thirdly, are you a student of your art or just a fan that's singing? If you can answer those questions honestly, then you are the path of making music with passion again. People love music that you feel the love, passion in song. One thing about entertaining is that if you don't believe in what you're doing or singing, they are going to feel that and they won't feel an emotional attachment as well. That's why when a song comes on nowadays, it may be cool for a little bit, but it fades away quickly. Getting the passion back into music is the first step in revitalizing the quality of music. Can we get to that point again? Only the artists can answer that.
By Awlstylz DJ6 years ago in Beat
Beginnings
Music is a very integral part of our life, consequently, for me, music has always been close to me, for as long as I can recall. I can recall as far back as two years old. We had just moved into Roseland, and we were some of the first black people on our block, and our neighbors were an old Jewish couple named the Benjamins.
By Awlstylz DJ7 years ago in Beat
Music: Lifeline of Our Souls
Music has been a vital element in human existence since before time. On a spiritual level, music was before time. In heaven, the heavenly choir was singing music with Lucifer leading the choir consequently, which is why is an integral part of our life. So it should come as no surprise that music also is tied to our souls. Music is what makes humans alive. Music has always been a life force that, no matter what color or race, connects people. I truly believe that music has been the driving force in the creative force of humanity. From the beginning of time, music has always been a force as it’s been a part of the human experience for centuries from the Psalms in the Old Testament to the birth of Christ to old Gaelic stories. Music in America has been no different. From the American Revolution to Slavery to Disco, music has inspired revolutions, overcame oppression, and celebrated good times. I feel that music has always been vital to human existence and a 1,000 years from now music will be vital to the human experience. Also, music is very symbiotic to the spirit of humans. Music is a force of the universe that connects with humans on a spiritual and mental level. our bodies are rhythmic machines. That is why we are so connected to music because our heartbeats, breathing, walking is all a rhythmic motion. Therefore, music is the one defining trait that connects us and the one component that is uniquely human. Music is not something to be easily dismissed or taken for granted. Music has great power to it and like with any powerful entity, it can be used for good or evil. Music, when used in a productive way, can uplift, inspire, storytelling and spark change in society. Likewise, music used for bad can degrade, divide and speak death and destruction. I feel that when you play music as a DJ, you have an awesome responsibility to not only know what you are playing but what to play. Music is a very emotional and spiritual force. Music can be felt through your bones, blood and spirit in way few other things have the ability to. Music is also uniquely human but individually felt. Music has the ability to be heard by all but understood by very few. When music is played, you have an instant reaction to the beat, the melody, the lyrics. As a DJ, music is a very special tool that when in my hands. I take that responsibility very seriously. In my experiences, I have seen how music increased the energy to the point of fever pitch in a positive way, conversely, I have seen how music has increased the energy in a negative way to the point of violence. That is why I state that music is very interrelated to the human condition. Also, I have seen how music can decrease to the point to where any energy that was present has been drained to the point of the event being lifeless. I always say that music is a very powerful force in the universe. Music has the power to teach love, to teach hate, to divide humans and to unite humans. Music has the power to heal, soothe and our bodies and minds. Music is one of those elements in the universe that has such tremendous power, but the acknowledgment of its power is greatly underestimated and often overlooked. I hope that what I have explained about music will give you a greater appreciation for music and it is an element in the universe that cannot be used or taken lightly. We as humans have an obligation to our existence to revere music and the power it holds. As with anything powerful, music can be a great asset or a dangerous weapon. In this story, I have mentioned where music came from, how it’s connected to the history of man, and it’s power. In closing, music is a very important piece of humanity and our hope is that future generations will value the history of music and continue to spread music to the whole world. Finally, music is the heartbeat of humans and the lifeline of the universe.
By Awlstylz DJ7 years ago in Beat
