Dance Music Vs. Quality Hi Fi

Just thought I'd seek others' views regarding the above issue which I've been wondering about for ages.

I listen to a lot of hardhouse and trance dance music which is, other than vocals, exclusively produced electronically.

When I've been demoing kit and when I've spoken to a number of different hi fi stores (decent ones I hasten to add), a lot of people have said 'It's not worth playing it through decent hi fi as it has no 'real' soundstage and is simply replaying computerised sounds'.

Although I realise certain music will bring out the best in hi fi and although we all know radio stations like Radio 1 sound worse due to the compression used, is it not still the case that it IS worth buying decent kit even if you're going to listen to music that, potentially, was made on a cheap PC?

On the opposite side of the arguement, I've also read that certain dance music CDs actually show off frequencies that 'normal' music generally don't tend too.

The CD I've heard referred to most in this respect is The Prodigy's 'Fat of the Land'. I've also read that this CD makes an awesome burn in disc.

What do you guys think?

[Jase]

I tend to listen to more Dance music than any other type, although I do have a wide ranging taste. I think you´re spot on with The Prodigy´s disc and indeed a lot of the other dance music/trance discs the low bass can be quite amazing!!

With Trance/Dance discs you can get a good stereo soundstage, background vocals floating about between speakers etc but I wouldnt say they have depth as such, but that could be down to the actual mix.

On the classic stuff that I´ve listened to (not many!!) you can pick out the different types of instruments within the orchestra and where they are sitting. Some have low bass as well like the strum of double bass´ etc

The only drawback with decent kit is it shows up the craply recorded stuff, which is most of the dance music discs I own!! Some arent too bad though.

[slingshot]

I listen to a lot of alleged dance music through my HiFi A - Because I like it and B - It sounds better than most other forms of music.

The production of almost all the dance music I own is better on average than a lot of the pop garbage. I agree about the prodigy, but also try stuff from Faithless, Groove Amada and Massive attack, then compare it with Oasis, s-Club (OK I was lent this and don't own it).

I'm not sure about hard core dance, because it's fun in clubs but not really something I listen to at home.

Ok no dance music through hifi, just walkmans I can just believe some "decent" stores would say this, which is of course complete nonsense.

Dance music uses a good deal of the frequency range, which is an ideal candidate for better quality speakers, amps e.t.c

Computerised sounds? Considering everything on CD goes through a sampler at the end, not to mention banks of effects processing, that doesn't leave us with much choice, does it?

The sheer amount of devices being "played" in an average dance track means that without good equipment, the soundstage can be completely muddled.

If I'd listened to dealers like that, I'd never know how track like the orbs "little fluffy clouds" sound moving the cones on my kef refs

Hi juboy
I to would have to agree with slingshot with regards to standards of production.
I have found Drum to Bass to be perfect for a Demo of your kit, hifi or a/v and the only reason that i can think of that these stores are tell you that they have no sound stage is because they are to scared that you may kill their Speakers or sub with some evil LFE.

Samir
I also know a number of DJ's who are involved in writing and producing of Drum & Bass and these guys are using some heavy weight Kit. Gone are the days of putting tracks together on an old Atari ST.

Originally posted by Samir
Gone are the days of putting tracks together on an old Atari ST.

Yes. Now they use Commodore Amigas and I have heard that some of the pro's have 2Mb (or sometimes even 4Mb!!) of RAM

Nice to see there's some dance music fans here

I (not surprisingly) tend to agree with you guys. Although I do have a fair amount of 'real' music amongst my collection, it is mainly the hard dance stuff that really make my system come alive.

It seems to me that with most dance music I listen to the frequency range is greater, the treble is a little crisper and higher and the bass, well, obviously goes waaaaaaay deeper and lower than most 'real' music would ever do.

When I demo kit I usually take the following tracks:

'Everyday' Agnelli & Nelson
'1998' Binary Finary
'Instru(Mental)' Nick Sentience & BK
'Hooked' 99th Floor Elevators

What I personally like about them is the dynamics of each track, ranging from the classic HUGE breakdowns to big bass stabs and then the faster, hectic main parts of the tunes.

Give me that over demoing 'Now 56' anyday!

[micb3rd]

Yep I am a fan of dance music, I like hard house and Trance, there are some good songs out there.

Of course some dance songs can be a good test of hifi, the tester just has to know the song and listen out to how diffrent speakers and syetems play it.

How about a CD like Leftfield - Leftism a disk with some awesome sounds.

You can't blanket all Dance and House music together under the same hat saying that they are not a good test of music.

[thudspud]

Hello

juboy, you the man, you have some great demo tracks there, "Everyday" is one of my all time favourites!!!

I too have heard people saying that decent hi-fi is of no benefit to dance music but I think it is complete rubbish, It is still music.

Anyway, going off topic abit, Here are a few of my all time favourite dance tracks.

1) Lost Tribe - Angel
2) Jam & Spoon - Stella
3) Energy 52 - Cafe Del Mar (Three N One Mix)
4) Solar Stone - The Calling (Inner Peace Mix)
5) Agnelli & Nelson - Everyday (Vocal Mix)
6) Art of Trance - Madagascar
7) LSG - Hidden Sun Of Venus (12" Mix)
8) Sasha & Maria - Be As One
9) Jan Johnston - Silent Words (Lyric & Natali Mix 1)
10) Plaid - Rakimou
11) Terra Ferma - The Adventures of...
12) Sunscreem - Please Save Me
13) BT - Flaming June


I am sure there are a thousand more!!!!

Cheers

Chris

500-600 tunes all on vinyl from 88 96 (the best period) and i could not care less how a dance cd sounds

[Ian J]

Hi Sean, good to see you back

Seany Boy: I have some Technics through an old Nad C320 and some Tannoy R1s... and a similar amount of vinyl to play through it all.

That doesn't help me too much when auditioning CD players though

Personally, I thought the halcyon days of dance were 1997 to 2000... a time when trance ruled the World! Although that said, this summer is going to be massive for trance again, just about all the latest round of 'superclub' CDs have been trance based.

Thudspud: Energy 52 - Cafe Del Mar, what can I say... genius track. How about Atlantis Vs. Avatar 'Fiji'? And not forgetting System F's 'Out of the Blue'. Classics, the lot of 'em!

[Bonesy]

yeah, and all with samples and breaks nicked from the original hard dance from 89' to '92. Seany boy, I'm with you on this.

"and all with samples and breaks nicked from the original hard dance from 89' to '92"

Take something good... and make it better

It's all gone a bit Pete tong if you ask me if you were there from the start, to be a witness of the birth of a hole new force in music, that was very much underground and looked upon as antisocial by the media, who now have columns called rave and then hearing drum and bass on biker grove while looking after my nephew and seeing beer heads stumbling to orbital's 'Belfast' in the Hac, you just knew the bubble had burst. tunes like 'peace and harmony' 'sweet sensation' 'take it easy' 'where love lives' 'strings of life' 'sweet harmony' you can't guild Lilly's juyboy

Really commercial these days, the soul's been torn out of it. I first went to ibiza in 89 and the last time was 99, and it is just not the same place. sasha, carl cox, and pete tong have all said the same thing.

I still love dance, all forms apart from happy hardcore (not hard core) fcukin garbage.

It was what it was....