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postdubstep: Looking at the state of R&B is like seeing your ex from a few years back and finding out that they’ve let themselves go. Like really let themselves go. You can still see what made you fall for them so badly in the first place but it’s now all murked over with unpleasantries. The sad thing is R&B was one of the most important genres of music, while most are responsible for bringing a new style of clothing or a new way of living to our attention, R&B was pivotal in abolishing prejudice and racial inhibitions from the entertainment industry. It also undoubtedly gave birth to genres like Rock & Roll, Soul, Funk etc. Funny to think that a genre that was once so important is now relying on an uneasy relationship with electronic music to comercially stay alive. However, like the ex that’s dramatically gone downhill - there’s still potential. In 2011 we saw a lifeline for R&B arise - Alternative R&B - R&B with an alternative twist and a slight indie aesthetic. Artists like The Weeknd, AlunaGeorge and Creep began to resuscitate a genre that had been kindnapped by producers like Guetta and corrupt record label execs who were obsessed with glossing everything with a tacky euro-dance pop sheen. But before we talk about how the demise happened, we must first know the long and prestigious journey of the genre. A Brief As Possible Historical Recount Of R&B Like all genres no particular event can be stated as the birth of R&B, but let’s talk basics. R&B (Rhythm & Blues) was a tag that Jerry Wexler of Billboard coined back in 1948, as a replacement for the not so polite term ‘Race Music’. Like everything else back then, the charts were segregated too. Sonically, the genre was the birthchild of Jazz and Electric Blues and was made for Black Americans by Black Americans. Chicago, Detroit, L.A, New York are all named as birthplaces. There were many independent labels that were crucial but one of the most important was Chess Records. Chess Records had a host of soon-to-be-legends on their rooster from Howlin’ Wolf, to Bo Diddley, to Muddy Waters to even the sadly recently belated Etta James. All of the records that these artists created contained a primal, raw, un-before energy mixed with a simple, rocking beat and strong rhythm instilled within them. This mysterious new combination would later become the template for R&B and change the world of music forever, without no R&B there would be no Elvis. It was that important.During the 1950’s musicians on other labels like Little Richard would continue to release hit after hit with the odd one like Chuck Berry’s ‘Maybellene’ crossing over into the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming popular amongst the white youth. Towards the end of the 50’s the racial seperation between the R&B chart and Billboard’s Hot 100 began to disintergrate. When Elvis Presley released a little known track called ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ it stormed both black and white charts, even though it had a very strong R&B essence, something that was thought to be a turn off amongst the mass White America. This pretty much changed everything, Presley had managed to take a little bit of what was once ignorantly known as Race Music and make it massive. Suddenly, R&B was no longer exclusively a ‘black thing’. Many people thought Presley was originally a man of colour as a result of the way his music sounded. After this he would then go on to have a legendary streak of hits, and would release one track in particular - ‘Hound Dog’ written by the Godfather of R&B Johnny Otis and previously released by Mama Thornton. He performed the track on The Milton Berle Show and the rest was history. Whilst also giving birth Rock & Roll, R&B was on it’s way to becoming a ‘mainstream thing’. White America had had a taste of R&B but they were about to get a whole mouthful. Musically, the 60’s were dominated by Motown Records. Founded by songwriter Berry Gordy in Detroit in 1959. After a year or so Gordy struck gold when his first signing girl group The Marvelettes scored theirs and Motowns first number one with ‘Please Mr. Postman’ (most of you will probably be more familiar with Cragga’s remix). Motown Records continued to prove that white people were willing to buy records made by black people throughout the 60’s - between 1961 to 1971 the record label had 110 top 10 hits. Diana Ross & The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Jackson 5 and Marvin Gaye to name a few all called Motown home. The record label became so prominent that it had people claimed it had its own sound - The ‘Motown Sound’. The’ Motown Sound’ was Soul music on steroids; taking the mixture of R&B, Doo-Wop and Gospel and multi-tracking and reverbing it within an inch of its life. However, like all good things, the era of Motown came to an end.  During the 70’s R&B went on a bit of a backburner while its offsprings Disco and Funk took over, with artists like James Brown and Donna Summers tearing shit up. After both genres had slowly died out in the 80’s, Contemporary R&B was born out of the decay of disco and the drum machine-heavy feel of hip-hop. Contemporary R&B really all started with Micheal Jackson who was the first to crossover from disco and start mixing synthesizers and beats from drum machines and intergrating this mixture into the classical R&B template. After having one of the last hits of the disco era with ‘Rock Wit U’ he went on to create his legendary Quincy Jones produced trilogy; Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad. All are staples of modern day R&B to the point where it’s hard to imagine how the genre would exist without these records. ‘Billie Jean’ is basically one of the first Contemporary R&B songs everrr. His sister Janet Jackson left just as big impact with her masterpieces Control andJanet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814, both produced by the masterly duo Jam & Lewis, her sonic was more dance-oriented and contained a heavy rhythmic presence. Without Janet there would be no Rihanna.Towards the late 80’s and 90’s the era of the big voices started to happen, Whitney and Mariah both arrived each becoming a flooring, unprecedented and unique vocal talent. People like Jessie J can try and do as many weird vocal tics and ‘woaaaaaooooaaahhhs’ as they want. They ain’t gonna sound like them. There is never going to be another ‘Fantasy’. FACT. On the the hand, another part of Contemporary R&B was starting to come to life too, New Jack Swing was the old and trusted but with a heavier Hip-Hop presence - Jodeci, Keith Sweat were all pushing this hybrid of lush vocal arrangements and gritty percussive backing tracks. Girl Groups also came back with a vengance with En Vouge, SWV and TLC each donning their own unique take on this subgenre and dominanting charts while doing so. Aaliyah probably was the last major development in R&B in terms of an artist pushing boundaries. She went from being R Kelly’s hand puppet to becoming a sex siren pushing a futuristic, inventive strain of R&B in the space of a few years. I mean yeah sure Timbaland produced it, but Aaliyah was the vehicle, the medium for which the message was pushed through, and without her the music wouldn’t of existed. Songs like ‘One In A Miliion’ and ‘Rock The Boat’ sound as fresh as ever, and still sound like nothing else currently out there. Her music is as relevant as ever, a key inspiration in R&B’s lifeline - Alternative R&B. Anyway more of that later. During the just departed Noughties the charts continue to be dominated by R&B, with the Queen Beyonce dominating and next in line Rihanna breaking out. As for the sound, the boand between R&B and Hip-Hop became stronger and everything so starting sound more slick and glamourous. So that’s the history lesson. Hope it wasn’t too painful. Up next, how R&B started resembling your ex whose gone downhill. Gaga and Guetta - The Death of R&B?There were many factors that caused R&B to go off the rails, but two people in particular were key in the demise of it’s soulful sound. Lady Gaga and David Guetta introduced the US to dance music, by the time these two were finshed everyone from P.Diddy to Black Eyes Peas were experimenting with electronic music. Gaga single-handely banged down all the doors with her first two hits ‘Just Dance’ and ‘Pokerface’ both produced by the then largely unknown Red-One. Her debut album ‘Fame’ came out Summer 08 yet didn’t reach the peak of its success until April 09 you could say commercially she did lay the foundations for the monopoly in terms of popularity dance music now has over the charts. Coniciding with Gaga’s assault on the US mainstream, The Black Eyed Peas were ditching contemporary R&B and also pushing a new, electronic dance-pop sound. Their track ‘I Gotta Feeling’ would later become the most downloaded song of all time on Itunes. This little ditty was produced by the then largely unknown French DJ David Guetta. The crazy amount of success both of these acts experienced was the first nail in the coffin for R&B.While I’m largely being negative, its gotta be said at first this sound was a blast of fresh air, a new chart trend. But sadly, like with all trends, people start to copy them and the originality fades. David Guetta and Red-One who a few years back were unknown to the general public became household names, both being revered as the creators of this sound that was dominating the charts. Every record label clamoured to work with, worrying that their artist would appear out of date if they didn’t do so. Traditional R&B artists with lush, soulful vocal talents were suddenly having their voices put through this crazy filter they called Autotune. It all felt too corporate and unnatural. For example, after releasing a Contemporary R&B benchmark in the form of Confessions, Usher released ‘OMG’ and appeared all of a sudden to be calculated, cold artist, a victim of trend-chasing. Sure the music was fun and catchy but the soul and feeling had gone. What had happened to the man who made ‘Burn’? Bit by bit, synths, electronic glitches and blips, crazy amounts of Autotune and then dubstep breakdowns all started to slowly inflitrate R&B, until it was no longer rendered R&B. It was just this weird mesh of sounds, a musical no-man’s land where everyone sounded the same. Have Lady Gaga and David Guetta killed R&B? Maybe, maybe not. But their astronomical chart success definitely played a hand. Alternative R&B - The Lifeline?Well commercially, we’re still very much commercially in no-man’s land. Last time I checked Itunes the songs in the top 5 still sounded incredibly similar. Flo Rida is still managing to top the charts by shamelessly sampling every dance track going. Nothing has changed there. Yet, slowly but surely it appears things may be on the road to recovery. A fresh crop of artists have arrived all clubbed under the tag Alternative R&B, they’re creating music that’s inspired by best of Contemporary R&B but has a hip, indie, Pitchforkesque aesthetic.. All of the music these guys create has is futuristic but nostalgic at that same time, it’s like a weird paradox (check out our Indie R&B mix, to listen to what I’m banging on about). The Weeknd recalls Micheal Jackson but if he was on a permament comedown, AlunaGeorge are basically Aaliyah + Timbaland if the former was still alive and Frank Ocean is a modern day Marvin Gaye. Thanks to these a lot, critically R&B has made a comeback, but let’s be honest that don’t mean shit, what really matters is commercial success. It’s harsh, unromantic, ruthless but also true. Spring sees Ocean release his much-anticipated debut on Def Jam and when The Weeknd stops being awkward we’ll undoubtedly see his first proper debut released on a major alongside with a rerelease of his mixtape trilogy sometime this year. Both are set to blow the water and sell shitloads when released, and let’s hope they do and while doing so prove that people still wanna hear R&B. Seriously though, I don’t know how long I can stand to hear another ‘club banger’. It’s killing both me and R&B. By Antonio RoweAlso visit our staff member’s blog Indie R&B. 
postdubstep: If maniacs and old, long-been extinct civilizations are thought to be correct, The End Of The World is penciled in to happen sometime around the 21st December. Thus meaning this could quite possibly be MTHRFNKR’S one and only ‘Big Things For…’ list. Rather eerie don’t you think? But nah seriously, if this is the first/last year we get to hyperbolically recommend new artists, then what a year to go out on. Below are the people we think you should spend your last year alive listening to: Azealia BanksHer music has made everyone from Kelly Rowland to Gwyneth Paltrow to Mumford & Sons (an incongruous bunch, no?) lose their shit. And rightfully so, make no mistake Azealia Banks is amazing. While most would wallow in self-pity if a contract with XL went nowhere. Banks instead decided to release a big fuck you, and record one of the songs of the year - ‘212’. It’s bubbling-over pent-up ferocity needed no press release. The irresistible, needle-in-the-red, ascending sonic partnered with explicit lyrics that expressed a love for oral sex didn’t ask but commanded attention. Needless to say the music industry came a’ knocking.However, not to rest on the laurels of one Internet smash, she recently dropped pro interracial dating follow-up ‘Liquorice’. Lone’s ‘Pineapple Crush’ acts as the backdrop to another rapid-fire rap and a mellifluous hook proving that girl can actually hold a note (she’s an ex theatre geek from Manhattan’s La Guardia school of performing arts). While it may lack the aggressive bite of its predecessor, levels of addiction remain just as high, and it’s sure to feature on many club playlists.With this all being said, understandably people already want a piece of the Azealia pie; Kanye recently met up with her, a collaboration in the works…maybe? And with a Paul Epworth produced debut due out early next year, Banks looks set to carry on commandeering our attention with her dirty-as-pig-shit lyrics and irrepressible flows until further notice. And here’s hoping she never stops doing so, we love us a girl who talks dirty and has the music to back it up with. Lana Del ReyFake collagen-plumped lips or silicone-enhanced big tits – does it all really matter? Well according to the blogosphere the answer would be a resounding yes. Ever since Lana Del Rey stepped into the spotlight with her beautifully arresting ‘Video Games’ talk of whether or not her looks were God-given almost overshadowed her music. Accusations of her being el unnatural only intensified when her first attempt at being a musician under her real name Lizzie Grant came to light - genuine artistic reinvention or big-wig-constructed aesthetic? Whatever you think, like it or not she’s here to stay. ‘Video Games’ was stunning and all, but it’s her next single ‘Born To Die’ that looks set to officially affirm her as a bonafide P.O.P.S.T.A.R. Lana pleading with her lover: ‘don’t make me sad, don’t make me cry…we were born to die’ over a bare-boned hip-hop instrumental that’s complimented with some rather lovely strings. The video also sees her finally get that big budget treatment she’s no doubt spent ages dreaming about while splicing her own videos - sat on a throne, flanked by two tigers, dressed in virginal white and wearing a crown made out of flowers - it almost feels like a future glimpse into her imminent coronation as the Queen of Dark Pop. Whether that happens, depends on the merits of her debut, which is also titled Born To Die and out January 30th in the UK. But judging by what we’ve seen already it’s pretty much a dead cert. Frank Ocean9 months ago it was head honcho Tyler, The Creator who looked set to be the breakout star of hip-hop collective Odd Future. But after a disappointing first major release, fellow member Frank Ocean straight up snatched that title out of his controversy-provoking, Bruno Mars-hating hands, with the release of his mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra. Over the 14 tracks we saw Ocean breathe a much-needed waft of fresh air into the genre of R&B, with some killer songwriting and well-crafted pop songs. Oddly enough, Ocean’s music couldn’t sound further away from the over-hyped tripe that appeared on Tyler’s album. Where Tyler’s music was downright offensive and was smothered in cheap-sounding, barely-functioning synths, Ocean’s songs discussed topics like gay rights, abortion and suicide, all while using out-of-the-box samples like Coldplay and The Eagles.Needless to say, it didn’t take long for people to move their bets from Tyler to Ocean and months later he appears to be now playing in the Big Boys League. This summer his vocals were used on two tracks (‘No Church In The Wild and ‘Made In America’) of rap super duo The Throne’s debut. And he also managed to squeeze out a song called ‘Miss You’ for Beyoncé’s critically overlooked album ‘4’. While originally ignored by his label, Ocean has gone on to say his relationship with Def Jam has strengthened since the success of Nostalgia, Ultra…surprise, surprise.Expect Ocean to be invited to suck on the milky lucrative bosom of commercial success when he releases his first proper album sometime during 2012. A$AP RockyASAP Rocky a.k.a Pretty Motherfucker from Harlem, NY, looks set to be Hip-Hop’s next big superstar. He hails from Harlem, NY yet his music has a distinct Houston, Dirty South vibe buried deep within. To cut to the chase, his beats are catchy, his raps are braggadocios – what’s not to love?  ‘Purple Swag’ was the song that made people turn their heads, but it was knockout punch ‘Peso’ from his critically acclaimed mixtape LiveLoveA$AP that kept them firmly affixed upon Rocky.He’s worked with a mixture of producers, but it’s his affiliation with up-and-coming beat maker Clams Casino that’s the most gripping, Casino’s beats are hip-hop based yet contain an otherworldly atmosphere - allowing Rocky to create his own unique musical world– ‘Wassup’ is astounding and sounds like nothing currently out there.People have started to take notice, the usual endorsements have been made from more established rappers and a 3 million dollar contract with RCA has been signed. Now all we need is a amazing debut, soley produced by Clams Casino peppered with a few radio hits, Drake and Noah ‘40’ Shebid style.  The WeekndIn a world where Gaga is treating the countdown to her album as if it’s the countdown to a world-changing event, with non-stop tweeting and single release after single release, it’s no wonder our brains are yearning for a return of mystery within music – enter Abel Tesfaye a.k.a The Weeknd. A twenty-something Toronto singer/songwriter who managed to get a massive buzz around his mixtape House of Balloons when he released it back in March with no interviews and complete anonymity – no one knew the guy’s real name until a few months ago.Like his image, his music also feels like it resides in the shadows. At a time where R&B was and still is stuck on a heinous euro-pop plateau, Tesfaye’s music is a experimental, slightly-indie, yet hook-heavy alternative. The songs melodies have a hypnagogic effect on the brain – anyone who can resist the hazy, velvet-like sway that’s ‘The Morning’ should be a drug counselor. No Joke.Lyrically, his words match the druggy morning-after aesthetic of his songs, you can often hear Tesfaye discussing promiscuous, one-night stands and over consumption of drugs and alcohols amidst this slick, hazed art house R&B. Unsurprising, him and fellow man-in-touch-with-his-feelings and Torontonian have a strong friendship resulting in a few collaborations.His next mixtape, ‘Echoes Of Silence’ is due out in days completing a mixtape trilogy (another mixtape ‘Thursday’ as released in August’), and after recently turning down a 7 million recording contract, while his music suggests otherwise, the future looks bright for The Weeknd. By Antonio Rowe
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