where does our love for a specific genre come from?

Was just pondering. Are we pre disposed to immeaditaely njoy one type, or even a group, of genres; based on our personalities and/or characteristics. Or is it what we have been surrounded with growing up. If so the latter, then how is it so many ppl njoy listening to death metal or even drum and bass.

Like I said, was just pondering. And I couldn't come up with an answer myself.

Any nuggets o' wisdom?

I wasn't raised around ANY specific genre of music. I think it has to do with the environment (for me school) you are surrounded with and natural curiosity. I got into hip hop because it was the genre I was most exposed (BET/radio) to and I love/loved it.

As for other genres such as DnB and Ska it came down to curiosity. I use youtube as an outlet to scout new artists/genres and if I like it I delver further into their discography. For example I looked up one Jamiroquai song and 2 days later I bought their discography.

Funk Seoul Brother wrote:

I wasn't raised around ANY specific genre of music. I think it has to do with the environment (for me school) you are surrounded with and natural curiosity. I got into hip hop because it was the genre I was most exposed (BET/radio) to and I love/loved it.

As for other genres such as DnB and Ska it came down to curiosity. I use youtube as an outlet to scout new artists/genres and if I like it I delver further into their discography. For example I looked up one Jamiroquai song and 2 days later I bought their discography.

I see where you comin from, reason I don't personally agree is because I was surrounded by dance music and rock, as I'm sure it was for many other ppl. Whether its one or many of the other genres in the world.

Surely your parents or siblings exposed you to certain genres while you were younger? Or that of your culture? Or the area you grew up in?

Lol... I'm kurious>>>

Sinj wrote:

I see where you comin from, reason I don't personally agree is because I was surrounded by dance music and rock, as I'm sure it was for many other ppl. Whether its one or many of the other genres in the world.

Surely your parents or siblings exposed you to certain genres while you were younger? Or that of your culture? Or the area you grew up in?

Lol... I'm kurious>>>

As shocking as it sounds my parents and brother aren't really into music. Aside from the occasional radio during the car-ride I don't recall being exposed to anything in particula growing up. That might explain why I ended up so estranged lol. I really started getting into music in general in my teens.

The area I grew up in didn't exactly have a popular musical figure that I remember/still.

I feel it comes from the music you were exposed to first. In my case, hip hop was the genre I was exposed to first, obviously, and it's been MY genre ever since, lol. It's also based on characteristics and personalities also. Although I'm not a sexist and I like R&B (depending on the artist), I've always felt hip hop was for the men and R&B was for the ladies.

I got into Hip Hop purely on my ow when one day i heard it coming from a neighbors window as he was gettin ready to dj at a local club.he had said he didn't play much of it but would sneek in a track or 2 through out the nite. this was back in 82. been hooked ever since. first thing i remember buying with my own money was a record with breaking tracks on it and had a fold out "how to" of several break moves.

no one else in my fam really digs hip hop lie i do. my brothers have dabble a little in their high school years but once those influences weren't there any more their desire for the music deminished.

I'm somwhere in between Yogi and Wayne (No homo...)

I was exposed to funk/soul/doo wop/R&B from day one. Mom loved the stuff. I'm 33 years old and I still spin the old soul music like it just came out.

Hip Hop was something dad was big on. I was exposed to electro funk first, and then I got into Bambaataa, Cold Crush, and Whodini and the like around '82 due to my dad having house parties.

I co-sign Wayne on the R&B being mostly for ladies, but I can get with the soul music which I consider to be anything from the late 50's to early 90's...and the new jack swing shit is dope too. R&B is booboo nowadays.

So, I'd say that early exposure would account for initial tastes. And while tastes do change and evolve, the base typically remains.

Funk Seoul Brother wrote:

Sinj wrote:

I see where you comin from, reason I don't personally agree is because I was surrounded by dance music and rock, as I'm sure it was for many other ppl. Whether its one or many of the other genres in the world.

Surely your parents or siblings exposed you to certain genres while you were younger? Or that of your culture? Or the area you grew up in?

Lol... I'm kurious>>>

As shocking as it sounds my parents and brother aren't really into music. Aside from the occasional radio during the car-ride I don't recall being exposed to anything in particula growing up. That might explain why I ended up so estranged lol. I really started getting into music in general in my teens.

The area I grew up in didn't exactly have a popular musical figure that I remember/still.

Would you agree then, had you of grown up in say one of the southern states where country music was predominantly featured in school, you would therefore njoy that?

I've been in Nashville since 1991, and it doesn't get much more country than that. I can tell you that it hasn't made me love love country music. I don't hate country music at all, but it's far from a favorite of mine.

Norfeest wrote:

I'm somwhere in between Yogi and Wayne (No homo...)

I was exposed to funk/soul/doo wop/R&B from day one. Mom loved the stuff. I'm 33 years old and I still spin the old soul music like it just came out.

Hip Hop was something dad was big on. I was exposed to electro funk first, and then I got into Bambaataa, Cold Crush, and Whodini and the like around '82 due to my dad having house parties.

I co-sign Wayne on the R&B being mostly for ladies, but I can get with the soul music which I consider to be anything from the late 50's to early 90's...and the new jack swing shit is dope too. R&B is booboo nowadays.

So, I'd say that early exposure would account for initial tastes. And while tastes do change and evolve, the base typically remains.

I agree whole heartily. But there's a part of me that still feels that its deeper than that of just early exposure and initial tastes. Reason being, I know ppl in my immeadiate group of friends who grew up listenin to afrikaans music or oooold rock like elvis and the like, who in the same breath were not, as myself, predominantly surrounded by any form of hip hop in school. Yet somehow chose hip hop over say dance or reggae or even pop. I know this situation doesn't apply to the masses but I do feel that it somehow shares the same principle of being almost "moulded" to a specific genre.

Like what is it that drew to the sound coming outa the window, I know the easy answer is because he njoyed the sound but as I said I feel its far more complex than that

In terms of hugely popular genres, Hip-Hop music was at the cutting edge of music when all of us grew up, and young people tend to like what's new, so it's really no surprise.

I'd say the genre is less so about your specific personality than what sub-genres and style you gravitate toward within a genre.

In terms of other genres, I hated rock on the radio when I was growing up (and still don't like the big names in 90s and early 00s rock), and no one I know was listening to folk or americana, but I suppose I reached them through checking out what preceded Hip-Hop, and finding my way from there.

Jason wrote:

In terms of hugely popular genres, Hip-Hop music was at the cutting edge of music when all of us grew up, and young people tend to like what's new, so it's really no surprise.

I'd say the genre is less so about your specific personality than what sub-genres and style you gravitate toward within a genre.

In terms of other genres, I hated rock on the radio when I was growing up (and still don't like the big names in 90s and early 00s rock), and no one I know was listening to folk or americana, but I suppose I reached them through checking out what preceded Hip-Hop, and finding my way from there.

Good point there. I found a lot of my different tastes starting with crate digging for sample sources. If I heard a nice sample, I'd search high and low for the original source. That opened me up (No homo) to a new world of sounds. I mean, I'm no Halfy, but I do dabble in a few hundred thousand genres myself. lol

Sinj wrote:

Would you agree then, had you of grown up in say one of the southern states where country music was predominantly featured in school, you would therefore njoy that?

Its a possibility but I never took any particular interest in that genre. Its for some people but not for these ears. I understand where you're coming from though.

Funk Seoul Brother wrote:

Sinj wrote:

Would you agree then, had you of grown up in say one of the southern states where country music was predominantly featured in school, you would therefore njoy that?

Its a possibility but I never took any particular interest in that genre. Its for some people but not for these ears. I understand where you're coming from though.

I see you're listening to some Squarepusher now, nice.

Norfeest wrote:

Jason wrote:

In terms of hugely popular genres, Hip-Hop music was at the cutting edge of music when all of us grew up, and young people tend to like what's new, so it's really no surprise.

I'd say the genre is less so about your specific personality than what sub-genres and style you gravitate toward within a genre.

In terms of other genres, I hated rock on the radio when I was growing up (and still don't like the big names in 90s and early 00s rock), and no one I know was listening to folk or americana, but I suppose I reached them through checking out what preceded Hip-Hop, and finding my way from there.

Good point there. I found a lot of my different tastes starting with crate digging for sample sources. If I heard a nice sample, I'd search high and low for the original source. That opened me up (No homo) to a new world of sounds. I mean, I'm no Halfy, but I do dabble in a few hundred thousand genres myself. lol

lol.....hey man I saw that you listened to that Dark Night of the Soul....is it worth checking out?

As for the topic at hand, hip hop was the first genre I got into really, and like Jason and Norf I started looking into the samples/influences to expand my musical experiences

Half wrote:

I see you're listening to some Squarepusher now, nice.

That dude is extremely hit or miss. I went through all of his albums and I found more stuff I hated than what I liked. Interesting artist though. His first album was the only solid one IMO.

Funk Seoul Brother wrote:

Half wrote:

I see you're listening to some Squarepusher now, nice.

That dude is extremely hit or miss. I went through all of his albums and I found more stuff I hated than what I liked. Interesting artist though. His first album was the only solid one IMO.

My favorite from him is Hard Normal Daddy, followed by Music Is Rotted One Note and Feed Me Weird Things at 3rd. And his post-2000 output is extremely hit or miss. I actually haven't listened to his last two albums.

Half wrote:

Funk Seoul Brother wrote:

Half wrote:

I see you're listening to some Squarepusher now, nice.

That dude is extremely hit or miss. I went through all of his albums and I found more stuff I hated than what I liked. Interesting artist though. His first album was the only solid one IMO.

My favorite from him is Hard Normal Daddy, followed by Music Is Rotted One Note and Feed Me Weird Things at 3rd. And his post-2000 output is extremely hit or miss. I actually haven't listened to his last two albums.

Also, I don't know if you have listened to any Amon Tobin but if you have not I extremely recommend doing so. His career has been consistent all the way through. You could pick an album at random from his discog and chances are it's either classic or really dope.

Half wrote:

Norfeest wrote:

Jason wrote:

In terms of hugely popular genres, Hip-Hop music was at the cutting edge of music when all of us grew up, and young people tend to like what's new, so it's really no surprise.

I'd say the genre is less so about your specific personality than what sub-genres and style you gravitate toward within a genre.

In terms of other genres, I hated rock on the radio when I was growing up (and still don't like the big names in 90s and early 00s rock), and no one I know was listening to folk or americana, but I suppose I reached them through checking out what preceded Hip-Hop, and finding my way from there.

Good point there. I found a lot of my different tastes starting with crate digging for sample sources. If I heard a nice sample, I'd search high and low for the original source. That opened me up (No homo) to a new world of sounds. I mean, I'm no Halfy, but I do dabble in a few hundred thousand genres myself. lol

lol.....hey man I saw that you listened to that Dark Night of the Soul....is it worth checking out?

I dug it. It won't "wow" you or anything, but it's a nicely put together album. So, I'd say yes.

Half wrote:

Also, I don't know if you have listened to any Amon Tobin but if you have not I extremely recommend doing so. His career has been consistent all the way through. You could pick an album at random from his discog and chances are it's either classic or really dope.

Cool beans man. I'll check him out.

Norfeest wrote:

Half wrote:

Norfeest wrote:

Jason wrote:

In terms of hugely popular genres, Hip-Hop music was at the cutting edge of music when all of us grew up, and young people tend to like what's new, so it's really no surprise.

I'd say the genre is less so about your specific personality than what sub-genres and style you gravitate toward within a genre.

In terms of other genres, I hated rock on the radio when I was growing up (and still don't like the big names in 90s and early 00s rock), and no one I know was listening to folk or americana, but I suppose I reached them through checking out what preceded Hip-Hop, and finding my way from there.

Good point there. I found a lot of my different tastes starting with crate digging for sample sources. If I heard a nice sample, I'd search high and low for the original source. That opened me up (No homo) to a new world of sounds. I mean, I'm no Halfy, but I do dabble in a few hundred thousand genres myself. lol

lol.....hey man I saw that you listened to that Dark Night of the Soul....is it worth checking out?

I dug it. It won't "wow" you or anything, but it's a nicely put together album. So, I'd say yes.

Cool, cool. I'll definitely check it out.

My old man is a musician, and his tastes are pretty eclectic, although he stopped taking on new types around the time rap came about. Still, I remember him encouraging us to check it out. My first experience with hip-hop was an album with Rockitt, Jam On It, White Lines..it had the instructional insert for some breakdancing, probably the same album Yogi was telling about..

I think our true love for a genre comes between or early teen-early tween yrs (13-22). This is the era of rebelous nature, self discovery, peer influence, and pure curiousity. And music plays a BIG role into what we relate too or feel understands us.

Like I was first exposed to old school R&B and sSul from from parents and grands. Then came the rock/pop era that was big on me MTV and radio stations at the time. But hip hop looked like me, looked like where I was living, and sounded like me and my peers did when we are just kicking it.

I would say environment is a stronger factor for choice of genre but predisposed personality for artist. They've found twins separated at birth who liked the same genre and a lot of the same artists so I'm sure there is some biological component to it. Are biology probably in a subtle way determines what we likely immediately.

I would say you know it when you've heard something entirely new and it completely captivates you. You have predisposed prejudices about what you're feeling, hearing, or seeing. For me I always remember liking it. Probably a combination of watching Soul Train, music videos, and hanging out with my brother.

Sinj wrote:

Norfeest wrote:

I'm somwhere in between Yogi and Wayne (No homo...)

I was exposed to funk/soul/doo wop/R&B from day one. Mom loved the stuff. I'm 33 years old and I still spin the old soul music like it just came out.

Hip Hop was something dad was big on. I was exposed to electro funk first, and then I got into Bambaataa, Cold Crush, and Whodini and the like around '82 due to my dad having house parties.

I co-sign Wayne on the R&B being mostly for ladies, but I can get with the soul music which I consider to be anything from the late 50's to early 90's...and the new jack swing shit is dope too. R&B is booboo nowadays.

So, I'd say that early exposure would account for initial tastes. And while tastes do change and evolve, the base typically remains.

I agree whole heartily. But there's a part of me that still feels that its deeper than that of just early exposure and initial tastes. Reason being, I know ppl in my immeadiate group of friends who grew up listenin to afrikaans music or oooold rock like elvis and the like, who in the same breath were not, as myself, predominantly surrounded by any form of hip hop in school. Yet somehow chose hip hop over say dance or reggae or even pop. I know this situation doesn't apply to the masses but I do feel that it somehow shares the same principle of being almost "moulded" to a specific genre.

Like what is it that drew to the sound coming outa the window, I know the easy answer is because he njoyed the sound but as I said I feel its far more complex than that

I think it was the completely different pounding beats. My parents listened to CCR beatles and other stuff like that as well as top 40. I liked the sound of something new. still do to this day which is why i'm always looking for the newest releases.

I have also really liked the original versions of the samples of funk tracks from the likes of george clinton (parliament), zapp, roger troutman, early kool & the gang, dazz band (which I just acquired the complete discog of), earth wind & fire and other funk greats. I also really got into the reggae scene since it also uses heavy rhythm with fat bouncing bass lines.