My first music article

Ok, did you really think I was going to talk about me playing an instrument or something? Coach doesn't play; those are the rules. Now, on a more honest note, I do really have a great appreciation for music; it's an inevitable part of my life. If I am working, music; in the periods of my life that I commuted, music; different genres, different artists, different countries, different cultures. That's music for me. I am going to occasionally write some music-related articles. What music, you ask? My music! Of course. Also yours, your neighbor's, everyone's music; our music, some red friends would say. As I've grown older, I've learned to own my music taste and respect others, so this is my attempt to write about topics I enjoy, which itself is something I enjoy, but combining it with the therapeutic effect of owning your tastes no matter what other people think (as long as you are not a Nazi or something messed up like that; if so, GET OUT) is something I am looking forward to.

So, today, I am going to talk about The Streets with Mr. Mike Skinner as the cover picture for this article. The Streets, even though they did not influence me as much as I would like to brag about, they severely influenced the UK garage scene, bringing it to the masses (in my opinion), which in turn created a generation of DnB, Garage, Jungle, etc., lovers. These genres had a similar inception with the Amen Break created by The Winstons, a US funk group, of all people, another reason why music is amazing... how did a group of Americans from Washington DC create so many genres of music with only the B-side of a record? Mind-blowing, if you ask me. And sure, The Streets did not invent DnB or popularize it, but they made garage accessible by giving the public an alternative to the then wave of underground DnB names like the legendaries Shy FX and Andy C come to mind.

Garage, Jungle, DnB, and its liquid cousin are an integral part of my music taste. I cannot say I am a "Rude Boy" or a "Jungalist"; I am as much of that as I am a fan of Béla Bartók and his Romanian Folk Dances. The thing is, a lot of the ramifications of my music taste over the years end up becoming these "Amen Break" successors.

Now, if you like lyrical rap and don't mind some electronic music, I heavily recommend The Streets. They have accompanied me over the years during ups and downs. Hope you are enjoying it already; if not, you know what to do.

Also, big up to the folks at Spotify for the embedded thingy on the side. I am going to use it from now on.