♫ Highway to Hell ♫'s definitions

Ska

Jamaican R&B artists developed their nation's first indigenous music genre when they began to incorporate jazz, African and Calypso rhythms into their songs in the late 1950s. The result was Ska, a fusion of the unique Jamaican mento rhythms with R&B. In Ska, the drum comes in on the 2nd and 4th beats, while the guitar emphasizes the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th beats. Ska bands usually consist of a strong rhythm section, guitars, keyboards and brass. The early Ska music of in the '60s and '70s spawned later revivals. The first was in the U.K. in the '80s, giving rise to bands like Madness and the Specials. The next, known as Third Wave Ska, struck the U.S. in the '90s.

Ska: Laurel Aitken, Don Drummond, Lord Tanamo, No Doubt, Mustard Plug, Hopalong Knut, Reel Big Fish, Skadaddyz, The Toasters, The Skatalites, Less Kro, The Busters, One Cool Guy, The Selecter, RX Bandits, The Planet Smashers, Desmond Dekker, The Specials, The English Beat, Madness, Operation Ivy, Big D And The Kids Table, Bim Skala Bim, Catch 22, Buck-O-Nine, Streetlight Manifesto, The Suicide Machines, Troy's Bucket, Bad Manners, The Forces Of Evil, Go Jimmy Go, Upstanding Youth, Skarface, The Pietasters, Mad Caddies, Save Ferris, Suburban Legends, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The O.C. Supertones, The Scofflaws, and Hepcat.

by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ February 4, 2010

Drum and Bass

Drum and Bass (commonly abbreviated to D&B or DnB) is a type of electronic dance music which emerged in the mid 1990s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats (typically between 160–190 bpm, occasional variation is noted in older compositions), with heavy bass, sub-bass lines, and occasional infra-bass lines. Drum and bass began as an offshoot of the United Kingdom rave scene of the very early 1990s. Over the first decade of its existence, the incorporation of elements from various musical genres lent to many permutations in its overall style.

Drum and Bass: Adam F, Goldie, London Elektricity, High Contrast, LTJ Bukem, D.Kay, DJ Fresh, DJ Dara, DJ Zinc, Shy FX, Drumsound & Bassline Smith, DJ Hazard, DJ Hype, Photek, Loxy, Sub Focus, Future Prophecies, Roni Size, Chase & Status, Ed Rush & Optical, DJ Ink, Andy C, Congo Natty, E-Z Rollers, J Majik, Source Direct, Erb N Dub, Dillinja, Danny Byrd, Concord Dawn, Brookes Brothers, Logistics, Matrix & Futurebound, Nu Tone, Sun King, Cyantific, Plug, TC, and Dirtyphonics.

by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ February 4, 2010

Mariachi

Bands from Jalisco, in western Mexico, have been providing a unique form of relaxed, romantic accompaniment to weddings since before the Mexican Revolution. Some say the French word for "marriage" may have given their ensembles and their music its name: Mariachi. Now popular at restaurants, bars, and receptions on both sides of the border, Mariachi bands include guitars, the low, thrumming guitarron, violins, a trumpet, and a high-pitched singer. They also come equipped with a repertoire of ballads, polkas, waltzes, and cumbias. Mariachi bands are known for their stylized, sombrero-and-bolero-coat uniforms, and for wandering from bar to street corner to bar, playing their traditional music.

Mariachi: Miguel Aceves Mejía, Pepe Aguilar, Mariachi Silvestre Vargas, Mariachi Mexico De Pepe Villa, Mariachi Casino, Mariachi Los Caporales, Lupillo Rivera, Amalia Mendoza, Raul Sandoval, Mariachi Vargas De Tecalitlan, Cuco Sanchez, Jorge Negrete, Alejandro Fernandez, Mariachi Cobre, Mariachi Alas De Mexico, Mariachi Los Toritos, and Mariachi El Bronx.

by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ February 4, 2010

Algebra

Another word for torture. It’s basically a pointless class where the teacher expects you to know everything prior to taking the class and takes much pleasure in making the students miserable. You learn stupid shit like graphing an equation on a Y and X axis which does not really make too much sense. Some problems require you to find up to eight different answers and it’s one of those time consuming classes where you get homework every day. You pretty much will never need Algebra unless you just love Math and plan on becoming a Mathematician or a Math teacher.

Mr. Smith, an algebra teacher, arrived at the last stack of tests. He looks over the students’ answers and chuckles to himself and as he says “This guy is a fucking idiot. Guess who’s getting an F? You are! Haha this is so much fun. Have fun in summer school.”

by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ February 9, 2010

Bachata

When a merengue band slows down, it's playing bachata, the other music of the Dominican Republic. Marked by the bright sound of cleanly plucked guitar, bachata moves at the same pace as Latin America's other romantic ballad form, the bolero. But bachata is very different. A music of the underclass, bachata was banned from mainstream radio for decades because of its tough, streetwise subject matter. Singers openly discussed crime and prostitution in their songs, and though their albums were top sellers, bachata records never appeared on official charts. In the 1990s, mainstream musicians began to experiment with the style, and bachata was rehabilitated.

Alex Bueno, Andy Andy, Anthony Santos, Aventura, Edilio Paredes, Eladio Romero Santos, Frank Reyes, Leonardo Paniagua, Monchy & Alexandra, Juan Manuel, Victor Victor, Los Toros Band, Xtreme, Marcy Place, Raulin Rodriguez, Bachata Heightz

by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ October 3, 2009

Norteño Music

Norteño is what they call Tex-Mex south of the border. Norteño songs, or "corridos," are named for the ballads about 19th century battles between the U.S. and Mexico. The music's origins are as mongrel as can be: mazurkas, waltzes and even a central European dance called the schottische all contributed to its distinctive sound. With the addition of the accordion (and polka influences), modern Norteno was born; today it's marked by nasal singing, accordion flourishes and streetwise lyrics that celebrate the deeds of the little guy: petty criminals, down-and-outers, people fighting the ubiquitous "system." Unlike most regional styles, Norteño is popular throughout Mexico.

Norteño Music: Espinoza Paz, El Trono De Mexico, Alicia Villarreal, Chalino Sanchez, Conjunto Primavera, Grupo Limite, Intocable, Julio Preciado y Su Banda Perla De Pacifico, La Mafia, Los Huracanes Del Norte, Los Invasores De Nuevo Leon, Los Tigres Del Norte, Los Traileros Del Norte, Los Tucanes De Tijuana, Luis y Julian, Tony De La Rosa, Jenni Rivera

by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ October 6, 2009

Rap/Hip-Hop

Ask any two artists, fans, or other assorted members of the rap/hip-hop community to explain the precise difference between the two terms, and odds are you'll get different answers. Even so, most would probably agree that rap describes a type of music while hip-hop refers to a cultural phenomenon that includes graffiti, breakdancing, and fashion in addition to music -- or as rapper social theorist KRS-One says, "Rap is something you do, hip-hop is something you live." Musically, the only difference between the two is that rap always contains the vocal element of rhythmically spoken rhymes while hip-hop can be purely instrumental in nature. Rap in its earliest stages consisted of DJs mixing records and juggling beats and breaks for block parties while emcees rhymed over the rhythms. This practice of adapting, dissecting, and transforming pre-recorded music to create new songs could be hip-hop's most significant contribution to modern music.

Rap/Hip-Hop: The Game, Nas, Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., Big L, Big Pun, Eazy-E, N.W.A., MC Ren, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Ice T, Immortal Technique, KRS-One, C-Murder, Public Enemy, EPMD, Mobb Deep, 50 Cent, Kanye West, The D.O.C., The Diplomats Aka Dipset, Jim Jones, Cam'Ron, Juelz Santana, Wu-Tang Clan, MC Eiht, Compton's Most Wanted, Eric B. & Rakim, Common, DMX, Asheru & Blue Black Of The Unspoken Heard, People Under The Stairs, Onyx, Jay-Z, Grand Daddy I.U., Big Daddy Kane, Lil Scrappy, Lil Jon, Lil Wayne, Westside Connection, Mack 10, W.C., Too $hort, Audio Two, One Be Lo, R.A. The Rugged Man, Naughty By Nature, Cypress Hill, B-Real, Delinquent Habits, A Lighter Shade Of Brown, Omar Cruz, JV, Ludacris, Run-D.M.C., Channel Live, Warren G, Kurupt, Kam, King Tee, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Black Star, Jay Rock, Ya Boy, Snoop Dogg, Canibus, Zion I

by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ October 6, 2009