A report by Beatport has revealed that there has been a 60% drop in the number of sassy house divas singing on the typical house record.
“In the 80s and 90s almost 100% of all records labelled ‘house’ would feature a soulful and uplifting vocal sung with deliberate sass and charm by a black woman,” claimed a Beatport statement. “But in the last five to ten years that number has just plunged and we’re seeing large amounts of auto-tuned vocals from less powerful singers like Ellie Goulding, Mano Le Tough and anything Kanye West has ever sang on.”
Experts suggest that the current crop of potential house divas are all now reality TV stars, backing singers for lesser talented pop vocalists or talk show hosts, and simply don’t have time to warble over a groovy four four beat.
“I think one of the main things is also that a lot of producers making house now are singing it themselves poorly or using a modulator to disguise their inept voice – which is a direct result of there not being enough house divas around to drop a quick vocal hook,” continued the report. “Also a lot of the house being made now has a more introspective, tortured white man vibe about it, so the natural joy and exuberance found in a black female vocal is not needed.”
In the last few years we’ve had some success with feminine black voices providing vocals on tracks, with Mary J. Blige famously singing on Disclosure’s mega crossover hit F For You, pictured, but that has been described as “an inadequate amount of sassiness, joy and soul for a dance music scene which is in danger of disappearing up its own popper-widened arse”.
“I don’t know about you but I miss that uplifting soulful voice on the dance floor, it’s a freer and more joyful expression, now we just dance to vocals we don’t understand about sentiments we don’t really feel while bumping ket that does fuck all,” opined one fan. “Give me a black woman screaming about joy or love any day of the week!”
“Pick me, pick me up”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xx11oPZngaQ
You have to realize what a biased source this is coming from. I mean of course a flash-in-the-pan EDM website like Beatport
will be skewed towards the electro blippity-bloppity obscure shit with
no vocals, no musical instruments, and often no real singers even. I have always played (and will CONTINUE to support) real house divas and talented singers of clubland in my DJ sets like Deborah Cox, Martha Wash, Kristine W, Mary J. Blige, plus the traditional “pop divas” like Mariah, Whitney, Madonna, Cyndi, Amber, Gaga, Cher, Kylie, xtina, etc. As opposed to the sterile over-produced EDM nonsense these days, most of which is produced by more-or-less “computer technicians” who don’t know a lick about music theory, actual chords, or musical authenticity.