Pop on galleys

"Modenization" - Contemporization . With such a sonorous word, the imposing chapter of Epic Records Antonio Raid, nicknamed LA , speaking of the new album of Michael Jackson “XSCApe” , where the team of hired producers-subsoveds overlapped eight previously not published songs from the archives of the Armor Pop Corol. “XSCAPE” is a sudden idea of ​​a raid that first wanted to make a biographical film about young Michael, and his great luck. The next attempt by Sony to earn on the archives of Michael Jackson is accepted more positively than the previous ones - the scandalous album of an unrelated “Michael” , the failure of which was not helped by 50 cent , akon and Lenny Kravitsa, and the plate of unsuccessful Immortal remixes. “XSCApe” after the release managed to take first place in the American and British charts, becoming the seventh album of Michael Jackson, who climbed to the top of this pyramid. In many ways, the large-scale and very modern promotion of the album, which included the competently dosed information leaks on the Internet and the sensational performance of the Jackson hologram at the Billboard Awards , helped.

The Deluxe edition of XSCAPE includes original demo and compositions that have been produced. Comparing them with remakes, you can establish what the "modernization" was. Highly paid producers participating in the project-Tumbland, Rodney Jerkins, the Norwegian Duet Stargate , Jerome Harmon and John McLain-quite carefully cost the source recorded in the interval of 1983 to 1999-they replaced the beat and emphasized the famous vocals as vulne in. They practically did not touch the basic melodies and only slightly twisted the pace of compositions. Moreover, the rhythm-section was decorated with an applique of sound litter, which remained on the ribbons from Michael-from trampling and slapping, clicks with fingers, sighs and cries. This, probably, would like Jackson most of all, who, according to the recollections of Rodney Jerkins, who worked with a pop-up on Invincible , once sent him with a tape recorder to the backyard to the trash bark-to make field notes in searches for a fresh sound.

Jackson's ghost came to his studio and talked with him with his quiet voice.

The most radical modernization on the XSCAPE was subjected to the Blue Gangsta track, which was ridiculously old -fashioned: Timbaled easily eliminated style anachronisms, putting on the song exoskeleton of the track rhythm and replacing the grandfather’s chordal losses with a fan synthesizer. However, listening to “XSCApe” , you often wonder: did “modernization” was needed - and was it or was it just a spectacular word? In some cases, the producers sought “modern pop-sounds” by the fact that they exactly reproduced with the help of digital cliche technologies that were developed by Jackson and its producers in analog 80s-in “Do you whore your youor children are” is brought by the eighty-eighty-ranger Stargate to the grotesque, and the “Love Never Felt So Good” album is made exactly under the manner of Quincy Jones from the times of “Off the Wall” because the classic disco is again (always) in fashion. And, for example, the original title “XSCApe” , which the same Jerkins polished for “Invincible” for three years, and finished only 13 years later, sounds much more charming more than a new version similar to the workpiece for Beyonca’s next album.

In the documentary, accompanying the album, the producers mentioned are sitting in a circle and under the conductor's wand La raids talk about how they tried to make such turning on the floods that Michael would like from the other world. The artist of the star team Tumbland is trying most of all, which tells a completely visible story, as Jackson's ghost came to his studio and talked with him with his quiet voice. In general, they coped with this task. Despite a couple of failures like “Slave to the Rhythm” and “Chicago” , where the modernization of Jackson songs turned into galvanization, “Xscape” should satisfy the singer’s orthodox fanatics - everything is “deaf, no dancing on the amvon. This album really resembles Michael Jackson and his song heritage than the previous Jackson releases of Sony .

Would you like the Perfectionist singer that after death he began to produce albums more often than during his lifetime?

Another thing is that after the death of the singer in June 2009, 11 posthumous publications were released! And God knows how many more will be released in the future: as you know, for each of his records, Michael Jackson prepared 70-80 songs, of which he then chose the best, that is, in his archives there were a dozen records like “XSCAPE” in his archives. Would you like the Perfectionist singer that after death he began to produce albums more often than during his lifetime? He would approve that his new plate is also a tool for promoting the new Sony Xperia Z2 smartphone and that is why it received such a circumcised name? Additional cynicism of the situation is given by the fact that at the end of his life, Michael Jackson was dissatisfied with the relationship with Sony - publicly accused her head Tommy Mottola and planned to go to Universal . A sudden death prevented his plans, which - as further circumstances showed - was most beneficial to the copyright holders of his phonograms. The first release is the two -disc compilation "This is it!" - I went out only four months after the tragedy.

In the title song “XSCAPE”, Michael Jackson dreamed of an escape from burdening relations and those who lost their meaning. In fact, even death did not give him the desired liberation. The king of pop music remains in slavery at the record-business-a lunar gait in the name of the income of copyright holders from now on and until the end of the time will demonstrate his hologram. The posthumous fate of Michael Jackson should lead the current pop and rock stars to think about whether they want a creative life after death, and force them to worry about a will. This is it !