Brainwashing for the masses

We were first introduced in '97, and to many, it was undoubtably love at first sight. Sharing a relationship that spanned over a decade, they accompanied us to many an event and in return, we watched them grow. But like all good things, it had to come to an end, and in 2005, we said an emotional goodbye, unsure of when we'd see them again. They visited briefly in 2010, but vanished again just as quickly as they had appeared. Finally, after years spent in limbo, rumours began to circulate that Daft Punk were about to 'head-bop' back into our funk deprived world once again. And it was on April 17th, 2013, that the world's favourite robots graced our ears once more; complimented by Pharrell Williams' saintly vocals and an unmistakable Nile Rodgers guitar rift. Oh. And a whole lot of disco. But this 1 minute 42 second video was merely a taste of what was to come, for although 'Get Lucky' was publicly released only last week, it has already made number one in 46 countries worldwide. No mean feat for the French house pioneers who, until now, failed to reach the number one spot in their 20 years of dance music reign. However, it is hard not to question whether the song made it number one, solely because of the hype surrounding it, leading me to ask: are we becoming a society brainwashed by the radio?

There was a time, not so long ago, when the radio actually played good music. Now that time feels like a distant memory, as we are greeted by incessant chatter and the ever so charming Pitbull calling us 'dah-ling' each and every time we turn that car radio on. Regardless of if we like it or not, this multimedia outlet has and always will dictate what we are to listen to. And for those who can't think for themselves musically, the radio acts as a godsend as they can now conform to the top 40 masses; their only graft being paying their 99p for the latest one hit wonder to come out of South Korea. The irony is that until now, musical mercenaries like Daft Punk were not made readily available to these top 40 whores. In fact, these French robots were the treasured possession of every house head and music collector out there. And hence why their loyal following created the hype that has surrounded 'Random Access Memories'. Had you played said Daft Punk track to an unsuspecting pop lover before radio 1 aired it, it is guaranteed your listener would dismiss the song. Having heard it played on the day time airwaves however, it now becomes immediately acceptable to adopt it into an iTunes playlist. This conundrum will forever be echoed by the fresh faced brothers we all call 'Disclosure', who were pretty damn good until 'Latch' started to get played in every Oceana around the country and they then succumbed to those ever annoying pop loving crowds.

I must state that I am not one of those music lovers who begins to detest those they previously followed religiously just because they have found commercial air time. For that is wrong. Why follow a band, singer or DJ up until the point where they become broadly recognised and then start to dislike them for appealing to the marketable masses? People, there is nothing wrong with liking an artist after they become popular! Remember the reason why you listened to them in the first place. Whilst I may lambast the radio for birthing such demons as PSY and Carly Rae Jepson, we must also praise them for re-introducing singer-songwriters and house music back into the public's psyche. Because much to the dismay of the house heads out there, we are living through a house revival, where the likes of Hot Natured and Julio Bashmore now make it into the charts.

So whilst it is clear that the musical airwaves can rob the uneducated of their individuality, those cultured in the art of music must also accept that your music is now the music of the time, and just like fashion, music moves in circles. Like the crop top and dungarees before it, the realm of disco has returned. He did it with Chic in the 70's and Nile Rodgers is ready to do it again in the twenty-teens. My only advice is you all prepare yourself for people to discover what you knew all along: le funk is coming back.