Finding the Rhythm

As I’ve mentioned here before, I’m either blessed or cursed (depending on your point of view) with listening to a ton of new music each week to keep current on what’s happening, decide what to play myself, and decide what to play on iDanceRadio.fm. While my long daily commute gives me 10 to 12 hours each week to do this, the amount of time I spend actually listening to each track is admittedly quite short.

amberRose Marie - Wanna Be a DJ

I can remember the morning in the car I was listening to the most recent release from amberRose Marie, Wanna Be a DJ. I popped the CD in, and almost immediately, my reaction was, “What the hell is this?” I tried; I really tried. I sampled every mix on the CD, but could stand no more. I pressed “eject” and it went into the “I don’t think so” pile, and got mentioned in a rare negative blog entry.

I heard from amberRose Marie’s record label on that one, respecting my opinion, and encouraging me to try it one more time. And I heard from Harry Towers, the promoter of the track, who also wanted me to try it again. So, I did, and I had the same rather nose-wrinkling reaction. I thought that was the end of it.

It wasn’t.

A few weeks ago, I was asked again to listen to it, and rolling my eyes, I got the CD out, again, and plugged it in, again. Only this time, my reaction was, “Hmmm… Maybe this isn’t that bad.” Then I listened again. And again. And I started to like it. It’s sorta like what I went through all those years ago with Brussels sprouts and broccoli.

As is the case with almost every dance track, I still don’t like all the mixes. And while the track still strikes me as a bit of a novelty in terms of its lyric, not every song, let alone every dance song, has to have some deep emotional meaning. It’s perfectly legitimate to have a song that’s there just for the sake of having fun, not taking itself too seriously, and Wanna Be a DJ is just such a track.

This is hardly the first time I’ve been wrong about songs. The one example I keep citing to people is Tod Miner’s Luv N Music. I just could not even stand the song the first 10, or 20, or 30 times I heard it. Then magically, “OK, this is sorta cool!” And I still use that one in sets pretty regularly.

Anyway, some songs wow you the moment you hear them (like the lastest David Guetta track), and some just take some time (sometimes a lot of time) to sink-in. It’s unfortunate, but I just don’t have time to listen to songs 20 or 30 times a piece just to “make sure” my negative reaction is “real.” (And I’m not about to subject myself to that for the truly bad songs, of which there are many.) But I am glad that some people bang on me a little when they’re passionate about a track, vested interests aside.

Because, sometimes… I’m… Wrong.