Earlier in the semester, we briefly discussed Ska music. I thought I knew what ska was, until we listened to one of the first big songs in this genre, called My Boy Lollipop. This was when I realized I had no idea what Ska actually was, or what I had been listening to this whole time. It turns out what I thought was ska was actually ska punk - a fusion between ska and punk rock music.
Ska punk originated in the 1980's, and experienced much of its success in the 90's. Prior to its fusion, ska and punk rock bands often played the same concerts, so it made sense for the two to merge. According to good old fashioned wikipedia, ska is characterized by a walking bass line accented with rhythms on the off beat. This element remains, but the beat is also faster and heavier, bringing the punk rock into the genre. One ska punk band that was on the charts throughout this wave was Reel Big Fish. They also covered a quite popular song, Take On Me, but of course, they made it their own. This means they made it ska punk. How did they do this? First they picked up the tempo, and they got louder. One way they amped this song up was by bringing in some brass instruments, which is the defining feature in ska punk music. They also heavily accent the off beats already present in the original rendition of the song, giving it a whole new rhythm. A fun fact about this genre and its groove is that ska punk even has its own style of dance associated with it, called skanking- yes, the dance is called the skank. If you want to learn how to skank, I have attached an informative tutorial below (you're welcome).
The rhythm of ska punk is defined by its upbeat tempo, and its heavy accents on the off beats. Its "groove" is carried out by the brass section. Ska punks rhythm can essentially be summed up as ska rhythm on steroids.
Yorumlar