Eras's Popular Music

Populate this thread with things about popular music either in the "present" or back in history.

There are four categories four entries, which are self-explanatory: Music Artist/Music Group, Record Label, Genre, and Album

If not self-explanatory:

• Artist: Person or group of people that makes music
• Label: Company or organization that markets music
• Genre: A style or sort of music in your country. Keep in mind that you cannot claim a genre or claim that it originates in your country unless you developed it.
• Album: A work or group of pieces of work that a music artist or music group has created.

Here's a general template

Category: Artist

Title: “Kolomb-Roto”

General Info: Kolomb-Roto, Tutsono for “Pigeon Gang” and often stylized as K?L?MB-R?T?, is an experimental crunk-breakcore group from Combre, Demescia, formed by Marcel Yyrsvaal and Giovanni Cuoba. The group has five members, varying in ethnicity, gender and background

History: The founding duo met in Akademio for music theory. In 2004, they released their debut for free on the internet, an EP called “Kolomboj” (Pigeons). The first three tracks feature husky synths and percussion over sampled Karl’ Anno. The last track includes deepened vocals of Marcel, rapping over slowed, out-of-tune breakbeat. The EP was a success for them, with a few hundred downloads. In 2005, they gathered the three more people and created Kolomb-Roto. Two albums later they were sponsored by Orienta Originalo, a record label.

In the group's early career, their music featured plunderphonics, though sometimes creating entirely original tracks. They often sampled from a wide array of genres from funk to pirate metal to Hi-NRG. Though in the 2010s, especially after an almost-break-up of the group in 2014, songs became more originally created with a noticeable switch from absurdist themes to more serious topics. This was especially the case with the group album “Resti Same” (Stay the Same), which criticized the then-premiers Kegan Sjed and Nikolo Stuard and their policy to keep the status quo.

Influences: The group has received both praise and scold from audiences of all ages but especially youths. Some critics praised their use of plunderphonics, claiming that they “took something as old as disco and renewed it with aggressive energy,” as well as their consistently nihilistic lyrics. Other critics, on the other hand, called their music noise, going as far as to “thank Ninhundish hip hop for this era of obnoxious popular music,” and warned that their nihilistic themes “while sounding cool and ‘edgy’...could be the downfall of our society.”

Though, both sides can agree that the group has had a great impact on youth culture and music in general. Thousands of people still go to their concerts. Some upcoming artists from the early 2010s, such as Aruma, have credited the group for giving them inspiration.

Category: Artist

Title: Falsehood

General Information: Falsehood is an extreme metal band featuring heavy influences from industrial and ambient music hailing from the city of Dâg'alb'ayar. It has retained its original lineup of 5 members, bassist and vocalist Nenen B'ulgwan, rhythm guitarist Sful Niruh?, lead guitarist and backing vocalist Yahma Twurim, drummer Ren Surul, and keyboardist/DJ Aleci Gard'âga.

History: One of the first bands to form out of the post-civil war Stan Yera, Falsehood instantly established itself as a pioneer of the rapidly expanding metal scene in the Stan Yera, especially in the underground and extreme genres. First coming together in 1989, just before the reunification of the Stan Yera by Premier Sfan K'ter, they claim their first instruments were sold to them by an arms trafficker operating out of their hometown Dâg'alb'ayar in the northern Stan Yera. Acting independently of a record label they released a limited number of demo tapes via word-of-mouth and began making a small income off local shows.

They broke apart briefly as reunification efforts swept through the country, but reformed again in 1994, quickly recording a new demo-tape and touring extensively in the city. After saving enough money to purchase a portion of a warehouse, which they converted into a recording studio, they released their first album Hûstema C?i ("Pale Horse", in reference to a traditional Yeran saying) independently, featuring many of the tracks from both demo-tapes re-recorded and remastered.

Since then, they have released 5 more studio albums, all of which revolving around a separate lyrical theme, as well as a number of EPs with more abstract and non-related pieces, and have gained significant fame as one of the first 'true' Yeran bands, both in and outside of the metal scene.

Influences: Extreme metal of earlier foreign bands feature the bulk of the influence on Falsehood's musical style, as has traditional Yeran music and modern electronic and house music. Lyrical themes vary from album to album but typically involve discussion of spirituality, nature, philosophy, and immortality, though the distinctive chant-like vocals of Nenen, accompanied by the screams of Yahma in much of their catalog have caused critics to question the importance of said lyrics to the songs. They are themselves incredibly influential on later bands originating from the Stan Yera, especially in the extreme metal scene, and have single handedly carved out a sound unique to the Stan Yera.

Doctrine from the Orthodox and Courantist churches in the SY has caused leaders of said religions to criticize the band for promoting anti-religious and "heretical" values, though the band denies having an anti-religious agenda, stating that their lyrical references to spirituality and religion are reflective and metaphorical rather than hostile. Federal Premier Sfan K'ter recognized the band's contribution to the modern music scene of the Stan Yera with the newly created Yeran Fine Arts Commendation in 2008 after their headlining of the first Yeran music festival after the civil war. Falsehood was also awarded a Key to the City of Dâg'alb'ayar in 2017 after their latest album as a reward for jumpstarting the fine arts in the northernmost city of the Stan Yera. An 8-string guitar used by Yahma was signed by all members of the band and hangs in the Yeran museum of fine arts and music history, also located in Dâg'alb'ayar.

Category: Label

Title: LoP Records

General Information: Arguably the top Oriplatean record label, the brand has created a music empire over the last ten years. The label provides management, publishing and digital marketing for artists they have under contract, as well as organizing tours for its main artists. Although the label started producing only rap, rock and heavy metal artists, they have recently started exploring other genres as pop and house.

History: Created in 1999 by one of the most well-known rappers in Oriplate at the time, LoPanter (stage name of Harrison Atkins), it quickly grew into one of the biggest record labels of Oriplate thanks to the release of the heavy metal album ''Pensent'' (''Thinking'', in Ores), by Pat Lane & Co., in 2000. It became Oriplate's best-selling album in just two months and it helped LoP Records become as dominant and powerful as it is nowadays. LoPanter retired from music in January 2001 to focus on the development of the brand, which proved to be a right decision when the label signed the rapper Knap/Bosa in April 2001 and the band EXZY in August of the same year. Under the influence of LoP Records, both acts succeeded, achieving almost legendary status in their respective genres.

After such a good start in the business world, LoP started having financial troubles in 2005 after EXZY left the company. In order to recover, the label released the album ''LoP'', an anthology of the best songs that had been produced by the brand. The strategy proved to be a financial success and the company quickly recovered, being able to keep Knap/Bosa after he already had signed a contract with another label.

In 2010, LoPanter stepped down as CEO of the label (although he decided to keep his position as president of the brand) and former guitarist Eleon Pope (who founded Hertz, a rock band which released two albums with LoP) was promoted to that position. With Pope, LoP decided to start producing all genres of music, which resulted in protests from fans which felt betrayed after the company's move towards mainstream music. However, the label is still growing and has many of Oriplate's main artists, such as Rosa or Tom Häng, as their protégées.

Influence: Most young people in Oriplate don't recognize album or artist names, but they will quickly get interested in them if they are told the label that produced their songs was LoP. The brand's name is a synonym for quality music in Oriplate and the company's revenue grows bigger every year. However, the label has been sued numerous times for abuse of power, given their immense monopoly on the music industry. A common joke in Oriplate is that at the same second an artist signs with LoP, his/her song starts playing on the radio, which shows the power the label has over Oriplate's music world. Nevertheless, most of Oriplate's top singers and bands are part of LoP and most critics recognize the label as the introducer of rap in the Federation.

Category: Genre
Title: "The Felumista Subculture and Demescian Pop Music"
General Information: "Felumista," as a general term, refers to an artistic movement and genre in which celebrities utilize anthropomorphic personas, or fursonas, in their creative pursuits.

History: A predecessor of this subculture as a whole can be traced back to the first millennium in Lithonia, where theatrical and musical performances were common and performers were often attired in outfits representing animals. This is because of the predominant religion at the time—Jovoism, which had anthropomorphic animals for gods and goddesses and emphasized the animism and importance of nature (Jovo's creations) above other things.

Guslant settlers from Augustus Town picked up the tradition, and it spread throughout the following ages.
Influence: They've made a large and noticeable presence in the Demescian music industry, with three-fifths of billboarding albums using depictions of fursonas or animals in their album art. Some artists have even taken to performing in costumes depicting anthropomorphic animals, an example being 5ta (an operatic pop and jazz band).

Category: Genre

Title: Ninhundish Hip Hop

General Information: Rap/Hip Hop has become the most popular genre in Ninhundland. Within the past decade it’s popularity has spread outside of Ninhundland.

History: The genre can be traced back to the late 1980s. During the later half of the decade, Ninhundland was rapidly developing and recovering from the transition from the fascist military government. However hip hop wouldn’t fully take off until 1989 when Klaudnum, often called the father of hip hop released his album “Der Dödlichdag”. When the 1990s came along recording studios popped up everywhere and the genre grew quickly with the 90s cosindered by many across Eras, the classical decade of rap where many of tracks are in Ninhundish.

Influence: Today there are several artists and bands that produce hip hop music. The largest record label, Aksdel Records has been around since 2007 and has produced over 50 albums for over a dozen artists across a few different countries. The influence of Ninhundish Hip Hop is far beyond Ninhundland with rapper, Boss Life Kolle and the band Schömal have recently gained a following as trending in many places across Eras. While Ninhundland wasn’t the origin of rap, the genre took a new form starting in the late 1980s and became popular after using influences from Gotic Punk Rock and 1980s pop. Today hip hop is a huge part of Ninhundish pop culture and has influenced the Demescian band, Kolomb-Roto.

There has of course been controversy like with any genre that grew fast. Many older people consider it noise and some may see it as garbage with contrivesal often obsene lyrics. While many negative feelings have dropped, nationalistic lyrics have been the hotspot of controversy with certain groups considering the current hip hop that developed in Ninhundland in the past couple decade as a sub genre of the greater rap music with some even claiming that the reason for the growing popularity is because it was taken on by “white Gotics”, and that it wouldn’t have reached if the Ninhunders of the late 80s never would have redeveloped it. Never the less the genre is popular overall and has placed a huge part in the music and cultural scene of many younger Ninhunders.