DECADES

THE 90s

The 90s saw the global music scene taken to new levels of culture and technology. The theme of this era was new wave and featured a diverse selection of new genres which one by one cultivated the face of music. An explosion of positivity in Britain rooted new music with the help of Advancements of Musical Technology put new scenes into the spotlight of the mainstream whilst leaving some behind. Some notable genres prominent in the 90s: Rave, Britpop, R&B, and Hip-Hop

WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE UK DURING THE TIME?

THATCHER OUT
At the turn of the decade, Thatchers 11 years in office was cut short by her own M.P's before she could finish her third term. For the British public, who only 30% of which would vote for her again, this was a relieving situation. Thatcher's morales and policies of traditionalism were pulled out when her successor, John Major, took her place. John Major was a tory but underwent a Brixton based lower class childhood and was perceived as more relaxed than his predecessor. During Thatchers rule, people turned feelings of anger and oppression into music. After her departure, people (especially the youth) sought a lighter and more joyous way of expressing themselves.

TECHNOLOGY

Technology of the 90s was expanding rapidly with the invention of things like the World Wide Web and 2g Cell Phones. Musical technology wasn't loosing either as things like sequencers and multi track recording systems were developed and sent digital. Musical Equipment was always particularly expensive and the this different change. The difference in the 90's however, was that people in the UK were generally in a better economic situation than they were in the previous decade thus increasing spending money across household's. Musicians could now record a whole album on their own using equipment in their bedroom instead of having to scramble the musicians and rent ridiculously expensive studios.

these pictures are of 90s bedroom set ups and give a very clear picture of what musicians were working with


BRITPOP (1993-1997)

EMERGENCE AND ROOTS
Britpop was an genre that had emerged from alternative rock artists who played a part in the indie scene of the 80s and elements of this is shown in Britpop music. Although musically it was pulled from British music, Britpop is considered to be a reaction to the massive outbreak of grunge music that started in America. Grunge was a genre rooting from punk and metal, featuring dark themes influenced from America's political landscape of the time. Britpop had contrasted these features with brighter and happier sounds. Britain was looking for their own version of grunge and when releases such as 'popscene' from blur and 'The drowners' by suede came out, people appreciated the britishness of it and latched on to it

ELEMENTS
Britpop was a genre that emphasised britishness both musically and culturally. Songs featured a British context with constant referencing to British culture and places. Elements from Glam rock, Punk rock, Indie pop all found themselves some way or another into britpop's sound.

In terms of actual sound Britpop bands went back to a formula of one or two electric guitars, bass, and live (not synthesised) drumming. Keyboards were a feature of some bands but not others. Most songs (with some notable exceptions) were mid-up tempo, played in a major key. A lot of the guitar work uses open chords. Clean or over-driven guitar sounds with limited distortion are typical. String arrangements were used in recording by certain bands 

BATTLE OF BRITPOP
In the mid 90's the two at the top of britpop and mainstream british music were Oasis and Blur. Both had been hugely successful and under a large amount of media attention. The groups had praised each other initially but over the course of 1995 tensions between the group rose and an all out war to be the best begun and by the end of the year both bands despised each other. Hyped by British Media, the feud became the epicentre of Britpop, dubbed as the "Heavyweight Championship of Music". Similar feuds such as the Beatles vs Queen had ignited Britain before, but not on the same level. The Beatles had actually delayed their release so Queen could have space for their song, contrast to the zero mercy race to the top of the charts The Battle of Brit Pop involved. The Divide also went further than music, Blur's members were of middle class upbringing in the south of England while Oasis lived a working class life in Manchester, in the North of England. Fans normally sided with their more relatable band, and the question of wether you were Team Blur or Team Oasis became prominent question in every day discussion 

JUNGLE

EMERGENCE AND ROOTS
Jungle Music of the 90s was a genre attached the greater picture of the rave scene of the UK. Unlike Britpop, Jungle was almost entirely youth based and emerged from Lower Class young people in London. After Thatcher had left, the social structure she created that filled the 80's was starting to crumble and the rave scene was proving itself as a way for youths to escape the disconnection they felt with society of the time. Jungle began as a direct response to the growing commercialism of rave at the time, stemming from breakbeat, house, hip hop, dub and reggae

The number of jungle pirate stations started to increase. Kool FM pirate station was the main source of jungle refreshment to the crowd. Although raided more than 5 times, it still kept going strong. 

The use of new and popular drugs such as ecstasy that had influenced previous rave genres certainly didn't disappear and remained a prominent influencer for the scene. The fast style of music presented in jungle went hand in hand with the euphoria and energy young people were experiencing when taking these drugs and became a popular escape from real life for many

ELEMENTS
London Club's like 'Rage', began to roughen and speed up hardcore music and started to add more ragga like elements to the music. Increasing tempo from 120bpm to 150bpm, the Genre featured less euphoric theme than it's other rave counterpart while also steering away from the standard 4-4 kick and instead focused on breakbeats and deeper sub-basses for rhythm. The Genre also uses a large amount of samples used for melodies and effects but more frequently used for chopped up vocals from other songs



SOURCES

http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/historical-polls/voting-intention-1987-1992

http://www.90s411.com/90s-music.html

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/10288312/A-Classless-Society-Britaininthe-1990s-by-Alwyn-Turner-review.html

https://reverb.com/uk/news/how-the-1990s-changed-recording-and-music-production-forever

https://www.quora.com/How-did-producers-create-music-in-the-1990s

https://www.uncut.co.uk/blog/introducing-ultimate-genre-guide-britpop-104939

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4144458.stm

https://www.nme.com/features/blur-and-oasis-big-britpop-chart-battle-the-definitive-story-of-what-really-happened-757277

http://killarecords.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-jungle-music/