These Beats Are 20 Years Old

I've taken a hiatus from keeping up on new music lately. It just got to be too much work trying to listen to everything. I'll stream The Current, but I probably haven't seen a show in a year plus. I'm trying to fix it, get back to being "hip" and "in the scene." It's tough.

Rob gave me a hint to check out the new David Byrne / Brian Eno work. The song "Strange Overtones" is damn good, and has the post's title line. Why is this relevant?
Well, last week I was driving out to Hudson, and heard a song on the radio I just loved. It sounded very 80s (a decade I enjoy maybe too much), yet still modern. It could've been released in 1986, and it would've sounded the same. The drum beats had an immediately recognizable sound, a somewhat vocodered vocal part, and a very synth bass line. It put me into an immediate good mood. I needed to know what song it was. NOW.

Well... those beats weren't 20 years old. Hell, they weren't 20 months old. Who was it?

Kanye. Kanye West.
The album title explains the sound, that's for sure. The Roland TR-808 is the quintessential 80's drum machine. And I guess if he's co-opting a sound I like, it can't be all that bad, right? But Jen brought up a good point last night, that it's hard to overcome the preconceived notions. I'm not really a fan of Kanye's ego, but if he's gonna start making music I like, then maybe I should start tuning in.