Music that makes you move, WITH LOTS OF DYNAMICS.

sex machine james brown

Is This Love (and most other songs) by Bob Marley
. . . and although I'm not a big fan, I always thought that Earth Wind & Fire had a lot going on in their mixes, but kept really good dynamics

ORIGINAL: No How

For the very best in mixing grooving dynamics look the entire genre of Trip-hop and Chillout and lounge.
There is a lot of very groovy music being made in lots of very creative ways.

Cool! I've never gave attention Trip Hop, can you give some track names with extreme quality?

Couple years ago I had the privilege of talking to the engineer at Triclops (Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream) and asked him the same question. He said if you want a good lesson in dynamics & compression, listen to My Sharona.

ORIGINAL: ShumMakom

What are the best tracks in terms of mixing/grooving (dynamics) ?

name the tracks that actually makes you move easily.

Not necessarily production-wise, because it's pretty old, but if you want grooves, this is the ultimate IMO:



James Brown - Funk Power 1970: A Brand New Thang

One word: Bootsy.

Photograph by Def Leppard is possibly THE most perfectly produced song I've ever heard. Every harmony, guitar part, drum keeps it's shape in a very busy mix. Mutt Lange at his very best...and then he married Shania mmmmmmmmmmm.........

Rush - YYZ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHYt0BqSwno
Primus - Tommy the cat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn3uiLZY9Jg
Tool - Sober
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hglVqACd1C8
Kula Shaker - Govinda
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ioj_Npc5L_g

I'm not sure I understand the question - are you looking for beat-based songs for remixing and making groove tracks from, or are you looking for songs that exemplify a moving "groove" through dynamics of mixing and composition?

If it's the latter, I suggest a little piano/pop-rock band named Making April. The singer/pianist/songwriter of the band, Sean, uses a LOT of really neat songwriting and production elements to pack his songs full of color/flavor. He'll start a song on the minors of a key to create a meloncholy in the listener's mind, then resolve to majors, change keys, change tempo, use a false coda, bring it back with a varied chorus, etc. When they mix their songs, they'll change from packaged drum synths in one part, then bring in a real drummer with a totally different tone... interchange between acoustic pianos, organs, to synth keys... bring strings in and out. I can't get enough of it!

www.makingapril.com
www.myspace.com/makingapril

I recommend listening to "Wide Awake" and "Let It Ride" for the most dynamic songs in their repertoire. If you want to hear a funny "joke song," check out "Hey Katie" written about Kate Beckinsale. As far as coloring a song goes, he makes use of the link between songwriting and composition in "Hey Katie" - as he sings "maybe if I break this song" near the end, he pulls out a hard staccato note from the piano, and stops all other instruments at the same time.

...I eat this stuff up!

EDIT: I got so excited while I typed about these guys that I forgot a little thing called "the English language!"

ORIGINAL: vinski

Photograph by Def Leppard is possibly THE most perfectly produced song I've ever heard. Every harmony, guitar part, drum keeps it's shape in a very busy mix. Mutt Lange at his very best...

I wouldn't argue with that. Close to perfection. And I love the structure of the song! Just brilliant all around. Scary almost.

Avalon by Roxy Music is a good one.

And you can't go wrong with Chic's Greatest Hits. Or Madge's uptempo hits.

Seems there wasn't a good description of dynamics. If I remember from early music/band classes, dynamics are the louds and the softs.
Everyone here is just mentioning their favorite songs. All are popular music, which tend not to be truly dynamic in terms of louds and softs.
Popular music is always compressed to the smithens, purposely taking away real dynamics.

The classical and jazz genres (and other acoustic type of music) are really the only recordings with real dynamics. Listen to a classical CD, there's parts you can barely hear, then, parts will just jump right out at you. They can't do that in popular music, plus it's not written that way anyway, with a drum set and an amp.

But music that makes you move sure, maybe we should remove the "dynamics" from the topic.

Caught in the Crossfire-Stevie Ray Vaughn

Pretty basic chord structure, but with a killer hook, wicked Hammond B3 riff, stinging rhythm guitar stabs, bass and drums locked in a "make your eyes go crossed" groove, and a vocal thats more like another instrument.

If you can't move to this, check your pulse. Chances are you are already dead.

Randy