10 Apr About Rock’n Rave

Rock’n Rave is an electronic music genre invented by EDM composer from San Francisco whose name is EYEgor the Megadance. EYEgor is pronounced as EYE-GOR. EYEgor is his name and Megadance is the name of the project, which EYEgor founded.

Rock’n Rave as a genre however began with the track titled “X-Rayed Generation”. It was meant to be a techno track and that’s why it starts as sort of a techno. However this was EYEgor’s first techno track ever. Prior to that, he composed mostly Trance and rocked out when played rhythm guitar in Metal bands, mostly when he was a teenager. While trying to write a techno track, EYEgor quickly got carried away into something completely different. That heavy metal break was at first supposed to be followed by another techno groove, though EYEgor twisted it into something that many called “kinda like Psy Trance, but not really”, then further down the composition, definitely everything changes into Trance with melodic distorted guitar lead at the finish line. Track came out to be very interesting, experimental, different in a sense, the blend of different genres. It sounded too electronic for Metal, and sounded to Metal to call it Trance. Therefore EYEgor simply decided to nickname name that whole album as Rock’n Rave. Rock’n Roll, Rock’n Rave, kind of the game of words.

From the beginning “Rock’n Rave” album was meant to be experimental, an album where EYEgor wanted to try different electronic music genres. As you probably noticed, Megadance’s album “Rock’n Rave” has some tracks that are Drum’n Bass, others sound like Heavy Metal Instrumental in a mix with electronic music as well. Others are Trance, even though they come with some guitar elements. For instance track called “Raven Mustang” is a Trance genre composition because it is missing some of the must have components that each Rock’n Rave track should have to be called Rock’n Rave. All those different tracks from EYEgor’s words, were the building blocks leading to the structure of the Rock’n Rave as a genre.

The next track that followed in the genre Rock’n Rave was “Remembrance”. Third Rock’n Rave composition was “Night Rider”. It wasn’t until the track called “Battle Angel” was composed in collaboration of Megadance with Stephen Jester, that EYEgor actually took the genre seriously. Stephen and EYEgor go long back. Have been great friends for a very long time. However “Battle Angel” was a first track that they both wrote together. I guess there is a right time for everything. Stephen sounded so excited mentioning that he wanted to compose a Rock’n Rave track, after EYEgor brought up collaboration over the glass of Whiskey, when Stephen visited EYEgor to meet his newborn son in San Francisco. “Battle Angel” became the first track that was composed in genre Rock’n Rave by other than EYEgor, composer. Stephen Jester was the first to compose the guitar parts in “Battle Angel”, which EYEgor then worked around.

EYEgor later decided to give it a try and promote the Rock’n Rave as an actual genre, and not just his next album. However he left the name of the album as is, stating: “Let this album be the building blocks to the Rock’n Rave genre and forever carry its name”.

His first attempt promoting the genre, was to propose to electronic music distribution sites, to add the category “Rock’n Rave”. On what they responded: “Genre has to first be generally accepted before they could add a separate genre category for it”. Oh well. Nothing EYEgor could do there. He just continued composing some tracks in Trance, some in Drum’n Bass and some in Rock’n Rave as a genre. The genre that now had structure and must have components to be called the genre of “Rock’n Rave”.

Little later, EYEgor decided to make a Facebook ad to see the reaction from people on Rock’n Rave. Response quickly overwhelmed the post with well over 100,000 LIKEs and tons of positive encouraging comments. It is interesting how music distributors and labels most often then not, reject new and never heard of. But didn’t they do exactly the same when were rejecting Brian Epstein’s attempts to sign Beatles themselves, when Beatles were new and unheard of? Today it is great however to have social media where musicians can ask listeners directly. In Megadance’s case, the Facebook ad announcement of Rock’n Rave had definitely restored EYEgor’s believe into his new invention. There will certainly be many more Rock’n Rave tracks composed in the future, by Megadance and many more other musicians.

The Rock’n Rave track number five, which was ever produced was the last track that competed the album and was named “The Cry of Siren”. In that track, EYEgor incorporated vocals to add to its melodic ambience. Track is truly melodic, but definitely not without the Rock’n Rave twist to it.

The completion and release of Rock’n Rave as an album is the birthday of the Rock’n Rave as a genre. The official release date of the album dubbed Rock’n Rave was the July 24, 2020. It is avaiblable through the variety of publishing services such as:

1) Spotify: (https://open.spotify.com/album/699etvluT0lSXfK5A5Hp0S)
2) iTunes/Apple Music: (https://music.apple.com/us/album/rockn-rave/1525005255?uo=4)
3) Google Play (https://music.youtube.com/channel/UComu9AA0u3F_JSVAoRohcEQ)
…and many more.

…TO BE CONTINUED AS THE JOURNEY OF ROCK’N RAVE’s HISTORY HAS JUST BEGAN…

SO WHAT IS ROCK’N RAVE EXACTLY?

It is a mix of 2 genres, “Trance” and “Heavy Metal”.

EYEgor says, he understands that Psy Trance used distorted guitars for a while. Rock’n Rave however is not a Psy Trance and is not meant to sound like Psy Trance, from how he envisioned it. It is more of a mix between Melodic Trance, at times Uplifting Trance, at times Tech Trance, at times Progressive Trance with elements of Rock/Metal mixed into it. In other words it’s a blend of Ferry Corsten, Armin van Buuren and Paul van Dyk with Aerosmith, Metallica and Rammstein. And we would agree that rock/metal has been mixed into existing genres before. However it have never had a presence, which defined that genre. In Rock’n Rave, it does.

GENRE’S MUST HAVES
Any Rock’n Rave composition must have the guitar lead part, the lead similar to Kirk Hammet’s leads in Metallica, lead alike those that were so popular in the heavy metal music of 1980’s, but were abandoned in 1990’s. Without a guitar lead part, you can’t call it Rock’n Rave. Guitar leads are mandatory.
Each Rock’n Rave composition also must have a melodic break common to electronic music genre called Trance.
Every Rock’n Rave composition must have an energetic drop. Drop is an element also common to the electronic music genre called Trance.
BPM could vary from 120 to 140. For example the “X-Rayed Generation” is composed in 120 BPMs. The “Night Rider” is written in 140 BPMs. Both sound quite nice. Megadance tried to go faster, but then guitar leads become too fast and don’t sound as pleasant to the ear.
Great examples of nice buildup parts that lead to the melodic break, leads and drops, and wrap up the composition, could be heard in tracks: “Remembrance” and “Night Rider”. Those two, both have grooves that involve energetic yet not too busy distorted guitar rhythms.
The beat is a straight beat, common to all Trance music. You can rewrite Rock’n Rave using breakbeat and call it some other genre. Rock’n Rave should have a similar beat to genre called Trance. When guitar lead comes in, Megadance chose to use the Heavy Metal beat, but that’s only for the guitar lead part. Having real live drum set supporting the guitar lead, makes the lead sound really Metal. That part is for real rockers. Whole Rock’n Rave is the electronic dance music for rockers if you will.
You probably have noticed, that EYEgor mentions Trance a lot. However, what also sounds great is the touch of techno in Rock’n Rave composition. The composition called “X-Rayed Generation” demonstrates the mix of techno, trance and metal playing together without any collision within one of a kind beautiful composition.
Since it is the blend of so many genres, it is the genre of it’s own, which deserved to be named as such. And for that reason, EYEgor dubbed it, the Rock’n Rave.

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

For all musicians, who feel that they can do better than Megadance at composing Rock’n Rave, please do. EYEgor says that definitely there are musicians who could take Rock’n Rave genre to the next level and he would support that with all his heart.