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Best keyboard riffs from the 90s and 00s?


Stabby

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The 80's had the most memorable keyboard hooks. The keyboard riffs from the 90s, 00's, 10's suck ass. I was watching Conan or Leno a couple years ago and they had some Hip Hop (a.k.a. Gangsta Rap) act on with 3 keyboard players and I could have played all 3 parts by myself - drunk and blindfolded. And this is fairly common. No wonder Roland sells so much gear - each Hip Hop act needs 3 or 4 of them because of the limited skills of the people behind them.

 

If Hip Hop or Rap was considered real music then the keyboard "players" would be considered musicians and we should all be embarrassed. Luckily, it's not.

 

-Mc

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Man it is hard for me to think about the 90's. I was addicted to country at the time.

 

 

Bless you for even mentioning country. It seems be overlooked here, possibly because it is not synth-based music. For much of the 90's and 00's I was covering top 40 country, either on the road or in a house band. Lots of great parts to sink your teeth into, as recorded by the great Nashville studio cats like Matt Rollings, John Jarvis, Pig Robbins and Steve Nathan.

 

The Dance- Garth Brooks

Baby Likes to Rock It- the Tractors

Good Brown Gravy- Joe Diffie (one of my fave piano solos)

Walkaway Joe- Trisha Yearwood (very atmospheric and tasteful ballad playing)

Boot Scootin' Boogie

When I Think About Cheating- Gretchen Wilson

Bless the Broken Road- Rascal Flatts

T-R-O-U-B-L-E -Travis Tritt

I Believe- Brooks and Dunn (check out how the B3 was recorded and the use of fast/slow Leslie)

Life's Too Long- Ricky Scaggs

..and lots more I can't think of at the moment

 

RE "The Dance", that was an adaptation of George Winston's New Age style. Winston returned the favor by covering "The Dance" in a later album.

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Lots of synths in the 90s and 00s, but not exactly *riff* worthy. Actually, the same goes for guitars too.

So many are sampling as well. So, when Missy Elliott hits it big by sampling Cybotron, it doesn't count.
:lol:

There are a few signature dance hit riffs, like DaRude's Sandstorm or Zombie Nation's Kernkraft 400. (Although technically Zombie Nation took *that* riff from a C64 game, so that doesn't count either...)

 

I read Sandstorm was a JP-8000 "performance" but I forget if that includes the actual riffage and not owned one.

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90's....

 

[video=youtube;FHixChYgGRI]

 

love the acid riff in this, just love this tune and the album

 

[video=youtube;FXYvIBuwxDQ]

 

add Halcyon, Belfast, Lush...

 

[video=youtube;xj8lzRYpm6o]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj8lzRYpm6o

 

...takes me back all of these...

 

[video=youtube;8Eq0i187kvE]

 

[video=youtube;F1U0qvtQnE8]

 

not firestarter :p The Experience lp is a blur of awesome tunes to me but the riffs in this one stand out

 

[video=youtube;u8VY5dxq5CU]

 

...2 from Beltram...

 

[video=youtube;PQfKFwa-jEY]

 

[video=youtube;FfVnVn8RC7I]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfVnVn8RC7I

 

[video=youtube;2fmo1Sjn7dg]

 

[video=youtube;aqxtBggVsi0]

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The problem is, none of the techno riffs have even *close* to the universal recognition of your Van Halen "Jump", Europe "Final Countdowns", Journey "Separate Ways", Boston "Foreplay".

 

Dance music and hip hop seems so transient. I could probably play a zillion classic dance tracks at any random club, yet get far more recognition with the opening piano notes of say Radiohead's "Karma Police" or the synth notes for The Killers "Somebody Told Me". At least, it's that way the way it is here... :idk:

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The problem is, none of the techno riffs have even *close* to the universal recognition of your Van Halen "Jump", Europe "Final Countdowns", Journey "Separate Ways", Boston "Foreplay".


Dance music and hip hop seems so transient. I could probably play a zillion classic dance tracks at any random club, yet get far more recognition with the opening piano notes of say Radiohead's "Karma Police" or the synth notes for The Killers "Somebody Told Me". At least, it's that way the way it is here...
:idk:

 

I could tell you the riffs from all those songs listed except for "Foreplay" and "Somebody Told Me"

 

I think it comes down to taste and what you listen or lived through. I do wonder if Skrillex fans in like 20 years will be all liek "REMEMBER THAT WOBBLE HE DID WHAT WENT WUBBBBSOSOWUBBWUSHDKJAZNSNN?"

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