1990's BRIT POP

 

'Brit Pop' was a style of British rock music from the 1990s that was created to contrast with the American grunge scene at the time. The music featured catchy melodies and lyrics with distinctive references to British culture and bands like The Kinks, The Beatles, Blur, Oasis and Pulp were all influenced by this genre.  

 

Mcalmont and Butler was the British Pop band that released the most successful single from this genre in November 1995. 'Yes' was their first and only single to be released before they split and it reached number 8 in the 1995 charts. The song is about picking yourself up and moving on after an ex lover has left or hurt you and it was a track that got everyone dancing and singing along. The vocals of David Mcalmont and arrangements from Bernard Butler made the song epic and iconic.  

 

 

 
 
The British rock group, Pulp, originally released their single 'Babies' for Gift Records in 1992 but the track didn't become popular until their new label 'Island' wanted to re-release the single for their 'His 'n' Hers' album. although the song failed to reach the charts in 1992, it became a top 20 hit in 1994, peaking at number 19.
 

 

 

'Da Funk' is a single by the band Daft Punk that was released in May 1995 and was a house pop track. Daft Punk revealed that the song was written as they were attempting to make a hard core hip-hop record but failed at their attempts. Instead they recreated their favourite song from the time, Regulate by Warren G's G-Funk, and put their own spin on the track. The music video for the track, directed by Spike Jonze, is considered a classic of 1990's house music and the song later appeared on the bands album, 'Homework'.

 

 

 

BRIT ART

The Young British Artists, or YBAs are a group of artists that are led by Damien Hirst and were founded in London during the 1980s. After being founded by Damien in the late 80's, they were then supported by Charles Saatchi who collected the work of YBA's and showcased it in various shows including the Sensation exhibition in 1997. Here is an example of the artwork that was showcased by Charles. This particular piece is called Destroy:  

    

The YBA’s were known for their use of shock tactics, throwaway materials, wild-living, and they gained a huge amount of media attention in the 1990’s. The main artists that participated with the YBA movement all graduated from Goldsmiths Collage London and it is known that Michael Craig Martin, one of the tutors there at the time, had adapted to the new way of working. The YBA label was a powerful brand and marketing tool, but it concealed huge diversity between the artists involved. Ironically, many of the artists such as Damien Hirst and Tracy Emin are now part of the art establishments that they were protesting again when they started out.

 
“In an artwork you’re always looking for artistic decisions, so an ashtray is perfect. An ashtray has got life and death.”- Damien Hirst

 
This piece is by Damien Hirst and is called ‘The Inescapable Truth’. It is displayed at The Tate Modern, London, UK.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“I’ve been slagged off completely by the art world.”- Tracey Emin
 
 This piece is by Tracey Emin and is called My Bed’. The messy double bed surrounded by waste gained a large amount of international media attention at this time.