| reggaeton is HUGE--and has been for a while-- here in NYC. it's definitely got it's own aesthetic, separate from that of dancehall or hiphop or other Latin genres. Aside from the lyrics, you're talking about something where EVERY song uses the same exact beat at nearly the same tempo. They've taken the concept of "riddim" to a whole new level; you've got an entire genre based on the bambam riddim.
to my ears, the differentiation comes from the subtle differences in instrumentation; there's snares all over the place in reggaeton, and while the pattern doesn't change up, the snare sounds certainly do, practically every 4 bars. "Gasolina" is a great display of that. If anything, the most aggressive drum sounds this side of big-room UK drum n' bass live in reggaeton; drumsounds that'll slice your head off! Can you get away w/ sharp, distorted kicks in hiphop these days?
There's also the melodic consistencies.. some sort of guitar/plucked string element. I read an article recently where it stated that practically every reggaeton producer uses the "pluck" instrument in fruity loops for the arpeggios.
I dunno; i find it entertaining, for sure. As a DJ, people seem to dig a lil' reggaeton thrown into the night but aren't sure how to get down w/ it; I mean, not everyone's comfortable throwing down doggystyle, which is pretty much THE way to dance to it. |