His Goyard's so hard, he's Hugo's boss.Kanye's stated goal for Graduation was to make rap music for the masses - songs with "stadium status." Curiously, his conception of mass-appeal rap was a hip-hop/electro fusion. From "Stronger" (which repurposes a highly-popular Daft Punk track) to "Can't Tell Me Nothing" (which is very synth-heavy), electronic music leaves its fingerprints all over Graduation.
On "Flashing Lights," though, Kanye does what he does best. That is, he copies directly from a template. Where other producers snip obscure samples or chop up familiar song sections until they are barely recognizable, Kanye usually keeps his samples unscathed. Next time you are bored, play Curtis Mayfield's "Move on Up" and Kanye's "Touch the Sky" back-to-back. Few other producers are so brazen with their sampling. Naturally, he'd fall back into his familiar habits and just make a techno song somewhere on Graduation instead of a techno-influenced song. That techno song is "Flashing Lights" and it is awesome. The stuttering synths and driving beat are techno-by-numbers, but in the context of this rap song they regain some of their original power and grandeur.
Download:
Kanye West: Flashing Lights
PS - The Daft Punk & Can't Tell Me Nothing youtube links in this post are hilarious.
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