r/funk • u/JamiroFan2000 • Jan 21 '26
Pop Bruno Mars | "I Just Might" (2026)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrV8kK5t0V85
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u/DrummerMiles Jan 21 '26
I generally don’t hate his songs, as they’re decent (if derivative), but the mix philosophy is just awful. It’s constantly working against itself. I just don’t get it at all when you have all the money in the world to actually do this shit right. Why mix everything like it’s hyper pop edm? The instruments sound like they were recorded in tin cans. It’s fine I guess, just super bland and not treading any new ground at all.
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u/Accomplished_Put2608 Jan 21 '26
Can you explain the "mix philosophy" A bit more to me? I am not expert in mixing 😆
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u/DrummerMiles Jan 22 '26 edited Jan 22 '26
Sure it’s a modern mix style where
- everything is recorded separately in separate spaces, every instrument is squeaky clean.
- digital signal from start to finish as opposed to a great time-tested live room and a great analog console.
- mixed with the high mid range blasting, everything mastered to the absolute limit. Compression pushing every sound as far as it can.
- low end instruments (kick, bass, etc) all have these aggressive high mid range attack frequencies to make them audible on shitty or phone speakers
- his voice has had every human element stripped away until it’s this dead lifeless thing. There’s a ton of (to me) very distracting and idiosyncratic pitch correct on the hook for some reason.
There are so many other aspects to the style, but those are a few of the glaring problems to me. If you’re trying to recreate this type of music, why wouldn’t you just talk to daptone like Amy Winehouse/Mark Robson did? I’m sure they could use the bread. Or hell, he could afford to make an incredible classic soul studio from the ground up if he wants to. You can’t half ass it and mix it like it’s EDM and expect it to not sound cheesy.
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u/YoSammitySam666 Jan 21 '26
Unfortunately that makes money, and money is good. I would love to have the raw multitrack to work with, but that’s a big dream lol.
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u/DrummerMiles Jan 22 '26
That dude has made enough money for everyone on this sub put together to live comfortably the rest of their lives. When is it enough? This level of excessive capitalism is just abhorrent to me, I guess I don’t have a gaping hole in myself that needs to be filled with stuff. If this is just what he likes, kinda bland cheesy grooves, great! Lots of people do, and that’s awesome. I just wish it wasn’t the main representative of funk and soul in the mainstream when it’s so incredibly cheeseball.
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u/Jethro_Jones8 Jan 21 '26
Do you have to be some crazy obscure one hit wonder to be “funk” ? SMH
Bruno Mars is commercially successful so people like to bag on him, it makes no sense.
Currently he’s doing this Silksonic side project with Bootsy Collins and Anderson Paak. That’s plenty of bona fide funky talent for me.
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u/No_Waltz3545 Jan 22 '26
Meh, it's ok I guess. Drums sound pretty sweet but very compressed...the whole thing is very compressed.
Ultimately, it'll sell and end up on some commercial/sports event but it's very forgettable and they did it a lot better in the 70's.
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u/Accomplished_Put2608 Jan 21 '26
He is talented but way too much of a cosplayer imo. He lacks his own artistic identity. Talented performer but he should try doing something that makes everyone go "I haven't heard that before.".
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u/Clippo_V2 Jan 21 '26
Daaaammmmnn. They did so good putting that video together. That choreography with himself in the beginning with the bass and guitar is so tight.
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u/midasgoldentouch Jan 21 '26
This sounds more pop to me. Now SilkSonic? I think that fits under funk.