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The Function of identity in techno

Good interview with Dave Sumner aka Function. This guy and his peers put out some really dope techno.

http://www.beatportal.com/feed/item...tity-in-techno/

Thanks Eric! Very intesting!

techno <3 <3 <3

Its rather ignorant of this producer to go without a identity and image. Its like "hey look at me...I have no identity"

Even Producers like Redshape and Burial (prior to coming out) created images for themselves that people associate to their music when they need to recall an image, yet no "identity". And that image is actually many times more memorable and commercially viable than someone who just uses their face.

In Function's case...wild guess here but im thinking he can go without an identity because hes probably already financially secure through parents, family, trust fund, inheritance, another well paying job, and having no identity does'nt affect him much. If this Producer was poor struggling artist...it would be hard to maintain a identity less art ambition.

one could argue that the very ideology behind not having an "identity" is an identity in and of itself, which makes the whole concept kinda cliche and ironic.

i'm intrigued about how they liken themselves to the purist punk rock scene from the 80s and 90s, and i like the idea of "letting the music speak for itself," but i think their whole agenda is deluded and hypocritical.

for example:

quote:

�The point is, the focus is not on the artist but on the music�

yet here they are on a popular, commercialized online EDM record shop performing an interview with the artists who supposedly choose to be nameless, and then drop the names of themselves and others while generating publicity and notoriety for their work. i understand why they need to do so but it's totally contradictory to what their unwritten "manifesto" (if you will) is all about.

this is the same type of attitude that generates the elitist hipster-wankers in the EDM community and i think that a certain few people shouldn't take their shit so fuckin seriously. in the end i think this whole deal is a marketing ploy. the unnamed, "purist" artists, the plain sleeves and vinyl print, and this hypocritical interview.

focusing just as hard on not having an identity is just as artificial as the pop stars they criticize. The sad part is that the greater part of the world wouldn't care about these guys even if they did reveal their identity. I no really little about their situation but to me, it almost seems like an unconscious caveat for not being quite good enough to generate enough interest to even tempt one to be a star.

quote:

Originally posted by RichieV focusing just as hard on not having an identity is just as artificial as the pop stars they criticize. The sad part is that the greater part of the world wouldn't care about these guys even if they did reveal their identity. I no really little about their situation but to me, it almost seems like an unconscious caveat for not being quite good enough to generate enough interest to even tempt one to be a star.

well its better than that watered down cookie cutter trance shit that has been coming out you probably love! did you even read the article?

besides, who cares about what a "greater part of the world" thinks about their music? people are notorious for horrible taste in music. the "greater part of the world" listen to pop and terrible shit, so how is this relevant to underground music?

Trance is a farcry from "underground music"

quote:

Originally posted by Evolve140 well its better than that watered down cookie cutter trance shit that has been coming out you probably love! did you even read the article? besides, who cares about what a "greater part of the world" thinks about their music? people are notorious for horrible taste in music. the "greater part of the world" listen to pop and terrible shit, so how is this relevant to underground music?

my point wasn't about aesthetics, I doesn't matter if it is good or bad, my point is that there really is nothing noble in being unseen with no identity when nobody really cares about you in the first place. To me, it is as ridiculous as me walking around with a newspaper on my face trying to avoid paparazzi because I somehow think i'm being underground. I am underground because I'm not Brad Pitt and nobody wants to take a picture of me. I don't have to try and be underground. Everyone is underground until enough people care about you.

quote:

Originally posted by RichieV my point wasn't about aesthetics, I doesn't matter if it is good or bad, my point is that there really is nothing noble in being unseen with no identity when nobody really cares about you in the first place. To me, it is as ridiculous as me walking around with a newspaper on my face trying to avoid paparazzi because I somehow think i'm being underground. I am underground because I'm not Brad Pitt and nobody wants to take a picture of me. I don't have to try and be underground. Everyone is underground until enough people care about you.

The reason one would not want to be known is because fame puts a person is great danger of becoming arrogant. Avoiding any situation where arrogance could occur is pretty noble in my book. What did you think the point of "being humble" was?

You really think someone making underground music perhaps putting more effort in his non identity than his music an act of humbleness ? The point is that he is a nobody , so why even conceal an identity nobody even cares about. Would you not find it a little weird/psycho if I went to the super market because i was being underground and didn't' want people to recognize me. They won't recognize me because I'm not famous and unless you are famous, concealing your identity is an act of lunacy. It was cool when daft punk did it but this is just silly.

If you are already known, then isn't it too late? Many people don't want "yeah, i'm the shit" in their minds, and even a little bit of fame can bring that upon a person. The ones trying to hide their identity, also don't try to make it obvious they are hiding it. Some people attempt to hide it in order to get famous.

quote:

Originally posted by sixofour.604 The ones trying to hide their identity, also don't try to make it obvious they are hiding it. Some people attempt to hide it in order to get famous.

Don't you think that article made it pretty clear that they are telling the world they are hiding it ? The article has the word identity, there is a picture of a person without his head. Why take a picture at all ?

Who knows. I'm admitadly not refering to the OP, I'm saying in general why someone might want to hide their identity.

Take trance for instance, most of the time they guy posts his whole head [or half of it] on his album cover, he uses his real name. And does live shows. Id posit that becoming known is a primary goal. If not second to making money.

yes, i agree with you there.

But this is different, this is a producer who is underground, who will always be underground and there really is no need to be all mysterious save for trying to be a big giant douche. I think people like that use it as some sort of cognitive excuse to explain why they aren't selling more records and have to work at the office unlike those damn sellouts.

I agree with you. Many producers probably do try to use this to hide the fact that they are unpopular and/or not selling albums. But I would like to add that for some selling albums isn't their "thing". As much as it sounds like bullshit, I have neither a need to be famous or sell albums, and at the same time my music is a farcry from popular. And I don't care to plaster my face everywhere.

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Notice a trend?








And of course, everyones favorite:

quote:

Originally posted by sixofour.604 And I don't care to plaster my face everywhere.

but isn't that the point ? nobody wants to see your face anywhere so it really isn't something that gives you more credibility. That is my whole argument. Trying to be anonymous when nobody would think twice about you is delusional.

And as far as a few stars you've posted, they don't have a choice. You actually think Ashanti had any say what the cover will look like ? You think any new major label act has any creative control over marketing ?

Do they have control over the album cover? You got me there, but I would still think they have atleast some influence, some of those guys have their own labels right?

Lets look at it this way, check out any unsigned artists who have albums, their covers aren't any better.

The idea about hiding the identity is I think "if I make myself look hidden or underground, then people will like me more" I think being underground or hidden is "the thing" these days. I mean the whole appeal of punk music is exactly that. Though some might argue a more realistic meaning.

Basicly, gain popularity by puspofully trying to make youirself appeare less than. Sounds stupid, but its amazing what people would do. People like humbleness, so the idea is if you 'act' humble you gain popularity.

Edit: RicheV has 666 posts. Heh.

quote:

Originally posted by RichieV You really think someone making underground music perhaps putting more effort in his non identity than his music an act of humbleness ? The point is that he is a nobody , so why even conceal an identity nobody even cares about.

I dunno. I much prefer the non-identity thing to the legions of producers who write glowing biographies about themselves and post them up on MySpace, praising their own accomplishments and calling themselves "classically trained" because they took a few piano lessons when they were six years old.



I can agree it's kind of silly to make a public show of hiding your identity, though. Smells of an attempt to create publicity. At the same time I have to wonder whether it is the artists themselves or the music journalists creating the hype around the "no identity" thing. Could be the latter.

That article got me wondering which TA forum members are secretly selling thousands of tracks...

Identity-related paradoxes aside, it was a pretty interesting read. Thanks for sharing it Eric!

quote:

Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles I dunno. I much prefer the non-identity thing to the legions of producers who write glowing biographies about themselves and post them up on MySpace, praising their own accomplishments and calling themselves "classically trained" because they took a few piano lessons when they were six years old. I can agree it's kind of silly to make a public show of hiding your identity, though. Smells of an attempt to create publicity. At the same time I have to wonder whether it is the artists themselves or the music journalists creating the hype around the "no identity" thing. Could be the latter.

I've seen some of these bios, and they don't even compare to the bullshit DJs write about themselves. You would be surprised how far they will go to make switching records sound like it requires the hand of god. The funniest thing I saw was some guy who accidentally slipped into first person, and he didn't bother correcting it.

There is one thing about the article though that I can completely identify with...

�It is cyclical, as is the process behind it. I get into a kind of self-induced hypnosis when I make music. When I can listen to a loop over and over again, for hours, and not get bored, I know it is perfect. It sucks me in.�

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