EDM is so watered down for mainstream IT MAKES ME SICK.
Earlier tonight I was searching for a vocal edit of Leonid Rudenko - Summerfish. It is quickly becoming my summer anthem, and I eagerly await the remixes that are sure to come. XM was playing the instrumental for a few weeks then started working the shorter vocal remix into regular rotation. Obviously the true EDM fans want a full length, progressive sounding remix of the original with vocals. This brings us to what really disturbs me.
I found a download link for a "promo only June '07" disc which contained the "vocal radio edit" version of Summerfish. It's extremely short, the lyrics are rearranged, and it does not give the listener a chance to truly enjoy the track. Included in this promo only set were a few more popular tracks that I enjoy hearing on XM, however, the versions in the promo only set were COMPLETELY BUTCHERED.
This is a problem for me personally as a huge EDM fan because half-assed remixes like this are what so many mainstream and party DJ's use when they work. It's now NO FUCKING WONDER TO ME why so many people who would potentially enjoy EDM are turned off by it! They are used to hearing this watered-down, alice dee-jay, mainstream HORSE SHIT. Another track in the June PO set is Kim Leoni's Again, and while that is not a trance or progressive house track it is a decent track in it's own right. The promo only version is AWFUL. It's fucking UNLISTENABLE. I could critique the other 19 tracks from the set, but most of them are GARBAGE. I digress....
My point is that the electronic dance music that mainstream america hears on the radio and at social functions is fucking watered-down SHIT. It's no wonder EDM doesn't gain the popularity and recognition it deserves outside of our community. Hearing this garbage is like watching only the first 3 quaters of a football game and not knowing the final score. When are radio stations, DJ's and record companies going to realize that a lot of people actually enjoy hearing music in it's raw form; not chopped up and edited in such a way that almost everyone who hears it will somewhat enjoy it but mostly just tolerate it?
There's SO MUCH good electronic dance music out there, and I have turned many people on to it who would otherwise not ever have given it a chance due to the GARBAGE they are fed. It amazes me that a genre of music which most often carries a positive underlying message and vibe is simply overlooked while other genres are glorified and spoon fed to the public. Slutty pop songs, meaningless EMO, and violent rap are KING despite the fact that they promote nothing good while EDM is ignored.
While it is a sad state of affairs for our favorite music there is hope and I feel that EDM is moving in a positive direction and slowly getting the recognition it deserves.
"Just let yourself go, do what you like, and blame it on the DJ." 
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