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| quote: | Originally posted by nefardec
because it's good music?
and also, kraftwerk was arguably the original techno producer, and krautrock was certainly the basis of the form of techno and lots of the production techiques.
hipsters like these things ironically in that they put a premium on musicianship. the synth is seen as a cultural relic like a particular pair of sunglasses or an old fashioned camera. it is often used by hipsters as symbol of retrospection within the music rather than a machine for producing novel sound, like the original manipulators of the synths used them for. it's also important to realize that certain synths were never meant to be used for the types of sounds for which they came to be famous.
to me it sounds overproduced, predictable, limp-wristed. i hear a ho-hum, played-out sequence of predictable maneuvers and sounds, which ultimately become reduced to an infantile language of 'fist pump', 'weird, obscure, desperately soulful, or ironic sample', 'breakdown', 'bass drop'. and the language of the djs is equally simplistic, the same manuevers being used over and over again, to change the track in the most innoffensive and slick manner, with a smooth fade, harmonic mix, and a bass swap, often accompanied by a bass kill for an impromptu hands in the air rubato. it's deejaying and music which has been reduced to a minimum viable product, a branded muzak experience, rather than musical vision, real emotional drama, or virtuoso. everyone is afraid to step outside of the mold, but it's ok to colonize other things and bring them into it.
in a way this german group draws extreme attention to that fact. but guess what, kraftwerk did this 40 years ago. we get it, electronic music makes people act like machines and can possibly be used to make an artistic statement on modern industrial society. except that made sense in the 70s and 80s when the technology was just coming out.
now i would argue that people making music in ways that engage contemporary technology like karaoke on chatroulette are the innovators. but the problem is everyone is so obsessed with humor now that there is very little sincerity or earnestness in music. people get their news from jon stewart and conan obrien. everything is a satire, a parody, an autotune this or a meme that.
blegh |
Ok. I still like tech-house.
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