Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles
Yep. I've been talking about this kind of thing for a while, the current "cheapness" of music and how it might make it seem less "important" to people on a subjective level. Pasting something I wrote in another thread:
"...in the digital age it's ridiculously easy to saturate yourself with new electronic music of all kinds, discussion with likeminded listeners, DJ sets, production, etc. Anything you want (except for that old fresh feeling of "newness") is right at your fingertips, a few clicks or keyboard strokes away.
When I think of what EDM culture must have been like before the Internet, a metaphor comes to mind: starvation. If you lived anywhere but in a few big cities, your exposure to new electronic music would be extremely limited. When you found a record of some previously-unheard-of genre of music in a shop, it must have felt like a little miracle happened or something, like finding an oasis in a desert."
I think the argument about the "cheapness" of music may also apply to the means used to create music
A few more sketchy thoughts:
1. I think that people are generally becoming "overstimulated," for lack of a better word. I tend to think that the best creativity happens when people let themselves just work away at their art for a long time, uninterrupted, by themselves or maybe with a friend or two. But the way things are headed now...
...with cell phones and instant messengers and the hundreds of hours of music that everybody has on their hard drives and the constant temptation to turn on the Internet for some amusement (I've grudgingly come to accept that the 'net can be at least as much of a brainless time-waster as TV ever was)...
...there may end up being a lot less uninterrupted "creative time," simply because there are so many possible distractions.
2. I also think that people using their everyday e-mail-school-word-processing-net-browsing-etc. computer as the centerpiece of their "studios" might put them in a different mindset than if they just had a pile of equipment whose sole purpose was to make music. Who knows...
3. Another thing is the connectivity brought by the Internet and the way it might change producers' attitudes toward their potential audience. It's so much easier for a producer to figure out what's "popular" in the world at large and get tracks out there for evaluation. I think what this may do is make producers more sensitive, even oversensitive, to the reactions of others, even to the point where they might construct a track along certain lines, e.g., "I'm gonna make something that *insert big international DJ here* would play;" not out of any unique artistic conviction, but simply because they want to make something that's more likely to "get heard."
I think that the way the EDM scene used to be more "dispersed," for the most part composed of local enthusiasts and weirdos, may have led more people to say " it" and just do whatever the heck they wanted, just exploring sounds and arrangements with complete freedom, since God knew they weren't going to get famous or wealthy off of making bleepy dance music.
4. Final point I think, is that the Internet revolution has to a large extent "depersonalized" the way that people locate and consume music. You don't really have to interact with anyone, certainly not face to face, to find new tracks or buy stuff or hear a set or get your tracks heard or whatever. It used to be that whole new genres of music would get named after specific places -- "garage" for the Paradise Garage, "house" at The Warehouse -- can you really imagine that ever happening again?
I sure can't.
I think that taking the face to face element away, and also effectively separating "dance music" from the visceral "dance" aspect of it, may have drained some vitality out of EDM.
Hopefully at least a few people have the energy to read all that. :wtf:
Excellent post, totally agree with your points there. I mean its ridiculous , you see producers coming in these boards literally saying "how would you like your track sir" like he is no more a musician but a waiter of some sorts...it is indeed bad, ironically, EDM falls in our plastic and "futuristic" digital times
nefardec
quote:
Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles
nice post ^
Sykonee & JiveBoJingles
You should check out "Future Shock" by Alvin Toffler, if you haven't already. He talks at length about the transient, labor-free, throw-away society as the society of the future. (It was written in 1970)
Johan (DJ Irish)
quote:
Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
Sigh. Please read more carefully.
Ah yes, I managed to confuse things a bit there.
akkare
hahaha, i always love these threads because people are so egocentric that they base the life or death of an entire spectrum of music by how their own particular tastes in genres are doing.
this comes up every few years and it's always the same stupid arguments based on completely anecdotal evidence. the only thing becoming stagnate here are peoples tastes in music as it progresses past them.
nchs09
speedcore
ohbeone
quote:
Originally posted by akkare
the only thing becoming stagnate here are peoples tastes in music as it progresses past them.
So in the last year...how has EDM progressed? (and this is a question from someone who hasn't really followed the scene in about 5 years but even from the last time I checked new stuff out, there is almost nothing new). I personally think people can still write some great new tracks, but on the whole, nothing is really moving forward much, which is the definition of stagnant. I think that's the main point people are making. Oversaturation of crap and lack of much 'new'. the only place anything seems to be going is to pop...*shivers*
Part of it is also the fact that just about every blending of styles and retro music remixing has been done. The envelope has been pushed to the edge. Hopefully, it will fall over the edge and begin a new freefall of innovation.
But lucky me for being out of it for 5 years. Lots of good stuff I haven't heard before. :toothless
Cobalt
quote:
Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles
I think that taking the face to face element away, and also effectively separating "dance music" from the visceral "dance" aspect of it, may have drained some vitality out of EDM.
I agree. The globalization of dance music is just one aspect of the globalization of culture, really. The same is happening in all different kinds of arts and social customs that were once decentralized and rooted in communities.
It's good in some sense, because everyone has access to everything. It's bad, though, in that a globalized society dilutes innovation.
nefardec
quote:
Originally posted by ohbeone
So in the last year...how has EDM progressed?
i don't really think it's possible to talk about "EDM" as some kind of unified, cohesive phenomenon.
also it depends on your idea of 'progress'
to an armin fanboy, progress might mean that 'more people listened to the ASOT X show than ever!'
ohbeone
quote:
Originally posted by nefardec
i don't really think it's possible to talk about "EDM" as some kind of unified, cohesive phenomenon.
Well the conversation up until now has talked about it as such. Basically lumping the whole scene into a whole and labeling it as stagnant. Which to a very large degree it is because at this point it's had time to morph, split, refine and mix back into itself to the point that there's not a whole lot to do that's new. Not that people can't do new things or put out tracks of a certain style that sound fresh, but there is an obvious lack of creativity going on for the most part. There are definitely niches and small pockets which continue on with good stuff, but as most of us already agreed, on the whole, there's not much true innovation going on. And to a large degree, everything gets to a point where this happens.
IpLaYWiTLiGhTs
It's nothing original or innovative but I really like the way Apparat and James holden do their sets/compilations. They really do seem like they're trying to tell a story with their track selection. Really diverse.
I guess you could say I want every set to become an "essential mix." Break all genre barriers, effectively of course.
ToxicGreenWaste
It's getting mad let me tell you. People are even making entire albums with sound forge!
paulandrews
quote:
Originally posted by IpLaYWiTLiGhTs
It's nothing original or innovative but I really like the way Apparat and James holden do their sets/compilations. They really do seem like they're trying to tell a story with their track selection. Really diverse.
Apparat is a dj as well? All I know is he does live PAs, and they are indeed ing immense. His sound is kinda unique though. Nothing too groundbreaking or forward-thinking, but good luck categorizing him. Same with Modeselektor.
