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A real laptop symphony? (pg. 9)
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View this Thread in Original format
| PETRAN |
| quote: | Originally posted by creon444
Say, did ******** assist you in any way with this project? |
:haha: :stongue: |
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| nefardec |
| quote: | Originally posted by creon444
Say, did ******** assist you in any way with this project? |
he's welcome to
anyone is welcome to, it's a user generated database. it does have moderation though, so no silly thoughts. |
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| enydo |
That really does look interesting, Adam.
This thread has been great, watching you two squabble has been both enlightening and entertaining. |
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| wotyzoid |
| quote: | Originally posted by enydo
That really does look interesting, Adam.
This thread has been great, watching you two squabble has been both enlightening and entertaining. |
QFT |
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| Paradox Lost |
| quote: | Originally posted by enydo
That really does look interesting, Adam.
This thread has been great, watching you two squabble has been both enlightening and entertaining. |
...and once more.
Really, a most satisfyingly substantive discussion that has taken place here. |
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| Tangil |
| quote: | Originally posted by nefardec
The MASSIVE project |
This sounds awesome. |
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| PETRAN |
I have to say though that it gets to my nerves when techno is referred as "futuristic music"-in the literal sense. Techno is as "futuristic" as those 60s sci-fi comics and films which depict funny flying-cars and fat cylindrical robots as the "future". Yes. There is NOTHING futuristic in those comics and films. What those books and films depict is mainly the society and culture of the 60s embedded within a pseudo-futuristic aesthetic and this is why by reading such a book, a modern individual would learn a lot more about the 60s than his/her current/modern age! Hairstyles and lifestyles are right-out of that era rather than "2009", which in contrast to the flying saucer-cars and fat cylindrical robots, what we get is intel duo core, mp3s, emos, economic crisis and global terrorism.
If techno was truly futuristic, then modern techno would literally have nothing to do with that early detroit sound. In contrast. Modern techno is more retro than ever, with raw analogue retro sounds been the "fashion" of the era. Every techno musician EVER existed has tried to emulate that early Detroit sound in all sorts of various ways. Even sub-genres as "dub-techno" and "schranz" are just exaggerations/minimizations of that early sound's musical elements, in the same way that modern epic-trance is an over-exaggeration of early trance's melodic component.
If "techno" was truly "futuristic", meaning that musicians would try-out every sort of idea, pushing in this way their musical and engineering techniques to their limits, modern techno would probably be unrecognizable and hugely diferent when compared to that early sound. On the conrary. The ideas and techniques behind the vast majority of modern techno are mere replications of those early ideas, whereas the production techniques are poor to the extremes. Whilst computers and sequencers have all become powerful and new forms of synthesis/synthesizers have emerged, the "futuristic" techno has not followed the technological revolution even to the slightest, questioning how "techno" is really and literally..."techno"!
IMO "Techno" wasn't even "techno" back in the 90s. "Futurism" wasn't the primary driving force behind that musical scene but having-fun to an unstoppable four-to-the-floor drum-machine-generated drum, and in that sense, techno was deep-down more "ancient" and "african-based" than any other music out-there!
"Futurism", "spiritualism" etc. are just the "excuses" of that ideology-free sound and whilst 70s and 80s musicians like Klaus Schulz, Kraftwerk and Gary Numan have truly generated a futuristic perspective by trying out completely new ways of playing music, those early detroit techno producers have just added those older futuristic ideas on top of the menacing and hedonistic chicago beat. Techno's success was not based on the fact that a futuristic ideological/philosphical revolution has taken place, but on the musical revolution of playing raw and rhythmic drum-machine-generated music, evoking in this way some basic human insticts. In that sense, techno was never "futuristique" just had a "futuristic aesthetic". And this is hugely different. Looking today, techno is one of the most backward genres of modern era and the sad anti-hipster truth is, that it is no more futuristic than Coldplay and Tiesto. |
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| nefardec |
| quote: | Originally posted by PETRAN
"Futurism", "spiritualism" etc. are just the "excuses" of that ideology-free sound and whilst 70s and 80s musicians like Klaus Schulz, Kraftwerk and Gary Numan have truly generated a futuristic perspective by trying out completely new ways of playing music, those early detroit techno producers have just added those older futuristic ideas on top of the menacing and hedonistic chicago beat. Techno's success was not based on the fact that a futuristic ideological/philosphical revolution has taken place, but on the musical revolution of playing raw and rhythmic drum-machine-generated music, evoking in this way some basic human insticts. In that sense, techno was never "futuristique" just had a "futuristic aesthetic". And this is hugely different. Looking today, techno is one of the most backward genres of modern era and the sad anti-hipster truth is, that it is no more futuristic than Coldplay and Tiesto. |
PETRAN I mostly agree with you about kraftwerk, gary numan, etc. I do think prototechno was truly futuristic. I agree that its success was based on that musical revolution. But in some way I think that musical revolution is also cultural, kind of an archaic revival, if you will. Because it is a break from western musical tradition and establishment that said "this is what a musician is", and "this is what music is" I mean technically, even Kraftwerk was still very much a band - they werent actually machines playing machine music (even though some people thought they were lol)
I completely agree that most techno of today is no more futuristic than coldplay or tiesto, musicially and culturally speaking. I guess what I am urging is a fresh spirit of true futurism. I enjoy older music both for what it is, as SYSTEM-J, but also for the effect it had on culture and the way we think about music. When I am actually listening to it, however, it is mostly the former, and only at certain moments do I think "this must have been revolutionary".
PETRAN, when I use the word 'techno', I am using it like Alvin Toffler does in "Future Shock", not like a record store uses it. I'm considering techno as a far reaching 'ism', like 'minimalism' or 'romanticism'. They operate beyond this narrow concept of 'genre'.
Also, this whole thing about dance music just being fun music for the clubs - the scale at which this occurred was revolutionary itself! ten thousand people all loved up in a field dancing to acid? all around the world? it doesn't matter how much fun people had or if they were all ed up and didn't even realize how revolutionary it was - it revolutionary and futuristic nonetheless.
here's a post I wrote on a friend's blog regarding marcel dettman and revivalism:
| quote: | i don't really think what's going on at berghain is that forward looking, though, to be honest. it's a sick party that i've had the pleasure of attending for a ridiculous amount of time, but really this sort of thing has existed in berlin for some time. the reappropriation of industrial and institutional spaces for the life performance and reproduction of music described as "futuristic, anarchic, uncompromising,” with “character, soul and a kind of hypnotic, industrial feeling,”"
i mean this jeff mills and rob hood, in essence.
tresor was built in a bank vault, e werk was built in a factory, the new tresor is in a factory, and there are some undergrounds in REAL bunkers in berlin.. eventually it just becomes a tourist destination removed from the reality. the reality is, Friedrichshain is about to become home to a brand new glass and steel big-business and media district (right across the river from watergate) and as it is, Berghain and Panoramabar are filled with international party tourists (myself included i suppose) despite the seemingly strict door selection policies... I think the scene is very vibrant and honest, however, despite this, but it does seem a little anachronistic or 'disneyfied' to me.
the berlin-detroit axis made more sense when both cities were actually war-zones. however, let's look at berlin today compared to detroit... at this point the old relationship doesn't really make sense beyond 'theming'.
beyond any of the locations or the sound of the music, what i feel was the best aspect of the berlin scene is the combination of people which comprise it.
as for the music of berghain, etc, it's definitely still awesome, because it's just raw, visceral dance music, but i can't help but think that it is a dinosaur on display.
the 'future' described, i am afraid, is the future of 1991, not the future of 2009. not to say i don't enjoy it, but i just wouldn't call it very foward-thinking.
real anarchy for instance would be something like the abolition of the office of the disc jockey entirely, perhaps a parametric music which unfolds and builds itself based on spatial and collective human input. there needs to be a radical paradigm shift in production technique and social values similar to what occured in the 60s and 70s with jamaican dub music, where the recording studio became an instrument that allowed for the deconstruction of the popular song and the delamination of the recording from the physical space in which it was recorded.
i enjoy dettman's thing inasmuch as i enjoy what it is based on, but the future he describes is not my future, and not really his either IMO. |
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| SMC |
I'm too lazy to contribute with anything of my own, and you've all put effort into saying most of what is to be said. I agree with SYSTEM-J and PETRAN. nefardec is becoming increasingly reasonable with his last post.
I loled at "intel duo core, mp3s, emos, economic crisis and global terrorism". :disbelief |
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| nefardec |
| quote: | Originally posted by SMC
I agree with SYSTEM-J and PETRAN. nefardec is becoming increasingly reasonable with his last post. |
lol
well that is the reason for discussion |
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| Trance-MB |
| quote: | Originally posted by nefardec
lol
well that is the reason for discussion |
Which just few are aware of.... or forget after a night sleep..... unfortunately. |
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| Clovis |
| quote: | Originally posted by wotyzoid
You're such a brat, Adam. :o |
I'd also like to know when you became a ing expert on everyone else around here. |
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