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Will "electronic music" ever be recognized as a legitimate music genre? (pg. 2)
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| Orko |
A big problem with EDM being accepted and promoted by the mainstream is the undeniable association with drugs. Of course other types of music lend them selves to a drugged-out party, but no other genre was 'born' out of a warehouse where drugs had such a big impact on the scene. Just look at this article in Mixmag from 1998, about how Oakenfold helped to bring the baleric sound to the UK.
| quote: | So anyway, the point is that one night they're down at this after hours club that kicks off around three or four in the morning and runs through to midday - a wicked party venue just set back from the road between the island's two main towns - and they decide to take this new drug that's knocking about. Of course, the drug is not new as such - it's been a mainstay of the gay scene in Chicago and New York since the early 80s
- but it's new to our four heroes. So they pop their pills one night back in the summer of 1987 and ...and what? |
Other genres have had very timely deaths associated with drugs, and so there is an established 'drugs are bad' PR line coming from major record labels.
Hip-hop was able to over come it's association with illegal activity, with sheer visible numbers. They people listening, and making the music were not in dark warehouses in the middle of the night, or some field, but they were on the street. It is a lot harder to deny the relevence of music, when it is so visible and intertwined with every day problems.
There was early success with EDM in the mainstream with good soundtracks like Hackers, Mortal Combat, or Trainspotting. But, these albums were being picked up by niche markets who were watching those movies. IMO a big turning point was Moby licensing all of 'Play' to be used in commercials. If car commercials are using EDM to sell cars, well how much more mainstream can it get?
I guess what I am saying is that, EDM is mainstream enough, but just not in the same way as other genres.
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The single biggest reason dance music will not, and cannot be as widespread as rock? Vocals or lack there of. People love to sing.
Classical music was once big, but as you can see, it was completely taken over by lyric based music. |
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| geroin |
| quote: | Originally posted by Orko
Hip-hop was able to over come it's association with illegal activity, with sheer visible numbers. They people listening, and making the music were not in dark warehouses in the middle of the night, or some field, but they were on the street. It is a lot harder to deny the relevence of music, when it is so visible and intertwined with every day problems.
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how about drive by shootings, singers/producers killed, association with weed, projects and gang related lyrics?
i'd rather do extasy in some warehouse |
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| Orko |
| quote: | Originally posted by geroin
how about drive by shootings, singers/producers killed, association with weed, projects and gang related lyrics?
i'd rather do extasy in some warehouse |
Yeah it is crazy, but if everybody from the top down is entrenched in the life style, as is the case in some communities, then it becomes accepted. Some of the projects in really poor ares of the US involve everybody from mothers, to sisters, to baby brothers in crime.
It is something I have completely failed to explain to myself.
Look at Ice Cube. He went from NWA in the 80's, and being accused of being a cop killer, to doing Disney movies. I really do not understand how that happened. |
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| Dinoz2013 |
Orko - You hit the Nail on the Head!!
The "Mainstream" thay EDM has achieved right now is all it needs to do. I doubt we will see Armin Deadmau5 and Swedish House Mafia battling for Grammy's and other shyt. But the amount of TV/Movies/Video Games/Entertainment in general that adopts EDM is plenty enough.
And Yes. Vocals. The Reason I don't like New Trance as much. The Reason Trance even entered the Mainstream realm. The reason most people dont like and get scared of techno (lack of Vocals).
For EDM to become full mainstream, its has to alienate itself from the very thing that makes it stand out. No Vocals.
Enter Vocals; Exit Underground. |
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| StereoPrincess |
| well, classical music has been around for centuries and it has no vocals. people used to eat that up with not singing at all. |
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| StereoPrincess |
and i think the drugs thing is just a cop out. rock and roll is definitely more ingrained with drug culture than EDM ever was.
worst drugs at that. heroin is not your friend. and rock is very very popular. |
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| *~LiSa-LoO~* |
| quote: | Originally posted by StereoPrincess
and i think the drugs thing is just a cop out. rock and roll is definitely more ingrained with drug culture than EDM ever was.
worst drugs at that. heroin is not your friend. and rock is very very popular. |
I definitely agree with this.
It's similar with rap music too. Lots of songs about smokin' blunts and popin' pills. |
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| WittyHandle |
| I think rock stars are associated with drugs, but the perception of the audiences of rock shows vs clubs is very lopsided. |
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| StereoPrincess |
| quote: | Originally posted by WittyHandle
I think rock stars are associated with drugs, but the perception of the audiences of rock shows vs clubs is very lopsided. |
the perception may be different but when rock and roll was becoming popular, the same things were being said about it as they say about EDM now. that is sort of where i am going with this thread. is it possible that once we all get older, and more mature people still dig EDM, is it possible for it to be like rock? |
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| Bryce Santiago |
| quote: | Originally posted by StereoPrincess
and i think the drugs thing is just a cop out. rock and roll is definitely more ingrained with drug culture than EDM ever was.
worst drugs at that. heroin is not your friend. and rock is very very popular. |
I spoke to an electrician for large rock & country festivals who also does large American raves, and he claims (from all the events he does) that there are way harder drugs (like Heroin and crack) and more alcohol related incidents at country and rock events than the raves they do. He also says, out of all the crowds at one event, they had a hip hop stage at a huge rave, and everyone was at the EDM stage, but the few that were at the hip hop stage even managed to produce a shooting where someone got shot in the crowd. Figures.
His claim is the media are just whores and looking for any opportunity to say something negative about a rave, when it comes to drugs. I often wonder if it's the major labels who have people trying to dig up dirt on the rave scene and get it out there. |
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| acronym |
I actually wrote a paper on the opposition that existed between mainstream culture and rave cultured during the late 80s and early 90s for one of my courses. If anyone wants to read 10 pages on the subject, it's available here: http://culturedbeats.wordpress.com/...-days-of-house/
I'm really not trying to shamelessly promote my blog or anything. That site was created simply for the class and I haven't touched it since. Couldn't care less, really.
It's also fairly historically inclined, but definitely some information and sources that touch on this subject. It covers House's relationship with Disco; the exportation of House to the UK and it's subsequent transformation into Acid House; it's re-importation into the U.S.; a breakdown of the implications of EDM production techniques; and the ideological implications of the DJ-Raver relationship. |
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| Bryce Santiago |
| quote: | Originally posted by acronym
I actually wrote a paper on the opposition that existed between mainstream culture and rave cultured during the late 80s and early 90s for one of my courses. If anyone wants to read 10 pages on the subject, it's available here: http://culturedbeats.wordpress.com/...-days-of-house/
I'm really not trying to shamelessly promote my blog or anything. That site was created simply for the class and I haven't touched it since. Couldn't care less, really.
It's also fairly historically inclined, but definitely some information and sources that touch on this subject. It covers House's relationship with Disco; the exportation of House to the UK and it's subsequent transformation into Acid House; it's re-importation into the U.S.; a breakdown of the implications of EDM production techniques; and the ideological implications of the DJ-Raver relationship. |
The article looks good but I can't read it, it's too small and when I zoom in it won't fit in the window. If you have a PDF i'd like to read it. |
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