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Sean Cusick's article on xpander.nl
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| PointyDC |
Interesting read, not as much assholing but more constructive arguements. Probably the most notable part in the whole thing - and the paragraphs which people would be interested in :) Love the "Go Go King Kick Drum.Keep Kicking" line...i cant help but laugh at the guy :)
| quote: | Taken from http://www.xpander.nl/xpndr/archive...r=Sean%20Cusick
Is it always so easy to laugh at BT and Oakenfold and others like them trying to transcend dance culture and enter the world of pop super sugar-stardom? Yes, I think so. Why? Part of the reason is that it seems to undermine our collective feelings in the very nature and purpose of our culture. Real underground dance culture stands in almost stark alternative to pop concerts, music videos and stadium tours. It was anonymous escapism that we craved and created. Have we all forgotten that? It is very rare that such a highly personalized and subjective music experience can be conveyed to an unsuspecting mass audience. The audience must be willing and ready and the timing must be right. Ask any cult leader... So there are artists trying to make the experience less personal in the hopes that it will be more palatable. Good luck. People mostly want songs, start there. Iggy Pop wrote songs too though, don't forget that; not everything about the human experience is so sophisticated and detached. Some things writhe and twist and scream and plead. That I would even use the phrase "underground dance culture" in the face of this makes me wince just a little bit. But there is still a culture that exists beyond the spotlights of the dj booth and even beyond a 40,000 watt mega turbo sound system and any army of marching intellibeams. There are plenty of djs, producers and even venues that are still trying to push their own boundaries and that of their culture. I've met producers who are filled with bubbling passion and excitement for everything they do and are a part of. People who have dedicated everything about who they are to buy one keyboard and band together with anybody else who happens to have a keyboard, computer or sampler in an honest and admirable effort to try and produce a piece of music that reflects a part of what they love and most importantly who and what they are. The best music from the past was not always the most well produced music but the music that captured some small part of what it means to be a human, a living human with fears and joys and weaknesses and strengths, one consumed with the all important questions of, "who am I?" and "what does it mean to be alive?". This, I promise, is no easy task.
My criticisms of BT , Oakenfold and Paul Van Dyk spring from the fact that I simply don't hear anything in their music that resembles the part of humanity that I cherish any more and I haven't in a very long time. That's all. It really is that simple. Too many of the people in the spotlight seem paralyzed with vanity and only show any signs of movement when it is towards more fame and wealth. They are aging caricatures of themselves mocking our culture. Only a few of them seem to be making any effort whatsoever to genuinely express anything of human or musical value, much less trying to relay the importance and the power of great underground dance music. Of course as artists and producers they have no real responsibility to express anything either specific or general about dance culture. As artists they are entitled to do and think as they please but that in no way places them above critical thought. They have in some ways betrayed the culture that made them, but it wasn't because they had something so important to express that they couldn't possibly do it within this culture. It was because they were begging for a success that had very little or nothing at all to do with what they were claiming to represent. This is not true for all of them and it is not a blanket statement, just a trend that seems to have very little reversal in site. So if they are going to pretend to speak for my culture then I am going to speak for myself and as loudly as I possibly can. Whether any of us like it or not the "stars" we made by our support represent us to the world at large and form a large part of the identity of our culture - the identity that will be remembered. Am I the only one frightened and incensed by this idea? If they want me to shut up then they should make better music. When and if they do you can be sure that I will shower them with as much praise as I have criticism. At least Sasha made an album of purely electronic music, a difficult and bold step. Where are the eclectic and timely pop appearances on his album? They're not on there because they didn't belong on that album. Say what you will about his album but he tried harder and reached further than most of the others like him and therein lies its real value. It's a reflection of some collective effort and possesses a strong residue of humanity. I hope to eventually review "Airdrawndagger" in my column but I want to wait until the listenability of the album over time can accurately be assessed, the only benchmark that really matters and the one that is most easily forgotten or overlooked.
In my last article I said music can be a lie, a falsehood. I believe this. But music also has the possibility to express genuine human truths in a shockingly refreshing and beautiful way. It is impossible to describe this kind of inspiration in words. Visions of Shiva, "Perfect Day" by Paul Van Dyk or his remix of Humate's "Love Stimulation" (also co-written by him) are two good examples. Paul Oakenfold's remix of Electra, "Autumn Love" and his remix of Massive Attack's "Unfinished Sympathy" among countless others he did with Steve Osbourne in the very early days before Perfecto. "Divinity" by BT is yet another and probably one of the best examples he has to offer. These are all inspired moments; unique, powerful and beautiful in their own way. Tiesto is still quite a ways away from ever having had done anything in the league of any of these tracks but I wish him all the luck in the world, he'll need it. His remix of "Silence" by Delerium sure had a big beefy banging kick drum. Just what the track needed, right? For now, his humanity can best be summed up with a kick drum that serves as a sonic battering ram. Go Go King Kick Drum.Keep Kicking.
I saw an article about BT using two laptops and an Oxygen 8 keyboard to simulate the dj'ing process while being able to add live riffs and music to whatever he's playing, even making it possible for him to create tracks on the spot. For him this seems perfect. He is a very talented musician and an enthusiastic entertainer but he can't mix two beers together with a bucket and a funnel. I'm assuming the computers will be doing pitch correction for him. Next he'll be claiming he invented laptop dj'ing, and who knows, maybe he has...But I doubt it. I do honestly encourage him though in trying to find new ways to use technology in an expressive way, it is a struggle. This could be just more of his showboating for the press though. I guess we'll have to wait and see, but if it does work then I already blame him completely for the subsequent drop in record sales.
On another side note I saw an interview (people forwarded me loads of things...) where he said it's called house music, "obviously, because it's made in houses". Big Bri' should do himself a favor and keep quiet when he has no idea what the he's talking about. In fact he should be beaten by a horde of albino midgets with arm-length sections of sticky rubber garden hoses and dragged around the streets of Chicago tied to the back end of a 74' El Camino and then dropped off confused, naked and bleeding in the warehouse district where he'll be forced to answer for himself to bums, hookers and burnouts. Even they know where the term "house music" came from. |
Edit: Make sure you read the whole thing before taking any provoked bashing :) |
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| k.k.d. |
a) that was posted here a month ago (nothing wrong with repost, but I want to let you know)
b) It's an article by a "nobody" trying to act like a cool by criticising two legends of electronic music. |
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| havok118 |
sean cusick is hardly a nobody, but he does seem pretty bitter about it...
guess its cause his status never reached superstardom.. |
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| tranceraver31 |
| u gotta admit though, hes a damn good writer. |
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| PointyDC |
| quote: | Originally posted by k.k.d.
a) that was posted here a month ago (nothing wrong with repost, but I want to let you know)
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A month ago?...mmmmmm, Sean Cusick -- 13-12-2002 -- Autumn Love :rolleyes: :p
Heheh...the one that was posted was this ---> http://www.xpander.nl/xpndr/column_...r=Sean%20Cusick
The one i was mentioning was the follow up to that post :cool:
He's hardly a nobody either, its just that you may not follow the progressive scene
Ciao |
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| RoLLiN |
| quote: | Originally posted by PointyDC
A month ago?...mmmmmm, Sean Cusick -- 13-12-2002 -- Autumn Love :rolleyes: :p
Heheh...the one that was posted was this ---> http://www.xpander.nl/xpndr/column_...r=Sean%20Cusick
The one i was mentioning was the follow up to that post :cool:
He's hardly a nobody either, its just that you may not follow the progressive scene
Ciao |
i was just gonna say, LOOK at the date. this article is just 2 days old. love the fact he's bashing BT.. |
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| Seventh City |
| he is a superstar. this guys track "sean q6 - of course" in my top 7 of the year. completely briliant. shut your ING mouths! |
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| Mr.Mystery |
| quote: | Originally posted by Seventh City
he is a superstar. this guys track "sean q6 - of course" in my top 7 of the year. completely briliant. shut your ING mouths! |
Yes, a superstar only you have heard of.
You must be proud. |
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| Slapskin |
| his progressive style bores the living out of me. hes like john debo but gayer. he just released multiple mirrors ep and it sucks major in camel nuts. |
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| Tenshi |
| quote: | Originally posted by Seventh City
he is a superstar. this guys track "sean q6 - of course" in my top 7 of the year. completely briliant. shut your ING mouths! |
what's up with this guy? tries to be mister important? :rolleyes: |
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| King of Clubs |
| quote: | Originally posted by tranceraver31
u gotta admit though, hes a damn good writer. |
Exactly!
If you succed in not getting pissed at the fact that he slates trance once in a while, you will have a very fun time reading what he has to say. Its not all serious, you know. Check the interview with him on Xpander, thats funny as hell!
And he seems to be a very good DJ as well. Sean Cusick - Kiss100 (Aug-31-2002) is seriously one of the bests sets I've heard this year. And I like many of his productions also (Medway vs. Sean Cusick - Graffiti, Consider the Ravens, Karate Porn etc..) |
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| Slade |
I think a lot of you miss the point of Sean's articles
he's not flaming BT or Oakenfold, he's just questioning their motives and musical application. Ever heard of constructive criticism? Just because his views differ to yours doesn't mean you have to automatically label him a nobody and say he has no right to express these views. He's criticised the mentioned artists in a clear and concise manner and quite frankly, you people need to actually READ what he says rather than getting all egotystical over the fact that he's criticising your favourite dj/producer. |
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