Before this gets out of hand, let me say this: Personally, I have no
qualms about Dubstep. My response was not to be misconstrued as a "bash
dubstep" post. HOWEVER, the part that really bothered me (and YES, I'm
sensitive about it) is when someone classified it as "The New Detroit."
Eclecticism and perpetual reinvention? Absolutely. In fact, that's
one of the reasons why I like dubstep. But here's something I'd like
for you to acknowledge. People remember HEADLINES. Writers are
basically taught to engage their readers with a powerful HEADLINE. And
as a Detroit artist, that particular headline spoke volumes to ME. It
said, in so many words, "Detroit is dead. Out with the old, in with the
new..." And I guarantee you I'm not the ONLY Detroit artist who read it
that way.
Mind you, I could've simply dismissed the headline. But that's only
worsening the problem. I have no problem with evolution -- in fact,
it's how I SURVIVE. But SOMEBODY needed to step up and say to those who
might see exactly what I saw in that headline, "WE ARE STILL HERE."
Detroit already has a bad reputation, to begin with. From the "joke of
a mayor" we used to have, to having the "dumbest kids in the nation,"
the LAST thing we need is somebody saying to a new generation of music
listeners that Croydon -- or anywhere else -- is the "New Detroit."
A better headline could've compared Croydon's evolution to Detroit. But
unlike what a lot of popular articles suggest, Detroit is NOT an
adjective. Detroit is HOME. And when someone or something threatens
YOUR home, it's only natural that you defend it...
Aaron-Carl
On 3/10/2010 7:49 PM, Jeffrey J Davis wrote:
Cool that Shake posted a comment to the article acknowledging the funk.
thanks,
Jeffrey J. Davis
President& COO, AGY
fon: +1.218.8332847 (21883DAVIS)
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jeff.da...@agy.com / jeffrey.james.da...@gmail.com
jeffrey.james.davis JeffreyJDavis
On Wed, Mar 10, 2010 at 7:35 PM, Tristan Watkins
<phonop...@googlemail.com> wrote:
On 10/03/2010 22:23, kent williams wrote:
I think the article makes some good points but mostly in the context
of the UK, where musical sub-genres are written about as though they
were stars in their own right.
The Detroit attitude is, I'd hope, more eclectic, and the musicians I
talk to think more in terms of good or bad than this genre or that
genre. So I can talk with Alan Oldham about Creation Records Shoegazer
bands, and with Shake about Cooly G.
The way I read it, he was saying that eclecticism and perpetual reinvention is
precisely what makes dubstep (so far) like the early days of Detroit techno -
that it is evolving very quickly, pulling in influences from all over the shop
and is difficult to pin down. I think that's a fair point. If you listen to a
lot of the best dubstep producers' DJ sets you'll find influences from all over
the last 25 years and within the various styles of dubstep.
Also, I think there's a misperception that it's just kids making this stuff.
Untold has been producing since '93 according to this RA article:
http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?1105
Not that I think the comparison can stretch for miles or that anyone should
take it out of context.
Ultimately, I'm just getting a bit irritated with people making more out of it
than it is or of writing it off altogether. Whether it's to everyone's taste is
one thing but I would hope it's evident that this isn't narrow or purely
derivative. In my mind it's one of the more interesting things to happen in a
long time precisely because it's not as narrow and codified as any of the
previous big electronic music trends. It's almost the complete opposite.
Tristan
--
Aaron-Carl
web: http://aaroncarl.com
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