Gary Girard in response to Mike Taylor: > A bit of generalising if ever I saw it! Now you're getting into race issues (I > would assume you're of black origin to make such comments). I appreciate > melodic > tunes as much as anyone, but in a club on a big soundsystem the Richie Hawtin > style works well. > > Just remember - white men can funk!
And [EMAIL PROTECTED]: > > It was sad, because Derrick's set was so much better, and so completely over > > their head. > > DAMN THOSE WHITE PEOPLE, THEY JUST DONT GET IT! > > keeping racial distinctions alive well into the 21st century, Let's keep things in perspective, shall we? Mike was making an observation of the behavior of the white crowd at the DEMF during Derrick May's set and Richie Hawtin's set. Those who were there can confirm that it was a pretty accurate observation (and before anyone asks, no, I wasn't there myself, I had to leave DEMF before Monday, but Mike's observation has been echoed by many people that I spoke to afterwards). Assuming that the majority of people were there to simply party (nothing wrong with that btw) and because Derrick's set was one for the partiers with a sense of musical history and broader musical interests, it fell flat on the ears of the prototypical white 18-year-old who has never heard of James Brown and couldn't care less. Richies set was more straightforward dance music and that's what they came there for, so they partied. Simple as that. Essentially it is the age-old debate of should the DJ give the audience what they want, or should the audience want what the DJ gives? (so let's not rehash that one) And while Mike's generalization to 'white audiences' may step on a few individual's toes, it is essentially correct. As long as you realize that it's a generalization! In other words, it is *generally* applicable, but not *universally*. For the majority it holds, but there are exceptions. The things that makes matters blurry is that the white people on this list tend to be such exceptions (hence the strong reactions). So yes Gary, white men can funk. But in the broader world of dance music in general, most of them can't. Why is that? If I may speculate a bit here, I think it has to do with musical upbringing and interest. Most people I know from this list are music freaks, in the positive sense of the word. Their tastes usually range quite far beyond Detroit techno, to include other genres of dance music, but also (and especially!) reference genres like funk, soul, disco, Krautrock, new wave, dub, etc. That gives them an appreciation for Detroit techno as music as well as a party tool. (downside is that they sometimes tend to be overly analytical about music and forgetting about the party bit...ahem). Since most of those reference genres are relatively old, they probably don't mean much to someone whose musical tastes were shaped in the last five years. In that case, it is much more party music and then you don't care about 'intricate rhythms' and 'complex soundscapes' (cue Brian Eno's quote about talking about music...), you want a straightforward kick and the obvious peak here and there for the party mood. I'm not a musical theorist or sociologist, so I can only speculate on why certain music genres are considered white and others are considered black, but I do think it is a reinforcing situation: if you're black you tend to grow up on black music and if you're white, you tend to grow up on white music. (yes, this is a generalization, I'm all too aware of that since I'm an exception myself: I'm white, but grew up on mainly black music). This of course shapes your future tastes. So if, like most white kids these days, you didn't grow up on funk-influenced music, you probably don't appreciate the funk element that most people on this list would associate with Detroit techno. I'm not saying it's right or wrong, but I think it does explain what happened on Monday night at DEMF. Otto PS As a general sidenote about racial distinctions: IMO the main reason why we continue to have debates like this is that too many people deny that there *are* racial distinctions. They smooth them over, by saying things like 'keep race out of this' and 'skin color is irrelevant' etc. Though well-meant and heartfelt, it is rather superficial (and considered by some people of non-white races to be patronising), because racial distinctions are there and as one look around you will tell, they *do* matter! They *should* not matter, but the fact is, they do. It is not until we explicitly recognize those differences that we can move beyond them. As much as I hate to speak in soundbite-style, the phrase 'all different, all equal' springs to mind.
