Grime - wonderful, dirty, gut level music (and I slagged it when I first
heard about it)
Electroclash - a festival that I'm sure was fun but ultimately fleeting
(destined to be short lived since the basis of the sound - 80s electro -
had a beginning, middle, and end already)
I have to agree with Greg about the labels - it's terribly fracturing
Alex - have to agree with you there about Dego and Co.
I'm drawn to their sounds now more than I ever have been
most "techno" I think is not very innovative at all
I had the pleasure of having dinner and a conversation with Larry Heard
when he was in town
I'm going to paraphrase what he said (from my bad memory) so don't take it
verbatim - he's had a bit of problems with people taking stuff out of
context and I don't want to add to that
We were talking about the current state of music - how technology allows
more people to make tracks
Larry didn't seem pleased with this because he thought that it actually
just allowed people to make, not so much music, but rather just different
noises
You know when you've got a really hot track - that feeling is there -
doesn't matter what instruments you use - could be a guitar and a piano
but there's so much techno/house out there that relies on a "new" sound
instead of the feeling behind it
but he called it a collection of noises - not music
I think that if techno is going to survive and continue to innovate it and
it's players have got to get back in touch with that feeling
I know that when I hear a track that's got some new crazy efx it's pretty
cool at first but then if that's all there is - ??? - that excitement
doesn't last
I've always thought that techno was all about the human condition within
the context of technology/technological advancement/sci-fi
I mean what makes books like "I Robot", "Do Androids Dream..", "The Third
Wave", etc. interesting is that they all relate to how humans (or robots
who discover their humanity) react emotionally to the technology.
so much techno nowadays completely ignores that and instead is interested
in finding a new plug-in
the best thing that Larry said is (and this is almost a direct quote) -
there is no plug-in for that feeling
MEK
robin
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]
org> To
"Kelly, Stephen"
11/03/05 03:46 AM <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
cc
313 313 <313@hyperreal.org>
Subject
Re: (313) The more things change
> i think techno lost it's ability to innovate or influence..
>
> perhaps because we're all too critical..
You might be right.
A test:
What do people think of Grime? Electroclash?
:)
I think though the shock of hearing mad electronic noises has
disappeared. I mean half the top ten consists of records that have mad
electronics in them. A point Alex was making in fact.
To innovate these days is a million times harder than when all people
had to do was take the batteries out of a 303 to get a random pattern
and set it to an 808 beat (that still works for me but it's not
innovation anymore).
Kinda like when stained glass used to make people get on their knees
and think of God. The novelty has worn off.
robin...
