i agree with what you said tom. you touch on what i was referring to, what i was ranting about the other night.
@shake i agree with what you wrote me as well. mainstream culture and the music biz of course play a large role, but i feel like a lot of blame rests with dance music fans for holding the music back. the tremendous emphasis on so-called "innovation" and "newness" gives the impression that electronic music is just a novelty. that it _should_ be a novelty, it should strive for it. it's not enough for the music to be great -- it has to "innovate". it has to do whatever nonsense richie hawtin is saying he is trying to do which is unlike anything before etc etc. in addition to being essentially "faceless" to begin with, dance music producers aren't allowed to have a signature style, at least, not for long. music that doesn't incorporate all the latest production techniques gets called "retro". techno fans in particular take the "techno" label literally, they expect the music to progress at the same speed as technology, and if it doesn't, it's "been there done that". what makes music good -- any music -- takes a back seat with electronic dance music fans. depth and poignant emotional expression, and good song writing, are either acknowledged as an afterthought or hardly acknowledged at all. it's had a negative affect on dance music both within and without. the rest of the music business doesn't take "techno" (i'm using it as an umbrella term) seriously because there is a lack of respect for real musical art even from dance music fans -- they all seem to have tunnel vision. i feel like Detroit Techno was the electronic dance music to ground the genre, to give it personality, humanity, to give it respect. but it was either lost on most people, or discarded after awhile in the push to move on to whatever is the supposed next-step. i like Detroit Techno. i don't care if nothing supposedly "new" is coming from Detroit. new music aside, I like the sounds that have already been made in Detroit enough to sustain me for a lifetime. i agree with tom, envisioning a successful future for dance music that brings it into the same sphere as hip-hop. i also envision a lot of inspiration and vitality injected into it as the tunnel-vision blinders are lifted and it enters into the same fray as other genres of music. not that i think genre crossovers are good. electronic dance music needs to become secure in it's identity and respect itself, stop acting so anxious and self-conscious. i can't really articulate everything i think. since inheriting my dad's business, i spend 6 days out of the week listening to and dealing with music that is up to 100 years old, amazing music...things i used to realize vaguely about what makes good electronic music good are now slapping me in the face daily. the old electronic dance music mentality obsessed with underground credibility and "innovation" needs a rest...i think it is fading, and i'm glad that it is. i miss the bigger business that we had 6+ years ago, but i am glad the market has thinned to include a higher proportion of people who really understand and appreciate this music as an artform and not so lopsided towards pop/dancefloor fodder or novelty. i think we have somewhere to build from here that is promising...
