I don't really think it's here nor there. I'm a fan of the music, and getting too caught up in the 'legend' gets in the way, which from his blog post, was precisely why he gave it up.
Drexciya's identity was kept under wraps for two reasons -- the people that knew were asked to keep quiet and did, and because Drexciya were famous to at most a couple thousand people world wide - whatever prominence they achieved, they achieved it inside the dance music scene, with a penumbra of renown amongst the chinstrokers who read The Wire.. Thanks to Pitchfork et al, Burial is a pop star to a load of kids who don't know two-step from happy hardcore. Not necessarily a bad thing, but like rich Americans appropriating indigenous music from around the world to make a buck, any time something breaks out to a larger audience, it loses its context, and becomes devalued artistically even as its value as a commodity increases. Plus, blowing up is a two-edged sword. Being the flavor of the month means next month you won't be. While it's a good thing when artists can make a living from their art, once they become ubiquitous they have to deal with living in a hall of mirrors -- their detractors, their imitators, their record labels demands of duplicating past success. When a bazillion people have glommed onto your art as something they regard as 'theirs' your own worst competition is what you did yourself a few years back. It's not any big prognostication to say that no matter what he actually release next, some people will say he's fallen off. On Wed, Aug 6, 2008 at 2:50 PM, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > it's a bummer that his anonymity became an issue - wouldn't have been that > big of a deal back in '96 when half the techno producers were in the > shadows > > MEK > > "1-11" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote on 08/06/2008 02:44:01 PM: > >> http://www.factmagazine.co.uk/index.php? >> option=com_content&task=view&id=824&Itemid=26 >> >> ...or is it (and do you care anyway)? >> > >
