tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post5309434675865829107..comments2023-09-25T22:26:25.692+10:00Comments on mnml ssgs: Why EDM matterschrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17030219185948353658noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-86554020266516077332012-06-04T03:28:21.111+10:002012-06-04T03:28:21.111+10:00SHM/Niki Manaj/Guetta/DeadMau5 et.al they are the ...SHM/Niki Manaj/Guetta/DeadMau5 et.al they are the Portal; book them and you get the masses to follow. And these people (DJs/Singers) are entertainers (display antics) at the level that draws that kind of attention; albeit from the efforts of a fan forums like this one. <br /><br />Bacardi/Heineken/Electric Zoo/Candy Festival ... they came up with a formula to steer the herd in their direction. <br /><br />It is sad, what we (I being almost 42) have been listening/partying to for years, to see; what seems to be an overnight sensation, take place. <br /><br />When I discovered HOUSE music (c. 1987) I fell in love with the sound and in time the DJ/Producer. And I stayed in this space because it was special, to the point that it would never make it to the radio stations. I wanted it to ...("be like roaches; always UNDERGROUND"). <br /><br />The minute it goes commercial it gets stripped down and channeled through a select few (as mentioned above); thereby leaving any trace of history or the desire by the next generation to understand it's roots. <br /><br />All I can hope for is that the HOUSE DJ/Producer earns some respect amongst those being commercially promoted, because it is tough when you have an opportunity to set up and play (which I have here in my hometown) to even turn an ear in your direction, if you are not playing the "House" sounds of GUETTA/BENASSI/AOKI/Deadmau5. If they have not heard it before (on the radio, or some other commercial venue like the Grammy's, I wanted to throw a cup of hot soup at the TV, like Mick did in ROCKY II) then they don't want to hear you play it. <br /><br />Reminds me of the time when Paris Hilton had a conversation in a DJ booth, in Miami.<br /><br />Maybe that is what Sneak was trying to say all along, give respect to HOUSE, because it did not just appear it had to be BUILT!!!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01300140051589912939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-80666207949159012392012-06-04T03:25:31.956+10:002012-06-04T03:25:31.956+10:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01300140051589912939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-24200809836541425912012-04-25T11:02:34.896+10:002012-04-25T11:02:34.896+10:00I stand corrected. It was Paris Hilton's aspir...I stand corrected. It was Paris Hilton's aspirations (article above) that did it, I think. I'm not even sure in what way, but I know I feel violated after reading that. I don't go to UMF or pay attention to what David Guetta or Skrillex are doing, but perhaps I should if I, in any way, am going to be seen as coming across like that article did. Garbage.Antinoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11907934715671050118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-62541284963237839832012-04-23T22:08:46.973+10:002012-04-23T22:08:46.973+10:00You can peep more about our hero here in a good pi...You can peep more about our hero here in a good piece from the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/apr/22/david-guetta-dance-music-djThe Haymakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16348000271767644707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-70524520301781606252012-04-21T13:23:21.992+10:002012-04-21T13:23:21.992+10:00I find this blog to be a bit techno snobbish. If s...I find this blog to be a bit techno snobbish. If someone likes Skrillex, why should that bother you? Perhaps that will be their segue into EDM with a little more integrity. My first venture into dance music when I was 17 was via hard house (now dead & obsolete). Yes, Skrillex is too mainstream & pop-packaged for my current taste, but it takes time to develop an appreciation for nuances, innovation & ingenuity that make for great dance music. <br />As for the term "EDM," I use the term to encompass a range of dance genres that I enjoy. People where I live use the term "techno" to describe anything from a Whitney Houston club mix to an apocalyptic Aphex Twin anthem. That is the main reason I don't use the term techno, although for the most part techno is what I most enjoy dancing to.<br />We are the ones who have deified the DJs. And why not? I know I have found myself so caught up in a set that I marveled at the spell I was under. If someone can have that power & still stay grounded, that doesn't mean I wouldn't still be slightly star-struck if I had an opportunity to chat with them in person. Maybe I'm just not cool enough to play it cool. C'est la vie.Antinoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11907934715671050118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-38215435393027025662012-04-18T17:39:19.786+10:002012-04-18T17:39:19.786+10:00Maybe just a little more clarity on point 2...
Th...Maybe just a little more clarity on point 2...<br /><br />The channels I'm speaking of are respected 'authorities' (not in the traditional sense) and curators of electronic music. Of which, this blog is an example. And I'm in no way taking a swing at the ssgs - love this site. But collectively claims makers such as yourself affect what the underground sees as good.<br /><br />And I definitely over-stated that the underground can be 'just as' biased. The 'underground' is definitely more informed, but biased and influenced all the same.<br /><br />We are after all human and part of a collective that relies on media (mostly the web)to connect.Lukehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04546332855449975707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-36949932045333913312012-04-18T17:32:12.917+10:002012-04-18T17:32:12.917+10:00I found msutherl comments to be quite interesting ...I found msutherl comments to be quite interesting for their honesty if nothing else. They made me consider 2 points.<br /><br />1. Most of the public at large really doesn't like 'underground' electronic music, and they more easily relate to the Tiestos and skrillixers of the world. They don't want to challenged by their music. It's why pop music is, uh, popular.<br /><br />2. The underground can be just as biased and blind. There are certain claims-makers and voices within the underground channels that 'steer the ship' so to speak. But this is a much broader human condition. In these channels we are told what is 'fresh' and what is 'honest' etc. etc. Even if this steering guides us back to sounds from 20 years ago rather than towards sounds of the future.<br /><br />Can we all honestly say our chosen sounds are completely objective and have nothing to do with our chosen frame for listening to music and the frame with which we wish the world to view our musical tastes?Lukehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04546332855449975707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-38133775358213689872012-04-18T13:03:10.884+10:002012-04-18T13:03:10.884+10:00"I imagine the scene won't get much respe..."I imagine the scene won't get much respect or recognition as a musical art"<br /><br />a quote from one commenter which i think sums up a lot of concerns here - and i mostly agree with it. but remember, this electronic music that we all love - where has its home been over the years and decades? dark druggy parties in dark dirty spaces. should we expect respect for those sorts of activities?<br /><br />i mean, i can't stand skrillex's music. but in a world where recreational drug use is still mostly taboo, the true foundation of this 'scene' - underground parties - surely can't look much more respectable to an outside observer than a skrillex concert filled with kids finding "molly" for the first time, right? isn't that a huge reason why techno, house, etc has always had a problem asserting legitimacy to wider audiences?<br /><br />so then, maybe we should try (continue to try) what someone else said: take over the cafes, the restaurants, the bars, the gardens!brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05564098443410949296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-13655987981701736072012-04-18T08:24:46.838+10:002012-04-18T08:24:46.838+10:00The points in this post have a terrible sense of d...The points in this post have a terrible sense of deja vu - probably because exactly the same 'concerns' were raised during the 90s when we had cartoon techno acts like 2 unlimited singing 'techno techno techno' and superstar djs like fatboy slim - mentioned up-thread - playing to a few hundred thousand people in brighton beach. the difference this time is scale; as it's happening in the US, the numbers are bigger. <br /><br />Anyone who knows about electronic music is unlikely to confuse skrillex with peter van hoesen; the possibility is that some people who are into shitty Guetta EDM may eventually learn about about underground electronic music and the people who will always associate dance music with mainstream garbage will continue to do that because all they know is what they hear on the radio or what their teenage kids play them.<br /><br />to be honest, i'd be more concerned about the creative stasis and conservatism that bedevils most underground house and techno at the moment - it has the potential to derail the culture you cherish.frequencieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13210902228578917743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-87428951872683194312012-04-18T04:13:32.242+10:002012-04-18T04:13:32.242+10:00I remember in strat of 00's I was listening co...I remember in strat of 00's I was listening commercial trance according to older house/techno fans. But this music affect me to search other good stuff. So the situation with kids listeting to Steve Aoki can be the same. I don't see the Dj who can encourage them. For me it was Desyn Masiello. Who can do it for nowadays? Personally for me the problem is not on the side of Aoki, Guetta etc but is on the side of other Dj's. They have a church. In Berlin. They mimic music of Villalabos, Vath, Troexler. Play somthenig diffrent. How long you can listen thi looped house music?tyuihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15755795582846222625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-9836055810437551182012-04-18T02:35:53.854+10:002012-04-18T02:35:53.854+10:00I think I meant ocd, or better yet, Pavlovian, not...I think I meant ocd, or better yet, Pavlovian, not add. Clarifying that because I think that's really the cultural conflict here - conditioned response vs immediate experience.Skillethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04728069881474802329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-20907583834076011512012-04-18T02:31:15.822+10:002012-04-18T02:31:15.822+10:00Skrillex style dubstep and the trance before it se...Skrillex style dubstep and the trance before it seems to feed into this ultra-add way of listening to music - it is completely about recognition and anticipation, and there's a group acceptance feeling from looking around at the right times, dancing appreciatively at the right times, etc. I think it's a good challenge for the underground to take that on. For me, underground stuff is more repetitive, more like repeat the good bit and digest it rather than spoon-feed it and tag it. And that's a really rare, unexpectedly comforting listening experience to have, when it works. But the good bit's got to be really good. Even though I can't stand the dynamics, dubstep has more interesting sounds than dub techno, and if "the underground" completely ignores it they're limiting their palette.<br /><br />I also think, short of hosting massive festivals, it's good for underground events to try and interact more with audiences that don't get it. Book at a bar or a pizza joint, not just at a warehouse or basement that only "those who know" know about, because we didn't all start out "getting it", "it" is constantly changing, and there's not really much being communicated if you only preach to the choir. I'm thinking more of noise scenes here, but where are your standards or your challenges when the whole audience is playing at the next show?<br /><br />I guess my point is, there's a different kind of slightly-too-acceptingness to underground scenes, and if the mainstream is ripping us off we should see what we can learn by ripping them off too. Or, keep ignoring them, but just be really fucking good at what you do. That's what we're really going for, right?Skillethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04728069881474802329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-3480612337124438282012-04-17T20:35:59.645+10:002012-04-17T20:35:59.645+10:00I don't understand why you fear so badly to be...I don't understand why you fear so badly to be mistaken for a mainstream EDM fan - you mention that several times in the article ("I must admit that I do hate the idea of somebody thinking that what I am listening and going to is this").<br /><br />A few years ago when you were talking about "techno" in France, people imagined you going to a 90's style hardtek festival in a military outfit - and so what? Most people I interact with on a daily basis have no clue about what I listen to when I talk about electronic music. Some of them might think that I like Skrillex? Big deal. <br /><br />Do you need the music you listen to that much to define yourself? I enjoy the company of people who share my passion for quality electronic music, but as far as the outside world is concerned, I couldn't give less of a shit about what they think this music is really.Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06083937551886194284noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-77177066672695588982012-04-17T20:34:16.018+10:002012-04-17T20:34:16.018+10:00This comment has been removed by the author.Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06083937551886194284noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-46037620820979545132012-04-17T19:40:23.414+10:002012-04-17T19:40:23.414+10:00This reminds me of the first commercial wave of Te...This reminds me of the first commercial wave of Techno during the early 90s (remember "Das Boot"?). It led to the point where everybody was listening to "Techno" by the popular meaning which had really little to do with the real thing.<br /><br />Or the entire Schranz-movement that alienated hordes of people from using the term Techno at all. (Still have the theory that this meme gave birth to people worldwide saying "Electro" when they actually mean "Techno").<br /><br />So, this current EDM-thing draws an entirely new audience towards the boundaries of "our" (or rather the longterm existing) music culture.<br /><br />But - is it a bad thing?<br /><br />Don't get me wrong, i also think David Guetta and the likes are simply pain in the ass to consume. But obviously these products satisfy a certain need for a yet uneducated, fresh generation of party people. At some point, they'll most likely discover what a good DJ is able to do, what honest and artisticly worthy music is all about.<br /><br /><br /><br />What you say about space and gentrification is right. BUT, i can't say that this current EDM phenomenon has taken much part here. Until the 90s you had clubs with resident DJs - people would attend because the music was good. Nowadays you need to book the big names to fill clubs.<br /><br />To be honest - 8 out of 10 top DJs can't fucking spin either. Granted, they won't throw cakes at the crowd, nor put in a CD and just pretend either. But they're nothing more than playlist maintainers, lining up tracks one by one at arbitary will without any character at all.<br /><br />Do the majority of clubbers care as long as there's a break every now and then and something is playing that they can hook up to? No.<br /><br />There is a wealth of unknown DJs who take it much further than the usual suspect that gets booked every week who will most likely never be heard. Because they don't produce whatever ranks any chart.<br /><br />That's the part of subculture gentrificiation in itself. Or rather in-scene commercialism - a simple supply and demand thing.Ronny Prieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14109556353138161601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-86398036598572517732012-04-17T18:44:31.748+10:002012-04-17T18:44:31.748+10:00Just want to point out EDM is a term used for high...Just want to point out EDM is a term used for high brow dance music too, not just the bad stuff which we collectively hate in an act that is more cohesive than anything in the so-called underground dance music community. ie this scholarly book from 2006. http://www.amazon.com/Unlocking-Groove-Musical-Electronic-Profiles/dp/0253218047<br /><br />Therefore, I don't really see the value of getting scandalized over an umbrella term which is sometimes useful in order to express the variety of styles and genres that are electronic and made for dancing.<br /><br />Of course, the way EDM is being used as a marketing ploy is cause for discontent and debate, but let's focus our critique not on the descriptor but rather on those who have corrupted the utopic ideals of early house music and made them serve their mercantile interests. Only my two cents :)Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12778682809565664997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-36904248734912790782012-04-17T13:52:22.462+10:002012-04-17T13:52:22.462+10:00For me the biggest issue is the effect that the ma...For me the biggest issue is the effect that the mainstream exposure of this type of electronic music will have on the "underground"/"good" stuff that we enjoy. When people see these festival vids and the crowds at these events, I imagine the scene won't get much respect or recognition as a musical art, and I also know that the general public lumps this crap together with the proper techno and house DJs and producers that we pay attention to. I get frustrated having to explain to people that I don't listen to the Guetta types.<br /><br />But the bigger issue is what will happen to the good clubs that foster a positive atmosphere for musicians and audiences/participants to come together, experiment, create, and risk success or failure. The comment about gentrification's threats to club spaces is all too real. The sterile city that our societies hope to construct have no place for the types of spaces we desire, and without a voice in the discussion, and without the respect of the general public and decision-makers, our spaces will be pushed out. <br /><br />Many cities are losing these unrecognized and underground spaces because people don't understand them, or are misinformed with negative stereotypes. No, there aren't enough places like Berghain, Fabric, and Labyrinth. There are techno-heads all over the world, and they deserve to participate in this scene as well. Fortunately Berlin's decision makers recognize the value of these clubs and are pledging to support them - if only the rest of the world would follow suit.<br /><br />Thanks for the post! Thought-provoking as usual.Jeff Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14629450058837359702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-50096878594169125512012-04-17T12:48:30.070+10:002012-04-17T12:48:30.070+10:00So what does all this mean? I suppose I hope that ...So what does all this mean? I suppose I hope that by telling this story I might paint a picture of what it looks like to grow up in these times. Things are perhaps a lot more complex than they used to be. Thanks to the Internet, people – and a lot more people – get exposed to things in myriad different ways. Diverse communities of people you'll never know about pop up in small places. My story is one of rave culture anachronistically fusing with EDM to create a little micro-culture in the middle of nowhere. One of my friends from our little scene is now producing wobbly dubstep on the West coast. These days I mostly spin tracks that I've never once heard anybody else play. There is no scene. This is the Internet generation. This is advanced capitalism. It brings good and it brings bad.<br /><br />What I can definitely get behind is that local techno/house scenes are not what they used to be. I've lived in Montreal for the past few years and there's definitely no cohesive underground scene to speak of. There are splinters, but the best time I ever had here was when Justice was big and I could go to a club and have a blast with a bunch of kids in rainbow colors with emo hair. I dearly hope that one day I can again find myself part of a scene that (1) maintains some sort of ethic and (2) is about people who love the music coming together to dance. I'm not sure I can really hope for this though. I get the sense that the old idea of the lived, local, real-life "sub-culture" is very much dying. But then maybe that's ok.msutherlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11382090937181801803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-52232168863482007452012-04-17T12:47:34.244+10:002012-04-17T12:47:34.244+10:00[...] When I was about 16, something completely un...[...] When I was about 16, something completely unexpected happened. One day at lunch, totally out of left-field for me, a bunch of my friends were all like, "yo guys, we had a rave, it was awesome". Apparently they had set up a strobe light in a room and played a bunch of poppy hard-trance / happy-hardcore stuff and had a good time. I didn't even know that they knew what "rave" was, but for me this meant two things:<br /><br />1. Holy crap this is awesome, maybe we can start a 'rave scene' and I could finally live this beautiful culture that I missed out on and<br />2. wait, you're listening to that crap? Let me show you the good stuff.<br /><br />I quickly jumped on the opportunity and. with the help of some enthusiastic friends, threw the first proper rave for all of my friends (this was the "alt/hippie" crew) in a basement. I "DJ'd" with another friend (which meant playing from an iTunes playlist), took care of the "sound-system" (Dad's speakers), etc.<br /><br />It was here, however, that I learned a very important and lasting lesson. As I cued up tracks that I liked, I realized that everybody would lose energy. On the other hand, my friend seemed to intuitively know what everybody wanted to hear. And what was that? It wasn't the worst trance in the world, but definitely full-on progressive/anthem trance music a la Tiesto.<br /><br />At first I was kind of mortified, but I realized quickly that what I was feeling wasn't really authentic. I was hating on the music because I was <i>told to</i> by my online communities. I knew that it was kind of cheap, but then I could not deny that this was what made the crowd move, as it were, and that I was going to have to learn to love and play this stuff. (It helped that I had a bit of a thing for melodrama.)<br /><br />And that's what I did. We pooled together a bought a proper PA and a fog machine, I taught everybody what "PLUR" meant, and I started collecting all manner of anthem trance, psytrance, genre-less early 2000's hardcore anthems, etc. What's worse, I started to really get into EDM. Albeit the vast majority of music in these genres is terrible and I had to be very selective, but I really didn't resent it at all.<br /><br />The scene – if you can call it that – that we put together, I think, was very much in the spirit of what rave should be. We did it out of love for the music and each other. We did lots of crushed up Adderall, danced our hearts out, and made some of the best memories of our lives. All around tracks from Tiesto, Above & Beyond, BT, Armin van Buren and a whole world of artists I'd been taught to hate by the old school, and that I'm still not allowed to like in public.<br /><br />More recently, I heard all about it from my friends when Skrillex came out. The first time I heard it was when my girlfriend was like "yo, listen to this crazy shit". It got old fast, but at the time I liked it for what it was. It was like listening to Hollywood sound effects, which, honestly, I get a kick out of... (continued below)msutherlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11382090937181801803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-35169792813134683992012-04-17T12:46:28.444+10:002012-04-17T12:46:28.444+10:00As somebody who agrees with the sentiment, but com...As somebody who agrees with the sentiment, but comes from a different, perhaps more "post-modern" perspective, I'm always fascinated by these discussions the strong protective emotions that they seem to provoke.<br /><br />I think I'm of a younger generation than most posting here, so I'd like to offer my perspective as somebody who missed the "authentic" dance music scenes of the 90's. I also grew up in a very small town in the ocean, though I'm told we had a rave scene of our own back in "the day".<br /><br />I never knew a time without Tiesto. I grew up on Warp stuff, but EDM was always something in the air. For everybody around me, that's what "techno" was. I remember when "Sandstorm" came out. After that, it was hopeless telling anybody what I was into. "Oh, you mean like 'Sandstorm'?"<br /><br />I got into EM early (6th grade or so) and developed my tastes more or less on my own. As I got older, I got into more experimental things. The internet was just becoming content-rich and I was able to listen to music and participate in various electronic music communities that were a kind of surrogate for a real scene. From the beginning I was producing music, so I found myself in communities of older more experienced guys (not “fans”) who very much handed down the proper ethic. Throughout all this, I had this "trance sucks, I listen to real electronic music" attitude that's being promoted here. I'm pretty sure I even read that Ishkur cartoon when I was 15. I was young and impressionable and that’s what I was told to think.<br /><br />What fascinates me is that this attitude, for me, was really not something that developed organically in me. It was something I inherited from the previous generation. Blogs weren’t so much of a thing then, but it was shorter posts and quips along the lines of this article that defined my opinion... (continued below)msutherlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11382090937181801803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-51761989832182153792012-04-17T12:33:53.244+10:002012-04-17T12:33:53.244+10:00this pop-dance-EDM is ultimately fatiguing to the ...this pop-dance-EDM is ultimately fatiguing to the ear, only die hard fans of this squishy plush-step trance nausea will care about skrillex in more than 2 years. same as "rockerfeller skank" has fallen into the sublime obscurity of time. it was fun, but ultimately much too annoying for the casual radio listener. music like this is sort of a gift-card at the cash register type of deal, to be glanced at but to always lack real existential meaning.pafufta816https://www.blogger.com/profile/14946382715164657516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-80471929426380906052012-04-16T22:41:01.862+10:002012-04-16T22:41:01.862+10:00Wow, thanks a lot Chris ! i didn't know Skrill...Wow, thanks a lot Chris ! i didn't know Skrillex and now i feel totally enlightened and rejuvenated. Also, your very graphic metaphor about his sound will be stuck in my mind along the 'ruler tattoo' on this guy's forearm in Berghain (that is for measuring anal fisting, FYI).<br />This introduction to pukestep also made me realise what lacked in the Voices from the Lake album : the "drop" ;-)DietrichDiskohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14276659326183547085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-49242801473029135942012-04-16T21:07:24.986+10:002012-04-16T21:07:24.986+10:00I don't care about mainstream 'electronic ...I don't care about mainstream 'electronic music' and I also couldn't care less what other people's musical preferences are. If you enjoy paying hundreds of dollars to see some cartoons playing shit music and getting a fucking cake thrown in your face in the process - then enjoy it. I couldn't care less.Sotekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01134700117042098061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-16667896851290969472012-04-16T20:13:21.395+10:002012-04-16T20:13:21.395+10:00This has been a huge pet peeve of mine since I dis...This has been a huge pet peeve of mine since I discovered the "David Guetta" phenomenon. Admittedly, I have only listened to proper house/techno since I moved back to Tokyo in 06. I wasn't fully educated but I had kind friends who egged me in the direction of the likes of chemical brothers, norman cook, orbital, underworld etc. Since then progressing to Carsten Nicolai and Dozzy and the bunch (Life changed at Labyrinth 08). <br />I went to UMF twice in 09-10. First year I actually DID have fun. Saw friends, saw new artists and got to chill in a city I had never been before. 2 days. I dont know what happened the year after that but when I returned all I could notice were the plastic angel wings, the pink pacifiers and the tacky costumes. Not to mention the candy kids huddled in groups of 20 giving each other massages in the middle of the dance floor. I was properly repulsed. <br /><br />That being said, I agree with all the comments above (even the ones that contradict each other). It DOES dehumanize our culture, it WILL hurt the real scenes that we love; but I like to think that underground music exists because of the prevalent main stream crap. Sort of a one-cannot-exist-without-the-other kind of thing. <br />Chris is right about the diminishing "space" for a local DJ to perform. The organic feeling of actually going to a club to see a certain somebody play a certain set is dwindling thanks to the mega festival productions like UMF (along with electric daisy carnival and electric zoo 'EZOO' or whatever). That needs to be dealt with and quick. But thanks to the generation there are other mediums like soundcloud and youtube for young up and comers to prove themselves - although BECAUSE its so easy and accessible now theres a lot of bullshit floating around so you have to really be committed and patient to find gems - which unfortunately the sad truth is that everyone (especially mainstream listeners) will never look that deep and always be satisfied with the surface. For fucks sake I can find better non-copyrighted music on audiojungle.net if I spent 2 minutes! <br /><br />I think however the comic strip is a little unfair albeit pretty funny. Not one of those tiesto followers will denounce their faith after reading that. It will probably fuel their obsession and we would be farther away from the point. Also, we must stop using the word trance to describe their music!! <br /><br />I really dont care about what other people say, that maybe I'm not open to it, but no matter how many times I try it just sounds like someone is pooping in my ears. <br />I'm attempting to make a documentary about the gap of the scene now and how thats happened with the focus on Japan. I'm really glad you brought this up Chris, and I am inspired to blow the lid on this. <br />What matters is that there IS the small community of dance music-lovers to appreciate the journey that Dozzy and the Orb takes us through and its with these people that I choose to dance along with. We cant ignore the EDM fad anymore, but its more the reason to dance harder to what we love. Someone will notice.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220957931635097123.post-11152746295530684952012-04-16T13:29:56.319+10:002012-04-16T13:29:56.319+10:00Great post, lots of agreement here.
At the same ...Great post, lots of agreement here. <br /><br />At the same time, there are positive elements to the 'rock star' thing. How many kids picked up guitars after watching Jimi Hendrix on stage? I guarantee you there are a lot of kids being inspired to create by the likes of Skrillex. It was big bankable DJs like Sasha and John Digweed that first ignited my interest in electronic music. Years later they sit on my shelf next to Alva Noto and Carter Tutti - that's a progression many young fans of Deadmau5 may also make.<br /><br />I'd also note that 'our scene' (reductive, I know) is not entirely innocent of DJ worship - e.g. Dozzy's reverence as 'Our Spiritual Leader, he is Techno's Conscience'. But, importantly, we're pretty comfortable with that because Donato is such a humble guy. In the trance world, someone like John 00 Fleming gets similar adoration from fans, in part because he prefers to play from a simple booth hidden off to the side of the dance floor. <br /><br />So I think it's the posturing, the CLAIMING of stardom that many of us around these parts are uncomfortable with. After closing Labyrinth, PvH made the comment "the only headliners here are the crowd and the sound system", as if he was nervous he'd been mistaken for a star. And if you look at David Guetta's recent moves to start a non-profit club focused label, or Deadmau5 running a production clinic instead of playing at Ultra, etc - I'm hoping some of those nerves might even be creeping into the 'EDM' world as well.TWBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02910850462348309021noreply@blogger.com