Do people really like Electronic Music ?

[Jose Mrochek]

I had this question for a very long time. Is it a trend, fashion ? Fashion Statement ? Is it "cool" to listen to electnonic music? Does it create any sort of emotion on anyone? Why is Radio not invaded with Electronic music ? Why is MTV not playing that kind of music if it's played in every single club ? Any thoughts on this ???

[henryrobinett]

No. Nobody likes it at all.

[alphajerk]

like any genre, it has its good, bad and ugly.

[max cooper]

In combing used record bins for most of my life, I used to come across weird records by people like Duke Ellington that had really loud bass drum on 1 and 3. I always wondered what the deal with these records was. Someone finally explained to me that these were "stomp" records, music made for dancing and selling alchohol. Apparently a lot of artists made them and I guess they're not usually considered among an artist's best work. Probably wouldn't get a lot of airplay. Seems there's always been a market for that kind of purpose-made music. I certainly don't know very much about it at all, but it does seem to draw an interesting paralell to "rave" and "house" music.

Maybe someone else here could elaborate on "stomp" records.

My own taste runs more to Fats Waller and J.B. Hutto when you get right down to it, but there's some electronic music that I really like. Morton Subotnick, Crystal Method, etc...

[filterdude]

it's 6.24 in the morning...i just dj-ed for 2500 mad raving clubbers at a gorgeous club in athens...
trust me...people love electronic music!!!

i need sleep now...

cheeeerz,

bert

[henryrobinett]

Fletcher Henderson I think qualifies as some stomp. Illinois Jacqette later on. Some Count Basie too. Dance stuff, yeah.

Electronic? Stockhausen? Anything but Milton Babbit. For modern I prefer Krystof Penderecki, though not electric.

[Jose Mrochek]

Originally posted by filterdude
it's 6.24 in the morning...i just dj-ed for 2500 mad raving clubbers at a gorgeous club in athens...
trust me...people love electronic music!!!

i need sleep now...

cheeeerz,

bert

. that's great, must be lots of fun for sure. My question is, will they listen to electronic music while in their shower or driving to work on monday ? I'm sure some do, but in the little investigation I did about this topic.. the majority don't. Why is that ? Some time ago I was at a club in Miami, while the usual electronic music was played.. the DJ decided to experiment and put in Nirvanas "smells like teen spirit" Original version. You could see everyones faces turn from "exotic I'm on drugs look" to a "big smile the world is a nice place look" . Very interesting. As much as I try, I don't understand the electronic music phenomenon.. I just don't get it.

[LTA]

I like some of it. About 90% of it is crap, so the experience depends on who is doing the compilation or spinning it. To me, my favorite stuff came out around 98-2000. Pimp daddy nash, dj icey, puff the magic dragon, q-burn's abstract message, ak1200, and even dynamix 2. Even fatboy slim on occasion. Plenty of stuff out there that makes moby seem like a one album wonder.

At the LEAST, you need to appreciate Richard D James/Aphex Twin/caustic window/et al. I always get a kick when i hear windowlicker at an unexpected moment, especially when the uninitiated are around. Dropped more than a few jaws with the videos for that song and "come to daddy". If you think electronica is dumb, pick up any of his cds. Some are easier to get into, but there is no such thing as a bad cd. All genius.

But, there is nothing like listening to the new generation of disco, then going back to the beatles or cream or pet sounds, where there is obviously no click track and the music just pulses. Makes you appreciate sunshine of your love.

You can live in the mountains for decades and never really appreciate them, but the second you land in chicago or new york you begin to gape in awe at the same sites the natives have been ignoring for decades.

[Simon Lomax]

What would you define as electronic music?

Music created using electronic instrument - synthesisers, samplers etc? Or are you just talking about dance/club orientated music?

If you are talking about either then the genres are soooooo huge I think it would be really hard to comment on them as a whole without over generalising.

Just a thought.

Simon

[max cooper]

Oh yeah...Aphex Twin...how could I forget...


I only have a couple of AT rekkids, but there's definitely something going on there! Highly intriguing.

[matucha]

There is much more than house/euro-trance/techno in electronic music category. Since I'm not taken away by those, I like the more relaxed kind of e music, it is not about the tempo (from triphop to breakbeat), but it is about the feeling. I love jazz influenced electronic music, though it became spoiled by many many IMO bad records at german labels like Compost etc, when it became a trend.

I listen to the electronic music 90% of all, the rest is jazz and '60 Latin... so you have the picture

[BevvyB]

in no particular order, and crossing some borders

Kraftwerk
Tangerine Dream
Human League
Scritti Politti
Yello
Art Of Noise
De La Soul
Massive Attack
Leftfield
DJ Shadow
Royksopp

etc

On it goes

And let's not forget that electronica means 'sounding electronic', even though rap and much music is 'electronic' although it doesn't sound like a computer, it is using computers to create the sound

Computers everywhere, even when I record a piano it's electronic

[Jose Mrochek]

Originally posted by Simon Lomax
Or are you just talking about dance/club orientated music?

Yep that one, I'm a Depeche Mode Fan so yeah.. I have no problems with Keys or synths. In a song, I need a vocal, a verse a chorus. If not, I don't understand it. Maybe I need to hear some of the stuff mentioned here. But don't know, if there's no chorus or dynamics. Or if it is predictable and boring as dance/club stuff.. I just can't get into it. I really want to, but I can't.

[ttauri]

Originally posted by Jose Mrochek
Why is MTV not playing that kind of music if it's played in every single club ?

I think it's different with music that's designed not to be the center of attention--dancing is the focus, social interactions of the club are the focus, the performer isn't so much.

Quoting Grandmaster Flash:
"At that time, with my mixing ability, once I warmed up and really got into it, the crowd would stop dancing and just gather round as if it was a seminar. This was what I didn't want. This wasn't school--it was time to shake your ass."

Dance music is in an odd situation where we don't want people staring at us, we know we're doing our job when people aren't paying attention. S'like: it doesn't and perhaps can't have the celebrity appeal, the spotlight on a performer's personality (at least, when people who have that celeb appeal cross over, it seems to deflate the success as dance music), that drives more mainstream music. So I reckon that breaking it would require a different kind of selling machinery than we have for pop music.

On a machinery level, too, I think the transition from vinyl has been a growing pain. It was simpler when you could release one format and serve both your DJ and listener markets with it. But CD-singles haven't been a successful format with listeners, and haven't been too great for DJs (as far as CDJ-ing, I've noticed most DJs who do use them aren't playing commercial CDs, but burning up their own--either stuff they've recorded from vinyl, or compiled personally onto CD in specific ways that suit their work).

Peece,
T. Tauri

[djui5]

I love the stuff....spent a lot of nights in the clubs.....

Used to dabble in producing a little of it myself....but haven't done it in a long time....

Some of it really sucks though.....I'll agree to that.....but when it's good...it's f'n amazing.

[Elsteve9]

Matucha:
Can you elaborate on electronica influenced by jazz? My friend and I have been contemplating turning a couple of songs we've done into a full album, and it seems to me to be a cross between electronica (mostly chill-out) and old jazz standards (at least the feel, though we're not actually using any of those songs...at this point.).
So I'm very interested in this subject at the moment...

-Stephen

[picksail]

Originally posted by henryrobinett
Fletcher Henderson I think qualifies as some stomp. Illinois Jacqette later on. Some Count Basie too. Dance stuff, yeah.

Electronic? Stockhausen? Anything but Milton Babbit. For modern I prefer Krystof Penderecki, though not electric.

I would also add Edgar Varese. In terms of contemporary artists, I have a huge affection for Autechre, Aphex Twin and Squarepusher.

[Alécio Costa]

sorry, it is not prejudice but I hate music done entirely by djs who do not know anything about music or music theory. Those non-sense gathering of drum lopps, synth bass and those infamous saw teeth/square wave leads plus those nonsense words autotuned, playing over 6 minutes...
And hey, I do "electronic music", but not entirely electronic, it has verse/chorus/verse/lead/bridge etc.
I am most towards Johny Hates Jazz, Lisa Stansfield, Massive Attack, Seal, Donna Summer, Tears for fears. Might be electronic, heasvily sequenced/sampled, but it has got some soul on it.

[nd33]

I think drugs have a lot to do with electronic dance music. Is it a coincidence that the people I know who enjoy these kind of dance parties r always on something at the time?
I've never heard any of them listening to it during the working week... and I can't stand much of it even when I'm pretty drunk, I guess th fact I don't do drugs is part of the reason.

Peace!

[matucha]

Matucha: Can you elaborate on electronica influenced by jazz?

Ok, I'll name the bands/projects as they come to my mind:

The Cinematic Orchestra (@ninjatune - there is a lot more at ninjatune)
Jaga Jazzist
Koop
Forss
DJ Shadow
Jazzanova (I don't like the latest, but older is nice)
Fila Brazillia (it is more funk influenced)

...

and shameless selfpromotion ;-):

ZKA4T - Polytea (video) (30MB)

it is 5/4 thing with lot of drumprogramming, sample cutting, rhodes, trumpet... however please, don't shoot me about the bass sound ;-)

[ttauri]

Originally posted by matucha
The Cinematic Orchestra (@ninjatune - there is a lot more at ninjatune)

Strictly speaking in terms of electronic music, Cinematic Orchestra get on my nerves a bit. S'good music, but I think the electronic factor is so disguised that putting themselves within that genre seems dishonest to me. I played them for my Dad and he didn't find anything that sounded out of the ordinary compared to his other jazz listening. For all the intimations that they're electronically based, I'd say they're basically David Axelrod redux.

Peece,
T. Tauri

[Jose Mrochek]

Originally posted by nd33
I think drugs have a lot to do with electronic dance music. Is it a coincidence that the people I know who enjoy these kind of dance parties r always on something at the time?
I've never heard any of them listening to it during the working week... and I can't stand much of it even when I'm pretty drunk, I guess th fact I don't do drugs is part of the reason.

Peace!

I also think it has alot to do. The only drugs I do are Chivas on the rocks, and cigarretes. That is as far as I go. Never even tried pot. So yeah, I agree with you nd.

[djui5]

Originally posted by nd33
I think drugs have a lot to do with electronic dance music. Is it a coincidence that the people I know who enjoy these kind of dance parties r always on something at the time?
I've never heard any of them listening to it during the working week... and I can't stand much of it even when I'm pretty drunk, I guess th fact I don't do drugs is part of the reason.

Peace!

They do have a large influence on a lot of the scene..........

But they aren't the only reason for the music.....some of us really love that stuff.....and I've been known to listen to it a lot.....even at the ridicule of some of my friends.......

I don't know how many times I've been clubbin sober.....and know some really big dj's that spin sober.....and don't use at all....

But then there's the candy ravers........

[Jose Mrochek]

One of my best friends who played with me for many years, used to be a huge greatful dead fan, phish, and jam bands like those.. would only listen to folk, blue grass, old blues... you know the type of musician i'm talking about. Now, he only listens to electronic club things ? I don't get it. What are the powers in that thing that caused him such a radical change ? should I take him to the doctor ?

[henryrobinett]

I think drugs have influenced the music considerably. Especially has music lacks less and less substance. There's this space, head nodding, think nothing-ness where too much activity spoils the groove. Where loops, occuring over and over can be easily ingested and fast moving lyrics (rap) can create the "wow" effect, regardless of whether it makes and sense or has any significance. Electronic music in particular has a hypnotic effect that, coupled with drugs . . .

My opinions . . .

[matucha]

ttauri >

Cinematic Orch: S'good music, but I think the electronic factor is so disguised that putting themselves within that genre seems dishonest to me.

You're right, but where to put them? Loop oriented jazz? ;-)... It seems there was never intention to be electronic, just the samplers alowed to create the music by one man, but the direction is obvious I think... and it is not deeper into the electronic music, on the contrary.
I like the remix album the best and I somewhat loose interest in their newer stuff being less and less electronic. Maybe it is because as a jazz band it is nothing new/interesting (IMO). It was the combination that made them for me.

[entropy]

I like electronic music!

I started life as a rock boy, playing in an indie band and hated all things electronic.

After moving to London I started working on it (house, trance, drum and bass, downbeat, hip hop etc etc etc), engineering, remixes, producing. I was briefly on Ninja and have a huge affection for what they do. (I do concur with what TTauri says about CO but.... David Axelrod was cool!)

Drugs? Bollox! There are many VERY talented ppl doing electronica, without the need for articfical stimulents. there are some brilliant producers, engineers and musicians in that field, you just need to know where to look.

Pick. Bang on the money!!! Autechre is the bomb, although Tom Squarepusher was never my thing, Aphex is cool though. Also check out Black Dog, Luke Vibert... shit, I could go on.

Now days I'll listen to anything, Rawk, Hip Hop, Electronica, Jazz, Reggae/Dub, pretty much anything.

[John Hedger]

Originally posted by max cooper
My own taste runs more to Fats Waller and J.B. Hutto when you get right down to it, but there's some electronic music that I really like. Morton Subotnick, Crystal Method, etc...

J.B. Hutto!! Now here's a man after my own heart! A genious on slide guitar and an overall great blues artist.

On electronic music, To me, W. Carlos' Switched On Bach had alot of integrity ...and as a music student at the University of Ky in the 80's, listening to Milton Babbitt's Philomel stung my ear quite a bit...but not much else.

John Hedger

[StoneinaPond]

Recently was introduced to a 10 year old record. Leftism, by Leftfield.

Listen to it on the subway, at work, namely times when I am generally not doing drugs.

Give it a spin.

[ttauri]

Originally posted by matucha
You're right, but where to put them? Loop oriented jazz? ;-)...

Yeah, I dunno either (not that that's a bad thing).

Ain't bad music, I must say; just find the vibe of new-ness that CO get for being on Ninja, using samplers, etc, a bit over-large when listening to how the electronics are so conservatively disguised (see also: much of UNKLE's Psyence Fiction--same thing, to me, where the technical novelty yielded surprisingly traditional results... NOT to say the same goes for Endtroducing).

One electronica/jazz fusion that I found rather interesting which I'll throw out there: Guillermo E. Brown's Soul At The Hands Of The Machine (Thirsty Ear).

And Entropy, I agree about David Axelrod.

Peece,
T. Tauri