I disagree with most of what Wilhite says about working digital, but I have to say he knows how to make a party deep.
It is always the case that people with venal motivations can parlay a small amount of talent and a ruthless instinct for self-promotion into a career. They can appeal to an audience that likes their art to be a useful lifestyle accessory, that are scared of art that affects them deeply and changes their view of the world. They want their prejudices confirmed, not challenged. That social contract, between the panderer and the pandered to, is the most common form of 'art.' It's a fraudulent transaction -- they promise you more than they deliver, and people accept it at face value. I'd contend that they're being cheated. They're being uncritical consumers of a substandard product. It's the difference between a proper meal made from scratch and something that comes frozen or in a tin. But you can't force people to take their own lives seriously. Which is the long way round to this: It's not the technology, it's what people do with it. There are loads of people content to use it to perform the same cheap tricks over and over, but it doesn't mean there's nothing deep that can be done with it. Case in point: PanSonic. They sure don't make deep house music, but they used their laptops to make sounds so deep you can feel the magma flowing. On Thu, Sep 23, 2010 at 3:37 AM, Martin Dust <[email protected]> wrote: > > On 23 Sep 2010, at 02:44, David Powers wrote: > >> If my dad DJed like Rick Wilhite I might actually pay attention to >> what he said... ;) > > Haha "Back in the day, we didn't have no flat wax, we used cylinders" > >> >> I think Wilhite is right in many ways about the stupidity of the >> electronic music business as a whole, but hasn't that always been the >> case ever since music became a commodity? Ask Franz Schubert or >> Charlie Parker... > > There's too many contradictions in the piece, he talks about "real musicians" > in one breath and then about programming a drum machine in the next, which > kinda voids his arguement about learning a "trade" because using a drum > machine sure does bypass years of learning. > > Americans seem to be much more obsessed with "authentic" and "real" - like > Bruce Springsteen is their poster boy! Techno for me is about saying fcuk off > to those rockisms. The whole history of electronic music and sound design > really interests me and when you read about how this guys struggled, you > can't help but pay respect. > > And as far as I'm aware, all the equipment in the world still won't write you > a good track. And sure, Beatport's top 10 is a crock of shite but worrying > about that is like trying to influence the weather by making a cup of tea! > > m > > PS I also wonder if he's ever seen Kraftwerk live :) > >
