On 7/1/06 12:36 AM, "Wildtek Concept / DJ Dimitri Pike" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> At end, if they really understand the music and the philosophy behind artists > like Jeff Mills or others, they will finally find their own way to produce and > play, if not, they would be quickly forgotten by all. > > The discussion can be long... But where is the limit between copy and > influence? It's never initially clear, as you say -- only time tells. I remember back in the mid-90s a lot of people came hard downwards on Surgeon for (badger) biting Mills and his style -- some of the more outraged even printed up "I Hate Surgeon" tees to advertise their dismay at his growing popularity. But look where Surgeon is now...steadily innovating in many directions, pushing the boundaries a little further outwards...still pi**ing off the naysayers. Yet he'll drop some UR into a set -- a pointer of respect to his forefathers, a point of departure into some twisted new sonic constellation. (Check the current mix on his site for proof). Surgeon's integrity was always there; most doubts about that have been laid to rest -- he just had to "find [his] own way" ultimately, as you put it. It was this underlying & extremely high level of integrity (where he mirrors Mills), rather than its lack, that seems to have really intimidated and frustrated his critics. In a slightly different context, you could make the same argument re. Hawtin. Mills exemplifies that total dedication & lack of compromise -- it's in the music & all around it like an inspirational aura as well. It's still a relatively rare thing in techno, though (& becoming rarer): that original artistic spirits can evolve from 'copying' & influence to be innovators in their own right, or even at least a little creatively independent in style. Not sure if this mix has been posted here before. There's a sublime moment when Maestro Mills brings in a certain spoken-word track intro over the orchestral strings round the 39:50 mark. True shivers-down-the-spine stuff for me, anyway: http://ia300228.us.archive.org/0/items/nicotitinehjeffmillsbluepotentialprom oSkyrave28052006/jeff_mills_blue_potential_promo__Skyrave_28052006_nicotitin eh.mp3 Cheers from the Antipodes, Wes
