Kowalsky a écrit :
Michael, when small bass/drums/guitar combos came out, people said the
same thing: "now anyone can do music and it's gonna be crappy". When
producers didn't have to learn musical theory or music notation to
make music, people said the same thing. Probably, people said the same
thing when Guttenberg came out with mobile typography in the XV
century: "now everyone will be able to read and write and print any
crap they like".
Can't you see that the "loop" is the fact that people tend to be
conservative when facing changes? Changes for me are exciting. And
we're privileged to live years of such revolutionary changes. Y'all
know what i mean.
The formulaic thing... We work in two ways here. In one way, formulas
built the styles, the genres. It comes the expression of many, of a
society or a community. It's important. Like american soul music and
the fight for the civil rights. It has its beauty integrated to a
social factor - its indivisible.
In other way, a composer will turn out to be crappy when you can see
no punch in what he does, and the only thing that remains is an
ordinary formula reaching nowhere. We can hear unexpected wonderful
tunes made upon very simple and ordinary, formulaic structures, like
the 12 bar blues or whatever. After all, what will count has no name.
Gear doesn't matter, styles doesn't matter. It lies only in the artist
himself.
Sure but "artists" do music for a variety of reasons: getting better
known to get gigs, a crappy remix to get a few $ because everybody and
his mother needs to remix each other these days,
and sometimes finally for the love of music. So it lies in the artist
yes, but talented artists that do music for the good reasons, have a
real artistic vision and the mean to realize it, are not so common.
As for the formula, a point that annoys me is that much music is
formatted to be DJ friendly, ie an unterminable 2-3min intro with next
to nothing in it. And I'm talking of house here.
I was relieved the other day when I got this great new Delano Smith EP
and most tracks were starting straight away on point and about 5:30 [to
those who'd say its formulaic, sometimes its so well done than it does
not matter].
As a counter example of being formulaic, take most of the incredible
Iridite back catalog: most tracks are not that much linear and offers
suprises to the listener. Something not much people take the risk to do
these days.
Dan Curtin also excels as making non linear and intricate techno. It's
not so much a surprise that non DJ friendly stuff allow a bit more of
creativity composition wise.
Anyway don't take all of the above to the letter: things are more sublte
than I can express them, as English is not my native language.
