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From:
Blipvert
To:
Nick Yoder
Cc:
Date:
Fri, 04 Apr 1997 19:05:24 -0600
Subject:
Re: (idm) roots of idm
Msg-Id:
<3345A553.2633@snider.net>
Mbox:
idm.9704.gz
Nick Yoder wrote:
quoted 7 lines i do rather like this thread, but let's not forget about certain groups of> > i do rather like this thread, but let's not forget about certain groups of > people who have played rather large parts in creating the music but come from > a slightly different musical tradition than the entries so far. not that i'm a > huge expert or anything but a lot of what is regarded as canonical idm was > greatly inspired by american electro, house and hip-hop, and beyond that by > "cheesy" funk artists and disco producers.
"Cheesy" funk and disco?! Whatever. How about this for a roots of IDM riddle: A vital part of the roots of electronica is DJ culture. It is usually suggested that Kool DJ Herc was the great originator. He moved from Jamaica with his family and brought his records, sound system and DJ skills with him. It wasn't long before he learned that American audiences weren't into the reggae and dance hall sounds from back home so he started mixing with funk and disco records. Grandmaster Flash took his cue from Herc and developed cutting skills etc. (There is a lot more to this but it really isn't my point.) DJ (beat mix) culture grew out of gay bars in the seventies. The owners of clubs usually found difficulty in hiring musicians to perform at their clubs so they hired DJs instead. DJ skills evolved into an art form of extended beat mixed tapestries of disco and funk. At some point the disco movement grew out of this. Kraftwerk spoke of hearing their songs stretched out and remixed in black dance clubs in the seventies before Bambaataa ever touched them. So, where does hip-hop DJ culture and gay disco DJ culture merge? I am guessing that part of the history of hip-hop culture has roots in the gay disco club scene but this is very difficult to trace since both DJ cultures are historys that were?are unrecorded. Any ideas?