On Fri, 30 Jun 2000 12:37:12 CDT, Kevin M. Ryan wrote:
quoted 1 line I say IDM is a mailing list and a genre.
>I say IDM is a mailing list and a genre.
[snip long arguments]
well, you won me over. you're right, it's a very very loose genre.
one which (it would seem to me, anyway) by definition is constantly
changing to include more things. since there continue to be new
"cutting-edge" electronic music artists and techniques, IDM continues
to expand to include them, while at the same time continuing to
include "old" artists from the "early days" ...
one might argue that artists from the 40's and 50's (such as those
included on the "OHM" compilation) are IDM, since their music was
electronic, with thought put into it, cutting-edge at the time, and
quite interesting. The only reason not to include them would be that
they existed pre-IDM-list, which seems sad to me.
so i'm just wondering, where does it end? when do we realize that
IDM really just means "new stuff we like?"
as people talk about post-rock-type-stuff (and other non-electronic
cutting-edge stuff) here, and as many other artists start to use
electronic techniques... electronic music is fast becoming *NOT* a
genre but simply a useless category. electronics are becoming just
another accepted bundle of techniques in music, as basic as string
instruments or wind instruments or percussion. this is not a perfect
analogy, i know.
my point is just that, to say something is "cutting-edge electronic
music" is fast losing its meaning. i'm not arguing against talking
about IDM. I just think the fact that "IDM" now includes so much is
the main reason many on this list have started thinking the list is
"getting worse" -- it's more complex and random because so is the
category of IDM.
back in the day when IDM maybe meant Warp, things were easy, yeah.
but now, IDM means about 1000 labels and artists, if not more. let's
rejoice, but at the same time, do the old standards like autechre
ever *STOP* being IDM
i would like to argue that, as time goes on, cutting-edge becomes
standard, as certainly we can all see by the number of artists these
days claiming to "sound like autechre." maybe there should just be a
genre of music called autechre. i mean, they don't all sound like
autechre, but then rock music doesn't all sound just the same either.
-adam
(PS - i wasn't being 100% serious 100% of the post)
--
Adam Piontek [
http://www.tcinternet.net/users/damek/]
ICQ: 3456339 [damek@earthling.net]
... Who is General Failure and why is he reading my hard drive?
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