quoted 5 lines i wrote:>i wrote:
>
>> there's a more credible definition of 'high' that has to do
>> with making a refined, sophisticated art that has enough invested in
>> it that it will reward sustained attention.
johnvon@digitalcutuplounge.com wrote:
quoted 2 lines A lot of the contemporary electronic music I listen to certainly meets that>A lot of the contemporary electronic music I listen to certainly meets that
>definition...
I don't know if we really disagree. I think there is a certain amount
of electronic music that does meet this definition. my point is that
most electronica is not even trying to meet this definition. if it
does, then, yeah, the difference between it and some "bona fide" woik
of aht is nil.
quoted 9 lines most electronica is written in a very simple form and rarely develops>
> > most electronica is written in a very simple form and rarely develops
>> more than a simple idea or two over the course of 8 minutes
>
>Thinking like this is misjudging dance music by the standards of other music.
>Contemporary electronica is not really 'about' notes, chords, and melodies IMO
>-- especially IDM-style stuff like Autechre. It's more about textures and
>sounds, and in these aspects it has a much richer vocabulary than any music
>composed for conventional instruments.
i'm all for appreciating every sort of music on its own terms.
Beethoven, Derrick May and Howlin Wolf all made great art. I still
think the idea of "high art" is useful for understanding why
Beethoven did what he did, and of doubtful utility in appreciating
the others.
regarding conventional instruments, yeah you can get more variety of
timbres with a powerbook, but it's just one approach to make music.
it's all about what goes on in your head. I mean, look at us
communicating with these ancient English words with 15th century
spelling -- ie one can use conventional means to get all sorts of
places (and cutting edge means to achieve little for that matter).
quoted 2 lines You seem like a sophisticated listener, with taste ranging from Schoenberg to>You seem like a sophisticated listener, with taste ranging from Schoenberg to
>IDM. Why do *you* prefer to listen to electronic music?
I don't think electronic/digital instruments are better, but they've
managed to excite people with their novel possibilities and spur some
interesting work.
Anyway, I think that new Perlon comp is the next Gotterdammerung.
k
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org
For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org