Jeff's right in what he says about the whole variation within a genre
account (though he overdignifies my 'academic' credentials - I
never finished the research and it never touched on anything
outside purist ambient). A guy called Middleton (f**k references
this is a mailing list ;-)) used the term 'microvariativity' to describe a
phenomenon I think occurs in a lot of this stuff. Listening to
something like Fluxion's 'Vibrant Forms', (I take this because it's
my favourite minimal post-tech/post-house blah disc, and it's a
great example too), the Average Joe will turn to you and say it's
'stuck in a loop', will typically hear e.g. doof-doof 4/4 kickdrum,
offbeat hi-hat chokes, syncopated two-note basslines, diminished
minor 7th keyboard stabs, etc and skim the surface hearing only
repetition and nonsense. The 'inducted' listener will take these
elements 'for granted'; as it were, and within that will then note
nuances, accents, combinations, tweakages within this
framework. It's like when you know a language you pick up on the
heterogenous peculiarities of lexical choice, the individual
intonational inflections, the 'idiolect' within a structure which to an
outsider sounds like a homogeneous entity. I'll risk it and invoke
pomo-discourse and say that it's like bricolage/pastiche, where
the 'author' knowingly draws on existing forms as his/her raw
material and recontextualises them rather than starting from a
'blank canvas'.
Yeah, anyway, where were we? Ah yeah , ummm... Microhouse,
yeah. Villalobos kicks serious buttage ;-)
And if there's any Expert Knowledge in this area to invoke here on
the list, Jeff is clearly the man.
alan
Quoting therealmxyzptlk@comcast.net:
quoted 3 lines Well, I'm no expert (but if Mr. Lockett is on this list, I do believe> Well, I'm no expert (but if Mr. Lockett is on this list, I do believe
> he wrote a thesis or dissertation applying structuralist critical
> theory to ambient music - Alan? You there?), but it seems to me
to be
quoted 2 lines about being in a certain "place" or frame of mind when you hear> about being in a certain "place" or frame of mind when you hear
> something. Any genre has those stylistic coneventions which
mark it
quoted 2 lines as such, and I feel like familiarity with the genre decreases the> as such, and I feel like familiarity with the genre decreases the
> focus on the repetitive "planks" of the style and allows attention
to
quoted 1 line be placed on the smaller scale variances. I used a disjunct ("or")> be placed on the smaller scale variances. I used a disjunct ("or")
on
quoted 1 line purpose, because sometimes the variance will hit you just> purpose, because sometimes the variance will hit you just
because -
quoted 1 line for whatever reason - you happen to hear something in a> for whatever reason - you happen to hear something in a
different way
quoted 1 line which reveals the subtleties. I remember one evening when I> which reveals the subtleties. I remember one evening when I
was in
quoted 1 line the throes of a sleep disorder burnout and one of Slater's> the throes of a sleep disorder burnout and one of Slater's
Planetary
quoted 5 lines Assault Systems (The Drone Sector) hit me like a ton of bricks. It> Assault Systems (The Drone Sector) hit me like a ton of bricks. It
> was like I had never really 'understood' it until then. Hearing
> electronic music "live" (I recall a Spacetime Continuum show
> specifically) has done this as well for me; I just had to be in a
> certain "place" for my attention, ears, mood, whatever to be
aligned
quoted 3 lines in order to be inside of it or have it get inside of me. Call that> in order to be inside of it or have it get inside of me. Call that
> what you will. And having listened to electronic music for years, I
> now hear the variations and not so much the repetition. Of
course, in
quoted 2 lines techno, etc., repetition is a big, positive part of what makes it.> techno, etc., repetition is a big, positive part of what makes it.
> The Basic Channel/Chain Reaction groove is an excellent
example. Once
quoted 2 lines you get inside of it, it's like heroin (maybe there's more than one> you get inside of it, it's like heroin (maybe there's more than one
> reason it used to be called "heroin house!). Especially in
electronic
quoted 2 lines stuff (as it tends to rely heavily on variance in many cases), it> stuff (as it tends to rely heavily on variance in many cases), it
> takes either the patience to investigate a genre or whatever it
may
quoted 1 line be for you to be in that attention shifting place where your ears> be for you to be in that attention shifting place where your ears
are
quoted 3 lines open. I believe it's the same for any genre, though.> open. I believe it's the same for any genre, though.
> If you think about it, the common criticism by anyone who
> stands outside is "it all sounds the same". What do you think of
when
quoted 1 line someone mentions Blues, Country, BeBop or ______ (fill in the> someone mentions Blues, Country, BeBop or ______ (fill in the
blank)?
quoted 2 lines Not having read Mr. Lockett's work, not having any idea about his> Not having read Mr. Lockett's work, not having any idea about his
> argument (but having some clues about structuralism), I'd
suggest
quoted 4 lines that acquaintance with the certian genre specifics or signature> that acquaintance with the certian genre specifics or signature
> motifs becomes a 'rosetta stone', allowing one to interpret and
> reference within the genre - like a language. Avoiding the entire
> quagmire of subjectivity and built-in threads of deconstruction
when
quoted 7 lines it comes to such a notion (which, of course, is why there IS> it comes to such a notion (which, of course, is why there IS
> poststructuralist theory), all I can say is that's where this thread
> has led me. I may find myself in a different place tomorrow :-). I
> normally do not talk like this. What we we talking about, again?
> jeff
>
> > > > Like any other genre, once "inside" you can hear the
variation
quoted 4 lines - > > "outside" you mainly hear the rep[e]tition. >> - > > "outside" you mainly hear the rep[e]tition. >
> --------------------- > Hey Jeff, thanks for this writeupI wanted to
> pull this sentence out because you really > nailed a subtle and
> important point here. I noticed this most recently > with some of
the
quoted 1 line 'deeper' Chain Reaction releases (Substance, Porter > Ricks)> 'deeper' Chain Reaction releases (Substance, Porter > Ricks)
which
quoted 1 line did nothing for me when I first bought them back in '96 > --> did nothing for me when I first bought them back in '96 > --
unlike,
quoted 1 line say, Monolake which grabbed me from the outset. But when > I> say, Monolake which grabbed me from the outset. But when > I
picked
quoted 1 line them back up for some long-distance driving music last year, > it> them back up for some long-distance driving music last year, > it
was
quoted 3 lines revelatory. > > I've heard the adjective "repetitious" applied to> revelatory. > > I've heard the adjective "repetitious" applied to
> hip-hop, electronic > (house, techno, and trance variants), jazz,
> classical (Steve Reich and > Phil Glass, in particular) as the
reason
quoted 2 lines why somebody didn't like it. > I'm curious about how the process> why somebody didn't like it. > I'm curious about how the process
> works whereby we (as you put it) go > "inside" a particular genre
and
quoted 1 line start hearing the differences instead > of the sameness. >> start hearing the differences instead > of the sameness. >
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