I beg to differ about the Solvent comment.
However you want to define the "resurgence of interest
in 70's and 80's music" I highly doubt you're
referring to a moment or period in time that predates
1997 (and your references to other "guilty parties"
seem to confirm that). The first Solvent release came
out on Suction in 1997.
So, to say "IDM artists have followed suit in attempt
to reclaim their "indie" fanbase by recreating the
late 80's acid sound (such as the new Aphex material)
and in some cases by actually reproducing mid 80's
style synth pop (Solvent, for example)" is to malign
the name of Solvent, whose work I enjoy very much and
who I unabashedly defend as a fan.
That first Solvent/Lowfish split sounds a fair bit
like the most recent Suction output. I love Solvent's
music (and a lot of Suction) because of that --
because of Solvent's obviously personal and unique
vision of music, however derivative one might think it
to be. Not a whole lot about it has changed in the
past 8 years, which suits me fine.
To any half-observant historian of modern electronic
music (and by that I mean simply one who can pay
attention in between bong packings) the idea that
Solvent's music exists as it does to "reclaim" some
"indie fanbase" is absurd in light of the facts. Just
because the bandwagon roars by someone who's been
walking on the path since before that bandwagon left
the assembly line doesn't mean the pedestrian would
appreciate the ride. Perhaps you were confused about
the facts from the get-go, or simply pulled a name out
of a hat along your quest to indict pitchfork.
Either way, I think you owe Solvent an apology.
Nick
PS Reviews, biased or unbiased, are worthless to me.
P2P does me one better by letting me describe the
music to myself. I get all the word of mouth info I
need here on this list, on others, and in the company
of a few choice connoisseurs.
--- chatham@m-laboratories.net wrote:
<snip>
Then, a resurgence of interest in 70's and 80's music
led the way for IDM artists and ex-indie rockers alike
to find "innovation" in replaying old cliches. Note
that several of pitchfork-media's reviews reflect this
attitude by deifying early 80's artists such as The
Fall, Depeche Mode, New Order, Joy Division, and
various New Wave acts. With the exception of indie
sweethearts Sonic Youth, Pavement, and their ilk, the
music of the 90's have been erased from the indie
definition of "cool." IDM artists have followed suit
in attempt to reclaim their "indie" fanbase by
recreating the late 80's acid sound (such as
the new Aphex material) and in some cases by actually
reproducing mid 80's style synth pop (Solvent, for
example).
<snip>
______________________________________________________
Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.
http://store.yahoo.com/redcross-donate3/
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org
For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org