I'm sorry about the mess I seem to have made on idm, but, I think this
issue is
at least as valid as anything else on here since this has the potential to
greatly affect
the future of the of electronic/dance music scene.... I'm sorry for the
length.
If you think this isn't a valid issue, I'm sorry, please hit your delete
key now.
let me clairify what I meant in my last post.
First off, I make my living sharing what I love with people I don't know.
I dj, I make music, I make, for the lack of a better way to put it "
raver" clothes, and I own a record store. If the dance scene blows up here
I will probably make a lot of money for the year or 2 that we are "in". I
know probably better than most of you that
electronic music is already popular. I realize that if exposed to it,
people will like it. I have given clear cd's to my father in-law, and Move
D cd's to my dad. People have come into my shop off the street and bought
the music I was playing because it sounds "nice". I would enjoy seeing
other people have the same experiences I have I had because of electronic
music. Keeping the scene to myself is not something I am worried about.
When 10,000 people show up for a rave in nyc it is a little bit late for
that.
My point is this, take pearl jam for example, when the "alternative" scene
first
started to pop up, they weren't a part of it. They were guys from lame,
major
label, heavy metal bands that weren't making it. They quickly adopted a
"seattle"
sound and quickly became spokespersons for their generation. Now, you have
millions of wanna-be pearl jams and millions of people wearing pearl jam
shirts,
while alot of the original bands that helped create that sound have given
up or have
been dropped by their labels because their sound is not in anymore. The
few original bands left have changed their style to be more commercial
just to keep their
paychecks coming. And there are millions of people into "alternative" music
BECAUSE it the big thing, but only until the next big thing comes along.
I would love to see dance music to become popular, in theory, I'll be
rich. alot of my
friends will become famous, and my sister would be asking for Autechre's
phone number instead of the Smashing Pumpkins'. But, more than likely, what
will happen is every lame rock band with a failing career would put a
"techno"
track on their record to try to get a hit, ( like ETBG and jungle) or
worse, you will see pre-packaged acts that you have never heard of popping
up out of nowhere cranking out watered-down versions of the first one or
two "techno" hits at a rate so fast that you wont be able to tell what is
good any more and the real artists will be lost in the shuffle only to be
fired by their record company and have their careers ended
when the next big trend comes along.
It's not the popularization of electronic music, or the exposure of techno
to a larger audience that worries me, but the potential for the crass
media-commercialization of "techno-culture."
If we are patient and work at it we could all help to develop an artform
that will
last at least as long as rock has. I for one would hate to see our future
burned up
in a quick attempt at exposing ourselves.
collinstrange?
strange? records
445 e. 9th. ny.ny.10009
212.505.3025
P.S. If you really want to see these videos (and choose not to watch them
on MTV), get in touch with me. I have lots on tape, and would be happy to
dub you copies if you supply the tape and postage. [on now: ken ishii
video :) ]