IDM Mailing Archive

2001-06-09 18:11Yulia MatusovI saw Tortoise last night in LA at Royce Hall. Missed Nobukazu Takemura (goddamn early sho

From:: Yulia Matusov <ulia5@hotmail.com>
To:: <idm@hyperreal.org>
Date:: Sat, 09 Jun 2001 11:11:39 -0700
Subject:: [idm] Tortoise and some other rant...

I saw Tortoise last night in LA at Royce Hall. Missed Nobukazu Takemura (goddamn early shows alsfjalsfjdlafjds). That was a truly interesting experience. Royce Hall is a fully sit down college auditorium so I had to be seated into a seat. There is something really interesting and unique about sitting into a seat, and watching a band on stage. My dancing mechanisms were causing me to jerk once in awhile :) I thought Tortoise was sooo incredible! And did I hear techno in some of their songs or was I crazy? They are definitely evolving into something more IDM. The 'dance' and the electronic aspect is slowly seeping in. Something I was thinking about while watching them perform, most producers in the electronic scene work solo with some exceptions. There are a few duos here and there, but the majority remain one guy with a laptop. Which brings me to a question, is your creativity limited by your own conditioning when you are creating something by yourself? If anyone of you has made music with anyone else, you know that what comes out has a life of its own much more then if you were doing it alone... And if it is 5 people, all really talented and knowing their shit, then a very unique animal is created... Any thoughts? _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

2001-06-09 18:09Cesar Laia>then if you were doing it alone... And if it is 5 people, all really >talented and knowin

From:: Cesar Laia <c.laia@ic.ac.uk>
To:: <idm@hyperreal.org>
Date:: Sat, 09 Jun 2001 19:09:28 +0100
Subject:: Re: [idm] Tortoise and some other rant...
Reply to:: [idm] Tortoise and some other rant...

quoted 3 lines then if you were doing it alone... And if it is 5 people, all really

>then if you were doing it alone... And if it is 5 people, all really >talented and knowing their shit, then a very unique animal is created... Any >thoughts?

DAT Politics are 5 elements, I think. Is their music very different? Lesser also makes noise from Laptops, but somehow DAT Politics are more... fun. César --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

2001-06-09 19:04AndreiOn Sat, 9 Jun 2001, Yulia Matusov wrote: > I saw Tortoise last night in LA at Royce Hall.

From:: Andrei <andrei@world.std.com>
To:: Yulia Matusov <ulia5@hotmail.com>
Cc:: <idm@hyperreal.org>
Date:: Sat, 9 Jun 2001 15:04:36 -0400
Subject:: Re: [idm] Tortoise and some other rant...
Reply to:: [idm] Tortoise and some other rant...

On Sat, 9 Jun 2001, Yulia Matusov wrote:

quoted 4 lines I saw Tortoise last night in LA at Royce Hall. Missed Nobukazu Takemura

> I saw Tortoise last night in LA at Royce Hall. Missed Nobukazu Takemura > (goddamn early shows alsfjalsfjdlafjds). That was a truly interesting > experience. Royce Hall is a fully sit down college auditorium so I had to be > seated into a seat.

I wonder if they're doing their whole tour in that type of venue ? They also played in that type of theater at their Somerville, MA show (I missed the show, but I'm familiar with the venue). Is it cuz they now wanna be taken as a "serious" improvising unit where careful attention needs to be paid to their brilliant solos and such ? :-D

quoted 5 lines Something I was thinking about while watching them perform, most producers

> Something I was thinking about while watching them perform, most producers > in the electronic scene work solo with some exceptions. There are a few duos > here and there, but the majority remain one guy with a laptop. Which brings > me to a question, is your creativity limited by your own conditioning when > you are creating something by yourself?

I don't think someone's creativity is limited by one's own conditioning, but of course it's informed and shaped by it. In fact many people who work solo would probably say the opposite. I think the reason a lot of people are attracted to making electronic/computer music is because they have a unique vision (or at least they think they do) and computers allow them to express themselves freely without having to "compromise" their ideas in any way, which is inevitable in a group/collective format. Of course compromise can be dealt with creatively too, but sometimes you'd just rather not do that. Can you imagine if someone like Aphex or Squarepusher would constantly have to compromise their ideas ? They probably wouldn't be nearly as effective/distinctive. On Sat, 9 Jun 2001, Cesar Laia wrote:

quoted 3 lines DAT Politics are 5 elements, I think. Is their music very different?

> DAT Politics are 5 elements, I think. Is their music very different? > Lesser also makes noise from Laptops, but somehow DAT Politics are > more...fun.

I think DAT Politics is made up of only 3 people. Andrei --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

2001-06-09 19:05zachary mastoon>Which brings me to a question, is your creativity limited by your own >conditioning when

From:: zachary mastoon <zacharymastoon@hotmail.com>
To:: <ulia5@hotmail.com>, <idm@hyperreal.org>
Date:: Sat, 09 Jun 2001 14:05:27 -0500
Subject:: Re: [idm] Tortoise and some other rant...

quoted 8 lines Which brings me to a question, is your creativity limited by your own

>Which brings me to a question, is your creativity limited by your own >conditioning when >you are creating something by yourself? If anyone of you has made music >with >anyone else, you know that what comes out has a life of its own much more >then if you were doing it alone... And if it is 5 people, all really >talented and knowing their shit, then a very unique animal is created... >Any thoughts?

well, it's like looking at a painting or any piece of art- whether it's in the process of completion or a finished "product": someone might see something that you didn't, and come up with his/her explanation of what it is/where it should go/what it means. when you are doing this alone, yes, your creativity is "limited," but only in the sense that you can't become everyone else and miraculously incorporate other artists' input in to your *own* unique expression (if there could be such a thing, anyway!). when you collaborate, you might be in the creative vacuum of your head for a while, but only until someone opens the door with their idea, and your initial concept is transformed for the better- or worse... yes, it's possible that a "very unique animal is created" by multiple musicians (especially if they actually know how to play), but whether or not the resulting art is any better or worse than it would've been if one of them had seen it through the way *they* wanted from the beginning, well, that is unanswerable. collaborations can sometimes completely stifle what could've been a really cool piece... it can be watered down and fit into their box of "good art." compromise is inevitable. sometimes, it's a good thing cause they show you something you wouldn't have seen before, and you can take it in a new direction. other times, it just fucks up what it coming through you... z np- shuggie otis' "inspiration information" -- fucking SICK album! _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

2001-06-11 04:43Kurt Hoffman> >On Sat, 9 Jun 2001, Yulia Matusov wrote: > >is your creativity limited by your own cond

From:: Kurt Hoffman <supine@bway.net>
To:: <idm@hyperreal.org>
Cc:: <andrei@world.std.com>
Date:: Mon, 11 Jun 2001 00:43:40 -0400
Subject:: Re: [idm] Tortoise and some other rant...

quoted 5 lines On Sat, 9 Jun 2001, Yulia Matusov wrote:

> >On Sat, 9 Jun 2001, Yulia Matusov wrote: > >is your creativity limited by your own conditioning when > > you are creating something by yourself?

Andrei <andrei@world.std.com>

quoted 4 lines ...a lot of people

>...a lot of people >are attracted to making electronic/computer music is because they have >a unique vision (...) and computers allow them >to express themselves freely without having to "compromise" their ideas

and no one even thinks to ask this question of novelists or painters. the idea that musical collaboration stifles creativity overlooks at least one traditional way of getting round that problem, which is by having someone be in charge. composers and bandleaders can express relatively uncompromised ideas while drawing on the resources of their players. a good player understands what's being attempted and pushes the idea even further. the real question is: with all these uncompromised solo visionaries making music at their computers, how come so many of them sound the same?? k --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

Re: [idm] Tortoise and some other rant...