Charlie,
I think your original point was interesting, but there's certain points
you make about culture and music that I need to pick up.
quoted 5 lines Hip-hop is culturally dependent and relevant. IDM is not> Hip-hop is culturally dependent and relevant. IDM is not
> cuz it's not clearly defined yet. You can't ignore your region and still be
> a powerful force in the direction hip-hop takes, because that's not how
> hip-hop works. I encourage everyone who makes music to be inventive and
> creative, but you should also recognize your limitations.
While taking on elements of the music of your region can yield
interesting results, it's not automatically the less "culturally weak"
thing to do (see your original posting). For instance, IDM artists from
Ireland haven't so far incorporated elements of Irish music. Listening
to some exceptionally good Irish artists (Ambulance, Decal, Donnacha
Costello, John Braine to name a few), there is nothing in their music
that suggests that they are Irish, and if you didn't know they were
there'd be no reason to suspect that they are.
Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I don't think it's particularly
relevant. Which is why I'd take issue with you saying IDM has no culture
(forgive me if I'm misquoting). Granted, its culture is not comparable
with that of hip-hop, but it does (to me) reflect the culture of
technologised Western late-capitalist society. [who's the worse armchair
sociologist on this list? ;)] The fact that it carries little or no
regional cultural baggage is the whole point.
Maybe an Irish IDM artist will flirt a little with Irish music, and it
might lead to interesting results, who knows? But then again, look at
the Corrs - they've conquered the world with a load of pop/rock ballads
cleverly disguised as Irish traditional music. I hardly think that's
"regionally valid" or not "culturally weak" but by your criteria there's
a danger that they could be interpreted as such.
Yes, I know this is a little far from hip-hop, but...
-nj
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