Ben Londa posted this on the ambient list...thought you guys might get a
laugh...
from the new Details magazine, they, and i quote, "uncross the wires"
claiming that "new music is a tangle of names and petty distinctions".
(someone might want to post this to the IDM list, as well - i can't
because i'm not on it)
anyway, they set up a chart to "help" us along...as such:
divide the whole thing into 2 categories: 1) ambient 2) jungle.
for the AMBIENT category:
GENRE: Ambient
ORIGIN: Brian Eno's _Ambient 1/Music for Airports_
THE SOUND...: The music of submersion: Moby underwater on the cover of
_Everything is Wrong_ or the toilet diving scene in Trainspotting. See:
Tangerine Dream, Future Sound of London, Philip Glass, Yanni. (?????)
WHAT IS IT REALLY?: At best, it's the sound of brain waves dreaming - or
just highbrow muzak.
GENRE: Ambient Dub
ORIGIN: Ambient + Cheech and Chong
THE SOUND...: Muzak for stoners with dub reggae effects. See: The Orb, Banco
de Gaia, Higher Intelligence Agency.
WHAT IS IT REALLY?: The soundtrack for really low-impact aerobics.
GENRE: Ambient Techno
ORIGIN: Daydreaming plus _Blade Runner_
THE SOUND...: What machines hum when no one is around. See: Aphex Twin,
Autechre, Future Sound of London, the Prodigy.
WHAT IS IT REALLY?: Music for burned-out androids.
GENRE: Trip-Hop
ORIGIN: Hip-Hop + Psilocybin + frequent-flyer miles
THE SOUND...: International introspection. See: Tricky, Ruby, Bjork's
"Telegram", Portishead.
WHAT IS IT REALLY?: More jungle.
GENRE: Illbient
ORIGIN: Ambient + "Time to Get Ill" + DJ Spooky's clever coinage.
THE SOUND...: New breaks lost in inner peace.
WHAT IS IT REALLY?: The sound of self-promotion
And for the JUNGLE category:
GENRE: Jungle
ORIGIN: Racist term for funk adopted by Brits in the '90s.
THE SOUND...: Chillin' at 150 bpm. See: Goldie, Photek.
WHAT IS IT REALLY?: No one knows, but it's faster than ever.
GENRE: Drum 'N Bass
ORIGIN: jungle - sticky racist connotations
THE SOUND...: Polyrhythmic bass and breakbeats. See: LTJ Bukem, Spring
Heel Jack.
WHAT IS IT REALLY?: The genre formerly known as jungle.
GENRE: Intelligent Jungle
ORIGIN: Jungle + the assertion of intellect.
THE SOUND...: Jungle for people who can't dance. See: Goldie's
_Timeless_, Omni Trio.
WHAT IS IT REALLY?: Elitism.
GENRE: Darkcore
ORIGIN: Hardcore + Doom & Gloom
THE SOUND...: The music of fright; the _Jaws_ theme with a jungle beat.
See: Doc Scott, Ed Rush, DJ Trace.
WHAT IS IT REALLY?: Drum 'n' bass's version of death-metal.
GENRE: Prog-Jungle
ORIGIN: Jungle + Emerson, Lake, and Palmer
THE SOUND...: David Bowie's _Earthling_.
WHAT IS IT REALLY?: Classic Rock at 150 bpm.
GENRE: Coffee-Table Jungle
ORIGIN: Jungle + bourgeois trapping
THE SOUND...: Gentrified drum 'n' bass. See: Everything But the Girl,
Alex Reece, Bowie's _Earthling_.
WHAT IS IT REALLY?: Street music for Sade fans.
GENRE: Fuzak
ORIGIN: Fusion + Muzak
THE SOUND...: Pat Metheny Night at the Roxy. See: The Grassy Knoll.
WHAT IS IT REALLY?: Pinhead fusion you can dance to.
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