IDM Mailing Archive

quoted 10 lines From: robert.merlak@ri.tel.hr

> From: robert.merlak@ri.tel.hr > I'm listening at the moment to some of my fathers records, > that I used to listen when I was a child of 3-4 years. My father > have a rather big record collection, and I pick up some of > Japan, OMD, Human League, Stranglers, Talking Heads, > Elvis Costelo, Lene Lovich, Brian Eno, Tangerine Dream, > David Sylvian, Devo, Roxy Music, Robert Fripp, David Bowie, > > Try to live few days in Rijeka, Croatia; this is a country where > people don't even listen to my fathers records :-)

Your father sounds like one way cool Croatian. And he's double cool for being a bit worried about his son for listening to what he was listening to 15-20 years ago. If I had teenage kids and I caught them listening to some of the shit I'm listening to now I would be a tiny bit worried. Not too worried, but just a bit. Hopefully, my kids will be into some supersick ill bananna shit and turn me on to it. I am kurious: Does your father like your IDM records? - Chris

At 2:32 PM -0800 14.1.98, you wrote:

quoted 4 lines This is an interesting way to put a spin on things:

> >This is an interesting way to put a spin on things: > >Does the perception change because it's his *father*?

quoted 1 line Music. It's not a father/son schism. It's a continuum.

>Music. It's not a father/son schism. It's a continuum.

Oh, no, you've not read Turgenev. Do. It will all make sense then. Or rather, it won't, but it's more realistic that way, isn't it now? Anyway, the incontinental generational divide is a Known Thing. Sad, but true. Like Grace Slick's children's penchant for yuppiedom. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. That's why it tries so hard to roll out of Eden. If one's parents drop serious acid, one will end up in psychotherapy or in the priesthood or as a sexually ambiguous monk. Alles klar? Lost my thread, then! 3 on now: Eno / Music for Films

quoted 2 lines Quick aside to Robert: This isn't your "Father's music". It's mus

>Quick aside to Robert: This isn't your "Father's music". It's music that >was produced when your father was younger. That's all.

Of course, I blew it here.

quoted 5 lines Your father sounds like one way cool Croatian. And he's double cool

>> Your father sounds like one way cool Croatian. And he's double cool >> for being a bit worried about his son for listening to what he was >> listening to 15-20 years ago. If I had teenage kids and I caught them >> listening to some of the shit I'm listening to now I would be a tiny bit >> worried. Not too worried, but just a bit. Hopefully, my kids will be

into

quoted 3 lines some supersick ill banana shit and turn me on to it.

>> some supersick ill banana shit and turn me on to it. >> >> I am kurious: Does your father like your IDM records?

He isn't into music anymore. He watches football, and works 8 hours a day, and plays basketball twice a week....

quoted 1 line I'll be 40 years old in October. I have records in this room by every

>I'll be 40 years old in October. I have records in this room by every

single

quoted 1 line artist mentioned by Robert above.

>artist mentioned by Robert above.

Of course, you have all those records. But the question is do you have all records from 1930-40 ? These records are produced and released in the time of your father....get the point ? When I grow older, and become 50 year old bloke for example, I'll still love Boards of Canda, but I won't love David Sylvian (not that I don't like his music, I love some of his stuff, but I cannot go so much back in time and search for everything that Sylvian released, than I'll miss some of the releases that come out in 98, 99, 00 or.....) It's really hard to go back in time and search for all those goodies for us younger IDMers. I've recently had birthday, I'm 21 now. How can I get all the records that you have, tell me, how ? Two big problems : Money & Time ---> you cannot hear everything You cannot even hear 0.00001% of great stuff that is released from the beginnigs of the record business. I don't work, I'm still at college, I spend all (I mean ALL) my money on CDs or records and still cannot buy 1% of electronic music I'd like to own. :-(( fuck, at the end it's all about money

quoted 1 line Music. It's not a father/son schism. It's a continuum.

>Music. It's not a father/son schism. It's a continuum.

Of course... I really admire Greg's opinion here. I was generaly wrong in this father/son thing, coz theoreticaly you can listen and own every single record that is released so far :-) bye rob

quoted 3 lines Of course, you have all those records. But the question is do you have

> >Of course, you have all those records. But the question is do you have >all records from 1930-40 ?

Swining' decades. Check out the big band brass sass. Then there's Rachmaninov. Hard to top those melodies, so aim for some minimalism, anyone? Satie, perhaps? Heavy proto-rave in Orff's Carmina Burana. John Cage into Miles Davis. The Birth of the Cool. 1949.

quoted 4 lines These records are produced and released

>These records are produced and released >in the time of your father....get the point ? >When I grow older, and become 50 year old bloke for example, >I'll still love Boards of Canda, but I won't love David Sylvian

(Well, check back with us in 29 years and let's see if it's true...) Well, why not? I think Boards of Canda or Candide or Adidas or whatever other Boards one might like to consider musically would probably express respect for Sylvian if asked on a multiple-choice standardized test form. Especially if they've heard "Words with the Shaman" or the other Czukay collaborations. The musical world is as deep and wide as any other aspect of phenomenal existence. Don't miss the wood for the trees. 3 P.S. Former communist countries had surprisingly good access to experimental and pop music of the West, via the massive black-market and tape-trading that went on. In fact, many young people from Over There know more about what's what in music than many here who have easy access to all the goods. It's all about complacency, authority, rebellion, individuation, oh, yes, and the deep sense of community fostered by the shared hatred of one's government.

The best, best, b e s t B E S T place to find old records is your local Disabled American Vets, St. Vincent De Paul, Salvation Army, Goodwill, or Deseret Industry. At Deseret Industries I found a slug of vinyl language training records for Mormon Missionaries. They sound pretty cool when you scratch them over hip hop. And I just picked up a virgin copy of Keith Jarrett's Solo Concerts for $2. And two classic Bob James LPs. And a record of Ramsey Lewis doing Beatles covers. 2 album set of Joan Sutherland singing arias? proper! Not to mention the odd whale sounds, motivational speaker records, and one of my favorites "THE KOREAN ORPHANS CHOIR." Is it IDM? When I get done with it, it will be. Sampling fun for all!

Robert Merlak writes:

quoted 6 lines I'll be 40 years old in October. I have records in this room by every

>> I'll be 40 years old in October. I have records in this room by every >> single artist mentioned by Robert above. > > Of course, you have all those records. But the question is do you have > all records from 1930-40 ? These records are produced and released > in the time of your father ... get the point ?

Oh yes, I understand you completely. In my particular case I've never ever acquired a taste for Swing & Jazz or Delta Blues, so this was never a problem for me :-) (Also, my own father wasn't much for buying records. Save for a few dusty old 78's, there wasn't anything from that era in the ol' Victrola)

quoted 6 lines When I grow older, and become 50 year old bloke for example,

> When I grow older, and become 50 year old bloke for example, > I'll still love Boards of Canada, but I won't love David Sylvian > (not that I don't like his music, I love some of his stuff, but I cannot > go so much back in time and search for everything that Sylvian > released, than I'll miss some of the releases that come out in 98, > 99, 00 or ...)

That's very true. It was hard for my generation, it's way harder for yours. I don't envy you one bit. One thing that helped me was that I entered college right as Punk was getting rolling, so at the time there wasn't much Punk vinyl product to be had, and I had time to learn about Those Who Came Before from other people at school with deeper record colllections than I. By the end of my first semester I had become a certified Bowie/Eno/Iggy/Roxy Music freak :-)

quoted 3 lines It's really hard to go back in time and search for all those goodies

> It's really hard to go back in time and search for all those goodies > for us younger IDMers. I've recently had a birthday, I'm 21 now. > How can I get all the records that you have, tell me, how?

Move to America and come to a house party? :-)

quoted 5 lines Two big problems : Money & Time ---> you cannot hear everything

> Two big problems : Money & Time ---> you cannot hear everything > You cannot even hear 0.00001% of great stuff that is released > from the beginnnigs of the record business. I don't work, I'm still > at college, I spend all (I mean ALL) my money on CDs or records > and still cannot buy 1% of electronic music I'd like to own.

The same was true for me when I was your age, and (to a lesser extent) is still true today. I can afford more recordings but there's 100 times the amount of music out there to dip into. Believe me, I get Ben's weekly Synaptic Records new acquisitions list and it depresses the fuck out of me :-)

quoted 3 lines Music. It's not a father/son schism. It's a continuum.

>> Music. It's not a father/son schism. It's a continuum. > > Of course ... I really admire Greg's opinion here.

I was just trying to suggest to you a slightly different way of looking at it. Obviously it's based on my own perspective. To someone like me who's been buying records for so long, other than my actual buying habits themselves (i.e., tempered from years of overdoing it, combined with the usual pressures one finds as one goes through adult life - you *will* sacrifice buying records if you need that down payment on a house, for example), the process is still fundamentally the same. My ears just plain don't like aging. (-: Robert got a fair bit of stick a while back for wanting to live in the present. I actually agree with him for the most part; he's right in wanting to expend his limited resources towards what's kinda new/kinda now/kinda WOW! in music. I just don't think he should shut himself off to hearing the good from the past. It can be good from a historical perspective - this isn't 313, but I think everyone should hear the "Derrick May: Innovator" 2CD compilation, for example, just to know where this music came from that we all love. It sounds like he's realizing this and taking advantage of a resource he has closeby. Even if it means admitting to liking music his Dad liked (-: Oh, one last thing: re-read Irene McC's response over again. 'Cuz she is absolutely, positively 100% right about context in relation to prior music. (And 'cuz she kicks serious ass. (-: ) Anyway, enough "Father Knows Best" out of me for one day. - Greg

quoted 1 line I am kurious: Does your father like your IDM records?

>> I am kurious: Does your father like your IDM records?

quoted 2 lines He isn't into music anymore. He watches football, and works

> He isn't into music anymore. He watches football, and works > 8 hours a day, and plays basketball twice a week....

What a shame. :-( I can't understand people 'not being into music'. I went round to the house of one of my relatives, and...THEY DIDN'T HAVE A STEREO! AAAAAaaaaaargh! They're like 80 years old, and they haven't had a stereo in about 20 years or something. They haven't heard any music for *20* *years*, expect what comes through their TV! What a blinkered cynical view of music they must have! It's kinda depressing... gb. -- /TheW i http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/lwtcdi/all/ f o L D o dlr WTC "Let's decompose and enjoy assembling!"