| I'm reading Simon Reynolds' _Generation Ecstasy_ (that's the US title),
| and he rather harshly compares IDM to progressive rock, in that it is a
| reintroduction of traditional notions of musicality into what was
| previously a 'base' genre --propulsive but simple dance music, in this
| case-- that was severely in want of structure, melody, complexity, and the
| deliberate incorporation of influences from 'high art' genres like jazz
| and classical.
I find this comparison a little hard pressed as Prog rock was about people
like Yes and King Crimson showing off how well they could play and look.
Everything was big and overblown artwise, soundwise, and imagewise. There
was absolutely no punk/DIY ethic to this at all. IDM on the other is very
much a post-punk phenomenon with musicians with no such sense of pretense.
Even the big name artists like Ae, Aphex, Black Dog, Mouse on Mars, etc.
make no qualms of the fact that they record on lo-fi equipment in their
bedrooms and press a few buttons on a laptop (not that I'm undermining the
skill behind this) while on-stage.
Regards,
Mike