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From:
Roy Badami
To:
Jamie M. Hodge
Cc:
Date:
Fri, 20 May 1994 14:32:22 +0100
Subject:
Re: Is the end near?
Msg-Id:
<7601.9405201332@gamgee.cam.harlequin.co.uk>
In-Reply-To:
<01HCJEDZ94B6007NP9@vassar.edu>
Mbox:
idm.9405.gz
quoted 3 lines Does that mean that this list will cease to exist when Warp> Does that mean that this list will cease to exist when Warp > discontinues the AI series?.. Also, I think much of Aphex Twin fails this > criterion.. There's nothing "intelligent" about most all of his music..
You're falling into the trap of thinking that the "intelligent" in IDM is a value judgement. It isn't, and I would argue it isn't even a useful descriptiion. There is a particular set of styles of electronic music which the music press, in their infinitesimal wisdom and constant desire to pigeon-hole, dubbed "intelligent techno" (this list seems to prefer the moniker "IDM" -- I regard the two as synonymous). It may not be a good name, but it's the name that's stuck for this style of music. I have a strong feeling that if the music press had given this genre some meaningless name (such as "xyzzy") the arguments about what music was and wasn't xyzzy would be far less heated. If you don't like xyzzy music, fine, you don't have to. But xyzzy is no more intelligent than trance, techno, rock or anything else. It's just a style of music. All these genres contain both highly creative works and completely uninteresting dross. Jusrt my thoughts, Cosmic