IDM Mailing Archive

> I haven't heard Dead Can Dance, but I'm looking for some reviews of their > stuff. If they aren't really IDM, let me know (and I apologize), and > please point me to a better place to ask this. Not IDM, true, but they've still had an influence--witness Future Sound of London's sampling of them on the "Accelerator" album. In any event, the band's hybrid of ancient and modern musics of all sorts and styles is a breathtaking wonder. "A Passage in Time" is a handy compilation for a starting point, but do look into "Spleen and Ideal", "The Serpents Egg", "Aion", and "Into the Labyrinth".

Dead Can Dance could be classified as new age...or it could fit into "progressive rock"...or it could be "ambient"....but either way...it is music i would reccomend to anyone.... if you tried really hard you could mix it in under some trance...i have had a couple of ideas in that area with some of the dead can dance stuff... check out "Into The Labyrinth" later jasonosaj. @@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@ j a h 1 0 @ r a . m s s t a t e . e d u @@@ @@@ @@@ --------------------------------------- @@@ @@@ @@@ b R o t H e R A l p H a B e T @@@ @@@ @@@ --------------------------------------- @@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@-how many days to oblivion anyway?????-

On Sun, 6 Mar 1994, B R O T H E R A L P H A B E T wrote:

quoted 1 line music i would reccomend to anyone....

> music i would reccomend to anyone....

Funny. They seem to be one of those groups with universal appeal. Their shows are attended by someone of nearly every musical genre. For their reclusiveness, they've become immensely popular (anyone catch the article on them in TIME? my jaw dropped). Extremely rare that a group can have such a borad appeal, but it's for one reason, they're damn good. The good news is that many of their releases are now available domestically. So far, not Spleen & Ideal though (sigh). I would say buy A Passage in Time, but then that compiles much of the best from earlier releases, so if you decide to dig deeper, you'll get some repetition. JMAR. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bandwidth Hogging via the kind courtesy of DesignLink FCBBS (1) 510 933 96 76 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ J M R T N K O D S G N E T C S F C A | t h e t h i r s t y f i s h . ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ John A. Martinko, west desk chief, Illegibility Engineering Division <martinko@netcom.com> mmoooon...yipyipyipyipyip...uhhuh...uhhuh... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

JMRTNKO DSGN ETC SFCA writes:

quoted 5 lines On Sun, 6 Mar 1994, B R O T H E R A L P H A B E T wrote:

> On Sun, 6 Mar 1994, B R O T H E R A L P H A B E T wrote: > > > music i would reccomend to anyone.... > > Funny. They seem to be one of those groups with universal appeal. Their

[...]

quoted 3 lines I would say buy A

> I would say buy A > Passage in Time, but then that compiles much of the best from earlier > releases, so if you decide to dig deeper, you'll get some repetition.

Now, for the other side of the coin: I'd heard all the praise lumped on DCD over the years, so I finally bought 'A Passage in Time' a few months ago and I hate it. All it sounds like to me is a snobby version of Depeche Mode at their pretentious worst. C. -- (Chris.Hilker) cspot@netcom.com

Chris.Hilker wrote:

quoted 10 lines Now, for the other side of the coin: I'd heard all the praise lumped on

> > Now, for the other side of the coin: I'd heard all the praise lumped on > DCD over the years, so I finally bought 'A Passage in Time' a few months > ago and I hate it. All it sounds like to me is a snobby version of Depeche > Mode at their pretentious worst. > > C. > > -- > (Chris.Hilker) cspot@netcom.com

To each his own, I guess. Personally I don't see how you can even compare the two. I suppose much of DCD is rather gloomy (they also have their uplifting stuff, too..) but this gloominess is of a rather thought-provoking nature rather than the surface-pop crap that composes much of DM's wretched existence. I do agree Brendan's writing is beginning to suffer concerning the last album but the "Passage in Time" isn't supposed to include anything from this.. Unless DCD put rather subpar stuff on APiT (like relying too heavily on the first album) I don't see how one can draw such a conclusion. I have no interest in the compilation simply because I have all the albums. Could someone mail me the track listing? Anyway, for those who like DCD, you might also try: Ordo Equitum Solis, Love is Colder than Death, And Also the Trees, Love Spirals Downward. ------------------------------------------------|------------------------------ "categories strain, crack, and sometimes break | Harvey D. Thornburg step out of the space provided" -NWW | hthornbu@osiris.ac.hmc.edu ------------------------------------------------|----------------------------

quoted 2 lines ago and I hate it. All it sounds like to me is a snobby version of Depeche

> ago and I hate it. All it sounds like to me is a snobby version of Depeche > Mode at their pretentious worst.

DEPECHE MODE? excuse me for asking, but how can you _possibly_ compare DCD to that pathetic _synth_ band? i do hope you were joking....... * Kelli-Jeanne * 'I think what we do is an acoustic version of house music.' - Warren Defever

> > ago and I hate it. All it sounds like to me is a snobby version of Depeche > > Mode at their pretentious worst. > > DEPECHE MODE? excuse me for asking, but how can you _possibly_ > compare DCD to that pathetic _synth_ band? i do hope you were > joking....... As a Mode fan myself, I'll shy away from questions of their ultimate worth, but I'll agree with Kelli--I can't imagine comparing the two.

Another thing about dead can dance i forgot to say... Most of their albums are being re-released throughout the next few months...i have seen three in the stores.. just a point of interest. jasonosaj. @@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@ j a h 1 0 @ r a . m s s t a t e . e d u @@@ @@@ @@@ --------------------------------------- @@@ @@@ @@@ b R o t H e R A l p H a B e T @@@ @@@ @@@ --------------------------------------- @@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@-how many days to oblivion anyway?????-

B R O T H E R A L P H A B E T wrote:

quoted 11 lines Dead Can Dance could be classified as new age...or it could fit into

> > > > Dead Can Dance could be classified as new age...or it could fit into > "progressive rock"...or it could be "ambient"....but either way...it is > music i would reccomend to anyone.... > > if you tried really hard you could mix it in under some trance...i have > had a couple of ideas in that area with some of the dead can dance stuff... > > check out "Into The Labyrinth"

DCD are one of my favorite bands - but not specifically new age/progressive. Their early stuff (first three albums) are definitely what one would call "gothic" and by the time of their fourth _Serpent's Egg_ they were brancing out to more ambient/ "world music" constructions. They've continued this wonderfully on their last two albums ... _Aion_ constitutes a return to medieval times, while _Into the Labyrinth_ goes in the tribal direction. Anyway, all their albums sound markedly different and are all brilliant except possibly for the first one. ------------------------------------------------|------------------------------ "categories strain, crack, and sometimes break | Harvey D. Thornburg step out of the space provided" -NWW | hthornbu@osiris.ac.hmc.edu ------------------------------------------------|----------------------------

That answers a question I had in a round about way... but i will ask the question anyway... what exactly IS gothic music? I may be familiar with some groups, but I have never heard the label "gothic" given to any groups i am currently listening to... what makes gothic music "gothic"...i mean what attributes? Also...what groups are gothic... just curious, jasonosaj. @@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@ j a h 1 0 @ r a . m s s t a t e . e d u @@@ @@@ @@@ --------------------------------------- @@@ @@@ @@@ b R o t H e R A l p H a B e T @@@ @@@ @@@ --------------------------------------- @@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@-how many days to oblivion anyway?????-

B R O T H E R A L P H A B E T wrote:

quoted 2 lines what makes gothic music "gothic"...i mean what attributes?

> what makes gothic music "gothic"...i mean what attributes? > Also...what groups are gothic...

Normally I would refer this discussion to alt.gothic, but since everyone's discussing encryption schemes on there I guess this is as appropriate a place as any :) It is hard to define what makes certain music "gothic" - if this were so easy to do, much of the enigmatic attraction of the genre would disappear. Most people would agree, however that it corresponds to a certain emotional state. Some common themes associated with this state are: obsession with beauty in decay (not necessarily death) in a deeply historical and spiritual sense; respect for the recurring cycles of destruction and in nature, critical examination of religion (and its counterpart - death of religion) as coexisting with a wide array of (mostly European) cultural archetypes. At least this is what makes certain music "gothic" for me. Most differences in taste relate to how deeply the above themes are integrated into "pop" culture (vampire/horror flicks, etc..). For the more philosophical types this stuff can get awfully pretentious. Anyway, it also important to remember that the experience of feeling "gothic" is a very personal one; what is "gothic" for me is not necessarily what is "gothic" for you. This is due, once again, to the high level of emotion involved - emotions are quite nebulous. Some people find it best sitting in a room with all the lights off (perhaps alone, perhaps with a girlfriend), CD of your choice spinning out the ambience of the night. Some people would rather go to a club, dressed all in black with plenty of eyeliner, smoking two packs of cigarretes (Death brand:)) and talking the whole night about being a bat. The point is, whatever experience is valid for you, is a valis member of the set of all possible experiences. This applies especially to music. Although there are many examples of classical music (both ancient and modern) that instill this type of feeling, I would have to say that because of the particular historical sensibilities involved (concerning our particular place in history) the "gothic movement" is a necessarily postmodern, postpunk phenomenon. Never before have we had the opportunity to be conscious of so many historical movements at once. Never before have we enjoyed the pluralism necessary for reflecting on this unique position. With this in mind, most people assume the first "goth" band to be Bauhaus, although early Siouxsie, Joy Division, and the Damned provide serious alternatives. Then came the Sisters of Mercy and Christian Death ... later Fields of the Nephilim - these are still the most popular goth bands today, and what you'd here most people talking about. However, considering these alone leaves out a plethora of concurrent achievements, many of which delve deeper into the entire "gothic" thing while also touching on other styles. The following are some excellent bands considered to be "goth" besides those mentioned... And Also the Tres Coil (early stuff only) Clock Dva (Advantage album only) Current 93 Death in June Dead Can Dance (early stuff) Legendary Pink Dots (some stuff) Ordo Equitum Solis Sixth Comm Sol Invictus ... and almost anything on Projekt (Lycia, Black Tape for a Blue Girl, Love is Colder than Death, etc...) Of course there are a lot more - I just listed the ones I'm partial to. SOmeone has the "complete goth band list".. i'll mail you a copy when I find it. ObIDM: As far as idm goes, I agree little has been tried in this genre. Some Coil perhaps but this is really stretching it. Actually one idm-track I consider to be very gothic is "Blue Calx" by the Aphex Twin. This has to be heard to believed, and I am so happy he's including it again on SAWII so more people can hear it. All the machines winding down as the sun sets for the last time... beautiful. ------------------------------------------------|------------------------------ "categories strain, crack, and sometimes break | Harvey D. Thornburg step out of the space provided" -NWW | hthornbu@osiris.ac.hmc.edu ------------------------------------------------|----------------------------

On Sun, 6 Mar 1994, B R O T H E R A L P H A B E T wrote:

quoted 8 lines what exactly IS gothic music?

> what exactly IS gothic music? > I may be familiar with some groups, but I have never heard the label > "gothic" given to any groups i am currently listening to... > > what makes gothic music "gothic"...i mean what attributes? > Also...what groups are gothic... > > just curious

The archetypical gothic bands are The Cure, Bauhaus, Siouxie & the Banshees, and Dead Can Dance. Those are certainly the bands I hear most often played at the gothic club I sometimes go to. The music tends to be gloomy, and either emotionally intense or somewhat artsey. Gothic culture draws on European mysticism and death magick, e.g. the vampire mythos. Think big spooky castles (D&D, Dracula), death (esp. blood), water (esp. drowning), and passion/sex plays some sort of role, too...the old sex-death connection. Gothic folks are usually easy to spot: all black clothing, usually lace, velvet, or leather...vintage items are essential for that rich, archaic, elegant style...white white face powder, usually with intense makeup...and androgyny is quite big, though I can't pinpoint exactly why. The industrial scene is tightly interwoven with the gothic scene, as is modern mysticism (Golden Dawn, OTO, TOPY) and the associated music (Psychic TV, Coil, Current 93, etc). I'm sure someone could explain better than me, but maybe this will give you an idea... --Seofon

On Mar 6, 2:23pm, Chris.Hilker proclaimed: } Now, for the other side of the coin: I'd heard all the praise lumped on } DCD over the years, so I finally bought 'A Passage in Time' a few months } ago and I hate it. All it sounds like to me is a snobby version of Depeche } Mode at their pretentious worst. } } C. To quote Pete Ashdown: "Uh, did we buy the same album?" I personally don't see the comparison either - his vocals can be on the droney side at times, I agree, but the instrumentation couldn't be more different. And I don't think Lisa Gerrard's voice sounds at all like Martin Gore's :) Brian