IDM Mailing Archive

2001-11-01 14:51Kent williamsYou know, I listen to a lot of different music. Comes with being an old fart -- the first

From:: Kent williams <kent@avalon.net>
To:: i'd do mary <idm@hyperreal.org>
Date:: Thu, 1 Nov 2001 08:51:26 -0600 (CST)
Subject:: [idm] critical listening

You know, I listen to a lot of different music. Comes with being an old fart -- the first record I bought was "Rubber Soul" by the Beatles -- in 1966, in MONO. So I've been passionate about all sorts of different music for 35 years. Scary, innit? Musical tastes are subjective, up to a point. What has always mattered to me in music is that I'm able to make an emotional connection to it -- it somehow reflects an artistic intent to provoke a reaction in the listener. The great thing about music is that above all it's pleasurable to listen to, while at the same time encompasses every human emotion -- fear, anger, pain, joy, despair, humor. You can make music about feeling bad that makes people feel good. But it's always important to try and meet an artist half way. What anything worthwile does is teach you a new way to hear music. If you're not open to the lesson, you're going to miss out. Whenever someone says on IDM that something SUX0R, I wonder if they've really given it a chance. The point being, people can caterwaul all they want on IDM about this and that, but that's really not what music is about. It's about shutting up and listening. I for one would not be unhappy if I never read another negative review on IDM, so long as people really tried to write articulately in reaction to what they're hearing. There really is no such thing as IDM -- it's a mailing list, and doesn't make any sound unless you hook it up to a speech synthesizer... what the mailing list can be (and is sometimes) is what Germans call an InteresseGemeinschaft -- a gathering of common interests. That seems to really get lost in the flame wars and "I TINK IT SUX0R' reviews. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

2001-11-01 16:14duncan van halluciphile>: Kent williams <kent@avalon.net> >: Thu, 1 Nov 2001 08:51:26 -0600 (CST) > Musical taste

From:: duncan van halluciphile <duncan@cyberlink.com>
To:: [Interesting Drum Magic] list <idm@hyperreal.org>
Date:: Thu, 1 Nov 101 16:14:48 EST
Subject:: Re: [idm] critical listening

quoted 2 lines : Kent williams <kent@avalon.net>

>: Kent williams <kent@avalon.net> >: Thu, 1 Nov 2001 08:51:26 -0600 (CST)

quoted 17 lines Musical tastes are subjective, up to a point. What has always

> Musical tastes are subjective, up to a point. What has always > mattered to me in music is that I'm able to make an emotional > connection to it -- it somehow reflects an artistic intent to provoke > a reaction in the listener. The great thing about music is that above > all it's pleasurable to listen to, while at the same time encompasses > every human emotion -- fear, anger, pain, joy, despair, humor. You > can make music about feeling bad that makes people feel good. > > But it's always important to try and meet an artist half way. What > anything worthwile does is teach you a new way to hear music. If > you're not open to the lesson, you're going to miss out. Whenever > someone says on IDM that something SUX0R, I wonder if they've really > given it a chance. > > The point being, people can caterwaul all they want on IDM about this > and that, but that's really not what music is about. It's about > shutting up and listening.

quoted 11 lines I for one would not be unhappy if I never read another negative review

> I for one would not be unhappy if I never read another negative review > on IDM, so long as people really tried to write articulately in > reaction to what they're hearing. > > There really is no such thing as IDM -- it's a mailing list, and > doesn't make any sound unless you hook it up to a speech > synthesizer... what the mailing list can be (and is sometimes) is > what Germans call an InteresseGemeinschaft -- a gathering of common > interests. That seems to really get lost in the flame wars and > "I TINK IT SUX0R' reviews. >

Spoken as a true wise elder. I too, listen to a wide variety of music. From aron funk, to a silver mount zion... Personally I feel that music is communication. Effective music conveys meaning of thoughts or emotions, and how can the listener do this if he has Hir head far up Hir own ass? That is the problem with the IDM sceene as I see it. We are all bound by one common tie... effective music which has not been consumed by the mass populus. The subgenre IDM is really reflective of what this subculture listens to. I would say that, since we are a rare breed, it is much easier to meet online in a specialized, virtual, venue... rather than say... at the bar, or a club/rave [rolls eyes and sighs at thought of which]. We are the bed room musicians, we are the the real underground experimental composers that. But some of us are so stuck in the predeterminded ways of warp/aphex/autechre/skam and what ever any one else accepts... that they cannot open their mind to v/vm [as a good example] . Dismissing breaking new/ And I guess that we can directly contribute thiscatalytic effect to technology. new techniques and new forms of "music" are always emerging and at a faster and faster rate = hence the information age. The most obvios downfall of this list is that the ratio of people talking to people listening is WAY uneven. More are sending out less are recieving meaning. You all know the old addage "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." I forsee the retort to this submission as being, that I am the one being negative for poinint out faults, but hey you don't get good posture by accident. It is a reinforced habbit. Enough Negativity Already. I hope you got something out of this strream of consciousness rant, because I've already spent too much unbudgeted time on it already. halluciphile --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

Re: [idm] critical listening