-djkc- wrote:
From what I've heard of Jeff Mills ("Changes of Life" off Tresor II comp),
quoted 3 lines it's a joke.
>it's a joke.
>But then some may like the hard but minimal stuff.
>But this song just sounded like a kid and his toys...
You might want to listen to X-103, which is unfortunately
out of print, or "First Flower" by The Subjects vs. Jeff
Mills. If you can't get a hold of either one of those,
listen to Waveform Transmissions Vol. I. All excellent.
bsanders@ncsa.uiuc.edu (Barry Sanders) wrote:
quoted 8 lines There is also the irony in Techno that the
> There is also the irony in Techno that the
> musicians making it often frame wildly creative soundscapes with very
> ordinary, perhaps even tyrannical, 4-on-the-floor dance beats. This would
> seem to defeat the purpose, but it does not. The thumping bass drum
> physically pounds you into dancing. The repetitive melodies and rhythms
> induce a trance-like state in the dancers. This, in turn, leaves the mind
> open to the creative suggestions put forth by the anarchic soundscapes
> that often form the creative core of Techno music.
I agree. Minimalism and rigid structure do not necessarily
preclude creativity. For example, does the pervasiveness of
the blues progression necessarily invalidate songs which use
it? I don't think so. These types of restrictions (for
techno, it's 4 on the floor, 16/32 measure phrases, etc.)
allow composers to exlore more finely the intricacies
possible within their confines. If you want to get
technical, 99 44/100% of all Western music is made within
analogous, but more generous, confines: the 12 note scale.
There is something to be said for breaking free of such
rules, but there is also something to be said for exploring
the endless possibilities within such rules.
At least that's what I think of when I listen to minimal
works like "The Hacker" by Jeff Mills, trax like stuff by
Mike Dearborn, or paintings by Rothko (actually, artists who
worshiped The Grid (e.g., Mondrian) are more applicable to
techno, I suppose, but I *hate* that stuff...)
Ok. I've been pompous enough for one day. Fuck art. Let's
dance.
-Sho
--
sho@physics.purdue.edu <<-- finger this account to find out what I'm
having for lunch!
<A HREF="
http://physics.purdue.edu/~sho/homepage.html>Sho Kuwamoto</A>.