From Akashic Librarian Sent Sat, Sep 4th 1999, 18:51
Who'd want to listen to those old crappy stereo recordings >when you have you're 8.1 surround sound set up that gives you the full joy >of the recent octosonicly enhanced >releases, I don't see this as a factor. You still watch, say, Casablanca or Citizen Kane even though they aren't in colour; anyhow, I like scratchy 78's. That's why I mentioned 'a few timeless albums' later on... Though I'd like to believe there's a BIG difference between the concept of oldies in film and in electronic music. I'll have no problem watching Citizen Kane in the future (or any other Orsen Welles related movie for that matter). The music doesn't have a story line, but concepts of sound being realized, and preferred sounds/concepts of old being reintroduced/resampled. Yes, we'll always go back to the old innovative releases that sparked certain creative forms, to have a sense of history, to connect to old emotions. I guess it's all down to some of the people into the music in a pop context and once a few years go by, their tastes will freeze to whatever stretch of styles they were listening to and be listening to their good oldies while time slowly seperates them from the new 'strange' sounds coming out, as is with anyone who stops growing along with the music. (how many of you older listees have friends that are stuck in eighties electropop/industrial who are incapable of comprehending todays mainstays like autechre, mouse on mars, etc. ) Then there are those that have that streak of neophilism that's fueled their musical tastes and changes since the start, who are probably going to continue changing with the newer developments in soundsculpture. Budd's Lovely Thunder is playing in the background, and at this point I'd like to say I'll love it to bit forever into the future just like I've done in the past, but something give me the feeling that I'll find something else in the future that will succeed in recontaining the sounds and emotions within that recording, produced with some new mindblowing technology, and somehow eclipsing and extending what I felt. (yeah, I'm just restating some obvious things...) As well, I look as an example at my father who's been a classical audiophile from the sixties, constantly upgrading his system as the years passed. He's tossed the three reel to reel machines a few years back, and his CD collection is starting to collect dust now that he's switched to DVD. Aside from once a blue moon where he'll stick on an old fave CD, he's not happy unless it's digital video with full surround technology. There are so many pieces that he used to play constantly, not being rereleased in some new digital form for him to continue enjoying, he's simply archived them and gravitates to the 5.1 a/v items in his collection, as they 'don't succeed in filling the full range of senses' like the newer releases do, even if that means deposing some favorites. >Listening to the majority of >releases from the early nineties, except for a few timeless albums and >others released years before their time, is already just for those moments >when you reminisce about good old days and faves of the day. You think so? I hadn't heard of idm for much of the early nineties, but getting hold of it now, it sounds pretty good. Sure, the majority of records from any period seem slightly weak in retrospect, but thats not because the music dates. Its more that we tend to be more excited (and less honest) about the exciting new 12". (Sorry if thats what you were saying all along). All the people I know who's been changing along with the styles since acidhouse seem to share the similar thought that the first few years were just a general structuring, with the recent years concentrating more on greater innovation. I would deem the early 80's more innovative than the early 90's within electronic music, but that's just my opinion. My last purchases were some old Zoviet France LP's and Network 21 12"s, and I was quite excited for those finds as well.... (I'm partial to scratchy old records too :-) ) Akashic "There are some kinds of knowledge that can only be expressed in music, not in any other art, not in science or philosophy."