From grey Sent Tue, Nov 25th 1997, 16:54
From grey Sent Tue, Nov 25th 1997, 16:54
Well, it had to happen eventually. The AFX v. Prodigy thread came up, and as expected, has already started a slew of "that's techno!" "that's IDM!" threads. Now, before I even _begin_ I'll just say that anyone rebutting my post with "This was originally an AFX list, therefore only RDJ is IDM!" will be directed to /dev/null. If we're going to define things that way, we may as well say Kraftwerk is the only electronic music, fold up shop, and go listen to Radio-Activity. Now for the cursed question, the one that is really at the heart of every STUPID argument on this list: What is IDM? This is something I've had extensive conversations about. Let's break it down. What makes music intelligent? There are a couple of takes on this. One, perhaps merely an inverse of the "stupid" dance music that is club techno. Well, let's take that down one more layer. What makes that music "stupid?" It doesn't bear up to repeat listenings, doesn't have psychological/emotional elements... all in all, a lack of complexity, lack of subtlety. After much analysis, it was established that one of the elements that makes music intelligent is subtlety, something which perhaps the "stupid" club techno doesn't posess. It doesn't have to do with musical complexity, specific elements, or style, but with a quality of depth and _mental_ complexity. Take any artist widely accepted as IDM and you'll find a large amount of subtlety, whether it be in rhythm, structure, tone, or just generally fucking with your mind. Now, the second part: dance. I won't linger here too long. It's my opinion that this is merely to distinguish it from, for instance, progressive rock. "Electronica" sure as hell wasn't a catchphrase that was in use when this list was formed, I assume, and so "dance music" was probably the best encompasing term. After all, "techno" seems to refer to the aforementioned "stupid" club techno. You can't dance to a lot of IDM. It doesn't really work as a defining part of the name. So, what does that give us? Subtle electronic-based music. Using this guages, you'll find that a number of artists fall into the "IDM" category. And you know what? IDM as a list _won't like that_. Why? Because IDM is an extremely elitist clan, trying to out-genrefy (is that a word) itself daily. Is Plastikman IDM? Sure. Lots of people have said so. Plastikman while minimalist maintains an enormous amount of subtlety and undeniable intelligence. What about Hardfloor? Before you spring to your toes and try to lynch me, consider their careful buildups, their exquisite use of the 303, their crashing climaxes, the twists and turns they take, and tell me that isn't subtle. Tell me that isn't intelligent. Tell me that isn't IDM. Which brings me back to the Prodigy. Now, to clarify, I'm not some freakish Prodigy fangirl. In fact, I didn't particularly even like them that much before someone made me sit down and listen to them, and try to appreciate them. I appreciated them more after I read some interviews with Liam about the music. I would love to know how many of the people who will just _bash_ on the Prodigy have ever sat in a dark room and listened to them as they would to an AFX record. Or read an interview with Liam. Despite the rather annoying vocal stylings (which I tend to think detract, yes) this is some really good music. It has complexity and depth, and bears repeat listenings to pick everything up. This music _is_ intelligent. Mention it on IDM. Watch yourself get flamed to pieces. As for the commercialization of it, if that's the only reason you dislike something, you're as bad as the people who like it only _because_ it's on MTV. Either way it's buying into something that has _nothing_ to do with the music itself. None of this is to say that everyone should love the Prodigy or they're the best thing since sliced bread. If you don't like them for your own reasons, _intelligent_ reasons, fine! I really don't care. Musical tastes will always differ. If they didn't, why bother discussing it at all? The point is that maybe people should consider their knee-jerk reactions before slinging mud. Frankly I'm tired of seeing artists refered to as "the evil anti-IDMers" and such. It's a broad category of music we love, and a little bit of acceptance and open mindedness wouldn't kill anyone. Flame away. grey. -- - xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxx.xx.xx.xx PS. Thanks go to Chris Layne for the extensive conversations on the topic that led to this thesis, and for exposing me to 2/3 of the music I listen to now.