Re: (idm) cylob: puocd

From rbc3
Sent Sat, May 16th 1998, 22:04

wells wrote:

> I really don't see the merit in it. It's simple and easy, so much so that
> anyone could do it.

I always hate this argument when someone is trying to discredit art. 
It's a poor argument to say, "anyone could do it."  If anyone could do
it, why don't they?  This was a criticism of Jackson Pollack when his
art was discovered.  People thought dripping paint on canvas wasn't
art because it wasn't painted on with a brush.  Sure anybody can do
it, but DID THEY?  And could imitators create such emotion with color
as Pollack did?  What Pollack created is today inarguably art.  The
point of something like Industrial Folk Songs is experimentation.  In
other words, has someone ever done it like that before?

The noise scene is growing in popularity and the same argument could
be said about that.  How hard is it to thrash around on stuff or get
electronic equipment to sound freaky?  There's no rhythm, there are no
patterns... it's just NOISE!  Well some of it is quite fascinating and
some of it isn't.  This is all opinion, but to attempt to discredit it
by saying anyone could do it misses the point all together!  Hell, 90%
of techno is written by musically untrained people who don't know the
first thing about key, melody, or even timing signatures.  My roommate
doesn't believe I listen to music.  He went to a music school and
calls the electronic music I listen to, sound effects.  He certainly
wouldn't say that anybody could do it though.  He knows you have to be
a special kind of freak to accept this stuff we listen to as music.

> So then I think that people who say they like it do so because it's Cylob.

I would agree that some people buy music because of the name or label,
but what's wrong with that?  If you find a brand of shoe that fits,
you stick with it.  I know I buy records without listening to them
because the record stores in my area are horrible.  I find out what
friends of mine are listening to because I trust their tastes and
judgment and then I mail order it.  If I end up not liking it, I sell
it and write it off as a simple difference of tastes.  Nothing wrong
with that.  People have different tastes and that's good because that
is what makes life so interesting.  If we all liked the same shit,
think about how boring life would be!

> I mean.. if Joe Blow Techno Artist wrote that record, I have a strong
> feeling 98% of this list would hate it.

Cylob IS Joe Blow Techno Artist!  What makes Cylob so special?  Sure
plenty of people like it, but for every person that likes it, I could
find a thousand who would find it to be complete crap!

> However, since it comes from Rephlex and Cylob, everyone loves it.
> 
> Does anyone see what I'm saying and maybe agree?

No.  I like it.  I don't think it's the best thing I've heard.  It's
not even in the upper half of my collection.  It certainly is
interesting and when I'm in the mood for distorted beats, it brings
out some good sound scapes.  It's not your typical IDM, but it's not
meant to be either.  It's experimentation and it's pretty raw.  It's
gritty, dirty, and grungy and not the least bit refined.  Maybe it's
simple, but how complicated could it get?  To add much more to it
would be an overload of the senses anyway.

You're allowed not to like it.  It's pretty self centered of you to
tell people that they like it just because it's Cylob and on Rephlex. 
I don't like plenty of Richard James' material and HE'S on Rephlex AND
Warp (two labels I have a lot of respect for).

So go ahead and tell us you don't like it and why you don't like it,
but you're a fool for even trying to tell us why we like it!

-rbc3