From kurt Sent Sat, Sep 4th 1999, 20:27
>Are there are some aspects of electronic music that will have staying power >long after we've passed away? I want to think so, and if so, I'll bet the >kids will be listening to Autechre or something damn close when they take >music classes. Or at least they should. Because it's "serious" music--like what gets taught in "classes"? Well, the= idea of Autechre in music classes reminds me of that act's evolution into= a classic "art band". ie they take some "low" form music (electronic dance= music) and muck it up with prime-numbered time signitures, and astringent= sonorities reminiscent of "avant-garde" music, of "modernism".=20 Are they in fact modernists? I don't know. I think they're making pop music= whose flavor is "neo-modern". Will they make it to the history books? Only= if the book considers pop music within its scope. Their low art/high art= combo thing seems like something better appreciated in the visual art world= which provided early support for people like the Velvet Underground,= Phillip Glass, Glenn Branca.=20 In short, if Autechre want to be in the history books, they should get a= gallery, do "sound installation", and start selling their 12" singles in= editions of 10. OT: Speaking of Phillip Glass, I met this guy once who'd been to Glass= concerts in the 60's. He was pointing out that, back then, when Glass'= ensemble was all electric organs plus amplified reeds, a Glass concert= would be stoned/tripping people laying on the floor while the music played= at blasting loud rock levels. I mention it, I suppose, because it seems= that that period of Glass' work probably has more to do with what people= are interested here in IDM land than the formulaic orchestral work Glass= has been churning out since the late-seventies... > Maybe the stuff we >listen to *should* be rooted in time... Why does Good music have to be >timeless in order to earn the "Good" title? The excitement of an emerging genre lends interest to some music that won't= ever sound so good ever again... Doesn't make the moment less exciting, or= the music sound less good at the time, so we go with it. Hell, the whole= genre will make a comeback once its good and dead. On the other hand, the= tides of fashion routinely obscure great stuff. a lot of music functions= *better* once its moment has passed. My friend Brian Dewan was playing me some incredible organ piece written in= the 1950's by an obscure Montreal-based composer, whose style was might= have been considered mildly bracing sometime around 1920 (kinda Les= Six/Jehan Alain-ish). Gray-pastel colored melodies, extended tonality.= Obviously, its the sort of stuff that would have recieved zero attention in= the '50's, as its style was patently conservative in its day. Now it's= forty or so years later, and who fucking cares if it's not some post-Webern= 12-tone music?=20 >Mostly you get these suburban PBS yuppies with large jazz >collections Yeah, your right, it's all a sham. But before we heave it all down the= tubes, can we just hear "Daybreak Express" by the Ellington orchestra one= last time?=20 Ta ta, I'm off to Prada. kisses Kurt