(idm) Re: IDM Breakdown Gets A Prodding

From grey
Sent Thu, Nov 27th 1997, 16:36

On Wed, 26 Nov 1997, lwtcdi wrote:

> No, please, don't doweeeeet...
> 
> Have mercy...
> 
> Aararrggh...

> Eiiaarrooogggh...
> 
> Bwarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhh!!!
> 
> My mind has melted. 
> 
> Please, breaking down the IDM tag achieves nothing! IDM doesn't mean
> anything in terms of semantics. It's a nice little label for a nice
> little cross section of music, but as with all labels there is confusion
> as to what music actually falls into the category. The best labels are
> the ones that mean nothing semantically, ie
> 
> Hip-hop
> Jazz
> and the like
> 
> because people can't disect the language they always have to refer to
> them referencing 'actual music', which makes things much more
> interesting...

I will agree to the end that labels are for the most part shit. The point
I was making was that genrefying music, or trying to say what and what
isn't IDM is totally useless unless you have a definition of what IDM is.
IDM has very, very fuzzy boundaries, and I was just using the name as a
useful basis for a description.

> ie I don't like hip-hop because I heard that Puffy Daddy record...

I guess my problem with that is when someone brings up DJ Spooky and
someone screams "no hip hop, this is IDM!" as if the lines were that
clearly drawn. 

> As for the Prod, the first two LPs still remain classics but...
> 
> Firestarter = Amusing, but essentially shit.
> 
> Come To Daddy (the track) = Amusing, but essentially shit.
> 
> And what makes popular music shit (apart from it sounding shit)? One
> word - overkill. There's nothing worse than hearing a record over and
> over and over again on the radio, TV, blasting from some tacky clothing
> store etc. I didn't buy The Fat Of The Land, because I was fed up of
> seeing that circus reject everywhere, and so I saw fit to spend my money

I see your point here, I'm as annoyed with anyone with overkill, I was
talking to someone recently and made the statement that if you hear
anything, even a song you love, 10,000 times on the radio, you're going to
start to hate it. The parts you never quite liked become abhorant. 

> elsewhere. Fuck the music, it may well be great, but there's no rush to
> own it. I'll get it in five years when all the hype is over and I can

I always cringe when I see someone say "fuck the music." True, the music
isn't going anywhere, that's to be sure, and there's a hell of a lot of
music to explore. But my gripe wasn't with people not being interested in
it, but in BASHING those who are. 

> see the music for what it is. And no, that's not elitism, it's just a
> will to be a little bit different (not alienation, just making good
> conversation).

> If everyone went out and bought the new Prod CD, it'd be like the bloody
> Stepford Wives or summat. It's not far off this already, so I'm steering
> well clear before I suddenly feel like getting a tongue piercing for no
> apparent reason.

I still don't see how that's really all that different from everyone
rushing out like sheep to get the new Aphex record (which I wouldn't have
spent my money on, personally. But then, according to my friend, I'm a
'candy eater' and don't appreciate difficult music enough. I guess I'm not
very IDM!)

> I'm a flame-starter, twisted flame-starter. (woo-woo-woo-woo woo woo)
> Yeeeaaaaahhhh.

Heh. This is not directed at lwtcdi, but why does everything have to be a
flame? Why can't people respond in a normal fashion and support their
opinions? I know damned well this thread has been well hashed out, but
mostly in terms of "sucks!" "doesn't suck!"

I'm not a pugalistic person, but I knew damned well the flak that would
fly from this thread. What I hoped to see were some of the justifications
people have for being so bloody closed minded about their concepts of
"IDM" and what gets thrown into it and what doesn't.

What I have seen a lot of is people bringing up piercings as if they were
a musical quality.

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