From AndrewC. Sent Fri, Apr 9th 1999, 00:33
>I disagree totally. I understand the rationale - that armchair avante-garde >chinstroking elitism - ie you stay at home waxing poetic about difficult music - is >less revolutionary than challenging the status quo via partying and drug use. First >off, i'd argue that partying and druge use does not challenge the status qou. That's >called teenage rebellion, and its had its cultural and musical movements for the >last century. Read a book on the 60s if you don't belive me. The 60's may have been the last youth uprising in America, but they don't call it the Second Summer Of Love in england for nothing. Drugs and party culture in england where very much a challenge to the status quo in those days - just read Reynold's book if you don't believe me. Huge illegal parties every weekend attracting thousands and thousands of people all over London and the southeast. Rave culture was all over the papers for months. New laws were enacted in parliament (see AeAntiEP). Brewers, who form a large and powerfull political lobby were nervous of their profits, as young people stopped drinking and looked elsewhere for their intoxication. Club culture and the free party scene is still kicking against the pricks today with groups like Reclaim the Streets and Advance Party and the pirate-radio stations democratising the airwaves in big cities. check www.urban75.com for a good view of the rave/politics interface. brock: >> As far as Simon Reynolds' tirade, I can't say that I disagree entirely. Maybe >> it's because I've read his book "Generation Ecstasy" (also worth scoring) Yep, an excellent book, though I don't recomend it to IDM'ers cos this flap occurs every year when Reynold's lays into another IDM sacred cow. Last time it was Squarepusher, and this year it's microlabels, and once again IDM just can't deal with the nasty outsider Reynolds and his love of *gasp* Danceable Dance Music. Anyway the book is an excellent history of dance culture in England. and he only lays into IDM at the end, so you should get most of the way through with your blood pressure intact :) >>Compare someone who makes >> "difficult/avant garde" music to a kid who goes out to raves every weekend and >> eats loads of drugs - Reynolds would argue that the kid is actually doing more >> to push the envelope, challenge the status quo, etc. Not only that, but that the musician who makes the soundtracks for that kid's nights out is making wierder and freakier music than any of the bedroom idm geeks who stand back from the dancefloor and make their own versions of club sounds (witness Drill'n'Bass) CheerioAndrewC.