Too much influence?

[tocsin]

Mark's first ever techno record thread really has me thinking, and this is something ive toyed with in my mind for a few years now....

can influence be a bad thing? of course everyone needs a starting point, something that sparks a fire inside and pushes you to strive to create the sounds you want, but can too much influence be a bad thing? Can wishing to be part of something so much, or to be up there alongside those you admire, blind you from your ultimate goals?

Interesting. In regards to your question, perhaps it's semantics? There's a big difference between "influence" and "copying." I don't really disagree with what you're saying. But, I think the problem lies in not so much the level of influence itself, but from where influence is taken. If one is only influenced by techno artists when making techno music, it's going to get bland. For the style I like and am most comfortable with, I couldn't really be more out of the loop with it right now as to who the big guys are. I can't even really say I have a favorite techno artist anymore. I don't make enough cash to buy records and I'm not a downloader. So, unless I'm getting a mix or a track from someone or I'm writing it myself, I've no idea what's going on. In one way, this has been absolutely great for me. My influence is coming more from my direct environment than other music, which works fine for what I like to do. But, it's also been bad in that my output is much more chaotic, both in sound and in times where I can be creative, since there isn't something as direct as other music to kind of ground me. However, it's doesn't really matter since I've always done this for fun and for myself first and foremost. Never cared about sharing a stage with any of my favorite artists. I got to do it a couple times at one point though and it wasn't through sounding like them. And now, well, I wouldn't know where to start. The ambient sounds and weight of where I live, however, will provide enough inspiration for the rest of my life. I don't know if other artists' influences can blind anyone from their goals though. Depends what they are. If the ultimate goal is to just sound like someone else and be alongside them, then one wasn't really blinded if that's what they achieve. If that's not what one wants to do, there's just too much room to **** with sound nowadays for one to not be able to put their own mark on the variation of a simple format.

[force]

Interesting. In regards to your question, perhaps it's semantics? There's a big difference between "influence" and "copying." I don't really disagree with what you're saying. But, I think the problem lies in not so much the level of influence itself, but from where influence is taken. If one is only influenced by techno artists when making techno music, it's going to get bland. For the style I like and am most comfortable with, I couldn't really be more out of the loop with it right now as to who the big guys are. I can't even really say I have a favorite techno artist anymore. I don't make enough cash to buy records and I'm not a downloader. So, unless I'm getting a mix or a track from someone or I'm writing it myself, I've no idea what's going on. In one way, this has been absolutely great for me. My influence is coming more from my direct environment than other music, which works fine for what I like to do. But, it's also been bad in that my output is much more chaotic, both in sound and in times where I can be creative, since there isn't something as direct as other music to kind of ground me. However, it's doesn't really matter since I've always done this for fun and for myself first and foremost. Never cared about sharing a stage with any of my favorite artists. I got to do it a couple times at one point though and it wasn't through sounding like them. And now, well, I wouldn't know where to start. The ambient sounds and weight of where I live, however, will provide enough inspiration for the rest of my life. I don't know if other artists' influences can blind anyone from their goals though. Depends what they are. If the ultimate goal is to just sound like someone else and be alongside them, then one wasn't really blinded if that's what they achieve. If that's not what one wants to do, there's just too much room to **** with sound nowadays for one to not be able to put their own mark on the variation of a simple format.

:clap:

Great post !