Quote Originally Posted by SlavikSvensk
yeah that's about right...

...but how much techno that you hear today seems to consciously draw on ideas like you find in "guernica," the music of steve reich, or, hell, even the profoundly baffling nuances of personal relationships? a few guys out there, certainly, just not enough.

too many tracks, too few songs.
ahhh...guernica...good one...

i think some of the issues i have with "techno people" (love them all as i do), is that many times we get bogged down in the technicalities of it all. gear, software, and technique...or we get all into just talking about the latest tunes...rather than having discussions like this.

and yes, of course, there is a "music industry" that has rather cookie cutter ideas of what sells, what should sell and so on. and to an extent, at least with underground techno, there is some validity to asking whether it will sell. if you are a shop, a label or a distro, you can lose your ass if it doesn't. and while i am a fan of sacrificing for your art, i do NOT think you should have to starve.

conundrum ain't it?

for me, i have many different things i experiment with: techno, hip hop, trip hoppy type stuff, the occasional forway into weirdness... but what i love the most is some good, driving, aggressive techno that will knock the heads back when heard on large soundsystems. i like to make things that i can then play as a dj, because (after doing it for 10 years) i feel that i can express myself sometimes BETTER in that medium. i love performing, and i love audience/performer connection...and i love big farkin loud speakers...

is it art? i dunno...but i put my heart into it, and we'll see what happens from there, i guess... :)

another point that a friend and i have been talking about. sometimes we shut ourselves in studios and isolate ourselves from the outside world to make this music. and in the end, the music should be a personal expression, but it should also resonate on a level with others. think of the best music you have ever heard...did it not strike a chord with you? were you analyzing the structure or the gear used, or were you closing your eyes, feeling it hit you in the chest and feeling the goosebumps rise on your skin?

now granted, things resonate like that not because an artist consciously makes music for other people, but because they hit on feelings and emotions that are very deeply rooted in our human emotional tableau. so if we are not grounded in those thoughts and feelings, the music really can become an empty imitation of feeling...nothing more than beats strung together to rock a dancefloor (and quite frankly, that's not horrible, just kinda disposable).

i am not trying to diss anyone's efforts, but i think it's always good to reassess what you are putting out there and why.

okee...end ramble. need caffeine.