From our hearts to our hard drives...

[The Overfiend]

too many tracks, too few songs.

amen brother.[/quote]

Word Up.

[Mindful]

i just got back frmo my girlfriend's house, where we watched the movie "garden state". dunno what's gonna come from that, but i know something is going to. i will have to sit down and process this one with music. :)

This rings true with me shiva,If I watch a GOOD film I will get so many ideas and feelings from it wich will end up triggering me to convay that in to a piece of music.
It sends my gf mad the way I sit there and cant just watch a film without saying every 10 mins "what a great name for a tune and running off to right it down or being inspired by the mood of a scene or by a moment of music or atmosphere ,even a centance can spark an idea.

This kind of connects to what slavs piont in that you should be pulling and getting that spark from much more than just the last techno track you realy liked.

Alltho that can work for me too ,If I listen to a good set I feel the need to sit down and get what I got from listening to that set in to my own take on it.(hope that makes sense)
For instance I had a listen to the Luka Bauman Rods Konez set and had to spend the night getting it all out in to an idea of my own ,I didnt even finish the peice of music I just needed to get an idea down and get it out of my system.

[djshiva]

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.

[Mindful]

Thats a great "ramble"shiva.
Have you got any links to some of yoour music perhaps?

I would love to check some of your stuff now I know your heart and mind are in the right place.

[djshiva]

well, since i am still a baby when it comes to production, i think perhaps my mixsets are the best place to start. :)

there are a ton of em (ok, mybe not a ton...) on my website. i specifically recommend "scenes from dystopia" and "entelechy", as those were studio mixes that i spent a lot of time composing. "dystopia" especially has a running concept throughout, so i am really fond of that one. the live stuff is a bit more off-the-cuff, which i also love.

i will PM some links to tunes as well...

[holotropik]

originally i used to write songs on my guitar when the urge grabbed me. This was generally to do with girls as I was younger and going through the angst of the social exploration phase of my life.

Later on I left my guitar behind. Eventually I came across newer stuff. Drum-machines, PC software and the possibility of writing a song completely using not just one instrument.

Spiritual pursuits and study combined with my exposure of the Techno sound gave me a new form of expression. From the onset I just wanted to work out how to "play" Techno Live, hands-on like I used to do with my guitar. So I set about working out how to do that.

For the last 5years I have focussed on playing Live from machines in a way that is acceptable and fun and expressive. My inspiration comes from the same place as it did for the guitar. My feelings and head-space at each stage of my life. Now I am older and supposedly wiser I also incorporate other elements about my reality such as my spirituality and beliefs. My developed personalityas such. Techno fits my reality well as it provides a magical foundation to my reality that I call home. It represents a lot about the world that I see and experience. It also keeps me looking ahead rather than behind.

I find that I have developed a natural cycle with my production. I have recently entered my next cycle and am writing completely new stuff. I wandered off into the hills for a while and let my mind clear and replenished my energies from previous works and giggin'. I got my balance again and now I am again expressing what I feel now. My sound has changed accordingly.

I find that I am still learning the language of Techno as it is very different to conventional music. The techniques are varied as is the equipment and the listeners expectations.