Jeff Mills - "The Blue Potential" - CD/DVD

[xfive]

I'm not gonna buy the dvd mind you.. but I think it was an entertaining half hour listen :razz:

[Francisco Scaramanga]

First of all, while these were originally dance tracks, I really dont think anyone intended any of this to be dropped in a club. I dont think "dance music" was the goal of this project. And no, it wasn't true classical otherwise there would be no 909, but then again if it was a true Jeff Mills set, there wouldent be any orchestra. Its just a new and different way to listen to some of his music. Its quite interesting, future music techno, eletronic 909 etc, combined with age old sound of orchestra played on instruments that have been around for 1000 years or more. And it sounds allright. Gimmicky perhaps, but its amused me at the very least.

One other thing - this business about techno being tight - what and classical music isn't? I'm sure those musicians are playing to a metronome, only they are good enough that its in their head, and they can no doubt stick to that as well as a drum machine can, because to play serious classical music you have to be that good. I have never heard of any orchestra that prides itself on the looseness of their musicianship, and most of the truly great pieces require an immense amount of precision timing, there is no room at all for looseness, if you arent bang on you screw the whole thing up.

[SlavikSvensk]

anyone heard the orchestral version of the legend of zelda theme? now THAT's what i call a crossover! :bonk:

on jeff mills...i think this is neither a groundbreaking work of genius, nor some terrible, failed experiment. it's some dance tracks done orchestrally...in other words, a novelty.

[audioinjection]

im not really into this.....i mean its a cool idea and all, but i wouldnt want to hear this dropped in a club haha

although it does get pretty boring.......sounds more like a movie soundtrack to me

but props to mills for the experiment

[Dave Elyzium]

this seems a bit like an itchy willy - not all that unpleasurable to endure and at times almost enjoyable, but do you really want to be seen to be scratching it? becuase then althought the unpleasentness subsides, youre still left with your willy in your hand.

[dirty_bass]

One other thing - this business about techno being tight - what and classical music isn't? I'm sure those musicians are playing to a metronome, only they are good enough that its in their head, and they can no doubt stick to that as well as a drum machine can, because to play serious classical music you have to be that good. I have never heard of any orchestra that prides itself on the looseness of their musicianship, and most of the truly great pieces require an immense amount of precision timing, there is no room at all for looseness, if you arent bang on you screw the whole thing up.

Well, I have a very good mate who composes and conducts.
So we talk classical a lot.
Essentially the conducter is the metronome, but his job isn`t just to keep time, he reads the mood of the music as it plays, and adjusts acccordingly. If a performance is sublime but seems that it needs to slow down slightly then it will do so, and so to speeding up.
Of course you have to be good, because you have to play in unison, and to change tempo in unison, and be fluid takes more skill than just being rigid to the beat.
Thats why people have preference to different conductors and to different orchestras. It`s all about the way the dynamics work together.
Techno isn`t about that at all, it`s a rigid beat, with possible repetative swing to the groove. It has to be, otherwise DJ`s would be crying all over the world.

I`ve got plenty of contemporary classical music that I`ve tried to sample so I could wack it into a tune, but it is impossible, as the beat shifts (albeit imperceptably until you wack a metronome to it).

[Francisco Scaramanga]

One other thing - this business about techno being tight - what and classical music isn't? I'm sure those musicians are playing to a metronome, only they are good enough that its in their head, and they can no doubt stick to that as well as a drum machine can, because to play serious classical music you have to be that good. I have never heard of any orchestra that prides itself on the looseness of their musicianship, and most of the truly great pieces require an immense amount of precision timing, there is no room at all for looseness, if you arent bang on you screw the whole thing up.

Well, I have a very good mate who composes and conducts.
So we talk classical a lot.
Essentially the conducter is the metronome, but his job isn`t just to keep time, he reads the mood of the music as it plays, and adjusts acccordingly. If a performance is sublime but seems that it needs to slow down slightly then it will do so, and so to speeding up.
Of course you have to be good, because you have to play in unison, and to change tempo in unison, and be fluid takes more skill than just being rigid to the beat.
Thats why people have preference to different conductors and to different orchestras. It`s all about the way the dynamics work together.
Techno isn`t about that at all, it`s a rigid beat, with possible repetative swing to the groove. It has to be, otherwise DJ`s would be crying all over the world.

I`ve got plenty of contemporary classical music that I`ve tried to sample so I could wack it into a tune, but it is impossible, as the beat shifts (albeit imperceptably until you wack a metronome to it).

Well, we're in agreement with regards to the playing/conducting of classical music then. But I still fail to see how techno is all that different (theoretically speaking anyway). I'm not really into contemporary classical though, I prefer the older stuff. Which does include some cosmic changes of tempo and strange time signatures and that, but it is surprising how much of it is actually 4/4 dancefloor stompers. Beethoven was tearing up dancefloors back in the day, and some of it was even approaching techno sort of speed. And I have successfully lifted large chunks of it and put it over beats, and the timing is perfect, as if it was played by James Browns band or something.

Heres a thought, when discussing a conductor, I would go farther than to say he is like a metronome, because he also acts as a mixing desk really, by getting the right mix of the various sections of the orchestra, bringing bits up and down as the situation requires - this is a stretch but it just popped into my head - sort of like a DJ playing records, the DJ uses the pitch control to match the beats, but also if the set is a little flat, then maybe speed the set up, or slow things down if the dancefloor is looking cained, and then use the mixer to get the right mix of everything, levels and eq's. And of course some people prefer the smooth blended style, others like the fast and aggressive style, and I'll bet both of those ideas could be used to describe conductors as well.

I've had many discussions about this sort of thing with my dad who is a musician and for many years made a living playing with numerous symphonies around the world, and although he doesent like techno as such, he is forever pointing out the similarities to me between his favourite classical bits and my favourite bits of techno.

At any rate, I like it, you dont, and we both have our reasons, so fair enough.

[mat]

Well, it`s a fun project, but "the bells" is hardly an orchestral track.
Timpany for the kick, cymbals for the hats, maybe a sax for the housey noise, and then some idiot on tubular bells.
I mean, I`m all up for a bit of pretentious artiness, but converting some very simple 909 based tunes into orchestral score? it`s almost a joke.
Writing music for an orchestra is another thing altogether.
He`ll be doing some Jeff Mills and Garth Brooks country and western techno next.
The Bells, western style "yeeeeehaaaaaa ding ding ding ding, boom tish boom tish"

Alright, I've seen a overview of this dvd and I can speak of it. First, the ochestra version seems terrific (Amazon is a masterpiece). Then Jeff and Thomas Roussel (classical music composer) have told that it's not an orchestra version of the tracks because some of the selected tracks don't fit the classical stuff. So Thomas has recomposed more some tracks, and then with Jeff they have re-arranged them to keep the same emotional message that Jeff wanted to expose more than keeping the sound. As a result some tracks are hardly recognizable.

[Buttman]

Where to hear this? Found no samples nor info on Axis homepage.

[dirty_bass]

Where to hear this? Found no samples nor info on Axis homepage.

Just put on some beef oven, and then play the bossanove drum preset on you bontempi home organ.
Same effect.
Read a book on existencialism at the same time, for extra millsness.
:razz:

[xfive]

Where to hear this? Found no samples nor info on Axis homepage.

http://www.lesinrocks.com/DetailArti...?iditem=183342

[Buttman]

Hehe sounds a bit Naxos yeah ;) And why the drum machines??

Good initiative nonetheless...

BTW... Why did he not include his all time best track "Blueprints"?