Saints prevserve us!

[RDR]

I'll have to agree.
People are releasing what they feel people want to buy.
Instead of releasing what they want to because some distributor is telling them what they should put out.
Distributors should be quality control.
Some are doing more damage than doing good.

On point man.

[eyeswithoutaface]

the distributors should be the last line in quality control. it's the label's and producers who should be towing the line where quality control is concerned. Only problem is, most producers have a different threshold for quality control, and most producers seem to think its compulsory to start a label too.

low quality control + your own label = greater potential for bad records

this isnt always the case of course, just the general feel i think. A great example of quality control on your own label is the new Singularity ep. It's a great record, a new label, from someone who genuinely cares about the overall production from the tracks right down to the artwork and little extra's such as online video's, mp3's etc etc.

we need more producers sending stuff out to labels other than their friends all the time and more labels saying "just tweak this a little, or doesnt that sound awfully like such and such"..... and after that we need more distributors to go "im sorry, we have too many labels/records in that vein already, but we are happy to listen to new stuff when u have it" thus in turn not discouraging people altogether but just getting them thinking that maybe they need to raise the bar a little. I dunno, seem's a wise option to me, but of course it wont happen.

it's quite subjective though really overall, i mean technically yeah sure we can all say wether a record should of been cut or not but musically, stylistically then one mans tune is another mans turkey

god i ****ing hate techno sometimes

[The Overfiend]

I agree and disagree Scott.
Right now it IS the distro's saying well no we wont put it out unless it sounds like or has xyz on it.
FACT.
Anyone having their own label means shit if you have a p and d deal.
Sending shit out to a lot of labels wont do shit, a great amount of this industry is nepotism regardless.
Owning your own label should come with dues paid.
Or genuine passion, I would not judge a non producer for wanting to invest in a label and has been sitting on quality music. If they have the balls to put it out even better.
People that release shite, they lose integrity in time.
Our time will come again man, cyclic motions. As long as people love music, we will be here.
Disco did not die, it became house.

[eyeswithoutaface]

it's not a fact about the distro's being so blunt, it happens, its happened to me actually, but it depends on the label, how big the label's profile is, how big the label owners profile is etc etc. Ive' had all but one planned release go through ok to the stage where its in line for cut and definately, and the one that got away as it were was indeed as you say a distributor involvement, but strangely they thought a track sounded "too much like schranz". It wasnt schranzy in the slightest, it wasnt even a hard track so im not sure what happened there.

its the same point re owning your own label, you can get a p and d and just jump onboard. That's what i meant, there are too many people doing this, and for shitty p and d deals aswell, and just end up working at a loss for a few releases before carrying on at a loss or just quitting it. I did say most. And i gave a great, detailed example of where this isnt the case. Singularity, its a quality record, quality cut, great tracks, little extra's. Yeah, that's what a new label should be about.

and i personally prefer the challenge of getting onto other people's label's, it is true that there is nepotism in the industry, but theres nepotism in every walk of life. Do you think Bush would be where he is now if Daddy hadnt been there before him?

I think there are alot more credible people in techno than people give them credit for, way too much playa hating going on at the moment as it where, if people are doing genuinely bad stuff, then let them, it's their life really and people should just concentrate on their own stuff more rather than trying to disect everyone else's sound a little too much. Iv'e been guilty of this in the past i can hold my hands up to that, but ive learnt from that. It's not a competition .

[RDR]

I think there are alot more credible people in techno than people give them credit for, way too much playa hating going on at the moment as it where, if people are doing genuinely bad stuff, then let them, it's their life really and people should just concentrate on their own stuff more rather than trying to disect everyone else's sound a little too much. Iv'e been guilty of this in the past i can hold my hands up to that, but ive learnt from that. It's not a competition .

Good words.

[RDR]

P.S. I sometimes mistake myself for a player hater... (i also mistake myself for a producer :lol: but thats another story)

It isnt a competition, you quite right.

[eyeswithoutaface]

we is alllllll grawwwwn up now mannnnn!

[RDR]

no.

:lol:

[eyeswithoutaface]

that was said in the style of Patrick Trueman, the great Eastender

[The Overfiend]

Who looks at it like competition?
Only distributors when it comes to sales I believe.

[dirty_bass]

Sales do need to be taken into account.
If a record won`t sell, then there is little point releasing it.
And as a rule distributers do know what sells.
Sure some risk taking is needed, but distributers aren`t adverse to taking risks when the costs aren`t on them.
But at the same time, if they know something won`t sell because it is just another version of something they already have, then they won`t sell it.
these days this is especially relevant, as everyone who can`t get a release is just bringing out their own label these days.

There are over a hundred labels out there putting out techno, and if you can`t get released on one of them, then you need to think very hard about starting a label.

[Mindful]

Some great thoughts there from you there Scott.

[RDR]

There are over a hundred labels out there putting out techno, and if you can`t get released on one of them, then you need to think very hard about starting a label.

Even after all my harsh words about techno i still love the genre and i guess most of my angst is about how the much music I heard has become formulaic, i LONG to be suprised by a dance music track..

I say 'dance music' as this covers so many bases, so many bases i like, but from my perspective it all comes back to the intimacy and immediacy of techno or rather electronic music. I dislike the term techno, it means nothing. FFS shops in poland that have something to do with technoloy have the sign 'techno' above them (much hilarity and photo taking happened on that day... :lol:)

its just a word. I still love the description D.May gave it or it might have J.Atkins.. "its made of sounds you never heard before" i still remember this when writing music, sure there are some elements that remain a constant.. a decent kick that works with the tune etc... but sounds that are fresh.. now thats what i live for. Be it a techno label, a house label etc etc.

The reason i quote DB is because that very same spirit that lives within the indie scene (techno scene, punk scene etc etc) has relevance, people who believe in what they do and want to contribute to the evolution of the sound very often have to ignore the rules and strike out on their own, new labels, indie labels.

Making money is always a nice bonus, but if you want big bucks, go into film sound, that aside, i think some people confuse their desire to be 'in' a scene with their ability or desire to write music. Those who make a scene or genre never did it because theu wanted to be in there... the place they wanted to be never existed, they just made good music, or music that came from withinand was honest and paid no attention to what others had done before them, sure they took influences, but never became subsumed into what was already there.

I partly blame commercialism for this apparent inability of people to stick to their guns, as a genre ages, people get old, they get married they have lives that require a steady influx of cash. Get a washing machine, get a tumble dryer, get a life. Enjoy coca cola and make music in a safe and unexciting manner, promote it and hope that people buy the music. Get signed to a label and hope they pay you. Join the rat race.

I remember watching some videos from the XXX ska scene a while ago, these were kids playing in scout huts during the day time, taking no drugs, alcohol or having sexc before marriage (i kid you not) the energy and enthusiasm they displayed was brilliant.. (the tunes were dubious mind :lol:) but they contributed without saying .. where is my money?

Right then.. i've clearly bored you enough (stop slicing your wrists at the back, the cleaner'll play merry hell...!) My final point is that i'd like to forget techno and just ride the waves of my own subconcious, mash up all the musical influences i ever heard and see what comes out at the other end, techno doesnt reside in a synthesizer, it doesnt live in a drum machine - it was ALWAYS there.. the funky bit in "My Sharona" the energy in "the ace of spades" the aggression in loads that metallica did... the funk in a james brown song... the sex in ghetto tech...

And FFS it DOESNT live in a 303 or a 909, or an 808...

oh, and for all the ladies out there.. it lives in my pants.
:eyes:

[The Overfiend]

On effin' point!

[holotropik]

wicked wordz dodgy....

man, there is some serious s.hite being discussed on here lately.

[eyeswithoutaface]

Dodgy's been at the gin again guys, watch out!

;)

[RDR]

scott twigged! actually it was slovenian dalmatian juice (dont know the proper name its unpronouncable)

[RDR]

and in my defence i only had two glasses...

[eyeswithoutaface]

hahahaha good man

[The Overfiend]

Scott prefers Rotten Milk like those aliens in that show inthe 80's back when!