Am I one of the few people.....

[Julius Terrell]

I'm listening to Sunn O right now. The album Monoliths and Dimensions, and it's interesting. I've heard of squarepusher but I've yet to hear any of his stuff. His name has come up quite a bit. Thanks Darth!

I like the term IDM a lot better than brain dance. It sounds better.

 

[Darth Rosenberg]

Granted, I personally loathe labels anyway, but c'mon, you're happy to actual perpetuate usage of a label that has the frikkin' word Intelligent in it? Feck knows how it came into being, but it's practically one big deeply ironic and elitist insult to the actual spirit of most electronica (pushing boundaries, utilising pretty much any and every sound - and genre - possible, etc).

I think I recall Tom Jenkinson being asked about it in an interview, and he didn't even know what it stood for (neither did I). Suffice to say he didn't think much of the term.

(that was to lacktheknack, btw)

 

[Vault101]

(ugh... are people honestly, seriously, still using the offensively idiotic term 'IDM'?)

Why not? Almost no one who would be offended by it actually cares, and the "sanitized alternate title", braindance, isn't really that much better. At least IDM can be said without thinking about the implications behind it.

IDM means intelligent dance music?...thata a thing?

dear lord

 

[FPLOON]

that song is so stupid it breaks through the stupid barier, goes full circle and becomes good...

Doesn't it just?

That tends to happen to most things that Lil Jon touches.

That goes double for anything that originally had nothing to do with Lil Jon to begin with...

I've NEVER been interested in Hip-hop. It's not my genre. The genres that black people are known for doesn't represent me, because deep down I don't want to be stereotyped. I'm living proof that stereotypes can be wrong.

You know, I remember when I used to feel that way... Then, I realized that it wasn't the hip-hop that bothered me... It was the rap of the late 20th to 21st century that was killing it for me... Luckily, not all of the hip-hop I listen to sterns from some black MC spewing raps about dumbass shit that keeps them steroetypes "alive and kicking"...

Anyway, with that said, don't hesitate to check out some stuff featured off Adult Swim... like Prefuse 73, Blockhead, Bibio, or Flying Lotus just to name my favorites... I would also suggest Nujabes, but given your stance on hip-hop, that would be pushing it, I guess... (And no, not all of those suggestions are "100% hip-hop", with the small exception of Nujabes's trip hop stylings... and maybe Blockhead...)

 

[Kolby Jack]

But no, I generally don't enjoy it. I prefer music I can either sing along to or relax to. Electronic music is more for dancing, which I'm not really in to. Most of the songs I like are also tied to good memories I have, and electronic music isn't really good for that either.

not all stuff that falls under "electronic" is recognisalbe as the purer sub genres of EDM (electronic dance music) like trap, house, techno, dubstep, druma nd bass ect

a lot of the stuff I like isn't "pure" at all and when listed too I guess would come under "alternative"

I can't link but stuff like The Glitch Mob (though their latest album was a bit more generic), or an alternative act with vocals and everything like Nicki and the Dove or "pop" type stuff (Sweet Ophelia buy...I forget the artist..zella day or something)

Totally fair. I don't really know enough about the genre to make such sweeping judgements about it. But I've been building up a playlist over the last 10 years, and it still only has maybe 200 songs on it. I'm not a musically inclined guy. Like I said, most of my music is selected because it's tied to a good memory I have. It's very rare for me to just "decide" to like a song without any sort of context.

 

[default]

Nah man, I love it.

Tons of people love those 'obscure' genres. I barely listen to anything else these days personally.

Chilled out stuff with plenty of glitching and interesting vocals is my jam right now.


EDIT:

Also, Squarepusher represent \III/

 

[lacktheknack]

Granted, I personally loathe labels anyway, but c'mon, you're happy to actual perpetuate usage of a label that has the frikkin' word Intelligent in it? Feck knows how it came into being, but it's practically one big deeply ironic and elitist insult to the actual spirit of most electronica (pushing boundaries, utilising pretty much any and every sound - and genre - possible, etc).

I think I recall Tom Jenkinson being asked about it in an interview, and he didn't even know what it stood for (neither did I). Suffice to say he didn't think much of the term.

(that was to lacktheknack, btw)

Yeah, SCREW the word "intelligent"!

...wait, wha-?

"Intelligent" isn't the problem. Originally, that was meant to denote that the genre is highly technical and relies heavily on exploiting classical music theory and ludicrous fractions (try keeping track of an Aphex Twin drum machine breakdown to see what I mean). Of course, if there's the slightest chance that people can reread it as a slight against anything else, they'll do it. If anything, it says more about how overly highly you value intelligence, because quite frankly, I enjoy dumb things more than "intelligent" things in many cases and am not afraid to admit it (see: "Turn Down For What"). That's probably the main reason the title doesn't bother me at all.

 

[Vault101]

Yeah, SCREW the word "intelligent"!

...wait, wha-?

"Intelligent" isn't the problem. Originally, that was meant to denote that the genre is highly technical and relies heavily on exploiting classical music theory and ludicrous fractions (try keeping track of an Aphex Twin drum machine breakdown to see what I mean). Of course, if there's the slightest chance that people can reread it as a slight against anything else, they'll do it. If anything, it says more about how overly highly you value intelligence, because quite frankly, I enjoy dumb things more than "intelligent" things in many cases and am not afraid to admit it (see: "Turn Down For What"). That's probably the main reason the title doesn't bother me at all.

for whatever reason "self labelling" really rubs people the wrong way....I guess because on some level we expect such a label (iltelligent) to be "earned" and not awarded to oneself....

anyway I'm interested now...can you link me some "IDM"?

 

[lacktheknack]

Yeah, SCREW the word "intelligent"!

...wait, wha-?

"Intelligent" isn't the problem. Originally, that was meant to denote that the genre is highly technical and relies heavily on exploiting classical music theory and ludicrous fractions (try keeping track of an Aphex Twin drum machine breakdown to see what I mean). Of course, if there's the slightest chance that people can reread it as a slight against anything else, they'll do it. If anything, it says more about how overly highly you value intelligence, because quite frankly, I enjoy dumb things more than "intelligent" things in many cases and am not afraid to admit it (see: "Turn Down For What"). That's probably the main reason the title doesn't bother me at all.

for whatever reason "self labelling" really rubs people the wrong way....I guess because on some level we expect such a label (iltelligent) to be "earned" and not awarded to oneself....

anyway I'm interested now...can you link me some "IDM"?

Sure! It can be a bit inpenetrable at first, but the technically-minded listener can get a lot out of it.

<youtube=2FMccwa-0vA>

<youtube=-os-GlHIJSE>

<youtube=jlwkOhdE60w>

^some would argue the Boards of Canada inclusion, but I think it counts.

 

[Vault101]

^some would argue the Boards of Canada inclusion, but I think it counts.

which is funny because thats the one I liked best/found more accessible

hmm..interesting...although I griw tired of songs that are 10 minutes long and take forever to get to the "point"

 

[crazygameguy4ever]

well.. i'm not really a electronica fan , i have nothing against it and if someone wants to listen to it, then go fro it.. I personally listen to more Japanese music then anything else, which my cousin finds weird since i'm a american.. but who cares.. i just like and that's how it is.. it's really catchy and now i wanna learn Japanese so i can understand it better. a few of favorite Japanese songs is the Bleach anime theme Ichirin no Hana by High and Might Color..





and

Scandal Nanka Buttobase by Scandal




I say, everyone listen to what you like and if only you enjoy it ,then tough. keep enjoying it and ignore people who don't like it

 

[MrSchmeiser]

GoA and psytrance for life my man. It's funny how drugs are stereotyped as bad but every "hardcore" party is so good and full of love and friendship compared to alcohol parties

 

[lacktheknack]

^some would argue the Boards of Canada inclusion, but I think it counts.

which is funny because thats the one I liked best/found more accessible

hmm..interesting...although I griw tired of songs that are 10 minutes long and take forever to get to the "point"

But their fiddling around and experimenting with stuff IS their point. The Mt. St Michel mix, for instance, is divided into a drum breakdown, a melodious setup, a quiet bit, and a "rapid fire" ending, and each part is equally important overall. Each one is a point in and of itself.

...of course, this is why IDM isn't particularly popular.

 

[Vault101]

But their fiddling around and experimenting with stuff IS their point. The Mt. St Michel mix, for instance, is divided into a drum breakdown, a melodious setup, a quiet bit, and a "rapid fire" ending, and each part is equally important overall. Each one is a point in and of itself.

...of course, this is why IDM isn't particularly popular.

eh..I guess I'm more into feels than technical proficiency...I actually like like classical music but stuff like this and metal just doesn't do it for me

 

[Meko]

I like most of the electronic music subgenres. Some of them are too extreme for me(speedcore, etc) but stuff like house and trance are quite my style.
Some genres that fuse electronic music, into heavy metal for example, are quite favorable by me. It adds that electronic touch to something that was never meant to be electronic.

 

[Roxor]

I'm rubbish with music genres, but I think it's safe to say that a big chunk of my music library is electronic. Lots of MODs, quite a few MIDIs, some Adlib tunes, and an assortment of odd formats I'm not sure how to play.

Basically, when I was in high school, my source of music wasn't the radio or CDs. It was the Internet, specifically the Demoscene. Our 486DX/33, which was pretty decent at the time, was regularly put to work mixing MODs and pumping them through the Sound Blaster 16 and into a set of headphones while I did my homework.

I think it's shaped my views of music in a few ways. I'm not really that used to music with lyrics. Yeah, I'll listen to it, but I tend to find myself heading back to something that doesn't have any words in it beyond the odd sampled sentence, if at all.

I'm also a little resentful of the proliferation of MP3 and its ilk as music storage formats. I got so used to being able to see the notes on a MOD pattern scroll past while listening, that the inability to do so with MP3 and having to settle for a spectrogram (if the playback program even has that) is frustrating. There's something relaxing about watching the notes of your music scroll past, especially when coupled with knowing that it's being made as you watch, and knowing how the computer is doing it. You just can't get that with MP3.

 

[Something Amyss]

except rap...

And blues. And, by definition, Americana.

I think that's probably where the list ends.

Though I've heard a few decent foreign rappers. And blues artists.

I'm living proof that stereotypes can be wrong.

If the reason you're avoiding "black" music is because you don't want to be part of a stereotype, you're not really disproving the stereotype. You're probably doing yourself a greater disservice in the end, because you're still ruled by the stereotype.

 

[Bocaj2000]

What's that? You are one of the few people who like a specific type of music that isn't mainstream? That's cute.

Sounds like me in 7th grade boasting about how brutal my taste in metal was. By high school I found Psyopus and the Berzerker. Still thought I was awesome and unique. Then I discovered the Black Metal scene... at that point I realized that I didn't know what I was talking about, decided to chill out, and stopped waving my dick around.

I don't know what the moral of my story is... why am I still here?

you werent born in le wrong generation were you? you know with Queen and Creedance and the beetles and Kiss and when music was not a souless carichature of culture

I don't know what you're getting at, but my taste in music has changed a lot since highschool. My taste in metal has dissolved from grindcore, classic rock, and GWAR into melodic, technical, and/or progressive bands. Examples would include The Human Abstract, TesseracT, Arch Enemy, Dream Theater, and, of course, Opeth. But then I discovered The Mars Volta and fell in love with the avant guard and post-rock/post-metal. Examples of these include God Is An Astronaut, Animals as Leaders, and Chimp Spanner. Lastly, through listening to the Prodigy on Last.fm (before it went to shit), I discovered my love for chillout and nu jazz. Examples of these include Kodomo, Zero 7, Unkle, Welder, and the Jagga Jazzist.

I, of course, like my classic rock as much as my dad does, but to discount contemporary music in exchange for nostalgia wouldn't be fair to the previously listed groups (yes, they are all contemporary). There is a lot of good music being made now. The only "soulless caricature" in music is pop. And yes, the '00s was the lowest point for pop in a long time. With that said, it's not fair to judge all contemporary music based on pop. That would be like me trying to judge all art based on conceptual art... and conceptual art REALLY sucks.

 

[Bocaj2000]

Also, Squarepusher represent \III/

Do you know the squarepusher? Sometimes he likes to go spastic in his red hot car. Personally, I think he went direct to mental when he killed Robok, but idk... it's is fucking sound, not mine.

 

[Darth Rosenberg]

^ My Fucking Sound is one of my favourites - a perfect example of Jenkinson's range:

<youtube=OzoFHatryJQ>

"Intelligent" isn't the problem. Originally, that was meant to denote that the genre is highly technical and relies heavily on exploiting classical music theory and ludicrous fractions (try keeping track of an Aphex Twin drum machine breakdown to see what I mean). Of course, if there's the slightest chance that people can reread it as a slight against anything else, they'll do it. If anything, it says more about how overly highly you value intelligence, because quite frankly, I enjoy dumb things more than "intelligent" things in many cases and am not afraid to admit it (see: "Turn Down For What"). That's probably the main reason the title doesn't bother me at all.

As far as I can tell there was never one [dumb] reason for the term coming into being. It was only 'required' (most likely by unintelligent music journos. wait, is there any other kind?) when electronica began to gain far more mainstream traction, ergo numpties needed another label to distinguish between 'normal' - often mainstream - electronic music, and the stuff Warp was increasingly making waves with.

Not sure how you get that I "overly value intelligence". I despise the term because, by extension, it suggests other music may be 'less' intelligent - what kind of dimwit wishes to divide art based on 'intelligence', even used as a terrible euphemism for 'duh, it's more complex and stuff to what I am used to!'? They could've at least generated a less patronising and more accurate term. There's a lot of dumb electronica in the world, and a lot of a extraordinarily intelligently 'normal' dance music. (EDM's daft as well, and I refuse to use it, but at least it's not directly and profoundly offensive)

Julius, have you crossed paths with Autechre yet? Another one of the Warp greats.

Rae's one of my favourite tracks - a phenomenal, subtle, beautiful progression of patterns and layers of melodic tones. Mechanistic, but soulful (in a mournful, bittersweet kinda way).

<youtube=qG5w_w7EwV4>

<youtube=k6E97myoAV8>

<youtube=23_BF6WUuPg>

1 and 3 are from LP5, which I think's their best album. an incredible, complex, but rewarding listen. I think they were at the peak of their powers throughout the '90's, albums and EP's.

This might be as conventional as they ever got, from the Anti EP:

<youtube=R7EoDcb9738>

Oh, and on the completely opposite end of the elctronica spectrum, there's Kid 606 and Matmos's irreverent, glitchier brilliance, like this (I still have the limited Twirl EP vinyl this was taken from):

<youtube=czQtfdI7GcM>

More clicks'n'ambient:

<youtube=KFBtyqENWrU>

Tigerbeat6 - 606's own label - is well worth digging into.