GUNBOAT DIPLOMAT ELECTRO + ACID MIX
What has happened to our beloved dance scene in the u.k ? . Is it time for the next generation to come along and shake the foundations of what we consider to be underground music ? . Is there anybody capable of shaking it up ?
In my opinion there are not many producers with either the knowledge of their equipment , the history of the scene or the imagination to do this . Too many producers think that all it takes is a computer , a 4/4 beat and some nice chords , or a homemade programmed break with some ' phat ' bass to make a ' killa ' tune .
' I've got a Pentium blah blah ' , ' I 've got an apple mac ' How many times have we all heard this ? Just because you have a good computer doesn't mean you know the first thing about what makes a good tune. I say give these peeps an Atari and an s950 and watch them buckle as they don't have a 500 gig harddrive , any pirated digital plug ins or 70 channels to dress up their boring and unimaginative tracks .
Surely with technology being more widely available to the masses , we should be hearing more quality or at least adventurous music but in my opinion this is not the case , all we are hearing is people churning out the same old crap !
When the scene began we didn't have all this technology but the music was alive , vibrant and exciting , so what's gone wrong ?
All scenes have to progress , this is only natural , but I feel people have forgotten what original elements made a particular style . Techno isn't techno just because it's fast and drum & bass isn't all about programming and editing but these seem to be the popular misconceptions . I also feel that the advent of digital formats such as cd, mp3 and laptops in clubs are denying us the full range of harmonics that effect us subliminally .
The recent acid revival is a prime example , loads of people making tunes with 303 and 808 digital emulations and little soul . Go away and listen to likes of Bam Bam – ' where's your child ' , Jack Frost , Pierre and Adonis to name but a few and see how it's really done ! Without this knowledge how can people hope to produce music that has progressed further or contains as much passion .
Gone are the days of going into record shops and coming out with your tunes knowing that you have a few future classics in your sweaty grip ,whether it be from 4 HERO, BUKEM , CARL CRAIG, UNDERGROUND RESISTANCE or MASTERS AT WORK . Now most tunes will be lucky to still be getting played in a few months !.
For myself , most of the scene is dead . The music has become predictable , the dj's unexciting and the clubs extortionate . The drinks industry and clubs must be loving the fact that there is a current cocaine epidemic sweeping the U.K , lots of clubbers knocking back their overpriced drinks .Gone are the days of everyone on the same buzz , dancing all night with a smile and your bottle of water . Now I am faced by groups of 'coked up' arrogant clubbers who will happily give you a smack if you bump into them .
2 comments:
Hey brother! You're so right! The scene is wasted! Though I'm part of a different culture (more discoed) every single one of them have the same roots. What I meant with this post was to express my feelings of disbelief in this new generation. People out there they all might know how the history has been made but they certainly forgot what make the grandpas so great and that's a shame! Everybody's bragging their fancy equipment without even knowing how to make them WORK properlyand without knowing why they bought it for... they just might done so 'cause a superstar dj has one too... and thanks to that shitty attitude they become prisoners of their own materialistic world... Shit, sorry for all this... I just liked your post and it influenced me to say all this! Big it up brother! Good blog! ;)
kay, thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. your comments are insightful and much appreciated. it's an interesting debate with powerful arguments on both sides. The author and I have a friendly disagreement about the whole thing actually. I am sure he will feel emboldened by your comment.
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