the electronic music blues

[mbc113]

ever feel like throwing all of your synths and computers out the window and just buying a piano or acoustic guitar... day and day in front of a computer screen before hearing any sound isn't always fun... sigh...

[dolivas]

ive always been like that in a way with music i make. If any music geeks know who Popol Vuh is or Florian Fricke(same guy) they would know that this guy was one of the greats in early "electronic" music. However what blew my mind is that the only album where he used a synth was his first album where he used a Modular Moog and a Mellotron for the Aguirre soundtrack (which is essential listening by the way). After that everything people would attribute to him using synths were actually him using standard instruments like guitars, percussion, assorted acoustic keys and organs etc. in a different kind of way.

But yeah I aspire to work like them olden days when the actual physicality of music: plucking a string, striking a key, banging some gongs allowed you to dictate how human a song can sound. There's a huge difference between listening to Squarepusher use MAX/MSP on his laptop to sequence a song and listening to an ELP, Ashra, Cluster, or a Stevie Wonder, Bjorn Borgensson song and imagining them in front of all their synths physically turning some knobs, patching some chords and hopping around a stage like mad men.

heh yeah the more you take yourself out of the equation of making an actual sound the more you yearn for being like that first caveman hitting a reed with a stone. I remember all the ELP tracks I liked the most or Genesis tracks as well are the ones where the synth pariahs turn to their pianos and guitars instead of their synths.

---end of bloated spiel---

[Chaorta]

Nope.

[DreamwaveMusic]

Squarepusher is fairly impressive bassist, but in my opinion his programming is more advanced and creative than just about anyone else making experimental electronic music. I cant get enough of the old electronic music scene in europe. Klaus Schulze and Brian Eno have been dominating my ipod lately. Im always introducing people to kraftwerk and ashra/ashra tempel, heldon. The old synths can sound so organic, gentle giant keyboardist Kerry Minnear has created some of my all time favorite synth sounds, plus he figured out how to run signals from his b3 to a moog synth.

[Nubus]

Originally Posted by mbc113

ever feel like throwing all of your synths and computers out the window and just buying a piano or acoustic guitar... day and day in front of a computer screen before hearing any sound isn't always fun... sigh...

Raymond Scott wanted to throw his orchestra out the window. I highly recommend his CD Manhattan Research Inc.