Re: Skylab

bdwyer@nersp.nerdc.ufl.edu
Wed, 12 Jun 1996 22:29:39 -0400 (EDT)


Thanks for a very insightful post. One of the pleasures of being on this
list is the occasional gem. I don't know if this will start a thread--or a
bunch of threads--but one obvious avenue of discussion would be about the
importance of innovation over refinement of technique. In other words, is
it more important to put out something "new" than it is to put out
something that's not new but BETTER in some way. In a more general sense,
this can be the perennial battle between "art" and "craft," which we have
seen played out in threads arguing about musicianship: is a good musician
one who continues to come up with a new or innovative sound, proving that
this person is progressing; or is a good musician one who refines his or
her technique, perhaps playing the same music but getting better and
better at it? Maybe the real question in our consumer-oriented society is
who can keep putting out recordings that will sell? Regardless of
motivation (money, fame, recognition of ability), which do we value
more--and therefore support with our praise and pocketbooks--innovation or
refined technique? Or is it really both in some successful ratio? If, for
example, someone keeps putting out the same stuff, but it's done really
well and getting better, will we continue to give that person support? Or
do we want our favorite musicians to give us something that's on the
cutting edge? Does the answer depend on the TYPE of music. Obviously, in
classical music the answer would be refinement over innovation--or is it
so obvious? (Support your position by citing examples.)

bil
bdwyer@nersp.nerdc.ufl.edu

On 12 Jun 1996, Jason Brancazio wrote:

> The track you were probably listening to was "seashell" which is quite a
> beautiful track...... the album it appears on is Skylab #1 which came out
> on Astralwerks in 94 I believe, it took me a year to get....note, however
> that as far as beats go, seashell is about as far as that album goes, it
> is really ambient but a fantastic album nonetheless IMHO.
>
>
> It's funny - I've seen a lot of Howie B bashing now, but reading about
> Skylab & Howie B I have to give the big thumbs up to both of the albums
> (#1 & Music for Babies, repsectively). Here's the key: on these albums, a
> close listen informs you that the person making the music is paying close
> attention to each and every bar, trying to move things around within
> overall structures much more than you see in a lot of releases (that
> nevertheless still sound fantastic). When I listened to Music for Babies
> I was incredibly impressed, I really thought that Howie WAS taking it to a
> higher level, and furthermore I didn't really think that it was as cold &
> mental as it was describe here. That's DJ Spooky's mix album (haven't
> heard his own efforts yet)....
>
> It's also interesting that the notions of art & electronic music have
> finally collided here, because in general I think that the abstraction
> that comes from trying to whack out beat music (artful manipulation, if
> you will) is so diametrically opposed to the intention of most of the
> music we discuss, that is to create a groove, that the best artists are
> the ones who abandon overwhelming concerns about song form & the like and
> manage to find the grooves that are destined to do everyone's heads in.
> And here, Howie does fall short - his experimentation seemingly has had
> the effect of alienating and dissapointing a few people. I nevertheless
> appreciate the experimentation, because it's more interesting to listen to
> in a living room setting. It won't get old as quick as some of the other
> releases do, because when you listen to it three months down the line,
> you'll catch something that you didn't the last time you listened. That
> STILL happens with "Throbbing Pouch".
>
> Lastly, even the music that is 4/4, AABA etc (predictable or DJ-oriented) -
> how good has it gotten over the past year? It's amazing, people are
> putting out so much good stuff these days I don't know what to buy
> anymore. I guess that's what Howie's reacting to - to set yourself apart
> it's becoming increasingly necessary to create something more than 'a good
> groove'. First, it's gotta be a album full of them - and then, ????
>
>
>
> Sorry for a bit of the abstraction, I've been thinking about this for a
> while and having been waiting for the opportunity to post. I'd be
> interested to hear what others think about music, electronic abstraction,
> etc, either how it relates to Music for Babies or otherwise.
>
>
> Jay B
>
>