Get loud when it should get soft.

[nfotxn]

I often wonder about the way people feel and how that influences their thinking. One thing in particular that struck me today was the idea of popular dynamic, that is to say, why do people enjoy so much loud, rhythm oriented music these days? Using electronic music as a microcosm and the invention of the sampler as the genesis of it's modern forms you can see a distinct trend from the dreamy, ambience of, well, ambient and trance. The quick succession in the 90s towards more intense house sounds (deep/tech house), drum&bass and hardcore (gabber).

Now, my point is that I feel my musical intuition is very inverted dynamically from what would seem appropriate for classical. I want to phrase things.. not incorrectly.. but not traditionally. Everybody I know in my generation seems to be that way, and it's a large part of what we learn as aspiring classical musicians. We learn to play stylistically, just like fine arts students reproduce Impressionist or Rococo pieces Today the popular opinion of musical style has changed so much, and music just like visual arts is such an integral part of all of us, if we like to admit it or not. So we've all changed a lot. For the better?

Comments

[plaidninja.livejournal.com]

I've heard it said that, in Britain at least, the music changed because everyone bottomed out on E at the same time and switched to crystal and then to cocaine, while meanwhile the next wave of ravers, (who totally didn't understand what rave was really all about...like seriously, it's about the music...really) were coming up on E for the first time. In theory this changing drug culture drove the music to harder, faster, more bitter extremes.
But that's all "textbook" understaning rave 101 bulshit.
I think it's just cause music that inspires wild abandon and retarded dancing is fun.

[nfotxn.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've heard that theory before and I believe it's true. Raves are a modern cultural phenominon, they are something new despite the media hype of E-popping blood thursty communist robots subverting our youth. As something new it outlines of course intrinsic features of culture and that is the role of drugs and the altering of the state of mind in a tribal sense. When it comes down to it, drugs are very much a part of the human condition. Although I'm not pro-drug and I think modern technology has created some NASTY shit in the way of refined psyhcotropics and what not. Anyhow, this discussion is morphing into something new. Although I'm totally into going in depth if you are.

[plaidninja.livejournal.com]

I'm always of two minds about drug culture. One part likes to get fucked up and the other sees it as the waste of time that it really is. There's no doubt that drugs have been with us for a long time and they have a direct key towards seeing the more spiritual side of life, but so much of it is just bulshit brain masturbation. I've heard a bunch of stuff from people about higher states of conciousness, chaos majik and shamanistic journeys. All of that though seems to me about as relevent as the robes and the statues are to Buddism. It misses the point. Drugs are just a doorway. If you close the door behind you it becomes an escape, if you leave the door open it becomes a journey, but that's just a perception thing. The fact of it is you can go on as many journeys or mental vacations as you like but you have to live in the real world, and that's why for all the neat stuff you find on the other side of the doorway, the stuff that you need to live (including feeding your soul) is in the real world. That's not to say you can't learn something from drugs they can free your mind and give you insight, but only in relation to what's real, and like most good dreams it usualy doesn't make much sense when you wake up.
I strayed from the topic again.
Your turn.

Could it be?!

[deziner.livejournal.com]

Intelligent conversation from young people about drugs, culture and music?

Well slap me on the ass and call me Betty!

I think your point about choosing to "close the door" or "leave the door open" is exactly what's missing from a conservative view about psychotropics. Actually, you could take that point and put it in *any* context and it's true.

The question is, how many people are truely open to the experience they might have if they chose to leave the door open and walk through?

This conversation could go on and on and on! I love it. :o)

Re: Could it be?!

[plaidninja.livejournal.com]

I imagine the problem from the conservative mindset is that being open to experiences on the other side of the door implies a certain dissatisfaction with where one currently is. Which makes sense because that kind of mind set can be quite destructive and implies a lack of productivity.

Re: Could it be?!

[nfotxn.livejournal.com]

But there are exceptions, I believe in true non-self-destructive recreational psychotroph use as a tool to grow as a complete individual. I don't think it's a healthy lifestyle, but I don't intermittent useage should be denied of anyone.

Drugs are a scary thing, but I think with enough bravado and brains one can have, again, intermittent experiences that add to one's palette of experience and therefore intelligence.

Music style

[deziner.livejournal.com]

My initial thought about your question of why people enjoy loud, rhythm-oriented music is related to their desire to block out all other thoughts and be consumed by the music itself. I think it's something of an escape-tactic.

Whether that's good or bad is not really for me to say, I guess.

But what I don't like is that it seems any music that isn't loud and rhythm-oriented is deemed "depressing" and "not fun." I prefer to be envolped by music that makes me think, music that is rich and detailed and full of substance so that I have to work to decipher the levels of meaning it might have for me; or music that's so sparse, its emotion is unhidden and naked, allowing me to just live in the thoughts of the message without having to dive into layers.

But damnit, that doesn't make me "boring."

Re: Music style

[nfotxn.livejournal.com]

But damnit, that doesn't make me "boring."

Not at all, infact quite the opposite. At least, in my opinion. Simplistic (pop) music has it's place in culture but if the world was listening to Brian Eno of Philip Glass as pop I suppose the status quo would be have reached an unprecidented level of enlightenment.

I think the fact you have to face is that you're smart Josh. Although unlike elementary school it won't said out-right that you're a no-fun fuddy duddy 'cause you like to listen and think with your ears, the implication will be made by the disemination of vast and sweeping generalizations about people who like "THAT KIND OF MUSIC".