What the hell is wrong with modern dance music

[jasedee]

Originally Posted by Juho L

But reasoning the current state of "dance" music by a drug culture is a bit lame.

Well, I think that the dance culture and the drug culture go hand in hand. It's especially true with todays designer drugs like ecstacy, ice, speed, cocaine etc....where a persons night out to a club will in some cases, be without question that recreational drug use will be undertaken.

And I think dance music, techno, acid house etc was born under these conditions. Warehouse style parties in the 80's where ecstacy use was becoming huge. The use of methamphetamine and the growing popularity of dance music cannot by themselves be mentioned without the other one.

Originally Posted by Juho L

why we shouldn't make music that is danceable without drugs?

I dont think people make dance music so that people on drugs will dance to it...it is only where the music will end up. And by all means we should be making music that is danceable without needing to use drugs, but still the fact remains that when people go to a rave, or club, the use of drugs will almost be like a decision to have a drink at a bar. I think the use of recreational drugs is becoming more accepted. Decriminalisation, harm minimisation...these are being pushed instead of "zero tolerance". Amsterdam...for example.

Originally Posted by Juho L

Who knows what kind of kicks the junkies get when they hear good danceable music.

I think we need to seperate the term junkie, and recreational user.

Originally Posted by Juhu L

Edit: One reason for this issue could be that 99% of the dance music producers just don't know how to make danceable music.

Quite possibly

Edit: We could also go back to the 60's, Jimi Hendrix on acid etc....the dope smoking hippies expanding their minds to experimental, anti-govenrment psychedelic rock, using drugs as a means of recreation, rebellion, and we can administer the same reasoning there as is with dance music today.....it is the same thing, except now it is hard trance and ecstacy, instead of pot/acid and good ol rock n roll!

I dont think that the two musical genres can be compared, but the social and cultural aspects can be.

Edit 2: And I think that really, there has always been shit music, and there always will be. I think we can look at the advance of technology as one of the main culprits in the state of dance music today. the technology is so damn cheap now, and anyone has access to it. Synths are shipped with enough presets to make you sound like the dance record you bought last week, software can be downloaded free......The boom in bedroom producers and recording equipment means that anyone can start to make "dance" music.......I think the shit will always be there, and it is up to people like you and I to make the choice to not support it. We can turn to a different radio station when it comes on. We can change the television channel when these videos are played, we can stop even discussing it and make an effort to be the pioneers of the 21st century, like all those great musicians from the past. We can be creative, inspirational, dynamic and above all, different. We can be experimental, and push the boundaries continuously!

OK..better stop now. Am starting to rant and preach

[Blank]

WOW LOL...Such a falacy...You 2 should not be merging drugs and dance music, they are not one in the same...almost all live music events are over run with drugs in some form or another, this includes rock and 60's, 70's, and 80's music...and im sure Stevie did coc, it was readily available at the time and many popular musicians were doing it...Heck Ray Charles did...anything is possilbe...Drugs are there no matter what...you write music for ppl to enjoy, if they have to get high to do it its there problem, if not good for them...and if they dont like it fuck em'
Juho if you want to try this endeavor go ahead but i suggest you make music you like to make, you will have more fun that way...

peace
Blank

[Hollowcell]

Originally Posted by Blank

Juho if you want to try this endeavor go ahead but i suggest you make music you like to make, you will have more fun that way...

Yeh, even if it's that weirdo ProgRock crap you listen to. Hehehe.

[Blank]

Man i tell you what Hollow, you really opened up since you first started posting here LOL


peace
Blank

[Juho L]

I know that drugs have been around music scene from the very beginning and still there have been brilliant music. Drugs are just a bad excuse for bad music. Gaah.

When I'll get my studio running and get my John Bleak Project on, you'll guys will be amazed... or not.

[jasedee]

Originally Posted by Juho L

I know that drugs have been around music scene from the very beginning and still there have been brilliant music

And at the same time there has also been shit music (see 'apache' video), as there still is in all of todays genres....be it Dance, Pop, Rock, and *shock horror* ProgRock!

Can it be that standards have slipped? Can it be that the human race is perhaps not as creative as it once was? Can it be that the technology for music making, especially in the dance/electronica genre, is now so accessible, to all walks of life, and regardless of talent and knowledge any fool can release a CD, vinyl, and call it 'dance'..........

[Juho L]

Originally Posted by jasedee

And at the same time there has also been shit music (see 'apache' video), as there still is in all of todays genres....be it Dance, Pop, Rock, and *shock horror* ProgRock!

What?! You question coolness of The Apache?!

Can it be that standards have slipped? Can it be that the human race is perhaps not as creative as it once was? Can it be that the technology for music making, especially in the dance/electronica genre, is now so accessible, to all walks of life, and regardless of talent and knowledge any fool can release a CD, vinyl, and call it 'dance'..........

"Recording equipement is too cheap nowadays" - Lennu from muusikoiden.net when commenting a demo that was utter crap.

Indeed professional equipement is way too cheap nowadays. Even with 1000 euros you can get a good start. This leads to a situation in which some people get producing equipement even they don't have faintest clue about anything releated to that. Of course people learn that way but it's a rough fact of life that most people just don't have talent. We all are medicore at best in everything execpt some people who are above average in one or two things. If you don't have talent, you just can't learn. Sometimes I've thought that one should need a licence to get a synth from a store. To get a licence you should study basics of music and the concept of MIDI and basics audio (connecting cables, etc). Also when you buy a synth before you get it home you'll have to perform a trial in the store. In that trial you're only equipped with a manual and the synth. In that trial you'll have to perform basic functions on the synth, like basic sound editing, sequencing, patch control, etc. In the end you'll have to perform a musical piece (the more professional synth, the more demanding piece).

This way we would get a situation in which the untalented people would only get Casio home keyboards. Of course this owuld lead to a point in which all trance is made with Casio keyboards, but that's not a problem. Buahahaha!

But think what kind of relief it would be! No-one would never ever again answer questions like "I boutght 2000 euro synth. I've connected the MIDI cables but I can't hear anything. What's wrong?" or "What the hell is this modmatrix?" or maybe even "How do I use the filters?". It's just annoying that people are so lazy that they don't bother to learn the basics by themselves even they have a comprehensive manual and a world's largest information database at their fingertips, but instead they bother other people with stupid questions (Yes, they are stupid questions... Actually incredibly stupid questions - an another rough fact of life. Your questions are authorized to be called stupid if you'd get the answers easier by yourself).

We really should get this licence & trial system. Who's with me? I am! I am!

[jasedee]

Originally Posted by Juho L

What?! You question coolness of The Apache?!

Ok ok....I take that back. Apache is way cool!

get this licence & trial system. Who's with me? I am! I am!

I dont think I can pass this license test

[Juho L]

Originally Posted by jasedee

Ok ok....I take that back. Apache is way cool!

Good.

I dont think I can pass this license test :?

This means that you'll just have to take some time (few hours) and study the basics and youll do just fine.

It's really strange that people make music even they don't know anything about notation or chords. Oh boy they don't even know how much better they would do with those basic bits of knowledge.

[Onkel Dunkel]

I think the biggest problem is that crap music sells so why bother making quality music