Bill H. Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 ^ http://www.beatport.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus64 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 As far as a musician, his musical vocabulary is ridiculously small. i-VI-VII gets really old really quick. But musically, he can't write a melody at this point judging from the 3 I heard. In conclusion, I wish Mister Skrillex all the best. Keep playing/triggering those 3 chords for the kids, but please stay off my lawn. I doubt the guy is overly concerned with his musical literacy considering his "formula" has generated him about $2.5M and counting. Prof, I surely hope you don't judge music that way. "Musicians" have always derided "Popular" music for one reason or another. But, it hasn't stopped folks from making music by any means necessary. If that comment is directed at me: my iPod and music collection is about 95% pop, 5% classical. I would just caution against trying to set parameters for what makes music successful and why his isn't, though the discussion can be a worthwhile one. Actually, my comments were directed more towards your "flash in the pan" comment. Success is many things on it's own. As I said, good for the kid for doing what he does. If ya want a recipe for staying power, it's melody and harmony. That's why I brought up Cage and Stockhausen: they didnt last. Maybe Mister Skrillex is this great 3-chord genius, I have no idea and don't really care. If one wants staying power, it's melody and harmony for the win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mogut Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Or, if this helps clarify things, even if 199billion are served, McDonalds is still $hit.Not sure your apples to apples here. I think people care more about what goes in their ears then in their mouths. -Greg Motif XS8, MOXF8, Hammond XK1c, Vent Rhodes Mark II 88 suitcase, Yamaha P255 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus64 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Or, if this helps clarify things, even if 199billion are served, McDonalds is still $hit.Not sure your apples to apples here. I think people care more about what goes in their ears then in their mouths. Snooki made more than Al Pacino last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I purchased Skrillex - More Monsters and Sprites ep from Amazon downloads. I have to say I enjoyed it quite a bit. Funny thing, someone walked into my office and asked me about providing music for a retirement gathering next week. I said "How about this" and turned up More Monsters and Sprites by Skrillex. She gave me a funny look, said "I never expected you to listen to that kind of music." and walked out. This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobadohshe Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 The problem I see for the kid is that he seems to be cannibalizing himself a lot. The strongest Skrillex tracks are now over a year old. It will be interesting to see how (or if) he can move forward. His new EP dropped 2 days before Christmas. It's good magn. Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37 My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobadohshe Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 ^ http://www.beatport.com/ Which, by the way, is baffling many 'experts' as people are buying music from it like crazy even though it's more expensive! I LOVE Beatport. Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37 My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfD Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 As far as a musician, his musical vocabulary is ridiculously small. i-VI-VII gets really old really quick. But musically, he can't write a melody at this point judging from the 3 I heard. In conclusion, I wish Mister Skrillex all the best. Keep playing/triggering those 3 chords for the kids, but please stay off my lawn. I doubt the guy is overly concerned with his musical literacy considering his "formula" has generated him about $2.5M and counting. Prof, I surely hope you don't judge music that way. "Musicians" have always derided "Popular" music for one reason or another. But, it hasn't stopped folks from making music by any means necessary. If that comment is directed at me: my iPod and music collection is about 95% pop, 5% classical. I don't judge music based on how much revenue it generates but my point is, somebody is listening to it. My comment wasn't directed at you personally unless you fall into the realm of musicians who fail to find any redeeming value in music that doesn't follow the rules of harmony and melody. I'm sure your iPod contains a few 1 chord, no melody, beat driven bangers. PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus64 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 My comment wasn't directed at you personally unless you fall into the realm of musicians who fail to find any redeeming value in music that doesn't follow the rules of harmony and melody. He does follow the rules. I have no problem with either following or breaking the rules, just a problem with a limited vocabulary. I checked out one tune: i-VI-VII. Checked out a second: i-VI-VII. A third: i-VI-VII. I felt no need to check out a fourth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichieP_MechE Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 What is Dubstep anyway? [video:youtube] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridog6996 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 If ya want a recipe for staying power, it's melody and harmony. That's why I brought up Cage and Stockhausen: they didnt last. Sorry, coming in late to this discussion, but... Cage and Stockhausen "didn't last?" I think most people, myself included, consider those guys to be easily two of the most important and influential modern era (20th century, post-war) composers. Household names? No, but 9 out of 10 people off the street know nothing about composers not named Mozart and Beethoven anyway, so that's hardly a gauge for anything. I really don't get the melody/harmony argument. There's certainly plenty of melody and harmony to be found in electronic music, but primarily it's more about the beat/rhythm and texture. If you value complex changes and whatnot above all else, that's cool, but I for one don't see what that has to do with anything. By that reasoning, rap and hip-hop should be long gone as well, but that's clearly not the case. I don't think Jay-Z has sung a melody or played a single chord in his entire life, and he's been around for more than 15 years now, and still as popular as ever. My YouTube Channel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus64 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 If ya want a recipe for staying power, it's melody and harmony. That's why I brought up Cage and Stockhausen: they didnt last. Sorry, coming in late to this discussion, but... Cage and Stockhausen "didn't last?" In the past 25 years, I've probably done 3,000 classical shows. Played all the Mahler symphonies at least twice. Played just about everything Barber, Stravinsky, Copland and Bernstein wrote for orch ad nauseam. Lived in 13 states, played in 50+ orchestras. Number of pieces by Cage or Stockhausen played........ zero. One can look at the yearly concert roster of pretty much every orchestra, opera company, chamber group etc online. They just aren't there. You might find them in "College new music ensemble", which is where I played them. In fact, Cage was at one of my shows. But I'm not trying to give you my opinion, look for yourself: they didn't last. It's not a criticism of their work, they were both important figures and have legacies. Do people perform their music in concert? No. In fact, 2012 is the Cage centennial. Have a look, it's mainly college groups: cage If you value complex changes and whatnot above all else, that's cool, Actually what I'm trying to say is completely opposite: it's the simple but effective melody that lasts. It's the well-crafted "Embraceable You" that has staying power. I don't think Jay-Z has sung a melody or played a single chord in his entire life, and he's been around for more than 15 years now, and still as popular as ever. That's not very long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridog6996 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Firstly, while I don't know their catalogs by heart, as far as I'm aware, Stockhausen wrote only one piece for orchestra (3 orchestras, actually), and Cage didn't write any, so that's at least part of the reason why you wouldn't encounter their works in that setting. So there's that... "Embraceable You" is your gauge for staying power? Nobody has cared about "Embraceable You" since the 30s except for jazz musicians, and while I love jazz dearly, many of us here know all too well how much jazz means when it comes to the general public's taste (which would be very little). The same is true for the classical/serious genres as well, so really this is an apples and oranges comparison. I'm certain there are Jay-Z songs that have been popular (key word) for as long or longer than "Embraceable You." There's no question dubstep or any electronic music will technically be around 100 years from now. It definitely will, in terms of its existence in time and space. The question is whether or not people will still care about it. Maybe there will be small, smoky dubstep clubs where old-timers will go to hang out, much like the dwindling number of jazz clubs today. Who knows. At the very least, electronic music in general isn't going anywhere anytime soon, and neither is hip-hop. Like I said, I'm a little late to the game here. It sounds to me like what you're talking about is a personal dislike of electronic music, in which case I don't really care. You like what you like, end of story. What I'm responding to is what I perceived as a sweeping statement of its validity as a lasting form music, and in that regard, your case still doesn't make any sense to me whatsoever. But that's fine, I guess. My YouTube Channel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus64 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Firstly, while I don't know their catalogs by heart, as far as I'm aware, Stockhausen wrote only one piece for orchestra (3 orchestras, actually), and Cage didn't write any, Say what?????????? Cage wrote 20-30 at least. As I said: concert roster of pretty much every orchestra, opera company, chamber group etc online. They just aren't there. That covers pretty much all concert groups. They aren't being played. I'm not suggesting that is good or bad, just reality. It sounds to me like what you're talking about is a personal dislike of electronic music, Yeah. I bought the minimoog, the Kraftwerk CDs, the 30+ synths etc just to pick up the chicks. I've been playing Absynth and Massive non-stop for the past four days (Since Komplete" arrived at my doorstep. "Embraceable You" is your gauge for staying power? Nobody has cared about "Embraceable You" since the 30s except for jazz musicians, and while I love jazz dearly, many of us here know all too well how much jazz means when it comes to the general public's taste (which would be very little). The same is true for the classical/serious genres as well, so really this is an apples and oranges comparison. I'm certain there are Jay-Z songs that have been popular (key word) for as long or longer than "Embraceable You." I'll see this as nicely as I can: you have no idea what you're talking about. That's OK, I have no idea about 99% of the things I talk about , but I know a lot about this one: The Gershwin estate, which holds the catalog of the music that nobody cares about, is generating MILLIONS of $$ per year. He's not public domain for the most part. The $2.5 that someone mentioned in this thread that Skrillex makes? Gershwin makes more, and he's been dead for 76 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridog6996 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 As far as I can tell, Cage only wrote two full orchestra pieces: 101, and Ryoanji. Regardless of that, though, I think what it comes down to is your definition of what it means to be a "lasting" artist. Whether or not you hear his stuff regularly played by the Boston Philharmonic, he left a recognizable stamp on modern composition, and his legacy will carry on long into the future. To me, that's "lasting," but maybe it's not for you. I don't think there's really a right answer there. Classical/serious music has been a niche thing for a long time when it comes to the public, so it generally doesn't make for a great example when discussing other types of music. As far as Skrillex vs. Gershwin, money isn't in any way a factor in what I'm talking about. There are so many variables there that it's really a pointless comparision. One being that Skrillex has really only been around for a couple years, so his catalog of music is still pretty small, whereas the Gershwin estate is collecting royalties on a whole career's worth of music. 76 years after Skrillex has died, compare notes again and the financial picture could be very different. Again, the issue for me is what you consider "lasting" music. Your definition seems to be different than mine, so I guess there's no point going further, since I'm arguing that the sun is yellow and you're arguing that the sky is blue. I don't even particularly like Skrillex myself or necessarily think his music will "last." I just disagree with with your criteria for what makes music "good," for lack of a better word. Just out of curiosity, based on things you've said, I'd be interested to hear about some electronic artists that you do like. My YouTube Channel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 This video was instrumental in helping me understand the genre. [video:youtube] Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Mizzell Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 This video was instrumental in helping me understand the genre. Almost fell out of my chair! Damn that's funny! Les Mizzell ---------------------------------------------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arX Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I enjoy what has been dubbed "post-dubstep" and "future garage" with artists like Mount Kimbie, Duncan Powell and James Blake. [video:youtube] Prophet 08 business. [align:right]## ##[/align] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-A. Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 agreed. I spent sometime researching it live... Did not enjoy, nor is it fun trying to recreate it... I guess there is a specific art to it. My cat jumped on my Midi controller and it sounded pretty cool. www.melivin-inc.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Yeah, I'm kicking around the idea of dusting off my sequencers and giving this a go. I recall one of my last major productions (in 2003) was described by one reviewer as "a genre-bending adventure, mixing and dabbling in darkwave, acid, dubstep, trance, and numerous other forms without the slightest confusion" - perhaps I can give this Skrillex kid some ideas for where to take this mess before it gets completely stale... A bunch of loud, obnoxious music I USED to make with friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Sorry for the necrobump, but this slayed me... http://christwire.org/2012/02/skrillex-uses-satanic-and-homosexual-influence-to-win-grammys/ :laugh: A bunch of loud, obnoxious music I USED to make with friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus64 Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Sorry for the necrobump, but this slayed me... http://christwire.org/2012/02/skrillex-uses-satanic-and-homosexual-influence-to-win-grammys/ :laugh: Well, I like him slightly more now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusker Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I purchased Skrillex - More Monsters and Sprites ep from Amazon downloads. I have to say I enjoyed it quite a bit. Me too. I expected this thread to be about "dance music" by which I mean techno and all the tired cliches it has become. I found myself drawn to the sound design and each piece had a coherent dramatic structure. Those bass breakdowns are great. I'm going, "it's a sine wave in parallel with a high passed filtered super-saw through a waveshaper and .... omg is that a vocoder in there? I know this is not Beethoven's ninth, but the ninth will always be there for me. Meanwhile, I am glad somebody's doing something new. Jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 I've tried to hit that link twice. I think it killed their server, or was it http://dstecca.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/tumblr_lki01159vo1qe0xsq.jpg SATAN??? "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 I've tried to hit that link twice. I think it killed their server, or was it SATAN??? Should work now - yesterday it was making the rounds on FB pretty quick. A bunch of loud, obnoxious music I USED to make with friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therealvicz Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 I quite like it, a chance to blow the dust off the Radias and give the knobs a twiddle. Start with a wobble bass (Saw wave < LPF < LFO ) and get creative on the tempo, depth, portamento and whatever takes your fancy. Like all raw genres it is bound to spawn some more commercial offshoots, but I don't expect to be singing along anytime soon. Its even turning up on BBC TV links now (thank God - anything but more Hoppipolla!) [video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxB0IB_DlbE "Just a tad more attack on the filter, Grandad!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Klopmeyer Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Skrillex -- who is on the cover of this month's Electronic Musician magazine -- won three Grammies this weekend. So apparently, as much as most of us here are old and irrelevant enough to not get it, someone is. Marketing Communications for MI/Pro Audio My solo music and stuff They Stole My Crayon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnchop Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 James Blake Someone auto-tuned Aaron Neville! I make software noises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonysounds Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 [video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxB0IB_DlbE She's wrong: I didn't love this. Hitting "Play" does NOT constitute live performance. -Me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.