KVR Audio

Ildon · Post by **Ildon** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 11:37 pm

What do you all think about labeling musical styles? Do you think people have the wrong idea when they say "this is rock", or do you think it's really possible to sum up people's styles based on a small number of characteristics?

I'm asking this not to start a debate (PLEASE avoid a debate), but just because I'm curious to know what everyone thinks.

androidlove · Post by **androidlove** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 11:51 pm

i wouldn't mind a place to hang my hat. i just wound up callin my guitar stuff bubble gum punk. i have no idea what the new stuff i'm churning out is. i'm just making music i want to hear. since i can't find stuff like it, i'm at a loss for a term

o'malley · Post by **o'malley** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 12:11 am

I think some groups have narrower range of sounds, and can easily be labled in a genre. Like The Misfits for example. However, other groups have such a wide range of sounds it's hard to lable them, like Bjork or Ozomatli.

It might be easyer to lable specific songs in that case, if you needed to classify things. I also like the word "fusion" I think it is a good way to describe things. Although, it has been asociated with modern electro/jazz/players-with-really-good-chops music.

I like all those groups mentioned above BTW.

I generally use adjectives and instrumentation when describing music. like: groovy, harsh, sexy, drum driven, brass driven, bouncy, warm, etc. I find it even easyer to just play the recording for people though.

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The Chase · Post by **The Chase** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 12:14 am

I think "Drum & Bass" is one of the silliest yet most descriptive labels

diverdee · Post by **diverdee** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 12:22 am

Labels can be a useful reference point for when you are trying to find music similar to something you've heard & liked, as in ' what was that?' 'oh it was kinda minimal dub tech-house'.
Allows you to have an initial point from where you can start to search for similar & related tunes, which leads you somewhere else & so on.
It can be negative also though - I always believed I disliked techno intensely (probably because I only ever heard pretty shit (imo) techno), the day somebody played me techno I actually liked was an eye opener.

o'malley · Post by **o'malley** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 12:23 am

Chase wrote:I think "Drum & Bass" is one of the silliest yet most descriptive labels

Funny thing, that.

I have a lot of friends who had never heard of DnB, and when I mentioned it to them many of them said, "What's that? Like drums and tuba or something?"

BTW, DnB beats work really well in a live jazzy/funky/groovy kinda context. It's fun to play that kind of fast driving sort of beat on a drum kit.

One of these days I'm going to start a DnB band. Bass, guitar maybe, Keyboards, drums. More of the dark, heavy stakka and skynet kinda sound maybe. Then we can have the sorta goth/punk/industral look, a look and sound which might attract a large audience. Could be pretty fun and awsome!

Hink · Post by **Hink** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 12:29 am

I like rock...that's what I am...a rocker, that means if I get good jam on it with my axe and it takes me "there", it's cool and I got no tethers...

The Chase · Post by **The Chase** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 12:34 am

o'malley wrote:
Chase wrote:I think "Drum & Bass" is one of the silliest yet most descriptive labels

Funny thing, that.

I have a lot of friends who had never heard of DnB, and when I mentioned it to them many of them said, "What's that? Like drums and tuba or something?"

haha i've been there. And if you say "Jungle" they thing ethnic stuff

BTW, DnB beats work really well in a live jazzy/funky/groovy kinda context. It's fun to play that kind of fast driving sort of beat on a drum kit.

One of these days I'm going to start a DnB band. Bass, guitar maybe, Keyboards, drums. More of the dark, heavy stakka and skynet kinda sound maybe. Then we can have the sorta goth/punk/industral look, a look and sound which might attract a large audience. Could be pretty fun and awsome!

I was in a dnb band in middleschool (before I was into computer music). It was a drummer (me) 2 bassists (one ran his bass through distortion and achieved some pretty typical synthish sounds) and a keyboardist. It was all fun but we sounded like exactly what you think when you hear "middle school dnb band"

I would still love to be in a more serious modern one, but i wouldn't be able to decide to play drums or a midi keytar hooked to a laptop

emdot_ambient · Post by **emdot_ambient** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 12:37 am

Chase wrote:I think "Drum & Bass" is one of the silliest yet most descriptive labels

Of course what makes it even more confusing is that originally it was labeled Jungle. That term is probably still in use or used to describe some other minutely differentiated style of D&B . . . but then of course there was a time when all electronic dance was just labeled Techno. Now you'll have huge arguments over the definition of Techno.

Genres are only good until they become subdivided to the Nth degree. Electronic dance music has been split so many times the genres are virtually meaningless. How many are we up to now, not including Tarnce?

Say, that reminds me . . . sorry, just watched Raising Arizona again . . . Back in the early '60's there was a huge genre war going on. Mods, Rockers, Psychedelic . . . nowadays we just kind of think of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd as Rock. Period. Time, fortuantely, often brings clarity and simplicity.

The Chase · Post by **The Chase** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 12:47 am

emdot_ambient wrote:
Chase wrote:I think "Drum & Bass" is one of the silliest yet most descriptive labels
Of course what makes it even more confusing is that originally it was labeled Jungle. That term is probably still in use or used to describe some other minutely differentiated style of D&B . . . but then of course there was a time when all electronic dance was just labeled Techno. Now you'll have huge arguments over the definition of Techno.

Yea today DnB tends to be thrown at the darker & Harder stuff while more jazzy ambient stuff goes under Jungle

Genres are only good until they become subdivided to the Nth degree. Electronic dance music has been split so many times the genres are virtually meaningless. How many are we up to now, not including Tarnce?

haha i know what you mean. I have a John Digweed CD that I bought for a good progressive house CD. I checked the back and it said "...mucky house, robot funk and the devil's trance..."

Meffy · Post by **Meffy** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 12:52 am

If you don't label your music you'll never know what's on a given CD-R.

Voidoid Surrealist · Post by **Voidoid Surrealist** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 12:57 am

Meffy wrote:If you don't label your music you'll never know what's on a given CD-R.

How much is inside? About 968 CD-Rs worth, apparently...

Ildon · Post by **Ildon** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 12:58 am

Hmm. This gave me lots to think about. I agree with a lot of what's being said here. Labels are all right, so long as you don't go overboard, I think.

The Chase · Post by **The Chase** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 1:03 am

Voidoid Surrealist wrote:
Meffy wrote:If you don't label your music you'll never know what's on a given CD-R.

How much is inside? About 968 CD-Rs worth, apparently...

awesome link

Meffy · Post by **Meffy** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 1:04 am

Ildon: Zigactly. They're useful mental pegs, but they won't hold much weight. Soon as they start getting in the way, toss 'em out and just go with your feelings about individual songs and groups.

Not everything can be reduced to words or categories. Music is one of those areas with a LOT of that going on. =^_^=

voidoid: Wow. Live and learn!

Labeling Music?