Examples of 'cutting edge' dance/electronic music?

[Eauson]

As I predicted, you seem to have a need to elevate your heros.


First we're comparing EDM artists to influences


We're talking about what's on the cutting edge of EDM, by definition

First off, I didn't realise you were a mystic, predicting stuff, so really you should know all about the cutting edge.
The title is dance/electronic, so edm is not the only discussion here.

But current is, so anything from the last century is, by definition, not cutting edge.

Also I was not elevating my hero's, I was pointing to the past, stating that a lot has been done previously, thats all.

No, you are doing more than that, you asked me point blank if I didn't agree that artists who built their own instruments were not better.

It's not like this is a new discussion. There always seems to be some attempt to remind artists who press play on drum machines how they're not artists and it's always combined with reminders of forgotten music that, frankly, sounds nothing at all like what current artists are doing.

Actually I said that they were greater than artists are today, because of what they had to do to achieve what they did. Well most artists today seem to use patches that they buy, so someone else does the work or sample libraries. This basically like buying a pre made meal putting it into the microwave then saying look what I made. Why is something from a bygone age not cutting edge? We can learn more from the past than we can from the future, as the past has happened, the future is yet to come.

[andyf53]

So, perhaps if you want to identify what's going to be next, try to identify what cultural need is not currently being met.

This is a really interesting observation, and one I'll think about more going forward.

I have noticed that industrial techno has been gaining popularity again, this could be tied to the troubling times we live in (in the UK).
A disillusioned youth with low prospects realising and becoming angry about the system we live in?

Not dissimilar to punk and the Thatcher years maybe...

[Eauson]

I am aware or Road's work, and very interesting it is too
However I do think that his experimentation with microsound/ granular techniques has little relevance on whether some of the electronic work I noted was rehashed.

The main reason why I said it was rehashed is mainly down to my experiences of what I have heard. Putting old ideas into new forms without significant change or improvements, rehash.

[badpioneer]

Here's another new genre, Tribal (aka 3Ball) that is coming out of Mexico:
http://soundcloud.com/erick-rincon/eric ... gre-azteca

Another new genre is Skweee:


I'm surprised by the lack of new genres being posted honestly. And that one of the main participants is trying to explain how deep house is cutting edge.

I agree that posting old innovators demonstrates what was cutting edge for the time but I'm very interested in seeing what other innovations are occurring now, not mild improvements in long-established genres. The wonky examples were great, for example.

[ghettosynth]

Actually I said that they were greater than artists are today, because of what they had to do to achieve what they did. Well most artists today seem to use patches that they buy, so someone else does the work or sample libraries.

Yes, exactly, we're talking about current electronic music and you're droning on about how great your idols are. It makes no difference what wrapper you dress it up in.

[andyf53]

Eauson, when I linked the work, I wrote a sentence about most explaining why I thought the pieces were cutting edge, specifically the ideas behind the work - there are some new ideas there.
In fact, it's on the whole the opposite of your point, in that it's new ideas in old forms and frameworks (dance music).

We could sit and "out academia" each other as a forum all night, but this is a thread about cutting edge dance/ electronic music, and whatever your thoughts on dance music, I think I've provided some examples that illustrate both.

I understand that my tastes are exactly that, but you haven't yet been able to provide a valid reason why the above isn't true.

[ghettosynth]

I'm surprised by the lack of new genres being posted honestly. And that one of the main participants is trying to explain how deep house is cutting edge.

Genres come and go, skwee won't survive, it will go the way of speed garage. BTW: I never argued that "deep house" was cutting edge, I discussed a track that someone else linked that I think is hot and also gave examples of what isn't hot with respect to house music. Tech house is trendy, but perhaps not in your neck of the woods.

I agree that posting old innovators demonstrates what was cutting edge for the time but I'm very interested in seeing what other innovations are occurring now, not mild improvements in long-established genres. The wonky examples were great, for example.

Again, you have a rigid definition of innovation, people have been mashing up genres for eons. Where's all the swing-house? Most just achieve a small amount of success and then die off. Mashing up genres is an attempt to find a niche, yes, it's a part of how music evolves, but as innovation, I don't find it as compelling as others seem to.

[ZenPunkHippy]

Here's another new genre, Tribal (aka 3Ball) that is coming out of Mexico

This is a low key* take on an existing genre, namely psy trance. Nothing "new" here.

* by low key I mean the bass line is less prominent.

Another new genre is Skweee

This beat has been used in other dance music, so we're left with a different take on the mid and high frequency sounds that accompany the kick drum and bass line.

... which only goes to reinforce the fact that no new rhythms exist, it's all been done before, so we are left with fine tuning what we have by incrementally moving forward with technology and taste.

Peace,
Andy.

[Davias]

I'm waiting for the death of the kick and the snare, I hear them or look-alikes too much ! And the kick is almost always on the first beat... the snare on the second one but sometimes not... Anyway




(half-joking, i like too much. But I wonder if someday we will get rid of them on the dance floor and I would be amazed of such a change)

[andyf53]

People, I have read, do dance to Extratone, where the kicks are so fast, one hears a tone, but I think the kick as most know it is safe for the forseeable future

Lots of techno has no snare though...

[Davias]

This beat has been used in other dance music, so we're left with a different take on the mid and high frequency sounds that accompany the kick drum and bass line.

... which only goes to reinforce the fact that no new rhythms exist, it's all been done before, so we are left with fine tuning what we have by incrementally moving forward with technology and taste.

Peace,
Andy.

Interesting... Techno, house, trance, psytrance, hardcore, and some other genre are all based on 4/4 beats. But we can differentiate them ? (At least most of the time)

Anyway some classical music friend of mine told me once that all melodies and all rhythms were already wrote in the past, so basically no music is new.

But I think Karlheinz Stockhausen said one time (correct me if i'm wrong) that the future of music was in the frequencies, not the notes. A filter sweep is more than a serie of notes for example.. But I like notes, and to me techno is lacking notes ^^

[ZenPunkHippy]

Interesting... Techno, house, trance, psytrance, hardcore, and some other genre are all based on 4/4 beats. But we can differentiate them ? (At least most of the time)

It occurred to me sometime ago that you can almost define sub-cultures by the type of bass line they prefer.

So the answer to your question: it's in the bass line (pattern or rhythm, sound).

Peace,
Andy.

[andyf53]

Poor techno, no snare (sometimes), no notes

I love it!

In all seriousness, I think there tends to be more emphasis on the processes involved in making techno than many other subgenres of dance music, and more focus on "sound" than "music".

In this way, I think there's a lot of pretty cutting edge(:shock:) artists that have used techno as a medium for their work

[Davias]

Interesting... Techno, house, trance, psytrance, hardcore, and some other genre are all based on 4/4 beats. But we can differentiate them ? (At least most of the time)

It occurred to me sometime ago that you can almost define sub-cultures by the type of bass line they prefer.

So the answer to your question: it's in the bass line (pattern or rhythm, sound).

Peace,
Andy.

Sorry I didn't formulate well. Of course we can differentiate them even if they rely on the 4/4 beat (differents sounds for the beat, the bass, the rest... etc). I wanted to say that the Skeew example could use a old beat but be a new genre ^^ After all dnb was almost born with the amen break, an old beat

But to me the skew was interesting but remind me a lot some old acid stuff. But I enjoyed !

[ghettosynth]

In the past, I've really liked Daft Punk, but I'm not a fan of their recent hit Get Lucky. That's largely because I've never really liked Daft Punk's songwriting side.

But, the song is actually quite nice, and this arrangement is awesome.




In some sense, among current main room royalty, dubstep is the extreme ugly stepchild of Jungle and breakbeat culture and Electro/Big Room house the ugly stepchild of progressive house. My concern is that their popularity is a function of EDM becoming more mainstream. If that's true, we could have obnoxious music forever. That said, even pop music shows some signs of favoring the groove recently. I think moves like jagger is pretty snappy. What is it that drives large groups of followers to move back and forth between genres of excess and genres of restraint?

What do you think Daft Punk will do next, and will it matter?