Whenever I read comments on any experimental performance like this, I always think It's very interesting how conditioned we are by mainstream culture as to what the definition of 'music' is. Music is creating sound with intention. That's it. Whether you like it or not is another matter, there is no accounting for taste. I personally find experimental music or sound art extremely interesting, not always 'pleasant' but art does not need to be pleasant to be appreciated.
I'm going to play my drums stuff with this to give it some rhythm, baby. It will be some mad house music and I will upload it with a link to the original below.
Problem is, if you criticise this kind of performance you're accused of being ignorant. A lifetime of work is required to play a conventional instrument with great skill. These guys obviously spend a lot of time devising new instruments - and that's commendable- but the "playing" does not require much of them (maybe that's not the point). Or maybe one could say, anyone could produce a similar performance to this one... Anyway, I'd prefer the term "soundscape" to "music". But they seem happy enough and there are a few people here that were impressed. Good for you. I find a lot of music uplifting, this I found gloomy... Each to his own.
Agree. I would call these guys "sound designers". I'm always happy to see people spending their time on Earth on a craft like this though. We should always remember there are people outhere who choose to spend their life perfecting guns for money to kill other human beings more effectively.
Not disagreeing with you, but isn't it a slippery slope when we begin to label sounds as "music" or "soundscape" or whatever based on how proficient the (artist? For lack of any term without connotation) is, or how much time they have spent on their (craft?). Fwiw I used to find this type of sound and performance a bit ridiculous until I read "experimental music since 1970" by Jennie Gottschalk (with many pauses to search out the artists mentioned). Now I'm a convert.
I agree, I Like to refer to this kind of stuff and the John cage stuff that focuses more on sounds and timbres than melody and specific rhythms like an adventure and even the ones I like I don't really want to hear again unless i forgot it
Yes, of course; they should be in a windowless office doing billing tasks for a living, all for a non-human corporation, and passively watching tv at night while drinking beers to check out. Yes.
Not at all. There's a whole scene of music based around these kind of ideas and sounds. You're just not able to understand it. It's ok, most people don't understand this kind of music.
It's not about 'understanding' it. It's about assigning a value to it AS MUSIC. That's not to say the instruments are necessarily bad (I think they are in this case), but it isn't 'music' in my opinion. A better musician using these tools could make them into something good. Hand it to Jonny Greenwood from Radiohead and he'll do something good with it.
