Re: granular looping- and a hush falls

[Mark Sottilaro <sine@zerocrossing.net>]

Hedewa7@aol.com wrote:

> so, where *is* the edge of the damned envelope?

I think the phenomena we're talking about has been going on forever.  I 
think
there are always going to be people that don't feel like they fit in to
mainstream culture, and therefore need to find ways to communicate in a way
that makes them stand out, and perhaps be admired.  Finding something "new"
sublimates the need to "fit in."

By the time mainstream media points to something and says, "Look, it's 
pushing
the envelope!"  It's probably on the order of decades old, but now 
discovered
and borrowed by someone who's got a foot firmly in the mainstream.  I'm 
sorry,
but the first time I heard Radiohead I thought, "Oooo, the Kinks have a new
album out, and it sounds kind of Pink Floydy"  Now there's adding more
electronica influenced production into their music, and that's great (I 
loved
Kid A) but they are on the cutting edge of nothing, in my opinion, but I 
don't
think that should influence anyone's opinion of their music.  Good is 
good, if
you like it.

Funny, I saw Laurie Anderson's "Whale Show" a few years ago, and unlike her
stuff in the late 70s and 80s I thought, "Oh, there's nothing here that
couldn't be done with hardware and software bought at The Guitar Center.  
Now,
that's truly a big deal, IMO.  As technology prices plummet, and quality
soars, we're really going to see the advent of a new kind of "pop" star.  
One
that can supersede the traditional album making process and go directly to 
the
people.  I think it's already happening.

Mark Sottilaro