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Music and performance (WAS: Why does mainstream seem more like,downstream these days?)


2011/2/15 Nadia Salom <nadia.salom@gmx.de>
I see making music and listening to music more like a way to develop a process... like the process of processing. so each song out there is happening in a performative moment in time which reflects that moment and the present situation of the musician, therefore I dont see any good and bad in music, i just see a social phenomena... that's why sometimes I am fascinating with music that is more mainstream... or kitsch... in the end I dont there is such thing as kitsch...
 
After all thiat interesting discussion about maistream and downstream, Nadia's post
made me think that various members on this list seem to have the same approach as Nadia, where music is "a performative moment in time..." and that leads me to think about the "live", improvisative, performing side of music which seems very common nowdays.
 
Sure looping is a great tool in that department, being the "here and now" the most perceivable effect of "looped music" (a "genre" that doesn't exist, IMO), so I can see why lot of people on this list care about that side of music.
 
The fact is that..... in almost in evey corner, I can see musicians celebrating the improvisational and/or performative side of their music.
So, it sound to me like that aspect is becoming in some way "mainstream" for today's musicians and - even worse - sometimes it alludes to the unsayed tought: "hey, I don't play written music: that's just so "old": I play "new" music, I'm exploring new fields, so I need to improvise".
 
Which is fine for me, but is music just that and nothing else ?
Does music still live off of a performative environment ?
Is it still alive even when "written" music is performed ?
Does really Music need a performative act to work out well ?
Is the performative/improvvisational side of music getting more and more "mainstraim" ?
 
...just toughts
 
-fabio
www.eterogeneo.com
 
 
 
 

I dont care much for what Adorno said about popular music... or the way "serious" music is seen in a heirarchy.... that is so nonsense to me.
 
Same for me, here !
 

I liked reading this thread and seeing how the members of the listserver discuss this phenomena. If it is true that through the internet the word mainstream is losing more and more importance, then it must mean that the process of making music nowadays is becoming more and more a performative process.......


Am 14.02.11 22:34, schrieb Matt Stevens:
I don't care what they call it as long as they listen.


On 14 Feb 2011, at 19:42, mark francombe wrote:

On Mon, Feb 14, 2011 at 7:13 PM, andy butler <akbutler@tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
Buzap Buzap wrote:

I took it to mean that it's all retro.


Fair comment?


God.. I didnt get that at ALL.. I just thought he meant its all crap!

Wow, I cant agree that its ALL retro no no no!!! But of course the
last 25 years sampling has by its nature resulted in a lot of
appropriated music... just cool in my book... hardly representative of
all music though!

Im sorry I just dont see that the genres have become erased... Im
terribly afraid that its just that we dont know what they are anymore!
It might be true that the kids are less genre specific, as in
sub-cultures.. not many NEW sub cultures around as far as I can see...
 here the kids is either Rich Kids or Hip Hop... ok and the occasional
emo kid (there always been one).

As for a genre-less world being a better world.. well .. maybe, in a
philosophical, religious and political sense... but when I get a night
out to go and see a band, I sure as HELL do NOT want to waste my
evening by accidentally going to a Country and Western Ho Down...
If its Metal... I want them to put METAL in a big metallic font,
preferably with barbed wire on it...
If its 4 hours of Gregorian chanting, I want the poster to say 4 hours
of Gregorian chanting, so I can think about it.

If I see a poster which says BILLS GOOD MUSIC... 5$ entry Girls
Free... I might walk past... If it says Bill Walkers Live Looping,
Glitchy, ambient, lapsteel.. 55$ Smart Dress Only... Im gonna run, get
me best togs on and sprint downtown... I might even comb my hair

Genres help... doesnt mean you have to stick to one...

M

-- 
mark francombe
twitter @markfrancombe