Re: OT Re: DEFINING CULTURAL YEAR of the DECADE

[Ariel Rzezak <arzezak@gmail.com>]

Great post.

Thanks for your words Rick.

El 03/01/2009, a las 01:10, Rick Walker escribió:

> I can think of one very significant thing that the 90's and perhaps  
> this decade
> has produced in world musical culture:
>
> The rise of the DJ as Rock Star or Cultural Icon.
>
> It used to be that someone would play music between DJs and nowadays  
> I see more
> and more shows where you see bands opening for prominent DJs.
>
> In the Goth/Industrial Scene that I frequent , recreationally,  the  
> DJ has surplanted the
> live musician as the dominant force.       Nowadays if you want to  
> play live in these
> scenes you practically have to beg the DJs , who now completely  
> control the scenes
> to let you play and feel grateful if they will let you play (and for  
> now money).
>
> We don't need to go to the 'are DJs musicians' argument that we've  
> had multiple times on this list'
> There are obviously DJs who are wonderful musicians and go on to  
> careers as composers and producers.
> I just think that it's telling that the vast majority of DJs that I  
> encounter are not being particularly creative
> (with the exception of choice of sound and beatmatching for  
> regularities sake) and that this
> has completely dominated a lot of music on the planet.
>
>
>
> It's also kind of amazing to me that
> the birth of the world wide web/internet and the proliferation of
> inexpensive methods to produce high quality music and there existence
> for the last 13 years  seems to have not produced very much
> notable or long lasting music.
>
> I know that wonderful music has been created (and I think of our  
> community as being
> really stellar in the production of that music)  but it's  
> interesting that none of it seems
> to be having very much impact on the culture at large.
>
> Everywhere I go,  I hear oldies music playing...............every  
> single bar I frequent,  every single
> restaurant.
>
> In my life,  I"ve never heard so much 'nostalgia' dominating our  
> culture.
>
> Of course the democratization of media means that the paradigms will  
> shift...............think the entire
> recent thread on how to release a digital release in this day and age.
>
> Ironically,   I feel connected to people all over the earth who are  
> really creative and active in their own artistry
> and the communalism of our own scene but at the same time,   I'm  
> seeing less and less kids taking music
> lessons.
>
> All of this could be the rant of a bitter old professional musician  
> who's lifestyle is ending after 30 years of hard work,
> but I don't feel bitter for some reason.
> It's the most exciting time to ever be a musician on some  
> fronts............certainly in terms of the kind of information that  
> we
> have................................look at this  
> list...............I haven't had to go out and buy every distortion  
> box on the planet:
> I"ve just had to ask questions and then benefit from the collective  
> wisdom of this list to make my own choices
> with limited budget to spend.
>
> I'm just musing,  'tis all!!!!!
>
> Looking forward to this year, creatively.  I think we are going to  
> do amazing stuff.................who knows?
> Maybe we'll define the decade when history looks back on us.     We  
> certainly have all the tools we need to do so.
> Now we have to produce.
>
>