Ableton Forum

we experiment to learn, so I can't see how "experimental" electronica can be in a rut.

The rut comes from everybody copying everyone else, it's one thing to learn someone else's techniques but rather boring if that's all you're going to do, even more boring if you release tunes that sound like you've just learnt someone else's technique and want a part of their glory.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCw7a1kNvoc

not sure what your looking for but there is a lot of great new music going on

maybe try sound tribe sector 9 not really what you call experimental though

Tonight I went to a "handmade music" event at Amsterdam's glorious STEIM (electro-acoustic music lab been kicking it since the 70's) man it was packed! Some cute chicks as well!

djsynchro wrote:Tonight I went to a "handmade music" event at Amsterdam's glorious STEIM (electro-acoustic music lab been kicking it since the 70's) man it was packed! Some cute chicks as well!

Wow, double nice.

eandersonase wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCw7a1kNvoc

not sure what your looking for but there is a lot of great new music going on

maybe try sound tribe sector 9 not really what you call experimental though

nice track, thanks. alwayss nice to find interesting idm/clicks n cuts/glitch.

what constitutes experimental electronica these days anyways? stutters and hyper-edits have been around forever,
is it the circuit benders that are now experimental?

my choices for current inspiring "experimental electronica" are:
fuck buttons
moritz von oswald trio

I like some "experimental" stuff, but all multimedia performance gimmicks aside, I'd still rather pay money for a consummate musician(s) to perform sublime music on their real instruments any day or night.

I feel like there is so much amazing experimental music out there that I can't keep up with it... which is a great thing. So many creative people can actually put forth there ideas without spending thousands of money on gear. You just have to wade through the all the crap to find it.

I'm so excited for independent (which covers experimental) music right now. It's flourishing all over.

Lazos wrote:I like some "experimental" stuff, but all multimedia performance gimmicks aside, I'd still rather pay money for a consummate musician(s) to perform sublime music on their real instruments any day or night.

What constitutes as a "real" instrument?

Something that "keeps it real".

Like he said

I think most on this forum understand what I mean. Don't get me wrong. I love lots of electronic music, and I love music technology and all the fascinating directions that it's headed. It's just that say a monome or lemur aren't in the same league (in terms of expressivity) as a violin or guitar or even hand percussion. If you disagree, then you probably don't play a "real" instrument.

To address the original topic, I'm not sure if it's in a rut, but like others have said: It's our job (if we so choose) to get it out, if it is.

Lazos wrote:I like some "experimental" stuff, but all multimedia performance gimmicks aside, I'd still rather pay money for a consummate musician(s) to perform sublime music on their real instruments any day or night.

And what if those musicians were playing a classical symphony? Who is the musician there? Is it the people holding the 'real instruments', or is it the dead guy holding a pen 200 years ago? Both?

My point is this : there are all kinds of different musical experiences, all with different strengths/weaknesses. To me, a DJ spinning records made by someone else is every bit as valid as a live band, or a classical symphony. There is an experience to be had with a DJ spinning techno that would be utterly impossible with a live band, or even live electronic musicians. Similarly, there is an experience possible with a live band that a DJ could never accomplish. I don't think either is any more 'real' than another. Similarly, there is an experience possible with multimedia that is not possible any other way.

ex·per·i·ment (k-spr-mnt)
n.
1.
a. A test under controlled conditions that is made to demonstrate a known truth, examine the validity of a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy of something previously untried.
b. The process of conducting such a test; experimentation.
2. An innovative act or procedure: "Democracy is only an experiment in government" (William Ralph Inge).
3. The result of experimentation: "We are not [nature's] only experiment" (R. Buckminster Fuller).

Guess we're talking about definition number 2 here.

For me its all about conventions. You can talk about experimental jazz from the fifties e.g.

Which sounds very traditional and conformistic today.

Will there be new borders to transgress, dont know.

New and experimental tend to be conceived in the direction of more randomity, less structure, has been done too.

For me art is about expressing mood and ideas, and as long as there are new people with new insights we will have new music. That doesnt have to be experimental for me.

I took a graduate class on 'experimental music' in college, and at the beginning had to present an example of experimental music. The weirdest thing I had heard at the time was Autechre, so I brought that in. Totally missed the point. In the classical world, 'experimental' means music which does not have a pre-defined outcome. John Cage's I Ching works or Milton Feldman's graphic scores, for example. Indeterminate works. An interesting angle on 'experiment'.

ethios4 wrote:I took a graduate class on 'experimental music' in college, and at the beginning had to present an example of experimental music. The weirdest thing I had heard at the time was Autechre, so I brought that in. Totally missed the point. In the classical world, 'experimental' means music which does not have a pre-defined outcome. John Cage's I Ching works or Milton Feldman's graphic scores, for example. Indeterminate works. An interesting angle on 'experiment'.

Symphonic poem for 100 metronomes, Ligeti.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8v-uDhcDyg

a new aphex twin album would be nice..