Re: [microsound] eno: wired or tired or perceptive?

[Michal Seta <mis@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 10/27/01 2:54 PM, Kamal Joory @ geiom@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
>> "I don't think
>> (computer-reliant producers)
>> are aware of what particularly
>> stilted music they make. You
>> can't do anything interesting
>> with cutting-edge technology
>> except not make it
>> cutting-edge."
>> - Brian Eno, the electronic and
>> ambient music pioneer, on
>> why today's computer-crafted
>> tunes are lame.
> 
> 
> Hmm
> 
> quite pretentious
> 
> does it strike a chord ?

is it really?
I tend to agree with that statement.  And I don't consider myself
pretentious.  In fact, I do music with computers and often I think the same
exact thing about my own work.  I only hope that my next work will be
better!

There are probably more computer musicians than guitarists (not picking on
guitarists, just an example of a popular (as in numbers of users)
instrument) these days.  But if you sit back and think for a moment (or a
few moments) how many "computer music masterpieces" can you think of?  A few
I could think of were done before the mid-90's.  Maybe even earlier...  And
I've heard a couple of brilliant compositions that were more recent and just
a few live computer(+instruments) works that used "cutting-edge" technology.

I think that Eno is not that far off.
There're some interesting ideas floating around, pieces that are _fun_ to
listen to, music you can groove to, fall asleep to etc.  But how many of
these "exercises" will stand the test of time, I don't know.

Besides, on the other hand, the cutting-edge computer technology isn't so
cutting-edge.  Computers are getting faster but can you do more with them
(except for faster)?  That's not cutting-edge that's speed.  Now, what do we
do with this "cutting-edge-speedy-computers"?  We use them the same way we
used analog gear in the 70's, samplers/loops like in the 80's etc etc.  You
say "interactive"?  people were doing interactive shit with computers in the
80's (IRCAM, MIT).  Ok, there are more people doing it now but that's not
cutting-edge.  That's re-cycling.  making cutting-edge not so cutting-edge.
Funny, I think I'm going to reconsider what I am doing in light of this last
sentence.  I haven't realized that before...

What Eno says is to the point, and yes, it carries a lot of shit but it's
not pretentious.  I disagree.

ok, back to work.

../MiS