Re: 4/4's for neanderthals

[david turgeon <dt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> i gotta ask... what's so neanderthal about 4/4's?

i didn't do the 'neanderthal' comment, but since i started this thread: my 
main problem with what we might call '4/4 beats' is that a lot of people 
THINK they can make a good 4/4 beat just by aligning the bass drums & hi 
hats at equal lengths à la thomas brinkmann.  as ross mentions, it's 
extremely easy to do, & that's what a lot of modern composers content 
themselves with doing, hell, i've even done it myself.  it's just not 
danceable, it's not groovy, it's not interesting.  there needs to be a 
modicum of conflict in a beat, be it in 4/4 time.  this is something 
vladislav delay understands very intimately, if you listen to the uusitalo 
& luomo albums which are wonders of complexity & conflict (i.e. 
funk).  likewise with snd, their beats follow the 4/4 time, but they are 
'broken' so to speak--it has asperities that you can cling to & dance along 
with.  likewise with maurizio or dick richards.  if you have the talent, go 
forward & make us dance.  otherwise, please do something you actually can 
do rather than following the 'cool' trend of the moment, thank you.  my 2 
cents, as they say.

have a nice day
~ david