Re: [microsound] maths science and dance music

[Kassen <kassen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

derek holzer;

> I find this "musical wallpaper" attitude
> to be most associated with pop and club music, where the sound is meant
> as a kind of background environment, and often doesn't really reward a
> deeper listening.

Persoanlly I always saw club music more like some commodity then like
wall-paper. By that I mean the music is actively used, will be "used up"
after a while and the function is more important then then it´s value as a
independant work of art. I feel it´s quite clear that it´s users are not
relating to it like they relate to wallpaper; some tracks get loud reactions
at some moments, there are not many crowds that break out in spontanious
cheering over wallpaper....

For pop music, say a radio playing in the corner of a workplace, you are
quite right and of cource many dance traks could be played on that station
and in that way become wallpaper too, but the same might hold true for the
occasional clasical piece or the news and weather.

Looking at it this way, as "functional music" I think it´s much harder to
look down upon it. Sure Panacea doesn´t reward close listening as much as M²
does and I wouldn´t call Porter Ricks as "beautifull" as Thomas Koner, but
they do *work* well on dancefloors. The makers should perhaps be looked
uppon more as artisans then as artists, but the good ones should still be
respected, I think.

On a more personal, related note, I found that dance music´s emphasis on
function makes it a great trojan horse to sneak in some meaningfull (to me)
sounds in a context where they can get to the listener before the listener
is actively analysing.


Yours,
Kas.



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