It makes some people cringe each December as much as the appearance of WHAM! and Paul McCartney (oh, “Wonderful Christmastime”). It’s the end of year lists in electronic music.
I have no particular problem with them, except that they’re limited in what they tell us. We get surveys that allow people to learn what the most popular music is by determining which music they … already think is the most popular. It’s like the musical equivalent of the Myers-Briggs test, or reading a horoscope. Sure, it’s entertaining, but the secret is, you’re basically just looking in a mirror and confirming what you already think.
So, here’s a different idea.
I’m curious to go to CDM’s readers, contributors, and select partners and friends, and find out the music we love that isn’t on the other lists. And don’t get me wrong, some of those lists are worthy ones – particularly those with editorial ideas behind them. But there’s such pressure to make them complete and to use them as a tool to gain readers, that I think a lot of great music simply gets lost.
Our challenge, then, is to find the music the others aren’t.
This isn’t a poll – even on a site like this one, that’d get us back into some fairly predictable answers. In fact, I don’t expect most readers will participate. Instead, the rules for you (and us) work like this:
What is electronic music? This is actually to me an interesting question. I think it’s not so important that something be dance or experimental. The realm of electronic music, though, is one where we can use electronic processes (analog, digital, or even digitally-controlled mechanical or electro-acoustic apparatus) in order to invent sounds. That makes musicians simultaneously inventors and composers.
Pick one thing you love, not made by you. It might be ground-breaking; it might be well within the parameters of a genre but exceptionally well produced. It should be something that was emotionally significant to you. And of course, to be objective, it shouldn’t be something that you made – but it might well be a friend or girlfriend or boyfriend or partner.
Say something. Here’s where we separate this from polls and make something meaningful. Instead of just listing an artist’s name, we want to know why you chose what you chose – what you actually heard in the music. Because, in the end, that may be what’s missing from these polls: a sense of what you hear in the music itself, not the people around it. Those things matter and they’re part of the party scene and concert business and industry. But those topics are all well-represented, and the musical hearing experience often under-represented.
Labels and artists and releases, anything goes. Sometimes, it’s about a particular track; sometimes, an artist; sometimes, a label. Sometimes it’s a live show. Any of them can tell a story. Let’s find something happening in 2015, though; this is a convenient way to look back.
Sets are important, too. We love live events – sometimes a live set or even DJ set can say as much as a piece of recorded music. Heck, maybe someone released something as an app.
Send your answers here:
http://goo.gl/forms/BHA20VWrkS
Obviously, we can’t include all responses, so we’ll be skimming for the ones that look best. Answers need not be long – just, you know, compelling.
We’ll listen to you, and then make our own editorial judgment – because, you know, that’s our job. And you’re welcome to disagree with it.
If you’d rather leave some notes in comments, too, so others can discuss them, that’s okay – just make sure to submit your final answer in the form.
We’ll include the results in the coming weeks as we wrap up 2015. And I’m excited to do that, actually, because big things are afoot on CDM for 2016.
As long time electronic music listener i have to admit that i have no clue what’s released on 2015. I don’t think that anything have got my radar this year. Anything that i would have remembered after one day.
I would have mentioned Texas Faggott, but they haven’t released record in a while. They did play last Fri and Sat 6 hour live sets in local club, but i wasn’t there (hat’s off to anyone who can play two 6 hour sets in one weekend).
Here is a clip of their 8 hour set that they played in Israel some years ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wML1kNnJUXQ
https://soundcloud.com/search?q=texas%20faggott
Another live video of TF playing in desert festival. I doubt that many ppl in the crowd know that they dance to Backstreet Boys sample 😀
https://youtu.be/lY02RguhaRA
As long time electronic music listener i have to admit that i have no clue what’s released on 2015. I don’t think that anything have got my radar this year. Anything that i would have remembered after one day.
I would have mentioned Texas Faggott, but they haven’t released record in a while. They did play last Fri and Sat 6 hour live sets in local club, but i wasn’t there (hat’s off to anyone who can play two 6 hour sets in one weekend).
Here is a clip of their 8 hour set that they played in Israel some years ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wML1kNnJUXQ
https://soundcloud.com/search?q=texas%20faggott
Another live video of TF playing in desert festival. I doubt that many ppl in the crowd know that they dance to Backstreet Boys sample 😀
https://youtu.be/lY02RguhaRA
I’d never heard them until you brought them up – WOW! Neato! And the long set – I can’t even imagine what that’d be like to witness, let alone perform!
As long time electronic music listener i have to admit that i have no clue what’s released on 2015. I don’t think that anything have got my radar this year. Anything that i would have remembered after one day.
I would have mentioned Texas Faggott, but they haven’t released record in a while. They did play last Fri and Sat 6 hour live sets in local club, but i wasn’t there (hat’s off to anyone who can play two 6 hour sets in one weekend).
Here is a clip of their 8 hour set that they played in Israel some years ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wML1kNnJUXQ
https://soundcloud.com/search?q=texas%20faggott
Another live video of TF playing in desert festival. I doubt that many ppl in the crowd know that they dance to Backstreet Boys sample 😀
https://youtu.be/lY02RguhaRA
I’d never heard them until you brought them up – WOW! Neato! And the long set – I can’t even imagine what that’d be like to witness, let alone perform!
That’s suprisingly enjoyable in the way that good candy and/or cake is. Even so, it would be a shame (to me) if that was the best we got from 2015.
Definitely hear you on that but we have had a fairly heavy year with world events so some cake helps lighten the mood.
Taide’n Borg – A blurred highway to unknown destination
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjyYoIAIfn4
Taide’n Borg – Notepad #19
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHkqOQPPPtE
Taide’n Borg – Hotter than ever
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUO9mf2krEw
That’s suprisingly enjoyable in the way that good candy and/or cake is. Even so, it would be a shame (to me) if that was the best we got from 2015.
I like cake and with recent world events that cake helps lighten the mood.
Hanging On – KNOWER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLZJ-0IP9bY
Taide’n Borg – A blurred highway to unknown destination
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjyYoIAIfn4
Taide’n Borg – Notepad #19
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHkqOQPPPtE
Taide’n Borg – Hotter than ever
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUO9mf2krEw
That’s suprisingly enjoyable in the way that good candy and/or cake is. Even so, it would be a shame (to me) if that was the best we got from 2015.
I like cake and with recent world events that cake helps lighten the mood.
Hanging On – KNOWER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLZJ-0IP9bY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2cRcxejIQg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2cRcxejIQg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2cRcxejIQg
OK. I’m old school. I, myself, find it hard to call dance music, or popular music I hear today Electronic Music. For me Electronic Music will always be “Classical” electronic music – Tangerine Dream, Cluster, Morton Subotnick, Paul Schutze, etc. – music without a beat, music more textural in nature – soundtrack music. Just because it is made on synthesizers doesn’t mean it is “Electronic Music” for me. That term was well established for more experimental music long before it was used on pop music. We don’t call all music made with electric guitars “rock music” either. I know it is a battle that is lost. I once appeared on a panel at the Decibel festival here in Seattle called “The History of Electronic Music in Seattle”. I seemed to be the only person who knew EM was even played in Seattle before 1990 (I was in 3-4 Electronic music groups in Seattle in the late 70’s to early 90’s). It was like a new concept to many there that you could do shows and have a crowd of followers that sat and listened to what you played.
NPR’s recent “Best of 2015” list is a good example of this (http://www.npr.org/2015/12/11/458828330/npr-musics-10-favorite-electronic-albums-of-2015).
It’s like referring to “acoustic music” but then only ever mentioning Bluegrass.
It’s not simply a pedantic argument. People discovering new music should be informed that EM covers a pretty wide area with a long, rich history.
I have no problem placing Kraftwerk or The Crystal Method into the EM category, but they’re just part of a subcategory of all that is EM.
OK. I’m old school. I, myself, find it hard to call dance music, or popular music I hear today Electronic Music. For me Electronic Music will always be “Classical” electronic music – Tangerine Dream, Cluster, Morton Subotnick, Paul Schutze, etc. – music without a beat, music more textural in nature – soundtrack music. Just because it is made on synthesizers doesn’t mean it is “Electronic Music” for me. That term was well established for more experimental music long before it was used on pop music. We don’t call all music made with electric guitars “rock music” either. I know it is a battle that is lost. I once appeared on a panel at the Decibel festival here in Seattle called “The History of Electronic Music in Seattle”. I seemed to be the only person who knew EM was even played in Seattle before 1990 (I was in 3-4 Electronic music groups in Seattle in the late 70’s to early 90’s). It was like a new concept to many there that you could do shows and have a crowd of followers that sat and listened to what you played.
NPR’s recent “Best of 2015” list is a good example of this (http://www.npr.org/2015/12/11/458828330/npr-musics-10-favorite-electronic-albums-of-2015).
It’s like referring to “acoustic music” but then only ever mentioning Bluegrass.
It’s not simply a pedantic argument. People discovering new music should be informed that EM covers a pretty wide area with a long, rich history.
I have no problem placing Kraftwerk or The Crystal Method into the EM category, but they’re just part of a subcategory of all that is EM.
OK. I’m old school. I, myself, find it hard to call dance music, or popular music I hear today Electronic Music. For me Electronic Music will always be “Classical” electronic music – Tangerine Dream, Cluster, Morton Subotnick, Paul Schutze, etc. – music without a beat, music more textural in nature – soundtrack music. Just because it is made on synthesizers doesn’t mean it is “Electronic Music” for me. That term was well established for more experimental music long before it was used on pop music. We don’t call all music made with electric guitars “rock music” either. I know it is a battle that is lost. I once appeared on a panel at the Decibel festival here in Seattle called “The History of Electronic Music in Seattle”. I seemed to be the only person who knew EM was even played in Seattle before 1990 (I was in 3-4 Electronic music groups in Seattle in the late 70’s to early 90’s). It was like a new concept to many there that you could do shows and have a crowd of followers that sat and listened to what you played.
NPR’s recent “Best of 2015” list is a good example of this (http://www.npr.org/2015/12/11/458828330/npr-musics-10-favorite-electronic-albums-of-2015).
It’s like referring to “acoustic music” but then only ever mentioning Bluegrass.
It’s not simply a pedantic argument. People discovering new music should be informed that EM covers a pretty wide area with a long, rich history.
I have no problem placing Kraftwerk or The Crystal Method into the EM category, but they’re just part of a subcategory of all that is EM.
Isn’t all music, electronic? For 2015, it felt like all of them are the same. Looking forward to the results though.
http://instrumentees.com/
Isn’t all music, electronic? For 2015, it felt like all of them are the same. Looking forward to the results though.
http://instrumentees.com/