One major theme of American Studies is looking deeper, thinking critically, and not taking things for face value. So, as I sit here listening to Deadmau5's masterpiece album For Lack of a Better Name, I figured I would try to get rid of some misconceptions that people seem to have about electronic music in general.
To begin, most people listen to the radio and they hear pop music made up of basic chord structures, cheesy synths, and a simple four-on-the-floor drum beat. While this is true in pop music, I have learned, through research as well as creating my own music, how complicated making GOOD electronic music actually is. Artists like Deadmau5, Wolfgang Gartner, and Skrillex not only know their music theory, but they know sonic theory (that's what I've decided to call it). They're quite literally sound engineers. They know how different waveforms interact with each other, how to apply filters, modulations and effects, all so they can get the sound that's in their head. Don't believe me? Here's a video of Deadmau5 explaining his set-up. It's quite complicated.
In the same way that musicians sit and practice their instrument for hours to improve, these guys practice designing sounds for hours. Just search the internet for how to make a bass like Skrillex, nobody can figure it out.
So next time your listening to an electronic song, try to think of what goes into it. It's not just drag-and-drop build up, drop and beat. A lot of musicianship and skill goes into creating a good electronic song.
Jon this is so true! I always make mix CDs for the car, and my latest one has a couple electronica songs including Skrillex and Imogen Heap (though Imogen Heap isn't as hard core and could occasionally fit into other genres). My mom made it incredibly clear that she absolutely detested any of electronic songs (even though she thinks Passion Pit is her favorite band). I tried to explain to her just how much work and skill goes into making a cohesive electronic song or mash-up. I don't think she got it, but I really agree with you, itt requires a great amount of originality and genius to producing a good electronic song.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a really interesting post. I agree with Carolyn when she says it takes tremendous skill to create electronic songs. My brother is into electronic music and really started turning me on to more of this style of music. My brother goes to school in Texas and he went to Austin City limits which is like Lollapalooza or Austin. He saw Deadmau5 and said it was rally impressive and had a very strong fan base. What are your thoughts on Pretty Lights?
ReplyDeleteAlright, well a lot of my friends are huge Pretty Lights fans, and while I do like them, I don't think they're amazing. They definitely have a really cool, laid-back sound, but a lot of their stuff sounds the same. And the formula of taking rap lyrics and throwing them into a new beat gets old after a while. I still think they're really good though! How about you?
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