Technological Interference

Old music is a tough sell these days. Dr. John's album which was done in collaboration with one-half of one of the hottest groups out there (Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys), premiered at no. 33 on the billboard 200. The album, Locked Down, is the highest chart debut for the old timer. Rolling Stone says it's his best in four decades. That's how long he's been around for, and his talent is a reflection of that. But he still lands at 33, and I have to say, that's higher than I would have expected. I bet a lot of people don't even know it dropped.

I hear more and more about the electronic movement and groups like Deadmau5 and Justice, than I hear about any older bands, or even new bands playing older styles of music. The computer has become a bonafide instrument in the new schools eyes these days. Our children will probably have their first encounters with music this way too. There's a good chance they'll never pick up a guitar or tickle any ivory. The computer may just be their all inclusive tool.

I've had a lot of trouble, in my own way, accepting this style as "music." I try to be open-minded about everything, but I won't sacrifice my intrinsic opinions, or principles. I understand that making electronic music is an art form, and it is certainly an auditory creation all its own. It's also certainly music, that comes out on the other end, but I don't consider all the people who make it to be musicians. I guess that's my distinction, and I don't mean it offensively, but I have trouble seeing the computer alone as an instrument. There is a distinct difference to me between a person creating a melody or song on a guitar, and a person creating formulaic beats and progressions on a laptop, at times including samples of previously created work. And I'm not talking about DJ's or remix jockeys. The people who work in this electronic medium are certainly capable and resourceful. They're technologically skilled, and they're certainly aware of the structure of music and song. But this alone does not make you a musician in my book.

I've had this conversation with a few people. Many agree with me, and some are even more passionate and devout in their beliefs than even I. But I tend to discuss these things with people who I share musical tastes with, so its no surprise that we see things from the same perspective. The thing is, I actually like some electronic music, and I've listened extensively to some artists like Daft Punk, Justice, Paul Oakenfold, Moby etc. Some of these guys have been around for nearly two decades now. They're veterans of an ever growing and expanding genre. So, I won't go so far as to say it's not "music." I don't actually believe that.  And though I may not be fully immersed in it, of course I acknowledge its effect on people and the industry today. 

It's creation is a direct result of a boom in technology. That's what allowed this music to come about and consequently flourish. Electronic instruments, drum machines, sequencers and of course computers gave this music life. Samples and loops suddenly became a common term and tool. Rap allowed for the use of other peoples past work to be used to create new work. All artists are borrowing from their predecessors, but suddenly it was ok to use their predecessors product exactly. Chop it up, use portions and selections, and create a collage of sound to make something new. Just look at A Tribe Called Quest. They were so selective in the samples they used, that they really set the standard and turned it into an art form. They started in the mid 80's and flourished through the 90's. As technology advanced, so did the ability to use, change, and transform the music that existed, to create new music using purely manufactured means.

Computers have become a huge part of our daily lives. I don't know a single person that doesn't use one, and my parents have some very technologically primitive friends. Now granted, we're no third world country, but just think about it. Could you get anything done these days without a computer? We're a technological world, everything we do relies on it. People don't build things from the dirt anymore, they create them from the desk. Entire worlds are created out of thin air, and exist in it. Look at Facebook. And that's what's happened to music as well, as it naturally would. It's created without ever plucking or hammering a string, or banging a drum. It's fabricated perfectly using machines. In live concerts its not "performed" per say, it's "played" or "played-back." 

Some artists use a combination. I went to a Mike Snow show about 2 years ago. He had a DJ playing pre-recorded tracks, and a band that played over that. Shit, Steve Earle went on a tour through 2010 where he used a DJ to manufacture all his beats, and he sung and played folk guitar over it. The same was done on the album, Washington Square Serenade (he had no backing band, just Pro Tools). It was something like I've never heard before from Steve. I can't say I want to see Steve Earle go that route again, but I have to recognize the influence of technology in music today if a guy like him goes that far. Even listen to the new Bruce album, and tell me there's not a significant amount of "technological interference" to one degree or another, even if it's after the fact.

I think one of the ultimate results of all this, is I've really come to appreciate when I hear a really stripped down, bare knuckled album. With all it's inconsistencies and beautiful mistakes. I've come to cherish those Bob Dylan and Zeppelin songs that were done in one take, and I've grown to love the old live recordings like Mad Dogs and Englishmen (Joe Cocker), and 11-17-70 (Elton John). I'd say maybe I'm getting nostalgic as I get older, but that's simply not the case. This was the music I was always drawn to. Made by the finest musicians in the world, the best at their craft. And with this electronic and technologic age, comes a new craft. That much is sure. The people who practice it are talented. But can they really be called Musicians like all the rest who did it before them? Before computers became the instrument of choice?