I was on last.fm a couple weeks ago and I saw this as the title of a link. Of course, I clicked on it immediately. Although, I was expecting to find something shocking and fatal, possibly corresponding to the plot of fear.com (mediocre horror flick from the early 2000’s). What I found was even more intriguing. Breakcore is in fact a genre of music derived from the electronica family. The following is an exact description from said website.
Breakcore is a loosely defined electronic music style that brings together elements of industrial, jungle, hardcore techno and idm into a breakbeat-oriented sound that encourages speed, complexity, impact and maximum sonic density. Similar to punk, breakcore adheres to a loose set of stylistic “rules” and is defined more by an attitude than by a musical formula.
Huh, ya don't say?
Why am I bringing this up? I'll start with this... dubstep. If you don't know what I'm talking about, look it up. Reactions may vary. Dubstep seems to be taking over lately. I'm unaware about the spread of its popularity but I do know that none of the connecticut-ians with whom I inquired (with the exception of a couple fans of the wobble that I talked to last night) were acquainted with this phenomenon. Either way, the pandemic is growing and I'm not sure whether every one's happy about the fact.
Although it continues to gain popularity in Burlington, I know there are still those out there who are against the shift in the college music scene towards an electronic persuasion. I'm aware of the fact that electronica (dubstep included) is not a new thing but it has always seemed to have closer ties with the cities and more specifically the rave scene. And let me tell you, I went to Big Up last month and there was a lot of people (myself included) gettin' RULL swampy on a horse farm in upstate New York. I do have to say though that Big Up was the first "festival" I had ever been to - so what do I know?
This is a larger thought process than I have energy to write about right now but chew on this. Rock and Roll shook it up - ever since the 60's music genres have been developing loudly, changing our stances on life, becoming reflections of those perceptions and most importantly multiplying like crazy. There are more music genres out there now then I even care to indulge in acknowledging and I'm embarrassingly partial to the over-specific genre categorization of the music I listen to.
Okay this is where I'm going with this. Is there something comparable about the rise and surprisingly mercurial qualities of electronica to the past 50 years of music history? When searching around for some examples of breakcore to listen to - a lot of what I found was a little unbearable. I'm definitely a fan of metal, grunge and all that so I can appreciate a harsher sound. Yet, the unstructured nature of the music kept reminding me of the Sex Pistols. Confession: I am not really a fan. They didn't even really know how to play the guitar. I like "God Save the Queen" and that song that's like I am an anti-christ, I am an anarchist ya know- classic. However, they were more of a symbol of the time and a representation of the birth of punk than a legitimate group of musicians for which we appreciate the music itself. Then again, punk is more a lifestyle slash atmosphere than anything else. I feel like I'm digging myself into a hole that makes me sound like I dislike punk. For the record, that's false. Either way, this is my example of the comparison. I would need to do more research to make a legitimate claim and therefore make an attempt at validating this word vomit. Nonetheless, is breakcore in fact the punk of electronic sound? What will happen to the music world in the next 40 years and are we feeling bored and limited by the potential of our instruments?
I will leave you with this. I'm not too sure if I agree with the title of the link. If I do, I am unsure as to whether I associate a good or bad connotation with my insomnia. However, Aaron Spectre is pretty cool and I would make a recommendation to give him a listen. It's enough structure that you can mentally follow along and he's real into reggae infusions so overall it's a good time.
just listened to some Aaron Spectre (who is pretty decent by the way) and i think you make a great comparison by likening breakcore and punk - both fast and in your face.
ReplyDeletebut what really struck me was your question, "are we feeling bored and limited" and in a word, yes. yes we are, and i'm not really sure what to make of that. thinking of how far music has come in the last 50 years, maybe it's only natural that musicians feel everything has already been done before. it's true that there's only so much you can do with the traditional 4-man rock band.
but is this a good or bad thing? on one hand this leaves more room for (relatively) new genres such as breakcore, dubstep, electronic, and ambient. but on the other hand, breaking away from traditional instruments also brings things like auto-tune and a lack of musicianship using actual instruments.
it's good that we are trying to further music, but not good that we have become so bored with playing instruments that we've turned to creating music for profit, status, and image. when artists on the top 40 don't (and/or can't) play instruments, music becomes a popularity contest instead of a focus on musicianship.
however, i think this, the mass-production of music, is really what's limiting and boring us. there's nowhere to go with that. there is no future in that because there is no emotion and soul in it either (note: this is not to say all music nowadays is like this, only some).
a lot of things already have been done, yes, but i think that we simply have to keep creating. who knows what will happen to music in the next 40 years, but music is special and powerful enough to keep evolving into something great even if we have hit a bit of a slump at the moment.
anyways, those questions were probably just rhetorical, but i felt the need to comment on this because you bring up some excellent, and important, points (and i hope i haven't generalized music too much, or been close-minded about it; that was certainly not my intention). i have actually been thinking about the state of music, and where it's headed, a lot lately as well. sorry this was such an in-depth answer haha, but i think it's a very interesting topic. write back if you want to discuss this more :)
no! I am so glad you wrote back. A - you always have something insightful to say B - that's part of the reason I posted this C - wait until I post my second part (possibly a third) and then let's have a discussion.
ReplyDeletep.s. this is why I value you as a quality human being. well...I mean that's only part of it but you get what I'm saying.