Live Music by Live Musicians?

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froglick

Guest
Hey...now there's a thought.

I've got nothing against sequencing or spinning. I've been in bands all my life. Rock, Jazz, Ska, Punk, Metal, Industrial, Post-Modern (huh?), Bluegrass...all of which were made up of actual players making music.
A couple had some sequencing and none have had a DJ (We especially wouldn't have one now...)

I guess what I've come here to say is...
Rock isn't dead...nor is live music. I can appreciate all kinds but have come to recognize when a genre or style has become oversaturated in the market. Who cares though....if it's something you enjoy doing or listening to, trends shouldn't matter.

The funny thing about the market is that it keeps moving with or without any of us. Electronica, Hip-hop, Metal, Rock, Industrial, Cajun, Country, Classical, Jazz, Pop...and the list could go on for pages....

All viable, all real, all valid genres and styles.
I say mix 'em up. Don't get stuck in any one genre. Staying in one place creates a rut...hard to navigate and get out of.

There's my 2 (or more) cents for my first post ever on this board :-D

Lou
Froglick
 
I think listening to live music is a unique experience. I used to be in a band although now I'm more into sequencing and DJing.

There's something about a good band playing live that is really euphoric (if you're really into their style of music) - it's a very immersive experience, and you can almost 'feel' the energy / emotion / funk.

Having said that, a good DJ can be like that to some extent - no two sets are ever the same. The diversity of music out there is incredible so it's a bit simplistic when people dismiss DJs because they 'just play records'. And I find clubbing to be a very unique, immersive experience in a similar way to 'proper' live music.

I would say that the advent of sequencing has put a few things in perspective. E.g. in the 80s there was more of a culture of respecting guitarists who could play incredibly complex riffs ... but how important is that when you can 'cheat' using a computer? In the same way, I respect that juggling or unicycling involve a lot of skill, but how useful are they? Ultimately, the music itself is the most important thing to me, not how it was created.
 
Bongo, you're right again. No 2 concerts are the same. Especially good bands who throw in the totally obscure cover and do it nicely. A DJ can spin the same basic tunes from night to night but come off with a completely different sound.

Guitarist show their influences the same way DJ's do. Just in a different form. It's not rocket science but it's not tinker toys either. That's what influences do to musicians.
 
OK, I'm adding some more.

In a band you have to have the people whom all share the same vision. Otherwise, your ideas get clouded instead of emulated. That's why DJ'ing is so pure, because its all the elements needed for great music and the only person you have to blame if it sucks is yourself.
 
I think that as long as an artist has a communication with his or her audience in the live setting that it's a good show. Be it electronic or traditional. I'm personally more a fan of electronic acts like The Crystal Method and Electric Skychurch than I am of traditional "Djs" per se, but then I do have a Thievery Corporation addiction.

I think as soon as someone shuts off a type of music, it's a bad thing.

I'm personally interested to see more melding of electronica and rock in a live setting. Put The Crystal Method and At the Drive-In on stage together. hells yes.
 
I don't believe that certain genres should be shut out of your influences. I particularly like country, but I know a people who make really good trance remixes of country songs. I think it wouldn't sound as good in another type of dance (house, d n b, hip-hop, etc.)

The main thing is that there is a certain element lost when and electronic act plays live. There is no "rock star" element. Fans want to see an energetic front man. That's why many DJ's/Sequencers are becoming more flashy and utilize a light specialist.
 
shaq D said:
...certain element lost when and electronic act plays live. There is no "rock star" element. Fans want to see an energetic front man...
Click to expand...
Many electronic acts do have this element. E.g. The Prodigy are supposed to have lots of stage presence.

I personally love the clubbing experience though. Not so much a 'hero worship' thing (where all the focus is on the performer), it's more of a communal 'have a dance with a load of like-minded people' thing. With a decent DJ of course :)
 
Energetic front man can be good, but what if there's no lyrics? I feel one of the best electronica live acts out there are The Crystal Method. True a pile of technical gear, keyboards, cables, and samplers is no where near as sexy as a guitar, but it's more about the event and less about the performance, isn't it? (or isn't it supposed to be?)

and the other thing, as Jason Bentley put it, (this is paraphrasing), "People come out, they dress a certain way, they take certain drugs, they empoer themselves, and it's NOT about Rock 'n'Roll"
 
Yeah for about half of their songs, Keith Flint and Maxim Reality are jumping around getting the crowd fired up at Prodigy concerts. But the crowd is mostly moshing at that show, not dancing. (those are 2 different acts)

A concert is supposed to be a great a band showing how well they perform. Much of the focus is on the lead singer and guitar solos. Its about commanding a stage. That's why its cool to be a rock star.

I'm not dissing groups like The Crystal Method or Air or whomever. The mood is just different at their shows because its more of a party, where as most Rock/Country/Rap/Pop/Whatever is more like a play or a movie where there are acts and scenes. I like my comparision.


I can't decide which is sexier, TT's or guitars. hhmmmmmm...................:cheers:
 
You're dead on with the comparison. They are completely different approaches. the electronica show tends to not focus on the performer as much. The music is what everyone's into, and that can be played by a DJ or an artist. A rock show, people go to see the performer. But one isn't necessarily better than the other. Just different.
 
That's why I'm happy to have options. Think clearly and understand.

Some one on here has a quote by Frank Zappa "A mind is like a paarachute, it only works when its open". That sums up how the world should work. Not just musically, but artisitically and worldly. :D :D
 
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