It's been a little while again, since I wanted to leave my thoughts behind. Just for your information, I am just a musician with my own perspectives. What I believe isn't perse truth or reality.
But during a music session, my mind strayed off with a simple question:
How come we make music so complicated?
To go in detail: Why do some musicians feel like, what they make, must be a portfolio of all the techniques they possess? Ofcourse, we listeners like it. But we don't know better. I am even certain most of non-trained ears don't even hear all the extra efford musicians put into their tracks. They aren't the ones counting the beats. The aren't the ones knowing what a side chain is. Do listeners demands ducking effects? Do they want a drop?
Sure. I get it. Complication also means expression. The more complicated the music is, the more intelligent it becomes. The more complication, the more options to move music without repetative feelings. And that also finds its audience.
But I want to go back to the roots of electronic music. When things didn't were so complicated. It was a different era. Everything created was new. Fresh. Unique.
We didnt need to complicate things, because we didnt knew better. It was good enough.
And the audiences agreed.
At a certain time, music became less unique. So, in order to fix that, we needed to complicate it. Invent music again. And again. And again.
But right now. It's far from unique. Complicated music, no matter how much you experiment with it, isn't unique anymore. It's no shame to go back to the roots again. Not to be unique, but just to have fun with the basics, and embrace it.
I know musicians make music with passion. They don't tend to make it for others, only themselves. But let's look at the audience again. Let's look at the others.
They still dance at disco's, if they are presented with a repetative beat track for 10 minutes straight. They still cry when they hear beautiful chord progression from a piano.
I always live by the rule 'Less is more'. In graphic design, very much so. But also in music. And I personally think, we try to overkill music. And that is not to blame for the audience, nor the creator. But the middle man, the managing side of it: The label. The industry itself. They look for fresh music. But somehow, never looks back, unless it can be fused with something new. They are promoting to re invent music, all the time. To me, the industry is rapidly crashing into a big wall in a near future. Somewhere, there is going to be a full stop on music progression. It's already happening. There comes a time, that everything we invent, is already invented one way or another. And that's because we trying to follow trends as musicians. Given by the industry, and trendsetters/pioneers. Music doesn't need much to touch emotions. It doesnt need much to make us move, cry, laugh. I want to post a simple piece, which could be polished forever, but I decided not to. Just a piece I made in 40 minutes time. I wanted to know what kind of effect it haves on you, as a listener:
I can say, I had a lot of fun in 40 minutes time. The next 40 minutes on another track, could be just as fun as well. I don't need to spend 4 or 5 days on one track to polish it, finetune it, because I know if I let myself think like that, a track will never be finished. It's never ready.
And I bet, an honest listener would already like your track result after day one.
Some of the greatest music ever made, were made in short time. With not much going on. With barely any efford. It sounds cheap, but we all know it isn't. Expressing emotions don't know the terms 'lazy', 'cheap' or anything.
I am sure my track could be heavily criticized by musicians. How it misses this, or that. Or that this needs improvement. Or that they prefered another instrument. That's all fine. Thats the musician in you who talks. Not the listener. Is it super quality? I am not the one saying. It's up to listeners.
But I do believe we want too much as musicians.
