dr lopez Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 How does everyone here know everything ever? Granted a forum is obviously an aggregate of everyone's musical knowledge but it's sometimes soul-crushing. I spend a lot of time listening to music but even a cursory glance at this forum reveals how little I actually know. About any genre. How do you folks do it? Do you spend your waking life with the headphones on? It seems it would take years to truly understand and contemplate the output of an RDJ, a Mingus or a Mahler, yet during those years other artists' output hasn't stopped. I like discovering new music, but I'm a big re-listener until I know every squeak and pop in a Mouse on Mars track or what-have-you. Is this perhaps not the best strategy for having a clue what the hell electronic music is or was or where it's headed? And to extrapolate, how does one balance listening time between electronic music and other genres? I also don't really torrent music ever, so my acquisition of music is only through hard releases, which I'm sure slows down my rate of gain versus someone who torrent the shit out of everything. Obviously, music/life/everything is NOT a competition, but I have a very powerful desire to feel like I know something and can speak intelligently about a topic when the need arises. I honestly do not come into this forum much because I always get overwhelmed with the amount of music I feel I need to absorb. Does anyone else ever think of this, and if so how do you deal with it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deepex Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 http://www.utorrent.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perunamuusi Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 don't worry all these people who "know-it-all-about-every-new-release" are internet kiddies who have no understanding of (as you put it) "know[ing] every squeak and pop in a Mouse on Mars track". they just torrent more music than they could ever listen to in a lifetime because they have no understanding of value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Enter a new display name Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 I tend to listen to too many albums and I barely re-listen to them. I would say I don't pay enough attention to new stuff and I filter music like shit. It seems it would take years to truly understand and contemplate the output of an RDJ, a Mingus or a Mahler, yet during those years other artists' output hasn't stopped. You just described the subforums here. (Sorry, I had to troll.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaini Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 it's an internet disease. torrent everything ever, and listen to each album exactly once. then pretend you know it all. i'd rather listen to a really good album a hundred times and get to know it inside out than listen to a hundred albums once each and pretend i'm down with the kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deepex Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 For me its a matter of balance. I like to download new stuff or "skim" the internet for different sounds. I'll spend a lot of time streaming things online. This gets me acclimated to whats happening in music. Of these things I download lot of music to wade through, and things that resonate with me will stick, others will fall to the side. This is always paired with dedicated listening to certain albums of interest or study, where I'm getting to know the nuances. I've given up the need to have each beat committed to memory, it really seems silly when I think about it. I still think its very important to spend time with music and let it reveal things to you. I'm still a big supporter of the album format. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KY Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 don't worry all these people who "know-it-all-about-every-new-release" are internet kiddies who have no understanding of (as you put it) "know[ing] every squeak and pop in a Mouse on Mars track". for what it's worth though, "know[ing] every squeak and pop in a Mouse on Mars track" is tantamount to "i am a virgin". jk jk i love u guys, but seriously, don't download music illegally, ask artsist's permission 1st Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soloman Tump Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 ive been listening to electronic music for 12 years and i still feel like a noob. Just enjoy what you can listen too, follow some suggestions from some forum members and if that works out for you do it again... I last illegally downloaded something in 2003, and i feel very good about that. If i cant afford to buy it then ill go without. There is a wealth of legal great free music out there too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KovalainenFanBoy Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 I only listen to hard copies because I know I won't listen to an album I didn't enjoy on my first listening twice if i don't buy it. For example, I didn't like MHTRTC when I bought it, but I forced myself to listen to it so I didn't feel it was wasted money and then it clicked with me. Obviously I've bought a lot of albums I dislike/hate, but that's part of it. Of course this slows the process of listening, but I think quality > quantity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ricky Downtown Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 my advice: -don't worry about re-listening, listen to whatever you want -listen to music at any moment you can -don't instantly like an album because it is critically praised, LISTEN -oh, and i find that if i'm browsing the internet or something like that while listening to music i'm not actually listening to the music. sort of like glazing over a book without paying attention after reading for hours. find something you can do that still allows you to focus on the music. I have been doing sudoku and drawing lately. -and dont worry about knowing it all, there are too many classics out there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbpete Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 The more I listen, the less I know. It's like an ever expanding net of music, and the more I go down one road the more side roads seem to come off it ... Mmm, think I mixed metaphors there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaini Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 The more I listen, the less I know. i like this very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundwave Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Maybe try from early electronic music and make your way up? If you 'skim' (good term) sites loke Bookat, Bleep, Amazon and emusic you can often find lists from ppl that will often take you places. I'm not really arsed about every B side limited edition exclusive as long as I get the good stuff although some blagging artists with a similar music geekness will make you work for your treasure which isn't a bad thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ascdi Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 i think this has been a good thread so far. i agree about the importance of repeated listens. it would suck if i let first impressions cloud my judgment of music. that said, i do buy a lot of CDs, but luckily (ish) i have a lot of opportunities for fairly decent listening, and i manage to not be too shamefully behind (on my CD 'queue' that is; of course i am 'behind' on all the bloggable shit). i had a few real good experiences listening to Apple Lossless files (as in, enjoying the sound of lossless unexpectedly), so i allow that to guide my listening, somewhat arbitrarily. as in, if i can't get it in lossless, i don't bother listening to it. like i said, arbitrary, but it does serve to narrow things down to a reasonable deluge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Al5x Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 don't worry all these people who "know-it-all-about-every-new-release" are internet kiddies who have no understanding of (as you put it) "know[ing] every squeak and pop in a Mouse on Mars track". they just torrent more music than they could ever listen to in a lifetime because they have no understanding of value. As an "internet kiddy" I must express my utter disagreement. If I wasn't constantly *skimming* new music as Deepex puts it I'd have never found some of the albums I've listened to a million times in a million different ways. There are some people who just go through music like they're channel surfing, but I doubt they'd be different without the internet. They'd just listen to college radio and be gay like that. I mean gay in the dude's who love eachother way not the derogatory way don't ban me please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr lopez Posted July 26, 2011 Author Share Posted July 26, 2011 It's also a scale issue for me too. I run circles around my friends, family, and fellow students (save two who are in music school for classical cello and jazz sax) in terms of sheer knowledge of artists and works as well as time spent listening and discovering new things and personal tastes. It's often frustrating because this means a lack of a "hot house" environment to provide motivation to spur me on, to really engage and become absorbed in the music. WATMM fixes that in a way, but introduces a circle of musical culture that seems like a totally different planet than my geographically-based surroundings. This sudden change in scale doesn't always work the way it should and in some times is deeply overwhelming. "oh chiptunes are kinda cool I guess" *google search: chiptune artists* *600,000 results* FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU... A silly example but still indicative of the sheer overwhelming volume of the internet. It's comforting to know that most people feel the same about listening "quality over quantity" concern, yet I'm fairly certain no one here wants to be labeled as a n00b or a hauntingsoul. Obviously finding the balance isn't as hard as I might be construing, but I guess what I'm sensing ITT is perhaps a more jaded and skewed edge towards the "wonders" of the internet than I have. Time to get my head down and start listening. I need more phil collins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modey Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 I've completely stopped listening to anything but 80s pop, at least while I'm working on my new album. It's good. I don't have to worry about new releases, and can stay happy in my little bubble of Tears For Fears, a-ha, Depeche Mode, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugene Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 i rely on first impression a lot, i rarely revisit albums that didn't pick my interest on the first play, but then i play the ones i like literally tens of times in a short period. it's all good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J3FF3R00 Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Fact = People who know everything about electronic music listen to 90% shit. *edit* 95% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root5 Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 I'm definitely not one of the people you're talking about. I'm mostly coming from a classical background, and my knowledge of electronic music is pretty limited to the featured artists + bola. That said, I really love music, so I can understand how people can know as much as they do. Some people are just really really into music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chenGOD Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Just listen to what you want and don't worry about swinging dicks. For example - me and Ghost Box. Shamefully I didn't know much about Ghost Box at all, but then I heard clips from The Advisory Circle's latest. So I asked a friend on here who i know enjoys that label's music, and whose musical tastes I generally trust, for some recommendations. Been working my way through them, listening several times, and am really glad that I did (mind it's only 3 or 4 albums, not like the whole Ghost Box discography). I still don't know the albums well enough to figure out what beats and melodies, bass lines and so on are coming next, but a general idea of the song order and vague sonic description of the song in my head. Anways, fuck the kids who "know everything" and go listen to "Tri Repetae". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Coalbucket PI Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 I know what you mean, I never know enough and I don't listen to things as intensely as I used to like when I somehow managed to memorize every sound on Drukqs back when I could only afford a CD every couple of months. I really don't know how people make threads like 'recommend me something new', because for me at any point in the day I could list 20 albums or artists I would like to look into when I get the time, and about 100 that I already have heard that I want to listen to some more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stoppit Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 I do my best to keep investigating new music (and by that I mean new to me). I browse various online record shops (boomkat, norman records, mimaroglu etc). If I find an album I like, I'll check out the artist's previous work, other artists on their label, people they've collaborated with, people that are mentioned in comparison, or as in influence to the artist etc etc... Back in the days before internets (specifically from age 12 onwards), I remember obsessively reading every last bit of text on the back of a jungle compilation, or a tiny review in a music magazine, in the hope of gleaning any information about artists I knew virtually nothing about (but loved their music). These days with discogs, amazon, wikipedia and the aforementioned record shops, it seems a lot simpler to do a little research. In some ways, it removes the mystery, which was sort of exciting (especially when you're a young and discovering all these underground musicians like someone stumbling across a secret cult), but it's easier than ever to find interesting new music. I still think that buying hard copies (or at least paying for downloads) means you value the music much more, as opposed to just adding another title the never-ending list of torrented albums that 'you'll get round to listening to one day'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perunamuusi Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 don't worry all these people who "know-it-all-about-every-new-release" are internet kiddies who have no understanding of (as you put it) "know[ing] every squeak and pop in a Mouse on Mars track". for what it's worth though, "know[ing] every squeak and pop in a Mouse on Mars track" is tantamount to "i am a virgin". good point. ok replace "every squeak and pop in a Mouse on Mars track" with "every word on sweetheart of the rodeo" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest iep Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 How does everyone here know everything ever? Granted a forum is obviously an aggregate of everyone's musical knowledge but it's sometimes soul-crushing. I spend a lot of time listening to music but even a cursory glance at this forum reveals how little I actually know. About any genre. How do you folks do it? Do you spend your waking life with the headphones on? It seems it would take years to truly understand and contemplate the output of an RDJ, a Mingus or a Mahler, yet during those years other artists' output hasn't stopped. I like discovering new music, but I'm a big re-listener until I know every squeak and pop in a Mouse on Mars track or what-have-you. Is this perhaps not the best strategy for having a clue what the hell electronic music is or was or where it's headed? And to extrapolate, how does one balance listening time between electronic music and other genres? I also don't really torrent music ever, so my acquisition of music is only through hard releases, which I'm sure slows down my rate of gain versus someone who torrent the shit out of everything. Obviously, music/life/everything is NOT a competition, but I have a very powerful desire to feel like I know something and can speak intelligently about a topic when the need arises. I honestly do not come into this forum much because I always get overwhelmed with the amount of music I feel I need to absorb. Does anyone else ever think of this, and if so how do you deal with it? nice post--i try to balance between The sounds that currently resonate with me the most and The Unknown (which i found in various sources/inspiration). how to balance? first i try to spend as much time as possible on sound/music, finding a lifestyle/attitude where i can 'immerse' myself as much as possible, and always try to think about the future, where i want to be later & how to get to that (tho this imagined 'destination' is changing all the time). "do i make myself clear"? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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