the long wait

What the hell are DnB fans doing, quitting (or pondering quitting) the scene like it's a job? Forget the fact that the majority of the posts on forums around the world are attention seeking manifestos on the "state of the dnb union", but the thing that gets my goat is the reasoning... sometimes, like in Sykophiend's case, he was having trouble with labels and feeling like he was jerked. I can respect that to a degree. There are others, though, who keep mentioning that they are "waiting". They never really break down what it is they are expecting to come or happen or whatever, just that the wait is on.

I can only figure that this wait is in reference to a dreamed-on emergence of a new front, if you will. Back in the late 90s, with the emergence of heavy hitters liked Ed Rush & Optical, Bad Company and many more, the dark, neurofunk/techstep style was rearing it's ugly head. It was a welcome change from a scene that focused on movie samples, edited breakbeats and a reggae aesthetic. It helped usher in a whole slew of new fans (for good or ill), and opened up what could be done sonically with this thing of ours. Is a front like that being prayed upon, like Christians waiting for the occurances that were brought up in the Book of Revelation?

I can also understand people being tired of what I will call popular DnB. The guys like Pendulum, TC, High Contrast, Subfocus, etc. can seem to dominate the airwaves, big raves and other places the sound is played. I don't always like it, but then again, I can tolerate good music. My disdain for certain tracks in no way kills my love for the scene as a whole. As a genre of music, DnB is probably the most forward thinking, balls to the wall of sound genre out there. You can't flip as many styles in other genres as you can with DnB. Most of the time, it comes off as being pretentious or just plain muddled. Tweaked right, you can mash up country vocals and polka vibes into a DnB tune if you wanted, and it could still come out funky. And if you search hard enough, you will in fact find your DJ Scratchy Balls, the polkastep kingpin. True lovers would do that...

Which leads me to my point. I think the lack of love for DnB is pretty dominant in these posts and proclamations about the scene as of right now. If you get married to someone, are you going to get a divorce because you do not like the way they make their eggs? Or the way they brush their teeth? Or their handwriting? I didn't think so. Why quit from DnB because you feel things are same-y, or stale? Why not try and work things out first? I spoke with Perpetuum a bit ago about the state of the scene, but I never did ask him if he was quitting. Judging by the amount of tracks he has forthcoming, I doubt he really would want to quit. The difference between Perpetuum and some of these other peeps? He is doing something about it. He does not like the way the scene is turning? He makes music he feels should be put to the forefront.

Essentially, at the end of the day, the truth will come to the light, and true art and soul will always shine brighter than manufactured hogwash. For those who say they cannot find what they are looking for, I say try harder. Or open up. If you cannot do either of those things, don't say you loved this thing of ours. You were just visiting...
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1 comment:

Inta said...

Easy there.

Nice debate on a different level you got here.

I agree with you to the extent of tolerance. OK it's got popular and popularity sometimes mean you gotta water the shit down so that more ppl swallow and digest without problems.

I don't like that at all but I've learned to live with it and distance myself accordingly. DnB as the wholeheartedly most upfront sound of the dance scene is no longer the case. Instead, you get a lot of 'typical' tunes, good or bad and a solid 20% that is so god damn proper that never gives you the impression good forward thinkin soundz has ever died.

DJs are the problem for me. Most of them big names are not riskin anything anymore, they are the forerunners, the shapers but they've managed to shape up something completely uncool in my opinion. On the other hand, you have the traditional minority in dnb for the last 7yrs that takes things forward but remains underground for most of the time.

The thing with the lack of a lot of current really nice tunes that form a set isn't necessary a problem anymore. In fact it's more creative than ever. You just h-a-v-e to draw from the recent or not so recent past. "Totalitarian" sets are something rare and needed these days. They provide inspiration and ultimate floor destruction when laid out properly. We don't have to be afraid the thing ain't fresh anymore and still play anything and everythin that comes out like most of the A-List does, we need to put our headz down and dig deep for ourselves and the audiences around.

Anyway, you also have a point that anything is allowed and anything is subject to 'tolerance'. Still, I just distance myself, popular dnb was at the beginning a reason for me and others to quit with the sound, now I am OK with it as long as I don't have to play it or listen to it.

That is all from me.

Peace:Out