Before I start, I understand that each and every individual has his or her own personal taste and opinion about music, and if someone’s taste does get offended in any way while reading this, I do apologize. I have to state that I am not trying to diminish the importance of any type of music. Everything below is my own personal opinion, and it should be regarded as just that.
Introduction
How long has music been around? Some books clam that early prehistoric people used to produce various sounds and that they used to dance around, preforming all sorts of rituals, accompanied by music. As time passed, music developed and nowadays, there are categories, subcategories, styles and you, as a listener, can get – to put it in plain words – very, very confused. That’s just the way it is. But, there is a peculiar point in history that I would like to focus on. In the 50’s and 60’s, white people from Europe started playing blues and rock & roll – a musical genre invented by African Americans in the United States. In that period, this was a “definite no-no”, but the quality, or to put it even better, the “soul” that this kind of music had (and still has) could not have been overlooked. That is why it became popular and, at least in my opinion, this is a point in time that started pushing music in a different direction and the result is the popular music we listen to today.
The Rolling Stones vs. The Beatles
These two bands are the most popular names in the rock and roll industry – this is a fact, and here’s why. They were the first musicians that covered blues and rock and roll songs, altering them a bit, so that this kind of sound would be acceptable for European audiences. But, these two bands are important for yet another reason. In the mid 60’s there was an article published entitled: “Would you let your daughter marry a Rolling Stone?” This was a marketing move made by Andrew Oldham, the manager of the Rolling Stones at the time. Why did he do this? You see, back then, although both bands played more or less the same music, their act was different. The Beatles stood for your favorite boys next door, with their clean haircuts and jolly performances. The Stones, on the other hand, were different. They had crazy performances, and they were definitely not the kind of people you would trust your daughter with. Now, the band members of both bands used to hang around together and they even did music together, but the Beatles vs. Stones battle went on, and this is something the media forced onto the public. I presume, and keep in mind that this is my own theory (so to say), that from that moment on, everything that developed in the Pop section was influenced by the Beatles, and everything that went in the Rock section was influenced by the Stones. More specifically, every clean and beautiful combination of sounds and chords, combined with some sentimental lyrics was something that was from the Beatles, and a dirty sound, combined with an “I can’t get no satisfaction” kind of lyric (lyrics that are not about “her”, or “him”, or “you”) was from the Stones.
This all sounds a bit farfetched, and I agree that you might have your doubts. But if you think about it, there were always two bands, and you liked them both, but you preferred one. The best example that I can think of is the Limp Bizkit vs. Linkin Park comparison. These bands are definitely not directly influenced by the popular British rock and roll bands of the 60’s, but think about it. Linkin Park has clean vocals and sentimental lyrics, while Limp Bizkit’s guitarist paints himself to look like some sort of “creature” and I don’t even want to go into the lyrics – it would be rude. You see what I’m talking about.
Technology in music
The main thing to focus on in the previous paragraph would be the fact that, although you might prefer one band more than the other, you can certainly listen to both. Moving on, in the late 70’s and during the 80’s, technology started developing fast, and it is only logical that it found a way into the music industry. Rhythm machines and keyboards that generate all kinds of sounds were introduced and it all started off with a thing called “Disco”. As technology progressed, so did this kind of music, and nowadays you have loads of genres, all referring to digital music (Techno, House, Drum and Bass, Trance…) and these genres are further subcategorized as well. Loads and loads of DJ’s are on the scene today and they are filling up halls and stadiums.
Now, you cannot argue about the fact that digital and instrumental music are two totally different subjects. Why is this so? Well, here I’m going to present yet another theory that I developed. A drummer is human, and while he or she plays, there is a certain dose of error, when it comes to how precise the tempo was for instance. Each and every drummer is not 100% error-proof, but believe it or not, this is a good thing. It’s the error that makes it sound live and energetic. The same goes for guitarists and vocalists. But, when it comes to digital music, you are working with sounds already generated. You can alter them, change them, but you do not produce them while preforming on stage – they are prerecorded. Furthermore, if you do make a mistake, it sounds weird. I think that a different audience is attracted to live bands on the one side, and to DJs and digital music on the other.
Moving on to the subject at hand
This article is here to present a newer approach to music that appeared in England (consequently). Although the “marriage” between live and digital music has been around for quite some time now (just think of Rammstein, and, frankly speaking, each and every industrial band, as well as the popular drum and bass “ensemble” Pendulum), somehow there has never been a combination of these two sounds so that you can, in lack of a better description, listen to with your parents – something that is, so to say, radio friendly. Again, I can understand that this all sounds rather confusing, but it is a confusing subject.
At this point (to all who are not informed), I would like to present a musical genre that has come to be known as post-rock, and in the following piece of text, I will use one musical group as an example to explain my point. I presume that (since I am a very big fan) that I am being a tad subjective here… But one thing is for sure – at the moment, I cannot think of a better example.
65 Days of Static
One New Year’s Eve, I decided, as my “New Year’s resolution”, that my favorite band will be this band from then on out. Just to be clear, I am not the kind of guy who does New Year’s resolutions – all this was a joke of sorts, at least it was in my head back then, but nevertheless, 65 DOS is still my favorite band.
The new breed of music, mentioned in the title, is something I like to call – classical music of the 21st century. That’s a bold statement. Now, in order for you to understand the text below, first, you have to listen to this song, since it is THE perfect example:
We are living in the 21st century, and technology is “our friend”, and it should be used in music. Now that you have gone through the song, I hope that you catch my drift. The harmonies used there are very “classical”. However, as far as I can tell, classical music is not the most popular music nowadays, but one thing is for sure – no one can dare say that it is something that should not be appreciated. And I presume that it is time for something new and fresh to pop up in this genre. I also presume that classical music is, well, classical music, and no one worked on expanding this genre – at least not somebody that I heard of. 65 DOS might be the first to try something like this. If you want to check them out, visit their YouTube channel, and find something like “Fall of Math”, “Retreat! Retreat!”, “Drove to the Ghosts to get There”, “Primer”, and lots and lots of other songs. You will find that, no matter if you are a fan of either digital or live music, you will surely appreciate this band. They are really something new.
Let’s wrap it up
I hope that this text will at least tickle your brain a bit, and I am looking forward to discussing on the matter as well as acknowledging other people’s opinions. Actually, a couple of friends and I were pretty much influenced by this type of music and we formed a band called There. (with a full stop). To end this article in the most personal way possible, here’s a recording of one of our tunes:
Keep in mind that this is an amateur recording from one of our sessions. We are still “under development”. Actually, we don’t have a website yet, but you can check out our Facebook page. Things are happening, though. Our recording ended up on a compilation of “underground” music from the Balkans, released by an independent label – Black Planet Records. Check out the compilation here, and pay attention to the 26th track. 🙂
