i can't narrow down my musical tastes
mesh
925 Posts
and i don't want to. does anyone else feel like they get into more and more genres of music as they get older? i know a lot of people on here are very speceific about what they like, but i am liking more and mroe types of music. i am even starting to like house music. yeah, i said it. i never thought i would, but i just did. i guess this really comes from being a dj and wanting to stay on top of everything. but i think i would still being tracking down new shit even if i wasn't playing in clubs.what about you?
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however, i find that the "old" genres are subject to a much stricter quality control - havent bought any new hiphop in months for instance.
and there's only so much time to listen to stuff.
But I couldn't stand it... variety is the spice of life. I need to hear something different every day.
This morning I was going between Miami bass and free jazz.
As I get older, I become more interested in challenging my views. In doing so, I've found there's good stuff in every genre.
As far as DJing, my main problem when I am hustling clubs for gigs...
they ask "what do you spin?"
me--Um, ah, um, duh...um. Everything. Whatever the party calls for.
And digging...
when some dude at the flea market says, "Oh I have a unit full of records. Tell me what kinds of records you're looking for and I'll bring some next week."
me--Um, duh... Records. No, um, good records? No, I'm looking for everything.
Yeah, gotta keep learning and expand your horizons in life as in digging.
Hey Mesh,
Nice to see you up in here. Personally, I find that it takes more to stimulate me musically as I age. The more music I've been exposed to over the years, I require something more unique to excite me. It's sort of the "oh, that sounds like stuff Monk was doing 40 years ago. That's nothing new." With this mindset, I'm looking for stuff that is more far afield. I've been listening Celtic stuff, opera, and Calypso, for example. Or, I've been pulling out ole' hip-hop like "Music Madness" (Mantronix all day) and "Back to Wreck Shop" (Tone Luv and Ice-Dog where so ill, as was Too Tuff on the decks) and appreciating how advanced it was given the time period when it was released.
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
yeah, Big Stacks, i feel what you are saying about referencing other/older artists when listening to newer stuff. your ear gets more critical over time, and some stuff can seemed contrived.
then again, like they say, there are only 12 notes. but thats not an excuse, people are constantly pushing the envelope, and people are constantly biting. so the challlenge becomes finding that fresh shit.
and then here i am, getting ready to remix an old camp lo track. so where does that put me? hahaa.
Me neither man. I think my broad tastes comes from my thirst for knowledge. By wanting to know it all about music I come across so many different styles and naturally I get into the sounds I like. I don't necessarily think it's a getting older thing, I think it's an experience thing. It's taken me time, therefore age, to hear a lot of the music I like. I'm still young and there's plenty I haven't heard yet and I couldn't be more excited about it. Keeps me into this whole crazy thing called DJing
The older I get, the less I'm into the mediocre stuff that comes out in any genre. When the a genre's new to you, you'll be geeked about anything within it and try to hear/cop it all. But now I'm very discerning about, say, hip-hop and let most regular-ass lacklustre hip-hop pass me by, and then I spend that time checking either the really good hip-hop, or other genres and sounds I'm less familiar with. For example, I never knew I dug 80's reggae and dancehall. I thought that shit was cheesy, and then I listened to an old Yellowman record and was loving it.
If you are only into one kind of music, then you aren't really into music.
f'real, i grew up with grunge and rap sucks. amazing how things change. i havent bought a new rock album for months.
I don't think there is a "correct" way of being into music.
(And please know that I say all this with love and empathy--no, for real: I have been aforementioned dude. Years ago, at Christmas, I got about four or five CDs from my parents, and my mom said "You know, I couldn't find anything on your list in the store, so I had to order them all, and when I gave the titles to the man at the store, he couldn't believe that they were all for the same person." I???m not too proud to admit that hearing that made me happier than all the CDs put together. Dudes, I understand.)
In the interest of being constructive, though, I???d be interested in hearing how folks feel about the trade-offs that come with this diversification of taste. By which I mean, unless you work at a record store, or don???t work at all, or are unconventionally employed, or aren???t seriously sharing your time with a significant other, getting into a wider range of music pretty much necessarily means sacrificing some depth, whether it be depth of acquisition or depth of listening. How do y???all feel about that?
(And please miss me with that hippie ???Love is not a pie??? horseshit--???Giving to one doesn???t have to mean taking away from another, maaaan?????? There are only twenty-four hours in a day, and music exists as the passage of time. Choices must in fact be made.)
Some might say, "If you're into everything, you're not "really" into anything."
I've been a musician most of my live and have always like different kinds of music, but after I heard some good funk, I really focused on listening to and collecting it exclusively. I appreciate and enjoy other kinds of music, but I won't spend too much time or money on them. The reason is that there is something about the sound/asthetic of funk that creates a reaction in me that no other music can (or has so far). Like making me dance involuntarily or experiencing orgasm-like moments of sonic bliss.
Some people listen to music to broaden their horizons. I listen to music that gets me off.
Little has changed after ten years, and I still only know about a fraction of what's out there, so I don't see that changing anytime soon.
Also, the more in-depth knowledge you have of one thing makes it easier for to understand all things.
I would say it's more self-realization than self-congratulation. There is definitely a little 'pat on the back' associated with it, but that's expected
I find I crave different sounds at different times/moods, etc. more than another take or interpretation of a given genre, so by sacrificing the depth of listening, I get variety in exchange. There is also a natural chain that seems to happen, music that I really like leads to other music I really like....follow the liner notes...
I find I get into artists more than I do genres, that is where I???m more interested in being completist, even if I don???t love everything they???ve done musically, it???s interesting to hear the progression/development of someone???s art (sorry if that sounds corny). I feel the same about directors and authors.
Sacrificing the depth of acquisition ??? like you said, there???s isn???t enough time ??? I don???t get to spend enough time listening to what I do have and more would mean even less time to spend really hearing a record (chew your food).
I feel like I???m into a lot of different types of music, but more and more I realize, they have the same things in common even if they are different genres. That???s the other thing, I guess this diversity we???re referring to is about genres, but there are other aspects of music that one can be really deeply into (vocal style, instrument, era, etc.) that cross genres.
Yeah, people say they have eclectic tastes all the time. That usually just means they love Outkast and Coldplay equally.
My taste is truly eclectic. I'll floss that shit up and down.
But whatever, my views echo that of Big Stacks and Dr. Bassie.
That said...I'm 34 and been seeking musical sounds since I could walk. So it takes a lot to get me excited these days.
Earlier this year, for example, I realized I have all of John Coltrane's commercial work. And now what?
I remember when I first heard My Favorite Things back in high school. I've been chasing that feeling for years. Like an addict trying to get back to that first high. Addicts never get that first high again. But with music, I can get it by stepping out of my areas.
Recently I found some great tunes in the Black Metal and Techno genres. 2 years or so ago, I wouldn??t have touched any of that shit with a 20-foot stick. Things change, people change, why shouldn??t your tastes change as well? And while they??re changing I think it does you nothing but good to add on more things you like as you go. A positive, varied taste in music is good for the soul.
As for the obsessive collector side of it... well, you know how it is.
- J
BRAEKS[/b]
From Bossa Nova to MPB.
This is such a great post.
I've actually been going thru a period of narrowing my taste to pretty much just rap music. I mean like any normal person I still listen to lots of other stuff but I've stopped focusing on breadth and started working on the depth of my knowledge in specific areas. I think generally thats how I've always worked, I probably just hadn't thought about it that way before; I pick up one subgenre and obsess for a long period. I mean, I've always liked 'rap' but I mean more specifically, new rap, rap from period x-y, house from chicago, house from europe, old R&B, modern R&B, mid-period R&B, whatever - I'll have an extended period of just total immersion, which I find more enjoyable than whatever short term joy I could get from back patting myself about how open I am to different kinds of music.
(or course this on its own might seem like back patting but I digress)
I love that period where you realize you've only heard the tip of the iceberg and you need to get some understanding, some perspective on more.
Perspective I think is key here - tunnel vision about genres is shitty. But I know plenty of people who have perspective about how their favorite music exists in relation to other music in the world, even though they focus primarily on one little corner. And I think that's preferable to either diversity for diversity's sake (aka dilletantism) or tunnel-vision focus ("I only like 'real' hip-hop, maaaan.")
that was my intent in my original post. really. i was driving down the road, ipod on shuffle, and realized i like a whole bunch of different shit. more so than i did, say 4 years ago. if anything, as opposed to a pat on the back, i see it as a possible flaw, because like you said james, i don't have time to really get deep with each genre.
but, i am fortunate enough to have my own business that revolves around music so i am capable of spending more than average amounts of time listening to new shit. if i worked a 9 to 5, had a wife, etc, i probably wouldn't spend as much time doing what i do.
there are indeed only 24 hours in a day. of course, its your choice how you spend them.
Damn, James you seriously hit on an issue I grapple with: I have too much music to listen to. I tend to lean toward what Miss Bassie said, in that I listen to music that fits my mood. That's what I like about being into a variety of genres, that I can find a selection that fits what I desire at the time. If I need a "pick me up", I'll play some disco 12"s (e.g., Lee Moore or Quartz) or some soul/funk (e.g., Maxayn or The Independents). If I want something mentally stimulating, I'll listen to some Rene McLean or Alice Coltrane (that rhymed). Either way, I like having music that suits my fancy. Variety, after all, is the spice of life. But like James said, it comes with a price. It's tough making the choice of what to play sometimes, and you sacrifice some depth. Hey, it's music though, so you can't go wrong. It's a great gift to the world.
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
As for me though, I'm into a bunch of stuff and as optimistic as the rest of yous.
But how will they get reviewed on Waxidermy???
*ephemeral rare*
The "intangible" section is coming soon...
I live in a world with *fictional rare*. this is fine by me.