chimp_spanner wrote: ↑20 Feb 2020
EdGrip wrote: ↑20 Feb 2020
One chaos/control convergence I enjoy is making - one way or another - semi-chaotic sounds, and then snipping the best/most compelling/most surprising bits and pieces out of the chaos and working with them.
I never got into metal, beyond Metallica - especially the more complex and/or shouty-screamy stuff. It always just felt like pantomime angerz and emotionz, but weirdly empty of actual emotions. Like punk if punk was joyless and leaden.
I'm sure I'm wrong.
I guess Metal is (or can be) more about energy than emotion? Like, when it tries to sound aNgErY, that's when I find it a bit cheesy/cringe. But when it's like a sense-assault/overload or has something interesting or satisfying to listen to, then I'm all about it. Car Bomb, Meshuggah, Loathe, Gojira. They're "cool" (IMO). Straight up metuuuuul, not so much my bag!
it's refreshing to know there are others who've come to a similar place with appreciation, even though we're from different backgrounds. I grew up loving the more artsy angles of alt rock, punk rock, and a bit of metal, I guess. for a long time I too turned up my nose at anything electronic, because "all you have to do is push some buttons". it took a long time, but eventually I bought an electronic album (Fischerspooner's #1, if you must know), and was blown away by how intricate, chaotic, and beautiful it could be. that was about when I realized it doesn't matter how you're making your music--the decisions you make along the way are what make it either 'good', 'bad', or somewhere in between.
I'm with you on straight "metal" though. it seemed more pretentious and obsessed with image than anything else. it's also why I still can't listen to a lot of classic prog to this day, even though modern prog is by far my favorite. but for me, it's always been about the emotional journey than the technical ability--that's never really impresssed me too much. but if you can build something huge out of a seedling that's tiny and beautiful...that speaks to me. that's what good prog is, to me; a sense of scale, and taking the listener on a journey through different emotions.
incidentally, I listened to a bit of what you came up with using the new player, and could immediately hear some of your prog background influence in even that 'generated' beat. the constant ride or crash (or open hat?) that kept the pulse going stuck out to me (in a very cool way).
as far as using generative or assisting tools, it's all in the decisionmaking I mentioned earlier. if they add something weird, unexpected, and most importantly something that sounds *good*, then who can argue with the results? I work similarly to you and reddust, I think, in that regard. I'll reach for them and see what happens, but ultimately, it's my ears that make the final decision.
anyhoo, I'm rambling now. time to go make some music.