- Is the Magic lost ? -

by Glenn Folkvord


A synthesizer playing friend of mine once wondered why there are little or no truly amazing electronic
music around these days. It was a rhetorical question, but it is something I too have been thinking
about for some time. I remember the summer of 1989, when I bought my first CDs ever, they were all
electronic music; Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, Yanni, Kitaro, Jarre. The summer of 1989 opened the
doors to a whole new world of different, exotic, innovative, rewarding, and exploratory music for me.

I have heard a lot of electronic music since then, and today (18 years later) I consider myself somewhat
jaded or saturated when it comes to exploring new sounds, and getting fewer shivers from music.
I have no problems with basic appreciation of electronic music or any other genre I listen to (mostly
classical music and movie soundtracks), but all the experience, time and age that has passed has
changed the listening experience. But I am not sure it's only those universal life circumstances that has
caused this.

To make a long story short, there is also what I call information and sensory overload.

Can there be too much information? In another time, in another century, reading the sleeves of LPs and
booklets of CDs would make me wonder about those cool sounding instruments and hearing the unusual
sounds that artists squeezed from them. During the last 10 years however, oodles of information has
been made available, mainly on the internet, and I have also been hanging around synthesizer guys
enough to know that there is nothing magic about the Moogs and the ARPs. In fact, they kind of sound
boring unless you work them. Wikipedia, YouTube, mySpace, official websites, forums, mailing lists, fan
communities and Facebook is changing the way content is created and distributed, and it all contributes
to enlighten us about what was once unknown, expensive (to make) and exotic music.

An even bigger problem than information overload is perhaps sensory overload. In the 60s and 70s,
electronic music was rare, and so were the instruments. During the 1990s electronic instruments became
affordable, and coincided with software synths arriving at the scene, and also the internet for communica-
tions, as well as home CDR burning. Artists flourished. The 90s snowballed electronic music, as electronica
and ambient music got a foothold in mainstream media; I learned about artists like Orbital, Air, The Orb,
Massive Attack and Sven V

Good story Glenn.

for me the magic is still there, but it is to easy to find it nowadays

I agree in general, but I think it is not just electronic music.

Recording used to be a major pain as studios cost a fortune and hardly anyone knew what went on in a studio, so you were at the hands of whichever engineer there was.
These days, most people have a studio at home (a PC)
The amount of RUBBISH released is phenomenal. It really is. Badly recorded, no original ideas at all and just rubbish. This is in every genre though. Maybe EM suffers a touch more than other genre, but I think it's just a consequence of the internet.
Moogs and ARPs are tools. It all depends how you work. I love working with them and they are to me real instruments. Learn to play them and you get magic in my opinion. Creative tools which in the right hands go further than just being "synths"
Vangelis on his CS80 for example. Now, a CS80 is an absolutely fabulous synth, but there are few people if any who can master a synth that well. ENO and his VCS3. Schulze and the big Moog.

That for me is the real problem. No one masters their instrument anymore. It should become an extension of your mind in a certain way, but that requires dedication as well as talent and few people have both these days.

Just eating Filet Mignon might become boring, maybe so, but it is not the only good cut of meat out there luckily.

Then again we end up on the argument of VALUE.
I filled up my car 2 days ago and I also bought a mobile phone as mine died after 5 years (yes, I am old school when it comes to phones!)
The mobile phone was the same price as a tank of petrol.
For my rent and monthly bills, I could buy a nice iMac new.
Luxuries have become cheap. Things we NEED have become expensive as we have to feed all those shareholders and the management...

In short, I agree that we are overloaded but I don't blame instruments or even serious musicians.
it's just that we are living in a world where instant gratification rules. No one wants to dedicate themselves or commit themselves.
They want rewards without the graft. Both listeners and "artists"

Rant over!

I'd say there is more good music around these days, but it is hidden behind the masses of shit out there... to put it nicely

Good points, David.