Electronic music.

I like electronica. I do think it takes talent to create it, since there's *usually* structure to a piece, and it is possible to make huge mess of things if someone without talent tries to create an electronica piece.

I do like Orgy and some trance hardcore.
 
Of course it takes talent.

Just because it is electronic doesn't mean there isn't structure, thought, atmosphere and emotion in the music.

Think of Ulver and FSOL, and similar groups, where you become absorbed into weird soundscapes that move you. It takes a lot of talent to do that.

But the Oomp tss Oomp tss stuff.. god, even I can do that.. and I have....

It's the same as any genre I spose, electronica can be done well, by talented people, or it can be just done, by not so talented people.
 
It takes the kind of talent that knows how to write tastefully. Like Kushan said, good electronic songs have atmosphere and emotion to them, a good example being Robert Miles. If any of you have heard his song "Freedom," you know what I'm talking aboot, eh?

Oy! I forgot to mention a band called Era. They have a guitarist (a damn good one I might add), but their music revolves around electronic stuff. Download their selftitled song "Era," it'll kick your ass! In a soft, non-aggressive, easy listening sort of way :)
 
Of course it takes a lot of talant. Listen, I mean seriously listen to some good electronic music, like Paul Van Dyk, BT, or Robert Miles. This music has structure, complexity, and atmosphere to it. Try taking a bunch of synths and make a song as good as the mentioned artists, I doupt you'd ever come close without practice and skill to create the desired atmosphere and dimension.
 
Of course it takes talent to make it - the difference to music played on "real" instruments is that it doesn't take any skill to play it... but creation is not the same as reproduction
 
I once had this discussion.

Bro: Who's this (he looked at my DJ Tiesto CD)

Me: DJ Tiesto. He's a compitent artist.

Bro: No he isn't

Me: You've heard of him? Why isn't he compitent?

Bro: BECAUSE IT'S TECHNO! (he said it with a matter-of-fact emphasis). There is no such thing as a compitent techno artist because it takes no skill.

Me: People say the same thing about Metal.

Bro: That's different because metal is masterful, revolutionary, and takes an incredible amount of skill. Like metallica, they are godly, they have the best instrumentals in all of metal and their skill is unrivaled, that's what I'm talking about. Techno, you just play with your computer and throw in one sound after another. No skill involved.

Me: You miss the point entirely. Yes, metal requires a great deal of skill, though you severely overestimate Metallica. The fact is, to someone who doesn't like Metal it takes no skill. To them it's just a series of yells over blaring guitars noises that play without rythm in their ears. Like how you think my death-metal is just a series of growls over unrythmic guitar noises. Same with Techno. I enjoy it so I see the complexity involved, you don't so you see it as an outsider.

Bro: No matter what you say, Techno still sucks.

Me: Why do I bother arguing with you?
 
A gross mistake, to suppose that all there is to electronic music, is the oomptz-oomptz stuff. Real electronic music is stuff like Tangerine Dream. I wholeheartedly recommend all their albums up to the mid-seventies.

But that's not even where it started. Electronic music originates in modern/contemporary classical circles, with composers like Stockhausen (the most important figure of the electronic scene), Ligeti and others which I haven't heard yet.

D Mullholand
 
The fact is, to someone who doesn't like Metal it takes no skill. To them it's just a series of yells over blaring guitars noises that play without rythm in their ears. Like how you think my death-metal is just a series of growls over unrythmic guitar noises.

Can this apply to people within the metal community, when it comes to musical opinions? Or only looking from the inside/outside approach? For example, people in the metal community either hate COF for Dani's incoherent screaming, or they are loved for the exact same reason. And to fans, COF are brilliant poets with uniqueness to their music (Dani's voice). To haters, they lack any skill and the screaming is annoying.

Just an inquiry. I can use this argument with COF haters next time ;)
 
I think it doesn't take any talent or knowledge of musical theory.. it's quite easy to arrange some measures.. add a beat.. I don't say everyone can do it.. u have to know some basic stuff about music.. but it's a lot easier than "real" music.. I don't even consider it music.. but whatever.. it's just my opinion..
u don't have to know how to play an instrument anyway.. that makes it pretty easier :)
 
I don't know about that. If you DO know how to play a musical instrument, doesn't mean that you excel at it, or what comes out of that instrument in your hands is melodious, brilliant, etc. I think that basically creating good music requires these things: creativity, patience, ability to add something special or unique, and THE EAR. I think hearing is highly underrated in judging talent, especially talent in creating music. If you don't have the ear to hear how certain notes go together, how they interact and create the desired effect (i.e., trance is designed to hypnotize, and I don't mean under the influence of drugs, which unfortunately that is what it's used for sometimes, but I don't, and I get goosebumps listening to the hardcore beat), then it's for nothing.

And some of the best musicians never took a drop of music theory (I believe Jimmy Hendrix was one of those, didn't even know how to read music - used colors instead).
 
Originally posted by Jannet
I think hearing is highly underrated in judging talent, especially talent in creating music. If you don't have the ear to hear how certain notes go together, how they interact and create the desired effect then it's for nothing.

I agree that a musical ear is indeed very helpful in creating music but I certainly don't agree that if u don't have it, it's for nothing. That's why musical theory is for.. I think studying music is higly underrated. Most ppl think that it's useless and just wasted time. They think they can compose music without knowing theory at all. I don't say they cannot, I say that it's much easier (and a lot of other adjectives) if u do know something about music.
 
I think I oversimplified the "nothing" bit. I was referring more to the art of creating "electronica," than music in general. Electronic is more interested in sampling, sounds, etc., and voice (singing) comes in as a very minor element. When trying to create electronica, the ear becomes the most important organ to judge if the music will accomplish what you had in mind, since putting the right sounds, notes, becomes more important to create the FEELING. When I listen to electronica, I get a floaty, trance-like sensation. Perhaps that's what they wanted to accomplish? And yes, I agree with you on the music theory bit - it is also underrated, for sure. Some people do quite well without it; some don't, and need it quite badly. But as they say in college, "damn those boring core requirements." :grin:
 
Some electronic music is really, really great and I don't pay enough attention to it. For example, I love stuff like the four latest Ulver releases but haven't bothered to search for something similiar. Why? I don't know. I'd like to but I don't where to start. Wait a minute! I did know! So can anyone recommend me some music like Ulver's Perdition City or Metamorphosis?