The Future of the Past

I was just browsing through one of the many forums I use to avoid working too much (seriously, you should try it some time) and there was a debate on the new vs the old and the disposable nature of techno/electronic music. One of the arguments ran that electronic music is almost by definition disposable, that it is meant to be enjoyed, listened to and lived to in the moment, but that beyond that, it has a limited shelf life. It's a fair enough point: when house and techno first hit our shores, most of the people playing it were fixated on procuring the newest records - one DJ even went as far as to proclaim that he only played 'white label music' when asked about his preferred style.
The fact that most of the early stuff was faceless, the work of an anonymous producer more often than not disconnected from the geographical location where the needle dropped, is perhaps not as relevant nowadays, but the same claim, that electronic music is often disposable, often holds up in the contemporary environment. This time though, it's the profileration of technology and the speeding up effect that it has on the music-making process, as well as the 24/7 access to this disjointed, unofficial global factory line that often serves to render the music disposable.
Then there was the other argument on the board, namely that most house and techno doesn't age well. Certainly, the steep upward curve in technological development over the past seven or eight years means that electronic music, almost by definition, grows old faster than it used to. Having said that, I'm in the middle of a record cull at home, and while I'm remaining resolutely unsentimental about deciding that some purchases from the past sound pretty ropey when listened to in the cold light of day in autumn 2007, some of the other records have actually improved with age. Maybe it's because they are being listened to at the same time as the disposable ones, or perhaps it's because electronic music is sounding more and more homogenous- is it time for another technological quantum leap? - but these special records sparkle more than ever now. The cull only relates to post-2000 records, but at some stage, I'll go back further to sort the wheat from the chaff. However, I already have the feeling that most of the older records will be spared a trip to the second-hand shop and a new owner (or just a sad, dusty purgatory). Maybe I'm just a sucker for the analogue sound, but it always lifts my spirits when I hear someone drop an old Trax, Tresor, Basic Channel, Eevolute, Djax, Ferox record or an Italo classic in the middle of a brand new selection. It's something that all of my favourite DJs do and maybe they do so because these records transcend disposability - and sound better and better as every year passes.

Comments

[hum3]

Good post, I'd second that.

I remember Jeff Mills talking about limiting himself pretty strictly when it comes to the amount of gear he uses to produce his music with.

He also talked about there not being enough people who truly dedicate themselves to mastering their machines. And he said this quite a few years ago.

I think he was (and is) right and it shows - sadly now more than ever. Too many software-updates and copy-cats nowadays...

[Chymera]

I've spent the last few weeks encoding a lot of my old vinyls. I'm also in the process of selling off a good load of them. There's a bunch of records which I loved and played a LOT at the time they came out, but listening back to them now they really were such a snapshot of their time that they haven't held up at all. It's really starkly clear how fast records date when they use extremely modish stylistic sounds - the sound of the now. They may sound great at the time and they really tap into what's going on at that moment, but 2-3 years down the line most of them are unplayable - by trying so hard to do the latest production tricks and styles, they pigeonholed themselves and tied themselves to that time period. Of course there's records that transcend that with their greatness.

The ones I'm encoding however are the records with a timeless quality. They aren't dependent on the trend of that time and sound amazing and fresh even today. I'm very excited to be re-united with them all after living a continent apart from my record collection for the past year.

This timeless quality is something I'm trying to do with my own productions too.. hopefully they will sound as fresh in 3,5, 20 years.

[Chymera]

great post by the way richard...
i'm equally unsentimental about my records.. whether or not I liked it in the past, if it's unplayable now I'm selling it.

[SoulFunkLifestyles]

"However, I already have the feeling that most of the older records will be spared a trip to the second-hand shop and a new owner (or just a sad, dusty purgatory)."

True(LOL)! Good post.

[Chymera]

another thing I've noticed while evaluating my record collection is the music that ignores the present and looks to the past and/or the future has that "timeless" feel I'm after. either stuff that is made in a time honoured fashion or stuff that is just so far out and visionary... that's the stuff that's made the grade for me.

[Jason Brunton]

Great post Richard- I disagree a wee bit with Chymera though- I think that music that deliberately looks into the "future" or "past" is the type that rarely survives the test of time- it's stuff that's made for the "right here, right now" that really still does it 10 years down the line!

"Listen to my new track, it's SO futuristic"

"Listen to my new track, it's SO retro"

aaaaaargh!!!!!! :)

Jason

[Chymera]

@jason -
not retro music! but music that uses time honoured techniques... good musicality, solid (sometimes even simple) production, etc. :)

[tom/pipecock]

for me, its all about severely limiting what new releases i buy to those things that feel timeless from the get go. alot of techno and house deejays seem to just roll with whatever's new, so they buy lots of new records and thats how you get styles that get played to death and sound ridiculous a short time later.

i tend to agree with Chymera about the records that are either so far out there that they have no contemporaries or the ones that understand their place in what has already happened as the ones that stand the test of time.

@ jason: are those drummy techno records from 97-98 that were the sound of that time still doing it for you? theyre not for me. what about all those "microhouse" records of 01-02 that were definitely the sound of that time? they are also still not doing it for me.

[Billy]

I always thought that techno dated extremely well. If you forget all the minimal nonsense and talk about the music in terms of good techno, be it minimal or not, I think the music has always sounded fresh. Given the nature of the music, good techno sounds futuristic. Take Jeff Mills’ first axis releases for an example, they still sound like they were made in 2012 by a small alien trying to communicate with his long lost brother. I see styles such as drum and bass and Mnml, where the Dj has to play the freshest white labels tend not to have that timeless sound. Techno always has, and I think always will mix the old with the new. If I heard a Dj play nothing but the latest releases, it would sound a pretty sorry set.

You’ll always be able to tell a techno Dj from a mnml Dj, even if said techno Dj sways more to the minimal side of things, purely because he will play records pre 2000. Take radio 1’s Fergie for example. When he started giving the techno spiel on our Airwaves. He got jeff mills on the show. Ive heard from numerous people that he actually said his music is awful. Some people listen to the music, others simply just play it. A lot of the minimal is now disposable fodder for the clubs. In a few years time we will see the records that have again seen the test of time, and im guessing they wont be by people who have jumped on the bandwagon.

[Beat]

I try only to buy records which I imagine myself enjoying in a decade i.e no shelf life. Every once in a while I have a weak moment though.

In regards to DJs playing old tracks, I HATE DJs who only play brand-new stuff, not because I only like "old" music, but simply because it says something about their attitude to their performance.

The kind of DJ I have in mind is more in the scene to be cool rather than for a true love of music, and it usually reflects in their sets. They are the same kind of guys who think out of key bootlegs/mash-ups are the best thing since sliced bread.

On the other hand, a true music lover will remember a track from 1995 and think "God, that would work in perfectly with all these new tracks from 2006 and 2007."

Personally, some of my favourite opening tracks are positively ancient by dance music standards - Laurent Garnier's "Acid Eiffel" (1993) and Melt's "Be Liquid" (1993), both still incredibly relevant to today's dance music.

[Brophy]

@ Chymera - thanks, I have to remain unsentimental - I have limited space, new records arriving every week and no plans to 'go digital'!

@ Jason: I agree, records that try to sound timeless usually don't, it's all about the happy accidents for me!

@ tom pipecock: your approach is right, keep quality high and quantity low - it's the only way - unless yoy want to dj with a laptop - then you can have all the shite you want!

@ Billy - yeah, a lot of Mills stuff has aged incredibly well. everthing from purposemaker to 'every dog..' series. It'll be interesting to see how 2007 music ages well. If I was a betting man...

@ Beat: 'Acid Eiffel', my god, what an incredible record, i got shivers just reading its name! Totally agree with you on the idea of djs who only play brand new stuff- it's kind of de facto saying that they don;t know their roots