Genres and awareness

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This might be a very stupid idea. I'm thinking about the post-Anne Rice boom "Gothic" genre, and I find I don't understand why anyone wants to make music that they know will fall within the parameters of this genre. I feel the same about several other genres of music, too. If a person is aware that the edges of the music they will make will fall within the parameters of certain kinds of genre, how come they make the music, even if they like the genre?

I feel this way also about "Industrial" music (of the post-Wax Trax period, maybe), "Power Metal" music (in the time where people would say that they were playing "Power Metal" and not just "Heavy Metal"), "Oi!" music, and several other genres, but not about "Free Jazz" music, "Hip-Hop" music or even "Black Metal" music (which I feel no affinity for, so it's not only that I make exception for genres I do feel an affinity for).

I suppose it's not about genres at all, but more about artists' awareness of the place of their music in the world. I know no-one is or can be completely aware of the implications or effects of the music they make, but some types of awareness seem like they SHOULD preclude making any music at all, except for very utilitarian reasons. Does anyone else feel this way?

― Pangolino (ricki spaghetti), Thursday, 7 October 2004 18:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Um, do you just mean why do people start bands that only copy other bands?

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 7 October 2004 18:04 (twenty-one years ago)

why WOULD you specifically alter your music because of the public perception of the genre-you-think-it-might-fit-into?

seems as though i would need a reason to change, not a reason to follow my muse or whatever...

give some examples of when this has happened, or when you think it should have. im a little unclear.

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 7 October 2004 18:05 (twenty-one years ago)

If a person is aware that the edges of the music they will make will fall within the parameters of certain kinds of genre, how come they make the music, even if they like the genre?

Groupies?

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Thursday, 7 October 2004 18:12 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm sorry - I'm quite unclear at the moment. I don't think that's just what I mean, though I don't understand why someone would do that either (except for practice, mild amusement, cameraderie, money, etc.). I have a hard time thinking that a band is JUST copying another band, from just hearing them, too, because I think there are so many things they can't control about what they sound like. It's more like "People who made music that now gets called "Gothic", for example, likely didn't know so much about this "Gothic" genre at the time (because it may not even have existed before its "revival"), but I think many people seem to know what constitutes "Gothic" music now, so what's the point in making the music?".

― Pangolino (ricki spaghetti), Thursday, 7 October 2004 18:16 (twenty-one years ago)

This is probably just too muddled an idea on my part; sorry.

― Pangolino (ricki spaghetti), Thursday, 7 October 2004 18:17 (twenty-one years ago)

heh, i misread this as "genes and awareness". i thought it was going to discuss musical similarities with ones' family.

― Emilymv (Emilymv), Thursday, 7 October 2004 18:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Everything else aside, all genres seem to go through a cycle of innovators followed by people who got excited and wanted to form a band to be doing the same thing (some of whom might be great and innovative themselves, most not). And of course, some people will get excited by what those people are doing, and so it goes.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 7 October 2004 18:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Emilymv - I wish! My great-great grandfather used to play percussion for people to dance to after meals using leftover bones, utensils and plates, and once met a man who had one of the early wax-cylinder recording machines. He had no cylinders, so they both melted candles and such down to make a record of them singing together. I had no idea about this until after my great-grandmother had died and I read where she had written it down. I felt so connected to my family after reading that.

― Pangolino (ricki spaghetti), Thursday, 7 October 2004 18:26 (twenty-one years ago)

what are some examples of artists revitalizing a moribund genre with a single album? give the artist, album, and genre.

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 7 October 2004 18:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Kenny G, 'Duotones' (jazz)

― dave q, Thursday, 7 October 2004 18:29 (twenty-one years ago)

revitalizing.

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 7 October 2004 18:36 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't understand what the question is.

― Rockist_Scientist (rockist_scientist), Thursday, 7 October 2004 18:45 (twenty-one years ago)

I was trying to figure it out myself. I might do well to refrain from starting threads until I can begin with an intelligible question.

― Pangolino (ricki spaghetti), Thursday, 7 October 2004 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Some feel it's a more creative alternative to making the same mix CD every other fan is going to make, the one ditching the weird songs that nobody except outsiders like

― dave q, Thursday, 7 October 2004 19:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, I'm not sure if this is relevant to this question or not, but with the band I'm currently in, I started it specifically as a "pop" band, in that the goal is to write very catchy and short (under 4 minutes) songs. I would consider this placing myself in a genre, but it's still pretty open-ended and leaves lots of room for creativity or different sounds or whatever. I think this could apply to any genre. You could call yourself "goth" and include some touchstones of goth in every song you write but still sound completely different on each song; e.g., I could write an up-tempo, major-key song using the preset voices on my little Casio keyboard and still call it goth as long as the lyrics are about vampires and blood or whatever. The vagueness of genre ramifications can be a curse or a blessing.

― n/a (Nick A.), Thursday, 7 October 2004 20:03 (twenty-one years ago)

ppl want to fuck each other too.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 7 October 2004 20:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Genres are fine for run of the mill acts, but don't they become irrelevant when discussing musicians who innovate?
I mean, a truly good and innovative musical performer can't be cleanly pigeonholed into a certain genre. And the mark of the *truly ingenious and groundbreaking* act is that a new genre must be invented in order to categorize them.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Thursday, 7 October 2004 22:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Sim reynolds addresses the artist as supereclectic in energy flash vis a vis DJ Spooky, yes?

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Thursday, 7 October 2004 22:54 (twenty-one years ago)

two months pass...

revive!

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Thursday, 23 December 2004 06:44 (twenty years ago)

Genres are fine for run of the mill acts, but don't they become irrelevant when discussing musicians who innovate?

No they don't, because innovations usual occur within the context of genre expectations. I guess there could be a case where an artist breaks with what music does in general, but isn't that becoming harder and harder to do, as music in general is more fragmented?

― LaRue (rockist_scientist), Thursday, 23 December 2004 12:34 (twenty years ago)

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