MAT Question # 372 : Trance it to Electronica as Metal is to _____ ?

[barefoot]

Hope I don't sound like too much of a schtick in the mud schtickler, but it seems that a majority of the apparent majority of folks on this bbs who are into Rock tend to lump all of us Electronica folk together as "Trance".

You wouldn't like it if you were writing Rockabilly and everyone kept referring to your music as Metal, would you?

Trance is just one style of the broader category called Electronica. Just like within Rock there is Pop, Metal, Indie, Progressive, Punk, etc., Electronica also contains many styles like Ambient, Breakbeat, House, Trance, Drum & Bass, ect. Even some styles of Hip-Hop splash over frequently. And Electronica ranges from as soft to hard, simple to complex, as any music you've heard.

Just a little edification from one of your minority genre brethren.

barefoot

 

[Atterion]

And I take great offense to METAL being classified under ROCK alongside Pop. Well OK, not really. But I see your point. People tend to just label stuff at will, based on what they have heard of it. Often due to nothing less than lack of a particular genre's lineage. Example: METAL. Metal is not really a Rock subdivision (anymore). True, Metal was born under the flag of early rock (Think Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep, etc.), but it grew into a Category that is of equal or greater diversity than rock, hence assuming its own Top-Tier Identity. Bearing its own sub-genres like: Heavy, Goth, Doom, Speed, Death, Progressive, Classical (Think Nightwish), etc. The problem is that there is much confusion as to where these sub-genres lie. For an example we can look to progressive. Progressive is a sub-genre of Jazz, Rock, Metal, and many other major genres. To say Prog Jazz is the same as Prog Rock, is just silly. But so many of these Genres are mutating and crossing-over, the lines are getting blurry in a lot of areas. We've already seen Death-Jazz, and Fusion-Metal, and now Electronica and Metal are being effectively blended. Final thoughts: Don't sweat it. You are going to deal with people calling you trance when your not, like I deal with every bible thumping freak, calling me a satanist for listening to metal (Not bashing any religion here, only the freaks who think I'm gonna burn in hell for my music). I laugh at them, because the way I see it is, I listen to it because it is the music that makes sense for me. I understand its meaning, and obviously they don't, which means I have knowledge they will never possess, so screw them.

 

[mixmkr]

I understand its meaning, and obviously they don't, which means I have knowledge they will never possess, so screw them.

would this quote work with the guys that flew planes into the World Trade Center?


Barefoot, I probably am one that miscatagorized your stuff, and if I did....ooops....so sorry. ...but it doens't mean much anyway...eh?

 

[Atterion]

Sure!!! So Screw Them Too!!!

 

[crawdad]

I can claim to not know the difference between the ten-fold subdivisions of metal or the myriad forms of electronica, but thats because I never spent that much time listening to either. To the untrained ear, all rap, blues, electronica, metal, country, jazz, rockabilly and bluegrass all have one basic sonic signature each. To the casual listener, they hear a rap beat and it sounds like every other rap song to them. Same with anything else. When someone puts music in the wrong category, all it means is they don't really listen to that style. In your case, electronica.

When people don't understand something--whether its a country, a race, a religion or a musical style, they create stereotypes. I bet there are very few people who listen to and understand the variations and depth of every style I mentioned above. I'd also bet that 50% of the general populace or more buys very few if any records and has no idea what is going on in any form of music.

The people on this BBS are way more in touch with music than your average citizen, which should put the whole issue in plain perspective. Electronica is a niche market, just like blues and bluegrass. Since those styles are rarely played on radio, you have to be a fan in the first place to appreciate all the variations that exist. Which is half the fun. If you want folks to know what all the different electronic styles are, I'm afraid its a losing battle. Don't take it personal. Its just the way things are out in the real world. Consider that if people call something "trance" then they at least know what general ballpark they are in!

 

[mixmkr]

darn Crawdad....you keep posting all these intelligent posts, and I'm gonna have to stop throwing spit balls in class. Howcome your so "right on" with your post?

 

[barefoot]

Consider that if people call something "trance" then they at least know what general ballpark they are in!

I like this perspective.

Yeah, don't the sayings go "There's no such thing as bad publicity" or "Better for them to call you an asshole than for them to call you nothing at all."

Honestly, I don't give a shit. And Electronica folks probably bare most of the blame for any confusion considering how manically category, sub-category, micro-category conscious some of us tend to be.

I was just hoping to call some attention to a small but active "category" of members on this bbs.

Thanks for everyone's comments!

barefoot