define "forward thinking"

[misk]

i hear this phrase thrown around a lot regarding various tunes, labels, etc. you know the drill.

At that moment when you hear a tune for the first time, and you think to yourself, automatically, "this is pushing things forward!" or "this is the future!" how, as best as you could, would you define what it takes in your eyes for something to be "forward thinking".

in before the everything has already been done crew.

[djake]

somefing that when u hear it years later u still think to your self "wow thats forward thinking"

[datura]

lol, is that relating to my skull disco post?

tbh to me it is someone that is consistently progressive, releasing new artists, not sticking to the same sound, and starting trends not following them.

[Jubz]

These days a lot of 'forward thinking' seems to be looking back. It's when an idea is considered to be the next step, or one step ahead of any ideas that have come before. When you consider that elsewhere in the world there is already an idea that is one step ahead of this and so on, it becomes meaningless, or at least devoid of literal translation.

[misk]

somefing that when u hear it years later u still think to your self "wow thats forward thinking"

yeah, okay, thats valid. but im taking about something that you hear now and know that its going to be big. You may not be right, that track you hear may not be light years ahead of your time, but you really feel like it is. What is it in a track that gives you that feeling? Try and define that abstract feeling that you get.

im just curious.

[misk]

lol, is that relating to my skull disco post?

tbh to me it is someone that is consistently progressive, releasing new artists, not sticking to the same sound, and starting trends not following them.

actually yeah! but not in the way you think. I agree that skull disco is definitely "cutting edge, forward thinking, experimental electronic music with a soul as deep as the atlantic"

but it got me thinking about what it means, you know?

[datura]

lol, is that relating to my skull disco post?

tbh to me it is someone that is consistently progressive, releasing new artists, not sticking to the same sound, and starting trends not following them.

actually yeah! but not in the way you think. I agree that skull disco is definitely "cutting edge, forward thinking, experimental electronic music with a soul as deep as the atlantic"

but it got me thinking about what it means, you know?

I know what you mean though.it's like people banding something as 'classic' when it is just released, when really the only judge is that people are still listening to it 5/10 years + later

[misk]

lol, is that relating to my skull disco post?

tbh to me it is someone that is consistently progressive, releasing new artists, not sticking to the same sound, and starting trends not following them.

actually yeah! but not in the way you think. I agree that skull disco is definitely "cutting edge, forward thinking, experimental electronic music with a soul as deep as the atlantic"

but it got me thinking about what it means, you know?

I know what you mean though.it's like people banding something as 'classic' when it is just released, when really the only judge is that people are still listening to it 5/10 years + later

yeah! then again, this isnt meant to be negative. Im not saying "what the fuck do these people think they know". more so im interested in why people think a tune is "the way forward". Also, why do we have to move forward? is it because people are bored easily?

[djake]

somefing that when u hear it years later u still think to your self "wow thats forward thinking"

yeah, okay, thats valid. but im taking about something that you hear now and know that its going to gbe bi. You may not be right, that track you heay nor mat be light years ahead of your time, but you really feel like it is. What is it in a track that gives you that feeling? Try and define that abstract feeling that you get.

im just curious.

the feeling i get and this only realted to me is because its my opinon n what happens to me

i get goose bumbs

thats when i no a track has hit me hard!

its usally just pure vibe in a track that does that weather its dubstep, idm, dnb ect....

n i can usally realate to the feeling in the track....

its all to do with personal shit for me.

if thats makes any sense

[boomnoise]

for me the notion of something being 'forward thinking' is totally tied up with progression. being concerned with moving forward and also being actively against stagnation.

it's not necessarily such an active policy as sometime made out with regards to certain labels and artists. it's just what they do and it is percieved as such. it's a highly relative term; comparisons have to be made.

to establish what is forward thinking, and what it's criteria are, a notion of what isn't has to be held. in dubstep this currently seems to be the artists and labels who aren't pushing the sound which has solidified around the dubstep signifier of wobble.

in essense, i agree with datura: leading, not following is key.

i'd rather we refer to 'forward thinking dubstep' than 'prog dubstep'

[jred]

prog dubstep ugh what a horrible combo of word shiver

[datura]

prog dubstep ugh what a horrible combo of word shiver

just wait 'til someone starts calling the more melodic chilled out dubstep - 'intelligent dubstep'

[optimum]

I think as we naturally evolve and grow, there's perhaps a certain innate desire for progression. A progression doesn't have to be great leap forward, it can mean an incremental tweaking, perfecting and/or consilidation of existing styles. It can also relate to a wholly different approach of course (fresh influences, different perspectives..). If we take the example of Skull Disco we see how Shackleton's music has developed 'forward'. in the incremental way. It seems that his initial ideas have progressed in quite a linear way; prominent percussion, expansive (techno-like) arrangements, the use of vocal samples, pitch bent bass etc.

In the end it seems that 'forward thinking', is closely, if not exactly, related to a personal 'vision', (innate) style or theorectical criterion, contained in the artist. This naturally contrasts with the derivative 'copycat' music many people criticise.

EDIT: Just read boomnoise's post, co-sign. Excuse the verbose and drunken post

[boomnoise]

also i think interestingly here that it is most often the case that the term 'forward thinking' is applied the dubstep artists and labels who aren't the originators of the sound.

these very same originators, in my view continue to make the very best dubstep today. they are forward thinking but dont often get credited as such.

it's almost as if there has been an unspoken standard established.

i would argue that there is only a handful of producers who have really challenged the originators quality and it is these producers who can be thought of as 'forward thinking' because, as i said before, it's a relative concept and the originators provide the bench mark.

[Jubz]

Excuse the verbose and drunken post

That's a rare combination.

[optimum]

it's almost as if there has been an unspoken standard established.

i would argue that there is only a handful of producers who have really challenged the originators quality and it is these producers who can be thought of as 'forward thinking' because, as i said before, it's a relative concept and the originators provide the bench mark.

Yeah, I've felt that way a while too.

[flippo]

more so im interested in why people think a tune is "the way forward"

if a tune has new ideas and angles it is moving foward by default. It's not like there is a pre set path that people have to follow. Music goes wherever people take it. If your making tunes with a throwback to the oldschool then that's retrospective. Or you can replicate/refine a currently popular sound. Or you can take something in a new direction, something fresh and unfarmiliar, that is 'foward thinking'.

really don't understand where you've getting confused mate Pretty straight foward to be honest.

[datura]

it's almost as if there has been an unspoken standard established.

i would argue that there is only a handful of producers who have really challenged the originators quality and it is these producers who can be thought of as 'forward thinking' because, as i said before, it's a relative concept and the originators provide the bench mark.

Yeah, I've felt that way a while too.

You pretty much take people like mala and skream for granted though i guess as they have been consistently good for such a span of time already.

[nousd]

these very same originators, in my view continue to make the very best dubstep today. they are forward thinking but dont often get credited as such.

Agree, slongas you mean dubstep, not twostep or earlier manifestations.

[+torment+]

meh... "forward thinking" et all is just internalised scene hype. I don't think much of it.

Everything moves on. everything has its expirery date, even within music/art scenes with their heads up their collective arses. Good music will always be.


I'd rather value "timelessness".


Word?