Blackdown Funky Blogboy

[stanton]

Don't think I've ever hit a floor due to interesting arrangement, sociological context or engineering skills, it's good to have a layer beyond just function, but dance music is supposed to be functional - if no-one wants to dance it's not dance music surely?

Exactly, but some people are bigger geeks than others. Joke. There does seem to be a growing perception in the media of dubstep as a 'blokes in anoraks nodding' kind of scene rather than the reality which is people brockin out and pulling terrifying bass faces. I'd hate it if Dubstep became like that, all intelligent drum & bass or even worse if it went all Roni size lounge & bass. I listen to a lot of dubstep, but it's never as good as hearing it in the dance. As I said to Boomnoise at DOTS earlier in the year (Walsh b2b N-Type) "I've never danced this much without being on drugs!"

God that is a load of poorly constructed waffle, make of it what you will...

[ufo over easy]

Surely the engagement is whether you want to bust a move to it or not, no?

yeah but I think the difference is that with stuff like this, people are going out specifically to bust moves, get drunk and pull... the music is secondary, it's wallpaper... and I find that really boring.

talking about music holding my interest doesn't mean I'd write an essay or critically analyse it in the dance, all it means is that there needs to be enough going on to make me want to move... it's very subjective obviously.. but I think what it comes down to is that when I go out to this stuff I go out to listen to music, and with funky house what I imagine is people going out to have a laugh, socialise and get messed to an inoffensive backing track. there's absolutely nothing wrong with that but it's not for me.

and saying all that, having checked him out Apple is indeed heavy. everyone seems to agree about his stuff

some people just dont care about music as much as we do. strange concept i admit, but i suspect it's true

that's the thing though, if there's one thing your article demonstrates it's that these guys, especially supa d unsurprisingly, have a growing passion for this stuff.. they really do seem to care about it.

[elgato]

Really interesting piece Blackdown, such an interesting insight. Much appreciated.

Hmm...I've always thought that dance music was more of a physical thing than an analytical one. The most effective dance music to my mind is the stuff which you can feel yourself twitching to get on the dancefloor to, not something I'd necessarily write an essay about. Surely the engagement is whether you want to bust a move to it or not, no?

But the physical and cerebral are inherently connected innit... what you respond to physically is what you connect to mentally, whether at an analytical level or not. Not sure how much this contributes but it seemed like a point worth making.

Ben while I can see what you're saying, I think it can ultimately be drawn to the same point... preference i.e. what agrees with an individual or gets them going... for you it needs to be 'interesting' (in whatever way you define), for many people it needs to be familiar, or warm, or happy, or butters, or whatever. I see them as essentially the same thing in the abstract

Don't think I've ever hit a floor due to sociological context

not consciously, but I don't think it can be dismissed so easily on a subconscious or more removed level...

[stanton]

but I think what it comes down to is that when I go out to this stuff I go out to listen to music, and with funky house what I imagine is people going out to have a laugh, socialise and get messed to an inoffensive backing soundtrack. there's absolutely nothing wrong with that but it's not for me.

and saying all that, having checked him out Apple is indeed heavy. everyone seems to agree about his stuff

Yeah that does seem to be what a lot of this sound is about and it's definitely what turned me off to it. However, what I liked about the article and what prompted me to post this was that it's not all like that (Apple for example) and there is something interesting going on. I spent long enough living in Watford to know that most Funky House is utter gash (and enough of this new stuff sounds just like it to me), but some of this stuff is pretty interesting.

[ufo over easy]

But the physical and cerebral are inherently connected innit...

haha yes! that was what I was looking for

[stanton]

But the physical and cerebral are inherently connected innit... what you respond to physically is what you connect to mentally, whether at an analytical level or not. Not sure how much this contributes but it seemed like a point worth making.

True. I went to a sick Stockhausen rave the other day, room was goin' OFF!!!

[shonky]

There were actually some good dancefloor tunes in amongst...cough...hack.."intelligent" drum and bass, and I'd still say Brown Paper Bag is a good floorfiller.

I always preferred the stupid stuff to be honest though, way more fun

I think there's definitely some dubstep that seems to be more of the standing around nodding variety though, which although I can appreciate, isn't to me what clubbing is about, so I can see why people might be more attracted to more hipshaking tunes if they can't get their fix with dubstep.

I know what you mean Ben, went to a beach party the other year and the house was just total valium music, it's that thin line between deep and boring I think

I don't think it should just be drink and pull music, but maybe too much over-serious music (some of the angrier grime, the deeper dubstep) just makes people crave a bit more hedonizm (well it certainly does for me )

At least we agree on Apple anyway

[shonky]

But the physical and cerebral are inherently connected innit... what you respond to physically is what you connect to mentally, whether at an analytical level or not. Not sure how much this contributes but it seemed like a point worth making.

I see where you're coming from, but it's not something I've ever thought about during or after a party, so this in itself probably indicates the importance of philosophical interpretations vs blind idiot joy to my mind (pissing myself laughing to preposterous reeselines in fields being a particular favourite). It's so instantaneous that I never see any need to intellectualise it, cause that just takes the fun out of it to my mind.

Having said that, when people try and get me up to music that I find boring, I never have the urge to join them, so I suppose if that reply should have read "yeah but you just dance to music you like" then I'd totally agree

[elgato]

But the physical and cerebral are inherently connected innit... what you respond to physically is what you connect to mentally, whether at an analytical level or not. Not sure how much this contributes but it seemed like a point worth making.

I see where you're coming from, but it's not something I've ever thought about during or after a party, so this in itself probably indicates the importance of philosophical interpretations vs blind idiot joy to my mind (pissing myself laughing to preposterous reeselines in fields being a particular favourite). It's so instantaneous that I never see any need to intellectualise it, cause that just takes the fun out of it to my mind.

Having said that, when people try and get me up to music that I find boring, I never have the urge to join them, so I suppose if that reply should have read "yeah but you just dance to music you like" then I'd totally agree

yeh thats more or less the crux of it... i guess i wanted to say that in my view there isn't so much which separates any of us on these things, at least any of us who find something in any music which really excites them

[fushimi]

I know the reasons but I still can't get my head around people going from making angry, raw, exciting, huge, aggressive, mindblowing grime tunes to making staid house music. It's like directing a groundbreaking widely-admired indie movie then deciding to direct episodes of Eastenders - yeah your audience will always be bigger, but you're just punching a clock.

[contakt]

Shonky, Stanton, Ben - sorry I've come to this discussion late, but surely the most important thing about music is whether you 'feel' it? Does it matter if it makes you want to dance or whether it makes you think profound thoughts about rhythmic structure? Isn't the fact that you have responded enough?

If it makes you go 'yes!' inside then that's that. It shouldn't matter where that 'yes!' has come from, whether from an urge to dance or an urge to stroke your chin.

[paulie]

What I can't work out from this thread is whether people think there's any musical value in this, or whether it's just a social phenomenon.

[prisoner]

social phenomenon.

at least to me anyways....

(but i'm pretty far removed from it, so what do i know.)

[sully_shanks]

Shonky, Stanton, Ben - sorry I've come to this discussion late, but surely the most important thing about music is whether you 'feel' it? Does it matter if it makes you want to dance or whether it makes you think profound thoughts about rhythmic structure? Isn't the fact that you have responded enough?

If it makes you go 'yes!' inside then that's that. It shouldn't matter where that 'yes!' has come from, whether from an urge to dance or an urge to stroke your chin.

point.
if im in a club i get a bigger kick out of being in a roomful of pogoers than a roomful of ponderers tho.
all about the situation really.

[shonky]

I know the reasons but I still can't get my head around people going from making angry, raw, exciting, huge, aggressive, mindblowing grime tunes to making staid house music. It's like directing a groundbreaking widely-admired indie movie then deciding to direct episodes of Eastenders - yeah your audience will always be bigger, but you're just punching a clock.

a/ what's so mindblowing and exciting about angry grime - I like some of it, but let's face it, I don't really enjoy people shouting threats in real life, and the vicarious thrills of being around angry people isn't that exciting if you've ever been about in a town centre at kicking out time. Not all grime, mind, don't take it personally grime people.

b/ you haven't actually listened to any of the links have you? And you don't like house anyway by the sounds of it. Your loss

Shonky, Stanton, Ben - sorry I've come to this discussion late, but surely the most important thing about music is whether you 'feel' it? Does it matter if it makes you want to dance or whether it makes you think profound thoughts about rhythmic structure? Isn't the fact that you have responded enough?

If it makes you go 'yes!' inside then that's that. It shouldn't matter where that 'yes!' has come from, whether from an urge to dance or an urge to stroke your chin.

Feeling it is essential to all music you enjoy I would have thought, I'm just talking about what makes for good dancefloor ammo. I don't go to clubs for meditative purposes or to nod me head, ya get me

[mudda]

What's interesting is that Bassline - as a sub-genre from the North - is getting some attention in the capital. From the rather grim, fatalistic view up North this could just be another 15 minute musical storm in a 'LDN' teacup.

[ozols man]

all about the soulful and funky house. that in conjunction with northern bassline and dubstep... thats what im pushing in 2008 at least

[elgato]

What's interesting is that Bassline - as a sub-genre from the North - is getting some attention in the capital. From the rather grim, fatalistic view up North this could just be another 15 minute musical storm in a 'LDN' teacup.

in my view it standardly it will be, london is far too fickle nowadays, especially given that the uptake down here seems to be largely hipster-ish. but they've got such a strong infrastructure up there it just doesn't matter really.

[shonky]

What's interesting is that Bassline - as a sub-genre from the North - is getting some attention in the capital. From the rather grim, fatalistic view up North this could just be another 15 minute musical storm in a 'LDN' teacup.

in my view it standardly it will be, london is far too fickle nowadays, especially given that the uptake down here seems to be largely hipster-ish. but they've got such a strong infrastructure up there it just doesn't matter really.

Still fuck London, it's not the UK is it, only about 20% of it

[elgato]

What's interesting is that Bassline - as a sub-genre from the North - is getting some attention in the capital. From the rather grim, fatalistic view up North this could just be another 15 minute musical storm in a 'LDN' teacup.

in my view it standardly it will be, london is far too fickle nowadays, especially given that the uptake down here seems to be largely hipster-ish. but they've got such a strong infrastructure up there it just doesn't matter really.

Still fuck London, it's not the UK is it, only about 20% of it

quite!