this demonstrates the same basic flaw that everything i've heard from flying lotus demonstrates - the production is interesting, but there's no craft or songwriting underlying it. i'd be very interested in hearing him work in a strictly production capacity, but there's just nothing to actually listen to in his original recordings.
this particular track is like a really, really, really stripped down tortoise demo.
deadmau5FAN54675435
I feel u kinda
deathtokoalas
it's overlapping into the region that standards went into, but it's just totally subpar and amateur in comparison.
George McNab
I agree with you, but only really to the extent of this album. He has certainly written some great songs in the past. Check out Getting There and Zodiac Shit. Also Camel. All are catchy and bangin. Or maybe he just ain't yo thang :B
Daniel Howe
Does this not demonstrate the musical experimentation he's been so greatly praised for? You could apply your argument to the likes of Aphex Twin also but it would be ignorant to say that he is fundamentally flawed. Without musical experimentation there would be no progress- being tied to a 'strictly production capacity' allows no freedom and therefore growth in music.
deathtokoalas
this particular track is not very experimental, but i wouldn't criticize his work for a lack of experimentation so much as i'd criticize it for a lack of vision. i know a lot of people think these things are in some way opposed to each other, but in truth they must complement each other to get anywhere in an experimental style.
but i don't think the record is very experimental, anyways.
the aphex twin is actually the perfect counter-example, because his work is highly written.
i mean, i guess, in some way, "experimental" is a relative term - it's relative to what you're familiar with. you can throw something objective down in theory, but nobody is omniscient so that theoretically objective idea of "experimental" is virtually impossible to construct in reality. saying "this isn't experimental relative to a broad overview of idm" doesn't mean much if you don't have that overview. i suppose it could be interpreted as experimental if you're used to listening to mainstream hip-hop. or maybe radiohead. but most people that listen to experimental music won't find much experimental about the disc.
i don't think the artist would debate the point. i don't get the impression he was pushing an experimental record, so much as i get the impression he was trying to do a genre-mash. and as i've pointed out, the really interesting part of the disc is the production, which is where his talents actually are.
Joseph Kiesel
The instrumental can wholly and completely be a song or atleast a music piece that is good.
deathtokoalas
it's not a question of if it has vocals or not...
