Intro Pop electronica and directions in music. Some thoughts on this from Involve

Bevan Smith

To be honest I have grown quite sick of the vast majority of electronica this year. I don't think I'm going out on too much of a limb saying it either, most people I'm talking to are sharing my feelings. It's not hard to be bored with geek boys hunched over there laptops belting out vague and unaffecting reruns of autechre or whatever chirpy clipped soundscapes turn you on. (p.s my fav autechre album is chiastic slide)

I was worried for a while that I had become immune to feeling music, I've accepted the fact that II'll never love it as much as I used to. For example I don't feel like there's an album I absolutely have to listen to before I can sleep no matter how late it is or that I must put on before getting up in the morning. Whereas I do remember in my teens and early 20's feeling like I would absolutely die if I didn't listen to x or z or whatever. Music was more of a drug back then I guess.

I don't think it's soley the lack of quality in the electronic music scene at the moment that has affected me. Technology is also playing a role, MP3s have made me think of music as being more disposable. It's got to the point now where I don't think of many electronica releases having the same value of releases by 'bands'. I guess this also has something to do with my involvement in producing the voicechanger material which has been a load more challenging than my previous aspen/signer recordings. Having said that, I'm spending an absolute age in doing the new signer stuff because I have been really developing my production skills and I want stuff to sound a lot better than it used to.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/newroom/toptens/involve.shtml for my current top listening.

Andy Greenman

"The danger of pop is it becomes novelty. The potential is that you create something that is timeless pop-tastitc and sells well whislt being vaguely electronica. sounds to me like he is advocating a return to the 80s -synth pop with irony that sells well."

"In a wider context vocal music is undergoing a huge resurrection. Almost certainly a reaction to years of minimal techno and instrumental listening music. Also hip hop, guitar no-wave, jazz-funk and Rand B are hugely popular again, and their success is largely down to live element and vocals."

Juan Manuel Freire

about the collision between pop and electronica. We've all been hanging around clicks, beeps and experimentation for a while, but finally have returned to pop in search of these holy armonies and melodies that connect us with our nature. The Morr, Warp and Hefty records'-styled philosophy is engaging deeply in the sensibility of electronica consumer and really soon the Chain Reaction models will be obsolete: look at Luomo, for example, a deep house pop record by a former purist of techno.

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