WOEBOT

What’s wrong with this picture?

My delight at American electronica was that it hadn’t wandered down the blind-alley that European electronica had despite it's hardcore credentials (specifically the Blectums at Oakland). I was relying on the yanks to “keep it stoopid”. Well the rot is setting in!

It’s the blind-alley of the avant-garde. You must know my angle by now…It’s a sad thing that folks continue to equate brilliant with clever, with the academy (worthless Prix D’Arts), with old dudes with beards.

Blectum from Blechdom, Kid 606, Cex, Mathmos, and Phoenicia came at just the right moment for me when their euro counterparts were becoming dull as fuck. I think Autechre and Farmers Manual, among many other guilty parties, though they seem to represent the pinnacle, are boring and mono-dimensional. All Mego (including Fennesz), the new Oval (post-Diskont), not quite Mille Plateaux (but nearly). etc. etc. etc.

It seems like the landslide started with the whole Artificial Intelligence thing, since when there has been a fresh wave of twats every year who are just that little bit cleverer, and just a little bit fonder of recording their fridges. The instinct has even started weakening tremendous outfits like Mouse on Mars who seem desperate to keep up (not a decent record since Glam).

You meet these people and ask them what sort of music they make and they laugh in your face. “Music? Ha ha ha. Oh you are so stupid little man.” Anything worthwhile should to be easily explainable to a 7 year old. Don't make the mistake of thinking I'm anti-avant, I have A LOT of avant-garde records, I’m a tough guy too you see….

Posted by Woebot at June 1, 2003 12:06 PM