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Ok, so following a discussion in the Sinking feeling thread I'm making this discussion to find out peoples opinions on these matters. Please keep comments constructive to the discussion and give reasons for your opinions, lets try to avoid a flamewar.

Ok, so I regard myself as having quite a wide taste in music, I listen to everything from traditional Scottish music through to BOC and classical music. However I simply cannot get into most modern music. I have no desire to listen to Dubstep or Justin Beiberesque music. There are exceptions to this, for example bands such as Porcupine Tree, Biffy Clyro, Florence and the Machine and Ed Sheeran.

So here are my reasons, as it were for liking and disliking the above. I like the music that I said above for several reasons. I admire the skill the musicians who perform it have, as a bit of a musician myself I can appreciated the time and effort required to reach the standard that they are at, where as I find some of the other music to be too easy to produce with computers, autotune and the like. Secondly, there is real emotion and soul behind the music I like, whereas things like dubstep I find to be devoid of any real meaning, just a series of loud computerised noises devoid of any message or reason.

So these are a few of my reasons for liking and disliking what I do, I'm sure more will come to mind in a while.

So, what does Dakka think?

I hear a song, decide if I like it it or not, and shut my ears whent the artist name comes on. For example, I went 2 months without knowing Ed Sheeran wrote Drunk. Now it is in my top 10.

I do have a preferance for iconic artists in a genre. Eminem for example. I like his raps. Ed Sheeran is a great artists.

I guess I just like a song. But classical bores me to tears and dubstep makes my ears bleed.

I like stuff from pretty much every genre, from classical to noisecore. I have found that each genre has its good stuff, but also some terrible stuff too.

Deadshot wrote:I guess I just like a song. But classical bores me to tears.

I can understand that, it took me a while to get into Classical music, a lot of it I don't like, it is a case of getting used to listening to how the instruments are combined and used together to make you think and feel what the composer wants you to feel. Impressionist music is quite easy listening, for example Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun.

I hear about something, and make a point of listening to it, even if I heard about it from someone moaning about how bad it is. (case in point, I find Friday to be an enjoyable song, not because of the quality of the music, but the massive over-reactions people have to it, which I find amusing)

I won't make a judgement on something until I've heard it, but theres very little chance that I won't like it in some way, shape or form. I seem to like pretty much anything. (I've yet to find something that I've actively disliked, most songs I'll be able to find at least a small redeeming aspect, if only "The auto-tune in this is incredibly polished"

I do find people who are dismissive of entire genres irritating though, not aimed entirely at OP, but the statement "It isn't real music if it's made with a computer!" is laughable, saying that someone like Dave Grohl has way more talent than Aphex Twin because Grohl can play instruments, whereas Aphex Twin is electronic is a ridiculous statement; the two are both incredibly skilled at what they do, but what they do is largely incomparable as one writes rock "from the heart" (as he puts it), and the other writes intricately engineered electronic music that requires an incredible amount of technical know-how and skill.

I also love a wide array of music... but like most people, I have bands/groups that I just absolutely hate.

For instance, I love metal, but I don't particularly dig Behemoth, Fear Factory, or Cradle of Filth.

I hate most all rap or "hip hop" people like JayZ, Kanye and other talentless morons really killed the genre for me. In another thread, it was suggested that I listen to Dan Le Sac.. so I did, and have added him to the very short list of rap/hip hop groups that I will actually listen to, including Sweatshop Union, and MC Hammer. Ironic though, I know.. the biggest reason I dislike rap, is the hatred that flows forth from alot of the mainstream stuff.. and the profusion of the use of the N-word.

I don't normally listen to country, but I don't "hate" it.. But when I do, I typically 'only' listen to Johnny Cash.

On my zune, and quite frequently comes up, is Rock Opera, and Scottish Bagpipe music, as well as Corvus Corax (not sure what genre you could classify them as)

So, long story short, I'll give a song or two a listen, and if I like them, I'll probably get an album or two on zune.

I like a good amount of music. I like 80's Pop, 90's Pop, 00's Pop, 90's Rap, Electronic, and Dubstep. I tend to look at the most popular songs of each generation/category that I tend to like and pick the top 10 most popular, because if they're popular, then it stands to reason that they're good. But I also have one genre that I can't get behind. Rock of pretty much all colors just sounds unpleasent to me. There are songs of it that I like, but in general it is just not fun to listen to. I don't deny that rock musicians have skill, I just don't like the music. Also saying something needs to come "from the soul" to be rule music is close minded and stupid. Not aimed at anyone here, its just one of my pet peeves.

Castiel wrote:

Deadshot wrote:I guess I just like a song. But classical bores me to tears.

I can understand that, it took me a while to get into Classical music, a lot of it I don't like, it is a case of getting used to listening to how the instruments are combined and used together to make you think and feel what the composer wants you to feel. Impressionist music is quite easy listening, for example Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun.

This is kind of the same with really good electronic music, the artists work on how things are combined and put together, but rather than instruments they remove the human aspect of it, and so you can get incredibly precise, accurate pieces of music with tens of thousands of individual sounds, where each one is exactly where its supposed to be, and nowhere else.

Also one thing I forgot to mention is my love of "new" country. I come from an area where you are more likely to see Cthulu come out of your Smartboard and punch your teacher in the face than find a Jason Aldean concert, but I really do enjoy it. Just my 2 cents

I see what you are saying, TAS and Goliath, and I know it isn't aimed at me. I have listened to dubstep tunes that I have heard about, but I have yet to find anything I like. I wouldn't say that music "has to come from the soul" or not be computerised to be "real" music, and it is clearly very popular with some people. "One man's rose is another man's thorn" as the saying goes.

Goliath wrote:
I do find people who are dismissive of entire genres irritating though, not aimed entirely at OP, but the statement "It isn't real music if it's made with a computer!" is laughable, saying that someone like Dave Grohl has way more talent than Aphex Twin because Grohl can play instruments, whereas Aphex Twin is electronic is a ridiculous statement; the two are both incredibly skilled at what they do, but what they do is largely incomparable as one writes rock "from the heart" (as he puts it), and the other writes intricately engineered electronic music that requires an incredible amount of technical know-how and skill.

And the fact that Aphex Twin can and does play instruments. Prepared piano's on Druqks for example.

Ensis Ferrae wrote:
I hate most all rap or "hip hop" people like JayZ, Kanye and other talentless morons really killed the genre for me. In another thread, it was suggested that I listen to Dan Le Sac.. so I did, and have added him to the very short list of rap/hip hop groups that I will actually listen to, including Sweatshop Union, and MC Hammer. Ironic though, I know.. the biggest reason I dislike rap, is the hatred that flows forth from alot of the mainstream stuff.. and the profusion of the use of the N-word.

See, the only rapper I actually like is Eminem, for 2 reasons.

1 He basically pioneered to ability of white people to actually be successful in a stereotypically black community/genre.
2 Other rappers are slow in rhythm, pronounced. Sometimes I find myself actually trying to find the lyrics for MM's songs just cause he has pace.
3 He doesn't swing the N- word like a cat. It seems to me, and please take no offense, that the black rappers think they can use it without racism. People don't complain on the basis of insulting himself too. But if Emy said it he would be destroyed for rascism.

Dubstep and techno take little to no skill to create and it just feels absolutely heartless. Though I have to admit they come up with some awesome beats. Other than that it just gives me a headache from the constant and repetitive beat.

Heavy metal and alternative rock are awesome due the variety and ability to tell an epic tale while giving you great rifts on an electric guitar.

Hip hop just makes me want to destroy the Earth.

Private_Joker wrote:Dubstep and techno take little to no skill to create and it just feels absolutely heartless. Though I have to admit they come up with some awesome beats. Other than that it just gives me a headache from the constant and repetitive beat.

Heavy metal and alternative rock are awesome due the variety and ability to tell an epic tale while giving you great rifts on an electric guitar.

Hip hop just makes me want to destroy the Earth.

Have you ever even tried to make a good dubstep? Its a lot harder then screaming into a microphone and slamming a guitar until the strings snap

Changing pitch and volume of a sound wave, then putting a *duss duss duss* in the background is not that hard.

TheAngrySquig wrote:

Private_Joker wrote:Dubstep and techno take little to no skill to create and it just feels absolutely heartless. Though I have to admit they come up with some awesome beats. Other than that it just gives me a headache from the constant and repetitive beat.

Heavy metal and alternative rock are awesome due the variety and ability to tell an epic tale while giving you great rifts on an electric guitar.

Hip hop just makes me want to destroy the Earth.

Have you ever even tried to make a good dubstep? Its a lot harder then screaming into a microphone and slamming a guitar until the strings snap

I would have to disagree with you, TAS. But I also disagree with the statment that it takes no skill to create electronic music.

Music, to me, isn't just about the noise being pumped into my ears. It's about the entire performance. The energy and motion of the beat, the ability of the band to play, and the overall quality and content of the lyrics.

Consider this:

Baby wrote:
Are we an item? Girl, quit playin'
"We're just friends," what are you sayin'?
Said "there's another," and looked right in my eyes
My first love broke my heart for the first time

And I was like baby, baby, baby, oh
Like baby, baby, baby, no
Like baby, baby, baby, oh
I thought you'd always be mine, mine

Now consider that this is being droned out and autotuned to canned 'instruments' that were probably generated by a computer. It doesn't sound like real music. It sounds canned and processed; sterile.
The subject of the song appears to be that the first love of the singer, in this case, Mister Bieber, has recently become the fancy of another gentleman. This broke his heart; the only valid response for him was to be "like, baby, baby, oh".

But we know this is the case. There's no finding a deeper meaning in the lyrics. There's no appreciating the musical ability that we're hearing, because there's no ability behind it. There's no band, just a kid who, to his credit, probably CAN sing half way decent getting autotuned in a studio. It's the McDonalds of Music.

Compare that with something by Zappa, or Dispatch, or Mozart, and it just doesn't stack up.

I feel the same way about most electronic music though. It just doesn't have feeling. Armin Van Buuren is one of the few electronic composers I've found that I can actually stand to listen to on a regular basis.

Private_Joker wrote:Changing pitch and volume of a sound wave, then putting a *duss duss duss* in the background is not that hard.

Screaming "BLOOD DEATH STEEL ANGER" and slamming the same three chords isn't hard either, but to each his own I guess

TheAngrySquig wrote:

Have you ever even tried to make a good dubstep? Its a lot harder then screaming into a microphone and slamming a guitar until the strings snap

Actually, from my days of flirting with FruityLoops WAAAY back in the day, It's not hard to make electronic music. It's just hard to make it GOOD. I've yet to hear anything good come out of dubstep.

There is, surprisingly, metal that is also more complex and interesting than screaming and thrashing your guitar. The majority of it is exactly as you describe however, and you're right in as so far as to say that doing that is not hard.

TheAngrySquig wrote:

Private_Joker wrote:Changing pitch and volume of a sound wave, then putting a *duss duss duss* in the background is not that hard.

Screaming "BLOOD DEATH STEEL ANGER" and slamming the same three chords isn't hard either, but to each his own I guess

You are thinking more along the lines of death metal, but still makes for a great live show. Better than some lad behind a computer. As to the three cords thing I would like to introduce you to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJQvyYcVXNg

Castiel wrote:I see what you are saying, TAS and Goliath, and I know it isn't aimed at me. I have listened to dubstep tunes that I have heard about, but I have yet to find anything I like. I wouldn't say that music "has to come from the soul" or not be computerised to be "real" music, and it is clearly very popular with some people. "One man's rose is another man's thorn" as the saying goes.

Obviously, I know that it isn't to everyone's taste, but it's people who dismiss electronic music out of hand that irritate me. "Electronic Music" as a label is kind of annoying, in that music that is made electronically covers an incredibly wide area.




Would you say that this is electronic music?

That sounds really good, Goliath. How was it performed, is it all computeried?

Goliath wrote:
Obviously, I know that it isn't to everyone's taste, but it's people who dismiss electronic music out of hand that irritate me. "Electronic Music" as a label is kind of annoying, in that music that is made electronically covers an incredibly wide area.

I don't know. It's divided into so many subgenres, it's hard to specify anything better. Would that be Techno, Trance, House, Electronica, or perhaps any of the ones from the following link?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_electronic_music_genres

I think when people say that they dislike electronic music, they mean anything that goes "thump tissssss thump thisssss thump tisssss thumptisssthumptisssthumptisss" the entire time.

daedalus wrote:I've yet to hear anything good come out of dubstep.

Then you haven't listened to enough.


I find it quite funny people draw these lines in the sand between "real" music and electronic music. Where does Squarepusher fit in? Live he plays bass and uses laptops.

I'd probably be okay with bass and the laptop deal, depends upon the music. As I already said, I like at least some electronic stuff per my comment about Armin.

Dubstep, at least the stuff I've heard, usually sounds like someone fethed the beat on a trance song. Maybe I'm listening to the wrong stuff. Elucidate me.

Like most lines it is just a slow blur into one another.

Private_Joker wrote:Changing pitch and volume of a sound wave, then putting a *duss duss duss* in the background is not that hard.

Okay then, download a free music writing software and make some dubstep.
You'll obviously be really good at it since it's so easy.
Here is a free program that I know works well. though it uses a standard clef, so if you can't read music then it won't work
This on the other hand is along the same lines as most electronic musicians will use and is also free

Regular old garage band can make good songs, and I find Dub Turbo 2 to be a phenomenal program

I like anything I like the sound of...
I dislike the fanbois of several genres though...

Goliath wrote:free

See, the key word is that musicians take time to buy expensive instruments and pay for lessons or self teach. While anyone can go on and just hit keys untill it sounds ok.