I'm referring to instrumental electronic music. Going into it, I had assumed that I would hear layers of meticulously crafted sounds that complement each other and create stunning textures and atmosphere, all supporting a melodic line that would be both sonically fitting as well as beautifully singable/catchy. Instead I just found music with 2 melodic instruments at once (sometimes 3) and sonically it just all seems not that interesting or expressive. Also, the melodic instruments are usually just repetitions of drawn-out chords with no regard to melodies or layering melodies. Most of the effort just seems to be put towards the percussion, which is rarely interesting enough to carry the piece alone.
TLDR: I'm obviously missing something, I don't get it. Please enlighten me
I've tried about the top 50 RYM electronic rankings (this includes Aphex Twin, Burial, Autechre, Boards of Canada, The Knife, Coil, Ulver) The only Aphex Twin album I haven't checked out yet, listening to it now
Colton Morgan
You might just not like electronic stuff. I find the synth textures in particular to mostly be interesting and while maybe not expressive, by pleasing to listen to. Also I like banging dance beats.
Try some less ambient stuff. Give some techno and industrial a try.
Matthew Nguyen
Skip the piano pieces if you don't like them, a lot of people don't care for them but I find them to be really nice interludes between tracks
>Try some less ambient stuff Honestly, the ambient stuff is what I enjoy more than the hard-hitting or fast-paced stuff. For reference, I feel these tracks perfectly encapsulate what I look for in electronic music with stunning atmosphere and sound design as well as infectious melodies that are inexplicably sublime (and my enjoyment of it is not tied to nostalgia, I didn't play these games or anything growing up) youtube.com/watch?v=LDvKwSVuUGA youtube.com/watch?v=J67nkzoJ_2M
Joseph Jackson
it's not always about having lots and lots of stuff going on at once. more != better however if that's what you're into, try breakcore/electronic jazz/noise
^that whole album is pretty much just about cramming as many samples into a huge album. doesn't always sound good tho.
Grayson Martinez
Try this
Sebastian Cox
Thanks! I've already checked out most of those tracks before and like I mentioned here I'm not necessarily looking for more hard-hitting or maximalist, just more sonically and harmonically interesting than a pad repeating chords over a drum break without much or any melodic progression to the piece OR alternatively someone convinces me how to enjoy and appreciate this type of music (especially in the IDM realm) because it all seems fairly lazily put together and uninteresting to me at the moment, but I'm open to getting into it
Cameron Collins
Electronic music is an extremely nebulous term, there are plenty of ''electronic'' albums that are minimalist and many that are maximal. It would really help to know what kind of music you already listen to but here's some stuff anyway.
Thank you for the recs! Honestly I can't appreciate any of it, it's either repetitive to the point that it seems lazy and uninspired or the percussion is too layered and it takes away from harmonic content, making it more of a dizzying collection of rhythms than a piece that I can make out. Or it sounds like they have an idea and instead of trying to add to it or move it into different directions, it seems they just go "let's add drums to it, make it glitch out a little, maybe some noise or a basic lead and then we're done" fuck. I'll just give up. But thank you everyone who tried helping me, I really appreciate it
thanks for giving electronic music a try anyway. even though i disagree with you (esp when you say lazy wtf) it seems like electronic music just isn't gonna be your thing.
my only other rec is MBR but i refrained from recommending him before since it's not all electronic. But it's very melodic: masterbootrecord.bandcamp.com/track/33mhz
Gabriel Diaz
I think you just have awful taste at this point, if you really think either of those Donkey Kong tracks surpass all of what you've been suggested or what you've listened, you need to get your ears checked
Parker Smith
>you just have awful taste at this point I'm not saying you're wrong but convince me that the tracks I've been recced and the stuff I've listened to is really good
Nathan Edwards
>convince me music is good Now you're just a flat out retard
Caleb Miller
Pitchfork likes it. there you go thats your reason
David Howard
How? You can't even tell me why you like it? I'm genuinely curious, I don't think my taste is superior to anyone else's, I'm not here to try to prove anyone wrong. I'm just trying to learn
Christian Fisher
What I find so hard to believe is that you think the Donkey Kong Country OST is the best think ever composed electronically. I'm sure all of the people who worked on that album were inspired or influenced by some (if not a lot) of the artists you've listened to. I don't know you call so much of what you've listened to lazy or uninspired. Either just stick to just listening to vidya osts forever or stop being so overly nostalgic.
Nathaniel Harris
There's no nostalgia involved. I've never played a video game before. I just think each instrument is crafted really well and it creates a really stunning atmosphere. The melodies all compliment each other and are extremely pleasing using amazing phrasing and beautiful note choice, usually landing on colour tones (7ths. 9ths, 11ths, 13ths)
Evan Bennett
>I've never played a video game before What is wrong with you? >I just think each instrument is crafted really well and it creates a really stunning atmosphere. The melodies all compliment each other and are extremely pleasing using amazing phrasing and beautiful note choice, usually landing on colour tones (7ths. 9ths, 11ths, 13ths) Yeah....I think you have bigger issues in your life then just not liking electronic music.
Isaac Gonzalez
>I think you have bigger issues in your life like what? I'm a very happy person
Bentley Gutierrez
You're an autist with shit taste
Samuel Wright
I'm trying to expand my taste as much as I can, electronic is really the only thing left that I still haven't gotten into
John Reyes
You're looking for ambient. Try Brian Eno.
Mason Butler
What non electronic music do you like?
Are you just some autist that sits in his room listening to nothing but western classical on a pair of 7000 klipsch speakers that Sup Forums recommended to you?
Evan Walker
Nah, I don't listen to classical more often than anything else. I'm into to a pretty diverse amount of genres, that also adds to why I'm so surprised I just can't get into instrumental electronic music of all things
Landon Nguyen
show me 4 musicians you actually think are good
Joseph Garcia
U really need to get out of the house and in da club
There's not really any groove in that though, with the use of either quantized drums or a short loop, you lose the human aspect, which is what actually makes something groove or be danceable. If I wanted to listen to music that grooves I'd much sooner listen to P-Funk, Sly, James Brown
Adam Clark
>with the use of either quantized drums or a short loop You clearly have no idea what you're talking about, good job
Jace Davis
Gabriel (Live Garage Version) Bass – Frank Parker Drum Programming – Roy Davis Jr. Drums [Additional] – Larry Bilups* Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals [Background] – Peven Everett Producer [Produced By] – Peven Everett, Roy Davis Jr. Trumpet, Keyboards – Peven Everett
You really are autistic mate
Andrew Jones
>Drum Programming – Roy Davis Jr. What do you think this means
Lucas Cruz
>actual drum machines >ever maintaining a perfect loop
also did you not like fucking beat connection by lcd soundsystem when you listened to them?
No, drum machine's don't keep a perfect loop but it is not human, so there is no room for groove to happen because it can not interact with the other musicians >also did you not like fucking beat connection by lcd soundsystem when you listened to them? No, I think it's pretty lame
Brody James
can i see a picture of your living space? im really courious
Jace Flores
What point are you trying to make?
Henry Cook
i want to see the world you live in
Like i actually have no idea how your brain operates my guy
if you want ill show you mine
Cooper Taylor
Heres the veiw from my desk I like a lot of house techno and world shit
wbu my guy
Kayden Hall
I don't need to see your place, my place isn't too interesting. What I'm saying isn't out-there or anything, live musicians allows for groove, having any programmed musicians lowers the amount of groove
...I do youtu.be/tvltTXEg5kI I'm more just not a fan of the common disco stuff (I just find a lot of it cheesy)
Blake Martinez
Avril 14th is the greatest song of all time though
Henry Hughes
Thanks! In terms of atmosphere and textures, this track's great. I just wish it either had a melodic component to it, or it harmonically shifted to make it more interesting or memorable
