(Part 2) Best products from r/electronicmusic

One thing I'm taking away from this (so far...on #3) is the sense of community that dance parties create. Yeah, I know, it's almost cliched. But it's the realist sense of group comrade that I have ever encountered. I was at a party last weekend that exhibited this same level of compassion. I live in the Detroit area, have a lot of friends who are artists, promoters, or just plain enthusiasts, but the fact remains that this vibe is real. It's more than the music. It's the sense of family that keeps every body together. The same people from week to week with the same good sense in music that binds it all together. It makes me proud to be a part of the scene. Places like the Paradise Garage or the Music Boxx really laid the ground work for the rest of the world to enjoy nightlife as we know it.

BTW, David Mancuso really needs a movie all to himself.

edit 2:Francis Grasso, wow, there getting deeper than I expected! We should all be reading Last Night A DJ Save My Life as a primer to this. Seriosly, it's the best book I ever read (about djing)!

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|name|Ludwig van Beethoven|
|about artist|Ludwig van Beethoven (16 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a composer of the transitional period between the late Classical and early Romantic eras. He was born in Bonn, Germany. Beethoven is widely regarded as one of the greatest masters of musical construction, sometimes sketching the architecture of a movement before he had decided upon the subject matter. He was one of the first composers to systematically and consistently use interlocking thematic devices, or “germ-motives”, to achieve unity between movements in long compositions. ([more on last.fm](http://www.last.fm/music/Ludwig van Beethoven))|
|album|Classics in the Air, released Apr 1985|
|track|Moonlight Sonata|
|about track|Sonata in C sharp minor, op. 27, no. 2 - First Movement (Adagio Sostenuto) Correction This is not the entire Piano Sonata No. 14 ("Moonlight Sonata"), but only the first of three movements. The second and third movements are Allegretto and Presto Agitato, respectively. Beethoven's 14th piano sonata, AKA "Moonlight Sonata," was composed in the summer of 1801 in Hungary, on an estate belonging to the Brunswick family. The composition was published in 1802 and was dedicated to Beethoven’s pupil and passion, 17 years old Countess Giulietta Gucciardi. The Sonata is one of the most popular piano sonatas from Beethoven’s creation. It is also named “The Moonlight Sonata” by poet Ludwig Rellstab who, in 1832, had this inspiration on a moon lit night on the banks of the Lucerna River. Some biographers make the connection between the unshared love the composer held for Giulietta Guicciardi and the sonorities of the first part. Even more so, this sonata was dedicated to Giulietta, the musical theme of the first part being borrowed from a German ballad as Wyzewa observed. The piano sonata has three parts. The parts of the sonata give the impression of a whole first of all through the elaboration of themes and motifs. Consequently, the main musical theme of the first part becomes very elaborate in the second part, and the second motif of the main theme will be encountered in the first theme of part III.|
|images|album image, artist image|
|links|wikipedia, lyrics, vgmdb, allmusic, discogs, imdb, biography, secondhandsongs, track on amazon, album on amazon|
|tags|classical, instrumental, romantic, classic, rock|
|similar|Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, Franz Schubert, Franz Joseph Haydn|
|metrics|lastfm listeners: 1,615,984, lastfm plays: 25,970,665, youtube plays: 153, radd.it score: 8.25|


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As a long time BoC fan, I've gotten used to the feeling. Can't rush greatness i'm afraid.

In the meantime, here are a few suggestions:

• Check out Tycho's early stuff, for a reasonable facsimile :) His new album is definitely his own style now though, and it's great.
  
  
• If you're interested in other like minded artists, there were quite a few in the early 2000s. Arovane - Tides is one of the good ones. Also in a similar vein, Casino vs. Japan, freescha.
  
  
• If you're interested in the 'origins' of their sound, you'll enjoy Googling for 'synthesizer library music'.
  
  
• If you want to have a good laugh, try to get a hold of Little Plastic Pilots. The reviews on Amazon ("Board of Canada's cover band?) are quite funny.

I have a few recommendations for you to get you started:

1. This book: Music Theory for The Computer Musician , it's a great way to start off if you're unfamiliar with music theory. It gives you the basics and foundation of theory and while showing you how to apply it to various DAWs. It's a fairly easy read and there are quizzes and a CD with examples from the lessons. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
   
   
2. Here are some good subreddits:
   /r/edmproduction/
   /r/WeAreTheMusicMakers/
   /r/abletonlive/
   
   
3. As others have mentioned, there are no shortage of resources online. There's tons of Youtube videos and forums where you can find tutorials.
   
   
4. I also recommend listening/reading up on different types of EDM to give yourself a better understanding of what differentiates each genre. For example, check out the "House Music" wiki. Look at the description and try to understand what the "elements" of House music are: Rhythm structure, characteristic sounds, etc.. Do that for the genres you like first, and then venture to others you may not be familiar with.
   
   
5. Lastly, if you're serious about it, stick with it. Just like anything, the more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it. Also, keep in mind it's not a cheap hobby or easy (time wise). You can do a lot of basic stuff with you Macbook and Logic (or whatever DAW you prefer) to get yourself started. I would hold off buying much hardware until you are comfortable with basics. If anything I would start off with some headphone and speaker monitors. (the links are to what I'm using and recommend to get started).
   
   
   I hope at least some of that is helpful...Good luck with everything!

omg it's fate! hello fellow duck <33

1. there are some awesome books if you want to start learning about mixing and mastering:
   
   Audio Engineering 101
   
   Mastering Audio, The Art and the Science
   
   Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio
   
   ​
   
   those are a great place to start! the weird thing about mixing and mastering is that it's simultaneously complicated and very, very simple - in my experience the strongest engineers often use the most basic tools, they just have a very in-depth understanding of how they work and how to wield them effectively. don't get frustrated if it's not easy right away - i have been producing and engineering for a really really freaking long time and i am JUST starting to feel super confident with mixing and mastering. it takes dedication and patience but it is soooooo rewarding! you should totally do it!
   
   
2. i got to go to australia on my first international headline tour last year and it was SO COOL
   
   
3. well my favorite kind of dog is all dogs, but also my dogs because theyre my babies. i have a 100 lb staffy/great dane mix who lives with me in LA, and a 13 lb chihuahua/terrier/potato mix who lives with my dad in san francisco

Reviews of There Will Be No Armageddon (1995) by UnionJack (discogs):

>If you have never listened to this CD, stop what you are doing and find it, pronto! From start to finish Union Jack pulls you through a sonic soundscape that varies from beautiful and melodic to sinister. Tracks to live by would be "Two Full Moons and a Trout", "Red Herring", "Cactus", er,.....you know what? Id have to list them all!!...Every track is as unique as the last.

.

>This is a perfectly designed ambient trance cd that is wonderful on car stereos or surround sound, especially if one has hypersensivity for some reason or another~! But really though, this is one of the best trance cds I have ever heard... it is not like typical dj trance of oakenfold or lawrence, it is much more powerful and yet much more smooth. Its just the best blowup album ever, thats all.

.

>This album can help you sleep, wake you up, get you in the mood, get you out of the mood, etc, etc. It has the ability to enhance what you're feeling. If you like trance, Enigma or just music in general, you should give it a try.

Detroit Techno should be renamed Hi Tech Soul ... cos that's the doco's name :)


Check Synth Britannia for nice doco on the emergence of electronica in pop n post punk

On the hip hop tip there's Scratch (to get more of a dose on this tip see the Style Wars doco and Wild Style as a movie blurring the lines between the real scene and a fictional one)


On all tings dubwise there's very nicely produced Dub Echoes doco.

If you want to go further back and dig on the development of dub from ska onwards, The Studio One Story tells the tale of the development of one of the best (IMO) studios/labels in JA.




For the sheer awesome of a live show, Underworld's Everything Everything

Haven't read Last Night..., but Simon Reynolds' Energy Flash was quite a nice overview for me. It's not short (around 550 pages) but a very good look at electronic music from the '70s to about 2006.

ishkur's guide is the best entry point imo. if you can, I'd then suggest getting this book (http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Flash-Journey-Through-Culture/dp/1593764073)-- seriously the most comprehensive history of electronic music and rave culture out there. There are some cool genre specific documentaries on youtube which you can typically find just by searching some subgenre name + 'documentary'. Then the Dance Music Guide is a good reference for newer genres.

highly recommend their concert movie Everything Everything

Last Night a DJ Saved My Life

Edit, and of course: Mark Prendergast - The Ambient Century

Edit 2: I'm currently reading John Cage's biography, but it's not really about all of electronic music.

I actually major in music theory, so don't feel bad :P I'm not really sure of any materials as I've mostly learned from teachers and professors. I've seen this book thrown around a lot:

Music Theory for Computer Musicians

One of the most influential Berlin night clubs of the past 2 decades, which holds similar ideals today much like most of the well known clubs that were born around techno music in Germany:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berghain

The birthplace of House music in Chicago "The Warehouse was patronized primarily by gay black and Latino men":

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warehouse_(nightclub)

Recommended books you can read to learn about the history of music:

https://www.amazon.com/Klang-Familie-Felix-Denk/dp/3738604294

https://www.amazon.com/Techno-Rebels-Renegades-Electronic-Painted/dp/0814334385

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Night-DJ-Saved-Life/dp/0802146104/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

https://www.amazon.com/Energy-Flash-Journey-Through-Culture/dp/1593764073/ref=pd_sim_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1593764073&pd_rd_r=S1TWN7HDAJJY3Z2QN4BG&pd_rd_w=Zk210&pd_rd_wg=Dqe5r&psc=1&refRID=S1TWN7HDAJJY3Z2QN4BG

https://www.amazon.com/Electrochoc-Laurent-Garnier/dp/1906615918

A snippet from the above book by Laurent Garnier regarding Detroit, the birthplace of Techno music:

"Like Manchester in the early 1800s, during the golden age of the British Industrial Revolution, Detroit also became the great American city of industry. Several thousand blue-collar workers came from all over the US to work at the Ford automobile plant, while the black workers were confined to the foundries.

In 1959 Motor Town gave birth to Motown, the cultural pride of the black community. Then the battle for civil rights broke out in the US, and in July 1967 Detroit experienced three days of bloody rioting. The white community fled to the suburbs and the ghetto grew bigger and bigger. And finally, in the 1980s, there was an explosion in drug abuse, especially of crack, in these same ghettos.

Detroit techno music tells the story of all of this hardship. And within this music one can feel the life force that refuses to be put down. Words are of no importance. Everything is expressed within a few notes, repeated ad infinitum. Detroit techno is made of metal, glass and steel. When you close your eyes you can hear, far off in the distance, then closer and closer, the echo of crying. Like in jazz and blues, Detroit techno transfigures suffering. This authenticity of spirit has no price.

'In 1981, a record – "Sharevari" – was released that would play a pivotal role in the history of Detroit techno. "Sharevari" is the very first techno record from Detroit, but as yet nobody had used the term "techno," it simply didn't exist.

Mike Banks, alias Mad Mike, is the true soul of Detroit techno. He is an urban guerrilla, a man haunted by the suffering of his city. Mike has chosen music to fight against the problems of daily life and takes his inspiration from the Afro-American struggle of the 1960s

Through his record label Underground Resistance, Mike Banks spreads a guerrilla philosophy whose targets are the major record labels, the American segregationist system, and despair in the ghetto.

Mad Mike pursues his causes – to get young people away from crime and drugs, to rally against the economic disaster that is Detroit – and music.

UR is the continuation of a long struggle and we chose existing technologies to make this struggle move forward. Through UR, we wanted to express everything through sound; no need for pictures. We were against everything you have to accept in order to be famous.

We were just coming out of the 80s, a time when many black artists had had their noses done or their skin whitened. Fuck that! If a guy doesn't know what you look like, he won't care, as long as he likes your music. It's Detroit and the whole black experience in America that gave birth to Underground Resistance.

We both had experience of deals with majors in which we had been swindled. That is where the name Underground Resistance came from. Literally, to create a resistance to the "overground."

What's really remarkable is that I have to go out of my way to explain and showcase all of this to you, when this is something that is known amongst most fanatics of electronic music.

Much like Germany had its own sub-culture tied to political movement, so did Chicago and Detroit.

It's like I'm talking to a person saying "The sky is blue" while said person refuses to look up and constantly spews things like "No! Wrong! Wrong! It's green! Prove it!"

Why do you think Punk Rock is named after a whole sub-culture, just out of pure coincidence? It's laughable that I have to explain such a simple concept to someone so ignorant. It's like you talk about things that are 100% obvious and make yourself the clown of the room while genuinely refusing to acknowledge it, it's very cringeworthy.

I'm going to block you now because you're a prime example of the kind of people /r/edm is filled with and why no electronic music fanatic actually wants to remotely even deal with people of your kind, you've demonstrated that point very well. It's laughable how you refuse to educate yourself in any way and then you come on these boards with a hostile attitude dismissing things that have been known for multiple decades because of how dense and ignorant you are, from people who have a much better understanding of what they are saying. Electronic music is 40 years old now, do you genuinely think that nobody has touched on these subjects beforehand? Have a look at the list I linked to you and do yourself a favor and stop being hostile with your replies as long as you remain ignorant, you're really embarrassing yourself and most other EDM listeners with your example.