the
Party
 When
a friend of mine said to me recently that my Air
cd sounded like music coming from a party next door, it occurred to me
that much of the music I was listening to these days could be described
as just that. Many of the beat-heavy elements of hip-hop and techno were
there. It wasn't exactly solemn music; while kind of mellow, it wasn't
without the upbeat, joyous qualities one usually seeks to exude when rocking
the party. The generally lush, high-gloss production values of the music
made it great for showing off the staggering impressiveness of your new
hi-fi. Yet, something was a bit askew. Much of hip-hop and techno's aggression
was kept somehow burried in the mix. The E.Q.s were frequently flattened
and dulled to produce what amounted to a sort of aural aftertaste. The
vocals, if present at all, were muted or electronically altered (or in
French, but I digress).
What, indeed, was up with this music, and just why the
hell did all of my most recent cd purchases sound like noise polution
from my next-door neighbor (minus the barking dogs)? Obviously, I found
music of this sort strangely appealing. Did this say something about me?
Does it suggest that I can party only vicariously? Like the music itself,
maybe there's something under the surface that's just a bit off. The appeal
of this music to me warrants further analysis through the best tools I
have at my disposal: fragments of barely-grasped knowlege left over from
Intro. to Psych. in college
and a gift for reading way too much into stuff. Responsible scholarship
be damned.
top
next
|
