a question to you all

[Tiptoe]

I thought this may be an interesting thing to discuss so here goes. Right where where do you draw the line between someone having their own distinctive sound or everything sounding the same. I mean these days i think some producers are just knocking out record after rcord that just sound the same evcery time. I don't think its wrong having a distinctive sound on your records but where do you draw the line. Your thoughts please :?:

[Joseph Isaac]

Maybe you could give some examples of say producers in your opinion that are just spitting out the same stuff...

[technoticau]

very interesting topic, I was just recently thinking about that myself.

[Sunil]

I thought this may be an interesting thing to discuss so here goes. Right where where do you draw the line between someone having their own distinctive sound or everything sounding the same. I mean these days i think some producers are just knocking out record after rcord that just sound the same evcery time. I don't think its wrong having a distinctive sound on your records but where do you draw the line. Your thoughts please :?:

Well generally it will take a record or a series of records from one producer which stand out, which invariably leads to close allies or fans replicating or being influenced by their 'distinctive' sound. Examples: British Murder Boys, DJ Amok, Glenn Wilson, Adam Beyer etc.

Having a distinctive sound though is definitely not always a healthy thing, producers who can vary their output are generally the people who I admire most. I think some of it depends on the producer's personal situation and whether they are desperate to release on a regular basis, and if they are only interested in seeing their records go out to one particular market. There's different examples like for instance Chris McCormack who has done all sorts but who doesn't release that often. Then you have Beyer or Umek who have proven themselves at styles other than just hard techno, whether or not some people regard some of their stuff as cheesy is another thing, the fact is that they've run their course at hard techno and rarely return to it is admirable in its own way.

There's the arguement that I've heard in the past about producers claiming it takes them a while to find the next level or their new sound which is why all the records in between sound similar, I guess you could ask why the hell they are releasing them then?

It's not just down to the producers themselves though, it's also down to labels and what they are prepared to put out, and whether or not they are happy to settle with something which sounded like the last release. I mean it's not like there's loads of money banking on 12" releases anymore, personally I'd prefer not to hear from a label for a year or two if it meant they were gonna hit us with something great.. there's loads of normal techno out there as it is.

[DJAbyss]

if you ask me (please respect my opinion) guy mcaffer has knocked out so many tunes and they sound the same (i wont go into detail) i know that he his dangerous when it comes to production, but i really wish he would find a fresh sound it pisses me off to here the same guy mcaffer claps and hi hats and same bass lines all the time


constuctive as it may seemm

no slating just my opinion.....

[Tiptoe]

i totally agree mate hearing some of his stuff lately just made me think. Also marco bailey wnet through a stage of this with some of his releases on primate and on mb electronics

[romelpotter]

hmm imo if you dont like it then dont buy it, try to find and focus on the things you do like then play them well. When i buy stuff, (this is partly down to my dyslexia and short term memory loss) but i never read who or look at the label, because in 30 secs i have fogoten anywhay :doh: I have said this before but i just listen to the tune, If i like it i buy it. I dont get personal with it, its just a record. :lol: :lol:

[The Overfiend]

Tis why some artists have aliases because the nature of the beast is that for someone to release, Most labels are going to want that signature sound, When they try to branch of and expand or move up a step they may get dissed. Labels are the ones to blame I believe. Artists have to get some kind of name for themselves to even be able to release what they truely want to. But before then give them a year of the same track recycled before they can prove they can sell something.

[davethedrummer]

well its a tricky subject this.
i mean you have to look a bit wider than just the techno scene.musicians in general survive on rep , and that rep is built around something they do that is distinctive to them and origates from them , and cannot be copied.

ie guy:
he was there first , and his sound is distinctive and original to him , and has been copied but rarely bettered.
so before you moan about records sounding the same think about it. guys records are a part of the scene we know as the techno scene and still have a valuable place in it , plus he originated that sound , so careful what you say about it.

but getting back on topic
if you are a recording artist of some kind you have to put your flag in the ground at some point and announce to everyone that that is your style and that is where you intend to stay.

people like beyer etc have been clever by slowly developing their sound over a number of years , don't forget all the beyer records of 98/99 that all sounded the same too , plus the leibing records and we could be here all day......

no guys ,
some of the newer guys to the scene take note. there is nothing wrong with being reliable , it can get boring if you put it under the microscope but it does mean that people who buy your records know roughly what they are going to get and will make an effort to LOOK for your work , this is important stuff. as selling records is why we are here.

beyer is reliable , bailey is reliable ,leibing is reliable , sims etc etc etc
you see what i'm getting at here.

when i was in a band we got really bored of our set and always wanted to include more new songs, however it was hard to do as the audience loved to sing a long to our older stuff.

our manager said to us , "well you wouldn't want to see the rolling stones and have them not play "satisfaction" would you?"

good point i thought.

anyways recently i've been trying to develop my sound , and i think its working but its a struggle to get away from the "acid techno guy" stigma
probably because i still make the odd acid track hehehe
but i would like to be respected for my other output like my apex releases and some of the techno on hydraulix.

it's an uphill battle. but its worth it.

[romelpotter]

yes .. good points dtd ;) :lol:

[scienceofuse]

I agree with Dave, but I think a producer can have "his" certain sound and still not be repetitive... Some artists that have been mentioned above have all had their share of samey releases, but on the other hand, there are artists, whose sound is identifiable by ear (by that I mean the production), but still manage to surprise (and amaze) with every new release... The Kanzleramt cats or the french techno scene (people like The Youngsters and/or Southsoniks) have that certain something, as do some other producers... OK, I guess some people will argue that every new Ben Sims release is totally different, but the point is you don't need to sell your "sound" like a formula, making all your releases formulaic... Because it stops being art when you're stuck with a blueprint and you just twiddle around with a few parameters to make it different ;)

[dbit]

All good points here, and Dave, u make some great ones. This is a HUGE crisis for me. Me work has always been very very diverse, each piece being unique and different.

I have always felt that it is my biggest + and - . In an industry that praises vertical development, I move almost completely horizontal. Horizontal growth can be GREAT in the long run, because slowly, over time, that horizontal breadth starts to move slowly vertical. And EVENTUALLY, that vertical growth reaches a critical mass, and there is a large body of work in all directions.

But that's my problem! In the interim I have too much scattered work, hence I am splitting it into three primary pseudonyms at the moment.

It's also an evolutionary tension because it forces me to find ways to work faster and still maintain integrity. I am almost close to having a fast way to work, and churn out some consistent tunes, but this is always at war with my process, which is extremely reflective.

anyways, my 5 cents on the subject!

;)

d