I AM TRYING TO JUMP ON A BANDWAGON PLEASE HELP !!!!

[davethedrummer]

ok forgive the title it was just to get the debate started.
but i AM trying to jump a bandwagon , or at least many of you will see it that way.
truth be told i have made over the years many different types of music / styles of techno et etc ...
and since the elctrohouse / minimal thing came back from the grave i have tried my hand at making a few trax in thats style
so.....
ok here's the problem........
( you know whats coming next )

i have been known for making " acid techno " over many years
and bloody proud of the music i have made and the genre i am too.
the people in that scene are some of the soundest most honest people i have ever had the pleasure to work with and i would never say anything to undermine my love for them.

BUT

AND ITS A BIG BUT......

i really do think from the bottom of my heart that my musical career has more to it than just banging dancefloor techno , and i am trying harder than ever to express myself through my music , meaning i am making what i want , when i want , and bugger the consequences.

and at this point i guess i have to take a lesson from the "big" techno guys.
i mean people like hawtin , mills , clarke , beltram etc etc have ALWAYS done what they want and everyone goes with it ( maybe not everyone , but you know what it mean )
is that because they are riding a crest of their own wave of fame?
or are they true geniuses/pioneers moving the sound forward?

i think the answer is both.
but that does not mean that no one else is capable of what they are doing musically they just lack the funds and the machine to help them along.

wheras a guy like myself who has pigeonholed himself so hard over the years ( i can only blame myself ) cannot step away from the "underground" plate for fear of not being able to return.

( maybe i will be stoned to death by the elders , i don't know )


so....

it's a question of money
( ie: if i start playing minimal noone will book me and i'll lose my income)

and it's a question of time
( ie : while i am so busy trying to write my dancefloor music and keep my labels alive i am watching time fly by wishing i could perhaps do that artist album i've alway wanted to do , house , breaks , songs etc etc etc etc etc .....)


ok chaps i have gabbled for long enough
my question to you is.
can the leopard really change his spots , or is it just an industry game ?
and if you were in my position
what would you do?

discuss

[The Overfiend]

Use the name Henry Cullen for your new projects.
The educated shopper will be able to identify you.
But will still purchase the new material curious as to what your output is now.

[davethedrummer]

ok
tried that a few times, it works to some extent , but getting new people to recognise my work is still a problem , and aliases tend to confuse things in the end.
as i said i'm proud of my history.
why cant it all co-exsist?

[fac]

do some fine electronica, electro, detroit or idm etc. not this retarded clicks & cuts mnml sound everyone is trying to immitate nowadays.

[alsynthe]

think in that situation its finding a healthly balance of what you need to do and what you want to do. dont let what you want to do be put on a back burner.

for every dancefloor techno track you make, make summat that you want to make.

[davethedrummer]

do some fine electronica, electro, detroit or idm etc. not this retarded clicks & cuts mnml sound everyone is trying to immitate nowadays.

ok point taken
but i never said i was trying to imitate anything
elctronica ie: autechre , sun electric etc etc is what i grew up with and i love it still.
but thats not really my point here.
it's not a " how can i be cool and get recognised ? " type thread
more of a
" if i am doing something that is breaking the rulez , how can i get poeple to see it for what it is ? " type thread

if you get my meaning.

[dan the acid man]

It's a tricky one, it shouldn't be such a big deal really, you should be able to make what you want and thats it, but we all know it's not like that, especially when it's your living.

This then also goes hand in hand with the time factor, if you're spending all week making your usual techno, running labels, playing out at weekends, all to make a little bit of money so you can do this professionally, then it's a big gamble to give all this up to spend sometime making what your heart desires.

If possible, maybe try cutting back on a few things so at least you have a little more time to do other things.

[davethedrummer]

think in that situation its finding a healthly balance of what you need to do and what you want to do. dont let what you want to do be put on a back burner.

for every dancefloor techno track you make, make summat that you want to make.

well thats exactly what i have been doing
maybe what i am making is just crap , don't know

i can give you an example of what i am doing now but it involves me redirecting you to my space which will provoke an outburst of nuclear proportions.

so.... i'll put up a clip of a new track ( this is a hypothetical argument please don't think this is a promotional attempt ) on my site and i'll drop a link in here in the next couple of minutes

you are free to tell me if it is crap or not etc etc
but the point is...

if you are known for one style and feel you need to change to represent your new musical ideas honestly??

how do you go about it?

it's not about me , it's about all of us .

[fac]

i think the way adam beyer did it, showed that its possible to do this "turn". he was always famous for his drumcode-alike loopy techno. then he started the new label mad eye and began continously to "slow his sound down". and he is still succesful with his "new sound". maybe this is a possibility to do it.

[fac]

or... if you have some really decent tracks which some labels (which are famous for this new sound u want to do) would release, create a new mystical alias. no infos, no names, no face, no nothing...

[dan the acid man]

it's crazy really, you stick with one style too much you get slated, if you change style you get slated.

[Dustin Zahn]

I always put the questionable/experimental tracks on the B sides of my records. For instance, when I did my 1984 ep on my Enemy label a couple years ago...I think the only good feedback I got was on the B2 track...one of my best ambient tracks. :)

I think at the end of the day you should focus on doing what you feel is right. If it means stepping away from acid techno to make different music, then so be it. If it means getting a real job to replace lost income, then maybe thats the way things have to be. It's hard for us to know your situation and what is more important so it's for you to decide. I could easily go 100% minimal and take care of all of my money and gig problems right now but it would probably kill me inside during the process. In my case, I make and play the music that makes me happy and describes where I'm at right now. I'm pretty broke at the moment but I haven't been this happy about techno in years. My girlfriend and family's opinion of it all seems to differ but I'm the artist here! :)

Also, I don't think aliases really complicate things too much. It can be kind of welcoming imo as I know what to expect. If Skoog puts out something as Patrik Skoog...I can expect a hard as nails darker techno record. If he turns out an Agaric track, I can expect some grooves that you'd smoke a spliff to. Plus with aliases, you get the opportunity to kind of "start over." Every producer can imagine the excitement of putting out their first couple records, but it quickly wears off and you either A) slow down and carefully plan (and sometimes over analyze) your next release or B) rush out a shitload more and saturate the market. With a new alias and sound, it's exciting to see what you're capable of with a new audience. Dinner time.

[davethedrummer]

yeah the adam beyer thing is kind of what i was talking about
very interesting
ok here's a link , have a listen , and get back.
i still love this track , it's from the heart
i would like to pursue this direction , but i don't think i have enough house points / gold techno stars to do it

http://www.davethedrummer.net/audio/...mate%20mix.mp3

the point is not the track

it is an example
the point is ...
if you build somthing up and want to change direction , how do you do it??

think about the way the industry works
the way you build a rep.
etc etc

anyway enough b.s. from me ( way too much wine today )

[davethedrummer]

dustin
i have to say
you always appear from nowhere , and it is always worth a read.
thanks

[davethedrummer]

it's crazy really, you stick with one style too much you get slated, if you change style you get slated.

"she's a witch burn her "
"how do you know she's a witch??"
"she turned me into a newt "






" i got better "






" BURN HER BURN HER !!!!!"

[MARKEG]

ok
tried that a few times, it works to some extent , but getting new people to recognise my work is still a problem , and aliases tend to confuse things in the end.
as i said i'm proud of my history.
why cant it all co-exsist?

no, no.. basically h, you've tried it but you've not marketed it to the extent you need to...

[dan the acid man]

i've listened to all those tracks before on myspace, they're all great, strangedayz is probably my favourite.

i reckon dustins got it spot on really

[rhythmtech]

i reckon if your music is good it will shine through no matter what the style..

i dont think changing your name for differant releases is a good idea. i know everything i write ciomes under one name.. be it cheesey club stuff or angry distorted stuff. if "the underground" dont like it then they dont like it.. but another release like "jack me" and they'll be back onside again.. people are fickle but they also recognise good music (i think!!)

so basically yeah.. take a chance, see what happens but in the mean time keep puttin bread on the table with what you're known for.

[davethedrummer]

ok
tried that a few times, it works to some extent , but getting new people to recognise my work is still a problem , and aliases tend to confuse things in the end.
as i said i'm proud of my history.
why cant it all co-exsist?

no, no.. basically h, you've tried it but you've not marketed it to the extent you need to...

probably right there mr egg

[SICKNOTE]

yeah i wouldnt go too far out on a limb if i may be so bold

as rhythmtech said go for it but play it safe with what you known for

you do still enjoy it so keep tha side of it going