I’m asking myself, “How does one let go of the standard conventions of a song: Intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus?” But that begs the question, “Where did the conventions of a song come from in the first place?” And then that begs the question “What was there before conventions?” I’d guess if you went all the back to the beginning, you’d start with rhythm, the heartbeat, followed by the murmur of breath, or perhaps the howl of wind, rumble of water, crack of wood. But was there harmony before humans? It seems that the Greek philosopher Aristoxenus’s “Elements of Harmony”, from the 4th Century B.C. was the first written work on the subject of harmony, but it wasn’t until the 1600s that the Western notion of vertical tonal harmony was formalized. But humans have been around for a ¼ million years, so surely they’ve stumbled into harmony least once or twice over the millennia.
Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yeah, song conventions, which though I didn’t find much of when listening to (pictured here) Dylan’s choice in record scores, I still really enjoyed, especially in “Whispered Visions” by Emerald Web, husband-wife team of Bob Stohl and Kat Epple, pioneers in New Age, Ambient, and Electronic music. Amazing soundscape discovery! Random side note: Brian Eno, who is mostly credited with coining, or at least popularizing the term “Ambient” with his album “Ambient 1: Music for Airports” claimed that being immobilized from a car accident led him to think about music as just one element in a larger environment. A friend left music playing on a record player that he couldn’t reach, and at such low volumes, it melded with all the other sounds in the room, and he was left to listen with “John Cage-like attentiveness” which gave him the idea for his quiet, ambient music, that blended into the environment. Neat.
Dylan has he lovely Lindsay were visiting Tokyo for the first time from Edmonton, Alberta, and playing 2 live shows at Soup and then DJ sets at Mitsuki, then off to play in Niigata and Osaka, WOW! One set was with a friend of Tokyo Record Style, musicologist/DJ Chee Shimizu. Great meeting you two! Hope you had an amazing trip!
More TRS on the way!
The trip was very validating as an artist. I felt as though people there just had a completely different and deeper appreciation for music at my shows! I loved it so much and can’t wait to come back soon. Record shops were very impressive, seeing such deep sections of American House and in such good conditions was really cool.
-Dylan
Emerald Web – Whispered Visions
Label: Finders Keepers Records – FKR073LP
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue
Country: UK
Released: 2014
Genre: Electronic, Jazz
Style: New Age, Electro, Ambient
https://www.discogs.com/release/6276892-Emerald-Web-Whispered-Visions
Theo Parrish – Pieces Of A Paradox
Label: Sound Signature – SS004
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: Sep 1998
Genre: Electronic
Style: Deep House
https://www.discogs.com/release/4298-Theo-Parrish-Pieces-Of-A-Paradox
No Smoke – Koro-Koro (Remix)
Label: Warriors Dance – WAFT 11R
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1989
Genre: Electronic
Style: House, Tribal House
https://www.discogs.com/release/118324-No-Smoke-Koro-Koro-Remix
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