I enjoy electronica music, and have for at least the last 10 years. It's a manufactured type of music constructed largely with the use of computers and some old-fashioned music lovers feel that nothing but acoustical music using actual instruments is the only true music. Well, so what? I'd say that almost any interesting and amusing sounds put together in a structured manner and played for the enjoyment of an audience might be considered music, and electronica is just exactly that. Some of the composers are artists and musicians second to none and I strongly suspect that electronica will become an ever-increasing fraction of the total musical output.
So, if I enjoy electronica music, where might I go to find interesting sources of information about such music? Well, I'm 74 and rarely go to hip concerts dominated by young people and, likewise, I'm not a part of the club scene. Let's face it, people of my age just don't listen to electronic music and if I discuss it with them I draw nothing but blank stares. My wife (29) likes electronica and we share quite an overlap in listening to dance music, but her tastes tend to lean more toward electro pop and bubblegum, whereas I'm more interested in the hardcore electronica dance music. My best source of purchasing information has been the Amazon computer. It analyzes my past purchases and wanderings and offers interesting suggestions for what I might like. I've found some excellent recordings in this way. A second source is listening to my XM car radio and I'm partial to the BPM dance channel. I was listening a couple weeks ago and picked up some wonderful stuff by Deadmau5 (pronounced Deadmouse). I ordered the "For Lack of a Better Name" the Next day.
The Deadmaus5 CD is an excellent recording and I've enjoyed it very much. It's real beat-heavy stuff with a wonderful and highly varied rhythmic background. The sound is crisp and clear and nicely mixed. Voices and vocals are a minor part of the total recording except on a few of the early tracks. In some places, voices are used somewhat like strange musical instruments. Plus, there's all sorts of other strange sounds. In some places the mood is gloomy and funeral like, but even that is fun. It's excellent dance music, that's for sure, and fun to listen to also. I'd say the listening experience in some places is closer to listening to some types of classical music than popular music. Some people call it Progressive House or Electro House, but I disdain using these micro-genre classifications. It's quite excellent quality electronic music, that's what it is, and it shows a lot of talent and musicianship on the part of those who put it together. Bravo! I guess it's been given and nominated for a bunch of awards, and that's easy to understand. One listen is all it takes. I'd say that it vaguely reminds me of some of the early music of Matthew Dear, one of my other favorite electronica composers. Sorry, I really don't have any other comparisons. "For Lack of a Better Name" is just an excellent album and stands alone in my book and I'll be looking into a few other Deadmau5 offerings.
The sound quality of this CD is quite high, but to fully appreciate it you'll need to have good playback equipment. I have a 100-watt per channel stereo with 7 speakers including two 12" woofers and an 80-watt powered subwoofer. I like to play the CD at fairly high, but still comfortable, volume. In that way, I feel the dramatic bass and the higher notes come across as light, delicate and playful. My system is minimal. If you ever get the chance, play this CD on a high-end system. It's just awesome!
Gary Peterson.
Excellent Album!
Tries to recreate "Random Album Title" a little TOO much.
