Jump to content

Too Many Genres?


Slyde

Recommended Posts

Is anyone with me that thinks there are FAR too many genres of trance nowadays? I just saw a topic "dark intelligent psytrance". What the hell? It is becoming ridiculous. What about the days when goa was stadium house? I understand that everything doesn't sound the same, but for there to be sub genres of sub genres is becoming a bit ridiculous. I can't even review an album without being chastised because 'it's not melodic goa' its 'minimal progressive funky breaks with a hint of melody'.

 

Anyone with me? :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Intelligent dark minimal scando tech trance :P

Haha :D

 

I am generally a friend of genres (there are people here who are not), but I agree, you can overdo it :P

Maybe it's just "in" nowadays ... the young people want to make their music sound important and interesting when the use so many subgenre definitions. I think that is it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For me it is usually difficult to categorize music, my main categories are "works for me" and "doesn't work for me".

Still I appreciate, when people can describe the sounds they like, or don't like with some other words than "killer" and "sucks".

I think not every description of sounds should become an own genre, but it gives people a better idea about a certain track or artist.

"dark intelligent psytrance" for example got me interested, because I thought that fit's my taste, but I don't call it a genre really.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe it's just "in" nowadays ... the young people want to make their music sound important and interesting when the use so many subgenre definitions. I think that is it.

202263[/snapback]

For sure. An example. I have a buddy of mine that produces/dj's. He is always recreating what genres, one day is producing progressive melodic morning trance and the next is minimal dark ambient house. It's ridiculous :P

 

For me it is usually difficult to categorize music, my main categories are "works for me" and "doesn't work for me".

Still I appreciate, when people can describe the sounds they like, or don't like with some other words than "killer" and "sucks".

I think not every description of sounds should become an own genre, but it gives people a better idea about a certain track or artist.

"dark intelligent psytrance" for example got me interested, because I thought that fit's my taste, but I don't call it a genre really.

Same here. I will describe the music in depth, but I won't organize my collection into 25 sub genres of trance :D
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with you. So many categories and it's really difficult to define what genre an artist is.

202417[/snapback]

funny, we/they were (have been?) saying this more than 10 years ago.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So many categories and it's really difficult to define what genre an artist is.

I believe there are different types of music listeners:

 

a. Purist - a listener who sticks to one or two genre's, or even sub-genre's of music. They may find it easier or perhaps don't have the time, money or facilities (friends with big music collections, extensive record shops, the internet) to listen to music of all varieties. Other factors may come into the equation - close mindedness, the fashion appeal / cool factor of the music etc.

 

b. Music lover - loves all music, within a selection of genre's, which conform to their personal tastes. Such a listener may have no interest in sub-genre's, as they enjoy the experience of exploring it all.

 

c. Music fanatic - loves music from a huge variety of genre's. May find listening to different genre's allows common grounds to be met with other "purists". May enjoy the process of manipulating moods through the crossing of genre's (smooth jazz for dinner, dub n reggae for lazy weekend mornings, psy for partying after dinner). Such listeners may find that to please their healthy appetite, they may need to prioritise and limit which genre's and sub-genre's they search for music.

 

d. Mp3 wh0re - wants everything and anything, most likely in a specific genre only.

 

e. Occasional music listener - enjoys music but doesn't know the difference between psychedelic trance and uplifting trance. Has no need for genre's, usually content with "good" or "bad".

 

And probabbly some more I have forgotten :P

 

To conclude, some of us (most mentionably purists and music fanatics) need sub-genre's to help us out. Whereas others can happily live with just a good or bad indication.

 

I believe that a reviewer shouldn't be forced into supplying a sub-genre style if they don't feel confident in doing so. Past reviews have shown that someone else usually comes along further down the line to provide one.

 

I'll be taking this all into account in the music review tool I am developing. Any further input is much appreciated :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To me, there are genres/subgenres, and then there are descriptive words. "Psytrance" is a genre to me while "dark intelligent psytrance" is more of a way of describing a type of psytrance... not every descriptor is a genre!

 

For example, how would you describe Kiwa's style? Funky psychadelic house & breaks? Intelligent percussive trance? Whatever it is, it ain't a genre... but to merely call it 'psytrance' won't help anyone unfamiliar with the band know what they sound like.

 

Examples of descriptive words: Minimal, Funky, Industrial, Dark, Melodic, Tech-, Tribal, Full-on... sometimes these emerge as movements in the history of psytrance, such as when minimal psy became a big thing around the year 2000, and nowadays with full-on. They aren't their own genre per se but it sure helps to have the terms handy to speak of the whole movement, doesn't it? How else could I phrase something like "argh that full-on crap drives me mad!" or "minimal psy puts me to sleep!!" ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Forget about genres. I really hate the question "which style is it?". I end up with the answer "It's psytrance" in 98% of the cases. 1% I answer "It's chillout". The other 1% I answer "It's some progg/minamal crap".

Concentrate on the moment.

 

:blink:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Forget about genres. I really hate the question "which style is it?". I end up with the answer "It's psytrance" in 98% of the cases. 1% I answer "It's chillout". The other 1% I answer "It's some progg/minamal crap".

Concentrate on the moment.

 

:blink:

202634[/snapback]

My collection is broken up into Goa and then Trance/Ambient & Chill. I know my music collection and that is all that is important. :P
Link to comment
Share on other sites

To me there is only one Genre - the one where it all began - Rave!

 

So I'm an old fogey - bite me :P lol [;)]

 

but thats the way I think of it ever since I went to my first gig in 89 at roundway hill and 'Circus Warp'. (Wonder what happened to them?) .....

 

Nomad

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought Reactivate #1 at the used shop the other day for the really funny cover.

 

RAVE!

203809[/snapback]

OMG! I remember that! LOL I bought the tape when I was in North Wales once....

 

I sussed some info out on it and if I remember right track 6(?) side two is actually a sample of a Bee-Hive!

 

Nice tape and kinda trippy in places...I even had most of the set in the end but feck knows what happened to em all...

 

LOL Thanks for the memory, I was on my way home from a gig up in the mountains by Harlech at the time...

 

Respects ^_^

 

Nomad

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...