Well crafted or interesting?

[Balance]

Do you prefer a track that is well crafted? I mean the kind of track where you can tell every detail has been thought of in depth and the sound is excellent? Or if a track has wonderful ideas and a unique sound that grabs you it doesn't matter if the overall quality is somewhat lacking?

 

It's hard to explain or find examples in this genre and I don't want to go off topic but for a brief example a lot of the new Goa is obviously made using modern software and so every sound from the percussion upwards is perfectly placed and sounds very well made. But a lot of the early works have their own swing or groove because hardware wasn't so precise (esp. analogue gear).

 

Personally I got for the second choice. If a track interests me & tickles my fancy I don't need it to be well crafted.

[desysko]

I love both, but I think when it comes to Goa/Psy, it's better to be more musical than to be more well crafted (plus if people point out that there isn't something perfect in a track you can just claim that it's unique or that is psychedelic some how ). But when artist do both, it is an awesome mixture of everything that just can't be topped. I would consider Filteria's newest album to be very well crafted and unique sounds (and Crossing Mind also, but I've mention him quite a lot on here I feel like I am being over zealous of his stuff ).

 

I think BT also fits into this section also though it depends on the album and song like his newest stuff I wouldn't consider that great musically but These Hopeful Machines is definitely a masterpiece in craft and in sound.

[Negrosex]

I think alot of electronic music is overproduced. Since the composer is often the same person that is doing the mixing and sometimes even mastering it's almost inevitable that they will think ahead. "One note bass is easier to mix", "too many layers will just create mud", "got to fill the frequency spectrum", "leave some room here for the reverb" etc.

 

When you start thinking like this you're already mixing the track in your head, it's a real challange to come up with interresting ideas and make those magic tracks if you're always over thinking stuff. It's not impossible offcource but hard.

 

If you're thinking even further ahead and are concerned about getting a loud master, you might realise in the end that you never even tried to make beautiful music, you just focused on making something loud.

 

So i think the higher the standard of soundquality a genre has, the more technical knowledge a composer needs to have to be able to make interesting music. I might be able to make a professional sounding track if i stick to one note bass in a pattern like this: K-b-b-b-K-b-b-b-K-b-b-b.

 

But what if i want a bass note at the same time as the kick? I might have to learn about sidchain multiband compessors or other tricks if i want to compose that. ...Now if i want a double bass or a bass tuba instead? In the old days it might have been possible to pull that off, with todays standards that door is locked for most producers. Becauce of the great sound we have today we might be missing out on the great polka trance that could have been!

 

I usually prefer the old school in most electronic music, before it gets too technical. There has to be some magic in that crappy sound, otherwise all new remixes would sound better than the original.