Does Europe (exlcuding the UK) produce any good music?

[Zylka]

Funny that you didn't actually address the points I used to criticise your music, I must have really hit a nerve of truth. Furthermore - you haven't offered anything specific or technical on why progressive house "DULLS AND NOT STIRRS"

Sh*t man, you read a few braindamaged, vague, flake Scando-critics and start to act like them. I have a feeling you're a little caught up in the rap movement for it's complete novelty. But please, do explain point by point how my criticism fails, and point by point what technicalities your ghetto trash has to offer?

[Buck Birdseed]

I wasn't aware you'd made that request, but okay, I'll do it (in a patronising way ). Please feel free to go ahead and explain yourself what good can come out of a relentless dull thud that sounds like a thousand other relentless dull thuds...

Right. Please, for reference, download a copy of Get Ur Freak On by the aforementioned Missy Elliott.

Now, try to identify each of the lines that make up the song, and try to picture them on your own. As far as I remember there's the song line (which we can ignore for the moment as it builds on all the other lines), the fast percussive line, a slower percussive line, the main melodic line, a bass line and one line of organ chords. Listen carefully to each of these lines. Are they "unique"? Have you heard them before in any other song? Do they behave in an expected way? Is there drive in each of the lines? Do they vary extensively in a funk/jazz improv way? Listen especially to the fadeout.

Now, try to picture them together. Is any one line drowned out by the others? Can you clearly, at all moments of the song discern each of the lines on its own? Does it still work in an original manner? What about the harmonies formed? Are they similar to standard harmonies formed in rock? Try, if you like, to replicate some of the chords.

Now, think of each line purely as an expression of rhythm and not melody. How many different rhythmical elements are there? How many cyclic patterns are there? How many simple patterns vs. complex patterns are there? Are there any patterns at all, in fact, that conform to a "standard" pattern for any kind of music? Any simple thud thud thud?

Now, listen to all of the rhythmical patterns together. All of them are entirely different from each other and hit in different places timewise. Yet do they produce an unlistenable, random cacophony?

Now, relax, and try to bob along to the beat. Does this come intuitively? Are you surprised by your own actions? Can you stop yourself from banging your head after that action has been declared?

Can you claim Progressive House is better in any of these areas?

[Zylka]

I am impressed by your (although patronising) defense of ME technically and will give it a listen and fair trial

Now, speaking of progressive house - I do defend it as simply the most layered genre out there, but at the same time realise why some don't enjoy it. Perhaps you'd like to actually (on the spot) list some songs that you know of. Go ahead, I'm sure that you must know of 2002's big hits, being the Euro critic. If that's too difficult, name a handfull of well known producers. Could you even do so for a few djs? I'm wondering where you get your disdain for this genre - in short, do you know any of it at all?

[Buck Birdseed]

You're right, I don't know a whole lot about Progressive House- I've been to one or two club nights, and didn't particularly enjoy them, but that's about it.

I am by fortuitous coincidence sitting next to the best Progressive House DJ on Campus though, maybe I should ask him to fake knowledge for me...

[Zylka]

Ask him if he got Bedrock's new "Dust", and what his favorite track of the moment is!

[Buck Birdseed]

Oh bollocks, I just found out he's a deep house DJ. He thinks progressive house is boring.

[Zylka]

Deep house has it's place, just not when you're on your own. Evidence that all "electronica" isn't all the same though - severe critics of each sub genre all over within.

[Sprayber]

Originally posted by Calc II
What about Sweddish bands? (abba.. etc)
oh and Cardigans... I used to like them.

Drain STH was cool. I saw them open up for Black Sabbath a few years ago. They are no longer together though.

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by Buck Birdseed
Oh bollocks, I just found out he's a deep house DJ. He thinks progressive house is boring.

They all sound like car alarms going off in sequence to me

[St Leo]

There is, if you can imagine, Finnish rap music.
It is far too popular in Finland.

Got any Band Names that I could check out?

[Provost Harrison]

Bomfunk MCs?

[VetLegion]

Originally posted by CyberGnu
Thanks! I keep messing that up... Since Kroatia is german speaking, I keep thinking that is where they are from...

If they mainly played from the Jesus Christ Superstar album I don't think I missed much...

I almost fainted Croatia/Kroatien is ofcourse not German speaking but Croatian speaking. Due to nearby Austria, tradition etc you can learn German in school, though english is more popular


Laibach is from Slovenia and the name is German for Ljubljana, the biggest city and the capital

just clear that little thing

[XarXo]

A "minor" difference between USA and UE:

Languages in USA: English and Spanish

Languages in UE: English and Spanish, also: French, German, Polish, Italian, Greek, Serbocroat, Catalan, Flemish, Frisian, Sweden, Norweigen, Danish, ...

[Cagliostro]

I think a problem why lots of european bands are unknown in the US is (besides the language) the fact that many have a too experimental approach to really accessible to a wide range of listeners - take Einstürzende Neubauten for example - their early work had a huge impact on lots of other successfull bands (like nine inch nails and the whole industrial genre, allthough I wouldn't call them industrial themselves).

Same with Kraftwerk - they're better known, but still i'd say some musical ideas they invented were later on partially copied and lots more successfull.

They're producing a new album without any record companys support - check www.neubauten.org if you're interested.

Another interesting phenomenon is that some bands, like Atari teenage riot or others mentioned above are better known in the US or Japan than in their own countries...

There is some great european ambient as well - Kruder & Dorfmeister (Austrian, if I am correct), Mouse on Mars etc...

[Alinestra Covelia]

I liked a band called Air - they do very good atmospheric music for background purposes.

I also like Christian Der Nominator (I think that's their name but they may possibly have an album or something like that) and the song "Es ist geil ein Arschloch zu sein". The first time I heard that I was at a nightclub overseas and it was clear that the DJ didn't speak German...