For Domu / Umod / Sonar Circle / Bakura (etc), This really is The End ...
November 30, 2009 9:46 AM Subscribe
The story starts in 1992 or so, when the 14 year old Brit, Dominic Stanton, bought turntables and started spinning early drum'n'bass. He transitioned from DJ to producer, made demo tracks, and got signed by age 17. He went on to produce broken beat* and jazzy downtempo*, even into the realm of disco edits. Then about two weeks ago, the 31 year old musician called it quits.
Dominic Stanton's musical interests were first hip-hop and acid house and techno. From there, he followed the early days of jungle and drum'n'bass as a DJ, later producing some tracks and sending demos around, eventually signing with Dennis 'Dego' McFarlane and Mark 'Marc Mac' Clair on their label, Reinforced Records. For the first recording on Reinforced, Stanton joined two other guys and formed Static Imprints for one single, released in 1996. Then the trio became a duo, known as Sonar Circle, and they released their first three singles in 1997, including Devient Concept / Keep My Sanity. The duo released another single in 1998, and the only Sonar Circle album, Radius, came out in 1999. The duo became a solo artist, with Stanton becoming the only person behind the name. He released two more singles and two EPs by 2003, but had largely moved onto other projects.
Dominic Stanton's most prolific profile started in 1999, when the Domu single Dressed to Ill was released on the 2000 Black label, a broken beat/ future jazz/ deep house imprint of the drum'n'bass focused Reinforced Records label. In 2000, Domu released his first single on the Italian Archive label, where he later released two albums (2001, 2005). In 2007, Domu produced an album for Pete Simpson on the Papa Records label. And this past summer, Tru Throughts released a compilation of what Stanton considered the most important works of his from the last 10 years.
Stanton's two other solo projects were Umod and Zoltar. The former was more sample-based than his other work, and as Umod he released an album and a single in 2004, another single in 2006, plus some odd tracks. Zoltar was more of a one-off personality, and is credited for a 2004 single and a remix of a Umod track.
The rest of his musical creations were collaborations. There were at least 10 profiles for these joint efforts, ranging from the one offs as Kudu (one single in 2000) and Blue Monkeys (one single in 2001), to the longer lasting Bakura, which produced an album in 2005 and a few singles. Another group was Legends of the Underground, a multimedia performance group based on music created by Stanton, Mark De Clive-Lowe and Paul "Seiji" Dolby (the trio had earlier collaborated as Kudu). The soundtrack was released on Kindred Spirits in Amsterdam in 2005. Live shows merged music, dance, and an animated 3D world (3D glasses supplied).
Along with production and DJing, Dominic Stanton started the online label TrembleO, focusing on digital distribution of new and old tracks of his own creation, as well as other artists and a few releases on CD and vinyl. The official site was taken down, but the MySpace page is still public.
In the wake of the announcement, there was much discussion on blogs and forums, and much use of the twitter tag 'weloveyouDomu'. Tribute mixes a-plenty were posted, highlighting the history of Dominic Stanton. People pulled out past mixes from Domu, letting the man speak for himself. He might return, or maybe find something else to fill his life. Until then, there is a vibrant past to re-live.
Audio/Video clips
1997- Sonar Circle - Devient Concept (6:04), from Devient Concept/Keep My Sanity
2001- Sonar Circle - Havoc (5:59), from the Havoc EP
2001- Aardvarck - ReSpoken (Domu's Broken Dialect Mix) (6:21), from the Re Spoken 12"
2003- Bakura - Thinking About (Domu Mix) (5:34), from the Veya Veya / Thinking About 12"
2005- Domu - Quarantine (6:20), from The Electric Institute compilation
2007- Domu presents Pete Simpson - Coming Back Around video (4:29) and Play This Song (4:41), from the album Look a Little Further
2007- Domu presents Pete Simpson - Look A Little Further (The Muthafunkaz 12" Vocal Mix) (7:00), from the Look a Little Further single
2007- Making of Swell Session video (3:02), from Swell Communications featuring Domu and Elsa Esmeralda
2008- Broke'n'£nglish - Take It Low (Domu Remix) (5:09), from the Take It Low 12"
2008- Replife - Put It Down (Domu Remix) (4:41), from Put It Down / R U Ready 7"
2009- Domu & Yannah Valdevit - City Madness (A&D's 4 The Summer Mix) (2:25), sample from the City Madness / Info People single
2009- Tortured Soul - Home To You (Domu Remix) (5:17), from the Home To You remixes
2009- Interview in Paris (3:23), posted after his announcement to retire but recorded in the months prior
Mixes by Domu
2004- Interview and mixset for Red Bull Music Academy
Feb 22, 2005- Live from CSUF (scroll down for the link to the mix, read more on his profile)
October 2007- Exclusive Domu guest mix for Urban Landscapes
[dates unknown]- TrembelO Radio Show, showcasing Domu and a rotating cast of extras including Shifty, Marin, and Soza.
The point is that I am no longer Domu. He is a character, always has been, and as of Friday 13th November 2009, he no longer exists. Neither does Umod, Sonar Circle, Bakura, Yotoko, Rima, Zoltar, Blue Monkeys, Realside or any of the other names I put out music under. I am cancelling all my gigs and not taking any more. My hotmail is closed, my Twitter is closed and my Facebook is closed.Furthermore, his website is closed and the original post of his farewell message is lost, though you can still view the cached version or find it copied elsewhere. Domu's website now simply states This really is The End . . . Step inside for an abbreviated journey.
Dominic Stanton's musical interests were first hip-hop and acid house and techno. From there, he followed the early days of jungle and drum'n'bass as a DJ, later producing some tracks and sending demos around, eventually signing with Dennis 'Dego' McFarlane and Mark 'Marc Mac' Clair on their label, Reinforced Records. For the first recording on Reinforced, Stanton joined two other guys and formed Static Imprints for one single, released in 1996. Then the trio became a duo, known as Sonar Circle, and they released their first three singles in 1997, including Devient Concept / Keep My Sanity. The duo released another single in 1998, and the only Sonar Circle album, Radius, came out in 1999. The duo became a solo artist, with Stanton becoming the only person behind the name. He released two more singles and two EPs by 2003, but had largely moved onto other projects.
Dominic Stanton's most prolific profile started in 1999, when the Domu single Dressed to Ill was released on the 2000 Black label, a broken beat/ future jazz/ deep house imprint of the drum'n'bass focused Reinforced Records label. In 2000, Domu released his first single on the Italian Archive label, where he later released two albums (2001, 2005). In 2007, Domu produced an album for Pete Simpson on the Papa Records label. And this past summer, Tru Throughts released a compilation of what Stanton considered the most important works of his from the last 10 years.
Stanton's two other solo projects were Umod and Zoltar. The former was more sample-based than his other work, and as Umod he released an album and a single in 2004, another single in 2006, plus some odd tracks. Zoltar was more of a one-off personality, and is credited for a 2004 single and a remix of a Umod track.
The rest of his musical creations were collaborations. There were at least 10 profiles for these joint efforts, ranging from the one offs as Kudu (one single in 2000) and Blue Monkeys (one single in 2001), to the longer lasting Bakura, which produced an album in 2005 and a few singles. Another group was Legends of the Underground, a multimedia performance group based on music created by Stanton, Mark De Clive-Lowe and Paul "Seiji" Dolby (the trio had earlier collaborated as Kudu). The soundtrack was released on Kindred Spirits in Amsterdam in 2005. Live shows merged music, dance, and an animated 3D world (3D glasses supplied).
Along with production and DJing, Dominic Stanton started the online label TrembleO, focusing on digital distribution of new and old tracks of his own creation, as well as other artists and a few releases on CD and vinyl. The official site was taken down, but the MySpace page is still public.
In the wake of the announcement, there was much discussion on blogs and forums, and much use of the twitter tag 'weloveyouDomu'. Tribute mixes a-plenty were posted, highlighting the history of Dominic Stanton. People pulled out past mixes from Domu, letting the man speak for himself. He might return, or maybe find something else to fill his life. Until then, there is a vibrant past to re-live.
Audio/Video clips
1997- Sonar Circle - Devient Concept (6:04), from Devient Concept/Keep My Sanity
2001- Sonar Circle - Havoc (5:59), from the Havoc EP
2001- Aardvarck - ReSpoken (Domu's Broken Dialect Mix) (6:21), from the Re Spoken 12"
2003- Bakura - Thinking About (Domu Mix) (5:34), from the Veya Veya / Thinking About 12"
2005- Domu - Quarantine (6:20), from The Electric Institute compilation
2007- Domu presents Pete Simpson - Coming Back Around video (4:29) and Play This Song (4:41), from the album Look a Little Further
2007- Domu presents Pete Simpson - Look A Little Further (The Muthafunkaz 12" Vocal Mix) (7:00), from the Look a Little Further single
2007- Making of Swell Session video (3:02), from Swell Communications featuring Domu and Elsa Esmeralda
2008- Broke'n'£nglish - Take It Low (Domu Remix) (5:09), from the Take It Low 12"
2008- Replife - Put It Down (Domu Remix) (4:41), from Put It Down / R U Ready 7"
2009- Domu & Yannah Valdevit - City Madness (A&D's 4 The Summer Mix) (2:25), sample from the City Madness / Info People single
2009- Tortured Soul - Home To You (Domu Remix) (5:17), from the Home To You remixes
2009- Interview in Paris (3:23), posted after his announcement to retire but recorded in the months prior
Mixes by Domu
2004- Interview and mixset for Red Bull Music Academy
Feb 22, 2005- Live from CSUF (scroll down for the link to the mix, read more on his profile)
October 2007- Exclusive Domu guest mix for Urban Landscapes
[dates unknown]- TrembelO Radio Show, showcasing Domu and a rotating cast of extras including Shifty, Marin, and Soza.
For all his aliases, he kept a fairly low profile. I've been listening to his music for days, and I heartily recommend it. They heyday of broken beat may be passed, but his productions are still fantastic (and they're not all stuck in broken beat, if that's not your bag).
posted by filthy light thief at 10:04 AM on November 30, 2009
posted by filthy light thief at 10:04 AM on November 30, 2009
Amazing post. The full text of his goodbye is in the "copied elsewhere" link.
I was never a diehard fan but during the garage/two step/broken beat heyday, he was a force to be reckoned with. Was not aware of all his pseudonyms either, so thank you for that.
Respect to Domu.
posted by erebora at 10:05 AM on November 30, 2009
I was never a diehard fan but during the garage/two step/broken beat heyday, he was a force to be reckoned with. Was not aware of all his pseudonyms either, so thank you for that.
Respect to Domu.
posted by erebora at 10:05 AM on November 30, 2009
Also: most of the "career obit" posts I found on him were pretty short, assuming the reader had some past knowledge of his career, so I wanted to put together a better retrospective for Stanton.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:05 AM on November 30, 2009
posted by filthy light thief at 10:05 AM on November 30, 2009
in other news: Technics 1200s are NOT being discontinued.
posted by empath at 10:21 AM on November 30, 2009 [3 favorites]
posted by empath at 10:21 AM on November 30, 2009 [3 favorites]
There is so much great music out there. Excellent post!
posted by ldenneau at 10:31 AM on November 30, 2009
posted by ldenneau at 10:31 AM on November 30, 2009
Why commit such dramatic Interweb seppuku? Remind's me of Why's Ruby implosion.
Great post FLT. I'll be listening to these tonight.
posted by benzenedream at 10:45 AM on November 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
Great post FLT. I'll be listening to these tonight.
posted by benzenedream at 10:45 AM on November 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
I heard an interview this week with DJ Cash Money and he cited Domu as the greatest producer of all time, referring to the technical prowess and creative genius of his sample- and loop-digging skills.
posted by mhjb at 11:02 AM on November 30, 2009
posted by mhjb at 11:02 AM on November 30, 2009
jesus, flt. MUST you make the best fpps ever ALL. THE FUCKING. TIME? you understand I have a life to get back to, yes? that I can't just sit here devouring fpps like this, but that I am compelled to abandon all of my other pursuits to do just that? for my sake, please, tone the quality down a bit.
posted by shmegegge at 11:05 AM on November 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by shmegegge at 11:05 AM on November 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
Why commit such dramatic Interweb seppuku? Remind's me of Why's Ruby implosion.
Yeah, I was wondering about that, too. I could be wrong, but it seems that he's pulled TrembleO releases offline, too, which is a real bummer for all the folks who learned more about the music only due to the level of noise around his retirement.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:05 AM on November 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I was wondering about that, too. I could be wrong, but it seems that he's pulled TrembleO releases offline, too, which is a real bummer for all the folks who learned more about the music only due to the level of noise around his retirement.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:05 AM on November 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
Crazy amazing FPP.
I'm more of an acid house fan, only lightly dabbled in D&B, mainly Good Looking imprint stuff.
posted by gen at 11:14 AM on November 30, 2009
I'm more of an acid house fan, only lightly dabbled in D&B, mainly Good Looking imprint stuff.
posted by gen at 11:14 AM on November 30, 2009
But I have also met some real arseholes, and I could feel I was becoming one. Playing records I wasn’t sure I liked to people who had no idea who I was. I had gone cold, cold to the music, to the reactions and to the point of it all. I was changing what I thought I liked, so that I would be liked. I am not a chameleon. I am not Madonna, I can’t stay abreast of the current styles and keep changing with it just to stay in fashion or retain some kind of credible status or career. I have had my moment. If you know me well, you would have sensed a change in me over the last two years.
...
There are people creating things and using technology in a way that I am having to try and catch up to, but I no longer feel the desire to. They are doing it better than I ever could now. It’s their time, and mine has passed.
now that sounds familiar...
I'm losing my edge.
The kids are coming up from behind.
I used to work in the record store.
I had everything before anyone.
I was there in the Paradise Garage DJ booth with Larry Levan.
I was there in Jamaica during the great sound clashes.
I woke up naked on the beach in Ibiza in 1988.
But I'm losing my edge to better-looking people with better ideas and more talent.
And they're actually really, really nice.
And the rave generation officially starts their mid-life crisis.
posted by Theta States at 11:15 AM on November 30, 2009 [8 favorites]
...
There are people creating things and using technology in a way that I am having to try and catch up to, but I no longer feel the desire to. They are doing it better than I ever could now. It’s their time, and mine has passed.
now that sounds familiar...
I'm losing my edge.
The kids are coming up from behind.
I used to work in the record store.
I had everything before anyone.
I was there in the Paradise Garage DJ booth with Larry Levan.
I was there in Jamaica during the great sound clashes.
I woke up naked on the beach in Ibiza in 1988.
But I'm losing my edge to better-looking people with better ideas and more talent.
And they're actually really, really nice.
And the rave generation officially starts their mid-life crisis.
posted by Theta States at 11:15 AM on November 30, 2009 [8 favorites]
On non-preview: it's been a while since I've done a megaFPP, and Domu deserved it. I've got a couple more FPP projects in the works, but I'll post them on Fridays so you can sort through at your leisure on the weekend =)
posted by filthy light thief at 11:16 AM on November 30, 2009
posted by filthy light thief at 11:16 AM on November 30, 2009
Why commit such dramatic Interweb seppuku?
So lots of people talk about you and buy your records? Just a thought.
posted by Sys Rq at 11:23 AM on November 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
So lots of people talk about you and buy your records? Just a thought.
posted by Sys Rq at 11:23 AM on November 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
So lots of people talk about you and buy your records? Just a thought.
Yet you can't get his tracks from digital shops anymore. They still turn up in search results, but that'll fade in time. If not for Discogs.com and other online discography sites, memories of the digital-only releases would fade. Buying used music doesn't do him much good, unless he's the chap selling the records.
It seems Stanton needs to feel some desire to fight for his music, which is odd given the relatively relaxed sounds he creates. As one who simply enjoys music (and mixes with minimal skills), I don't understand this need to have that level of energy behind your music in order to create anything. Compare that with musicians who make it for the love, and who would be making music even if no one paid them, and I'm intrigued to know more of his thoughts on music production.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:27 AM on November 30, 2009
Yet you can't get his tracks from digital shops anymore. They still turn up in search results, but that'll fade in time. If not for Discogs.com and other online discography sites, memories of the digital-only releases would fade. Buying used music doesn't do him much good, unless he's the chap selling the records.
It seems Stanton needs to feel some desire to fight for his music, which is odd given the relatively relaxed sounds he creates. As one who simply enjoys music (and mixes with minimal skills), I don't understand this need to have that level of energy behind your music in order to create anything. Compare that with musicians who make it for the love, and who would be making music even if no one paid them, and I'm intrigued to know more of his thoughts on music production.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:27 AM on November 30, 2009
It generates buzz, which generates demand, which generates re-releases.
Admittedly, that's a pretty cynical outlook, but it would explain a lot, wouldn't it?
posted by Sys Rq at 11:34 AM on November 30, 2009
Admittedly, that's a pretty cynical outlook, but it would explain a lot, wouldn't it?
posted by Sys Rq at 11:34 AM on November 30, 2009
Also, I have no idea who this Domu is, but as a veteran of the rave scene I have seen a huge number of similar postings, from producers, DJs, promoters, etc.
My guess is drugs were involved.
posted by Theta States at 11:51 AM on November 30, 2009
My guess is drugs were involved.
posted by Theta States at 11:51 AM on November 30, 2009
For info, Bleep.com has a Domu remix album and Wet Ink by Yotoko. I've bought the remix one based entirely on this post, never having heard of Domu before. Not had chance to listen properly but first impressions are good.
posted by jontyjago at 12:04 PM on November 30, 2009
posted by jontyjago at 12:04 PM on November 30, 2009
This is an incredible post, even though I'm not really that into the music.
posted by OmieWise at 12:12 PM on November 30, 2009
posted by OmieWise at 12:12 PM on November 30, 2009
Also, I have no idea who this Domu is, but as a veteran of the rave scene I have seen a huge number of similar postings, from producers, DJs, promoters, etc.
My guess is drugs were involved.
"I thought you quit the scene" is pretty much a running joke on every rave message board/mailing list I've ever been on.
posted by empath at 12:20 PM on November 30, 2009
My guess is drugs were involved.
"I thought you quit the scene" is pretty much a running joke on every rave message board/mailing list I've ever been on.
posted by empath at 12:20 PM on November 30, 2009
Playing records I wasn’t sure I liked to people who had no idea who I was.
My big 'okay, now I'm jaded' moment was when I told Paul Oakenfold during his set that I really loved the Tiesto song (Traffic) that he just played and he just said: "I'm fucking sick of it, but people want to hear it and Tiesto is a friend of mine, so I still play it."
Yet he was up there pretending that it was the greatest thing he'd ever heard while he was mixing it in. I'm not sure why I expected sincerity out of Oakie, but his best dj sets were fucking works of art, at least back in the late 90s, early 00s.
I think once you get to a certain level of fame, people expect you to never change, and for DJs that's gotta be frustrating. If you switch genres, you basically have to start over from scratch and build a new audience. I can't think of many djs that successfully made the switch. For a while, Oakenfold stopped playing epic trance and switched to progressive house, and his popularity basically cratered. Within a couple of years he was playing epic trance again, but I don't think his heart was into it.
posted by empath at 12:28 PM on November 30, 2009 [9 favorites]
My big 'okay, now I'm jaded' moment was when I told Paul Oakenfold during his set that I really loved the Tiesto song (Traffic) that he just played and he just said: "I'm fucking sick of it, but people want to hear it and Tiesto is a friend of mine, so I still play it."
Yet he was up there pretending that it was the greatest thing he'd ever heard while he was mixing it in. I'm not sure why I expected sincerity out of Oakie, but his best dj sets were fucking works of art, at least back in the late 90s, early 00s.
I think once you get to a certain level of fame, people expect you to never change, and for DJs that's gotta be frustrating. If you switch genres, you basically have to start over from scratch and build a new audience. I can't think of many djs that successfully made the switch. For a while, Oakenfold stopped playing epic trance and switched to progressive house, and his popularity basically cratered. Within a couple of years he was playing epic trance again, but I don't think his heart was into it.
posted by empath at 12:28 PM on November 30, 2009 [9 favorites]
Same story, different day: yet another musician wakes up and realizes the music scene has passed him by. Instead of adapting or accepting a loss of popularity by staying with his style, he quits. Same story, different day.
I'm going to go listen to the latest Billy Idol album now.
posted by happyroach at 12:35 PM on November 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
I'm going to go listen to the latest Billy Idol album now.
posted by happyroach at 12:35 PM on November 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
I think once you get to a certain level of fame, people expect you to never change
That's the same for all sorts of art (though I'm most familiar with this in music). There was much noise around drukQs, with people crying out that Aphex Twin had ruined everything.
My guess is drugs were involved
"I thought you quit the scene" is pretty much a running joke on every rave message board/mailing list I've ever been on.
I imagined that this would be different for the less "electronic" of "dance music" makers, but I could be naive.
yet another musician wakes up and realizes the music scene has passed him by. Instead of adapting or accepting a loss of popularity by staying with his style, he quits.
I'm going to go listen to the latest Billy Idol album now.
Datapoint: he also complained about club managers (and to some degree, the club goers) pushing him to play more mainstream music and stick to one genre instead of playing a variety of styles.
Watch out for Billy's Christmas cover album. If you do happen to find it, read the liner notes.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:46 PM on November 30, 2009
That's the same for all sorts of art (though I'm most familiar with this in music). There was much noise around drukQs, with people crying out that Aphex Twin had ruined everything.
My guess is drugs were involved
"I thought you quit the scene" is pretty much a running joke on every rave message board/mailing list I've ever been on.
I imagined that this would be different for the less "electronic" of "dance music" makers, but I could be naive.
yet another musician wakes up and realizes the music scene has passed him by. Instead of adapting or accepting a loss of popularity by staying with his style, he quits.
I'm going to go listen to the latest Billy Idol album now.
Datapoint: he also complained about club managers (and to some degree, the club goers) pushing him to play more mainstream music and stick to one genre instead of playing a variety of styles.
Watch out for Billy's Christmas cover album. If you do happen to find it, read the liner notes.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:46 PM on November 30, 2009
For a second there I thought Domokun was throwing in the towel. Glad that's not the case.
posted by ooga_booga at 12:52 PM on November 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by ooga_booga at 12:52 PM on November 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
What a great post.
posted by mediareport at 1:23 PM on November 30, 2009
posted by mediareport at 1:23 PM on November 30, 2009
Domokun sold out to 7-11 and Target long ago. He's dead to me now.
posted by benzenedream at 1:47 PM on November 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by benzenedream at 1:47 PM on November 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
Domokun sold out to 7-11 and Target long ago. He's dead to me now.
Domo is the mascot of Japan's NHK television station. As a mascot of a commercial entity, his very job description is to sell. Therefore, he is incapable of "selling out."
/derail
posted by filthy light thief at 1:53 PM on November 30, 2009
Domo is the mascot of Japan's NHK television station. As a mascot of a commercial entity, his very job description is to sell. Therefore, he is incapable of "selling out."
/derail
posted by filthy light thief at 1:53 PM on November 30, 2009
For a second there I thought Domokun was throwing in the towel. Glad that's not the case.
God, we'd be waste deep in kittens by teatime.
posted by codswallop at 2:03 PM on November 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
God, we'd be waste deep in kittens by teatime.
posted by codswallop at 2:03 PM on November 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
Looks like this is an extreme version of the common affliction: scene burnout.
Anecdotally, this is not limited to any particular genre, and not everyone goes through it, but it is pretty common. I've seen it happen over and over, at first with older folks, then with my peers, and now with a few generations of younger kids.
Typically, you have someone who really got into music when they were young. Maybe worked on the committee to book bands in their university. Worked at a local club in some capacity, and followed the local scene.
At around 25-30 many of these folks just stop going to clubs or following their fave bands, and some develop a very negative reaction to anything music related. It is amazing, but you see people go from having an apartment with nothing in it but a record player or CD player, music playing all the time, to someone who moves the music stuff to another room, only turning it on for wallpaper music when they have a dinner party. I've seen many people go from the "I can't live without music" to "I only listen to the CBC, but would rather read a book or watch TV."
I've even felt it a bit myself. I used to be the guy that had to have every release by a certain artist, my record collection a "High Fidelity" flavoured top-10 list of obscure references. I'm still a little like that, but at 40 most of that just doesn't matter anymore. I can't tell you the last time I saw a band live, because, well, seeing bands live sucks and I try not to do things that suck anymore. (This is, of course, a matter of personal opinion, but illustrates how much difference 10-15 years can make.)
Priorities change, of course. That is certainly part of it. But there is something else I see. Many young people really identify with the music and bands they get into. Certainly it can help develop a sense of public self by association with people with like interests. (This is the "rock t-shirts as badges of courage" model of personal growth, I guess.) Much the same way that extreme politicking can burn so bright in young people, which often slows to a vague political leaning by 25, I think some folks just burn out of their local music scene. Some just burn a little brighter.
In this case it was different (I suppose) because this guy was a producer, so therefore much more involved in the day-to-day biz. I'm not going to argue that electronic music makers are not musicians, but there /is/ a difference between someone producing club anthems and a "traditional" (make of that what you will) musician. The former is definitely part of a particular scene with a particular set of aesthetics (including very specific sorts of references and genre names.) No matter how pigeon-holed, a trained or self-taught musician can take a break and drop out for a bit, maybe learn a new form or instrument. They are expected to change their sound through-out a career (or go on making the same chart-busting hits for their labels, which is a a different sort of thing than what I'm talking about.)
In some ways, electronic music producers can get caught up in the scene as sort of uber-fans, so it makes sense to me that someone so into that part of the biz might react strongly in the same way I saw my peers react at 30ish. Perhaps the closer you are to a particular scene the more violent the later reaction for some folks.
posted by clvrmnky at 2:09 PM on November 30, 2009 [8 favorites]
Anecdotally, this is not limited to any particular genre, and not everyone goes through it, but it is pretty common. I've seen it happen over and over, at first with older folks, then with my peers, and now with a few generations of younger kids.
Typically, you have someone who really got into music when they were young. Maybe worked on the committee to book bands in their university. Worked at a local club in some capacity, and followed the local scene.
At around 25-30 many of these folks just stop going to clubs or following their fave bands, and some develop a very negative reaction to anything music related. It is amazing, but you see people go from having an apartment with nothing in it but a record player or CD player, music playing all the time, to someone who moves the music stuff to another room, only turning it on for wallpaper music when they have a dinner party. I've seen many people go from the "I can't live without music" to "I only listen to the CBC, but would rather read a book or watch TV."
I've even felt it a bit myself. I used to be the guy that had to have every release by a certain artist, my record collection a "High Fidelity" flavoured top-10 list of obscure references. I'm still a little like that, but at 40 most of that just doesn't matter anymore. I can't tell you the last time I saw a band live, because, well, seeing bands live sucks and I try not to do things that suck anymore. (This is, of course, a matter of personal opinion, but illustrates how much difference 10-15 years can make.)
Priorities change, of course. That is certainly part of it. But there is something else I see. Many young people really identify with the music and bands they get into. Certainly it can help develop a sense of public self by association with people with like interests. (This is the "rock t-shirts as badges of courage" model of personal growth, I guess.) Much the same way that extreme politicking can burn so bright in young people, which often slows to a vague political leaning by 25, I think some folks just burn out of their local music scene. Some just burn a little brighter.
In this case it was different (I suppose) because this guy was a producer, so therefore much more involved in the day-to-day biz. I'm not going to argue that electronic music makers are not musicians, but there /is/ a difference between someone producing club anthems and a "traditional" (make of that what you will) musician. The former is definitely part of a particular scene with a particular set of aesthetics (including very specific sorts of references and genre names.) No matter how pigeon-holed, a trained or self-taught musician can take a break and drop out for a bit, maybe learn a new form or instrument. They are expected to change their sound through-out a career (or go on making the same chart-busting hits for their labels, which is a a different sort of thing than what I'm talking about.)
In some ways, electronic music producers can get caught up in the scene as sort of uber-fans, so it makes sense to me that someone so into that part of the biz might react strongly in the same way I saw my peers react at 30ish. Perhaps the closer you are to a particular scene the more violent the later reaction for some folks.
posted by clvrmnky at 2:09 PM on November 30, 2009 [8 favorites]
Take something I know nothing about, and care little for, and make it fascinating. Excellent work, thanks.
posted by absalom at 2:35 PM on November 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by absalom at 2:35 PM on November 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
I've seen many people go from the "I can't live without music" to "I only listen to the CBC, but would rather read a book or watch TV."
I almost exclusively listen to CSPAN and NPR in the car. I never listen to mix cds any more, and I rarely go out to clubs. It's not that I don't enjoy music any more, but it's that I've heard so much of it that it's hard for me to get excited about anything in particular any more.
After a certain point - House music is house music is house music. It's not really until someone comes up with a new genre like dubstep that I stand up and pay attention.
It's lame as shit when someone says something like (just an example) "The Strokes are just warmed over Rolling Stones." But it's true to an extent. If you've already been exposed to all the antecedents, most new music sounds like you've heard it before. It doesn't mean that it's bad, only that it's never going to sound as novel to you as the music you heard when you were 19.
posted by empath at 3:15 PM on November 30, 2009
I almost exclusively listen to CSPAN and NPR in the car. I never listen to mix cds any more, and I rarely go out to clubs. It's not that I don't enjoy music any more, but it's that I've heard so much of it that it's hard for me to get excited about anything in particular any more.
After a certain point - House music is house music is house music. It's not really until someone comes up with a new genre like dubstep that I stand up and pay attention.
It's lame as shit when someone says something like (just an example) "The Strokes are just warmed over Rolling Stones." But it's true to an extent. If you've already been exposed to all the antecedents, most new music sounds like you've heard it before. It doesn't mean that it's bad, only that it's never going to sound as novel to you as the music you heard when you were 19.
posted by empath at 3:15 PM on November 30, 2009
As a mascot of a commercial entity
Well, NHK is like the BBC, public tv, funding is quasi-governmental. I wouldn't say that they are "commercial"...
posted by gen at 3:29 PM on November 30, 2009
Well, NHK is like the BBC, public tv, funding is quasi-governmental. I wouldn't say that they are "commercial"...
posted by gen at 3:29 PM on November 30, 2009
After a certain point - House music is house music is house music.
Very true. And yet house, specifically house, has a longevity that I think a lot of other dance music genres won't/can't have due to it's simplicity and basic structure. I definitely see us listening to house music for many decades to come.
posted by gen at 3:33 PM on November 30, 2009
Very true. And yet house, specifically house, has a longevity that I think a lot of other dance music genres won't/can't have due to it's simplicity and basic structure. I definitely see us listening to house music for many decades to come.
posted by gen at 3:33 PM on November 30, 2009
Thanks for a great post FLT. I've got a bunch of Domu/Umod/Sonar Circle stuff in my collection, but haven't been as in touch with that scene as I used to be when I lived in the UK, so my sadness at his retirement is offset by my happiness of having a huge pile of links to material of his I haven't heard yet.
BTW, for me the tune "Tromboline" he did as Umod demonstrates what made him unique. I can listen to that over and over.
I hope he finds something that makes him happy, at 31 he has plenty of time. Hopefully something musical, he has a ton of talent - and maybe he just needs to find something that doesn't involve being at the bleeding edge of a "scene".
Domu's retirement puts me in mind of Photek, who in the mid-90s was the absolute (undisputed?) technical master of D&B - I don't think anyone could touch him in terms of technique. But then he stopped making D&B and shortly after that disappeared from the scene almost entirely - and my guess is that his story is similar.
posted by pascal at 3:43 PM on November 30, 2009
BTW, for me the tune "Tromboline" he did as Umod demonstrates what made him unique. I can listen to that over and over.
I hope he finds something that makes him happy, at 31 he has plenty of time. Hopefully something musical, he has a ton of talent - and maybe he just needs to find something that doesn't involve being at the bleeding edge of a "scene".
Domu's retirement puts me in mind of Photek, who in the mid-90s was the absolute (undisputed?) technical master of D&B - I don't think anyone could touch him in terms of technique. But then he stopped making D&B and shortly after that disappeared from the scene almost entirely - and my guess is that his story is similar.
posted by pascal at 3:43 PM on November 30, 2009
I think your entire comment is one of the saddest things I've ever read.
Me too, but I definitely know some of those people. It's not like they don't have emotions anymore or the same personalities as before; it's more like some just surgically removed the music parts of their brains and kept the rest of them intact.
I just recently reached the stage when the kind of music I liked as a 16-22-year-old is no longer very interesting to me, except as nostalgia. Coincidentally, this is also the time in life when a lot of people start getting really fucking busy with work, kids, etc., and I think a lot of them just never had the time to find the next thing to listen to.
posted by roll truck roll at 3:44 PM on November 30, 2009
Me too, but I definitely know some of those people. It's not like they don't have emotions anymore or the same personalities as before; it's more like some just surgically removed the music parts of their brains and kept the rest of them intact.
I just recently reached the stage when the kind of music I liked as a 16-22-year-old is no longer very interesting to me, except as nostalgia. Coincidentally, this is also the time in life when a lot of people start getting really fucking busy with work, kids, etc., and I think a lot of them just never had the time to find the next thing to listen to.
posted by roll truck roll at 3:44 PM on November 30, 2009
I gotta tell you gen, I still dig on the ancient stuff that made its imprint on me at an early age. That's why, when no one's around, I lock the doors, switch on my lava lamp, and shake my assorted parts to K.C and the Sunshine band, Commodores, Earth Wind and Fire, Parliment ect ect. It has been MANY decades indeed, I'm not proud of it, but dig it I do
posted by Redhush at 4:25 PM on November 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by Redhush at 4:25 PM on November 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
clvrmnky - I understand the sentiment about burn-out (and dearly hope I never experience it), but in this case, I believe that Stanton was not in it to churn out club hit after club hit. Broken beat, and the other things Stanton made, were never on the same level as epic trance or progressive house. He made music he felt passionate about, and played music he loved. But (from what I understood of his farewell message), he felt 1) out of touch with the technology behind the current music, 2) the new kids were doing it better (or maybe they were simply more popular in the similar underground circuit), and 3) that he was being asked (or requested) to play music he wasn't into.
He wasn't prolific by any production standard (there are some producers who may not sleep, or might have an army of minions making their hits), but he was no longer fitting into the scene. More of LCD Sound System's "Losing My Edge", as cited by Theta States.
As for growing up: I live in a college town, and I'm still DJing at a college station, except I'm feeling like an old man amongst kids. I still remember the music that came out when they were in 6th grade like it was a month or two ago, and I still like quite a bit of it, and I scoff at some of the new stuff. But at the same time, other new stuff is fantastic, and even when I feel like the codger at the club, some band I've never heard starts playing, and everything is wonderful again. To hell with what the kids think of me, I'm dancing and having fun. In that way, I'm self-centered and I love it. And with that view of the world, I'm sad that someone would get burnt out on the scene, while still making great music. Hell, he released singles in the last months that I love, and now he takes down his site? What the hell? You may hate the scene, but don't try to burn your past as a parting "fuck you" to the music scene, please.
posted by filthy light thief at 5:11 PM on November 30, 2009
He wasn't prolific by any production standard (there are some producers who may not sleep, or might have an army of minions making their hits), but he was no longer fitting into the scene. More of LCD Sound System's "Losing My Edge", as cited by Theta States.
As for growing up: I live in a college town, and I'm still DJing at a college station, except I'm feeling like an old man amongst kids. I still remember the music that came out when they were in 6th grade like it was a month or two ago, and I still like quite a bit of it, and I scoff at some of the new stuff. But at the same time, other new stuff is fantastic, and even when I feel like the codger at the club, some band I've never heard starts playing, and everything is wonderful again. To hell with what the kids think of me, I'm dancing and having fun. In that way, I'm self-centered and I love it. And with that view of the world, I'm sad that someone would get burnt out on the scene, while still making great music. Hell, he released singles in the last months that I love, and now he takes down his site? What the hell? You may hate the scene, but don't try to burn your past as a parting "fuck you" to the music scene, please.
posted by filthy light thief at 5:11 PM on November 30, 2009
Never trust anyone over 30. When you're 31, and the kids in the clubs are all 19-25 or so, you start to get to that pervy old dude phase, and it ain't fun.
Drinking, partying, drugs...and the girls (or boys) are a lot younger, and less interested in a balding dude who has stories about how he was there from the beginning of X genre. Being a legend indicates a certain historic sense of what you're about, and when all of your peers are done with the scene, or into their families, or purchasing BMW's...well, mid-life crisis hits you like a ton of bricks. In his case, he's taking his ball and going home.
The Stones, U2, Springsteen...there are few musical entertainers who aren't affected by the aging process, the creative malaise, the whole going-through-the-motions thing. When I think of people who stay true to their art, Tony Hawk comes to mind...he's in a young man's game, but he has managed to translate it into commercial success, if that's what the goal is.
Technology burnout is tough...but it is possible to recover. There are even greater things at work here, though...like whether music is supposed to be a money-making venture. If so, then we need a better distribution/financing system. The times, they are a changing.
posted by Chuffy at 6:50 PM on November 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
Drinking, partying, drugs...and the girls (or boys) are a lot younger, and less interested in a balding dude who has stories about how he was there from the beginning of X genre. Being a legend indicates a certain historic sense of what you're about, and when all of your peers are done with the scene, or into their families, or purchasing BMW's...well, mid-life crisis hits you like a ton of bricks. In his case, he's taking his ball and going home.
The Stones, U2, Springsteen...there are few musical entertainers who aren't affected by the aging process, the creative malaise, the whole going-through-the-motions thing. When I think of people who stay true to their art, Tony Hawk comes to mind...he's in a young man's game, but he has managed to translate it into commercial success, if that's what the goal is.
Technology burnout is tough...but it is possible to recover. There are even greater things at work here, though...like whether music is supposed to be a money-making venture. If so, then we need a better distribution/financing system. The times, they are a changing.
posted by Chuffy at 6:50 PM on November 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
When you're 31, and the kids in the clubs are all 19-25
Or just move to the Bay area.
posted by MillMan at 9:16 PM on November 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
Or just move to the Bay area.
posted by MillMan at 9:16 PM on November 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
Never trust anyone over 30. When you're 31, and the kids in the clubs are all 19-25 or so, you start to get to that pervy old dude phase, and it ain't fun.
Depends on what kind of clubs you go to, really. Most of my friends are around 30 and I see them out at clubs all the time.
posted by empath at 10:52 PM on November 30, 2009
Depends on what kind of clubs you go to, really. Most of my friends are around 30 and I see them out at clubs all the time.
posted by empath at 10:52 PM on November 30, 2009
When you're 31, and the kids in the clubs are all 19-25 or so, you start to get to that pervy old dude phase, and it ain't fun.
This is definitely true for any city with less than a million people in it, it seems.
I especially agree with the above sentiments that when you are younger, everything is newer and more exciting, and so that stuff makes a bigger impression on you. As you get older, finding that "music high" can get a bit harder. You have less time and you're a bit less green around the gills.
And the "scene burnout" is a big trope amongst music fans. Sometimes it's the drinking, sometimes it's the drugs, often it's just a job, children, a husband and/or wife that now takes up more time.
Most of my friends are 30-something professionals now, so I run a music blog to keep them up on new music. They are too busy doing other stuff to find the good stuff, so I package it up for them in little weekly digests. I keep them up on the latest good music, and they bake me cupcakes. We all win!
posted by Theta States at 10:18 AM on December 1, 2009
This is definitely true for any city with less than a million people in it, it seems.
I especially agree with the above sentiments that when you are younger, everything is newer and more exciting, and so that stuff makes a bigger impression on you. As you get older, finding that "music high" can get a bit harder. You have less time and you're a bit less green around the gills.
And the "scene burnout" is a big trope amongst music fans. Sometimes it's the drinking, sometimes it's the drugs, often it's just a job, children, a husband and/or wife that now takes up more time.
Most of my friends are 30-something professionals now, so I run a music blog to keep them up on new music. They are too busy doing other stuff to find the good stuff, so I package it up for them in little weekly digests. I keep them up on the latest good music, and they bake me cupcakes. We all win!
posted by Theta States at 10:18 AM on December 1, 2009
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posted by empath at 9:58 AM on November 30, 2009