o9Media

Seriously, it has been a while, so I’m trying something new: a weekly focused on exploring the ins and outs of any genre I’m stuck on at the time. Questions? Comments? C’mon, throw me a bone.

I’m currently in the “f*ck me” stage of senior year, stuck between SATs, midterms, and applications, with a lot of dilly-dallying in between. Stress is high, palms sweaty and a guy needs to calm the hell down. Caffeine has only adverse effects on me, turning my stomach into a leaf-blower in no time. Booze and bud are a no-go’s (silly rabbit), so where the hell is a person supposed to turn in his time of need?

Electronica. The term has quickly become the punchline in music classification, much like “alternative” was last decade. Just as people shoveled bands such as Pavement and Nirvana under the same label of alternative, acts as earth-quaking as Daft Punk and as minimalist as radicalfashion are both shoehorned into “electronica”. As it stands, electronica is the magic pill of music, acting as a pain-reliever (see: Eluvium), a depressant (see: Boards of Canada), stimulant (see: Justice), and even an aphrodisiac (hello Benny Benassi). It’s easy to get lost, and techno/electronica/electronic music is one of the most-hated genres of our generation.

Even my father, who relies on me to determine what he likes nowadays, finds electronica a tough sell. “There is no musicianship in it.” “It sounds like all the rest.” “It’s too repetitive.” Having gone one-on-one with music programs many DJs and artists use, I can attest that it is a scary, scary piece of coding. A quick listen around the internet and the truth is unveiled: it’s easy as pie to make a mix or song using software, but nigh impossible to make a good one. Similarly, many of the other complaints are complements in disguise, repetition and monotony are only bad in the wrong hands. Soft electronica, when done correctly, keeps the listener in that gray-space, where listening is passive but undeniably there, and minor audio changes keep the hook riding until forever.

“Someone Great” is one of those songs. James Murphy, figurehead of DFA Records, and the sole member of LCD Soundsystem, sat on this egg for a while. Originally released in late-2006 as an instrumental on running album 45:33, an LP spurred from a cringe-worthy commercial union between iTunes and Nike, it was a radiant stand-out. So much so that Murphy kept the instrumental for his next release, Sound of Silver, in 2007. Here it was edited down and perfected, a director’s cut of an already classic track, and Murphy laid down some of his best lyrics to date. Following the speaker as he learns of a loved one’s death, Murphy’s sincerity perfectly matches the warm synthesizers and xylophone. “The worst is all the lovely weather, I’m stunned it’s not raining, the coffee isn’t even bitter, because what’s the difference?” Who knew death could be danceable and somber all at once?



Daedelus too, is a master of the boards. Named after the crafty builder of Greek mythology (with an oddly misplaced vowel, it’s “Daedalus”), Daedelus can build songs like no other. Daedalus constructed the Minotaur’s Labyrinth, and Daedelus creates similarly multi-layered pieces that require many walkthroughs to truly appreciate. He is prolific, having released an album a year, and relatively quiet, (only some of his latest album, …Denies the Sun’s Demise featured his voice). Daedelus has been calmly building a fanbase through impressive beats and a constantly changing style. His latest, an EP titled Throw A Fit, is an excellent 20 minute trip through what makes Daedelus so great. “Humdrum Headspin” revolves around a jazzy beat before slowly turning into a Casablanca-worthy piano ballad. Lord knows how this didn’t make it to a full-length, but it is a tasty little morsel regardless.



Indeed, electronica is a wild beast, and it has stolen practically every corner of music. Country techno? You bet. Next week, we’ll explore the higher-decibel realm of electronic, so, please, earbuds in and volume up.