I Can’t Dance to This…
by Izzie Claudio
Electronic music has explored many forms. There are endless subgenres that utilize drum machines and synths. Drum pads create endless booming rhythms that have hypnotized crowds at clubs and raves for decades. However, modern EDM (short for electronic dance music) that has been gracing stages and mixing tables, is horrible.
Fred.. again is an EDM DJ and producer that has risen in popularity, and I can’t stand his music. His beats are watered down and monotonous. He employs the most basic drum machine hits and brings nothing new to the table–it’s boring. His use of synths is annoying and overdone, and when his music is played at a club (whether live or over the speakers), it doesn’t excite me whatsoever.
That’s the issue with a lot of EDM nowadays, it has lost that flair of excitement and uniqueness. Don’t get me wrong, I love electronic and dance music, but what I’ve been hearing lately doesn’t pique my interest. The synth drags are gross and the rhythms aren’t stimulating, it sounds like royalty-free YouTube music.
Established EDM DJ’s such as Martin Garrix, David Guetta, and Swedish House Mafia have continued to collaborate with other artists to have vocals on their tracks or work with other producers, but these vocals have started to wash together. Typically a woman is singing random lyrics about dancing and partying, in that same boring cadence. Let’s do something new, this is a tired formula. Take a listen to MCR-T for some rich house-inspired tracks. Machine Girl has got you covered with drum and bass. SOPHIE is royalty when it comes to experimental electronic sounds. Blue Hawaii, COBRAH, Brutalismus 3000, Tove Lo all have great new music to explore right now.
I believe that the lack of creativity also stems from the overabundance of remixes in today’s electronic music scene. I don’t want to go to a DJ set to hear 10 seconds of a song before it descends into discordant drum pad hits. I also don’t want to hear a bad remix for five minutes. It seems there’s no rhyme or reason to these sets, there’s no thought of the audience and the rhythm we’re trying to find in our dancing. There’s no way to dance to these songs besides jumping, and personally, I don’t find jumping for hours particularly enjoyable. Where’s the groove? Where’s the insane build-up that leaves crowds screaming for more? Some may claim these songs do have a build-up and release into a fun, explosive beat. I disagree. It’s a lackluster build and the “explosion” is nothing to write home about. It sounds like the beat drop that happened five minutes ago.
A message to the EDM: please do something new. I can’t tell the difference between your songs, and that’s an issue. How can you make a set with songs that all sound the same? Electronic and dance music is the perfect genre for experimentation and uniqueness. Don’t get stuck in that 2014 industry formula–your music sounds corporate. Find something else to do with your synths and drum machines. If you’re playing stages at huge festivals such as EDC or Tomorrowland, bring something new to the millions of attendees that come from around the world to hear your music. Expand your horizons, listen to old-school house or electronic classics, and find some real inspiration. Return to your roots, the trailblazers such as Aphex Twin, Daft Punk, Deee-Lite, and The Prodigy. Please stop being boring. I don’t want to hear your current music at the clubs anymore, I’m getting tired of it.