Some electronic music still sounds fresh and some just sounds dated

Well folks, here it is, my first attempt at blogging.

I thought it would be interesting to discuss a few different forms of electronic music and how they have aged.

Will electronic music sound dated in the future? This is a near impossible question to answer but let's try and shed some light on the subject. I think it's largely going to depend on which genre we're talking about. It's also going to depend on what new sounds we come up with in the future. One thing is certain - electronic music is constantly evolving with new genres being created all the time and this is never going to change. I know music is always going to be a matter of opinion but I think in very broad terms some electronic music genres are going to age well and others won't.

Dubstep ( a kind of slowed down Drum & Bass) is the next big thing at the moment but surely we are going to reach a stage where dubstep implodes. Sure, it'll keep ticking along but it'll reach a stage where the same sounds are regurgitated over and over again. Much like what happened with drum and bass.

Ambient as a genre has aged really well imho. Take the Greek composer Vangelis for instance. His Blade Runner Soundtrack has aged particularly well (he came up with the score in 1982) and is a must have if by any chance you don't have it in your record collection. But let's listen to the track 'Creation Du Monde' from his 1973 album 'L'Apocalypse Des Animaux'. I mean 1973....can you believe it....

Now let's consider the genre Progessive House which was practically invented by Spooky (Charlie May and Duncan Forbes) back in the early ninties. They came up with the album 'Gargantuan' in 1993. Whilst it's a classic a couple of the tracks do sound dated. Spooky went on to produce three experimental and cutting edge EPs and they're still going strong today. Listen to the track 'Land of Oz' below though and you might catch my gist....apologies for the video in advance....

One track I will never get tired of is William Orbit's 'Water from a Vine Leaf'. It dates back to 1993 but still sounds fresh today. Orbit was one of the founders of the progressive record label Guerilla. He actually signed Spooky and released their 'Gargantuan' album through this very label. It's also worth mentioning that Spooky did 2 Remixes of Water from a Vine Leaf - the Xylem flow mix and the Acid Bath mix. Both are Epic. Orbit has become quite a household name with many, largely due to his 'Ray of Light' album with Madonna. He's gone on to produce some great music but for me 'Water from a Vine Leaf' is still his finest work to date. It astounds me in knowing that this track is 18 years old. Will this track sound dated in 18 years time. To me I doubt it somehow but only time will tell....

All three artists we've talked about here have produced some unmissable music over the years. If you want to dig further and we strongly suggest you do, check out the recommended section on our site. Just click on the link below.....until the next time people....;)

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