Life Is A Distraction

Well it is. So much crap going on and I’m afraid that like a lot of people, particularly at this time of the year my instinct is to be apathetic and withdraw. More to the point though, my decks and other stuff will be getting dusted off and put through their paces once more from some time towards the end of this week, as work at Chateau Corey has almost finished, and space will once more be realigned in my favour.  I have been stocking up, so have a backlog of stuff to play and get my head around. I suppose one of the most satisfying aspects of buying new music is the anticipation of actually playing it, which is something I haven’t done for a while, but the feeling of trepidation and excitement is almost making up for this. One bright spot on the local horizon is the appearance of Motherchip Connection, a night which sprung up in Cambridge towards the end of November, had another outing earlier this month, and will take shape once more in March next year. Electro is the name of the game here, of what category I’m not sure though. I suppose I should listen to a mix they’ve done to get an idea. I suppose I’ll trundle along when the time comes. The latest video they’ve put up on their Facebook page is promising, even if it’s only 15 seconds long. If there’s one form of music, let alone electronic, which has stood the test of time and managed to constantly be of it’s time, it’s electro.  Like all forms of music though, it’s a walking contradiction. How can something so forward looking and futuristic sounding still sound the same as it did when it was born? Of course there have been evolutions in sound, recording techniques are better than they were, and so on; but electro, like techno, like house hasn’t tangibly developed it’s sonic template since it was conceived. This isn’t an issue for me personally, I like familiarity, but it’s a situation that I constantly mull over and ponder. It seems to be the case that instead of evolution within specific types, more sub genres are born in response to stasis, each one sprinkling an essence of what distinguishes them while cherry picking enough recognizable motifs, sometimes bent out of shape, to offer the listener assurance.

How will 2017 shape up as far as electronic music is concerned? Don’t expect anything groundbreakingly original. What we already have will be added too, like extra coats of Danish oil on a very absorbent wooden worktop. Solidity will be further stabilized, deep house will spread its tentacles even wider to incorporate practically anything mood setting, particularly without vocals. Tech house’s reputation will be rescued and once more it’ll be anything that can be played together which sounds good to the correct crowd, while simultaneously being able to consciously distance itself from the Beatport generation, which is already well on the wane. Breakbeats will be big, but not the over aggressive ones. Those tempered by the demands of the groove more likely. Finally, electro will definitely realize a lot more of its potential, and hit its stride.