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Huffin', puffin', blowin' house down

The Village Voice redefines the art of the puff piece. Check out all that breathless wordplay: "…drawing 45,000-plus from all over the world to see the major gods in electronic music stand triumphant on 12 laser-saturated stages." I thought someone was being snarky, but no, given the run on adjectives here – "enormously commercially successful," "far exceeded, "icons chiseled in Mount Rushmore fashion on the psyche of electronic music" – you quickly realize that irony's not the point. Big up "the big boys." There's more puffery going on here than in a school full of blowfish. Stoner blowfish.

(It's weird, too, because Makkada B. Selah doesn't seem like the biggest rave fan, really, commercial massives or otherwise. Is the Voice even having to outsource enthusiasm these days?)

It's weird how often electronic music's defenders (and this is one of those times that I almost hate to be classed as one) fall back on the spirit of community service as a defense. "Faibisch says Moby deserves his hosannas: 'He's done a hell of a lot for electronic music in helping it get recognized in the mainstream.'"

Right, because god only knows, the only thing that matters is mainstream recognition. (Where I'm from, people like Ultra DJs have done more damage to techno's credibility than otherwise.) But to these guys it's more along the lines of: Who cares if the music's any good? It's all about the scene, maaaan. Semper fuckin' fi.

Problem is, bad music is still bad music, and lame scenes are still lame scenes. Tripe isn't a pearly gateway drug to transcendence; it's still just coiled, slimy innards. With friends like these, who needs friends? The good stuff will find its own audiences—the ones that deserve it, and vice versa. Just like the other stuff, actually.

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Comments

Aww, shucks, ps, you're shooting fish in a barrel...you know there's only one byline in the VV worth reading on this topic...but--maybe an Ultra/Rave Strikes Back-themed halloween costume is in order?

'Ultra Lite' is certainly a good headline. Last spring during the Winter Music Conference in Miami, a friend (lf) and I were sunning on the beach and watched a plane go by with banner reading, "Sasha & Digweed: TONITE." Flew by at least a dozen times in an hour & a half. That's 'dance music' culture? Uh...

You tell them Butch! Great to see the word tripe in use.I guess Vassar pays its own way,I personaly favour piffle,tosh and poppycock.

Unfortunately we live in an era of too many people with too little to say.Present company excluded-fight the good fight House Music Soldier.

My own personal gripe is ehead/djs who complain about the lack of good music available.There is always good music available but no-one is going to sell it to you,you have to find it.

Also if you can't go forward ,go back.I personaly feel that the Virgo album on Trax 1989 is the first minimal longplayer.

"Is the Voice even having to outsource enthusiasm these days?"

Best rhetorical question I've seen in a long time.

PS. (could you please check the RSS feed - i thought it was working but it only seems to update to entries in june)

Hey Phillip, what do u think about Junior Boys right now? Did u heard their last album?

love,
Mel.

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