porter_robinson

hahaha, fair!

first of all, i want to define what i mean by "EDM". when i talk about EDM, i generally mean main-stage, 128 BPM, 1-2-3 JUMP banger type stuff. i don't mean all electronic music that's dancy - even though that's what the name prescribes, i don't think that's how it is (or should be) used anymore.

a lot of my angst about EDM came from my songwriting process. i think that EDM, in order to do its job in its intended setting (a DJ set), has requirements to make it 'work'. the most effective electro tracks have a 30-second buildup, where the chord returns to the root note, with risers, maybe a rising vocal, a snare roll - there are moves you HAVE to do in an 'EDM' track to make it work.

i think that emphasis on FUNCTION over real artistic expression is what soured me on the genre. it felt extremely limiting to me to try to write music that had to, y'know... "work". and once i cast that off, it opened up the world to me. it was the BEST FUCKING FEELING EVER to be writing music without those confines. writing music makes me so goddamn happy again

im fucking crying and sad

i'm going to fuck shrek. i mean it

i'm going to premiere my new live show, that's more "worlds"-y, on the tour this year. i didn't want to send mixed signals by getting in front of tens of thousands of people and DJing bangers - it's too big of an audience and i think'd be confusing for folks. when i return to those festivals, it will be my proper "worlds" show.

in other words, i'm not opposed to EDC or ultra - i just didn't want to do my old DJ thing this year, and my new liveshow wasn't ready.

there are good edm songs that exist!

i'm not saying there aren't exceptions, and i'm not saying that good EDM tracks don't exist. it just doesn't matter to me - the whole discussion is moot with regards to my music, because 'worlds' is, 100%, sincerely, the album i wanted to write in every way.

for the most part, i criticize EDM not because i think nobody should write it ever, but instead to explain WHY i'm not writing it anymore. the response "well, good EDM tracks exist" doesn't convince me to write EDM because i've totally found what i want to be doing and see no reason to shoehorn it into a DJ-able context.