Or more specifically, the genres of electronic dance music that seem to be really polarizing one way or another. I know that some people on cm.o are pretty directly inspired by "mainstream"-ish dance music like electro house, dubstep, trance, etc., but I've also heard quite a bit of disdain from others on what the influence of EDM has done to chipmusic so I'd just like to hear everyone's thoughts on it. Likes/dislikes + justifications, etc. I feel like it's time for one big thread where everyone can stake their claim to what they think of dance music
(This might end up being a free for all)
Personally, my music is really trance-influenced, mostly because I feel like trance was the sub-genre I listened to the most/affected me the most growing up. It seems like it can get the most complex melodically (which I like), whereas other genres are more focused on the uniqueness of the sound design (read: loud-ass oscillators). It also serves my composing style really well, because I don't actually need to structure a song -- I can just throw a bunch of loops together and if they sound good I'm going ahead with it
I guess what I'm aiming for is a long-form listening experience that requires a prolonged period of time to really appreciate -- I'm really against the trend of fast buildups and fast breakdowns with anthemic choruses because the crests of the songs never really satisfy me in the way I want them to. I think Swedish House Mafia is especially guilty of this, considering they've pretty much defined what electro sounds like for the near future, where they kind of half-ass a buildup and then the chorus itself is a little lackluster because it's a single melodic line without even a hint of complexity. Even the formats of releases these days don't really float my boat. I'm an album guy, but most releases are either singles or EPs, which kind of fits the tone for pop music, but not for the experience I want
I've also yet to find a modern EDM artist who can put out an LP that will both keep me listening the whole time while simultaneously providing a compelling aesthetic experience -- most EDM these days honestly doesn't "say" anything. The last time a single artist put out a really long, listenable record that was distinctly THEM was Orbital, and that was like 10 years ago, so that's what my albums are trying to do (unsuccessfully, but still).
So yeah -- there's what I think so far!