ilkae
Offline
montreal, qc

I'm going to ramble off on a few ideas quick that I've been thinking about recently
I would be interested in hearing other people's thoughts or experiences related to the perception of music written by other people vs. music you have written yourself.

1) In general, I spend a fair bit of time listening to my own music: not because I think it's the shit, but rather because I find it to be different experience entirely than listening to music made by people whose brains i don't live inside of

Self-made works are neutral in nature to my psyche (they don't introduce ideas/feelings that are foreign to my brain), yet the music is enriched by my past experiences and full knowledge of the referential content present in the music (i.e. i instantly have a complete a deep understanding of what I am listening to, allowing me to experience it without trying to understand what I'm hearing.)

2) How emotionally/psychically "connected" to your output are you? Is it something you make, or is it *you* manifested? Do you love it like a mother loves a child, or do you file it away and forget about it, like a case of empties waiting to be recycled?

2.5) Does your attachment to/opinion of your stuff change over time? Say, the night you made it vs. two weeks later vs. two years later?

3) Have you ever had experience in collaborating with somebody who valued their output in a different way than your own attitudes towards same? Did it work out?

Basically, I'm really curious about other people's experience are re: listening to their own music.

Last edited by ilkae (Aug 15, 2012 10:45 am)

Solarbear
Offline
Lexington, KY

Well, I write stuff that I'd like to listen to, so I mean, I DO enjoy it... not to sound to self-absorbed.
...of course, there ARE artists who do what I want to do even better than I already do! (Ahem... An0va, GodInPants, Shitbird... XD)

ilkae
Offline
montreal, qc

I've noticed that people who think their stuff is "the best shit ever" often write very little stuff beyond ~1 LP, and then focus entirely on convincing the world that their stuff is "the best shit ever". Too much ego, not enough music.

chunter
Offline
Brunswick, GA USA

I try to make what I like listening to, but in truth I work on a song until I'm sick of hearing it and then polish it for release.

When I visit my older music (as in Wedding EP) I am part surprised and part embarrassed... specifically I don't compose like I did with Ordinary Day anymore.

Ordinary Day is the only thing I've made where I felt like I almost wanted to cry as it reached its ending, then I realized I unconsciously ripped its ending form from Supper's Ready by Genesis (as in the prog rock classic) which I responded to in the same way when I first heard it as a teen. Otherwise, I feel relaxed from my time off from work, I guess that's to be expected.

In other people's music, the last song to have me feel a strong emotion was Handlebars by Flobots,

I'm not the sort of person to emote in an extreme way, not very often, it's probably just introversion.

Last edited by chunter (Aug 15, 2012 4:31 am)

Aeros
Offline
Savannah, Georgia

i think that my music is horrible and see every possible way i could've improved it before releasing it

Auxcide
Offline
The Multiverse ::: [CA, Sac]
Solarbear wrote:

...of course, there ARE artists who do what I want to do even better than I already do! (Ahem... An0va, GodInPants, Shitbird... that Auxcide fellow XD)

Haha thanks, man! Your stuff is good, don't get so worked up over me.

I listen to all of my stuff constantly, usually what I'm working on for the time being. When I did my album it's all I listened to for sooo long. I had to consciously take breaks because it would lose it's meaning and I'd sort of zone out.
My music is me. It's like a part of my soul. It embodies parts inside of me. And everything has meaning, chord progression, volume levels, everything. I'm kind of a perfectionist. Some of the strangest things I'm specific about too. In my song Perihelion, the song gets faster as you get closer to the sun and the static represents the end of the journey. Even the "solo" part is meticulously crafted. It starts rough am unrefined, jagged, but turns smoother and more polished like it's becoming more composed or evolving. Eh. You know.
I eventually lose something if I listen to the music too much but after a while of not listening to it, I get amazed by it all over again and the magic and wonder is back.
Haven't had much experience in collaboration over one of my original works. I usually make something new when I'm with someone so it's a combination of both of our minds.

Auxcide
Offline
The Multiverse ::: [CA, Sac]

Other interesting musings addresed by chunty:
I don't make music in the style I most like to listen to. It's closer to what I hear when I compose with instruments and less Electronica.
I cannot go back to an older work. It just doesn't work out right. The exception was Aphelion, but pretty half-assed. One gameboy was complete and I just added onto it with another. I didn't change any order or progression really. Nebula was actually one of my first 2xlsdj songs waaaay before I decided to do a release. I didn't even go into the .sav. I didn't touch anything.

Solarbear
Offline
Lexington, KY

Lol, Auxcide, you ol goof.

Parallelis
Offline
New York

Whenever I'm criticizing my own work (usually older stuff) it's mostly technical. Like "aaaagh why didn't you fix up the kick there", or "this instrument sounds awful".

As for normal listening and stuff. Yeah I try to make music I enjoy, but that's still within' my range of capabilities/in my comfort zone (pushing out of it a little at a time to improve). When listening to my music I like to approach it as a new listener, like "how would I feel hearing this for the first time?". That generally keeps it fresh and different sounding each time I listen, so that I can hear all the multiple possible angles and interpretations, not just my own.

Only thing I've made that's struck a chord with me emotionally is Mind Over Antimatter, and possibly this one section in my new 2xlsdj set. But that's like...semisweet emotions and stuff. Everything else I've made still makes me dance usually

Parallelis
Offline
New York
chunter wrote:

Ordinary Day is the only thing I've made where I felt like I almost wanted to cry as it reached its ending, then I realized I unconsciously ripped its ending form from Supper's Ready by Genesis (as in the prog rock classic) which I responded to in the same way when I first heard it as a teen.

"unconsciously ripped" or not, Ordinary Day is absolutely beautiful

danimal cannon
Offline
buffalo, NY

I get boners

Aeros
Offline
Savannah, Georgia
danimal cannon wrote:

I get boners

i think that's just what your music does to people in general

an0va
Offline

Honestly, I get waves of self-doubt and anger at the possibilities I could have done. I compensate by tweaking it live smile

Downstate
Offline
shanghai

we all have the crisis of faith and then also the times when a tune comes on shuffle, and im like 'i love this tune', then i'm like hang on, that's my tune ! dope.
but yeah i listen to my music everyday sure. I find mostly i make music from 6:00 - 8:00pm everyday, then have dinner, get high, and fiddle a bit more til 1am, then i stick it on my mp3 to listen to on lunch and the way home the next day. this is the only way i stay objective on it. sometimes i listen back to something i thought was okay, and its wicked, other-times i listen to something i'm sure was amazing and its shit.

So i dont know if that really answers your question haha alot of the time i worry about coherency and that i hop about to other style s and shit all the time and worry if i have 'my sound'. But other people tell me i do, and its hard for me to decide that by myself i guess. On the whole i'm very attached to my music, i definately like it. I feel like i always need to improve not so much on composition, but more on my production. thats what keeps me going making music really, listening to other stuff thats dope and thinking my shit is amateur in comparison, so im always learning and getting better i think. (hope) haha

Downstate
Offline
shanghai

ps- i routinely listen to Ilkae(4EP) and Proswell (konami, buttercrumbtoast) and think sheeeeet. these dudes got some awesome shit going on, coherent, and a sound of their own. I most try harder !

Shiru
Offline
Russia, Moscow

Listening to my own old works, I often wonder how I managed to compose that.