healing with minimal music

hydrogen · Post by **hydrogen** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 2:33 am

haha.... nice... i had just found the post!! and it was from you!

hydrogen · Post by **hydrogen** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 2:33 am

hydrogen wrote:haha.... nice... i had just found the post!! and it was from you!

oh yeah... and this is the right one... thanks oblioblioblio!

Yatmandu · Post by **Yatmandu** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 4:57 am

Akkya wrote:FSOL - Any album they made (as FSOL)

Plastiman - Musik and Sheet One

Global Communication - 76:14

Orb - The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld

KLF - Chill Out (Amazing Piece of Work)

They pretty much is the perfect list for healing me

All timeless classics! Nice list. I would add some Orbital and Autechre to complete the list. It's like reading a rock forum and seeing a list comprised of the Beatles, Stones, LedZep, The Who, and Pink Floyd. Wow, have I been into this music for so long? No wonder I'm so healthy!

Dusk · Post by **Dusk** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 4:54 pm

Steevio, Oblio et al., I hope you guys are still watching this thread, it's a really interesting one that deserves more thought.

For me TECH-no will always be, and should always be, machine music. That's not to deny the existence of the hundreds of incredibly souflul and emotional pieces of music you'd still call "techno", or that techno is/should be soulless. But to me, I see techno as an aesthetic response to or distallation of the modern age, characterised by technological paranoia, alienation but also, new forms of novelty and joy. In such a way, it has a unique mandate to create an emotionally neutral space, through deliberately not taking an "emotional stance" on things. This opens the door for innumerable personal interpretations, or none at all; certainly our prehistoric percussive forefathers enjoyed syncopation without the use of cerebral functioning.

In practice, when I try to define modern techno, or differentiate tech-house from other similar forms of house, I usually identify the preference for atonal and/or dissonant timbres vs melodic and harmonious ones. The emotional (and possibly, spiritual) impact of atonal and abstract timbres is nebulous, but also primoridal. Furthermore, minimalistic sub forms of such an aesthetic may naturally restrict the opportunity for conventionally "emotive" timbral choices yet further.

For these reasons I believe the communal and tribal experience of participating in minimal, techno or any EDM can of course be spiritually beneficial, or even healing, but the music itself is (and I beleive should be) somehow above and removed from the trivial, transient affairs of human beings; instead remaining dark, black and nebulous.

My 0.02c.

steevio · Post by **steevio** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 6:50 pm

Dusk wrote:Steevio, Oblio et al., I hope you guys are still watching this thread, it's a really interesting one that deserves more thought.

For me TECH-no will always be, and should always be, machine music. That's not to deny the existence of the hundreds of incredibly souflul and emotional pieces of music you'd still call "techno", or that techno is/should be soulless. But to me, I see techno as an aesthetic response to or distallation of the modern age, characterised by technological paranoia, alienation but also, new forms of novelty and joy. In such a way, it has a unique mandate to create an emotionally neutral space, through deliberately not taking an "emotional stance" on things. This opens the door for innumerable personal interpretations, or none at all; certainly our prehistoric percussive forefathers enjoyed syncopation without the use of cerebral functioning.

In practice, when I try to define modern techno, or differentiate tech-house from other similar forms of house, I usually identify the preference for atonal and/or dissonant timbres vs melodic and harmonious ones. The emotional (and possibly, spiritual) impact of atonal and abstract timbres is nebulous, but also primoridal. Furthermore, minimalistic sub forms of such an aesthetic may naturally restrict the opportunity for conventionally "emotive" timbral choices yet further.

For these reasons I believe the communal and tribal experience of participating in minimal, techno or any EDM can of course be spiritually beneficial, or even healing, but the music itself is (and I beleive should be) somehow above and removed from the trivial, transient affairs of human beings; instead remaining dark, black and nebulous.

My 0.02c.

beautifully written, and i'd agree with most of your observations, but i dont see why something which is somehow above and removed from the trivial transient affairs of human beings, (which i agree it is) has to be dark and black.
- nebulous maybe.
i suppose when i'm making techno, i'm searching for the missing timbres.
i always thought thats what it was all about. they're neither dark nor light.
unless we push, we always fall back on the timbres which are familiar and safe, whether dark or light.
what lies between the saxophone and the rim shot ? the organ and the shaker, the flute and the steel drum ?
thats what i want to know, and i want to know what i can do with it, how does it make me feel ?
these are the places techno allows us to go.
if you go to the dark, thats a personal choice.
the concept of dark and light doesnt really come into it for me, its just what sounds right to me at that moment in time.

machine music ? is a trumpet or a piano a machine ?
we are the species who use machines - theyre part of us.

sorry, a quick and ill thought out answer.

oblioblioblio · Post by **oblioblioblio** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 11:07 pm

Dusk wrote:Steevio, Oblio et al., I hope you guys are still watching this thread, it's a really interesting one that deserves more thought.

For me TECH-no will always be, and should always be, machine music. That's not to deny the existence of the hundreds of incredibly souflul and emotional pieces of music you'd still call "techno", or that techno is/should be soulless. But to me, I see techno as an aesthetic response to or distallation of the modern age, characterised by technological paranoia, alienation but also, new forms of novelty and joy. In such a way, it has a unique mandate to create an emotionally neutral space, through deliberately not taking an "emotional stance" on things. This opens the door for innumerable personal interpretations, or none at all; certainly our prehistoric percussive forefathers enjoyed syncopation without the use of cerebral functioning.

In practice, when I try to define modern techno, or differentiate tech-house from other similar forms of house, I usually identify the preference for atonal and/or dissonant timbres vs melodic and harmonious ones. The emotional (and possibly, spiritual) impact of atonal and abstract timbres is nebulous, but also primoridal. Furthermore, minimalistic sub forms of such an aesthetic may naturally restrict the opportunity for conventionally "emotive" timbral choices yet further.

For these reasons I believe the communal and tribal experience of participating in minimal, techno or any EDM can of course be spiritually beneficial, or even healing, but the music itself is (and I beleive should be) somehow above and removed from the trivial, transient affairs of human beings; instead remaining dark, black and nebulous.

My 0.02c.

fascinating topic yes, and depending on your views on things, the very core of what we are playing at here. but it's a very difficult topic as there is an absolute infinity of grey area. everytiime I try and put boundaries somewhere to logically define what I am seeing if I look at it another time the boundaries don't fit anymore.

As a muscian looking at the possibilites for healing with sound I think it comes down to cultivating a personal approach. I'm not so sure if there are answers that can apply outside of yourself so much. Everyone is conducting a different ceremony. And of course whatever your intentions may be the intentions of the listener has an equally large effect on the received value.

About your points on soulessness and being 'above' humanness, I agree with part of it, however I think human beings and the self are important. I think music should be 'real', and one of the fundamental struggles in the universe is the self versus the non self. (maybe this is what you're implying and I'm just nitpicking your wording).

Obviously, this is all down to interpretations of greyness, but I think it is possible to incorperate the self in a transcendental way.

A great example of what i think I am getting at is Steevio's partner http://www.mindtours.co.uk/gallery.htm Many of her paintings are kind of self portraits (I think?..), but none of them are really about the self at all (I don't think).

BlueFog · Post by **BlueFog** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 1:12 am

healing music is organic; there's nothing organic about minimal techno since it's almost always intended for clubs/dancing. however, what i find 'healing' is the process of making it. its an escape from reality and it makes you feel better.

Sphere42 · Post by **Sphere42** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 7:22 am

BlueFog wrote:however, what i find 'healing' is the process of making it. its an escape from reality and it makes you feel better.

after I broke up recently with my gf, producing (at least trying

) is only thing that makes me feel "this is right".

I have to read the whole to get deeper into disscussion, but I 've gotta say dubtechno has really positive influence on me lately.