LETTER OF THE MONTH
Nov 1, 2005 12:00 PM
DON'T WHINE, DO SOMETHING
It seems there are a lot of people these days complaining about never having anything to do in their cities. I live in Tyler, Texas, a city where rave is a curse word, and the only local music that's ever hit the mainstream was the band Eisley. The city was an electronica wasteland. I've always had a passion for electronica; thus, I used to hate my town. We have “clubs,” but there's barely any dancing, and they usually only let people 21 and up get in. It was a miserably boring city, but I realized it was something I could change. So when I was 15, I decided I would make a proper music scene.
That's when I became a DJ. I was obsessed with DJing. I studied videos of DJs on the Internet; I bought every record I could afford as a teenager; and I harassed all the DJs in the area, trying to get advice on everything from DJing technique to event planning. I was determined to expand the almost nonexistent scene of Tyler into something of substance.
It's been three years since I bought my first set of decks, and I've since become exclusively a producer (only because I had to sell my decks for production gear). I now know how hard creating a scene can be. But through the struggle, I've also learned how rewarding it is when hard work turns into a finished product. So far, I've worked three raves in Tyler, produced my first CD and spent countless hours volunteering for a new electronica label. I firmly believe that if someone wants something, they should go make it happen. Too many people complain about their city without ever lifting a finger to change it. And to those who do try, remember: Even if things start slow, stick in there. Determination and passion are always rewarded in the long run.
Matthew Curtis
Tyler, Texas
For sending in this month's winning letter (and for having far more ambition than we did in high school), Matthew Curtis wins a Samson C01U USB studio condenser microphone. If you send in the most inspired correspondence next month — or simply the letter that we like the best — you will win a pair of Stanton DJ Pro 3000 ($199) DJ headphones. All you have to do is send an e-mail to remixeditorial@primediabusiness.com. Please be sure to include your full mailing address.
DEDICATION UNMASKED
Great article on MF Doom and Danger Mouse (“Looney Tunes,” September 2005) — 10 cool points for focusing on their work instead of diving into who they are behind the masks. In a world where reality TV and reality rap have taken over what was supposed to be a realm of unlimited imagination, I'm glad to see cats like Doom and Mouse come through fearlessly with creativity and concepts, artists who have a passion for a vision instead of just working for a profit. And it's nice to read a magazine that is more concerned with their work than their lives.
You present the offer of slapping on a mask and giving ourselves an alter ego to promote ourselves as an option to those of us who may be scared (“Editors' Note,” September 2005). Because it may work for Doom and Mouse? But maybe it isn't fear. I think it takes a lot of balls for a guy to wear a metal mask or a whole mouse suit and expect to be taken seriously in this rap game. But that's the point. Some of us care so much about our work that we don't care about what people think about us. Some of us are so dedicated to the craft that we will sacrifice the visual association with our music just to see how people will react to the work instead of how they react to seeing us.
Joe Manning III
Chandler, Ariz.
ARTISTS: LOSE THE 'TUDE
What's with the “underground lair” attitude of some of these interviews? Sure, biting styles and track ideas for setlists can be a problem for some, but I'd venture that most readers don't check out the interviews to hear about how extensive their comic-book collections are or what color M&Ms they like. We read them to get some genuine insight into the creative process or how to better utilize the gear we already have or a number of other reasons that don't have to do with how fans can sound just like them. The Alchemist doesn't want to talk about how he develops a track? Danger Mouse doesn't even want to release a gear list despite the practically self-admitted fact that most of his fans probably have better gear than he does? Come on.
One of the best interviews you've printed was the one with Will.I.Am, wherein he walked us through the building of a track in real time (“Plan of Attack,” June 2003). No secrets, no magic — just sweat, time and creativity. It was a great interview that I could lift some practical theory and work ethics from, which is something that all the good interviews do.
I know you can't make these guys talk about what they don't want to, so this is probably more for the artists who read your magazine: Don't bother with the interview if it's just going to be a commercial for the record you've got coming out.
Scott Woods
Columbus, Ohio
ELECTRONIC EVOLUTION
Most of us believers know why electronic music is equal to any musical movement that has preceded it. I even dare to call it superior in most ways. Modern electronic music is the most complex and versatile music that has ever existed. We are doing things that have never even been possible before. These machines that we are “cheating” with put the powers of musical creation into the unskilled hands of people, like myself, who think that the greatest musical instrument is (gasp!) the mind. And I think that we are enabling some of the most musically talented minds that have ever existed, even if they didn't have the luxury of music lessons growing up.
Defending electronically enhanced music is like defending humans as being legitimate bipedal apes. We may not all be prime specimens, but it's over, baby; look around you. Music doesn't get replaced; it evolves. Gradually, it will evolve into something different to wrap our minds around.
Citizen Vern
Portland, Ore.
LAND OF CONFUSION
I have been “reading” Remix for the past three years (at least), trying to learn more about how to make my own music. I don't know anything about all those technical terms, and after three years, I still feel completely lost. Your articles are too advanced. Could you make a section for people, like me, who want to learn the basics, explaining what every apparatus is and how it works?
Boris Ravaine
via e-mail
Boris — It's a tall order to explain every apparatus and how it works, but we understand your plight. In the future, we'll see what we can do to get you newbies up to speed. In the meantime, check out past “Phantom Power” columns, which have explained everything from DAWs to connection types. — The Editors
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