Some would-be musicians avoid the catchy melody, the hummable tune, the memorable ditty — because they see it as not being challenging enough.
Sure, you can be a Merzbow. No one's stopping you. But that isn't very challenging either.
What is?
by Avi_Abrams
Marrying the opposites. Taking the bizarre, warped, atonal wailing and melding it with familiar song structure. Making the alien seem comfortable — now there's genius!
Better catch it before it gets away.
I can name more examples than I have nose hairs. Here are 3:
- BT (Brian Transeau), who explores the edges of electronic music and melds amazingly intricate stutter edits with hooky choruses.
- Delia Derbyshire, who used then-state-the-art synthesizers to go beyond academic experiments and breathe life into the whistle-friendly Doctor Who theme.
- Girl Talk (Gregg Gillis), who plays with the pantheon of pop music as his canvas for meta-rocktastic mashupery.
The edgewelders go beyond musicians, too. Chefs who've mastered fusion cuisine and molecular gastronomy know this intimately. Look at any brilliant scientist who's explained a mindbending theory in simple English. (So simple, a child could understand.) Respect the comedians who make the highbrow and lowbrow kiss and make love. Admire the movers and shakers of societal change who describe their intellectual concepts beyond words, then initiate action from their disciples.
By welding edges, we make it easier to learn advanced ideas. We smooth the path and encourage growth from newcomers. We show connections, transitions, and progress. We Enlighten, and create a knowledgeable imagination of understanding. (And from that understanding, enjoyment. Delight. Pleasure. Happiness. Joy. All the good stuff!)