Which of these is your *favourite* way to experience music? Yes, I'm sure that everyone occasionally likes most of them, but which is your favourite?
This question was inspired by discussion on the various "electronic music artists" polls where there seemed to be a split between those who saw electronic music as dance music, that one has to dance to, to properly understand, and those who saw it as head music, to be consumed or listened to at home.
But then, also I made an offhand comment on twitter, that I'm a rubbish music fan because I hate gigs, clubs and concerts - I want to listen to music in the privacy, comfort and dedicated listening environment of mine own home. And instead of getting ripped a new one for this - I got huge agreements, from music lovers and, surprisingly, musicians.
So one half of how I've divided up the question is, do you prefer listening to music in a shared, communal space such as a concert or a club, or in your own personal space? (It doesn't even have to be at home, office listening and iPod listening count as Private Space.)
The other half of the question is... I was thinking about the difference between albums and mixes. If it loosely correlates to the difference between a concert, where you see each artist perform only their work, that they've chosen in advance, and going to a DJ set, where you would hear a curated collection of different artists, linked by a thematic or genre connection. (And also, that a good DJ will respond to the vibe of the crowd, so it's a much more interactive experience than just going to watch someone on a stage, like playlists are customisable.) Do you expect one cohesive work, or do you want diversity and choice and skipping around? (As a metaphor, would you rather a book or a magazine?)
Apologies if it seems weird that I've divided mixtapes up like that across two categories. But it's like, if it's an artist who is rapping over a variety of different beats, but you're listening to the mix for the rapper, that's much more a single artist experience. Ditto with custom beatmatched DJ mixes full of exclusive remixes, where you're listening to it because of the DJ rather than the artists of the tracks played. Use your judgement on that one, or feel free to discuss which option you think your choice should be, (maybe with examples.) I'm not entirely comfortable with where the division lies, so feel free to pick at where "mixtape" lies on the continuum between "album" and "playlist."
Poll Results
Option | Votes |
Private space listening - album or single-artist mixtape | 15 |
Performance - concert or gig, live or lip-synched, focused on the artist | 8 |
Private space listening - varied mixtape, playlist, radio show | 8 |
Club - need to dance to it in group setting with good sound system | 5 |
Some other option I've omitted | 3 |
― Popcorn Supergay Receiver (Masonic Boom), Monday, 16 April 2012 12:56 (eleven years ago) link