Dance Music...

But Aphex and Squarepusher and all those similar artists are all generally referred to, as Goose says, as Intelligent Dance Music (IDM)

komplexnous wrote: am I missing out on some intellectual or emotional dance music out there that I may like?

Since there isn't really a single style of "dance music", I'll give you a few examples of electronica with beats, these are IDM ("intelligent dance music" )

Try:

Aphex Twin (and indeed, anything on Warp Records)

Squarepusher (excellent bass playing)

Venetian Snares (just mad)

and the album Merzbeat by Merzbow - he's a noise artist, but that disc and another one he did recently are his attempt to work with beats as well (note - don't start with that )

That's only scratching the surface - I admit I know next to nothing about the style in general.

Actually, come to think of it, if you're into modern jazz, Jaga Jazzist may be your thing - electronic jazz and excellent with it.

Then there's Cinematic Orchestra, but you probably wouldn't associate them with dance music, since beats aren't really that predominant in their music.

I'm taking a risk here, but this is the best place where I think I can find answers without being attacked for a question: why listen to dance music?  What is the point of this one-emotion-music (of utopian joy)?  It seems to be so abundant simply because it satisfies some primal instinct for...reproduction, to put it better (because it isn't for god(s) too much anymore)?

Could it be instinctual music, while the rise of non-dance music is serving as a means to satisfy our minds, intellect, and other human emotions?  Could the rise in the number of non-dancers (those who do not listen to dance music) be related to the increase in self-awareness and intellectual yearning (which happened with some individuals before psychology entered societies and began changing the human world)?  I mean, music throughout history has almost always been dance until scholars began to emerge (usually implicitly) requesting intellectual music.  Then there were musicians longing to portray emotion and technical/intellectual aspects in their music (displaying self-expression that could be related to others, connecting us in a sense).  Before that, music was for dancing and worshipping god(s), right?

What type of people listen to dance music?  Can those who listen to such music be generalized (of course, not accurately, but generally) as younger with more spunk and drive or those who wish to revisit their youth?  Or more to the point, what is the purpose of this music?  Does it make people remember good times in clubs, etc.?  Or, am I just overanalyzing a genre that I just do not like and others call me soulless for not liking (when I see dance music as soulless!)...?  (Or, am I missing out on some intellectual or emotional dance music out there that I may like?) 

Do others feel the same?  Is this worthy of a discussion between music lovers? (For those thinking I'm attacking you for liking dance music, I'm not; the internet is full of reasons to like and need to listen to dance music.  I'm looking for different viewpoints.)
(Note: if this post annoys people and moderators see it as pointless, just delete it, which will likely happen since most people don't like to have reason with types of music- you just like it and intellect/analytical thinking with music is taboo, right?)


Edited by komplexnous