What sounds 'cutting edge' in 2015?

New Zora Jones ep sounds futuristic, riyl: arca and visionist

reviewed @
http://www.passionweiss.com/2015/11/18/zora-jones-unveils-100-ladies-moves-both-minds-and-asses/

spotify: Zora Jones - 100 Ladies

https://open.spotify.com/album/0rVpMPYShtFjrTwaulNm87

great show today.

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/12313765_10154365288932137_4268434911588120068_n.jpg?oh=5b69bcc427de7c11b408f474b1ec0820&oe=56DD18F5

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/12316098_10154365212902137_342112158489136364_n.jpg?oh=1f845c3cc9dd3cf88060ac3467b7e26b&oe=56E71FE1

"that looks interesting... do they have recordings of that setup in action?"

voila...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgJpL9tndN0

wtf sounds futuristic about zora jones and arca, ~moody instrumental grime exactly how you've expected it to sound like for years

and like idm existed in the 90s

If one were to argue in favour of Arca-style electronica etc being 'cutting edge', it would be a matter of sound design maybe? Like, listen to some of those Aphex demoes he released earlier this year and compare them to the MESH record and there's a huge gulf.

I'd say maybe that 'One Sec' single by Mumdance x Novelist would count as cutting edge. I can't think of anything like it (i.e. beat-free vocal grime) having come out before. And also what's great about it is it's not coming straight out of grime, and not some avant-garde or art music arena.

I wonder what the overlap would be between people who describe music as 'cutting edge' and people who describe restaurants as 'funky'.

at least with Arca it's the molten, elastic, slippery quality- his stuff has so much caprice in the way forms come and go- even programming intensive 90s IDM tended to have a metronomic hi hat grid that ticked away underneath the fancy snare workouts. To my ears, the Arca / M.E.S.H. moment is about giving up the grid and being a lot less reliable, formally. It's spiritually akin to IDM but not the same formally.

there can still be cutting edge idm or instrumental grime in 2015 in theory, you don't have to invent a new genre to be cutting edge

xp These guys' music seems to have something in common with Autechre's 'Quaristice' album, which I was very keen on at the time thanks to its being made up of shorter, sketchier tracks rather than over-busy 10 minute epics.

to my ears both arca's slipperiness and penchant for shorter tracks come across as slight, everything feels like a semi-interesting sketch that's not especially compelling in its current form. i had less patience with the new album than the first

didn't hear what was special about m.e.s.h. either

i wasn't mad about Arca's first album (not heard the new one) for similar reasons, although I kind of liked the angle in theory.

Not sure I could describe Arca as 'moody instrumental grime' though. I didn't realise Arca had anything to do with grime until more recently. I guess this more recent evolution of grime is pretty interesting - that the idea of the MC and beats in general are almost being peeled back to reveal just what's underneath; the inner workings. Again, I'm thinking of Autechre and they're much-touted but often imperceptible allegiance to hip hop and breaks-based music. And also when dubstep split into brostep and the more post-dubsteppy stuff on Hyperdub, neither of which really held that much in common with the original sound other than in name.

ah no i was referring to zora jones with the grime description, not arca

I guess this more recent evolution of grime is pretty interesting - that the idea of the MC and beats in general are almost being peeled back to reveal just what's underneath; the inner workings

instrumental grime is sometimes good (and not new in any sense) but in general shifting the focus away from the MC is a boring development

how would simon reynolds answer this question?

"Bleep bloop blorp..."

at least with Arca it's the molten, elastic, slippery quality- his stuff has so much caprice in the way forms come and go- even programming intensive 90s IDM tended to have a metronomic hi hat grid that ticked away underneath the fancy snare workouts. To my ears, the Arca / M.E.S.H. moment is about giving up the grid and being a lot less reliable, formally. It's spiritually akin to IDM but not the same formally.

― the tune was space, Monday, November 30, 2015 8:53 AM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

well said.

btw people who have only heard Arca's albums should check out his Stretch EPs and the &&&&& mixtape, they're much more beat-oriented and accessible. maybe not quite as singular, but i come back to them more often.

he's also a really sick DJ, I just DJed with him in Iceland last week and he melts down other people's songs in a very startling way when he Djs

would love to hear that!

http://killedincars.tumblr.com/image/135585989879

Hmmm

http://killedincars.tumblr.com/image/135585989879

^I suspect this probably hits a lot of the bases when answering this question

I thought that this topic, perhaps more than any other, merits a 2016 thread, so I made one - What sounds cutting edge in 2016?