Philosophy Now Forum

I was out this evening and sitting I heard lots of be-bop, rockabilly music which was swinging, nice beat, foot tapping. Everybody dancing. Then late in the evening I heard this great song, relentless going forward; it was Lou Reed's 'waiting for my man' I realised that this song had something all the other songs didn't have and then I looked on the dance floor and nobody was dancing to it, they didn't know how to move to it. They didn't seem to know it or what to make of it or what to do with it. It required of them a motion that wasn't there.

A few years ago I was working with a circus that had its own live band. One day I was setting up in the tent while the band was rehearsing, and they started playing about with one of their usual numbers in seven-eight time instead of three-four. It was quite a subtle difference, hardly noticeable at first.. I nearly choked trying to picture the performers trying to do their waltz routine to it.
On the night, the band behaved themselves very professionally.
oh, but it would have been fun. . .

One of my favorite traditional music cultures is Karelian/Finn, and one of my favorite aspects of it is the unusual meter in some of the catchy, toe-tapping, lightning quick fiddle/accordion tunes, or, as my husband describes it, "dance music for people with five legs". The music compels you to get up and move, then, wham (extra or skipped half-beat), causes you to trip and fall on your face. I'm looking around to find traditional dancing done to this unique music. Also, I've read that, like Karelian/Finn, Bulgarian traditional dance music sometimes employs odd meters (I'm otherwise unfamiliar with that culture).

So, I was at a party and the dj was playing some crazy stuff, he was playing songs that people are familiar with but then cutting, mashing, scratching, etc, them to pieces. It was hard to dance to, so I just clapped my hands, the music was interesting, and I didn't want to leave the dance floor but wanted to try to stick with it - then I looked up at some people on the dance floor and they had stopped dancing and just looked at the dj, I even saw a couple of people actually stand a bit behind friends (for cover) as if the dj was a scary monster or something. In a way, and at the time, I thought, wow, the dj has scared/frightened them with music.

Positive thoughts:

1. Dj was providing a unique artistic experience for his audience.

2. Dj was being creative and unique in an honest and truthful way unto himself.

3. Dj was being carefree , sort of in an unaware state/trance of outside influences.

4. Dj manipulated the audience by using his art only as communication...instead of words.

5. Dj was successful at forcing party goers to stop dancing and instead react. (Note: interesting no one but pluto tried to "get into" the music. The rest of the party goers missed a great opportunity to let go and create a new fun dance...it was a party after all...)

Negative thoughts:

1. Dj was being a diva and forcing his creative style on a captive audience who did not come to hear his style necessarily but instead came to dance in a traditional style and could not.

2.Dj was nuts.

3. Dj cared only about himself.

4. Dj was paid to ruin the party.


Pluto...your words about the DJ remind me of when I was little and the boys and girls in the neighborhood used to play tag. The boys were always much better at running away from the girls then visa versa. The boys could zig zag on a moments notice while the girls pretty much ran in a straight line. I had much difficulty trying to tag boys as they would zigzag faster than I could react to which way they were going to go...even if I was fast enough to catch them...they could out maneuver me. To me this is what the Dj was doing with his music. Just as soo as you started getting used to a tune...he would make the music zigzag so the audience could never quite catch up. It was probably disorienting.

mosh pits are swinging...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ4yi4Q-g4Q

-Imp

Hi AS, thanks. I think in your thoughts you may have hit on why the dj did what he did. But in a way when I read them, they don't fit what happened. The dj had been playing 'normal' music most of the night and the crazy stuff was just a creative flurry towards the end. And there were a couple of others on the dancefloor who were confused but still moving in some way to the sounds. I think it is okay for a dj to do other things with music rather than just wanting people to dance to it. Once, in a club the dj was playing an old Russian recording of Vivaldi (on vinyl). After two tracks he put on Hatebreed's 'burn the lies' and the transformation from one kind of sound to another was truly amazing.