New Wave Outpost Forum

Most of us on this forum have lived and experienced the new wave movment from it's inception. Do you think we will see another future era of new music exploration and style that will equal or surpass the 80's as we know it?

For us...no. But I think that each generation thinks that their music is ground breaking. And for them it is. Disco was life changing for a generation although all guidos. Each group of people can identify with their own style of music and for them it is special. New wave was ground breaking and I'm sure there will be other future ground breaking music but for me, I found my special music.

I don't see it really coming back as we knew it. Maybe as a retro-kitch thing. That day may be coming soon.

Do you mean that in 20 years people won't be looking back to today as the golden age of Garbage Teen Pop with wistful recollections of Britney, Jessica, Christina, and J. Lo?! Posting to the GTPOutpost forum? Comparing what they looked like then vs now? Talking about their favorite movies of the 00s ("I was so totally THE teenage drama queen")? Asking if there are any old-timer Alanis fans out there?? Waxing poetic about how MTV used to show so much more of their beloved teenie interviews and "Real Worlds" instead of these crappy Videos, especially of the new post-post-post-anarchist-indie-synth-punk-pop???

I refuse to believe that.

I don't think it can happen again... not that many good, inventive bands all at once. That early 80's-era was something special. I follow current music all the time, and I'm convinced of it.

Same way I doubt there'll ever be another single-artist phenomenon, the way there was with the Beatles or Elvis.... I can't imagine the nation polarized by a single artist that way again.

Sure, 20 years from now folks will get all misty-eyed about how wonderful the music scene was when Eminem would rap about Christina Agulara having sex with Limp Bizkit (picture a grandfather saying "now THAT was music!!!").

As Elton John said, it's the "Circle of Life".

Now excuse me while I go throw up on my mousepad.

Never, ever, EVER!!!

That was an innocent, yet decadent time all on its own.

I don't think there will be anything until there's a new technology. The thing aboutthe 80's was that synths (and later samplers) changed the way music could be made, and people experimented with that technology.

As for the single-artist phenom, I hate to say it but to me the last one was Guns N Roses. Not my favorite band, but there was a time when they could do no wrong (according to the masses).

I have my doubts about it happening again, I'm afraid.

The corporate structure of media has changed dramatically-back in the 80s-a few adventuresome labels like Enigma or IRS, or even Sire could get good distro deals with bigger labels and be relatively left alone to pursue good and adventuresome music-now, smaller labels are part of larger media companies and are "Cost centers" that is ,they are expected to perform at certain levels, or they are ditched.

I'm also afraid college radio has become somewhat corporatized as well ."alternative" music that gets the big promo and big college radio play tends to be from bigger labels. Also, companies like CLearchannel are taking over performance venues and those too are "cost centers." Same with music stores.

For the type of music I like-I use the net and go to artist-run "boutique" labels or shop at indie stores, that have low economies of scale and can do what they and their customers like.

There is new technology. Anybody can make music today. All you need is a computer and an imagination. Check out Apple's garageband software. Look at the mash-up phenomenon. You can promote and sell your music yourself using the web. You probably won't get rich but getting a recording contract with a label doesn't guarantee you that you will either.

As far as a new movements, there are many small movements happening that get no national press. It all stays underground. I think the public is too fickle and lacking in taste for anything to gather any momentum.

Im hoping, but unfourtunately I have no idea what the 80s were like. I can only imagine.

I agree with the tech post there.
Even though Fizmo failed to break in the late 90s, but I dont see much that can be created. Samplers/Synths are pretty much the end of the line. What you can imagine...you can create with a sampler. What you cant imgaine you can create with a synth. Greanted there are a lot of different types of synths out there and different ones sounded dramatically different..the synth was still a synth.

People today have very little talent when it comes to performing music. Technology (spotlight on the Yamaha Motif boards) allows people to compose complex and elaborate technical pieces with a flick of the wrist, and a press of a couple of buttons. I hate seeing these people walk around campus, saying they are independant artist...and all their music is just cheap techno. Now you dont even need an instrument to make music. I absolutely hate the roll/title/cliche the "DJ" now finds himself in.

Basically, I am saying no, mostly because of technology. One of the things that made the 80s so great was the electronix. PPG Waves and Yamaha DX boards just sounded so darn great!

[quote]Originally posted by ekahob
[br]As far as a new movements, there are many small movements happening that get no national press. It all stays underground. I think the public is too fickle and lacking in taste for anything to gather any momentum.
[/quote]
This is true as most bands these days can't gather any momentum unless they have a huge hit right out of the box. Even then, they quickly become "what we were digging last year" and sales for the follow up album drop off considerably.

It seems to me towards the middle to end of every decade, there seems to be a new movement or fad with music:
In the 50's, it was rock 'n' roll
In the 60's, it was psychedelica
In the 70's, there was disco and punk
In the 80's, it was rap
In the 90's, it was grunge
There are probably other subsets, but these are the ones that stick out to me. I'm curious to see what the end of this decade brings about, if anything.

I'm with Mare on this one. Even though each decade has its fresh sound, and each generation thinks that it invents life and young adulthood anew, I'm constantly surprised at how optimistic and innocent a lot of the music sounds (I'm talking up through mid-1984, when the Smiths' record came out and changed everything; I'll explain that theory later).

It seems to me that my New Wave high school years were the last gasp of relative freedom and innocence for youth. First, we weren't as hyperprogrammed as kids are today, and our parents had far less of this media-induced fear about kidnappings and child molestation. (As we all know, it happened then just as much as it does now, but that kind of fear didn't prey on our parents.) This translated into a lot of freedom when it came time to drive, go out to clubs, etc.

Next, when I was boning around in high school in the early 1980s, the very worst thing that could happen was the big H. For you kids, back then the big H was herpes, not heroin. Even though AIDS became a fear during my college years, growing up without this worry prolonged our youthful sense of invulnerability, compared to those a few years behind us.

Also, I think the novelty of MTV brought out the self-conscious, pose-y side of bands that might not have otherwise gone that direction. I think that this sort of studied, mannered style really flourished when the medium was new and maybe isn't as successful now . . . but what do I know; I don't have any time to watch . . .

So even though following generations will like musicians of equal or greater artistic achievement, and they will like them with the ardor of youth's hormonally infused attachments, it's hard to imagine future music will have the same blithe spirit.

Wow!, what fantastic points by everyone. I agree with all of them, if that is possible?[:)]

Frayo, struck a chord with me about the "dj" phenomenom. I often thought it was absurd that these people consider themselves musicians when all they do is rip off other artists' songs. Yeah so they know how to fiddle with turntables, mixers, and cd players. Big deal, try penning an original tune sometime!

Yeah, I really do not think there will be another renaissance like what we experienced in the late 70's & early 80's. I think people (including teens and college kids) are too lazy to be adventurous and have critical listening skills. They blindly accept what "crap" the corporate music marketers throw at them these days.

To paraphrase John Denver- "Thank God I am an 80's boy!" [:D]

[quote]Originally posted by devildog
[br]
Yeah, I really do not think there will be another renaissance like what we experienced in the late 70's & early 80's. I think people (including teens and college kids) are too lazy to be adventurous and have critical listening skills. They blindly accept what "crap" the corporate music marketers throw at them these days.
[/quote]

Well, college kids minus one. I do agree that many teens and people in my age group just accept whatever MTV throws at them, but I never fell into that trap. I have known people who have and it's quite disgusting, IMO. Some of them probably wouldn't know actual good music and/or lyrics if it came up and bit them. Something beyond vapid lyrics that go about as deep as a wading pool. [xx(]

With the exception of a very few number of singers and bands, today's music really doesn't do it for me. And I really don't think that there will be another renaissance of sorts for music like in the 80s, as much as I wish there would be. Today's music needs a shot of creativity. But it seems that everything has already been done before.

Then again, who knows? Time may surprise us in a few years......