Things Music People Said Yes To
Crowdsourcing a list in progress.....Plus: The 1964 debut of Flora Purim
On the occasion of the release of If You Will, the new album from legendary singer Flora Purim, here’s a Bandcamp link (above). Purim’s landing page there has links to many of her essential records. But not the one below. It’s her debut effort, released in 1964. That’s like five years before her recording career took off, and while her singing is not as free as it became, the performances are crisp, swinging, wonderful. If you only have time for one track, make it Purim’s version of the underplayed Carlos Lyra-Vinícius de Moraes tune “Maria Moita,” which was introduced in 1964 by Lyra and Dulce Nunes. Purim’s spry, intervallically exacting version shows what a treasure this tune is.
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While listening, please enjoy the inevitably incomplete list below, which grew out of conversations with musicians about the illusion of convenience in the digital age. The jist: Technology has thoroughly transformed the experience of recording music, and the experience of listening to it. We accept these upgrades — Yes To All! — for the ease they provide, and rarely ever look back to consider, in hindsight, the tradeoffs and sacrifices. Which sometimes involve control of specialized musical-skill elements (like, oh, playing in tune!) from a human performer to a software plug-in.
Not making any judgments on these, just taking inventory…..
Please fire up the comment machine (address below) and add to this!
THINGS CONSUMERS SAID YES TO
Computer speakers
Bluetooth Audio
Format churn (Vinyl to 8-track to cassette to CD to minidisc to blu-ray to vinyl to cassette to….)
Choice Paralysis (The endless smorgasbord of streaming)
Diminuation of Album Art (Streaming)
Disappearance of Credits for Performers and Songwriters (Streaming)
Incomplete or Inaccurate Credits (Streaming…Related: Having To Search Outside of Streaming Services for Information)
Algorithmic Recommendations Based on Listening History (vs. criticism, radio, serendipity or advice from the snobby record store clerk)
Incomplete Artist Discographies (Internet)
Incomplete audio information (MP3 compression to make files portable, also free-tier streaming)
Grey Market Compilations and Fakes (streaming)
THINGS RECORD MAKERS SAID YES TO
Cut and Paste (Digital Audio Workstation…abbreviated as DAW below)
Pitch Correction (Auto Tune et al…DAW)
Ability to Change Instrument in a Performance Without Re-Recording (DAW)
Automated Fade In/Fade Out (DAW…and yes, the fade is an art)
Automated Changes in Dynamics and Balance Between Instruments (DAW)
Automated Tempo Changes (DAW)
Looping
Sampling (Sample libraries, DAW)
Ability to Change the Swing/Shuffle Feel of a Groove Without Calling the Drummer Back (DAW)
Endless Options for Reverb, Delay and Post-Production Effects (DAW)
Tracking Part-by-Part Instead of Live-In-Studio Recording
Assembling Performances via Multiple Takes (vs. Capturing a Real-Time Performance)
Micro-editing/Airbrushing “Mistakes”
Please add to the above using our fancy digital suggestion box — or just share your favorite Underloved/Overlooked records! Write us here: echolocatormusic@gmail.com.
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