Why Do You Make Music?

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acesd619
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Why Do You Make Music?

Post by acesd619 »

Are you trying to jack off in a straitjacket or do you feel there is a real purpose behind your madness?

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0dd
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Re: Why Do You Make Music?

Post by 0dd »

I am trying to jack off to the madness, and truly believe that there is purpose in a straitjacket.

But serially, I dunno, I always loved music and felt it's gonna be really close to me my whole life. When I was little I was always the one taking care of the playlist at my mom's, aunt's etc parties. Then I started going out, stumbled into techno land, fell in love, got into DJing, felt unable to express myself as much as I'd like so got ableton and got into producing. Ever since, it's been an addiction. So cliché...
"After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music". Aldous Huxley

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juodas
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Re: Why Do You Make Music?

Post by juodas »

yeah same story, was young, however with a big ego, i could learn a piano, guitar and other shit from my mom, however i was afraid of people expectation because where i lived this thing was a bit gaay ot somethibg like that. i always felt love with electronic music, but my friends refused to let me put music on in a house parties and school discos.
Music makes me happy and it's goodeay to soend time insteqd of gaming all the time, i was a really big nolifer as well so i had to choose live "normal" life going to work and play video games, or go to work and do some musicz it's a bit of challenge but it's fun.
I think i'd just want to prove my old mates, that i can make it with music, because i was been told that i nevdr gonna make it.. :D

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Críoch
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Re: Why Do You Make Music?

Post by Críoch »

Music is an unresolved puzzle in a 2nd language & its constantly on my mind.
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0dd
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Re: Why Do You Make Music?

Post by 0dd »

Críoch wrote:
Wed Dec 26, 2018 9:18 pm
Music is an unresolved puzzle in a 2nd language & its constantly on my mind.
Is that a quote?
"After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music". Aldous Huxley

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Críoch
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Re: Why Do You Make Music?

Post by Críoch »

It is now lol
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Lost to the Void
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Re: Why Do You Make Music?

Post by Lost to the Void »

This pretty much explains it better than I can.
if it doesn't come bursting out of you
in spite of everything,
don't do it.
unless it comes unasked out of your
heart and your mind and your mouth
and your gut,
don't do it.
if you have to sit for hours
staring at your computer screen
or hunched over your
typewriter
searching for words,
don't do it.
if you're doing it for money or
fame,
don't do it.
if you're doing it because you want
women in your bed,
don't do it.
if you have to sit there and
rewrite it again and again,
don't do it.
if it's hard work just thinking about doing it,
don't do it.
if you're trying to write like somebody
else,
forget about it.


if you have to wait for it to roar out of
you,
then wait patiently.
if it never does roar out of you,
do something else.

if you first have to read it to your wife
or your girlfriend or your boyfriend
or your parents or to anybody at all,
you're not ready.

don't be like so many writers,
don't be like so many thousands of
people who call themselves writers,
don't be dull and boring and
pretentious, don't be consumed with self-
love.
the libraries of the world have
yawned themselves to
sleep
over your kind.
don't add to that.
don't do it.
unless it comes out of
your soul like a rocket,
unless being still would
drive you to madness or
suicide or murder,
don't do it.
unless the sun inside you is
burning your gut,
don't do it.

when it is truly time,
and if you have been chosen,
it will do it by
itself and it will keep on doing it
until you die or it dies in you.

there is no other way.

and there never was.
Mastering Engineer @ Black Monolith Studio
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Techno is dead. Long live Techno.

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Skullrattler
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Re: Why Do You Make Music?

Post by Skullrattler »

Because creativity creates meaning in an otherwise pointless existence. In other words, it's a matter of mental health. We should be doled out music gear on the NHS :D
Music touches me a bit more than the other arts, so I stick with it. When I feel like it, which isn't every day. I'd like to do more but I also would like to avoid tinnitus.

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terryfalafel
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Re: Why Do You Make Music?

Post by terryfalafel »

Lost to the Void wrote:
Wed Dec 26, 2018 11:10 pm
This pretty much explains it better than I can.
if it doesn't come bursting out of you
in spite of everything,
don't do it.
unless it comes unasked out of your
heart and your mind and your mouth
and your gut,
don't do it.
if you have to sit for hours
staring at your computer screen
or hunched over your
typewriter
searching for words,
don't do it.
if you're doing it for money or
fame,
don't do it.
if you're doing it because you want
women in your bed,
don't do it.
if you have to sit there and
rewrite it again and again,
don't do it.
if it's hard work just thinking about doing it,
don't do it.
if you're trying to write like somebody
else,
forget about it.


if you have to wait for it to roar out of
you,
then wait patiently.
if it never does roar out of you,
do something else.

if you first have to read it to your wife
or your girlfriend or your boyfriend
or your parents or to anybody at all,
you're not ready.

don't be like so many writers,
don't be like so many thousands of
people who call themselves writers,
don't be dull and boring and
pretentious, don't be consumed with self-
love.
the libraries of the world have
yawned themselves to
sleep
over your kind.
don't add to that.
don't do it.
unless it comes out of
your soul like a rocket,
unless being still would
drive you to madness or
suicide or murder,
don't do it.
unless the sun inside you is
burning your gut,
don't do it.

when it is truly time,
and if you have been chosen,
it will do it by
itself and it will keep on doing it
until you die or it dies in you.

there is no other way.

and there never was.
Ha! I didn't see the thread and want to post the exact opposite, but even though I love the motivation and passion behind this, I have to say I don't agree, for myself at least.

I love music; always have and always will. But... I'm simply not good enough at it to every write a 'Teardrop' or 'Juanita > Timeless' or indeed 'Timeless' and all the other music which has given me so much pleasure throughout the years. If I had a goal, it'd be to make records that stand the test of time, not just this month's 12" banger. Though TBH i'm a long way from writing well produced but ultimately disposable music.

So, what's the point? Well - I enjoy it. For me, it's a release from daily life. A hobby which enables me to escape for a bit, avoid beer, telly, sofa and just have fun. I often like what I make at the time, thought often not too much after when I compare it to music I love, but that doesn't detract from how much I enjoyed the process. And that's what is important (and why I disagree with the above somewhat, though I understand it). For me, it's just about enjoying the process of sitting and making something. The quality of the end result is important of course, but the process is the real pleasure.

Or maybe, reading back I misinterpreted the post a bit, but my point is that (after a a period of time spent writing music to be released and caring about whether it'll be popular), now I do it just for fun. Praise is nice, but that's about the finished product, and the process is more important to me...

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Lost to the Void
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Re: Why Do You Make Music?

Post by Lost to the Void »

Yeah I think you are reading it the wrong way, it's not about producing a masterpiece.
It's, in respect to that Bukowski quote (and for me) about answering a calling inside you. A desire to create something.

I was making music long before I had any idea about releasing it, and I'll make it long after I stop releasing.
I make music to make music to make music, and once I have made it, I'm already making more, it's a part of me.
I don't really have that much choice in it, creating is oxygen.
When I am making music I'm IN IT. There is nothing else. I can only really compare it to meditation.

But I can't, or see no point to, do it for any other reason than I want to do it because it's in there waiting to happen.
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terryfalafel
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Re: Why Do You Make Music?

Post by terryfalafel »

Lost to the Void wrote:
Thu Dec 27, 2018 3:44 am
Yeah I think you are reading it the wrong way, it's not about producing a masterpiece.
Yep, I reread it and thought the same thing
I make music to make music to make music
Yep, understand this
But I can't, or see no point to, do it for any other reason than I want to do it because it's in there waiting to happen.
Yes of course, anyone's creative talent is in themselves. But mine is exposed (if there's something to expose) through hard work and lots of trial and error, rather than innate ability (talent?!). But despite not having a creative driving force like what's described in the quote from Bukowski, that doesn't diminish my enjoyment of creating, and learning how to create, music.

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Ben Kohonays
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Re: Why Do You Make Music?

Post by Ben Kohonays »

Skullrattler wrote:
Thu Dec 27, 2018 12:55 am
Because creativity creates meaning in an otherwise pointless existence. In other words, it's a matter of mental health.
This.
unless being still would
drive you to madness or
suicide or murder
And this.
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speen
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Re: Why Do You Make Music?

Post by speen »

terryfalafel wrote:
Thu Dec 27, 2018 2:08 am

So, what's the point? Well - I enjoy it. For me, it's a release from daily life. A hobby which enables me to escape for a bit, avoid beer, telly, sofa and just have fun. I often like what I make at the time, thought often not too much after when I compare it to music I love, but that doesn't detract from how much I enjoyed the process. And that's what is important (and why I disagree with the above somewhat, though I understand it). For me, it's just about enjoying the process of sitting and making something. The quality of the end result is important of course, but the process is the real pleasure.
This sums it up for me..

i got into techno and house and started dj'ing but let that go a few years ago and now focus on making music. the process, if it goes somewhere, is just so satisfactory. it's really a hobby where i enjoy improving my skills and a couple hours away from work, family, whatever..

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Re: Why Do You Make Music?

Post by [wesellboxes] »

When I was younger I really liked drugs and second to that was having sex. However, financial constraints and being a bit of a drunken, druggie idiot kept me from achieving satisfactory levels in either. Hence the desire to become a successful musician.

Now that's passed, it's better than golf or a classic car I suppose, though I did have and 6 year sabbatical where online poker filled the void instead.

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Lost to the Void
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Re: Why Do You Make Music?

Post by Lost to the Void »

terryfalafel wrote:
Thu Dec 27, 2018 4:01 am
Lost to the Void wrote:
Thu Dec 27, 2018 3:44 am
Yeah I think you are reading it the wrong way, it's not about producing a masterpiece.
Yep, I reread it and thought the same thing
I make music to make music to make music
Yep, understand this
But I can't, or see no point to, do it for any other reason than I want to do it because it's in there waiting to happen.
Yes of course, anyone's creative talent is in themselves. But mine is exposed (if there's something to expose) through hard work and lots of trial and error, rather than innate ability (talent?!). But despite not having a creative driving force like what's described in the quote from Bukowski, that doesn't diminish my enjoyment of creating, and learning how to create, music.
Well yes, I think creativity, or doing something creative, is a very important process for the psyche.
Whatever it is, making models, music, painting, knitting. It fills a similar headspace to meditation.
I think everyone can benefit from it, you just have to find the creative activity that speaks to you.

I dont think innate talent removes the need for hard work.
The drive to perfection, I think, is somethin that is you regardless of your natural ability.

I can't ever see myself thinking that I have "done enough" and then rest on my laurels.
It's like the old saying
"No painting is ever finished, it merely stops in interesting places".
There will always be something you look back on that you can improve. You just have to learn to, and when to, let go.
I think that is the sign of an artist, haha, never really being happy (for long) with the work.

Those artists that do seem self satisfied generally seem to be hacks.
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acesd619
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Re: Why Do You Make Music?

Post by acesd619 »

0dd wrote:
Wed Dec 26, 2018 8:15 pm
But serially, I dunno, I always loved music and felt it's gonna be really close to me my whole life.
I remember the exact moment I knew music was going to be there for me. I was very young and my father left me alone in the truck while he screwed around with some people for a while. Then I realized he left the key in the ignition; I turned on the radio and forgot where I was.
juodas wrote:
Wed Dec 26, 2018 8:53 pm
...go to work and do some musicz it's a bit of challenge but it's fun.
I work (sometimes overtime) but went through a period of unemployment when I learned as much as I could about music. I also developed my taste which is how a guy from Southern California ended up on this forum. I advise anybody to take advantage of any opportunity of time.
Críoch wrote:
Wed Dec 26, 2018 9:18 pm
Music is an unresolved puzzle in a 2nd language & its constantly on my mind.
Funny I often refer to it as a pointless puzzle. Is it really pointless though? Not if it brings contentment which is the real key to happiness. I suppose it becomes a pointless puzzle if passion isn't there.

This reply also plays into Steve's post which I didn't even read yet so there ya go.
Skullrattler wrote:
Thu Dec 27, 2018 12:55 am
I'd like to do more but I also would like to avoid tinnitus.
I often think of my hearing health too. That is a good way to curb being a fiend.
terryfalafel wrote:
Thu Dec 27, 2018 2:08 am
For me, it's a release from daily life. A hobby which enables me to escape for a bit, avoid beer, telly, sofa and just have fun.
That is a noble reply considering I despise television with the exception of a rarely planned Netflix binge which is so condensed that it passes rather quickly. I don't have a sofa either. It's either computer desk or bed. Sorry to the occasional guest who must sit on a dining table chair.
Lost to the Void wrote:
Thu Dec 27, 2018 3:44 am
Yeah I think you are reading it the wrong way, it's not about producing a masterpiece.
Yeah I think this can cripple a lot of creative people actually. Let go of everything and feed the beast.
[wesellboxes] wrote:
Thu Dec 27, 2018 10:28 am
Now that's passed, it's better than golf or a classic car I suppose, though I did have and 6 year sabbatical where online poker filled the void instead.
That is pretty crazy man - I had my days playing poker too.
Lost to the Void wrote:
Thu Dec 27, 2018 2:13 pm
It fills a similar headspace to meditation.
Funny I often feel like starting a session spending a couple hours playing with kick drum processing is more about meditation than trying to get a perfect kick sound suited for my preference at the time. I end up just mixing the hell out of it later in composition anyways.
Lost to the Void wrote:
Thu Dec 27, 2018 2:13 pm
There will always be something you look back on that you can improve. You just have to learn to, and when to, let go.
I think that is the sign of an artist, haha, never really being happy (for long) with the work.

Those artists that do seem self satisfied generally seem to be hacks.
It is very frustrating to be so high off a project after the initial session and then next day's perspective reveals how shitty it actually is. This is a good sign methinks.

...........................................

Thanks for the thoughtful replies. I was drunk and maniacal with my initial post but I think my intention was in a good place.

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0dd
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Re: Why Do You Make Music?

Post by 0dd »

Just to add, pointless isn't necessarily a bad thing. The whole universe is pointless in a sense. It exists just to do it, to enjoy the whole process. That's why we enjoy music so much, especially the kinds like techno where there's no bull romantic drama look at my tits money and gunz type lyrics. It's a state of being, a trance. It's primal.
"After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music". Aldous Huxley

acesd619
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Re: Why Do You Make Music?

Post by acesd619 »

0dd wrote:
Thu Dec 27, 2018 11:58 pm
Just to add, pointless isn't necessarily a bad thing. The whole universe is pointless in a sense. It exists just to do it, to enjoy the whole process. That's why we enjoy music so much, especially the kinds like techno where there's no bull romantic drama look at my tits money and gunz type lyrics. It's a state of being, a trance. It's primal.
Good point.

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Re: Why Do You Make Music?

Post by rktic »

I make music cause it allows me to express complex feelings that language won't cut. Explore places in space and time. Conserve them in artifacts. Learn more about creativity itself. Get to know me better. Put my mind at ease.

It's by far the field of work I understand the most. And which helps me a great deal to transfer experience to other areas such as design. At the same time it's also the field of work I understand the least.

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Re: Why Do You Make Music?

Post by Ben Kohonays »

RE: creativity.

I actually think this is why we are here, or at least, a big part of it.

The western consumerist society we inhabit tends to drum it out of you, and subsequently many people don't get to explore that side of themselves. This in turn leads to an over-emphasis on sex, as that is the primary method of creation - producing an actual being - and subconsciously we know that, so we compensate for our lack of creative expression with one night stands, prostitution and porn.

The capitalist overlords exploit this to their advantage - sex sells. Plus, all this chasing tail/hookers/porn costs money, so you need to keep doing that shit job to be able to afford to do it.


If you're not being creative you starve your soul of it's primary desire.
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