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I thought I knew what underground meant but apparently, it is not what I thought it was. I basically thought it was good to great tracks that never made it to the limelight because they are not part of the cool thing that is of the day.
Can anyone clarify?
I class it as something where outsiders would find it hard to get it... so if you weren't into a specific underground genre at first it would be quite hard to find the actual music and the good stuff.
Underground isn't only just in reference to music, it's also an ideal, a scene (of sorts) and a frame of mind. IMO today's "edm" scene in America has little or nothing to do with the underground dance movement. In fact, I'd say it's the absolute antithesis of it.
exactly!!Quote:
imo today's "edm" scene in america has little or nothing to do with the underground dance movement. in fact, i'd say it's the absolute antithesis of it.
Underground = hipster
haters gonna hate =D
Totally disagree, although the hipsters tried to assimilate the underground ethos they were unsuccessful. True Underground will always be and always change.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jayvee
I'm just messing with ya :)
so it embodies being more individualistic, artistic and more free versus the formulaic and repetitiveness of mainstream; talking about music
Its about music that the great unwashed has no idea even exists, or has the capacity to appreciate.
It's simply music that the masses are usually unaware of and doesn't have any marketing pushing it. Truthfully it's a rather subjective term, listen to what you like and learn to dig for the best of it.
Doing what's not popular. Not because it's not popular, but because you like it.
Bravo, well said, my thoughts exactly. :thumbup:Quote:
Originally Posted by SirReal
I know the current edm has nothing to do with it. but with music being relatively online accessible, isnt the underground music thing kind of in a grey area?
If you don't know what is underground, you don't need to know.
I wouldn't worry too much about it, mate. If someone asks you to play some "underground sh*t", call 'em a dick and tell 'em to fuck off.
also depends how far you look ... there is still an underground scene in the US (I can vouch for LA at least), we don't go around promoting it as much as the mainstream EDM has, but trust me underground is still very much alive.Quote:
Originally Posted by SirReal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNLxYq18iE0
That's the part the Hipsters missed.Quote:
Originally Posted by photojojo
that looked sickQuote:
Originally Posted by Eliot Han
I don't mean this in an offensive way, but I think this is pretty on the nose - if you don't understand, nobody can explain it to you ;) I honestlly feel like that's what makes it so valuable to those who subscribe to that life.Quote:
Originally Posted by Patch
As far as music, anything that goes along with true non-conformity and freedom (thinking of RATM, etc) or anything popular amongst said circles would qualify - it's not a specific "genre" of music, but more of a quality that a music CAN have. Like a metadata tag on an MP3. Just because a song can be played in a main-room house setting does not disqualify it from being a true underground song. Same with the people - hitting up the main room of a big club doesn't get your "underground membership card" revoked. (I think this is the other thing that hipsters missed the point on...)
Underground is underground as long as it's not labelled underground.
What about L.O.T.U.G? ;)
Attachment 13737
There's nothing underground about Rage.Quote:
Originally Posted by LmnLm3
To me, "underground" is about music/art/whatever that's driven largely by the people making it and enjoying it as opposed to the gigantic corporate cultures that sell us everything else.
Don't get me wrong, running a club/label/crew/whatever has to be profitable for people to do it. And in some ways there's no better outcome than seeing something you love gain mass approval.
Staying underground–if that's even a legit goal–is about walking that fine line b/t not liking something just because it has mainstream appeal and not liking something just because it doesn't. Screw up one way, and you become a corporate shill, screw up the other and you become a hopeless indie kid on your way to becoming a hipster.
if you dont understand it then noone can tell you sounds like something am old samurai or or martial arts master would say. Its 2012 so somebody better start talking cotdamit:D:p!
Quote:
Originally Posted by enorjy
A genre being underground, means that it is not commercial.
It is not played on the radio.
Psytrance, for example, is generally underground. You don't hear it much on TV or the radio etc.
:)
Or vegitarian progressive grindcore...although that featured on fur tv.
http://youtu.be/Hreqn9j3PHI
psytrance sounds pretty normal to me, or at least what i heard of it
LOL, now makes sense why dubstep brostep is so bigQuote:
Originally Posted by boarderbas
First rule about underground is you don't talk about underground
Second rule about underground is you DON'T talk about underground....
You get my point :p
Anything that doesn't get spot on the popular media (radio, tv, game/movie soundtracks, 42342255 blogs) is underground in my books
First rule about underground is you don't talk about underground
Second rule about underground is you DON'T talk about underground....
You get my point :p
Anything that doesn't get spot on the popular media (radio, tv, game/movie soundtracks, 42342255 blogs) is underground in my books.
Some call it "hip" but I think that term applies to a smaller demographic.
Depends on the area and the local scene really. More than a category, it's just an adjective. Where I live you have what could be considered "underground" music/clubs which play mostly tech house/minimal and you have your "mainstream" electro/progressive music/clubs. For instance, I don't know of any place here in which they spin dupstep/brostep/whateverstep aside from the usual skrillex remix. So I'd consider the whatever-step scene to be underground here.
So I missed the mark with my example, a bit, but in your immediate response, Mostapha, you talk about corporate evil, and that's where the Rage reference came from in my head. And that becomes a good example - liking and listening to rage does not prevent someone's playlist on their ipod from being "underground".
Think of it like this, though - in big clubs, there are "Main" rooms that play mainroom house. There are small rooms that play dub step (ok that's moving to larger rooms, but a few years ago it was, and still is in some places), then in another room, or maybe at another time (3-6am?) there is deep house, and all the while, imagine the club has a basement - that's where they play "underground" music, so whatever the people want to hear down there, that's what gets played. The stuff that can't make it upstairs.
In a way, I always imagined that this is where the term originated. Can anyone confirm this one way or another?
Fucking hell is this what cheap controllers and free mp3s from the internet has done !!!! sad days tbh wtf is Underground LMFAO
lolQuote:
Originally Posted by R2D2
Counterculture aka genres with drugs in the title :thumbup:
If you have to ask though its not for you, not yet anyway.
Don't worry, it will come find you when you're ready. :D
Quote:
Originally Posted by enorjy
Normal and underground have nothing to do with each other.
Its just not commercial, and that makes it underground.
:)
+1Quote:
Originally Posted by padi_04
underground is where you start when you know nothing..
when you have some connections, knowledge and realize that you know only how to make music and you should make a living of it you then make cheesy pop stuff
Or you if you don't need much money you can stay in the underground
But i think internet as fucked up the underground. underground was based on secret. you should be introduce to the music by somebody who know more. you take time to understand and create a subtile taste for the genre. nowadays underground seems just like a marketing word for marketing constructed hype.
This means that whereas it use to have commercial genre and underground genre you have now a commercial part and underground part into each scene.
like hospital dnb for the commercial and billain or dj hidden for the underground part of dnb
SO Psy Trance being played on ASOT TATW or Tiesto CLub LIfe ( when it played trance) those radios are not commercial?
i used to do a live show and a couple gigs in NYC. And the title for both of these performances was called
"UnHeard"
it was hours of music produced by unknown music producers from around the world.
When i started my radio station, thats all it played as well. "Mainly because i didnt want to pay for the whole mechanical lisencing thing so we can stream music"
But the bottom line was that UNDERGROUND was the basic format in EDMusic.
This stuff sounds GREAT, but because not many people could be reached by the creators, it would never see the light of day (or sunrise at the Tunnel or Ibiza for that matter)
None the less. this is what i always understood underground to be. And today that still stands.
yea, theres a lot of "hipsters and hipster wannabees" who want to coiin the phrase UNDERGROUND for their preferance of music but these same people will think that about David Guetta's lattest track to hit radio
while telling their friends.... DUDE i was listening to this like 3 months ago in a nightclub so you KNOW its underground and i am part of it!"
/....... hardly even close
The genre as a whole is not commercial.Quote:
Originally Posted by enorjy
Yes, there are a few commercial artists. Skazi....Infected Mushroom, GMS.....Asterix...
However, the majority is underground.
The fluffier stuff is what becomes commercial really. The harder edged stuff stays underground.
What is wierd, is that even though its underground, the shelf life of Psytrance tracks is REALLY short.
Well here in SA anyways.