there has been some talk about the stagnation of music lately; also, there has been the opinion that the evolution of music has reached a final stage, and that no new genres, styles, bigger concepts and bigger changes in music are possible anymore. that everything has been their already in some way, and is there, and not much new can come after this present point of music. from a rational point this is of course laughable; and reminds one of those scientists in the middle ages, in the victorian ages, or way before that maybe, who also thought that 'everything was discovered' already, all riddles of the universe solved - only to be disproven by the decades to come. if you think there could be no new musical concepts, genres, fields - this like a man aroun galileo's time thinking that nothing would come anymore after the theory that the sun revolves around the earth, as this is somewhat a "final point" in science.
but it must be said, that the musical evolution has really somewhat stagnated in the 1 or 2 decades. there is no "that" groundbreaking new style or new movement. the music that is listened to these days belongs mostly to categories that are around for more than 20 years already: rock, techno, hiphop... that would've been as if the 60s youth hadn't listened to the doors and jefferson airplane, but only to the same music as their parents, or maybe grandparents, did. no rebellious youth movement in sight! no call for utopia, musically or politically.
this tendency is then somewhat used as a proof that no music of a completely new character is possible anymore. if it was, why didn't it evolve in the last decades?
so what is the truth about this? it is that new music, completely new genres, completely new concepts, are very much possible, they are definately possible. and they are actually not hard to come by with. a new music movement could easily be created.
okay, so how does one arrive at new music?
easy. just use your mind. your ability to reason. think of how new music could be possible, how new music would be. analyse it, reflect it, ponder on it. or, more exactly: try to think of what wasn't there before. what defines the music that has been around? what could be done elsewise? what would be "new"? what was overlooked so far? what has not been tried out yet?
and, more exactly, you will see that most music so far has followed rules; and a lot of them have not been broken that much yet; get rid of the rules and you can create new music as easy drinking a glass of water.
and, even more exactly, these are for example the rhytms and time signatures, that are beeing followed rigidly so far. there are not much techno tracks with a 7/9 rhythm, yes? or that slow down and speed up while they play? now, 7/9 techno would not that be of a complete "new genre". but it would be already a nice change. this was just exploring one concept - the rhythm - and the rest stayed the same, which is why it's not that groundbreaking yet. get rid of all, or most rules - and the new sound is there.
look at all concepts in music. reflect them, criticise them, change them, move ahead from then. then you have new music.
so, the question is, when the evolution, or revolution of music is done as "easily" - be sure, the task might harder than it looks - why, oh why, has it not been done already? are all producers stupid or what. no, they are not stupid. but after the last revolution in music; with genres like techno, rave, hardcore, ambient, there has been a massive anti-intellectual current in the music scenes. *thinking* of musical concepts, intellectualizing music, analysing it and reflecting it is seen as highly suspicious. there is a current that music must not be intellectual, but emotional, physical, for dancing, for feelings, and not food for your heads, for the intellect. it should be said that emotion, "fun", and partying is not contradictionary in essence, to the contrary. techno was intellectual music at first, and it made a million ravers go nuts on the dancefloor.
so, yes, the move right now is that music should be "emotional", as in indie pop ballads about sad, sad topics of life(i use sarcasm here), or pre-cut formula based house music that is for "partying" or "clubbing" and dancing. that is not reflected or intellectual.
but, this is where the change begins. music has to be intellectual in origin, in intention, in mode again. it has to be smart again.
so, start your head, feed your mind, think, debate, question, criticse. and new music will come to you easily.
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