But to the point, the thread is about mainstream guitar playing going away. So I was talking about mainstream electro. Surely there are deeply satisfying electronic music out there if you dig.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnXVIsMimHY (a gem of prog trance)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyORieDhpkg (dark electronic jazz)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rk1K5Mmnbg (black metal + breakbeat + classical)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2GDEKCIVTE (amazing psy chill album)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQKsuZ5a3_U
To illustrate how Electronic Music enables you to achieve a wide range of possibilities I've chosen these 2 songs from the same band:
- https://soundcloud.com/isqamusic/6_tree-eater (can't describe)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iBaQrDW544 (dark ambient)
- https://soundcloud.com/crazy_astronaut/funky-shit-2014-with-... (well made mainstrean-ish hitech + dubstep)
- https://soundcloud.com/lucasnassar/toadstool-yamavoodoom-cel... (psycore)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyiB_rkob8o (mainstrean-ish well made dubstep)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tb0CwlQW0M (drum and bass)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBUi-ZYN4QM (trip hop)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwuOHgateiw (Synthpop / futurepop / EBM)
(And beyond that, there's the harsh/industrial genres, but I can't think of anything I'd recommend for this discussion.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgzjFCXCA8g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WTxC8wnXQo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnXVIsMimHY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw5AiRVqfqk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7bKe_Zgk4o&index=5&list=RDX...
The trance stuff is not that "below" in quality, it's more of the "subjective opinion" thing that's not to taste, if not a reaction to automatically associate "trance == bad".
It's not like I linked to some cheesy GOA stuff. If you look at those "trance" pieces, the craftmanship and complexity is obvious, sometimes to the point that some "higher-quality" Aphex Twin part is just quick farting around with the equipment.
In any case, not knowing what the parent would be interested in, I tried to go for a wider variety. If they were for 70s prog rock for example and "epic" stuff, they might appreciate the Infected Mushroom stuff more.
But this is just like, my opinion :)
I can assure you that Shpongle, for one, are nothing like "gym music" or "1000 other trance or rave songs", and have very much complexity and depth (not to mention compositional chops). And it was my younger brother (a conservatory artist and professional orchestra player) that pointed me at them, and he very much admires their rhythmic, melodic and harmonic complexity. It's nothing like assorted arpeggiator patterns above a kick drum, and I think most of your reservations is because of some response against cheesy trance which is totally misapplied here.
(In fact even when most people legitimately identify cheesy trance -- which most of it is anyway -- they are still totally fine for "serious" techno works that have 1/10th the complexity and depth. Because, supposedely, one is "party music" and the other is somber "cerebral" stuff that's Pitchfork friendly).
Autechre definitely have a unique aesthetic but all of their music is mostly tinkering and happy accidents (they are non-musicians in the traditional sense), and all the complexity is "accidental" complexity triggered from merging layers of experiments.
Autechre have moved into very experimental stuff lately, which I don't dig as much as their early stuff even though one has to admire their coherence and attitude. They are very serious and spend a lot of time trying new stuff. Their early stuff had the perfect amount of glitchy noises and melody for me. Nothing accidental about those records, they were perfectly planned and executed. Even the stuff they do know I think it's very deliberate even if it's a lot more abstract and difficult to listen to.
Talking about musicians in the traditional sense is usually nonsensical in modern music. What's a musician in the traditional sense? a classical pianist? half of the best punk bands could barely play, still made good songs. Many electronic musicians can't play a traditional instrument, is that what you mean "not in the traditional sense"? Their instrument is the computer. If you claim that they don't know music because they don't have a classical degree or can do guitar solos, it's nonsense at this point.
ps: here's a gift https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj3GkvFIqSc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn16TZ2H1Fw
(note, needs to be played as loud as you can get away with!)
Probably because you don't listen much.
There are subtleties in electronic music pieces that go several levels beyond jazz even -- in timbre, rhythm, harmony etc. Compared to something like 70s rock, there's no contest even.
You wont find those in EDM charts though.