An Open Letter: The EDM “Artist”

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Disclaimer: This letter was submitted anonymously and in no way reflects the opinion of Fresh Music Freaks or its staff.

Lyrics to some of the biggest songs of 2014…..

&^%$^%$#@%$! animals, put your hands up, put your fucking hands up, everybody jump, let me see you put your hands up, everybody fucking jump, bounce, everybody bounce, everybody fucking bounce,1…2…3… jump, 1…2…3… put your fucking hands up, everybody rave, everybody fucking rave, put your fucking hands up….

I could go on.

We are human; we need to feel. Music for centuries has been about the culmination of our feelings, our thoughts, and our experiences. Music is healing, joyous and heart felt. On the other hand, the moment you take the feeling, the thought, the artist, out of the music you take away the absolution music gives our souls. Everyone loves a banger here and there, it can make u feel alive at the right times, but it’s the true songs, the real music and emotional melody that will stay around forever

Calvin Harris, is a songwriter, singer, music producer and outright talented artist. You may not like his music but he is talented none the less.  If you don’t think so, well, you’re an idiot. He is the highest paid and most popular dj in the world. Again it doesn’t matter how you swing it, the guy is talented. If you say he’s not, you’re basically saying most of the world’s population are idiots. It would be safe to assume at that point that you know nothing about music, and should return to playing your “everybody jump” record and take your molly to feel something.

Djs today, still play some of his first songs as part of their sets, because they are songs that the masses connect with.

Look at it this way.

Harris holds a residency in Vegas, djing the biggest pool parties. One afternoon, he’s having a good time djing and he sees a couple meet, and hang, and eventually leave together. So, he gets back into his studio and writes a song about that experience. It’s a true genuine experience that we all have probably done at least once in our lives… you know, kinda like that summer love you had in junior high, all summer long. The experience connects and registers a feeling.

You can’t have a 14 year old sing about his Bugatti and expect people to identify with a kid driving a Bugatti…it’s not real.

So, EDM happens, and the perception is kids are the driving force of what the scene should be, which is completely fine, we all have to start somewhere.

To the point.

Being an artist comes from within. It comes from your experiences, your emotion, your memories; what kind of music your father and mother listened too when you were a kid, and what songs were popular on the radio through your adolescence. This is where we pull from as an artist. Don’t expect a bunch of young djs and musician to fill the void you’re looking for, it’s not their fault they’re young. They’re not supposed to know this much yet.

In finale.

Once in a while, there is a young artist that actually gets it. Avicii and Madeon, are examples of two that actually take what they know from their experiences, their past, and mix it with the technology of today to deliver songs, real songs. You can call them sell outs, pop artists, whatever, their music comes from experience.

When the industry or corporations try to duplicate and formulate these experiences to make more money…well…this is when you get EDM:

Emotionless Dumb Music. Jammed into our ears.