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The Question of the Month is asked of an everchanging group of artists; you never know who you'll find here, so check with each upload. 6 Months' of Pre-1999 QOMs have been enshrined in the AmbiEntrance Archive. |
Positive Feedback"What's the best thing anyone has ever said about your music?(and what are your thoughts on that comment)" |
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I read a review in Wire a while back that fully resonated with me. Clive
Bell, the author, said that listening to Lilith's album Redwing made him
feel like he was hearing ?not the event itself, but the trail?.? This was
precisely on target with the effect I'd been looking to create. His review
also emphasized my leanings towards musical understatement without ever
using the terms ?minimalism? or ?ambience;? neither of which are really
appropriate in my opinion.
- Scott Gibbons: of Lilith I tend to take both positive and negative remarks with a grain of salt. Like they say, if you believe the good reviews, you have to believe the bad ones too ;-) Overall, I find comments from most music critics to be superficial (no offense intended!) --the more interesting feedback tends to come from other musicians, and listeners who experience the album as music, not in the context of what's "cool" or the next big thing.
The best thing anyone has ever said about my music is probably: "Wow."
The best positive feedback is always when I play the music out, either
live or dj-ing. Watching people's faces when they get deep into the
music --that's always the best reward.
At the first Viridian Sun live performance, a girl in the audience came up
to us after the show and had something she wanted to tell us, but she was
embarrassed. Finally, she blurted out: "You music is SO great to make love
to!" I'd have to say THAT'S the best thing anyone's ever said.
I'm always fairly neutral about comments from reviews, but what I find very
touching is when I get messages from people who have bought or heard the
music. Just the fact of someone going to the trouble to send a message
saying that they're there and the music is reaching them is absolutely
wonderful.
Rather than any one individual comment, a few people have said that my
music has kept them going through very troubled times. I think thatās
the role of music, to make people feel good.
I DONT REALLY CARE WHAT OTHERES SAY
BECAUSE I DONT MAKE MUSIC FOR OTHERS I MAKE IT FOR MY OWN PLEASURE.I
NEVER CONCIDER WHAT ANYONE ELSE WILL SAY OR THINK OR FEEL ITS OF NO
INTEREST TO ME.PEOPLE WORRY TO MUCH WHAT OTHERES WILL THINK OF THERE
MUSIC AND THAT LEADS TO FOLLOWING TRENDS ETC ETC ETC DOING THINGS THE
WAY OTHERS DO USING SOUNDS OTHERS USE,RECONISABLE SOUNDS BEAT BOXES ETC
ETC ETC.I JUST GET IN THE BOX AND DO MY THING,YEAH FOR SURE IM
INFLUENCED BY LOTS OF THINGS WE ALL ARE BUT I MAKE TO PLEASE MYSELF.FOR
SURE IT CAN BE NICE TO HEAR WHAT OTHERS THINK ETC ESPECIALLY FRIENDS I
GUESS.I REMEMBER MY LAST TOUR IN EUROPE AS SCORN WITH THE PCM DJS THE
GIG HAD GONE FINE AND AFTER SOME ONE CAME UPTO ME HANDED ME A SMALL
LETTER,IT READ IT WAS BEAUTIFUL THANKYOU VERY MUCH.I GUESS THAT WAS A
SUPRISE.
Stephen Fruitman's review article always inspires me a lot and assure
good comment always contains unintentional suggestions with critical
sense. And Saul Stokes said "Good evening music"
That is one of the best compliments.
I've had some rave reviews recently and sometimes I get a little
embarrassed by them, and resolve to write better music to live up to them.
Probably that they the listener were able to personally draw themselves
from their day to day surrounding into a tranquil and pensive
surrounding. A real, modest opinion by listeners makes it all the
worthwhile.
This question is pretty difficult, because I value ALL positive feedback!
I had one person e-mail me about six months ago, and they said "your music
makes me feel good when I hear it". I've had listeners and musicians say
some very flattering things about my music- analyzing it and really
disecting it- but, in the end, the above comment seems to mean the most to
me. Regarding my thoughts about this comment, I'm very humbled by it. Any
time someone connects like that to what you do, it's a very special thing.
"Every time I buy one of your Cds, it takes a while to soak in, but once it
does it becomes one of my favorites."
Mmmm, not really sure and what I actually appreciate the most is the
honest and spontaneous feedback from listeners
worldwide. Receiving emails or letters of this kind supports myself and
the music much more than an average, according
to the book, written reviews. Of course, there already have been a few
interesting reviews but the strongest and definitely
most authentic definition I ever read was 'Whether taking form as rain,
ocean, ice or snow, the constant element in Vidna
Obmana's music is change'. It just describes beautifully and without too
much philosophy woven around it what the music
of Vidna Obmana actually stands for and how I plan my evolution as an
artist, sometimes calm, intimate and controlled, sometimes rapidly
evolving and expanding. Well, first of all I should say that I don't really care what people say about my music. Of course, I would rather have them like it than dislike it, and intelligent comments of any kind are always appreciated, but I will continue to make music to satisfy myself, so that I enjoy the process and feel like I'm challenging myself in some way. I tend to be most effected by the opinions of those close to me, my friends and family.
As far as specific examples of positive feedback, I liked the
appreciation of the spaces between the notes that some reviewers and
friends have expressed. And my favourite comment (both for intent and
comedic side effect) was from a French speaker who said, "The album
Djinn from your project eM really impregnated me." That could be a
complicated paternity suite... ;-)
The coolest thing about music, to me, is that it's not static in terms of
perception. Yes, a recording won't change in any appreciable way the more
often you play it (aside from medium deterioration, though I admit I sort of
like the idea of music slowly 'falling apart' as the medium ages, revealing new
sounds in the process), but the listeners' perceptions will. So, one day they
might think it's beautiful and moving, another day they may view it as
self-absorbed or meandering. I personally think this is the coolest thing!
So, I think the best anyone has, or could say, is that it affected them; it
perhaps added a little splash of color in their day of gray, or added a little
bit of gray in their day of color. The more I think of it, sometimes the
listener doesn't even need to be aware of it ... sort of scary but nifty at the
same time ...
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This QOM posted February 28, 1999