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Post by stormcrow on Dec 14, 2018 15:04:56 GMT -5
Here we go!
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Post by poppet108 on Dec 14, 2018 15:39:46 GMT -5
The Aesthetic of DS is definitely what appealed to me quite a bit. I like how there's enough room for creativity and experimentation in DS for stranger aesthetics to be more welcome. I personally wish there was more DS themed around history or world cultures, which is why Basilica Rift was so damn cool.
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Post by stormcrow on Dec 14, 2018 17:25:11 GMT -5
Good starting point. So I wonder if you listened and maybe enjoyed my last album about Tuscan traditions, since it's exactly what you're talking about. Here it is, in case you missed it: heimatderkatastrophe.bandcamp.com/album/hdk-27-vette-inquiete...quite an old album, that I recorded between my first EP and the release of "Yshnak". I was about to release it with a completely different artwork (a Leighton-based cover etc) BUT the label guys suggested to move to something catchier. They sent me more than one option, until we found a 100% fitting aesthetic. It has been a long work, but pleasant. I'm still wondering if my album would have sold so many tapes/digitals even with the "original" cosmethics And, most of all: do people buy that album for the cover or for the music? If people bought your albums just for the catchy cover...will you be happy as an artist? Honestly.
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Post by crystallogic13 on Dec 15, 2018 2:06:30 GMT -5
Judging by what I see on bandcamp, on the facebook page etc. I think there's a LOT of people in the community that is very very sold on aesthetics.. Whether it is a great looking artwork, or a custom release with some paraphernalia besides the medium, like a box, or extra stuff that make the edition collectible and others.. This can work both ways though and I think sometimes aesthetics even alienate people from the releases. Whether it could be just a seemingly low-effort release (10 seconds "artwork",obvious 10 seconds track names(track 1,track 2 etc.)) or maybe offensive aesthetics or tags.. In my mind as I've commented before, since there are usually no lyrics(great imho), the only two things you have to convey your world to your listener besides music of course, is the artwork and the track names. They should try to give you an idea of what the creator had in mind somehow and you have no other options.. I'll post again later since my mind is purplexed now
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Post by stormcrow on Dec 20, 2018 14:45:51 GMT -5
This is also right. And, since there are tons of releases each week, some very good music may get lost and unheard because of a poor artwork. In this case, and because we're musicians not graphic designers, the support of a good label or a good illustrator in taking care of the aesthetics could be a wise choice (maybe?). Let's go with pros and cons....
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Post by AndruJorj on Dec 20, 2018 22:33:55 GMT -5
I personally wish there was more DS themed around history Although it's not explicitly stated in the album notes, I wrote an album based on historical events that might be of interest.
The album was conceptually composed as a soundtrack to the Norman conquest of England, from the perspective of the French Normans.
Other works of mine under the Aufhocker moniker have been influenced by historical moments. Plenty of Aufhocker songs are based on real-world events, or directly influenced by them. History and literature are primary sources of inspiration for Aufhocker. Aesthetically, I tie my thoughts and emotions surrounding these events to the secondary source of inspiration for Aufhocker, and that's black metal. The marriage of history with black metal is one of the primary driving forces behind Aufhocker.
Also, European folk music. But, that's a different subject.
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Post by kiliancody on Jan 19, 2019 14:42:06 GMT -5
I think, as in any genres, aesthetics play a incredibly fundamental and inherent role in music in general, especially if the genre of music is highly, either elitist and/or underground. In the way that if "the aesthetics" of your person doesn't fit the music/culture, you're a poser, a fake fan etc. In a way, if your lifestyle is independant of the music you listen and the community around it, you haven't "understood" the culture, and in the worst case, you're in for "the aesthetics". I find this very pertinent in metal or rap (i.e gangsta/old-school) or really any subgenres which don't really pass as mainstream. or DS/Dark ambient might be the same, but i feel aesthetics play another role. The whole concept of dark ambient is, in my opinion, "to make feel/to create a sensation" or the auditory imagery that someone listening to an dark abient album processed can be derived from the "aesthetics" surrounding the album (like the cover art).
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Post by Lord Tetrarch on Jan 29, 2019 11:16:12 GMT -5
The way the album cover looks will totally determine your first impression before even hearing the music. It paints a landscape, and holds your hand through the mind of the artist. This is true with music of all genres. DS has always been incredibly preoccupied with packaging, with more and more artists and labels attempting to go over the top in their presentation. It is one of the incredibly intersting aspects of the genre. Here is a jam packed album we did back in 2007 (included pheasant feather, hand dipped candle, incense and a "nature gift" packed inside a black box (the same box used on Erang's new boxset in fact):
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Post by Naginah on Jan 29, 2019 13:12:46 GMT -5
The way the album cover looks will totally determine your first impression before even hearing the music. It paints a landscape, and holds your hand through the mind of the artist. This is true with music of all genres. DS has always been incredibly preoccupied with packaging, with more and more artists and labels attempting to go over the top in their presentation. It is one of the incredibly intersting aspects of the genre. Here is a jam packed album we did back in 2007 (included pheasant feather, hand dipped candle, incense and a "nature gift" packed inside a black box (the same box used on Erang's new boxset in fact): Gorgeous! We did a woodburned wood box hand dyed and waxed with homemade wax. Inside was a bed of moss, a pin, button, patch, incense cone, and a wax sealed antiqued scroll.
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Post by Lord Tetrarch on Jan 29, 2019 14:06:09 GMT -5
I love it Naginah. You can't go wrong with the little details.
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Post by thekeeper on Feb 4, 2019 11:26:57 GMT -5
I'd say the vast majority of DS artists carefully consider their aesthetics. I think the general idea of 'DS aesthetics' is already quite established, so we can see replications of this idea all around, but I agree that this genre in particular is deeply involved aesthetics, nearing becoming a modality of the music itself. What I mean by this is that I could see a point where non-music releases are equated with, say, DS tapes. There is 'the dungeon' which presents itself in different forms; our foundation is in music, but I could see a point where other forms of 'the dungeon' express themselves as equal to music. Take @lord Tetrarch's boxset. What if the boxset alone was the expression, sans music? Still pretty kool. This kind of relates to some discussion in another thread some time ago about the state of physical releases in the genre (I forget the thread title). We had discussed a possible future of music releases where the physical component is sold without an actual object that carries the music, meaning no CD, tape, record, etc, just the 'packaging'. Cost would (or could) be greatly reduced, possibilities in form could flourish, and the means of listening would be entirely up to the buyer/listener (burn a CD, dub a tape, whatever). There are issues with this as well such as profit limitations for the artist, but you can see what I'm getting at.
What do you think? Could there be non-music DS 'releases'? A cassette case filled with esoteric trinkets, wrapped in xerox art, describing sounds echoed from deep within black caverns, never to be heard again by human ears...
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Post by Noctis on Mar 28, 2019 12:03:39 GMT -5
What do you think? Could there be non-music DS 'releases'? A cassette case filled with esoteric trinkets, wrapped in xerox art, describing sounds echoed from deep within black caverns, never to be heard again by human ears... This is an interesting concept, sort of like the βanti-cassetteβ of the noise world. Transcending the musical realm to focus purely on physical ritual seems a bit counter intuitive, as it is really a musical genre that weβre talking about here, but I do think that there is certainly room for interpretation and with such a strong emphasis on the physical aspects of the form, I could see that becoming the focus of specific artists and labels, or at least on individual releases. I agree that the physical form and visual presentation is crucial in setting the tone and context of the work, to the extent that one might argue that the aesthetics and themes are in large part what concretely distinguishes the form from other types of synthesizer music. But to remove the music completely from the physical, to me would boil it down more to a ritual object, as it is no longer a vessel to hold music, but the object is an end to itself. I guess it boils down to the question: Is it still DS without the S?
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