Great thread! This same discussion has been going on the Beyond Electronic Music list, but the argument is centered around the Berlin School artist's of the '70s like Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, Klaus Schultze. I keep asking myself "who is derivative?", "who thinks it is derivative?", and "why is it thought to be derivative?" And the answer seems to be "it depends." My own music has been compared to a number of electronic artists who were classic in their day but whose output beyond those classic days is considered to be "dated" or "derivative" according to certain sources. Luckily that moniker has not been reapplied to my music. Most reviews have been on its own merits. I also do not possess the capability musically to emulate my classic heros. I can play my own music fairly well, and tend to murder anyone elses. So even if I was stuck with a "derivative" label, it is because I have stumbled there as part of my personal musical development, not because I was aiming there in the first place. I recently heard something on the radio and thought "that sounds like me." Come to find out, it was Ulrich Schnauss whom I had never heard of, who I'm sure has never heard my stuff. But there we are, sharing the same musical space. He's about half my age. Do we share similar influences? Probably (I like the past musically but prefer to dwell in the present). In the same way? Probably not. Same signposts, different roads. Besides tribute and cover bands, does anyone really strive to sound like band X, Y & Z? I doubt it. Do we all struggle to be unique and relevent and the same time? Probably. Do we all succeed? No. But that's what makes this so much fun;^) -Jim www.touchxtone.com www.myspace.com/jimcombs > > From: Amazing Lizardos <lizardos@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > Date: 2006/01/26 Thu PM 12:53:56 EST > To: <atlantaprog@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> > Subject: [atlantaprog] Re: Stumbled across this essay... > > A collector featured in the Living section of the AJC today thinks country > music died in the 50's and Louis Armstrong peaked in 1929. > > Now the writer Alan sent us thinks prog rock mostly died after the 70's and > made interesting arguments for his case on the state of prog rock. > > I find these views to be somewhat fatalistic and definitely "nostalgic" in > their bent. > > Was everything really better in the good old days? Or is the palette > constantly changing? > > > Come on now, silence is deafening! > > Lizardo > > > -Jim www.touchxtone.com