London Grammar released ‘ Metal & Dust ‘ a couple of days ago and it is already gaining some serious heat from the blogosphere.
One of the most captivating aspects of the music landscape at the moment is the amalgamation of an array of different genres. New genres are being made and old cliches are coming back into fashion. There is an evolution of sound brought about by people becoming tired of conforming to the same genre form. Instead, they are compiling their favorite parts into one cohesive tune, new to the ears and a welcome change.
I suppose the same can be said for London Grammar, heralding a new dawn of refreshing electronic music by composing aspects of soul, pop, DnB and even aspects of Lo-Fi. There are some amazing artists coming out of the UK, as there always have been, with SBTRKT, Disclosure and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs helping evolve the stale sounds of 90s UK dance music and, by extension, the world.
I suppose I can understand the rebirth of the term IDM (Intelligent Dance Music) coined in the UK in the early 1990s that referred to an artist’s initiative in breaking the mold of conventional dance genres. And whilst the term sometimes frustrates me, it has some relevance here. London Grammar, along with a plethora of different producers across world- don’t you worry child, I am not referring to Swedish House Mafia - are evolving the creation of dance music into an art form with unique compositions and an innate understanding of melody and timing. Knowing how to press buttons on Ableton is simply not enough any more.
WORDS BY HUW NOLAN
WORDS BY Huw Nolan
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