Who hasn’t had the experience while on psychedelic drugs where time feels like yet another variable in the flow of sensory perception? We can measure lengths of time, but it is impossible to measure the rate at which we experience time. The mind plays tricks on itself, and sometimes we lose track of time, and at other times it seems like it nearly grinds to a halt. Musicians always have to work carefully with time. A DJ’s craft is frequently determined by a genre’s rigid bpm. Really, pacing is everything. Punk rock would have been nothing if not for its frantic speed, and similarly reggae was so successful at capturing the world’s imagination thanks to its laid back pace. And DJ Screw’s genius was to slow down music to bring out new nuances in his source material.
There is probably some existential ethic in all of this somehow. This Lil B track strikes me as the menacing threat of the consequences of completely losing control of time:
You can contrast this with Moritz von Oswald’s work ethic. He has stated in interviews that he insists on working at a relaxed pace, and resisting the temptation to rush his production. Waiting too long to get anything done is like being stuck in limbo, but working at a constantly frantic pace can be hell. A well maintained machine (a clock, for instance) must operate at a consistent rate: not too fast, not too slow. In the end, good timing probably counts for everything.
this kid is such a trip
i still don’t know what to make of him, but he is clearly a force to behold, and i can’t help but be endlessly fascinated by his output.
[...] a previous post I mentioned how I admired Moritz von Oswald’s work ethic. Well, this was the interview I was [...]