There are few groups and individuals in electronic music who we can all consider fufill the “legend” status. Daft Punk, Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, and Giorgio Moroder come to mind. Another legend that has been out of the spotlight for the past five years but is finally making their well deserved comeback is The Chemical Brothers.
However, they’re not happy about the climate they’re re-entering.
Speaking with The Guardian, the duo lamented on the current state of dance music and its bland reimagining of popular sounds.
“We played in America recently and every record sounded like Benny Benassi,” says [Ed] Simons. “I know that sounds like your dad wandering into Top of the Pops and saying it all sounds the same, but it did all sound the same.”
Anyone who visited EDC’s main stage this year can attest to the fact that there’s little diversity when it comes to the top artists, who have all branded themselves on a certain crossover sound – in spite of the majority of them saying something akin to “I want to do something different.”
Most of those top acts have residencies in Vegas outside of their strict tour schedule, but The Chemical Brothers wouldn’t want any of that.
On the possibility of having a residency in Las Vegas:
“If we really wanted to we probably still could but I think it would be soul-destroying,” [says Tom Rowlands.] It’s a mad old world, that world. It does feel alien.”
Although the duo might be subject to criticisms about their age and legacy in the scene, their own criticisms bear some merit. And while I’m the first person to defend current EDM in the sense that it’s not just the main stage, I have a feeling that that’s all that The Chemical Brothers were exposed to.
Perhaps they should spend a weekend at a festival with a more broad selection, like Electric Forest or even the newly minted One Tribe. Don’t let Vegas define your entire interpretation of electronic music.
Read the whole interview on The Guardian.
