re: #414 Walter L. Newton

Well, I’ve never heard that, but, I would agree. It has form, direction, the instrumentation and arrangement is detailed (and obviously played by decent musicians, not some sampling machines) and it’s creative.

Down side, I can’t stand disco.

This discussion reminds me of a conversation I had once over the development of hip-hop as offering a simulacrum of the development of art as that about which narratives were made, with the interpretation as that which bestows meaning on the thing interpreted.

All that was necessary was to remember that the MC used to provide commentary and explanation of the skills of the DJ and the dancers. Gradually, the virtuosity of the DJ became unimportant, as the functions could be performed by computer, and all that remained was the MC, who now had no point of reference for his rap except his own sorry self.

With a bit of fleshing out, there’s a dissertation in there.