I think I saw the word “overrated” being used once or twice here, but it looks like there’s never been a proper thread.
Before we start, a couple of remarks:
1.) I hope this won’t turn into a type of “now band x sucks because..” thread. Minimal Wave bands typically are notorious underachievers, so if somebody in our world gets some fame some 20 or 25 years later, it’s most likely still a lot less than what they deserved, even if you think they’re overrated compared to others.
2.) Following the Yin and Yang principle, there will also be a “Most underrated minimal synth artits” thread.
To get things going, here comes my “favourite”, admittedly a bit of a low hanging fruit, that one, namely the band already fiercely discussed on MW and recently advertised as the “Roll-Royce of minimal synth” on Ebay, nonetheless they’re my top candidate:
Well, I think being overrated only partly has to do with the money.
Generally I was more coming from the “if you’re into minimal synth, you MUST like the following bands as they define the genre” angle.
Transparent Illusion neither paved the way for other artists - like e.g. Fad Gadget, Gary Numan or Kraftwerk did - nor do I find their stuff overall outstanding. Vortex and The Age of Ridicule are cool songs, but typically it takes more than 2 or 3 songs to be deemed the Rolls-Royce of an entire genre.
Having said that, there is of course a relation between being overrated and the related releases fetching high to insane prices.
Now regarding Snowy Red, if the records are part of a desert island list of yours because musically you think they’re the cream of the crop, then they shouldn’t be overrated for you just because they happen to be expensive.
Have to agree with the ones mentioned here with the exception of snowy red of course (I didnt read it as being overrated just wanted to stress that )
As long as I understand why people pay more for it then i would ever pay it’s not overrated in my book.
Transparent Illusion gets me quirky when it is mentioned as the holy grail again. I think André Szigethy, Scatterbrains and Class Info are other examples of “what idiot pays so much for that”.
Oh, and Paul Nova too. It’s nice but it doesnt tickle me on the M-spot.
[quote author=“falck”]Well, I think being overrated only partly has to do with the money.
I read that all the time, but it tends to be the people who can’t afford the stuff that immediately brand it as overrated. I know I’ve “overpaid” for some items, but it’s all relative. It’s still within my budget, so to me, I haven’t overspent, merely spent.
Funny though, on another board I post at, people call me crazy for paying the price I do for some items, but then offline, they e-mail me asking for a CD-r of the material.
Now regarding Snowy Red, if the records are part of a desert island list of yours because musically you think they’re the cream of the crop, then they shouldn’t be overrated for you just because they happen to be expensive.
I think I saw the word “overrated” being used once or twice here, but it looks like there’s never been a proper thread.
Before we start, a couple of remarks:
1.) I hope this won’t turn into a type of “now band x sucks because..” thread. Minimal Wave bands typically are notorious underachievers, so if somebody in our world gets some fame some 20 or 25 years later, it’s most likely still a lot less than what they deserved, even if you think they’re overrated compared to others.
2.) Following the Yin and Yang principle, there will also be a “Most underrated minimal synth artits” thread.
To get things going, here comes my “favourite”, admittedly a bit of a low hanging fruit, that one, namely the band already fiercely discussed on MW and recently advertised as the “Roll-Royce of minimal synth” on Ebay, nonetheless they’re my top candidate:
Transparent Illusion
I’ve never understood the attraction for their lp either, but I certainly would pick one up for “the right price”...
I read that all the time, but it tends to be the people who can’t afford the stuff that immediately brand it as overrated. I know I’ve “overpaid” for some items, but it’s all relative. It’s still within my budget, so to me, I haven’t overspent, merely spent.
Funny though, on another board I post at, people call me crazy for paying the price I do for some items, but then offline, they e-mail me asking for a CD-r of the material.
Hi eight6,
Now is that a contradiction? Not really untypical human behaviour, I’d say. If people offered you even more for your items than they know you paid for them in their emails, they’d be crazy. :D
It really all comes down to the question what an item is worth to you as a person, now some people blow their money on cars and women, others give it to charities and some buy collector records. Personally, I can’t see anything fundamentally wrong with people spending a lot of money on records compared to e.g. spending it on rifles, pit pulls and throwing stars. :wink:
Still, no price tag in the world will turn an average record into a genre-defining one.
Hey drama queen! You already knew I’m lukewarm about the songs I’ve heard from Paul Nova, so dont blame it on the thread. But you didnt choose to proove me wrong by sending the remaing material, including that one song that would bring me on my knees and beg forgiveness for my heresy.
Normally I wasn’t planning on mentioning Poème électronique and just wanted to keep them for our private little jokes.
Generally, I’d been more hoping for people presenting one or two candidates and explaining a bit why they think they’re over-/underated. But who am I to complain about threads not going the way they were intended to?
Good old Poème…top candidate for a “No hit wonder” list, that one 8)
BTW, I’d say a synth act that did get a lot MORE fame then they deserved are Soft Cell. I always use them as a reference to try to explain to ordinary citizens what you listen to when you’re into minimalelektronik, only to add “a bit like them, just really good”. :D
Now why don’t you just counter the attack by posting Paul Nova and Poème in the underrated section?
Did I say something about threads going another way then intended?
Now Reactor once told me in a mail that he rather likes to be referred to as a “Pinkneck”, as in short for “a Norwegian redneck who is exceptionally sensitive”. Spartak, I’m begging you to comply with this and stop calling him a drama queen
)