Just got back from Summer break, wondering how I’m gonna give interest and subsequently life to what currently stands as a blank space and I really gotta say that I’m quite sceptic… Is this that what I feel as a stagnation if not a regression is nothing but the sign of the times we’re currently living / some calm before some new storm announcing the arrival of a new revolution/cycle ? Or could it be that I’ve ended up getting myself out of the game after so many years ?

Don’t ge me wrong peeps, my goal is not to criticize for the sole pleasure of it, but signs are numerous showing an obvious doubt as which path to follow as far as the current production is concerned. And this doesn’t only apply to the sole music field, but more widely to the various expression forms of the art in general, beginning with the cinema and more precisely the US industry. It’s been recently reported that US cinemas have seen a 10% decrease in terms of frequentation during the first half of 2005. This being mainly due to the poor quality of the scenari of the said big budget films which have hit the screens during this period. The latest being mainly no other than either follows up to follows up, revamps if not simply wanabees based on poor stories, this being the result of an obvious lack of creativity, imagination and, as a result originality. As a matter of fact, today’s production makes no exception as shown by the enormous amount of recycling forms within the said dance music area, with the help of an ever developped technology, as if it was enuff to replace the part of the human work/commitment. And the most ironical side of the things is that the current proceeding looks like endless, not to mention the fact the less elaborated it appears, the more support it gets as if evrythinbg had to get reputedly easy for the biggest amount of people and most preferably the youngsters due to the fact that they’re supposed to be easiest to convince. I would even been tempted to say how funny it is at the end of the day to have a look at the differences between what a vaste amount of DJ’s are listening home and what they’re playing in front of the crowds (ask any record retailer if in need of some proof !). This said let’s not forget that a pair of Technics SL 1200 doesn’t make a DJ, no more than a few productions despite what many people tend to make us believe in and, as well as a reputedly good DJ won’t necessary make a good producer or simply A producer, but the system is what it is and, as often said in France, only the customers are right. This being for much on the state of the current production seing people basing their works on the supposed expectations of the crowd but forgetting in the mean time about the nature of the crowd itself made of different people with their own individuality.

Althoug the matter is far from being new, I have to say that I’ve regularily been surpised to note that record execs obsession in getting nothing but what they thought to be easy or should I say by their conception of what is supposed to be easy, this being for them nothing but the search for the said accessibility by any means necessary with the results we currently know. And I would be very much tempted to say that this shows us the limits between music as an expression form and business and subsequently the differences between an artist and a businessman, letting to your own choice the responsability to say who within people such as Laurent Garnier, Dimitri from Paris, Louie Vega, Joe Claussell, Bob Sinclar and DJ Deep amongst others are to be considered to be within the first or the second category. MFSB