[H&R] ~*

[josephgray at grauwald.com]

Philosophy

Squarepusher holds the belief that the machines used to make music hold
just as much influence on the music as the users do themselves, and that
humans do not control these machines independently; we hold the same
mutual creative capacity as they do. He says that the restraints musical
instruments held in the past were quintessential to music composition and
that the insignificance of modern classical music, as a result of new
technology, exposes this point. This, he says, is why machines themselves
now contribute so much influence to musical composition.[1]

In his view, our common delusion that only we humans are the sole cause of
the creative process resulting with the machine resisting the composer's
will, hindering the process of creation. When the machine is unable to
collaborate, it works against its user. In his view, the violent
domination of machines produces "artifacts of human stupidity, not art."
He says this originates from our inherent desire to control everything,
even the prevention of death. This desire to be "controllers" works
against us in every instance it can be found. The artists become
frustrated that their machine will not cooperate, and this, as
Squarepusher claims, is the reason why so many artists have died young,
gone insane or committed suicide.[1]

Artists try to represent themselves in their music in an attempt to live
after death. As modern music incorporates technology more and more,
Jenkinson observes that musicians are the first group of creative society
to represent themselves with machines. Our desire to be superior to
machines, combined with the reality that we are not, creates human
jealousy of machines; thus they become the greatest object of human
desire.[1]

Jenkinson's view is that the commercialization of machines is merely an
attempt to dominate them, by possessing them as mere fashion
accessories.[1]


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squarepusher