Mocky's music has always been a blend of live and electronic instrumentation, but, recently, he leaned a little more towards techno. However, his definition of techno is a little different than that of the widely-accepted genre-labeling term. No, to him, techno is more than bleeps and bloops, it is an acceptance of new technologies in the creation of music. For instance, Mocky talks about how "Frank Sinatra was the first techno artist. Now that might seem counterintuitive, but he was among the first generation of singers who didn't have to fill a hall with his unamplified voice. He was able to just use the latest technology and explore a nuance or character in the studio." While that is partially true (there were other singers who used microphones prior to that point in time), he makes an interesting point.
To Mocky, musical innovation isn't so much about being futuristic as it is about being timeless. He says that even new technology can date itself, which is an intriguing concept, to say the least. Think about it, the mellotrons of the '60s, the vocoders and talk boxes of the '70s, the digital synthesizers of the '80s were all amazing new technologies at the time, but, when you hear them in a certain context, it becomes instantly clear what time period they are from. Even huge, majestic pipe organs harken right back to the baroque era. That said, innovation isn't as much in the medium as it is in the style itself.
What are you listening to tonight?
