"One of the wonders of the world is goin' down, it's goin dow-own and out, it's one of the wonders of the world and no one cares and no one ca-ares." 

 

Is that what you were looking for?

Developments don't have to be dramatic to make a difference and I would question whether anything that was produced between '69 and '77 was ever truly new by the strictures you are applying (music theory). Early Prog was borrowing heavily from other music forms that were also constrained by the same music theory (jazz, classical, folk, etc) and fitting them to the same existing western "rules" - where they experimented was with song structure and technique - applying orchestral and jazz "rules" to standard Pop and Rock formats. Admittedly some 1970s bands attempted to break down the boundaries and create music that did not fit those rules by incorporating non-western theory (eastern/oriental, African tribal and even the anti-theory of advant-garde and musique concrète) but still fitted them into comparitively standard western structures and by employing standard scales and tunings; a few bands managed to dispose of those too, but in the main these were diversions and experiments that in reality were never fully realised or developed and certainly never generally adopted within the main Prog scene (of reasons I'll alude to later).

 

So modern bands, who apply similar methods (or use non-musical 'formulae', such as those implied by "math" in math-rock) to the frame-work that 1st generation Prog bands provided, are creating music that is equally as "new" within that same limitation. Yet others have stripped away all that 'embellishment', in much the same way as the minimalists stripped everything from orchestral music, to leave the primitive core of the music (whatever that is... a rhythm, a dissonant drone, a single tone, silence?) and then proceed to rebuild it by disregarding all the rules and limitations imposed by accepted western music theory (or by cherry-picking elements from it) and apply either cold logic or pure emotion to create structure, rhythm, harmony and melody that push the envelope of what is possible and what is acceptable... to the point where the previous generation can use the indignant "call that music?" retort once used to describe their own music. Whether the end result is significanlty different from what the advant-garde pioneers were doing with tape-loops and feedback is of course open to conjecture, but with all abstract art forms, it is often the method and intent that justifies the product, not the product itself...

 

Where we are seeing a difference is that whereas the true experimentalists splintered off into non-Prog areas post 1977, (notably into electronica, post-punk and industrial), now they are being "allowed" to mature and influence within the genre, creating crossovers into other Prog subgenres that I don't believe we saw during the "golden era" (because it was curtailed before any cross-fertilisation could occur). Conflict arises here (in the PA) because some do not accept the return of these prodigal offspring and shy away from their 'tainted' progeny for being non-Prog ...  the shock of the new resonates as strongly now as it did 35 years ago, creating a counter-reaction, (an anti-wave if you like), of non-dissonant vanilla flavoured "variations of the old" in much the same way as it did in the 80s as a response to punk and new-wave. Not that I would cite either of these as being "bad" or "wrong", they are both valid and both perfectly acceptable as modern Prog.

Personnaly I do not think that Technology per se has made much impact on Prog (yet) beyond production techniques, (except the synthesised mellotron and hammond sound of course ), there are a few who are using technology as part of the creative process, but to most it is but a mere tool.

 

 

 

that, or we'll end up with a cyberpunk distopia where everything but crunk rap or country is illegal.

 

Well said.

 

I'll add that any music that sets out to deliberately sound futuristic tends to sound very dated in no time at all. Take all those 80's synth bands for example; a musical form that set out to be futristic which now sounds more dated than just about any other musical genre I could think of.

 

What goes around comes around. No doubt future musicians will continue to be influenced by the past and existing genres will have resurgences if not on the scale of their original era; Prog being a classic example.

 

*Runs and hides under a table in fear of this bleak future*

 

 

Post-Rock is so far from rock, it could easily be called another genre, and it's relatively new.

This is how I see it:

What's happening now is that the "mainstream" is becoming narrower and narrower, with the big money acts (I won't call them artists) becoming fewer in number as record labels have lesh cash to spend on development.  There will always be a few mega pop/hip-hop/rock stars who will dominate the top 40, which will be easy because there will only be about 40 of them.  This is the dark side of the future.

 

The brighter side is, with digital music becoming more and more acceptable, it will become even easier for individuals to promote themselves without the help of a label.  The key will be niche marketing, and sites like PA will be a key part of it, and they already are.  Through simple word of mouth (or word of internet, in this case) an independent artist of any genre can connect with their potential fans without any need for someone to foot the bill.  In this way, we will continue to see a resurgence of independent artists who are just doing what they love to do.  There will be a much greater diversity of music on a more level plain of popularity, and fewer artists will need to compromise their vision for the need to "get signed".

Sounds true. If you really want to put out your music, you have way more chances of doing it now. I'm old enough to remember when it was a big deal for a local band to put out their own record, LP eh. IT indicated a certain financial success no matter if you were a cover band or not.

Now with Pro Tools, and home recordings available to many, it's often a question of will.

SO bands put out what THEY want, be it retro, derivative, unconventional or even totally non-commercial. Heck, some acts even pay for a small run of CDs as vanity projects - I did it 'cause I can.

Long live liberty to listen to what I write.

 

The Stray Cats are going on tour! Quality!

 

 

i have to agree somewhat, that some of the Prog Metal, and Tech/Extreme Prog Metal bands really are leading the way in terms of making music in more creative and insanely technical ways. Not to say it;s not happening in other genres, but these two seem to move pretty fast IMO.