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by hresvelgr 1703 days ago
> That was my immediate impression of his music. It feels strangely cold and extremely "produced",

Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins is an example of someone who has both the talent and the taste for making great music in my opinion. There's a really old video of him shredding like a madman [1] completely off the dome which shows he has very good command of his guitar. He's not in the same sphere as Jacob Collier mind you but here me out. If you compare that video with the music he wrote in the pumpkins, it is very restrained. He knew when to exercise the full range of his skills and when to dial it back. Having learned a lot of pumpkins songs on guitar, it is clear to me that he favoured what sounded better and was more impactful over what appeared skillful.

There's another video of him in 2012 [2] where he talks about influential music coming from the internet and people in their desktop studios, not from guys with guitars trying to make it big. Beyond his talent he had a very keen eye for how music was evolving. Having talent is one thing, being able to contextualise your work, and others work accurately in the arena of the world is a quality that very few people possess and in my opinion is required for producing truly influential and impactful work.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hYPo2py77A

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C7NCpfUC90

2 comments

> he talks about influential music coming from the internet and people in their desktop studios, not from guys with guitars trying to make it big

That's a great clip. You might enjoy some of what people have been doing with their desktop studios and guitars in the last few years. Two that immediately come to mind are Tim Henson [1] (already pretty well-known in the guitar world as part of Polyphia) and Manuel Gardner-Fernandes [2].

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkHD4OVjS4E

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLCtH0KAY8Q

I cannot leave a comment of bedroom producers go without a mention of judd madden.

Probably quite out there (doom/drone/stoner) for most people but his music has always struck me as incredibly from the heart and not some noodling to impress others.

https://juddmadden.bandcamp.com/album/float

https://juddmadden.bandcamp.com/album/artesian

Another person in the same vein: Tim Finn. Able to dial it back at will and to let it shine when needed.