I'm confused about my taste in music.

yamanya

Hi guys. I'm a 22 year old male. I guess it is fair to say that I have always loved music. From a very young age, I was listening to the charts. Furthermore, my mother has often told me a story of me asking for an Oasis tape at the mere age of 5. So yeah, I guess I've always liked music and it has perhaps been my favourite thing (along with soccer, maybe). I firmly believe that our music taste is to a large extent conditioned. By that I mean we are influenced by what our role models like, be our role models friends or family. I for one know that my older cousin - who I have always admired and looked up to as the brother I never had - swayed me from listening to chart music at the tender age of 8, telling me it was 'useless'. I refused to take his advice and kept on listening to pop music as I enjoyed it far more than the stuff he was recommending.... but I eventually ventured out to more obscure stuff by the age of 9 and 10, such as the red hot chili peppers and linkin park. Obviously this could have been a natural progression, but I do believe that I subconsciously took my cousins word and slowly geared towards more underground stuff. I think that this is something which happens with everyone who listens to music from a young age.

So yeah, there was nothing wrong with that, as I said we are perhaps all conditioned by our role models to some extent. Anyways, I kept on listening to music, but I never really got into dance music properly. I just never got it. I enjoyed indie rock, alternative, and some hip hop. I also enjoyed stuff such as the prodigy and faithless. I know they are considered dance music, but they are essentially the only two dance groups that I listened to. That was until I was just about to turn 14 and a mate of mine started making blank cd's, and introduced me to artists such as 'dj rankin, dj pulse, and dj cammy'. For those of you who don't know these artists, they are/were essentially a group of dj's who remix commercial dance hits and some 80's songs by speeding them up and adding vocals over them. I loved their stuff and I always listened to their cd's which my friend made me. I could be wrong but I even remember my friend saying to me ''I know you don't like dance music, but you will like these, they are different and really good''...... And he was right, I really really loved their stuff. I continued to listen to all of their stuff and kept on searching for similar dj's. Their stuff was popular on limewire and I always searched for tracks and artists there.

Now about me during this time... As I have mentioned, I was 14 years old. I was insecure, felt inadequate in many ways, and I was always out to prove myself. There was one day in school when I grew really upset about how my peers were treating me (and my general sense of inadequacy), and I rang my parents for a lift home. I was addicted to Msn messenger back then and I had a new friend request that day. It was this Dj in my town who knew me from online as I had commented on one of things before. I got talking to him. He told me how he was a huge fan of House music. He then started asking me my music tastes. He laughed at me telling me how Dj Rankin, Dj Cammy and Dj Pulse etc were no good, and that I was wasting my time listening to them. He told me house music was way better, and told me to listen to 'Felix Da housecat - Silver Screen Shower Scene'. I obliged. I didn't think it was great, but I went along with it and was like ''Yeah it's good''. This guy seemed really cool and I guess that I took solace in him while feeling all insecure.

Anyways, I kept on giving this 'house music' a go. I wasn't sure if I was really enjoying it or not, but I felt the need to listen to it so that this guy would like me and that I could perhaps 'fit in with him'. I still secretly craved commercial dance music, but I pretty much 'convinced myself' that it wasn't good and that I shouldn't listen to it. As I said, the guy who I was friends with was a Dj. I started talking to him about becoming a Dj. Initially I just wanted to be a dj for the fame, but once I started talking to him, it became all about being 'good at mixing'. So I kept on listening to house music, kept on avoiding the music I secretly liked... and I eventually got my first set of decks that summer.

So I immediately started practicing. There was a group of like 4 dj's from my town, and we used to all meet up together to practice mixing and in our own time we used to practice sets and record sets. Or at least they did. The reality was, I only spent little time mixing. Whether that was due to laziness or due to an inherent dislike of the music I was mixing (house), I'm not sure. I used to spend weekends downloading house music at certain bpm's. I wasn't sure at the time if I truly liked what I was doing, but I felt the need to keep at it as a means of proving myself and being 'someone'. In truth, it felt like I was forcing myself to like a certain type of music and a certain scene.

But at the same time, I was sort of growing to like it in ways. There were still times when I couldn't stand it, but other times I was accepting of it and quite enjoyed it. Nevertheless, I'm sure there were other genres which I would have enjoyed more at that particular time. But hey, I was trying to prove myself. I was listening to electro, house, tech house, techno, etc etc etc. And at the back of my head all the time was 'I'm going to make a set and I'm going to be a dj, and I'm going to prove myself to these guys'. I was always confused though whether I genuinely liked house, deep house, techno etc.

This persisted for up to the age of 18. As it was, I never made a set. I went off to college and I guess that I suddenly have just begun to accept myself over the past few years. I stopped being obsessed with making a set and proving myself. I'm considering making music now though, and by making I don't mean 'recording a set', but actually producing music. AND this is where it all boils down to..... I'm just not sure which music I like or what my true sense of music identity is.

As I said, I somewhat grew to like house, techno and deep house etc, despite forcing it to grow on me. As the years progressed, I grew to like it more and more. And now, at the age of 22, I can honestly say that I love all types of electonic music. I don't have to force myself to like it, I genuinely just love the vibe. Drum and bass, deep house, and ambient are my favourites, but in truth it can also include techno or just about any form of electronic music, depending on the mood I'm in. In general I have an eclectic taste of music which ranges from everything from indie rock to ambient house. But because of forcing myself to like certain music in the past, I just don't know what I truly like.

I just feel as if I have brainwashed myself in regards to my music taste. While I do enjoy drum and bass and deep house, how am I supposed to know that it's not truly hardwell and Avicii that I love? Am I subconsciously still forcing myself to like more undergrounds form of music because that is 'cool and socially acceptable'?

Because music has always been a vital part of my sense of self, this whole concept is very important to me. Music has influenced me and aspired me my whole life.... I would hate to think that my taste in music is in fact a complete lie. If I make progress in life or if people are impressed with my music taste, I do not want to feel phony. Because music is such a fundamental aspect of me, I feel this is something which needs to be considered.

I need to know if I have subconsciously forced myself into liking a certain scene or type of music as a means of fitting in.

Therefore I am wondering.... How can I find out my genuine/true music taste?

MagicMarker

Can I get the cliff notes off someone?

Rigsby

IMO you are over analyzing everything. It does not matter why or how you came to like a certain music. The important thing is that you enjoy it. It is natural and healthy to be exposed to all types of music. Some you will like, others not so much...or at all.

So my advice is to cease with the "why/where/how". Relax and let your concious mind decide for itself what it likes or dislikes. Your true musical taste(s) is the music that you really enjoy listening to, regardless of how you discovered it.

All music is meant to be enjoyed. By over analyzing, you are spoiling that enjoyment.

Birneybau

Wow!

Like what you like but keep on exploring. Try anything and everything.

Greenmachine

I am not reading all that.

Chazz Michael Michaels

Dostoyevsky is terse, compared to that.

thrashmetalfan

would you take a chance on thrash metal as well??

Dubwat

MagicMarker wrote: »

Can I get the cliff notes off someone?

Err, how about:
OP likes music but constantly changes his taste in music whenever someone suggests another (sub-)genre. OP needs to grow a pair and listen to what he likes.

@OP
Assuming you store your music digitally, set your music collection at, say, 1,000 tracks. If you like a new song, you have to delete 1 of 1,000 songs to add it to your database. Your database in 12 months time will tell you what you like?

SilverScreen

Greenmachine wrote: »

I am not reading all that.

I managed to read it in less than two minutes.

OP, listen to what you enjoy the most, whether it's chart music or underground music or both, but at the same time be open to exploring new genres. As far as forcing yourself to like something and then eventually growing to like it, there's certainly nothing wrong with that either. I find that a lot of great music takes a bit of effort and familiarising to get into. Just keep doing what you like.

Greenmachine

SilverScreen wrote: »

I managed to read it in less than two minutes.

OP, listen to what you enjoy the most, whether it's chart music or underground music or both, but at the same time be open to exploring new genres. As far as forcing yourself to like something and then eventually growing to like it, there's certainly nothing wrong with that either. I find that a lot of great music takes a bit of effort and familiarising to get into. Just keep doing what you like.

Would take most people at least 5 minutes to read something so convoluted and long.

kiffer

Greenmachine wrote: »

Would take most people at least 5 minutes to read something so convoluted and long.

With long posts like the OP the secret is to read the last two paragraphs first. Then skim back through it for any important details.
For example:

I need to know if I have subconsciously forced myself into liking a certain scene or type of music as a means of fitting in.

Therefore I am wondering.... How can I find out my genuine/true music taste?

Tells you most of what you need to know about where the OP is going...

but the third last paragraph fills you in on an important issue...

Because music has always been a vital part of my sense of self, this whole concept is very important to me. Music has influenced me and aspired me my whole life.... I would hate to think that my taste in music is in fact a complete lie. If I make progress in life or if people are impressed with my music taste, I do not want to feel phony. Because music is such a fundamental aspect of me, I feel this is something which needs to be considered.

The whole rest of the post is basically summed up in these last few paragraphs, to whit: I'm big into music but I'm also a bit hung up on what people think of me and my taste in music so I change it to suit others.

I did read the whole thing and there are finer details but they're just the who and when of the changes.

OP, imagine you meet a new person, they come from a world with no music, you are their only contact on Earth there is no one else around, they fly home tomorrow. What music do you play for them before they go?

the_syco

yamanya wrote: »

In general I have an eclectic taste of music which ranges from everything from indie rock to ambient house. But because of forcing myself to like certain music in the past, I just don't know what I truly like.

<snip>

Therefore I am wondering.... How can I find out my genuine/true music taste?

Do you like every single sort of DJ, or just a small subset of a particular type? I'm guessing you already know what you like, but are trying to justify getting rid of some of the stuff you don't like as much?

MadYaker

Christ almighty thats an essay and a half! tldr version from someone who has read it please??

Edit: just read the post above. You are thinking about it too much. Nobody really cares what kind of music you like so just listen to whatever you want. And unless you are a musician I wouldn't say music is really part of your identity.

yamanya

MadYaker wrote: »

Christ almighty thats an essay and a half! tldr version from someone who has read it please??

Edit: just read the post above. You are thinking about it too much. Nobody really cares what kind of music you like so just listen to whatever you want. And unless you are a musician I wouldn't say music is really part of your identity.

I'm starting to make music soon.

karaokeman

MadYaker wrote: »

And unless you are a musician I wouldn't say music is really part of your identity.

I disagree, I think anyone can claim music is a part of their identity if it means enough to them. Sometimes our outlooks on lives are influenced by the labour of love we respect in musicians, and how their lyrics define our perspectives on people, life, the world in general.

I still listen to Phil Coulter's Take Me Home a good bit, like now when I'm away from Ireland because as much as I love travelling, I will always reap the pleasure I gain when I'm back home and see all my friends and family again.

I agree with the previous advise to the OP. Life is too short, appreciate your own personal interests and do whatever you want, music is art and it's meant to be respected for pleasure.

Custardpi

If you're worried about your musical tastes being too influenced by what your peers have told you to like why not spend some time actively (as opposed to passively, hearing it in a shop or whatever) seeking out & listening to music your peer group hasn't recommended or that you simply haven't bothered to check out, while trying to avoid pre-conceptions on it. That could be anything from country & western to thrash metal, from avant garde jazz to medieval plainchant, etc etc etc. There'll probably be a lot of stuff you won't want to listen to again but the discovery process is all part of the fun & you'd be surprised what you become fond of once you listen with an open mind.

SilverScreen

MadYaker wrote: »

And unless you are a musician I wouldn't say music is really part of your identity.

Absolute rubbish. That's like saying you have to be a footballer for football to be part of your identity, rather than being a fan who follows football religiously. Listening to and absorbing music can shape who you are and how you live your life. I'm not a musician yet music is still a huge part of who I am through listening to it every day and even writing about it.