Okay, my freinds, my wife, and myself have attended two Hallucinogen [live] / Shpongle [DJ] events, and both times, we’ve all agreed to leave once the Shpongle set started up.
In all seriousness, we really just don’t enjoy Shpongle (like seriously don’t enjoy). But, we absolutely love Hallucinogen.
Yet, Shpongle seems to be the most popular pseudonym / style for Posford; of which, non of us can actually think of a reason for this.
So then, I ask: Why Shpongle? What is it about that style that people love so much? Looking at the Shpongle MySpace page, he has 13,000 friends. But, interesting how there is no Hallucinogen MySpace page? (or is there?)
Well, flame away if you want, but I just don’t see / hear / feel the “big deal” about Shpongle.
Am not a Shpongle fan either, but nice that he does a lot (for those who like it) I would also love to get a new Hallucinogen album or just songs (on compilations) or older tracks put on 1 CD which I can’t get hold of.
Probably because no one sounds anything like it, like even close to it. But I must agree as well, not that I hate Shpongle, but I definitly think others are better. YB I think is 10x better. Just my opinion though. Simon rocks either way, a musically talented individual.
It’s the originality. Once again, there’s nothing like Shpongle out there. Plus, in my personal opinion, I think that often times music like this can get lost in being super-digital. Some “real” instrumentation really adds to a song. But I also think that if you only use “real instrumentation, then you’re missing out on a lot of possibilities. So Shpongle hits right in the happy midrange.
Shpongle…Hallucinogen…Younger Brother….They are all different sides of the Posford-coin, completing each other nicely. They are just different aspects of the same creativity.
[quote author=“madox”]Okay, my freinds, my wife, and myself have attended two Hallucinogen [live] / Shpongle [DJ] events, and both times, we’ve all agreed to leave once the Shpongle set started up.
In all seriousness, we really just don’t enjoy Shpongle (like seriously don’t enjoy). But, we absolutely love Hallucinogen.
Yet, Shpongle seems to be the most popular pseudonym / style for Posford; of which, non of us can actually think of a reason for this.
So then, I ask: Why Shpongle? What is it about that style that people love so much? Looking at the Shpongle MySpace page, he has 13,000 friends. But, interesting how there is no Hallucinogen MySpace page? (or is there?)
Well, flame away if you want, but I just don’t see / hear / feel the “big deal” about Shpongle.
Give me Hallucinogen any day of the year.
You can’t really compare Hallucinogen and Shpongle.
Sure it’s the same guy on stage, but the two projects are really aiming for different things in my opinion.
Let me ask you this: What hour of the day were these Shpongle sets you saw?
The reason I ask is because I feel the Shpongle sound is really more suited to a lazy afternoon setting, where Simon can really draw the set out for hours while the crowd relaxes under the shade of a tree.
Meanwhile, Hallucinogen is more of a nighttime thing.
So what do I like about Shpongle… wow what a question! Where do I start…
You already seem to be a fan of Posford so you’ll know the production is simply magical to the ears… so many tricks and time-changes, they just sound exciting.
I really consider Shpongle to be “luxury music”, because your every musical need is taken care of while the CD is playing. It’s the perfect mix of organic accoustic instruments and digital synthesisers, and he pulls it off seamlessly.
But the main reason I like Shpongle is because it’s silly and funny, which is an area that Simon really excells at. So many funny samples, all mixed up and swirled around, I mean who doesn’t like to laugh?
Think of it this way: If Hallucinogen is music for your feet, Shpongle is music for your brain
What I’m starting to believe is that, basically, I just enjoy “electronica” (oh, how I hate that word) that I can dance to. And for some reason, Shpongle just doesn’t do it for me.
I own the three Shpongle albums; but, even then, when I’m in bed attempting to fall asleep, I’d much rather listen to Hallucinogen (or Talamasca for that matter) than Shpongle. I guess there is just something about my brain-neurons (in otherwords, my subjective state of “good” music) that doesn’t allow me to fully relax and enjoy the ideas presented by Shpongle.
Yes, I can appreciate what Posford has done with regards towards Shpongle, and for that he should be highly praised; but I just honestly believe that Hallucinogen is far superior. Simply because he took techno and trance into a new direction: One that I can completely relate to and enjoy.
I also do understand that out of all of the pseudonyms used by Posford are fundamentally the same individual, that it is the same aspect of a sole-identity; but the reality is that each pseudonym is discrete-entity, creating a unique style for a particular group of listeners. Which I guess at this point I am realizing I’m just not part of that “Shpongle-entity”.
With all of the above said, for some reason, my friends and my wife (as I am now speaking for them, perhaps out of turn) seem to feel the same: That there is a “something” more interesting about Hallucinogen than there is Shpongle.
And perhaps, Simon Posford should see about making a third Hallucinogen CD, and place a fourth Shpongle album on the back-burner: Simply because, I would argue, there is still a core fan-base for Hallucinogen.
[quote author=“madox”]Okay, thanks to everyone that replied back.
What I’m starting to believe is that, basically, I just enjoy “electronica” (oh, how I hate that word) that I can dance to. And for some reason, Shpongle just doesn’t do it for me.
I think ya hit the nail on the head there. Not all of us are wired to enjoy the same music. There may be overlap, but certain music just speaks to us more than others.
[quote author=“madox”]NB: The third Shongle album is the best IMHO.
I would have guess that, as it is the most dancey and Hallucinogen-like IMHO.
I’ll be honest and say that Hallucinogen didn’t strike me as much as Shpongle at first. After listen to Sphongle, it seem too ...‘simple.’ I’ve of course come to appreciate it and enjoy it almost as much as Shpongle, but Shp struck that coord for me is the more neuron pleasing of the two for me.
if you don’t like shpongle, you must not be human. we don’t allow aliens on this forum, please return to your planet…
haha, we havent met anyone who hasnt enjoyed shpongle. even people who dont even like electronic music of any kind, we’ve played shpongle for them and they’re blown away. shpongle is the essence of modern music, taking influence from all these genres of music and bringing them all together the way no one else can. mozart is great for what he did, but all his influence was only classical music, its all he knew. nowadays the whole world has acccess to any kidn of music you could possibly imagine, and Shpongle is one of the only artists i’ve come across that actually brings influence of all different kinds of music together, not just one or two or a fewbut in his own original and creative “Posford” touch.
Like also with people who argue that one shpongle is better than another i think that its completely crazy. there is really no way anyone can say that Hallucinogen is better than Shpongle, or YB is better than Hallucinogen, etc. The great thing aobut Simon is that all of his music is great in its own way, and you cant define better or worse with it. Its all so creative and original and enjoyable that I cant put the extremes on it and say one is betteer than the other. If you say one thing is better than another, you’re automatically dimishing the quality of your claimed inferior product, but i dont think anyone on the Twisted forums who really appreciate Simon’s music can actually dimish any of his music, it is all so great for what it is. What everoyne is trying to say is that they PERSONALLY enjoy one album or one style over the other, not that one is worse or better. People should just say, I enjoy the 3rd Shpongle album more than the the 2nd one, not that the 3rd is better, because its not better, its different.
i can appreciate that people have their own tastes, and thats completely cool, i still think anybody has to give mad respect to simon for being able to wow someone with Hallucinogen or YB and still make something as original and creative as Shpongle. there is nothing out there like Shpongle, and thats what makes it so great as music.
I have the “and the day turned to night” or what it’s called, but (just keep in mind that I don’t download music over p2p etc., only “legal downloads” so I might not have the opportunity to listen to the songs properly, or the different sides of the songs) I tried to get into Shpongle on purpose, but it’s too slow or so, and I’m not trying to say it’s bad, but I just don’t get the “kick” to buy it. I LOVE Hallucinogen and YB is also awesome. I can usually get myself to like certain music quite fast, but with Shpongle I just don’t have that feeling (yet ...maybe).
Now I found that it’s quite simple to get people to like music, as I know a few who say this or that music is crap, but getting them to listen to it for a while or me listening to it when they’re around will (most probably) eventually make them like it.
I tried getting the urge to like GMS etc., and I am sure if someone just got me to buy it I would soon like it.
simonh said that I should buy the YB, and since I bought it I like it a LOT!!
But even if I get to like Shpongle a lot, like many others, I think we can agree that a Hallucinogen 3 album would be AWESOME!!!
for me electronic-psy music (concerning ambient, psychill, psytrance etc) first started from Shpongle, and as several years have past it’s still my all time favorivte, there definitely is something in that :wink:
madox: If it’s any consolation, I didn’t “get” Shpongle for at least a year or two after I discovered them. I had the first two albums just sitting on my shelf collecting dust for ages.
I think the key is to find the right environment to experience it in.
i’m not sure you can describe what the “big deal” is, exactly. i think when it comes to music, you either see it or you don’t. trying to explain why you enjoy one artist to someone who doesn’t is similar to describing color to a blind man. we are all “blind” to one style or another, i think. haven’t met anyone yet that digs all music under the sun. as far as shpongle goes, you can rattle off a list of attributes, i.e. world music influences, changing time sigs, blending of the electronic and organic, and a person can understand these ideas, but to “get” the music involves much more than appreciating a bunch of reductionist elements. people’s tastes are what they are, and if you don’t see it, i doubt anyone can change that.
[quote author=“Ray”]Now I found that it’s quite simple to get people to like music, as I know a few who say this or that music is crap, but getting them to listen to it for a while or me listening to it when they’re around will (most probably) eventually make them like it.
Hahahah, funny Ray. I used to work at a factory where the guys played latin dance music all the time. I never got into it, never bought any. Funny, it took Shpongle and the elements of it in that to make me appreciate it.
For me, it was love at first listen. I popped the 2nd Shpongle CD into my player at work and listened to it at low volume while working, and was still blown away. And that isn’t even the best way to hear it! 30 other CDs from various groups didn’t have that same impact on me. It is tough to explain, it just ‘speaks’ to me. Like art, it is all personal prefference.
The Twisted Forum is a place for people with a similar taste in music to get together, so of course Sphongle (and Hallucinogen, and YB, and OTT, and…) are gonna get talked about. What I find interesting is the different preferrences people have within a group, say like some like a 3rd album better while other preferr a 1st or 2nd.
