The Flaws of Artistic Perfection

Link to Medium page: https://gabriel-92857.medium.com/

Not a long time ago, I addressed the technological advances of the 21st century and the tendencies that would become prevalent moving forward. The article was based primarily on positive technological outcomes, but as I took the time to reflect on other tendencies, I’ve come to realize a very negative implication of the topic. Particularly, I see a tremendous flaw in contemporary music artists, especially the ones who’ve made their fame on the radio and constructed an undeniably infectious relationship to production technologies.

In the 20th century, musicians had tough jobs. Due to a limited amount of taping tools and mixing devices, each instrument could often times only be recorded in one sitting. That meant that guitarists, for example, had to practice their solos many times before going to the studio and recording. They needed to be extremely precise with their playing because, eventually, when they were ready to go to the studio, they only had one chance to record. Therefore, there needed to be a great amount of dedication in order to perform in such limited scenarios. Musicians had to be masters of their craft! And, of course, because of the inability to perform multiple takes, art was honorably imperfect.

Fast forward to 2020 and the musical technologies have no doubt suffered a dramatic change in quality and availability. And herein lies my issue: The fact that contemporary music artists, as opposed to their 20th century counterparts, are able to craft the perfect sound through limitless mixing tools is clear evidence of the volatile and superficial nature of the music industry today.

Needless to say, the increase in production quality and recording capabilities are a tremendous asset in and of itself. However, it is the way in which these technologies are utilized and embedded in the artistic realm that present a major threat to our cultural development. The limitless nature of music production harms more than it aids the untrained ear. Examples of this? Auto-tune, drum triggers, beat samples, etc. The dedication and passion that was previously found in a singular take has disappeared! In other words, the quest for musical evolution is no longer a matter of originality or hunger for knowledge, but rather a careless and unchecked reality of technologies that were fabricated for the purpose of shortcutting legitimate success.

There is a clear result of this over-technologization that can be seen throughout modern popular music. Artists such as Post Malone, Anitta, Cardi B, Taylor Swift, and Shawn Mendes unknowingly indulge in this limitless capacity and produce content that is devoid of the rawness that was present in the music industry in the past decades. Their product sounds artificial, over-done, and futile!

Perhaps, one of the natural (and most dangerous!) consequences of this artistic ignorance is the ‘dumbing down’ of the masses, an occurrence whereby individuals are continually alienated and subverted into an alternate reality. In other words, from a Platonic perspective, the poor technical proficiency of popular music places people inside a cave where they become blinded by superficial messaging. This blindness can occur so prevalently that many so-called fans close their minds to alternate forms of music, some of which can be described as more thoughtful, engaging, and intellectual. Indeed, the existence of less popular genres such as classical music or progressive metal often become shadowed by mainstream taste so that their inherit value starts to lose meaning in contemporary society. However, one should not be blinded by false idols! The consumption of authentic music is vital to a cultural and ethical revival, one predicated upon openness and understanding of dedicated art forms.