I have this ongoing argument with one my friends that we will eventually begin moving away from the hyper pace of radio pop music back to something more easy-listening, slow, and repetitive. The appeal of repetition has always seemed to hold some place in beat music, riding out a repurposed loop for as long as need be, maybe making a change or two along the way. Hip-hop circa 1994 had this down to a science, hinting at the change-up through verses and choruses, finally feeding it to the listener at the exact moment when they couldn’t have waited another loop for it. It’s like the final showdown in Western films (or samurai movies to be Wu-Tang appropriate). While many beatmakers have been caught up in the maximalist-approach-made-simple via a Macbook and the right software, dudes like Ohbliv are still holding down the groove, like a nod to the head-nod rather than a step toward the dance floor. I can only imagine that if my theory on pop music is wrong, it will only cause these bedroom beatmakers to keep slowing it down and simplifying it, in the face of a music industry continuously trying to find new ways to overfill the space between the MP3s top and bottom. Here’s to ohblivion.
• Ohbliv: http://ohbliv.bandcamp.com
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