You know how if you're really into music people recommend bands and artists to get into and with some people you meet you kind of nod politely so as not to offend them and never think anymore of it. With other people it's different. Some people you know you're going go out and look for whatever obscure artist or group they recommend. I find in that case it's always either totally fantastic or totally shit. The annoying thing is you can never tell immediately.

I have had literally hundreds of people tell me how great Aphex twin is including a lot of people whose music taste I totally respect. I have listened to lots of his stuff. I just can't stop hating it. I keep waiting for this Eureaka moment when I finally see it some other light. I have a personal theory that it's all a big emperor's new clothes situation. Everyone sits there listening to it thinking "How the f**k is this so popular? Everyone must be musically so much better educated than me...."
No-one likes it but everyone recommends it to everyone else.
Well maybe not.
Let me stand up and be counted. I don't like the Aphex twin. That whole cutting up samples into little bits and sequencing them seemingly randomly was done with tape in the 70s _and_ they manage to make music not just noise.
Just my opinion. This is what Blogs are for after all.

In contrast to that loads of people said "Nortec Collective are great." I listened to them yesterday and yes they are GREAT.
Very Great.

I should add a third category to the whole discovering music thing.

You know how there are some bands you know you will like if you invest a bit of time. You know this instinctively by the sort of names of bands you see written close them in books and magazine and everywhere else you see bandnames written down in life. I always try and keep a few bands I know I'll like in reserve. Delayed gratification so to speak. It sounds a bit perverse but when you're in a bit of dry spell musically you can choose one and get into them and it can be a real revelation.

I somehow maged to get through 31 years of my life without hearing any Grateful Dead. Today someone sent me some totally unsolicited. I've just listened to them and they are everything I hoped they'd be.
I'll probably go and get a wedge of their back catalog now and become a dead-head for a few weeks/months.

Perhaps not though.

Wickerman Festival soon and SYSTEM7 LIVE.
I can't wait.

Thanks for listening.
EdShift.
P.S. I Think Gary's on strike...