DrLumen
I must be getting older than I thought as I just don't have the patience for that. Is the use of software his talent? To each their own. Maybe if I were stoned...
 
I like the LED matrix though.

Everything in that set is his own music. There's actually a hell of a lot of talent going into music like that - not just knowledge of software but also sound design, arrangement, MIDI programming, MIDI performance and also the real time tweaking of synth and plugin parameters to give the music character (which is basically no different than using a wah-pedal for expression). A set like that will often consist of a huge collection of synth patterns, samples and FX chains with a lot of improvisation on the fly. 
 
It's really a combination of musical performance and DJ'ing. DJ's have always been criticized for "just playing someone else's records" but having known a lot of DJ's back in the days when the whole techno scene was relatively fresh, I'm well aware of how much talent goes into it. You have to have an astute sense of rhythm and timing as well as an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the records you're mixing to have a sense of the records which go together to create a mood and manipulate the emotions of the crowd. It's an art form for sure. 

I saw him a Sonar in Barcelona years back. He was on at about 4 in the afternoon, outside stage. He was great to chill, but I think I would have engaged into it more if it had been after nightfall or inside. It was after hi folktronica stage, which probably would have suited that outside setting and time better. He's always been a little different to whats going on at the time, that has been his own sound.

I like how he produced and mixed his first album in his living room on cheap hi-fi speakers. I remember him saying one time that he rarely high passes anything either. Although listening to his more recent stuff I would say he's probably revised his views on that, lol. 

sharke

DrLumen
I must be getting older than I thought as I just don't have the patience for that. Is the use of software his talent? To each their own. Maybe if I were stoned...
 
I like the LED matrix though.

Everything in that set is his own music. There's actually a hell of a lot of talent going into music like that - not just knowledge of software but also sound design, arrangement, MIDI programming, MIDI performance and also the real time tweaking of synth and plugin parameters to give the music character (which is basically no different than using a wah-pedal for expression). A set like that will often consist of a huge collection of synth patterns, samples and FX chains with a lot of improvisation on the fly. 
 
It's really a combination of musical performance and DJ'ing. DJ's have always been criticized for "just playing someone else's records" but having known a lot of DJ's back in the days when the whole techno scene was relatively fresh, I'm well aware of how much talent goes into it. You have to have an astute sense of rhythm and timing as well as an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the records you're mixing to have a sense of the records which go together to create a mood and manipulate the emotions of the crowd. It's an art form for sure. 

I didn't say that there is not a talent to dj'ing. I have heard some incredible mashups with inter-cuts and overlays of 3 and 4 songs that were absolutely incredible. I also prefer some remixes over the original songs. I like EDM for the most part but no one can deny that it is squarely rooted in repetition.
 
I guess I find his work to be closer to the electronic music of old. Sometimes when the early Pink Floyd, Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson, ... would step off into the deep end, it was like nails on a blackboard to me. IMHO, those explorations were more musical masturbation than music.
 
I admit that I just did a deep scan of that set. Maybe his other albums are different.

Unfortunately, much of the stretched out, repetitive "musical exploration" really requires some kind of um, well, medicinal enhancement to be fully appreciated.  Mushrooms were the door opener for me, weed, LSD or Ecstasy for others.  Private trips and the original underground warehouse parties back in the 80's (long before they got that stupid "rave" name) have made be look at everything in a different way (not just music).  Four Tet is a little too ambient for most of my day, but there are times when it's just perfect.  If I'm working and just want something interesting in the background, Tycho (or Tangerine Dream) is much closer to what I prefer.  Just not all the time!  I've GOT to mix in all the other genres I like - usually a couple days (or more) of one style then a similar period of the next.

I think the repetition jibe is a little overused tbh. Dance music is inherently repetitious and always has been. Not just electronic music but anything with a "groove." A lot of James Brown stuff sounds incredibly repetitious to me, doesn't mean it isn't wonderful in the right setting though. And look at a lot of Talking Head's early stuff - pretty much the same groove throughout the track. They would record repeating figures that stretched the length of the song and then bring them in and out with the mute button for variation. Almost like an early Matrix view, or Maschine. And how much blues music is basically just the same chords and riff, even across multiple songs on the album? 
 
Of course the answer usually comes back: they have the "human element" whereas electronic music doesn't. But that's generally something people say when they've never tried putting together a good EDM or electronica track. There's actually a lot of human performance going on, despite this image of kids just snapping together patterns like lego. That's something you'll do to get the basic structure of the track going, but after that there's an insane amount of controller performance and/or automation being recorded in order to humanize the thing. Even if it's just twiddling with the decay and cutoff knobs on a synth - there's an art to that to get it to sound musical, and it's harder than you think. 
 
Miles Davis "On The Corner." I remember listening to that the first time and thinking damn, does this ever change? 

craigb
Was in a pizza show last night and heard a cool song come on.  I whipped out my SoundHound app and found it was by a band called Tycho.  Great background music!  Here's one of their albums:
 

What does it mean to *be in a pizza show?*

sharke
I actually have that track in a couple of playlists along with a few others. They definitely have a style nailed down - I can't listen to too many tracks of theirs in succession because they start sounding similar (bit like Boards of Canada) but they're great in a playlist. Fantastic atmosphere about them. 
 
I'm still very much smitten with the music of science boffin Floating Points at the minute. He's got that mix of electronic and organic styles down to a tee. This is a great live performance. 
 

Amazingly enough, I have been listening to Floating Points recently too Sharke...compelling original music and fusion of sounds....

eph221

craigb
Was in a pizza show last night and heard a cool song come on.  I whipped out my SoundHound app and found it was by a band called Tycho.  Great background music!  Here's one of their albums:
 

What does it mean to *be in a pizza show?*

GOOD QUESTION!
 
S/B "pizza shop."