To start this show,a quote from a smart person must be read: “I thought using loops was cheating, so I programmed my own using samples. I then thought using samples was cheating, so I recorded real drums. I then thought that programming it was cheating, so I learned to play drums for real. I then thought using bought drums was cheating, so I learned to make my own. I then thought using premade skins was cheating, so I killed a goat and skinned it. I then thought that that was cheating too, so I grew my own goat from a baby goat. I also think that is cheating, but I’m not sure where to go from here. I haven’t made any music lately, what with the goat farming and all.”
Even God could not have said it better.
Is everything an imitation of something else? The answer could be a resounding yes. The key idea is this: Nothing in the field of creation is exclusive of the other. In simpler words, learning cannot be achieved without copying. Creation requires influence. We build from pre-existing blocks in all fields. You don’t need to invent the wheel, to ride a car…
Emulation/reproduction/copying, call it what you will, is the path to thick slices of bread and butter or success in show biz. The basic elements of creativity seem to be: “Copy. Transform. Combine.” There you go, the formula for eternal genius laid at your feet like a common trinket. This formula can be applied to all genres, and Psytrance is not immune to it either, but this is not necessarily a negative factor, this very trait has lead to the discovery of an entire universe of incredible sounds.
There is of course a clash between intellectual property rights and the growth of society. The justice system regards ideas as being independent entities, when clearly this is an impossibility. Ideas or memes are crucial to the development and progress of humanity. The public should be granted free access to all ideas.
A question that needs to be mulled over: Should all creation be free? Perhaps not, you may say, but why not? Think about this: The potion for eternal happiness could be found in some distant land, but if none knows of it, its existence equals non-existence. The greatest discovery in isolation is absolutely worthless. Nonetheless, bellies must be filled and until creation is made independent of the twisted laws of monetary benefits, it will sadly have a price tag.