Music how it sounds and how it is remembered

[Genevieve]

Listening to assorted tunes from the Drive soundtrack (modern throwback tunes to '80s synth/Euro/Italo pop), I find it captures the '80s vibe and sound very well. In my younger years growing up (age 0 - 4), living in a household with many connections to Germany (my half sisters are half German, dominated by the German media, living in a Dutch town directly bordering Germany) it was hard to escape the sound of synth-pop since as I remember, the sound was especially popular in Germany well into the early/mid '90s.

An example of a tune from the Drive soundtrack:



However, when I compare the songs from the Drive soundtrack to actual '80s pop, I find the music soundis very different. All the basic elements are there, but executed very differently. And the strange thing about it is, that I find these songs feel a lot more "authentically '80s" sounding than actual music from the '80s. Which should be absured, but the music on the soundtrack was primarily produced by people my age to 10 years older than me. Meaning, the music is based on impressions and memories of musicians, who like me, did not consciously live through the '80s and they've all created something startingly similar to how I remember '80s music. As if being a child at the same time created a similar filter through which we perceived the world.

I discussed this with a friend of mine more than 6 months ago and he seemed to agree, but his viewpoint was essentially identical to mine. So anyone, any thoughts on this? Do you experience the same thing I do or is it different to you?

[Jizz]

hah, brace yourself for the 130 grime debate

[AxeD]

I found exactly the same thing. Your example might be a bit obscure though, not sure
if a lot of people have the same experience in that situation.

I think it also has to do with getting the same influences because of the similar culture you consume. Your perception of something is often quite different from the actual thing. Same as 'we think people are our perception of them'. Although an entirely different context of course

[kay]

I see (hear?) similar things. I think production tools are slightly different now (we have more options) so you'd go about constructing songs/tunes in different ways so they can sound and feel different but effectively capture a similar vibe. I think it's down to the way we recognise patterns of the whole rather than just the individual components. Production values are also different now so you'd view what is made now as being more correct than what was made before - in the 80s it would have sounded perfectly fine to you.

Doesn't happen with all music though I expect because of certain nuances. Like when I think disco, I still think 70s disco.

[OGLemon]

I find the same thing when comparing house from the early 80s to something a bit more modern.

[test_recordings]

It's like Burial, he made his tracks trying to reproduce the stuff his big bro used to listen to after coming back from raves. It has the elements but it's not the same... people probably exaggerate the most salient bits because they forgot the rest.

It probably happens culturally as well, the recreation is distorted by partial memories, personal experience and corporate misdirection. I don't really remember the eighties but looking back at the time I was born the world was a fucked up place in a different way from my imagination...

[NinjaEdit]

The Drive soundtrack is the shit.

[topmo3]

dun kno what u talkin bout but i've heard songs from like 80's and 90's and shit that sound a lot like modern day music that i didnt think had influences get me