Hercules & Love Affair frontman Andy Butler has kept authentic, American house music alive and well with his NYC group for over a decade.
And in a recent interview with Clash, he gave his thoughts on the larger American dance music scene which, despite giving birth to disco and house, has always seemed to distance itself from the genres.
“I hate to talk about American consumers being so dumb,” Butler says, “but if you put out some freaked-out, hyper-agro rapper over the top of angry music, all of a sudden Americans will buy it.
There’s not room for subtlety, there’s no room for nuances, there’s no room for traditional components of good music, soulful music. You know, none of the warmth or emotion that Chicago house and Detroit techno had. It has no redeeming features. So, there’s my rant!”
Along with his strong words on American's consumer preferences, he also holds nothing back on EDM, something he sees as lacking any real musical qualities.
“Yeah, well here is my response to EDM: I have a problem with every aspect of it. I have a problem with the very term. But I know what Americans like and call dance music or EDM is a series of cheap tricks that are extremely software-heavy.
It doesn’t have any focus or concern for any basic concepts like melody or strong, interesting harmonic progressions. There are not any interesting vocal performances, and it displays a lack of any substantial lyrical content. It’s absolutely reductive!"
Hercules & Love Affair's latest album, 'The Feast of the Broken Heart' is out now.
[Via Clash]
Listen to Hercules & Love Affair on Pulse Radio.