What makes a good piece of music is subjective. Everyone will have their own opinion and definition, and that's fine. I am not discussing here if something is 'great' or 'shit' and, to be honest, you should never do either. I always find it much better to simply say if you like something or not. It's all a question of personal taste after all.
But what if there is something that seems to be common to a lot of things that do it for us? I have been trying to describe what that element might be. I do listen to a lot of different genres of music but I find myself more attracted to a particular zone of accessibility.
By accessibility I mean how (un)comfortable something feels when you hear it. It happens to all of us: some music feels familiar and it feels good (but might quickly get boring). Or a song might feel absolutely out there and shake us quite violently (but we might struggle to sustain it for too long).
My zone is where both types meet. Where the weird makes the familiar interesting, when the oddity colours the otherwise run of the mill song.
I love discomfort in comfort.
When I write or produce music that is a guideline I never deviate from. Let's not be boring. Surprise me.
David Goffin 28 Jan 25
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