this was playing on my mind, had to get back to it.
how to tell if a tune, or track element, has been written with authenticity of spirit rather than forced out.. intellectually implimented rather than emotively.. the whole question perplexes me in a way, its so vital, likewise answering it feels like trying to clasp smoke. I wont post specific examples bc its a bit callous, but for generalized examples.. think of the phase when 2nd wavers started trying to "do wonky", beats programmed off kilter to no great purpose, obvious purple synths apeing joker, ikonika derived squiggle lines lopped over the beat.. not necessarily bad production or wholly bad music.. and not simply derivativeness - as derivative tunes can still have a vibe - but more a lack of true spirit. I noticed (from afar) a post 2002 phase in dnb where they tried to reinject some hardcore via the old sample signifiers, but it just fell flat, like a calculation without spirit. Whereas Vibezin is awash in hardcore signifiers, and it works because the underlying hardcore spirit is so alive in him.
slothrop answered the question so perfectly really. This is so deep into human perceptive subjectivity that yeh u could say its just a good/bad taste issue. But slothrop exactly identified the process that leads to this specific creativity problem.. authenticity of purpose. i think every artist has or will encounter it, knowingly or not.
