The Quietus: Surely, with a mode of music that’s as obviously reactive as dance music, the temptation to please the crowd must be enormous.
Jeff Mills: But the idea of people deciding whether they like it or not gets in the way of music being a way of developing musical creativity. Making them happy denies that. I eventually decided they had to be taken out of the equation. The music is for them but your intention should not to be loved by the crowd and to make lots of money.
Nice interview with Jeff Mills over on tQ.
I hope to interview Mills again some time in the future, when I’m more prepared, more knowledgeable. I hope it’ll be in person.
His set at Twisted Pepper the other week was one of the best musical experiences of my life. It had the kind of over-powering musical weight that I’ve only really experienced at the best punk shows, where you’re struggling to breathe and your heart is pumping and your body is moving in ways unrelated to your thoughts. It’s all just happening at a pace you can barely keep up with. You give up control to it. Punk shows usually last about half an hour, Mills played for over three hours. An unbelievable, mind-melting, life-changing night.
