Jump to content

What is IDM/Organic?


Walter Wonkite

Recommended Posts

So this is a tough one to tackle honestly, because Organic/IDM music varies very greatly in it's styles of production, sounds, and flows throughout tunes. The easiest ways to spot Organic/IDM is through the many uses of psychedelic soundscapes that are produced with a great depth of sound and essentially take you on a journey. This style of music is very unrestricted by tempo, and as such will be the most BPM lax of the midtempo section. There are typically very organic sound samples (hence the name) such as water dripping, birds, and other various aspects of nature, which seems to be a recurring inspirational theme for this genre. Wobbly basslines can dominate the soundscape, but rarely will it appear as being the driver of the song. There can be plenty of strange chopped up vocal samples , drips, drops, bleeps, bloops, and basically anything else that will amount to borderline sensory overload. 

some examples of IDM/ Organic

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Wolf
Link to comment
On 3/2/2023 at 8:23 AM, Wolf said:

never heard of it personally.

I read an article from an artist or somewhere once (unfortunately I can't find rn) that helped me understand music around a 140 BPM with "organic sound samples" & psychedelic heavy bass electronic sounds could fall under Psy Bass.  It made sense to me as I was looking for a genre to place a lot of music like this.  After you posted your response I searched the internet for anything that could back this up and found many of the internet music sites have Psy Bass as a genre, however, not all of them fall under my above description.  I was surprised because I've been sold on this title as a genre.  Even though I couldn't find a lot of evidence it makes a lot of sense to me as there is tons of music like this that approximately falls under a 140 BPM.  Which would pull it out of Midtempo.  It also makes logical sense to me with the mutation of Psychedelic Electronic music i.e. Psytrance, Psybient, Psy Chill, Psydub etc.  I place most of the 140 range matching Walter Wonkite's nice and clear description for IDM/Organic under Psy Bass in my own records.  I realize that his description mentions that it is a Midtempo genre unrestricted by tempo. 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
On 12/11/2023 at 12:37 AM, zerocyber said:

Would Shpongle fit this?

It seems Shpongle fits within IDM/Organic mostly on this site.  Sometimes they fall in Psytrance and Progressive Psytrance but mainly IDM/Organic.

Also, I have recently discovered that Shpongle falls heavily in the Psybient sub-genre.  I used to think that Psybient was just Psy music that was Ambient.  Recently I've discovered that is not necessarily the case.

Wikipedia states: "Psybient pieces are structured to generate vast soundscapes or a "musical journey". Like psytrance, it emphasizes ongoing rhythm, but due to its ambient and atmospheric sections it focuses less on beatmatching and allows for a myriad of tempo changes."

They claim Psybient includes the following genres & sub-genres:  Ambient, Downtempo, Psychedelic Trance, Dub, World music, New Wave, Ethereal Wave, IDM

This description pretty much identifies 'most' of Shpongles tracks.

Edited by sp_ceboy
Added a couple more statements including Wikipedia definitions
Link to comment
On 3/2/2023 at 8:23 AM, Wolf said:

never heard of it personally.

https://www.chosic.com/genre-chart/psybass/#google_vignette

"Psybass is a subgenre of electronic music that combines elements of psychedelic and bass music. It features heavy basslines, intricate rhythms, and trippy soundscapes that create a hypnotic and otherworldly atmosphere. The genre often incorporates glitchy effects, samples from nature, and Eastern-inspired melodies. Psybass artists are known for their innovative production techniques and their ability to create immersive sonic experiences."

@ Wolf The definition for Psybass on the above link is exactly what I was referring to.  The description matches exactly what I view Psybass as...

Edited by sp_ceboy
Added chosic dot com's definition
Link to comment

@ Wolf yes, I agree.  Music is by preference.  However, I personally feel EDMC does a fantastic job categorizing music for the masses.  For me EDMC is one of the greatest discoveries since I became an electronic head back in the late 80s early 90s.  I am completely a fan!

When I ran across IDM/Organic it was a great find.  I do feel like it is a great hub for all the music that is placed there.  I personally want to separate newer Bass heavy IDM/Organic from an artists like say  Shpongle.  And by 'Bass heavy' I definitely am referring to music that most likely comes from a Dubstep influence in some way.  Even though there was bass music before Dubstep the bass is different from Dubstep influenced music.  I am always working on fine tuning, if you will, my understanding of music and genres.  It's one of the only things I am super organized about in life.  Categorizing helps me to actually be very fluid when mixing and DJing.  So, regarding IDM/Organic...

...I see it as more like a hub that I want to pick apart into sub-genres. So, my intention isn't to rock the boat for other users just mainly for me and my better understanding.

Edited by sp_ceboy
grammar correction
  • Like 1
Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...