It's not often that normal folk like you and I have the opportunity to interact with celebrities, artists, authors, and more firsthand. This disconnect between these two camps is what makes Reddit's AMA (Ask Me Anything) function so popular – normal people can go in and ask questions, and whoever is conducting the AMA is expected the answer the questions truthfully. These AMAs often making for great reading, as celebrities take the opportunity to share their experiences in an informational, and sometimes controversial, manner.
Last week, Billboard Dance's editor, Matt Medved, hosted a live Reddit AMA on the r/electronicmusic subreddit. Throughout the course of the day, Medved answered an assortment of different questions – the future of dance music journalism, his favorite genre, his favorite dance moves, artists that he looked up to, and more. We've gathered all of the highlights from Medved's AMA into a list of 5 things that we learned from the do-it-all, editor-in-chief. You can check out Matt's full AMA here.
1. His feelings on the current state of dance music journalism
“I have sometimes had to make a case for dance music's legitimacy and longevity, and oppose the concept of an “EDM bubble.” But I think people are starting to understand that electronic music is here to stay. It's so intrinsically tied to technology that I don't see it losing relevancy in our lifetimes.
I think dance music publications currently have an amazing opportunity to shape a new generation's tastes. The kids who came in through “EDM” are starting to dig deeper and that's why you're seeing gateway labels like Dirtybird thrive. That excites me. Personally, I never wanted to preach to the choir. I've always been about enabling discovery and helping push people's tastes forward. So it's cool to see tastemakers like Resident Advisor, Nest HQ and ThisSongisSick thriving and shining a light on new talent, and Billboard Dance will continue doing the same.”
2. His thoughts on ghost producers place in the industry
“Ghost production can be a touchy issue, even within the industry. Some artists are very open about working with producers and engineers and I respect that when it's clear they bring some skill set to the table. It's not realistic to expect every artist to be a creative genius, a meticulous engineer and a crowd-thrilling showman bundled in one. But those guys usually aren't the ones simply buying a track and slapping their names on it. The guys who do are never open about that.
I think opinions vary. Many of the guys who came up as producers resent it, because they know how much time and effort goes into learning to make industry-standard music. I think others who came up as DJs see it differently, often pointing to the many chefs in pop music's kitchens as a parallel.
Guy Gerber once told me, “I think too many people, some of them I know personally, are very comfortable buying young kids' tracks and putting their name on it. I would say maybe 50 to 60 percent don't make their own music. It’s almost common to do such things.” Take that for what it's worth.”
3. His favorite genre
That's tough. My ears are everywhere. Honestly, I'm really into this 118-122 bpm melodic and tribal house music that I half-jokingly call Shaman House. I'm not trying to create a new genre, I just like the term. Artists to check out there: Damian Lazarus, David August, Nico Stojan, Bedouin, Lake People, Blond:ish, Kim Brown.
4. His relationship with deadmau5
“I think deadmau5 is one of the most talented electronic musicians alive. “Strobe” is pretty much my favorite electronic song.
I enjoyed his last album, and I hope to hear more music from him in the coming year. As for his disappearance, I try not to speculate on artists' personal lives based on what they project to the world. There's so much that goes on beneath the surface for all of us, and public figures like him live life beneath an unforgiving magnifying glass. I really hope he sorts out whatever demons are plaguing him and returns to making amazing music, and I'm pretty confident that's exactly what's going to happen.”
