Brian Eno gives 80 minute Red Bull Music Academy lecture

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Brian Eno gave a talk last week as part of the Red Bull Music Academy’s current lecture series, in which he discussed the creative pitfalls in relying too heavily on digital technology–ironic given his career exclusively doing exactly that.

“Doesn’t it strike you as interesting that here we are in the second decade of the 21st century and a lot of the most interesting music is still being made by people playing very primitive instruments, like electric guitars and drums,” Eno muses. “I mean what is a ‘drumkit?’ It could be a bunch of old chairs, couldn’t it… Really it’s an arbitrary bunch of junk.”

The electronic pioneer goes on to say that music software like Logic actually stunt creativity as result of the vitally limitless sound options presented to digital musicians, which don’t require the sort of active investment and resourceful thinking analog instruments require.

He also discusses about the impracticalities of systemic education, the thin line that exists between art and technology, and how good music can come from both commercial professionalism as well as instruments that are “a bit out-of-tune” (invoking the Velvet Underground).

That talk is now available to watch in its entirety below (via Pitchfork), and fascinating it is to see how much ground Eno covers in 81 minutes. Music students: here’s one class you’d best not skip.