Ska? Cool! I am fan of (old-school) ska. I do have to say that "ska" as
currently defined in popular media is significantly different than the CDs
I collected from the 80s (and before). It seems that the term "ska" has
been co-opted to create the latest "cool genre". Bands like No Doubt may
demonstrate some ska influences, but the music doesn't really resemble ska
as represented by The Specials, Madness, and even earlier groups like the
Skatellites(sp?).
Yes, techno and electronica in general is a genre for which I have an
affinity. My personal influences tend to be in the techno/trance/ambient
area, but occasionally the influence of 80's darker synth pop (along the
lines of the New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Cure) sometimes appear to trickle
into my work, most likely because I have a fairly large collection of that
stuff as well. At one time or other I have been involved in nearly every
major music style I can think of. I like music for its own sake.
I currently use Performer, but have used a few other packages. The state
of sequencers is such that it doesn't really matter what you use as long as
you learn how to use it well. Having not previously used sequencers under
MacOS, the choice of Performer was completely random. I don't currently
have any audio recording capability, but I am looking into the various
digital 8-track hard-disk systems, both modular and computer-based.
-James Rogers
jamesr@best.com