while the words are pretty simliar there's a world of difference between electric and electronic music.

how much improv was put on recordings prior to davis' 'kind of blue'? it was still part of the style but not always reflected on the recordings. same goes for dj based albums but the better ones know how to improv when it comes to live performances (amon tobin comes to mind as a prime example although he's moved away from the south american jazz stylings he started with over the last few years).

here are a few examples of groups listed in this thread that should make the distinction between electric and electronic rather clear.

jaga jazzist - animal chin



squarepusher - cooper's world (live) note how he's the only person on stage


here's an old amon tobin track from his supermodified album

I just listened to Jaga Jazzist. That stuff is awesome. thanks.

I can't believe I completely forgot about St. Germain. Check it:





The album 'Tourist' is the absolute schizz.

Yes thanks for clearing that up. And thanks for the insight on some pretty cool groups. I hadn't heard of Amon Tobin. I like it a lot. I'm quite a bit more confused than ever as to what the word 'jazz' means today so I'm going to go right now and start a new discussion of it. See you there!

i don't think you're wrong on your views on jazz, especially not the improvisational aspect to the music. it's just the forms the musicians tend to follow these days don't ascribe to established methods nearly as much.

i tried to get 3 of the best examples of the new approaches i could think of with those clips

jaga jazzist started off in highschool as bandmates in their school group. there's a pair of brothers in the group who are the main creative force for the 10 piece. i saw them in ottawa in the summer of 2004, they left a far more significant impression on me than herbie han**** did a month prior. they have a full traditional setup with a complete horn section and solo spots for everyone during their sets but at the same time they don't shy away from tape loops and effects on the guitar or bass.

squarepusher is a modern virtuoso. he doesn't need a band to establish a groundwork for his bass playing prowess. everything but the bass is pre-programmed yet it never sounds like a machine trying to emulate a human since he pushes his machines beyond the limits of what a single person can do with their hands.

amon tobin describes himself as a beatsmith. he takes from anything and everything he can get his hands on to create his own soundscapes from material that would otherwise be ignored or discarded (especially on his last disc). on the surface he's just another DJ but he's not some cheeseball ibiza clown just adding an oppressive 4/4 beat under some cliche nu-disco sample

Nightmares On Wax. forgot these too:





Not strictly Jazz but such a chilled band (one guy to be precise).

A bit more on the ambient side, but sounds great. Definitely will keep an eye out for this. I'm sure finding it won't be a problem.

Same goes for Nightmares on Wax as well. I've got most of their (his) releases, but I find that a lot of these acid-jazz, chilled kinda stuff works much better late in the night.

Do you mean that you would like 'Tourist' then? :D

Maybe :D.

speaking of st. germain they feature ernest ranglin on guitar on a few tracks (might be on the boulevard album)

either way he's a jamaican jazz guitarist, not an electronic act but definitely worth checking out if you like jazz and raggae.