I have a question for you. The majority of music you're listening to currently, when was it made? Do you routinely listen to music made ten or more years ago? If so, why? Is it because the music is genuinely good, or do you return due to nostalgia? Be honest.
Does music get 'used up' or 'played out'? When does it become acceptable to enjoy this music again? Are there elements that make you roll your eyes? Does it sound dated? Does this matter? What makes music disposable? What makes music timeless?
What makes music sound dated, and what makes music disposable are two separate issues, but they're intertwined in my mind.
The elements that date music, aside from stylistic period idiosyncrasies, usually turn out to be related to technology: production technique, drum machines, and synthesizers. FM piano patches, D50 bells, Phil Spector's Wall of Sound, gated reverb, Distorted Reality loops, orchestra hit samples, and autotune abuse are all examples of technology-driven technique that becomes tied to a particular era of music production. Fashionable one day, passé the next.
Tetris is still an interesting game without the gloss of technology. Sometimes a work of art transcends technological cliches.
