I’ve stopped caring so much about datedness and try not to think of music sounding dated as a necessarily bad thing. Scratching on Portishead songs, trumpet synths on Pet Shop Boys records or the simple hiphop beats on BoC tracks might sound cheesy and overused now, but they were part of the sound then, so I mostly enjoy it.
But I can’t stand the exaggeration of delays on 606 drums on Incunabula, so maybe sometimes datedness takes over.
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It is really hard to pin down. I do find that some music from a genre may sound dated, and other music from the same genre may not. It’s probably a blend of things, a bit like a recipe or baking. Maybe:
- was it one of the first stakes in the ground for its type/genre? I think oddly this can sometimes result in something sounding dated, especially if it’s rough around the edges. In contrast, if it arrives highly polished, it’s likely to be timeless. Examples for both already mentioned: I will disagree about Portishead Dummy sounding dated, and join team timeless on it, while also agreeing that despite my love for it, Endtroducing does feel a bit creaky.
- is it obviously derivative or relative late-comer to the genre? I really like Stone Temple Pilots, but Core even when it came out already felt a bit dated.
- does it feel like a total one-off, and is amazing? I would put Portishead here as well for Third. That album is unlike anything I have heard either before or since, and is in my mind an absolute masterpiece. Also, I would put OK Computer here. I love Radiohead’s later work plenty, some of it even more than this one, but this also came out of nowhere and was never really copyable.
- is it over polished? This usually is pared with something being totally derivative, and seems to me to lean toward being dated. So much of pop music falls into this.
Different blends of this to me determine whether something feels dated or not, I would hazard.
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Who do the f do you think you’re talking to? Oh, yeah? 
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To me if I hear music from the 70s it sounds like it is from the 70s, music from the 80s sounds like it is from the 80s, music from the 90s sounds like it is from the 90s. Then, somewhere in the 2000s I stop being able to tell when it was made (up to the present day). I wonder if it has something to do with the ability to record professional sounding music more easily so there were more different kinds of music to listen to and not just one all encompassing zeitgeist. Or maybe just listening to different kinds of music became much easier. Or maybe both.
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I thought everyone already knew that this was when all the best music was made. Here’s a good sampling for the uninitiated:
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That’s hilarious. Do you have any examples of this 2003 sound? I want to hear it!
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Dated to me means production tricks of a certain time are predominant in a recording. Captain beefheart gained popularity among the punks because he specifically avoided any kind of effects and liked a raw aesthetic.
Same for Frank black and the Catholics, live raw, two track recordings and voilà.
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I think it sounds very dated in the sense that it’s clear from the sampling technology and techniques that it’s either from the 90s, or some kind of deliberately retro modern artist using old gear.
That also applies to Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, Orbital, 808 State, Propellerheads etc
However none of that makes it bad it’s just from the 90
Just because it sounds very of its time doesn’t stop it being excellent.
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2003 sounds
This one i didn’t hear till 2016, but fell in love only to discover the date
One of my all time favorite tracks(from one of my all time favorite albums):
Another I didn’t discover until two or so years ago:
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Endtroducing still works IMO. Portishead was never that interesting TBH. And yes, extremely dated. Which Massive Attack’s Protection from the same year is not.
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Remember peeling this off of the cover of the magazine and being absolutely blown away by it. Still have the CD + jewel case to this day. Classic, and full of vibe.
I personally like older aka ‘dated’ stuff more as it:
- Has less going on
- Isn’t all about ‘sOunD dEsigN’ more than actual musicality and vibe
- Isn’t saturated with high frequencies
- Wasn’t all about clicks, likes, streams, etc.
- Triggers nostalgia, as this music made a serious impact on me when I discovered it. It was like a mystery.
Edit: Just wanted to remove some ambiguity. The music I’m referring to would be techno, house, progressive from the 90’s and 2000’s
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That Clark track is so good - that whole album is phenomenal.
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I like the older 90s EBM music better than new music pumped out today.
I don’t think it sounds dated but the samples he uses I guess may to some sound like dated music.
I think it sounds timeless because the songs have such variety and depth it’s hard to put it into a neat box from a specific time
One old anecdote stuck into my mind: one guy asked on musical forum to explain to him industrial or ambient music and when people shared with him some albums or records list, the response was “what the hell, why these albums are not from this year, like 2, 3 or more years old, why all this old crap, give me proper music??”
(Not sure if this was in reality, but still quite archetypical unfortunately)
As someone not really into hip-hop outside of Blackalicious, Public Enemy and Three 6 Mafia I think that certain aspects of turntablism often sounds dated to me and I would apply that to Boards of Canada on the tracks where its easily discernable.
Tod Rundgren is one of the best producers ever in my opinion yet his own music often sounds dated to me but not because of the general production but more to due with something related to his wanting to show off his virtuosity and verisimilitude in song writing.
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was it different back then? i dont know
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Dieter says delete.
This isnt aged well , it was commercial zeitgeist during that time.
This aged a lot better…
listen to 20+ min in
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Very good!