while on Bach's time, music was ultimately about tone and harmony, in modern times it's as much about the timbre and texture of the sound itself.
a synthesizer, compared to a more traditional instrument is one that allows you to change drasticly the quality of the timbre and even modulate between timbres while playing, capable of presenting sound - the abstract quality of sound - as a quality in itself. this new sounds have spawned a whole range of new genres of music and certainly a new way of listening to it, rave being one of this novelties. there's something unique about electronic bass tones, sounds that you feel more then you listen, that ask you to move accordingly. a lot of modern electronic music isn't melodic or tonal music at all, it's more about the rythm and sound as a medium, exploring different textures and soundscapes instead of melodic build ups with genius use of scales and harmonies like you'd find in Bach.
one thing that we've defenitely lost in modern times is dynamics with the ongoing loudness wars, where everything gets squashed beyond reason imo.
but the thing is: nowadays you're being Bach and you don't have to be the acclaimed musician to get an entire orchestra to play your creations for you, that's what the DAW is there to do, so as long as you can put things together, you're able to express yourself. and even record the more traditional instruments and combine them with modern ones if you so wish. the way I see it, even though there's plenty of classics already, this is only beginning and we're yet to see what new worlds of sound this new emerging technologies and their spread usage will bring forth. cheers and have a good year!
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