Although not substantially disagreeing with the gist of what you're saying, "A LOT of others" is perhaps overstating the case.
I mean, relative to who all's gone to NYC and made a few (or more) sides, yeah. But relative to the # of people, good, bad, indifferent, and all points in-between & beyond, he deserves a little more proppage than that.
That's kind of an "insider's secret" about this music - even Spaulding's level of...distinctive & often pleasant competency is a bitch to achieve. "Medocrity" in the grand scheme of things it certainly is, but it's a very rarified level of mediocrity, if you know what I mean.I don't really expect "civilians" (or in yer case, EDC, honorary-by-means-of-earning-it backstagers) to appreciate that, much less give a rat's ass. I mean, they got no need to. But still, familial pride compels me to point out that Spaulding is a little bit more than some assembly line hack who's there to be a cog in the machine and nothing more. Or even when he is, it's usually a pretty hig-level cog and a pretty high-level machine. You wanna put, say, J-Mac on Schizophrenia and see what happens? Something, I'm sure, but would it have worked the way everybody wanted/needed for it to to be what everybody wanted/needed for it to to be? Unlikely, which you can mae a pro and/or con case for is that a good thing or not, but the deal remains - Spaulding came in and did it the way it was wanted/needed for it to be done, for better or worse or what difitmake. Can't just everybody DO that, doncha' know?
No neeed for love, but at least let's recognize, that's all I'm saying.