Consumationist

This weeks tutorial saw an interesting discussion emerge around the issue of TIME specifically as a factor in the production and consumption of music in the present contemporary scenario of the high-density, high-speed digitised culture. The sense of the “passing of time”, or “lack of time” are significant concerns to take into account… who has the time to commit to finding and then listening to a constant array of music choices that seems to be exponentially growing… maybe greater degrees of access has a lot to answer for (trawling through what the listener deems good and bad) but then the democratisation of the means of production is an ideal to aim for. Then there are questions as to not only the time to learn the software and techniques but then the time to keep up with the constantly shifting software updates that seems to be a major part of the computer commodification process. Let alone the issues of youth and age regarding shifting priorities and how this affects an individual’s pursuits… then there is the constant pursuit of the more much significant disposable income of today’s youth and the constant array of media and entertainment choices hoisted in there direction. Time is the secret… as once you purchase these product choices… aside from the time consumed by the interaction with, then there is the time for evaluation… and then the time to get the next thing…and it just keeps clicking on by with no respite. Time to listen to music, the radio watch movies, DVDs, TV, time to play video games, time to read books, magazines, newspapers, time to cruise the internet, download stuff, look at websites, time to see and make art time to see live concerts, hang out and socialise, time to study, time for life, family, eat, drink, sleep, work… to think! Time to consume… phew! Time will surely be a major factor in the development of music… from both production and consumption perspectives… an the internet certainly places a much quicker connection literally at your fingertips so if it manages to sidestep the constraints and pitfalls it will no doubt figure highly. Maybe the I-Gen don‘t care or require that tangible item… if it is always available online then how can anything ever be inaccessible… unless this mechanism falls under the absolute control of the gatekeepers.

But never… not now it has its own life…
TIGERBEAT6 is a great label established by Miguel aka KID606. For a time there it was releasing so many records it was impossible to keep up… amazing he was able to be so prolific with two people running it, and him being one, also recording music (on his laptop and home studio scenarios) as well as touring around the world. A lesson and inspiration in manic time-management , and still able to maintain a high quality and unique style for his projects. How does he manage the time?
Futurist electro artist SQUAREPUSHER has a great live download track on his site… but just don’t have the time to download it… thankfully someone at 4ZzZ did and played it today. Sounded great.

Time to trawl thrift shops and second-hand stores…
The great discoveries you can make from the past… stumbled across this amazing artist once doing just that DORY PREVIN. At some stage married to Andre Previn and released this amazing album Mary C. Brown and the Hollywood Sign in 1972. Not much out there on her but check this fan website out. Fantastic stuff… see the track “Starlet Starlet on the Screen Who Will Follow Norma Jean?” with the brilliant opening lines:
Who do you have to fuck
To get into this picture?
Who do you have to lay
To make your way?
What do you have to do
To prove your worth?
Who do you have to know
To stay on earth?

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