Friday, May 07, 2004
The more I think about where to take Electroclash (or for that matter where it will take me) in regard to the second assignment, the more I find the relationship of local and global tied in with new media and digital technologies. My initial response to the point in question was to develop a concept around the multiple local developments (specifically Berlin, Munich and New York) in relation to the simultaneous global proliferation. Although after this weeks reading (Gibson: Free NRG) I have drawn similar conclusions about the access to digital technology and new media having significant impact on the empowerment of localised industries and their subsequent implementation into global scenarios. Especially in regard to this local empowerment and the concept of independence… and in the case of Electroclash not only artist independence but varied attempts at the empowerment of women in the face of traditional male domination of the music industry technologies. Thus it could be considered that the development of local networks has benefited from greater access to production and distribution via new technology… and that in turn has also contributed to global networking of these local groupings not dissimilar to the concept of “glocalisation”.
The ANTICON collective that resides in San Francisco is part of a more experimental approach to hiphop… sitting outside of the generally sexist and egotistic spectacular displays of hiphop, this version tends to take an almost Beat generation approach to their word-infested raps, fused into a musical constructivist ambience of everyday sounds, scattered beats and atypical sound bites.
A fantastic revolving collective of artists including themselves, dose one, alias, sole, why?, odd nosdam, jel, sage francis, cLOUDDEAD and more… political, post-modern, prolific and pushing the frayed edges way beyond the thread!
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The ANTICON collective that resides in San Francisco is part of a more experimental approach to hiphop… sitting outside of the generally sexist and egotistic spectacular displays of hiphop, this version tends to take an almost Beat generation approach to their word-infested raps, fused into a musical constructivist ambience of everyday sounds, scattered beats and atypical sound bites.
A fantastic revolving collective of artists including themselves, dose one, alias, sole, why?, odd nosdam, jel, sage francis, cLOUDDEAD and more… political, post-modern, prolific and pushing the frayed edges way beyond the thread!
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Thursday, May 06, 2004
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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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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Tuesday, May 04, 2004
Thoughts and notes on digital downloads and file sharing on the back of research for an upcoming assignment…
The debate on digital downloads is an interesting one in that the impact on accessibility for consumers of music has dramatically expanded. I suppose in some senses this relates to the home recording audiotape issues of the 70s… viewed as a form of piracy by the copyright holding community in opposition to the rights of the public to make their own copies (either for personal use or sharing with friends etc). The gatekeeper’s panicked in the face of what they thought was a potential loss of income. Of course this issue escalates dramatically with the advent of computers, digital technology and the Internet. Here is a vastly superior system whereby quality reproductions can be made with much greater ease, exchanged in a globally accessible set-up to virtually anyone who has a computer – a scary preposition to copy-right owners like record labels who’s sole existence is premised on the commercial exploitation of those copyrights they license from artists. On top of that are the vague comprehensions on how to deal with an emerging and fluid technology that affords such an anarchic quality, the question of secure and controllable formats in an already format crazy techworld (and the issue of standardised formats - MP3, SDMI, WMA, WAV etc) … and most importantly how to make consumers pay for something that denies the tangible aspect embodied by purchasing CDs etc.
Strangely for all my rampant music obsessions I have only downloaded one album – the Grey Album mash-up by DJ Danger Mouse (but more on this later) – I suppose the reasons behind this position are possibly reasons that could be extended to questions about the issue in general… paranoia about credit card usage online, no access as of yet to broadband (and thus download speed), and preference for the tangible “package” with art and hardcopy of what I’m paying for. But then iTunes is now a year old (and not available in Australia until later this year – due to the protection of copyrights per territory breakdowns) and in the US has 700,000 songs available and is accounting for 2.5 million downloads weeky. They charge 99 cents a track and it has to be observed how this will change music consumption as the market has been dominated by Album sales as against single sales… but this is becoming a track by track process. It will be interesting to see what the figures are per album versus single track downloads and how this will impact on music production by artists and labels… and further on eventual sales of CDs etc.
Then there is the significant presence of filesharing sites whereby a massive variety of music can be sourced and downloaded for free. Napster was the most notorious of these and was eventually halted by a major court action co-ordinated by some of the major labels… to then be co-opted in a deal with BMG. Of course this hasn’t exactly ended the practice and with a proliferation of other such sites there have been a recent spate of legal actions directed at organisations (Australian based Kazaa) and various members of the public caught with downloaded music. The Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA go to news section) has blamed the declining record sales on the impact of this free availability of music on the net… although this tends to be complicated further by a literal information overload… the choice of cultural media available today for entertainment including significant growth in DVD, video games, computers… and the film industry… let alone the effects of CD burning/ripping. That said there is the possibility of a generation thinking that music should be free due to its ubiquitous presence in society via radio, TV etc… that a wealth of internet users gaining access to music for free possibly galvanises this type of attitude is open to debate.
For my way of thinking I’m more excited by the anarchic elements the Internet offers… freedom of information and universal access to the means of production (pending of course their access to computers). The concept of true independence in regard to the possibilities afforded artists to release and distribute their music direct from websites is an exciting proposition. Of course the exponential growth of music artists in the world able to access this global system compound a “smaller needle in a larger haystack” scenario and the act of getting noticed on a large scale basis is to some degree still reliant on the dominant gatekeepers… not that it isn’t possible and certainly direct interest in Internet movement is now being acknowledged by marketing groups and record labels as they recognise its promotional strengths… even the more controversial Internet success of artists performing more obvious copyright infringements such as mashing. As for established artists exiting record contracts, they can use their already evident profile to capitalise and release music direct as Prince has recently done in setting up his own retail download website.
On another revolutionary note there is the recent Mash-up practice whereby albums are fused together in a cut and re-paste mix… possibly influenced by the work of Belgium’s 2ManyDJs … DJ Danger Mouse mash-up that cut and pasted the vocals of The Beatles White album with the Jay-Z Black album beats and music by using digital music-editing software like Acid. This recontextualised music has existed to such a high level of popularity completely due to the Internet. There have been further mash-ups using Weezer with Jay-Z. As much as legal action has attempted to stop this form of piracy, the Internet has encouraged its own response of support and continued proliferation … on the other hand major labels have asked perpetrators behind some of these to complete industry sanctioned versions… and in the case of David Bowie (go to /news/press) has authorised his own competition to encourage the practice, providing downloadable software and plans to release his selected track as an MP3 single on the iTunes website.
Things are getting crazy in the cooker and about time… now we can ponder the possible impact of rampant virus proliferation and the like on this growing preference for the Internet. That said I just wish I had more time to really test out and explore the limits and eccentric elements of the Internet… let alone listen to the constantly growing amount of music released each week. Time to stop writing.
Music that flipped my way…
Great Spanish female hiphop artist MALA RODRIGUEZ with her latest album Alevosia. I just love the Spanish language for its ricochet flow in a hiphop context… and complemented by a salsa vibe. For more info try this English Latin site THE LAB (go to 8-02-02) with info on her first album Lujo Iberico.
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The debate on digital downloads is an interesting one in that the impact on accessibility for consumers of music has dramatically expanded. I suppose in some senses this relates to the home recording audiotape issues of the 70s… viewed as a form of piracy by the copyright holding community in opposition to the rights of the public to make their own copies (either for personal use or sharing with friends etc). The gatekeeper’s panicked in the face of what they thought was a potential loss of income. Of course this issue escalates dramatically with the advent of computers, digital technology and the Internet. Here is a vastly superior system whereby quality reproductions can be made with much greater ease, exchanged in a globally accessible set-up to virtually anyone who has a computer – a scary preposition to copy-right owners like record labels who’s sole existence is premised on the commercial exploitation of those copyrights they license from artists. On top of that are the vague comprehensions on how to deal with an emerging and fluid technology that affords such an anarchic quality, the question of secure and controllable formats in an already format crazy techworld (and the issue of standardised formats - MP3, SDMI, WMA, WAV etc) … and most importantly how to make consumers pay for something that denies the tangible aspect embodied by purchasing CDs etc.
Strangely for all my rampant music obsessions I have only downloaded one album – the Grey Album mash-up by DJ Danger Mouse (but more on this later) – I suppose the reasons behind this position are possibly reasons that could be extended to questions about the issue in general… paranoia about credit card usage online, no access as of yet to broadband (and thus download speed), and preference for the tangible “package” with art and hardcopy of what I’m paying for. But then iTunes is now a year old (and not available in Australia until later this year – due to the protection of copyrights per territory breakdowns) and in the US has 700,000 songs available and is accounting for 2.5 million downloads weeky. They charge 99 cents a track and it has to be observed how this will change music consumption as the market has been dominated by Album sales as against single sales… but this is becoming a track by track process. It will be interesting to see what the figures are per album versus single track downloads and how this will impact on music production by artists and labels… and further on eventual sales of CDs etc.
Then there is the significant presence of filesharing sites whereby a massive variety of music can be sourced and downloaded for free. Napster was the most notorious of these and was eventually halted by a major court action co-ordinated by some of the major labels… to then be co-opted in a deal with BMG. Of course this hasn’t exactly ended the practice and with a proliferation of other such sites there have been a recent spate of legal actions directed at organisations (Australian based Kazaa) and various members of the public caught with downloaded music. The Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA go to news section) has blamed the declining record sales on the impact of this free availability of music on the net… although this tends to be complicated further by a literal information overload… the choice of cultural media available today for entertainment including significant growth in DVD, video games, computers… and the film industry… let alone the effects of CD burning/ripping. That said there is the possibility of a generation thinking that music should be free due to its ubiquitous presence in society via radio, TV etc… that a wealth of internet users gaining access to music for free possibly galvanises this type of attitude is open to debate.
For my way of thinking I’m more excited by the anarchic elements the Internet offers… freedom of information and universal access to the means of production (pending of course their access to computers). The concept of true independence in regard to the possibilities afforded artists to release and distribute their music direct from websites is an exciting proposition. Of course the exponential growth of music artists in the world able to access this global system compound a “smaller needle in a larger haystack” scenario and the act of getting noticed on a large scale basis is to some degree still reliant on the dominant gatekeepers… not that it isn’t possible and certainly direct interest in Internet movement is now being acknowledged by marketing groups and record labels as they recognise its promotional strengths… even the more controversial Internet success of artists performing more obvious copyright infringements such as mashing. As for established artists exiting record contracts, they can use their already evident profile to capitalise and release music direct as Prince has recently done in setting up his own retail download website.
On another revolutionary note there is the recent Mash-up practice whereby albums are fused together in a cut and re-paste mix… possibly influenced by the work of Belgium’s 2ManyDJs … DJ Danger Mouse mash-up that cut and pasted the vocals of The Beatles White album with the Jay-Z Black album beats and music by using digital music-editing software like Acid. This recontextualised music has existed to such a high level of popularity completely due to the Internet. There have been further mash-ups using Weezer with Jay-Z. As much as legal action has attempted to stop this form of piracy, the Internet has encouraged its own response of support and continued proliferation … on the other hand major labels have asked perpetrators behind some of these to complete industry sanctioned versions… and in the case of David Bowie (go to /news/press) has authorised his own competition to encourage the practice, providing downloadable software and plans to release his selected track as an MP3 single on the iTunes website.
Things are getting crazy in the cooker and about time… now we can ponder the possible impact of rampant virus proliferation and the like on this growing preference for the Internet. That said I just wish I had more time to really test out and explore the limits and eccentric elements of the Internet… let alone listen to the constantly growing amount of music released each week. Time to stop writing.
Music that flipped my way…
Great Spanish female hiphop artist MALA RODRIGUEZ with her latest album Alevosia. I just love the Spanish language for its ricochet flow in a hiphop context… and complemented by a salsa vibe. For more info try this English Latin site THE LAB (go to 8-02-02) with info on her first album Lujo Iberico.
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Monday, May 03, 2004
Further thoughts on Alternative…
After reading one of the weblogs whereby bands like John Butler Trio and Jet as posed as being alternative I realise that the notion of alternative - aside from the confusion generated in the process of marketing - also comes down to audience engagement and how they position themselves to what is alternative. In sense there is a degree of relativity involved... as much as there is in negotiating the use of the term. I would not consider either band as such… maybe JBT as a successful example of independence and certainly utilising the said marketing techniques of affiliation with notions of the alternative… and definitely not Jet whatsoever (I mean just because they play rock n roll - and highly derivative at that - does not justify this)… but then clearly others would. Although the attitude is then taken by this weblog (surely in an ironic sense) that their mainstream success constitutes them as ‘Pop' in the sense of being popular and that less-successful, clearly mainstream, pop artists could in that sense seen to be alternative. Possibly this presents a question on what it means to be alternative, but this appears to be in regard to financial success and fame. I find 'alternative' is more akin to the issue of attitude… and in that sense maybe JBT could be construed as such… but I still fail to see them as such. It is kind of like the presumption of independence being alternative yet overall they may still possess the same motivations of financial success that corporate bodies have (on that note look out for an upcoming doco “The Corporation”, by the people who made Manufacturing Consent). As noted in one of the readings I find I relate to the notion of alternative media “challenging the dominant hegemony”and yet co-existing within this hegemony…
In the regard to alternative media I find it a dismal field to traverse… most music media is so banal and panders to the whims of the advertising dollar of major record labels and the like, that they are generally so reliant on for survival (especially the free street press as they have limited revenue options). I get inspired to read articles and reviews disinterred from the manacles of label (or any corporate) interest… and for that matter sycophantic ramblings… give me intelligent critical press that attempt to provide information anyday. The concept of reviews are an interesting one… in that essentially they are personal opinion yet positioned in the context of a magazine are afforded the weight of authority (pending audience response to that magazine). Then again Fanzines and Zines are another area again that can also have blurred distinctions… alternative and independence that come down to positions and content again… and not to forget the proliferation of web-zine type sites.
I find I have been drawn to a variety of media over the years that deal with a array of culture’s aspects… and touch on music to a variety of degrees.
As noted earlier, the online POP MATTERS is a great place to go. Others include:
ADBUSTERS - Journal of the Mental Environment up to 52nd issue and amazingly has no paid ads - is just straight out Culture Jamming and twists and turns the graphic world to varying degrees of enjoyment and criticism. Recently had a bonus DJ SPOOKY mix CD inside.
EMPTY - brand new Sydney based graphics mag first issue out now. No music but sits out on its own… hope it develops in many directions.
JUXTAPOZ - great low brow art mag but can annoy with it mixture of sexist advertising and old school take on women that evidences the dominant hegomony. Usually has a bag of cool artists though that aren`t… and their CD reviews rate by album art quality.
THE WIRE - great UK based music mag completely ensconced in the avant-garde and experimental music scene.
VICE - free monthly urban culture magazine that posits itself as “the first international youth culture magazine” and “the new voice of our generation.” Irreverent and well produced in a global franchise format… where cutting edge content and graphic interest is undermined by sporadic cheap shocks and savvy brand awareness.
BRAINWASHED - Great online zine-project dedicated to providing information on independent artists and labels… to the point that it states it boycotts any artist signed to major labels.
CYCLIC DEFROST - Sydney based electronic music and graphics fanzine online and in print.
Other mags that tweaked my alternative lights that appeared and disappeared in the past…
21C – amazing great look at future culture around thinking, art, music… just out there.
WORLD ART – another fantastic mag that never was allowed to continue
COLORS – when it was directed by the now dead Tibor Kalman – even though it was a corporate marketing tie-in for Benneton was pushing boundaries.
MONDO2000 – music, art, innovations… edited by R.U. Sirius and way off the edge in the early 90s.
PUNK from mid seventies New York. I have a couple of copies of this great fanzine that was right there for the initial US/UK punk grassroots explosion.
This is by no means a definitive list just personal likenings… there are so many others especially in the online world.
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After reading one of the weblogs whereby bands like John Butler Trio and Jet as posed as being alternative I realise that the notion of alternative - aside from the confusion generated in the process of marketing - also comes down to audience engagement and how they position themselves to what is alternative. In sense there is a degree of relativity involved... as much as there is in negotiating the use of the term. I would not consider either band as such… maybe JBT as a successful example of independence and certainly utilising the said marketing techniques of affiliation with notions of the alternative… and definitely not Jet whatsoever (I mean just because they play rock n roll - and highly derivative at that - does not justify this)… but then clearly others would. Although the attitude is then taken by this weblog (surely in an ironic sense) that their mainstream success constitutes them as ‘Pop' in the sense of being popular and that less-successful, clearly mainstream, pop artists could in that sense seen to be alternative. Possibly this presents a question on what it means to be alternative, but this appears to be in regard to financial success and fame. I find 'alternative' is more akin to the issue of attitude… and in that sense maybe JBT could be construed as such… but I still fail to see them as such. It is kind of like the presumption of independence being alternative yet overall they may still possess the same motivations of financial success that corporate bodies have (on that note look out for an upcoming doco “The Corporation”, by the people who made Manufacturing Consent). As noted in one of the readings I find I relate to the notion of alternative media “challenging the dominant hegemony”and yet co-existing within this hegemony…
In the regard to alternative media I find it a dismal field to traverse… most music media is so banal and panders to the whims of the advertising dollar of major record labels and the like, that they are generally so reliant on for survival (especially the free street press as they have limited revenue options). I get inspired to read articles and reviews disinterred from the manacles of label (or any corporate) interest… and for that matter sycophantic ramblings… give me intelligent critical press that attempt to provide information anyday. The concept of reviews are an interesting one… in that essentially they are personal opinion yet positioned in the context of a magazine are afforded the weight of authority (pending audience response to that magazine). Then again Fanzines and Zines are another area again that can also have blurred distinctions… alternative and independence that come down to positions and content again… and not to forget the proliferation of web-zine type sites.
I find I have been drawn to a variety of media over the years that deal with a array of culture’s aspects… and touch on music to a variety of degrees.
As noted earlier, the online POP MATTERS is a great place to go. Others include:
ADBUSTERS - Journal of the Mental Environment up to 52nd issue and amazingly has no paid ads - is just straight out Culture Jamming and twists and turns the graphic world to varying degrees of enjoyment and criticism. Recently had a bonus DJ SPOOKY mix CD inside.
EMPTY - brand new Sydney based graphics mag first issue out now. No music but sits out on its own… hope it develops in many directions.
JUXTAPOZ - great low brow art mag but can annoy with it mixture of sexist advertising and old school take on women that evidences the dominant hegomony. Usually has a bag of cool artists though that aren`t… and their CD reviews rate by album art quality.
THE WIRE - great UK based music mag completely ensconced in the avant-garde and experimental music scene.
VICE - free monthly urban culture magazine that posits itself as “the first international youth culture magazine” and “the new voice of our generation.” Irreverent and well produced in a global franchise format… where cutting edge content and graphic interest is undermined by sporadic cheap shocks and savvy brand awareness.
BRAINWASHED - Great online zine-project dedicated to providing information on independent artists and labels… to the point that it states it boycotts any artist signed to major labels.
CYCLIC DEFROST - Sydney based electronic music and graphics fanzine online and in print.
Other mags that tweaked my alternative lights that appeared and disappeared in the past…
21C – amazing great look at future culture around thinking, art, music… just out there.
WORLD ART – another fantastic mag that never was allowed to continue
COLORS – when it was directed by the now dead Tibor Kalman – even though it was a corporate marketing tie-in for Benneton was pushing boundaries.
MONDO2000 – music, art, innovations… edited by R.U. Sirius and way off the edge in the early 90s.
PUNK from mid seventies New York. I have a couple of copies of this great fanzine that was right there for the initial US/UK punk grassroots explosion.
This is by no means a definitive list just personal likenings… there are so many others especially in the online world.
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Sunday, May 02, 2004
Film & Music
One of the weblogs notes their dissatisfaction with Kill Bill Vol. 2… because of the music. I find I`m affected quite significantly by the combination of film and music. As against music and video where in most cases it comes across as just bland advertising – of course the work of visual artists like Chris Cunningham, Michel Gondry and Spike Jonze (among others of a similar ilk) rise way above that type of criticism… more works of art in collaboration with the music (see the video exhibition travelling around Australia – in Qld Art Gallery at present). I suppose that is the trick though... as always the corporate raises its ugly head as music video has to contend with not only the commercial imperatives it is weighted down with per label intrusion and video show conditions but also the relationship between the creativity of the music creator and the video maker. Tricky business no doubt.
In regard to music and film… if there is one thing Tarentino has under is thumb is the usage of music in film… great choices, well placed… and it just works so effectively. I have a sizeable collection of film soundtracks that have inspired me when watching film… I love the Kill Bill Vol 1 music and I`m awaiting a copy of Vol. 2. I’m sure the use will be somewhat different as Vol. 1 is more about Hong Kong cinema and Vol. 2 is about Spaghetti westerns… one thing I find very weak and part of the emphasis on horizontal marketing is the obviously placed hit song… no attempt at diegesis or integration into the rhythm of the cinematic flow… and sometimes so completely out of place forcing itself into the role of a music video insert utilising components of the film. Why? Ahhh… commercial interest has contributed so much to the contamination of art.
I find soundtracks fascinating especially when they embrace the conceptual tie in with the film… and music used manages to generate its own world when presented in an audio only mode.
CRIPPLED DICK HOTWAX is a German based label releasing a mixed bag of erotic and porn soundtrack music from Germany, France and Italy along with great Eastern Bloc and Scandanavian obscure jazz and lounge compilations. Standouts for me include the Beat at Cinecittà series and Shake Sauvage
LA DOUCE – IRMA RECORDS is a great Italian based record label releasing obscure Italian cinematic and lounge music. “Easy listening mood and classic 60s/70s tunes and soundtracks.” From the great Mo’Plen series of which I have a few to a swag of groovy cocktail beats.
Aside from that there are all the great films that David Lynch, Sophia Coppola, Paul Thomas Anderson have made with their distinctive use of music…
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One of the weblogs notes their dissatisfaction with Kill Bill Vol. 2… because of the music. I find I`m affected quite significantly by the combination of film and music. As against music and video where in most cases it comes across as just bland advertising – of course the work of visual artists like Chris Cunningham, Michel Gondry and Spike Jonze (among others of a similar ilk) rise way above that type of criticism… more works of art in collaboration with the music (see the video exhibition travelling around Australia – in Qld Art Gallery at present). I suppose that is the trick though... as always the corporate raises its ugly head as music video has to contend with not only the commercial imperatives it is weighted down with per label intrusion and video show conditions but also the relationship between the creativity of the music creator and the video maker. Tricky business no doubt.
In regard to music and film… if there is one thing Tarentino has under is thumb is the usage of music in film… great choices, well placed… and it just works so effectively. I have a sizeable collection of film soundtracks that have inspired me when watching film… I love the Kill Bill Vol 1 music and I`m awaiting a copy of Vol. 2. I’m sure the use will be somewhat different as Vol. 1 is more about Hong Kong cinema and Vol. 2 is about Spaghetti westerns… one thing I find very weak and part of the emphasis on horizontal marketing is the obviously placed hit song… no attempt at diegesis or integration into the rhythm of the cinematic flow… and sometimes so completely out of place forcing itself into the role of a music video insert utilising components of the film. Why? Ahhh… commercial interest has contributed so much to the contamination of art.
I find soundtracks fascinating especially when they embrace the conceptual tie in with the film… and music used manages to generate its own world when presented in an audio only mode.
CRIPPLED DICK HOTWAX is a German based label releasing a mixed bag of erotic and porn soundtrack music from Germany, France and Italy along with great Eastern Bloc and Scandanavian obscure jazz and lounge compilations. Standouts for me include the Beat at Cinecittà series and Shake Sauvage
LA DOUCE – IRMA RECORDS is a great Italian based record label releasing obscure Italian cinematic and lounge music. “Easy listening mood and classic 60s/70s tunes and soundtracks.” From the great Mo’Plen series of which I have a few to a swag of groovy cocktail beats.
Aside from that there are all the great films that David Lynch, Sophia Coppola, Paul Thomas Anderson have made with their distinctive use of music…
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