Monday, September 20, 2004
Hilarious... kind of forgotten to keep this updated and involved.
Found time in the hectic spiral I have created for myself to check in and actually make a further post.
Will try and document the process I have embarked upon and nearing completion on the initial phase of regarding Regurgitator and the Band in a Bubble project. Such an interesting exercise delving into the world of TV having existed in a mixture of independent and corporate music. So much to discuss and explore regarding music, media, risk, clarity, celebrity...
But I have also been thinking of posting the paper I put together on downloads so here it is. Will also post the papers I wrote on Electroclash for Music and Subcultures in future visits.
3 June 2004 (submitted)
Lowdown on the Downloads: Digital music consumption and the Australian music industry.
“Once the Internet is a reality, the music business is finished.” (Prince 1995)
The explosion of new media has opened a variety of opportunities for media industries. As Hugh Mackay notes, “the moment of the arrival of a new technology is a crucial and exciting one, a time for contest” (272). The anarchic qualities of the Internet, in its decentralised and unregulated state, present the potential for reinventing media from the ‘bottom up’. Music is one of the areas in new media that has as much contributed to the cutting edge drive for development as it has developed its own life. From the traditional music industries’ attempts to harness this new media, to consumer-fuelled aspects such as downloads and filesharing, the situation is still in a state of flux. Recent history and applicable issues of control, security, territorial rights, and consumption, along with developments relative to Australia, will reveal how this affects the Australian music industry and how this media has, in a sense, implemented its own position relative to such issues.
The ability to transfer music via the Internet was accomplished by three significant developments in the nineties: the development of the MP3 format of music compression without a noticeable loss of quality; the introduction of portable MP3 players (the first being the 1998 Rio) whereby music in the form of MP3 could be stored and played outside of computers; and Napster established in the late 1990s by university student Shawn Fanning. Downloadable music on the Internet is either legitimate (paid or promotional) or illegitimate (piracy or filesharing). Napster allowed the ability for the user to locate MP3 files online, download multiple copies rapidly and then exchange files – all at no actual cost. It combined shareware, filesharing, free downloads, online communities and chat groups into one package. In this initial period the rhetoric around the Internet segued between its progressive potential as a “technology of freedom” (Flew 32) defying censorship and centralised control; and paranoia about security, copyright control, and the difficulty of exploiting such an intangible medium. On one level Napster functioned as a “distribution aggregation model” (Maguire 35) and on the other provoked condemnation from the RIAA (Record Industry Association of America) who represented the corporate music industry and the big five U.S. labels (EMI, BMG, Sony, Universal and Warner). With a high media profile amid massive public access - 1.39 billion files downloaded in 2000 (Flew 31) - the inventor of Napster was successfully charged with “contributory copyright infringement due to its role as a conduit between users” (Maguire 31) and shut down (and co-opted by BMG).
Following this, a second wave of fileswapping services emerged (Gnutella, Audio Galaxy, Freenet, Kazaa) that tended to be more problematic as they lacked a “centralized, corporate-funded backbone” (Maguire 36). In the case of Napster, there was a centralised server that could be liable for copyright infringements and thus held accountable. These new services are peer-to-peer filesharing networks where “users trade files through thousands of anonymous ‘supernodes’” (Woody) without a definable ‘company’ to sue. Kazaa, founded in 2001 by Niklas Zennström from Sweden, was served a lawsuit by the RIAA in an attempt to shut them down, and has since come under scrutiny by Australian authorities, as its elaborate global structure was revealed. Once the company received a legal threat it went underground in a mirror of the decentralised nature of its existence on the Internet. The company moved its software control to tax haven islands off the coast of Britain and Estonia, relocated the interface ownership to a newly formed Australian company Sharman Networks based in Vanuatu (another tax haven), and shifted the domain to LEF Interactive based in Sydney. What has emerged is a globally spread company that defies national regulation and continues to have approx 60 million users around the world. ARIA (Australian Record Industry Association), as a representative body of the six Australian major record labels (Universal, EMI, Sony, BMG, Warner and Festival Records), was requested by RIAA to take legal action against the Australian based operation of Kazaa but so far has failed to make any significant ground. In 2003, ARIA released a statement claiming Internet filesharing was having a definite negative impact on CD sales; 3.4 million Australians had downloaded music files and that illegitimate channels account for 10.7% of acquired music (“Aria”). ARIA announced that they would attempt to deal with this trend by introducing key initiatives supporting the development of legitimate online business models, educating consumers, developing technology based controls and litigation. In a similar manner to the U.S., ARIA commenced cases against individual consumers of illegal downloads, suing them for copyright infringement.
One of the problems limiting the introduction of the Internet as a legitimate music acquisition point has been the issue of loss of control in the face of new technology and the subsequent lack of understanding. There has been significant debate on how to handle their integration into the industry, concerning secure formats, consumer confidence, territory considerations, and charging standards. As ARIA, record labels and music publishers deliberated various options and approaches being assessed overseas a combination of legitimate grass roots download operations (Chaosmusic) and illegitimate download operations emerged. Chaos Music was initially faced with hostility from retailers when a contract with John Farnham was met with a threat to withdraw his stock from music stores. It was not until the success of Apple iTunes in the U.S. that the confidence encouraged options to develop in Australia. In 2004, after one year of operation, Itunes has managed to make available 700,000 songs online with approx 2.5 million downloads per week capturing 70% of the market (Frith). Their campaign has possibly been so effective due to the combination of the parallel hardware release of the iPod. The delay in providing the service for Australia (due late 2004) has allowed an opportunity for Australian based services to grow in line with this new consumer confidence. In 2004, the following have been established with varying degrees of success: Telstra Bigpond music download service running in conjunction with their broadband service; DelstraMusic, working in conjunction with the major Australian music retailers; and the Microsoft and PBL collaboration NineMSN. Australian major record labels and retailers have not taken up the opportunity to set-up download services themselves, tending to work in conjunction with other companies, but this is not the case in regard to independently minded artists looking at ways to develop new models of music distribution. Artists such as Prince have managed to extract themselves from major record label contracts and embraced the concept of the Internet, taking pragmatic steps in setting up their own online music store.
“One of the things needed for the market, and perhaps missing from it, is a system geared towards the bottom end – those who self-distribute or are not commercially successful” (Mackenzie), noted by Brett Cottle from APRA (Australian Performing Rights Association) in regard to Sydney composer Charlie Chan. After selling 65,000 CDs from her website she has invested in developing an independent online music platform, ‘Martian Method’, which “ allows musicians to publish and sell their songs, and collect payments, either on their own website or from a central website” (Mackenzie). This approach exemplifies disintermediation whereby the “intermediaries between the creative artists and their audiences” (Flew 106), traditionally part of the production, distribution and circulation process, are dismantled. At present the process involves multiple layers, from content creation to content reception, but what the potential of the Internet offers is a more direct relationship between artist and consumer mediated only by the download service. A particular facet of the rhetoric surrounding the more radical potentials of the Internet regards the prospect of bypassing corporate record labels and taking independence to its purest form. This transitional period is causing labels to consider their gatekeeper role in the mediation of consumer awareness through marketing, as music choices exponentially proliferate throughout the Internet.
Lack of regulation has been a factor in the confusion surrounding downloads in the music industry. There have been ongoing issues regarding format standards: the Mac based Apple iTunes utilises a ACC format; Microsoft uses a WMA format; and even labels such as Sony have attempted to develop their own preferred format (SDMI). Due to concerns regarding control and security, this fragmentation has contributed to consumer confusion and hesitation in acceptance of this form of music acquisition. To complicate the matter, the Internet exists in a global format and protection of copyright is thus difficult to regulate on a territorial basis. Artists either subdivide their copyrights by contracting to different labels in various parts of the world, or sign world deals where the labels assign those copyrights to either franchise arrangements or subsidiary labels in different territories. Apple iTunes has manoeuvred around this by confining its initial operation to the U.S. and only allowing the sale of downloads to credit cards with U.S. addresses.
The Internet is predicated on offering universal access, and although there is a high concentration of computer use and access in developed countries such as Australia, the USA, Britain, and Japan, it still depends on who has access to this means of consumption. Generally, it is very much limited to who has the money and the knowledge to utilise the technology. Active participation by those with access to the technology has a performative role in the shaping of that technology, although somewhere between technological determinism and the sociological shaping of technology (Mackay 268). The technology has been made available on a relatively accessible level that provides opportunities to shape culture, yet it is how the public takes to the technology that eventually shapes it continued use or development. “Aberrant or oppositional decodings are possibilities for the progressive appropriation of new technologies”(Mackay 271), so illegitimate downloading and filesharing generates directions for implementing and adapting legitimate download services. The practice of downloading free copies has perpetuated a market acceptance for music delivered in this fashion, and this has driven the success of legitimate services like iTunes, which in turn is driving the industry towards disintermediation and independent, artist-driven ventures.
The debate on digital downloads is unavoidable as Internet accessibility for music consumers has dramatically expanded. The home recording cassette tape issue of the 1970s, saw the gatekeepers panic in the face of what they thought was a potential loss of income. This issue has escalated 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 anyone who has a computer – a threatening proposition to record labels who’s existence is premised on the commercial exploitation of the copyrights they license from artists. Questions about secure and controllable formats in a format confused market taint commercial enterprises’ comprehension on how to deal with an emerging and fluid technology that affords an anarchic quality. ARIA has blamed declining record sales on the impact of Internet piracy, although this claim is complicated by the overload of entertainment and cultural media choices available today, including significant growth in DVD, video games and the impact of CD burning/ripping. The concept of independence in relation to disintermediation affords the opportunity for artists to release and distribute their music direct from their websites. What transpires will ultimately be determined by what consumers are prepared to support.
Works Consulted
ARIA. 16 April 2004. 15 May 2004 http://www.aria.com.au/news.htm.
“Beyond Kazaa, A Grand Plan.” Washington Post. 19 June 2003. 31 May 2004 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10959-2003Jun18.html.
Bolter, Jay David and Richard Grusin. Remediation: Understanding New Media. Massachusetts: MIT, 2000.
Flew, Terry. New Media: An Introduction. New York: Oxford, 2002.
Frith, David. “Music Store Stays Away.” Australian. 4 May 2004: IT4.
Hollands, Mark. “Downloads Slow to Take Off.” Australian. 6 Apr. 2004: IT6.
Homan, Shane. “Popular Music.” The Media & Communications in Australia. Cunningham, Stuart and Graeme Turner, eds. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin, 2002. 226 – 243.
Johnson, Dave and Rick Broida. How to do Everything with MP3 and Digital Music. Berkeley: McGraw-Hill/Osbourne, 2002.
Lawson, Terry. “Billboard’s Chart of Digital Downloads Reflects Changes in Industry.” Detroit Free Press. 27 July 2003. 4 May 2004 http://www.freep.com/entertainment/movies/lawcol27_20030727.htm.
Lutzker, Arnold P. Content Rights for Creative Professionals: Copyrights and Trademarks in a Digital Age. 2nd ed. Oxford: Focal press, 2003.
Mackay, Hugh. Consumption and Everyday Life. London: Sage, 1997.
Mackenzie, Kate. “Charlie’s Martian is Music to Local Artists.” Australian. 25 May 2004: IT30.
Maguire, James, et al. Teach Yourself Today e-Music: Finding, Playing, Recording and Organizing Digital Music. Indianapolis: Sams, 2000.
“Maybe the Music’s Just Lousy.” Wired. 30 March 2004. 13 April 2004 http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0.1412.62871.00.html.
“Prince Sells His Music for a Song.” Australian. 6 Apr 2004: IT2.
Summers, Jodi. Interactive Music Handbook: The Definitive Guide to Internet Music Strategies, Enhanced CD Production and Business Development. New York: Allworth Press, 1998.
Woody, Todd. “The Race to Kill Kazaa.” Wired. Feb. 2003. 4 May 2004 http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.02/kazaa.html.
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Found time in the hectic spiral I have created for myself to check in and actually make a further post.
Will try and document the process I have embarked upon and nearing completion on the initial phase of regarding Regurgitator and the Band in a Bubble project. Such an interesting exercise delving into the world of TV having existed in a mixture of independent and corporate music. So much to discuss and explore regarding music, media, risk, clarity, celebrity...
But I have also been thinking of posting the paper I put together on downloads so here it is. Will also post the papers I wrote on Electroclash for Music and Subcultures in future visits.
3 June 2004 (submitted)
Lowdown on the Downloads: Digital music consumption and the Australian music industry.
“Once the Internet is a reality, the music business is finished.” (Prince 1995)
The explosion of new media has opened a variety of opportunities for media industries. As Hugh Mackay notes, “the moment of the arrival of a new technology is a crucial and exciting one, a time for contest” (272). The anarchic qualities of the Internet, in its decentralised and unregulated state, present the potential for reinventing media from the ‘bottom up’. Music is one of the areas in new media that has as much contributed to the cutting edge drive for development as it has developed its own life. From the traditional music industries’ attempts to harness this new media, to consumer-fuelled aspects such as downloads and filesharing, the situation is still in a state of flux. Recent history and applicable issues of control, security, territorial rights, and consumption, along with developments relative to Australia, will reveal how this affects the Australian music industry and how this media has, in a sense, implemented its own position relative to such issues.
The ability to transfer music via the Internet was accomplished by three significant developments in the nineties: the development of the MP3 format of music compression without a noticeable loss of quality; the introduction of portable MP3 players (the first being the 1998 Rio) whereby music in the form of MP3 could be stored and played outside of computers; and Napster established in the late 1990s by university student Shawn Fanning. Downloadable music on the Internet is either legitimate (paid or promotional) or illegitimate (piracy or filesharing). Napster allowed the ability for the user to locate MP3 files online, download multiple copies rapidly and then exchange files – all at no actual cost. It combined shareware, filesharing, free downloads, online communities and chat groups into one package. In this initial period the rhetoric around the Internet segued between its progressive potential as a “technology of freedom” (Flew 32) defying censorship and centralised control; and paranoia about security, copyright control, and the difficulty of exploiting such an intangible medium. On one level Napster functioned as a “distribution aggregation model” (Maguire 35) and on the other provoked condemnation from the RIAA (Record Industry Association of America) who represented the corporate music industry and the big five U.S. labels (EMI, BMG, Sony, Universal and Warner). With a high media profile amid massive public access - 1.39 billion files downloaded in 2000 (Flew 31) - the inventor of Napster was successfully charged with “contributory copyright infringement due to its role as a conduit between users” (Maguire 31) and shut down (and co-opted by BMG).
Following this, a second wave of fileswapping services emerged (Gnutella, Audio Galaxy, Freenet, Kazaa) that tended to be more problematic as they lacked a “centralized, corporate-funded backbone” (Maguire 36). In the case of Napster, there was a centralised server that could be liable for copyright infringements and thus held accountable. These new services are peer-to-peer filesharing networks where “users trade files through thousands of anonymous ‘supernodes’” (Woody) without a definable ‘company’ to sue. Kazaa, founded in 2001 by Niklas Zennström from Sweden, was served a lawsuit by the RIAA in an attempt to shut them down, and has since come under scrutiny by Australian authorities, as its elaborate global structure was revealed. Once the company received a legal threat it went underground in a mirror of the decentralised nature of its existence on the Internet. The company moved its software control to tax haven islands off the coast of Britain and Estonia, relocated the interface ownership to a newly formed Australian company Sharman Networks based in Vanuatu (another tax haven), and shifted the domain to LEF Interactive based in Sydney. What has emerged is a globally spread company that defies national regulation and continues to have approx 60 million users around the world. ARIA (Australian Record Industry Association), as a representative body of the six Australian major record labels (Universal, EMI, Sony, BMG, Warner and Festival Records), was requested by RIAA to take legal action against the Australian based operation of Kazaa but so far has failed to make any significant ground. In 2003, ARIA released a statement claiming Internet filesharing was having a definite negative impact on CD sales; 3.4 million Australians had downloaded music files and that illegitimate channels account for 10.7% of acquired music (“Aria”). ARIA announced that they would attempt to deal with this trend by introducing key initiatives supporting the development of legitimate online business models, educating consumers, developing technology based controls and litigation. In a similar manner to the U.S., ARIA commenced cases against individual consumers of illegal downloads, suing them for copyright infringement.
One of the problems limiting the introduction of the Internet as a legitimate music acquisition point has been the issue of loss of control in the face of new technology and the subsequent lack of understanding. There has been significant debate on how to handle their integration into the industry, concerning secure formats, consumer confidence, territory considerations, and charging standards. As ARIA, record labels and music publishers deliberated various options and approaches being assessed overseas a combination of legitimate grass roots download operations (Chaosmusic) and illegitimate download operations emerged. Chaos Music was initially faced with hostility from retailers when a contract with John Farnham was met with a threat to withdraw his stock from music stores. It was not until the success of Apple iTunes in the U.S. that the confidence encouraged options to develop in Australia. In 2004, after one year of operation, Itunes has managed to make available 700,000 songs online with approx 2.5 million downloads per week capturing 70% of the market (Frith). Their campaign has possibly been so effective due to the combination of the parallel hardware release of the iPod. The delay in providing the service for Australia (due late 2004) has allowed an opportunity for Australian based services to grow in line with this new consumer confidence. In 2004, the following have been established with varying degrees of success: Telstra Bigpond music download service running in conjunction with their broadband service; DelstraMusic, working in conjunction with the major Australian music retailers; and the Microsoft and PBL collaboration NineMSN. Australian major record labels and retailers have not taken up the opportunity to set-up download services themselves, tending to work in conjunction with other companies, but this is not the case in regard to independently minded artists looking at ways to develop new models of music distribution. Artists such as Prince have managed to extract themselves from major record label contracts and embraced the concept of the Internet, taking pragmatic steps in setting up their own online music store.
“One of the things needed for the market, and perhaps missing from it, is a system geared towards the bottom end – those who self-distribute or are not commercially successful” (Mackenzie), noted by Brett Cottle from APRA (Australian Performing Rights Association) in regard to Sydney composer Charlie Chan. After selling 65,000 CDs from her website she has invested in developing an independent online music platform, ‘Martian Method’, which “ allows musicians to publish and sell their songs, and collect payments, either on their own website or from a central website” (Mackenzie). This approach exemplifies disintermediation whereby the “intermediaries between the creative artists and their audiences” (Flew 106), traditionally part of the production, distribution and circulation process, are dismantled. At present the process involves multiple layers, from content creation to content reception, but what the potential of the Internet offers is a more direct relationship between artist and consumer mediated only by the download service. A particular facet of the rhetoric surrounding the more radical potentials of the Internet regards the prospect of bypassing corporate record labels and taking independence to its purest form. This transitional period is causing labels to consider their gatekeeper role in the mediation of consumer awareness through marketing, as music choices exponentially proliferate throughout the Internet.
Lack of regulation has been a factor in the confusion surrounding downloads in the music industry. There have been ongoing issues regarding format standards: the Mac based Apple iTunes utilises a ACC format; Microsoft uses a WMA format; and even labels such as Sony have attempted to develop their own preferred format (SDMI). Due to concerns regarding control and security, this fragmentation has contributed to consumer confusion and hesitation in acceptance of this form of music acquisition. To complicate the matter, the Internet exists in a global format and protection of copyright is thus difficult to regulate on a territorial basis. Artists either subdivide their copyrights by contracting to different labels in various parts of the world, or sign world deals where the labels assign those copyrights to either franchise arrangements or subsidiary labels in different territories. Apple iTunes has manoeuvred around this by confining its initial operation to the U.S. and only allowing the sale of downloads to credit cards with U.S. addresses.
The Internet is predicated on offering universal access, and although there is a high concentration of computer use and access in developed countries such as Australia, the USA, Britain, and Japan, it still depends on who has access to this means of consumption. Generally, it is very much limited to who has the money and the knowledge to utilise the technology. Active participation by those with access to the technology has a performative role in the shaping of that technology, although somewhere between technological determinism and the sociological shaping of technology (Mackay 268). The technology has been made available on a relatively accessible level that provides opportunities to shape culture, yet it is how the public takes to the technology that eventually shapes it continued use or development. “Aberrant or oppositional decodings are possibilities for the progressive appropriation of new technologies”(Mackay 271), so illegitimate downloading and filesharing generates directions for implementing and adapting legitimate download services. The practice of downloading free copies has perpetuated a market acceptance for music delivered in this fashion, and this has driven the success of legitimate services like iTunes, which in turn is driving the industry towards disintermediation and independent, artist-driven ventures.
The debate on digital downloads is unavoidable as Internet accessibility for music consumers has dramatically expanded. The home recording cassette tape issue of the 1970s, saw the gatekeepers panic in the face of what they thought was a potential loss of income. This issue has escalated 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 anyone who has a computer – a threatening proposition to record labels who’s existence is premised on the commercial exploitation of the copyrights they license from artists. Questions about secure and controllable formats in a format confused market taint commercial enterprises’ comprehension on how to deal with an emerging and fluid technology that affords an anarchic quality. ARIA has blamed declining record sales on the impact of Internet piracy, although this claim is complicated by the overload of entertainment and cultural media choices available today, including significant growth in DVD, video games and the impact of CD burning/ripping. The concept of independence in relation to disintermediation affords the opportunity for artists to release and distribute their music direct from their websites. What transpires will ultimately be determined by what consumers are prepared to support.
Works Consulted
ARIA. 16 April 2004. 15 May 2004 http://www.aria.com.au/news.htm.
“Beyond Kazaa, A Grand Plan.” Washington Post. 19 June 2003. 31 May 2004 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10959-2003Jun18.html.
Bolter, Jay David and Richard Grusin. Remediation: Understanding New Media. Massachusetts: MIT, 2000.
Flew, Terry. New Media: An Introduction. New York: Oxford, 2002.
Frith, David. “Music Store Stays Away.” Australian. 4 May 2004: IT4.
Hollands, Mark. “Downloads Slow to Take Off.” Australian. 6 Apr. 2004: IT6.
Homan, Shane. “Popular Music.” The Media & Communications in Australia. Cunningham, Stuart and Graeme Turner, eds. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin, 2002. 226 – 243.
Johnson, Dave and Rick Broida. How to do Everything with MP3 and Digital Music. Berkeley: McGraw-Hill/Osbourne, 2002.
Lawson, Terry. “Billboard’s Chart of Digital Downloads Reflects Changes in Industry.” Detroit Free Press. 27 July 2003. 4 May 2004 http://www.freep.com/entertainment/movies/lawcol27_20030727.htm.
Lutzker, Arnold P. Content Rights for Creative Professionals: Copyrights and Trademarks in a Digital Age. 2nd ed. Oxford: Focal press, 2003.
Mackay, Hugh. Consumption and Everyday Life. London: Sage, 1997.
Mackenzie, Kate. “Charlie’s Martian is Music to Local Artists.” Australian. 25 May 2004: IT30.
Maguire, James, et al. Teach Yourself Today e-Music: Finding, Playing, Recording and Organizing Digital Music. Indianapolis: Sams, 2000.
“Maybe the Music’s Just Lousy.” Wired. 30 March 2004. 13 April 2004 http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0.1412.62871.00.html.
“Prince Sells His Music for a Song.” Australian. 6 Apr 2004: IT2.
Summers, Jodi. Interactive Music Handbook: The Definitive Guide to Internet Music Strategies, Enhanced CD Production and Business Development. New York: Allworth Press, 1998.
Woody, Todd. “The Race to Kill Kazaa.” Wired. Feb. 2003. 4 May 2004 http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.02/kazaa.html.
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Thursday, June 03, 2004
In response to Jean`s comments thing on weblog insecurity and future addictions...
Hilarious... the weblog is a great scenario to blow off steam and air your crazy mad thoughts.This course has invigorated me to explore my dysfuntions and dissect more and more... music has a strange effect on me and wish I could tell if this was the same way other people feel... but how do you do that other than communicate... but how to communicate what that is? Sometimes it feels too strange and difficult to explain.
Otherwise my sincere apologies if I seemed a little possessed at the panel discussion earlier this week. I have done a few of these type of things here and there over the years and the first attempt I was disturbed by a bout of dyslexia, arrythmia and cold sweat and sat there in a highly embarrassed and mute state dreadfully shaken... I abhore orchestrated approachs to discussions as I firmly believe spontaneity captures a more distinct essence... I persevered and pushed myself to overcome this... that said it is like some creature now emerges from inside of me and explodes with a heightened sense of liberation. Although I must admit I have fun with the format now... and particularly found this one quite spirited (although I had a rather shaky start and felt rather nervous in front of this group initially).
Best of luck to everyone involved in this class... it is inspiring to find people interested in music on this level... please feel free to email me in the future and ask any questions about the music industry. Although my comments are obviously inflected by my attitudes and opinions it may be of worth still.
Have fun.
|
Hilarious... the weblog is a great scenario to blow off steam and air your crazy mad thoughts.This course has invigorated me to explore my dysfuntions and dissect more and more... music has a strange effect on me and wish I could tell if this was the same way other people feel... but how do you do that other than communicate... but how to communicate what that is? Sometimes it feels too strange and difficult to explain.
Otherwise my sincere apologies if I seemed a little possessed at the panel discussion earlier this week. I have done a few of these type of things here and there over the years and the first attempt I was disturbed by a bout of dyslexia, arrythmia and cold sweat and sat there in a highly embarrassed and mute state dreadfully shaken... I abhore orchestrated approachs to discussions as I firmly believe spontaneity captures a more distinct essence... I persevered and pushed myself to overcome this... that said it is like some creature now emerges from inside of me and explodes with a heightened sense of liberation. Although I must admit I have fun with the format now... and particularly found this one quite spirited (although I had a rather shaky start and felt rather nervous in front of this group initially).
Best of luck to everyone involved in this class... it is inspiring to find people interested in music on this level... please feel free to email me in the future and ask any questions about the music industry. Although my comments are obviously inflected by my attitudes and opinions it may be of worth still.
Have fun.
|
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
LOCALITY
Further to the post below... in response to comments from Chris.
I`m not saying that the concept of local is in question... just the virtual idea of community is expanding that. I agree in the sense that cyberspace is cold and isolationist... but in a sense our interaction in this format is generating a small sense of community on this basic level. Otherwise the process of actual articulation of performance is still very much implicated in states of local production and consumption (especially in the formative stages). Further to this I make mention of the physical barriers faced by artists based in Australia.
Outside of that of course, when it comes to niche musics such as more experimental types of electronic music... possibly due to the partiality to all things computer... the Internet would serve an more immediate presence in reaching and establishing a community in a global sense, that for involved participants would for intensive purposes feel like a local environment(?).
Otherwise I forgot to mention Brisbane electronic stalwarts...
PONYLOAF
Great new album coming out in August...
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Further to the post below... in response to comments from Chris.
I`m not saying that the concept of local is in question... just the virtual idea of community is expanding that. I agree in the sense that cyberspace is cold and isolationist... but in a sense our interaction in this format is generating a small sense of community on this basic level. Otherwise the process of actual articulation of performance is still very much implicated in states of local production and consumption (especially in the formative stages). Further to this I make mention of the physical barriers faced by artists based in Australia.
Outside of that of course, when it comes to niche musics such as more experimental types of electronic music... possibly due to the partiality to all things computer... the Internet would serve an more immediate presence in reaching and establishing a community in a global sense, that for involved participants would for intensive purposes feel like a local environment(?).
Otherwise I forgot to mention Brisbane electronic stalwarts...
PONYLOAF
Great new album coming out in August...
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Monday, May 31, 2004
Local scene
I have quite enjoyed this subject on music subcultures, not only in that it has provided an opportunity to assess theoretical structures around the production and consumption of music in an historical and contemporary sense but it has also afforded the chance to meet some interesting people in Andrew, Renee, and Chris.
The past two weeks we moved onto a look at the local Brisbane scene… and I realise so far I have only written on the blog about artists from overseas. Not that in anyway I have a disinterest in local and Australian artists, as I feel somewhat entangled in local and national music… and on the contrary I have been excited by many Australian artists and tend to view them more in the context of a global sense. Actually maybe the influence of the Internet has been to view the world in such a connected sense. I find the what is now happening on the World Wide Web is this new sense of extended community and accelerated information. Relationships can be established with people who have the same interests… and in light of the concept of disintermediation, producers (as in artists) can (and do) create information portals whereby regular updates are literally are at the touch of the fingers. This tends to relocate the notion of locality as being noticeably separated by spatial and temporal concerns. In a virtual type of way, the world feels more like a local scenario.
Otherwise artists that I have found engaging in the context of being geographically from Australia include:
The Dirty Threeoriginally from Melbourne (but who left early in their career to move around the cultural zones of the world like rootless cosmopolitans seemingly aware that the possibilities were much expanded if they ventured away); The Necks from Sydney (and again due to the progressive nature of their music wandered the world when the opportunity has arisen and generally self-released their music); Regurgitator from Brisbane (but now based in Sydney); Curseovdialect from Melbourne; Full Fathom Five from Brisbane; Spod from Sydney; Gerling from Sydney; Underground Lovers from Melbourne (and highly underated on past few albums); TISM from Melbourne (for the sheer insanity of what they continue to do); The Mark of Cain from Adelaide (for the strange mixture of intellectual existentialism and military aesthetics); Kim Salmon from Melbourne and Perth (especially his work with seminal artist The Scientists and his STM album), Spiderbait from Melbourne (by the way great website), Nick Cave from Melbourne originally but who left these shores early (and his work with Boys Next Door, The Birthday Party and the Bad Seeds) … as well as such luminaries as The Go-Betweens, King Snake Roost, King Idiot, Pell Mel, The Fireballs, Pangaea, Kiss My Poodles Donkey, Decoder Ring, The Triffids, The Laughing Clowns (with Ed Kuepper), Radio Birdman, The Celibate Rifles, The Avalanches, The Bird Blobs, Bit by Bats…
In general it is interesting to note the minimal amount of Australian artists who have made it beyond Australia to establish international profiles… they could possibly be counted on two hands. The transition from local to global presence is not an easy process, and although things are improving… being from Australia and the physical distance seems to offer boundaries of a sort. Will the Internet contribute to a shift in this regard?
In the process of locating these artist sites stumbled across this interesting overview of Australian music history.
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I have quite enjoyed this subject on music subcultures, not only in that it has provided an opportunity to assess theoretical structures around the production and consumption of music in an historical and contemporary sense but it has also afforded the chance to meet some interesting people in Andrew, Renee, and Chris.
The past two weeks we moved onto a look at the local Brisbane scene… and I realise so far I have only written on the blog about artists from overseas. Not that in anyway I have a disinterest in local and Australian artists, as I feel somewhat entangled in local and national music… and on the contrary I have been excited by many Australian artists and tend to view them more in the context of a global sense. Actually maybe the influence of the Internet has been to view the world in such a connected sense. I find the what is now happening on the World Wide Web is this new sense of extended community and accelerated information. Relationships can be established with people who have the same interests… and in light of the concept of disintermediation, producers (as in artists) can (and do) create information portals whereby regular updates are literally are at the touch of the fingers. This tends to relocate the notion of locality as being noticeably separated by spatial and temporal concerns. In a virtual type of way, the world feels more like a local scenario.
Otherwise artists that I have found engaging in the context of being geographically from Australia include:
The Dirty Threeoriginally from Melbourne (but who left early in their career to move around the cultural zones of the world like rootless cosmopolitans seemingly aware that the possibilities were much expanded if they ventured away); The Necks from Sydney (and again due to the progressive nature of their music wandered the world when the opportunity has arisen and generally self-released their music); Regurgitator from Brisbane (but now based in Sydney); Curseovdialect from Melbourne; Full Fathom Five from Brisbane; Spod from Sydney; Gerling from Sydney; Underground Lovers from Melbourne (and highly underated on past few albums); TISM from Melbourne (for the sheer insanity of what they continue to do); The Mark of Cain from Adelaide (for the strange mixture of intellectual existentialism and military aesthetics); Kim Salmon from Melbourne and Perth (especially his work with seminal artist The Scientists and his STM album), Spiderbait from Melbourne (by the way great website), Nick Cave from Melbourne originally but who left these shores early (and his work with Boys Next Door, The Birthday Party and the Bad Seeds) … as well as such luminaries as The Go-Betweens, King Snake Roost, King Idiot, Pell Mel, The Fireballs, Pangaea, Kiss My Poodles Donkey, Decoder Ring, The Triffids, The Laughing Clowns (with Ed Kuepper), Radio Birdman, The Celibate Rifles, The Avalanches, The Bird Blobs, Bit by Bats…
In general it is interesting to note the minimal amount of Australian artists who have made it beyond Australia to establish international profiles… they could possibly be counted on two hands. The transition from local to global presence is not an easy process, and although things are improving… being from Australia and the physical distance seems to offer boundaries of a sort. Will the Internet contribute to a shift in this regard?
In the process of locating these artist sites stumbled across this interesting overview of Australian music history.
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Tuesday, May 25, 2004
JAPAN
I was inspired by one of the blogs looking at Japanese Lolita Goths to recall my love of all things Japanese and the extreme qualities of the culture… as in the bizarre role of perfectionism present in youth cultures. Specifically in the manner that western subcultures are reinterpreted through a perfectionist replication of styles and looks that in the end achieves some degree of hybridity. The first time I saw what I refer to as hospital Goths I was absolutely fascinated… a strange mixture of doctors, nurses, hospital patients and the standard goth styling. Just fantastic the degree of detail and spectacle as hung out in large groups in the parks. Then there was the strange take on surfie culture where the participants looked like a surreal mixture of distorted barbie dolls and cave boys. It seems there is an acceptance and encouragement for this type of radical expression in youth… to liberate their rebellious side before adult responsibilities set in. The pressures in Japan enter weird zones though… and there is a movement called "hikikomori" whereby youths lock themselves in their bedrooms and basically speak and see no one. Maybe their mother will communicate with them in a rather alienated fashion, serving them food and being there… but they completely shut down all social interaction and stay in their rooms maybe leaving the room at night to move around the house if that. Possibly the result of education pressures or even time spent on computers… that can lead to possible suicide, it is these types of developments that appear to be extreme reactions to modern society that are strangely fascinating.
When it comes to music, art, literature and film it again leans towards amazing examples of extremes and detail. From Mishima to Murakami, In the Realm of the Senses to Tetsuo: Body Hammer and Battle Royale, Kurosawa to Beat Takeshi, Ultraman to Manga… there is just an incredible body of work to pursue. Music is no different… from the incredible BOREDOMS (from Osaka) one of the world’s seminal noise artists and the large array of spinoff and affiliated projects around them… to AUDIO ACTIVE taking dub into an electro space realm along with affiliated dub purists DRY & HEAVY… the incredible electronic exponents including DJ KRUSH, KEN IISHI, RYUICHI SAKAMOTO, TOWA TEI and beyond… the brilliant examples of indie pop experimentalists BUFFALO DAUGHTER, CIBO MATTO (although based in New York for sometime now)… trash revivalists THE 5678’s, and in some respects their precursors SHONEN KNIFE… and then retro 60s surreal pop culturalists PIZZICATO FIVE… and the lo-fi kitsch-maniac CORNELIUS with his label TRATTORIA… to more rock orientated experiences like THE ZOOBOMBS, MELT BANANA, THEE MACHINE GUN ELEPHANT and THE MAD CAPSULE MARKETS… and if the range of Japanese artists doesn’t completely flip you out then the other amazing aspect is if you are trying to locate an album release the possibilities of finding it in Japan are highly exaggerated… there are so many record stores as well as the largest record store in the world – an 8 floor Tower store in Tokyo.
I’m only skimming the surface here… the one thing that becomes immediately apparent there is the fact that time is such a modicum when it comes to the amount of artefacts to excavate… but I suppose that’s what comes with 20 million plus people in one city.
(PS I’ll try and get links to all of the above if I find time… things are getting hectic around here.)
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I was inspired by one of the blogs looking at Japanese Lolita Goths to recall my love of all things Japanese and the extreme qualities of the culture… as in the bizarre role of perfectionism present in youth cultures. Specifically in the manner that western subcultures are reinterpreted through a perfectionist replication of styles and looks that in the end achieves some degree of hybridity. The first time I saw what I refer to as hospital Goths I was absolutely fascinated… a strange mixture of doctors, nurses, hospital patients and the standard goth styling. Just fantastic the degree of detail and spectacle as hung out in large groups in the parks. Then there was the strange take on surfie culture where the participants looked like a surreal mixture of distorted barbie dolls and cave boys. It seems there is an acceptance and encouragement for this type of radical expression in youth… to liberate their rebellious side before adult responsibilities set in. The pressures in Japan enter weird zones though… and there is a movement called "hikikomori" whereby youths lock themselves in their bedrooms and basically speak and see no one. Maybe their mother will communicate with them in a rather alienated fashion, serving them food and being there… but they completely shut down all social interaction and stay in their rooms maybe leaving the room at night to move around the house if that. Possibly the result of education pressures or even time spent on computers… that can lead to possible suicide, it is these types of developments that appear to be extreme reactions to modern society that are strangely fascinating.
When it comes to music, art, literature and film it again leans towards amazing examples of extremes and detail. From Mishima to Murakami, In the Realm of the Senses to Tetsuo: Body Hammer and Battle Royale, Kurosawa to Beat Takeshi, Ultraman to Manga… there is just an incredible body of work to pursue. Music is no different… from the incredible BOREDOMS (from Osaka) one of the world’s seminal noise artists and the large array of spinoff and affiliated projects around them… to AUDIO ACTIVE taking dub into an electro space realm along with affiliated dub purists DRY & HEAVY… the incredible electronic exponents including DJ KRUSH, KEN IISHI, RYUICHI SAKAMOTO, TOWA TEI and beyond… the brilliant examples of indie pop experimentalists BUFFALO DAUGHTER, CIBO MATTO (although based in New York for sometime now)… trash revivalists THE 5678’s, and in some respects their precursors SHONEN KNIFE… and then retro 60s surreal pop culturalists PIZZICATO FIVE… and the lo-fi kitsch-maniac CORNELIUS with his label TRATTORIA… to more rock orientated experiences like THE ZOOBOMBS, MELT BANANA, THEE MACHINE GUN ELEPHANT and THE MAD CAPSULE MARKETS… and if the range of Japanese artists doesn’t completely flip you out then the other amazing aspect is if you are trying to locate an album release the possibilities of finding it in Japan are highly exaggerated… there are so many record stores as well as the largest record store in the world – an 8 floor Tower store in Tokyo.
I’m only skimming the surface here… the one thing that becomes immediately apparent there is the fact that time is such a modicum when it comes to the amount of artefacts to excavate… but I suppose that’s what comes with 20 million plus people in one city.
(PS I’ll try and get links to all of the above if I find time… things are getting hectic around here.)
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Sunday, May 23, 2004
Last week’s tutorial wandered around the presence of popular music tracks in TV advertising… an interesting scenario in relation to questions around production and consumption, and process of marketing music. It has to be noted that in recent times the floodgate has opened in regard to the amount of songs being used and the alacrity they are picked up for use (while the track is still very much in the charts and thus in youth awareness). Until this recent shift, the use of popular music in TV advertising was seen as counter to credibility and even progress. The notion of being linked with a product or service was generally seen by artists as a form of cultural devalue… the song placed in the role of a virtual jingle removed some aesthetic quality and suggested the possibility of “selling-out”. Yet when you think about it, given the fragmented state of radio and audiences for this media, the capability to reach a larger audience in a possibly more specific market (per ad placement on various shows that attract specific audiences for the duration) in a much more repetitive manner (a few times an hour rather than once every hour or so) thus being able to establish a more effective engagement of interest (taking in account the attention directed at the TV as well as the not so subtle shift in volume that seems to be apparent for ad breaks), it could be clearly debated has more impact. Of course to enhance this choice as a significant one, it should also be noted that the owners of the copyright (record label and publisher) also make revenue from the track being licensed for use in the ad… and ultimately the artist receiving this income per the arrangement they have with their copyright owners. This of course complicates the relationship between the production and consumption of music in parallel with the production and consumption of the products or services that the music then becomes linked with. But it should also be noted that generally the artist has to clear this particular use with both the record label and publisher, thus the artist has agency in choosing to have their music connected with a particular product or service. So at present we have a high profile Jet track used in a Vodaphone ad, in that sense it continues the high profile of Jet via another media, but then also links Vodaphone with the contemporary youth presence of Jet. Coming in the near future we have Bob Dylan placing music in a Victoria’s Secret lingerie commercial, which seems to run counter to his past persona, yet serves as strong medium to re-engage with an audience which may possibly be denied to him in radio media. Possibly this has arisen from music never released to radio yet via use in a TV commercial and the degree of repetition established a demand for the music, such as the track used in the Mars Bars ad. Interesting premise to see where it goes… advertising as much as it comes down to the choice of the artist, in general I tend to find it such a banal use of music but whatever...
Otherwise the newish band EAGLES OF DEATH METAL that includes Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age have caught my attention. Need to check their album “Peace, Love & Death Metal” out. Hopefully soon. Still waiting to get the new albums from Phoenix, TV on the Radio, !!! and eventually Beastie Boys. Time to wait.
Ummmm... many thoughts crystallising on the local/global thing... please note as much as I haven`t made mention of local or national artists in this blog I'm quite interested in what has happened and is happening... more soon!
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Otherwise the newish band EAGLES OF DEATH METAL that includes Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age have caught my attention. Need to check their album “Peace, Love & Death Metal” out. Hopefully soon. Still waiting to get the new albums from Phoenix, TV on the Radio, !!! and eventually Beastie Boys. Time to wait.
Ummmm... many thoughts crystallising on the local/global thing... please note as much as I haven`t made mention of local or national artists in this blog I'm quite interested in what has happened and is happening... more soon!
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Wednesday, May 19, 2004
I feel I should excuse myself for the ridiculous manner in which I have approached this weblog project… I don’t mean to create any ridiculous scenario here. I have just gotten a little carried away and obsessive with this medium and I’m using it to explore and develop free thinking concept. It was interesting the other week when I decided to change to a white text on back background look… I didn’t think about it at first but realised maybe the reason was to emulate a “chalk & blackboard” concept and thus signify an almost ephemeral nature to the project. The way information can sit in this virtual capacity and possibly be there one day and not the next… but also the free thought approach of just writing stuff because I think about it and can work it out in this space. Not sure… but I have felt some sense of pleasure from this and play with, and expand the various thought-loops that flip around in the virtual space that is my mind… which in an odd way is replicated by the virtual space of the Internet… except in this case you have this weird entry point whereby other people can access portals in the electronic mind. Maybe this is what schizophrenics go through in a reality sense… their actual minds develop portals to act like transmitters receiving information (albeit in an inverse fashion I suppose).
The other reason why I do this is because I seem to prefer typing to handwriting these days and tend to type a lot. It seems like a more fluid way to jot down ideas… and thus what I translate to this weblog thing.
The tutorial the other week developed a discussion around what if the music industry ended tomorrow and if it could be considered that there is enough music available already in one’s possession not to be concerned about this. An interesting premise and could possibly be linked to the idea that everything that can be done with music has already been done and is just being repeated and recycled. Yes it is true styles and ideas get regurgitated… just look at Jet… a text book exercise in the replication of past styles, sounds and even songs. But the past also gets re-contextualised and developed into new forms as well. Of course it is valid to question the point of satisfaction…(“am I satisfied?… clearly not…”). I must be unsatisfied as I constantly crave the new. Have I fallen foul of the manipulations of our commodity culture… the need for the latest in the insatiable quest for everything new? I love the shock of the new… and thus really look for anything new (new to me that is - from the past or now)… but the choice to pursue such an interest requires commitment to finding what this is. It depends on how much time you have… and what position music has in your lifestyle choice… what type of music you identify with… for some people music is just there, on the radio or TV and part of the environment of sound where its meaning is not so specific (although still filled with meaning no doubt, but maybe more in parallel to other aspects of their life). One thing is that music production is exponentially growing and the choices are excessive. In this sense it can get draining pursuing the new and easier to listen to what the gatekeepers choose to playlist on radio and TV. But the development of genre hybrid is continual and evolving and when the connectedness of global influence and the Internet are taken into account it becomes even more exciting.
I find one of the most exciting aspects of music production for me is stylistic hybridity. I enjoy the attempts (and sometimes they just don’t work) to mesh and combine different styles and genres - accidental or conscious - I find them fascinating (even the more faile attempts). There is a sense of resistance to conformity by breaking the rules of the genre (although this also appears as a natural consequence of genre development). BILL LASWELL is been a highly prolific and influential stalwart in genre exploration, experimentation and dissection. Working as a musician (bass player) as well production he has left some significant marks on music. Aside from his production on groundbreaking releases like Herbie Hancock’s “Rock It” he as been involved in incredibly innovative (and some would say self-indulgent) musical artists such as MATERIAL, LAST EXIT, PAINKILLER and PRAXIS, as well his work with BUCKETHEAD. Plus established labels that filter in out like shadows and place music in evolving levels like no other… collaborations and fusions of styles that have encountered much criticism for his fluid like merging of classical and popular music… at times at a break neck pace. Labels such as AXIOM, ENEMY, CELLULOID, SUBHARMONIC, STRATA, BLACK ARC and the lastest project INNERRHYTHMIC.… if you have the urge (and budget or download ability) there is a substantial catalogue of material worth investigating.
What’s new from Bill Laswell?
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The other reason why I do this is because I seem to prefer typing to handwriting these days and tend to type a lot. It seems like a more fluid way to jot down ideas… and thus what I translate to this weblog thing.
The tutorial the other week developed a discussion around what if the music industry ended tomorrow and if it could be considered that there is enough music available already in one’s possession not to be concerned about this. An interesting premise and could possibly be linked to the idea that everything that can be done with music has already been done and is just being repeated and recycled. Yes it is true styles and ideas get regurgitated… just look at Jet… a text book exercise in the replication of past styles, sounds and even songs. But the past also gets re-contextualised and developed into new forms as well. Of course it is valid to question the point of satisfaction…(“am I satisfied?… clearly not…”). I must be unsatisfied as I constantly crave the new. Have I fallen foul of the manipulations of our commodity culture… the need for the latest in the insatiable quest for everything new? I love the shock of the new… and thus really look for anything new (new to me that is - from the past or now)… but the choice to pursue such an interest requires commitment to finding what this is. It depends on how much time you have… and what position music has in your lifestyle choice… what type of music you identify with… for some people music is just there, on the radio or TV and part of the environment of sound where its meaning is not so specific (although still filled with meaning no doubt, but maybe more in parallel to other aspects of their life). One thing is that music production is exponentially growing and the choices are excessive. In this sense it can get draining pursuing the new and easier to listen to what the gatekeepers choose to playlist on radio and TV. But the development of genre hybrid is continual and evolving and when the connectedness of global influence and the Internet are taken into account it becomes even more exciting.
I find one of the most exciting aspects of music production for me is stylistic hybridity. I enjoy the attempts (and sometimes they just don’t work) to mesh and combine different styles and genres - accidental or conscious - I find them fascinating (even the more faile attempts). There is a sense of resistance to conformity by breaking the rules of the genre (although this also appears as a natural consequence of genre development). BILL LASWELL is been a highly prolific and influential stalwart in genre exploration, experimentation and dissection. Working as a musician (bass player) as well production he has left some significant marks on music. Aside from his production on groundbreaking releases like Herbie Hancock’s “Rock It” he as been involved in incredibly innovative (and some would say self-indulgent) musical artists such as MATERIAL, LAST EXIT, PAINKILLER and PRAXIS, as well his work with BUCKETHEAD. Plus established labels that filter in out like shadows and place music in evolving levels like no other… collaborations and fusions of styles that have encountered much criticism for his fluid like merging of classical and popular music… at times at a break neck pace. Labels such as AXIOM, ENEMY, CELLULOID, SUBHARMONIC, STRATA, BLACK ARC and the lastest project INNERRHYTHMIC.… if you have the urge (and budget or download ability) there is a substantial catalogue of material worth investigating.
What’s new from Bill Laswell?
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Monday, May 17, 2004
Phew… stepped out the door for a while… needed to compose myself so I could lose the plot a bit more. So much to read to gain perspective… and just not enough time to achieve this to the degree of consumption that I would like. Move on… and the glaring holes in these simplifications only lead to more questions. Looks like I’m generating confusion and interest from these free rambles. Writing like this is a great way to construct thoughts.
Consumption is an active practice… an everyday practice. It is suggested by Bourdieu that we distinguish ourselves through our taste; that our agency in consumption is linked to significations of social standing. On the other hand, Baudrillard posits consumption as a process of becoming; that our agency in consumption is what develops and defines our identity. Ultimately to some extent we consume and display this consumption according to how we wish to project our identity. Of course there is the question of whom has access to the means of consumption and the manner in which class affects the choices available to people. Then there is the argument that consumption is about passive responses to manipulations of producers and their advertisers – derivative of Marxist ideologies, and expanded by the Frankfurt school as part of a mass culture manifesto whereby people where victims of falsely generated needs. Consumption affords a combination of needs and wants, subjective in the sense of how the objects of consumption are used and appropriated, relative to an individuals approach to their identified meanings. It meanders between the productive manipulation of tastes we can remain passive to, and the active resistance inherent in the choices made available. In the fragmented postmodern world lifestyle is becoming the defining factor. Music has a great deal to do with lifestyle choices… as well as taste and identity construction. Music is ubiquitous in that our experience is very much everyday
The relationship to music is obviously a subjective one although linked to objective availability… what is provided for our engagement versus how and to what degree a person chooses to access. The consumption of music is directly related to pleasure… and yet music consumption is entwined in and problematised by the profit motives of production. This tension between commerce and art is only one aspect though in this pursuit of pleasure… it could be expanded in another direction in that of ART and ENTERTAINMENT. Entertainment suggests a concern with mass culture; an engagement with the mass audience to incite pleasure. Entertainment incites a direct relationship with commercial interest yet also manages to engage the idea of being foremost for the pleasure of the people on a highly accessible level. Art on the other hand seems to suggest an almost self-indulgence, a dedication to the act of creativity irrelevant of audience response. Art also encapsulates a high-brow notion and elicits a sense of elitism. Art insinuates a confrontation to the dominant frame, a challenge to convention. Art conveys a sense of meaning, a message… as abstract and self-indulgent it may be… but all the same a feeling of engagement other than basic pleasure. That is not to say pleasure should not come from depth and complexity, and in some sense it is disappointing that there is a rejection of this as entertainment. (I prefer experimentation and depth in the music I find pleasure in, and find myself in interesting, conflicting states of mind when I’m faced with music that excites me and yet contains lyrical content I can’t relate to such as sexist or racist crap)
Creativity should not be for industry… industry should be for creativity.
There is the cheesy and surreal pop world of the Eurovision Song Contest…
…and then there is GONZALES, a Canadian artist who relocated to Berlin, now based in Paris, is a unique and profound artist who plays with the concept of entertainment. His first album under the moniker of Gonzales, “Gonzales Uber Alles” was released by Kitty Yo early 2000. A Jewish prankster playing with the elitist notions of the underground (he challenged Alec Empire from Atari Teenage Riot to a public debate about the avant-garde organising a press conference at which Empire failed to show), he produced an album that ranged across cheap beats, triphop and beautiful harmonies. Late 2000 he released “The Entertainist”, a hilarious cheap beat hiphop parody. In 2002 the third album “Presidential Suite” fused the styles of the previous two. In 2003 he re-recorded a bunch of previously released tracks under the name “Z” with a bunch of guests and seemingly with the guise of Danny Elfin and Lionel Ritchie in mind (interestingly his brother Christopher Beck composed the music for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series). Hilarious and genius all in one breath. Soaked in his unique and postmodern mixture of social critique, self-deprecation and a poke in the ribs of entertainment, art and commerce. “What is the hidden message encoded into the performer-audience relationship? New CD out now!”
He followed this with a series of pre-tirement shows through Europe in 2003 and since this time has been working in production. Go to the Kitty-Yo website and check his listing under artists.
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Consumption is an active practice… an everyday practice. It is suggested by Bourdieu that we distinguish ourselves through our taste; that our agency in consumption is linked to significations of social standing. On the other hand, Baudrillard posits consumption as a process of becoming; that our agency in consumption is what develops and defines our identity. Ultimately to some extent we consume and display this consumption according to how we wish to project our identity. Of course there is the question of whom has access to the means of consumption and the manner in which class affects the choices available to people. Then there is the argument that consumption is about passive responses to manipulations of producers and their advertisers – derivative of Marxist ideologies, and expanded by the Frankfurt school as part of a mass culture manifesto whereby people where victims of falsely generated needs. Consumption affords a combination of needs and wants, subjective in the sense of how the objects of consumption are used and appropriated, relative to an individuals approach to their identified meanings. It meanders between the productive manipulation of tastes we can remain passive to, and the active resistance inherent in the choices made available. In the fragmented postmodern world lifestyle is becoming the defining factor. Music has a great deal to do with lifestyle choices… as well as taste and identity construction. Music is ubiquitous in that our experience is very much everyday
The relationship to music is obviously a subjective one although linked to objective availability… what is provided for our engagement versus how and to what degree a person chooses to access. The consumption of music is directly related to pleasure… and yet music consumption is entwined in and problematised by the profit motives of production. This tension between commerce and art is only one aspect though in this pursuit of pleasure… it could be expanded in another direction in that of ART and ENTERTAINMENT. Entertainment suggests a concern with mass culture; an engagement with the mass audience to incite pleasure. Entertainment incites a direct relationship with commercial interest yet also manages to engage the idea of being foremost for the pleasure of the people on a highly accessible level. Art on the other hand seems to suggest an almost self-indulgence, a dedication to the act of creativity irrelevant of audience response. Art also encapsulates a high-brow notion and elicits a sense of elitism. Art insinuates a confrontation to the dominant frame, a challenge to convention. Art conveys a sense of meaning, a message… as abstract and self-indulgent it may be… but all the same a feeling of engagement other than basic pleasure. That is not to say pleasure should not come from depth and complexity, and in some sense it is disappointing that there is a rejection of this as entertainment. (I prefer experimentation and depth in the music I find pleasure in, and find myself in interesting, conflicting states of mind when I’m faced with music that excites me and yet contains lyrical content I can’t relate to such as sexist or racist crap)
Creativity should not be for industry… industry should be for creativity.
There is the cheesy and surreal pop world of the Eurovision Song Contest…
…and then there is GONZALES, a Canadian artist who relocated to Berlin, now based in Paris, is a unique and profound artist who plays with the concept of entertainment. His first album under the moniker of Gonzales, “Gonzales Uber Alles” was released by Kitty Yo early 2000. A Jewish prankster playing with the elitist notions of the underground (he challenged Alec Empire from Atari Teenage Riot to a public debate about the avant-garde organising a press conference at which Empire failed to show), he produced an album that ranged across cheap beats, triphop and beautiful harmonies. Late 2000 he released “The Entertainist”, a hilarious cheap beat hiphop parody. In 2002 the third album “Presidential Suite” fused the styles of the previous two. In 2003 he re-recorded a bunch of previously released tracks under the name “Z” with a bunch of guests and seemingly with the guise of Danny Elfin and Lionel Ritchie in mind (interestingly his brother Christopher Beck composed the music for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series). Hilarious and genius all in one breath. Soaked in his unique and postmodern mixture of social critique, self-deprecation and a poke in the ribs of entertainment, art and commerce. “What is the hidden message encoded into the performer-audience relationship? New CD out now!”
He followed this with a series of pre-tirement shows through Europe in 2003 and since this time has been working in production. Go to the Kitty-Yo website and check his listing under artists.
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Wednesday, May 12, 2004
The weblog offers a peculiar scenario to explore concepts in writing. There is a sense of liberation that parallels the type of privilege afforded by the vagaries of identity on the Internet (along with the informal aspect of this academic assignment)… yet there is also a degree of circumspection around the public revelation and subsequent exposure to the critique of the immediate community, in that of the fellow students and academics of MSTU2000. The exposure of an identity that will be read for what it is as it stands – (structured formations of letters, words, and images floating in an electronic netherzone glittering its way into anonymous monitors blinking on and off where ever the means of consumption allow the “white optic fibre” to perpetrate itself). I found the concept of community on the Internet dealt with in the reading (Baym) interesting… in that I use the Internet to a significant degree for communication and research but never for chat groups, multi-user domains, etc. Not that I have issues with the concept of the Internet as a social structure or questions on the effectiveness of communication (i.e. non-verbal cues, etc) on the Internet; although I often find myself thinking about the concept of identity within the parameters that the Internet offers. The Internet is a provocative area for identity and social meaning, in that the sense of limitless space offers new horizons for the development of public identity, expression and relationships based on a virtual interaction. The anonymity propels a sense of adventure whereby there is a lowered social inhibition to play with and extend identity. Of course it can also become a disturbing scenario whereby this facet becomes a power to manipulate and deceive like a spectre hidden within the machine. The weblog though, is like dipping your toes into an unknown pool of communities… a zone that exudes it own addictions to the ease and accessibility to forge and distribute expression… as such like all easily accessible formats can greatly devalue such an opportunity. I know why I’m doing this now… but why would I do this?
Further on… today we have “gift-economies” and “identity performance” implanted in our thoughts. The relationship standard to basic production and consumption ie money in exchange for good and services - is disentangled in the net economy whereby time and energy is committed to the generation of websites and the various other Internet engagements in exchange for nothing specifically tangible or recognisable. Thus the idea of the “gift economy” as noted by Howard Rheingold - where the exchange of information, data, etc is about cultural capital… one buys in a sense popularity and ego gratification from the claims of proximity, experience and didactic knowledge about the artist. But then this, of course, flows over into the area of identity performance, in that the question of authority versus opinion must be considered. Quite literally you can create your own narrative or multiple narratives… (in the recomposition of the virtual identity you are afforded the same sense of agency apparent in another Internet facet – hypertext) then it comes down to the engagement and acceptance from other online parties to consolidate these textual identities.
Not sure where I’m going here…
Festivals are also a rather interesting space for community to exist. Clearly people enjoy participating in them as they flock to them in large numbers… Big Day Out, Livid, Woodford, The Falls, Splendour in the Grass, Meredith… the many rave-style dance events… large scale exercises that as a participant can offer a myriad of social choices. It can feel not dissimilar to the liberation afforded by the anonymity on the Internet… a large grouping of people with a sense of anything goes within its boundaries… a hedonistic anarchy whereby a varied and continuous selection of music is provided for the pleasure and stimulation of the social interaction… along with alcohol, drugs etc. But as an environment for consuming music it can also be debatable regarding the question of quality… Two festivals that I have had the good fortune to attend, that for me, offered the most interesting selection of music and exhilarating sense of community have been overseas:
FUJI ROCK 3 days of a very mixed lineup in early August about 2 hours drive north of Tokyo in Nigata, Japan; and SONAR an incredible 3 days of experimental and electronic artists mid June set in central Barcelona, Spain. Overwhelming physical environments, fantastic array of artists especially in regard to the possibility of surprise (i.e. unknown artists), great sound systems… and the community that gathered at these events was like nothing I had ever witnessed before… just so different in behaviour (but maybe this was cultural).
I would recommend the experience to anyone.
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Further on… today we have “gift-economies” and “identity performance” implanted in our thoughts. The relationship standard to basic production and consumption ie money in exchange for good and services - is disentangled in the net economy whereby time and energy is committed to the generation of websites and the various other Internet engagements in exchange for nothing specifically tangible or recognisable. Thus the idea of the “gift economy” as noted by Howard Rheingold - where the exchange of information, data, etc is about cultural capital… one buys in a sense popularity and ego gratification from the claims of proximity, experience and didactic knowledge about the artist. But then this, of course, flows over into the area of identity performance, in that the question of authority versus opinion must be considered. Quite literally you can create your own narrative or multiple narratives… (in the recomposition of the virtual identity you are afforded the same sense of agency apparent in another Internet facet – hypertext) then it comes down to the engagement and acceptance from other online parties to consolidate these textual identities.
Not sure where I’m going here…
Festivals are also a rather interesting space for community to exist. Clearly people enjoy participating in them as they flock to them in large numbers… Big Day Out, Livid, Woodford, The Falls, Splendour in the Grass, Meredith… the many rave-style dance events… large scale exercises that as a participant can offer a myriad of social choices. It can feel not dissimilar to the liberation afforded by the anonymity on the Internet… a large grouping of people with a sense of anything goes within its boundaries… a hedonistic anarchy whereby a varied and continuous selection of music is provided for the pleasure and stimulation of the social interaction… along with alcohol, drugs etc. But as an environment for consuming music it can also be debatable regarding the question of quality… Two festivals that I have had the good fortune to attend, that for me, offered the most interesting selection of music and exhilarating sense of community have been overseas:
FUJI ROCK 3 days of a very mixed lineup in early August about 2 hours drive north of Tokyo in Nigata, Japan; and SONAR an incredible 3 days of experimental and electronic artists mid June set in central Barcelona, Spain. Overwhelming physical environments, fantastic array of artists especially in regard to the possibility of surprise (i.e. unknown artists), great sound systems… and the community that gathered at these events was like nothing I had ever witnessed before… just so different in behaviour (but maybe this was cultural).
I would recommend the experience to anyone.
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Monday, May 10, 2004
The thing about Electroclash that entices me more than the merge of punk aesthetics and DIY electronics into a dirty blend of caberet and performance art - and the inadvertent questions it raises about the contemporary relationship of consumption and sub-cultural expression - is the predominance of women in the pool of artists that could possibly fall under this moniker. This conflux of opinionated women inverting matters of gender in the areas of sexuality, fashion and politics is quite exciting. Okay… so there is no denying the debate about the intention and sophistication of any such stances, aside from the question regarding style and content in Electroclash… but the fact is, there is still an attempt to contest the space controlled or predominated by men. From the basic perception of male orientation in the realm of technology and music production… to the more elaborate positioning of successful performing women in the music industry. In no way removing any question of agency on behalf of such female performers but there appears to be a predilection on the part of the corporate music industry towards a more sexually orientated presentation of women (Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, Beyonce, Christina Aguillera, Mandy Moore, Shakira, etc). Obviously there are examples that sit outside of this (Tori Amos, KD Lang, Annie DiFranco, Missy Elliot, Jewel , etc); and others that state their own agency and power in utilising their sexuality as a promotional tool (Madonna, Pink, Kelis, Courtney Love, L’il Kim, etc). The female artists implicated in Electroclash extend from the attitudes expressed in Riot Grrrl. These women work in a variety of areas concerning music performance including music production and composition, distribution, marketing and promotion and are worth checking out…
Peaches (Canadian women based in Berlin).
Albums – The Teaches of Peaches (2000); Red Leather EP(2000); Fatherfucker (2003)
Chicks on Speed (3 women from Berlin/New York/Sydney based in Berlin)
Albums – Will Save us All (2000); Chix-52 EP (2000); Kreidler Sessions EP (2001); 99 cents (2003)
Le Tigre (2 women/1 man based in New York – Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill/Riot Grrrl))
Albums – Le Tigre (1999); Feminist Sweepstakes (2000); From the Desk of Mr. Lady (2001)
Ladytron (2 women/2 men from Liverpool, UK)
Albums – 604 (2001), Light & Motion (2002)
Miss Kitten and the Hacker (French woman based in Berlin)
Albums – First Album (2001)
Cobra Killer (2 women Trost & Gina V – based in Berlin)
Albums – Cobra Killer (1999); The Third Armpit (2003)
Kevin bLechdom (1 women based San Francisco)
Albums – Bitches without Britches (2003): I Heart Presets (2002);
Angie Reed (1 woman American based in Berlin – member of Stereo Total)
Albums - Presents the Best of Barbara Brockhaus (2003)
Adult (1 woman 1 man based in New York)
Albums –Anxiety Always (2003)
Tracy and the Plastics (1 woman based in New York)
Albums – Culture for Pidgeon (2004)
W.I.T. (Whatever it takes) (3 woman based in new York)
Albums – Whatever it Takes (2003)
Electrocute (2 woman from Mexico and Austria based in Berlin)
Albums – A Tribute to Your Taste EP (2002)
Stereo Total (1 woman German 1 man French based in Berlin)
Albums – Musique Automatique (2003)
Ellen Alien (woman based in Berlin)
Albums – Berlinette (2003)
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Peaches (Canadian women based in Berlin).
Albums – The Teaches of Peaches (2000); Red Leather EP(2000); Fatherfucker (2003)
Chicks on Speed (3 women from Berlin/New York/Sydney based in Berlin)
Albums – Will Save us All (2000); Chix-52 EP (2000); Kreidler Sessions EP (2001); 99 cents (2003)
Le Tigre (2 women/1 man based in New York – Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill/Riot Grrrl))
Albums – Le Tigre (1999); Feminist Sweepstakes (2000); From the Desk of Mr. Lady (2001)
Ladytron (2 women/2 men from Liverpool, UK)
Albums – 604 (2001), Light & Motion (2002)
Miss Kitten and the Hacker (French woman based in Berlin)
Albums – First Album (2001)
Cobra Killer (2 women Trost & Gina V – based in Berlin)
Albums – Cobra Killer (1999); The Third Armpit (2003)
Kevin bLechdom (1 women based San Francisco)
Albums – Bitches without Britches (2003): I Heart Presets (2002);
Angie Reed (1 woman American based in Berlin – member of Stereo Total)
Albums - Presents the Best of Barbara Brockhaus (2003)
Adult (1 woman 1 man based in New York)
Albums –Anxiety Always (2003)
Tracy and the Plastics (1 woman based in New York)
Albums – Culture for Pidgeon (2004)
W.I.T. (Whatever it takes) (3 woman based in new York)
Albums – Whatever it Takes (2003)
Electrocute (2 woman from Mexico and Austria based in Berlin)
Albums – A Tribute to Your Taste EP (2002)
Stereo Total (1 woman German 1 man French based in Berlin)
Albums – Musique Automatique (2003)
Ellen Alien (woman based in Berlin)
Albums – Berlinette (2003)
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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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Thursday, April 29, 2004
The concept of “Alternative” is so distorted in part due to marketing strategies in the 90s adopted by major labels to coin the classification in reference to anything they could sell in that fashion. This was overused to the point whereby the alternative to what? Other than the obvious very commercial releases most of everything else was presented as such as the media overkill hit full swing. Where do you go if the alternative has been co-opted?
I was struck by the quotes from Stephen Duncombe in the reading on Alternative Media (Chris Atton, 2002). After Atton establishes the blurred lines in regard to commerciality, and independence, social responsibility and change, and the point I express above regarding self-definition for the sake of marketing, he looks at the idea of Advocacy media and Grassroots media. It is in regard to Grassroots media that Atton identifies the idea of the means of production being as significant as content being “citizen-controlled as opposed to state- or corporate controlled”. In that “the culture of consumption can neutralise all dissenting voices” by “assimilating their content”… “the position of the work with respect to the relations of production that gives it its power and enables it to avoid recuperation by the mere duplication of its ideas” and in this sense alternative is about engagement in the creation of their media… agency on behalf of the participants of a social group… or a subculture.
Everyday provides opportunities to engage with music… living here in Brisbane and being in touch with the local is one thing… but there is also a sense of removal from the world and yet this is not the case with access to a radio station like 4ZZZ that has people prepared to play new innovative sounds without limitations due to commercial concerns etc… and then we have the internet where information has the ability to propel itself with the rapidity of NOW. Although this is only possible in that sense that one chooses to engage on that level… to seek out through media access.
So artists that struck me today… as well as days before...
TV on the Radio – from New York and the sounds of a resurgence of the No-Wave vibe… more on this later.
TV on the Radio website
Live review
Album review Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
!!! (pronounced Chk Chk Chk and taken from the sounds made in The Gods Must be Crazy film) on Warp Records and hanging to hear the upcoming album Louden Up Now - out on June 7 -includes the single "Me and Giuliani Down By The School Yard (A True Story)" noted as one of 2003’s most acclaimed tracks (Warp site). 8 piece somewhere between punk and experimental... and everything in between
Warp Records
!!!
Check this out now and let me know more...
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I was struck by the quotes from Stephen Duncombe in the reading on Alternative Media (Chris Atton, 2002). After Atton establishes the blurred lines in regard to commerciality, and independence, social responsibility and change, and the point I express above regarding self-definition for the sake of marketing, he looks at the idea of Advocacy media and Grassroots media. It is in regard to Grassroots media that Atton identifies the idea of the means of production being as significant as content being “citizen-controlled as opposed to state- or corporate controlled”. In that “the culture of consumption can neutralise all dissenting voices” by “assimilating their content”… “the position of the work with respect to the relations of production that gives it its power and enables it to avoid recuperation by the mere duplication of its ideas” and in this sense alternative is about engagement in the creation of their media… agency on behalf of the participants of a social group… or a subculture.
Everyday provides opportunities to engage with music… living here in Brisbane and being in touch with the local is one thing… but there is also a sense of removal from the world and yet this is not the case with access to a radio station like 4ZZZ that has people prepared to play new innovative sounds without limitations due to commercial concerns etc… and then we have the internet where information has the ability to propel itself with the rapidity of NOW. Although this is only possible in that sense that one chooses to engage on that level… to seek out through media access.
So artists that struck me today… as well as days before...
TV on the Radio – from New York and the sounds of a resurgence of the No-Wave vibe… more on this later.
TV on the Radio website
Live review
Album review Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
!!! (pronounced Chk Chk Chk and taken from the sounds made in The Gods Must be Crazy film) on Warp Records and hanging to hear the upcoming album Louden Up Now - out on June 7 -includes the single "Me and Giuliani Down By The School Yard (A True Story)" noted as one of 2003’s most acclaimed tracks (Warp site). 8 piece somewhere between punk and experimental... and everything in between
Warp Records
!!!
Check this out now and let me know more...
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Wednesday, April 28, 2004
Today was interesting in that the question was posed regarding future possibilites for emergent subcultures relative to the force and presence that punk had? Got lost in some all consuming spiral of the impact of commodification and savvy producers aiming to capitalise that possibly negates the position of opposition that has to be considered in the light of contemporary global communications ie the internet, freight speed in regard to magazine and CDs... and in general how many artists can financially survive from niche markets operating on a global level due to this accessability without having to pursue aggressive commercial campaigns.
Outside of that I`m just addicted to music so check these out...
MESSER CHUPS from Russia... on this great label Solnze Records plus lots of other cool acts that form a collective of sorts Messer Fur Frau Muller, Oleg Kostrow...
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Outside of that I`m just addicted to music so check these out...
MESSER CHUPS from Russia... on this great label Solnze Records plus lots of other cool acts that form a collective of sorts Messer Fur Frau Muller, Oleg Kostrow...
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Saturday, April 24, 2004
Again I can now add what was supposed to be there...
The recent assignment completely flipped my head... although they all tend to do this.
I worked on the Electroclash movement that I suppose is still in some sort of swing with the recent addition to the profile pack - Sister Scissors - based in New York but only able to get a record deal in the UK. Have a upcoming radio hit with an electro cover of Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb.
The Electroclash thing covers such acts as Peaches, Chicks on Speed, Le Tigre, Fischerspooner, DJ Hell, Gonzales among others... and I have always found the ascribed title somewhat "try hard" - but during the research and writing of the piece seemed to enjoy it among the plethora of titles bandied around in the media as various journalists and reviewers generally attempted to deplore the acts and the acts attempted to distance themselves from the grouping. Then again the name was trade marked by one of the hierarchal figures - Larry Tee from New York - so it places things in a dubious position for evaluation Electroclash
Anyway I found myself spinning down a hole of intrigue consumed by the relationship between consumerism and subculture proliferation – in the manner that hierarchal elements assume control for commercial exploitation purposes and in so doing create artefacts that contribute to development and profile. Then in a way this commodification hastens the process of incorporation as against the oppositional aspect. Before I knew it was lost in all manner of directions too consuming for what was required... but hey I can`t help myself. I need more time!
Otherwise I love this group of artists for their fragmented take on things and the prominence of women throwing sexism and the like back against the wall... along with the trashy hedonistic bizarreness.
PEACHES possibly the best.
Chicks on Speed for the concept.
Kitty-Yo cool Berlin based label.
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The recent assignment completely flipped my head... although they all tend to do this.
I worked on the Electroclash movement that I suppose is still in some sort of swing with the recent addition to the profile pack - Sister Scissors - based in New York but only able to get a record deal in the UK. Have a upcoming radio hit with an electro cover of Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb.
The Electroclash thing covers such acts as Peaches, Chicks on Speed, Le Tigre, Fischerspooner, DJ Hell, Gonzales among others... and I have always found the ascribed title somewhat "try hard" - but during the research and writing of the piece seemed to enjoy it among the plethora of titles bandied around in the media as various journalists and reviewers generally attempted to deplore the acts and the acts attempted to distance themselves from the grouping. Then again the name was trade marked by one of the hierarchal figures - Larry Tee from New York - so it places things in a dubious position for evaluation Electroclash
Anyway I found myself spinning down a hole of intrigue consumed by the relationship between consumerism and subculture proliferation – in the manner that hierarchal elements assume control for commercial exploitation purposes and in so doing create artefacts that contribute to development and profile. Then in a way this commodification hastens the process of incorporation as against the oppositional aspect. Before I knew it was lost in all manner of directions too consuming for what was required... but hey I can`t help myself. I need more time!
Otherwise I love this group of artists for their fragmented take on things and the prominence of women throwing sexism and the like back against the wall... along with the trashy hedonistic bizarreness.
PEACHES possibly the best.
Chicks on Speed for the concept.
Kitty-Yo cool Berlin based label.
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Wednesday, April 21, 2004
Pop Matters - informative contemporary culture site
Okay after some screwups I have managed to get this little beast under some minor degree of control. So to add further... this actual website is a fantastic source of information on music releases, live performances, films, books, interviews and other such material all under the mantel of "magazine of global culture". Generally I find this site full of elaborate and contemporary info.
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Okay after some screwups I have managed to get this little beast under some minor degree of control. So to add further... this actual website is a fantastic source of information on music releases, live performances, films, books, interviews and other such material all under the mantel of "magazine of global culture". Generally I find this site full of elaborate and contemporary info.
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Start here...
Press button and bang!
This is an attempt to consider and discuss the implications of todays world in relation to culture and economics. Culture has to walk through a valley of aesthetics and commerce... the relationship between the two is very tricky and entangled and specifically in regard to music it can be a very strange and frustrating place. I naively prefer the concept of music as an art practice and generally deplore the effects of the corporate... but some sense of business awareness and involvement is unavoidable. So with that in mind... I`ll see what I can dredge up to consider what, why and where to... as well a variety of strange and exciting adventures into the world of the aesthetic... well in my terms anyway.
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Press button and bang!
This is an attempt to consider and discuss the implications of todays world in relation to culture and economics. Culture has to walk through a valley of aesthetics and commerce... the relationship between the two is very tricky and entangled and specifically in regard to music it can be a very strange and frustrating place. I naively prefer the concept of music as an art practice and generally deplore the effects of the corporate... but some sense of business awareness and involvement is unavoidable. So with that in mind... I`ll see what I can dredge up to consider what, why and where to... as well a variety of strange and exciting adventures into the world of the aesthetic... well in my terms anyway.
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