“When Benjamin Zephaniah was a boy, he wrote Bob Marley a letter – and got a reply. He has worshipped the reggae superstar ever since. But as six more ‘unreleased’ tracks adorn yet another ‘best of’, he says it’s time to leave brother Bob alone.”
feed me weird things
I’ve added the postal address in the sidebar, so feel free to send me postcards, crudely photocopied situationist rants, mix cds, etc.
I suppose this relates in some way to the discussion over at Woebot about the nature and ethics of mp3s. Dave Stelfox is, I think, completely on the money when he talks about the lack of involvement that chronic downloaders have, both with the cultural side of the musics and possibly with every day life.
Certainly I have a nostalgia for ‘objects’ like records or fanzines or letters or whatever and this is partly because of my age (starting doing this sort of stuff before the internet existed), but I can’t help feeling that something is getting lost along the way. It’s great to have everything available all the time, but there is some value in NOT having everything available all the time.
I discussed this a bit with Joel Biroco when I met him a while back. He was talking about doing the I-Ching (an oriental system of divination – very crudely summarised as a taoist version of tarot cards or runes). Joel’s been doing I-Ching stuff for years and has written what is generally agreed (at least by people who I respect) as being an excellent book and various commentaries on the subject. He was frustrated at the fact that people who don’t understand the reading they have come up with now just get on the net and ask people on a discussion forum about it. Whereas in some ways, the whole point of that sort of activity is to spend some time reflecting, getting to know yourself, exercising your own mind and developing new lines of questioning.
In having everything available, the quest and thrill of the chase is lost. The random elements are kind of removed from the equation. The net provides for different relationships with people. I realised last night that a lot of the people that might be at the Stewart Home reading were people I had met through various online forums, for example. But the fact that I actually met them is probably mostly to do with my pre-internet practice and personality.
My impression is that chronic mp3 downloaders (i.e. people who get ALL their music off the net for free) are in some ways (consciously on unconsciously) avoiding this sort of thing. Activity becomes about acquiring data, not about the people involved. I’m not going to pretend that I have a fantastically well developed friendship with the guys who work at my local specialist reggae shop, but they do recognise me when I go in and we can have a chat, and you also end up talking to people at the counter about stuff. And it’s the same at other shops or when you go to soundsystem bashes. Those little glints of human contact which reinforce what is special about the world and give me hope for the future.
Opposed to that is the unspoken rejection of the physical which chronic downloaders are heading for. No more dusty and dirty record shops, no more vinyl, no more random flyers or accidentally stepping on people’s toes and then apologising and having a chat for twenty minutes about King Tubby. No more of that non-verbal communication – the nod of recognition or raised eyebrows. No more context…
Trots in Space
Fortean Times article on wacky argentinian Trotskyist Juan Posadas now online.
kids and music
Interesting to see Simon’s trials and tribulations exposing his son to music. The daughter been obssessing on the local kid’s disco since the last time we went.
“What do you like about the disco?”
“Errrrmmm… The lights, and the other children. And the chips.”
Further interrogations revealed that she also liked dancing, but wasn’t really that fussed about the music. Possibly because this is a steady diet of The Cheeky Girls, Mark K-Punk’s fave DJ Casper, and maybe a bit of Sean Paul if you are lucky.
Actually these tracks make a lot more sense in that environment, with the older kids doing all the moves to “Cha Cha Cha Slide” brilliantly and many of the Mums, half cut, doing the Macarena towards the end. Big up the Mums!
Anyway: The daughter’s current top 3:
1. Chris & Cosey – Driving Blind (Vapourspace Mix) off the “Twist” remix comp CD 1995.
Aka “The Lady Song” in our house, because the little one likes Cosey’s vocals and will echo the “with you” from “I’m never like this when I’m not with you”. This was a total chance re-discovery after much random rummaging through the CD rack. It’s actually well worth checking out if you like your deadpan electro pop. [ = Proud Dad!]
2. Marc Almond – Ruby Red, off the “Stained EP” 1986
This is a killer track from the much underrated Virgin years. Interesting instrumentation -marimbas etc and some class lyrics.
3. Grievous Angel Soundsystem – Watch This Sound 2004
Usually induces much jumping up and down accompanied by “whommmmm, whommmmmm” bassy noises. And sometimes the daughter joins in as well :-).
Blacka T “Run Come Ya” (Rockers)
“But some deejay a mash up Jamaica
Dem a talk ’bout slackness
Dats outta order
Anything me chat a roots and culcha…”Blacker T, self styled lyrics ambassador, lives up to his title chanting his verse in vigorous style over a suitably insistent digital rhythm. […] Pablo’s modern style is a long way from the brooding depths of his late seventies sides. And people who love that style hold that his nowadays stuff doesn’t compare. But then those same critics would probably find fault if he stayed the same. Give it ten years and its probable that tunes like this will be sought after almost as eagerly as say ‘Cassava Piece’ or ‘Pablo Armageddon’.
– review in Boom-Shacka-Lacka issue 3, Sumer 1989
15 years later, the prophecy is fulfilled! Maybe this isn’t at the top of the auction lists, but history has done it proud, not least because it sounds like a foundation Iration Steppas selection…
s&t
SICK AND TWISTED
gabba digital hardcore drill & bass industrial techno breakcore eeeeeeevil noize
FRIDAY 12 MARCH
APHASIC ( breakcore from the co-founder of Ambush records and head honcho of the new JUNK label)
live on stage 11.15
plus dj’s
DIONYSUS (Breakcore a go go – Holland) 12 – 1.30
ALEX B 1.30 – 3
DJ BROKEN YOLK 10 – 11.15
UPSTAIRS @ THE GARAGE
20 – 22 HIGHBURY CORNER
LONDON
OPP. HIGHBURY & ISLINGTON TUBE/BR
10pm-3am
£5/£4 cons
info – sickandtwistedATntlworld.com
The Brick Testament
Vox n’ Roll
Babylon – FAQ/LINKS
Some additions to the Babylon – FAQ/LINKS page at uncarved.org tonight.
Don’t bother with the Aswad or Yabby You ones at the moment, though…
losing that terror that used to motivate you
Good piece from Dubversion. I think things in the 80s were more polarised and simple – it was a fight to the death and the sides were clear.
These days everything is submerged under layers of bureacracy and blair-speak. I think there’s a general unease with the world, and a total distrust of the political class, but there are less easy targets and therefore less righteous anger.
That might just be temporary, though – a few slip ups, a bit more economic downturn and you’re looking at a different (but not necessarily better) picture.
In the meantime there is work to be done exposing the bullshit, but it looks like a harder prospect than jumping up and down and shouting.