I recently participated in a virtual roundtable discussion with WFMU's Brian Turner, Systems Of Romance's Frank and Liam Elms of 8 Days In April regarding our respective contributions to music share blogging culture. This was pulled together by author Mark Allen (NYT/NPR/Huffington Post/Vice) and was just published on The Awl. Check it out
here, if you're so inclined.
Really, really cool. Thanks for sharing that!
ReplyDeleteenjoyed this very much, that whole Franz De Byl thing is hilarious:)
ReplyDeleteEric Lumbleau: If something can be said to meaningfully exist if said existence occurs amid such endless proliferation that it's forgotten sooner than it's absorbed. A better question is whether the cultural relativity induced by having all musical histories on tap 24/7 renders the act of attempting to connect historical threads a fool's errand. Being inside this cyclotron of atomized information from my own vantage point produces a palpable sense of vertigo. A feeling that it could be anything in any order by anyone at any time for any reason. Everything pointing in all directions quaquaversally but arriving at no destination. And its effect is a cancellation of affect. A feeling like Baudrillard's screen stage of blank fascination has reached its terminal phase and all previous depths are collapsing into an endless vista of dazzling surface play. In my case, it's caused me to recoil and retreat to engaging with music in the way that I did when I was in my early teens, which is to say with no concern at all for what else I might be missing at the same time or what else "I need to know about," since there's no sense any longer of a beginning, end or causation in the spaces between, so I just tune into a select few things that I then revisit with depth and intensity and block out the rest of the hubbub.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant writing!
great discussion and you had some very articulate responses, i think you hit the nail on the head for all his questions. it's been quite a dynamic little slice of human history. it will be interesting to be how it evolves. may mutant sounds continue to thrive
ReplyDeleteThis interview galvanizes an amazing contemporary current harvest of important, much overlooked music history.
ReplyDeleteAs with any library of obscurity, the music blogs mentioned, that have been sharing otherwise ignored and somewhat forgotten recordings, serve as a rare public service, providing what most public libraries may never be able to actualize.
For many of us, the privilege of being able to acquire this (free) compendium of hyper-accelerated underground music history from the selfless efforts via Mutant and other related blogs, has been like an aural college degree. In the realms of what many music bloggers have so self-sacrificingly fleshed out here online, their work here parallels the basic concept of what a (ultra-efficient) Public Library system should ideally strive towards. This is public service at it's best, and obviously not some rote exercise in piracy, like certain corporate entities would like everyone to think.
I hope these relentless wanton Machiavellian copyright laws won't get the upper hand of this (largely overlooked) amazing era in music history.
The definition of Orphan works comes to mind relative to Mutant-Sounds noble efforts in these digital times.
I hope Mutant-sounds can continue their mission of this important archival treasure.