[rumori] re: genre?! (fwd)

Steev [rumori] re: genre?! (fwd)
Thu, 3 Dec 1998 09:34:02 -0800 (PST) (00912706442, Pine.LNX.4.05.9812030933110.24488-100000atflotsam.detritus.net)


Here's Erick's reply, one of the more interesting ones....

Steev Hise, Technical Thug
steevathise.org http://www.cyborganic.com/people/steev recycled art site: http://www.detritus.net
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1998 03:07:02 +0000
From: Erick Gallun <erickatear.Psych.Berkeley.EDU> Reply-To: snugglesatkuci.org
To: snugglesatkuci.org
Subject: [snuggles]: re: genre?!

Wobbly wondered what it is that makes our music a genre (if I got his gist
correctly) given that sampling isn't really a very unique thing anymore.
But, he also threatened that we would have a section to ourselves in the
music megamall of the future if we aren't careful. Why would they do that
if we don't necessarily sound similar?

Maybe the point was that we aren't really describing anything musically
unique by saying that we sample the culture and spit it out again carefully
masticated in a big wad of technicolor goo (or puke it out as greenish gunk
or blow it out in gentle shimmering bubbles or gargle it into a
microphone). hell, Beck does that. Is Beck a Snuggler and doesn't know
it? I don't think so (god, I hope not...) but why not? what are we doing
that's more subversive, more political or more culturally important? many
of the snugglers who described what they do said they weren't political.
they said they just try to have fun.

for myself, I am not making music that seems 'snugglish' any more than it
seems 'avant garde'. Although, I suppose both words are equally poor
descriptions. I do what musicians have always done: I look at the world
and I create a response. in our noisy culture I feel I need to spit some
of the noise into the mix in order to really capture what's going on, but
what got me jazzed on this whole style of noisemusic was that negativland
really tweaked my guerrila-surrealist sense of what the world is about.
How can I express my response to the news without including NPR's
soothingly compressed voice? That's part of what I'm reacting to. I need
to include traffic noise samples in my music because it permeates my waking
world. Is this snuggling? I don't really think so. Would the average
music listener or creator appreciate why I have to do it this way. I don't
really think so.

Excuse my ramble. I'm up until 3am again doing visual collage to put on
the website. It nourishes my soul, but it doesn't lead to coherent
thought. but i don't particuarly think modern culture leads to coherent
thought. rather rambling gut responses. 'Michael Jackson, look what
you've done'

erick
www.ovenguard.com


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