I think this is my post to 313, so I'd better step carefully. But I'm
surprised, in all this talk of appropriation across the "color lines" of
musical tradition, that no-one's mentioned Thomas Brinkmann's Soul Center
projects (apologies if they have, and I missed the posts). A German
producer best known for starkly minimalist techno (at its most reduced, it's
simply a dub-techno form constructed out of samples from runout grooves and
physically lacerated vinyl), his Soul Center records heavily sample Motown,
Stax and other classic soul recordings. The form largely follows the clicky
house structures of his other work, but the tone color's totally different.
At the same time, he gives props and recognition to his predecessors and
sources, largely effacing his own role: his own name appears nowhere on the
records, while he includes a long list of those that inspired him.
There are plenty of interesting issues going on here; the "ownership" of a
particular tradition (for instance, what constitutes "black music," and what
does the race of the producer have to do with the tradition? 2000 Black
posits their music in the black musical tradition, and yet it's a
multiracial crew involved in those recordings), the nature of appropriation
and authorship, the curious German fascination with African-American music
and culture. Atom Heart's "Geeez'n'Gosh" project works in very similar
terrain.
I've been thinking a lot about these things because I'm working on an
article about (mostly German) "microhouse"--labels like Perlon, Playhouse,
Kompakt--and I found there was no way to really talk about the music without
addressing the race issues.
Anyway, for what it's worth. I don't mean to stir up the debate, but perhaps
these issues will spark some other interesting ideas.
Cheers,
Philip
