Great post. I may have been misinformed, I was thinking about it more in terms of the classifying of music by the record labels than the meaning of the music for the people who made it. Now I'm trying to remember which label it was that the record industry used, maybe it was R&B?
And actually, I have to admit that the concept of "soul" you are speaking about does not require any kind of metaphysics and could be a very useful Idea. I come from a very conservative white Christian background where "soul" is used as an extremely repressive idea and justifies oppresion rather than encouraging people to seek for a better life here on earth. So what is really interesting is that African-Americans took a notion from their oppresors and transformed it, took it down a life of flight so that it became a liberating concept. And if you think about it in terms of music, this is really interesting because African-Americans have always borrowed from the white European tradition, but at the same time have often been successful at liberating these elements from their hierarchical origins and set them in motion, into a continuous variation where the elements that are ripped from their foundation in an oppresive hierarchical Culture now enter into free play and communicate with all the other elements of music. A continuous line of variation rather than a strict code of meaning. (On the other hand there is always a Winton Marsalis at the end of the line trying to block the development, saying "our music is a CLASSICAL music", hip hop, techno and free jazz, well THAT doesn't swing, that's not real music, that's not our identity, we need to find our place as an extension of Western Culture.) 313 people, you might think I'm off topic but really I'm talking about things like jazz chords, instrumental virtuosity, 808, 909, 303, DIY use of technology, sampler; all the elements of Detroit techno can be understood very well in this context. dave ---------- Original Message ------------- Subject: RE: (313) Soul Music (was some nonsense spw was going on about) Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2003 01:41:17 +0200 From: "Sylvia" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "David Powers" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> |>On the other hand, "Soul Music" as a genre was a just a euphimism for |"black music", and doesn't have anything >to do with "soul" as a spiritual |or metaphysical concept. Euphemism ???? 'blues' is without hope and that its singers accept their conditions without complaint or expectation of anything better. Soul borrowed an expectation of a better world from gospel, but translate it into a worldly context as opposed to a religious one. Gospel gives soul its optimism because it believes in a better world in heaven, soul starts looking for that better world on earth. Soul Music is the product of ever evolving social conditions and a diversity of musical influences Soul Music is about the problems faced by groups of people, not of individuals Soul Music is about poverty and day to day drudgery Soul Music is the belief that circumstances can improve Soul Music is about realism, it is not blinkered by romantic ideals The 'Moan' is a defining characteristic of Soul Music Soul Music is tolerant Soul Music is..... Euphemism, psssst, dubya! but yes understanding Soul Music can just escape from a brain with 2 neurons without connector. |-----Original Message----- |From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] |[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] |Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2003 12:58 AM |To: David Powers |Cc: 313@hyperreal.org; spw |Subject: RE: (313) Soul Music (was some nonsense spw was going on about) | | | |>On the other hand, "Soul Music" as a genre was a just a euphimism for |"black music", and doesn't have anything >to do with "soul" as a spiritual |or metaphysical concept. | |The hell it doesn't have a spiritual concept! Where the hell do you think |Soul music came from? | |Listen to Ray Charles man, and then tell me that there isn't a spiritual |side to Soul music - one of the biggest influences on Soul music was the |church. All those singers - All Green, Mavis Staple, Aretha Franklin, and |so many more got their start in the church. That's not to say that Soul = |Gospel but there in a huge influence of Gospel on Soul. Soul music is the |merging of the spiritual with the physical - that's why it's so great to |dance to... it satisfies the body, mind and "soul". |(That's why I love the term "High Tech Soul" = Techno or "Techno Soul") | |MEK | | |
