RE: (313) books on techno: more brilliant than the sun
| -Original Message- | From: marc christensen [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] | Sent: 25 November 2002 22:01 | | And his attitude, which might not be great for hangin' out with, is | perfect for approaching Sun-Ra, and the Martian, or the pre-revealed | Drexciya. Who else besides Dan S. went out of their way to | demonstrate **belief** in the stories of extraterrestrial (or | subaquatic) origins that these acts clearly saw as part of the deal? This is also the reason that I persisted with Eshun's book, and have even revisited certain chapters from time to time. When I first came across Red Planet records, with the mysterious produced by the Martian credit, I pretty much decided that I was going to believe that these records *were* from Mars. When I came across Drexciya, again, I never found myself desperate to find out what humans were behind these noises, preferring instead to believe that the music was produced by amphibious extra-terrestrials. It certainly enhances the listening experience, and I think that by buying into the context the artist has constructed for his/her music you come closer to understanding exactly what they are trying to convey. It's the same with Sun Ra - for me, he's not dead; he's just returned to Saturn! I guess that if Eshun was on this list he'd defend himself by pointing out that electronic/futuristic music is so new, comparitively, that the conceptual framework for describing it - in terms of its construction as well as of its effect on the listener - is yet to be developed, and so he's pretty much obliged to write in such a bizarre scat-poetry style when talking about Drexciya, UR, Alice Coltrane and Parliament. A rock journalist writing yet another Beatles book has decades of cliches and reference points to rely on, but someone writing about Drexciya has no real precedent to rely upon. Eshun certainly did take it to the extreme, but I think you're right in that, amidst the prosaic flights of fancy, there are a number of very good and very big ideas which he manages to put across in that book. Brendan
Re: (313) books on techno: more brilliant than the sun
I pretty much agree that the book is a fair amount of wanking, but at it's root it does a fairly good job expressing some of the (more freaked-out) aspects of techno, jazz fusion, hip-hop and funk that rarely get properly addressed by writers coming from either a more academic or pop-journalistic stance. and while his language is a bit goofy, I'll take it any day over dj spooky's post-structuralist lingua café. and yeah, the wire piece about BC woke a lot of people up to some groundbreaking sounds. [...] He has a tendency to throw a lot of stuff about, and frankly a lot of it is more like an academic version of scat-poetry than serious analysis. (I've always liked that he included fiction in the subtitle -- it's appropriate.) But if you're willing to follow along, and excuse the sometimes excessive dips into self-created jargon, he has some interesting ideas. [...] And his attitude, which might not be great for hangin' out with, is perfect for approaching Sun-Ra, and the Martian, or the pre-revealed Drexciya. [...] At 11:11 AM + 11/25/02, Neil Wallace wrote: Ive always avoided this book as ive seen kodwo on a few music documentaries and he always seems to be completely up his own a$$
RE: (313) books on techno: more brilliant than the sun
On Wed, 27 Nov 2002, Brendan Nelson wrote: I guess that if Eshun was on this list he'd defend himself by pointing out that electronic/futuristic music is so new, comparitively, that the conceptual framework for describing it - in terms of its construction as well as of its effect on the listener - is yet to be developed, and so he's pretty much obliged to write in such a bizarre scat-poetry style when talking about Drexciya, UR, Alice Coltrane and Parliament. A rock journalist writing yet another Beatles book has decades of cliches and reference points to rely on, but someone writing about Drexciya has no real precedent to rely upon. Eshun certainly did take it to the extreme, but I think you're right in that, amidst the prosaic flights of fancy, there are a number of very good and very big ideas which he manages to put across in that book. Brendan I have SUN and like it. But with that said, I'm pretty sure that if Eshun were here, he'd do something similar to what he did on the Afrofuturism email list I'm on. Send a one sentence statement like: Please remove me from the list. Then write a book called The 313 Reader. peace lks
Re: (313) books on techno: more brilliant than the sun
But if you're willing to follow along, and excuse the sometimes excessive dips into self-created jargon, he has some interesting ideas. No digging for a needle in a haystack -- they're good, fairly big ideas. But they sit alongside the specialized terms he invents, and you just have to be willing to accept that he uses his own ridiculous shorthand for things. Often, I don't like his terms, or his willingness to invent dozens of terms that don't really hold water, but I do like some of his ideas. I think Kodwo's invention of his 'own' language was half the reason for the book; he was frustrated with the usual adjectives and terms of reference that are used to with regard to music. This does make the book a fairly difficult read, but I think he deserves admiration for 'thinking outside the box' in this way. I do think he does tend to embrace some music that isn't really as deserving of the serious analysis he gives it as he thinks, though - but then no doubt he (and other!) would say the say same about me and every other music hack out there! TOM
Re: (313) books on techno: more brilliant than the sun
Cobert, Gwendal wrote: Generation Ecstasy: Into the World of Techno and Rave Culture; by Simon Reynolds. Could it be some other version of Energy Flash Yes, for the North American market, he gave the book a different title and (so I hear) edited it somewhat. No free CD came with it, either.
Re: (313) books on techno: more brilliant than the sun
The CD wasn't included because of licensing issues - it would have been quite expensive to license the tracks for a US publishing distribution. Mike Brown [EMAIL PROTECTED]To: 313@hyperreal.org rg cc: Sent by: Subject: Re: (313) books on techno: more brilliant than the sun [EMAIL PROTECTED] g 11/26/02 03:16 PM Cobert, Gwendal wrote: Generation Ecstasy: Into the World of Techno and Rave Culture; by Simon Reynolds. Could it be some other version of Energy Flash Yes, for the North American market, he gave the book a different title and (so I hear) edited it somewhat. No free CD came with it, either.
RE: (313) books on techno: more brilliant than the sun
Ive always avoided this book as ive seen kodwo on a few music documentaries and he always seems to be completely up his own a$$ :-Original Message- :From: dave cronin [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] :Sent: Saturday, November 23, 2002 6:39 PM :To: Ron; 313 :Subject: Re: (313) books on techno: more brilliant than the sun : :absolutely crucial is Kodwo Eshun's More Brilliant Than the Sun: :Adventures :In Sonic Fiction, a freaked-out exploration of the mutations and forms of :Black Atlantic Futurism from Miles to Drexcya. the book reads like how :Kool Keith might lecture if he were a professor in late 20th century :African American music. : :I'd be really interested to hear 313ers' reactions to this one... : :0d : : : hi, : after some people mentioned some books : i got more interested in books about detroit, : its music and its history : can anybody compile a list of book somebody : has to have...smile : regards ron :
RE: (313) books on techno: more brilliant than the sun
Neil Wallace: Ive always avoided this book as ive seen kodwo on a few music documentaries and he always seems to be completely up his own a$$ Thank God it's not just me who thinks this! I never watch Newsnight Review! Having said that, he's written some excellent articles I still refer to his Basic Channel thing in 'Wire' - I think, 1996(?)
RE: (313) books on techno: more brilliant than the sun
Neil Wallace: Ive always avoided this book as ive seen kodwo on a few music documentaries and he always seems to be completely up his own a$$ I attended a guest lecture by Kodwo last year at the Art Institute of Chicago. The lecture focused specifically on Herbert's Bodily Functions, the Matmos Liposuction album, and Bjork's latest work - he used these to represent the newest incarnation of sample based music and how the role of samples in music has undergone functional and conceptual rediscovery over the years with the changing technologies. All this said, I've always looked at Kodwo as an Art Historian who has good taste in music - and as such, he does usually spew a lot of sh!t that is irrelelvant to the music just to reassure him of his own intelligence (no offense to art historians on the list). But on the other hand, at least he is spreading interest in good music- he reaches an audience that would not necessarily be embracing electronic music were it not for the intellectual discussions that he brings to the table. peace, p
RE: (313) books on techno: more brilliant than the sun
Thanks for pointing out some books to read on the evolution of Techno. I found that one of the most amazingly written books on electronic music from the beginning is: Generation Ecstasy: Into the World of Techno and Rave Culture; by Simon Reynolds. The opening chapter which he refers to as the beginning is about the Detroit Three: Kevin Saunderson, Juan Atkins and Derrick May I found his writing style to be quite entertaining. He charts the timelines of Techno, House, Garage, Trance, Jungle, Gabber...etc. from North America to Europe. There are a lot of quotes from electronic music pioneers which he uses liberally throught his work. He covers not only partying, but radio stations, pressing, labels as well as style (like the mode of dress, and paraphenlia...) A great read IMHO. cheers K. _ MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus
RE: (313) books on techno: more brilliant than the sun
Thanks for pointing out some books to read on the evolution of Techno. I found that one of the most amazingly written books on electronic music from the beginning is: Generation Ecstasy: Into the World of Techno and Rave Culture; by Simon Reynolds. Could it be some other version of Energy Flash, by the same The Wire journalist ? Energy Flash came with an excellent CD, and even if I agree that Reynolds' view re : class and drugs can be questionable, it is an excellent read, the records lists at the end of each chapter are worth the book alone IMHO. Gwendal
RE: (313) books on techno: more brilliant than the sun
the records lists at the end of each chapter are worth the book alone IMHO. Definately agree with that. He has written a lot of works on this subject, I think this is the best. His opinions should be taken with a grain of salt, but his commentary is flawless and it is easy to understand what he is saying. Whether you agree or not, is another arguement! ;0) _ Tired of spam? Get advanced junk mail protection with MSN 8. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail
RE: (313) books on techno: more brilliant than the sun
I'm not about to defend Eshun's -- uh -- excesses in More Brilliant than the Sun. He has a tendency to throw a lot of stuff about, and frankly a lot of it is more like an academic version of scat-poetry than serious analysis. (I've always liked that he included fiction in the subtitle -- it's appropriate.) But if you're willing to follow along, and excuse the sometimes excessive dips into self-created jargon, he has some interesting ideas. No digging for a needle in a haystack -- they're good, fairly big ideas. But they sit alongside the specialized terms he invents, and you just have to be willing to accept that he uses his own ridiculous shorthand for things. Often, I don't like his terms, or his willingness to invent dozens of terms that don't really hold water, but I do like some of his ideas. And his attitude, which might not be great for hangin' out with, is perfect for approaching Sun-Ra, and the Martian, or the pre-revealed Drexciya. Who else besides Dan S. went out of their way to demonstrate **belief** in the stories of extraterrestrial (or subaquatic) origins that these acts clearly saw as part of the deal? And he's even got an almost cute kind of belligerence in defending that. (For this alone, he ought to be adored by candy ravers everywhere who still believe in Santa Claus.) Fair enough? -marc PS. I'd still rather read Eshun's writing, which can be hard to take, than Simon Reynolds', whose work is easier to read and easier still to disagree with. Reynolds basically calls all of 313 purist wusses, worshipping a dead-end aesthetic. All because not enough of us, apparently, take as many freakin' drugs as he would like us to. As the KMS website used to ask -- do you want the red pill, or the green one? At 11:11 AM + 11/25/02, Neil Wallace wrote: Ive always avoided this book as ive seen kodwo on a few music documentaries and he always seems to be completely up his own a$$
Re: (313) books on techno: more brilliant than the sun
absolutely crucial is Kodwo Eshun's More Brilliant Than the Sun: Adventures In Sonic Fiction, a freaked-out exploration of the mutations and forms of Black Atlantic Futurism from Miles to Drexcya. the book reads like how Kool Keith might lecture if he were a professor in late 20th century African American music. I'd be really interested to hear 313ers' reactions to this one... 0d hi, after some people mentioned some books i got more interested in books about detroit, its music and its history can anybody compile a list of book somebody has to have...smile regards ron
RE: (313) books on techno: more brilliant than the sun
Simon Reynolds' Energy Flash is certainly thought-provoking, though it is UK-centered and I think it might antagonise a few 313ers with a few of its more controversial assertions. He has rather strange ideas about class and music. -Original Message- From: dave cronin [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, November 23, 2002 6:39 PM To: Ron; 313 Subject: Re: (313) books on techno: more brilliant than the sun absolutely crucial is Kodwo Eshun's More Brilliant Than the Sun: Adventures In Sonic Fiction, a freaked-out exploration of the mutations and forms of Black Atlantic Futurism from Miles to Drexcya. the book reads like how Kool Keith might lecture if he were a professor in late 20th century African American music. I'd be really interested to hear 313ers' reactions to this one... 0d hi, after some people mentioned some books i got more interested in books about detroit, its music and its history can anybody compile a list of book somebody has to have...smile regards ron Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Channel Four Television Corporation unless specifically stated. This email and any files transmitted are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to which they are addressed. If you have received this email in error, please notify [EMAIL PROTECTED]
