thirdform

pass the sick bucket
think about it like this: for structural and institutional reasons black people in both the US and UK can't fold art into pop and sustain that. they are forced either to retreat to experimental/traditional artist or pop icon by our racist music industry. a black bowie or a black kate bush is simply not possible in the way todays (let's be frank, white supremacist) music industry works.

We feel this in the UK more because most of our developments are based on the supremacy of America as the focal point through which our migrant communities find identification and a space to experiment. but ultimately in the longrun this means we are going to be (and are actually) a victim of our own success.

UK pop consciousness is more open but only accidentally. we always say noone listens to eminem and indie in London, which is true enough for our people. but there is a large section of healthy londoners that are bbc r1 lapdogs to a t. this is why I was never big on k-punks post-punk revival idea. it was already there, Franz Ferdinand, Grimes, joanna newsome and that. the thing is, for our generation black and brown people are not really another. although the universities might give the impression that this is still the case all this is middle class careerism. that's why i hated that vampire castle article. not because it was old white man or whatever, but because it was literally a response to the crisis of the liberal state and as a result slowly pivoting to the opposing class (not saying he'd gone over to the other side, absolutely not.) of course his critics never got this because they were ultimately useful idiots for the bourgeoisie, an couldn't realise that actually, the idea that identity politics *exists* is a far right and liberal talking point, not a working class one.
 

thirdform

pass the sick bucket
as for why i say UK drill was a significant micro-innovation and not a macro-innovation, it's quite obvious isn't it? house and hip hop in the US were always antagonists, with some exceptions. dancehall and reggae simply would have not have made it into the house dna over there. but now we have new york drill and senegalese drill and australian drill. it was assimilable whereas jungle was something that really couldn't have hatched elsewhere. jungle was of course assimilated over time but by heads and connoisseurs globalising it.

Neither could have grime arisen in the states. whilst house was the choice for straight clubbers in the know garage house was still fundamentally more a gay sound rather than an *exclusively black sound.* the only way it could have potentially happened as a hard techno mutant but then it would probbly end up sounding like breakstep anyway - let's not go into dissing oris jay lads...
 

catalog

Well-known member
The ascent of Kartel. God amongst men.

In 1978 Jamaica's preeminent musical figure publicly brought the two leaders of the country's main political factions together in an attempt to end their deadly conflict.

In a darkly poetic symmetry 2010 saw Jamaica's prime minister publicly bring together the two leaders of the country's main musical empires together in an attempt to end their deadly conflict.

The war between Kartel and mavado was not just a war between egos, but a battle for the nation's soul. Mavado was overtly christian, soulful and socially conservative. Kartel, an amoral agnostic who toyed with the country's sexual taboos and bleached his skin. Mavado was a man of god. Kartel, as we now know, was a murderer.

The nihilism and bloodshed of this era in jamaica would soon be felt in the streets of london.

I remember the summer of mavado. I was working as a porter at homerton hospital in hackkers and that gangsta for life tune was everywhere. I remember one day my supervisor tony came in dressed head to toe in that grey camo style and had it playing really loud off his phone. He let the tube carry on as he changed into his uniform.

It was round the time prancehall was writing his blogs and then you saw him at visions and thought fucking hell.
 

catalog

Well-known member

English addiction to speed. The giggs thing wasn't a real solution to the problem of the accent. There's obviously something in the accent itself that demands speed

The only Giggs tune I ever liked was that one where he's talking about his cock for ages. I think he uses the euphemism 'wonka' at one point
 

catalog

Well-known member
Yes this is what I mean brother there is this new spirit arising in the Earth at this time. It possesses people. It is very very very interesting. I don't consider this fashion at all.

I think at one point not too long ago you could plausibly argue that Jamaica represented the most sonically innovative music. I think master d of adf said as much in his recommendation of sizzlas 'black woman and child'. But I'm not too sure that it's still the case now. I still want to go to Jamaica, but what has happened is that the sign and signifier have become thoroughly decoupled
 

catalog

Well-known member
London. A city hurt, confused and in mourning.

It had long been a dance cultural centre, but it was no more. And it felt so alone. Until it reached its hand across the atlantic and found an ally and a friend. chicago too had an illustrious dance music history. it too, had to mourn the death of the love of its love. but together these two cities would find new loves. drill.

What about juke/footwork??
Why Chicago not Detroit??
 

thirdform

pass the sick bucket
footwork was already taken up by the IDM boys by then. As people know i am quite neutral on this often the more switched on IDM boys and girls and nonbinaries today tend to be more in touch with contemporary trends than hardcore continuum stalwarts who have always tended to irrationally fetishise london and hence it all becomes a pop impulse.

As for Detroit rap, it wasn't even really hugely running as a cross channel big thing in 2012 was it? noone knows about detroit rap in this country.
 

catalog

Well-known member
Barty just played me this guy last time he was over thinking I would hate it but I was transfixed. He's incredible. This amazing schizophrenic character which is as barti says such a central part of this future London has been hiding from, which it can't absorb, can't entertain, can't digest. These very fluid changes of identity within the song, different voices emerging, taking possession of the mouth and body

I'm sorry but surely Dean blunt requires a mention? The literal shapeshifting between roadman and art Ponce?
 

catalog

Well-known member
he does a mavado impression on one song.

Have you heard the mutualism edit of mavado? They've done something with the vocal to make him sound like a child/little girl. I was very impressed when I heard it live, with lots of wheeling, but every subsequent listen has been extremely disappointing
 

luka

Well-known member
There's two major things that this carefully pretends never happened. One we discussed which is the rap end of road rap and the other is the move to house every weekend house every weekend.
 

sadmanbarty

Well-known member
There's two major things that this carefully pretends never happened. One we discussed which is the rap end of road rap and the other is the move to house every weekend house every weekend.

i thought about deep tech, but it's a slightly different demographic from the one i'm documenting.
 
Top