Chef Napalm said:
Gabba Flamenco Crossover said:
Secondly, it seems to me that the differences in racial makeup between britain and the US have a far bigger role to play than lack of MDMA in the US's non-take-up of rave (and racial divisions of course being the root cause of the late 70s disco backlash).
Where did you get that from? The problem was an over-saturation of the market with generic mass-produced disco that crystallised into nationwide disco-hatred. I’m not sure that race enters into it, unless you’re referring to homophobia.
It cant just have been a case of over-saturation. Britain three years ago was saturated with generic mass-produced teen pop, but it didnt result in Comiskey Park-style mass destruction (shame really, I’d have been up for it).
I'm sure it was the same for the vast majority of american consumers in 1979, but the hardcore anti-disco backlash was led by white rockers engaged in a war against this supposedly unamerican music, which mirrored the 50s moral panic about RnB. Disco is obviously music of black origin but, more pertinantly, it was of
recent enough black origin in 1979 to spook the true rock patriots, unlike 70s AOR (which was distantly blues-derived, but sounding pretty caucasian by the late 70s).
As american culture moved to the political right during the 80s, this attitude seeped into the mainstream white America (MWA) as a stance against 'fag music' - a term which at first sight is straight up homophobia, but i'd argue is best understood as a combination of homophobia and racism into a general fear and suspicion of musical otherness.
To me this is ultimately a product of racial divisions because disco amplified the elements of black music that MWA is least happy with – a primacy of rhythm, facilitating an ecstatic loss of self in the listener; sensuality, above and beyond the crushing force of heavy rock (the most basic, brutal sensuality, and thus the only one acceptable to MWAers), and a certain sexual ambiguity, which is blatant in disco but can be traced right back to the blues with it’s hard travlin’ men brought low with fear and trouble (an erosion of male identity). Obviously these are the very things that make the music appeal to gay cliques, which only serves to further piss off MWA.
For proof of how far back these strands have been intertwined, look at 50s anti-communist propaganda (…he may associate with negroes…he may walk in an affected manner…) – but as I say, I think this attitude has hardened among MWA since the early 80s and has kyboshed the chances of UK developments in rave/electronica or indie rock (‘haircut bands’) having the impact in America that previous UK pop movements enjoyed.
As for mainstream hip hop, it has only been able to prosper through an extensive purge of the elements listed above: modern rap focuses on the personality, meaning that the artists can be co-opted into the mainstream celebrity culture where the power of the music is nulled. And the personalities themselves are for the most part utterly dominant, masculine, playa figures (andre 3000 being the honourable exception, and how far would he get in a solo career?). No ambiguity here. That’s what it took to make rap acceptable to WMA.
Chef Napalm said:
Gabba Flamenco Crossover said:
Mainstream US radio programmers like thier white music to sound white and visa versa, whereas in Britain we dont really care (which makes me feel a tiny bit patriotic, but there we go...).
Most importantly... does it matter if the americans arent looking over the atlantic for their aesthetic cues? Its a whole other continent, why should we expect their popular culture to have anything in common with ours? Isnt it a bit unnatural when you think about it?
Your point about white programmers liking white music is precisely why America’s youth look to Europe in general and the UK specifically for musical inspiration. It’s far enough away to be alien, yet “white” enough to be acceptable.
OK, I accept that individuals might follow this path, maybe in significant numbers – I don’t know either way. But I cant see any evidence for this happening on a mass level, like the british invasion in the 60s. Unless there’s an underground army of smiths/jungle/grime influenced bands in the states that I dont know about.