The importance of "bad" music/art

[william_kent]

I'm just bitter because I bought his book expecting an "oral history of Sound System" and there were no Jamaicans involved, only one guy ( Dennis Bovell, a Bermudan ) who actually ran a sound ( although maybe Dillinja is in there, can't remember, dull as fuck book ) - no mention of Count Suckle, Duke Vin, or any of the pioneers of UK Sound System, just a bunch of DJs who've played on a funktion one club system - feel ripped off... nothing about the box boys, box builders, Errol the engineer, nothing about anyone who has actually run a suicide rig at a warehouse or free party..

 

[thirdform]

I'm just bitter because I bought his book expecting an "oral history of Sound System" and there were no Jamaicans involved, only one guy ( Dennis Bovell, a Bermudan ) who actually ran a sound ( although maybe Dillinja is in there, can't remember, dull as fuck book ) - no mention of Count Suckle, Duke Vin, or any of the pioneers of UK Sound System, just a bunch of DJs who've played on a funktion one club system - feel ripped off... nothing about the box boys, box builders, Errol the engineer, nothing about anyone who has actually run a suicide rig at a warehouse or free party..

TBF you can't really expect 99% of white dance music journalists to write that history, mainly cos its so foreign to them, whereas, to crassly generalise, Jamaica only really becomes the thing for this lot in the 89-91 period. Before that there might have been dub influence in post-punk but they weren't listening to Admiral Tibet or Tenor Saw.

 

[woops]

It's also easy to become a "connoisseur" by learning what the other connoisseurs think is good and looking for that.

Oh what a tangled web

not only is its possible its actually the classic arc of record collecting.

Not only is it the classic arc of record collecting but it's the definition of a connoisseur

 

[thirdform]

But the funny thing is quite a few of the sound systems themselves in LDN were run by white geezers. Jah Tubbys, Eastmans sound, etc.

Eastman is actually an interesting case in this. He was never really an 88-89 acid house guy, if you can track down the interview he did with Uncle Dugs you'll hear this.

And I think that's illustrative of the problems of dance music journalism, it has no sense of scenes peripheral to itself before a certain inauguration date.

 

[luka]

funnily enough i only just found out eastman is white the other week when Lee Fagan did an interview with him. all those years of listening to him and i never knew

 

[william_kent]

But the funny thing is quite a few of the sound systems themselves in LDN were run by white geezers. Jah Tubbys, Eastmans sound, etc.

Jah Tubbys is so influential, hardly written about - cut so many dub plates for Sound System & the Junglist Massif

 

[thirdform]

funnily enough i only just found out eastman is white the other week when Lee Fagan did an interview with him. all those years of listening to him and i never knew

Way before 2014 I also thought Colin Faver was black and Colin Dale was white. Other way around when some older head told me.

 

[thirdform]

TBF can't not mention Shabba here, londons greatest white MC.

 

[william_kent]

full disclosure - I'm the proud owner of a Jah Tubbys Dub Siren

 

[thirdform]

full disclosure - I'm the proud owner of a Jah Tubbys Dub Siren

Flinty badman said that he had some of the heaviest bass amps going and they had to fight that sound on tune selection.

 

[william_kent]

􏰮􏰴􏰵􏰨􏱉􏰚􏰦􏰵􏰫􏰵􏰫􏰥􏰵􏰦􏰧􏰱􏰲􏰷Colonel Mite – Bless The Selector

A Jah Tubbys classic

BO! BIM!

 

[thirdform]

this is the tune which Derrick May played btw. It's alright but it's really not as good as the hard trance from 92


Compare with

 

[thirdform]

tbf 92 hard trance was banging, quickly went to shit when sven vath released that dumbfuck album though, that's when ajax purism ruled. But even @blissblogger can't resist this.

 

[thirdform]

proper burnt out lsd trip, when the spiritual turns to summoning demonic forces. like the best acid freak outs from the 60s-early 70s era.

 

[Leo]

do you rate koxbox, @thirdform? I have a few of their early things, the only trance I own. I used to like it but haven't taken a listen in ages.

 

[thirdform]

do you rate koxbox, @thirdform? I have a few of their early things, the only trance I own. I used to like it but haven't taken a listen in ages.

No it's too psytrance. nothing after 93 is good really.

 

[william_kent]

as for dub techno, Basic Channel, Maurizio, & Chain Reaction set the bar really fucking high - no one else compares

 

[william_kent]

No it's too psytrance. nothing after 93 is good really.

Trance wasn't a dirty word until 1994

 

[boxedjoy]

the role of the critic is first to understand what the work is and what it's aiming to accomplish, and then judge it on how well it does in accomplishing that goal (regardless of whether the critic personally likes or agrees with the style and goal).

this is so key, isn't it. People criticising stuff for not being what they want it to be, rather than meeting it on its own terms, it's pointless.

 

[luka]

this is so key, isn't it. People criticising stuff for not being what they want it to be, rather than meeting it on its own terms, it's pointless.

its not though is it, it's just a different level of judgement