Dance to the Machines
I have previously mentioned the Ableton Podcast Doing Music and cannot recommend it highly enough. Roughly every week, producer (and Ableton employee) Craig Schuftan interviews musicians about music, and it is fascinating to get a glimpse into how these creative minds work. The last installment was a bit different: it featured King Britt, a professor in Chicago who teaches music production and history. The episode focuses on his class Blacktronica about how electronic dance music evolved from Black Music: disco from Philadelphia and New York, house from Chicago, and techno from Detroit. It is a common misconception that the latter was derived directly from German electronic music pioneers like Kraftwerk in Berlin.
King Britt tells many interesting stories during the 90 minutes of the show, but I want to point out two things that resonated with me in particular. For once, King Britt got his fascination for electronic music from the same source as me: British synth-pop. He even mentions three of my favorite bands: Depeche Mode, ABC, and Talk Talk. Unlike me, he did something with it: he saved money for a synthesizer and started producing music.
One fascinating aspect of the early electronic dance music scene was the role of affordable gear, particularly the drum machines from the Japanese music company Roland. Some of these devices, like the iconic 808 drum machine, were not initially designed for performance. Instead, they were marketed as tools to help musicians keep time during rehearsals. This affordability and versatility played a significant role in shaping the early electronic dance music landscape.
All that makes for a fascinating story: people from all corners of the world inspire each other, and better technology brings gear into the hands of young people who start a cultural movement that sweeps back over the globe.
While this is the bright side of human creativity and ingenuity, there is also the dark side. A musician from South Carolina was indicted for extracting over $10 million in royalties from streaming services with fake artist personas, AI-generated music, and streaming bots. It is not a surprise that if there is a way to make money – even fraudulently – somebody will do it. The unfortunate part of the situation is that the streaming services don’t care about whom they pay because, from their perspective, royalties because the money is out of the door either way.
Still, don’t get caught up in those kind of stories. All crimes come to light eventually, but it is far more inspiring and uplifting to think about that somewhere, somebody is working on some art that will bring happiness to us right now.
glamglare favorites
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Elke’s Notes
When it comes to our glamglare favorites playlist, then I am often too conscious to simply pick five songs. Today, however, everything fell surprisingly quickly into place when I had the starting song. Inspired by teaching German in 1:1 sessions and on the lookout for something with simple lyrics, I remembered a super catchy tune from the early 80s, when the Neue Deutsche Welle just started. Maybe you remember it too? “Der Goldene Reiter” by Joachim Witt, is a track that defies its serious content -dealing with mental health issues- wrapped in a bouncy song.
I wanted to counteract the down-the-memory line with something contemporary and a band I can never get enough of came to mind: California’s The Eiffels with their latest dance-floor-ready release: Beautiful Life.
But let’s go back some more, to 1995 and Die Fantastischen Vier, the Hip-Hop trio rap in German, and “Sie ist weg” (she’s gone) is one of my favorite songs of theirs.
Thinking of the late 90s, I was reminded how much I loved the New York trio Fun Lovin’ Criminals, and I still do. While there are so many fav songs I could choose from, I ultimately decided on “The Fun Lovin’ Criminal” from their 1996 album Come Find Yourself.
I’m rounding this up with “Ivan (Revisited),” the 2016-released song by Brooklyn via Germany artist Von Sell. I haven’t listened to his music in a long while - big mistake - because it is magnificent!
Song Pick of the Day
Listen to/watch all seven songs on YouTube. Follow our daily updated playlists on YouTube and Spotify for the 50 latest Song Pick of the Day features or subscribe here to receive them into your mailbox in real-time. Thank you for following us and sharing the excitement.
- Sloan Golden - Missing Stair
- Giungla - Tonight
- Terra Twin - The Recogniser
- Siri Neel - I’m a Maze
- Tessa Rose Jackson - Stick In The Mud
- Ally Evenson - One Trick Pony
New Albums Out This Week
Last week, we had Claude Fontaine with her tropical fantasy; this week, there is Foushée with a real-life Jamaican vibe. Originally from New Jersey, she moved to Pointy Heights, Jamaica, after which she named her album. Listen https://glamglare.com/album/foushee-pointy-heights.
The Swedish artist ionnalee, aka iamwhoami, has not changed her musical style much since she appeared with a mysterious series of videos in 2012. Her songs glisten like the sun on a glacier and feel reviving like a bright winter day. Her latest album is CLOSE YOUR EYES and is also available in a Swedish version, BLUND.
Nine Photos
Living in Manhattan again, Oliver and I promised ourselves to take much more advantage of all the arts our little island has to offer, and we definitely did not want to miss Jenny Holzer: Light Line at the Guggenheim. The 2024 exhibition reimagines her 1989 landmark installation at the Guggenheim. Same provocative and inspiring texts but perusing what modern (light) technology has to offer. If you’re in New York or traveling here soon, and even if you only have a couple of hours time, go see this exhibit! Our photos won’t give it justice, but we try. The whole experience is truly immersive - one of the keywords you hear everywhere these days, but this time, the statement rings true.
Photos: Elke Nominikat