Neon Screams!
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luka
Well-known member
I’ve just read the book Neon Screams by Kit Mackintosh and it’s about how autotune has mutated over the past fifteen years. He mentions music artists who use autotune like Young Thug and Future and newer artists like SahBabii and Baby Keem. For me, when I first listened to their music I thought: “This is what I thought the music of the future would sound like.”
IN__You mean when you first listened to Future you thought “Oh yeah, he really is the future”?
ML__*Laughs* More Young Thug than Future. When I listened to Young Thug I was just like, “what the fuck?” It’s so new. There’s no sound that existed like that previously.
IN__Do you mean specifically the way he uses autotune?
ML__Well in Neon Screams Mackintosh was talking about how these artists are making music that is emotional and psychedelic, but it’s all channeled through technology, which produces a very strange effect. It’s essentially the realisation that, by making yourself into a cyborg, you can be more human.
IN__Yeah, it’s a way of protecting yourself. You can be more vulnerable and open about uncomfortable things because this protection, this distance, is already baked into it. It’s you saying it but it’s not your voice. It’s like wearing a mask.
ML__Exactly, yeah. What fascinates me about the relationship between distance and intimacy I mentioned before when we were talking about Fiorucci is that I think it’s a part of the contemporary condition because everything is mediated now. You’re always trying to get closer to something or wanting to feel something while being in this alienated, mediated state. You have to find your own complicated dance or relationship with things in order to induce some kind of aliveness. You have to go to something quite cold and mechanical in order to feel more human.
IN__You mean when you first listened to Future you thought “Oh yeah, he really is the future”?
ML__*Laughs* More Young Thug than Future. When I listened to Young Thug I was just like, “what the fuck?” It’s so new. There’s no sound that existed like that previously.
IN__Do you mean specifically the way he uses autotune?
ML__Well in Neon Screams Mackintosh was talking about how these artists are making music that is emotional and psychedelic, but it’s all channeled through technology, which produces a very strange effect. It’s essentially the realisation that, by making yourself into a cyborg, you can be more human.
IN__Yeah, it’s a way of protecting yourself. You can be more vulnerable and open about uncomfortable things because this protection, this distance, is already baked into it. It’s you saying it but it’s not your voice. It’s like wearing a mask.
ML__Exactly, yeah. What fascinates me about the relationship between distance and intimacy I mentioned before when we were talking about Fiorucci is that I think it’s a part of the contemporary condition because everything is mediated now. You’re always trying to get closer to something or wanting to feel something while being in this alienated, mediated state. You have to find your own complicated dance or relationship with things in order to induce some kind of aliveness. You have to go to something quite cold and mechanical in order to feel more human.
Benny Bunter
Well-known member
Makes me sad that dissesnsus can't have nice things
Benny Bunter
Well-known member
There's a culture of resentment, to borrow a controversial Harold Bloom phrase, that prevents good conversation unfortunately. It's fine to have relatively thick people (I include myself here) as long as everyone's involved and has a sense of humour. But it's not to be I suppose.
Benny Bunter
Well-known member
One thing I've never understood is how come suddenly loads of new Americans joined at once, I missed all that.
Not that I've got anything against them, I quite like them, but it was just a weird development after being away from here for a couple of years. Barty left and then suddenly loads of yanks turned up? Are the two things related somehow? Is that how it was, and if so why?
Not that I've got anything against them, I quite like them, but it was just a weird development after being away from here for a couple of years. Barty left and then suddenly loads of yanks turned up? Are the two things related somehow? Is that how it was, and if so why?
shakahislop
Well-known member
genuinely appreciate his ideas, he's really good at framing and making coherent the mess of things that hit my ears
she must have been a bit nervous about having to do an interview in english, and i can imagine how much her heart sank when he opened his mouth
she must have been a bit nervous about having to do an interview in english, and i can imagine how much her heart sank when he opened his mouth
Benny Bunter
Well-known member
About a third of the way thru the vid, I love how confident he is when he says he predicted the future in the book - trap dancehall was only just in its infancy when he wrote the book, and since then it's gone on to validate what he was saying even more. Yessss son!
Benny Bunter
Well-known member
I think it's true, however you feel about autotune music in general or whatever, he was ahead of the game as a commentator on the new Jamaican dancehall music. No one else was talking about it like that, and I know cos I've looked.
Gus found us via Reynolds.
Benny Bunter
Well-known member
Literally the only other thing worth reading about this music was that time cow article from right at the very start of trap dancehall before it got good, but that was very different (and also quite negative, which was a bit of a drag, although interesting from a sociological/historical perspective). There really is nothing else out there.