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kodwo-eshun-more-brilliant-than-the-sun-adventures-in-sonic-fiction

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, '-01[-017)At 17, Kodwo Eshun won an Open Scholarship to read Law at UniversityCollege, Oxford. After eight days he switched to Literary Theory, magaz<strong>in</strong>ejournalism and runn<strong>in</strong>g clubs. He is not a cultural critic or culturalcommentator so much as a concept eng<strong>in</strong>eer, an imag<strong>in</strong>eer at <strong>the</strong>millenium's end writ<strong>in</strong>g on electronic music, science <strong>fiction</strong>, technoculture,gameculture, drug culture, post war movies and post war art for The Face,The Wire, i-D, Melody Maker, Sp<strong>in</strong>, Arena and The Guardian.


-01[-014]-01 [-013]DISCONTENTSOO[ -007] operat<strong>in</strong>g System for <strong>the</strong> Redesign of <strong>sonic</strong> RealityFirst published <strong>in</strong> Great Brita<strong>in</strong> byQuartet Books Limited <strong>in</strong> 1998A member of <strong>the</strong> Namara Group27 Goodge streetLondon W1P 2LDCopyright @ by Kodwo Eshun 1998All rights reserved . No part of this book may be reproduced <strong>in</strong> any form or byany means without <strong>the</strong> prior written of <strong>the</strong> publisher.The moral right of <strong>the</strong> author has been asserted.Every effort has been made by <strong>the</strong> publishers to clear permission for <strong>the</strong> useof <strong>the</strong> photograph on <strong>the</strong> front cover of this book. The owner is <strong>in</strong>vited tosubmit a claim for reproduction fees.A catalogue record for this book is available from <strong>the</strong> British LibraryISBN 0 7043 8025 0Pr<strong>in</strong>ted and bound <strong>in</strong> Great Brita<strong>in</strong> byCreative Pr<strong>in</strong>t and Design Wales , Ebbw Vale01[001] World 4: Mutantextures of JazzAnachronic Cybernetics of <strong>the</strong> world: George RussellElectronic Swarm Program: Teo Macero & Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock02[013] Transmaterializ<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> BreakbeatThe Metamorphonic Mach<strong>in</strong>e is Motion-Captur<strong>in</strong>g Your Nervous System :Grandmaster Flash, Knights of <strong>the</strong> TurntableKidnapped by <strong>the</strong> K<strong>in</strong>aes<strong>the</strong>tics of <strong>the</strong> Break: Mantronix andChep Nunez03[025] Sampladelia of <strong>the</strong> BreakbeatIntensify <strong>the</strong> Phonotron: ultra magnetic MCsAssemble <strong>the</strong> Cryptogrammatron: RammellzeeEscape <strong>in</strong>to psychopathogenetics: Dr octagonBoddhisativa Explosion <strong>in</strong> slow Motion: Cypress Hill, The RIA,Gravediggaz, Sunz of ManBoll Weevil Computer Bra<strong>in</strong>: FunkadelicChase Through <strong>the</strong> Headphones: Tricky04[062] Inner Spatializ<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Song[Towards a] MythScience of <strong>the</strong> Mix<strong>in</strong>g Desk: The Upsetter


-01[-012]-01[-011]05[067] Virtualiz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> BreakbeatWildstyle Adventures <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Hyperdimensions of <strong>the</strong> Breakbeat:4 Hero, Rob Playford and Goldie, A Guy Called Gerold06[078] Programm<strong>in</strong>g Rhythmatic FrequenciesMigration Paths Across <strong>the</strong> Vocoder Spectrum: Cybotron, lapp,DrexciyaRhythmatic Bachelor Mach<strong>in</strong>es: KraftwerkMach<strong>in</strong>e Tones for Psychic Therapy: The Jungle Bro<strong>the</strong>rs07[093] syn<strong>the</strong>tic Fiction/Electronic ThoughtAbduction by Acid [Curfew]: Phuture, Bam Bam, Sleezy D... And Came Down <strong>in</strong> Techno City: Cybotron, Model 500,Electrify<strong>in</strong>g MojoInside <strong>the</strong> Sanctuary of Shockwave: The Bomb SquadThe F<strong>in</strong>al Transmission from <strong>the</strong> Forever War:Underground ResistanceUnknown Force:Offworld Mass:Oncom<strong>in</strong>g Motion: scientistMaterializ<strong>in</strong>g Offworld Revolutions: X-102 Discovers'The R<strong>in</strong>gs of saturn'08[138] Mixadelic UniverseWe Are <strong>in</strong> Your System: ParliamentFor <strong>the</strong> Newest Mutants09[154] Syn<strong>the</strong>siz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Omniverse[Dialogues Concern<strong>in</strong>g] New World System Builders: Sun Ra10[164] Cosmology of volumeThe Cosmic Communications Medium is an Evolution Eng<strong>in</strong>e:Alice ColtraneColtrane Liquid Computer: John coltraneShoot<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Sun with a M<strong>in</strong>iature Sextant: Pharoah SandersA[175] Motion Capture (Interview)B[ 19 5] Assembl<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Connection Mach<strong>in</strong>eC[215] Datam<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Infove,se


-Oil -008) OO! -007)OPERATING SYSTEMFOR THE REDESIGN OFSONIC REALITYRespect due. Good music speaks for itself. No Sleevenotes required. Justenjoy it. Cut <strong>the</strong> crap. Back to basics. What else is <strong>the</strong>re to add?All <strong>the</strong>se troglodytic homilies are Great British cret<strong>in</strong>ismmasquerad<strong>in</strong>g as vectors <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> Trad Sublime. S<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>the</strong> 80S, <strong>the</strong>ma<strong>in</strong>stream British music press has turned to Black Music only as a restand a refuge from <strong>the</strong> rigorous complexities of white guitar rock. S<strong>in</strong>ce<strong>in</strong> this laughable reversal a lyric always means <strong>more</strong> <strong>than</strong> a sound, whileonly guitars can embody <strong>the</strong> zeitgeist, <strong>the</strong> Rhythmach<strong>in</strong>e is locked <strong>in</strong> aretarded <strong>in</strong>nocence. You can <strong>the</strong>orize words or style, but analyz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>groove is believed to kill its bodily pleasure, to dra<strong>in</strong> its essence.Allegedly at odds with <strong>the</strong> rock press, dance-press writ<strong>in</strong>g also turnsits total <strong>in</strong>ability to describe any k<strong>in</strong>d of rhythm <strong>in</strong>to a virtue, <strong>in</strong>vok<strong>in</strong>g awhite Brit rout<strong>in</strong>e of pubs and clubs, of bus<strong>in</strong>ess as usual, <strong>the</strong> bov<strong>in</strong>esense of good blokes toge<strong>the</strong>r. You can see that <strong>the</strong> entire British dancepress - with its hagiographies and its geographies, its dj recipes, itsboosterism, its personality profiles - constitutes a colossal mach<strong>in</strong>e forma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g rhythm as an unwritable, <strong>in</strong>effable mystery. And this is whyTrad dance-music journalism is noth<strong>in</strong>g <strong>more</strong> <strong>than</strong> lists and menus, bitsand bytes: meagre, miserly, mediocre.


00[-006]00[-005]All today's journalism is noth<strong>in</strong>g <strong>more</strong> <strong>than</strong> a giant <strong>in</strong>ertia eng<strong>in</strong>e toput <strong>the</strong> brakes on breaks, a moronizer plac<strong>in</strong>g all thought on permanentpause, a {utureshock absorber, forever shield<strong>in</strong>g its readers from <strong>the</strong>future's cuts, tracks, scratches. Beh<strong>in</strong>d <strong>the</strong> assumed virtue of keep<strong>in</strong>grhythm mute, <strong>the</strong>re is a none-too-veiled hostility towards analyz<strong>in</strong>grhythm at all. Too many ideas spoil <strong>the</strong> party. Too much speculation kills'dance music', by '<strong>in</strong>tellectualiz<strong>in</strong>g' it to death.The fuel this <strong>in</strong>ertia eng<strong>in</strong>e runs on is fossil fuel : <strong>the</strong> live show, <strong>the</strong>proper album, <strong>the</strong> Real Song, <strong>the</strong> Real Voice, <strong>the</strong> mature, <strong>the</strong> musical , <strong>the</strong>pure, <strong>the</strong> true, <strong>the</strong> proper, <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>telligent, break<strong>in</strong>g America: all notionsthat st<strong>in</strong>k of <strong>the</strong> past, that ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> a hierarchy of <strong>the</strong> senses, thatpetrify music <strong>in</strong>to a solid state <strong>in</strong> which everyone knows where <strong>the</strong>ystand, and what real music really is .And this is why noth<strong>in</strong>g is <strong>more</strong> fun <strong>than</strong> spoil<strong>in</strong>g this term<strong>in</strong>allystupid sublime, this <strong>in</strong>sistence that Great Music speaks for itself.At <strong>the</strong> Century's End, <strong>the</strong> Futurhythmach<strong>in</strong>e has 2 oppos<strong>in</strong>g tendencies, 2syn<strong>the</strong>tic drives: <strong>the</strong> Soulful and <strong>the</strong> Postsoul. But <strong>the</strong>n all music is madeof both tendencies runn<strong>in</strong>g simultaneously at all levels, so you can'tmerely oppose a humanist rub with a posthuman Techno.Disco rema<strong>in</strong>s <strong>the</strong> moment when Black Music falls from <strong>the</strong> grace ofgospel tradition <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> metronomic assembly l<strong>in</strong>e. Ignor<strong>in</strong>g that disco is<strong>the</strong>refore aUdibly where <strong>the</strong> 21St C beg<strong>in</strong>s, 9 out of 10 cultural crits prefer<strong>the</strong>ir black popculture humanist, and emphatically 19th C. Like Brusselssprouts, humanism is good for you, nourish<strong>in</strong>g, nurtur<strong>in</strong>g, soulwarm<strong>in</strong>g -and from Phyllis Wheatley to R. Kelly, present-day RuB is a perpetual fightfor human status, a yearn<strong>in</strong>g for human rights, a struggle for <strong>in</strong>clusionwith<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> human species. Allergic to cyber<strong>sonic</strong> if not to <strong>sonic</strong>technology, ma<strong>in</strong>stream American media - <strong>in</strong> its drive to banishalienation, and to recover a sense of <strong>the</strong> whole human be<strong>in</strong>g throughbelief systems that talk to <strong>the</strong> 'real you' - compulsively deletes any<strong>in</strong>timation of an AfroDiasporic futurism, of a 'webbed network' ofcomputerhythms, mach<strong>in</strong>e mythology and conceptechnics which routes,reroutes and criss-crosses <strong>the</strong> B~ack Atlantic. This digital diasporaconnect<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> UK to <strong>the</strong> US, <strong>the</strong> Caribbean to Europe to Africa, is <strong>in</strong> PaulGilroy's def<strong>in</strong>ition a 'rhizomorphic, fractal structure', a 'transcultural,<strong>in</strong>ternational formation.'The music of Alice Coltrane and Sun Ra , of Underground Resistanceand George Russell, of Tricky and Mart<strong>in</strong>a, comes from <strong>the</strong> Outer Side. Italienates itself from <strong>the</strong> human; it arrives from <strong>the</strong> future. Alien Music is asyn<strong>the</strong>tic recomb<strong>in</strong>ator, an applied art technology for amplify<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> ratesof becom<strong>in</strong>g alien. Optimize <strong>the</strong> ratios of excentricity. Syn<strong>the</strong>size yourself.From <strong>the</strong> outset, this Postsoul Era has been characterized by anextreme <strong>in</strong>difference towards <strong>the</strong> human. The human is a po<strong>in</strong>tless andtreacherous category.And <strong>in</strong> synch with this posthuman perspective comes Black AtlanticFuturism. Whe<strong>the</strong>r it's <strong>the</strong> Afro Futurist concrete of George Russell andRoland Kirk, <strong>the</strong> Jazz Fission of Teo Macero and Miles Davis, <strong>the</strong> World 4Electronics of Sun Ra and Herbie Hancock, <strong>the</strong> Astro Jazz of AliceColtrane and Pharoah Sanders, <strong>the</strong> cosmophonic HipHop of Dr Octagonand Ultramagnetic MCs, <strong>the</strong> post-HipHop of The Jungle Bro<strong>the</strong>rs andTricky, <strong>the</strong> Spectral Dub of Scientist and Lee Perry, <strong>the</strong> offworld Electroof Haashim and Ryuichi Sakamoto, <strong>the</strong> despotic Acid of Bam Bam andPhuture, <strong>the</strong> s<strong>in</strong>ister phonoseduction of Parliament's Star Child, <strong>the</strong>hyperrhythmic psychedelia of Rob Playford and Goldie, 4 Hero and AGuy Called Gerald, Sonic Futurism always adopts a cruel, despotic,amoral attitude towards <strong>the</strong> human species.In fact <strong>the</strong> era when <strong>the</strong> History of HipHop could exhaust Mach<strong>in</strong>eMusic is long over. All those petitions for HipHop to be taken seriously, for<strong>the</strong> BBC to give Techno a chance, for House to receive a fair hear<strong>in</strong>g: thismiserable supplication should have ended years ago. For <strong>the</strong>re's noth<strong>in</strong>g toprove any<strong>more</strong>: all <strong>the</strong>se Rhythmach<strong>in</strong>es are globally popular now.So no <strong>more</strong> forcefeed<strong>in</strong>g you Bronx fables and no <strong>more</strong> orthodoxHipHop liturgies. There are <strong>more</strong> <strong>than</strong> enough of <strong>the</strong>se already. InsteadMore Brilliant <strong>than</strong> <strong>the</strong> Sun will focus on <strong>the</strong> Futurhythmach<strong>in</strong>es with<strong>in</strong>each field, offer<strong>in</strong>g a close hear<strong>in</strong>g of music's <strong>in</strong>ternal emigrants only.The Outer Thought of Tricky, <strong>the</strong> Jungle Bro<strong>the</strong>rs with <strong>the</strong>ir remedy forHipHop gone i1lmatic, Aerosoul art <strong>the</strong>orist Rammellzee and hismyth illogical systems of Gothic Futurism and Ikonoklast Panzerism. Nohistory of Techno, however compell<strong>in</strong>g, but <strong>in</strong>stead a zoom <strong>in</strong> on <strong>the</strong>Underground Resistance WarMach<strong>in</strong>e, on <strong>the</strong> Unidentifiable Audio Objectof X-f02 Discovers The R<strong>in</strong>gs of Saturn '. No pleas for Jungle to beaccorded proper respect, but ra<strong>the</strong>r a magnification of certa<strong>in</strong> veryparticular aspects of its hyperdimensionality, <strong>in</strong> 4 Hero, A Guy CalledGerald, Rob Playford and Goldie.The history book that crams <strong>in</strong> everyth<strong>in</strong>g only succeeds <strong>in</strong> screen<strong>in</strong>gout <strong>the</strong> strangeness of <strong>the</strong> Rhythmach<strong>in</strong>e. In its bid for universality, sucha book dispels <strong>the</strong> artificia lity that all humans crave.


001 -004]001 -003]By contrast, More Brilliant goes far<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong>. It l<strong>in</strong>gers lov<strong>in</strong>gly <strong>in</strong>side as<strong>in</strong>gle remix, explores <strong>the</strong> psychoacoustic <strong>fiction</strong>al spaces of <strong>in</strong>terludesand <strong>in</strong>tros, goes to extremes to extrude <strong>the</strong> illogic o<strong>the</strong>r studies flee. Ithappily deletes familiar names [so no Tupac, no NWA] and historicalprecedence [no ly<strong>in</strong>g griots, not much K<strong>in</strong>g Tubby, just a small side beton <strong>the</strong> Stockhausen sweepstakesl. It avoids <strong>the</strong> nauseat<strong>in</strong>g Americanhunger for confessional biography, for 'tell<strong>in</strong>g your own stories <strong>in</strong> yourown words'. It refuses entry to comfort<strong>in</strong>g orig<strong>in</strong>s and social context.Everywhere, <strong>the</strong> 'street' is conSidered <strong>the</strong> ground and guarantee ofall reality, a compulsory logic expla<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g all Black Music, convenientlymishear<strong>in</strong>g antisocial surrealism as social realism. Here sound is ungluedfrom such obligations, until it eludes all social responsibility, <strong>the</strong>rebyaccentuat<strong>in</strong>g its unreality pr<strong>in</strong>ciple.In CultStud, TechnoTheory and CyberCulture, those pa<strong>in</strong>fully archaicregimes, <strong>the</strong>ory always comes to Music's rescue. The organization ofsound is <strong>in</strong>terpreted historically, politically, socially. Like a headmaster,<strong>the</strong>ory teaches today's music a th<strong>in</strong>g or 2 about life. It subdues music'sambition, re<strong>in</strong>s it <strong>in</strong>, restores it to its proper place, reconciles it to itsnaturally belated fate.In More Brilliant <strong>than</strong> <strong>the</strong> Sun <strong>the</strong> opposite happens, for once: musicis encouraged <strong>in</strong> its despotic drive to crumple chronology like an emptybag of crisps, to eclipse reality <strong>in</strong> its wilful exorbitance, to put out <strong>the</strong><strong>sun</strong>. Here music's mystify<strong>in</strong>g illogicality is not chastised but systematizedand <strong>in</strong>tensified - <strong>in</strong>to MythSciences that burst <strong>the</strong> edge of improbability,<strong>in</strong>cites a proliferat<strong>in</strong>g series of mixillogical ma<strong>the</strong>magics at oncemadden<strong>in</strong>g and perplex<strong>in</strong>g, alarm<strong>in</strong>g, allur<strong>in</strong>g.MythScience is <strong>the</strong> field of knowledge <strong>in</strong>vented by Sun Ra, and a termthat this book uses as often as it can. A sample from Virilio def<strong>in</strong>es itvery simply: 'Science and technology develop <strong>the</strong> unknown, notknowledge. Science develops what is not rational. ' Instead of <strong>the</strong>orysav<strong>in</strong>g music from itself, from its worst, which is to say its best excesses,music is heard as <strong>the</strong> pop analysis it already is . Producers are alreadypop <strong>the</strong>orists: Breakbeat producer Sonz of a Loop da Loop Era 's termskratchadelia, <strong>in</strong>strumental HipHop producer DJ Krush's idea ofturntabilization, virtualizer George Cl<strong>in</strong>ton's studio science ofmixadelics, all <strong>the</strong>se conceptechnics are used to excite <strong>the</strong>ory to travelat <strong>the</strong> speed of thought, as <strong>sonic</strong> <strong>the</strong>orist Kool Keith suggested <strong>in</strong> 1987.TechnoTheory, CultStuds et allose <strong>the</strong>ir flabby bulk, <strong>the</strong>ir lazy, pompous,lard-arsed, top-down dom<strong>in</strong>ance, becom<strong>in</strong>g but a s<strong>in</strong>gle component <strong>in</strong> athought syn<strong>the</strong>sizer which moves along several planes at once, whichtracks Mach<strong>in</strong>e Music's l<strong>in</strong>es of force.Far from need<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>ory's help, music today is already <strong>more</strong>conceptual <strong>than</strong> at any po<strong>in</strong>t this century, pregnant with thoughtprobeswait<strong>in</strong>g to be activated, switched on, misused.So More Brilliant <strong>than</strong> <strong>the</strong> Sun draws <strong>more</strong> of its purpose from tracksubtitles <strong>than</strong> from TechnoTheory, or even science <strong>fiction</strong>. Theseconceptechnics are <strong>the</strong>n released from <strong>the</strong> hold<strong>in</strong>g pens of <strong>the</strong>irbrackets, to migrate and mutate across <strong>the</strong> entire communicationlandscape. Stolen from Sleevenote Manifestos, adapted from label<strong>fiction</strong>s, driven as far and as fast as pOSSible, <strong>the</strong>y misshape until <strong>the</strong>ybecome devices to drill <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> new sensory experiences, endoscopes tomagnify <strong>the</strong> new m<strong>in</strong>dstates Mach<strong>in</strong>e Music is <strong>in</strong>duc<strong>in</strong>g.More Brilliant <strong>than</strong> <strong>the</strong> Sun's achievement, <strong>the</strong>refore, is to deSign,manufacture, fabricate, syn<strong>the</strong>size, cut, paste and edit a so-calledartificial discont<strong>in</strong>uum for <strong>the</strong> Futurhythmach<strong>in</strong>e.Reject<strong>in</strong>g today's ubiquitous emphasis on black sound's necessaryethical allegiance to <strong>the</strong> street, this project opens up <strong>the</strong> new plane ofSonic Fiction, <strong>the</strong> secret life of forms, <strong>the</strong> discont<strong>in</strong>uum of AfroDiasporicFuturism, <strong>the</strong> cha<strong>in</strong> reaction of PhonoFiction. It moves through <strong>the</strong>explosive forces which technology ignites <strong>in</strong> us , <strong>the</strong> temporalarchitecture of <strong>in</strong>ner space, audiosocial space, liv<strong>in</strong>g space, wherepostwar alienation breaks down <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> 21St C alien.From Sun Ra to 4 Hero, today's alien discont<strong>in</strong>uum <strong>the</strong>refore operatesnot through cont<strong>in</strong>uities, retentions, genealogies or <strong>in</strong>heritances butra<strong>the</strong>r through <strong>in</strong>tervals, gaps, breaks. It turns away from roots; it opposescommon sense with <strong>the</strong> force of <strong>the</strong> <strong>fiction</strong>al and <strong>the</strong> power of falsity.One side effect of <strong>the</strong> alien discont<strong>in</strong>uum is <strong>the</strong> rejection of any andall notions of a compulsory black condition. Where journalism still<strong>in</strong>sists on a solid state known as 'blackness', More Brilliant dissolves thissolidarity with a corpse <strong>in</strong>to a f1uidarity ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed and exacerbated bysoundmach<strong>in</strong>es.Today's cyborgs are too busy manufactur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>mselves across timespaceto dis<strong>in</strong>tensify <strong>the</strong>mselves with all <strong>the</strong> Tur<strong>in</strong>g Tests fortransatlantic, transeuropean and transafrican consciousness:affirmation, keep<strong>in</strong>g it real, represent<strong>in</strong>g, stay<strong>in</strong>g true to <strong>the</strong> game,respect due, stay<strong>in</strong>g black. Alien Music today deliberately fails all <strong>the</strong>seTests, <strong>the</strong>se putrid corpses of petrified moralism: it treats <strong>the</strong>m withutter <strong>in</strong>difference; it replaces <strong>the</strong>m with noth<strong>in</strong>g whatsoever.


OO[ -002100[-0011It deserts forever <strong>the</strong> nauseat<strong>in</strong>g and bizarre ethic of 'redemption'.AfroDiasporic Futurism has assembled itself along <strong>in</strong>human routes,and it takes artificial thought to reveal this. Such relief: jaws unclench,as conviction collapses.Where crits of CyberCult still ga<strong>the</strong>r, 99.9% of <strong>the</strong>m will lament <strong>the</strong>disembodiment of <strong>the</strong> human by technology. But mach<strong>in</strong>es don 't distanceyou from your emotions, <strong>in</strong> fact quite <strong>the</strong> opposite. Sound mach<strong>in</strong>esmake you feel <strong>more</strong> <strong>in</strong>tensely, along a broader band of emotionalspectra <strong>than</strong> ever before <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> 20th Century.Sonically speak<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>the</strong> posthuman era is not one of disembodimentbut <strong>the</strong> exact reverse: it's a hyperembodiment, via <strong>the</strong> Technics SL 1200. Anon-sound scientist like Richard Dawk<strong>in</strong>s 'talks very happily about culturalviruses,' argues Sadie Plant, 'but doesn't th<strong>in</strong>k that he himself is a viralcontagion.' Migrat<strong>in</strong>g from <strong>the</strong> lab to <strong>the</strong> studio, Sonic Science not onlytalks about cultural viruses, it is itself a viral contagion. It's a sensational<strong>in</strong>fection by <strong>the</strong> spread of what Ishmael Reed terms antiplagues.Mach<strong>in</strong>e Music doesn't call itself science because it controlstechnology, but because music is <strong>the</strong> artform most thoroughlyunderm<strong>in</strong>ed and recomb<strong>in</strong>ated and reconfigured by technics. Scientistsset processes <strong>in</strong> motion which swallow <strong>the</strong>m up : <strong>the</strong> scientist's bra<strong>in</strong> iscaught up <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> net. Acid's alien frequency modulation turns on its djproducersPhuture and Sleezy D and beg<strong>in</strong>s to 'stab your bra<strong>in</strong>' and'disrupt thought patterns'.Yet <strong>in</strong> magnify<strong>in</strong>g such hi<strong>the</strong>rto ignored <strong>in</strong>tersections of sound andscience <strong>fiction</strong> - <strong>the</strong> nexus this project terms Sonic Fiction orPhonoFiction - More Brilliant paradoxically ends up with a portrait ofmusic today far <strong>more</strong> accurate <strong>than</strong> any realistic account has managed.This is because most recent accounts of Black Music - those which form<strong>the</strong> dom<strong>in</strong>ant humanist stra<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> commemoration of Black Music, itsofficial histories - are <strong>more</strong> <strong>than</strong> anyth<strong>in</strong>g wish fulfilments: scenarios <strong>in</strong>which Acid never eXisted, <strong>in</strong> which Electronic Jazz never arrived, <strong>in</strong>which <strong>the</strong> Era of <strong>the</strong> Rhythmach<strong>in</strong>e never happened.By contrast, More Brilliant is a mechanography, an omnidirectionalexploration <strong>in</strong>to mechano-<strong>in</strong>formatics, <strong>the</strong> secret life of mach<strong>in</strong>es whichopens up <strong>the</strong> vast and previously unsuspected coevolution of mach<strong>in</strong>esand humans <strong>in</strong> late 20th C Black Atlantic Futurism.Alien Music is all <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> breaks: <strong>the</strong> distance between Tricky andwhat you took to be <strong>the</strong> limits of Black Music, <strong>the</strong> gap betweenUnderground Resistance and what you took Black Music to be, betweenlisten<strong>in</strong>g to Miles u Macero's He Loved Him Madly and cross<strong>in</strong>g allthresholds with and through it, leav<strong>in</strong>g every old belief system: rock,jazz, soul, Electro, HipHop, House, Acid, Drum'n'Bass, electronics,Techno and dub - forever.The mayday signal of Black Atlantic Futurism is unrecognizability, asei<strong>the</strong>r Black or Music. Sonic Futurism doesn't locate you <strong>in</strong> tradition;<strong>in</strong>stead it dislocates you from orig<strong>in</strong>s. It uproutes you by <strong>in</strong>duc<strong>in</strong>g a gulfcrisis, a perceptual daze render<strong>in</strong>g today's <strong>sonic</strong> discont<strong>in</strong>uumimmediately audible.The Futurist producer can not be trusted with music's heritage.Realiz<strong>in</strong>g thiS, UK and US dance media spr<strong>in</strong>g forward , to ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>setraditions <strong>the</strong> producer always abandons. Media's role is to defend anessence, by ward<strong>in</strong>g off all possible <strong>in</strong>fections: journalists becomemissionaries on behalf of HipHop; <strong>the</strong>y battle for <strong>the</strong> soul of Techno.Which is why at Century's End you tune <strong>in</strong>to sensory frequencie<strong>sun</strong>detectable to <strong>the</strong> happy t<strong>in</strong>nitus of good solid journalism. You arewill<strong>in</strong>gly mutated by <strong>in</strong>timate mach<strong>in</strong>es, abducted by audio <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong>populations of your bodies. Sound mach<strong>in</strong>es throw you onto <strong>the</strong> shoresof <strong>the</strong> sk<strong>in</strong> you're <strong>in</strong>. The hypersensual cyborg experiences herself as agalaxy of audiotactile sensations.You are not censors but sensors, not aes<strong>the</strong>tes but k<strong>in</strong>aes<strong>the</strong>tes. Youare sensationalists. You are <strong>the</strong> newest mutants <strong>in</strong>cubated <strong>in</strong> wombspeakers.Your mo<strong>the</strong>r, your first sound. The bedroom, <strong>the</strong> party, <strong>the</strong>dancefloor, <strong>the</strong> rave: <strong>the</strong>se are <strong>the</strong> labs where <strong>the</strong> 21st C nervous systemsassemble <strong>the</strong>mselves, <strong>the</strong> matrices of <strong>the</strong> Futurhythmach<strong>in</strong>icDiscont<strong>in</strong>uum. The future is a much better guide to <strong>the</strong> present <strong>than</strong> <strong>the</strong>past. Be prepared, be ready to trade everyth<strong>in</strong>g you know about <strong>the</strong>history of music for a s<strong>in</strong>gle glimpse of its future.


00[000]01[001]WORLD 4:M UTR NTEXTU RESOF JRZZworld 4The last 2 decades of jazz constitute a collective mach<strong>in</strong>e for forgett<strong>in</strong>g<strong>the</strong> years '68-'75, <strong>the</strong> Era when its lead<strong>in</strong>g players eng<strong>in</strong>eered jazz <strong>in</strong>toan Afrodelic Space Program, an Alien World Electronics. 70S fusion, 80Sneo-classical, 90S Acid jazz, jazz rap, freejazz : all <strong>the</strong>se bitter enemiesare united <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir absolute aversion/ amnesia to <strong>the</strong> jazz Fission Age. Allhark back to before or after <strong>the</strong> Electronic Era that starts with GeorgeRussell's '68 Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature and ends withMacero's !J Miles's Dark Magus <strong>in</strong> '75.From Ra to George Russell to Miles !J Macero to Alice Coltrane toPharoah Sanders to Herbie Hancock to Eddie Henderson to julianPriester to The Tony Williams Lifetime to Larry Young and on, <strong>the</strong> InnerSpace Age generated <strong>the</strong> most audacious, ambitious and awe-<strong>in</strong>duc<strong>in</strong>gmusic to emerge from America.But today <strong>in</strong> '98, it is as if <strong>the</strong> Futurhythmach<strong>in</strong>es of this ElectronicEra had never existed. Music has utterly retreated from <strong>the</strong> tower<strong>in</strong>g,overwhelm<strong>in</strong>g ambition of this era. just like Techno, jazz Fission -America's greatest moment - has been utterly disappeared.Electronic jazz is when <strong>the</strong> eng<strong>in</strong>eer crosses <strong>the</strong> glass. Electric jazz


01[002)01 [003)peoples <strong>the</strong> world with halluc<strong>in</strong>ations. Astro jazz is Alice Coltraneblasphem<strong>in</strong>g aga<strong>in</strong>st jazz by remix<strong>in</strong>g A Love Supreme. Jazz Fi ssiondissolves <strong>the</strong> border between mute and trumpet, wah-wah and organ,effect and <strong>in</strong>strument. Psychedelic Jazz derealizes sound <strong>in</strong>to hornetsand quasars. Cosmic jazz is unease, <strong>the</strong> monstrous deliquescence of <strong>the</strong>mix<strong>in</strong>g desk. World 4 jazz is an om<strong>in</strong>ous drift towards orig<strong>in</strong>s unknown.Rttribute: Rssass<strong>in</strong>Jazz Fission did <strong>more</strong> <strong>than</strong> melt <strong>the</strong> hierarchies which jazz traditionworks so hard to ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>. As <strong>the</strong> cyclotron that produced mutantmatter and polyrhythmic psychedelias, it triggered a post-jazz universe.The dates for <strong>the</strong> assass<strong>in</strong>ation of jazz are numerous and all its assass<strong>in</strong>shave long s<strong>in</strong>ce stepped forward: Coltrane, Ornette, Ra , Miles. Unlike <strong>the</strong>Art Ensemble's declaration of jazz as 'Great Black Music', FuturhythmicFission treats <strong>the</strong> Tradition as effects, <strong>in</strong>puts to be fed <strong>in</strong>to its giantConnection Mach<strong>in</strong>e.Liquefy<strong>in</strong>g everyth<strong>in</strong>g generates a confusion that quickly calcifies,<strong>in</strong>to orthodoxy on one hand and <strong>in</strong>to near-total amnesia on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r.Both responses were accelerated by <strong>the</strong> eng<strong>in</strong>eer-musicians <strong>the</strong>mselves,who, dispirited and dra<strong>in</strong>ed by poor sales, switched from fission tofusion and disparaged <strong>the</strong> Afrodelic era as a rash experiment, a failure.Anachronic Cybernetics of <strong>the</strong> World: George RussellThe 2 versions of composer George Russell's Electronic Sonata for SoulsLoved by Nature, from '68 and '80, are auditions of jazz augmented for<strong>the</strong> unknown hazards of <strong>in</strong>ner space. In <strong>the</strong> Cybernetic Age, jazz mustmove through <strong>the</strong> centre of <strong>the</strong> cyclone, implode and be reassembled aselectromagnetic dub. Instead of <strong>in</strong>vok<strong>in</strong>g jazz as an art, a beautiful soulwhich defies <strong>the</strong> military <strong>in</strong>dustrial complex, Russell technologizes jazzuntil it becomes an art-<strong>in</strong>dustrial complex: 'The tape was prepared at <strong>the</strong>Electronic Music Studios of <strong>the</strong> Swedish Radio Ensemble on a hugecomputer. It is meant to suggest that man, <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> face of encroach<strong>in</strong>gtechnology, must confront technology and attempt to humanize it, toexplore <strong>in</strong>ner, as well as outer space.'MixillogicalFor Russell, <strong>the</strong> Electronic Sonata is a global music, a 'panstylisticelectronic tape; a tape composed of fragments of many different stylesof music, avant-garde jazz, ragas, blues, rock, serial music etc, treatedelectronically ... a palate upon which non electronic musical statementsof a panstylistic nature could be projected.' This convergence of collagesturns <strong>the</strong> Electronic Sonata <strong>in</strong>to a mixillogical mach<strong>in</strong>e: <strong>the</strong> fleet<strong>in</strong>gfriction of timbral <strong>in</strong>congruities, <strong>in</strong>compatible sound blocs rubb<strong>in</strong>gaga<strong>in</strong>st each o<strong>the</strong>r. Blurr<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> realtime < >tape dist<strong>in</strong>ction creates a<strong>fiction</strong>al sonata of impossible music. The collage of heavy rock, Indianragas and Moroccan voices is processed <strong>in</strong>to an electromagnetic mirrormix, <strong>the</strong>n looped <strong>in</strong>to tapes which Terje Rypdal slashes at with guitarand Jan Garbarek corrodes with astr<strong>in</strong>gent tenor sax.Tape + electronic treatments + live musics = TexturologicalStratusphunk: 'There are three people play<strong>in</strong>g at once on that tape but<strong>the</strong> tape is so <strong>in</strong>tegrated with <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r electronic material it's hard todist<strong>in</strong>guish what's what. ' Electronic mirages descend <strong>in</strong> palls, shroud<strong>in</strong>g<strong>the</strong> outl<strong>in</strong>es of sound <strong>in</strong> amorphous reefs of fog through which midrangeattacks surge.Journey to <strong>the</strong> Centre of <strong>the</strong> HeadUnlike Holger Czukay's shortwave or Lee Perry's tv sampl<strong>in</strong>g, Russell'selectromagnetic forcefield falls <strong>in</strong> a haze as <strong>in</strong>def<strong>in</strong>ite as a neuromanticsky tuned to <strong>the</strong> colour of dead tv. The vapourdrift of tapehiss seepsthrough <strong>the</strong> jagged guitar signals and sax tones, derealiz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> bordersbetween live and syn<strong>the</strong>tic nOise, and unreal and real time, <strong>in</strong>tocolourfields that flipflop at <strong>the</strong> periphery of perception.Listen<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> Electronic Sonata, Events I-XIV is like grow<strong>in</strong>g a 3rdEar. The perpetual palimpsest of impossible events demands a newneuromuscular <strong>in</strong>terface. You become a human Oncomouse, earsprout<strong>in</strong>g from your neck <strong>in</strong> a fleshy umbrella.FragmentalAt 6 m<strong>in</strong>s fog seeps <strong>in</strong> over test-tones and clank<strong>in</strong>g cha<strong>in</strong>s. Applied<strong>in</strong>tensively, electrons confuse solids with signals and metal with<strong>in</strong>formation, mystify<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> ear as sounds escape <strong>the</strong>ir acoustic body andshed <strong>the</strong>ir envelope to become formless. Space coagulates <strong>the</strong>n cr<strong>in</strong>kles,alter<strong>in</strong>g its density, convolut<strong>in</strong>g perspectives until sounds reach you <strong>in</strong>fractions and fragments. Your powers of recognition are shot to hell as


01[004101[0051you move through a baffl<strong>in</strong>g republic of <strong>in</strong>dist<strong>in</strong>ct matter. Currentattracts you towards a powerstation that shr<strong>in</strong>ks <strong>in</strong>to co<strong>in</strong>s sp<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g onglass. At 13 m<strong>in</strong>s everyth<strong>in</strong>g is suffused <strong>in</strong> an unlocatable roar, heardthrough fog banks like Vittorio Gelmetti's om<strong>in</strong>ous drones <strong>in</strong> Antonioni's'64 film II Deserto Russo. At 15 m<strong>in</strong>s, Garbarek's Shepp-style sax, allacrid Twombly-ized scribbles, starts duet<strong>in</strong>g with a high frequency.Viol<strong>in</strong>s swoop abysmally. Gravity drops out, open<strong>in</strong>g a horizon at <strong>the</strong> faredge of perception. Organ spirals through <strong>in</strong> curl<strong>in</strong>g flames as Africanpercussion fades <strong>in</strong>to hear<strong>in</strong>g. At 20 m<strong>in</strong>s, OSCillators materialize <strong>in</strong>toearshot, form<strong>in</strong>g unknown metallophonic alloys, meld<strong>in</strong>g with marimbamaze. 'The th<strong>in</strong>g that sounds like a marimba is actually an old Africanman and his two sons. The voices heard on <strong>the</strong> Electronic Sonata are ofa 70-year-old African and his two sons. An African lute is be<strong>in</strong>g used. Afriend brought me a tape of Ugandan folk music so we just ran thatthrough some r<strong>in</strong>g modulators.' Textures superimpose each o<strong>the</strong>r beforebe<strong>in</strong>g swallowed up by <strong>the</strong> reverberations from a hidden powersource.At 23 m<strong>in</strong>s, tape-simulated syn<strong>the</strong>tic sonorities strafe across a harmoniccurta<strong>in</strong> of church organ. Tumbl<strong>in</strong>g motion, like urch<strong>in</strong>s drumm<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>cavities of cast metal, slowly resolves itself <strong>in</strong>to percussion, pull<strong>in</strong>gfocus on your hear<strong>in</strong>g.Textural strata of <strong>the</strong> MixIn Part II of Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature, North Africanlute and voice signals travel across space, pann<strong>in</strong>g past each o<strong>the</strong>r. Handdrums throw out rustl<strong>in</strong>g bridges of <strong>in</strong>termittence. The second voicefades <strong>in</strong>to earshot, materializ<strong>in</strong>g out of cymballic shimmer.The voices <strong>in</strong> Part II Event VIll exist <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> simultaneous future-pasttime of <strong>the</strong> mix. The Sonata is mixology <strong>in</strong> un'real time.At 3 m<strong>in</strong>s, Rypdal's guitar crashes <strong>in</strong> . >is sucked <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> maw of r<strong>in</strong>gmodulation. At 6 m<strong>in</strong>s, <strong>the</strong> tape is treated until it becomes a ghostorchestra. Circled by escalat<strong>in</strong>g radii, you hear a new world, awraithscape of delocalized chimes, echoes arriv<strong>in</strong>g from orig<strong>in</strong>s unknown,distant splashes. At 12 m<strong>in</strong>s, space undergoes topological <strong>in</strong>volution,rotat<strong>in</strong>g oscillations through a helical scan. Bass and piano momentarilysurface, acoustic reliCS flung from <strong>the</strong> edge of <strong>the</strong> electromagnetic vortex.At 16.50 m<strong>in</strong>s, sheets of wah-wah cut through space, are baffled by afogbank which falls before your ears. You stop hear<strong>in</strong>g through to <strong>the</strong>guitar; <strong>the</strong> space through which sound travels turns gaseous. Instead oftransport<strong>in</strong>g sound, space thickens and impedes it.The Conceptechnics of Destratified DubBy reconfigur<strong>in</strong>g jazz through <strong>the</strong> magnetic labyr<strong>in</strong>th, Russell and <strong>the</strong>eng<strong>in</strong>eers at <strong>the</strong> Swedish Radio Electronic Music Studio manufacture <strong>the</strong>magnetic vortex of dub <strong>in</strong> '68.At 18 m<strong>in</strong>s, percussion tumbles like a drum is be<strong>in</strong>g kicked over. Thechurch organ plays underwater. Shortwave leakage fuses with <strong>the</strong>transient tones of radio, mobile and bell trees. At 22 m<strong>in</strong>s, <strong>the</strong> dronemodulates <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> wh<strong>in</strong>e of aeroplanes taxi<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>the</strong> runway. Soundslose <strong>the</strong>ir harmonic profile, alter <strong>the</strong>ir stabilized identity <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>electromagnetic process of folk implosion.Electronics, as McLuhan recognized, massifies listeners <strong>in</strong>toelectribes. But electronics doesn't decant tribes from tradition <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong>present, because Trad <strong>sonic</strong> technologies are already futuristic. 'The oldNorwegian church organ was <strong>the</strong> material this whole tape is based on -<strong>in</strong> conjunction with this African music which fits <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> world culturalimplosion. I wanted to reflect <strong>the</strong> cultural implosion occurr<strong>in</strong>g among <strong>the</strong>Earth's population, <strong>the</strong>ir com<strong>in</strong>g toge<strong>the</strong>r. 'Subsumption RhythmRussell's magnetic mixology accelerates a discont<strong>in</strong>uum <strong>in</strong> which <strong>the</strong>future arrives from <strong>the</strong> past. The percussion choir is a Rhythmach<strong>in</strong>esimplified by <strong>the</strong> tapedelay of Steve Reich-era m<strong>in</strong>imalism. The Ghanaiandrumchoir distributes polyrhythms <strong>in</strong>to strata that Russell terms VerticalForm: 'In <strong>the</strong> African drumchoir, one drummer is <strong>the</strong> rhythmic gravitywhile <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rs gradually layer on sophisticated rhythms on top of thistonal centre. The whole isn't really evolv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> a horizontal way; it'sevolv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> complexity and density. It's vertical energy gett<strong>in</strong>g higherand higher, compound<strong>in</strong>g. 'The drumchoir complexifies <strong>the</strong> beat <strong>in</strong>to distributedPolyrhythmach<strong>in</strong>es, webbed networks of poly'counter'contra'cross'staggered rhythms that function like <strong>the</strong> dispersed architecture ofartificial life by generat<strong>in</strong>g emergent consciousness. Russell: 'Music isarchitecture. I build structures. Build<strong>in</strong>gs go up - <strong>the</strong>y're vertical forms.My focus is on <strong>the</strong> vertical evolution of a form, not necessarily on <strong>the</strong>horizontal/ l<strong>in</strong>ear exposition of that form.' Rhythm = webs of<strong>in</strong>termittence, cyclic rhythms that are <strong>in</strong> synch but out of phase. TheclaSSical musics of <strong>the</strong> Ghanaian drumchoir, Bal<strong>in</strong>ese gamelan orchestras,Indian and Jajouka master musicians are what producer Kirk DeGiorgioterms ARTs - Advanced Rhythmic Technologies - already centuries old.


01(006)01(007)The older <strong>the</strong> Rhythmach<strong>in</strong>e, <strong>the</strong> <strong>more</strong> futuristic it is. For GeorgeRussell - like Stockhausen, Coltrane and Holger Czukay - to go back <strong>in</strong>toa Ghanaian or Ind ian or Vietnamese <strong>sonic</strong> past is to go forward <strong>in</strong>to anew future. To listen to an ART is hear<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> evolution of technology 5centuries down <strong>the</strong> l<strong>in</strong>e.Electronic Swarm Program: Teo Macero & Miles Davis, Herbie HancockThe Medusa Complex of MutantexturesLaunched by producer Teo Macero and composer Miles Davis, amplifiedAfrodelia transmolecularized <strong>the</strong> solid states of sound <strong>in</strong>to a cont<strong>in</strong>entaldrift. Inputs <strong>in</strong>clude Hendrix-era rock, fuzz, wah-wah pedals, Sly and <strong>the</strong>Family Stone's spaced funk, <strong>the</strong> electronics of <strong>the</strong> clav<strong>in</strong>et, <strong>the</strong> Arp, <strong>the</strong>Moog, tape-delay dub, <strong>the</strong> tense nervous str<strong>in</strong>g attacks of Varese, <strong>the</strong>tabla and sitar of Badal Roy, <strong>the</strong> hyperrhythmic percussion webs ofHermeto Pascoal and Airto Moreira.Between '68 and '75, Macero u Miles, Hancock et al turned effects<strong>in</strong>to <strong>in</strong>struments, dissolv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> hierarchy by connect<strong>in</strong>g both <strong>in</strong>to achameleonic circuit which generated new mutantextures. Amplifiedtrumpet, wah-wah pedal, clavi net, echoplex unit, organ, guitar: all <strong>the</strong>sebecame new <strong>in</strong>struments, grafted hybrids, unicorn sounds, centaursounds. Effects are now acoustic pros<strong>the</strong>tics, audio extensions, <strong>sonic</strong>destratifiers, electric mutators, multipliers and mutagents.Cyberneticist Kev<strong>in</strong> Kelly hears an electronic ecology emerg<strong>in</strong>g,where 'one mach<strong>in</strong>e's <strong>in</strong>put is ano<strong>the</strong>r mach<strong>in</strong>e's output.' In this MedusaComplex of feeds and leads, sound mach<strong>in</strong>es 'form foodwebs ' and preyupon each o<strong>the</strong>r. In Herbie Hancock's '73 Hornets, <strong>the</strong> seeth<strong>in</strong>g,treacherous 19 m<strong>in</strong> 36 sec futurhythmaze exemplifies <strong>the</strong> mutagenicmatrix. Pass<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> clav<strong>in</strong>et signal through <strong>the</strong> fuzz-wah pedal sends <strong>the</strong>syn<strong>the</strong>sizer through <strong>the</strong> body of <strong>the</strong> guitar, produc<strong>in</strong>g a boaconstrictortone that comb<strong>in</strong>es <strong>the</strong> clench of <strong>the</strong> clav<strong>in</strong>et with <strong>the</strong> choke of <strong>the</strong> wahwah.Mov<strong>in</strong>g through <strong>the</strong> echoplex, constriction is cloned from a s<strong>in</strong>gularsensation <strong>in</strong>to an environment that dunks you headfirst <strong>in</strong> a horde ofheat-seek<strong>in</strong>g killer bees.Listen<strong>in</strong>g becomes a chase through <strong>the</strong> thickets of percussion. Motiletonalities, orig<strong>in</strong> unknown, swarm after you, bugg<strong>in</strong>g you out as <strong>the</strong>ydisappear around <strong>the</strong> edges of <strong>the</strong> rhythmaze, obscured by overgrowth,rebound off <strong>the</strong> walls of <strong>the</strong> webweave.On Macero's u Miles' Gondwana from Pangaea, <strong>the</strong> organ is sentthrough wah-wah until it plays susta<strong>in</strong>ed chords from an impossiblyelongated guitar.DestratifiersElectronic effects are destratifiers because <strong>the</strong>y dissolve <strong>the</strong>organization of <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>strument, liquefy <strong>the</strong> stratification of sound. In <strong>the</strong>Afrodelic Era, effects defect from cause, redistribut<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>mselves untilit's impossible to hear which <strong>in</strong>strument generates which sound. Asound < >vision schizmatix emerges; audio es'capes from its acoustic body,compell<strong>in</strong>g a new menagerie of sound mach<strong>in</strong>ery, tweak<strong>in</strong>g you to <strong>in</strong>vent<strong>fiction</strong>al <strong>in</strong>struments from World 4.The dist<strong>in</strong>ction between real music and soundeffects collapses, <strong>in</strong> astream of <strong>sonic</strong> matter that crosses from <strong>the</strong> liquid state of piano susta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> gas state of mute horn vapourdrift. He Loved Him Madly is allderealization, vapour trails of orig<strong>in</strong> less sound, viscous drift of organ =trumpet = guitar. Macero remixes <strong>the</strong> organ from ano<strong>the</strong>r session onto<strong>the</strong> PolyRhythmeng<strong>in</strong>e, filters <strong>the</strong> trumpet through <strong>the</strong> mix<strong>in</strong>g desk,through effects designed by Columbia's eng<strong>in</strong>eers.The schizophonic EraSchizophony is R. Murray Schafer's term for <strong>the</strong> audible <strong>in</strong>ferno of <strong>the</strong>post-war soundscape, <strong>the</strong> era when <strong>in</strong>dustrial communications splitsound from its sources, 'becom<strong>in</strong>g a fearful medium because we cannotsee who or what produces <strong>the</strong> sound: an <strong>in</strong>visible excitement for <strong>the</strong>nerves.' With Macero u Miles, schizophony becomes endemic.Insectile TexturhythmYou're <strong>in</strong> what producer Dr S. Gachet calls <strong>the</strong> audiomaze, <strong>the</strong> electric<strong>in</strong>sectland that <strong>in</strong>cites <strong>in</strong>visible excitement. Invisible because albumsfrom <strong>the</strong> Electronic Era teem with percussion that's evolved <strong>in</strong>to unseen<strong>in</strong>sectile lifeforms. The sleeve for '75'S Dark Magus shows Miles wear<strong>in</strong>gbug-green fly shades, adapt<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> audiomenagerie by becom<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>sectile himself. Superfly shades access <strong>the</strong> tsetse fly 's magnifiedvision. Sight becomes compounded, trigger<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> reticulated hear<strong>in</strong>gelectroniC jazz demands.Chitter<strong>in</strong>g, caw<strong>in</strong>g, creak<strong>in</strong>g, shriek<strong>in</strong>g, rattl<strong>in</strong>g, shak<strong>in</strong>g: percussionbecomes a nonl<strong>in</strong>ear malevolence. Rhythm is a biotechnology. The


01[008]01[009]Hancock PolyRhythmeng<strong>in</strong>e is a biotech <strong>in</strong> perpetual motion. Itstexturhythmfields are too distributed and too fugitive for <strong>the</strong> ear tocatch. Percussion becomes a rhythm shower <strong>in</strong> which distributed beats -treacherous underfoot, glimpsed overhead - fall through <strong>the</strong> body likera<strong>in</strong> through lianas.The sk<strong>in</strong> hears <strong>the</strong> polyrhythmic shower as a creep<strong>in</strong>g, writh<strong>in</strong>gtactility. Sudden yet imperceptible shifts across <strong>the</strong> amplifiedpercussapellic field - from rattl<strong>in</strong>g to chitter<strong>in</strong>g - conduct <strong>the</strong>se across<strong>the</strong> sk<strong>in</strong>, dropp<strong>in</strong>g body temperature as <strong>the</strong>y wri<strong>the</strong> and seize <strong>the</strong> dermalterra<strong>in</strong>. Crickets, cicadas, treefrogs, humm<strong>in</strong>gbirds flitt<strong>in</strong>g between <strong>the</strong>carbon-based ra<strong>in</strong>forest. Hence <strong>the</strong> Rhythmeng<strong>in</strong>e of Maup<strong>in</strong>, Hendersonet al call<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>mselves 'Headhunters', tak<strong>in</strong>g on Pygmy magic.Side 2 of '73's Sextant, <strong>the</strong> f<strong>in</strong>al album <strong>in</strong> his convulsive, <strong>brilliant</strong>World 4 Trilogy - after '7"S Mwandishi and '72 'S Cross<strong>in</strong>gs - is taken upentirely by <strong>the</strong> malignant hybrids of Hornets. Hancock's clavi net andBuster Williams's fuzz bass double each o<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong> throttl<strong>in</strong>g chords thatcoil and unfurl like flar<strong>in</strong>g cobras.Aga<strong>in</strong>st a trunkular superheavy bass, Billy Hart's cymbal hiss simmersma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g a pneumatic pressure which stokes <strong>the</strong> PolyRhythmeng<strong>in</strong>e,<strong>the</strong> imm<strong>in</strong>ent threat of <strong>the</strong> groove. Julian Priester's bass clar<strong>in</strong>et<strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>uates a s<strong>in</strong>ister motion like a subterranean sidew<strong>in</strong>der undulat<strong>in</strong>gover shift<strong>in</strong>g sand. Patrick Gleason's synth oscillates from bassdrones totreefrog croaks to squeals that lead <strong>in</strong>to abysmal squawls.By <strong>the</strong> alien power of distributed be<strong>in</strong>g agents canbe lifted <strong>in</strong>to a type of colony <strong>in</strong>telligence byconnect<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>m <strong>in</strong> bulkKev;n KellyThe Para human Biology of Sound Mach<strong>in</strong>esIn <strong>the</strong> Afrodelic Era, percussive strata and polyrhythmic eng<strong>in</strong>esconverge <strong>in</strong> a zone of para human elusiveness. Fugitive and tensile,World 4 hyperrhythm makes audible <strong>the</strong> treacherous biocomputer ofAmos Tuotola's '58 novel My Life <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Bush of Ghosts. Tuotola'scarceral Bush of Ghosts, like <strong>the</strong> Amazonian jungle or <strong>the</strong> Central Africanra<strong>in</strong>forest, is a distributed biocomputer, an example of Kelly's 'massivelypa rallel bioeng<strong>in</strong>eered adaptation .. Natural evolution is a computationalprocess of adaptation to an everchang<strong>in</strong>g environment.'My Life <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Bush of Ghosts accelerates '<strong>the</strong> alien power ofdistributed be<strong>in</strong>g' <strong>in</strong>to a medium, across which signals and frequenciescrackle <strong>in</strong>to electromagnetic ghosts. Tuotola opens a technology-magiccont<strong>in</strong>uum <strong>in</strong> which radio becomes an Invisible Magnetic Missive sent toyou from Home. TV turns <strong>in</strong>to a ghost medium haunted by <strong>the</strong> televisionhandedghostess: 'When she told me to look at her palm and opened itnearly to touch my face, it was exactly as a television. 'It is <strong>the</strong> entire globe pulsat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> my bra<strong>in</strong>"'at; Klarwe;nThe Electribal Cont<strong>in</strong>uumThe Past Arrives from <strong>the</strong> FutureElectric mach<strong>in</strong>es feed forward <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> past. Tribal technology arrivesfrom a maraud<strong>in</strong>g future. Mati Klarwe<strong>in</strong>'s and Tadanoori Yokoo's MilesDaviS and Robert Spr<strong>in</strong>gett's Hancock covers are Sonic Visions,sound<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> pa<strong>in</strong>t which dramatize this electribal cont<strong>in</strong>uum.On Sextant a North African boy and girl dance on a desert planedlike a runway. A cratered moon hangs over <strong>the</strong>m. A giant cha<strong>in</strong> of beads,its 2 strands break<strong>in</strong>g out of an amulet like metallic antennae, floatspast a ziggurated pyramid, a Babylonian Egyptian observation tower.Flip <strong>the</strong> sleeve over and <strong>the</strong>re's an alien African <strong>in</strong> a robe, his bonyf<strong>in</strong>gers po<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> giant cha<strong>in</strong>. Beh<strong>in</strong>d him is an azure Buddha maskwith roseate eyes, <strong>sun</strong> burst<strong>in</strong>g beh<strong>in</strong>d it, clouds billow<strong>in</strong>g.With Bitches Brew Klarwe<strong>in</strong> illustrates his electribal cyborgs,paradisical girl-boy couples. On <strong>the</strong> front, <strong>the</strong> girl's hair twists <strong>in</strong>to aswirl of striped gas that hurls itself across <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>rmal currents <strong>in</strong>to ablue-black stormcloud. It's a reversible wea<strong>the</strong>r circuit, so <strong>the</strong> electricstorm Simultaneously generates Dali 's atmospherocephalic current whichproduces <strong>the</strong> girl. On <strong>the</strong> back, a s<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g man, face set <strong>in</strong> deliriousconcentration, is surrounded by a stellar forcefield. Aga<strong>in</strong>st a starcosmos, an alb<strong>in</strong>o boy, <strong>the</strong> reverse of <strong>the</strong> calm black face with blue lipson <strong>the</strong> front, weeps brown tears.For <strong>the</strong> cover to Thrust, Hancock's an Afronaut - a pilot operatorlook<strong>in</strong>g disda<strong>in</strong>fully out o f <strong>the</strong> bubble w<strong>in</strong>dow, as his f<strong>in</strong>gers play <strong>the</strong>syn<strong>the</strong>sizer-control panel that will guide his ufo down through <strong>the</strong>purple mists and onto <strong>the</strong> mounta<strong>in</strong>-top runway. The runway is Assyriantech, with a city carved <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> pl ateau. A giant moon, its mauve craterslike planetary pus tules, looms overhead, block<strong>in</strong>g out <strong>the</strong> sky.


01[010]01[011]Cross<strong>in</strong>gs reveals that <strong>the</strong> wizened men with elongated skulls,stand<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir white robes, are North African necromancers, alienvisitors. The scene's anachronized by a boy with <strong>the</strong> same Pharaonicprofile as <strong>the</strong> age<strong>in</strong>g viziers, sitt<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>the</strong> edge of a wave which sweepsacross <strong>the</strong> back sleeve <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> black sea-depths of <strong>the</strong> front sleeves.The necromancers are stand<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> water. There's a boat pull<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> but<strong>the</strong>re's no beach; <strong>the</strong> jet-blue waves lap onto <strong>more</strong> water <strong>in</strong>stead of ashore. Refugees huddle aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>the</strong> coast w<strong>in</strong>d.In Yokoo's Agharta sleeve, <strong>the</strong> title forms a phonotron that blasts offfrom a city framed <strong>in</strong> lush foliage and a red liquid flux which arches outof <strong>the</strong> skyscrapers. On <strong>the</strong> back a tractorbeam draws a ufo out of a cityand up through an underwater sky of coral reefs.PanAlien AstroAfrican Space ProgramIn <strong>the</strong> Age of Afrodelia, <strong>the</strong> jazz composer becomes <strong>the</strong> audio alchemist.Afrodelia triggers an alternat<strong>in</strong>g current of technology and magic <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>Sleevenote artwork of Yokoo, Spr<strong>in</strong>gett and Klarwe<strong>in</strong>. The futuristic and<strong>the</strong> archaic reverse polarities, and chase each o<strong>the</strong>r down <strong>in</strong>to ananachronistic futurepast. On Mwandishi and Sextant, <strong>the</strong> Herbie HancockSeptet take on Swahili names. Herbie Hancock = Mwandishi. BennyMaup<strong>in</strong> = Mwile. Dr Eddie Henderson = Mganga. Julian Priester = Pepo.Buster Williams = Mchezaji. Billy Hart = Jabali.This doesn't ground <strong>the</strong>m or earth <strong>the</strong>m <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir roots. Instead, itaerealizes <strong>the</strong>m for take-off, a Buddhist


01[012]electronics, and Alien Music's l<strong>in</strong>es o f <strong>in</strong>heritance break up, goWildstyle. With <strong>the</strong> collapse of Kraftwerk's consensual future, Technodoesn't die. It just loses its sense of itself as <strong>the</strong> def<strong>in</strong>itive, s<strong>in</strong>gledirection of music's future. Atlantic Futurism is always bUild<strong>in</strong>gFuturhythmach<strong>in</strong>es, sensory technologies, <strong>in</strong>struments which renovateperception, which syn<strong>the</strong>size new states of m<strong>in</strong>d. World 4 Jazz is atransmolecularizer which fluctuates <strong>the</strong> steady states of organizedsound. Seep<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> from <strong>the</strong> futurepast, it feedsforward <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> present,anachroniz<strong>in</strong>g everyth<strong>in</strong>g it reaches. Assembled from molecularcomponents of rhythm, <strong>the</strong> Breakbeat is an Applied RhythmicTechnology, an ART that sets cultural velocity and cultural <strong>in</strong>ertia <strong>in</strong>motion. By mobiliz<strong>in</strong>g rhythms across <strong>the</strong> communication landscape, <strong>the</strong>Rhythmeng<strong>in</strong>e crosspoll<strong>in</strong>ates <strong>the</strong> eager fan , transmaterializes yoursensorium through <strong>the</strong> onomatopoeic illogic called HipHop.02[013]1'TRA NSM ATE RI A LIZ I N GTHE BREAKBEATThe Metamorphonic Mach<strong>in</strong>e is Motion-Captur<strong>in</strong>g Your Nervous System:Grandmaster Flash, Knights of <strong>the</strong> TurntableThe possibility Space of Breakbeat Science'The discovery of <strong>the</strong> DNA code, for example, is focus<strong>in</strong>g on how you cancreate different species of be<strong>in</strong>gs by start<strong>in</strong>g from <strong>the</strong> very smallestparticles and <strong>the</strong>ir components, ' Karlhe<strong>in</strong>z Stockhausen has said. 'That iswhy we are all part of <strong>the</strong> spirit of <strong>the</strong> atomic age. In music, we Cloexactly <strong>the</strong> same.' By open<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> possibility space of Breakbeat science,dj, mixer and rap pioneer Grandmaster Flash extends and deepens this' 71 observation.'After I took <strong>the</strong> title [of Grandmaster Flash) I knew I had to startgo<strong>in</strong>g to a laboratory, so to speak, and <strong>in</strong>vent new ideas.' For Flash <strong>in</strong>'81 , go<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> lab means approach<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> studio as a research centrefor <strong>the</strong> break<strong>in</strong>g down of <strong>the</strong> beat. In <strong>the</strong> lab, <strong>the</strong> Breakbeat is isolatedand replicated, to become <strong>the</strong> DNA of rhythmic psychedelia.


02[014]02[015]The Rhythmotor .The Breakbeat is a motion-capture device, a detachable Rhythmeng<strong>in</strong>e,a movable rhythmotor that generates cultural velocity. The break is anyshort captured sound whatsoever. Indifferent to tradition, thisfunctionalism ignores history, allows HipHop to data m<strong>in</strong>e unknownve<strong>in</strong>s of funk, to groove-rob not ancestor-worship. For <strong>the</strong> funktionalistall <strong>the</strong> world is dubmaster Lee Perry's 'Turntable Terranova'. As DJShadow suggests, HipHop is <strong>the</strong>refore not a genre so much as an omnigenre,a conceptual approach towards <strong>sonic</strong> organization ra<strong>the</strong>r <strong>than</strong> aparticular sound <strong>in</strong> itself.Enhance 57: 19Investigat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> build<strong>in</strong>g blocks of <strong>the</strong> beat, Grandmaster Flash crosses<strong>the</strong> threshold of microrhythm: 'The Incredible Bongo Band, Bongo Rock,johnny <strong>the</strong> Fox, The Bel/s, Bob James' Mardi Gras. I would really like"pop pop pop pop poppoppop u u u". I would like break <strong>the</strong> shit down to8th, 16th notes. It amazed me sometimes.'Both <strong>the</strong> name - 'Grandmaster Flash' - and <strong>the</strong> '81 track title - TheAmaz<strong>in</strong>g Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on <strong>the</strong> Wheels of Steel - areSonic Fiction. The 'Flash' po<strong>in</strong>ts to <strong>the</strong> Super<strong>sonic</strong> Science ofskratchadelia, <strong>the</strong> dj as DC Comics hero, <strong>the</strong> term 'Grandmaster' to levelsof skills and depth of <strong>in</strong>duction <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> martial artform of dj-<strong>in</strong>g. Thename Grandmaster Flash br<strong>in</strong>gs toge<strong>the</strong>r comics and kung fu movies,superhero and Shaol<strong>in</strong> '<strong>in</strong> a mythical battle'. The name ignites anadventure of concepts, a fusion of sensations that catalyses a virtualworld at what David Toopcalls '<strong>the</strong> fantasy level'. This plane of fantasy isMarshall McLuhan's <strong>in</strong>dustrial folklore of Man gone supernova.The conceptechnics of <strong>the</strong> TurntableIn mythify<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> decks as <strong>the</strong> 'Wheels of Steel', Flash <strong>in</strong>augurates <strong>the</strong>mach<strong>in</strong>e mythology of <strong>the</strong> turntable. This new conceptual technology orconceptechnics presupposes that <strong>the</strong> decks have become a state of m<strong>in</strong>dfor <strong>the</strong> dj . After Flash, <strong>the</strong> turntable becomes a mach<strong>in</strong>e for build<strong>in</strong>g andmeld<strong>in</strong>g m<strong>in</strong>dstates from your record collection.The turntables, <strong>the</strong> TechniCS deck, become a subjectivity eng<strong>in</strong>egenerat<strong>in</strong>g a stereophonics, a hifl consciousness of <strong>the</strong> head, wholly tunedIn and turned on by <strong>the</strong> found noise of v<strong>in</strong>yl degeneration that hearsscratches, crackle, fuzz , hiss and static as lead <strong>in</strong>struments. The HipHopfanatic lives <strong>in</strong>side <strong>the</strong> 12, rides across <strong>the</strong> surface of <strong>the</strong> sleeve, shr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>sun</strong>til <strong>the</strong> same size as <strong>the</strong> stylus scor<strong>in</strong>g its revolutions round <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d.You can see Turntable Consciousness <strong>in</strong> 3D < . Robert Del Naja'spa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>gs for Mo Wax's '96 Headz 2 CD, where <strong>the</strong> tone arm is poised tocircle <strong>the</strong> grooves of a flam<strong>in</strong>g head, haloed by <strong>the</strong> turntable. The flightof <strong>the</strong> stylus launches <strong>the</strong> 12 on its Journey to <strong>the</strong> Centre of <strong>the</strong> Head.By break<strong>in</strong>g down <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>tro <strong>in</strong>to 2 words, 'You say', Flash opens up anew micro-universe of split-second speech. Adventures drags you <strong>in</strong>to<strong>the</strong> performative world where syntax splits <strong>in</strong>to kommand modules<strong>in</strong>struktion eng<strong>in</strong>es, actuators.'Skratchadelia = Wreckage Made RhythmicWith Flash, <strong>the</strong> dj becomes an <strong>in</strong>itiate, <strong>in</strong>ducted <strong>in</strong>to a Micro<strong>sonic</strong>Science which converts voices <strong>in</strong>to new rhythm effects - <strong>in</strong> '93 ,Breakbeat wizard Dropp<strong>in</strong>' SCience, <strong>the</strong>n known as Sonz of a Loop daLoop Era , terms this 'skratchadelia'. HipHop 's admirers always applaudskratchadelia for its percussive qualities. But this is both lazy and vague.To scratch is to evolve <strong>the</strong> turntables <strong>in</strong>to a tone generator, adefamiliarizer, a word-molecularizer. Skratchadelia isn't a rhythm somuch as its wreckage made rhythmiC. To call it 'percussive' is as feebleas call<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> rhythm syn<strong>the</strong>sizer a 'drum-mach<strong>in</strong>e', and ano<strong>the</strong>rarchetypal example of futureshock absorption and [rlearview hear<strong>in</strong>g,protect<strong>in</strong>g you from what you're hear<strong>in</strong>g - which is frequencies ra<strong>the</strong>r<strong>than</strong> kickdrums, a Violence aga<strong>in</strong>st v<strong>in</strong>yl ra<strong>the</strong>r <strong>than</strong> respect due to <strong>the</strong>greats, a furiOUS impatience with funk, a surgical excision of drums andbass hi-tension from tradition.Skratchadelia is really conscientious desecration, <strong>the</strong> noise ofartefacts be<strong>in</strong>g obliterated <strong>in</strong>to streams of vocal-v<strong>in</strong>yl matter.Skratchadelia phaseshifts music <strong>in</strong>to a new phonoplastic alloy. Voicesare molecularized <strong>in</strong>to chatter<strong>in</strong>g, gibber<strong>in</strong>g textures, <strong>in</strong>to globules ofpitch that grumble and shift along <strong>the</strong> spectrum of TechniCS speed,phased and panned by <strong>the</strong> transformer switch.Skratchadelia is a syn<strong>the</strong>tic aes<strong>the</strong>tic of pa<strong>in</strong>stak<strong>in</strong>g abuse and <strong>sonic</strong>sabotage. Only for <strong>the</strong> obliterati, <strong>the</strong> virtuosi who force v<strong>in</strong>yl [<strong>in</strong>)tomatter. Scratch<strong>in</strong>g destratifies voice and v<strong>in</strong>yl <strong>in</strong>to new texturesstand<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>the</strong> border between solid and liquid. It turns beats <strong>in</strong>to<strong>sonic</strong> matter <strong>in</strong> flux .Adventures is <strong>the</strong>refore <strong>the</strong> operat<strong>in</strong>g manual of all skratchadelia.Flash cuts The Hellers 60S psychploitation album S<strong>in</strong>gers, Talkers,Players, Sw<strong>in</strong>gers and Doers, opera t<strong>in</strong>g on its children's story. The


02[016]02[017]<strong>in</strong>cised dialogue nestles up to <strong>the</strong> ear <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>timate closeup. 'Why don'tyou tell me a story? Please tell me a story too. You know I th<strong>in</strong>k I'll tellyou <strong>the</strong> story of my life. I was born, <strong>in</strong> Animus, North Dakota, a longtime ago, see .. . Well, it went pretty much like this,' at which po<strong>in</strong>t Flashgrates <strong>the</strong> v<strong>in</strong>yl <strong>in</strong>to 9 harsh scratches, blocs of rhythmic basstextureshredded like classified documents: 'Grandmaster cuts faster. ' Bass.'Grandmaster.' Bass. 'Cut.' Bass. 'Cuts ... cuts ... faster.' The Chic bass riffexplodes between each order to cut.Connect*i*cutThe cut is a command, a technical and conceptual operation which cuts<strong>the</strong> l<strong>in</strong>es of association. 'You say one for <strong>the</strong> trouble', <strong>the</strong> open<strong>in</strong>gphrase of Spoonie Gee and The Sequence's '81 Monster jam, is brokendown to 'you say' repeated 7 times. Each time <strong>the</strong> voice sounds different,slow<strong>in</strong>g down on <strong>the</strong> 4th, slightly slurr<strong>in</strong>g. The stammer of <strong>the</strong> new. Eachcut magnifies <strong>the</strong> words so you hear <strong>in</strong> c10seups which expand spaceuntil it blows up.The break <strong>in</strong>tensifies <strong>the</strong> rhythmic flow it cuts <strong>in</strong>to, turn<strong>in</strong>g rhythm<strong>in</strong>to a series of peaks and drops. Therefore <strong>the</strong> track doesn't start anddevelop sequentially but <strong>in</strong>stead beg<strong>in</strong>s over and over. The <strong>in</strong>tromultiples <strong>in</strong>to variations of itself. The scratch builds up tension, <strong>the</strong>sense of stand<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>the</strong> verge of gett<strong>in</strong>g it on. When <strong>the</strong> rest of <strong>the</strong> l<strong>in</strong>eis f<strong>in</strong>ally played, <strong>the</strong> chorus discharges itself <strong>in</strong>side your head <strong>in</strong> a boltof plosive phono-power.As Queen's Ano<strong>the</strong>r One Bites The Dust plays on one deck, <strong>the</strong>rumbl<strong>in</strong>g wheeze of <strong>the</strong> scratch doubles up <strong>the</strong> bassl<strong>in</strong>e and guitarfeedback which builds like an aeroplane tak<strong>in</strong>g off. Muffled studio voicescheer at <strong>the</strong> ascent until <strong>the</strong> track shockcuts to Chic's Good Timesstr<strong>in</strong>gs, switch<strong>in</strong>g tempos with a jolt that lights up <strong>the</strong> nervous system.Chic's orchestral attack is propelled across <strong>the</strong> sensorium.In Adventures, crowd-cheers anticipate your applause, hypes itselfevery time you play it, <strong>in</strong>duc<strong>in</strong>g a powe rful sense of awe as Flash drops<strong>the</strong> needle on <strong>the</strong> beat <strong>in</strong>to a burst of 30S spacew<strong>in</strong>d and a Flash Gordonfilm sample cut off to announce <strong>the</strong> emergence of 'The Amaz<strong>in</strong>gAdventures of Flash! 'Skratchadelia replaces <strong>the</strong> chorus with <strong>the</strong> drastic tempo change. Thesong becomes a perpetual cross<strong>in</strong>g of rhythmic thresholds.Cut CreationBy dropp<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> needle on <strong>the</strong> v<strong>in</strong>yl at <strong>the</strong> right pO<strong>in</strong>t, Flash isolates <strong>the</strong>phrase and magnifies <strong>the</strong> command to cut. The critic Nelson Georgeidentifies its functions as: cutt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to syntax, punch-phas<strong>in</strong>g each wordorder, cutt<strong>in</strong>g Nile Rodgers' Good Times bass riff until it explodesbetween each vocal sample. Bass and word-order act as alternat<strong>in</strong>gpunctuators. Adventures is a mach<strong>in</strong>e for transmitt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> advancedtechniques of <strong>the</strong> cut.' I was like a human sampler so to speak. After about three weeks ofpick<strong>in</strong>g out <strong>the</strong> tracks that I wanted to use, I got it down with<strong>in</strong> twohours. We called this cutt<strong>in</strong>g. In <strong>the</strong> studio, it took maybe four shots toget right. If I messed up I erased it and went straight back to <strong>the</strong>beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g. I heard it <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> ear-piece first; I thought this might sound<strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g if I could figure out a way to make it sound less noisy, lessharsh, if that was possible.Grand Wizard Theodore, DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash are humansamplers who isolate <strong>the</strong> Breakbeat by cutt<strong>in</strong>g right <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> funkeng<strong>in</strong>e,discard<strong>in</strong>g The Song, ignor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>tention and tradition to capture itsmotion: <strong>the</strong> charge and pull of <strong>the</strong> beat and <strong>the</strong> bass, <strong>the</strong> ga it motorizedby <strong>the</strong> deck's direct drive.As soon as cutt<strong>in</strong>g emerges, Rhythm migrates from <strong>the</strong> drums to <strong>the</strong>Technics, from <strong>the</strong> group to <strong>the</strong> dj, from <strong>the</strong> studio to <strong>the</strong> bedroom. Limbby limb, <strong>the</strong> drummer is transferred to <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>es. Breakflow scalesacross <strong>the</strong> globe. Phase 1: <strong>the</strong> decks. Phase 2 : <strong>the</strong> rhythm syn<strong>the</strong>sizer.Phase 3 will be <strong>the</strong> sampler.RutoCreationMy m<strong>in</strong>d a<strong>in</strong>'t nuth<strong>in</strong> but a big 01' collageHew K<strong>in</strong>gdomThe 12 becomes a record that cuts itself on your decks, a record thatscratches itself as it plays. Adventures carries out its commands by itself.As Ice T grasped on listen<strong>in</strong>g to DJ Z<strong>in</strong>c's Supersharp Shooter Remix: 'Therecord itself does what <strong>the</strong> jungle djs do. It stops, it rew<strong>in</strong>ds itself. Itmakes you sound like a good dj .' What Bambaataa, Flash et al enjoyedabout Kraftwerk's Trans Europe Express was its automotion, <strong>the</strong> groove of<strong>the</strong> Rhythmeng<strong>in</strong>e runn<strong>in</strong>g by itself, cross<strong>in</strong>g thresholds: 'Leave that shitalone, that shit was cutt<strong>in</strong>g itse lf. Go smoke a cigarette or someth<strong>in</strong>g.'


02[018]02[019]Activate <strong>the</strong> Instruktion Eng<strong>in</strong>eThe 12 is no longer an <strong>in</strong>ert v<strong>in</strong>yl disc. It's phaseshifted. It's be<strong>in</strong>gactivated, switched on. Because <strong>the</strong> command to cut <strong>the</strong> v<strong>in</strong>yl is storedon <strong>the</strong> v<strong>in</strong>yl, <strong>the</strong> track is now a mach<strong>in</strong>e that transmits <strong>in</strong>structions onhow to play it, techniques replicated and multiplied by new mistakes -how do you scratch, how do you cut. Decks ru<strong>in</strong>ed, needles fucked, v<strong>in</strong>ylabused. Trigger<strong>in</strong>g flightpaths of dis respect through your records.With <strong>the</strong> Adventures 12, music crosses a threshold, opens up a newRhythmach<strong>in</strong>e discont<strong>in</strong>uum. Each cut/ scratch scores new neuralpathways across <strong>the</strong> bra<strong>in</strong>.The <strong>in</strong>struction LPs , <strong>the</strong> teach-yourself-French records, <strong>the</strong> dancestepdisc: after Adventures, <strong>the</strong>se are all k<strong>in</strong>aes<strong>the</strong>tic eng<strong>in</strong>es which captureyour motion. Adventures is a K<strong>in</strong>aes<strong>the</strong>tic Kontrol Kommand-eng<strong>in</strong>etell<strong>in</strong>g you how to cut while warn<strong>in</strong>g you not to bo<strong>the</strong>r try<strong>in</strong>g. It showsyou a field of techniques and <strong>the</strong> apo<strong>the</strong>osis of those techniquessimultaneously. It opens and shuts a new artform.Turntable ConsciousnessAdventures generates a turntable awareness which becomes a turntableconsciousness. The decks, <strong>the</strong> arm, <strong>the</strong> flight of <strong>the</strong> stylus, dropp<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>needle; all <strong>the</strong>se <strong>in</strong>ert components suddenly become usable, changeable,<strong>the</strong> basic components of <strong>sonic</strong> mutation.If Flash <strong>in</strong> '81 is obsessed by <strong>the</strong> cut, <strong>the</strong>n Public Enemy's Term<strong>in</strong>atorX <strong>in</strong> '91 focuses on <strong>the</strong> edge of <strong>the</strong> cut. In <strong>the</strong> realm of Sonic Fiction, hisrole is to sharpen <strong>the</strong> scratch <strong>in</strong>to a cutt<strong>in</strong>g device, until it <strong>in</strong>cites anedge of panic. The dj <strong>the</strong>refore now becomes a Track Attacker on leadscratch, an Assault Technician who reorganizes <strong>the</strong> sound of Tradtonalities.As Chuck D elaborates, <strong>the</strong> scratch is a meta-technique that makesnew <strong>in</strong>struments from old <strong>in</strong>struments: 'Do<strong>in</strong>g Br<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Noise, we triedto f<strong>in</strong>d a scratch part that would fit <strong>in</strong> on <strong>the</strong> last verse. And we foundit. It's <strong>the</strong> backward scratch of a guitar.'TerrorwristsTerm<strong>in</strong>ator X speaks with his hands: to scratch is to th<strong>in</strong>k with v<strong>in</strong>yl. Thedj is a tactilist who goes on a journey of <strong>the</strong> hands, open<strong>in</strong>g up a newfield of objectile thought: f<strong>in</strong>gertip perception. The distributed bra<strong>in</strong> of<strong>the</strong> hand emerges with its own po<strong>in</strong>t of touch, a manual memory ofterrorwrists and scizzorhands.The Medium is <strong>the</strong> M<strong>in</strong>dstateWith Adventures, <strong>the</strong> scratch becomes a medium, an environment likeelectricity. To become pop means to become ubiquitous, mak<strong>in</strong>gpredecessors <strong>in</strong>to precursors. Skratchadelia is <strong>the</strong> medium, <strong>the</strong>m<strong>in</strong>dstate <strong>in</strong> which John Cage is Flash's precursor. With '37'S Imag<strong>in</strong>aryLandscape NO.1, scored for manipulated turntables, Cage scratches longbefore <strong>the</strong> first turntablist, II-year-old Grand Wizard Theodore. Yet Cageis not <strong>the</strong> orig<strong>in</strong>al Cut Creator - for this would be to confuse <strong>the</strong> banalfact of prior birth with precedence and creative priority.Pop always retroactively rescues unpop from <strong>the</strong> prison of itsadmirers: here Flash comes to Cage's aid. Skratchadelia releases <strong>the</strong>avant garde from its citational cells by liquefy<strong>in</strong>g its sanction<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>stitutions. Now you can hear Cage <strong>in</strong> '37 as a lonely turntablist with noaudience to play for: 'Given four film phonographs we can compose andperform a quartet for explosive motor, w<strong>in</strong>d, heartbeat and landslide.'Skratchadelia is both a ubiquitous environment which everyonetakes for granted, and a technique of extreme virtuosity that hardlyanyone grasps.The Future is an AccidentAutoCatalysis is when sound emerges by itself, when <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>egenerates a new sound autonomously, without a human agent. Amach<strong>in</strong>ic lifeform emerges from <strong>the</strong> sampler on its own. The Roland TB-303 Bass L<strong>in</strong>e rhythm composer eng<strong>in</strong>eers its own audiomatter. In '87 <strong>the</strong>303 discovers Acid on its own, uses Phuture to replicate. Marley Marldoesn't discover how to sample <strong>the</strong> break. Ra<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>in</strong> '81 / 2 <strong>the</strong> EmulatorEI sampler discovers this for itself and <strong>the</strong>n uses Marley Marl as amedium through which to replicate breaks on such productions as '85'SMarley Marl Scratch and '86's Eric B is President: 'I could take any drumsound from any old record, put it <strong>in</strong> here and get <strong>the</strong> old drummer soundon some shit. No <strong>more</strong> of that dull DMX shit.'All <strong>the</strong>se new sound worlds beg<strong>in</strong> as accidents discovered bymach<strong>in</strong>es. With Marley Marl, you can follow this process ofAutoCatalysis very clearly. 'I wanted to sample a voice from off this songwith an Emulator and aCCidentally, a snare went through.' New soundemerges as a mach<strong>in</strong>e error. Instead of emulat<strong>in</strong>g a known sound, <strong>the</strong>future arrives as a mistake ruled out by <strong>the</strong> preset: 'At first I was like,"That's <strong>the</strong> wrong th<strong>in</strong>g," but <strong>the</strong> snare was sound<strong>in</strong>' good. I kept runn<strong>in</strong>g<strong>the</strong> track back and hitt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Emulator. Then I looked at <strong>the</strong> eng<strong>in</strong>eer


02[020)02[021)and said, "You know what this means?! "All at once <strong>the</strong>re's a 'sudden multiplication of dimensions of matter'.Your record collection becomes an immense time mach<strong>in</strong>e that buildsitself through you.AutoCotolyserMach<strong>in</strong>ic AutoCatalysis opens up new vectors of technology. 0)­producers like to say that Mach<strong>in</strong>e Music comes from fuck<strong>in</strong>g with <strong>the</strong>rule book, freak<strong>in</strong>g with <strong>the</strong> formula. New music gives <strong>the</strong> f<strong>in</strong>ger to <strong>the</strong>system. Here you hear <strong>the</strong> wistful residues of punk-era resistance - fornew sonar systems don 't emerge from misus<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>es. Ra<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong>mach<strong>in</strong>e forces music <strong>in</strong>to <strong>in</strong>human directions, and compels <strong>the</strong> humantowards <strong>in</strong>flexible, impalpable parameters. Acid hears <strong>the</strong> TB303'Sfrequencies just as <strong>the</strong>y are. It emulates no exist<strong>in</strong>g sound, mourns nomiss<strong>in</strong>g sound, but <strong>in</strong>stead starts from <strong>the</strong> bad and <strong>the</strong> unmusical.The producer follows <strong>the</strong> trail blazed by <strong>the</strong> error, breeds it <strong>in</strong>to a new<strong>sonic</strong> Iifeform. Acid amplifies <strong>the</strong>se constra<strong>in</strong>ts as much as possible. Jungleaccepts <strong>the</strong> rigidly quantiz<strong>in</strong>g function of <strong>the</strong> Cubase virtual studio. Itdoesn't revolt aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>the</strong> digital grid; it optimizes it <strong>in</strong>to new possibilities.Your record collection now becomes an ongo<strong>in</strong>g memorybank <strong>in</strong> whichevery historical sound exists as a potential break <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> present tense.Chronology collapses <strong>in</strong>to mixology, <strong>the</strong> time of <strong>the</strong> mix where <strong>the</strong>location of a bass note <strong>in</strong> space time gives way to spacetime dislocation.'73 is replaced by plus 5 on <strong>the</strong> turntable pitch adjuster.The v<strong>in</strong>yl phonomotorIn <strong>the</strong>ir '85 Fresh Mess r... Jam your Radial, The Knights of <strong>the</strong> Turntablemake v<strong>in</strong>yl a phonomotor. Fresh Mess cuts <strong>the</strong> warn<strong>in</strong>g 'Do not attemptto adjust your radio' <strong>in</strong>to consonants that skid and slide. Syllables turn<strong>in</strong>to phonomotors which screech around <strong>the</strong> turntable at direct drivevelocity. Words lose <strong>the</strong>ir sequential mean<strong>in</strong>g and turn <strong>in</strong>to morphemicmotors, blocs of propulsive plosion stall<strong>in</strong>g and stutter<strong>in</strong>g at 120bpm.Syllables speed away from <strong>the</strong> order of syntax, erupt out ofskratchadelia, only to be ambushed aga<strong>in</strong>. A trialogue for plosion, noiseand scratch. Cutt<strong>in</strong>g disorganizes syntax. Scratch<strong>in</strong>g disarticulates words<strong>in</strong>to blocs of motormou<strong>the</strong>d texturhythm. The comb<strong>in</strong>ed arts juggle <strong>the</strong>beat and fluctuate <strong>the</strong> tempo <strong>in</strong>to a rhythmatic echomaze.Turntobilizotion = AutoDestructionIn skratchadelia, <strong>the</strong> carchase is rescored for <strong>the</strong> destabilized turntable,a turntabilization <strong>in</strong> which <strong>the</strong> Wheels of Steel are overridden until <strong>the</strong>ycrash. Each scratch slows down, reverts <strong>in</strong>to a squall of lead guitar <strong>in</strong>tosyllables which detonate.With Grandmaster Flash <strong>the</strong> command is subjected to <strong>the</strong> process itdescribes. Here <strong>the</strong> request 'Do not attempt to adjust your radio' issubjected to <strong>the</strong> process it warns aga<strong>in</strong>st. The warn<strong>in</strong>g not to adjust hasjust been adjusted. AutoCreation gives way to AutoDestruction. InAdventures, <strong>the</strong> command to cut v<strong>in</strong>yl is stored on <strong>the</strong> v<strong>in</strong>yl, so thatcontent co<strong>in</strong>cides with process. In Fresh Mess <strong>the</strong> warn<strong>in</strong>g aga<strong>in</strong>stcutt<strong>in</strong>g v<strong>in</strong>yl is cut up, so that content cancels process. The trackimmolates itself as it plays, ignit<strong>in</strong>g an <strong>in</strong>tense satisfaction.As <strong>the</strong> subtitle to Fresh Mess I. .. Jam your Radial makes clear,turntabilization = jamm<strong>in</strong>g. Not jamm<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Milesian sense of <strong>the</strong>combustible Rhythmeng<strong>in</strong>e, but <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> telecommunicat<strong>in</strong>g sense of noiseovercom<strong>in</strong>g signal. Skratchadelia becomes <strong>in</strong>terference which breaks up<strong>the</strong> transmission, becomes an alien signal which <strong>in</strong>habits <strong>the</strong> spirit ofbroadcast<strong>in</strong>g, manifests communication breakdown and makes technicaldifficulties audible.Skratchadelia encrypts its tones, demand<strong>in</strong>g alien listeners tuned<strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> open secret hidden <strong>in</strong> static, receivers who can hear a newworld <strong>in</strong> its garbled frequencies. Your breakdown is <strong>the</strong>ir breakup. FromOrson Welles to Parliament to The Bomb Squad to UR , radio is <strong>the</strong><strong>in</strong>visible pathway through which audio <strong>in</strong>vades <strong>the</strong> Earth and broadcaststo <strong>the</strong> planet.Kidnapped by <strong>the</strong> K<strong>in</strong>aes<strong>the</strong>tics of <strong>the</strong> Break:Mantronix and Chep NunezEvery second of time <strong>the</strong> Breakbeat takes across <strong>the</strong> 12 is bitterlyresisted on <strong>the</strong> battlefield of <strong>the</strong> sensorium. Clenched resistance torhythmic psychedelias usually manifests as a return to mere musicality.To follow <strong>the</strong> Breakbeat is to reject this [r)earview response, to land on<strong>the</strong> planet of your body made newly audible by rhythmic transvaluation.The Rhythmach<strong>in</strong>e captures your perception as it switches fromhear<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>dividual beats to grasp<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> pattern of beats. Your body is a


03[026)03[027)We're open<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> magnetic fieldUltramagnetic /lfCsThe Fallout from phonemesMCs' Ultra [Part I/} announces <strong>the</strong> Ultramagnetic world of molecularhythm.Sampladelia splits syntax <strong>in</strong>to phonoparticles. It releases verbivocoobjectiles, consonants which fire at 45 revolutions per m<strong>in</strong>ute until '<strong>the</strong>auditory canals are burn<strong>in</strong>g, while <strong>the</strong> Technics keeps turn<strong>in</strong>g, at adom<strong>in</strong>ant speed.' Kool Keith's <strong>in</strong>sistent stress on f<strong>in</strong>al and first wordsfrustrates <strong>the</strong> flow, turn<strong>in</strong>g delivery <strong>in</strong>to a zigzag of staccato<strong>in</strong>g syntaxthat functions by 'elevat<strong>in</strong>g a physical source through particles'.The Magnetic Mutation of <strong>the</strong> MCThe Ultras sample is a door open<strong>in</strong>g onto kids play<strong>in</strong>g far off, pianosloop<strong>in</strong>g until notes lose profile, dissolve <strong>in</strong>to a timbral tension withoutrelease, Star Trek <strong>the</strong>me pulsations syn<strong>the</strong>siz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> human <strong>in</strong>to aSonoCyborg. Morphemic radiation mutates <strong>the</strong> MC, grant<strong>in</strong>g new powersof 'ultrapower flow<strong>in</strong>g' . All <strong>the</strong>se elements of <strong>the</strong> sampladelic worldcoalesce <strong>in</strong> an Ultramagnetic forcefield, converg<strong>in</strong>g until <strong>the</strong>y 'roughlyemerge as a soul mechanism.'The Hypoatomic UniverseHypoatomic energy irradiates <strong>the</strong> Song with soul <strong>sonic</strong> force, adapt<strong>in</strong>g<strong>the</strong> scientist <strong>in</strong>to a soul mecha. Enter<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> phonophysical universeshatters. >scatters <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d. In Smok<strong>in</strong>g Dust, '<strong>in</strong>habitants disappearthrough' Kool Keith's bra<strong>in</strong>, provok<strong>in</strong>g a psychic blast that leaves himwonder<strong>in</strong>g 'What seems to be <strong>the</strong> problem, What's wrong with my m<strong>in</strong>d?'The Psyborg is swallowed up by <strong>the</strong> k<strong>in</strong>etic energy which creates it,overcome by 'wires leak<strong>in</strong>g with energy'. Hospitalized at Bellevue, KoolKeith uses HipHop to organize his 'delirious <strong>in</strong>sane' condition,assembl<strong>in</strong>g a PhonoFiction of concrete irrationality. The Ultra trackamplifies this shockwave, broadcasts it <strong>in</strong> mad squeal<strong>in</strong>g synths -radioactive drones switch<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to crackles.I Is a CrowdInstead of putt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> scientific self back toge<strong>the</strong>r or mend<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>broken fragments of <strong>the</strong> cybernetic psyche, Kool Keith heightens whatused to be called schizophrenia, <strong>in</strong>tensifies <strong>the</strong> crackup and <strong>the</strong>breakdown. The self doesn't split up or multiply <strong>in</strong>to heteronyms.Ra<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong> self no longer amputates itself down to a s<strong>in</strong>gle part but<strong>in</strong>stead asserts that I is a crowd, that <strong>the</strong> human is a population ofprocesses. Multiple personality is no syndrome or disorder but arelaxation, a giv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to ra<strong>the</strong>r <strong>than</strong> a fight<strong>in</strong>g aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>the</strong> bra<strong>in</strong> as asociety of m<strong>in</strong>d.The bra<strong>in</strong> is a society of m<strong>in</strong>d with no one driv<strong>in</strong>g. The head isn't <strong>the</strong>Kommand Kontrol Centre of <strong>the</strong> body. There is no one process<strong>in</strong>gagency, <strong>in</strong>telligence isn't central and everyone hears voices talk<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong><strong>the</strong>ir heads all <strong>the</strong> time. Kool Keith's various heteronyms - Rhythm X,Funk Igniter Plus, X-Calibur - are agents, systematically <strong>fiction</strong>alizedfrom <strong>the</strong> flux that we all float <strong>in</strong>. What used to be called alteregos arenow mUlti-egos, a crowd of syn<strong>the</strong>tic subjects.HipHop Is an Analogy Eng<strong>in</strong>eHip Hop beg<strong>in</strong>s as an analogy eng<strong>in</strong>e, <strong>in</strong> which <strong>the</strong> I is like = like = etc.This phonoextension is why HipHop takes over space <strong>in</strong> your head.Powered by analogical cha<strong>in</strong>s, its syntactic pros<strong>the</strong>tics occupy yourbra<strong>in</strong>, take up your m<strong>in</strong>d.For Kool Keith, words are mach<strong>in</strong>eparts, to be soldered toge<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong>toUnknown Audio Objects. Roam<strong>in</strong>g over <strong>the</strong> wreckage of songs, <strong>the</strong>scientist assembles PhonoFictional eng<strong>in</strong>es from 'hypo<strong>the</strong>tical basicmechanisms' .In MCs' Ultra [Part I/}, <strong>the</strong> phonoeng<strong>in</strong>e functions 'like a Commodorecomputer' by '<strong>in</strong>duc<strong>in</strong>g mean<strong>in</strong>g to its limit.' A<strong>in</strong> 't It Good to Youdiagrams <strong>the</strong> hydraulics of <strong>the</strong> Ultra sonomach<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> its hazardousjourney across <strong>the</strong> head. Phonopower flow[erls through <strong>the</strong> neurocircuitsalong 'rhymes <strong>in</strong> my tank', through 'bra<strong>in</strong>s pump<strong>in</strong>g gasol<strong>in</strong>e', ignit<strong>in</strong>g<strong>the</strong> 'meter and gauges' that crank out new 'lyrical eng<strong>in</strong>es'. TheUltramagnetic lyrical eng<strong>in</strong>e operates by 'comb<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g elements',connect<strong>in</strong>g a suffix to a prefix, us<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>se mach<strong>in</strong>eparts of 'vocab' to'connect <strong>the</strong> abulary', <strong>the</strong>n 'switch it'.The cosmophonic eng<strong>in</strong>e is driven by neologisms, by terms likeCritical Beatdown's 'exquisitive', which jo<strong>in</strong>s exquisite to <strong>in</strong>quisitive.Bra<strong>in</strong>iac's syntactic -abulary mach<strong>in</strong>e sparks new synaptic junctions, newpathways for 'fuel' to 'ignite blood pressure above <strong>the</strong> bra<strong>in</strong> level.'The archetypal Ultramagnetic MC track has a spaceship dronerunn<strong>in</strong>g through it, <strong>the</strong> radioactive hum of a powerdrive whichtransports you onto <strong>the</strong> flightdeck of <strong>the</strong> Nostromo. Br<strong>in</strong>g It Down toEarth typically switches tempo, like power be<strong>in</strong>g thrown so that <strong>the</strong>


03(028)03(029)beats cross a threshold and <strong>the</strong> sample snaps open onto a new world.The impact of new atmosphere rush<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> decompresses <strong>the</strong> track,<strong>in</strong>sert<strong>in</strong>g you <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> hull of <strong>the</strong> ship, until 'power ignites <strong>the</strong> fourhorsemen.'On '93'S We Are <strong>the</strong> Horsemen, <strong>the</strong> spaceship's powersource humsthroughout, buried at <strong>the</strong> edge of earshot so it turns audio-tactile: yoursk<strong>in</strong> hears and your ears feel it as a perpetual irradiation, a tensepresent without release. Peer<strong>in</strong>g out from <strong>the</strong> flight deck, Kool Keithpilots <strong>the</strong> soundcraft, monitor<strong>in</strong>g alphanumeric sett<strong>in</strong>gs at 'Artemis Level4', check<strong>in</strong>g that 'I get a warp speed, change my gamma flow , 1387,20096.' His petulant, disda<strong>in</strong>ful cadence shifts gears, seats you besidehim, turns you <strong>in</strong>to co-pilot locked <strong>in</strong>to his 'mentally mad' trajectory,unable to grab <strong>the</strong> controls. Reenter<strong>in</strong>g earth's orbit, <strong>the</strong> UMC sonar shipprepares to dock at 'gamma ray one block, altitude X speed.' Keithdoesn't address you: his lyrics are readouts from a bank of on screenterm<strong>in</strong>als. Their preoccupied urgency alter your pOSition, switch<strong>in</strong>g youfrom co-pilot to Ground Control to a viewer watch<strong>in</strong>g '<strong>the</strong> movie' where'your bra<strong>in</strong> will be <strong>the</strong> star'.On Smok<strong>in</strong>g Dust, synths shift gear, phas<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> track onwards <strong>in</strong> apropulsive surge at '7 x zero, com<strong>in</strong>g light speed, Alpha control spark,relay <strong>the</strong> A jack.'I' IItake yo u rbrai n toa no <strong>the</strong> rdimensionI' IItake you rbrai n toa no <strong>the</strong>rdi mensionPAY CLOSE ATTENTIONKool KeithThe ProdigyAdvanc<strong>in</strong>g Technical: Take <strong>the</strong> Elevator to Level 7Ultras-style science doesn't clarify: <strong>in</strong>stead it perplexes, complexifies.The Ultra <strong>the</strong>orist's role is to 'truly confuse as a scientist,' by 'advanc<strong>in</strong>gtechnical, by confound<strong>in</strong>g through Rakim's formula of 'constantelevation'. To advance technical is to reconfigure <strong>the</strong> conceptechnics ofHipHop, to <strong>in</strong>vent new <strong>sonic</strong> operations, new phonotrons. Elevation isHip Hop's higher state of consciousness. Ultra's techniques of elevationtap <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> alpha, beta, gamma, hypogalactic rays which are tear<strong>in</strong>g usapart. Rays = raze = raise: through homophonic processes <strong>the</strong> scientistharnesses <strong>the</strong> radiation flow<strong>in</strong>g through him.Autobots and CybotronsBy advanc<strong>in</strong>g technical, HipHop complexifies itself, 'charg<strong>in</strong>g energy at alevel', becom<strong>in</strong>g an <strong>in</strong>tensified phonotron powered by ultramagneticcurrent. In Bra<strong>in</strong>iac, this power is harnessed <strong>in</strong>to new cyborg systemswhich function by 'boost<strong>in</strong>g crystalloids as an autobot, <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g bra<strong>in</strong>limits far beyond space.' The autobot is <strong>the</strong> automatic robot, <strong>the</strong> dumb outof-controlpathf<strong>in</strong>der which explores viral zones, nuked-out wastelands,<strong>in</strong>test<strong>in</strong>al canals and <strong>the</strong> pavilions of Jupiter. It allows new weaponsystems, such as <strong>the</strong> 'cybotron, completely on a mission to annihilate.'HipHop's <strong>sonic</strong> cyborg electrocutes, while Electro's Cybotrontechnofies <strong>the</strong> biosphere. The Ultra cybotron is <strong>the</strong> trigger<strong>in</strong>g mechanismfor <strong>the</strong> exhilaration of annihilation: 'Megabomb ignite.'Assemble <strong>the</strong> Cryptogrammatron: Rammellzee"alu Halaza: what is an eng<strong>in</strong>eer and specialist onquantum physics do<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> rap?Rammellzee: I'm a very social creatureScience Puts out <strong>the</strong> SunTo drop science is to mystify, ra<strong>the</strong>r <strong>than</strong> to educate. In HipHop, sciencebreaks it down <strong>in</strong> order to complexify not to clarify. For auditionariessuch as Rammellzee, Rakim , The RZA and Killah Priest, science is <strong>the</strong> endof eduta<strong>in</strong>ment and <strong>the</strong> systematic mythification of everyday life.Instead of teach<strong>in</strong>g street knowledge, science steals 'your common androbs your sense', as Wu Tang Clan proteges Sunz of Man describe it.Ra<strong>the</strong>r <strong>than</strong> giv<strong>in</strong>g you <strong>the</strong> real deal or clear<strong>in</strong>g away centuries ofmiseducation, science exacerbates <strong>the</strong> fog of <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d and heightens <strong>the</strong>hermetic. Its drive is to expand <strong>the</strong> limits of Virilio's unknown: 'Scienceand technology develop <strong>the</strong> unknown, not knowledge. Science developswhat is not rational. That's what <strong>fiction</strong> is.'Science actively derealizes <strong>the</strong> solid ground of <strong>the</strong> street, corrodes<strong>the</strong> rare essence of soul, sucks you <strong>in</strong> through <strong>the</strong> studiO until you'reslipp<strong>in</strong>g through <strong>the</strong> pavement <strong>in</strong>to <strong>in</strong>ner space. Science actively cloakseveryth<strong>in</strong>g, just like Sun Ra , who always veils his answers: 'Astra Black isabout - oh, someth<strong>in</strong>g that's greater <strong>than</strong> <strong>the</strong> truth. So it's over <strong>in</strong> myth


03[030)03[031)it's hidden.' Science is to HipHop as MythScience is to Sun Ra. Scienceunravels <strong>the</strong> world <strong>in</strong>to endless allegories, eclips<strong>in</strong>g consensual order <strong>in</strong>an overwhelm<strong>in</strong>g opacity of overlapp<strong>in</strong>g directives.Science doesn't <strong>in</strong>struct, it <strong>in</strong>ducts you <strong>in</strong>to secret states of<strong>in</strong>nervision, <strong>in</strong>itiates useless quests for <strong>the</strong> 3rd Eye, spreads a daze ofconfusion only occluded by <strong>the</strong> powers of <strong>the</strong> Inner M<strong>in</strong>d's Eye . Scienceturns v<strong>in</strong>yl <strong>in</strong>to a mass medium for channell<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>formation mysteries,private MythSystems, fragments from endless <strong>in</strong>foverses. Science takesadvantage of v<strong>in</strong>yl's replayability by turn<strong>in</strong>g listen<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to a full-timejob. Science wants you for an acolyte, wants to <strong>in</strong>itiate you <strong>in</strong>to ahermeneutics which elides reality.Science Razes ConsciousnessScience razes consciousness: Rammellzee, Killah Priest are esoterroristswho use <strong>the</strong> 12 to drop mythillogical systems that actively terrorize. Toterrorize is to terratorialize. Terror razes consciousness by destroy<strong>in</strong>g<strong>the</strong> old grooves of <strong>the</strong> head. The decks become what Lee Perry terms <strong>the</strong>'Turntable Terranova'. A New Earth emerges from <strong>the</strong> new grooves of <strong>the</strong>newly scored m<strong>in</strong>d. Over <strong>the</strong> cosmo-dynamics and proto-jungle breaks of'87's Follow <strong>the</strong> Leader Dub, Rakim issues a grave diktat: 'I'm here toremake <strong>the</strong> bra<strong>in</strong>s, take away <strong>the</strong> pa<strong>in</strong>.' Science scorches <strong>the</strong> old bra<strong>in</strong> tomanufacture a new m<strong>in</strong>d.Graffiti is not vandalism but a very beautiful crime8andoGraffiti Is a Future-writ<strong>in</strong>g Mach<strong>in</strong>eAfter sur-realiz<strong>in</strong>g slanguage <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> tWilight k<strong>in</strong>gdom of double-dutchremanipulation on <strong>the</strong> Beat Bop 12, Rammellzee beg<strong>in</strong>s to analyse <strong>the</strong>formal implications of HipHop, and immediately realizes that Graffiticonstitutes a future-writ<strong>in</strong>g mach<strong>in</strong>e: 'Graffiti is a word that societyplaced on abstract technique, iconic statement. People did notunderstand. 'Fab 5 Freddy redef<strong>in</strong>es Graffiti as Calligraffiti, just one name amongmany: Iconografix, Aeroglyphics and Aerosoul Art all presume anextensive tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> exclusive symbol systems. Aeroglyphics isma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed by an electribe of youths bonded toge<strong>the</strong>r through skills,cabalized by <strong>the</strong> technics of vision.Wildstyle teturns communication to priestly elites who transmitbaffl<strong>in</strong>g codes throughout <strong>the</strong> city. Fab 5 Freddy stresses that 'Wildstyleis totally illegible unless you're <strong>in</strong>itiated. ' The city walls turn <strong>in</strong>to secretchannels. The city tra<strong>in</strong>s become galleries Without walls for <strong>the</strong>cyphertribes.The pictogram <strong>in</strong>volves <strong>the</strong> senses <strong>in</strong> McLuhan 's 'ballet of postures of<strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d.' Wildstyle exercises <strong>the</strong> senses, puts <strong>the</strong> eyes and ears throughan Escherized assault course. For Bando, <strong>the</strong> letter opens up a newpossibility space: ' I make letters because 26 letters is enough to def<strong>in</strong>eevery s<strong>in</strong>gle th<strong>in</strong>g that exists <strong>in</strong> this world.'The Formal Operations of HipHopWildstyle is just one element <strong>in</strong> a HipHop now understood as a series oftechniques, an ecology of media which toge<strong>the</strong>r constitutes ak<strong>in</strong>aes<strong>the</strong>tic WarMach<strong>in</strong>e. HipHop has hi<strong>the</strong>rto been understood naively<strong>in</strong> terms of its content, of what software eng<strong>in</strong>eers call <strong>the</strong> front end ofmessage, lyrics, output. In <strong>the</strong> lkonoklast Panzerism Manifesto,Rammellzee crosses a new threshold of mach<strong>in</strong>e evolution by elaborat<strong>in</strong>g<strong>the</strong> formal logic of Hip Hop, its back end, its abstract operations: 'Youhave <strong>the</strong> gladiators, <strong>the</strong> freestyle dancers, warr<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>the</strong> ground, youhave <strong>the</strong> graffiti writers warr<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> air or <strong>in</strong> space. You have <strong>the</strong>translators, <strong>the</strong> DJs , <strong>the</strong> MCs. The DJs make <strong>the</strong> sounds of <strong>the</strong> piston<strong>in</strong>side <strong>the</strong> graffiti element or <strong>the</strong> tank.'For Rammellzee, graffiti is tomorrow's writ<strong>in</strong>g mach<strong>in</strong>e - '<strong>the</strong> graffitielement or <strong>the</strong> tank' - which can enter <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> centuries-old war ofarmoured sign-systems. The dj is <strong>the</strong> phonomotor: 'Their sound is <strong>the</strong>perfect tun<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> eng<strong>in</strong>es, <strong>the</strong> eng<strong>in</strong>es <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> tank that gobambambam. That is beat culture.' The lkonoklast Panzerism Manifestoopens up <strong>the</strong> conceptechnics of Hip Hop. To open up a conceptechnics isto elaborate <strong>the</strong> conceptual technology of a new sound, <strong>the</strong> abstractmach<strong>in</strong>e which drives a new Mach<strong>in</strong>e Music. Expertise is encoded on <strong>the</strong>microchip. Virtuosity has migrated to <strong>the</strong> soundmach<strong>in</strong>es which conta<strong>in</strong>all music as presets, soundcards and soundfiles. Black MUSic is <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>mach<strong>in</strong>es. Therefore an approach to <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>e and to mach<strong>in</strong>ethoughtobsolesces premach<strong>in</strong>ic identity. Every sampler and every softwaresequenc<strong>in</strong>g package is 'a constellation of systems and subsystems'through which <strong>the</strong> producer navigates. A possibility space <strong>the</strong>reforeemerges from restriction, <strong>the</strong> mo<strong>the</strong>r of <strong>in</strong>vention <strong>in</strong> Holger Czukay'sequation. Conceptechnics fluctuates between constra<strong>in</strong>t as a function of


03[032]03[033]<strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>strument's potential and as a function of <strong>the</strong> producer's m<strong>in</strong>d.Militariz<strong>in</strong>g Beat CultureAbstract<strong>in</strong>g HipHop <strong>in</strong>to a series of formal operations is <strong>the</strong> first stage <strong>in</strong>Rammellzee's militarization of beat culture. His aim is to turn <strong>the</strong>abstract mach<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong>to a conceptual WarMach<strong>in</strong>e. This is why hedescribes himself not as a producer or an MC but as 'a ma<strong>the</strong>maticianand an eng<strong>in</strong>eer' who 'builds weapons for a liv<strong>in</strong>g.'Magico-ma<strong>the</strong>matics and concept eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g converge <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>encryption system of Wildstyle. From this emerges Ikonoklast Panzerism,<strong>the</strong> armoured typographical mach<strong>in</strong>e, <strong>the</strong> cryptogram matron used <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>communication wars of <strong>the</strong> future. Panzerism leaves <strong>the</strong> walls of <strong>the</strong>world beh<strong>in</strong>d to become an encryptic technics <strong>in</strong> a universe of secretmyth-systems.Writ<strong>in</strong>g, alphabets, typographies are all ubiquitous elite technologiesthat have lowered <strong>the</strong>mselves <strong>in</strong>to your consciousness where <strong>the</strong>y adaptyou to <strong>the</strong>ir habit, <strong>the</strong>ir reflex, <strong>the</strong>ir perception. The alphabet is not justa transparent communication but a ubiquitous technology, a systemadapted and encrypted by successive religious regimes for warfare: <strong>the</strong>Roman, <strong>the</strong> Christian, <strong>the</strong> Medieval , <strong>the</strong> Gothic. Words, letters, signs,symbols are all weapons, stolen, ornamented and wrongly titled to hideand manipulate <strong>the</strong>ir mean<strong>in</strong>g.The prize? Control of <strong>the</strong> means of perception: 'The Romans stole <strong>the</strong>alphabeta system from <strong>the</strong> Greeks through war. Then <strong>in</strong> medieval times,monks ornamented letters to hide <strong>the</strong>ir mean<strong>in</strong>g from <strong>the</strong> people. Now,<strong>the</strong> letter is armoured aga<strong>in</strong>st fur<strong>the</strong>r manipulation.'Rammellzee's war takes place on this front: <strong>the</strong> barely perceptiblelevel of habit and reflex. Each subsidence, each decompression <strong>in</strong>toubiquity is a victory for one technology over ano<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong> a perpetual warbetween adaptive technologies fought on your own sensorium.Panzerism is a mystery weaponsystem <strong>in</strong> a secret war not aga<strong>in</strong>stfuture corporations but aga<strong>in</strong>st shadowy Christian cabals: Ikonoklast'means symbol destroyer, it's a very, very high word militarily, because<strong>the</strong> two Ks are <strong>the</strong> only two letters that can assass<strong>in</strong>ate <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>f<strong>in</strong>ity sign,remove <strong>the</strong> X.'The MythScience of Beat CultureBy elaborat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> abstract mach<strong>in</strong>e of HipHop, Rammellzee opens up<strong>the</strong> MythScience of beat culture, which becomes a my<strong>the</strong>ng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g ofsymbolic <strong>in</strong>formation.'87's awesomely crepuscular track The Lecture opens up <strong>the</strong> MilitaryPerceptual Complex of MythScience . Rammellzee is no longer a Master ofCeremonies, an Me. Instead he's an MK3 , a Master of Kommand KontrolKommunications, a despotic esoterrorist who lectures on 'Aerodynamicsand Quantum physics'. Instead of break<strong>in</strong>g down <strong>in</strong>formation to itssimplest atoms, <strong>the</strong> tunnel visionary systematically encrypts all<strong>in</strong>formation: 'But we want yo u to understand that <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>teger is a nationby itself. Its function [pauseJleads you <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> future.'Ma<strong>the</strong>magical Weapon SystemsPanzerism is heavier <strong>than</strong> <strong>the</strong> Pentagon. InSide <strong>the</strong> Military PerceptualComplex, <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>teger is <strong>the</strong> magico-ma<strong>the</strong>matic weapon for use <strong>in</strong>cyberneticist Norbert Wiener's scientific wars of <strong>the</strong> future. Draw<strong>in</strong>g you<strong>in</strong>to an auditorium where echoes seat your hear<strong>in</strong>g at <strong>the</strong> back,Rammellzee's voice arrives from a distant lectern, <strong>in</strong>duc<strong>in</strong>g a powerfulsense of be<strong>in</strong>g drawn <strong>in</strong>to overlapp<strong>in</strong>g systems of privy <strong>in</strong>formation: 'Allformation and military function that hold <strong>the</strong> code to any formationprocedure. With. Out it you have no control. You will have no control.This <strong>in</strong>formation I cannot really give you. Because I am not <strong>the</strong> master ofits own technique.'Throughout, <strong>the</strong> tone of <strong>the</strong> lecture shifts treacherously from acerbicto drawl<strong>in</strong>g to disquiet<strong>in</strong>g: 'As <strong>the</strong> [pauseJ <strong>in</strong>terrogator of IkonoklastPanzerism I don't give nobody no bus<strong>in</strong>ess. I tell you what is full military<strong>in</strong>formation and function for all <strong>in</strong>tegers, all four of <strong>the</strong>m. There are nopictograms here. What I draw is architecturally built and will fly .'Information and function: as a cryptogrammatology, IkonoklastPanzerism encrypts all symbols, <strong>in</strong>duc<strong>in</strong>g an overpower<strong>in</strong>g sense ofom<strong>in</strong>ous <strong>in</strong>formation and conspiracy made audible <strong>in</strong> Lecture's keen<strong>in</strong>g,multi tracked voices. Horns loom <strong>in</strong>to tonal shadows, shattered by str<strong>in</strong>garrangements that reverse <strong>in</strong>to Varesian shriekbacks which leave spaceshudder<strong>in</strong>g from <strong>the</strong> concerted attack impulse.The cryptogram matron cracks alphabets and breaks down equations.It works as a code brea ker a nd symbol destroyer <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> ongo<strong>in</strong>gperceptual wa rs: ' In a wa r aga <strong>in</strong>st symbols which have been wronglytitled, only <strong>the</strong> letter can fight. The <strong>in</strong>f<strong>in</strong>ity sign with <strong>the</strong> fusion symbol


03[034)03[035)[x] <strong>in</strong> its middle has been wrongly titled Christian [.] and thus it has tobe assa ss<strong>in</strong>ated or <strong>the</strong> x has to be removed.'The letter is a signal system designed for armoured combat <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>sign wars. Across <strong>the</strong> unstable front of <strong>the</strong> typographic warzone,Rammellzee assass<strong>in</strong>ates <strong>the</strong> fusion symbol sign, and removes <strong>the</strong> xus<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>teger and <strong>the</strong> letter. This is rapper jeru <strong>the</strong> Damajaa 's Wrathof <strong>the</strong> Math, where symbols are ma<strong>the</strong>magic numbers imbued with lethalcapabilities. Rammellzee: 'The <strong>in</strong>f<strong>in</strong>ity sign is a ma<strong>the</strong>matical, scientific,military symbol. It is <strong>the</strong> highest symbol that we have and you know<strong>the</strong>re isn't even a key on <strong>the</strong> typewriter for it. I'm go<strong>in</strong>g to f<strong>in</strong>ish <strong>the</strong>war. I'm go<strong>in</strong>g to assass<strong>in</strong>ate <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>f<strong>in</strong>ity sign.'Equation = AnnihilationIn his drive to capture all levels of <strong>the</strong> analogical, Rammellzee crosses<strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> covert ops of clandest<strong>in</strong>e perception. Symbols are Commandswhich encode power: 'The 4 <strong>in</strong>tegers, nocturnal myth, music notes,meterological symbols of heterosizers and all <strong>in</strong>tegers that formate anyprocess of read<strong>in</strong>g pictogram knowledge [pause] and of course my<strong>in</strong>vention of <strong>the</strong> atomic note [pause] for Panzerism. ' This abstraction ofHipHop's formal architecture and <strong>the</strong> convergence of its k<strong>in</strong>aes<strong>the</strong>ticoperations leads Rammellzee to <strong>in</strong>vent a militarized ma<strong>the</strong>matics. In <strong>the</strong>war of symbolic systems, <strong>the</strong> equation is annihilation. Norbert Wienerlooks up from his flow charts to announce that 'The effectivema<strong>the</strong>matician is really as dangerous as a potential armourer of <strong>the</strong> newscientific war of <strong>the</strong> future.' In ma<strong>the</strong>magics, equations are <strong>the</strong> operat<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>structions for unknown author<strong>in</strong>g eng<strong>in</strong>es.On Don Brautigan's back sleeve for james Brown's '73 The Payback,M<strong>in</strong>d Power is illustrated by a profile of a man recessed <strong>in</strong>to grey,pyramidal stone. His cortex is divided <strong>in</strong>to sections, each <strong>in</strong>scribed witharchetypal equations: E = MC l. M<strong>in</strong>d glows with <strong>the</strong> light of mentalpower, astralized by magi co-ma<strong>the</strong>matics.Brown analogizes v<strong>in</strong>yl's groove to funk's groove. By abstract<strong>in</strong>gmaterial and Applied Rhythmic Technology at <strong>the</strong> same material plane,he opens <strong>the</strong> conceptechnics of funk. The revolutions of M<strong>in</strong>d Power on<strong>the</strong> decks flexes <strong>the</strong> muscles of <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d. Each revolution of funk'sgroove rescores <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d until it becomes a superpower. The jB drills<strong>the</strong> audience <strong>in</strong>to its new nervous system, until you become <strong>the</strong> souljah<strong>in</strong> an army imbued with Soul Power.Equations - postures of <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d - converge with post-john Lilycybernetic bioprogramm<strong>in</strong>g on how to tap <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d 's powers, howto bodybuild <strong>the</strong> bra<strong>in</strong>. Funk turns <strong>in</strong>to a subjectivity eng<strong>in</strong>e, <strong>in</strong>to whatDetroit's Techno dj-imag<strong>in</strong>eer Electrify<strong>in</strong>g Mojo will <strong>in</strong> '93 call <strong>the</strong>'Mental Mach<strong>in</strong>e'.The MythScience of <strong>the</strong> ScratchThe Lecture probes <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> unexplored possibility space of skratchadelia.The perceptual pressure of <strong>the</strong> new artform forces Rammellzee forward<strong>in</strong>to a MythScience of <strong>the</strong> scratch, <strong>the</strong> Darkside of <strong>the</strong> decks, <strong>the</strong>hermeticism of <strong>the</strong> headphones, <strong>the</strong> trigonometry of <strong>the</strong> transformerswitch: 'You must talk to <strong>the</strong> dj. You must. Talk. To . The dj. The scratch isnot for you. The scratch [pause] is not for me. But you must listen to itanyway. Education is only sublim<strong>in</strong>al. Redef<strong>in</strong>e. Redef<strong>in</strong>e.'Break<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> beat doesn't always reduce it to <strong>the</strong> atoms ofUltramagnetic MCs' mach<strong>in</strong>e mythology. For Rammellzee <strong>the</strong> beat isalready an encoded rhythm, and to break it down only encrypts itfur<strong>the</strong>r. The scratch is v<strong>in</strong>yl made recognizable yet unlocatable. Only bycomparison can you approach <strong>the</strong> scratch. Its new tone leads you on ananalogical f1ightpath. just because it's pop doesn't make it easy.On <strong>the</strong> contrary, <strong>the</strong> science of <strong>the</strong> scratch is massively difficult,demand<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>tense rehearsal. Far from be<strong>in</strong>g someth<strong>in</strong>g anyone can do,scratch<strong>in</strong>g is <strong>in</strong>timidat<strong>in</strong>gly elitist, an artform heard by all but onlyunderstood by <strong>the</strong> obliterati. As it currently exists, 20th C art can barelygrasp <strong>the</strong> tonal history of turntabilization.In explor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> formal implications of <strong>the</strong> scratch, Rammellzee <strong>in</strong> '87can <strong>the</strong>refore presuppose a global audience of 100 at <strong>the</strong> most. Str<strong>in</strong>gsare arranged <strong>in</strong>to shriek<strong>in</strong>g attacks that halt abruptly, leav<strong>in</strong>g spacetrembl<strong>in</strong>g with shock impact like an EEG pulse gone critical: 'Only he has<strong>the</strong> number written down <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> scratch. Intellectualize. Redef<strong>in</strong>e.Because it's only <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> dj 's manuscript. And it's no spoken word. It'scalled a scratch. With all <strong>the</strong> millions and millions of megabeats thathave been programmed <strong>in</strong> our m<strong>in</strong>ds, we know it all equals down to zerozero zero active negatives.'A female chorus keens mournfully. A ship horn blasts as itapproaches harbour: 'You hold <strong>the</strong> scratch be<strong>in</strong>g a broken record. Thisw<strong>in</strong>e turns to tw<strong>in</strong>e. Entw<strong>in</strong>es like a rope <strong>in</strong> your m<strong>in</strong>d/ Like DNA code.'The MythScience of <strong>the</strong> scratch is just one element of <strong>the</strong>traumatiz<strong>in</strong>g system of GothiC Futurism: 'You have just gotten a chill <strong>in</strong><strong>the</strong> feel<strong>in</strong>g of your heart. [Forebod<strong>in</strong>g echo] With most people <strong>the</strong>ir heart


03[036]03[037]would have stopped. But I th<strong>in</strong>k yours [speeded-up vocoderl just gotstarted. I held all this <strong>in</strong>formation back from you just because youhaven't signed your name to your death certificate.' Shards of funerealghost choir break <strong>in</strong>, <strong>the</strong> jagged edges of broken harmony.Gothic Futurism fastforwards <strong>the</strong> ancient Gothic Germanic scriptsuppressed by Roman typography. Rammellzee becomes <strong>the</strong>Historetician, <strong>the</strong> historical <strong>the</strong>oretician who terrifies through hisesoterical terrorism. Factory rhythms engulf <strong>the</strong> lecture. A bottlesmashes, becomes <strong>the</strong> beat, pistons punch out time, hammers jack andjudder, steam shoots needles of hiss<strong>in</strong>g air. Str<strong>in</strong>gs swarm <strong>in</strong> animpend<strong>in</strong>g unease, a state of unlocatable threat. Forlorn voices wail <strong>in</strong> athrenody for deleted massacres.Lecture is structured as a series of <strong>in</strong>scrutable commands from aDestructiv Knowledge Eng<strong>in</strong>e: 'We want you to proceed with your bookson Gothic texts. We want you to open up <strong>the</strong> pages 449 45 Roman Law .Turn to card number 1997. And for this we want you to know that youhave already failed your course with a B. You haven't even gotten towhat it is. The <strong>in</strong>flammation of all <strong>in</strong>formation.'Escape <strong>in</strong>to psychopathogenetics: Dr octagonsometimes I don't even feel/ike I am a humanbe<strong>in</strong>g any<strong>more</strong>Kool KeithReEnter<strong>in</strong>g Planet 3On hear<strong>in</strong>g Dr Octagon, HipHop 's protectionism, its appetite forground<strong>in</strong>g reality, its drive to discipl<strong>in</strong>e and punish are obsolesced. Allits belief systems are demilitarized, vaporised on contact, leav<strong>in</strong>g youstranded <strong>in</strong> a psychopathogenetic future with no way of gett<strong>in</strong>g back to<strong>the</strong> present. Kool Keith and his heteronyms are always com<strong>in</strong>g back toEarth, perpetually reenter<strong>in</strong>g Planet 3'S orbit. They're already at homewith offworld states; it's <strong>the</strong> Earth planet and it's Earth people - you! -who are <strong>the</strong> aliens to <strong>the</strong>m.Noth<strong>in</strong>g is alien to Dr Octagon because everyth<strong>in</strong>g is alien. 'Space ismy planet' he reports, <strong>in</strong> a Leave it to Beaver-voice: 'I live <strong>the</strong>re, eat<strong>the</strong>re, wash <strong>the</strong>re.' This generates <strong>the</strong> same relief < >thrill you feel whenTricky quotes Japan's '81 Ghosts on '94'S Aftermath. Far from pretend<strong>in</strong>gwhite Americans don't exist, Dr Octagon producer Dan Nakemura -known as The Automator - opens up a memorybank of 50S White-ManSCi-fi movies.Rstonish Me!The Automator perpetually folds <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d <strong>in</strong>to origami. Listen<strong>in</strong>g to TheAutomator rem<strong>in</strong>ds you that HipHop is computer music. Trad HipHopcont<strong>in</strong>ues to <strong>in</strong>stall a pa<strong>in</strong>ful b<strong>in</strong>ary mach<strong>in</strong>e, a rigid funk canon that cutsright through you, and polarizes your flux . But after Kool Keith's, TheAutomator's and guest producer Kut Master Kurt's '95 album Dr Octagon,this restricted aes<strong>the</strong>tic feels like emotional amputation, like term<strong>in</strong>al<strong>in</strong>sularity elevated to a fraudulent ethiCS, an ethics known as Black Music.Which is why <strong>the</strong> term Black Music so often sounds stupid, so datedand po<strong>in</strong>tless, a phrase only used by <strong>the</strong> most retarded rob cheerleaders.Black MUSic: <strong>the</strong> term clamps <strong>the</strong> bra<strong>in</strong> because it omits <strong>the</strong> role of <strong>the</strong>mach<strong>in</strong>e, because it bli<strong>the</strong>ly ignores computerization by locat<strong>in</strong>g all ofHipHop back <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> all-too-human zones of <strong>the</strong> soul or <strong>the</strong> street.To use <strong>the</strong> phrase Black Music is to presume a consensus that hasnever existed, to assume a readily audible pre-syn<strong>the</strong>tic essence whichmach<strong>in</strong>es have externalized, manufactured and globalized. No longershelter<strong>in</strong>g with<strong>in</strong> an essence that never was, today's Futuristunderstands <strong>the</strong> mythillogic of <strong>the</strong> soundmach<strong>in</strong>e.The Futurist is a scientist who manufactures new MythSciences fromsoundmach<strong>in</strong>es: <strong>the</strong> processes of AutoCreation, AutoCatalysis,AutoDestruction which cooperate as <strong>the</strong> secret life of mach<strong>in</strong>es, <strong>the</strong>clash of concepts on <strong>the</strong> plane of X meets Y.I MultipliedThe traditional diagnosis of alienation no longer makes any sense to <strong>the</strong>90S producer. Instead of synchroniz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> mediated body with selfimage until <strong>the</strong> 2 make a s<strong>in</strong>gle knowledge of self, Dr Octagon di saligns<strong>the</strong> selves and <strong>the</strong>n cont<strong>in</strong>ues to multiply <strong>the</strong>m <strong>in</strong> a mitosis of <strong>the</strong> I.


03(038)03(039)You Rre a populationIt was already clear to Rimbaud back <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> 19th C that I is ano<strong>the</strong>r. Tolisten to Dr Octagon today is to grasp that every I is a crowd, that youare a population, that unity is a fleet<strong>in</strong>g, accidental convergencepersistently mistaken for an identity.The unified self is an amputated self. The human is an ecology ofm<strong>in</strong>d through which <strong>the</strong> Doctor walks, hack<strong>in</strong>g and slic<strong>in</strong>g pathwaysthrough <strong>the</strong> distributed bra<strong>in</strong>. He It is <strong>the</strong> offworld xenobiologist,fasc<strong>in</strong>ated by <strong>the</strong> biodiversity of <strong>the</strong> human organism: 'I study and<strong>in</strong>spect people. Choos<strong>in</strong>g scientific matter, I probe for evidence.' He'sattracted to <strong>the</strong> human's connective zones, your buttcracks, vag<strong>in</strong>as,mouths, sph<strong>in</strong>cters, magnetised to <strong>the</strong> human as a mammal <strong>in</strong> an animalcont<strong>in</strong>uum. Octagon is always plugg<strong>in</strong>g humans <strong>in</strong>to animals,reconfigur<strong>in</strong>g bodily hierarchies, recomb<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>m with cartoons. Thehuman species is his zooillogical laboratory, Dr Moreau, Dr Benway, DrOctopus and Dr Kervorkian his <strong>in</strong>puts. Instead of gett<strong>in</strong>g himselftoge<strong>the</strong>r, he falls apart and <strong>the</strong> parts - Dr Octagon, Kool Keith,Ultramagnetic MCs - battle one ano<strong>the</strong>r. Thus Kool Keith on his DrOctagon persona: 'When he says "I'll battle Ultramagneticandmyownselfaswell," he def<strong>in</strong>itely means that.' Not schizophrenia, norquadrophenia, but octophrenia.The forms of thought assisted by computerare mutantFelix GuattariTechnofy HipHOp: Build <strong>the</strong> unidentified Rudio-ObjectKool Keith def<strong>in</strong>es 'elevation' as 'new terms above <strong>the</strong> natural languageof MCs '. To elevate means to re<strong>in</strong>vent <strong>the</strong> conceptechnics of HipHop, itsconceptual technology. It means technofy<strong>in</strong>g HipHop, <strong>in</strong> a parallel toCybotron's '85 demand to technofy <strong>the</strong> biosphere. To 'advance technical'is to perpetually eng<strong>in</strong>eer HipHop <strong>in</strong>to Unidentifiable Audio-Objects,UAOs that hurl listeners aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>the</strong> reef of <strong>the</strong>ir senses.The UAO is a Year-3000 connection mach<strong>in</strong>e that runs oncosmophonic power, a jupiter-to-Earth l<strong>in</strong>k enabl<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> alien to'program one and go to Earth through <strong>the</strong> fax mach<strong>in</strong>es, My number 709-755-6EL3, Computer file 9-3, Digital level.'As computer music, <strong>the</strong> UAO has an <strong>in</strong>ternal computer architecturewhich digitizes funk's grooveng<strong>in</strong>e: 'I'll take a break like james Brown to<strong>the</strong> bridge,' <strong>the</strong> section which turns <strong>the</strong> Song <strong>in</strong>side out. HipHop isdegravitated, becom<strong>in</strong>g not only weightless but <strong>in</strong>vasivelyPhonoFictional, aggressively compet<strong>in</strong>g with <strong>the</strong> consensus of your head,forcibly substitut<strong>in</strong>g your assumptions with its own.HipHop is transchronized. The entire Dr Octagon triple conceptalbum returns to '96 from <strong>the</strong> Year 4000, from <strong>the</strong> 40th C: ' It's like if youwere runn<strong>in</strong>g around <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> year 4000 and this tape is play<strong>in</strong>g.' DrOctagon snatches you <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> world it comes from, an environmentwhich you're at home <strong>in</strong>. The record turns you <strong>in</strong>to a 40th C human. Itjumps you <strong>in</strong>to a world <strong>in</strong> which it's on. Consequences are ei<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong>f<strong>in</strong>iterecursion [this tape is play<strong>in</strong>g and on this tape is a tape of ... 1 orcomplete <strong>in</strong>difference: you were runn<strong>in</strong>g around, you never even heardDr Octagon.The album is an octagonal time mach<strong>in</strong>e, a future UAO shoot<strong>in</strong>g past'96 back to '87 to duel with his albums, to take on his former identity,his former group: 'Dr Octagon was designed for <strong>the</strong> specific function ofreturn<strong>in</strong>g from <strong>the</strong> future. He would love a crack at Critical Beatdown. 'The Ultramagnetic spaceship becomes <strong>the</strong> Octagonal time mach<strong>in</strong>e.Haloes were found at <strong>the</strong> land<strong>in</strong>g site.Sir /IIenelik2 Mirrors <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Clearjohn Carpenterized synths freeze time <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> hover<strong>in</strong>g tone of <strong>the</strong>medico-conspiracy thriller. Earth People uses rhythm syn<strong>the</strong>sizers for<strong>the</strong>ir <strong>in</strong>difference, <strong>the</strong>ir t<strong>in</strong>ny treble: 'I see it as futuristic new waverock. It's metal <strong>in</strong> its own way. It's meant to have that <strong>in</strong>dustrial effectto it but slowed down.'Information stress lights up <strong>the</strong> sensorium like <strong>the</strong> Nippon TradeCentre. KooI Keith replaces HipHop's Trad voice armour with a highlystrung hauteur, an extreme sarcasm po<strong>in</strong>ted with malicious precision atTrad HipHop's sanctified stupidities, an extreme aversion to its familiarfixations.Morality Is a Muscle, ClenchedMorals are just <strong>the</strong>se sensory coagulations, <strong>the</strong>se tensions knotted andbunched across <strong>the</strong> sk<strong>in</strong> of your beliefs. Dr Octagon <strong>in</strong>verts <strong>the</strong> Trad


03(040)03(041)hierarchy of head/ stomach so that your head tastes ill and your<strong>in</strong>test<strong>in</strong>es th<strong>in</strong>k. Your bra<strong>in</strong> throbs, <strong>in</strong> peristaltic waves. Dr Octagonkeeps eve ryth<strong>in</strong>g unreal , its voice <strong>in</strong> perpetual motion, from glut<strong>in</strong>ous togloat<strong>in</strong>g to dastardly to bedside to malicious. Instead of ground<strong>in</strong>g you itup routes you, pull<strong>in</strong>g you across <strong>in</strong>to its world, mould<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>n massag<strong>in</strong>gyou across a series of thresholds you never knew existed.Design for a Bra<strong>in</strong>In Octagonal sound design, <strong>the</strong> music suddenly drops out, like ballastjettisoned, so that each WordObject becomes an objectile projectedthrough space. Voice echoes <strong>the</strong> first word of each sentence: 'Vanish<strong>in</strong>gvictims kept alive on metal exam<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g tables. Experts, baffled at <strong>the</strong>survival from exposure to laser scalpels, Green berets grow<strong>in</strong>gconeheads <strong>in</strong> mechanical wombs.'When <strong>the</strong> music evacuates, <strong>the</strong> chorus-sample zooms past earshot:' Megatron!' 'Rejuvenate! ' 'Galaxy Rays Powerful!'By be<strong>in</strong>g projected all at once, <strong>the</strong> chorus compacts <strong>in</strong>to a syntaxbeam, packed with k<strong>in</strong>etic energy, a super<strong>sonic</strong> allatonceness:'Controlled by gammalights!' Magnified voice blasts off acrosssampladelic space with an <strong>in</strong>tensified phonodrive. Earth People is filledwith <strong>the</strong> plosive impact of polysyllables which pushes aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>the</strong> bassand <strong>the</strong> beats, tugs at <strong>the</strong>m, pulls towards and away from <strong>the</strong>m, act<strong>in</strong>g asa field of attraction for <strong>the</strong> grooveng<strong>in</strong>e. Consonants are charged untilsyntax detonates, <strong>in</strong> a series of off-<strong>the</strong>-beat exPLOsions: 'Octagon,oxygen, illum<strong>in</strong>um, <strong>in</strong>toxicants.'In <strong>the</strong> parallax world of Technical Difficulties, where Dr Octagongoes 'walk<strong>in</strong>g through a polygon', rhythm falls away and sentence loomsforward: <strong>the</strong> ear hears it as a headl<strong>in</strong>e. 'My first impression was to givepa tients a lesson, who's <strong>the</strong> best to put me to <strong>the</strong> test, I'll battleUltramagnetic, myownselfaswell.'Simultaneously a robotvoice repeats it slowed down, like a radiOtuned <strong>in</strong>to a phone-<strong>in</strong> genera t<strong>in</strong>g delay feedback. This 2nd voice repeats<strong>the</strong> last words of a sentence, drawl<strong>in</strong>g, sneer<strong>in</strong>g, slowed down o r distantlike a faulty echo chamber send<strong>in</strong>g back aural distortions.Octophrenia frustrates flow . Dr Octagon, Sir Menelik <strong>the</strong> EmperorGeneral, all accent unexpected words and stress syllables so thatWordObjects disarticulate <strong>the</strong>mselves. Flow falls apart <strong>in</strong> a drasticdysphasia when <strong>the</strong> bra<strong>in</strong>'s unable to coord<strong>in</strong>ate syntax. By arrest<strong>in</strong>gHipHop's verbose flowmotion , syntax seizes up <strong>the</strong>n lurches forward <strong>in</strong> arobotic cadence that <strong>in</strong>duces an arhythmic irritation. M<strong>in</strong>dstresser: <strong>the</strong>order of th<strong>in</strong>gs breaks up. Sense starts zigzagg<strong>in</strong>g like <strong>the</strong> lightn<strong>in</strong>g logobolt<strong>in</strong>g across Capta<strong>in</strong> Marvel 's costume.By miss<strong>in</strong>g out <strong>the</strong> 'and', octagonal consciousness collapses <strong>the</strong>distance between WordObjects, creat<strong>in</strong>g a dataflow of different matters,a discont<strong>in</strong>uum of all k<strong>in</strong>ds of m<strong>in</strong>ds. It updates <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>fo overload ofJoycean stream of consciousness, <strong>the</strong> unperiodic cont<strong>in</strong>uities of Reedand Burroughs. Octophrenia is both datastream and flow frustration,connective syn<strong>the</strong>sis and disjunction.Octagonal ConsciousnessThese techniques converge until Trad stream-of-consciousness - thatmodernist byproduct of radio - crosses ano<strong>the</strong>r threshold <strong>in</strong>to parallelprocess<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>the</strong> emergence from massively connected computerprogramm<strong>in</strong>g. The Song is rebuilt, out of excerpts from 8 unrelatedbroadcasts happen<strong>in</strong>g simultaneously.At Century's Start, W. E. B. DuBois analysed double consciousness as'this sense of always look<strong>in</strong>g at one's self through <strong>the</strong> eyes of o<strong>the</strong>rs'.Mutation by high-pressure capitalism collapses psychic and socialmembranes, doubl<strong>in</strong>g and splitt<strong>in</strong>g you <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> 2nd person. At Century'sEnd, Kool Keith protege and digital-age lyricist Sir Menelik exemplifiesoctagonal consciousness <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Information era. Adaptation to <strong>the</strong>Information-Image economy multiplies <strong>the</strong> senses of see<strong>in</strong>g, hear<strong>in</strong>g,feel<strong>in</strong>g yourselves <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> 8th person. On Production is nei<strong>the</strong>r song nortrack, <strong>more</strong> an extremely compressed lecture delivered <strong>in</strong> a mercilessmonotone and so <strong>in</strong>sistently by Sir Menelik - <strong>the</strong> Emperor General - thatit <strong>in</strong>duces <strong>in</strong>formation panic, updat<strong>in</strong>g Rammellzee's and Shock Dell 's '87The Lecture. The Lecture is esoterrorist science: hermetiC, despotic,terroriz<strong>in</strong>g. With Sir Menelik, science travels at <strong>the</strong> speed of thought,phaseshift<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to a Di<strong>sun</strong>ified Field Theory. The MC becomes a HumanComputer, a parallel processor who hears talk<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> everyone's m<strong>in</strong>d.


03(042)03(043)what of <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rs, <strong>the</strong> humans with <strong>the</strong>ir almostnon-existent tolerance for po<strong>in</strong> and <strong>the</strong>ir totally<strong>in</strong>adequate mental discipl<strong>in</strong>e?Sir "'enelikThe Me Is a Parallel ProcessorAt this level of m<strong>in</strong>dstress, syntax becomes a rapattack which strobes<strong>the</strong> bra<strong>in</strong>, impact<strong>in</strong>g with <strong>the</strong> remorseless frequency of measuredvoltage. As attention drags fur<strong>the</strong>r beh<strong>in</strong>d <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>exorable <strong>in</strong>formationflow, <strong>the</strong> gap between attention lag and <strong>in</strong>fovelocity is phaseshifted,pass<strong>in</strong>g from sensations of stupidity <strong>in</strong>to an itch <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> bra<strong>in</strong>.On Production triggers an acutely tactile mental irritation thatsimultaneously beg<strong>in</strong>s crawl<strong>in</strong>g over <strong>the</strong> s~<strong>in</strong> . Your bra<strong>in</strong> feels fat andflabby, a torpid muscle dragg<strong>in</strong>g its bulk after this rap that just won't stop.This is not science <strong>fiction</strong> but New Sc ence, function<strong>in</strong>g from <strong>the</strong> year4001 , from '<strong>the</strong> time when <strong>the</strong> human bra<strong>in</strong> has reached <strong>the</strong> era of fullemployment.' Chris Marker's film Sans soleil announces this era, when'everyth<strong>in</strong>g works to perfection, all that "'Ie allow to slumber, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>gmemory. Logical consequence: total recall is memory anaes<strong>the</strong>tized.After so many stories of men who had l05t <strong>the</strong>ir memory, here is <strong>the</strong>story of one who has lost forgett<strong>in</strong>g.'On Production shifts from a report from <strong>the</strong> f1ightdeck to <strong>in</strong>structionsfrom a navigation manual, to report of immune system breakdown, toemergency broadcast, to a lecture on chaos <strong>the</strong>ory from a future versionof <strong>the</strong> Santa Fe Institute: 'Does science achieve a unified <strong>the</strong>ory ofcomplex systems? Completely chaotic systems, such as turbulent fluids,heated gases appear on <strong>the</strong> borders between rigid order and poetryamong a list of <strong>the</strong> 31 ways to def<strong>in</strong>e "nomadical".' Sir Menelik switchesaddress aga<strong>in</strong>, broadcast<strong>in</strong>g a warn<strong>in</strong>g that turns you <strong>in</strong>to anechochamber: 'All mank<strong>in</strong>d must submit to genetic test<strong>in</strong>g, Diseasecontam<strong>in</strong>ates every transmission of unawareness.' Terror resoundsthrough <strong>the</strong> dome of your head.As Sir Menelik <strong>the</strong> Emperor General emerges from No Awareness, <strong>the</strong>synth's dy<strong>in</strong>g arc and electric piano drop away, leav<strong>in</strong>g an om<strong>in</strong>oustexturedrift, a vapourmoan. Drum mach<strong>in</strong>e stilts, its <strong>in</strong>expressive pulsesstutter. WordObjects whaaAAm across <strong>the</strong> stereoperceptual fie ld. SirMenelik leaves sequential monorational flow for a new mode ofrationality. Not verbal flow but ra<strong>the</strong>r a parallel-systems ma<strong>in</strong>tenancecheck, a specifications warn<strong>in</strong>g report read out really fast, to <strong>in</strong>duce<strong>in</strong>foverload of 'Acoustic death by analysis. 'Which generates a disconnected multirational Sonic Fiction, <strong>in</strong> whichconcepts jump, thought leapfrogs, m<strong>in</strong>d zigzags from clause to clause, aperceptual current transmits between each <strong>in</strong>tervals, ripples acrossgaps. Concepts are electrified <strong>in</strong>to pararational military <strong>in</strong>structions to'<strong>in</strong>crease magnetic fields, Electro-liquid expands, critical procedurescool 77 Kelv<strong>in</strong>s by submerg<strong>in</strong>g.'Each track <strong>in</strong>duces a feel<strong>in</strong>g of perpetual dysphoria, unty<strong>in</strong>g andrearrang<strong>in</strong>g your nerves, dis-ease triggered by sampladelia before <strong>the</strong>lyrics ever start. This verbal verbosity, this <strong>in</strong>fo-expansion turns you<strong>in</strong>to a decoder perpetually switch<strong>in</strong>g routes between Marvel cosmologyand cosmetic surgery, transpecies organ transplantation andastrophysics, alien sex and medicopathology.We th<strong>in</strong>k as <strong>in</strong>struments/l/ixmaster "'ikeThe Deck Magus Turns <strong>the</strong> Tables on TimeTurntablist Q Bert's skratchadelic solos are <strong>the</strong> <strong>sonic</strong> parallel of <strong>the</strong>sf/horror transformation scene. Already effected sounds becomeunrecognizable textureffects, spongy blocs phaseshift<strong>in</strong>g through aseries of unknown audio states. Squeals modulate <strong>in</strong>to whistles andscreeches, decay <strong>in</strong>to astonish<strong>in</strong>gly susta<strong>in</strong>ed wh<strong>in</strong>ny which revertsbriefly back <strong>in</strong>to a recognizably male scream before fad<strong>in</strong>g out entirely.Skratchadelia is mutantexture generated by turntabilization, by us<strong>in</strong>g<strong>the</strong> turntables as universal tone generators. Disk of turntable ensembleInvisibl Skratch Picklz: ' It's <strong>the</strong> only <strong>in</strong>strument that can be any<strong>in</strong>strument. When you have a gu!tar, you're limited to how <strong>the</strong> guitarsounds. But when you have a turntable, you can take a guitar, you cantake a drum sound, you can take a dog bark<strong>in</strong>g, you can take any soundand manipulate it <strong>in</strong>to your own.'Q Bert hooks <strong>the</strong> decks up to guitar-pedals, drastically effect<strong>in</strong>gskratchadelic textures, immediately open<strong>in</strong>g up an entirely newspectrum of altered beats and mutantextures.


03(044)03(045)Identification Code unidentified, Press a button,Change my faceDr OctagonThe InhumanDr Octagon isn't human. Ra<strong>the</strong>r it < .he is a n <strong>in</strong>human that slips and slidesacross <strong>the</strong> alien human discont<strong>in</strong>uum. Its his 'sk<strong>in</strong> is green and silver',morphable to any chromatic situation by 'chang<strong>in</strong>g blue sk<strong>in</strong>' until its'brown colour's com<strong>in</strong>g back'. It < . he is an alien adapt<strong>in</strong>g to its WestCoast environment, look<strong>in</strong>g like a Caucasian peoploid <strong>the</strong>n 'a paramedicfetus of <strong>the</strong> east'. He 's prepped with unknown medical tech: 'cyberneticmicroscopes'; '2 telescopes that magnify <strong>the</strong> eye of a roach'. BlueFlowers is a psychopastoral set <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> 'C hurch of <strong>the</strong> Operat<strong>in</strong>g Room ',delivered <strong>in</strong> a bedside manner of frighten<strong>in</strong>g reassurance. Un-EZlisten<strong>in</strong>g Sirens circle through EEG bleeps, susta<strong>in</strong>ed cymballic hiss andradioactive bass generat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> hover<strong>in</strong>g tension of jerry Goldsmith'sComa soundtrack.Psychopa thogeneticsThe uneasy <strong>in</strong>timacy of a gloat<strong>in</strong>g gynaecologist meets <strong>the</strong> misanthropicglare of a rabid ecologist to form Dr Octagon <strong>the</strong> Gynechologist, <strong>the</strong>planetary psychopathogen. David Cronen berg diagnoses Gynechology as'a future pathological psychology. It's develop<strong>in</strong>g now but he anticipatesit be<strong>in</strong>g even <strong>more</strong> developed <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> future. He <strong>the</strong>n br<strong>in</strong>gs it back to <strong>the</strong>past-now and applies it as though it exists completely formed . Thesecharacters are exhibit<strong>in</strong>g a psychology of <strong>the</strong> future.'Gynechology slashes and hacks <strong>the</strong> organism, pull<strong>in</strong>g 'out <strong>the</strong> skull',chisell<strong>in</strong>g 'necks for <strong>the</strong> answer' to <strong>the</strong> body whose map puzzles andbaffles aliens everywhere. The body is <strong>the</strong> question. Surgery provides<strong>the</strong> answer to this cellular planet which still mystifies <strong>the</strong> a lien surgeon.For aeons, <strong>the</strong> bad doctor observes humans with a compound eye. 'Istudy and <strong>in</strong>spect people': Kool Keith and The Automator use HipHop toput humans under <strong>the</strong> macroscope. HipHop becomes a reversemicroscope, a speculative imag<strong>in</strong>g system <strong>in</strong>vented by Cyclops 4000


03[046]03[047]excellent culture for crosspoll<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g across <strong>the</strong> mammalian phylum.Not flow<strong>in</strong>g but gloat<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>the</strong> locum becomes 'Doctor Ludicrous' whoturns '<strong>in</strong>to an octopus' all <strong>the</strong> <strong>more</strong> easily to 'grab 8 species' and'isolate like a <strong>in</strong>cubus'.Listen<strong>in</strong>g to Dr Octagon flashes forwards to <strong>the</strong> alien abduction youwill never have. You're be<strong>in</strong>g alienhandled <strong>in</strong> an operat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>atre ofcruelty and kill<strong>in</strong>g jokes: 'The perfect enzyme's me with your bra<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> myo<strong>the</strong>r hand.' The alien <strong>in</strong>duces traumas and kills its patients with<strong>in</strong>souciance. Dr Octagon is a surgeon out to build a new nervous systemout of your archaic one. It gives you a seasickness of <strong>the</strong> head.The Inhuman gets a contact high from cruelty. It l<strong>in</strong>gers over organswith a lov<strong>in</strong>g sense of detail, loses itself <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> rapture of dissection, <strong>the</strong>joy of gett<strong>in</strong>g to work on a warm body.Boddhisativa Explosion <strong>in</strong> Slow Motion:Cypress Hill, The RIA, Gravediggaz, Sunz of Manoh man homey, my m<strong>in</strong>d is play<strong>in</strong>g tricks on meGeto BoysMythillogicalHipHop has always been headmusic. But <strong>the</strong> moment it drugs itself, itturns its back on imm<strong>in</strong>ent revolution <strong>in</strong> favour of immanent revelation.The street dissolves <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> psycho<strong>sonic</strong> geography of gangstadelia.HipHop becomes an <strong>in</strong>ner-space music. 'Keep<strong>in</strong>g it real' no longer meansrepresent<strong>in</strong>g, because <strong>the</strong>re's no def<strong>in</strong>ed reality left to represent.Knowledge now means <strong>in</strong>nersight, which overwhelms <strong>the</strong> true/ falseb<strong>in</strong>ary. The street's rigid border between <strong>the</strong> real and <strong>the</strong> fantastic melts<strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> psychospatial treachery of <strong>the</strong> '91 film jacob 's Ladder. To reallygrasp mythillogical HipHop it's essential to rent Adrian Lyne's videoepic, <strong>in</strong> which New York dissolves <strong>in</strong>to a diabolical swamp of unend<strong>in</strong>gaudio halluc<strong>in</strong>ations all <strong>the</strong> stronger for be<strong>in</strong>g unseen.I'm hav<strong>in</strong>g illusions, driv<strong>in</strong>g me mad <strong>in</strong> my m<strong>in</strong>dCypress Hill360· of Peripheral PersecutionWeed deregulates <strong>the</strong> means of perception, breaks down <strong>the</strong> walls ofHipHop's fortified ego. Cypress Hill 's '92 <strong>in</strong>strumental Ultraviolet Dreamsmelts HipHop's martial self. Producer OJ Muggs ' fuzzy logic of wilt<strong>in</strong>gbass and low-frequency leakage blurs audibi lity, unw<strong>in</strong>ds <strong>the</strong> gangstalean <strong>in</strong>to a woozy gait. Vigilance loses focus <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> witchy, whisperypsychoacoustic space of <strong>in</strong>halation turned treacly thick. You wanderthrough its striated wraithscape, a malleable porous flux .Weed's dilation effect makes it <strong>the</strong> time-stretcher, <strong>the</strong> narcoagentwhich slows down <strong>the</strong> perception of object-events. OJ Muggs isfasc<strong>in</strong>ated by <strong>the</strong> bullet's trajectory, how a body looks from <strong>the</strong> gun'spov, its sight<strong>in</strong>g l<strong>in</strong>e. As Sly Stone croaked: 'Look<strong>in</strong>g at <strong>the</strong> devil,gr<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g at his gun.'All drugs <strong>in</strong>tensify paranoia. But Weed's special effect is to magnify<strong>the</strong> misperception <strong>in</strong>herent <strong>in</strong> everyday hear<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>the</strong>reby tun<strong>in</strong>g HipHop<strong>in</strong>to a perpetual paranoia of peripheral persecution.The ear always hears around c'orners. Grass <strong>in</strong>tensifies this untilreality breaks up <strong>in</strong>to proliferat<strong>in</strong>g audio halluc<strong>in</strong>ations that trigger<strong>the</strong>mselves at 360' around your head. At <strong>the</strong> edges of earshot soundslaunch <strong>the</strong>mselves at you.In HipHop headmusic, R. Murray Schafer's schizophony has becomepremonitional. Sounds have detached <strong>the</strong>mselves from <strong>the</strong>ir sources andare reach<strong>in</strong>g you before <strong>the</strong>ir causes do. Hear what happens whensoundeffects go amiss. They wander without an object. Runn<strong>in</strong>g amokwith no cause at all, soundeffects generate environments of objectlessom<strong>in</strong>ousness and perpetual imm<strong>in</strong>ence.They took a sonogram and seen <strong>the</strong> image of a demonGravediggazThe Internal Mechanism of Paranoiac phenomenaDriven by premonitions, myth illogical HipHop is like Sarah Connor <strong>in</strong> TheTerm<strong>in</strong>ator, always talk<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> past tense about th<strong>in</strong>gs it hasn't yetdone. The head is filled with revelations that impeach <strong>the</strong> daylight. TheRZA's phantasmic HipHop productions <strong>in</strong>duce visions <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> ear. Every


03(048)03(049)breath becomes a w<strong>in</strong>ce of pa<strong>in</strong> like a knife be<strong>in</strong>g swallowed. Each suckof tical turns <strong>in</strong>to a sharp <strong>in</strong>take, <strong>the</strong> shudder<strong>in</strong>g gasp of someone be<strong>in</strong>ghacked at. In Method Man's Sub Crazy, from his RZA-produced '94 albumTical, unattributable groans roam around, suffus<strong>in</strong>g everyth<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> anunlocatable seeth<strong>in</strong>g violence.As Tricky po<strong>in</strong>ts out, Weed is a shortcut to psychosis. Like DrOctagon, Redman's alterego Reggie Noble splits off and battles himself,like Peter Parker vs Spiderman. Noises attribute <strong>the</strong>mselves to unseencauses , multiply <strong>the</strong>mselves <strong>in</strong>to <strong>in</strong>visible forces.The RZA opens up <strong>the</strong> hyperparanoia of a post-jacob's Ladder world,<strong>in</strong> which <strong>in</strong>animate objects come alive with an <strong>in</strong>organic malevolence.For Redman , possession is a perpetual possibility: 'I believe you'resupposed to be able to move stars with your m<strong>in</strong>d. There'smo<strong>the</strong>rfuckers out here that can jump <strong>in</strong>to your body, put your spiritout, and you 'll just be walk<strong>in</strong>' around New York unseen while someoneelse is <strong>in</strong> your body fuck<strong>in</strong>' up.'worship <strong>the</strong> weedIn '95'S Temple of Boom, Cypress Hill worship <strong>the</strong> despot Weed .All those clips of peachy-keen white schoolkids from <strong>the</strong> 50S of <strong>the</strong>film Atomic Cafe, hands clutch<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>ir heads , pray<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> Bomb.Atomic Muslims bow<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> Mecca mushroom silently scream<strong>in</strong>g:'Mutate me! Mutate me! 'Weed blows up <strong>the</strong> head, explod<strong>in</strong>g reality like a mushroom bombdetonat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d, like <strong>the</strong> underworld mutants who worship <strong>the</strong>nuclear bomb <strong>in</strong> Beneath <strong>the</strong> Planet of <strong>the</strong> Apes.The US military wanted to bomb 'Nam back to <strong>the</strong> Stone Ages .Worshipp<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Holy Weed , Cypress Hill want to bomb <strong>the</strong>ir m<strong>in</strong>ds backto <strong>the</strong> Middle Ages .Now I dwell <strong>in</strong> an Islamic Temple/I'm fight<strong>in</strong>g aholy war <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> mentalGravediggazHolycore Is <strong>the</strong> Blight of <strong>the</strong> WorldWith Gravediggaz' Diary of A Madman from <strong>the</strong>ir virulent '94 conceptoxicalbum Niggamortis, HipHop breaks through <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> mythillogic of <strong>the</strong>Darkside. In <strong>the</strong> <strong>fiction</strong>al space of a courtroom hear<strong>in</strong>g, The Gravediggaz- producers The Undertaker . > Pr<strong>in</strong>ce Paul and The RZArector · > The RZA,The Gatekeeper. >Frukwan and Grym Reaper . > Poetic -face murdercharges. Each steps forward to enter an <strong>in</strong>sanity plea. Each verseprojects excerpts from a meta-exorcism on <strong>the</strong> screen of your m<strong>in</strong>d. Awall of guitarchimes opens up a sampladelic Gothic, a monastery of <strong>the</strong>head where keen<strong>in</strong>g Gregorian chants throw shadows across stonework.The head becomes a <strong>the</strong>atre for <strong>the</strong> warr<strong>in</strong>g forces of Heaven and Hell.Consumed by spirits and possessed by visions, consciousness is <strong>the</strong>casualty <strong>in</strong> this 'holy war <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> mental'.To stress this war between states of m<strong>in</strong>d, Gravediggaz' protege andguest rapper Shabazz <strong>the</strong> Disciple's term for this Darkside is Holycore.Like its doppelganger Horrorcore, Holycore blights everyth<strong>in</strong>g. Instead ofenlighten<strong>in</strong>g through eduta<strong>in</strong>ment, it turns out <strong>the</strong> light of <strong>the</strong> world,plunges <strong>the</strong> sky <strong>in</strong>to what Sunz of Man term 'a magnetic flux beyondcontrol '. As The RZA expla<strong>in</strong>s, <strong>the</strong> Darkside of HipHop is aversion<strong>the</strong>rapy for droogs anaes<strong>the</strong>tized by too much HipHop: 'Heaven and Hellare on earth. They're your good times and your bad times. The holy waris <strong>the</strong> struggle <strong>in</strong>side our heads, <strong>the</strong> war for peace. People walk aroundmentally dead. It's our duty to dig up <strong>the</strong>ir mental graves and br<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>mback to life.' This shock <strong>the</strong>rapy for <strong>the</strong> sensorium parallels Ludovico's'learn<strong>in</strong>g by torture' <strong>in</strong> Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. The cold humourof Dial 1-800 Suicide is a scartoon which br<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>the</strong> pa<strong>in</strong>, raises weltsand draws blood to freeze it. Like Dr Octagon and Funkadelic - rightdown to <strong>the</strong> hommage Mommy What's a Gravedigga? - <strong>the</strong> myth illogicalhumour of Gravediggaz lacerates m<strong>in</strong>ds <strong>in</strong>ured to sensation, <strong>in</strong>tensifiesillness <strong>in</strong> order to sensitize.


03[050]03[051]I conta<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> science to make an angel bleedthrough his visionSunz of /!fanultraviolet superceptionThis is aftermath music for a weary world stoned <strong>in</strong>to a stupefiedsuperception. Public Enemy's war demanded hyperalert soldiers, <strong>the</strong>jagged edge of '89'S Black Steel <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Hour of Chaos. In Sunz of Man's'95 Soldiers of Darkness, HipHop gives <strong>in</strong>to visions, plunges <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong>wak<strong>in</strong>g nightmares that The Bomb Squad's alarm for <strong>the</strong> world tried toprevent: 'V isions of me on <strong>the</strong> night of a solar eclipse aboard<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>mo<strong>the</strong>rship tak<strong>in</strong>g my last glimpse from this deluded earth.' External warhas been <strong>in</strong>ternalized <strong>in</strong>to '<strong>the</strong> depths of my <strong>in</strong>ner sight' only to spill outblurr<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> borders <strong>in</strong> a psycho<strong>sonic</strong> storm.Sunz of Man beg<strong>in</strong> at <strong>the</strong> po<strong>in</strong>t of extreme exhaustion, when soldiershallUC<strong>in</strong>ate, suffer from crisis apparitions. Wu Tang producer Genius's'95 track Greyhound Part 2 Remix starts out already exhausted, defeated,its tempo barely <strong>more</strong> <strong>than</strong> a trudge, footsore. Caught <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> aftermathof explosion, Killah Priest's voice peels <strong>in</strong>side out <strong>in</strong> slow motion.Hurled <strong>in</strong>to a w<strong>in</strong>dtunnel of delayed impact, vowels buckle and groan,consonants gust <strong>in</strong> phonemic debris thrown off by a distant detonation.Wheez<strong>in</strong>g groans <strong>in</strong>tensify <strong>the</strong> sense of overwhelm<strong>in</strong>g fatigue.Greyhound Part 2 is a long march, a trek extolled by chimes heardthrough smoke , transient tones of t<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>nabulation. Flutes, trumpets,guitar are fatigued, w<strong>in</strong>ded. A boneweary 'yea h' escapes from someone'sthroat. Gregorian chorale stretches <strong>in</strong>to hive noise. The moans ofperverse monks imbue everyth<strong>in</strong>g with a cloistered malevolence.Haunted-house viol<strong>in</strong>s cycle <strong>in</strong>to steady micropolyphonal swarms atonce hallowed and dolorous. Soldiers halluc<strong>in</strong>ate celestial visitations on<strong>the</strong> Somme <strong>in</strong> WWI: 'I was shown <strong>the</strong> crucifixion by 2 Egyptians/ A war <strong>in</strong>heaven, I saw Christ with a Mac II/ SO I jo<strong>in</strong>ed him and prepared forArmageddon, Armageddon, Armageddon.'Decapitated MCs wander like wraiths through <strong>the</strong> warzone ofHeadless HipHop. Brontosaurian bass stalks a battlefield scorched byblasts of megalithic guitar feedback. His voice slowed down to a groan,Killah Priest is a headless MC recit<strong>in</strong>g from beyond <strong>the</strong> grave.All this seems to be an exorcism to make ourdemons flowAnton<strong>in</strong> ArtaudThe Priests Will Soon SwarmTime feeds forward <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> new Dark Ages. Each time <strong>the</strong> Inner M<strong>in</strong>d'sEye bl<strong>in</strong>ks, it puts out <strong>the</strong> <strong>sun</strong>. In Revelations, <strong>the</strong> Son of Man isHeaven's hired assass<strong>in</strong>, putt<strong>in</strong>g S<strong>in</strong>ners to <strong>the</strong> sword on Judgement Day.Multiply<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Son of Man <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> Sunz of Man - dramaturgist KillahPriest, vocalists 62nd Assass<strong>in</strong>, Prodigal Sunn, Hell Razah, producer 4thDisciple - blaze with a solar fanaticism. They are God 's Avengers,'soldiers of idolatry fight<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> s<strong>in</strong>s of reality.' Each 12 rescoresRevelations as auditionary Sonic Fiction, a War <strong>in</strong> Heaven with allfactions desperate to ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> control.The Earth is <strong>the</strong>ir deerpark and you are its fawns. Sunz of Man arenot human so much as devout exterm<strong>in</strong>ators, '<strong>the</strong> universal warlord ':Cortez with a Kalashnikov M16 . They are Armageddon accelerators<strong>in</strong>flam<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> sensations <strong>the</strong>y deplore, who 'came toge<strong>the</strong>r for oneaccord', to dream of genocide for Jesus: 'Hearken. As <strong>the</strong> night darkens,you 've been warned that <strong>the</strong> priests will soon swarm.'Visions of priests spread<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>ir cloaks and swarm<strong>in</strong>g overOklahoma, search<strong>in</strong>g for unbelievers to put to <strong>the</strong> sword and 'be doneaway like <strong>the</strong> unicorn'. Kill<strong>in</strong>g is pray<strong>in</strong>g, terror is faith, murder is holy.Killah Priest warns of <strong>the</strong> 'side effects' of war which 'br<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>glycosis' until '<strong>in</strong>sanity enters humanity, <strong>in</strong>vades <strong>the</strong> central nervoussystem.' Abruptly his voice slurs and slides <strong>in</strong>to glossolalia, becomes anurgent gibberish overwhelmed, jacknifed by a voluptuous swoon neverheard <strong>in</strong> HipHop before: 'this technique is so aaah, aaah - ' andHipHop's voicearmour is overcome by <strong>the</strong> wargasm .Reel<strong>in</strong>g from <strong>the</strong> force of revelation, he recounts how '<strong>the</strong> 4 run to<strong>the</strong> 4 corners of <strong>the</strong> earth an d <strong>the</strong> 5th run <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> <strong>sun</strong> .' In a dazedaccapella, Killah Priest, <strong>the</strong> annihilator, is pierced by 'a light beam ' untilhe recollects how he 'was formed <strong>in</strong> a white dream.'Killah Priest doesn't so much rap as <strong>in</strong>cant or <strong>in</strong>voke <strong>in</strong> an<strong>in</strong>quisitorial tone. Reverb snatches his voice to <strong>the</strong> alcoves. He 'sTorquemada at Millennium's End, <strong>the</strong> f<strong>in</strong>al despot who commands you to'br<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> wicked before me and slay <strong>the</strong>m before my feet.' There's nodoubt that this fanatical anti-abortionist was <strong>the</strong>re at <strong>the</strong> burn<strong>in</strong>g ofSodom and Gomorrah, bomb<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> bathhouses, torch<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> clubs.


03[052]03[053]Five Arch Angels is <strong>the</strong> score for A Canticle for Leibowitz <strong>in</strong> which <strong>the</strong>world nukes itself back to a Middle Ages run by Techno-monks. In <strong>the</strong>wake of The Song is a wraithland of swarm<strong>in</strong>g drones, <strong>in</strong>fernal sighs,disembodied moans and magnified breath<strong>in</strong>g.Boll Weevil Computer Bra<strong>in</strong>: FunkadelicThe bra<strong>in</strong> is a populationDeleuze and Guattarisometh<strong>in</strong>g outside had to enter, someth<strong>in</strong>g whichwe ourselves would be unable to buildPhilip K. Dick3rd Eye captureTricky, The RZA and Killah Priest are all <strong>in</strong>fatuated with <strong>the</strong> dormantpowers of <strong>the</strong> 3rd Eye. In Rakim 's Islamatronic <strong>fiction</strong>, Rammellzee's andShock Dell 's cryptomach<strong>in</strong>e and Killah Priest's psychoacoustic Darkside,<strong>the</strong> 3rd Eye is a secret faculty that scans <strong>the</strong> nonvisible spectrum forradio, ultraviolet, daemonic, acoustic waveforms.Precisely because medical science doesn't know its function, <strong>the</strong>p<strong>in</strong>eal gland attracts esoterrorist tradition, which argues it's really <strong>the</strong>3rd Eye, <strong>the</strong> dormant Inner M<strong>in</strong>d's Eye, an archaic power that Philip K.Dick suggests is opened by meditation: 'We rel<strong>in</strong>quished <strong>the</strong> 3rd Eye, ourprime evolutionary attribute. Then it's <strong>the</strong> 3rd Eye that gets us back outof <strong>the</strong> maze. That's why <strong>the</strong> 3rd Eye is identified with god-like powers orwith enlightenment, <strong>in</strong> Egypt and <strong>in</strong> India. The 3rd Eye had to bereopened if we were to get out of <strong>the</strong> maze ... but s<strong>in</strong>ce we no longerremembered that we had <strong>the</strong> eye of discernment, we could not go aboutseek<strong>in</strong>g techniques for reopen<strong>in</strong>g it. Someth<strong>in</strong>g outside had to enter,someth<strong>in</strong>g which we ourselves would be unable to build.' Effram Wolf'swatercolour sleeve for Stevie Wonder's Innervisions shows an ochreand-brownoptic ray blast<strong>in</strong>g out of his closed eyelid, a field ofvegetational vision searchlight<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> stratosphere like The X-Men'sCyclops gone botanical. Wonder's plantsight triggers an eco-optics of <strong>the</strong>M<strong>in</strong>d's Eye. And Funkadelic are <strong>the</strong> aromanauticists of perception,sett<strong>in</strong>g off harrow<strong>in</strong>g halluc<strong>in</strong>halations of <strong>the</strong> M<strong>in</strong>d's Nose.Lysergic Equation for <strong>the</strong> Funkatized PsycheFunk + LSD = Funk Psychedelicized = Psychedelia Funkatized = Funkadelia,as Manuel De Landa expla<strong>in</strong>s: 'When you trip you liquefy structures <strong>in</strong>your bra<strong>in</strong>, l<strong>in</strong>guistic structures, <strong>in</strong>tentional structures. They acquire aless viscous consistency and your bra<strong>in</strong> becomes a supercomputer.Information rushes <strong>in</strong>to your bra<strong>in</strong>, which makes you feel like you'rehav<strong>in</strong>g a revelation. But no one is reveal<strong>in</strong>g anyth<strong>in</strong>g to you. It's just selforganiz<strong>in</strong>g. It's happen<strong>in</strong>g by itself.' LSD generates a Funkadelic LiquidComputer, <strong>the</strong> funkatized psyche that rechannels anger from <strong>the</strong> street<strong>in</strong>to alternatives to reality.Impeach <strong>the</strong> UniverseFunkadelia impeaches <strong>the</strong> universe, confronts reality, sets out to destroyan <strong>in</strong>sane world over and over. Back <strong>in</strong> his m<strong>in</strong>d aga<strong>in</strong> after tripp<strong>in</strong>g out,George Cl<strong>in</strong>ton realized that 'I could get mad enough at <strong>the</strong> world andhow it was treat<strong>in</strong>g people to wait <strong>in</strong> an alley and kill some muthafucka.But <strong>the</strong>re a<strong>in</strong>'t no w<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> a situation like that, so once we got out of<strong>the</strong>re I'd take acid to make sure I didn't get that mad no <strong>more</strong>. I'd startlook<strong>in</strong>g at, you know, alternate realities.'Acid's <strong>in</strong>formation supernova blows up <strong>the</strong> ego. Hence <strong>the</strong> dot of <strong>the</strong>'i' <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Funkadelic logo is replaced by Pedro Bell 's gr<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g ape-skull,<strong>the</strong> Grateful Dead logo gone loco. The globe mushrooms out of itscranium <strong>in</strong> a planet-annihilat<strong>in</strong>g, world-form<strong>in</strong>g explosion. Funkadeliaisn't an escape <strong>in</strong>to o<strong>the</strong>r worlds, but a deathtrip <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong>halluc<strong>in</strong>ogenres of LSD and <strong>the</strong> superpsychedelic STP. As Jay Stevensdescribes <strong>the</strong> STP trip: 'Descriptions of it sounded like war stories,people explod<strong>in</strong>g through <strong>the</strong> envelope and burn<strong>in</strong>g, or filled with a coldw<strong>in</strong>d that wouldn't stop blow<strong>in</strong>g through <strong>the</strong> hollows of <strong>the</strong>ir m<strong>in</strong>d.'Which describes <strong>the</strong> Funkadelic audio experience very exactly. Acidopens a cataclysmic cont<strong>in</strong>uum between Vietnam, Detroit and O<strong>the</strong>rPlanes of There.


03[054]03[055]The Logic of catastropheIn Wars of Armageddon, <strong>the</strong> world is annihilated before your very ears<strong>in</strong> a logic that J. G. Ballard elaborates: 'The catastrophe represents aconstructive and positive act of <strong>the</strong> imag<strong>in</strong>ation, an attempt to confronta patently mean<strong>in</strong>gless universe by challeng<strong>in</strong>g it at its own game, anattempt to dismantle <strong>the</strong> formal structure of time and space which <strong>the</strong>universe wraps around us.'To be funkadelicized is not to retreat back <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d but toexternalize <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d's fears, expand <strong>the</strong>m until <strong>the</strong> listener swimsthrough a universe brimm<strong>in</strong>g over with cosmic slop, vag<strong>in</strong>al discharge.The formal structure of time collapses <strong>in</strong>to swill. Space loses itsdignity, falls kneedeep <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> shit of <strong>the</strong> world. Funkadelia <strong>in</strong>tensifies<strong>the</strong> osmosis of funk, amplifies its imperceptible aroma. Osmium,Parliament's Funkadelic's '70 debut, is named for <strong>the</strong> heaViest, mostpungent metal on Earth. Rock plus aroma converge <strong>in</strong> what <strong>the</strong> RZA termsheavy mental music. Because humans have no noselids, <strong>the</strong>y'redefenceless from rh<strong>in</strong>al attack. Formless and po<strong>in</strong>tless, funkadelia<strong>the</strong>refore <strong>in</strong>vades through <strong>the</strong> nostrils and seeps through <strong>the</strong> nerves,sett<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>halation at war with <strong>the</strong> body. You brea<strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> putrefactionof <strong>the</strong> universe. 'We can't clean up shit or get shit right until werecognize we got maggots <strong>in</strong> our bra<strong>in</strong>, that any situation we make will berotten because <strong>the</strong> attitude we're us<strong>in</strong>g is already poisoned.' Funkadelicshares <strong>the</strong> fall and makes a friend of fear: 'We took <strong>the</strong> blame for shit. Slywould see it slightly. Yes , Mr Stewart had <strong>the</strong> fear and could accept <strong>the</strong>ugl<strong>in</strong>ess, and his shit was so profound that you always thought he wastalk<strong>in</strong>g about you.'Thought is bio-Iogical or does not existRene Menilchaosmic KemistryFunkadelia opens a biologic of thought, a physiology of perception.M<strong>in</strong>d, soul, universe: <strong>the</strong> old, old worlds of Trad sensory deprivation aresuddenly materialized, gratuitously oralized. Concepts are fondled andlicked, sucked and played with. In '70'S What Is Soul, <strong>the</strong> FunkadelicAlien arrives on Earth: 'Behold, I Am Funkadelic, I Am Not of yourWorld/ But fear me not, I will do you no harm/ Loan me your funky m<strong>in</strong>d,So I can play with it.' Like Galactus <strong>the</strong> planet-swallow<strong>in</strong>g god of <strong>the</strong>Marvel universe, <strong>the</strong> Funkulator lives by cosmophagy, <strong>the</strong> philosophicalrite that Susan Sontag expla<strong>in</strong>s as '<strong>the</strong> eat<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> world.' The noseknows that <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d is food for <strong>the</strong> maggots. Mommy What 's AFunkadelic? opens with Cl<strong>in</strong>ton drawl<strong>in</strong>g demonically ' If you will suck mysoul I will lick your funky emotion,' while Maggot Bra<strong>in</strong> circles around<strong>the</strong> cosmic bummer: 'I have tasted <strong>the</strong> Maggots <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> M<strong>in</strong>d of <strong>the</strong>Universe.' Here a universe is small enough to roll on <strong>the</strong> tongue:metaphysics desublimates, swaps shapes with a mouth as wide as <strong>the</strong>cosmos which spits out <strong>the</strong> soul <strong>in</strong> an endless well of phlegm.United Mutations of RmericaFunkadelic enlists you on <strong>the</strong> side of your darkest fears by tapp<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to<strong>the</strong> toxic drives of technology. Maggot Bra<strong>in</strong> 'could scare you to death.'The <strong>in</strong>side sleeve artwork of '72 'S America Eats Its Young shows <strong>the</strong>Statue of Liberty with bloodsta<strong>in</strong>ed fangs snack<strong>in</strong>g on babies. In Eulogyand Light, time slips backwards <strong>in</strong>to what Cl<strong>in</strong>ton will later term abackwashpsychosis, a terroride <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> Altered States and UnitedMutations of America.CyborganographicsPedro Bell's gatefold sleeve art for <strong>the</strong> '73-'76 albums Cosmic Slop,Stand<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>the</strong> Verge of Gett<strong>in</strong>g It On, Let's Take It to <strong>the</strong> Stage, Talesof Kidd Funkadelic and Hardcore jollies visualizes funkadelia as anorganographic Sonic Fiction. Funkadelia becomes an appall<strong>in</strong>gcyborganographics. At <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r extreme from Kraftwerk's seamlessmenschmach<strong>in</strong>e, <strong>the</strong> funk cyborg spills its guts <strong>in</strong> a diabolical chaos ofpustulat<strong>in</strong>g 'nastyness'. From '73 'S Cosmic Slop onwards, each Funkadelicscartoon - a cartoon that leaves scars, <strong>in</strong> Bell 's def<strong>in</strong>ition - revealsepisodes from a prolonged EcoRape of Mo<strong>the</strong>r Earth, with her maggothair, slitted eyes, po<strong>in</strong>ted <strong>in</strong>cisors. Felt-tipped <strong>in</strong>test<strong>in</strong>es emerge from<strong>the</strong> giant Mo<strong>the</strong>r figure, entrails escap<strong>in</strong>g from <strong>the</strong> bodily <strong>in</strong>corporationthat <strong>the</strong> digital materialist Nick Land terms <strong>the</strong> human security system.Digestive tracts, creep<strong>in</strong>g umbelli forms, organs without bodies <strong>more</strong>slimeware <strong>than</strong> wetware sli<strong>the</strong>r through space, squish<strong>in</strong>g over magaz<strong>in</strong>ecollages. Alimentary canals merge with maggots to becomeunidentifiable dripp<strong>in</strong>g matter ooz<strong>in</strong>g globules of goo. Aliens rivetedtoge<strong>the</strong>r from steel plates with jigsaw-puzzle shaped outl<strong>in</strong>es whereorgans should be slide altimeters from cold to hot. Funkadelia is totaldis-organization, <strong>the</strong> disconcert<strong>in</strong>g slurpy slew of cyborgans gone awol


03(056)03[057]<strong>in</strong> a universe of someone else's <strong>in</strong>sides. Pedro Bell's emetic pharmadeliawants you to vomit <strong>in</strong>gested emotion, beliefs swallowed and impacted<strong>in</strong>to boli. The conceptoxic landscape makes you sick to make you better.Funkadelia generates a global head, an ego that explodes <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> atomiccha<strong>in</strong> reaction. The detonat<strong>in</strong>g 'i' <strong>in</strong> Funkadelic's logo isatmospherocephalic <strong>in</strong> Dali's sense; it puts <strong>the</strong> external world '<strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong>service of <strong>the</strong> reality of our m<strong>in</strong>d'.In <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>formation fallout of <strong>the</strong> sampladelic era, Tricky designs ascatterbra<strong>in</strong> which th<strong>in</strong>ks bomblike. Jeru <strong>the</strong> Damajaa's equation forscattershot thought is 'my bra<strong>in</strong> C3 H5 N3 09 like nitroglycer<strong>in</strong>'.chase Through <strong>the</strong> Headphones: TrickyEquipped with contradictory visions, an ugly handcaged <strong>in</strong> pretty metal, I observe a new mechanique.I am <strong>the</strong> wild mach<strong>in</strong>ist, past destroyed,reconstruct<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> presentsamuel R. DelanyAbducted by AudioYou value <strong>the</strong> momentary sample because it abducts you. Levelsfluctuat<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>the</strong> phonel<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> Abbaon Fat Tracks, <strong>the</strong> mo<strong>the</strong>r whisper<strong>in</strong>g'Can you fly fast as you can to be with Jesus': all this is a w<strong>in</strong>dow open<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong> time, sound fall<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to your m<strong>in</strong>d, 0.5 seconds of processed videosignalcaptured from an unknown 50S tv film set <strong>in</strong> an imag<strong>in</strong>ary 40s.Sampl<strong>in</strong>g allows a way of collaps<strong>in</strong>g all eras of blackmusic onto a chipGreg TateThe AnachronizerThe sample works like <strong>the</strong> scene <strong>in</strong> Nic Roeg's '76 The Man Who Fell toEarth, where Thomas Newton sees <strong>the</strong> 18th C peasants through <strong>the</strong>yellow of centuries while <strong>the</strong>y see a white Rolls, suffused <strong>in</strong> blue,cruis<strong>in</strong>g through farmland . I would throwaway a century of movies forthis anachronic moment - when <strong>the</strong> 18th and 20th Cs <strong>in</strong>filtrate eacho<strong>the</strong>r, crossfad<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> time Miles calls yesternow.The sampler is <strong>the</strong> universal <strong>in</strong>strument, <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>strument that makesall o<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong>struments.The sampler operates just like this Roeg sequence or like <strong>the</strong> musicheard <strong>in</strong> Ishmael Reed's Egypt AD '72: 'A mixture of Sun Ra and Jimmy Reedplayed <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> nightclub district of ancient Egypt's "The Doma<strong>in</strong> of Osiris".'It 's an anachronizer that derealizes time: a snare from '69 MichiganUnited Studios, a duet of <strong>the</strong> Bombay Studio Orchestra from '72 on LedZeppel<strong>in</strong>'s Friends with gunshots modulated from a CCTV clip tovideostatic from a '63 ZDF documentary on Dogon cosmograms to <strong>the</strong>shriek of Jerry Goldsmith's Varesian arrangements for <strong>the</strong> Planet of <strong>the</strong>Apes soundtrack.You're abducted <strong>in</strong>to this world, distributed along its dimensions -but this world leans <strong>in</strong>to yours. Sampladelia is both <strong>the</strong> reality-effect ofsamples you recognize and <strong>the</strong> Orig<strong>in</strong> Unknown effect of samples youdon 't . These Unidentified Sonic Objects can suddenly substitute<strong>the</strong>mselves for <strong>the</strong> world, eclips<strong>in</strong>g it, orphan<strong>in</strong>g you, wash<strong>in</strong>g you up onits shores. There's a powerful sensation of deletion as samples triggersuccessive waves of syn<strong>the</strong>tic defamiliarization.The sampler - which <strong>in</strong>cludes <strong>the</strong> vcr and <strong>the</strong> ansafone - is amach<strong>in</strong>e for derealiz<strong>in</strong>g solid state sounds. Sampladelia is <strong>the</strong> state ofbe<strong>in</strong>g overcome by 20 seconds of sound.Motion captureThe Breakbeat functions by cutt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> track. It operates asMotion Capture, ruthlessly discard<strong>in</strong>g The Song, blatantly disregard<strong>in</strong>gorig<strong>in</strong>al <strong>in</strong>tent. Indifferent to tradition, <strong>the</strong> Breakbeat sacrifices <strong>the</strong>past to <strong>the</strong> now.Stripm<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> source draws attention to <strong>the</strong> Parliamentarian or <strong>the</strong>Serge Ga<strong>in</strong>sbourg archive, but <strong>the</strong> sampler function is as predatory as itis respectful.Sampler memory determ<strong>in</strong>es this as a rule for all sampladelia. Thesampler <strong>in</strong>sists you know what sounds you love.It imposes your sensual satisfaction on you as a condition of itsmemory capacity. You 're forced to externalize your taste. Every sampleis a report on from <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternal state of your sensorium. your personalselection amplified <strong>in</strong>to a global memorybank.


03[058]03[059]You Rre a HabitformDigg<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> crates means becom<strong>in</strong>g a samplef<strong>in</strong>der, hunt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>ignored audiozones, listen<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> world, chas<strong>in</strong>g down <strong>the</strong> remnant,<strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>different/ useless orig<strong>in</strong>al track. Listen<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> breaks flare upfrom <strong>the</strong> unfamiliar track, each sample recognizes you. Heard <strong>in</strong> it<strong>sun</strong>known orig<strong>in</strong>al, <strong>the</strong> beat becomes a Motion Capturer that seizes yoursk<strong>in</strong> memory, flashbacks your flesh. Each sample is an aural camerawhich reveals you as a Cl<strong>in</strong>tonian habitform, <strong>the</strong> organism formed byhabit. The sample, a w<strong>in</strong>dow <strong>in</strong>to psychoaffective time, exposes andexternalizes <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>stamatic mechanism that is your <strong>in</strong>nermost taste. Itretroactivates all <strong>the</strong> times <strong>the</strong> needle draws you to drop it on <strong>the</strong>groove. It reveals <strong>the</strong> spontaneous you as a servomechanism of <strong>the</strong>playback function, compelled to load <strong>the</strong> cd, press <strong>the</strong> remote, lift <strong>the</strong>needle off <strong>the</strong> runout groove. It reveals <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>timate <strong>in</strong>terface betweenyou and <strong>the</strong> turntable, makes audiovisual <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>e's view of you.Hear<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> orig<strong>in</strong>al recede <strong>in</strong>to unrecognizability reverses <strong>the</strong>Breakbeat procedure. Time turns back, returns you to a long-gone world<strong>in</strong> which OJ Kool Herc never <strong>in</strong>vented <strong>the</strong> Breakbeat.I feel alien, and like someone's go<strong>in</strong>g to recognizeme <strong>in</strong> a m<strong>in</strong>ute as an alienTrickyWraithOn Massive Attack's '91 Blue L<strong>in</strong>es, <strong>the</strong> HipHop voice deflates andspatializes <strong>in</strong>to a headphone music for headz, a bedroom music. WithTricky, post-HipHop headmusic becomes headless, wraithlike,unheimlich, at home nowhere. Tricky's <strong>in</strong>hibited murmur doesn't emergeso as much retreat asthmatically from <strong>the</strong> side of his mouth. TradHipHop hypes <strong>the</strong> voice, revs it <strong>in</strong>to a motor mouth. With Tricky, verbalflow slows down to a baleful crawl that cloaks Mart<strong>in</strong>a's wi<strong>the</strong>red huskof a drawl. Often, this croak is barely <strong>the</strong>re, just a shade of itself.Mart<strong>in</strong>a and Tricky are not so much s<strong>in</strong>gers as fluxes , perpetuallytransmitt<strong>in</strong>g abrupt bursts, human aerials resonat<strong>in</strong>g with <strong>the</strong> lowfrequencyoscillations of <strong>the</strong> city <strong>in</strong> tremulous sympathy. Tricky's not<strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong> narrative as much as psychogeographical textures that blur<strong>the</strong> subject = object divide <strong>in</strong>to a hazy cont<strong>in</strong>uum.Headspace is <strong>the</strong> geography of <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d which canbe reached by no telescopeR. Murray SchaferSubtract <strong>the</strong> SongAga<strong>in</strong>st pop's presence, its realtime voice, dub asserts <strong>the</strong> logic of <strong>the</strong>dropout, <strong>the</strong> song's gravity be<strong>in</strong>g plunged <strong>in</strong>to a yawn<strong>in</strong>g chasm, ofspace as an <strong>in</strong>vasive force on <strong>the</strong> song, x-ray<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> song structure,disembody<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> song, distribut<strong>in</strong>g its traces, hunt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> ghosts of<strong>sonic</strong> textures. Dub is <strong>the</strong> nth-degree warpfactor, <strong>the</strong> trace element. Itdisorganizes The Song, subtracts <strong>in</strong>to an apparition, a phantom funk ofstealth and <strong>in</strong>termittence.As an agent of alteration, dub's derealization of The Song's profile,its recognizable edges, feels far <strong>more</strong> present <strong>than</strong> does rub'soversouled human presence.The Blunt Smokes YouTricky is not so much a narcissist as a narcossist. Narcissists neversmoke, never do drugs because drugs take time away from yourself,precious time that <strong>the</strong> narcissist could be spend<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>the</strong>mselves. Thenarcissist gets high on <strong>the</strong> endless supplies of <strong>the</strong>mselves. The narciSSistworks fulltime on <strong>the</strong> endless job that is <strong>the</strong>mselves.For <strong>the</strong> narcossist, on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r hand, <strong>the</strong> self goes up <strong>in</strong> smoke.Be<strong>in</strong>g is an unbearable heav<strong>in</strong>ess.BomblikeThe narcossist dissipates all this hard work as easily as <strong>in</strong>hal<strong>in</strong>g: 'Mybra<strong>in</strong> th<strong>in</strong>ks my bra<strong>in</strong> th<strong>in</strong>ks bomblike.' Nowadays, as Tricky po<strong>in</strong>ts out'everyth<strong>in</strong>g happens at once, not just one th<strong>in</strong>g at a time. I'm try<strong>in</strong>g to be3-dimensional.' Like Basquiat's worldmach<strong>in</strong>e pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g Pegasus, Tricky isa hypersensitive human antenna, a human radar, an exposed cortex w(thall his nerves on <strong>the</strong> outside. 'My bra<strong>in</strong> th<strong>in</strong>ks bomblike': all <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>fo of<strong>the</strong> datasphere floods <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong>se human transmitters.By admitt<strong>in</strong>g to fl aws, amplify<strong>in</strong>g frailness, Tricky fashions a sear<strong>in</strong>gforce from weakness, implicates you <strong>in</strong> a conflict of confusion, spite,petulance, awkwardness; dysfunktionality disarms HipHop's bellicose


03[060]03[061]belligerence, dissolves House 's emotional carapace.The first sign of psychosis is a Christ complexThe lawnmower /lionVC Christ ComplexOevil SyndromeOn '95 'S Psychosis, The RZA 's diabolical atmosphere evacuates standardsong structure, replac<strong>in</strong>g it with a miasma of swarm<strong>in</strong>g drones, <strong>in</strong>fernalsighs, disembodied moans and magnified breath<strong>in</strong>g.The beats don't keep time; <strong>in</strong>stead <strong>the</strong>y drag time down <strong>in</strong>to adrugged tempo. A high-pitched hum <strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>uates through <strong>the</strong> track,deliberately <strong>in</strong>duc<strong>in</strong>g a new and improved t<strong>in</strong>nitus, <strong>the</strong> perpetual r<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>gof <strong>the</strong> ears that you can never switch off. No earl ids.The song's rema<strong>in</strong>s are saturated by an overwhelm<strong>in</strong>g claustrophobiathat pervades everyth<strong>in</strong>g. Your body cr<strong>in</strong>ges from its <strong>in</strong>fernal shakersbut <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>tensified malevolence reaches out and traps you , draws youdown <strong>in</strong>to its world. You 're caught <strong>in</strong>side a pair of giant lungs. Eachc1ose-miked <strong>in</strong>halation, each asthmatic heave draws you <strong>in</strong> through itsnostrils. Psychosis dra<strong>in</strong>s your lifeblood, leav<strong>in</strong>g you enervated, crushedby <strong>sonic</strong> pressure.Tricky's voice slows to a crawl<strong>in</strong>g shudder. Shiver<strong>in</strong>g shreds of voiceshadow each o<strong>the</strong>r, volume less shapes wri<strong>the</strong> around his croak<strong>in</strong>g deathrattle: 'So it seems I'm <strong>the</strong> Devil 's son / Out of breath and on <strong>the</strong>run/Jesus Christ <strong>the</strong>y wanna be me. ' Tricky expla<strong>in</strong>s <strong>the</strong> drug tech<strong>in</strong>terface of <strong>the</strong> Christ Complex: 'I smoke a lot of weed and , you know,it's a fact that people who smoke weed go through Devil syndromes andJesus syndromes.'Songs become prophetic visions that accelerate <strong>the</strong> apocalypse <strong>the</strong>ywarn aga<strong>in</strong>st: 'Space race <strong>the</strong> alien/The Devil 's come for me/ The Devil'scome for me. 'ParanoimiaI escape with my sanity, utiliz<strong>in</strong>g :Jrd vision /Surrounded by a :J-sided figure conta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> bra<strong>in</strong>of a trigger<strong>in</strong>g mechanismOrganized KonfusionThe world becomes a permanent threat, swarm<strong>in</strong>g with dog devilsand earth angels, a destabilized flux of perpetual paranoia. 720' ofperipheral suspicion, unfounded grudges and wild guesses: all <strong>the</strong>seexternalize <strong>the</strong>mselves, split off, roam around, come alive.The RZA stretches out each word <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> spooked shudder of HannaBarbera horrorcore. Syntax is dragged until speech is dried out, all <strong>the</strong>words are Wi<strong>the</strong>red, Sibilated, sucked from an oxygen mask.The RZA w<strong>in</strong>ces after each l<strong>in</strong>e as if needles <strong>in</strong>k out tattoos on hisback: 'There is no <strong>more</strong> ra<strong>in</strong> left <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> forest. Everyth<strong>in</strong>g is petrified,terrified, horrified.' His voice crawls to a stage whisper.HipHop enters a digital Dark Age <strong>in</strong> which <strong>the</strong> Seven Deadly S<strong>in</strong>s, <strong>the</strong>Christian psychomachies, return as audiohalluc<strong>in</strong>ations, psychicpathologies plagu<strong>in</strong>g HipHop's wretched hoodrats: 'You have been denied<strong>the</strong> right to your 3rd Eye. Now it's shut t .. . t ... t. .. t. .. t ... t .. . t. No <strong>more</strong>to be opened' [laughs). On one hand <strong>the</strong> 3rd Eye is an obsolete p<strong>in</strong>ealgland, <strong>the</strong> remnant of ape , ,human evolution, a million-year-old bodysensor. On <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r, it's <strong>the</strong> large, unexpla<strong>in</strong>ed blank spot <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> middleof <strong>the</strong> visual field, <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d's eye, <strong>the</strong> threshold to godlike perception,<strong>the</strong> eye of <strong>in</strong>sight that gives humans immaterial <strong>in</strong>nervisions.


04(062)INNERSPATIALIZINGTHE SONG04(063)I <strong>in</strong>troduce myself as a mistakeIndelible IotesThe Secret Life of Sound Mach<strong>in</strong>esPerry is <strong>the</strong> analyst of <strong>the</strong> studio's ability to extend perception. Themix<strong>in</strong>g desk decomposes The Song, leav<strong>in</strong>g a skeletal ribcage. The BlackArk studio is a mach<strong>in</strong>e lifeform: '1 see <strong>the</strong> studio must be like a liv<strong>in</strong>gth<strong>in</strong>g, a life itself. The mach<strong>in</strong>e must be live and <strong>in</strong>telligent. Thejackpanel is like <strong>the</strong> bra<strong>in</strong> itself so you got to patch up <strong>the</strong> bra<strong>in</strong> andmake <strong>the</strong> bra<strong>in</strong> a liv<strong>in</strong>g man.'Dub demands symbiosis that externalizes <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d, drasticallyreconfigur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> human producer <strong>in</strong>to a mach<strong>in</strong>e be<strong>in</strong>g, an audiocyborg: 'You are listen<strong>in</strong>' to a mach<strong>in</strong>e. 1 imitate human be<strong>in</strong>g, I'm amach<strong>in</strong>e be<strong>in</strong>g, 1 don't work with human be<strong>in</strong>gs.' When you sculpt spacewith <strong>the</strong> mix<strong>in</strong>g desk, <strong>the</strong>se technical effects - gate and reverb, echo andflange - are routes through a network of volumes, doorways and tunnelsconnect<strong>in</strong>g spatial architectures.[Towards 0] MythScience of <strong>the</strong> Mix<strong>in</strong>g Desk: The UpsetterFar from Rastafari 's flat-earth metaphysics, its fundamentalist blood andfire, Lee Perry's productions and <strong>the</strong>ory <strong>fiction</strong>s open up an entirely newfield: <strong>the</strong> MythScience of <strong>the</strong> mix<strong>in</strong>g desk. The Upsetter taps <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong>secret life of sound mach<strong>in</strong>es, opens <strong>the</strong> cybernetics of <strong>the</strong> studio.Remix Your HeadIn <strong>the</strong> Upsetter's conceptechnics, <strong>the</strong> mix<strong>in</strong>g desk is a mental mach<strong>in</strong>e, am<strong>in</strong>d mach<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong>terface. Perry diagrams <strong>the</strong> neurocircuitry of <strong>the</strong>Soundcraft mix<strong>in</strong>g board, its thought flow: '1 put my m<strong>in</strong>d <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong>mach<strong>in</strong>e and <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>e performs reality. Invisible thoughtwaves, youput <strong>the</strong>m <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>e by send<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>m through <strong>the</strong> controls and <strong>the</strong>knobs or you jack it <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> jackpanel.' It is a medium that formsreality, violently bend<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> environment, massag<strong>in</strong>g it.We're tak<strong>in</strong>g over <strong>the</strong> <strong>sun</strong>, we're chang<strong>in</strong>g time, we'rechang<strong>in</strong>g spaceThe Iotighty UpsetterMeteorology of <strong>the</strong> EchoplexUs<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Echoplex to clone echoes and <strong>the</strong> Roland Space Echo to delaytime and accumulate shocks of reverberation, Perry reremixes nthdimensionalimpacts, nei<strong>the</strong>r snares nor syncussion but perplex<strong>in</strong>g,confound<strong>in</strong>g SonoMatter. In <strong>the</strong> electromagnetic nth world of '75 'SRevolution Dub and '78'S Return of <strong>the</strong> Super Ape, The Song isdis<strong>in</strong>terred until its ghost universes populate <strong>the</strong> world.Return of <strong>the</strong> Super Ape is dub that disturbs <strong>the</strong> atmosphere until ityields poltergeists. Arriv<strong>in</strong>g ahead of cause, sound turns motiveless,premonitional, <strong>in</strong>explicable. 'Well, [<strong>the</strong> drumsl were go<strong>in</strong>g through <strong>the</strong>Echoplex and with <strong>the</strong> Echoplex we can do anyth<strong>in</strong>g. We can changeenergy and feel<strong>in</strong>gs.' Stray <strong>sonic</strong> debris crashes through space, looms<strong>in</strong>to closeup. Effects decelerate until <strong>the</strong>y become baffl<strong>in</strong>g, frustrat<strong>in</strong>gricochets from an unloaded gun. The w<strong>in</strong>d of Baudelaire's w<strong>in</strong>gs ofmadness sends sounds career<strong>in</strong>g across liv<strong>in</strong>g space. 'The drum contro ls<strong>the</strong> heartbeat and <strong>the</strong> bass holds <strong>the</strong> space. I dub from <strong>in</strong>ner to outer


04(064)04(065)space. The sound that I get out of <strong>the</strong> Black Ark studio, I don't really getit out of no o<strong>the</strong>r studiO. It was like a space craft. You could hear space<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> tracks.'Space between sound doesn't drop out, it's pulled out from betweenbeats until it convulses, buckles, folds up <strong>in</strong>to fists of solid air thatbuffet you with what Perry calls <strong>the</strong> Shocks of <strong>the</strong> Mighty. Giantpulsations trample space like colossal youth. Glass shatters, slows down<strong>in</strong>to collaps<strong>in</strong>g cardboard. The ghosts of ghosts of effects, 5th generationfx, unforeheard screams, rattles and rustles agitate <strong>the</strong> air.Separated from its cause, <strong>the</strong> Echoplex creates an om<strong>in</strong>ousnesswithout an object, an all-pervasive feel<strong>in</strong>g of force undef<strong>in</strong>ed, ofatmospheric energies, which rends The Song, tears it apart. The mix<strong>in</strong>gdesk accesses <strong>the</strong> magnetic fields. It is a control tower from which <strong>the</strong>turbulence of technology is reconfigured: 'We are here at <strong>the</strong> TurntableTerranova, it means we are tak<strong>in</strong>g over. We 're tak<strong>in</strong>g over <strong>the</strong> air, we'retak<strong>in</strong>g over <strong>the</strong> mounts, we're tak<strong>in</strong>g over <strong>the</strong> star, we're tak<strong>in</strong>g over <strong>the</strong><strong>sun</strong>, we're chang<strong>in</strong>g time, we're chang<strong>in</strong>g power, we're chang<strong>in</strong>g grace,we're chang<strong>in</strong>g space.'In a World of EchoAs soon as you have echo, listen<strong>in</strong>g has to completely change. Your earhas to chase <strong>the</strong> sound. Instead of <strong>the</strong> beat be<strong>in</strong>g this one event <strong>in</strong> time,it becomes this series of retreat<strong>in</strong>g echoes, like a tail of sound. The beatbecomes a tail which is always disappear<strong>in</strong>g round <strong>the</strong> corner and yourear has to start chas<strong>in</strong>g it. If you're wear<strong>in</strong>g headphones or a walkman itbecomes a chase through <strong>the</strong> headphones. The Echoplex turns listen<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>to runn<strong>in</strong>g. You can't catch <strong>the</strong> beat, <strong>the</strong> tails of sound as <strong>the</strong>y turn<strong>the</strong> corner, disappear down a corridor. From K<strong>in</strong>g Tubby to BasicChannel, <strong>the</strong> cymbal is always just out of reach, always tak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> cornerof perception. Where rhythm should be <strong>the</strong>re is space, and vice versa.Spectral dub pivots around an absent beat. Revolution Dub is TheUpsetter's m<strong>in</strong>dfield. Every track ambushes you, confounds <strong>the</strong> processof pattern cognition by leav<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> expected beat implied. By open<strong>in</strong>gholes at <strong>the</strong> tightest moments of <strong>the</strong> groove, pulse falls throughsubtracted space, polyrhythm wrongfoots you, tugs and pushes atexpectation, yanks <strong>the</strong> floorboards from underneath you. Echo turns <strong>the</strong>bea t from a localized impact <strong>in</strong>to an environment with you <strong>in</strong>side.Refractions bounce back from any surface. Initially <strong>the</strong> snare hits astretched drumsk<strong>in</strong>, <strong>the</strong> pedal depresses air between 2 cymbals so ithisses. Pneumatic metal pressure. Now <strong>the</strong> impact that run away fromyour hear<strong>in</strong>g rebounds back at you from <strong>the</strong> wall, <strong>the</strong> ceil<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>the</strong> floor.The world turns <strong>in</strong>to a giant drum with you at its centre. Beats ricochetoff 360' , curv<strong>in</strong>g around <strong>the</strong> walls of <strong>the</strong> world.sitcom Ghosts stalk <strong>the</strong> Spectral SongBy br<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> outside <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>side of The Song, Perry releasessitcom ghosts <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> spectral Song. Perry samples tv before <strong>the</strong>sampler, just as Holger Czukay uses radiO , draw<strong>in</strong>g signals down through<strong>the</strong> aerials <strong>in</strong>to The Song, crackl<strong>in</strong>g open ano<strong>the</strong>r timezone <strong>in</strong>side <strong>the</strong>track. Space changes places. Reality reverses itself.The bursts of smash<strong>in</strong>g glass, squawl<strong>in</strong>g babies, trickl<strong>in</strong>g water, toiletflushes, rustl<strong>in</strong>g w<strong>in</strong>d scatter The Song to <strong>the</strong> w<strong>in</strong>ds. Perry enlists acry<strong>in</strong>g baby, a cow, a horse and a 70S tv sitcom on back<strong>in</strong>g vocals. Like agreat grandfa<strong>the</strong>r clock gone loco, each production becomes apercussion contraption, sprung open and haywired. Shakers, rattles,whistles, croakers, bells, toy piano, arthritic drum boxes <strong>in</strong> a perpetualrhythms hower, a molecular motion.The Black Ark studio switches on a technology-magic discont<strong>in</strong>uum.Operat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> mix<strong>in</strong>g desk demands you explore its network of alter<strong>in</strong>gspaces. Perry crosses <strong>in</strong>to its ghost dimension, walks through <strong>the</strong>temporal maze of aural architecture. 'So me jo<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> ghost squad longtimeand <strong>the</strong>m notice me as <strong>the</strong> Ghost Capta<strong>in</strong>. I am <strong>the</strong> Ghost Capta<strong>in</strong>.''Revolution Dub is not so much produced as reduced by Perry. TheSong is x-rayed <strong>in</strong>to exoskeletal forms through which tv leaks . ForWoman 's Dub, <strong>the</strong> distorted snares drum like needlepo<strong>in</strong>t magick, butrusted, ferric. Kojak is an <strong>in</strong>toxicated mix, an echochamber of moans <strong>in</strong>which space staggers and lurches dangerously.In Doctor on <strong>the</strong> Go, Perry picks out a hesitant lullaby on piano,croon<strong>in</strong>g ' Doctor on <strong>the</strong> Go' over and over as if he's be<strong>in</strong>g bereavedwhile <strong>the</strong> studio laughtrack shudders <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>n subsides back <strong>in</strong>to babble,<strong>the</strong>me tune and studio applause. Incongruous occupation of <strong>the</strong> samedimension, ambiences rub <strong>in</strong> an <strong>in</strong>compatible friction. Bush Weed'sdrums are reversed so <strong>the</strong> cymbal susta<strong>in</strong> expands <strong>in</strong> a metallic shimmerbefore <strong>the</strong> snares beat time. The snares drum like knitt<strong>in</strong>g needles onsilver fOil, microscopic magick tha t anticipates <strong>the</strong> nth-dimensionalneedlepo<strong>in</strong>t of 4 Hero's The Paranormal <strong>in</strong> Four Forms. Ra<strong>in</strong>drops and anature-documentary voiceover seeps <strong>in</strong>: 'Man has always been a threatto woodla nd a nimals.' Throughout Re vo lution Dub, Perry's bereft,


04[066]totter<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> a tremulous falsetto of compell<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>decipherability. InRa<strong>in</strong>drops, he s<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> an eggshell treble as fragile as Leslie Cheung, <strong>the</strong>Ch<strong>in</strong>ese boy-girl performer <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> '93 film Farewell My Concub<strong>in</strong>e, andtiptoes through Bird <strong>in</strong> Hand on lily pads. On <strong>the</strong> snare drop, his tremolois languidity, rockabye bassmotion.05[067]VIRTUALIZING THEBREAKBEATR Field Trip through an Electromagnetic Environment of DistortionThe <strong>sonic</strong> future from Kraftwerk to P<strong>in</strong>k Floyd is always balanced,quadrophonically separated. Perry makes distortion <strong>the</strong> lead <strong>in</strong>strument<strong>in</strong> his <strong>in</strong>toxicated mixology, <strong>in</strong> which balance lurches, <strong>the</strong> spatialcoord<strong>in</strong>ates of up and down, near and far all heave and yaw <strong>in</strong> aseasickness of <strong>the</strong> ear, a drunkenness of <strong>the</strong> head.Balance, <strong>the</strong> Trad location and identification of sound <strong>in</strong> space, isreplaced by a seesaw<strong>in</strong>g motion, <strong>in</strong>duc<strong>in</strong>g an oppression by space, athreaten<strong>in</strong>g sense that space is about to crush you, push you off thisrevolv<strong>in</strong>g planet. Your hear<strong>in</strong>g is on <strong>the</strong> verge of throw<strong>in</strong>g up.With The Upsetter, depth of field is nei<strong>the</strong>r weightless and empty norvault<strong>in</strong>g and overwhelm<strong>in</strong>g. Instead it's crowded with crackle, seeth<strong>in</strong>g,heav<strong>in</strong>g, teem<strong>in</strong>g with wraiths deprived of def<strong>in</strong>ition, lost from history,jostl<strong>in</strong>g for space. 'His method of dump<strong>in</strong>g tracks onto one track to free<strong>the</strong>m for fur<strong>the</strong>r overdubb<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>troduced an effect of degradation thatbecame an essential part of <strong>the</strong> mix.' What Steve Barrow callsdegradation is electromagnetic enchantment. In Return of <strong>the</strong> Super Ape,<strong>the</strong> fuzz and leakage of nth-generation tape-distress become lead<strong>in</strong>struments, drown<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> echoscape <strong>in</strong> a haze of electric feedback.Distortion pushes at <strong>the</strong> limits of <strong>the</strong> medium until it exceeds <strong>the</strong>medium, The Song implod<strong>in</strong>g, dis<strong>in</strong>tegrat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to oxide, drizzl<strong>in</strong>g ra<strong>in</strong>,sibilance, an entire spectral dimension <strong>in</strong> sound.The tracks succumb to apparitions, become porous, crackle like <strong>the</strong>celluloid burn<strong>in</strong>g up at <strong>the</strong> end of Ingmar Bergman's film '66 Persona.Degeneration: Regeneration. Sound sussurates <strong>in</strong>to an electromagneticnth world through which ghosts grow, effects superimpose andwraiths congregate.Listen<strong>in</strong>g becomes a field trip through a found environment.Everyth<strong>in</strong>g emerges from <strong>the</strong> subaudible static of underwaterelectrickery, perpetually rustl<strong>in</strong>g and granulat<strong>in</strong>g, fibrous and aquatic.Perry buries video tapes <strong>in</strong> soil, turn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> medium environmental.Wildstyle Adventures <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Hyperdimensions of <strong>the</strong> Breakbeat:4 Hero, Rob Playford and Goldie, A Guy Called GeraldTraditionally, <strong>the</strong> music of <strong>the</strong> future is always beatless. To be futuristicis to jettison rhythm. The beat is <strong>the</strong> ballast which prevents escapevelocity, which stops music break<strong>in</strong>g beyond <strong>the</strong> event horizon. Themusic of <strong>the</strong> future is weightless, transcendent, neatly converg<strong>in</strong>g withonl<strong>in</strong>e disembodiment. Holst's Planet Suite as used <strong>in</strong> Kubrick's 2001,Eno 's Apollo soundtrack, Vangel is ' Blade Runner soundtrack: all <strong>the</strong>seare good records - but <strong>sonic</strong>ally speak<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>the</strong>y're as futuristic as <strong>the</strong>Titanic, noth<strong>in</strong>g but updated examples of an 18th C sublime.


05[068]05[069]Technology has made us look at music through a microscopeGoldieThe Computerization of <strong>the</strong> BreakbeatWith <strong>the</strong> post-Marley Marl computerization of <strong>the</strong> Breakbeat, all this[rlearview hear<strong>in</strong>g is over. To go out <strong>in</strong>to space today means to gofur<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong>to rhythm . Far from abandon<strong>in</strong>g rhythm, <strong>the</strong> Futurist produceris <strong>the</strong> scientist who goes deeper <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> break, who crosses <strong>the</strong>threshold of <strong>the</strong> human drummer <strong>in</strong> order to <strong>in</strong>vestigate <strong>the</strong>hyperdimensions of <strong>the</strong> dematerialized Breakbeat.Our drummers don't sweat any<strong>more</strong>KraftwerkBreakbeat Science Is Rhythmic PsychedeliaThe Breakbeat scientist never sweats: rhythmatics becomes less aboutpractice, <strong>more</strong> about 'th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g and hear<strong>in</strong>g', as Kraftwerk said. Mov<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> possibility space of hyperrhythm, posthuman rhythm that'simpossible to play, impossible to hear <strong>in</strong> a history of causation. ForGoldie, hyperrhythm beg<strong>in</strong>s at <strong>the</strong> po<strong>in</strong>t when 'we've lost <strong>the</strong> drummer';at <strong>the</strong> moment when 'you're read<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> break like braille.'To talk of <strong>the</strong> 'future of computer music' immediately presumes aacademic composer-scientist locked <strong>in</strong>to a prewar model of top-downofficial science. But Breakbeat science is <strong>the</strong> runaway future of computermusic, <strong>in</strong> which alphanumerical sound escapes from <strong>the</strong> lab, replicat<strong>in</strong>gacross bedroom studios <strong>in</strong> a series of covert operations. Breakbeatscience is <strong>the</strong> secret technology of gene-splic<strong>in</strong>g sound, <strong>the</strong> unofficialscience of rhythm hack<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> break until it becomes a passage <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong>drumtrip and <strong>the</strong> drumtrick, an escalation of rhythmic timbreffects. AsDego McFarlane of 4 Hero expla<strong>in</strong>s: 'You end up with a sound that's likea 6th-generation sample, completely different to what you started with.'HypercussionHyperrhythm's digital supersession of <strong>the</strong> human immediately a lters yourperception of <strong>the</strong> percussive act. As an actional event <strong>in</strong> times pace,drumm<strong>in</strong>g loses its solidity. Breakbeat science scrambles <strong>the</strong> logic ofcausation, opens up a new illogic of hypercussion and supercussion.The Paranormal <strong>in</strong> Four Forms exemplifies <strong>the</strong> supercussive goal of 4Hero: to reconfigure rhythms so that <strong>the</strong>y travel through space.McFarlane and Goldie 'used to talk about this sound that would go all<strong>the</strong> way around and tap you on <strong>the</strong> shoulder.' In Paranormal, rhythm is aheatseek<strong>in</strong>g break which goes awol, reorganiz<strong>in</strong>g sound <strong>in</strong>to anaerodynamic epic. Each break branches, <strong>the</strong> rattlesnake break <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>right speaker travels around your head, fad<strong>in</strong>g beh<strong>in</strong>d your neck,swallow<strong>in</strong>g its tail. The left-Side break fades away beh<strong>in</strong>d your head,<strong>in</strong>tersect<strong>in</strong>g with <strong>the</strong> right <strong>in</strong> a sub<strong>sonic</strong> turbulence, reemerg<strong>in</strong>g so closeit grazes your head while <strong>the</strong> right is far off, subaudible.Simultaneously <strong>the</strong> left-side break distresses <strong>in</strong>to a high-pitched tonewhich drops out only to loom up <strong>in</strong> your ear, shriek<strong>in</strong>g like a jetfighter.Beh<strong>in</strong>d you space trembles as each flightpath agitates <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r's orbit atdifferent speeds.Caught up <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> AudiomazeWith The Paranormal <strong>in</strong> Four Forms, you're <strong>in</strong>side b<strong>in</strong>auralanamorphosis, all caught up <strong>in</strong> what producer Dr S. Gachet terms <strong>the</strong>audiomaze. Beats split and launch <strong>the</strong>mselves <strong>in</strong> parallel flightpaths. Theleft side is effected <strong>in</strong>to a transistor treble, peak<strong>in</strong>g at a stress-<strong>in</strong>duc<strong>in</strong>gscreech. The 2 cross, each swallows <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r and everyth<strong>in</strong>g is tubedthrough an nth-dimensional torus.Drumsticks become knitt<strong>in</strong>g needles hitt<strong>in</strong>g electrified bedspr<strong>in</strong>gs at180 bpm, crackl<strong>in</strong>g on impact with humps of atonal bass. Each beatrecoils play<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> nerves like a harp. Both orbits co<strong>in</strong>cide, <strong>the</strong> right asknife-sharpen<strong>in</strong>g scy<strong>the</strong>, <strong>the</strong> left as speed-metal blur, rattlesnake spasmswhich compress <strong>in</strong>to bedspr<strong>in</strong>gs as taut as Tesla coils.At this level altered beats trigger what Method Man termssubcraz<strong>in</strong>ess. McFarlane recalls 'kids com<strong>in</strong>g up to you, talk<strong>in</strong>g about TheParanormal, say<strong>in</strong>g how <strong>the</strong>y saw th<strong>in</strong>gs com<strong>in</strong>g out of <strong>the</strong> lights andtried to grab <strong>the</strong>m.' Wound up <strong>in</strong>to a hairtrigger tautness, breaksspr<strong>in</strong>gload <strong>the</strong> reflexes until you become a body-gun ach<strong>in</strong>g to bereleased. Your muscles seize up, your neck cr<strong>in</strong>ges, your entire bodyhunches up. You're a giant haunch, ready to be released by <strong>the</strong> trigger.


05(070)05(071)science today has become a mach<strong>in</strong>e of outrageousrepresentationPaul VirilioThe Physics of PhysicalityHyperrhythm generates a new physics of physicality. K<strong>in</strong>aes<strong>the</strong>ticdisorientations become audible <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> astrophysical track titles of 4 Hero's'94 concept double album Parallel Universe, <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> sensory superparadoxesof Escher's '54 lithograph Tetrahedral Planetoid. Space titles announce that<strong>the</strong> physical laws of rhythm are about to be <strong>in</strong>voluted, just as a wr<strong>in</strong>kle <strong>in</strong>time collapses <strong>the</strong> fabric of space-time. The scientific title makes rhythmicpsychedelia audible. The science <strong>in</strong> Breakbeat science doesn't dra<strong>in</strong>sensation; <strong>in</strong>stead it opens up a possibility space of hypersensation.Rhythmically speak<strong>in</strong>g, science sensualizes. Physics doesn't numb <strong>the</strong>senses, it <strong>in</strong>tensifies <strong>the</strong>m. When <strong>the</strong> eye's capacity to expla<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> earbreaks down, physics takes over. SCience takes. control as soon as <strong>the</strong>visual collapses. The cognitive dissonance of science amplifies <strong>the</strong>perceptual wrench of rhythmic psychedelia.Quantum physics translates easily <strong>in</strong>to Marvel comics and WarnerBros cartoons because quarks, gluons and <strong>the</strong> Big Bang all po<strong>in</strong>t to <strong>the</strong>malleable laws underp<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g physical reality. It's not God's Word thatunderp<strong>in</strong>s <strong>the</strong> subatomic Universe, it's Plastic Man's.Breakbeat science <strong>the</strong>refore opens a cont<strong>in</strong>uum between title andtrack across which sensory concepts move freely. Rhythmach<strong>in</strong>es d/ evolve<strong>in</strong>to Sonic Science. Science d/ evolves <strong>in</strong>to Foucault's sensationalphantasmaphysics, <strong>the</strong> 'speculative fantasy of science' that Ballard calledfor back <strong>in</strong> '62.The impossible physical states of quantum chromodynamics easilybecome Parliament's quarks and gluons. Radio astrophysics becomesDrexciya's aquawormholes. Physics is <strong>the</strong> gateway <strong>in</strong>to a k<strong>in</strong>aes<strong>the</strong>sia <strong>in</strong>which geometry is physical, topology sensual.Breakbeat science is <strong>the</strong> physics of rhythm. It impacts at levels barelyexplicable <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> normal languages of sensation. Beats become abstract at<strong>the</strong> po<strong>in</strong>t when <strong>the</strong> body succumbs to sensations which <strong>in</strong>duce a gulfcrisis <strong>in</strong> speech, when language falls away and fails, happily.The AbstractTime stretches <strong>in</strong>to a state of sensory shipwreck that producer Roni Size<strong>in</strong> '94 termed <strong>the</strong> 'Phizical'. Ra<strong>the</strong>r <strong>than</strong> disembody<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> body, <strong>the</strong>digital Breakbeat <strong>in</strong>tensifies it, at a level <strong>more</strong> sensed <strong>than</strong> explicated.This communication breakdown is what Breakbeat science calls abstract.Abstract doesn't mean rarefied or detached but <strong>the</strong> opposite: <strong>the</strong>body stutter<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>the</strong> edge of a future sound, teeter<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>the</strong> br<strong>in</strong>k ofnew speech.Breakbeat science's extreme rhythmic <strong>in</strong>volution forCibly <strong>in</strong>ducts you<strong>in</strong>to a new motor system, turns you <strong>in</strong>to a stepper roll<strong>in</strong>' with re<strong>in</strong>forcedreflexes. Listen<strong>in</strong>g sharpens up <strong>the</strong> senses until <strong>the</strong>y bristle like spikes.The body is be<strong>in</strong>g mutated limb by limb, as jungle producer MarvellousCa<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>sists, by phizical convolutions that language hasn't caught up withyet. Language drags its flabby arse after sound. Therefore it is misspelt,contorted, r<strong>in</strong>sed out. Language lags beh<strong>in</strong>d beats and must be mashedup. Your motorsensory system communicates paral<strong>in</strong>guistically from afuture which today's media can't even beg<strong>in</strong> to decrypt.To say that today's producer is <strong>in</strong>articulate and monosyllabic onlyreveals how standard criticism is deaf to <strong>the</strong> sensory spectrum captured<strong>in</strong> Sonic Fiction, PhonoFiction and mach<strong>in</strong>e mythologies. It is ord<strong>in</strong>arylanguage that's dumb and which must be adapted. The nervous system,<strong>the</strong> first sensory field to be overhauled by digital rhythm, is now far <strong>in</strong>advance of all Trad understand<strong>in</strong>g. Breakbeat science compels you <strong>in</strong>to<strong>the</strong> state diagnosed by Norman Mailer <strong>in</strong> '57: 'We are obliged to meet <strong>the</strong>tempo of <strong>the</strong> present and <strong>the</strong> future with reflexes and rhythms whichcome from <strong>the</strong> past; <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>efficient and often antiquated nervous circuitsof <strong>the</strong> past strangle our potentiality for respond<strong>in</strong>g to new possibilities.'The Distributed Bra<strong>in</strong> Is a BodyThe sensory motor reflexes of <strong>the</strong> body are centuries ahead of m<strong>in</strong>dsstill locked <strong>in</strong>to dead traditions. The body is a distributed bra<strong>in</strong>, a bigbra<strong>in</strong> whose zones are none<strong>the</strong>less separated from each o<strong>the</strong>r bycenturies, <strong>in</strong>herited habits.4 Hero's Parallel Universe is all drumtrips and drumtricks, whosepurpose is to spr<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> sensorium <strong>in</strong>to activity, to turn on <strong>the</strong> entirebody as a big bra<strong>in</strong>. The body th<strong>in</strong>ks <strong>in</strong> unknown k<strong>in</strong>ds of bodily<strong>in</strong>telligence because it's a large bra<strong>in</strong>, because <strong>the</strong> bra<strong>in</strong> is distributedacross <strong>the</strong> entire surface of <strong>the</strong> body. Rhythmic psychedelia <strong>the</strong>reforeactivates new k<strong>in</strong>ds of dermal thought, 3rd-Ear hear<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>the</strong> transensory


05(072)05(073)capacities of embodied thought. The ear's power to locate <strong>the</strong> shape ofsound <strong>in</strong> time, what audiovisual <strong>the</strong>orist Michel Chion calls its 'temporalresolv<strong>in</strong>g powers', are sped up and <strong>in</strong>voluted, baffl<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> body's senseof location <strong>in</strong> time. In Solar Emissions detuned anamorphic warps andquarks flare above your head, make your ears squ<strong>in</strong>t.Rhythmic psychedelia triggers <strong>the</strong> eye <strong>in</strong> your ear, <strong>the</strong> feel<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ear, roborapper Craig Mack's 'flava <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> ear': 'When k<strong>in</strong>etic sensationsorganized <strong>in</strong>to art are transmitted through a s<strong>in</strong>gle sensory channel,through this s<strong>in</strong>gle channel <strong>the</strong>y can convey all <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r senses at once,rhythmic, dynamic, tactile and k<strong>in</strong>etic sensations that make use of both<strong>the</strong> auditory and visual channels.'The graffiti artist cracked <strong>the</strong> letter first.Now I use a Mac to do <strong>the</strong> same th<strong>in</strong>gGoldieOf PictogrammatologyGraffiti turns <strong>the</strong> message <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> medium. Instead of look<strong>in</strong>g through<strong>the</strong> letter, <strong>the</strong> eye is arrested by <strong>the</strong> letter, travels across its surface. Intransform<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> letter <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> pictogram, <strong>the</strong> word becomes an imageenvironment.Look<strong>in</strong>g becomes a movement <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> dimensions of <strong>the</strong>pictogram, a fall through <strong>the</strong> impossible topology of <strong>the</strong> 3rd dimensionthat emerges from <strong>the</strong> 2nd-dimension wall.Break<strong>in</strong>' <strong>in</strong> SpaceParallel Universe crosses texturhythmic thresholds. Collaps<strong>in</strong>g pitchambushes you <strong>in</strong>to a transformation scene on fastforward, draws you <strong>in</strong>tonew sensory spectra, mixed feel<strong>in</strong>gs, polyparadoxical drum emotions notyet named. Shadow Run is a sequence of grandfa<strong>the</strong>r c10ckchimes runn<strong>in</strong>gdown with an offkey queas<strong>in</strong>ess until what sounds like tape starts tobuckle and bump as if it's spool<strong>in</strong>g out over <strong>the</strong> mix<strong>in</strong>g desk and <strong>in</strong>tospace. Keyboards bend and shift pitch <strong>in</strong>to glut<strong>in</strong>ous, melt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>fragamelan.The bass buckles and wilts. Rhythmic signals are filteredthrough syn<strong>the</strong>sizers until <strong>the</strong>y coil like cables and spr<strong>in</strong>gs.Percussion melts <strong>in</strong>to spongy texturematter that spills its guts over<strong>the</strong> track, escap<strong>in</strong>g from <strong>the</strong> world of <strong>the</strong> track to probe around yourhead, circl<strong>in</strong>g your heat. Titles such as Sunspots, Solar Emissions andWr<strong>in</strong>kles <strong>in</strong> Time suggest that break<strong>in</strong>g down standard speeds <strong>in</strong>tomolecular plastic, <strong>in</strong>to stuff you play with, is <strong>the</strong> aural equivalent ofgo<strong>in</strong>g through <strong>the</strong> Star Gate <strong>in</strong> 2001. Computerization allows 4 Hero to<strong>in</strong>vestigate microscopically <strong>the</strong> microtones of pitch <strong>in</strong> drums, bass andsynth. Mark Clair of 4 Hero recalls that 'We used to have weekendswhere we 'd just make sounds and process breaks.'By us<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> sampler's quantum expansion of <strong>the</strong> ASDR envelope toalter ra<strong>the</strong>r <strong>than</strong> repair <strong>the</strong> broken beat, rhythm crosses <strong>the</strong> thresholdfrom wood to metal to what producer Jay Magick terms 'needlepo<strong>in</strong>tmagick'. Drumsticks wri<strong>the</strong> like poised rattlesnakes, beats become bladesthat slash and scy<strong>the</strong> at '70 bpm , knitt<strong>in</strong>g needles that hit t<strong>in</strong>foil so fastthat each impact triggers a spitt<strong>in</strong>g crackle of fuzz.Beyond wild style: Computer StyleWildstyle <strong>in</strong>tensifies graffiti 's 3D impossibility <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> hyperimpossibleimage-levels of 5D. Kaze 2: 'Wildstyle was <strong>the</strong> coord<strong>in</strong>ate style and <strong>the</strong>ncomputer. That's what I brought out. Nobody else can get down with it'cause it's too 5th-dimensional. I call it <strong>the</strong> 5th-dimensional step-parallelstaircase, 'cause it's like Computer Style <strong>in</strong> a step-formulated way. It's justsectioned off <strong>the</strong> way I want. Like if I take a knife and cut it, and slice,you know, I'll slice it to my own section and I'll call it Computer Style.'Kaze 2'S 5D art translates Escher's '53 lithograph Relativity to <strong>the</strong>letter. Beyond Wildstyle, <strong>the</strong> Computer Style is when <strong>the</strong> letter asenvironment becomes <strong>the</strong> letter as an Escherized maze. Computer Styleis <strong>the</strong> alphabet gone digital, typography remodelled, remixed andencrypted. The writer becomes DJ Hype's computerizer.The Battle of PlanesIn <strong>the</strong> notes for Relativity, Escher expla<strong>in</strong>s that 'three gravitationalforces operate perpendicularly'. In Wildstyle, civil war breaks outbetween operat<strong>in</strong>g "gravitational forces"' so that 'background andforeground take turns chang<strong>in</strong>g functions. A cont<strong>in</strong>u<strong>in</strong>g competitionexists between <strong>the</strong> two.'To look is to have your head wrecked. Computer Style <strong>in</strong>volutes <strong>the</strong>senses, puts <strong>the</strong>m through a mental gymnasium, reassembles <strong>the</strong>sensorium ready for <strong>the</strong> hi -pressure future it depicts. It folds <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>to an origami state, a battle style. The senses are k<strong>in</strong>aes<strong>the</strong>tized <strong>in</strong>toan orig. >army, armed for a contest of l<strong>in</strong>es. To look is to be rocketedacross <strong>the</strong> planes of <strong>the</strong> letter, shot along diagonals that charge spacewith acute dynamics, gradients that reverse gravity like skyscrapers that


05(074)05(075)drill to <strong>the</strong> earth's core.The letterform becomes a city of parallel l<strong>in</strong>es of force. The wordbecomes a futurescape hostile to traditional sensoria. Surfaces convergeto trap <strong>the</strong> optic nerve at a po<strong>in</strong>t of maximum impossibility. Stalked byangles, hunted by diagonals, <strong>the</strong> harassed eye wanders until it's impaledon <strong>the</strong> corner, p<strong>in</strong>cered by a parallax plane. Vectors and horizontals jo<strong>in</strong>forces to push <strong>the</strong> ret<strong>in</strong>a to <strong>the</strong> razor's edge.computer Style Cuba sedIn '86, Goldie writes <strong>the</strong> aeroglyphic piece Future World Mach<strong>in</strong>e.Pictogrammatically speak<strong>in</strong>g, it is Computer Style, Cubased.With '95'S Timeless, Computer Style migrates across differentphysical scales, jumps from <strong>the</strong> wall to <strong>the</strong> screen. Timeless is <strong>the</strong>reforea <strong>sonic</strong> canvas: 'Across <strong>the</strong> horizontal/ A passage through <strong>the</strong> canvas, <strong>the</strong>phases of my life.' As Escher po<strong>in</strong>ted out, ' I can conceive of <strong>the</strong> series ofimages on a plane division [Computer Style] and <strong>the</strong> sequence of soundsof a musical composition [jungle] as different steps of just one staircase.'Timeless translates <strong>the</strong> 5th dimension of Computer Style <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong>hyperdimensions of <strong>the</strong> virtual Breakbeat. Goldie: 'The graffiti artistcracked <strong>the</strong> letter first. Now I use a Mac to do <strong>the</strong> same th<strong>in</strong>g. The loops,<strong>the</strong>y've been sculpted, <strong>the</strong>y're <strong>in</strong> 40.' The 5th Dimension becomes <strong>the</strong>Inf<strong>in</strong>ite Remix of Drum'n'Bass. Hence Term<strong>in</strong>ator mutates <strong>in</strong>to amenagerie of monsters from <strong>the</strong> low end: 4 versions of Term<strong>in</strong>ator 2, T3 ,remixes of T3. Fragments of Timeless are twisted <strong>in</strong>to Inner City Life,jah, jah remixes, 4 <strong>more</strong> Inner City Life mixes.Remixillogy Is <strong>the</strong> Art-Science of <strong>the</strong> SequelRemixology doesn't replace a track so much as proliferate it <strong>in</strong>to parallelalterdimensions. Remixology is <strong>the</strong> science of <strong>the</strong> sequel and <strong>the</strong> art of<strong>the</strong> drastic retrofit, <strong>the</strong> total remake, <strong>the</strong> remodel.Remixology is digital-<strong>in</strong>dustria l. It starts out as digital process, asanimation of <strong>the</strong> Cubased brea k, and ends as <strong>in</strong>dustrial process, <strong>the</strong> dj'sdema nd for <strong>the</strong> dubplate, <strong>the</strong> next track, <strong>the</strong> future sound. The dubplate- <strong>the</strong> metal acetate - is <strong>fiction</strong>alized as <strong>the</strong> Metalhead. The <strong>in</strong>dustria lprocess extrudes <strong>the</strong> Metalheadz face-logo. With its headphoneapparatus, eye and nose slits, it's armoured for what 4 Hero termedcomba t da nc<strong>in</strong>g.Dill<strong>in</strong>ja's jah <strong>the</strong> Seventh Seal is a magnified detail from <strong>the</strong> Timelesscanvas, a slowed-down blow-up o f one hyperdimension. Breaks becomecha<strong>in</strong>s as time turns to metal. Rhythm phaseshifts from needlepo<strong>in</strong>t to<strong>in</strong>dustrial <strong>in</strong> a war between mach<strong>in</strong>e Iifeforms on <strong>the</strong> metallic plateaux.Two drumbreaks are processed until <strong>the</strong>y rattle like chrome snaketails,pann<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> opposite ways around your head. When <strong>the</strong>y meet <strong>the</strong>yswallow each o<strong>the</strong>r and reverse backwards. Simultaneously, mach<strong>in</strong>icgroans and wrench<strong>in</strong>g metallic sighs heave and drift across <strong>the</strong>overlapp<strong>in</strong>g orbits of both breaks.These arhythmic noises compel a k<strong>in</strong>d of bodily seizure, an agoniz<strong>in</strong>gmuscular crisis, as if <strong>the</strong> motor coord<strong>in</strong>ation needed for walk<strong>in</strong>g, letalone danc<strong>in</strong>g, has just crashed from too much sensation. The seeth<strong>in</strong>gmetal fatigue of jah <strong>the</strong> Seventh Seal <strong>in</strong>duces outbreaks of literallyheadwreck<strong>in</strong>' synapse-warp<strong>in</strong>g. Your head becomes this giant muscle,this m<strong>in</strong>dless, agonized organ that doesn't know where to put itself.The Eng<strong>in</strong>eer Is an Imag<strong>in</strong>eerAs eng<strong>in</strong>eer Rob Playford elaborates, effects are <strong>the</strong> lead <strong>in</strong>struments.Effects play <strong>the</strong> breaks: 'On Timeless, <strong>the</strong>re are three sections of str<strong>in</strong>gs.They're all <strong>the</strong> same sounds but each section has a different set ofcontrols, like pitchbend or modulation or gat<strong>in</strong>g.'Computer style visually anticipates <strong>the</strong> computerization of rhythm.Jungle Escherizes <strong>the</strong> break <strong>in</strong>to digital <strong>in</strong>formation, <strong>the</strong> 'different stepsof just one staircase'. Rob Playford: 'We 'd go round a loop, filter, effect,pitch th<strong>in</strong>gs up or down, <strong>the</strong>n put it back on OAT. Then we'd pick up thatsound later on and go through a different route with <strong>the</strong> effects andfilters so it would end up even far<strong>the</strong>r away from what we'd started with.'Breakbeat science r<strong>in</strong>ses out language, demands new terms like'snak<strong>in</strong>g out a break or tub<strong>in</strong>g a sound', technical operations which grasp<strong>the</strong> passage of rhythm through space. Configur<strong>in</strong>g new sounds opens apossibility space <strong>in</strong>side <strong>the</strong> screen. Inside <strong>the</strong> Akai , a virtual topologyunfolds itself. InSide <strong>the</strong> Breakbeat, <strong>the</strong> scientist battles with <strong>the</strong>rhythmatical weapons of '<strong>the</strong> zord, <strong>the</strong> bl ade, <strong>the</strong> twister, <strong>the</strong> sub sta<strong>in</strong>.'


05[076]05[077]with a sample you've taken time. It still has <strong>the</strong> same energybut you can reverse it or prolong it. You can get totallywrapped up <strong>in</strong> it. You feel like you have turned time aroundThe Jungle Is a Futurhythmach<strong>in</strong>eA Guy called GeraldRhythmic psychedelia emerges when <strong>sonic</strong> events are <strong>in</strong> synch while outof phase, a process which leads to Gerald 's conundrum: 'Does time work<strong>in</strong> rhythm or does rhythm work <strong>in</strong> time?' Amazon < .African jungles areacoustically disorientat<strong>in</strong>g. Height, depth and location reverse. RyuichiSakamoto's Riot <strong>in</strong> Lagos and Gerald comb<strong>in</strong>e electric signals, pulses,blips and kickdrums <strong>in</strong>to a syn<strong>the</strong>tic psychedelia, humm<strong>in</strong>gbirds' fea<strong>the</strong>rsrustl<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> canopies. Instead of reconnect<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> human to nature,polyrhythm deletes <strong>the</strong> human from <strong>the</strong> jungle, <strong>in</strong>tensify<strong>in</strong>g it <strong>in</strong>to analien rhythmborder: 'You could create a sound that you couldn't quiterecognize because it would be go<strong>in</strong>g backwards. I'd have someth<strong>in</strong>g go<strong>in</strong>gforwards for a beat and <strong>the</strong>n revers<strong>in</strong>g for <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r beat. 'beats phase shift, cross a threshold and become tactile sensations thatsussurate <strong>the</strong> body. Fleet<strong>in</strong>g sensations of feel<strong>in</strong>g skim across <strong>the</strong> sk<strong>in</strong>,seiz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> synapses. Senses swap so that your sk<strong>in</strong> hears and your earsfeel. Dermal ears. Your sk<strong>in</strong> turns <strong>in</strong>to one giant all-over ear. Eartactility. Your ears start to taste sound. Now you've got flava <strong>in</strong> your ear.Like Sakamoto's Riot <strong>in</strong> Lagos, Gerald's Naz<strong>in</strong>ji Zaka is a futurhythmicpsychedelia which seizes <strong>the</strong> sk<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> itchyscratchy sensations that ga<strong>the</strong>raround <strong>the</strong> jo<strong>in</strong>ts, from <strong>the</strong>re dispers<strong>in</strong>g across <strong>the</strong> dermal surfaces. Yourmuscles tense and contract as <strong>the</strong>y pull <strong>in</strong> and out of perceptualmotorfocus. Futurhythmach<strong>in</strong>es complexify <strong>the</strong> beat <strong>in</strong>to what Kellyterms an 'alien power'. When polyrhythm phaseshifts <strong>in</strong>to hyperrhythm,it becomes unaccountable, compounded, confound<strong>in</strong>g. It scrambles <strong>the</strong>sensorium, adapts <strong>the</strong> human <strong>in</strong>to a 'distributed be<strong>in</strong>g' strung out across<strong>the</strong> webbed spidernets and computational jungles of <strong>the</strong> digital diaspora.Ghost<strong>in</strong>g out <strong>the</strong> BreakOn Black Secret Technology, F<strong>in</strong>ley's Ra<strong>in</strong>bow, The Glok Track, Naz<strong>in</strong>jiZaka, breaks rustle, shed <strong>the</strong>ir sandpaper sk<strong>in</strong>s. By sampl<strong>in</strong>g a break,effect<strong>in</strong>g it and subtract<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> sample, Gerald generates <strong>the</strong> ghostbreak: <strong>the</strong> derealized wraithrhythm wri<strong>the</strong>s throughout <strong>the</strong> digitalfoliage . The beat is a posthuman bush of ghosts.The Sleevenote Manifesto to Black Secret Technology grasps <strong>the</strong>implications of computeriz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> break: 'We have advanced to a levelwhere we can control time <strong>sonic</strong>ally by stretch<strong>in</strong>g a sound ... we playwith time.' Rhythm is plastic: 'Say someone has created a drumbeat.They've done that <strong>in</strong> a space and time. If you take <strong>the</strong> end and put thatat <strong>the</strong> start, or take what <strong>the</strong>y've done <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> middle, you're play<strong>in</strong>g withtime. With a sample you've taken time. It still has <strong>the</strong> same energy butyou can reverse it or prolong it. You can get totally wrapped up <strong>in</strong> it.You feel like you have turned time around.'Each track teems with <strong>in</strong>humanly detailed percussion, which demandsposthuman motor reflexes. Counter and crossrhythms tug <strong>the</strong> body <strong>in</strong>tozigzags, dappl<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> ear with microdiscrepancies between beats. Naz<strong>in</strong>jiZaka turns <strong>the</strong> ear <strong>in</strong>to a directional mike that's constantly pull<strong>in</strong>g focus.As beats ensnare you <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> parallel complexity of <strong>the</strong> amplified jungle,your sk<strong>in</strong> starts to feel what your ea rs can't. At <strong>the</strong>se convergences,


06[078]PROGRRMMINGRHYTHMRTICFREQUENCIES06[079]hope of emulat<strong>in</strong>g drums, and <strong>in</strong>stead programs rhythms from electricity,rhythmatic <strong>in</strong>tensities which are unrecognizable as drums. There are nosnares - just waveforms be<strong>in</strong>g altered. There are no bass drums - justattack velocities.Posthuman RhythmaticsWith Man Parrish, Cybotron, Haashim, Soul Sonic Force and Jonzun Crew,<strong>the</strong> Roland 808 rhythm composer opens a new threshold, <strong>the</strong>programm<strong>in</strong>g of posthuman rhythmatics as predicted <strong>in</strong> '36 by composerEdgard Varese: ' I need an entirely new medium of expression: a soundproduc<strong>in</strong>gmach<strong>in</strong>e. And here are <strong>the</strong> advantages I anticipate from such amach<strong>in</strong>e: crossrhythms unrelated to each o<strong>the</strong>r, treated simultaneously;<strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>e would be able to beat any number of desired notes, anysubdivision of <strong>the</strong>m, omission or fraction of <strong>the</strong>m, all <strong>the</strong>se <strong>in</strong> a givenunit of measure or time which is humanly impossible to atta<strong>in</strong>.'This 'humanly impossible' time, this automatization of rhythm which isrhythmatics, opens up <strong>the</strong> posthuman multiplication of rhythm: <strong>the</strong> rhythmsyn<strong>the</strong>sizer's spastic pulses seize <strong>the</strong> body, rewir<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> sensorium <strong>in</strong> ak<strong>in</strong>aes<strong>the</strong>tic of shockcuts and stutters, a voluptuous epilepsy.Migration Paths across <strong>the</strong> vocoder Spectrum:Cybotron, lapp, DrexciyaIt is <strong>the</strong> rationaliz<strong>in</strong>g and order<strong>in</strong>g imposed bytechnology that makes us forget that mach<strong>in</strong>es have<strong>the</strong>ir orig<strong>in</strong>s <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> irrationalGeorges Canguilhem[R]earview Hear<strong>in</strong>gThere are no drum-mach<strong>in</strong>es, only rhythm syn<strong>the</strong>sizers programm<strong>in</strong>gnew <strong>in</strong>tensities from white noise, frequencies , waveforms, alter<strong>in</strong>gsampled drum sounds <strong>in</strong>to unrecognizable pitches. The drum-mach<strong>in</strong>ehas never sounded like drums because it isn 't percussion: it's electroniccurrent, syn<strong>the</strong> ti c percussion, syncussion. The sampler is at first termedan 'emulator', as if it does noth<strong>in</strong>g but imitate exist<strong>in</strong>g sounds. Call<strong>in</strong>g<strong>the</strong> rhythm syn<strong>the</strong>size r a drum-mach<strong>in</strong>e is yet one <strong>more</strong> example of[rlearview hear<strong>in</strong>g. Every time decelerated media writes about snares,hihats, kickdrums, it faithfully hears backwards. Electro ignores this va<strong>in</strong>Man plusWith Mantronix, this massive augmentation of rhythm capabilitybecomes an Electronic Energy, a super sonotronic power. Man + Electron+ [ics =l ix = Mantronix, <strong>the</strong> Rhythmach<strong>in</strong>e cyborg. The 'cs' <strong>in</strong> 'tronics' iscompressed to 'x', so that it transmits <strong>the</strong> PhonoCurrent of <strong>the</strong>Mandroid. Electro is electricity <strong>fiction</strong>alized <strong>in</strong>to full-force fantasies offrequencies , rhythms programmed to capture and compel, trap andtrigger wetware motion.Futurhythmach<strong>in</strong>es turn <strong>the</strong> extended capability of mach<strong>in</strong>es <strong>in</strong>tosupersensory powers. Electro is this crossfire of 'unrelatedcrossrhythms', rhythms treated simultaneously <strong>in</strong>to paradoxical sound -angular accents, zapp-kicks, palmless claps, rigid bounces. In RyuichiSakamoto's Riot <strong>in</strong> Lagos, unrelated cross rhythms refract <strong>in</strong>to a maze ofmirrors refract<strong>in</strong>g cicada creaks and cricket croaks. Electronic rhythmsrun <strong>in</strong> phase but out of synch, repeatedly overlap split seconds apart,creat<strong>in</strong>g a stratum of seeth<strong>in</strong>g, prehensile tension. Signals <strong>in</strong>terlock <strong>in</strong> aweb of pulsations, a rhythm forest shower of screams and rustletime.The beat becomes a staccato pulsation, <strong>the</strong> twitchshrug-stopmotionpoplock-wavecutMotion Capture of electric boogaloo. Electro is <strong>the</strong>


06(080)06(081)spastic electricity of bodies go<strong>in</strong>g pop, breakflow<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> time to Art ofNoise. '84'S Close [to <strong>the</strong> Edit] is rigidity gone loco, clockwork break<strong>in</strong>gdown <strong>in</strong>to a contraption of backfir<strong>in</strong>g car, exhaust fumes and piston hiss.Offworld ElectroThe Electro <strong>in</strong>tro draws you offworld, <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> universe of <strong>the</strong> track. Itdelivers a robotik elektricity, speech frequencies filtered <strong>in</strong>to phonicdiktat. In Offworld Electro, <strong>the</strong> vocoder is all id , gidd<strong>in</strong>ess, extremes ofnonhuman highllow pitch. At <strong>the</strong> high end, <strong>the</strong> Electro voice is amalicious greml<strong>in</strong>. At <strong>the</strong> low end, it's <strong>the</strong> Voice of Doom issu<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>death command.Set <strong>the</strong> Sonotron to StunOn Jonzun Crew's Space is <strong>the</strong> Place, <strong>the</strong> Arkestral chant becomes awarn<strong>in</strong>g blast rigid with Vadervoltage. Instead of us<strong>in</strong>g syn<strong>the</strong>siser tonesto emulate str<strong>in</strong>g quartets, Electro deploys <strong>the</strong>m <strong>in</strong>organically,unmusically. The syn<strong>the</strong>sizer becomes a sound weapon, becomes whatcomposer lannis Xenakis calls <strong>the</strong> Sonotron, 'an accelerator of sonorousparticles, a dis<strong>in</strong>tegrator of sonorous matter', <strong>the</strong> <strong>sonic</strong> weapon whichzapps! you. The zapp! constricts space by tens<strong>in</strong>g your nerves, gripp<strong>in</strong>gwith <strong>the</strong> baleful hostility of an offworld tazer. Electro triggers Vader'sEmpire to stun. Man Parrish's 0.55 m<strong>in</strong> track In <strong>the</strong> Beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g is atyrannical microverse of malevolent avatars with vocoder ids, snicker<strong>in</strong>gand babbl<strong>in</strong>g manically: ' Imag<strong>in</strong>e somewhere <strong>in</strong> this universe an alien.He was not made of stone. He was not made of sand. He was ... check itout, humans, manmade.'Across <strong>the</strong> vocoder SpectrumThe vocoder turns <strong>the</strong> voice <strong>in</strong>to a syn<strong>the</strong>sizer. Electro crosses <strong>the</strong>threshold of syn<strong>the</strong>tic vocalization, breaks out <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> new spectrum ofvocal syn<strong>the</strong>sis. It syn<strong>the</strong>sizes <strong>the</strong> voice <strong>in</strong>to Voltage, <strong>in</strong>to anelectrophonic charge that gets directly on your nerves.Turn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> voice <strong>in</strong>to a syn<strong>the</strong>tic spectrum of perverse voco-impslets you talk with cartoons, become cartoon, become animal, becomesupercomputer. Just as mach<strong>in</strong>e vision runs from <strong>in</strong>frared to ultraviolet,so <strong>the</strong> vocoder spectrum runs from hyperbabble to ultraslow. Initiallydeveloped as German military technology for camouflag<strong>in</strong>g transmissions,<strong>the</strong> vocoder cuts out vocal frequencies, petrify<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> voice <strong>in</strong>to a robotikcurrent, an antagonistically nonhuman Voice of Doom.Daleks, Stephen W. Hawk<strong>in</strong>g, Sam Sam, Sleezy D, Lil Louis: allcompress frequencies and pitchshift voices <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> VaderVoder Effect.Darth Vader's rumble is processed through several systems beforeemitt<strong>in</strong>g from his metal grille. Reduc<strong>in</strong>g frequencies to <strong>the</strong> robotic only<strong>in</strong>tensifies <strong>the</strong> emotional charge of Vader's credo, that <strong>the</strong>re is 'power <strong>in</strong><strong>the</strong> Darkside'. The VaderVoder dra<strong>in</strong>s <strong>the</strong> voice of affect to <strong>in</strong>crease itseffect. Dark energy corrodes <strong>the</strong> larynx, dredg<strong>in</strong>g up <strong>the</strong> tenebraltimbres of Haashim's '86 Primrose Path, <strong>the</strong> Darkside of Electro.Clear Your M<strong>in</strong>d/Erase Your Head'Clear are <strong>the</strong>se Days. Clear Today. Clear. Your. M<strong>in</strong>d .' In '85'S Clear,from Cybotron's debut album Enter, a sped-up cartoon-id voice, giddyand giggly, duets with a slowed-down Voice of Doom, <strong>in</strong>struct<strong>in</strong>g Electrokids to erase <strong>the</strong>ir heads.Electro Resequences Your NervesElectro resyn<strong>the</strong>sizes The Song by <strong>the</strong> rhythm of <strong>the</strong> arcadegame, where<strong>the</strong> central process<strong>in</strong>g chip replaces beats with signals-pulsations-zappsthat brutally override your old neuromuscular system, demand<strong>in</strong>g anirregular regularity. Space Invaders and Pac Jam are barely rhythms atall, <strong>more</strong> a barbaric frequency that directly <strong>in</strong>terfaces with <strong>the</strong> junctionsbetween nerve and muscle, alter<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> nature of attention <strong>in</strong>to anunhealthily spasmodic concentration.Not so much maladroit as malandroid, Electro resequences yournerves. As choreographer Merce Cunn<strong>in</strong>gham po<strong>in</strong>ts out, 'Electronicmusic affects your nerves not your muscles. It 's difficult to countelectricity.' Electro like Techno affects nerves and muscles. The rhythmicdissonance of 'count<strong>in</strong>g electricity' resets <strong>the</strong> shapes of sensation,demands a new dynamotion. Electro Era LA Lockers dancer Shrimpexpla<strong>in</strong>s this vision of rhythm as 'Soogaloo<strong>in</strong>', roll<strong>in</strong>' of <strong>the</strong> body. It'smak<strong>in</strong>' your body do weird th<strong>in</strong>gs. Like fluid.'Clear's anempa<strong>the</strong>tic syncussion is white noise filtered <strong>in</strong>toimpalpable claps, sibilance sharpened <strong>in</strong>to a match fir<strong>in</strong>g sandpaper.Stridulatory tones alter attack and launch across space <strong>in</strong> an auralflightpath that parallels Roy Lichtenste<strong>in</strong>'s Whaaam! jet-trail.


06[082106[0831Silver Cycles of <strong>the</strong> Polyrhythmach<strong>in</strong>eGroove is when overla pp<strong>in</strong>g patterns of rhythm <strong>in</strong>terlock, when beatssyncromesh until <strong>the</strong>y generate an automotion effect, an <strong>in</strong>exorable,effortless sensation which pushes you along from beh<strong>in</strong>d until you'refunky like a tra<strong>in</strong>. To get <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> Groove is to lock <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong>polyrhythmotor, to be adapted by a <strong>fiction</strong>alized rhythm eng<strong>in</strong>e whichdraws you on its own momentum.The JBs' lIt's not <strong>the</strong> Express] It's <strong>the</strong> JBs ' Monaurail <strong>fiction</strong>alizes thisfeel<strong>in</strong>g of syncromesh, when spaces ei<strong>the</strong>r side of expectation lure you<strong>in</strong>to airpockets of time.On <strong>the</strong> 75 album Hustle With Speed, Fred Marcell<strong>in</strong>o's sleeve shows<strong>the</strong> Monaurail, a S<strong>in</strong>gle-track <strong>in</strong>terstellar railway snak<strong>in</strong>g round satelliteswith a silver bullet tra<strong>in</strong> runn<strong>in</strong>g smoothly along its funicular orbit. TheMonaurail is <strong>the</strong> Rhythmotor visualized as <strong>the</strong> s<strong>in</strong>gle track along which<strong>the</strong> tra<strong>in</strong> travels. Groove = PolyRhythmeng<strong>in</strong>e = Rhythmotor, notpersonified but mach<strong>in</strong>ified as tra<strong>in</strong> and track toge<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>in</strong>stratusphunk funkular automotion. For Kraftwerk, 'Tra<strong>in</strong>s <strong>the</strong>mselvesare musical <strong>in</strong>struments. We would travel through landscapes at night.'Soul Sonic Force's Planet Rock reroutes <strong>the</strong> serene dynamotion of <strong>the</strong>Trans Europe Express through America, <strong>the</strong> metronomic Rhythmeng<strong>in</strong>epull<strong>in</strong>g itself ahead, synths tuned <strong>in</strong>to Doppler effects whipp<strong>in</strong>g past youon a Berl<strong>in</strong> platform.Autobahn's motorway motorik tunes 'our syn<strong>the</strong>sizers to sound likemotor horns. You can listen to Autobahn and <strong>the</strong>n go and drive on <strong>the</strong>motorway. Then you will discover that your car is a musical <strong>in</strong>strument.'Kraftwerk's f<strong>in</strong>al bachelormach<strong>in</strong>es are <strong>the</strong> biomechanical boy-racersof <strong>the</strong> Tour de France {Francois Kervorkian Remix]. With beats madefrom pistons and gears, rhythms fashioned from sharp <strong>in</strong>takes of breath,helpless, plosive exhalations and astral harpsichord/ harp sc<strong>in</strong>tillation,Tour de France could be set <strong>in</strong> an all-night gym . This is Kraftwerk at<strong>the</strong>ir most homoerotically physical. Like DAF, it close-mikes maleexertion until it becomes a new rhythmotor exhaust fume. In Tour deFrance, <strong>the</strong> celibate cyborg's be<strong>in</strong>g ridden by its bike, its shea<strong>the</strong>d bodyfucked from beh<strong>in</strong>d by handlebars curved like ramhorns.Liquid DystopiaDrexciya dra<strong>in</strong>s <strong>the</strong> claps, cowbells and tomtoms, siphons off <strong>the</strong> salsafrom Electro. With <strong>the</strong> vocoder id deleted, 90S Electro becomes even<strong>more</strong> enthrall<strong>in</strong>g, even <strong>more</strong> <strong>in</strong>hibit<strong>in</strong>g. Such tracks as '93 'S Danger Bayand Positron Island are monsters from <strong>the</strong> low end which submerge you<strong>in</strong> liqUid dystopia. Acrid frequencies clench <strong>the</strong> nerves like tazers,oscillations w<strong>in</strong>ce across <strong>the</strong> body <strong>in</strong> wave motion, abraSive tonesremove cotton wool from your ears and vigorously scour <strong>in</strong>side <strong>the</strong>bra<strong>in</strong>pan. Jagged snare velocities p<strong>in</strong>ch <strong>the</strong> nerves until you're lockeduptight. Sea Snake 's scorch<strong>in</strong>g deathray sweeps <strong>the</strong> seacraters with itsacoustic searchlight of astr<strong>in</strong>gent 303 .Each Drexciya EP - from '92'S Deep Sea Dweller, through BubbleMetropolis, Molecular Enhancement, Aquatic Invasion, The UnknownAquazone, The Journey Home and Return of Drexciya to '97's Uncharted- militarizes Parliament's 70S and Hendrix's 60S Atlantean aquatopias.Their underwater paradise is hydroterritorialized <strong>in</strong>to a geopoliticalsubcont<strong>in</strong>ent mapped through cartographic track titles: Positron Island,Danger Bay, The Red Hills of Lardossa, The Basalt Zone 4. 977Z, TheInvisible City, Dead Man 's Reef, Vampire Island, Neon Falls, BubbleMetropolis. The Bermuda Triangle becomes a basstation from whichwavejumper commandos and <strong>the</strong> 'dreaded Drexciya st<strong>in</strong>gray andbarracuda battalions' launch <strong>the</strong>ir Aquatic Invasion aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>the</strong>AudioVisual Programmers.Mar<strong>in</strong>e Mutation across <strong>the</strong> Black AtlanticEvery Drexciya EP navigates <strong>the</strong> depths of <strong>the</strong> Black AtlantiC, <strong>the</strong>submerged worlds populated by Drexciyans, Lardossans, Darthouven FishMen and Mutant Gillmen. In <strong>the</strong> Sleevenotes to The Quest, <strong>the</strong>ir '97concept double CD , <strong>the</strong> Drexciyans are revealed to be a mar<strong>in</strong>e speciesdescended from 'pregnant America-bound African slaves' thrownoverboard 'by <strong>the</strong> thousands dur<strong>in</strong>g labour for be<strong>in</strong>g sick and disruptivecargo. Could it be possible for humans to brea<strong>the</strong> underwater? A foetus<strong>in</strong> its mo<strong>the</strong>r's womb is certa<strong>in</strong>ly alive <strong>in</strong> an aquatic environment. Is itpossible that <strong>the</strong>y could have given birth at sea to babies that neverneeded air? Recent experiments have shown mice able to brea<strong>the</strong> liquidoxygen, a premature human <strong>in</strong>fant saved from certa<strong>in</strong> death by breath<strong>in</strong>gliquid oxygen through its underdeveloped lungs. These facts comb<strong>in</strong>edwith reported sight<strong>in</strong>gs of Gillmen a nd Swamp Monsters <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> coastalswamps of <strong>the</strong> Sou<strong>the</strong>astern United States ma ke <strong>the</strong> slave trade <strong>the</strong>ory


06[084]06[085]startl<strong>in</strong>gly feasible.'Drexciyans are 'water breath<strong>in</strong>g, aquatically mutated descendants,'webbed mutants of <strong>the</strong> Black Atlantic, amphibians adapted for <strong>the</strong>ocean's abyssal pla<strong>in</strong>s, a phylum disconnected from <strong>the</strong> aliens whoadapted to land. As Mark S<strong>in</strong>ker argued <strong>in</strong> '92 , 'The ships landed longago: <strong>the</strong>y already laid waste whole societies, abducted and geneticallyaltered whole swa<strong>the</strong>s of citizenry. Africa and America - and so byextension Europe and Asia - are already <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir various ways AlienNation.' Drexciya use electronics to replay <strong>the</strong> alien abduction of slaverywith a <strong>fiction</strong>al outcome: 'Did <strong>the</strong>y migrate from <strong>the</strong> Gulf of Mexico to<strong>the</strong> Mississippi River Bas<strong>in</strong> and to <strong>the</strong> Great Lakes of Michigan? Do <strong>the</strong>ywalk among us? Are <strong>the</strong>y <strong>more</strong> advanced <strong>than</strong> us?'S<strong>in</strong>ker's breakthrough is to br<strong>in</strong>g alien abduction back to earth, totransfer <strong>the</strong> trauma from out <strong>the</strong>re to yesternow. The border betweensocial reality and science <strong>fiction</strong>, social <strong>fiction</strong> and science reality is anoptical illusion, as Donna Haraway has po<strong>in</strong>ted out. They have been hereall along and <strong>the</strong>y are you. You are <strong>the</strong> alien you are look<strong>in</strong>g for.Fictionaliz<strong>in</strong>g FrequenciesDrexciya <strong>fiction</strong>alize frequencies <strong>in</strong>to sound pictures of unrealenvironments - what Kraftwerk termed tone films - not filled with cars,bikes or tra<strong>in</strong>s but ra<strong>the</strong>r UAOs , soundcrafts. In '93 'S Bubble Metropolis,Lardossan Cruiser 8-203 X prepares to dock. The tones of a hydro<strong>the</strong>rmalturb<strong>in</strong>e eng<strong>in</strong>e shift gears. They <strong>fiction</strong>alize <strong>the</strong> psychoacoustic volume ofa giant submersible: 'This is Drexcyian Cruise Control Bubble I toLardossan Cruiser 8 dash 203 X. Please decrease your speed to I po<strong>in</strong>t 788po<strong>in</strong>t 4 kilobahn. Unknown turb<strong>in</strong>e eng<strong>in</strong>e slows down. Thank you.Lardossan Cruiser 8 dash 203 X please use extra caution as you pass <strong>the</strong>aqua construction site on <strong>the</strong> side of <strong>the</strong> aquabahn. I repeat: Proceedwith Caution. Lardossan Cruiser 8 dash 203 X you are now cleared fordock<strong>in</strong>g. Have a nice stay here on Drexciya. I'm Drexciyan Cruiser ControlX 205. If you have any problems let me know. Bubble Control Out.'Intensified Magnetrons.The magnetron is <strong>the</strong> heart of <strong>the</strong> radiowave transmitter, used topower airborne microwave radar sets dur<strong>in</strong>g WW2 . As Arthur C. Clarkeexpla<strong>in</strong>s, 'When <strong>the</strong> first experimental magnetron was carried toAmerica, <strong>the</strong> face of war changed over a weekend. Japanese scientistshad made and tested an identical device a year before <strong>the</strong> British. If <strong>the</strong>yhad followed up <strong>the</strong>ir <strong>in</strong>vention we would now be liv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> a verydifferent world.'Technology generates <strong>the</strong> process Sun Ra terms an AlterDest<strong>in</strong>y, abifurcation <strong>in</strong> time. The magnetron migrates across <strong>the</strong> mediascape,chang<strong>in</strong>g scale from Marvel Comics 60S supervilla<strong>in</strong> Magneto, leader of<strong>the</strong> Evil Mutants, to Drexciya's Intensified Magnetron, to Killah Priest's'magnetron which puts your arteries back apart'.Video games are <strong>the</strong> first step <strong>in</strong> a plan for mach<strong>in</strong>esto help <strong>the</strong> human race, <strong>the</strong> only plan that offers afuture for <strong>in</strong>telligenceChris /!IarkerYou're <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Military Enterta<strong>in</strong>ment ComplexElectro is an E-Z learn <strong>in</strong>duction <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> militarization of pop life, <strong>the</strong>sensualiz<strong>in</strong>g of militarization, <strong>the</strong> enhanced sensorium of lock<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to<strong>the</strong> Futurhythmach<strong>in</strong>e. From <strong>the</strong> Net to arcade simulation games, civilsociety is all just one giant research-and-development w<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong>military. The military <strong>in</strong>dustrial complex has advanced decades ahead ofcivil society, becom<strong>in</strong>g a lethal military-enterta<strong>in</strong>ment complex. The MECpreprograms predatory virtual futures.Far from be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> generative source for popculture, as Trad media stillqua<strong>in</strong>tly <strong>in</strong>sists, <strong>the</strong> street is now merely <strong>the</strong> playground <strong>in</strong> which low-enddevelopments of military technology are unleashed, to mutate <strong>the</strong>mselves.In a War without WeaponsThe Black Atlantean depths are as lethal as <strong>the</strong> Red Planet or The R<strong>in</strong>gsof Saturn. With <strong>the</strong> Molecular Enhancement EP, <strong>the</strong> ocean floor becomes<strong>the</strong> 5th front <strong>in</strong> The Forever War. Drexciyan technology solidifies <strong>the</strong>ocean <strong>in</strong>to hydrocubes. These blocs of solid water are part of <strong>the</strong>electro<strong>fiction</strong>al arsenal of Antivapor Waves, Aquatic Bata Particles and


06(086)06(087)Rhythmatic Bachelor Mach<strong>in</strong>es: KraftwerkTap <strong>the</strong> Powerspot: It's a Rave New WorldAs with Underground Resistance, Kraftwerk <strong>in</strong>stalled <strong>the</strong>mselves <strong>in</strong>side <strong>the</strong>military complex, <strong>the</strong> nexus of posthumanization which used to be calleddehumanization. They tapped <strong>the</strong> powerspots of <strong>in</strong>dustrialization through'<strong>the</strong> factories that plug <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> network' which 'were mak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>syn<strong>the</strong>sisers' fluctuate <strong>in</strong> a factory synth human circuit. The Kl<strong>in</strong>g Klangstudio is a delivery room for mach<strong>in</strong>e lifeforms. By nam<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>mselves'powerplant' Kraftwerk turn onto <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustrial process, switch<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>the</strong>assembly l<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong>stead of resist<strong>in</strong>g it <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> name of <strong>the</strong> human. For '75 'SRadioactivity <strong>the</strong>y visited a nuclear powerplant, plugg<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>mselves <strong>in</strong>toatomic energy, irradiat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>mselves with nuclear power.Sorrow Songs for <strong>the</strong> Souls of ServomechanismsNorbert Wiener's The Human Use of Human Be<strong>in</strong>gs is W.E.B. DuBois' TheSouls of Black Folk updated for <strong>the</strong> Analog Age . In Kraftwerk, <strong>the</strong> speakand-spellvoices are <strong>more</strong> childlike <strong>than</strong> lullabies, fossils from <strong>the</strong>future's past.Voice-activated systems separate <strong>in</strong>tention from result. While <strong>the</strong>human sensorium goes from speech to touch, <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>ic sensoryapparatus starts with touch - buttons and knobs, faders and sliders -before mov<strong>in</strong>g to speech process<strong>in</strong>g. The childhood of mach<strong>in</strong>es beg<strong>in</strong>swith speak-and-spell toys, arcadegames, Learn-to-speak-French records,soft-dr<strong>in</strong>k dispensers, ansa fones, tra<strong>in</strong> doors and cashpo<strong>in</strong>ts. Kraftwerks<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Soul of Service Mach<strong>in</strong>es, die Seele der Servomekanismus.Mach<strong>in</strong>es take over repetitive jobs. Kraftwerk's politeness and slycivility is poignant because 'automatic mach<strong>in</strong>es are <strong>the</strong> preciseeconomic equivalent of slave labour.'The Sex Organs of <strong>the</strong> syn<strong>the</strong>sizerStandardization, mechanization, automation, enervation, <strong>in</strong>hibition,radiation! Trad rock's drive comes from repell<strong>in</strong>g such vampiricprocesses of capital. But giv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> to <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>es, this is what's socompell<strong>in</strong>g here, how Kraftwerk went <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> bionic heart of <strong>the</strong>mach<strong>in</strong>e, what came out <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r side.Instead of deny<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> automatic, Kraftwerk exaggerate it. Theyoperate syn<strong>the</strong>sizers, but really technology is syn<strong>the</strong>siz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>m. Theydon't resist <strong>the</strong> syn<strong>the</strong>tic, <strong>the</strong>y give <strong>in</strong> to it, enslave <strong>the</strong>mselves, allowtechnology to reprogram <strong>the</strong>m, to resequence <strong>the</strong>m, to extrude <strong>the</strong>m as<strong>the</strong> Servomechanisms of <strong>the</strong> Synth. Showroom dummies,menschmasch<strong>in</strong>es, robots and models: <strong>the</strong>se are <strong>the</strong> new generations ofsex organs <strong>the</strong> syn<strong>the</strong>sizers need <strong>in</strong> order to reproduce <strong>the</strong>mselves: <strong>the</strong>bachelormach<strong>in</strong>es without <strong>the</strong>ir mechanical brides. Neutered andbloodless, <strong>the</strong>y move along planes of sheer chromolum<strong>in</strong>ance.By totally succumb<strong>in</strong>g to technology, Kraftwerk let <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>esdelibid<strong>in</strong>ize <strong>the</strong>m, dra<strong>in</strong> all <strong>the</strong> physicality out of <strong>the</strong>m. Warhol clonedhimself <strong>in</strong>to Warholaroids for <strong>in</strong>terviews; Gilbert and George remodelled<strong>the</strong>mselves as auto-mannequ<strong>in</strong>s. In <strong>the</strong> Kraftwerk ecology celibatemach<strong>in</strong>es perform auto-reproduction rituals.Zapped!In Electro, this fleshless rigidity converges with <strong>the</strong> sp<strong>in</strong>eless electroidof Zapp. With Roger Troutman's Zapp, electroniCS + android = <strong>the</strong>electroid zapped! by a blast from an unknown Sonotron. Danc<strong>in</strong>g to Zappis be<strong>in</strong>g hit by electric current that convulses you <strong>in</strong>to spasm. Shrimp <strong>the</strong>dancer expla<strong>in</strong>s that ' More Bounce to <strong>the</strong> Ounce helped give birth to[bodyJpopp<strong>in</strong>'. That's <strong>the</strong> only style of dance you can see that goes withthat k<strong>in</strong>d of music. 'Instead of break<strong>in</strong>g The Song down to a James Brown bridge, MoreBounce redesigned funk's architecture, stretch<strong>in</strong>g The Song <strong>in</strong>tohypnomonotony, a rubber mantra that squeezed your senses out ofshape while seiz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>m with its sheet-metal clap.This emphasis on count<strong>in</strong>g electricity means that <strong>the</strong> Zapp track getsdirectly on your nerves and muscles. In cross<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> threshold elUCidatedby Merce Cunn<strong>in</strong>gham, Troutman's albums <strong>in</strong>duce an unnerv<strong>in</strong>g bonelesssensation. Your sp<strong>in</strong>e's be<strong>in</strong>g filleted and it feels just great.Control Your ConvulsionsZapp alters <strong>the</strong> reflexes, adapt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> human <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> electroid, <strong>the</strong>electroniC andrOid who turn electric shock <strong>in</strong>to controlled convulSion,an E-Z roller of Stopmotion Capture.Electric boogaloo is when <strong>the</strong> body receives <strong>the</strong> Zapp and transmits itas a dynamic force. The nerves count <strong>the</strong> current, convulSions becomeclocks, <strong>the</strong> spastic toctics of elaborated personal time systems. TheElectro dancer goes <strong>in</strong>to 'a square rollout where he ticks his whole bodyand goes <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> splits.'The double move of cutwave


06[088]06[089]jo<strong>in</strong>ts <strong>in</strong> a syn<strong>the</strong>tic seizure that's every which way but loose.Zapp turns <strong>the</strong> human <strong>in</strong>to a symbiounit. 'When you pop,' Shrimpelucidates, your bodymap alters and 'you become this th<strong>in</strong>g. You go toano<strong>the</strong>r planet. I got <strong>in</strong>to this th<strong>in</strong>g where I wanted to be an alien. 'Liquefy <strong>the</strong> Menschmasch<strong>in</strong>eZapp's '86 Computer Love opens with a bewitch<strong>in</strong>g choir - identified bySimon Reynolds as android doowop - announc<strong>in</strong>g 'ComputerIlIZE', like agenie grant<strong>in</strong>g a robot's wish. Kraftwerk's vocoder chorale is w<strong>in</strong>somewhile Zapp's vocoder chorale is liquefied. Zapp is <strong>the</strong> menschmasch<strong>in</strong>egone gooey. 'We are beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g to see,' chaos-<strong>the</strong>orist Manuel De Landaargues, 'that <strong>the</strong> really advanced high technology is liquidy and drippyand self organiz<strong>in</strong>g and not at all rigid.' In More Bounce to <strong>the</strong> Ounce,<strong>the</strong> syn<strong>the</strong>tic bass doesn't drop; <strong>in</strong>stead it bounces off <strong>the</strong> bottom.Where <strong>the</strong> Bootsy Coll<strong>in</strong>s bass is a rhythmelodic ectoplasm, glut<strong>in</strong>ousand rubbery, <strong>the</strong> Zapp bass is Spandex stretchy.phonoGlutamateLarry Graham sent <strong>the</strong> bass through fuzz until it yawned and slurred likea baby mammoth. With Zapp, Roger Troutman's voice is all vowel, aneesysquezy squidge of phonoglutamate, voco-concentrate. Thesyn<strong>the</strong>sizer passes through his vocal tract. On I Play <strong>the</strong> Talkbox, <strong>the</strong>Roger voice is tubular treble squeezed from a talkbox.For Parliament, <strong>the</strong> soundeffect immediately implies an audioIifeform, a universe <strong>in</strong> which a processed sound takes on an animatronicnonhuman profile. With Zapp, you're <strong>in</strong>side <strong>the</strong> impact, ba<strong>the</strong>d <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>full effect of <strong>the</strong> S Ray gun, <strong>in</strong> what Techno producer Kev<strong>in</strong> Saundersonlater terms Essr'ays.Mach<strong>in</strong>e Tones for Psychic Therapy: The Jungle Bro<strong>the</strong>rsFor a very long time everybody refuses and <strong>the</strong>nalmost without a pause almost everybody acceptsGertrude ste<strong>in</strong>Mut<strong>in</strong>y on <strong>the</strong> Mo<strong>the</strong>rshipYou reserve your nausea for <strong>the</strong> timeless classic, for <strong>the</strong> an<strong>the</strong>ms thatsum up an epoch. But The jungle Bro<strong>the</strong>rs, George Russell, Tricky: <strong>the</strong>seare producers who don't synchronize you <strong>in</strong>to those docile ranks-andfilesknown as generations. In fact <strong>the</strong>y shatter you <strong>in</strong>to sensoryparticles, travell<strong>in</strong>g at <strong>the</strong> speed of thought, break consensual history<strong>in</strong>to dust. Instead of ris<strong>in</strong>g above <strong>the</strong>ir time, <strong>the</strong> jungle Bro<strong>the</strong>rs - AfrikaBaby Bam bass and vocals, dj Sammy B, Mike G guitar and vocals, Torturedrums and vocals - runs HipHop through a particle accelerator, charg<strong>in</strong>greality with <strong>the</strong> syn<strong>the</strong>tic sensation you crave at all costs.Their 3rd album, '93 'S J Beez Wit <strong>the</strong> Remedy, is to <strong>the</strong> 90S what TheVelvet Underground's White Light/ White Heat was to <strong>the</strong> 60S: <strong>the</strong>decade's great lost album, a colossal epic salvaged from <strong>the</strong> wreckage of<strong>the</strong> unreleased Crazy Wisdom , acknowledged by a few , reviled by TradHipHop fanatics on both sides of <strong>the</strong> Atlantic.Derail <strong>the</strong> RhythmotorIn an era of headnodd<strong>in</strong>' 120bpm grooves, Remedy returns to <strong>the</strong> rigidrhythmatics of rhythmsyn<strong>the</strong>sis. The security of <strong>the</strong> Trad jazzbreak issmashed, left beh<strong>in</strong>d for <strong>the</strong> drastically unmusical pulsations and bleeps,that flagrantly mekanikal rhythmanipulation that HipHop thought itbanished back <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> 80S . Manmade Material abandons <strong>the</strong> lope of 70SBreakbeats altoge<strong>the</strong>r, push<strong>in</strong>g robotic irregularity <strong>in</strong>to mach<strong>in</strong>epsychedelia. 'It wasn't loop<strong>in</strong>g one bar, 4 beats, but loop<strong>in</strong>g 6 beats,' <strong>the</strong>jungle Bro<strong>the</strong>rs declared. 'Arhythmic, asymmetrical, al<strong>in</strong>ea r. So whatwe 've been do<strong>in</strong>g consistently is <strong>in</strong>tentionally derail<strong>in</strong>g your bra<strong>in</strong>.' Theloop function entra<strong>in</strong>s <strong>the</strong> body, programm<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> head until it nods likea dog. HipHop habituates <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d until it runs along <strong>the</strong> same groovesbut <strong>the</strong> arhythmic loop underm<strong>in</strong>es <strong>the</strong> stepper, derails <strong>the</strong> rhythmotor,with its unresolved dissonance, not arrangements but derangements,wrong-footed, dysfunktional.


06(090)07(091)concreteThe Jungle Bro<strong>the</strong>rs draw on HipHop's rediscovery of v<strong>in</strong>yl concrete: <strong>the</strong>snap, crackle and pop of worn v<strong>in</strong>yl and ansafone hum. Here, concretebursts <strong>the</strong> banks of sample memory, suffus<strong>in</strong>g everyth<strong>in</strong>g, reorganiz<strong>in</strong>gall of texturhythmelody. Groove <strong>in</strong> Blahbludify is saturated <strong>in</strong> static untilit collapses <strong>in</strong>to satisfy<strong>in</strong>gly electroacoustic debris. Beats are replacedby bumps, glitches, gusts, <strong>the</strong> distressed laser fail<strong>in</strong>g to read <strong>the</strong> cd's<strong>in</strong>formation. You feel '<strong>the</strong> w<strong>in</strong>d of <strong>the</strong> w<strong>in</strong>gs of madness', like <strong>the</strong>moment when Christopher Walken quotes Baudelaire to Lili Taylor <strong>in</strong>Abel Ferrara's The Addiction. All <strong>the</strong> low end succumbs to scratches,v<strong>in</strong>yl gouged by an obelisk of a needle.The sound splits across speakers, repeated rounds of drummach<strong>in</strong>egun<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> right, shudder<strong>in</strong>g detritus from <strong>the</strong> left. Arcadegamesoundeffects strafe your body <strong>in</strong> a vicious crossfire.Sonic rubble falls from <strong>the</strong> speaker beh<strong>in</strong>d your back, seiz<strong>in</strong>g yourmuscles as <strong>the</strong>y plunge through your waist on <strong>the</strong>ir journey to <strong>the</strong> head.HeadlessHipHop played by a band always means nice'n'easy funk. But <strong>the</strong> 'Now'of live HipHop strands you <strong>in</strong> a predigital present, leaves you trapped <strong>in</strong>someone else's '72 . Preprogrammed loops can iterate <strong>in</strong>to <strong>in</strong>f<strong>in</strong>ity andyou'll never get bored - but <strong>the</strong> merest h<strong>in</strong>t of real-time spontaneitymortally dra<strong>in</strong>s you. Here live isn't rootsical, it's arhythmic, <strong>the</strong>Rhythmeng<strong>in</strong>e of a sampladelic mess<strong>the</strong>tic that fluctuates <strong>the</strong> funk byfreak<strong>in</strong>g with <strong>the</strong> freek freek.Where post-Dr Dre Gangsta rap promotes a loll<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>dolent delivery,HipHop poetics from Arrested Development to <strong>the</strong> Roots, FreestyleFellowship to <strong>the</strong> Fugees, opts for a verbose verbal acrobatics. For <strong>the</strong>m,HipHop's future lies <strong>in</strong> a gymnastics of syntax, <strong>in</strong>ternal rhymes thatreconnect to an oral umbilical chord stretch<strong>in</strong>g from 14th C Gambiangriots to <strong>the</strong> Last Poets to now. But <strong>the</strong>se good green roots whichnurture healthy HipHop are strangl<strong>in</strong>g it.It's not <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>human you dread <strong>in</strong> music so much as <strong>the</strong> opposite, <strong>the</strong>overhuman, <strong>the</strong> all-too human of HipHop-<strong>in</strong>spired poetics. There's somuch <strong>in</strong>tention <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>se musics that <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>es can't hardly brea<strong>the</strong>.The J Beez aren't <strong>the</strong> remedy to Gangsta so much as <strong>the</strong> antibiotic toGangsta's remedies. Nei<strong>the</strong>r ill nor healthy, <strong>the</strong> J Beez are <strong>the</strong> 3rdStream: dynamical, on <strong>the</strong> edge of order and chaos. Remedy doesn 'tpropose a new content so much as obliterate <strong>the</strong> MC altoge<strong>the</strong>r:obscured by screeds of static, <strong>the</strong> voice drowns <strong>in</strong> a storm of distortionthat rips syntax to shreds. The MC becomes a host of microphone fiends ,sped up and reversed, swarm<strong>in</strong>g from speaker to speaker. Irradiated <strong>in</strong>toaudioflux, <strong>the</strong> J Beez voice is all oscillation and no backbone,perpetually fluctuat<strong>in</strong>g between cartoon, plasma, greml<strong>in</strong> and ghost.Remedy <strong>the</strong>refore isn't headmusic so much as headless music. Indecapitat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> MC and opt<strong>in</strong>g for an acephalic overload, deliverybecomes mystify<strong>in</strong>g, occluded. In Manmade Material, verse, chorus,bridge are aCCidents, momentary co<strong>in</strong>cidences generated by static.Fragments of warn<strong>in</strong>gs surface briefly from <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>formation ocean; <strong>the</strong>listener cl<strong>in</strong>gs like drowners.Immerse Yourself <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Destructiv Element'You must learn your path, your way to swim through this record. That is<strong>the</strong> remedy,' <strong>in</strong>sist <strong>the</strong> Jungle Bro<strong>the</strong>rs to a baffled world. The HipHophead is right to be hostile. Remedy's <strong>in</strong>coherence announces a post­HipHop world. 'No ... We must .. . master <strong>the</strong> maker,' a dangerouslyunstable voice <strong>in</strong>sists <strong>in</strong> Manmade Material. The Jungle Bro<strong>the</strong>rs' lead<strong>in</strong>struments are feedback, fuzz and static, perpetual <strong>in</strong>terference.Remedy is heavy, megalithic: its density crushes <strong>the</strong> gravity of TheSong. In Spitt<strong>in</strong>' Wicked Randomness and <strong>the</strong> overwhelm<strong>in</strong>g For <strong>the</strong>Headz at Company Z, wah-wah effects yowl <strong>in</strong>to a perpetual wall of fuzz .Susta<strong>in</strong>ed' chords of glagolitic organ charge <strong>the</strong> track with grandiosity.Organdrones are ambushed by a pileup of atonal arpeggios. Blocs of lowendsolar sound hit a susta<strong>in</strong>ed pitch, trigger<strong>in</strong>g sensations of ascension.Sampladelic crowd noise melds <strong>in</strong>to spume clouds, sp<strong>in</strong>drift as fuzz,crackle and static persist while a playerpiano cycles through its cards.Satisfy<strong>in</strong>gly portentous organ chords build up imm<strong>in</strong>ent expectation overgroans pitched down till <strong>the</strong>y sound like Jim Morrison be<strong>in</strong>g slowlydrowned. Drunken soldiers salute '<strong>the</strong> headz at company Z' .Remedy oscillates between extremes of troopers' exhaustion and<strong>in</strong>tensely <strong>in</strong>fantile glee as HipHop form breaks down over and over <strong>in</strong> adaze of confUSion. Throughout, <strong>the</strong>re's an overwhelm<strong>in</strong>g sense of wreckage.HipHop has been blasted to bits <strong>in</strong> an unspecified disaster. From <strong>the</strong> ru<strong>in</strong>s,disastrous events are transmitt<strong>in</strong>g from a damaged receiver. Distressedpilots holler through gasmasks <strong>in</strong>to a patched-up <strong>in</strong>tercom.Destruction br<strong>in</strong>gs joy; <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>se reports from HipHop's end, <strong>the</strong> babbleand flux frolic like teenagers danc<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>the</strong> rubble of <strong>the</strong> M<strong>in</strong>istry ofSound. The JBs are juiced by catastrophe. Distorted <strong>in</strong>formation emerges


06[092]yammer<strong>in</strong>g from <strong>the</strong> scree and wh<strong>in</strong>e of Spitt<strong>in</strong>' Wicked Randomness,immediately <strong>in</strong>terrupted by squalls of static and mayday signal synths.'Bra<strong>in</strong>storms! Bra<strong>in</strong>storms! Mass explosion <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> bra<strong>in</strong>nn.'The paradox I am,Extend<strong>in</strong>g my hand <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> mental to unlock doorwaysOrganized Konfusion07[093]SYNTHETICFICTION/ELECTRONICTHOUGHTcomputer Music <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Year ZeroTrad HipHop is a belief system sure of its past, certa<strong>in</strong> of its present,confident <strong>in</strong> its future. Load <strong>the</strong> Remedy cd <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> tray and thisconviction collapses and convolutes, beach<strong>in</strong>g you on <strong>the</strong> reefs of <strong>the</strong>present. Afrika Baby Bam confounds confusion by multiply<strong>in</strong>g himself <strong>in</strong>tonew heteronyms Af Next Man Flip and Lord Paradox: 'I'm gone ... I'm reallygone, I've really let myself go. I even changed my name to Af Next ManFlip, mean<strong>in</strong>g that I was one of <strong>the</strong> next men to flip out <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> universe.'Remedy takes HipHop forward to its electronic routes, its rockroutes, its mach<strong>in</strong>e routes. It is Computer Music <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Year Zero.The antidote for pervasive depression, for a HipHop gone illmatic, asrapper Nas terms it, is an immersion <strong>in</strong> Universal Sound and MythScience.Af Next Man Flip identifies with 'scientific people. I like read<strong>in</strong>g booksabout John Coltrane, when he's sitt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>re study<strong>in</strong>g music <strong>the</strong>ory andhe's listen<strong>in</strong>g to music from all over <strong>the</strong> world and try<strong>in</strong>g to reach thishigher order. I like <strong>the</strong> universe. ' HipHop's diktats -to come correct, tokeep it real and not get it twisted - all haemorrhage <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> UnrealityPr<strong>in</strong>ciple of J Beez Wit <strong>the</strong> Remedy, its premonitions, its clairaudience.Abduction by Acid [Curfew]: Phuture, Bam Bam, Sleezy DThe world of <strong>the</strong> twentieth-century dance floor is adiscont<strong>in</strong>uum - a Disco<strong>the</strong>que a Go-Go, <strong>in</strong> which adancer makes his or her own space which does not fit<strong>in</strong>to anybody else's space. It's like a physicist try<strong>in</strong>g toencounter electronic particles with Newtonian conceptsIIIarshall IIIcluhanThe Toxic Drives of <strong>the</strong> DrugTech InterfaceAt <strong>the</strong> height of Acid's <strong>in</strong>ner flight comes Sleezy D's '86 I've Lost Control,Phuture's '87 Your Only Friend, Bam Bam's '88 Where 's Your Child, scarytracks that optimize your fear , >f1ight threshold. At <strong>the</strong> peak of <strong>the</strong> RaveDream, 4 Hero's '91 Mr Kirk 's Nightmare feeds parental drugpanic backon <strong>the</strong> dancefloor. Your drug experience is <strong>in</strong>tensified by a mix of antidrugtracks. You come up on tracks which br<strong>in</strong>g you down.Sonically speak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> drug, >tech <strong>in</strong>terface is toxic straight away, notlater when <strong>the</strong> badmen move <strong>in</strong>. Everyth<strong>in</strong>g goes wrong right away andthis only amplifies <strong>the</strong> rush . Take <strong>the</strong> E and Take <strong>the</strong> Risk. Tak<strong>in</strong>g drugs is


07(094)07(095)a rite of possible death, a ritual that affirms life. Fac<strong>in</strong>g this possibledeath makes life rush even faster. Every E taker is already dead, hascrossed to <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r side of <strong>the</strong> poison <strong>in</strong> which toxicity <strong>in</strong>tensifies life.Ph Is <strong>the</strong> Silver of SyntaxOJ Pierre's heteronym Phuture substitutes <strong>the</strong> 'f' <strong>in</strong> future for <strong>the</strong> 'pH ' of<strong>the</strong> chemical formula and <strong>the</strong> ph of phono. Ph makes <strong>the</strong> phuture soundsyn<strong>the</strong>tic and phono-chemical. Ph is to sound as silver is to vision. Ph is<strong>the</strong> silver prefix, <strong>the</strong> word concentrate. The future becomes a phuturisticPharmatopia. With Phuture, <strong>the</strong> sound of <strong>the</strong> future separates from <strong>the</strong>look of <strong>the</strong> phuture. Vision and sound, heteronym and homonym, splitoff, run away from each o<strong>the</strong>r.For <strong>the</strong> white Horse of Hero<strong>in</strong> will ride you to HellJames BrownIn ThrallPhuture's enthrall<strong>in</strong>g Your Only Friend is Acid's sequel to james Brown's'72 K<strong>in</strong>g HerO<strong>in</strong>, <strong>the</strong> electronic update of Roland Kirk's '69 VolunteerSlavery. After <strong>the</strong> pusher sells you to <strong>the</strong> Drug, <strong>the</strong> Drug sets you towork as a mule, sends you out <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> world programmed like a mediumat a seance. The drug becomes <strong>the</strong> clock which keeps time <strong>in</strong> its universeof unend<strong>in</strong>g servitude. In a Voice pitched down <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> Vaderized groanof a Designated Despot: 'This is Coca<strong>in</strong>e speak<strong>in</strong>g, I can make you doanyth<strong>in</strong>g for me. 'Acid's 303 delivers you up to <strong>the</strong> K<strong>in</strong>gdom of Cockayne, accelerated<strong>in</strong>to a powder paradise of endless coca<strong>in</strong>e. To dance is to be drawnhelplessly <strong>in</strong>to what <strong>the</strong> track warns aga<strong>in</strong>st. Acid 's sternest <strong>in</strong>junctions- 'You have been warned, I'll take your life' - <strong>in</strong>cites <strong>more</strong> danc<strong>in</strong>g, notas release but as voluntary slavery, danc<strong>in</strong>g your way <strong>in</strong>to a newconstriction. You 're will <strong>in</strong>gly abducted by Acid <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> Despotic regimethat never sounded so good before.Enthralled by frequencies, you're modulated by sensations ofaggressive evasiveness and attack<strong>in</strong>g elusiveness. You shed your life aseasily as a snake shucks its sk<strong>in</strong>. Slip from <strong>the</strong> morals <strong>in</strong>culcated <strong>in</strong>toyour muscles. The Voice of Doom decrees its death command: 'Take a shotfrom mell ' lI make you fly / Take too much from mell'lI make you die.'Instead of emulat<strong>in</strong>g rock's bass, forever stratified at <strong>the</strong> low end,Acid exaggerates <strong>the</strong> Roland T303 'S dry slipper<strong>in</strong>ess, its glissements, bytransform<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> sound of <strong>the</strong> note, <strong>the</strong> colour of its tone as it plays.Filter<strong>in</strong>g bends < >selects < >suppresses timbres, produc<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> auralequivalent of a tracer effect, a waver<strong>in</strong>g sense of panic as <strong>the</strong> ear failsto resolve this slippage of overtones.Acid is an accident <strong>in</strong> which <strong>the</strong> TB303 bass syn<strong>the</strong>sizer uses Phutureto reproduce itself, to mUltiply <strong>the</strong> dimensions of electronic sound, toopen up a nomadology of texturhythms, rhythmelodies. Phuture, BamBam et allove this syn<strong>the</strong>tic, unnatural noise. Acid trax amplifies thissense of terrify<strong>in</strong>g newness.Noth<strong>in</strong>g you know about <strong>the</strong> history of music is any help whatsoever.What is this noise and where's it com<strong>in</strong>g from? Who are <strong>the</strong>se peopleand why are <strong>the</strong>y smil<strong>in</strong>g at me? Brutally <strong>in</strong>expressive woodblockshammer out an <strong>in</strong>human irregularity, relieved by <strong>the</strong> stabs of bassicsynth. The heart's beat is captured and cloned by <strong>the</strong> time syn<strong>the</strong>sized<strong>in</strong>to impacts. You become an extension of <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>e which generatestime. Slip through <strong>the</strong> spaces between <strong>the</strong> sequences.silicon-based PsychosisPhase I : Hal 9000'S redlight psychosis <strong>in</strong> 2001: A Space Odyssey. WhenHal starts play<strong>in</strong>g back Daisy, Daisy, computer-malfunction turns <strong>in</strong>tomach<strong>in</strong>ic breakdown. Daisy, Daisy - vox congeal<strong>in</strong>g as it runs down -<strong>in</strong>troduces <strong>the</strong> new sound of analog psychopathology.The Womandroid from <strong>the</strong> AmazonePhase 2: The womanmach<strong>in</strong>e Grace jones' '82 remodel of joy Division's'79 She 's Lost Control updates <strong>the</strong> 50S mechanical bride. For <strong>the</strong> latterlos<strong>in</strong>g control meant electric epilepsy, voice dra<strong>in</strong>ed dry by feedback.For jones, <strong>the</strong> female model that's los<strong>in</strong>g control <strong>in</strong>duces <strong>the</strong> sense ofautomation runn<strong>in</strong>g down, <strong>the</strong> human seiz<strong>in</strong>g up <strong>in</strong>to a mach<strong>in</strong>e rictus.The model - as girl, as car, as syn<strong>the</strong>sizer - <strong>in</strong>carnates <strong>the</strong> assembly l<strong>in</strong>etime of generations, obsolescence, 3-year lifespans.The model is <strong>the</strong> bluepr<strong>in</strong>t for <strong>the</strong> post-Cold War cyborg, <strong>the</strong>womanmach<strong>in</strong>e modified and mutated by <strong>the</strong> military medical enterta<strong>in</strong>ment complex. Hence Kraftwerk's The Model, where <strong>the</strong>bachelormach<strong>in</strong>es are threatened by <strong>the</strong> womanmach<strong>in</strong>e's superiorreproduction capability. The Model is an excerpt from <strong>the</strong> post-warmach<strong>in</strong>e-reproduction wars.Phase 3: Sleezy D's I've Lost Control is <strong>the</strong> f1ipside of Can You Feel


07(096)07(097)It?, rescor<strong>in</strong>g Joy Division's She's Lost Control for <strong>the</strong> Roland 303. Eachsensation oscillates <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong> an audio-chemical feedback loop.Pitchshift<strong>in</strong>g draws you down <strong>in</strong>to m<strong>in</strong>dslurr<strong>in</strong>g, slow-motion computerpsychosiS . 303 'S fil ters smear tones <strong>in</strong>to a timbral spectrum of decay.Acid carves new sensory channels and mutates <strong>the</strong> ones already be<strong>in</strong>gused. It demands and builds a syn<strong>the</strong>tic ear for itself from <strong>the</strong> old one.Fear feeds forward <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> dance, floods you <strong>in</strong> waves of reassur<strong>in</strong>gpanic until you feel safe and dangerous.Phase 4: It's too late. The drug< .tech <strong>in</strong>terface syn<strong>the</strong>sized you longago. You 're syn<strong>the</strong>tic now. Aga<strong>in</strong>st this, all traditional authoritycondemns itself. The Old World loses all seriousness when it <strong>in</strong>sists thatyou don't have to take E to know it's bad for you. This sensibleignorance is precisely what <strong>in</strong>validates it.Every word <strong>the</strong> government speaks deletes itself. All its expertisedisqualifies it.Some Gods will mount any horseIshmael ReedPanic FeedsforwardNo government can scare you <strong>in</strong>to stopp<strong>in</strong>g because E, trips,hydroponically grown skunk, all <strong>the</strong>se have already scared you <strong>more</strong><strong>than</strong> <strong>the</strong>y ever could. This sense of be<strong>in</strong>g snatched by drugs, of be<strong>in</strong>gkidnapped <strong>in</strong>to your head, of draw<strong>in</strong>g out <strong>the</strong> madness already <strong>in</strong> you:this is what <strong>the</strong> Darkside is. Everyth<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> media warns you aga<strong>in</strong>st hasalready been made <strong>in</strong>to tracks that drive <strong>the</strong> dancefloor.All black electronic musics have <strong>the</strong>ir Darkside, and Acid 's beg<strong>in</strong>swith Bam Bam's '88 Where 's Your Child, <strong>the</strong> Acid track as audioabduction, <strong>the</strong> sound that snatches you from school, self and society,that kidnaps your m<strong>in</strong>d and never gives it back. Like 4 Hero's Mr Kirk'sNightmare, it amplifies parent's drug-panic <strong>in</strong>to a hilariously horrify<strong>in</strong>gfeed forward loop: 'Parents, Don 't let your kids out at night/ Don't youknow <strong>the</strong>y don't know wrong from right?'Acid here is a psychotic sampladelia of wh<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g motorcars, of viciousglass smash played as a 3-note refra<strong>in</strong>, of cars slowed down <strong>in</strong>todecay<strong>in</strong>g gong and <strong>in</strong>termittent baby screams. Bam Bam pitchshifts hisvoice until it slurs down <strong>in</strong>to a s<strong>in</strong>ister gloat punctuated by vampiriclaughs. It's <strong>the</strong> sound of seduction every parent dreads: 'Where's yourchild? / Do you know? / Look aroundlNowhere to be found.'Acid is repetitive attack patterns that perpetually climb, build andfall , restlessly lurch<strong>in</strong>g from panic <strong>in</strong>duc<strong>in</strong>g trebles to queasy lows. Andeven worse - even <strong>more</strong> satisfy<strong>in</strong>g - are <strong>the</strong> voluptuous groans andsated sighs emitted by <strong>the</strong> voice as if it's strok<strong>in</strong>g itself while recall<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>tense gratification: 'Nobody likes to be left alone/ especially when <strong>the</strong>ydon't know right from wrong.' Where's Your Child hits a peak of sweetunease when Bam Bam murmurs 'Curfew Curfew' like an <strong>in</strong>citement tounnamed perversions, <strong>the</strong> entic<strong>in</strong>g threshold <strong>in</strong>to its ahuman world:'You 're all my children now.'A Crowd of Import AliensAcid is <strong>the</strong> import alien. It arrives <strong>in</strong> crowds of mystify<strong>in</strong>g names,terrify<strong>in</strong>gly blank 12S, labels approach<strong>in</strong>g you with<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Rhythmach<strong>in</strong>eswarm that is <strong>the</strong> compilation. No <strong>more</strong> <strong>than</strong> <strong>the</strong> remix, <strong>the</strong> compilationnever w<strong>in</strong>s awards, never makes it <strong>in</strong>to End-of-Decade Lists . Like <strong>the</strong>remix, <strong>the</strong> compilation is an artform for <strong>the</strong> Sampladelic Era . The historyof <strong>the</strong> Electronic Rhythmach<strong>in</strong>e is measured as much <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> crowd of <strong>the</strong>compilation as by <strong>the</strong> 12. From <strong>the</strong> Streetsounds Electro Volume /-/2 to10 Records ' Techno: The New Dance Sound of Detroit to Network's RetroTechno to Suburban Base/ Mov<strong>in</strong>g Shadow's The Jo<strong>in</strong>t to Re<strong>in</strong>forced's TheDeepest Shade of Techno to Virg<strong>in</strong> 's Macro Dub Infection to Om Records 'Deep Concentration - <strong>the</strong> compilation is <strong>the</strong> movable shop wall thatdissolves <strong>the</strong> 12 'S aura, releas<strong>in</strong>g it from its dj-only Itd-ednprofessionalized status.As a US or Euro import, a test press<strong>in</strong>g, a white label dj promo, adouble pack, a triple pack or a 10, <strong>the</strong> s<strong>in</strong>gle is <strong>the</strong> rare object thateveryone wants, that most people never get to see. The 12 is <strong>the</strong>hardback of music, <strong>the</strong> Itd-edn run of 2000 copies that sells out <strong>in</strong> 3days, never to be seen aga<strong>in</strong>. The 12 is an elite product, frozen <strong>in</strong> arigidly protected hierarchy of dj, journalist and everyone else.Like paperbacks, compilations reverse this process, releas<strong>in</strong>g tracksfrom <strong>the</strong>ir reverential and rarefied aura, dissolv<strong>in</strong>g journalisticreverence, bypass<strong>in</strong>g hard-won connoisseurship by flood<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> HighStreets with anthologies anyone can buy.


07[098]~----------------------------j07[099]RematerializeIn <strong>the</strong> beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>re was Jack and Jack had aGroove. Jack bawled and declared 'tet <strong>the</strong>re beHouse.' And House Music was b.or~. I am, you see,I am <strong>the</strong> Creator and th,s IS m f HouseF<strong>in</strong>gers Inc. Featur<strong>in</strong>g chuck Rob '~rtsVR dematerializes you but Mach<strong>in</strong>e Music rematerializes you. InNeuromancer, Case jacks from his body <strong>in</strong>to cyb€,rspace. The houseacolyte jacks <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> House that is his/her body. In '88's Can you Feel It<strong>the</strong> k<strong>in</strong>aes<strong>the</strong>tic of jack<strong>in</strong>g is <strong>in</strong>carnated as Jack. The sensation ofdanc<strong>in</strong>g comes alive. Sensation is personified by Chicago Preacher ChuckRoberts. Jack AutoCatalyses House through scream<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>the</strong>n expla<strong>in</strong>s <strong>the</strong>neurocircuit of House <strong>in</strong> which emotion becomes environment: ' Onceyou enter my House it <strong>the</strong>n becomes our House 8 mdour House Music'.Lock<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> tight to <strong>the</strong> beat builds <strong>the</strong> House fror n<strong>the</strong> reflexes up·To jack is to jo<strong>in</strong> what Walter Hughes calls <strong>the</strong> 'automatic community oftechnological communication', where Whitman's \ dhesive body electric' issequenced at <strong>the</strong> push of a button <strong>in</strong>to '<strong>the</strong> gay bo ,dy electronic'.Acid tweaks while LA burns. House amplifies all those feel<strong>in</strong>gsHipHop manfully denies itself, <strong>in</strong>tensify<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Present by burn<strong>in</strong>g up <strong>the</strong>future. The Trad HipHop fanatic regards everythi ng post-House with anunshakab le suspicion: House <strong>in</strong> league with <strong>the</strong> S;yn<strong>the</strong>tic, a collaboratorwith <strong>the</strong> frivolous, that which consorts with <strong>the</strong> 'mach<strong>in</strong>e.In HipHop <strong>the</strong> beat is heavy, carry<strong>in</strong>g a moral lweight that s<strong>in</strong>ks <strong>the</strong>neck until it nods <strong>in</strong> obeisance to <strong>the</strong> beat. Trad HipHop enforces anethics of sound that welds <strong>the</strong> fan tight to <strong>the</strong> ml usic.The 20th century Discont<strong>in</strong>uumIf Rock's archetypal demand is for satisfaction, tt hen<strong>the</strong> RhythrTlach<strong>in</strong>e'sis for feel<strong>in</strong>g. F<strong>in</strong>gers Inc - syn<strong>the</strong>sist-producer tarry Heard and vocalistRobert Owens - ask <strong>the</strong> question for <strong>the</strong> 20th C djancefloor: Can You FeelIt. 'It' here is emotion without an object, pO<strong>in</strong>tle\s, careless, directionlessfeel<strong>in</strong>g for its own sake. F<strong>in</strong>gers Inc demand that tyou feel feel<strong>in</strong>g. CanYou Feel It is a syn<strong>the</strong>tic sanctuary whose edgele~ ss tones <strong>in</strong>sulate andenwomb. Its syntharmonic horizon reaches <strong>in</strong>Sid€e you, wrapp<strong>in</strong>g itselfaround your sk<strong>in</strong>, confus<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> borders between, tissue and touch,ignit<strong>in</strong>g sensations of unspecified expectation, i"nm<strong>in</strong>ent immanence.Heard <strong>in</strong>duces a sense of sanctuary, rapt ton\es cradl<strong>in</strong>g yoU <strong>in</strong> warmbass, hover<strong>in</strong>g at <strong>the</strong> edge of <strong>the</strong> horizon. Can You Feel It is <strong>the</strong>em pathogen <strong>in</strong> a state of unconditional elation, lips pursed, eyesflicker<strong>in</strong>g at <strong>the</strong> speed of <strong>the</strong> <strong>sun</strong> .The Physical Interface of PerceptionWhen you're entactogenic, <strong>the</strong> sk<strong>in</strong> gets tactile halluc<strong>in</strong>ations, hearsth<strong>in</strong>gs, transmitt<strong>in</strong>g and receiv<strong>in</strong>g sensation-concepts. E allows you toanticipate <strong>the</strong> beat, to slip <strong>in</strong>side <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>e mnemonic.The sk<strong>in</strong> is <strong>the</strong> borderguard of yourself. As an empathogen, E affects<strong>the</strong> physical <strong>in</strong>terface of perception. Pat Cadigan clicks <strong>the</strong> cursor onzoom : 'The way to change people's ideas about reality is to change <strong>the</strong>way <strong>the</strong>y feel reality - literally.'The sk<strong>in</strong> seizes control of all <strong>the</strong> sensory channels, trigger<strong>in</strong>gmemory sk<strong>in</strong>, sk<strong>in</strong> telepathy, f<strong>in</strong>ger-recognition, shiversighs, rapt gasps.The sk<strong>in</strong> becomes an aerial receiv<strong>in</strong>g and transmitt<strong>in</strong>g everyth<strong>in</strong>g.Feel<strong>in</strong>g it is <strong>the</strong> sensation of amplification, of all channels open,supercharged. Your body see<strong>the</strong>s; a planet of wetware as you dive, dive<strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> seadepths of your blood. Feel<strong>in</strong>g is <strong>the</strong> result of all <strong>the</strong> sensesconverg<strong>in</strong>g at once.The Rhythmach<strong>in</strong>e values <strong>the</strong>se peaks above all else. These nonverbalNirvanas of total tactile telepathy are what A Guy Called Gerald terms'emotions electric', <strong>the</strong> moments when each dancer <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> crowdbecomes a medium transmitt<strong>in</strong>g sensory current.The Dancefloor at <strong>the</strong> century's startBut Nirvana's never enough. The End of Century dancefloor is a series ofparadoxical psychedelias that <strong>in</strong>duce immersive <strong>in</strong>versions and fleet<strong>in</strong>greversions. The phuture is a series of syn<strong>the</strong>tic sensations, artifiCialemotions, tense presents.Los<strong>in</strong>g it is when you give <strong>in</strong> to toxic drives, when <strong>the</strong> thirst formutation is strongest, when you're drown<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> peristaltic waves of toxicsensation, when <strong>the</strong> head 's no <strong>more</strong> <strong>than</strong> a stupid piece of gristle. Wheneffect breaks free from cause and runs off, when sound detaches itselffrom source and sense, when narrative dissolves <strong>in</strong>to sensation.The audio-toxic energy cours<strong>in</strong>g through <strong>the</strong> body amplifies itself <strong>in</strong>a current that snakes through ravers <strong>in</strong> a bio-circuit. Fuel for <strong>the</strong>Icarus trajectory.


07[100]07[101]... And Came Down <strong>in</strong> Techno City:Cybotron, Model 500, Electrify<strong>in</strong>g MojoIn Trad terms, it's widely assumed that Techno isn't a 'black Americanmusic' because it really started with Kraftwerk. Those of Techno'ssupporters who still <strong>in</strong>sist that Detroit brought <strong>the</strong> funk to Mach<strong>in</strong>e Musicwill always look for Techno's Af< .Am orig<strong>in</strong> to answer <strong>the</strong>se crits: Sun Ra?Herbie Hancock? Kraftwerk's love of James Brown? All of <strong>the</strong>se are routesthrough Techno - yet none work, because Detroit Techno is always <strong>more</strong><strong>than</strong> happy to give due credit to Kraftwerk as <strong>the</strong> pioneers of Techno.Dusseldorf Is <strong>the</strong> Mississippi DeltaKraftwerk are to Techno what Muddy Waters is to <strong>the</strong> Roll<strong>in</strong>g Stones: <strong>the</strong>au<strong>the</strong>ntic, <strong>the</strong> orig<strong>in</strong>, <strong>the</strong> real.Techno <strong>the</strong>refore reverses <strong>the</strong> traditional 60S narrative <strong>in</strong> which <strong>the</strong>Roll<strong>in</strong>g Stones stole <strong>the</strong> soul and vulgarized <strong>the</strong> blues of Waters et al.Kraftwerk epitomize <strong>the</strong> white soul of <strong>the</strong> syn<strong>the</strong>sizer, die Seele derSyn<strong>the</strong>sizer, <strong>the</strong> ultra whiteness of an automatic, sequenced future. ToModel 500, '[Kraftwerkl sounded straight up like <strong>the</strong>y were liv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> acomputer. I even had doubts to whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong>y were actually human.'Happy to be <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>terloper, <strong>the</strong> latecomer, Bambaataa steals <strong>the</strong>syn<strong>the</strong>tic soul from Dusseldorf, bastardizes it <strong>in</strong>to Planet Rock.Kraftwerk happily called <strong>the</strong>ir sound Industriell Volk Musik, Folk Musicfor <strong>the</strong> Industrial Age. For Techno, Dusseldorf is <strong>the</strong> Mississippi Delta.The Import EarDepeche Mode, Gary Numan, Alexander Robotnik, Manuel Gottsch<strong>in</strong>g,Liaisons Dangereuses: all of <strong>the</strong>se are import <strong>in</strong>puts charg<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>Cybotron futuropolis, <strong>the</strong> Techno City. Wha t 's strik<strong>in</strong>g about Cybotron'sTechno City is its chorus: 'Tech-noh Cit ehh' <strong>sun</strong>g by 3070 aka RickDavies <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> mannered accent of neuromantic synthpop.The 3070 voice is remote, hollowed out, above all fey - and adramatic secession from black macho. The import accent means s<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>glike an alien <strong>in</strong> American, becom<strong>in</strong>g an alien <strong>in</strong> Brit English, feel<strong>in</strong>g athome <strong>in</strong> estrangement, out of step, bored with homel<strong>in</strong>ess.Reverse <strong>the</strong> Current of History by Invert<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> History of AttractionTraditionally, British pop bastardizes and mistranslates US music. DetroitTechno <strong>in</strong>verts <strong>the</strong>se historical US UK currents of attraction, byabduct<strong>in</strong>g white nasal whiteness and syn<strong>the</strong>siz<strong>in</strong>g a neuromantic timbre,generat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> compell<strong>in</strong>g sense that '<strong>the</strong> music is just like Detroit, acomplete mistake.' As an aerial music that assembles itself through <strong>the</strong>Detroit airwaves, Techno hears with an import Ear, a syn<strong>the</strong>tic Ear. Its<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> a v<strong>in</strong>yl accent decapitated from English bodies to migrate across<strong>the</strong> Atlantic. To listen to Cybotron is to hear <strong>the</strong> Brit voice mak<strong>in</strong>gTechno's alienation from America audible. In <strong>the</strong> Cybotron and M500voice, you hear what <strong>the</strong> tropical surrealist Rene Menil terms a 'cont<strong>in</strong>ualtelescop<strong>in</strong>g of 2 cultural languages separated with<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> same tongue.'The Electronic CyborgCybo[rgl + [Elec]tron[Jc] = Cybotron. The Cybotron is <strong>the</strong> electroniccyborg, <strong>the</strong> alien at home <strong>in</strong> dislocation, ex centred by tradition, happilyestranged <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> gaps across which electric current jumps. The suffix of'tron' <strong>in</strong> Cybotron and Mantronix, like <strong>the</strong> prefix 'ph' <strong>in</strong> Phuture, is not aword, but word-concentrate: it's a partial accelerator, an eng<strong>in</strong>e youattach to make concepts go faster.We are misled by consider<strong>in</strong>g any complicated mach<strong>in</strong>eas a s<strong>in</strong>gle th<strong>in</strong>g: <strong>in</strong> truth it is a city or societyBuild <strong>the</strong> ChronotopiaSamuel ButlerDetroit Techno is aerial. It transmits along routes through space, is no tgrounded by <strong>the</strong> roots of any tree. Dispersed <strong>in</strong> space, Detroit connectsthrough <strong>the</strong> 2-Hour City of radio, <strong>the</strong> concentration <strong>in</strong> time of <strong>the</strong>Technopolis. Techno announces today's era <strong>in</strong> which 'Geography isreplaced by chronography,' <strong>the</strong> age when, as Virilio argues, 'we havebegun to <strong>in</strong>habit time.' Techno assembles itself across <strong>the</strong> studiOS ofDetroit from <strong>in</strong>puts supplied by <strong>the</strong> dj Electrify<strong>in</strong>g Mojo, who opens hisMidnight Funk Association show with Cybotron's Me<strong>than</strong>e Sea and JohnWilliams' OST Title Theme from Star Wars. The tracks Mojo plays switchon <strong>the</strong> routes <strong>in</strong> and out of <strong>the</strong> Techno City. Cybotron's Techno City is<strong>the</strong> Sonic Fiction of <strong>the</strong> Chronotopia, <strong>the</strong> city <strong>in</strong> time.


07[102)07[103)Electronic SecessionTechno secedes from <strong>the</strong> ruthlessly patrolled hoods of Trad HipHop.HipHop updates blaxploitation's territories; it represents <strong>the</strong> street. Byopt<strong>in</strong>g out of this logic of representation, Techno disappears itself from<strong>the</strong> street, <strong>the</strong> ghetto and <strong>the</strong> hood. Drexciya doesn't represent Detroit<strong>the</strong> way Mobb Deep <strong>in</strong>sist <strong>the</strong>y represent Staten Island.Futuropolis of <strong>the</strong> PresentThe Techno City is a futuropolis of <strong>the</strong> present, planned, sectioned andelevated from station to studiO, transmitt<strong>in</strong>g from a Detroit <strong>in</strong> transitionfrom <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustrial to <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>formation age. For Cybotron's <strong>sonic</strong> <strong>the</strong>oristand syn<strong>the</strong>sist 3070 Richard Davies, '84'S Techno City is <strong>the</strong><strong>in</strong>tersection of 2 future states. Techno City is where <strong>the</strong> 30th Cmegalopolis of Fritz Lang's Metropolis meets <strong>the</strong> emerg<strong>in</strong>g T-Net ofcorporate booster Alv<strong>in</strong> Toffler's The Third Wave. 'Techno City was <strong>the</strong>electronic village. It was divided <strong>in</strong>to different sectors. I'd watched FritzLang's Metropolis - which had <strong>the</strong> privileged sectors <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> clouds and<strong>the</strong> underground worker's city. I thought <strong>the</strong>re should be three sectors;<strong>the</strong> idea was that a person could be born and raised <strong>in</strong> Techno City, <strong>the</strong>worker's city, but what he wanted to do was work his way to <strong>the</strong>cybodrome where artists and <strong>in</strong>tellectuals reside. There would be noMorloch, but all sorts of diversions, games, electronic <strong>in</strong>struments.'Evolutionary ElectronicsElectrify<strong>in</strong>g Mojo's nightly show is <strong>the</strong> first stage <strong>in</strong> Techno'sevolutionary drive <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> dance, its movement from Nation 2 Nation toWorld 2 World to Galaxy 2 Galaxy. With Cybotron's Techno City, <strong>in</strong> labelslike Carl Craig's Planet E, <strong>in</strong> Underground Resistance's Red Planet seriesand <strong>the</strong>ir Black Planet Studios, <strong>the</strong> music arrives from ano<strong>the</strong>r planet.Waveforms are <strong>fiction</strong>alized <strong>in</strong>to offworld sett<strong>in</strong>gs, lunar <strong>sun</strong>sets.Electronics is imaged <strong>in</strong> sleeve artwork - Abdul Haqq's Third Earth,Frankie C. Fulitz's Drexciyan label visions, Alan Oldham's Transmatlabel-excerpts from a post-Modesty Blaise epic, Rufus Knightwebb'sangular sleeve-art for Suburban Knight's The Art of Stalk<strong>in</strong>g.The Possibility Space of Fictional FrequenciesCybotron's Techno City, like all <strong>the</strong>se possibility spaces, is Sonic Fiction:electronic <strong>fiction</strong> , with frequencies <strong>fiction</strong>alized, syn<strong>the</strong>sized andorganized <strong>in</strong>to escape routes. Sonic Fiction replaces lyrics withpossibility spaces, with a plan for gett<strong>in</strong>g out of jail free. Escapism isorganized until it seizes <strong>the</strong> means of perception and multiplies <strong>the</strong>modes of sensory reality.Which is why you should always laugh <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> face of those producers,djs and journalists who sneer at escapism for its unreality, for itsfakeness; all those who stra<strong>in</strong> to keep it real. These assumptions wish toclip your w<strong>in</strong>gs, to tie your forked tail to a tree, to handcuff you to <strong>the</strong>rott<strong>in</strong>g remnants of tradition, <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>herited stupidities of habit, <strong>the</strong> deadweight of yourself. Common sense wants to see you beh<strong>in</strong>d <strong>the</strong> bars itcalls Real Life.By contrast, Sonic Fiction strands you <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> present with no way ofgett<strong>in</strong>g back to <strong>the</strong> 70S. Sonic Fiction is <strong>the</strong> first stage of a reentryprogram which grasps this very clearly. Sonic Fictions are part of modernmusic's MythSystems. Mov<strong>in</strong>g through liv<strong>in</strong>g space, real-worldenvironments that are already alien.Operat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>structions for <strong>the</strong> escape route from yourself. Overthrow<strong>the</strong> Internal Empire of your head. Secede from <strong>the</strong> stupidity of<strong>in</strong>telligence, <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>ertia of good taste, <strong>the</strong> rigor mortis of cool. You're born<strong>in</strong>to a rigged prison which <strong>the</strong> jailors term Real Life. Sonic Fiction is <strong>the</strong>manual for your own offworld break-out, reentry program, for enter<strong>in</strong>gEarth's orbit and touch<strong>in</strong>g down on <strong>the</strong> land<strong>in</strong>g strip of your senses.We dedicate this album to <strong>the</strong> people of <strong>the</strong>Detroit Metroplex. To survive we must technofy andsave <strong>the</strong> biosphereCybotronTechnofication: <strong>the</strong> Conceptechnics of TechnoTo ENTER <strong>the</strong> Cybotron world it's necessary to technofy first yourself,<strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> world. Press <strong>the</strong> ENTER button on <strong>the</strong> Roland composer. PressPATTERN CLEAR for rhythmatic syn<strong>the</strong>sis.To technofy is to become aware of <strong>the</strong> coevolution of mach<strong>in</strong>e andhuman, <strong>the</strong> secret life of mach<strong>in</strong>es, <strong>the</strong> computerization of <strong>the</strong> world,<strong>the</strong> programm<strong>in</strong>g of history, <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>formatics of reality.


07[104]07[105]To technofy is to evolve a m<strong>in</strong>dstate which grasps <strong>the</strong> migrationpaths of mach<strong>in</strong>ic processes, builds Sonic Fictions from <strong>the</strong> electronicsof everyday life.To technofy is to optimize <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>ic mutation of music.Syn<strong>the</strong>size YourselfBeh<strong>in</strong>d <strong>the</strong> disappear<strong>in</strong>g of Detroit Techno <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> US , <strong>the</strong>re's <strong>the</strong> sensethat Techno betrayed an unspoken oath. It was seduced by ManuelGottsch<strong>in</strong>g, by Liaisons Dangereuses - by all that Euro synth music -and this triggers <strong>the</strong> unspoken but persistent sense of abandon<strong>in</strong>gAfrican •• American tradition. This loyalty assumes an umbilicalconnection to rub. Detroit Techno breaks exhilarat<strong>in</strong>gly with rub -<strong>the</strong>n it was never rooted <strong>in</strong> it to beg<strong>in</strong> with.It was always syn<strong>the</strong>tic, from <strong>the</strong> aerials up.Crits would still ask, 'How could Grandmaster Flash and Bambaataalike Kraftwerk?, Obvious. Bambaataa is attracted to an alien Euro sound,bored with and <strong>in</strong>different to familiar Af •• Am sound. But at <strong>the</strong> sametime, white sound isn't alien at all. Noth<strong>in</strong>g that attracts is alien.Bambaataa wants to artificialize himself. White-framed slitshadesscann<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> track, <strong>the</strong> fashion of a Parliafunkadelicment outpost left onan offworld colony to develop its own silicon-based MythSystems. Thedj's role is to <strong>in</strong>tensify estrangement, to transmit <strong>the</strong> currents of <strong>the</strong>alien. But <strong>the</strong> dj doesn't know what she wants until she hears it. TheFuturist is helpless <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> face of fasc<strong>in</strong>ation. Yesterday this track wa<strong>sun</strong>known, unheard, undreamt. Today you follow it like a sleepwalker.journalism <strong>in</strong>verts this unknow<strong>in</strong>gness -want? -How can I know what I<strong>in</strong>to a demand: 'How can you like what you like?' journalism'sjob is to build <strong>the</strong> border, be <strong>the</strong> gatekeeper, man <strong>the</strong> cross<strong>in</strong>g. TheFuturist moves carelessly past a polarization which was never <strong>the</strong>re.White journalism always asks <strong>the</strong> same question: 'How could thiswhitest of groups exert this powerful <strong>in</strong>fluence over Black Music?'Simultaneously smug and <strong>in</strong>credulous, it tells you, over and over, thatKraftwerk are Techno's precursors, its routes-rockers. But hav<strong>in</strong>g taughtTechno producers all <strong>the</strong>y know, <strong>the</strong> orig<strong>in</strong>ators must recede <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong>distance as Techno, simple lessons mastered, advances <strong>in</strong>exorably <strong>in</strong>to<strong>the</strong> future.butwhite Noise for SnaresDrums and Electronics converge on <strong>the</strong> new possibility space ofrhythmatics and syncussion . As Kraftwerk realized, sound mach<strong>in</strong>ery deskillsand dephysicalizes music, allow<strong>in</strong>g 'th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g and hear<strong>in</strong>g'precedence over 'gymnastics. Practis<strong>in</strong>g is no longer necessary.'The musician becomes an electronic programmer, a push-buttonpercussionist who taps ENTER with <strong>the</strong> f<strong>in</strong>gertips.The drum-mach<strong>in</strong>e is really a syn<strong>the</strong>sizer which plays back sequencesof automatic <strong>in</strong>tensities, pitch, noise. Model 500 makes up 'drum soundson <strong>the</strong> Korg MSlo syn<strong>the</strong>sizer. I would play around with white noise andp<strong>in</strong>k noise and come up with drum sounds. I heard a Kraftwerk record<strong>the</strong> first time. The record was Man Mach<strong>in</strong>e and on a lot of <strong>the</strong> songs<strong>the</strong>y were us<strong>in</strong>g white noise for snares <strong>in</strong> just <strong>the</strong> same way that I was.'science <strong>fiction</strong> doesn't predict <strong>the</strong> future, itdeterm<strong>in</strong>es it, colonizes it, preprograms it <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>image of <strong>the</strong> presentPreprogram <strong>the</strong> FutureWilliam GibsonDetroit Techno organizes a history and preprograms <strong>the</strong> future directionof <strong>the</strong> Rhythmach<strong>in</strong>e. As juan Atk<strong>in</strong>s declares 'It was so amaz<strong>in</strong>g. It waslike <strong>the</strong> answer. It was <strong>the</strong> future for me. I thought man, this is <strong>the</strong>future and this is where I'm try<strong>in</strong>g to go. If you listen to We Are <strong>the</strong>Robots <strong>the</strong>re are no cymbals. I heard my snare sounds and I heard mykickdrum sound on this record. But <strong>the</strong> th<strong>in</strong>g was that it was <strong>more</strong>precise. It was like what I was try<strong>in</strong>g to do but couldn't get to, youknow? Then I heard <strong>the</strong> gated noise snare and <strong>the</strong> gated noise kick withno cymbals. It just froze me <strong>in</strong> my tracks.'The Cyborg <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Network of ForcesIn nam<strong>in</strong>g himself Model 500, juan Atk<strong>in</strong>s affirms <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>e statewhich used to be called dehumanization. Gun<strong>the</strong>r Frohl<strong>in</strong>g's '78 ManMach<strong>in</strong>e sleeve shows a chorus l<strong>in</strong>e of bachelormach<strong>in</strong>es. The <strong>in</strong>sidesleeve art shows Kraftwerk with dyed black hair, black eyel<strong>in</strong>er, redlipstick on <strong>the</strong>ir m<strong>in</strong>uscule, sealed-up mouths, red shirts and black ties.The right arm is held at <strong>the</strong> hip and all are look<strong>in</strong>g right. Posed on ametal stairway with red rails, all bachelors with no bride.


07(106)07(107)The name Model 500 announces <strong>the</strong> producer as <strong>the</strong> next model, <strong>the</strong>syn<strong>the</strong>sizer of <strong>the</strong> future. The producer is now <strong>the</strong> modular <strong>in</strong>put,will<strong>in</strong>gly absorbed <strong>in</strong>to McLuhan's 'medium which processes its users,who are its content.' Tapp<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> energy flow of <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>e, <strong>the</strong>Futurist becomes an energy generator. Cyborg<strong>in</strong>g turns <strong>the</strong> human <strong>in</strong>toSamuel Butler's mach<strong>in</strong>ate mammal, part of an ongo<strong>in</strong>g connectionmach<strong>in</strong>e. Mach<strong>in</strong>es R US. Donna Haraway: 'The mach<strong>in</strong>e is us , ourprocesses, an aspect of our embodiment.'To cyborg yourself you name yourself after a piece of technicalequipment, become an energy generator, a channel, a medium fortransmitt<strong>in</strong>g emotions electric. The psyborg plugs <strong>in</strong>to mach<strong>in</strong>icprocesses, draws on <strong>the</strong> electronic energy of. .. everyth<strong>in</strong>g. It becomes acomponent of <strong>the</strong> unbuilt future world mach<strong>in</strong>es, an element <strong>in</strong> Goldie'scuboidrome piece, <strong>in</strong> Basquiat's sampladelic Pegasus mach<strong>in</strong>e. Cyborg<strong>in</strong>g,to borrow <strong>the</strong> words of Norman Mailer, 'takes <strong>the</strong> immediate experiencesof any man, magnifies <strong>the</strong> dynamic of his movements, not specifically butabstract so that he is seen as a vector <strong>in</strong> a network of forces.'HeteronymsLike Underground Resistance as X-102, World 2 World, Galaxy 2 Galaxy,The Martian, like Kool Keith as Funk Igniter Plus, Rhythm X, Dr Octagon,like 4 Hero as Tek 9, Internal Affairs, Tom G Jerry, Nu Era , Juan Atk<strong>in</strong>smultiplies himself <strong>in</strong>to mach<strong>in</strong>e names: M500, X-Ray, Channel OneFrequency, Audiotech and Inf<strong>in</strong>iti. The producer disappears <strong>in</strong>to eachalterego but <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>ate name is not a pseudonym, a fake name.Ra<strong>the</strong>r it's a heteronym, a many-name, one <strong>in</strong> a series of parallel nameswhich distributes and disperses you <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> public secrecy of openanonymity. I is a crowd: <strong>the</strong> producer exists simultaneously, everyalterego an advertisement for myselves. The Rhythmach<strong>in</strong>e actively setsout to manufacture as many personalities as possible. Alteregos are<strong>more</strong> real because you choose <strong>the</strong>m. Ord<strong>in</strong>ary names are unreal becauseyou didn't . Multi-egos are <strong>more</strong> real still because <strong>the</strong>y designate yourparallel states.Children, <strong>in</strong>st<strong>in</strong>ctual animists, identify with toys and dolls, subject<strong>in</strong>g<strong>the</strong>mselves to and project<strong>in</strong>g onto <strong>the</strong> Inanimate: every 12-year-oldknows that I is an o<strong>the</strong>r and ano<strong>the</strong>r and ano<strong>the</strong>r. In <strong>the</strong> 70S , <strong>the</strong> Bowieheteronyms - Major Tom, Aladd<strong>in</strong> Sane, Th<strong>in</strong> White Duke - were serial.Now heteronyms come <strong>in</strong> parallel. Today, <strong>the</strong> Futurist producer is alwaysgreater <strong>than</strong> one, always multiply<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to omni-duos, simultaneouslydiverg<strong>in</strong>g selves that never converge <strong>in</strong>to knowledge of self. Instead ofdiscipl<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g o<strong>the</strong>rs through <strong>the</strong> despotic standard of keep<strong>in</strong>g it real ,stay<strong>in</strong>g true to <strong>the</strong> game, represent<strong>in</strong>g or stay<strong>in</strong>g black, Alien MUSicproliferates m<strong>in</strong>dstates which never amount to one m<strong>in</strong>d. To unify <strong>the</strong>self is to amputate <strong>the</strong> self.Rhythmatic ConsciousnessTo technofy means to syn<strong>the</strong>size music from <strong>the</strong> same robotic rhythmsthat took Detroit's humans out of <strong>the</strong> loop. M500: 'Berry Gordy built <strong>the</strong>Motown sound on <strong>the</strong> same pr<strong>in</strong>ciples as <strong>the</strong> conveyor belt system ofFord.' Motown amplified <strong>the</strong> soundscape of <strong>the</strong> 60S motor townmetropolis: 'Today <strong>the</strong> plants don't work that way. They use computersand robots to build <strong>the</strong> cars .'Metroplex = Metropolitan ComplexModel 500 'S record label -Metroplex - amplifies <strong>the</strong> assembly-l<strong>in</strong>elanes of <strong>the</strong> 80S metropolitan complex. The metroplex is <strong>the</strong> futuropolis<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Third Wave of <strong>the</strong> Techno Era . 'I'm probably <strong>more</strong> <strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong>Ford 's robots <strong>than</strong> Berry Gordy's music.' This crowd of cyborgs - Model500, Audiotech, X-Ray, Channel One, Frequency - all tune <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong>chunk-a-chunk-a rhythms of <strong>the</strong> Ford robot. Build<strong>in</strong>g a car becomes <strong>the</strong>Dance of <strong>the</strong> Industrial Robotniks.RutomanikkTo technofy is to turn <strong>the</strong> automatic sequence <strong>in</strong>to what A Guy CalledGerald terms an automanikk track. Far from be<strong>in</strong>g mechanicallypredictable, <strong>the</strong> automatic becomes manic. The gated-noise kick of <strong>the</strong>Roland 808 and 303 mach<strong>in</strong>es, <strong>the</strong>ir signature hardstrike, causeslanguage to onomatopoeize <strong>the</strong> 'c' <strong>in</strong>to 'kk'. With Techno <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>egoes mental.DefrictionalTechno defrictionalizes <strong>the</strong> funk. Its angular attack velocities are <strong>the</strong>opposite of any snake-hipped 70S groove. Where Parliament urged youto dance your way out of your constriction, Techno triggers a delibid<strong>in</strong>aleconomics of strict pulses, gated signals - with Techno you dance yourway <strong>in</strong>to your constriction. Diagonals corner you, creat<strong>in</strong>g a new k<strong>in</strong>d oftension that doesn't resolve <strong>in</strong> expected places. This <strong>in</strong> turn creates newexpectations <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> listener and <strong>the</strong> producers beg<strong>in</strong> to call this feel<strong>in</strong>g


07[108]07[109]abstract. Techno's uptightness, its everywhichway-but-Iooseness is notso much maladroit as malandroid.CubularTechno is angular funk for androids, mandroids and womandroids. More<strong>than</strong> angular, it's cubular: Techno transmits sensations of cuboid andtubular sound, sets off a cognitive dissonance throughout <strong>the</strong> large bra<strong>in</strong>of <strong>the</strong> body. Its texturhythms provoke an <strong>in</strong>extricable <strong>in</strong>tricacy, a mazeof limbic dissonance that blocks and baffles, threatens and entreats.With Rhythim is Rhythim's '92 Ikon and Kao-tic Harmony (Relic ofRelics), sequenc<strong>in</strong>g complexifies <strong>in</strong>to an allatonceness, an algebra ofuntitled emotions. 'My concept has always been to get <strong>the</strong> feel from alldrum-mach<strong>in</strong>es simultaneously,' May expla<strong>in</strong>s. 'I try to connect all <strong>the</strong>feels so that <strong>the</strong>y accent and bounce off of each o<strong>the</strong>r.' The sequencer istied to a s<strong>in</strong>gle clock, but runn<strong>in</strong>g 3 rhythm patterns and 2 basssequences at once yields a bewitch<strong>in</strong>g mosaic of overlapp<strong>in</strong>grhythmelodies, an aural algebra that confounds count<strong>in</strong>g, that tugs atyou everywhichway, compell<strong>in</strong>g an all-over omniattentiveness. Whensequences bounce and clock cycles nudge, when <strong>the</strong> rims of texturythmmeet <strong>the</strong> edge of rhythmelodies, time touches time <strong>in</strong> a mach<strong>in</strong>ekiss.By sampl<strong>in</strong>g a chord and play<strong>in</strong>g it back as a s<strong>in</strong>gle note, <strong>the</strong> orig<strong>in</strong>alchord expands <strong>in</strong>to a keyboard. Unlocatable <strong>in</strong>termediate tones emerge,which May <strong>the</strong>n exaggerates by jump<strong>in</strong>g between octaves of <strong>the</strong>expanded chord spectrum so that <strong>the</strong> sound shockcuts as treacherouslyas spr<strong>in</strong>gloaded stalactites. The result is a sense of solemn exaltation.Rhythim is Rhythim's syntharmonic orchestration move you through animpalpable portent, a cosmic <strong>in</strong>difference exemplified by <strong>the</strong> title andarrangement of '8is It Is What It Is. 'My str<strong>in</strong>g sounds are very cold,very callous,' he expla<strong>in</strong>s. This callousness is anempa<strong>the</strong>tic <strong>in</strong> MichelChion's sense, because 'it doesn't care and for this very reason, takeson, <strong>in</strong> a massive transference, <strong>the</strong> weight of a human dest<strong>in</strong>y which itsums up and disda<strong>in</strong>s.' In Kao-tic Harmony, <strong>the</strong>se glacial tones turnaquamar<strong>in</strong>e, are heard underwater. The spheres have long s<strong>in</strong>cecollapsed <strong>in</strong>to a sublime spacewreck, a bombed-out relic of relics.UFOs, <strong>the</strong>y're drawn to electric power. They hover over <strong>the</strong>powerplant, just over <strong>the</strong>reUfonicFoJC ",ulderSung with <strong>the</strong> dra<strong>in</strong>ed fanaticism of an abductee, Model 500'S '85 NoUFOs {Orig<strong>in</strong>al Vocal Mix} drags you <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> ufonic experience. 'When<strong>the</strong> syn<strong>the</strong>sizer came along it was perfect for me because it allowed meto make sounds that were impossible.' For Juan Atk<strong>in</strong>s, electronicssWitches on an unreality pr<strong>in</strong>ciple. ' I was <strong>in</strong>to UFOs land<strong>in</strong>g and tak<strong>in</strong>goff, and spaceships. The syn<strong>the</strong>sizer allowed me to create, <strong>in</strong> mybedroom, <strong>the</strong> sound of what it would be like if a UFO landed <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> frontyard.' Eddie "Flash<strong>in</strong>" Fowlkes recalls 'a story about Juan and <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rCybotron guys go<strong>in</strong>g to a build<strong>in</strong>g and some guy draw<strong>in</strong>g a circle around<strong>the</strong>m. They sat <strong>in</strong> a circle wait<strong>in</strong>g for <strong>the</strong> cybotrons to come down.'I wanted to land a UFO on <strong>the</strong> trackThe Mouth Is a Hole for <strong>the</strong> Soul",ode1500The M500 voice hollows <strong>the</strong> soul <strong>in</strong>to an affectless, traumatized void.The mouth is a hole through which <strong>the</strong> soul dra<strong>in</strong>s away. The M500accent doesn't emote: <strong>in</strong>stead it [rJemotes, recedes <strong>in</strong>to earshot,oracular portents from <strong>the</strong> end of a tunnel. No UFOs has <strong>the</strong> om<strong>in</strong>ousimm<strong>in</strong>ence of whiteness syn<strong>the</strong>sized out of Bauhaus, Depeche Mode andGary Numan: 'Tell me if it's alright/ You said I should not fear/ th<strong>in</strong>gs youhaven 't seen before/ are com<strong>in</strong>g very near.'Your Bra<strong>in</strong> Is Caught up <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> NetBy runn<strong>in</strong>g 2 Rhythmach<strong>in</strong>es at once, programmed with separate parts,No UFOs blocks and bounces your body <strong>in</strong> a maze of <strong>in</strong>terlock<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>hibitions. Woodblocks with <strong>the</strong> wood deleted and replaced with <strong>the</strong>anempathy of metal on metal. Handclaps, <strong>the</strong> impact of palm on sk<strong>in</strong>,are replaced by white noise gated <strong>in</strong>to mekanik matchstrikes, amplified<strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>expressive aspiration of mach<strong>in</strong>es with asthma. The Song isreplaced by nonsequential sequences of rhythmatic electricity. Gat<strong>in</strong>gcuts off <strong>the</strong> attack of <strong>the</strong> envelope so that Roland 808 and 909 beats areall abruptness: from 0 to I like a trap shutt<strong>in</strong>g.


07[110]07[111]Instead of be<strong>in</strong>g propelled forward by The jB's funk monaurail, <strong>the</strong>rhythms frustrate all groove, imped<strong>in</strong>g you. Melody is replaced by basssynths that stab, with <strong>the</strong> tension-<strong>in</strong>duc<strong>in</strong>g texturhythms of a tennis ballbe<strong>in</strong>g bounced but never served. Constrict<strong>in</strong>g Zapp's Spandex bass <strong>in</strong>toan ounce of its bounce, <strong>the</strong> M500 synth generates basstabs which stressout <strong>the</strong> reflexes with <strong>the</strong>ir irregular regularity.In No UFOs, Atk<strong>in</strong>s is disconnected from space by his conviction that<strong>the</strong>re are UFOs: 'They say <strong>the</strong>re is no hope/ They say No UFO / Why is yourhead held high/ Maybe you'll see <strong>the</strong>m fly y yy yyy y y<strong>in</strong>g ii<strong>in</strong>gg <strong>in</strong>nng.'No Astro. > Black coaxial cables. The space l<strong>in</strong>k is broken.Reece's audition of a nightime world, <strong>in</strong>sidious Sprechgesang prowls <strong>the</strong>metroplex. Baleful bass miasma turns <strong>the</strong> air waxy, sapp<strong>in</strong>g your step,dragg<strong>in</strong>g you through a quagmire. Synth as malignant as Sar<strong>in</strong> gas seepsthrough <strong>the</strong> cybodrome. Entropy powers <strong>the</strong> Grid <strong>in</strong> Techno City,Destroit. In K. Alexi Shelby's All for Lee'Sah, his volumeless whisperslurs and shudders, cloak<strong>in</strong>g its consonants. The batteries of <strong>the</strong>hunterstalker are runn<strong>in</strong>g low. The chorus of reversed sighs and p<strong>in</strong>knoise refracts <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> japanese word 'Hai '. It's a duet for predator andprey <strong>in</strong> which <strong>the</strong> Nastassia K<strong>in</strong>ski-ized voice, dra<strong>in</strong>ed and <strong>in</strong>different,stutters until she turns <strong>in</strong>to a flock of flee<strong>in</strong>g consonants.Th<strong>in</strong>gs you haven't seen before are com<strong>in</strong>g very nearHodelSOO[R}emoteSnatched <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> fx zone, <strong>the</strong> voice enters what post-rock groupSaba Ion Glitz term <strong>the</strong> ufonic state. The ufo experience bursts acousticsapart <strong>in</strong> a fearful uphoria, shatters <strong>the</strong> voice <strong>in</strong>to a host of polyvowels,<strong>the</strong> plash of tyres through ra<strong>in</strong>, <strong>the</strong> echo of barrels roll<strong>in</strong>g down a wetsidestreet <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> cold light of night. Techno's anempa<strong>the</strong>tic tonesempties all <strong>the</strong> heat from emotion, lower<strong>in</strong>g temperature until you wantto shelter from your body's altered conduction. Putt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> soul on icedisequilibrates your <strong>the</strong>rmostatic balance, generat<strong>in</strong>g halluc<strong>in</strong>ations of<strong>the</strong> sk<strong>in</strong>, <strong>the</strong> sensation of be<strong>in</strong>g attacked by cold angles. You put adistance between you and yourself.Drive through <strong>the</strong> DarksideModel 500'S '85 Night Drive [thru Babylon] launches <strong>the</strong> Darkside ofDetroit Techno where<strong>in</strong> bachelormach<strong>in</strong>es stalk <strong>the</strong> night, rear<strong>in</strong>g up on<strong>the</strong>ir h<strong>in</strong>dquarters. Model 500 prowls <strong>the</strong> telephonumbilical connection, afurtive pervert obscured by synths. The voice slips past hear<strong>in</strong>g as itsleeps like a dog, a sublim<strong>in</strong>al shadow that creeps along <strong>the</strong> sk<strong>in</strong>, stalksyou with its lightbreath: 'I'm driv<strong>in</strong>g through black on black <strong>in</strong> black.' Thenightdriver feels like 'a snake, slid<strong>in</strong>g down <strong>the</strong> side of a glass square.'Suburban Knight's The Art of Stalk<strong>in</strong>g [Stalker Mix] and Reece's JustAno<strong>the</strong>r Chance develop this drive through <strong>the</strong> Darkside. SuburbanKnight syn<strong>the</strong>sises a stealthscape of slid<strong>in</strong>g pizzicato through which <strong>the</strong>hypo<strong>the</strong>rmic predator lunges and darts, crouches and techsteps. InInside <strong>the</strong> Sanctuary of Shockwave: The Bomb SquadWe Are <strong>the</strong> DiagonalToday's science <strong>fiction</strong> starts with jack Womack's Elvisseyand PatCadigan's Synners, William Gibson's Virtual Light and Bruce Sterl<strong>in</strong>g'sSchizmatrix - tomorrow's Sonic Fiction beg<strong>in</strong>s with The Bomb Squad'spost-'88 tracktitles: War at 33.3, InCident at 66.6FM, F<strong>in</strong>al Count of <strong>the</strong>ColliSion between Us and <strong>the</strong> Damned, Term<strong>in</strong>ator X to <strong>the</strong> Edge ofPanic, Term<strong>in</strong>ator X Speaks with his Hands. For you, Chuck D's valueisn't as an ambassador but as an imag<strong>in</strong>eer whose titles constituteCondensed Fiction: capsule epics of <strong>the</strong> Electronic Age, <strong>the</strong> artifiCialthought of <strong>the</strong> audioevent.The Eng<strong>in</strong>eer Crosses <strong>the</strong> GlassWith The Bomb Squad - Hank Shocklee, Keith Shocklee, Eric 'Vietnam'Sadler, Carl Ryder - <strong>the</strong> eng<strong>in</strong>eer, <strong>the</strong> producer and <strong>the</strong> programmerbecome a group <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir own right. Backroom status is replaced by <strong>the</strong>expertise of sound deSigners. As Hank Shocklee says, ' It's like somebodythrow<strong>in</strong>g rice at you. You have to grab every little piece and put it <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>right place like <strong>in</strong> a puzzle.' In <strong>the</strong> films Predator 2 , Ghost <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Shell,<strong>the</strong> Alien tetralogy, it's always <strong>the</strong> eng<strong>in</strong>eers who are ready to turn <strong>the</strong>alien <strong>in</strong>to killer app. The eng<strong>in</strong>eer is <strong>the</strong> lethal conceptechnician, notform<strong>in</strong>g a group but 'a technical assault squadron' all <strong>the</strong> <strong>more</strong> lethal forits anonymity. Deadl<strong>in</strong>ess lies <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>visibility, <strong>in</strong> this retreat from <strong>the</strong> light<strong>in</strong>to a public secrecy and private publicity.PubliC Enemy draw fire with <strong>the</strong> visible target of <strong>the</strong>ir logo. The


07[112)07[113)Bomb Squad are acousmatic, heard and unseen, adopt<strong>in</strong>g tactics ofstealth adapted by Underground Resistance. With <strong>the</strong> sleeve art for '89'SWelcome to <strong>the</strong> Terrordome, eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g becomes imag<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g. The 12is <strong>fiction</strong>alized as a <strong>sonic</strong> device, a bomb, ' launched, fuelled, planted anddetonated by The Bomb Squad.'In <strong>the</strong>ir dub mixes, The Bomb Squad <strong>in</strong>vent a sampladelic electronicsat <strong>the</strong> heart of HipHop that turns up <strong>the</strong> volume of <strong>the</strong> world.A Detonat<strong>in</strong>g CalmClose-mik<strong>in</strong>g expands <strong>the</strong> field of hear<strong>in</strong>g. Perception blows up and <strong>in</strong><strong>the</strong> ru<strong>in</strong>s, <strong>the</strong> listener goes travell<strong>in</strong>g, climbs <strong>the</strong> desolate rubble ofheadphone consciousness. By whisper<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> chorus to '88's Louder <strong>than</strong>a Bomb, a roar becomes a hush that delivers you to sanctuary <strong>in</strong>side thisBomb Squad shockwave. In '92'S By <strong>the</strong> Time I Get to Arizona, <strong>the</strong> airtrembles <strong>in</strong> a split-second pause, motile with anticipation. Beats cracklike forlorn fireworks. There's a detonat<strong>in</strong>g calm just before <strong>the</strong> riotkicks off with <strong>the</strong> swagger<strong>in</strong>g fuzz of boaconstrictor funk flown <strong>in</strong> fromMandrill's Two Sisters of Mercy. In <strong>the</strong> second before straf<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>the</strong> organvibrato wells up, cradl<strong>in</strong>g you <strong>in</strong> buoyant harmonics.Wrap Me <strong>in</strong> CatastropheThe syn<strong>the</strong>sizer reverb and ocean spume <strong>in</strong> '91 'S Can 't Truss It [AlmightyRaw /25th Street Bootleg Mix] wrap you <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> arms of catastrophe.Helicopters hover <strong>in</strong>to earshot. A thunderthroated voiceover murmurs<strong>in</strong>timately, 'It started <strong>in</strong> slaveships. ' Can't Truss It's <strong>in</strong>tro is an<strong>in</strong>strumental <strong>in</strong> itself, The Bomb Squad at <strong>the</strong>ir most super<strong>sonic</strong>ally<strong>fiction</strong>al , fastforward<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Middle Passage <strong>in</strong>to 'Nam until both arrivefrom <strong>the</strong> future.The Apocalypse is Now, 1725, off <strong>the</strong> East Coast of Saigon: 'Slaveships.There are <strong>more</strong> records of slaveships <strong>than</strong> one would dream. It seems<strong>in</strong>conceivable until you reflect that for 200 years ships sailed carry<strong>in</strong>gcargos of slaves.' The trailertone slows down <strong>in</strong>to Vaderized pitch, arestricted frequency that <strong>in</strong>tensifies emotional output.The Bomb Squad dunks you <strong>in</strong> zero time until you feel <strong>the</strong> apocalypsethat's 'already been <strong>in</strong> effect'.There's a heightened awareness <strong>in</strong> HipHop, fostered through comicsand sci fi, of <strong>the</strong> manufactured, designed and posthuman existence ofAfrican-Americans. African aliens are snatched by African slavetraders,delivered to be sliced, diced and genetically designed by whitefacefanatics and cannibal Christians <strong>in</strong>to American slaves, 3/ 5 of <strong>the</strong>irstandardized norm, <strong>the</strong>ir Westworld ROM .Like <strong>the</strong> robot - Karel Capek's '21 Czech neologism for a mechanizedworker - <strong>the</strong> slave was actually manufactured to fulfill a function: as aservomechanism, as a transport system, as furniture, as 3/ 5 of <strong>the</strong>human, as a fractional subject. Norbert Wiener clicks on escape: 'Theautomatic mach<strong>in</strong>e is <strong>the</strong> precise economical equivalent of slave labour.'Slaves are aliens. Leroi Jones adjusts <strong>the</strong> macros cope sett<strong>in</strong>g: 'Notonly physical and environmental aliens, but products of a completelyalien philosophical system.' Inhumans, posthumans ow<strong>in</strong>g noth<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong>human species. Hence <strong>the</strong> endless arguments <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> 18th C about <strong>the</strong>ability of slaves to read or write, <strong>the</strong> equivalent to 20th C argumentsconcern<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> potential existence of artificial <strong>in</strong>telligence.'At <strong>the</strong> eve of <strong>the</strong> year 2000, PreSident David Duke of <strong>the</strong> UnitedWorld States of Europe-America, has launched a f<strong>in</strong>al assault on peoplesof African descent, turn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> righteous <strong>in</strong>to niggatrons.' PE 's WholeLotta Love <strong>in</strong>tro is PhonoFiction at <strong>the</strong> 23rd hour of 'December 31st 1999'.Throughout, a mission-control sample counts up towards zero fromm<strong>in</strong>us 20, freez<strong>in</strong>g at m<strong>in</strong>us po<strong>in</strong>t 666 recurr<strong>in</strong>g.From <strong>the</strong> future of racial war, Contract on <strong>the</strong> Love World Jam is TheBomb Squad at <strong>the</strong>ir most voluptuously world-historical. TheRhythmeng<strong>in</strong>e pushes you along with skratchadelic skids slipp<strong>in</strong>g andslid<strong>in</strong>g ei<strong>the</strong>r side of <strong>the</strong> downbeat, revv<strong>in</strong>g up an anticipation susta<strong>in</strong>edby cradl<strong>in</strong>g guitar harmonics. It is a military communique, a lecture, apress brief<strong>in</strong>g momentously <strong>in</strong>ton<strong>in</strong>g: 'There is someth<strong>in</strong>g liv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>consciousness of <strong>the</strong> people today. The race that controls <strong>the</strong> liv<strong>in</strong>g pastcontrols <strong>the</strong> liv<strong>in</strong>g future. 'Voluptuous VigilanceVerge, br<strong>in</strong>k, cusp: <strong>the</strong>se imm<strong>in</strong>ent states are susta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong>to prolongedthresholds, stretched edges, <strong>in</strong>cipient action. The sampler's loopfunction iterates <strong>the</strong> break <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> br<strong>in</strong>k. '92 'S Arizona Assass<strong>in</strong>ationAttempt Acca Double Dub: pre-stampede wails are susta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong>to a panicwave which wells up through <strong>the</strong> crowd's head and wri<strong>the</strong>s down its tail.Screams emerge <strong>the</strong>n fall back <strong>in</strong>to a swarm of sobs, dissolve <strong>in</strong>to asmo<strong>the</strong>red sky. Choruses are assembled from crowd panic.Distress tones stretch <strong>in</strong>to downerdrones that drive through yourhead. '88's F<strong>in</strong>al Count of <strong>the</strong> ColliSion between Us and <strong>the</strong> Damned lasts


07[114]07[115]0.48 seconds. The drastic dynamic between title and music, and betweensyntactic and <strong>sonic</strong> organization, sets <strong>the</strong> senses seesaw<strong>in</strong>g. The titlegratifies desire for annihilation, teas<strong>in</strong>g it <strong>in</strong>to both preparation andpostponement. F<strong>in</strong>al Count is an epic of prolonged abruptness, <strong>in</strong> whichdrum-mach<strong>in</strong>es ricochet like an automatic repeat rifle over ice-coldRhythim is Rhythim-style str<strong>in</strong>gs and om<strong>in</strong>ous drones.The Bomb Squad operate <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> countdown to imm<strong>in</strong>ent apocalypseand impend<strong>in</strong>g riot. Gangsta lives <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> chronic time of Dr Ore's G FunkEra, <strong>the</strong> obst<strong>in</strong>ate <strong>in</strong>dolence of <strong>the</strong> gangsta paradise, a neverend<strong>in</strong>gidyll of <strong>the</strong> id .Alarm for <strong>the</strong> WorldDrones recur <strong>in</strong>def<strong>in</strong>itely at 33.3 recurr<strong>in</strong>g, trapp<strong>in</strong>g you <strong>in</strong> despotic time.Midrange frequencies w<strong>in</strong>d you up tight <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> tense present. '88'sconcept album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back releasedBomb Squad electronic tonalities throughout <strong>the</strong> communicationslandscape. M<strong>in</strong>d Terrorist and Show 'em Whatcha Got cage you up <strong>in</strong>unlocatable synth-guitar loops, <strong>the</strong> elegiac horns of a f<strong>in</strong>al salute. Sleepis abhorred; <strong>the</strong> aim is to wake up its audience from <strong>the</strong> post-Black Powersleep, of false consciousness, tv addiction and historical miseducation.Therefore <strong>the</strong> pierc<strong>in</strong>g blare of Rebel Without a Pause is an 'alarm for<strong>the</strong> world'. 'That noise,' Chuck 0 says, 'came from a James Brown grunt. Itwas a blend of The Grunt and a Miles Davis trumpet which produced asound that wavered. And <strong>the</strong>n we took that tone and we stretched it.'Welcome to <strong>the</strong> Terrordome is a <strong>sonic</strong> weapon, an overkill device thatsends satisfy<strong>in</strong>g shockwaves through <strong>the</strong> sensorium. Countdown toArmageddon: <strong>the</strong> Bomb Squad sound races aga<strong>in</strong>st c1ocktime.TX Reanimator Plays <strong>the</strong> Tone GeneratorWith <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>strumental, <strong>the</strong> turntable comes <strong>in</strong>to its own as a tonegenerator. 'The drone on Term<strong>in</strong>ator X is a backwards firetruck.' Thetransformer pole of <strong>the</strong> mixer becomes an effect for <strong>the</strong> turntable as asound mach<strong>in</strong>e. Term<strong>in</strong>ator X delays <strong>the</strong> scratch <strong>in</strong>to staggered screeches.Turntabilized tones phase <strong>in</strong>to slo-mo texturhythms, blocs of unidentifiablestatic matter. In '88's Term<strong>in</strong>ator X Speaks with his Hands, <strong>the</strong> dj's handevolves <strong>in</strong>to a distributed bra<strong>in</strong>, a terrorwrist with its own memory.Decelerated attack velocities set up a death knell for lachrymosewah-wah guitar from The Meters' Just Kissed My Baby. Incident at 66.6FM is a radiophonic duet between talkshow and static. Studio phone-<strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>terrupted by between station frequencies, radiowaves stretched <strong>in</strong>tosusta<strong>in</strong>ed glitch.Systematic schizophonyThe Bomb Squad is R. Murray Schafer's nightmare made audible. Postwarschizophonia - this proliferation of noise s<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>the</strong> separation of soundfrom source - is orchestrated <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>formation explosion: 'Related toschizophrenia, I wanted [<strong>the</strong> word] schizophonia to convey <strong>the</strong> samesense of aberration and drama.'You're blitzed out, immersed <strong>in</strong> an environment of endlessemergency where '<strong>the</strong> overkill of hifi gadgetry creates a syn<strong>the</strong>ticsoundscape <strong>in</strong> which mach<strong>in</strong>e made substitutes are provid<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>operative signals direct<strong>in</strong>g modern life.'Megablast, Louder <strong>than</strong> a Bomb, Timebomb, Rightstarter: all <strong>the</strong>setitles <strong>in</strong>tensify Schafer's nightmare of hifi gone overkill. Br<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>noise blows up <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d, by ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g an ambient pressure <strong>more</strong> felt<strong>than</strong> heard. Producer Eric 'Vietnam' Sadler expla<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>sistent staticand hiss throughout <strong>the</strong> Bomb Squad's '88-'92 concept-album cycle: 'Turnit all <strong>the</strong> way up so it's totally distorted and pan it over to <strong>the</strong> right sideso you really can't even hear it. Put <strong>the</strong> sound only <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> right speakerand turn it so you can't barely even hear it - it's just like a nOise <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>side' that never lets up. Life dur<strong>in</strong>g everyday wartime, waged with'knowledge of self'.Paranoiac Critical DeviceOn Public Enemy sleeves, <strong>the</strong> gunsight logo has become a gunlight, acalibrated halo <strong>in</strong> which, says Virilio, 'functions of eyesight andweaponry melt <strong>in</strong>to each o<strong>the</strong>r.' The optical diagram of assass<strong>in</strong>ationbecomes a paranoiac critical device, an optogram which <strong>in</strong>tercepts sight.Operational SignalsYou 're like Newton, Bowie's alien <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> film The Man Who Fell to Earth,defend<strong>in</strong>g and surrender<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> audiovisual attack, <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>fo-explosionson his 15 tv screens. Newton uses his remote-control volume-mixer towreck <strong>the</strong> picture with bursts of static, scratch<strong>in</strong>g tv like v<strong>in</strong>yl. Theaudiovision image-current reverses direction and starts attack<strong>in</strong>g you <strong>in</strong>all its phosphorescent ferocity, seiz<strong>in</strong>g your synapses with its photons.


07[116]07[117]The F<strong>in</strong>al Transmission from The Forever War: Underground ResistanceF<strong>in</strong>al transmission: I found it. There is existenceo<strong>the</strong>r <strong>than</strong> us. I have transformed. The tones are <strong>the</strong>keys to it all! I'll be back"'ad "'ikeUnderground Resistance's '92 debut album sleeve Revolution for Changecover adapts Public Enemy's '87 debut Yo! Bum Rush <strong>the</strong> Show for <strong>the</strong>Techno Age. Cloaked <strong>in</strong> shadows, PE are crouched around <strong>the</strong> decksward<strong>in</strong>g off yet bask<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> its <strong>sonic</strong> rays. Shot from <strong>the</strong> turntable's po<strong>in</strong>t ofhear<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>the</strong> sleeve shows <strong>the</strong>m <strong>in</strong> thrall to <strong>the</strong> decks. Masked and hooded,Mike Banks and Jeff Mills of Underground Resistance are videocaptured <strong>in</strong><strong>the</strong> blue light of <strong>the</strong> video lens. UR adapt The Bomb Squad's strategies ofstealth <strong>in</strong>to a conceptechnics of electronic <strong>in</strong>visibility.Technology is not neutral. It is not neutral; it's ablack cont<strong>in</strong>entviri'io and Lotr<strong>in</strong>gerDisappeared by ConsensusIn today's satellite l<strong>in</strong>ked era, it's widely assumed that MTV is <strong>the</strong> motorof music, that all <strong>sonic</strong> history travels through audiovisual transportsystems. But <strong>the</strong> very existence of Carl Craig, of UR, of Red Planet, ofM500, of Drexciya, proves that MTV's role is drastically overrated.Far from <strong>the</strong> navsats, Techno is a sonar system <strong>in</strong>explicable toconsensual histories, and to sclerotic assumptions about Black Music <strong>in</strong><strong>the</strong> US . In <strong>the</strong> UK and Europe, Techno is <strong>the</strong> tradition, proper Techno forTrue People, guaranteed 100% pure. It's a ubiquitous technology thatcolonizes Europeans, like oxygen, or <strong>the</strong> Graeco-Roman alphabet.But <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> US , it's <strong>the</strong> opposite. Detroit Techno is so absent fromAmerican popculture, so contra-media, that it slips from <strong>the</strong> scann<strong>in</strong>gsystems altoge<strong>the</strong>r. Like an Argent<strong>in</strong>ean refusenik, it's been disappeared.Except that <strong>in</strong>stead of plead<strong>in</strong>g for <strong>in</strong>clusion and <strong>in</strong>tegration, it movesfur<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> dark. Techno secedes from <strong>the</strong> logic of empowermentwhich underp<strong>in</strong>s <strong>the</strong> entire American mediascape: from all thosedirectives to become visible, to assume your voice, to tell your story.Secede from <strong>the</strong> StreetSimultaneously, Techno secedes from <strong>the</strong> street, <strong>the</strong> street which iswidely assumed to be <strong>the</strong> eng<strong>in</strong>e of black popculture, to be itsfoundation and its apo<strong>the</strong>osis, its orig<strong>in</strong> and its limit. Techno emigratesfrom America, <strong>in</strong>to what former UR producer Robert Hood terms <strong>the</strong>Internal Empire. In vanish<strong>in</strong>g from <strong>the</strong> street, and from Trad HipHop'scompulsory logic of representation and will to realness, UR identifiesnot with <strong>the</strong> low end but <strong>the</strong> high end of technology. UndergroundResistance is nei<strong>the</strong>r low-tech nor resistant.UR abandons street knowledge altoge<strong>the</strong>r.The pavement is cracked, <strong>the</strong> soil is polluted, <strong>the</strong> roots are wi<strong>the</strong>redand <strong>the</strong> ground is poisoned. This toxic waste and this acid ra<strong>in</strong> generateconditions <strong>in</strong> which mutant Rhythmach<strong>in</strong>es thrive. UR realienatesTechno, expos<strong>in</strong>g it to <strong>the</strong>se radioactive conditions, <strong>the</strong> ones thatthreaten all creativity. It thrives <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> zones that art traditionallyreSist, <strong>the</strong> locations that kill off all soul.UR technofies by return<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Futurhythmach<strong>in</strong>e to its deadliestorig<strong>in</strong>: <strong>the</strong> military armamentarium. They move <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> MilitaryIndustrial Complex because <strong>the</strong> MIC precedes and predeterm<strong>in</strong>es <strong>the</strong>street. UR break with <strong>the</strong> street because <strong>the</strong> street is at <strong>the</strong> mercy of <strong>the</strong>military. As part of <strong>the</strong> civil sector, <strong>the</strong> street is at <strong>the</strong> receiv<strong>in</strong>g end oftechnology. It's <strong>the</strong> dump<strong>in</strong>g ground.The Cyberactiv WarMach<strong>in</strong>eBy <strong>in</strong>stall<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>mselves <strong>in</strong>side <strong>the</strong> military, UR becomes a WarMach<strong>in</strong>eadvanc<strong>in</strong>g decades ahead of American music. UR's Sonic Fiction emergesfrom <strong>the</strong> Future at its most lethal, imbu<strong>in</strong>g Techno with an enthrall<strong>in</strong>gelectricity. Yesterday'S military fact is tomorrow's science <strong>fiction</strong>.Reality accelerates past <strong>fiction</strong>.Cold FusionThere is no MC and no s<strong>in</strong>ger <strong>in</strong> UR. Studio presence is replaced by <strong>the</strong>broadcast, <strong>the</strong> data readout, <strong>the</strong> press brief<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>the</strong> communique fromC31: Command Control Communications Intelligence. UR isn't human,<strong>more</strong> a signal broadcast from a military bunker, 'a project devised bysp<strong>in</strong> doctors UR and The ViSion to cold fuse human DNA and cellstructures with cybernetic and <strong>sonic</strong> circuitry; a union of sound, manand mach<strong>in</strong>e.'Acoustic and stage presence vanishes <strong>in</strong>to <strong>in</strong>visible signals sent


07[118]07[119]through coaxial cables, audio feeds, a nest of microphones. Mike Banks,Jeff Mills and Robert Hood evacuate human presence, replac<strong>in</strong>g it with<strong>the</strong> transport systems <strong>the</strong> voice travels along to reach you. UR is a seriesof signals distributed across thresholds of <strong>the</strong> mix<strong>in</strong>g console, <strong>the</strong>station transmitter.Raze <strong>the</strong> Soul to <strong>the</strong> GroundThe British mythology of Trad Techno <strong>in</strong>sists that <strong>the</strong> vampiric Belgiansand Germans dra<strong>in</strong>ed Techno's soul dry. In fact, it's UR thatsystematically <strong>in</strong>dustrializes Techno, <strong>in</strong>to 'hard music from a hard city'.The sleeve art for '91 'S X-IOI EP is artwork for an updated AtrocityExhibition. Grey videogrids of babies, images exposed to x-raylight,caught <strong>in</strong> brutal newspr<strong>in</strong>t black-and-white. The middle baby holdsskeletal hands to its eyes so <strong>the</strong>y bug out of its brachycephalic head. Thef<strong>in</strong>al image breaks up <strong>in</strong>to static, images of an ear magnified, an embryo<strong>in</strong>vaded by patches and blocs of light.As funk term<strong>in</strong>ators and soulrazers, X-IOI and '92'S Revolution forChange rigidify Techno until it becomes <strong>sonic</strong> brutalism, <strong>the</strong> cyberactiveWarMach<strong>in</strong>e. Techno becomes an immersion <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>surrection, music toriot with. Exacerbat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> terroriz<strong>in</strong>g impact of Belgian syn<strong>the</strong>sizerfrequencies <strong>in</strong>flicts an <strong>in</strong>surrectionary voltage. Techno becomespunish<strong>in</strong>g, a barbed-wire warzone of voltage endured and <strong>in</strong>flicted.X-IOI tracks like Rave New World and M<strong>in</strong>dpower are like be<strong>in</strong>gsprayed full <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> face with CS gas. M<strong>in</strong>dpower uses Second Phase's '92track Mentasm {Joey Beltram Remix] to scour <strong>the</strong> bra<strong>in</strong>pan with anastr<strong>in</strong>gency that's <strong>more</strong> spasm <strong>than</strong> orgasm. With Mentasm Beltramsuggests that 'you just want to bang your head aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>the</strong> wall. Just likeyou want to with War Pigs or Paranoid. I like <strong>the</strong> feel<strong>in</strong>g of a goodSabbath record. I like <strong>the</strong> mood it puts me <strong>in</strong>. I'm a big metalhead.' TheMentasm sound is Acid twisted <strong>in</strong>to Electro shockwave frequencies, livecurrent phas<strong>in</strong>g directly through your body; is a synaptic seizure.Unknown Assault SystemFor <strong>the</strong>se tracks UR names itself X-IOI , an unknown audio assaultsystem. X-IOI is not an alterego but an altermach<strong>in</strong>e, which connects <strong>the</strong>X prefix of <strong>the</strong> fighterplane with <strong>the</strong> 101 suffix of <strong>the</strong> synth series. RobertHood becomes The Vision, <strong>the</strong> anguished android from Marvel ComicsAvengers. The Punisher EP, named after Marvel's conscientious vigilante,adapts its logo from his <strong>in</strong>signia of a skull with weapon-belt teeth. TheDeath Star EP <strong>in</strong>stalls itself <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> heart of <strong>the</strong> Darkside of The EmpireStrikes Back.Sonotronic StealthUR's titles plug <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> energy flash emitted by public enmity. Launched<strong>in</strong> black labels with no <strong>in</strong>formation, <strong>the</strong> EPs emerge without warn<strong>in</strong>g, asonotronic stealth arsenal. In '85 Cybotron survey <strong>the</strong> streets of <strong>the</strong>Techno City from above its skyscrapers. UR are molochs s<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g cablesbeneath its streets, eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>ternal exile, endless cunn<strong>in</strong>g. The URcredo announces: 'No hope, no fear: my only hope is underground.'Planetary CapabilityTechno seizes a planetary capability diametrically opposed to TradHipHop's timid territoriality. Militarization puts <strong>the</strong>m decades <strong>in</strong> advanceof street-fixated musics. While Trad HipHop locks itself <strong>in</strong>to a logic ofrepresentation and Trad rock shr<strong>in</strong>ks <strong>in</strong>to supplication, UR is an audioWarMach<strong>in</strong>e transmitt<strong>in</strong>g back to Earth from <strong>the</strong> galactic, <strong>the</strong> Martian,<strong>the</strong> aquatic and <strong>the</strong> digital front.operat<strong>in</strong>g System for Overrid<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> PresentEach UR release arrives from <strong>the</strong> future which you're head<strong>in</strong>g towards,becom<strong>in</strong>g an operat<strong>in</strong>g system that overrides <strong>the</strong> present. Jon Hassell: ' Itwill become convenient to redraw <strong>the</strong> map accord<strong>in</strong>g to who wants tolive <strong>in</strong> which era. We could have wars between <strong>the</strong> 15th Century and <strong>the</strong>21St Century.'The Covert DimensionFrom arcadegames to <strong>the</strong> Net to simulation games, civil society is <strong>the</strong>low end research-and-development unit of <strong>the</strong> military. Techno has <strong>the</strong>nomad's edge over HipHop's hypervisible trooper forever crucified <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>cross hairs of <strong>the</strong> gunsight. It operates <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> covert dimension that URallies Scan 7 term <strong>the</strong> 'undetectible'. Invisibility draws you <strong>in</strong>toSuburban Knight's '94 M<strong>in</strong>d of a Pan<strong>the</strong>r. Now 'you can hear him, but youcan't see him. You don't know where he is . He 's deadly. You don't knowwhere he's go<strong>in</strong>g to come from.'


07[120107[1211Techno is like AIDS. It's self learn<strong>in</strong>g.It's highly <strong>in</strong>telligent",ike Banle<strong>sun</strong>detectibleTonal communication doesn't delete psychic sensations of revolutionand secession, it derealizes <strong>the</strong>m. Mike Banks: 'There are def<strong>in</strong>itemessages <strong>the</strong>re through tonal communication and you can't assess <strong>the</strong>m,that's why Techno is deadlier <strong>than</strong> rap.' By depropriat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> listenerfrom syntax, Techno broadcasts from <strong>the</strong> far side of sense. It moves <strong>in</strong>toalogical possibility spaces: <strong>the</strong> covert operations of drumcodes, <strong>the</strong>syn<strong>the</strong>sis of unknown sensations, <strong>the</strong> modulation of frequent emotions.'We're silent and deadly and that's <strong>the</strong> best way. With rap you have tovocally communicate your po<strong>in</strong>t but with Techno you don't.' Techno iscovert, undetectible to anyone not locked <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> music'sconceptechnics. But <strong>the</strong> Techno fanatic doesn't crack <strong>the</strong> electroniccodes. Instead, s/ he enjoys be<strong>in</strong>g baffled, craves <strong>the</strong> onset of confuSionthrough depropriation. Instead of clarify<strong>in</strong>g this mystification, <strong>the</strong>y passit on. Listen to this: You are participat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> a mystery. Play <strong>the</strong> track.Transmit <strong>the</strong> tones. Become imperceptible. Midnight Sunsh<strong>in</strong>e cloaks <strong>the</strong>planet. Electronic mutation functions this way, through this processwhich McLuhan terms 'participation mystique'.Techno becomes 'a sort of barricade beh<strong>in</strong>d which [<strong>the</strong> enemy)becomes <strong>in</strong>visible.' Jean Baudrillard clicks on shift: 'He also becomes"stealthy" and his capacity for resistance becomes <strong>in</strong>determ<strong>in</strong>able.'Undetectibility is power. It allows <strong>the</strong> Techno producer to become whatThe Vision


07[122)07[123)U R <strong>the</strong> Flight PathThe launch and journey of <strong>the</strong> Cyberwolf EP is <strong>the</strong> route of <strong>the</strong> UR 12through you and onwards. The EP title catalyses a UAO , a virtualhunterseeker missile. Buy<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> UR 12 <strong>in</strong>ducts you <strong>in</strong>to a l<strong>in</strong>e of flight,from Detroit to <strong>the</strong> record shop to yourself to a mixtape and on.powerful chips.Trackmaster Lou of UR-affiliates Scan 7 has 2 jobs: to <strong>in</strong>filtrate <strong>the</strong>CBF, and stop <strong>the</strong> beam telecast<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>the</strong>n to put <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> UR chip. This chipdeveloped <strong>in</strong> Detroit by Metroplex eng<strong>in</strong>eers 'is a CPU platform chip'called 'Electro 313 203 oUR 033' .The V<strong>in</strong>yl ManifestoSound and Sonic Fiction feedforward <strong>in</strong>to each o<strong>the</strong>r, open<strong>in</strong>g up newpossibility spaces like <strong>the</strong> Planetary Manifesto of '92'S World PowerAlliance, <strong>in</strong>scribed on <strong>the</strong> un mastered B side of The Kamikaze EP as WPAback<strong>in</strong>g plate NI : 'The World Power Alliance was formed somewhere <strong>in</strong>Detroit, Michigan, USA on May 22 , 1992 at 4.28pm by various elements of<strong>the</strong> Worlds Underground Legions. The Alliance is dedicated to <strong>the</strong>advancement of <strong>the</strong> human race by <strong>sonic</strong> experimentation.'The World Power Alliance was designed to br<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> World's m<strong>in</strong>dstoge<strong>the</strong>r to combat <strong>the</strong> mediocre audio and visual programm<strong>in</strong>g be<strong>in</strong>gfed to <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>habitants of Earth, this programm<strong>in</strong>g is stagnat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>dsof <strong>the</strong> people build<strong>in</strong>g a wall between races. This wall must bedestroyed, and it will fall. By us<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> untapped energy potential ofsound, <strong>the</strong> WPA will smash this wall much <strong>the</strong> same as certa<strong>in</strong>frequencies shatter glass. Bro<strong>the</strong>rs of <strong>the</strong> underground transmit yourtones and frequencies from all locations of this world. Wreak havoc on<strong>the</strong> programmers!'UR 's World Power Alliance expands on Public Enemy's Fear of a BlackPlanet, replac<strong>in</strong>g planetary nationalism with a <strong>sonic</strong> globalism. Back <strong>in</strong><strong>the</strong> 70S and 80S , audiosocial vanguards bet everyth<strong>in</strong>g on visibility,identification, public enmity. But <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Techno era, 'Disappearance is ourfuture.' Technology changes <strong>the</strong> form of power, <strong>the</strong> nature of identity, <strong>the</strong>essence of <strong>the</strong> enemy. Virilio faxes Earth: ' Every visible power isthreatened.' In <strong>the</strong> Acousmatic Age, UR 's Black Power is <strong>the</strong>reforeundetectible, not identifiable, <strong>in</strong>visible not recognizable, stealthy notpublic. Like <strong>the</strong> camouflage n<strong>in</strong>jas of Wu Tang Clan proteges Killarmy,stealth and undetectibility are quiet weapons for use <strong>in</strong> silent wars.The Label FictionThe label <strong>fiction</strong> of Scan is Undetectible EP <strong>the</strong>refore extends strategiesof stealth <strong>in</strong>to covert ops, digital terrorism. The Programmers use aCentral Broadcast Facility to telecast <strong>the</strong>ir 'm<strong>in</strong>d control beam' across<strong>the</strong> world. The Central Broadcast Facility uses computer ma<strong>in</strong>frame andMach<strong>in</strong>e MythologiesIn a series of overlapp<strong>in</strong>g mach<strong>in</strong>e mythologies, <strong>the</strong> Undetectible EPdrafts Model 500'S Metroplex label <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> assault, as a research lab fornew digital applications. The chip uses Electro as a codename, itsnumbers <strong>the</strong> models of Roland syn<strong>the</strong>sizers, synths migrat<strong>in</strong>g across sfas digital weapons. The effect of <strong>the</strong> Electro chip is to '<strong>in</strong>duce virusesand bass frequencies' which are 'designed to destroy programmer chips<strong>in</strong> broadcast facilities worldWide'.In Digital War, <strong>the</strong> aim is to replace programmer chips, to destroyfrequencies and <strong>the</strong>refore to destroy programmers telecasts and m<strong>in</strong>dcontrolbeams. It's a mission to <strong>in</strong>filtrate a s<strong>in</strong>gle location, but <strong>the</strong>impact is worldwide. The units are 'digitized and returned back toDetroit via <strong>the</strong> Internet sometime <strong>in</strong> early April undetected'. Prospectivetense conveys <strong>the</strong> urgent message.Orig<strong>in</strong> UnknownTechno lives <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> world of HipHop but HipHop doesn't live <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> worldof Techno. Soundmach<strong>in</strong>es decouple sound from source, to derealize <strong>the</strong><strong>sonic</strong> from its orig<strong>in</strong>. Orig<strong>in</strong> Unknown refers to today's pervasiveacousmatic condition, an era <strong>in</strong> which you can't tell who's play<strong>in</strong>g, whenyou guess <strong>the</strong> orig<strong>in</strong> and you're wrong. Goldie: 'Technology takes <strong>the</strong>colour out of music. It's made <strong>the</strong> music transparent.' Mike Banks of URthought 4 Hero were white. Kev<strong>in</strong> Saunderson thought UR were white.Nobody escapes <strong>the</strong> way mach<strong>in</strong>es scramble identity at <strong>the</strong> push of abutton, turns <strong>the</strong> soul <strong>in</strong>to sound-fx with <strong>the</strong> greatest of ease. Instead ofretreat<strong>in</strong>g from mach<strong>in</strong>ic mutation back <strong>in</strong>to an ethics of sound, UR ismutation-positive. The sampler is a mandate to recomb<strong>in</strong>ate - so it'suseless lament<strong>in</strong>g appropriation. Resist<strong>in</strong>g replication is like do<strong>in</strong>gWithout oxygen. The sampler doesn't care who you are.


07[124]07[125]The SoundVision SchizmaticToday, alien attitude to <strong>the</strong> Rhythmach<strong>in</strong>e overrides <strong>the</strong> acoustic self.Therefore <strong>the</strong> modern producer models a series of syn<strong>the</strong>tic selves,exacerbat<strong>in</strong>g a confusion <strong>in</strong> which it's impossible to tell who'ssyn<strong>the</strong>siz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> track. Juan Atk<strong>in</strong>s named himself Model 500 because <strong>the</strong>name 'repudiated any ethnic designation'. Cyborg<strong>in</strong>g yourself volatizes[rlearview hear<strong>in</strong>g, generates a perceptual vacuum which <strong>in</strong>timidatesexpectation and repels designation. By emitt<strong>in</strong>g a force field ofundetectibility, it evades capture from <strong>the</strong> Tur<strong>in</strong>g identicops stationed <strong>in</strong>your head. It obsolesces <strong>the</strong> scann<strong>in</strong>g systems that monitor <strong>the</strong> BlackAtlantic. Mach<strong>in</strong>e Music operates through Goe<strong>the</strong>'s elective aff<strong>in</strong>ities,not through subcultural allegiance <strong>in</strong> real-time. The eng<strong>in</strong>eer goes to warover a break not a country. In <strong>the</strong> Acousmatic Age <strong>the</strong>re's noth<strong>in</strong>g to seeexcept <strong>the</strong> sound <strong>in</strong> its non-self. The sound , .vision schizmatic is out ofcontrol. Escape through <strong>the</strong> radar.The Military Arrives from <strong>the</strong> FutureAs Nick Land argues, it may be useful to simulate <strong>the</strong> policeman'sperspective every now and <strong>the</strong>n. Revelations about real-life X Filesremote view<strong>in</strong>g suggest that science <strong>fiction</strong> has always been <strong>the</strong>bluepr<strong>in</strong>t for new military capability. The cont<strong>in</strong>uum between <strong>fiction</strong> andfact has imploded <strong>in</strong>to a fold <strong>in</strong> time.Today's sci fi was yesterday's military fact. Each EP tracktitleannounces an audio-assault system, a UAO , <strong>the</strong> Chemical Bro<strong>the</strong>rs' termElectronic Battle Weapons which collapses <strong>the</strong> border between SonicFiction and military weapons, between future and present: <strong>the</strong> Piranha,<strong>the</strong> Cyberwolf. <strong>the</strong> Sea wolf.Fatal EnergyEveryone now knows that bad = good, that ill = better and that sick =best. With UR this rhythmic reversal is optimized across <strong>the</strong> <strong>sonic</strong>discont<strong>in</strong>uum. The <strong>more</strong> lethal <strong>the</strong> energy, <strong>the</strong> <strong>more</strong> sensual <strong>the</strong> impact.Zapp's electric bolts, Coltrane's trane<strong>sonic</strong> energy fields, Beltram'senergy flash, Kraftwerk's Powerplant, Ultramagnetic MCs ' hypogalacticradiation, Parliament's Big Bang, Drexciya's <strong>in</strong>tensified magnetron,Scientist's pulsars, Suburban Knight's Dark Energy fields: all <strong>the</strong>sesonotronic forces release a fatal energy that floods you <strong>in</strong> sensation. In<strong>the</strong> Marvel, DC , Vertigo and Image multiverses, radiation doesn't fatallycripple you, it mutates you better <strong>than</strong> before. Mach<strong>in</strong>e music switches<strong>the</strong> poles <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> same way. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.The Futurhythmach<strong>in</strong>e dunks you <strong>in</strong> HAZCHEM, protects you by expos<strong>in</strong>gyou, acclimatiz<strong>in</strong>g you to annihilation.Inventions, <strong>the</strong> creations of scientists, are riddleswhich expand <strong>the</strong> field of <strong>the</strong> unknownPerul VirilioSuperFictional scienceSonic science takes a shortcut through comics. Comics and science<strong>fiction</strong> toge<strong>the</strong>r form a conceptual cyclotron <strong>in</strong> which Trad science isaccelerated <strong>in</strong>to an array of SuperFictional Sciences. By dissolv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>dist<strong>in</strong>ctions between sCiences, PhonoFiction m<strong>in</strong>es all fields for <strong>the</strong>irmutation capabilities.The Sonic Fiction of Biosensors <strong>in</strong> Tunnel Complex Africa, from UR 's'96 Electronic Warfare: Designs for Sonic Revolutions double EP,immediately opens a new front where military tech - <strong>the</strong> logic bomb - ispart of <strong>the</strong> same arsenal as <strong>the</strong> <strong>fiction</strong>al device, <strong>the</strong> Ho Chi M<strong>in</strong>h chip, <strong>the</strong>fiberoptic commando who <strong>in</strong>filtrates fiberoptic cables. UR's MythScienceopens up a new discont<strong>in</strong>uum across science and art, sound and <strong>fiction</strong>.An electronic <strong>in</strong>strument becomes an extension ofa sensitive biological systemSensualization of ElectricityRobert "'oogThis is not only <strong>the</strong> militarization of pop life. Even <strong>more</strong> it's <strong>the</strong>mythification of <strong>the</strong> military, <strong>the</strong> <strong>fiction</strong>aliz<strong>in</strong>g of frequencies, <strong>the</strong>sensualization of electricity. The producer has an 808 state of m<strong>in</strong>dwhich allows a 'personal electroniC relationship with all my<strong>in</strong>struments. 'Cos I have electricity <strong>in</strong> my body too. When we touch <strong>the</strong>yrecognize me and I recognize <strong>the</strong>m. I th<strong>in</strong>k Term<strong>in</strong>ator is def<strong>in</strong>itelywhat's happen<strong>in</strong>g, man. Mach<strong>in</strong>es have emotions. They can become<strong>in</strong>telligent and <strong>the</strong>y will one day.'


07[126]07[127]The syn<strong>the</strong>sizer is an acoustic mirror, a bra<strong>in</strong> elementthat is supersensitive to <strong>the</strong> human elementKraftwerkSound mach<strong>in</strong>e SymbiosisUnderground Resistance is not a group but <strong>the</strong> symbiosis of <strong>the</strong>sound mach<strong>in</strong>e with producer Mike Banks. The producer is caught up <strong>in</strong>mach<strong>in</strong>emutation, played by <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>ery he plays. UR is a Rolandsymbiont that uses 303s to heal, that <strong>in</strong>vestigates syn<strong>the</strong>tic sound as alifeform. Sun Ra states that cosmic tones could be mentally <strong>the</strong>rapeutic.In <strong>the</strong> 90S, Techno is medication. Banks hears forwards to an era <strong>in</strong>which 'Techno will be medic<strong>in</strong>e. Western medic<strong>in</strong>e looks at that asbullshit. You can't fix somebody from s<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g a fuck<strong>in</strong>' song. That songcarries an emotion through tonal communication. If that person feelsthat communication, it might trigger someth<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> him that will repairwhatever <strong>the</strong> fuck is wrong with him.'Thought forms <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> mouthTristan TzaraThe Sublime Ba<strong>the</strong>s <strong>in</strong> SalivaThe pleasure of <strong>the</strong> cosmic concept - Hancock's '72 Quasar, UR 's '93Galaxy 2 Galaxy double 12 EP, Alice Coltrane's '72 World Galaxy - isgratify<strong>in</strong>gly oral. 'Oua' pulls back <strong>the</strong> lips while 'sar' w<strong>in</strong>ches <strong>the</strong> mouthopen. The G <strong>in</strong> 'Galax' pulls <strong>the</strong> back of <strong>the</strong> throat toge<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong> a tonsularkiss, and <strong>the</strong> 'lax' demands pressups from <strong>the</strong> tongue, forc<strong>in</strong>g yourmuscles to flipflop from <strong>the</strong> roof to <strong>the</strong> floor of <strong>the</strong> mouth.Widen<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> jaw muscles <strong>in</strong>duces an awe <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> face. The syllables'qua', 'sar', 'Galax' and 'Worl' demand a labile exertion which releasessatisfy<strong>in</strong>g streams of spit throughout <strong>the</strong> mouth. The name Drexciya is anadventure for <strong>the</strong> tongue.You hold a geography <strong>in</strong> your mouth. ' Drex':<strong>the</strong> tongue descends a staircase, ascends on 'ci', skips on 'ya'. Thesublime tastes good to speak.Syn<strong>the</strong>tic FusionHi-Tech jazz from '93 'S Galaxy 2 Galaxy EP is fusion made syn<strong>the</strong>tic. The2 parts - <strong>the</strong> first subtitled The SCience, <strong>the</strong> second The Elementssuggestthat <strong>the</strong> music is <strong>the</strong> product of an elementary science.Tapp<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to atomic processes imbues jazz with a colossal energy.Syn<strong>the</strong>sized bass and kicks charge at you with an <strong>in</strong>exorable horsepower,<strong>the</strong> oncom<strong>in</strong>g impact of Galactus cross<strong>in</strong>g constellations. Vault<strong>in</strong>g astralkeyboards wrap you <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> arms of Andromeda, spong<strong>in</strong>g you <strong>in</strong>sussuration, cradl<strong>in</strong>g you <strong>in</strong> a squeezebox seesaw which lulls and pushes<strong>in</strong>to a buoyant fearlessness. With stars for handholds, you climb <strong>the</strong>skies <strong>in</strong> a 9 m<strong>in</strong> 35 sec war with yourself. 'Techno to me is <strong>the</strong> one musicthat is truly a global music. It might not only be a global music. I th<strong>in</strong>kit's a galactic music.'The double EP forms an unf<strong>in</strong>ished Concept Cycle beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g with'92's Nation 2 Nation, '93's World 2 World and Galaxy 2 Galaxy, end<strong>in</strong>gwith <strong>the</strong> unreleased Universe 2 Universe. In World 2 World's jupiter jazz,<strong>the</strong> choral tones traditionally used as melodic reverberation and blessedhaze are sharpened until <strong>the</strong>y stri~e like stalactites fashioned from<strong>in</strong>spiration. Chord progressions are replaced by archangelic attackimpulses, octave jumpcuts that <strong>in</strong>duce rapturous heart attack.Cloudgraz<strong>in</strong>g sky tones fill you with sensations of ascension, with warmsurges of bass which rise up through you <strong>in</strong> panic elation.The 12 'S label shows <strong>the</strong> golden rays of a Renaissance <strong>sun</strong>, orbit<strong>in</strong>garound <strong>the</strong> deck sp<strong>in</strong>dle <strong>in</strong> heliocentronic revolutions. jupiter jazz's titlecomb<strong>in</strong>es jazz syn<strong>the</strong>sized on jupiter keyboards with jazz played byjupiter <strong>the</strong> joybr<strong>in</strong>ger: featur<strong>in</strong>g Zeus on syn<strong>the</strong>sizer!Circumsolar RevolutionAcross <strong>the</strong> grooves <strong>the</strong> stylus rides <strong>the</strong> expressway to your skull. In <strong>the</strong>post-'92 collaborative series of Red Planet EPs , produced by UR as TheMartian, each EP arrives <strong>in</strong> a signal-red s leeve that throws <strong>the</strong> blacklabel <strong>in</strong>to relief. Around <strong>the</strong> perimeter of <strong>the</strong> label. red letter<strong>in</strong>g reads:THE RED PLANET WILL APPEAR ONLY WHEN YOUR MIND IS OPEN .In <strong>the</strong> right of <strong>the</strong> label is a red disc, its left side bisect<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong><strong>in</strong>dented circle that surrounds <strong>the</strong> sp<strong>in</strong>dle space. Around <strong>the</strong> sp<strong>in</strong>dlehole is a red r<strong>in</strong>g that cuts <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> red disc. On <strong>the</strong> decks, <strong>the</strong> effect is asyzygy <strong>in</strong> revolution, a moon <strong>in</strong> alignment with a red planet surroundedby a black void, encircled aga<strong>in</strong> by vast expanse of v<strong>in</strong>yl.


07[128]07[129]Terraformers at 808 0Kelv<strong>in</strong>Frequencies are <strong>fiction</strong>alized <strong>in</strong>to offworld deserts, environmentalized<strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> capsule exogeographies of track titles from <strong>the</strong> Red Planet EPs1-8: The Long W<strong>in</strong>ter of Mars, Season of <strong>the</strong> Solar W<strong>in</strong>d, Base Station303, Marisian Probes over Montana, Journey to <strong>the</strong> Martian Polar Cap,808" [Surface Temperature Mix]. The rasp<strong>in</strong>g, caustic overtones offiltration and tweak<strong>in</strong>g generates acid ra<strong>in</strong>. In <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>e meteorologyof <strong>the</strong> Red Planet series, hot frequencies metabolize extremetemperatures. The Red Planet series uses Rolands as terraform<strong>in</strong>gmach<strong>in</strong>es for Martian artforms. It syn<strong>the</strong>sizes ecologies from waveforms.In Advance of <strong>the</strong> Land<strong>in</strong>gThe Red Planet series assembles a Martian mythology of Astral ,) Indiantech-magicians: Renegades on <strong>the</strong> Red Planet, Astral Apache, Stardancer,Ghostdancer, Starchild, W<strong>in</strong>d walker, Skypa<strong>in</strong>ter, Firekeeper. OnStardancer from Red Planet 2, guitar and synths are processed <strong>in</strong>to anunplaceable iridescence. Syn<strong>the</strong>tic bass drops like a concrete basketball,dragg<strong>in</strong>g your feet like traction. Attack velocities fire like ca<strong>the</strong>r<strong>in</strong>ewheels <strong>in</strong> a duet with hihat clap. Chim<strong>in</strong>g trails slowly circle, liquefiedcomets which stream through you until you're burst<strong>in</strong>g with ascension.Synths surge <strong>in</strong> mar<strong>in</strong>e bass and simultaneously shoot stars across <strong>the</strong>sky, erupt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> exultation.The Martian syn<strong>the</strong>sizes a cosmic disco that colonizes Mars <strong>in</strong>advance of <strong>the</strong> land<strong>in</strong>g, 'so that if we come <strong>in</strong>to contact with <strong>in</strong>telligentlifeforms from ano<strong>the</strong>r planet we can talk on <strong>the</strong> same level. ' Acrosseach 12, Native Martian shamans escape Earth .. American genocide,dragg<strong>in</strong>g you with <strong>the</strong>m as <strong>the</strong>y species-jump to Mars.leave you headless on Venus.Supercussion: at War with GravityWith Scientist, drumsticks stop beat<strong>in</strong>g out time on taut surfaces. Insteadunknown <strong>in</strong>struments drop like deadweights onto <strong>the</strong> surface ofunidentifiable planets. Pulsar builds rhythm out of s<strong>in</strong>gle impacts whichcollapse like boxes dropped from <strong>the</strong> north face of Kilimanjaro, crumplelike metal cases staved <strong>in</strong> 2 <strong>the</strong>n switch <strong>in</strong>to rapid fire zaps. The offworldgravity of quasars alters <strong>the</strong> force, mass and motion of <strong>the</strong> beat,transform<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> stress-impact of <strong>the</strong> electromagnetic signals. In LaserAttack, metallic boulders cave <strong>in</strong> under <strong>the</strong> pressure of <strong>the</strong>ir own weight,shudder<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> a double impact. Space Invaders replaces drumsticks withboulders, metal boxes, meteorites, <strong>in</strong>dustrial objects plummet<strong>in</strong>g throughspace to crash on planes rigidified by as yet undiscovered alloys. OnBeam Down, pack<strong>in</strong>g crates implode on impact <strong>the</strong>n switch <strong>in</strong>to shotsricochet<strong>in</strong>g down a corridor of anglepoise mirrors.Walls of Solid AirIn dub, bass traditionally acts as <strong>the</strong> pressure drop. On Red Shift, TimeWarp and Pulsar, <strong>the</strong> low end has become spectral walls of <strong>in</strong>frapressurewhich buckle and fold you <strong>in</strong>to colossal pockets of solid air,warm banks that loom up to surround you. With Laser Attack, <strong>the</strong> bassripples <strong>the</strong> air as it orbits a distant perimeter, trigger<strong>in</strong>g test signals like<strong>the</strong> warn<strong>in</strong>g tones of an electrified fence.On De Materialise, beats suddenly crash <strong>in</strong>to earshot, trigger<strong>in</strong>g echoesthat resolve <strong>in</strong>stead of reced<strong>in</strong>g, collapse like squishy settees, chase eacho<strong>the</strong>r round corridors. Infra<strong>sonic</strong> bass forms a colossal melody that stalksBrontosaurian throughout. Sonar pulses replace harmony wi<strong>the</strong>cholocation, <strong>the</strong> long-distance mach<strong>in</strong>e-mach<strong>in</strong>e communication.Unknown Force: Offworld Mass: Oncom<strong>in</strong>g Motion: ScientistOn Scientist's '78 Scientist Meets <strong>the</strong> Space Invaders <strong>the</strong> arcadegame'sprogrammed zaps <strong>in</strong>spire <strong>the</strong> Desk Magus to process drum signals <strong>in</strong>to<strong>in</strong>tensities of unknown force, mass and motion. Eng<strong>in</strong>eer-producer OvertonBrown ,) Scientist alters <strong>the</strong> beats until <strong>the</strong>y become unplayable andunrecognizable, offworld signal systems. Each track crosses <strong>the</strong> sensorialthreshold <strong>in</strong>to a universe of pulsation, futurhythms that drag your limbiCsystem offworld, abandon your motor-reflex on Earth to fend for itself and


07(130)07(131)Electric circuitry confers a mythic dimension on ourord<strong>in</strong>ary <strong>in</strong>dividual and group actions. Our technologyforces us to live mythicallyMarshall McLuhanIllum<strong>in</strong>ator meets The Cellular Automaton.Each component excites ano<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong> an adventure of concepts.Mach<strong>in</strong>e Music is cosmogenetic. It perpetually generates 'mythic worldsof electronically processed experience.'The Possibility Space of <strong>the</strong> SoundclashThe space <strong>in</strong>vaders have migrated from <strong>the</strong> screen, left <strong>the</strong> arcade to<strong>in</strong>vade London. On Tony McDermott's 70S Marvel Comic-style cover,Scientist is a superhero <strong>in</strong> limegreen top emblazoned with an S, yellowsleeves, bright green pants and purple boots, fir<strong>in</strong>g laser shots andaim<strong>in</strong>g kicks at <strong>the</strong> pixel-sprite formation land<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> a grey carpark <strong>in</strong>North London. Beside him, a woman crouches and squeezes off at analien. A mo<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong> a red all-<strong>in</strong>-one, with a 70S Afro, turns, frozenfearfully with her kid, as a blonde hits concrete.Organised sound clashes <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> mix. The 3rd momentary trackemerges from <strong>the</strong> convergence of 2 tracks. Each record sheds its date,escapes its context. This process dissolves <strong>the</strong> l<strong>in</strong>es of association,dehistoricizes each track. At <strong>the</strong> same time, mixology rubs eras aga<strong>in</strong>steach o<strong>the</strong>r, generates <strong>the</strong> temporal friction of anachronosis. Time slipsout of its date, vaporiz<strong>in</strong>g history at plus 4 on pitch adjustment,frictionaliz<strong>in</strong>g it at plus 5. This proliferation <strong>in</strong>to networks of time forms<strong>the</strong> heterotopias where Scientist Meets <strong>the</strong> Space Invaders. Dub'spossibility space of <strong>the</strong> meet<strong>in</strong>g functions as a psychoacoustic <strong>fiction</strong>alplane where worlds collide. Each element <strong>in</strong> a futurhythmach<strong>in</strong>emythology is a communicat<strong>in</strong>g vessel. The 12 becomes <strong>the</strong> <strong>sonic</strong> weapon.The decks become a platform where aliens attract: Scientist meets StarChild, Pacman meets Astral Apache, Silver Surfer meets <strong>the</strong> ShockwaveRider, Capta<strong>in</strong> Afro-America meets <strong>the</strong> Double Dutch Remanipulator,Supernaut meets <strong>the</strong> Camouflage N<strong>in</strong>ja, Funk Igniter Plus meets <strong>the</strong>Purpose Maker, Firekeeper meets Killah Priest, <strong>the</strong> Suburban Knightfaces <strong>the</strong> TX Reanimator, Thousand F<strong>in</strong>ger Man meets Sweet ExorCist,Doctor Eich meets Mr Gerbik, Lord of <strong>the</strong> Null L<strong>in</strong>es meets <strong>the</strong> TerrorMad Visionary, The RZArector meets Dr Ludicrous, Dr Strange meets <strong>the</strong>Spectral Nomad, Iron Man meets Gamma Player, Godard's Tarzan meetsIBM , GhostDancer meets Ghost Face Killer, Cybotron meets TheW<strong>in</strong>dwalker, Dr Blowf<strong>in</strong> meets Von Blofeld <strong>the</strong> Black Lotus, The DataThief meets Pluramon, Halluc<strong>in</strong>ator meets Dark Magus , Gigi Gal axymeets <strong>the</strong> Black Regent, Mr Freedom X meets Masta Killer, Ve<strong>in</strong>meltermeets Sci -Clone, Secret Girl kisses <strong>the</strong> Man from Tomorrow, TheMaterializ<strong>in</strong>g Offworld Revolutions:X-102 Discovers 'The R<strong>in</strong>gs of Saturn'The moment <strong>the</strong> belief that <strong>the</strong> street is <strong>the</strong> predeterm<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g law andlimit of all black popculture is destroyed and disregarded, <strong>the</strong> postwarRhythmach<strong>in</strong>e will-to-conceptualize becomes immediately andoverwhelm<strong>in</strong>gly audible.Far from beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> 70S Brita<strong>in</strong> and end<strong>in</strong>g with punk [as mediafolklore so fondly ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>s) <strong>the</strong> Progressive Era opens with Sun Ra. Andtoday you live <strong>in</strong> a far <strong>more</strong> conceptual era <strong>than</strong> Progressive Rock everdreamt of. 4 Hero, Killarmy, Dr Octagon and Red Planet fabricate concepts,perpetuate Digital MythSystems and proliferate <strong>sonic</strong> <strong>the</strong>ories far <strong>more</strong>excessive <strong>than</strong> Gong's. Mach<strong>in</strong>e Music is exuberant <strong>in</strong> its exorbitance.Trad white journalism is affronted at <strong>the</strong> news that ex-UR producerJeff Mills th<strong>in</strong>ks <strong>in</strong> concepts. Querulously, it ponders how and why sucha th<strong>in</strong>g could happen. And starts seriously to doubt whe<strong>the</strong>r Black MUSicis really safe <strong>in</strong> his hands, or Tricky's, or Dr Octagon's.It isn 't. It never was .Mesmerized by belief systems left over from HipHop, Trad mediasleepwalks through <strong>the</strong> sensorial implications of Sonic Fiction, deaf toits formal operations, term<strong>in</strong>ally unable to comprehend <strong>the</strong> perceptualillogic of your Age.Unblack Unpopular UncultureOnly journalism can deliver you to sound safely. Futurhythmach<strong>in</strong>esform a discont<strong>in</strong>uum that is utterly <strong>in</strong>different to <strong>the</strong> street. Mach<strong>in</strong>eMUSic <strong>the</strong>refore arrives as unblack, unpopular and uncultural, anUnidentified Audio Object with no ground, no roots and no culture.


07[132]07[133]Theory at 130 BPMAs X-102, Banks's, Mills's and Hood's '92 project announces its conceptat once: X-I02 Discovers 'The R<strong>in</strong>gs of Saturn '. Sleeve art, titles, labelart, everyth<strong>in</strong>g out <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> open and yet powerfully unclear. The conceptalbum, jeff Mills argues, should 'materialize an idea or a <strong>the</strong>ory, to try toexpla<strong>in</strong> with music a certa<strong>in</strong> place or a certa<strong>in</strong> th<strong>in</strong>g.'So thought travels at 130bpm. The moment concepts are materialized,<strong>the</strong>y become plastic: mixillogical. Electronic duo Mouse on Mars:'Everyth<strong>in</strong>g you press on a record is <strong>the</strong> record. Hifi consciousness iswhat your ears expect from a record.'Replayable M<strong>in</strong>dstatesWith james Brown's '71 Revolution of <strong>the</strong> M<strong>in</strong>d, <strong>the</strong> record becomes areplayable mach<strong>in</strong>e for generat<strong>in</strong>g new m<strong>in</strong>dstates. Brownian hificonsciousness abstracts revolution from <strong>the</strong> decks and applies it to <strong>the</strong>head. It grasps <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>timate mach<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong>terface of human and decks. BlackAtlantic Futurism is characterised by 2 tendencies: first, a drive towardsCosmogenesis , towards conceptechnics, Sonic Fiction, concept trilogiesand concept EP cycles ; second, a contrary drive towards <strong>the</strong> meta,towards sound for its own sake.Disco Lunar ModuleFrom <strong>the</strong> self-reflexive funk of james Brown's '69-'71 tracks -A<strong>in</strong> 't ItFunky Now Parts 1 and 2 , Funky Drummer Parts 1 and 2, Make It FunkyParts 1-4 - to <strong>the</strong> meta-HipHop of De la Soul's Skip to My Loop and ThisIs a Record<strong>in</strong>g and <strong>the</strong> metamatic Electro of Man Parrish's Six SimpleSyn<strong>the</strong>sisers, from <strong>the</strong> self-reflexive HipHop of Mantronix's Bassl<strong>in</strong>e to<strong>the</strong> self-reflexive Techno of Carl Craig's Oscillator, Futurhythmusicsacrifices content to throb and politics for pulse. Black Mach<strong>in</strong>e Music isalways applauded for its message because seriousness must always besociopolitical. But <strong>the</strong> Futurhythmach<strong>in</strong>e emerges when music turnsaway from <strong>the</strong> world and goes round and round <strong>in</strong> circles; when <strong>the</strong>track manifests <strong>the</strong> title's manifesto.Convolutor [Type GalileilRevolution migrates from mach<strong>in</strong>e to m<strong>in</strong>d. The tone arm travels across<strong>the</strong> grooves of <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d <strong>in</strong> a universe of everextend<strong>in</strong>g radii from <strong>the</strong>centre. jeff Mills's Inner Sanctum is <strong>in</strong>tentionally mastered <strong>in</strong> reverse sothat '<strong>the</strong> needle spirals from <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>side out'. UR 's and jeff Mills's 12S playfrom <strong>the</strong> runout to <strong>the</strong> beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> V<strong>in</strong>yl , start<strong>in</strong>g where <strong>the</strong>ord<strong>in</strong>ary 12 ends, f<strong>in</strong>ish<strong>in</strong>g where <strong>the</strong> needle usually launches itself. Byswitch<strong>in</strong>g direction to play forward from <strong>the</strong> end, <strong>the</strong> reverse-mastered12 provokes acute cognitive dissonance.Reverse-eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Brownian revolution alters <strong>the</strong> grooves of<strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d, turns hifi consciousness <strong>in</strong>side out, and confronts you with <strong>the</strong>Cl<strong>in</strong>tonian habitform which is you . Mike Banks expla<strong>in</strong>s how <strong>the</strong>supervisor at <strong>the</strong> National Sound Cutt<strong>in</strong>g press<strong>in</strong>g plant <strong>in</strong> Detroit'showed us a way of chang<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> direction of <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>es just bychang<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> belts on <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>e's ma<strong>in</strong> drive. We use <strong>the</strong> samemach<strong>in</strong>es that <strong>the</strong>y used back <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Motown days, which are ancientcompared to <strong>the</strong> ones today, which you can't tamper with.'The Conceptechnics of MaterializationX-102 drastically expands <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>formation v<strong>in</strong>yl normally conta<strong>in</strong>s.Materializ<strong>in</strong>g concepts generates 'a sudden multiplication of dimensionsof matter'. Virilio's process can be formalized as <strong>the</strong> equation M x C = M n[where M = Material and C = Conceptl. The master<strong>in</strong>g, sequenc<strong>in</strong>g andtim<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> album, <strong>the</strong> track, <strong>the</strong> label, <strong>the</strong> sleeve, <strong>the</strong> title: <strong>the</strong>conceptual potential of each is materialized. The possibility space ofeach level is impressed <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> groove so <strong>the</strong> record becomes a newobject, <strong>the</strong> plastic complex rotat<strong>in</strong>g on its axis.'You have to visually describe it on <strong>the</strong> v<strong>in</strong>yl -that's whatconstitutes an X project.' Mills elaborates, 'The label itself is <strong>the</strong> actualplanet, <strong>the</strong> grooves are <strong>the</strong> actual r<strong>in</strong>gs, so <strong>in</strong> a certa<strong>in</strong> way you can give<strong>the</strong> impression that <strong>the</strong> grooves are <strong>the</strong> r<strong>in</strong>gs of Saturn.'Circumlunar RevolutionWith Brown, grooves revolve around <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d. But with X-102 , r<strong>in</strong>gs are<strong>in</strong> revolution around Saturn, artifactualized as grooves. With Red Planet,<strong>the</strong> grooves turn around Mars. Sonic Fiction turns your m<strong>in</strong>d <strong>in</strong>to auniverse, an <strong>in</strong>nerspace through which you <strong>the</strong> headphonaut aretravell<strong>in</strong>g. You become an alien astronaut at <strong>the</strong> f1ightdeck controls ofColtrane's Sunship, of Parliament's Mo<strong>the</strong>rship, of Lee Perry's Black Ark,of Sun Ra 's fleet of 26 Arkestras, of Creation Rebel 's Starship Africa, ofThe jBs' Monaurail.


07[134]07[135]Fatal Exposure to <strong>the</strong> Sonar SystemSonic Fiction generates cosmic space which isn't a void. Coltrane'sInterstellar Space has an audioastrological order to it, a cosmic harmony,a universal sound. Music is <strong>the</strong> current that reconnects you to this order,by trigger<strong>in</strong>g a current that alternates from you to <strong>the</strong> solar system.X-102 isn't Sonic Fiction <strong>in</strong> this sense. It's not a journey <strong>in</strong>to sound,but ra<strong>the</strong>r a fatal exposure to <strong>the</strong> void. Instead of shield<strong>in</strong>g you fromouter space, everyth<strong>in</strong>g here is designed to <strong>in</strong>tensify its sensoryext<strong>in</strong>ction, <strong>the</strong> traumatic confrontation with <strong>the</strong> R<strong>in</strong>gs of Saturn:'I mag<strong>in</strong>e be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> a world where all your God-Given senses are ext<strong>in</strong>ct,where your existence is but a mere fragment <strong>in</strong> a r<strong>in</strong>g orbit<strong>in</strong>g a planet.You may f<strong>in</strong>d yourself caught <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> state between <strong>the</strong> rotation of motionand <strong>the</strong> rotation of life circulation.'Rlien RrtifactualizerX-102 isn't Sonic Fiction at all, but sonar fact. The <strong>in</strong>side sleevetabulates scientific statistics - radii, width, composition, <strong>in</strong>fraredspectra, radio frequencies - until <strong>the</strong>y take on a terroriz<strong>in</strong>g actuality.X-102 is an alloy of SCience, art and sound, an artefact of <strong>in</strong>formationand image materialized <strong>in</strong> v<strong>in</strong>yl. On Side A, each track - Phoebe, Titan,Rhea - is separated by a smooth band which impedes <strong>the</strong> needle. Eachband has numbers 3.77, 3.45, 27. The circumlunar label shows an eerie<strong>in</strong>frared closeup of a r<strong>in</strong>g, with Saturn <strong>in</strong> shadow.Side IB's label is a diagrammatic map of a satellite extend<strong>in</strong>g itssensors out towards <strong>the</strong> perimeter of r<strong>in</strong>gs. The first band has an <strong>in</strong>cisedhelix, <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> track Tethys; <strong>the</strong> second 'X-102 Discovers' etched <strong>in</strong> and<strong>the</strong> second track Hyperion.Side 2A's label shows Saturn <strong>in</strong> shadow at its top and bottom,bounded by r<strong>in</strong>gs. Each track is separated by a clear band with a helixand track titles etched <strong>in</strong>: C R<strong>in</strong>g, BR<strong>in</strong>g, Enceladus. Side 2B's label is acloseup of <strong>the</strong> r<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> colours, shift<strong>in</strong>g from gray to ash to purple grayto mauve red. Tracks are IA R<strong>in</strong>g and Ground Zero [The Planet]: a hugeexpanse of v<strong>in</strong>yl land.X-I02 <strong>in</strong>stils a sense of statistical fear and absolute mystery. ItsSleevenotes report that 'Saturn's r<strong>in</strong>gs were conSidered one of <strong>the</strong>greatest mysteries of <strong>the</strong> solar system, and S<strong>in</strong>ce obta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g detailed dataon <strong>the</strong>m <strong>the</strong> problems have, without doubt, <strong>in</strong>creased.'Trad Space music humanizes space <strong>in</strong>to a manageable sublime. SonicFiction shr<strong>in</strong>ks it down to <strong>the</strong> size of a spaceship. The void feels homely;spaceways for journeys by dj. But <strong>in</strong>stead of plac<strong>in</strong>g you <strong>in</strong>side space,<strong>the</strong> X-I02 album is a chunk of planetary matter reced<strong>in</strong>g from you.It <strong>in</strong>tensifies its distance from <strong>the</strong> human, <strong>in</strong>sists on an offworld state:R<strong>in</strong>gs of Saturn doesn't belong on Earth. With X-102, Trad ambient'sweightlessness becomes chamber. >crater Techno, frequencies ofconcussive distortion like basketball played with a wreck<strong>in</strong>g ball onconcrete. All <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>e rhythms are distorted <strong>in</strong>to unrecognizablemetallic stresses, impacts of unknown force, mass and motion. Deep spacethat sucks your soul dry. Zero gravity that turns <strong>in</strong>to zero-degree trauma.X-I02 shouldn't even be here, on your decks. It is a piece of ano<strong>the</strong>rplanet manufactured on earth. An off-world artefact eng<strong>in</strong>eered by X-102, an alien artefact materialized <strong>in</strong> Detroit: 'How long a track shouldbe was dictated by how wide <strong>the</strong> r<strong>in</strong>g actually was on Saturn. What <strong>the</strong>r<strong>in</strong>gs were made out of determ<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>the</strong> texture of <strong>the</strong> track. The way<strong>the</strong>y were sequenced was l<strong>in</strong>ked to <strong>the</strong> concept and <strong>the</strong> colour of <strong>the</strong>artwork is very Similar to what it really looks like.'What he sets <strong>in</strong> motion is <strong>the</strong> MANIFESTED. It is ak<strong>in</strong>d of primary physicsAnton<strong>in</strong> ArtoudMaterials for <strong>the</strong> Manufacture of Rmplitude conceptsMaterializ<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> concept turns thought <strong>in</strong>to a v<strong>in</strong>yl object. Dropp<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>needle launches <strong>the</strong> PhonoPhysics of Techno, ignites <strong>the</strong> subatomicworld of Mills-art. 'Theories and subjects of substance is <strong>the</strong> elementaryelement that fuels <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>ds with<strong>in</strong> our axis.' The album emerges from<strong>the</strong>se conceptual operations. At this level , 'subjects of substance' and'<strong>the</strong>ories' behave as '<strong>the</strong> elementary elements' which 'fuels <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d.'The m<strong>in</strong>d rotates about '<strong>the</strong> axis' <strong>in</strong> a perpetual realignment of atoms.The AxiS Manifesto diagrams an electronic thought cirCUit, <strong>the</strong>conceptechnics of Techno. Jeff Mills worships rotation as a processoccurr<strong>in</strong>g at all levels of material reality, from <strong>the</strong> turn of <strong>the</strong> Technics1200 tables to <strong>the</strong> lock groove, from <strong>the</strong> sp<strong>in</strong> cycle of subatomiC'elementary elements' to <strong>the</strong> R<strong>in</strong>gs of Saturn.In general concepts, <strong>the</strong>ories and ideas are delibid<strong>in</strong>izers,dis <strong>in</strong>tensifiers dra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g vital energy away from music: ideas put <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>dback on <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>dless Technohead, <strong>the</strong> head back onto <strong>the</strong> headlessHipHop fanatic. But here concept a nd matter cont<strong>in</strong>uously <strong>in</strong>tensify each


07[136)07[137)o<strong>the</strong>r. Mills <strong>the</strong> djl<strong>the</strong>orist mixes <strong>the</strong>m <strong>in</strong>to hot frequencies andcryogenic <strong>in</strong>tensities, drastically dropp<strong>in</strong>g and rais<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> temperatureof thought. Materialized concepts feedback on each o<strong>the</strong>r. X-IOZ'Spunish<strong>in</strong>g velocities and hostile frequencies don't disembody you;<strong>in</strong>stead <strong>the</strong>y hurl you <strong>in</strong>to your body, prepar<strong>in</strong>g you for <strong>the</strong> rigours ofspace travel by immers<strong>in</strong>g you <strong>in</strong> X-IOZ' S mach<strong>in</strong>e environment. Songsare replaced by what Mills terms waveform transmissions which amplifyconcepts and electrify thought patterns.By collaps<strong>in</strong>g concept <strong>in</strong>to matter, and <strong>the</strong> mental <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> material,<strong>the</strong> record functions <strong>in</strong> Z parallel systems: as a concept visualized onv<strong>in</strong>yl and as punish<strong>in</strong>g frequencies , orchestrally arranged Techno,sepulchral and frosted, a Rhythmach<strong>in</strong>e of planetary <strong>in</strong>formation.The concept has merged with its surface. Simultaneously all conceptshide <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> record, recessed, submerged, demand<strong>in</strong>g that you s<strong>in</strong>kthrough <strong>the</strong> dimensions of matter before decompress<strong>in</strong>g up through <strong>the</strong>grooves. X-tOZ switches on, phaseshifts from <strong>in</strong>ert plastic <strong>in</strong>to ak<strong>in</strong>aes<strong>the</strong>tic kommand eng<strong>in</strong>e. 'When <strong>the</strong> needle comes to <strong>the</strong> end of <strong>the</strong>first track it stops. Then you have to pick it up on <strong>the</strong> next, signify<strong>in</strong>gthat <strong>the</strong> tracks are separate.' By compell<strong>in</strong>g you to get up and change <strong>the</strong>needle, <strong>the</strong> record draws you <strong>in</strong>to its orbit, turns you <strong>in</strong>to its ownobedient satellite. Intentionally master<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> v<strong>in</strong>yl, it remote-controlswhoever listens.across <strong>the</strong> sk<strong>in</strong> and ignite feel<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>the</strong> sensations of cold movementthrough space.Cycles scale across <strong>the</strong> mechanosphere, collaps<strong>in</strong>g cause and effect,scrambl<strong>in</strong>g beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g and end <strong>in</strong>to recursive circuits, circuits whichfunction by <strong>the</strong>mselves. Mills personifies this process of AutoCatalysisand AutoCreation <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Axis sister label title: Purpose Maker. TurntableConsciousness is generalized <strong>in</strong>to a social mach<strong>in</strong>e which is <strong>the</strong>nmanifested and worshipped. Co<strong>in</strong>cident with skratchadelia andturntabilization, <strong>the</strong> cybernetics of <strong>the</strong> Technics generates <strong>the</strong> corevolutionof <strong>the</strong> Futurhythmach<strong>in</strong>e.I recall a NASA Space Walk, <strong>the</strong> astronauts rotat<strong>in</strong>g<strong>the</strong> earth at an enormous rate of speedJeff "'illsReverse-Eng<strong>in</strong>eer <strong>the</strong> Direction of RevolutionPulsat<strong>in</strong>g lock grooves, pauses between tracks, reverse grooves, wider<strong>than</strong> normal grooves: Mills uses a series of remaster<strong>in</strong>g operations toalter <strong>the</strong> direction of revolution: nei<strong>the</strong>r forward nor reverse but cyclic.The Mills-art universe cycles <strong>in</strong> concentric radii from <strong>the</strong> rew<strong>in</strong>d of <strong>the</strong>tZ to <strong>the</strong> 30-year recurrence of m<strong>in</strong>imal art. Utopia and Man fromTomorrow, zero-degree chamber Techno from <strong>the</strong> Cycle 30 EP, rescoresBowman rest<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> white Georgian room of 2 001. Mills syn<strong>the</strong>sizesagitated pizzicato, high pitches tha t slide a nd tug at you, nag and dart at<strong>the</strong> body. You seize up <strong>in</strong> a hyperalert state , attacked by <strong>the</strong> fall <strong>in</strong>temperature, unable to get away from yourself. Conduction levels alter


08[138]MIXRDELICUNIVERSE08[139]'We have taken control so as to br<strong>in</strong>g you this special show': bycommandeer<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> communications system, Star Child automaticallyga<strong>in</strong>s access to <strong>the</strong> midbra<strong>in</strong>: 'We will return it to you as soon as you aregroovy.' P'Funk is <strong>the</strong> p'honogenic <strong>in</strong>filtration of <strong>the</strong> record<strong>in</strong>gapparatus and by extension <strong>the</strong> perceptual system. Star Child identifies<strong>the</strong> fatal human weakness: humans have no earl ids, and are helplessbefore aural <strong>in</strong>vasion. Star Child's voice is so excessively p#honogenicthat it becomes queasy and gloat<strong>in</strong>g. It is magnified, a manic, mock<strong>in</strong>gcloseup that nestles itself right <strong>in</strong>side your ear, <strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>uates itself throughyour hear<strong>in</strong>g, sped up and reverbed until it secretes sense. It scans all<strong>the</strong> record<strong>in</strong>g systems available and decides to cross <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> auditorycanal through <strong>the</strong> mike filter: an assault on all parts of <strong>the</strong> big bra<strong>in</strong> by<strong>the</strong> universal <strong>in</strong>vaders of funk.We Are <strong>in</strong> Your System: ParliamentAccord<strong>in</strong>g to Trad media folklore, funk eases you <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> groove; it putsyou <strong>in</strong> touch with your body, it humanizes you. With Parliament, funkbecomes P'aranormalized, <strong>the</strong> prize and <strong>the</strong> stake <strong>in</strong> an ongo<strong>in</strong>g battlebetween <strong>the</strong> alien and <strong>the</strong> adapted human, between abduction by audioand possession by phono. In <strong>the</strong> Parliament MythSystems, funk - likeovaries, sperm or <strong>the</strong> sandworm spice <strong>in</strong> Dune - is <strong>the</strong> vital force, <strong>the</strong>elan vital that visit<strong>in</strong>g aliens want to extract and extort. The P'Funktrack always demands that you 'Give up <strong>the</strong> funk'.Perceptual InfiltrationP#Funk is an encounter with <strong>the</strong> alien: 'Good even<strong>in</strong>g. Do not attempt toadjust your radio. There is noth<strong>in</strong>g wrong. ' '75'S P Funk [Wants to GetFunked Up] is <strong>the</strong> P'honoFiction of <strong>the</strong> nonhuman system that captures<strong>the</strong> frequencies , rides <strong>in</strong> on <strong>the</strong> radiowaves, seeps <strong>in</strong>to your senses. Ittakes advantage of <strong>the</strong> 'fearful medium' of radio to manifest <strong>the</strong> alienpower of broadcast<strong>in</strong>g. P#Funk personifies <strong>the</strong> nonhuman force of mediathat releases what Schafer def<strong>in</strong>es as 'an <strong>in</strong>visible excitement for <strong>the</strong>nerves because we cannot see who or what is produc<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> sound.'The Spacel<strong>in</strong>kRadio opens up <strong>the</strong> spacel<strong>in</strong>k, <strong>the</strong> channel between offworld andonworld. For Parliament, radio connects <strong>the</strong> human to <strong>the</strong> alien:'Welcome to <strong>the</strong> Station WEFUNK, better known as WE FUNK or deeperstill <strong>the</strong> Mo<strong>the</strong>rship Connection, home of <strong>the</strong> extraterrestrial bro<strong>the</strong>rs.'Listen<strong>in</strong>g to Station WEFUNK turns you <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> medium through which<strong>the</strong> Unidentified Audio Object arrives on Earth. Broadcast<strong>in</strong>g is <strong>the</strong>umbilical system which delivers <strong>the</strong> human listener <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> comfort<strong>in</strong>gaudio environment of <strong>the</strong> Mo<strong>the</strong>rship. Inside <strong>the</strong> Mo<strong>the</strong>rship you feel athome <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> alien, enwombed <strong>in</strong> audio: 'Com<strong>in</strong>g to you directly from <strong>the</strong>Mo<strong>the</strong>rship Connection.'Extract/ExtortI'll funk with your m<strong>in</strong>d: to funk is to threaten and promise, to exhort andextract, to funkatize <strong>the</strong> psyche through a logic of <strong>the</strong> pun which couplesconcepts while fuck<strong>in</strong>g you <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> head. When Dr Funkenste<strong>in</strong> emergesfrom <strong>the</strong> Mo<strong>the</strong>rship, writh<strong>in</strong>g down its silver steps <strong>in</strong> Madison SquareGarden '78 , it's <strong>the</strong> audio lifeform come alive. The Parliament fan craves<strong>the</strong> syn<strong>the</strong>tic. The world of <strong>the</strong> track expands to devour <strong>the</strong> eageraudience. Overton Lloyd, Parliament's sleeve artist, designs Funkenste<strong>in</strong>accord<strong>in</strong>g to Cl<strong>in</strong>ton's specification: 'Draw a spaceman, put a cloak on him,put diamonds on <strong>the</strong> cloak, make him like a pimp spaceman.' He is <strong>the</strong>Spacepimp with spiderweb shades. The cartoon crosses from <strong>the</strong> Parliamentuniverse <strong>in</strong>to yours. The P#honoFictional personification captures <strong>the</strong>audience, drags it happily <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> Parliament P#ossibility Space.


08(140)08(141)Emerg<strong>in</strong>g from <strong>the</strong> Mo<strong>the</strong>rship, he . ,it lolls and lurches from side toside like an <strong>in</strong>vertebrate ma ndroid. Dr Funkenste<strong>in</strong> beg<strong>in</strong>s a sentenceslowed down <strong>in</strong>to an ancient alien, but by <strong>the</strong> end is a perverse impalways 'ego-tripp<strong>in</strong>g and body snatch<strong>in</strong>g'. The id hijacks <strong>the</strong> head andemits signals through <strong>the</strong> mouth, generat<strong>in</strong>g nausea through pitchadjustment. The master technician of Clone Funk wears spiderwebshades with white plastic arms tha t grip his face from temple to below<strong>the</strong> cheekbone. White fur coat trail<strong>in</strong>g, carry<strong>in</strong>g a cane, his facecurta<strong>in</strong>ed by a long straighthaired wig and furry, floppy white hat whichdrops on <strong>the</strong> beat, its . ,his voice is perpetually mobile, roam<strong>in</strong>g fromsardonic scientist to squeaky id , unable to stabilize <strong>in</strong>to a s<strong>in</strong>gle self.The Prelude from The Clones of Dr Funkenste<strong>in</strong> ends with his . >itsvoice slowed down to a dredged-up drawl: 'And funk is its own reward.May I frighten you.' Funkenste<strong>in</strong> is not so much a voice as vocal mattermixadelicized <strong>in</strong>to streams of reversed syntax, <strong>the</strong> groan<strong>in</strong>g burble of<strong>the</strong> generalissimo drown<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> quicksand, double-backwards taperevers<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to a reverse narration, malicious ids gamboll<strong>in</strong>g and giggl<strong>in</strong>gat <strong>the</strong> edges of earshot.P#Funk compels you to succumb to <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>human, to be abducted andlove it. Funk gets drawn out of <strong>the</strong> body, an entelechy harvested by analien force . In Unfunky UFO, <strong>the</strong> aliens traumatize <strong>the</strong> song's contacteewith <strong>the</strong>ir demand for funk: 'Like a trick of lightn<strong>in</strong>g it camelfill<strong>in</strong>g mybra<strong>in</strong> with this pa<strong>in</strong>/ Without say<strong>in</strong>g a word I heard this voice/ give us <strong>the</strong>funk, you punk.' The chorus multiplies <strong>in</strong>to a multitracked swarm ofaliens here 'to save a dy<strong>in</strong>g world from its funklessness.'Like <strong>the</strong> spice <strong>the</strong> Atreides family m<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> Dune, or <strong>the</strong> water Newtonarrives to harvest <strong>in</strong> The Man Who Fell to Earth, funk revitalizes.P#Funk is <strong>the</strong> gladallover suffusion of Funkentelechy, <strong>the</strong> enjoymentof mutation. Instead of resist<strong>in</strong>g alien extraction, danc<strong>in</strong>g turns it <strong>in</strong>to agift, turns onto <strong>the</strong> joy of be<strong>in</strong>g abducted. Funkentelechy is <strong>the</strong> processwhich demands Abduct me! Abduct me! As soon as funk comes from offthis world, it collides with common sense.Possession by Cartoon' I was merely <strong>the</strong> vessel fo r Casper and Bootzilla to construct <strong>the</strong>ir funk.'Bootsy Coll<strong>in</strong>s is possessed by cartoons - a phenomenon that IshmaelReed expla<strong>in</strong>s, '<strong>in</strong> which a host becomes a human radio for cosmicforces.' '78'S Hollywood Squares announces Bootsy's animanifesto: 'I'vegot a cartoon m<strong>in</strong>d.' P#Funk is a consensual audiohalluc<strong>in</strong>ation thatallows '<strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d to enter <strong>the</strong> world of cartoons', a gloopy Sonic Fictionsusta<strong>in</strong>ed across concept albums. Each record is a fragment from <strong>the</strong>world it auditions.When you meet me aga<strong>in</strong>, I hope that you have been<strong>the</strong> k<strong>in</strong>d of person, that you really are nowAdvance ProbeSly and <strong>the</strong> Family StoneThe Mo<strong>the</strong>rship is an advance probe sent ahead to anticipate newk<strong>in</strong>aes<strong>the</strong>tic universes. In <strong>the</strong> f<strong>in</strong>al m<strong>in</strong>ute of Mo<strong>the</strong>rship Connection[Star Child] a M<strong>in</strong>iMoog spacechord suspends time. Travell<strong>in</strong>g along al<strong>in</strong>e of light, all sound drops out for a beat. This funky vacuum only lastsa bl<strong>in</strong>k but when sound returns it arrives from far off, from 'light years<strong>in</strong> time'. The psychoacoustic space of <strong>the</strong> track has <strong>in</strong>explicably altered,crossed an event horizon <strong>in</strong> less time <strong>than</strong> it takes to w<strong>in</strong>k. Like <strong>the</strong>unaccountable hours lost by <strong>the</strong> abductee, you're somewhere andsomewhen else now. Memory plays with you, leaves you baffled. P#Funksplices tapes to make you doubt your m<strong>in</strong>d. Collaps<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> spacetimecont<strong>in</strong>uum funks with your recognition processes. The sense of be<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>exorably pulled along by <strong>the</strong> simmer<strong>in</strong>g backbeat becomes a rockabyemotion which 'sw<strong>in</strong>gs low'. Bernard Worrell 's M<strong>in</strong>iMoog synths arc andascend <strong>in</strong> wistful , forlorn fugues . By equaliz<strong>in</strong>g its frequencies to 1khz,Star Child's voice th<strong>in</strong>s out, croons down an <strong>in</strong>terstellar phonel<strong>in</strong>e,fa<strong>in</strong>tly, from light years away. It travels gigantiC distances, arriv<strong>in</strong>g from<strong>the</strong> future <strong>in</strong>to '74 to become <strong>the</strong> end of <strong>the</strong> track: 'Light years <strong>in</strong> time,ahead of our time/ Free your m<strong>in</strong>d, come fly , with me.' The M<strong>in</strong>iMoog'sastralized trails syn<strong>the</strong>size sensations of yearn<strong>in</strong>g and wonder. The starsare so high and you are so small. Stay as you are.The Afronaut Emerges from AnachronosisP#Funk's connection forward <strong>in</strong> time to <strong>the</strong> Mo<strong>the</strong>rship allows an equala nd opposite connection back <strong>in</strong> time to <strong>the</strong> Pharaonic connection, bothof which converge on <strong>the</strong> present. The pyramids become examples ofancient alien technology which <strong>the</strong> extraterrestrial bro<strong>the</strong>rs 'havereturned to claim'. Funk becomes a secret SCience, a forgottentechnology that 'has been hidden until now'. This <strong>in</strong>formation isbroadcast to 'reco rd<strong>in</strong>g angels', Earth people and all 'citizens of <strong>the</strong>


08[142]08[143]universe'. In Parliament MythScience, funk is genetic eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g andprehistoric science: 'In <strong>the</strong> days of <strong>the</strong> Funkapus, <strong>the</strong> concept ofspecially designed Afronauts capable of funkatiz<strong>in</strong>g galaxies was firstlaid on Manchild but was later repossessed and placed among <strong>the</strong>pyramids, until a <strong>more</strong> positive attitude towards this most sacredphenomenon - c10nefunk - could be acquired.' Clon<strong>in</strong>g funk <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> 70Sreactivates an archaic science. The futuristic feeds forward <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong>anachronic futurepasts of Atlantis and Egypt.The Afronaut space program is launched by a narration shifted down<strong>in</strong>to threaten<strong>in</strong>g pitch: 'There <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>se terrestrial projects, it would waitalong with its co<strong>in</strong>habitants of K<strong>in</strong>gs and Pharaohs like sleep<strong>in</strong>g beautiesfor <strong>the</strong> kiss that would release <strong>the</strong>m to multiply <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> image of <strong>the</strong>Chosen One.'Overthrow <strong>the</strong> CoolEach track is an audio universe, from which PhonoFictions emerge.On <strong>the</strong> front cover of '77'S Funkentelechy vs. <strong>the</strong> Placebo Syndrome,Star Child crouches aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>the</strong> stars, zapp<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> 'super cool oh sounfunky' Sir Nose with his Bop Gun. Sonotronic power flowers <strong>in</strong> a roseredefflorescence.On <strong>the</strong> back cover of Funkentelechy, Sir Nose is luv'd up, saturated<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> redlight of <strong>the</strong> flash-funk rhythms. The flashlight zapp! melts hissupercool psychic armour, until he loses it, starts gurn<strong>in</strong>g as <strong>the</strong> spasmsseep <strong>in</strong> . His jacket shucks itself off him, shirt loosen<strong>in</strong>g, and next th<strong>in</strong>ghe's danc<strong>in</strong>g, trilby replaced by visor and afronaut puffs: 'And <strong>in</strong> a flashof light, Sir Nose gives up <strong>the</strong> funk.'Funk is Mutation Positive. To be zapped by <strong>the</strong> energy of <strong>the</strong>flashlight is to ba<strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> freakwencies of mutation, <strong>the</strong> funkflashenergy emitted by <strong>the</strong> Bop Gun, <strong>the</strong> <strong>sonic</strong> weapon. Therefore Coolimmediately becomes ridiculous, rigidified, devoidoffunk. As <strong>the</strong> alienpersonification of unfunk<strong>in</strong>ess, Sir Noise makes Cool audible. In <strong>the</strong>Parliament universe, Cool is always derided, harassed and harried <strong>in</strong>togiv<strong>in</strong>g it up, surrender<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> force. Therefore Star Child delivers adiktat on cool, puts out an APB on Sir Nose.As Ben Sidran expla<strong>in</strong>s, Cool operates by detachment, by '<strong>the</strong> activerepression of emotional turbulence.' As an emotional anaes<strong>the</strong>tic, coolcrowns <strong>the</strong> head k<strong>in</strong>g of a body organized <strong>in</strong>to a poised corporation ofone. Star Child wheedles, teas<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>uat<strong>in</strong>g: 'Picture with<strong>in</strong> a picturebeh<strong>in</strong>d a picture/ Reveal<strong>in</strong>g a nose I recognize/Come on now Sir Nose,dance.' Parliament overthrows cool, dethrones it to <strong>in</strong>stall funk <strong>in</strong>side amixadelics of perpetual mutation. Across <strong>the</strong> Mo<strong>the</strong>rship Connectionconcept-album cycle - '75'S Mo<strong>the</strong>rship Connection, '76'S The Clones ofDr Funkenste<strong>in</strong>, '77'S Funkentelechy vs. <strong>the</strong> Placebo Syndrome, '78 'SMotor-Booty Affair, '79 'S Gloryhallastoopid [P<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Tail on <strong>the</strong> Funky]and '80'S Trombipulation - Star Child harangues Sir Nose <strong>in</strong> a duel offunk vs cool. Where Star Child is s<strong>in</strong>ister and <strong>in</strong>sidious, Sir Nose is manicand mournful, a munchk<strong>in</strong> at <strong>the</strong> mercy of mixadelia who <strong>the</strong>reforemakes unfunk<strong>in</strong>ess all <strong>the</strong> <strong>more</strong> appeal<strong>in</strong>g. In <strong>the</strong> Parliament cosmos,Funk humiliates cool as often as it can, derid<strong>in</strong>g it as devoidoffunk.Sir Nose is all audiotronic, not human at all but <strong>in</strong>frahuman,animated phonomatter, a giggl<strong>in</strong>g greml<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> perpetual motion ofgidd<strong>in</strong>ess and glitch, a glyph transmitted from <strong>the</strong> electronic epiglottis of<strong>the</strong> vocoder: 'I am Sir Nose Dee Void of funk. I have always been deeevoid ovv funk. I shall con t<strong>in</strong> uuurhh to bee dee void ov funk.'The vocoder generates a menagerie of mach<strong>in</strong>e voices, nonhumansubjects. These voices aren't anempa<strong>the</strong>tic or robotic. Ra<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong>y aredisconcert<strong>in</strong>gly oral, larynx mach<strong>in</strong>es, syn<strong>the</strong>tic pharynxes that stretch<strong>the</strong> vowels <strong>in</strong>to plastic. Sir Nose declares itself '<strong>the</strong> sub lim <strong>in</strong> aAAI seduc aHH' who 'wi ll never dance.' Its voice modulates <strong>in</strong>to Fu Manchutremolo, triple speeds <strong>in</strong>to 3 voices gabbl<strong>in</strong>g a ll at once, pitchshifterstransmitt<strong>in</strong>g through Sir Nose <strong>in</strong> a corporation of one. It's a perverseimp, a syntactic ripple, an audio id, a microphone fiend.CE3K: Earworm of <strong>the</strong> Third K<strong>in</strong>dUnlike Kubrick's lum<strong>in</strong>ous uteronaut <strong>in</strong> 2001, Parliament's Star Child, <strong>the</strong>Protector of <strong>the</strong> Pleasure Pr<strong>in</strong>ciple, Dr Funkenste<strong>in</strong>'s emissary, isdisconcert<strong>in</strong>gly creepy. Far from be<strong>in</strong>g a body-enhanc<strong>in</strong>g, life-affirm<strong>in</strong>gsoundtrack for young soul rebels, '74-'77 era P#Funk is underhand and<strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>uat<strong>in</strong>g, snide, contemptuous. Star Child has a gloat<strong>in</strong>g,ultraphonogenic voice, miked so that it's always <strong>in</strong>timate, tactile.Star Child isn't so much a microphone fiend as an earworm, an alienohrwurm, an audio-<strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>uation that seeps <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> ears and taps outmnemonics on its drums. It smirks, sated - because as soon as you drop<strong>the</strong> needle on <strong>the</strong> track, you're <strong>in</strong> its doma<strong>in</strong>. Now you're <strong>the</strong>re it's'do<strong>in</strong>g it to you <strong>in</strong> your earhole'.It's talked you <strong>in</strong>to lett<strong>in</strong>g it molest your sensorium. The P#Funkalien <strong>in</strong>vag<strong>in</strong>ates <strong>the</strong> ear and grows a universe <strong>in</strong>side your bra<strong>in</strong>. StarChild is <strong>the</strong> tapeworm, <strong>the</strong> sublim<strong>in</strong>ator burrow<strong>in</strong>g through <strong>the</strong>


08[144]08[145]vestibulae, its prob<strong>in</strong>g head protrud<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> tympanum <strong>in</strong>duc<strong>in</strong>g whatEno calls a queasy physical feel<strong>in</strong>g.Star Child s<strong>in</strong>gs nursery rhymes, memes that burrow familiar routes<strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> bra<strong>in</strong>, Trojan horses, pathways used to <strong>in</strong>filtrate <strong>the</strong> perceptualapparatus. On Sir Nose <strong>the</strong> chorus s<strong>in</strong>gs nonsense rhymes of 'Threeebl<strong>in</strong>d mice, Those bl<strong>in</strong>d threee mice' with a pedantic precision,stretch<strong>in</strong>g out <strong>the</strong> vowels with an operatically preposterous seriousness.PhonoSeductionI wanna be your toy,W-w-w-w-w-w<strong>in</strong>d me up,I'm your rh<strong>in</strong>estone doll,oh yeah,I'm programmabubbleYabadabadabadooo bubbaBootsy coll<strong>in</strong>sThe nursery rhyme slips and sneaks past <strong>the</strong> ear, as your attentionsleeps like a dog. P'Funk is sublim<strong>in</strong>al PhonoSeduction. It creeps <strong>in</strong>under <strong>the</strong> cover of nonsense, rearranges <strong>the</strong> furniture of your m<strong>in</strong>d,leav<strong>in</strong>g you feel<strong>in</strong>g probed and palpitated. P' Funk feels up your bra<strong>in</strong>,molests your medulla. Cl<strong>in</strong>ton's alarm<strong>in</strong>g compulsion to pun, to 'funkwith your m<strong>in</strong>d' erogenizes <strong>the</strong> bra<strong>in</strong>. The pun p<strong>in</strong>ches <strong>the</strong> chubbycheeks of <strong>the</strong> cortex.The clonebride chorus doesn't s<strong>in</strong>g, it derides: 'Have you ever seensuch a sight <strong>in</strong> your life as <strong>the</strong>se 3 bl<strong>in</strong>d mice?' Equaliz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> bassconvulses <strong>the</strong> audio universe, as if <strong>the</strong> entire track is about to throw up.A decelerated laugh<strong>in</strong>g box croaks derisively at your discomfort asvoices sneer <strong>more</strong> rhymes.you are a programmed tape recorder set to recordand play back who programs you who decides whattapes play back <strong>in</strong> present timeMetafoolish Metaprogramm<strong>in</strong>gWilliom BurroughsNursery rhymes reaches 'a part of <strong>the</strong>ir m<strong>in</strong>d that makes <strong>the</strong>m relate', asFunkadelic guitarist Ray Davis po<strong>in</strong>ts out. They regress you <strong>in</strong>to BootsyColl<strong>in</strong>s' psychoticbumpschool, encrypt<strong>in</strong>g malevolence <strong>in</strong>side<strong>in</strong>nocuousness. The nursery rhyme is always 'gam<strong>in</strong>g on ya' and 'laugh<strong>in</strong>gat ya'. On Funkadelic's '76 Un disco Kidd, <strong>the</strong> laugh<strong>in</strong>g box autorepeats,giv<strong>in</strong>g Cl<strong>in</strong>ton <strong>more</strong> free time to sneer at you <strong>in</strong>credulously becauseyou're <strong>the</strong> mug suckered <strong>in</strong>to pay<strong>in</strong>g attention. The nursery rhyme is <strong>the</strong>Trojan horse, <strong>the</strong> lure which lulls you as ano<strong>the</strong>r medium <strong>in</strong>filtrates you .'Pay attention because you can't afford free speech ': this pun condenses<strong>the</strong> illogic of <strong>the</strong> communications landscape, <strong>in</strong> which signal systems payfor your attention span, compete to rent out your perception. Thesublim<strong>in</strong>al ad gets free space <strong>in</strong> your head by rid<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>the</strong> back ofano<strong>the</strong>r ad.The Parliamentary universe is frequently chided for its systematicsill<strong>in</strong>ess, its blatant impossibilities, its elaborately preposterousfoolishness - so far removed from <strong>the</strong> reality of crime figures and prisonstatistics. But <strong>fiction</strong>alized funk only makes me and you <strong>in</strong>to biggerfools, <strong>in</strong>to metafools for listen<strong>in</strong>g. Metafoolishness is <strong>the</strong> suddenawareness of <strong>the</strong> frame you 're <strong>in</strong>, <strong>the</strong> bl<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g realization of <strong>the</strong> gameyou're <strong>in</strong>, games set up to play you for a fool. Cl<strong>in</strong>ton terms <strong>the</strong>se gamesdoo-loops, <strong>the</strong> iterative processes that ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> consensualhalluc<strong>in</strong>ation. Because tapeloops form <strong>the</strong> basis of mixadelic sound,Cl<strong>in</strong>ton abstracts this studio technique, this technical mach<strong>in</strong>e, <strong>in</strong>to amental mach<strong>in</strong>e, a conceptechnics that switches on <strong>the</strong> social mach<strong>in</strong>eswhich generate <strong>the</strong> 'operative signals direct<strong>in</strong>g modern life'. The world isa reality studio where all <strong>the</strong> tapes run all <strong>the</strong> time, do-this < >do-thatloops <strong>in</strong>ternalized by humans as tradition.Accelerat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> voice <strong>in</strong>to an elf<strong>in</strong> giggle couches aphorism <strong>in</strong>sidebabble. Metafunk is at its most serious when it's funniest. In a world'overburdened with logic' stupidity becomes 'a positive force, a creativenuisance.' Metafunk lets you hear that 'you're dest<strong>in</strong>e[d) to dooloop [likea computer with a nervous breakdown).' Caught up <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> cha<strong>in</strong> reactionof events that calls itself history, metafoolishness hips you to how <strong>the</strong>


08(146)08(147)human biocomputer metaprograms itself.To open <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>f<strong>in</strong>ite recursion of John Lily's metaprogramm<strong>in</strong>g is toregress just like a baby. Funk reverts back to childhood, because that'swhen <strong>the</strong> metaprograms become operational. In <strong>the</strong> disconcert<strong>in</strong>g '72Runn<strong>in</strong>g Away, Sly Stone becomes a psychotic baby croon<strong>in</strong>g: 'Look atyou fool<strong>in</strong>g you.' Funkadelic drawl 'How do Yeaw view You? ' <strong>the</strong> second'You ' be<strong>in</strong>g yawned until it rhymes with 'miao-www'. Look <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> acousticmirror: P'Funk is laugh<strong>in</strong>g at ya . How easily your sensorium isprivatized! You 've leased your nervous system to <strong>the</strong> lowest bidder!Giv<strong>in</strong>g away your ears and eyes, sk<strong>in</strong> and nose on <strong>the</strong> open market.Mixadelics Fictionalizes FunkDr Funkenste<strong>in</strong> takes funk forward to <strong>the</strong> lab. The lab is <strong>the</strong> possibilityspace where funk is syn<strong>the</strong>sized <strong>in</strong>to new genetic lifeforms. In <strong>the</strong> madscience of <strong>the</strong> studio, mixadelics is science gone glad.Funk is extraterrestrialized through <strong>the</strong> mix<strong>in</strong>g desk. Throughmultitrack<strong>in</strong>g, revers<strong>in</strong>g, equaliz<strong>in</strong>g, slow<strong>in</strong>g down, speed<strong>in</strong>g up, doublebackwards tapeloops, it becomes what Cl<strong>in</strong>ton on <strong>the</strong> back sleeve of'79'S Gloryhallastoopid calls mixadelics.Cl<strong>in</strong>ton's concept of mixadelics means <strong>the</strong> psychedelics of <strong>the</strong> mix:<strong>the</strong> entire range of <strong>sonic</strong> mutation through studio effects. Mixadelicsmakes funk <strong>fiction</strong>al , draws you <strong>in</strong>to an offworld universe, a world ofloops where loopzillas, bootzillas and atomic dogs hunt <strong>in</strong> packs that'really dog you ', <strong>in</strong> Pr<strong>in</strong>ce Paul 's words. Tape techniques create newsounds, which are <strong>fiction</strong>alized <strong>in</strong>to audio-lifeforms, bred by reiterationlike <strong>the</strong> hornwebs of Mutator software.The Funkenste<strong>in</strong> voice is filtered until it becomes a flux 'burn<strong>in</strong>g,churn<strong>in</strong>g and turn<strong>in</strong>g' along <strong>the</strong> sensorial spectrum between mad and glad.A snicker<strong>in</strong>g, sped-up greml<strong>in</strong>voice mocks Funkenste<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>to 'burn<strong>in</strong>g you onyour neutron, expand<strong>in</strong>g your molecules' until <strong>the</strong> voice breaks through<strong>in</strong>to hysterical babble. Babble is <strong>the</strong> voice plunged <strong>in</strong>to vocalization, phonobubbles without an object, burst<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> causeless exuberance.Funk is a P*harmatopiaIn '77'S encyclopaedic concept album Funkentelechy, funk is syn<strong>the</strong>sized<strong>in</strong>to a p' harmatopia, <strong>the</strong> universal product drug. The entire album is set<strong>in</strong>side <strong>the</strong> American consumer sensorium, draw<strong>in</strong>g you <strong>in</strong>side itsmonstrous pulsations, magnify<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> mass m<strong>in</strong>d manufactured by media.The P <strong>in</strong> P' Funk stands for p' harma-con, p' lacebo, p' anacea. Funk is anomnicommodity adapted by advertis<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> order to feed on <strong>more</strong> media.Funkentelechy is a product tested on you, an experiment <strong>in</strong> alter<strong>in</strong>glistener response trapp<strong>in</strong>g you <strong>in</strong>side <strong>the</strong> double b<strong>in</strong>d of 'urge overkill':'This is Mood de Control urg<strong>in</strong>g you to funk on. Do not respond. This hasbeen a test.' The Trad response to Parliament <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> UK ever s<strong>in</strong>ce -2 or 3 th<strong>in</strong>gs you know about Cl<strong>in</strong>ton, One Nation Under etc, Who says aFunk Band Can't Play Rock Music?, Free Your M<strong>in</strong>d and Your Ass WillFollow, faithfully repeated ad nauseam - <strong>in</strong>dicates Mood Control's totalsuccess <strong>in</strong> reprogramm<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> human biocomputer, <strong>the</strong> distributedbra<strong>in</strong> of bio-Iogical complexity.Parliament sells you to <strong>the</strong> product: <strong>the</strong> happy fan is a humantaperecorder, that happily replays <strong>the</strong>se same slogans forever. TheFunk P'rogram uses <strong>the</strong>se fans to replicate itself across <strong>the</strong>mediascape. The P <strong>in</strong> P'Funk stands for P' sychoacoustic, for a funkwhich takes you through a spectrum of moods. 'Fasten your seat beltwhile I take you face to face with <strong>the</strong> nosiest computer I know.' HereP'Funk operates as a psychodynamic program, a sensory apparatus ofdisconcert<strong>in</strong>g hypertactility.Mood ElevatorDo thoughts of you make you high or shy?Funkode'icFunk is a <strong>the</strong>rmostatic device that alters environments. In Funkentelechy<strong>the</strong> s<strong>in</strong>ger becomes a voiceover. Humans are replaced with Advertis<strong>in</strong>gDeities: Mood de Control and Mr Prolong. A voiceover cajoles: 'MoodMood, Someone funk<strong>in</strong>g up <strong>the</strong> mood. ' Funk is a mood elevator thatalters <strong>the</strong> environment through which you move. With <strong>the</strong> right sensorytech, McLuhan dreamed that 'whole cultures could now be programmedto keep <strong>the</strong>ir emotional climate stable.' Funk is this technology, anApplied Rhythmic Technology, an ART that amplifies cyberneticdespotism until it programs reality.As a Mood Control, funk is an audiosocial <strong>in</strong>terface which reac hes<strong>in</strong>side you and massages your heart, kneads it <strong>in</strong>to a sodden muscle thatlurches while your stomach skips a beat: 'Someone's talk<strong>in</strong>g, funk<strong>in</strong>gwith <strong>the</strong> Mood Control.' At 'Mood Control ', <strong>the</strong> tempo doubles <strong>in</strong> speedand rears up to hug your face .EO <strong>in</strong>g makes voices come down telephone l<strong>in</strong>es; conversely it makes<strong>the</strong>


08[148)08[149)sounds jump out at you, br<strong>in</strong>gs voices and unplaceable th<strong>in</strong>gsdisconcert<strong>in</strong>gly face-to-face. A voiceover starts out trebly - 'Deprogram'- <strong>the</strong>n slows down to bass drawl: 'And reprograaaam.' Between'Deprogram' and 'Reprogram', time crumples up and <strong>the</strong> secondcommand lunges at you, punch<strong>in</strong>g you <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> face, defenceless from <strong>the</strong>fx of sound.Songl<strong>in</strong>es of <strong>the</strong> Sponsored WorldFunk becomes a mass-media epic of rhythm arrangements, hornorchestration, operatic tapeloops, choral <strong>in</strong>terruptions, all organizedaccord<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> overlapp<strong>in</strong>g rhythms of <strong>the</strong> sponsored world of advertoverload and gameshow rout<strong>in</strong>e. Drums are processed <strong>in</strong>to shimmer<strong>in</strong>gcymballic sc<strong>in</strong>tilla; hihat hiss becomes a splash stretched out <strong>in</strong>to th<strong>in</strong>wires of simmer<strong>in</strong>g depression.Mixadelics multiplies <strong>the</strong> Parliament chorus <strong>in</strong>to a choir of clones, ofoperatic womanmach<strong>in</strong>es, <strong>the</strong> Brides, <strong>the</strong> Extra S<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g Clones ofFunkenste<strong>in</strong>. The chorus is loop d'iooped until it scales between alienand human, slips across <strong>the</strong> value slide.They liquefy <strong>the</strong> solid states of sense and nonsense, <strong>in</strong>ton<strong>in</strong>gsentences that start as babble, reverse <strong>in</strong>to gibberish <strong>the</strong>n modulate <strong>in</strong>tobasso profundo. Voices reverse <strong>in</strong>to a human river of heav<strong>in</strong>g groans,crowd babble and break<strong>in</strong>g surf. In an audio parallel of a timelapsedflower's burst<strong>in</strong>g stamen, <strong>the</strong> Clones loom up out of <strong>the</strong> reversed sound<strong>in</strong>to a sped-up nursery rhyme not so much <strong>sun</strong>g as lectured so<strong>in</strong>sistently you feel like salut<strong>in</strong>g.The Consumer Pan<strong>the</strong>on of Advertis<strong>in</strong>g DeitiesMood Control doesn't s<strong>in</strong>g because it's not human presence. As anAdvertis<strong>in</strong>g Deity it beams, brims over with an <strong>in</strong>human bonhomie. TheSong distends <strong>in</strong>to an psychofanatic opera of counterpunchl<strong>in</strong>esorchestrated from <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>fosphere: 'A funk a day keeps <strong>the</strong> nose hairsaway. Name that feel<strong>in</strong>g! ' The voiceover doesn't recite. Instead, it lightsup its words <strong>in</strong> neon, energiz<strong>in</strong>g everyth<strong>in</strong>g with urgent CAPITALSrivet<strong>in</strong>g your ears until you're star<strong>in</strong>g at <strong>the</strong> sound: 'The secret to funk isto pay attention.'Voiceovers reorganize The Song <strong>in</strong>to a mixadelic arrangement ofsponsored slogans and operatic onel<strong>in</strong>ers, of emphatic encomiums andcorporate kissoffs: 'There's noth<strong>in</strong>g that funk will not render funkable.'The corporate host br<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>the</strong> permanently good news, a perpetualbright'n'breez<strong>in</strong>ess: 'You deserve a break today! Have it your way. Whilefunk is not domestically produced it is responsive to your mood, you canscore it anyday on WEFUNK .'Extreme Levels of AudioVisualizationA Parliament album is an orchestra <strong>in</strong> which str<strong>in</strong>g sections are replacedby rhythm arrangements and horn arrangements. As Cl<strong>in</strong>ton expla<strong>in</strong>s'Everyth<strong>in</strong>g was stacked but separate because it would move out <strong>the</strong> wayof each o<strong>the</strong>r just <strong>in</strong> time. We stacked it on top of each o<strong>the</strong>r and madepo<strong>in</strong>ts and counterpo<strong>in</strong>ts.'Funk becomes mobile audioarchitecture, <strong>the</strong> Simultaneous slid<strong>in</strong>g ofrhythmic strata. Musicians like Bernie Worrell, Fred Wesley, BootsyColl<strong>in</strong>s and Michael Hampton are all virtuosos - but Cl<strong>in</strong>ton, like Brown,is not a musiCian so much as a conceptualizer, a high-density neologist.Not play<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>struments is a good precondition for derealiz<strong>in</strong>g music<strong>in</strong>to impossible states. Where Brown hears funk as this cyclic mach<strong>in</strong>ewhose tensors captures <strong>the</strong> body and lock it <strong>in</strong>to perpetual motion -<strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> groovey - Cl<strong>in</strong>ton's <strong>the</strong> conceptualizer, <strong>the</strong> imag<strong>in</strong>eer, <strong>the</strong>universe deSigner, <strong>the</strong> terranovationist whose studio <strong>fiction</strong>s areoperated by such animatographers as Worrell and Coll<strong>in</strong>s.Psychok<strong>in</strong>aes<strong>the</strong>tics of <strong>the</strong> Low EndBootsy's Mutron-processed Space Bass and Worrell's Moog and Arpsynths are psychok<strong>in</strong>aes<strong>the</strong>tic. Sound snatches you <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> sk<strong>in</strong> you're<strong>in</strong>, abducts you <strong>in</strong>to your own body, activates <strong>the</strong> bio-Iogic of thought,encourages your organs to revolt from hierarchy. Mutronic bass charmsyour stomach <strong>in</strong>to a duet, tugs at your hips, humps your ass <strong>in</strong> a seismicbump. It heaves <strong>in</strong> a peristaltic motion, like <strong>the</strong> amplified <strong>in</strong>sides of agiant stomach. Worrell's Moog synth is an tentacular treble that's allslide and no backbone, no attacks and no delays. Worrell uses <strong>the</strong>Modulation wheel on <strong>the</strong> ARP synth - set at oboe and clar<strong>in</strong>et - tosyn<strong>the</strong>size a funky worm from tremolo as th<strong>in</strong> as cheesewire.By mutat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> low end, funk <strong>in</strong>vades perceptions, captur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>sensorium by alter<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> order of your organs while <strong>the</strong>y're still <strong>in</strong>sideyou. Instead of anchor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> track to <strong>the</strong> heartbeat, bass mutationkneads dispers<strong>in</strong>g tremors across <strong>the</strong> body surface, so that <strong>the</strong> sk<strong>in</strong> turns<strong>in</strong>to a giant, palpitat<strong>in</strong>g, convuls<strong>in</strong>g heart. This <strong>in</strong>duces a queasy motionSickness, as if <strong>the</strong> carpet's undulat<strong>in</strong>g underneath you.Mutant bass dissolves <strong>the</strong> rigidity of hipness, collapses <strong>the</strong> distance


08[150)08[151)that Cool demands. As a homeopathic agent, 'Funk not only moves, itcan remove' <strong>the</strong> sensations of feel<strong>in</strong>g walled-<strong>in</strong>, closed-up, cased <strong>in</strong>armour. It squirms like a tapeworm, heav<strong>in</strong>g and contract<strong>in</strong>g along your<strong>in</strong>test<strong>in</strong>es. It's a bassnake that undulates <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>ert abdomen and pelvis<strong>in</strong> S waves, snakemotions that sidew<strong>in</strong>d along <strong>the</strong> thighs.As Sly bassman Larry Graham expla<strong>in</strong>s, '" I'm gonna add some bottomso that <strong>the</strong> danc<strong>in</strong>g just don't end," and <strong>the</strong>n my fuzztone came <strong>in</strong> . See,my fuzztone is a little box you step on. It's a distortion box y'know.'Instead of an <strong>in</strong>ert lump of bass, Graham's fuzz bass distorts <strong>the</strong> lowend so it powers <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> lead sound, career<strong>in</strong>g up from under <strong>in</strong>humpbackbeats, melodies from <strong>the</strong> bottom which bumpstart <strong>the</strong> arseuntil it beg<strong>in</strong>s evolv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> ass and <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> booty. With Sly and <strong>the</strong>Family Stone, <strong>the</strong> bass deepens through distortion and starts roam<strong>in</strong>garound as low end rhythmelody.whatcha gonna do without your ass?Sun RoScramble <strong>the</strong> Human Security SystemThis reversal of sound, <strong>in</strong> which <strong>the</strong> bass takes over from <strong>the</strong> guitar so<strong>the</strong> low end plays <strong>the</strong> high end, immediately alters <strong>the</strong> sensorialhierarchy demanded by The Pop Song. The ass, <strong>the</strong> bra<strong>in</strong> and <strong>the</strong> sp<strong>in</strong>e allchange places. The ass emerges from its status as sensory untouchable tobecome <strong>the</strong> motor-booty, <strong>the</strong> psychomotor driv<strong>in</strong>g you to dance. TheCl<strong>in</strong>tonian bra<strong>in</strong> puns compulsively, issues an alarm<strong>in</strong>g logorrhoea.Bootsy's bass activates <strong>the</strong> distributed bra<strong>in</strong> of <strong>the</strong> body. The assstops be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> beh<strong>in</strong>d, and moves upfront to become booty.Funk, reorganiz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> shape of The Song <strong>in</strong> space, unnerves <strong>the</strong>bodyshape presumed by Pop. It exaggerates all your extremities.Extraterrestrial funk alters its aliens at <strong>the</strong>ir outer extremes of ass,nose and trunk. Parliament is full of desperate warn<strong>in</strong>gs aga<strong>in</strong>st disco'ssuperior clon<strong>in</strong>g capacities, processes which leave you funkless, snatchyour booty. On '79' S Gloryhallastoopid, <strong>the</strong> Cl<strong>in</strong>tonian reversal reachesrunaway po<strong>in</strong>t. The booty comes alive, makes its escape from <strong>the</strong> rest of<strong>the</strong> body, is surgically amputated <strong>in</strong> an assendectomy, replaced bypros<strong>the</strong>tics while <strong>the</strong> nose extends <strong>in</strong>to a monstrous trunk.Perpetual Bass MutationBootsy uses <strong>the</strong> Mutron Bi-phaser so <strong>the</strong> bass rrRRevs, a motorbikepower<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> track. Fictionaliz<strong>in</strong>g this sound <strong>in</strong>to a low end lifeform,Mutant Bass becomes <strong>the</strong> Spaceface double bass of Flashlight, <strong>the</strong>underwater bass of Aquaboogie. With Bootsy <strong>the</strong> bass becomes a one-manrubber band, a tone-effect generator. As well as be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> anchor whichweights <strong>the</strong> mixadelic arrangement, it now extrudes sp<strong>in</strong>al textur-r-r-iffs,a low-end glutamate that reverses <strong>the</strong> gravity of <strong>the</strong> Parliament universe.Why Spaceface? Because it turns gravity upside down. Now that <strong>the</strong>low end arrives from above, <strong>the</strong> bottom is now above your head. There'sno ground <strong>in</strong> Bootsy's amplified physics. Instead his bass swaps functionswith Worrell's Moog synth, both act<strong>in</strong>g as low end mutation eng<strong>in</strong>es.Land<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>the</strong> MoogOn <strong>the</strong> 10.38 Flashlight 12 mix, former child prodigy and New EnglandConservatory-tra<strong>in</strong>ed Bernard Worrell becomes <strong>the</strong> latest Afronaut toland on <strong>the</strong> Moog. Syn<strong>the</strong>siz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> bass from <strong>the</strong> Moog turns <strong>the</strong> lowend <strong>in</strong>to gloops and squidges from giant Claes Oldenberg toothpaste.Worrell's mutant Moog is radioactive plasma, perpetually pulsat<strong>in</strong>g fromglobules to strob<strong>in</strong>g mayday signal, from <strong>the</strong> emergency signal ofcomputer malfunction to <strong>the</strong> crackle of cr<strong>in</strong>kled plastic to <strong>the</strong>sheetmetal clap which replaces drums with a waver<strong>in</strong>g yet regularimpact.Syn<strong>the</strong>tic bass suckulates, <strong>the</strong> new Funkencyclo-p-dia term for asound which both sucks and p'ustulates. Moog becomes a sli<strong>the</strong>r<strong>in</strong>gcephalopod tugg<strong>in</strong>g at your hips, dragg<strong>in</strong>g your neck <strong>in</strong>to its bonelessmaw, s<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g holes <strong>in</strong> your ears and suck<strong>in</strong>g out <strong>the</strong> balance mechanism- <strong>the</strong>reby slid<strong>in</strong>g solid ground from under you.Flashlight is <strong>the</strong> dreamvision of syn<strong>the</strong>tic rhythm, light synched tosound until it entra<strong>in</strong>s <strong>the</strong> bra<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> bl<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g realization that 'Weare <strong>the</strong> Light. ' The chorus is a loop of operatic Yiddish, perpetuallyunw<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g and uncoil<strong>in</strong>g like a tapeworm made from choral chants.Flashlight's voices are double-backwards tapes, phonemes sangbackwards <strong>the</strong>n reversed, so <strong>the</strong> attack of each syllable flips over <strong>in</strong>to aTw<strong>in</strong> Peaks-style grumble that lasts aeons <strong>the</strong>n spr<strong>in</strong>gs back allatonce <strong>in</strong>a gabbl<strong>in</strong>g greml<strong>in</strong> tone and a shiver<strong>in</strong>g 'Oooooh!' from Cl<strong>in</strong>ton. Basssli<strong>the</strong>rs <strong>in</strong> traction which sucks you down <strong>the</strong>n expels you <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> pathof Cl<strong>in</strong>ton croon<strong>in</strong>g 'Now I lay me down' <strong>in</strong> a dazed drawl. There's anawkward pause after <strong>the</strong> stunned elongation of 'down', before 'to sleep'


08(152)08(153)lurches and wrongfoots you. Splic<strong>in</strong>g tape alters space, tricksexpectation so you miss <strong>the</strong> next step on a staircase. The split between Iand me makes a friend of psychosis. I is an alien which helps me 'tosleep'. I isn't merely ano<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> 19th C Rimbaudian sense. WithParliament, I is a population and you are a crowd. De la Soul equated<strong>the</strong> multiplex self as 'just Me, Myself and I' which makes 3, <strong>the</strong> magicnumber of You.Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Seen III Took 4Aqua Boogie's subtitle, Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop, describes <strong>the</strong>parallel processes that P'Funk <strong>in</strong>duces. The suffixes describe p'hysicalstates [p 'sycho, bioI. mental states [alpha, betal. environments [disco,aqua). The chorus loops <strong>the</strong> loop <strong>in</strong>to 'A motion picture underwaterstarr<strong>in</strong>g both of you.' Striations of Bubblemoog and Bootsy's aquaw-wwobblebass draw you <strong>in</strong>side <strong>the</strong> gigantic gulps of a superaqualung.Rhythm Arrangements decompress you <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> hyperrhythmic levelsof <strong>the</strong> biocomputer. Stockhausen: 'We are a whole system of periodicrhythm with<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> body. There are many periodicities superimposed,from very fast to very slow ones. And all of <strong>the</strong>se toge<strong>the</strong>r build a verypolymeric music <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> body.' P'Funk demands post-Cageanomniattentiveness. It activates <strong>the</strong> number<strong>in</strong>g capability of <strong>the</strong> big bra<strong>in</strong>,<strong>the</strong> body. The feet that move, <strong>the</strong> hips which swivel <strong>in</strong> time, <strong>the</strong> headwhich nods, <strong>the</strong> nerves which pulse: all <strong>the</strong> body counts. To get funkedup is to acclimatize yourself to <strong>the</strong> endless complexification of <strong>the</strong>sestates, to be sensualized by all <strong>the</strong> processes that process you.different pitches of bubbles. Voices don't s<strong>in</strong>g; <strong>in</strong>stead <strong>the</strong>y gargle,through aqualungs, burble through snorkels <strong>in</strong> bubbliciouS baritones.Danc<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> aquaboogie <strong>in</strong> liqUid air turns you <strong>in</strong>to an aquanaut onBim<strong>in</strong>i Row.Spacebass pulls spaces and times out from between people. The floorslips from under your feet, flips over above your head. Assquake <strong>in</strong>outerspace. Aquabass draws you down <strong>in</strong>to an aquaboogie <strong>in</strong> zero G,suck<strong>in</strong>g your booty up <strong>in</strong>to a low end above your head. Worrell's synthfluctuates from spongifoam timbres to <strong>in</strong>organic soulclaps, from abrupttrebles to wan<strong>in</strong>g strobes of an emergency signal.You're cradled by Walter 'Junie' Morrison's aqua lunged croon: 'With<strong>the</strong> rhythm it takes to dance through what we have to live through, youcan dance underwater and not get wet.'Aqua Boogie is a nu-groove, an impossible navigation through <strong>the</strong>audiosocial. Motor-Booty Affair announces an outer thought of <strong>the</strong> body<strong>in</strong> which <strong>the</strong> bra<strong>in</strong> is a motor function and <strong>the</strong> booty is a bra<strong>in</strong>. As PedroBell expla<strong>in</strong>s, 'Technology automatically causes <strong>the</strong> language to expand,'putt<strong>in</strong>g pressure on language, knead<strong>in</strong>g it <strong>in</strong>to new processes, newsensory lifeforms: suckulate, bootyful, throbba<strong>sonic</strong> thumpasaurus.Neologic, '<strong>the</strong> primal act of pop poetics' <strong>in</strong> William Gibson's sense,occurs at an extreme rate. Parliament are neologists, lexicalsynaes<strong>the</strong>tes extrapolat<strong>in</strong>g universes from a gra<strong>in</strong> of sound.Cosmogenesis at 33-3 .Hydronauts <strong>in</strong> Aquatopia'78 's Motor-Booty Affair draws <strong>the</strong> listener down <strong>in</strong>to an Atlantis whichParliament's hydronauts want to 'raise to <strong>the</strong> top'. Rais<strong>in</strong>g Atlantis to<strong>the</strong> top means amplify<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> low end until it becomes a liquidenvironment. Br<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> deep-sea island <strong>in</strong>to dry shore demands anamphibian mixadelics.Atlantis demands <strong>the</strong> artificial evolution of an nth-generationaquafunk, eas<strong>in</strong>g psychosensory tension <strong>in</strong> a new flowmotion. TheMotor-Booty Affair's seasway<strong>in</strong>g synths and horn descent lulls you <strong>in</strong>toan Atlantean aquatopia, 'a mystical meet<strong>in</strong>g ground' where 'we can swimthrough life without a care.' In [You 're a Fish and I'm aJ Water SignCl<strong>in</strong>ton's frail falsetto longs to be 'on <strong>the</strong> same side of love as you.'Chorus becomes a buoyant choral reef with vowels and consonants now


09[154]SYNTHESIZING THEOMNIVERSE09[155]was not like <strong>the</strong>m. Not like Black or white, not like Americans ... blackpeople, <strong>the</strong>y back <strong>the</strong>re <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> past, a past that somebody manufacturedfor 'em. It's not <strong>the</strong>ir past, it's not <strong>the</strong>ir history.'The PosthumanSoul affirms <strong>the</strong> Human . Ra is disgusted with <strong>the</strong> Human. He desires tobe alien, by emphasiz<strong>in</strong>g Egypt over Israel, <strong>the</strong> alien over human, <strong>the</strong>future over <strong>the</strong> past. In his MythScience systems, Ancient Africans arealien Gods from a despotic future. Sun Ra is <strong>the</strong> End of Soul, <strong>the</strong>replacement of God by a Pharaonic Pan<strong>the</strong>on.[Dialogues Concern<strong>in</strong>g] New World System Builders: Sun RaThe Impossible attracts me, because everyth<strong>in</strong>gpossible has been done and <strong>the</strong> world didn't changeThe Break with DeliveranceSun RaUnderly<strong>in</strong>g Sou<strong>the</strong>rn gospel, soul, <strong>the</strong> entire Civil Rights project, is <strong>the</strong>Christian ethic of universal love. Soul traditionally identifies with <strong>the</strong>Israelites, <strong>the</strong> slaves ' rebellion aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>the</strong> Egyptian Pharaohs. Sun Rabreaks violently with Christian redemption, with soul's aspirationaldeliverance, <strong>in</strong> favour of posthuman godhead.Infatuation with <strong>the</strong> DespoticBut Ra identifies with <strong>the</strong> Pharaohs, <strong>the</strong> despots, <strong>the</strong> ancient oppressors,by seced<strong>in</strong>g from America: 'I a<strong>in</strong>'t part of America, I a<strong>in</strong>'t part of blackpeople. They went ano<strong>the</strong>r way. Black people are carefully supervised so<strong>the</strong>y'll stay <strong>in</strong> a low position. I left everyth<strong>in</strong>g to be me, 'cause I knew ITerm<strong>in</strong>ate <strong>the</strong> Slave Revolt on Planet RockSun Ra looks down on humans with <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>human <strong>in</strong>difference andimpatience of a Plutonian Pharaoh. As <strong>the</strong> composer despot, he breaksnot only with gospel tradition but also with Trad future-slave narratives:Planet of <strong>the</strong> Apes, Bro<strong>the</strong>r from Ano<strong>the</strong>r Planet, Blade Runner, AlienNation. Ra<strong>the</strong>r <strong>than</strong> identify with <strong>the</strong> replicants, with Taylor from Planetof <strong>the</strong> Apes, Ra is <strong>more</strong> likely to dispatch bladerunners after <strong>the</strong>Israelites. He 's <strong>the</strong> Tyrell Corporation's unseen director; it's Ra thatwants <strong>the</strong> Bro<strong>the</strong>r from Ano<strong>the</strong>r Planet genetically tagged andbodybagged. For Sun Ra, <strong>the</strong> oral tradition is no Glorious Heritage; it'smerely <strong>the</strong> songs slaves were allowed to s<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> concentration-campuniverse of 18th C America . Far from be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> endur<strong>in</strong>g spirit ofaffirmation, <strong>the</strong> soul heritage is <strong>the</strong> mnemotechnics of enforceddematerialization, of <strong>the</strong> genocidal virtuality of <strong>the</strong> Middle Passage.The '72 movie Space is <strong>the</strong> Place sees Ra at his most PharaoniC, thisdespotic alien from an O<strong>the</strong>r Plane of There. Ancient Egyptians arrivefrom <strong>the</strong> AlterDest<strong>in</strong>y, from a parallel future. Driv<strong>in</strong>g through poor areasof downtown Oakland, flanked by <strong>the</strong> figures of Horus and Anubis, heobserves: 'The people have no music that is <strong>in</strong> coord<strong>in</strong>ation with <strong>the</strong>irspirits. Because of thiS, <strong>the</strong>y're out of tune with <strong>the</strong> universe. S<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>the</strong>ydon't have money, <strong>the</strong>y don't have anyth<strong>in</strong>g. If <strong>the</strong> Planet takes hold ofan AlterDest<strong>in</strong>y, <strong>the</strong>re's hope for all of us. But o<strong>the</strong>rwise <strong>the</strong> deathsentence upon this planet still stands. Everyone must die.'As space vocalist June Tyson <strong>in</strong>tones, 'It's after <strong>the</strong> End of <strong>the</strong> World.Don't you know that yet?'


09[156]09[157]The War <strong>in</strong> TimeIn <strong>the</strong> 20S , jamaican activist Marcus Garvey, <strong>the</strong> 'Black Moses ', named hisshipp<strong>in</strong>g fleet Black Star L<strong>in</strong>ers, to plug <strong>the</strong> notions of repatriation, ofreturn to <strong>the</strong> patria, <strong>the</strong> fa<strong>the</strong>rland, <strong>in</strong>to that of <strong>in</strong>terplanetary escape.Ra zooms this lost Africa <strong>in</strong>to a lost Pharaonic Egypt. By revers<strong>in</strong>gthis lost African Egypt out of <strong>the</strong> past, and fastforward<strong>in</strong>g it out <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong><strong>in</strong>terstellar space of Saturn and Plutonia, Ra swaps Garvey's politics ofsecession, radical at a po<strong>in</strong>t when imperial capital demanded reserves ofblack labour, for a MythScience system assembled from George M. james'New Philosophy of African Redemption <strong>in</strong> '54 'S Stolen Legacy.Stolen Legacy is realworld sci fi <strong>in</strong> which Egyptian MythSystems arestolen, disguised and sent back <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> past to prevent anAfrican , .American future ever happen<strong>in</strong>g. Back <strong>in</strong> '40, Walter Benjam<strong>in</strong>was forecast<strong>in</strong>g a War <strong>in</strong> time where 'even <strong>the</strong> dead will not be safe'from '<strong>the</strong> enemy' if he w<strong>in</strong>s. This anachronic zone is later photofilmed byChris Marker as La Jetee. By '64, Frantz Fanon glimpses a 2nd War <strong>in</strong>Time where a Term<strong>in</strong>ator 'turns to <strong>the</strong> past of <strong>the</strong> oppressed people anddistorts, disfigures and destroys it.'EgyptillogicFor james, African ,. American history is noth<strong>in</strong>g but white mythology.Egypt is both outside history and a corrective to history, a benigndespotic state, <strong>the</strong> hydraulic slave state, <strong>the</strong> ru<strong>in</strong>s of a resplenden<strong>the</strong>liopolis. It is Apar<strong>the</strong>id America <strong>in</strong> reverse. Fanon calls up anonscreen memoryfile and gazes at <strong>the</strong> image of a 'very beautiful andsplendid era '. Its existence, he suggests , catalyses 'an important change<strong>in</strong> psychoaffective equilibrium' which 'rehabilitates us.'The Egypt that james bUilds is a despotic paradise, mirror image ofAmerica 's apar<strong>the</strong>id delirium. The West is just a side-effect: thisbyproduct, this usurp<strong>in</strong>g parasite of <strong>the</strong> Egyptian's archaic bluepr<strong>in</strong>t.Reprogramm<strong>in</strong>g white mythology from <strong>the</strong> operat<strong>in</strong>g system upwardsleads <strong>in</strong>to philological labyr<strong>in</strong>ths, <strong>the</strong> maze of MythSystems.Stolen Legacy triggers <strong>the</strong> Egyptillogical Sonic Fiction of Earth W<strong>in</strong>d andFire. Flip to <strong>the</strong> back cover of Shuzei Nagaoka 's artwork for '79 'S I Am and<strong>the</strong>re's <strong>the</strong> Egyptillogical landscape lit <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> glaucous redlight of Dali-izednuclear mysticism. Mushroom clouds hover <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> background; Pharaonicrock statues sit next to Babylonian ziggurats powered by l<strong>in</strong>es above Fullerdomes; transport grids run through temples built by D. W. Griffiths for hisfilm Intolerance. Elizabe<strong>than</strong> ships crash over waterfalls; UFOs circle lazily.If you launch from 1847 to 152:5, you launch <strong>the</strong>missile not <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> future but backwards.Now you were disrupt<strong>in</strong>g time as <strong>the</strong> timetables.You had time vers<strong>in</strong>g timeRammellzeeHistory Is a Paranoid MadmanTurn<strong>in</strong>g to history becomes a moral duty <strong>in</strong> an endless war aga<strong>in</strong>stmiseducation. F<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g cont<strong>in</strong>uities <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> past or retentions back to <strong>the</strong>West Coast of Africa becomes an imperative of self-knowledge, fromjames to Fanon to KRSI.If <strong>the</strong> war <strong>in</strong> time is a Forever War, <strong>the</strong>n all <strong>the</strong> troops have to bestationed <strong>the</strong>re all <strong>the</strong> time. It's no surprise when <strong>the</strong> soldiers go awol.Who are <strong>the</strong>y fight<strong>in</strong>g for? The folks back home? What if time isn 't abesieged trench on a Forever War, but an <strong>in</strong>determ<strong>in</strong>ate situation: 'Whatif history was a gambler, <strong>in</strong>stead of a force <strong>in</strong> a laboratory experiment'?What if history isn't 'a reasonable citizen' but Ralph Ellison's 'madmanfull of paranoid guile'?50S America is an unend<strong>in</strong>g nightmare, an endless Night of <strong>the</strong>Liv<strong>in</strong>g Dead <strong>in</strong> which 19th, 18th and 17th C stereotypologies stalk <strong>the</strong>di<strong>sun</strong>ited States, squatt<strong>in</strong>g bra<strong>in</strong>s, secur<strong>in</strong>g allegiance to coff<strong>in</strong>s. Thedead refuse to die.A Visitor from Ano<strong>the</strong>r Mean<strong>in</strong>gAway from alienation. Into <strong>the</strong> arms of <strong>the</strong> alien: 'I'm not a human. Inever called anybody mo<strong>the</strong>r. The woman who's supposed to be mymo<strong>the</strong>r I call o<strong>the</strong>r momma. I never call nobody mo<strong>the</strong>r. I never callnobody fa<strong>the</strong>r.' Stockhausen: 'It's an <strong>in</strong>ner revelation that has comeseveral times to me, that I have been educated on Sirius, that I comefrom Sirius.' Likewise, Ra ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>s he was born on Saturn.This blatant impossibility becomes <strong>the</strong> precondition of Ra 's outerthought, <strong>the</strong> threshold which opens out <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> new world ofMythScience. Everyth<strong>in</strong>g he composes, from '56 to '93, exacerbates thisimpossibility, extends it across 200 albums to eclipse everyday reality:'The Impossible is <strong>the</strong> Watchword of <strong>the</strong> Greater Space Age ,' heannounces <strong>in</strong> '60. 'The Space Age cannot be avoided and SPACE MUSIC is<strong>the</strong> key to understand<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> mean<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> IMPOSSIBLE and everyo<strong>the</strong>r enigma.'


09(158)09(159)The Mo<strong>the</strong>rship and <strong>the</strong> Fa<strong>the</strong>rship are com<strong>in</strong>g forme. Come and snatch me, mo<strong>the</strong>rfuckers! Take meaway for a little whileBasic Instructions for Leav<strong>in</strong>g Earth01' Dirty 8ostordOsirisTo listen to Ra is to be dragged <strong>in</strong>to ano<strong>the</strong>r sonar system, an omniverseof overlapp<strong>in</strong>g sonar systems which abduct you from Trad audio reality.By becom<strong>in</strong>g alien himself, Ra turns you alien. Afro American history iswhite mythology: <strong>the</strong>refore Ra pursues James ' operat<strong>in</strong>g system to itsf<strong>in</strong>al program: Reject history and mythology. Assemblecountermythologies. Assemble science from myth and vice versa. In '72'SSpace is <strong>the</strong> Place, <strong>the</strong> camera cuts to a girl with afro puffs: 'How do weknow you're for real?'Ra : 'How do you know I'm real?'Teenagers chorus: 'Yeah .'Ra : 'I'm not real , I'm just like you. You don't exist, <strong>in</strong> this society. Ifyou did, your people wouldn't be seek<strong>in</strong>g equal rights.'Camera cuts to girl who smiles with her eyes , until her mouthregisters pa<strong>in</strong>ed recognition.Ra : 'You're not real. If you were, you'd have some status among <strong>the</strong>nations of <strong>the</strong> world. So we're both myths. I do not come to you asreality. I come to you as <strong>the</strong> myth because that's what black -' [Cameracuts <strong>in</strong> close as he holds up a crystal up to his face and stares at itl ' -people are, myths. I come from [stressed) a dream that <strong>the</strong> Black Mandreamed long ago .'Camera cuts to mid shot flanked by Anubis and Horus.Ra : 'I'm actually a present . >presence sent to you by your ancestors.'The Age of MythScienceIn his '92 Chronicle of Post Soul Black Culture, ma<strong>in</strong>stream critic NelsonGeorge dates <strong>the</strong> Death of a redemptive and affirmative Soul culture -<strong>the</strong> one characterized by Civil Rights-era optimism, gospel and Motown -to '72, <strong>the</strong> era of Blaxploitation, <strong>the</strong> state decimation of Black Power andNixon's election. But <strong>the</strong> Arkestra is launched back <strong>in</strong> '55. Ra 'sposthuman MythScience precedes not only <strong>the</strong> postsoul era, but many of<strong>the</strong> all-white futures of <strong>the</strong> 50S , <strong>the</strong> prist<strong>in</strong>e towers of Frank R. Paul.MythScience starts with Ra 's ' 55 futuropolis Bra<strong>in</strong> ville, where Jazzprovides <strong>the</strong> material for 'a spacite picture of <strong>the</strong> Atonal Tomorrow'.Jazz becomes <strong>the</strong> platform for Super<strong>sonic</strong> Fictions, for cosmopolitanpossibility spaces: 'In Bra<strong>in</strong> ville, I envision a city whose citizens are all<strong>in</strong>telligent <strong>in</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d and action. Every pr<strong>in</strong>ciple used <strong>in</strong> govern<strong>in</strong>g this city isbased on Science and Logic. Musicians are called Sound Scientists and ToneArtists. Yes, Bra<strong>in</strong>ville is a wonderful city and we like <strong>the</strong> thought of it.'The Possibility Space of Outer ThoughtSun Ra 's impossible state as an offworld alien opens up <strong>the</strong> possibilityspace of a 3rd-Planet music. Because he listens to Earth from offworld,he ga<strong>in</strong>s <strong>the</strong> satellite's perspective, that po<strong>in</strong>t of hear<strong>in</strong>g that KillahPriest grasped when he crooned <strong>in</strong> '95 that <strong>the</strong> 'Earth is already <strong>in</strong>space.' This arkestral perspective, <strong>the</strong> offworld audition of SpaceshipEarth opens <strong>the</strong> possibility space of <strong>the</strong> head: ' INSTRUCTION TO THEPEOPLE OF EARTH . You must realize that you have <strong>the</strong> right to lovebeauty ... You must learn to listen, because by listen<strong>in</strong>g you will learn tosee with your m<strong>in</strong>d's eye. You see , music pa<strong>in</strong>ts pictures that only <strong>the</strong>m<strong>in</strong>d's eye can see. Open your ears so that you can see with <strong>the</strong> eye of<strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d.' After Ra, music becomes an Unidentifiable Audio-Object.We didn't have any models so we had to create ourown language. It was based on sound. It wasn't justsometh<strong>in</strong>g you could pick up and physically deal with.Space is a place, and you had to th<strong>in</strong>k spacephil cohronOperat<strong>in</strong>g System for Spaceship Ea rthAs <strong>the</strong> pilot-composer of <strong>the</strong> Arkestra, Ra is capta<strong>in</strong> of Spaceship Earth:Dest<strong>in</strong>ation Unknown. The syn<strong>the</strong>sizer turns <strong>the</strong> producer <strong>in</strong>to anavigator, mov<strong>in</strong>g through <strong>fiction</strong>al space. lannis Xenakis: 'With <strong>the</strong> aidof electronic computers <strong>the</strong> composer becomes a sort of pilot: hepresses <strong>the</strong> buttons, <strong>in</strong>troduces coord<strong>in</strong>ates, and supervises <strong>the</strong> controlsof a cosmic vessel sail<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> space of sound, across <strong>sonic</strong>constellations and galaxies that he could formerly glimpse only as adistant dream.' The Arkestra is this 'cosmic vessel sail<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> space of<strong>the</strong> sound', <strong>the</strong> <strong>sonic</strong> spaceship which leaves Saturn, travell<strong>in</strong>g toPlutonia, to Nubia, AtlantiS on an Intergalactic Space Travel <strong>in</strong> Sound .After <strong>the</strong> Arkestra come <strong>the</strong> audiovehicles of <strong>the</strong> 70S : The Upsetter'sBlack Ark, Creation Rebel 's Starship Africa, Parliament's Mo<strong>the</strong>rship -


09[160]09[161]and artist Robert Spr<strong>in</strong>gett's Moogship, on <strong>the</strong> sleeve of HerbieHancock's '74 Thrust. The Futurist builds conceptual soundcrafts, newarks for explor<strong>in</strong>g unheard soundworlds.Enter<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Synth RaceWhoever controls <strong>the</strong> syn<strong>the</strong>sizer controls <strong>the</strong> sound of <strong>the</strong> future, byevok<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> alien. In '70, Xenakis renames <strong>the</strong> syn<strong>the</strong>sizer <strong>the</strong> Sonotron.Every syn<strong>the</strong>sizer is an <strong>in</strong>strument that emits sonorous particles andgenerates <strong>sonic</strong> molecules, a mach<strong>in</strong>e which transmits waveforms, fir<strong>in</strong>gSonic Rays , Essr'ays.In <strong>the</strong> 50S such protosynths as <strong>the</strong> Therem<strong>in</strong> evoked Monsters and<strong>the</strong> alien. Ra had been turned onto electronics by watch<strong>in</strong>g monstermovies and hear<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> unearthly Therem<strong>in</strong>. In <strong>the</strong> 70S disco's syn<strong>the</strong>ticmetronomes were attacked as automatic and <strong>in</strong>human, as clones of asuperior robotic force.By <strong>the</strong> late 60S , Ra has already landed on <strong>the</strong> Moog. The spaceracebecomes <strong>the</strong> synthrace. With <strong>the</strong> Electronic Jazz of Herbie Hancock,Larry Young et ai, space turns from a 19th C weightless sublime towardsa polyrhythmspace shower. In Space is <strong>the</strong> Place, despite himself, ateenager wants to know: 'Are <strong>the</strong>re any whiteys up <strong>the</strong>re?'Ra : 'They're work<strong>in</strong>g up <strong>the</strong>re [hesitant! today. They take frequenttrips to <strong>the</strong> moon. I notice none of you have been <strong>in</strong>vited. How do youth<strong>in</strong>k you're gonna exist? The year 2000 is right around <strong>the</strong> corner.'The synthrace and <strong>the</strong> spacerace converge <strong>in</strong>to harmonicprogreSSions, which Ra syn<strong>the</strong>sizes <strong>in</strong>to sonotronic propulsionprocesses: Multiplicity Adjustment, Readjustment Syn<strong>the</strong>sis, IsotopeTeleportation, Transmolecularization, Frequency Polarization.The Technology-Magic Cont<strong>in</strong>uumTraditionally, 20th C science sterilizes all myth: myth starts wherescience stops. But <strong>the</strong> record<strong>in</strong>g medium acts as an <strong>in</strong>terface betweenscience and myth. Every medium opens up a cont<strong>in</strong>uum from technologyto magic and back aga<strong>in</strong>. Magic is just ano<strong>the</strong>r name for a future, an asyetunknown medium, a logic identified by both Arthur C. Clarke - 'Anysufficiently advanced technology becomes <strong>in</strong>dist<strong>in</strong>guishable from magic'- and Samuel R. Delany: 'At <strong>the</strong> ma terial level, our technology isbecom<strong>in</strong>g <strong>more</strong> and <strong>more</strong> like magiC.' Ra 's MythScience extends <strong>the</strong>technology magic cont<strong>in</strong>uum <strong>in</strong>to sound. Concepts cluster <strong>in</strong>tooverlapp<strong>in</strong>g MythSciences, <strong>in</strong>to new world systems and parallelcosmologies: 'In fact, I've been talk<strong>in</strong>g about <strong>the</strong> omniverse, and that isabout a multiplicity of universes.'From Marconi to Tesla to Moog to Ra , electrification opens up adiscont<strong>in</strong>uum between technology and magic. Why a discont<strong>in</strong>uum<strong>in</strong>stead of a cont<strong>in</strong>uum? Because alternat<strong>in</strong>g current transmits acrossgaps and <strong>in</strong>tervals, and not by l<strong>in</strong>eage or <strong>in</strong>heritance. From now on,Electronic Music becomes a technology-myth discont<strong>in</strong>uum. TraditionalCulture works hard to polarize this discont<strong>in</strong>uum. Music wilfullycollapses it, flagrantly confus<strong>in</strong>g mach<strong>in</strong>es with mysticism, systematiz<strong>in</strong>gthis critical delirium <strong>in</strong>to <strong>in</strong>formation mysteries.The Composer Is a Tone ScientistMusic is <strong>the</strong> science of play<strong>in</strong>g human nervous systems, orchestrat<strong>in</strong>gsensory mixes of electric emotions: <strong>the</strong> music of yourself <strong>in</strong> dissonance.Ra hears humans as <strong>in</strong>struments, sound generators played by <strong>the</strong> music<strong>the</strong>y listen to. The tone scientist's role is to eng<strong>in</strong>eer new humansthrough electronics. In his '91 poem I am <strong>the</strong> Instrument, Ra abstracts<strong>the</strong> soundmach<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong>to a social mach<strong>in</strong>e: ' I am an <strong>in</strong>strument. But man isan <strong>in</strong>strument too. The people are an <strong>in</strong>strument.'The Rudience Is a MediumThe crowd is an <strong>in</strong>strument played by electronics, and Ra is an<strong>in</strong>strument played by <strong>the</strong> Cosmos. The crowd is syn<strong>the</strong>sized <strong>in</strong>to a newstate by electronics. S<strong>in</strong>ewaves pass through <strong>the</strong> medium of <strong>the</strong>syn<strong>the</strong>sizer, amplification travels through <strong>the</strong> Arkestra's <strong>in</strong>struments,through <strong>the</strong> crowd and <strong>the</strong>n back, <strong>in</strong> an alternat<strong>in</strong>g sonotronic circuit.Dances correspond to constellations, each one a position<strong>in</strong>g satellite <strong>in</strong>a navigational astrono my. The Arkestra is an <strong>in</strong>strument of tone <strong>the</strong>rapythat conducts emotional current through audiences.MaSonic Scientists <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Rrkestral MonasteryArk + Orchestra = Arkestra. Sun Ra used to tell his tone scientists that<strong>the</strong>ir job was not so much to playas to manipulate tone colours. Theycolorize a new emotional spectrum, program sensations without names.Discipl<strong>in</strong>e is <strong>the</strong> motor of Space. The Arkestra is an all-male orchestrarun as a Military Monastery: 'When <strong>the</strong> army wants to build men <strong>the</strong>yisolate <strong>the</strong>m. It's just <strong>the</strong> case that <strong>the</strong>se are musicians but you mightsa y <strong>the</strong>y're mar<strong>in</strong>es. They have to know everyth<strong>in</strong>g.'


09[162]09[163]Enterplanetary KonceptsRa uses electronics to generate a pan<strong>the</strong>istic cosmology. Electronicsamplifies <strong>the</strong> archaic Pythagorean system <strong>in</strong> which <strong>the</strong> cosmos is acorrespondence of harmony and number. '72 'S Astro Black Mythology isassembled from transchronic <strong>in</strong>puts: Egypt, Nubia, Europe.Mach<strong>in</strong>e Genealogist Lewis Mumford presses <strong>the</strong> Control key on <strong>the</strong>Assemblage file: 'Only one th<strong>in</strong>g was needed to assemble and polarize all<strong>the</strong> new components of <strong>the</strong> megamach<strong>in</strong>e: <strong>the</strong> birth of <strong>the</strong> Sun God. And<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> 16th C, with Kepler, Tycho Brahe and Copernicus officiat<strong>in</strong>g asaccoucheurs, <strong>the</strong> new Sun God was born.' On <strong>the</strong> cover of '65'S TheHeliocentric World of Sun Ra Vol 2, next to Copernicus, Galileo, TychoBrahe and Kepler, <strong>the</strong>re's an illustration of Ra . By travell<strong>in</strong>g back <strong>in</strong> timeand <strong>in</strong>sert<strong>in</strong>g himself <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> 16th C, Copernican heliocentricity isturned <strong>in</strong>to European <strong>sun</strong>worship. Renaissance astronomy becomes athriv<strong>in</strong>g branch of Egyptian god worship. Egyptian MythSystems abduct<strong>the</strong> Christian universe. Their cosmology serves Ra's ends.PolyrhythmazesIn Pythagorean MythScience, all <strong>the</strong> spheres harmonize. With Sun Ra , <strong>the</strong>polyrhythmaze replace harmony, act<strong>in</strong>g as an astro<strong>the</strong>rapy to heals <strong>the</strong>m<strong>in</strong>d's <strong>in</strong>ternal empires. Cosmic tonemagic is what Rhythim is Rhythim'sDerrick May will later term a kao-tic harmony: a harmony of spears asmuch as spheres.Ionosphere'72'S Astro Black uses electronics as an aerial to tune <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong>ionosphere until <strong>the</strong> sound spectra of <strong>the</strong> universe become audible.Electromagnetic storms, ionospheric disturbance, <strong>the</strong> doppler shift oflightn<strong>in</strong>g arc<strong>in</strong>g through space, crash<strong>in</strong>g though <strong>the</strong> geomagnetic field ,generat<strong>in</strong>g white noise; all this Cosmic sound is materialized through <strong>the</strong>Moog. Radio transmissions, satellite signals, pulsar frequencies, quasaremissions, all <strong>the</strong>se transmit through <strong>the</strong> patch bay of <strong>the</strong> Moog <strong>in</strong> an<strong>in</strong>terstellar t<strong>sun</strong>ami.Astro Black throws you <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> squall and squeal of horns, pitchedso high <strong>the</strong>y turn <strong>in</strong>to emergency sirens, pied piper panic. Bass clar<strong>in</strong>etbecomes a s<strong>in</strong>ister sidew<strong>in</strong>der. Bass is bowed <strong>in</strong>to drone textures thatmirror and mutate foghorn flock and bassoon honk.The polyrhythmaze volatizes <strong>the</strong> weightless zero of traditional spacemusic with <strong>the</strong> perpetual motility and runaway complexity of molecularrhythm. Fields of percussion that distribute <strong>the</strong> beat <strong>in</strong>to slipslid<strong>in</strong>gturbulence. This agitation results from reth<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g Space as polyrhythmand paradox. 'Space is a place,' Arkestral trumpeter Phil Cohran argued,'and you had to th<strong>in</strong>k space.'Eng<strong>in</strong>es for RudioTravelEvery <strong>in</strong>strument is a sound mach<strong>in</strong>e which transmits energy.The Moog oscillates between shortwave static and whale spume,white noise and meteor showers, NASA test patterns and crash<strong>in</strong>g metal,rocket takeoff and squeal<strong>in</strong>g str<strong>in</strong>g sections. Electronic <strong>in</strong>struments areeng<strong>in</strong>es for audio travel: <strong>the</strong> cosmic tone organ, <strong>the</strong> astro space organ,<strong>the</strong> Solar sound organ, <strong>the</strong> solar piano, <strong>the</strong> Jupiterian flute.Percussion is <strong>the</strong> multi time generator, <strong>the</strong> rhythmultiplier: solar drum,cosmic side drum, sky tone drums, dragon drums, thunder drum, spiralpercussion gong, Egyptian <strong>sun</strong> bells, solar bells, space gong, <strong>sun</strong> harp.Percussion scrambles time and transmolecularizes space. ThroughoutCosmic Tones for Mental Therapy, percussapella turns <strong>in</strong>to a labyr<strong>in</strong>th.Black to CommIn Adventure Equation, polyrhythm reverberates <strong>in</strong>to a webbed maze, atreacherous rhythmshower that compels you to supply a stabiliz<strong>in</strong>g beat.Rhythm multiplies and perplexes, confounds <strong>the</strong> space between soundswith <strong>the</strong> shapes of sound. The polyrhythmaze was AutoCatalysed by anAmpex taperecorder. It drew Thomas 'Bugs' Hunter, <strong>the</strong> Arkestrarecordist-drummer<strong>in</strong>to its shift<strong>in</strong>g sands: 'I was us<strong>in</strong>g an old Ampex 601or 602 model tape recorder ... What it had was this th<strong>in</strong>g where you couldtake <strong>the</strong> output of <strong>the</strong> tape you'd recorded play<strong>in</strong>g back, and feed it <strong>in</strong>toano<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong>put. I was just fool<strong>in</strong>g with it once ... and I got this weirdreverberation. I wasn't sure what Sun Ra would th<strong>in</strong>k of it when he heardit, I thought he might be mad - but he loved it. It blew his m<strong>in</strong>d! Bywork<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> volume of <strong>the</strong> output on <strong>the</strong> playback I could control <strong>the</strong>effect, make it fast or slow, drop it out.' In '72 'S Space is <strong>the</strong> Place, anoffscreen voice asks: 'What is <strong>the</strong> power of your mach<strong>in</strong>e?' Jumpcut toSun Ra framed aga<strong>in</strong>st a blue backdrop, as he answers: 'MUSic.'Calmly, with soft hesitation, an elaboration: 'This music is all part ofano<strong>the</strong>r tomorrow. Speak<strong>in</strong>g th<strong>in</strong>gs of blackness. About <strong>the</strong> void, <strong>the</strong>endless void, <strong>the</strong> bottomless pit surround<strong>in</strong>g you. It's <strong>the</strong> music of <strong>the</strong>Sun and <strong>the</strong> Stars. You 're all <strong>in</strong>struments. Everybody's supposed to beplay<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>ir part <strong>in</strong> this vast arkestry of <strong>the</strong> cosmos. '


10[164]COSMOLOGY OFVOLUMERemixology is Re<strong>in</strong>carnation10[165]Every Alice Coltrane album <strong>in</strong>tensifies <strong>the</strong> sanctification process thatjohn started. For Alice, remixology is not heresy but re<strong>in</strong>carnation, aresurrection technique <strong>in</strong> which sounds are rematerialized as spirits ontape. '72'S Inf<strong>in</strong>ity amplifies a <strong>fiction</strong>al jazz <strong>in</strong> which john Coltrane isreborn as Ohnedaruth to play at Alice's celestial spirit-symphony. The<strong>in</strong>side-sleeve picture shows a l<strong>in</strong>eup that never existed, electric ghostsplay<strong>in</strong>g phantom jazz <strong>in</strong> tape space-time. The Sleevenotes are signed byjohn, but read as Alice. To look at <strong>the</strong> front sleeve is to fall throughfractalized sta<strong>in</strong>ed glass <strong>in</strong>to nested formations of spirals with<strong>in</strong> spirals,kaleidoscopic iterations as blue as mo<strong>the</strong>r sky.Ohnedaruth [John Coltrane] repaired to a city ofsh<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g radiance situated near a po<strong>in</strong>t <strong>in</strong> spacewhere stands a mammoth colossus of three worldsAlice ColtraneThe Cosmic Communications Medium is an Evolution Eng<strong>in</strong>e:Alice ColtraneThe audience for your art hasn't even been born yetJulian schnabel to Jean /!fiche I Basquiat'It's like rewrit<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Bible! ' For Rashied Ali remixology is blasphemy.Ali 's aversion to Alice Coltrane's '72 Liv<strong>in</strong>g Space [Alice Coltrane Remix]is an <strong>in</strong>dex of <strong>the</strong> reverence petrify<strong>in</strong>g john Coltrane's reputation andmusic, after his death <strong>in</strong> '67, <strong>in</strong>to a s<strong>in</strong>gle mass of calcified sa<strong>in</strong>thood.The Sonic is rendered <strong>in</strong>tr<strong>in</strong>sically ethical, immediately moral.Remixology is blasphemy for alter<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> tapes, for derealiz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>realtime of The Song. But <strong>the</strong> Liv<strong>in</strong>g Space Remix is none<strong>the</strong>less devout,a miraculous mosaic of ceremonial str<strong>in</strong>gs, an astralized procession oftamboura drones and chimes. Turbulent t<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>nabulation heaves <strong>in</strong>waves that part like <strong>the</strong> Red Sea; harps plume like <strong>the</strong> spume of spermwhales off <strong>the</strong> Galapagos Archipelago; astr<strong>in</strong>gent sax squeals like a pigbe<strong>in</strong>g skewered.Electric ElevationMarshall McLuhan: 'Electric channels of <strong>in</strong>formation have <strong>the</strong> effect ofreduc<strong>in</strong>g [or elevat<strong>in</strong>g) people to <strong>the</strong> dis<strong>in</strong>carnate status of <strong>in</strong>stant<strong>in</strong>formation. We are transported electronically and bodily.' Like BruceLee, Diana, Elvis, Evita and Malcolm X, 'electric media has literallytranslated' Coltrane <strong>in</strong>to a record<strong>in</strong>g angel.Electric jazz transports Coltrane back to Earth, transmaterializ<strong>in</strong>ghim <strong>in</strong>to <strong>sonic</strong> <strong>in</strong>formation. In a process which beg<strong>in</strong>s with her '68Monastic Trio, where john becomes a trane<strong>sonic</strong> force, Alice uses <strong>the</strong>medium of Cosmic jazz to artificially evolve john <strong>in</strong>to a series of ElectricGods, pass<strong>in</strong>g through a succession of new vibrational universes.


10[166)10[167)cosmic energy - atomic, <strong>the</strong> primary substancecompos<strong>in</strong>g matter and spiritAlice ColtroneGalactic TetralogyJazz DeificationIn '72'S Lord of Lords, penultimate <strong>in</strong> her Galactic jazz Tetralogy, Alicerenames him Sri Rama Ohnedaruth, <strong>the</strong> god whose name means UniverseWorld Compassion. john is be<strong>in</strong>g syn<strong>the</strong>tically spiritualized <strong>in</strong>to a studiodeity: 'Before Ohnedaruth's <strong>in</strong>itiation where he received <strong>the</strong> name of SriRama, his astral globule manifested <strong>in</strong> my be<strong>in</strong>g for my use expressly <strong>in</strong>music. It is <strong>the</strong> same conta<strong>in</strong>er of gross, elementals and cosmic materialshe used while liv<strong>in</strong>g on earth, which he no longer has a use for now tha<strong>the</strong> presently moves and works <strong>in</strong> a f<strong>in</strong>er, lighter e<strong>the</strong>real body. 'By Lord of Lords, Coltrane herself has become Turiya Aparna. On <strong>the</strong>cover, her head s<strong>in</strong>ks back <strong>in</strong>to a halo of her hair, her face wracked by<strong>the</strong> raptures of creation. She's cloaked <strong>in</strong> a kaftan that drapes <strong>the</strong>studio. The Creator dissolves <strong>the</strong> ego because his 'embrace is so lov<strong>in</strong>gand <strong>the</strong> bliss from it so extreme, <strong>the</strong> human body can <strong>in</strong> no waywithstand this .. . 'The Coltrane <strong>sun</strong>ship has spacewrecked <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>terstellar space. OnAndromeda 's Suffer<strong>in</strong>g, Alice Coltrane leaves <strong>in</strong>terstellar space beh<strong>in</strong>dfor <strong>the</strong> metagalactic cosmos: 'Andromeda is a supergalaxy <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>Universe whose rays extend two billion times brighter and deeper <strong>than</strong><strong>the</strong> light from <strong>the</strong> <strong>sun</strong> of our solar system. In <strong>the</strong> metagalactic cosmos,mighty Andromeda is <strong>the</strong> celestial, e<strong>the</strong>ric heart <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> great cosmicBody of <strong>the</strong> Lord. Inside this magnificent super structure of spirall<strong>in</strong>gstars, <strong>the</strong> suffer<strong>in</strong>g and sorrows of humanity burn brightly and profuselyeveryday, and are deeply felt with <strong>the</strong> heart of <strong>the</strong> dear Lord.'Celestial OrchestrationThough <strong>the</strong> weakest <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Tetralogy, Lord of Lords has <strong>the</strong> most lavisharrangements, Alice conduct<strong>in</strong>g a 24-piece str<strong>in</strong>g section play<strong>in</strong>g organ,harp, tympani, celestial str<strong>in</strong>gs saturat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> soundfield: a visitationfrom Strav<strong>in</strong>sky delivers excerpts from The Firebird.In '7"S World Galaxy, <strong>the</strong> second <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Galactic Tetralogy, AliceColtrane with Str<strong>in</strong>gs transmutes jazz <strong>in</strong>to a celestial symphony. Str<strong>in</strong>garrangements drown you <strong>in</strong> sensations of <strong>the</strong> colossal, <strong>the</strong> archaiC, <strong>the</strong>ceremonial. Her guru Swami Satchad<strong>in</strong>anda narrates Love is a SacredWord, <strong>in</strong>troduc<strong>in</strong>g her A Love Supreme remix, a 9 m<strong>in</strong> 58 secondcompression of Cosmic jazz, solar organ feedback, avalanche of harps,<strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>uat<strong>in</strong>g tamboura drill, heavy rock drumm<strong>in</strong>g and percussion showers.Galaxy around Oludumare means that <strong>the</strong> electric energy ofjohn , .Oludumare is now an electric Sun around whom a galaxy turns.Galaxy <strong>in</strong> Turiya and Galaxy <strong>in</strong> Satchadananda expand <strong>the</strong> energy ofAlice Turiya and <strong>the</strong> Swami <strong>in</strong>to stars conta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g galaxies, supernebulae<strong>in</strong>side which those galaxies turn.Tran<strong>sonic</strong> Energy FieldIn '7"S Universal Consciousness, first <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Galactic jazz Tetralogy, Alicerenames herself Turiya Aparna. On <strong>the</strong> sleeve she <strong>than</strong>ks God for her'extraord<strong>in</strong>ary tran<strong>sonic</strong> and atmospherical power which sent forthillum<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g worlds of sound <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> ae<strong>the</strong>rs of this universe.' Tran<strong>sonic</strong>be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> next level up from super<strong>sonic</strong>, <strong>the</strong> nearest to <strong>the</strong> speed of sound.Here jazz is transmolecularized <strong>in</strong>to a Cosmic music that 'embracescosmic thought as an emblem' of what john termed Universal Sound. AfterPhase " Coltrane's Energy Music, and Phase 2, his <strong>the</strong>ories of UniversalSound, Universal Consciousness starts Phase 3 of cosmic thought.Tamboura TransmitterTo Alice, <strong>the</strong> tamboura tone 'is rem<strong>in</strong>iscent of spherical harmony' bu<strong>the</strong>ard now, it emits a drone like a powerdrill vibrat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>side a high levelradioactive zone. Universal harmony doesn't tranquilize; it hurts. On SitaRam, Tulsi's tamboura is a th<strong>in</strong> wire of sound <strong>in</strong>serted through your ears,a powersaw emitt<strong>in</strong>g treble ultra-frequencies, rays of amplified Op Artlike Bridget Riley 's '62 Phase.The <strong>in</strong>ner sleeve shows Alice Coltrane crosslegged, arms extended<strong>in</strong> meditation, a human satellite dish ready to receive. Amplified, <strong>the</strong>tamboura is a fork that tunes her ensemble <strong>in</strong>to a universe of sphericalharmony. Solarized by designer Philip Melnick, Alice Coltrane isflooded <strong>in</strong> yet transmitt<strong>in</strong>g coronas of blaz<strong>in</strong>g light. Her afro burns <strong>in</strong> asilver supernova.


10[168]10[169]she is a vector, a fur<strong>the</strong>r earth explorationAmeer 8arakaThe Conceptechnics of Primaudial TechnologyWith Alice Coltrane, <strong>the</strong> jazz composer becomes <strong>the</strong> electric transmitter.In her Galactic Tetralogy, record<strong>in</strong>g becomes a primaudial technology.The cosmos is an <strong>in</strong>f<strong>in</strong>ity of endlessly reverberat<strong>in</strong>g vibrations. Theuniverse beg<strong>in</strong>s <strong>in</strong> sound. Therefore new sound eng<strong>in</strong>es can amplify newuniverses <strong>in</strong>to resonance. Long-distance telecom systems <strong>in</strong>tensifiessensations of imm<strong>in</strong>ent Revelation. Amplification plus orchestration =cosmic communications medium. Galactic Jazz is a satellite dish, anavsat for receiv<strong>in</strong>g-transmitt<strong>in</strong>g energies. It becomes an EvolutionEng<strong>in</strong>e that masters <strong>the</strong> maker, that manufactures electronic souls. Eachalbum crosses a threshold of <strong>the</strong> tran<strong>sonic</strong>, <strong>the</strong> e<strong>the</strong>ric, <strong>the</strong> cosmicuniversal,<strong>the</strong> galactic, <strong>the</strong> metagalactic.Ascension <strong>in</strong>to Astro JazzHer startl<strong>in</strong>g title track Universal Consciousness doesn't so much update<strong>the</strong> archetypal Hollywood 50S score as archaize it even fur<strong>the</strong>r. Celestialstr<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong>vests <strong>the</strong> Biblical sublime with a sudden seriousness. Like aBronx accent <strong>in</strong> Bethlehem BC, it anachronizes you. 50S widescreenBiblical epic pitchbent <strong>in</strong>to Bollywood tones.Coltrane turns <strong>the</strong> organ <strong>in</strong>to a solar eng<strong>in</strong>e. Her lead <strong>in</strong>strument is<strong>the</strong> organ pedal, generat<strong>in</strong>g sheets of feedback, of angels on fire.The electrified organ floods you <strong>in</strong> sensations of ceremonialsolemnity, <strong>the</strong> regal procession of sway<strong>in</strong>g palad<strong>in</strong>s. In Hare Krishna,Coltrane uses <strong>the</strong> organ bass pedals until <strong>the</strong> organ hums like a sublevelpowerstation. Wars of Armageddon generates a tower of dub acrosswhich sheets of distortion shatter, while The Ankh of Amen Ra susta<strong>in</strong>ssolar strata across which fuzz flares and flickers.On Universal Consciousness, jazz becomes turbulence, stratosphericorgan chords that open a horizon <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> ear, stretch <strong>the</strong> <strong>sun</strong> l<strong>in</strong>e to <strong>the</strong>clouds. Viol<strong>in</strong>s, harp, percussion are sucked upwards, wrench<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> calm<strong>in</strong>to a perplex<strong>in</strong>g t<strong>sun</strong>ami. Om Allah opens with a My Fair Lady-type viol<strong>in</strong>duet with bowed bass descents. Coltrane uses organ pedals to susta<strong>in</strong> aradioactive bassdrone that peals off <strong>in</strong>to bursts of rapid-ear funk.Amplification expa nds <strong>the</strong> spectrum of tra nquility. These rhythms arebrushes <strong>in</strong> rotary motion, w<strong>in</strong>d chimes, cymbal shimmer<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>termittence.Cosmic Music Is a Mystic SystemOn <strong>the</strong> first release after John's death, '68's A Monastic Trio, when Aliceimmediately renamed him Ohnedaruth <strong>the</strong> Mystic, jazz disappears <strong>in</strong>to<strong>the</strong> acoustic calm of harp, drums and bass on Oceanic Beloved andAtomic Peace. The cadence and cascades of Atomic Peace are <strong>the</strong>aftermath of <strong>the</strong> roar<strong>in</strong>g squall of The Sun, from John's '66 Cosmic Music.The <strong>in</strong>side sleeve of <strong>the</strong> collaborative Cosmic Music shows Johndwarfed aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>the</strong> planet reversed <strong>in</strong>to negative: 'He always felt thatsound was <strong>the</strong> first manifestation <strong>in</strong> creation before music,' Coltraneexpla<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Sleevenotes to her '68 debut A Monastic Trio. 'He wasdo<strong>in</strong>g someth<strong>in</strong>g from a map he drew - sort of like a globe - tak<strong>in</strong>gscales from it, tak<strong>in</strong>g modal th<strong>in</strong>gs from it. The chart John designed wasa musical one with 12 tones correlat<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> 12 zodiacal signs.'Nuclear MysticismI am look<strong>in</strong>g for a universal soundJohn ColtraneFor jazz to become a Universal Sound it has to become an elementaryscience. By atomiz<strong>in</strong>g jazz <strong>in</strong>to <strong>sonic</strong> matter, <strong>the</strong> Universal Sound willharness <strong>the</strong> impact of splitt<strong>in</strong>g atoms. John Coltrane is what TechnoAnimal term <strong>the</strong> Mighty Atom Smasher. On <strong>the</strong> outside of Cosmic MusicJohn stares from a blasted globe. The right hand side of Byron Goto'sgatefold sleeve shows him <strong>in</strong> pensive Th<strong>in</strong>ker mode, surrounded by atroposphere of mushroom clouds, Mart<strong>in</strong> Lu<strong>the</strong>r K<strong>in</strong>g, solarized figures<strong>in</strong> suits, silver faces reversed like Nagasaki shadows. On <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r side isa poly<strong>the</strong>istic swastika, comb<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g Buddhist, IslamiC, Christian godheads.On <strong>the</strong> back is a solar sphere, its centre a num<strong>in</strong>ous red. After <strong>the</strong>planetary explosion, Monastic Trio's Atomic Peace is like <strong>the</strong> hush thatfalls on blasted cities, <strong>the</strong> calm of <strong>the</strong> razed ru<strong>in</strong>. Alice forecasts aNuclear Sublime: ' I do wish for <strong>the</strong> day though; when all music, allphases of music under <strong>the</strong>ir various names and forms are transmutedand sublimed. '


10[170)10[171)Nuclear death gives us back a mythology on <strong>the</strong>universal level, it promotes a new humanism foundedon destructionSylvere lotr<strong>in</strong>gerJazz dur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Pax Atomicajohn Coltrane's '65 Ascension (Version 11 is Atomic Age jazz - acontrolled explosion, an atomic detonation blast susta<strong>in</strong>ed and<strong>in</strong>tensified over 2 sides. As harrow<strong>in</strong>g as <strong>the</strong> thought of sk<strong>in</strong> flayed aliveby <strong>the</strong> backdraft of <strong>the</strong> Nagasaki bomb, it's not so much listened to aswithstood. As A. B. Spellman po<strong>in</strong>ted out, this 'p lexus of voices' isdesigned 'to empty his audience's spiritual reservoir' until 'your nervoussystem has been dissected, overhauled and reassembled.'At 4 m<strong>in</strong>s <strong>in</strong>to Side 2, sound blocs pulverize each o<strong>the</strong>r, mass<strong>in</strong>genergy peaks. In <strong>the</strong> Sleevenotes to Ascension, Archie Shepp <strong>the</strong>orised<strong>the</strong> breakthrough <strong>in</strong>to a unified energy field: 'Most of <strong>the</strong> play<strong>in</strong>g is aboutenergy and sound. Miles was able to create <strong>the</strong> ensemble effect utiliz<strong>in</strong>gmodes. john gave it <strong>the</strong> dimension of energy and created blocs of sound.'Blar<strong>in</strong>g <strong>sonic</strong> matter is dredged up, driven by cymballic explosionswhich level out <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> plateau phase of a new psychoaffective state.Shepp drew an analogy to 'what <strong>the</strong> action pa<strong>in</strong>ters do <strong>in</strong> that it createsvarious surfaces of color which push <strong>in</strong>to each o<strong>the</strong>r, creates tens ionsand counter tensions, and various fields of energy.'Turn<strong>in</strong>g jazz <strong>in</strong>to Energy Music meant <strong>the</strong> exploration of 'texturesra<strong>the</strong>r <strong>than</strong> <strong>the</strong> mak<strong>in</strong>g of an organizational unity. You can hear <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>saxophones especially, reach<strong>in</strong>g for sound and an exploration of <strong>the</strong>possibilities of sound.'By doubl<strong>in</strong>g all horns, The john Coltrane Orchestra's 3 tenor saxes, 2alto saxes, 2 trumpets, 2 basses, drums, piano amplifies jazz <strong>in</strong>to a<strong>sun</strong>ship powered by <strong>the</strong> hydraulic eng<strong>in</strong>e of lungpower.As Ben Sidran realized immediately, 'Coltrane's stress on <strong>in</strong>nerstrength on <strong>the</strong> l<strong>in</strong>er notes of his A Love Supreme album' becomes anenergetics of sound, 'a complex <strong>the</strong>ory of energy play<strong>in</strong>g' conceptualizedby Shepp and Pharoah Sanders.Ascension's surges, like those on Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz orEgyptian Empire's The Horn, build towards planes when all <strong>the</strong> hornssynch <strong>in</strong> a powersurge, <strong>the</strong> belch<strong>in</strong>g exhaust fumes of a colossal rocketas it tilts <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> air like a vertical city. Energy music entails anawaken<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> world: 'We're tak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>m with us. We're gett<strong>in</strong>g readyto leap off an d wake <strong>the</strong>se people up.'The volume of doubled percussion drew <strong>the</strong>m <strong>in</strong>to energy fields,dra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> spiritual reservoirs Spellman perceived, releas<strong>in</strong>g tensionthrough counter-tension, flood<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> barriers of cool until emotiongushed. As an Energy Music drummer told Sidran, 'We are gett<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong>po<strong>in</strong>t where we can make <strong>the</strong> audience laugh or cry or scream.' Sanders'music even created an 'energy field' that made <strong>the</strong> drummer levitate,feel that he was hover<strong>in</strong>g 'six <strong>in</strong>ches off <strong>the</strong> floor'. Detonated <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>controlled conditions of your room, Energy Music is a m<strong>in</strong>d, body andsoul bomb that melts down psychic armour.Kiyoshi Koyama: What would you like to be tenyears from now?Coltrane: I would like to be a sa<strong>in</strong>tColtrane Liquid Computer: John ColtraneAmplification is sacred, <strong>the</strong> vertical energy of holy noise. As Sidranobserved, 'When john Coltrane was play<strong>in</strong>g, he was pray<strong>in</strong>g.' Coltranehears jazz as a tonal communication medium. As Sidran realizes, thisimplies a new jazz consciousness <strong>in</strong> which <strong>the</strong> sax becomes 'an<strong>in</strong>strument which can create <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>itial thought patterns that can change<strong>the</strong> th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g of people.'In '65 Coltrane listens to john Gil<strong>more</strong> from <strong>the</strong> Arkestra, meets Ra,takes LSD 25 <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Fall. Afterwards he declares: 'I perceived <strong>the</strong><strong>in</strong>terrelationship of all lifeforms,' immediately condens<strong>in</strong>g Manuel DeLanda's explanation of LSD's neurochemical processes: 'When you tripyou liquefy structures <strong>in</strong> your bra<strong>in</strong>, l<strong>in</strong>guistic structures, <strong>in</strong>tentionalstructures. They acquire a less viscous consistency and your bra<strong>in</strong>becomes a supercomputer. Information rushes <strong>in</strong>to your bra<strong>in</strong>, whichmakes you feel like you're hav<strong>in</strong>g a revelation. But no one is reveal<strong>in</strong>ganyth<strong>in</strong>g to you. It's just self organiz<strong>in</strong>g. It's happen<strong>in</strong>g by itself.'


10[172]10[173]volume + LSD = Energy MusicIf Sound is Mystery, <strong>the</strong>n Volume is Holy and Noise is a Blessed State. OnJohn's '65 Om, this amplified lysergic equation generates Energy Music,<strong>the</strong> frequency which Coltrane uses to tune <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> Om state: 'Om' is <strong>the</strong>H<strong>in</strong>du access code to <strong>the</strong> <strong>sonic</strong> orig<strong>in</strong> of <strong>the</strong> universe.Coltrane's multiphonic overdrive already demanded extrahumanbreath cycles. Om draws breath up from <strong>the</strong> diaphragm <strong>in</strong> an auto<strong>in</strong>spirationthat turns <strong>the</strong> body <strong>in</strong>to a human resonat<strong>in</strong>g chamber. Thegroup becomes an Om medium, chant<strong>in</strong>g verses from <strong>the</strong> Rig Veda: 'And<strong>the</strong> offer<strong>in</strong>gs made to <strong>the</strong> Ghosts of <strong>the</strong> Fa<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong> Mantra, <strong>the</strong> ClarifiedButter, I am he who awards to each <strong>the</strong> fruit of his actions, I, <strong>the</strong> Oblationand I <strong>the</strong> flame, I make all th<strong>in</strong>gs clean, I am Ohm, Ohmm Ohmm.'O*hm Sweet O*hmFor Coltrane, Om is a serenade to Ohm. The John Coltrane Orchestra is asono-spiritual generator, a powerplant transmitt<strong>in</strong>g Om power. As hisprotege Sanders <strong>in</strong>sisted: 'It is <strong>the</strong> most powerful word <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> universe.It means God, it means peace, it means <strong>the</strong> beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g of th<strong>in</strong>gs. 'Close-mik<strong>in</strong>g expands <strong>the</strong> noise spectrum <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> quietude ofmeditational jazz, crackl<strong>in</strong>g with <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>stant archaism of primaudialsound: <strong>the</strong> transient tones of bell trees, woodblocks, cymballicsussuration, a desolate calm.You 're <strong>in</strong>side <strong>the</strong> storm, assailed by screes of SonoMatter.At 10.30, <strong>the</strong> Orchestra chant 'Om, Om ' <strong>in</strong> a dazed despair, as if<strong>the</strong>y're drown<strong>in</strong>g. At 12.33. eerie sax echoes a Sun Ra tremolo. At 15.07,low<strong>in</strong>g sounds: unlocatable texture swoops and tumbles just like <strong>the</strong>hornets of a Sun Ra synth tone. Bow<strong>in</strong>g viol<strong>in</strong>, squabbles, build<strong>in</strong>gtension <strong>in</strong> waves that contract and release until you feel astralized. By<strong>the</strong> f<strong>in</strong>al chant, all voices are dra<strong>in</strong>ed, guttural.The Psychotechnics of Energy MusicWith <strong>the</strong> '65 Energy Music Trilogy Om, Ascension and Kule Se Mama,John Coltrane eng<strong>in</strong>eers <strong>the</strong> Sonic Design for <strong>the</strong> Afronaut and <strong>the</strong>hippie. The PsychoTechnics of Energy music function through <strong>the</strong> neuralcircuit that Ben Sidran diagrammatizes, for how <strong>the</strong> future feels: 'Thetime feel<strong>in</strong>g Coltrane generated created a new k<strong>in</strong>d of tension that didnot resolve at <strong>the</strong> end of bars or <strong>in</strong> expected places. This <strong>in</strong> turn creatednew anticipations <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> listener and musicians began liken<strong>in</strong>g this newfeel<strong>in</strong>g to "freedom".' Tomorrow every Afronaut and every hippie wakesup to a Universal Sound.Kule Se Mama's drum rolls, percussion rills, brushed cymbals andbells give a hallowed t<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>abulation.At 13.14, sax plays a 2-note refra<strong>in</strong>, forlorn and dy<strong>in</strong>g. Juno Lewis is<strong>in</strong>ton<strong>in</strong>g: 'So we sang this meee-Ioooo deee', draw<strong>in</strong>g out vowels,switch<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>fiction</strong>al Central African chants. Sanders and Coltraneoverdrive <strong>the</strong> tenor sax, hitt<strong>in</strong>g a po<strong>in</strong>t at 7.55 when <strong>the</strong> sound blisters,boils, becomes a giant steam-powered <strong>sun</strong>ship heav<strong>in</strong>g its ghastly bulk<strong>in</strong>to lift-off.Bass clar<strong>in</strong>et <strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>uates snake tones, as 2 basses sound like echo<strong>in</strong>gSun Ra synths. Bassist Art Davis heard <strong>more</strong> <strong>in</strong> this metamorphic effect:'I always thought us<strong>in</strong>g two basses sounded like an African water drum,like <strong>the</strong> drone effect of an Indian tamboura. Sometimes we'd sound <strong>more</strong>like two members of a str<strong>in</strong>g quartet <strong>than</strong> bassists.'Shoot<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Sun with a M<strong>in</strong>iature Sextant: Pharoah SandersNavigational AlignmentWith <strong>the</strong> 30-m<strong>in</strong> doomsday decree of Out of this World from '66's Live <strong>in</strong>Seattle and <strong>the</strong> merciless monotony of Saturn, Mars, Venus and jupiter on'67's Interstellar Space, John Coltrane reactivates <strong>the</strong> predest<strong>in</strong>ation ofastrology. Energy MUSic becomes Universal Sound which makes audible<strong>the</strong> cosmic order, forehears <strong>the</strong> masterplan <strong>in</strong> an act of clairaudience.Astrological ConsciousnessAstrology assumes a human . >cosmic <strong>in</strong>terface, a remote-distance l<strong>in</strong>k-upbetween human and starsign. Universal Sound needs an operat<strong>in</strong>g systemlike <strong>the</strong> chart Coltrane designs, which is 'a musical one with 12 tonescorrelat<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> 12 zodiacal signs.' Astrology is a remote-distanceprophetic system that collapses past and present, a revived archaic techthat gives its code operator prophetic capabilities.Constellations preprogram futures . Sanders' astrological tracks - Sun<strong>in</strong> Aquarius [Part I [j Part 21, Capricorn Ris<strong>in</strong>g - <strong>in</strong>duce <strong>the</strong> sense of vastplanetary bodies mov<strong>in</strong>g slowly <strong>in</strong>to fateful conjunction. The Sandersalbum leaves <strong>the</strong> <strong>sun</strong>ship beh<strong>in</strong>d to go astral travell<strong>in</strong>g.For Alice Coltrane and Sanders none of <strong>the</strong> future, <strong>the</strong> present and<strong>the</strong> past exist. History is immediately swallowed by primaudial time


10(174)outside chronology. Tomorrow is a moment <strong>in</strong> a masterplan, a design forlife which <strong>the</strong> track you play reveals <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> present.A(175)MOTION CRPTURE(I NTE RVI EW)Amplitude AllahVolume is an energetic force, a circuit of spiritual vibration thatchannels <strong>the</strong> universal order, amplifies <strong>the</strong> cosmic program that operates<strong>the</strong> human. In The Creator Has A Master Plan, Sanders is <strong>the</strong> secretary to<strong>the</strong> spirits, <strong>the</strong> humble transmitter of this energy; <strong>in</strong> Let Us Go <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong>House of <strong>the</strong> Lord, he's <strong>the</strong> reverential disciple. The prayerful <strong>in</strong>spir<strong>in</strong>gbreath carries <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> Islama<strong>sonic</strong> prayer of Hum Allah - Hum Allah,Hum Allah. ' In all ritual song <strong>the</strong>re is that slow beat, try<strong>in</strong>g to call <strong>the</strong>Gods,' a Sanders devotee expla<strong>in</strong>s to Val Wilmer. 'There's no rush. It's aslow process as though one is pray<strong>in</strong>g.' One of Sanders' group describedhim as 'hav<strong>in</strong>g a halo' when he played.Zodiac InterfaceJazz becomes an amplified zodiac, an energy generator that l<strong>in</strong>es you up<strong>in</strong> a stellar trichotomy of human, sound and starsign. Alice Coltrane andSanders are play<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> rhythm of <strong>the</strong> universe accord<strong>in</strong>g to starconstellations transposed <strong>in</strong>to rhythms and <strong>in</strong>tervals. Alice 's state ofUniversal Consciousness occurs when <strong>the</strong> electric universe harmonizesits audience. Electrification, Indian tones and arrangements converge onjazz until it becomes a cosmic circuit diagram. Astro jazz becomes a<strong>sun</strong>s hip upon which <strong>the</strong> composer-starsailor travels.High Energy state HumanSun Ra, Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders all generate a newAfrican American subject, <strong>the</strong> primaudial human. The holy be<strong>in</strong>g ofSanders' Black Unity, of Ra 's Astro Black, of Roland Kirk's Blacknuss andBlack Mystery Has Been Revealed, lives <strong>in</strong> a world where mental tensionand muscular torsion dissolve <strong>in</strong> a confluence of high-fidelity faiths. BlackMystery Has Been Revealed is a mystery drama for tiptoe<strong>in</strong>g bass and tapesplice:'AaaHAAa ... The case of <strong>the</strong> Mystery Black Notes ... that have beenstolen for years and years.' [Str<strong>in</strong>gs swirl with <strong>the</strong> flourish of a curta<strong>in</strong>drawn back] 'Just listen ... with all your might. Listen!! ' [Bottle smashes]Kens<strong>in</strong>gton: Kilburn: Northampton: Brook Green: Bethnal GreenNovember 1st 1995 1):15 - June 1st 1997 01:49"AfroFuturism comes from Mark Dery's '93 book, but <strong>the</strong> trajectory startswith Mark S<strong>in</strong>ker. In 1992, S<strong>in</strong>ker starts writ<strong>in</strong>g on Black Science Fiction;that's because he's just been to <strong>the</strong> States and Greg Tate's been writ<strong>in</strong>g alot about <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>terface between science <strong>fiction</strong> and Black Music. Tatewrote this review called 'Yo Hermeneutics' which was a review of DavidToop's Rap Attack plus a Houston Baker book, and it was one of <strong>the</strong> firstpieces to layout this science <strong>fiction</strong> of black technological music right<strong>the</strong>re. And so anyway Mark went over, spoke to Greg, ca me back, startedwrit<strong>in</strong>g on Black Science Fiction. He wrote a big piece <strong>in</strong> The Wire, areally early piece on Black Science Fiction <strong>in</strong> which he posed thisquestion, asks 'What does it mean to be human?' In o<strong>the</strong>r words, Markmade <strong>the</strong> correlation between Blade Runner and slavery, between <strong>the</strong>idea of alien abduction and <strong>the</strong> real events of slavery. It was an amaz<strong>in</strong>gth<strong>in</strong>g, because as soon as I read thiS , I thought, my God, it just allows somany th<strong>in</strong>gs. You can collapse all of <strong>the</strong>se th<strong>in</strong>gs; science <strong>fiction</strong> andmusic, <strong>the</strong>y're <strong>the</strong> same. And <strong>the</strong>n from <strong>the</strong>re, it was pretty much out. Itwas out - and various people started us<strong>in</strong>g it <strong>in</strong> various ways. And Dery,through <strong>the</strong> Greg Tate route, simultaneously started do<strong>in</strong>g it <strong>in</strong> '93 , bu<strong>the</strong> had no idea that <strong>the</strong>re was anyone <strong>in</strong> London follow<strong>in</strong>g it.


A[176]A[177]"More Brilliant <strong>than</strong> <strong>the</strong> Sun is a number of th<strong>in</strong>gs. First of all, at itssimplest, it's a study of visions of <strong>the</strong> future <strong>in</strong> music from Sun Ra to 4Hero. One of its big strands is Breakbeat science, and Breakbeat science,as I see it, is when Grandmaster Flash and OJ Kool Herc and all thoseguys isolate <strong>the</strong> Breakbeat, when <strong>the</strong>y literally go to <strong>the</strong> moment of arecord where <strong>the</strong> melody and <strong>the</strong> harmony drops away and where <strong>the</strong>beats and <strong>the</strong> drum and <strong>the</strong> bass moves forward. By isolat<strong>in</strong>g thiS , <strong>the</strong>yswitched on a k<strong>in</strong>d of electricity, by mak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> beat portable, byextract<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> beat. I call it Motion Captur<strong>in</strong>g: <strong>in</strong> films like jurassic Parkand all <strong>the</strong> big animatronic films, Motion Capture is <strong>the</strong> device by which<strong>the</strong>y syn<strong>the</strong>size and virtualize <strong>the</strong> human body. They have a guy that'sdanc<strong>in</strong>g slowly, and each of his jo<strong>in</strong>ts are fixed to lights and <strong>the</strong>y mapthat onto an <strong>in</strong>terface, and <strong>the</strong>n you 've got it. You've literally captured<strong>the</strong> motion of a human; now you can proceed to virtualize it. And I th<strong>in</strong>kthat's what Flash and <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rs did with <strong>the</strong> beat. They grabbed apotential beat which was always <strong>the</strong>re, by sever<strong>in</strong>g it from <strong>the</strong> funkeng<strong>in</strong>e, by materializ<strong>in</strong>g it as actually a portion of v<strong>in</strong>yl that could berepeated. They switched on <strong>the</strong> material potential of <strong>the</strong> break, whichhad been ly<strong>in</strong>g dormant for a long time. So I follow that, that isolationof <strong>the</strong> Breakbeat through different spheres. Through Grandmaster Flashand <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>vention of skratchadelia."When scratch<strong>in</strong>g first came out people thought it was a gimmick first ofall, <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong>y thought of it as an <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g effect. And <strong>the</strong>n, if you look<strong>in</strong> books, when most people talk about skratchadelia, about scratch<strong>in</strong>gon v<strong>in</strong>yl, <strong>the</strong>y say it's a rhythmic rubb<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> v<strong>in</strong>yl <strong>in</strong> a percussiveway, so as to accompany <strong>the</strong> rest of <strong>the</strong> song. And <strong>the</strong>y read back v<strong>in</strong>yl<strong>in</strong> terms of some k<strong>in</strong>d of rhythmic process. But actually a rhythmicprocess isn't really what's go<strong>in</strong>g on. What's go<strong>in</strong>g on is a new texturaleffect. There's no parallel to scratch<strong>in</strong>g; it never existed before be<strong>in</strong>gused <strong>in</strong> this <strong>in</strong>credible way. Scratch<strong>in</strong>g is <strong>more</strong> like a transformationsequence, <strong>more</strong> like <strong>the</strong> audio parallel of The Th<strong>in</strong>g or AmericanWerewolf, where you see <strong>the</strong> human transformed <strong>in</strong>to a werewolf, andjust before <strong>the</strong>y f<strong>in</strong>ally become a werewolf you suddenly get a glimpse of<strong>the</strong> human, <strong>the</strong>n it flashes away aga<strong>in</strong>. That's what skratchadelia does.It's this unstable mix of <strong>the</strong> voice and <strong>the</strong> v<strong>in</strong>yl. It's this new textureeffect. You could say <strong>the</strong> voice has phase-shifted <strong>in</strong>to this new sound. SoI follow skratchadelia through Grandmaster Flash <strong>in</strong>to Electro, wi<strong>than</strong>o<strong>the</strong>r group called Knights of <strong>the</strong> Turntable. And I follow it through toGoldie and 4 Hero, speCifically <strong>in</strong> terms of graffiti, <strong>in</strong> terms ofBreakbeat's <strong>in</strong>volution via Wildstyle. Because Wildstyle is like thiscryptographic language, <strong>in</strong> which <strong>the</strong> s<strong>in</strong>gle letter turns <strong>in</strong>to atypographic environment that you enter. It's very much a perceptualgymnastics, look<strong>in</strong>g at Wildstyle. And <strong>the</strong>re's a big <strong>in</strong>terface betweengraffiti and <strong>the</strong> break. Goldie says, 'My beats are sculpted <strong>in</strong> 40, <strong>in</strong> 4dimensions.' And, Similarly, <strong>the</strong>re's this famous graffiti guy called Kaze 2who back <strong>in</strong> '89 was already talk<strong>in</strong>g about <strong>the</strong> step beyond Wildstyle.Wildstyle was 3D, but Kaze 2 was talk<strong>in</strong>g about 5 dimensions, he wastalk<strong>in</strong>g about Computer Style. He said, 'In my work I do <strong>the</strong> ComputerStyle, I do <strong>the</strong> 5th-dimensional step-parallel staircase.' This is straightout of Escher. So I follow Breakbeat science right from this isolation of<strong>the</strong> rhythmic DNA right through to its Escherization, right through to itsmoment of <strong>in</strong>volution - and <strong>the</strong>n I follow that <strong>in</strong>to Drum'n'Bass where,of course, because <strong>the</strong> beats are digitalized, it's <strong>in</strong>formation to bemanipulated. I follow Breakbeat science, I follow it to <strong>the</strong> conclusion oftracks of people like 4 Hero, specifically Parallel Universe, where I turn<strong>the</strong> emphasis and focus on <strong>the</strong> science <strong>in</strong> Breakbeat. And <strong>the</strong> th<strong>in</strong>g Inotice about Breakbeat science, about <strong>the</strong> way science is used <strong>in</strong> music<strong>in</strong> general, is that science is always used as a science of <strong>in</strong>tensifiedsensation. In <strong>the</strong> classical 2 cultures <strong>in</strong> ma<strong>in</strong>stream society, science isstill <strong>the</strong> science that dra<strong>in</strong>s <strong>the</strong> blood of life and leaves everyth<strong>in</strong>gvivisected. But <strong>in</strong> music it's never been like that; as soon as you hear <strong>the</strong>word science, you know you're <strong>in</strong> for an <strong>in</strong>tensification of sensation. Inthis way, science <strong>the</strong>n refers to a science of sensory eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g, soParallel Universe announces this, when it has titles like Sunspots orWr<strong>in</strong>kles <strong>in</strong> Time, <strong>the</strong>se are <strong>the</strong> po<strong>in</strong>ts where <strong>the</strong> laws of gravity and <strong>the</strong>laws of time and space collapse, and <strong>the</strong>y're Simultaneously say<strong>in</strong>grhythm is about to collapse when you enter <strong>the</strong>se zones. So you've gotsomeone like Goldie who does Timeless, and Timeless is obviouslyreferr<strong>in</strong>g to simply <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>f<strong>in</strong>ite loop of <strong>the</strong> Breakbeat, which Goldie'stry<strong>in</strong>g to tap <strong>in</strong>to."Then <strong>the</strong>re's <strong>the</strong> synth race, enter<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> synth race, which is Techno,<strong>the</strong> whole <strong>in</strong>terface between <strong>the</strong> first Detroit guys and what I call <strong>the</strong>Import Ear. The guys listen<strong>in</strong>g to this stuff com<strong>in</strong>g out of Europe, com<strong>in</strong>gout of England, listen<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> whiteness of <strong>the</strong> syn<strong>the</strong>sizer and us<strong>in</strong>g itbecause that sound would make <strong>the</strong>m alien with<strong>in</strong> America. That's <strong>the</strong>secret beh<strong>in</strong>d all of <strong>the</strong> early Detroit records. All those guys - Model


A[178]A[179]500, Cybotron - <strong>the</strong>y've all got <strong>the</strong>se affected Flock of Seagulls-typeaccents. Why do <strong>the</strong>y have this? Because <strong>the</strong>y want to be alien <strong>in</strong>America. How do <strong>the</strong>y do this? By s<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g like white New RomanticEnglish kids. So it's <strong>the</strong> idea of white music be<strong>in</strong>g exotic to blackAmerican ears. So it's try<strong>in</strong>g to turn <strong>the</strong> exotic eye back onto <strong>the</strong>English, because that's part of <strong>the</strong> process that happened. Also whathappened, Techno was happen<strong>in</strong>g without <strong>the</strong> register<strong>in</strong>g mark of <strong>the</strong> UKmedia, without <strong>the</strong> traditional steps <strong>in</strong> which America comes out with anorig<strong>in</strong>al music, and it's usually bastardized <strong>in</strong> England and Europe andmixed, remixed, and <strong>the</strong>n sent back. That was reversed; <strong>in</strong> this case, itwas America bastardiz<strong>in</strong>g, tak<strong>in</strong>g English music and do<strong>in</strong>g strange th<strong>in</strong>gswith it. Hence <strong>the</strong> famous embarrassment when English journalists wouldhead over to Detroit to say, 'Where's this music come from?', only tof<strong>in</strong>d out this music had come from where <strong>the</strong>y'd just been, only to f<strong>in</strong>dout that <strong>the</strong>y were <strong>the</strong> orig<strong>in</strong>. This is <strong>the</strong> first explicit case where whitemusic is <strong>the</strong> orig<strong>in</strong>, and where <strong>the</strong> black American musicians who are <strong>the</strong>adulterators and <strong>the</strong> bastardizers. So Techno's a complete reversal of <strong>the</strong>classic 60S myth of <strong>the</strong> blues and <strong>the</strong> Roll<strong>in</strong>g Stones , <strong>the</strong> entire rockheritage which starts out with this famous myth of Muddy Waters and<strong>the</strong> Roll<strong>in</strong>g Stones . In Techno, you 've got an immediate reversal. InTechno, Kraftwerk is <strong>the</strong> delta blues, Kraftwerk is where it all starts. InTechno, Depeche Mode are like Leadbelly. A Flock of Seagulls are likeBl<strong>in</strong>d Lemon Jefferson. So Europe and whiteness generally take <strong>the</strong> placeof <strong>the</strong> orig<strong>in</strong>. And Black Americans are syn<strong>the</strong>tic; <strong>the</strong> key <strong>in</strong> Techno is tosyn<strong>the</strong>size yourself <strong>in</strong>to a new American alien. So I look at <strong>the</strong> synthrace <strong>in</strong> terms of various developments of that, for <strong>in</strong>stance, <strong>the</strong>re's awhole Darkside with Detroit which I talk about. And <strong>the</strong>n I go <strong>in</strong>toUnderground Resistance, especially, who've developed an entire war, anentire military assault, a whole k<strong>in</strong>aes<strong>the</strong>tic of war based around <strong>the</strong>release of <strong>the</strong>ir s<strong>in</strong>gle. How each s<strong>in</strong>gle becomes like a missile launched<strong>in</strong> war aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>the</strong> programmers."But <strong>the</strong> ma<strong>in</strong> po<strong>in</strong>t is that I'm try<strong>in</strong>g to br<strong>in</strong>g out what I call <strong>the</strong> SonicFiction of records, which is <strong>the</strong> entire series of th<strong>in</strong>gs which sw<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>toaction as soon as you have music with no words. As soon as you havemusic with no words, <strong>the</strong>n everyth<strong>in</strong>g else becomes <strong>more</strong> crucial: <strong>the</strong>label, <strong>the</strong> sleeve, <strong>the</strong> picture on <strong>the</strong> cover, <strong>the</strong> picture on <strong>the</strong> back, <strong>the</strong>titles. All <strong>the</strong>se become <strong>the</strong> jump-off po<strong>in</strong>ts for your route through <strong>the</strong>music. or for <strong>the</strong> way <strong>the</strong> music captures you and abducts you <strong>in</strong>to itsworld. So all <strong>the</strong>se th<strong>in</strong>gs become really important. So a lot of <strong>the</strong> ma<strong>in</strong>sources of <strong>the</strong> book are from Sleevenotes; <strong>the</strong>y're <strong>the</strong> ma<strong>in</strong> th<strong>in</strong>g. A lotof <strong>the</strong> book talks about Sleevenote artists. It talks about <strong>the</strong> guys whodid <strong>the</strong> covers for those Miles Davis sleeves, this guy Mati Klarwe<strong>in</strong>,ano<strong>the</strong>r guy Robert Spr<strong>in</strong>gett, who did <strong>the</strong> covers for Herbie Hancock'searly 70S albums. There's different <strong>in</strong>terfaces between different SonicFictions, between <strong>the</strong> title and <strong>the</strong> music. Hendrix would say, 'What I'mdo<strong>in</strong>g is a pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> sound. ' And you can say reversely with <strong>the</strong>Sleevenotes. The reason <strong>the</strong> Sleevenote pictures capture you is because<strong>the</strong>y're a sound<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> pa<strong>in</strong>t. If you listen to <strong>the</strong>m, you imag<strong>in</strong>e <strong>the</strong>m asweird visions conjured up through <strong>the</strong> music. It's really strange."Part of <strong>the</strong> po<strong>in</strong>t is very much to reverse traditional accounts of BlackMusic. Traditionally, <strong>the</strong>y've been autobiographical or biographical, or<strong>the</strong>y've been heavily social and heavily political. My aim is to suspendall of that, absolutely, and <strong>the</strong>n, <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> shock of <strong>the</strong>se absences , you put<strong>in</strong> everyth<strong>in</strong>g else, you put <strong>in</strong> this huge world opened up by amicroperception of <strong>the</strong> actual material v<strong>in</strong>yl. What immediately happens,<strong>in</strong> almost all accounts, people immediately look over, <strong>the</strong>y literally lookover <strong>the</strong> v<strong>in</strong>yl to whatever transcendent logic <strong>the</strong>y can use, <strong>in</strong>stead ofactually start<strong>in</strong>g with <strong>the</strong> v<strong>in</strong>yl. The book is very much a materializationof this. So I'm look<strong>in</strong>g at all <strong>the</strong>se Sonic Fictions, I'm look<strong>in</strong>g at all <strong>the</strong>different levels of science that exist with<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> material object."Motion Capture sounds like a mechanical operation be<strong>in</strong>g conducted.Part of <strong>the</strong> th<strong>in</strong>g is that all <strong>the</strong>se terms are already familiar to a lot ofus. They constitute an unofficial mythology at <strong>the</strong> end of <strong>the</strong> century,this entire range of Sonic Fictions. There's pretty much a sharedlanguage amongst a whole generation of people. The difference between<strong>the</strong> over-40S and <strong>the</strong> under-40s is a real familiarity with differentdata verses or polyverses stacked on top of each o<strong>the</strong>r. There's all k<strong>in</strong>dof fasc<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g implications, which I want to work out <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> book. Th<strong>in</strong>gslike <strong>the</strong> 21st-century nervous system. If you go back to Norman Mailer,The White Negro, he talks a lot about build<strong>in</strong>g a new nervous system.And <strong>the</strong>n if you read on a bit to Ballard, Ballard often talks about <strong>the</strong>conflict between <strong>the</strong> geometry and posture, <strong>the</strong> competition between <strong>the</strong>animate and <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>animate and <strong>the</strong> way <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>animate often creeps <strong>in</strong>and w<strong>in</strong>s.


A(180)AI18l)"To me, it makes complete sense to see action movies <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> samestratum as skratchadelia. There are <strong>the</strong> same velocities, <strong>the</strong> samevectors, <strong>the</strong> same sounds: <strong>the</strong> sound of a car as it skids round a corner is<strong>the</strong> same sound <strong>the</strong> wheels of steel make as <strong>the</strong>y ride around. You'recaptured, abducted by <strong>the</strong> same sounds <strong>in</strong> each. It's this fantastic soundof velocity, as 2 surfaces <strong>in</strong> friction literally converge and <strong>the</strong>n shootapart at fantastic speeds. It's an <strong>in</strong>credible excitement. These th<strong>in</strong>gs arehappen<strong>in</strong>g concurrently - at any moment <strong>in</strong> time it's really easy to seethat's where <strong>sonic</strong> <strong>in</strong>vention has gone. It's part of be<strong>in</strong>g captured by t<strong>in</strong>ymoments of time, be<strong>in</strong>g obsessed with t<strong>in</strong>y moments of time. Part ofwhat happens with sampladelia is that you've got a lot of music based onsampler memory, so that a lot of <strong>the</strong> hooks, a lot of <strong>the</strong> music thatabducts you, will have to be 4 seconds or 9 seconds. So <strong>the</strong>re's this hugepsychedelia based upon disguis<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>se seconds; it's like Mark S<strong>in</strong>kersays, f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> universe <strong>in</strong> a gra<strong>in</strong> of sound - and that's what <strong>the</strong>sampler does. There's this huge psychedelia grown up <strong>in</strong> which you'reable to fall <strong>in</strong>to a universe of sound and it's granular, microphonemes ofsound. In Abbaon Fats Track by Tricky, <strong>the</strong>re's this woman who whispersto her kid, 'Can you fly fast as you can to be with Jesus' - she reallywhispers it. That whole sample must last, I dunno, 5, 7 seconds, 8seconds, II seconds, but <strong>the</strong>re's someth<strong>in</strong>g so <strong>in</strong>credible about it. Itabducts you so much, because you can hear an atmosphere <strong>in</strong> it, you canhear an ambience, you can hear levels of foreground with<strong>in</strong> that sample.You can feel yourself gett<strong>in</strong>g abducted by it. So <strong>the</strong>re's a way <strong>in</strong> which<strong>the</strong> visual really seems to suggest that. Then <strong>the</strong>re's this whole th<strong>in</strong>g Iwas read<strong>in</strong>g by Michel Chion. Chion is a really <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g guy, thisstudent of Pierre Schaeffer who started by compos<strong>in</strong>g musique concrete,who <strong>the</strong>n became a <strong>the</strong>orist. So he's <strong>the</strong> best person on film and soundever. Part of my relation to sound is that Chion talks about sound <strong>in</strong>film, and I'm only just realis<strong>in</strong>g now that a lot of my favourite samplesare from sound <strong>in</strong> film ."So sampladelia opens a cont<strong>in</strong>uum between visual sound and a udiosound. Visual sound is always feed<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> from one to <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r. Which iswhy I love a lot of film samples. Probably why I love <strong>the</strong> visual so muchis that it's always be<strong>in</strong>g grabbed anyway by <strong>the</strong> music. By ext<strong>in</strong>guish<strong>in</strong>g<strong>the</strong> visual output, <strong>the</strong> music is switch<strong>in</strong>g it on elsewhere. It's as if <strong>the</strong>eyes start to have ears, as Chion would say. Your ears have had <strong>the</strong>iroptical capacity swi tched on. In a strange way, your ear starts to see.Chion is say<strong>in</strong>g that each of <strong>the</strong> senses have <strong>the</strong> full capacity of all <strong>the</strong>o<strong>the</strong>rs. It's simply that hear<strong>in</strong>g happens to go through <strong>the</strong> ear, but all <strong>the</strong>o<strong>the</strong>r senses can go through <strong>the</strong> ear as well. The ear is meant to hear,but it can do all <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r th<strong>in</strong>gs as well, if it was switched on to <strong>the</strong>right capacity."A similar th<strong>in</strong>g that happens a lot is a big transference to tactility,which I talk a lot about as well . Whenever sound gets subdermal,whenever <strong>in</strong> Drum 'n' Bass <strong>the</strong> sound gets very scratchy, with lots ofshakers and rattlers, <strong>the</strong>re's often a lot of sounds where <strong>the</strong> percussionis too distributed, too motile, too mobile for <strong>the</strong> ear to grasp as a solidsound. And once <strong>the</strong> ear stops grasp<strong>in</strong>g this as solid sound, <strong>the</strong> soundvery quickly travels to <strong>the</strong> sk<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>stead - and <strong>the</strong> sk<strong>in</strong> starts to hear fo ryou. And whenever <strong>the</strong> sk<strong>in</strong> starts to hear, that's where you feel allcreepy crawly, and that's when conduction creeps <strong>in</strong>, when people say, 'Ifelt really cold', or that <strong>the</strong> music is really cold: which is because <strong>the</strong>irsk<strong>in</strong> has dropped maybe a centigrade as <strong>the</strong> music has hit it, as <strong>the</strong> beathas pressed across it. So I follow all those k<strong>in</strong>d of th<strong>in</strong>gs. I th<strong>in</strong>k withlight and sound, <strong>the</strong>re's a stratum across which both elements cross all<strong>the</strong> time. They've both become versions of a sampladelia. And thatsampladelia, by def<strong>in</strong>ition, lets you analogize a lot of th<strong>in</strong>gs. And notonly does it analogize, it lets you mutate and recomb<strong>in</strong>ate."Sampladelia is a mandate to recomb<strong>in</strong>ate. That's what it is, that's how itworks. You start to realise that when most people try to praisesometh<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>the</strong>y praise it <strong>in</strong> terms of someth<strong>in</strong>g that's gone 30, 40 yearsago. You start to see <strong>the</strong> drags people place on <strong>the</strong> emergence of <strong>the</strong>new, <strong>the</strong> way people constantly put <strong>the</strong> brakes on any k<strong>in</strong>d of breaks. Soif I'm reach<strong>in</strong>g for parallels, I'll always try and reach for parallels thatare actually ahead of what I'm suggest<strong>in</strong>g. Hence, don't th<strong>in</strong>k ofBreakbeat <strong>in</strong> terms of some k<strong>in</strong>d of ancient technique which has beenresuscitated. For <strong>in</strong>stance, you see a lot of people say<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Breakbea tis <strong>the</strong> African drum, <strong>the</strong> return of <strong>the</strong> African drumm<strong>in</strong>g sound, butreally it's <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r way around. The Breakbeat should be movedforward. Th<strong>in</strong>k of it <strong>in</strong> terms of a motion-capture device be<strong>in</strong>g made onv<strong>in</strong>yl, before <strong>the</strong>re was any digital equipment to be made. If he couldhave been, Grandmaster Flash would have been a computer designer; ifhe'd been an animator, he'd be do<strong>in</strong>g motion captur<strong>in</strong>g. He 's just do<strong>in</strong>g iton v<strong>in</strong>yl first.


A[182]A[183]"So <strong>the</strong>se are <strong>the</strong> k<strong>in</strong>ds of th<strong>in</strong>gs I tend to look for. It's all about try<strong>in</strong>gto establish k<strong>in</strong>aes<strong>the</strong>sias, because that's really what's happened. I th<strong>in</strong>kwith almost all <strong>the</strong> different varieties of rhythmic psychedelia, <strong>the</strong>re's awarzone of k<strong>in</strong>aes<strong>the</strong>sia been established. There's a sense <strong>in</strong> which <strong>the</strong>nervous system is be<strong>in</strong>g reshaped by beats for a new k<strong>in</strong>d of state, for anew k<strong>in</strong>d of sensory condition. Different parts of your body are actuallyat different states of evolution. Your head may well be lagg<strong>in</strong>g quite farbeh<strong>in</strong>d <strong>the</strong> rest of your body. In Drum'n'Bass, <strong>the</strong>re's obviously quite alot of attention, through dub, to <strong>the</strong> stepper. There's <strong>the</strong> idea that <strong>the</strong>feet may well be <strong>more</strong> evolved, and hands obviously, feet and hands.Term<strong>in</strong>ator X spoke with his hands. O<strong>the</strong>r djs yelled with <strong>the</strong>ir hands.I've got this <strong>brilliant</strong> skratchadelia album called Return of <strong>the</strong> DJ, putout by The Bomb magaz<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> Frisco, and it's all done by djs, it's a<strong>brilliant</strong> album. One guy's done a track called Terrorwrist, so his wrist isa terror, his wrist sends out terrify<strong>in</strong>g bombs. The idea of a terroristicwrist action is fantastic. That's a predatory wrist. So you can see <strong>in</strong> that<strong>the</strong> dj has really evolved <strong>the</strong> hand that sends terror by a flick by <strong>the</strong> wayit touches v<strong>in</strong>yl. So I often th<strong>in</strong>k that <strong>the</strong> actual body is at differentstages of evolution. There's a constant war on."A lot of ma<strong>in</strong>stream media's ma<strong>in</strong> job as what I call a futureshockabsorber is to ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> a homeostasis, ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> traditional and<strong>in</strong>herited rules of melody over harmony, beats over rhythm, beats overmelody, to ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> matters <strong>in</strong> terms of proper music, or true music, orrespectable music - and that's always a way <strong>in</strong> which people try andhierarchize <strong>the</strong> body. Part of my big th<strong>in</strong>g is to talk about dance musicsimultaneously as a k<strong>in</strong>aes<strong>the</strong>tic and a headmusic, because it tends to beboth. As soon as you listen to dance music at home, its repetitivenessbecomes headmusic-Iike. I've never understood why <strong>the</strong>y can't be, why<strong>the</strong>y aren't <strong>the</strong> same th<strong>in</strong>g."Part of this th<strong>in</strong>g is that HipHop is headmusic, not stage music, HipHopnever works best on stage. And that's because it's us<strong>in</strong>g all <strong>the</strong>se SonicFictions; so <strong>the</strong>re's a whole k<strong>in</strong>aes<strong>the</strong>tic direction, and simultaneously ahead cont<strong>in</strong>uum. HipHop even has a term, 'heads', which is <strong>more</strong> or lesssay<strong>in</strong>g that HipHop has its own hippies and progressive music. So I talkabout Cypress Hill, HipHop and its whole drug-tech <strong>in</strong>terface.Simultaneously, I say that John Coltrane is <strong>the</strong> first hippie. I look at JohnColtrane's last records, records like Cosmic Music, Interstellar Space,Om. Coltrane famously tripped <strong>in</strong> '65, <strong>the</strong>n did this record Om. ManuelDe Landa has this l<strong>in</strong>e, about when you trip you become a liquidcomputer, because your bra<strong>in</strong> liquefies, and I th<strong>in</strong>k that's what happenedto Coltrane <strong>in</strong> about '65. He starts us<strong>in</strong>g 'Om', <strong>the</strong> Indian chant, and he'stry<strong>in</strong>g to assemble a universal music, and <strong>the</strong> whole th<strong>in</strong>g about <strong>the</strong> Omis that it turns <strong>the</strong> human <strong>in</strong>to this huge, giant, vibrat<strong>in</strong>g powerstationreally. Om is this operation to turn yourself <strong>in</strong>to this energy field. Soyou have this late 60S jazz where all <strong>the</strong>se guys were turn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>mselves<strong>in</strong>to power generators - and this <strong>in</strong>credible music that was try<strong>in</strong>g tobootstrap a universal sound. And it worked. I look at that whole stra<strong>in</strong>of music, from Coltrane through to Sun Ra, through to Alice Coltrane. Awhole k<strong>in</strong>d of hol<strong>in</strong>ess through volume, a holy amplification."The reason I don't talk about <strong>the</strong> literary is that <strong>the</strong>re's just no need to,what with th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g about amplification and <strong>the</strong> sensory environment ofamplification, of loudness <strong>in</strong> itself, <strong>the</strong> sensory impact of volume, <strong>the</strong>sensory impact of repetition, of broadcast<strong>in</strong>g, all <strong>the</strong>se th<strong>in</strong>gs. There's somuch to talk about, just at <strong>the</strong> level of volume, of pressure. There's away <strong>in</strong> which you can directly connect those with everyth<strong>in</strong>g else. Youcan talk about <strong>the</strong> audio-social and immediately you've connected <strong>the</strong>sound to everyth<strong>in</strong>g else; <strong>the</strong> literary just never really seems to appear,except as different k<strong>in</strong>ds of Sonic Fiction. In which case, preciselybecause <strong>the</strong>y're on record not <strong>in</strong> a book, <strong>the</strong>y don't come out as literary,<strong>the</strong>y come out as <strong>more</strong> like <strong>the</strong> difference between read<strong>in</strong>g a paper andhear<strong>in</strong>g it read out on <strong>the</strong> news. You get <strong>the</strong> idea of hear<strong>in</strong>g a voicecom<strong>in</strong>g at you through various channels: just as you never hear <strong>the</strong> newsdirectly, you always hear an audio feed , you always hear a voicetransmitted through a whole series of o<strong>the</strong>r th<strong>in</strong>gs before it ever gets toyou. That's what happens to <strong>fiction</strong> once it gets on v<strong>in</strong>yl; you hear itthrough <strong>the</strong> studio. So it's not literary - <strong>the</strong> literary doesn't work <strong>in</strong> thatspace at all. Simultaneously, <strong>the</strong>re's no need for representation, for <strong>the</strong>signifier, or for <strong>the</strong> text, or for <strong>the</strong> law. There's no need for any of that."But of course <strong>the</strong> way to <strong>in</strong>troduce <strong>the</strong>ory is to realise <strong>the</strong> music is<strong>the</strong>oris<strong>in</strong>g itself quite well. For example, <strong>the</strong>re's a concept I like calledpercussapella, which is percussion and accapella and percussapella isjust <strong>the</strong> beats on <strong>the</strong>ir own. Some dj thought up a term which describesthis sampladelic alloy of percussion go<strong>in</strong>g solo, of percussion as an


A[i84)A[i8S)accapella. And it's just <strong>brilliant</strong>. So I can use that, and as soon asmusic's <strong>in</strong>strumental, <strong>the</strong>se th<strong>in</strong>gs suddenly loom <strong>in</strong>to shape and youstart to use <strong>the</strong>m. And <strong>the</strong>re's so many concepts already extant <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>music that all you need do is extract <strong>the</strong>m and use <strong>the</strong>m to build <strong>the</strong>mach<strong>in</strong>e you want to build, to use <strong>the</strong>m as parts <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> giant connectionmach<strong>in</strong>e that you want to build. You just hook a concept on and solder itonto <strong>the</strong> next concept that you want. So part of <strong>the</strong> whole drive is verymuch written as a book of emergence. It's not a history at all, it's veryenjoyable to resist <strong>the</strong> urge to history, because, especially <strong>in</strong> BlackMusic, <strong>the</strong>re's a whole drive towards history and tradition andcont<strong>in</strong>uity, and this book is explicitly about <strong>the</strong> breaks, about <strong>the</strong>discont<strong>in</strong>uum. Marshall McLuhan talks about <strong>the</strong> twentieth-centurydiscont<strong>in</strong>uum. Well, this book is all about <strong>the</strong> breaks and <strong>the</strong> cuts.Inheritance has been extremely overstressed <strong>in</strong> ideas of Black Music. Bybr<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g up first <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>e <strong>the</strong>n second <strong>the</strong> actual v<strong>in</strong>yl, all <strong>the</strong>different qualities move between <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>es, and become as mucheffects of <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>es. So this is <strong>the</strong> idea that <strong>the</strong> <strong>sonic</strong> can produceidentities <strong>in</strong> itself. For example: George Cl<strong>in</strong>ton is black but <strong>the</strong> StarChild is an alien animatronic figure - it's hard to say what colour <strong>the</strong>Star Child is, <strong>the</strong> Star Child is pure animatronic. And part of <strong>the</strong> bookalways looks that way, always looks to see which halluc<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>the</strong> <strong>sonic</strong>engenders and <strong>the</strong>n chases that. I never try and collapse <strong>the</strong> <strong>sonic</strong> back<strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> social, and precisely because this is such an almost unanimoustendency, I've gone quite far <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r way, I've exaggerated it entirely,When you read someone like Sun Ra , Sun Ra would talk a lot aboutcosmic music. And I th<strong>in</strong>k <strong>in</strong> cosmic music, he meant it <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> sense of,What would cosmic music be? It would be <strong>the</strong> music of <strong>the</strong>electromagnetic field, <strong>the</strong> music of radio transmissions, say, cross<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>electromagnetic field . It would be <strong>the</strong> music of electrical disturbances,<strong>the</strong> atmospheric cosmic disturbances that exist <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> sky. And if youlisten to Sun Ra 's Astra Black, those are exactly <strong>the</strong> sounds he's mak<strong>in</strong>gwith his Moog, he's turn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Moog syn<strong>the</strong>sizer <strong>in</strong>to someth<strong>in</strong>g like acircuit which can act as a giant alternat<strong>in</strong>g current between <strong>the</strong> peoplelisten<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>the</strong> Arkestra and <strong>the</strong> cosmos itself. The Moog is <strong>the</strong> amplifierthat directs current <strong>in</strong> and out. On one hand, <strong>the</strong>re's a very material way<strong>in</strong> which he does this because <strong>the</strong> actual Moogy sounds are really similarto - if not identical to - <strong>the</strong> sounds of <strong>the</strong> cosmos. So it's reallyfasc<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g, because Sun Ra often said, like 'I am an <strong>in</strong>strument' and '<strong>the</strong>Arkestra is an <strong>in</strong>strument'. On one hand, he said <strong>the</strong> Arkestra were tonescientists, <strong>sonic</strong> scientists; on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong> Arkestra were his<strong>in</strong>struments. So you get this idea of music as this <strong>sonic</strong> production circuitthrough which - as Gilles Deleuze was say<strong>in</strong>g - molecules of a newpeople may be planted here or <strong>the</strong>re. That's very much what Sun Ra 'sdo<strong>in</strong>g: he's us<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Moog to produce a new <strong>sonic</strong> people. Out of thiscircuit, he's us<strong>in</strong>g it to produce <strong>the</strong> new astro-black American of <strong>the</strong> 70S."So that's absolutely what I do all along. I extend <strong>the</strong> <strong>sonic</strong> outwards,<strong>the</strong>reby gett<strong>in</strong>g at this feel<strong>in</strong>g of impossibility which this music oftengives you. At its best, any music should strike you with its impossibility,and its complete evasion of <strong>the</strong> rules of traditional fidelity to a livesound. And <strong>the</strong> way to get at <strong>the</strong> strangeness of music - ra<strong>the</strong>r <strong>than</strong> tohabitualize that music via any o<strong>the</strong>r k<strong>in</strong>d of field - is to exaggerate <strong>the</strong><strong>sonic</strong>, to use <strong>the</strong> <strong>sonic</strong> as a probe <strong>in</strong>to new environments. Because everynew <strong>sonic</strong> sensation that I can magnify is simultaneously a new sensoryIifeform. So <strong>the</strong>re's this constant play between <strong>the</strong> <strong>sonic</strong> and <strong>the</strong> sensory,which become <strong>the</strong> same th<strong>in</strong>g often. It's partly a shift between scales.Often you can open <strong>the</strong> scale and <strong>the</strong> sound really wide and <strong>the</strong>n youdisappear <strong>in</strong>to a sound. Often you can shut <strong>the</strong> scale back up andwithdraw to look at <strong>the</strong> v<strong>in</strong>yl, or withdraw to look at <strong>the</strong> sleeves. There'sa constant telescop<strong>in</strong>g of perception from very close attention to arecord to pull<strong>in</strong>g back to look<strong>in</strong>g at <strong>the</strong> v<strong>in</strong>yl. I th<strong>in</strong>k this is new andfresh. Because v<strong>in</strong>yl is often ignored. The th<strong>in</strong>gs most immediatelypleasurable about buy<strong>in</strong>g a record are <strong>the</strong> th<strong>in</strong>gs which are alwaysignored. It's bizarre. So by br<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g that to <strong>the</strong> front <strong>the</strong> book should bewritten with a sense of familiarity. People will take it to <strong>the</strong>ir hearts. Thebook's been designed to have a very tactile feel, <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> same way thatyour f<strong>in</strong>gers hunger for a sleeve. When you see a sleeve that you like,your f<strong>in</strong>gers reach towards it, <strong>the</strong>y can't help <strong>the</strong>mselves, <strong>the</strong>y reallywant that. It's quite obvious that this is what I'm try<strong>in</strong>g to do - everyobject is a mach<strong>in</strong>e of subjectivity. The record player is , <strong>the</strong> record is, <strong>the</strong>book is. I simply want my book to become a mach<strong>in</strong>e for produc<strong>in</strong>gsubjectivity. It should be a mach<strong>in</strong>e for putt<strong>in</strong>g music toge<strong>the</strong>r."In <strong>the</strong> last ten, 20 years, <strong>the</strong>re's been no gap between SCience, art andmusic, <strong>the</strong>y all form <strong>the</strong> same th<strong>in</strong>g. It 's simply that at anyone timeth<strong>in</strong>gs tend to be blocked, and when you have moments of rhythmicpsychedelia, it's easy to see what can be dislodged and brought out andmade <strong>in</strong>to connection mach<strong>in</strong>es with o<strong>the</strong>r th<strong>in</strong>gs. And o<strong>the</strong>r times,


A[186]A[i8?]th<strong>in</strong>gs seize up. Breakbeat has opened various retroactive chapters.Similarly <strong>the</strong> breakdown of <strong>the</strong> longheld notion that Techno's orig<strong>in</strong>po<strong>in</strong>t is Kraftwerk means that people can zip between <strong>the</strong> 70S and <strong>the</strong>90S <strong>in</strong> a much freer way, move between Krautrock, say, and HerbieHancock. There's a certa<strong>in</strong> openness <strong>in</strong> music."The key th<strong>in</strong>g to do now is to move <strong>in</strong>to a new field. I've stopped call<strong>in</strong>gmyself a writer: for <strong>the</strong> book I'm just go<strong>in</strong>g to call myself a concepteng<strong>in</strong>eer. That makes <strong>the</strong> whole th<strong>in</strong>g much fresher, much <strong>more</strong> excit<strong>in</strong>gand much less known about. Because that's what I'm really do<strong>in</strong>g. I'meng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g, grasp<strong>in</strong>g <strong>fiction</strong>s , grasp<strong>in</strong>g concepts, grasp<strong>in</strong>g halluc<strong>in</strong>ationsfrom my own area and translat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>m <strong>in</strong>to ano<strong>the</strong>r one, mix<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>m,and see<strong>in</strong>g where we go with <strong>the</strong>m. I use <strong>the</strong>se different concepts toprobe new areas of experience, to anticipate and fastforward differentexplorations <strong>in</strong>to new fields of perceptions which are always <strong>the</strong>re, butwhose strength lies <strong>in</strong> that <strong>the</strong>y don't exist <strong>in</strong> traditional ma<strong>in</strong>streamterms. Traditional ma<strong>in</strong>stream terms are still completely bound up with<strong>the</strong> literary, and <strong>the</strong> 2 cultures - and <strong>than</strong>k God for that, because thatmeans that <strong>the</strong>y can't get <strong>in</strong> on what's go<strong>in</strong>g on. Which is just thissudden glance at <strong>the</strong> end of <strong>the</strong> century. I've renamed all <strong>the</strong><strong>in</strong>struments: I've renamed <strong>the</strong> syn<strong>the</strong>sizer <strong>the</strong> Sonotron. lannis Xenakiscalled <strong>the</strong> syn<strong>the</strong>sizer <strong>the</strong> Sonotron <strong>in</strong> his book. That's perfect becauseSonotron just sounds like a superhero comic, so a convergence of sound<strong>in</strong>to ballistics. And <strong>the</strong> drum mach<strong>in</strong>e should be renamed what it actuallyis: a rhythm syn<strong>the</strong>sizer. I call this problem [rlearview hear<strong>in</strong>g. The drummach<strong>in</strong>e isn 't a drum mach<strong>in</strong>e. It's pulses and signals syn<strong>the</strong>sized <strong>in</strong>tonew pulses and new signals. There are no drums <strong>in</strong> it. That was a weirdth<strong>in</strong>g that confused me for years and years, until I worked it out. You'dlisten and <strong>the</strong>y'd sound utterly different from drums. The movementfrom funk to drum mach<strong>in</strong>es is an extremely <strong>in</strong>credible one: people'swhole rhythmic perception changed overnight. And people of coursepretended that noth<strong>in</strong>g had happened, but it was a major shift, hear<strong>in</strong>gbleeps and signals and different k<strong>in</strong>ds of alternat<strong>in</strong>g current as sound. Itwas a huge shift. In a similar sense Edgard Varese called <strong>the</strong> drummach<strong>in</strong>e a rhythm syn<strong>the</strong>sizer, and that's a good way to describe it. Soall those k<strong>in</strong>d of th<strong>in</strong>gs, all those concepts, make a sense that <strong>the</strong>ma<strong>in</strong>stream is just completely <strong>in</strong>capable of really grasp<strong>in</strong>g at all."There really is a sensory <strong>in</strong>volution away from traditions, and fromwhatever <strong>the</strong> divisions of art as supposed to be. It's very much like SadiePlant says, it's not high or low, it's just complex, because it has so manytravell<strong>in</strong>g and spirall<strong>in</strong>g arms that you can hook onto. This is why when<strong>the</strong> Americans lament about <strong>the</strong> virtualization of <strong>the</strong> body, it just seemsbizarre, because it feels like we're do<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> opposite, it feels like we'rejust beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g on this journey <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> centre of our senses. It seems <strong>the</strong>opposite: science always means a hypersensor<strong>in</strong>ess. Traditional sciencestill means a depletion, cold scientists, extreme logic and all <strong>the</strong>se cornycliches. But <strong>in</strong> musical terms, science is <strong>the</strong> opposite, science is<strong>in</strong>tensification, <strong>more</strong> sensation. Science is rhythm <strong>in</strong>tensified, rhythmestranged. And that's how a whole generation understands science. Thenwhat <strong>the</strong>y mean by abstract is sensations so new <strong>the</strong>re isn't yet a languagefor <strong>the</strong>m. So <strong>the</strong> shor<strong>than</strong>d is to just call it abstract. There's a wholegeneration who're grown used to th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g of sensory emotions withouthav<strong>in</strong>g a language for <strong>the</strong>m yet. Rhythmic psychedelia's <strong>the</strong> psychedelicaspect of any particular scene. So it could be anyth<strong>in</strong>g: from House totrance, to Breakbeat to jazz, it could be any scene - but I'm <strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong><strong>the</strong> rhythmic psychedelia aspect of each scene, not <strong>the</strong> scene itself. I'm<strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> po<strong>in</strong>ts of maximum rhythmic hyperdelia, that's what I'mreally <strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong>. So it could be any of <strong>the</strong>se ..."Postmodernism doesn't mean anyth<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> music at all. It doesn't meananyth<strong>in</strong>g. It hasn't meant anyth<strong>in</strong>g s<strong>in</strong>ce at least '68, when <strong>the</strong> firstVersions started com<strong>in</strong>g out of Jamaica. As soon as you had <strong>the</strong>particular social condition of no copyright, this 19th-century copyrightwas already gone, <strong>in</strong>stantly you had <strong>the</strong> freedom to replicate, torecomb<strong>in</strong>ate. That encouraged a Wild style of rhythms which wouldattach <strong>the</strong>mselves and recomb<strong>in</strong>ate. And as soon as you had that, that'spostmodernism accomplished and done with, right <strong>the</strong>n <strong>in</strong> '68. Evers<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>the</strong>n by def<strong>in</strong>ition you've had postmodernism and it hasn 't beenany big deal at all, it's just already been accomplished. For <strong>in</strong>stance,Walter Benjam<strong>in</strong>'S traditional 'The Work of Art <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Age of MechanicalReproduction': this argument doesn't work any <strong>more</strong> - because one ofBenjam<strong>in</strong>'S ma<strong>in</strong> po<strong>in</strong>ts [or <strong>the</strong> one his admirers use over and over aga<strong>in</strong>lis that <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Age of Mechanical Reproduction <strong>the</strong>re's no aura left, <strong>the</strong>s<strong>in</strong>gle, unique aura has gone. But of course as soon as you have <strong>the</strong>dubplate <strong>the</strong>n that's all gone out of <strong>the</strong> w<strong>in</strong>dow. The dub plate is whereyou've got <strong>the</strong> reproductive process, <strong>the</strong> mechanical process of press<strong>in</strong>gv<strong>in</strong>yl onto <strong>the</strong> plate that's be<strong>in</strong>g played, and suddenly <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> middle of


A[188)A[189)that you 've got <strong>the</strong> one-off remix, you've got <strong>the</strong> track that <strong>the</strong>re's onlyone of <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> world, but it's not an orig<strong>in</strong>al, it's a copy, a third copy. Soyou 've got this th<strong>in</strong>g that's never supposed to exist <strong>in</strong> Benjam<strong>in</strong>'s world:you've got <strong>the</strong> one-off copy, you 've got <strong>the</strong> one-off fifth remix, you 'vegot <strong>the</strong> one-off tenth remix, you've got <strong>the</strong> one-off twentieth remix.There's only one of it. So <strong>the</strong> dubplate means that <strong>the</strong> whole idea of <strong>the</strong>aura be<strong>in</strong>g over doesn't make any sense, because <strong>the</strong> aura is reborn <strong>in</strong><strong>the</strong> middle of <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustrial reproduction. Hence <strong>the</strong> jungle acceleration,<strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>tensification of <strong>the</strong> dub plate; <strong>the</strong> dub plate is reborn as this Musicof <strong>the</strong> Future. You're hear<strong>in</strong>g music that won't be on <strong>the</strong> streets till tenmonths, II months later, immediately this gap opens up between you andnow <strong>in</strong> 1996: you suddenly imag<strong>in</strong>e yourself <strong>in</strong> '97, go<strong>in</strong>g 'Where will I bewhen I buy this?' - and of course you never will, but listen<strong>in</strong>g to a dubplate does this little projection on you . You feel yourself 18 monthsahead, you literally feel ahead, you 're on a plane of acceleration, you 'remov<strong>in</strong>g faster <strong>than</strong> you are. So for that reason alone postmodernism justhasn 't existed and as soon as you have a state of remixology - well,what happened is that remixology got held up <strong>in</strong> different areas . In jazz,for <strong>in</strong>stance, you had Alice Coltrane remix<strong>in</strong>g John Coltrane, but jazztradition hated this and said it was blasphemy. You had <strong>the</strong> Beach Boysremix<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>ir stuff and it be<strong>in</strong>g refused. So <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> major corporationsremixology was always stopped, and <strong>in</strong> Jamaica remixology just became<strong>the</strong> immediate state of play, first of all because it's simultaneouslyhyperpredatory as well , it allows a k<strong>in</strong>d of agglomeration of rhythms, aruthlessness of rhythms, a break war, what jungle producer Andy C callsa break war. People bid for breaks, or just steal <strong>the</strong>m. There's this wildfrontier, this wild break war go<strong>in</strong>g on, rhythms just go<strong>in</strong>g mad. So we'refar beyond postmodernism here, and immediately all <strong>the</strong> traditionalarguments drop out of <strong>the</strong> w<strong>in</strong>dow. The idea of exhaustion, for examplethat's just gone, because music doesn't work <strong>in</strong> that way. It's already agene pool, so it's not go<strong>in</strong>g to exhaust itself."And <strong>the</strong>n a whole series of th<strong>in</strong>gs -<strong>the</strong> idea of quotation and citation,<strong>the</strong> idea of ironic distance, that doesn't work, that's far too literary.That assumes a distance which by def<strong>in</strong>ition volume overcomes. There isno distance with volume, you 're swallowed up by sound. There 's noroom, you can 't be ironic if you 're be<strong>in</strong>g swallowed by volume, andvolume is overwhelm<strong>in</strong>g you . It's impossible to stay ironic, so all <strong>the</strong>implications of postmodernism go out of <strong>the</strong> w<strong>in</strong>dow. Not only is it <strong>the</strong>literary that's useless, all traditional <strong>the</strong>ory is po<strong>in</strong>tless. All that worksis <strong>the</strong> <strong>sonic</strong> plus <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>e that you 're bUild<strong>in</strong>g. So you can br<strong>in</strong>g backany of <strong>the</strong>se particular <strong>the</strong>oretical tools if you like, but <strong>the</strong>y betterwork. And <strong>the</strong> way you can test <strong>the</strong>m out is to actually play <strong>the</strong> records.That's how you test if my book works, because I want it to be a mach<strong>in</strong>e.When I say works, I mean I want it to eng<strong>in</strong>eer a k<strong>in</strong>d of sensoryalteration, some k<strong>in</strong>d of perceptual disturbance. I th<strong>in</strong>k I'd really likethat very much, because even a t<strong>in</strong>y sensory disturbance is enough tosend out a signal which can get transmitted."I th<strong>in</strong>k <strong>the</strong> comb<strong>in</strong>ation of <strong>the</strong> dj and <strong>the</strong> writer makes a lot of sense. Ith<strong>in</strong>k that both are different k<strong>in</strong>ds of remixology at work, and that allwe 're really do<strong>in</strong>g is br<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g writ<strong>in</strong>g and putt<strong>in</strong>g it onto <strong>the</strong> second deckand just accelerat<strong>in</strong>g it as much as a record. I th<strong>in</strong>k because so muchtraditional Brit prose is so matey, and so blokish, and so bluff and nononsense,that encourages me <strong>in</strong> always go<strong>in</strong>g for <strong>the</strong> impossible, whichcan be registered as what <strong>the</strong> future feels like as sensation. That's why<strong>the</strong> key th<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> this book are McLuhan and Ballard, <strong>the</strong> guys I wasread<strong>in</strong>g throughout. McLuhan's famous l<strong>in</strong>es about <strong>the</strong> human be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>sex organs for <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>e world, those l<strong>in</strong>es are crucial. The Kraftwerkchapter is all about Kraftwerk as <strong>the</strong> sex organs of <strong>the</strong> syn<strong>the</strong>sizer."The whole series of th<strong>in</strong>gs about aCCidents, about bugs, about <strong>the</strong>producer be<strong>in</strong>g someone who can nurture a bug, who can breed a bug.Simultaneously most of <strong>the</strong> key musics have been accidents, <strong>the</strong>y'vebeen formed through errors. They 're software errors <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>e'sprogramm<strong>in</strong>g, and <strong>the</strong>y form <strong>the</strong>se sounds - and <strong>the</strong> producer's taken<strong>the</strong>se sounds and nurtured this error, built on this mistake, and if yougrab a mistake you 've got a new audio lifeform. It's quite common: backwith Can <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> 70S, Holger Czukay was say<strong>in</strong>g mach<strong>in</strong>es have a lifeform,repetition is <strong>the</strong> life of mach<strong>in</strong>es. So <strong>the</strong>re's a whole th<strong>in</strong>g aboutmach<strong>in</strong>e life that already exists with musicians anyway. Producers havealready started work<strong>in</strong>g out a <strong>the</strong>ory of mach<strong>in</strong>e life. As soon as youlook at what <strong>the</strong>y've been say<strong>in</strong>g - magnify it, and start to use it - yourealise that <strong>the</strong>re's this series of Sonic Fictions and scientificfabulations, all of which I just call Sonic Fictions. There's 20 years ofspeculation on <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>e as a Ii feform. There's 20 years of music ascosmic fields, so what I'm do<strong>in</strong>g is us<strong>in</strong>g this stuff, activat<strong>in</strong>g it,switch<strong>in</strong>g it on. That way <strong>the</strong> whole book feels alive: by us<strong>in</strong>g a lot of


A[190]A[191]producers who are liv<strong>in</strong>g now and connect<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>m up to ones <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>pa st, you switch on <strong>the</strong> <strong>sonic</strong>, you switch on a whole <strong>sonic</strong> register, awhole unofficial register. Nobody quotes Lee Perry as an authority, it'salways <strong>the</strong> grotesque th<strong>in</strong>g of Heidegger and <strong>the</strong>n George Cl<strong>in</strong>ton, it'snever <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r way around. But it was Cl<strong>in</strong>ton that came up withmixadelics: <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>ory of mixology as a psychedelia, <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>ory of <strong>the</strong>mix<strong>in</strong>g desk as a psychedelia. In 1979, <strong>the</strong>re it is, mixadelics. That's hisconcept: he thought of a psychedelia of <strong>the</strong> mix<strong>in</strong>g desk. So you don'tneed any Heidegger, because Cl<strong>in</strong>ton's already <strong>the</strong>oretical. So what I'vedone is extract <strong>the</strong>se concepts and set <strong>the</strong>m to work: <strong>the</strong>y work because<strong>the</strong>y're tied to records. And that's because <strong>the</strong> vector that a lot of thisworks on is <strong>the</strong> record player. It's <strong>the</strong> habitualness, you have to look atyourself as a mach<strong>in</strong>e programmed, as a biocomputer programmed by <strong>the</strong>decks. The motions you have to make to put a needle onto <strong>the</strong> record as<strong>the</strong> flight of <strong>the</strong> stylus takes across <strong>the</strong> groove: th<strong>in</strong>k of <strong>the</strong> hundreds ofthousands of times that you 've made that motion, <strong>the</strong> habitualness ofputt<strong>in</strong>g it on. Here's a way to see this very clearly, for <strong>in</strong>stance: whenyou 're listen<strong>in</strong>g to a rare groove orig<strong>in</strong>al, say <strong>the</strong>re's a track you knowreally well, and you 're listen<strong>in</strong>g for <strong>the</strong> first time to <strong>the</strong> orig<strong>in</strong>al of it.You suddenly realise that <strong>the</strong> bit you know is only a t<strong>in</strong>y bit, just like a3-second bit, and <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> record just plunges, usually, <strong>in</strong>to adisappo<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g mediocrity, before <strong>the</strong> next sound that you recognizecomes up, and <strong>the</strong>n it plunges aga<strong>in</strong>, before <strong>the</strong> next bit comes up.Sometimes with Parliament tracks you can hear about 5 of <strong>the</strong>se <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>first 2 m<strong>in</strong>utes, and <strong>the</strong>se bits, <strong>the</strong>y recognize you, because what <strong>the</strong>y'redo<strong>in</strong>g is recogniz<strong>in</strong>g your habitualness <strong>in</strong> putt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>m on. When youhear a sound, you have a memory flash, but you almost have a muscularmemory, you remember <strong>the</strong> times you danced to it. You don't justremember <strong>the</strong> times you danced to it, you remember <strong>the</strong> times you bentover to put <strong>the</strong> needle on <strong>the</strong> record to play that bit. Sometimes youlove that bit so much, you even remember go<strong>in</strong>g over and over and overthat bit aga<strong>in</strong>. So when you hear that sound that you love, when youhear <strong>the</strong> recognizable sample <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> middle of alien sound, that sound isrecogniz<strong>in</strong>g your habitualness, and it's really <strong>in</strong>credible, you suddenlyget a glimpse of yourself as a habitform, as a habitformed be<strong>in</strong>g, aprocess of habit formation. You suddenly see yourself over <strong>the</strong> years,how you loved this record. It's <strong>in</strong>credible, <strong>the</strong> sound takes a picture ofyour habits; it snaps your habits. And you suddenly see it very clearly.How many times have I put that on? That's what I want to get at. Theseare new sensations which have never existed before, that feel<strong>in</strong>g ofbe<strong>in</strong>g recognized by sound. That's new, it hasn 't happened before. Bydef<strong>in</strong>ition, it could only happen <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> sampladelic generation; bydef<strong>in</strong>ition it could only happen to people who listen to sampladelicmusic. And those k<strong>in</strong>d of th<strong>in</strong>gs just haven't been written about, <strong>the</strong>yhaven't even been captured yet."So by extend<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> <strong>sonic</strong> fur<strong>the</strong>r and fur<strong>the</strong>r, I'm on <strong>the</strong> hunt, I'mchas<strong>in</strong>g for, I'm try<strong>in</strong>g to f<strong>in</strong>d out new perceptions: perceptions that havealways been <strong>the</strong>re, but haven't yet been grasped and haven't yet beenconnected to anyth<strong>in</strong>g else yet. It's this exploration <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> unknown."By now, I've stopped say<strong>in</strong>g 'Black culture'. There's always been a muchstronger perception <strong>in</strong> America of black culture and that's obviouslypartly because it's been counter-def<strong>in</strong>ed aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>the</strong> traditionalknowledge apar<strong>the</strong>id structure which has been <strong>in</strong> place <strong>in</strong> America. Andyou can tell almost all American writers are work<strong>in</strong>g aga<strong>in</strong>st thisknowledge apar<strong>the</strong>id, which has been really firmly laid out. After all,everybody should know that most black Americans couldn't even get toart school until about 1969. That's how severe American apar<strong>the</strong>id was ,from <strong>the</strong> knowledge structure on down. So most black Americans write <strong>in</strong>a way that assumes a unified black culture, <strong>the</strong>n goes on to expla<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>dissensions between it, or not to. But sitt<strong>in</strong>g here <strong>in</strong> England, <strong>in</strong> London,it's much harder for me to even assume a unified anyth<strong>in</strong>g, let alone aunified black culture. I tend to start from <strong>the</strong> opposite. I tend to th<strong>in</strong>k ofth<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>more</strong> freefloat<strong>in</strong>g, and <strong>the</strong>re's various strange attractors try<strong>in</strong>g toagglomerate th<strong>in</strong>gs, <strong>the</strong>re's various <strong>in</strong>ertia-produc<strong>in</strong>g forces which aretry<strong>in</strong>g to centre, and try<strong>in</strong>g to attract material to black culture, petrifyit, solidify it, reterritorialize it, and <strong>the</strong>n usually this gets calledtradition, or it gets called history."I look at black culture much <strong>more</strong> as a series of material that's beenagglomerated on one hand, and on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r, it's much <strong>more</strong> like a seriesof techniques. A lot of <strong>the</strong> producers and eng<strong>in</strong>eers I talk about see<strong>the</strong>mselves as scientists or technicians. I tend to th<strong>in</strong>k of black culture<strong>the</strong>n as an <strong>in</strong>strument or an environment that <strong>the</strong>y've <strong>in</strong>vented. I'm verymuch look<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> syn<strong>the</strong>siz<strong>in</strong>gs, look<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to new black syn<strong>the</strong>ticversions. I can never th<strong>in</strong>k of a unified black culture out of whicheveryth<strong>in</strong>g comes . To me everyth<strong>in</strong>g now looks like it's syn<strong>the</strong>sized.


A[192]A[193]There's obviously stuff that's been around long enough so that it feelssolidified, calcified, but actually it's all syn<strong>the</strong>sized. Because I'm look<strong>in</strong>gat emergences, and by def<strong>in</strong>ition <strong>the</strong>y're go<strong>in</strong>g to be really syn<strong>the</strong>tic,like Techno. Because I br<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong>to it. It makes th<strong>in</strong>gs much<strong>more</strong> complex because <strong>in</strong>stead of talk<strong>in</strong>g about black culture, I'll talk for<strong>in</strong>stance a lot about Ghanaian drum choirs, or talk a lot about <strong>the</strong>African polyrhythmic eng<strong>in</strong>e, <strong>the</strong> polyrhythmic percussion eng<strong>in</strong>e. Andthose will be very particular African traits. Sound is a sensorytechnology, so I talk a lot about black technologies. They're mach<strong>in</strong>es -and if we're talk<strong>in</strong>g about 19th or 18th century Africa, <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong>y'd bemach<strong>in</strong>es built a long time ago and passed down. But <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> present, it's<strong>more</strong> like black culture is this series of mach<strong>in</strong>es built here and <strong>the</strong>re.The dub plate was one, built <strong>in</strong> Jamaica. The Breakbeat was ano<strong>the</strong>r,built <strong>in</strong> New York."I haven't yet pulled back to make command<strong>in</strong>g statements about what itis <strong>in</strong> black culture that produces <strong>the</strong>se k<strong>in</strong>d of syn<strong>the</strong>tic technologies. Ihaven't yet been able to pull back a stratum to <strong>the</strong> big what-if question.And that's probably because I don't th<strong>in</strong>k it really exists, because I'm soconsumed and amazed by <strong>the</strong> teem<strong>in</strong>g variety at <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r end of <strong>the</strong>telescope that I can't pull back to see <strong>the</strong> view. Probably because Idistrust <strong>the</strong> idea that <strong>the</strong>re's views, but it would be <strong>more</strong> like a shift <strong>in</strong>tempo or scale. So shift<strong>in</strong>g to a horizon view <strong>the</strong>n switch<strong>in</strong>g back. But itcould be that, one large th<strong>in</strong>g Greg used to say which worked really well,was that <strong>the</strong> Middle Passage, out of Africa <strong>in</strong>to America, forced cultureto become immediately mental. All of <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r th<strong>in</strong>gs were by def<strong>in</strong>itionleft beh<strong>in</strong>d, left ru<strong>in</strong>ed: architecture, everyth<strong>in</strong>g else. So cultureimmediately became mental, immediately became dematerialized. So oralculture is all <strong>the</strong> th<strong>in</strong>gs you carry <strong>in</strong> your head, and that's it. And <strong>the</strong>n ithas to be rematerialized, first through hitt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> hands, or through <strong>the</strong>mouth. It had to be passed on aga<strong>in</strong>, and re<strong>in</strong>vented all over aga<strong>in</strong>. So<strong>the</strong>re's that whole stra<strong>in</strong>. And <strong>the</strong>re's <strong>the</strong> key th<strong>in</strong>g which drew me <strong>in</strong>toall this: <strong>the</strong> idea of alien abduction, <strong>the</strong> idea of slavery as an alienabduction which means that we've all been liv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> an alien-nations<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>the</strong> 18th century. And I def<strong>in</strong>itely agree with that, I def<strong>in</strong>itely usethat a lot. The mutation of African male and female slaves <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> 18thcentury <strong>in</strong>to what became negro, and <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> entire series of humansthat were designed <strong>in</strong> America. That whole process, <strong>the</strong> key th<strong>in</strong>g beh<strong>in</strong>dit all is that <strong>in</strong> America none of <strong>the</strong>se humans were designated human.It's <strong>in</strong> music that you get this sense that most African-Americans owenoth<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> status of <strong>the</strong> human. African-Americans still had toprotest, still had to riot, to be judged Enlightenment humans <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>1960s - it's quite <strong>in</strong>credible. And <strong>in</strong> music, if you listen to guys like SunRa - I call <strong>the</strong>m <strong>the</strong> despots, Ra , Rammellzee and Mad Mike - part of <strong>the</strong>whole th<strong>in</strong>g about be<strong>in</strong>g an African-American alien musician, is that<strong>the</strong>re's this sense of <strong>the</strong> human as be<strong>in</strong>g a really po<strong>in</strong>tless andtreacherous category, a category which has never meant anyth<strong>in</strong>g toAfrican-Americans. This is particularly true with Sun Ra - just becauseRa pushes it by say<strong>in</strong>g that he comes from Saturn. I always accept <strong>the</strong>impossibility of this. I always start with that, where most people wouldtry and claim it was an allegory. But it isn't an allegory: he really didcome from Saturn. I try to exaggerate that impossibility, until it'sirritat<strong>in</strong>g, until it's annoy<strong>in</strong>g, and this annoyance is merely a thresholdbe<strong>in</strong>g crossed <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> readers' heads, and once <strong>the</strong>y unseize, unclench<strong>the</strong>ir sensorium, <strong>the</strong>y'll have passed through a new threshold and <strong>the</strong>y'llbe <strong>in</strong> my world. I'll have got <strong>the</strong>m. The key th<strong>in</strong>g to do is to register thisannoyance, because a lot of <strong>the</strong> moves I've described will provoke realannoyance, <strong>the</strong> lack of <strong>the</strong> literary, <strong>the</strong> lack of <strong>the</strong> modernist, <strong>the</strong> lack of<strong>the</strong> postmodern. All of <strong>the</strong>se th<strong>in</strong>gs should provoke a real irritation, andsimultaneously a real relief, a relief that somebody has left all stuffbeh<strong>in</strong>d, and started from <strong>the</strong> pleasure pr<strong>in</strong>ciple, started from <strong>the</strong>materials, started from what really gives people pleasure."First published <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Abstract Culture Series as Motion Capture,by <strong>the</strong> CybernetiC Culture Research Uni t, 1996, Warwick University.


A[194]B[195]ASSEMBLING THECONNECTION MACHINENote:Books sampled are cited by author and date, and listed <strong>in</strong> DataM<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Info verse.Records, sleeves, posters and o<strong>the</strong>r artworks are cited by artist and date and listed at <strong>the</strong>end of each chapter-section.Track titles, where relevant, are listed thus, "Ultramagnetic MCs: Bra<strong>in</strong>iac; Smok<strong>in</strong>g Dustfrom The Basement Tapes, Tuff City Records, 1996", and named <strong>in</strong> brackets after <strong>the</strong>citation when helpful: e.g. "'comb<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g elements', Ultramagnetic MCs, 1996 (Bra<strong>in</strong>iac)".Films are cited by title and listed alphabetically at <strong>the</strong> end of each chapter section, asvideo releases ("NCA" • "not currently available on video release").Magaz<strong>in</strong>e citations are given <strong>in</strong> full <strong>the</strong> first time, <strong>the</strong>n subsequently by artist, author anddate, thus: "Tricky <strong>in</strong> Gav<strong>in</strong> Mart<strong>in</strong>, NME, 28 Oct 1995" subsequently becomes "Tricky,Mart<strong>in</strong>, Oct 1995".[-015] 'Its mission is . .', On <strong>the</strong> Uses an d Disadvan tages of History for Life from Nietzsche,1983, pl21Thoughtware: operat<strong>in</strong>g System for <strong>the</strong> Redesign of Sonic Reality[-006] '<strong>the</strong> rhizomorphic, fractal structure of <strong>the</strong> transcultural, <strong>in</strong>ternational formationthat I ca ll <strong>the</strong> Black Atlantic,' Gilroy, 1993, P4[-00,'1 'MythScience', from track title The Myth-Science Approach, Sun Ra , 1970; 'Scienceand technology .. .', Virilio, 1983a, p6 2[-002] 'talks very happily .. .', Sadie Pl ant, Mat<strong>the</strong>w Fuller, Alien Underground Version 0 . 1,Spr<strong>in</strong>g 1995; 'anti plague ', Reed, 1978, p6, Sun Ra : The Myth-Science Approach from It's After <strong>the</strong> End of <strong>the</strong> World, MPS, 1970


8[196]8[197]Thoughtware: World 4: Mutantextures of JazzThoughtware: Transmaterializ<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Breakbeat[002] 'The tape was ...', George Russe ll, Sleevenotes to Russell, 1980[003] 'panstylistic electronic tape .. .', Russe ll , Sleevenotes to Russe ll, 1985a; 'There arethree .. .', Russell, Sleevenotes to Russe ll, 1980[004] 'The th<strong>in</strong>g that sounds .. .', Russe ll, Sleevenotes to Russe ll, 1980; The voices heard .. .' ,Russel l, Sleeve notes to Russe ll, 1985a; 'An African lute .. .', Russe ll, Sleevenotes to Russell, 1980[005] 'The old Norwegian .. .', Russe ll, ibid; 'I wanted to reflect .. .', Russell, Sleevenotes toRussell, 1985a; ' In <strong>the</strong> African .. .', Russe ll, Sleevenotes to Russell, 1985b; 'Music isarchitecture .. .', Russell , ibid[006] 'one mach<strong>in</strong>e's <strong>in</strong>put .. .', Kel ly, 1994, Pl76[007] 'becom<strong>in</strong>g a fearful. ..', R. Murray Sc hafer, Radical Radio <strong>in</strong> Strauss, 1993, P292;'audiomaze', from track title Audiomaze, Gachet, 1995[008] 'By <strong>the</strong> alien .. .', Kelly, 1994, P173; 'massively parallel bioeng<strong>in</strong>eered .. .', ibid, pl83[009] '<strong>the</strong> alien power .. .', Ke lly, 1994, P173; 'But when she .. .', Tuotola, 1990, p163; 'It is <strong>the</strong>entire globe .. .', Mati Klarwe<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> joel Lewis, The Wire, Dec 1994[010] 'Yesternow', from track title Yesternow, Davis, 1970b; 'You're ta lk<strong>in</strong>g about ..' , Sara hConnor <strong>in</strong> The Term<strong>in</strong>ator; 'collapsar', Haldeman, 1977, P7, p18, p83[011] 'Everyth<strong>in</strong>g is electrified .. .', jimi Hendrix <strong>in</strong> Boot Ei Salewicz, 1995, P237;'syntharmonic', Patrick Gleason <strong>in</strong> Sleevenotes, White, 1975[013] 'The discovery or. ..', Karlhe<strong>in</strong>z Stockhausen <strong>in</strong> Cott, 1974, P37; 'After I tookGrandmaster Flash <strong>in</strong> Toop, 1982, pl28[014] 'Turntable Terranova', The Mighty Upsetter, Sleevenote Manifesto to The MightyUpsetter, 1975; 'omnigenre: I understood that HipHop was an ama lgamation of all forms ofmusic .. .', Dj Shadow <strong>in</strong> Matt Chicone, Rap Pages, Oct 1996; 'The Incred ible Bongo BandGrandmaster Fl as h, Toop, 1982, P72; '<strong>in</strong> a mythical battle', ibid, p128; '<strong>the</strong> fantasy level',ibid, Pl2S[015] 'skr atchadelia', from track title Skratchadelikizm, Sonz of A Loop da Loop Era, 1993[017] 'Grandmaster cuts faster .. .', George, 1992, P73; 'I was like .. .', Grandmaster Flash <strong>in</strong>Dan Kee l<strong>in</strong>g, Melody Maker, june 29, 1996; ' My m<strong>in</strong>d ai n't .. .', New K<strong>in</strong>gdom, 1996; 'Th erecord does what.. .', Ice T <strong>in</strong> Mike Barnes, The Wire, july 1996; 'Leave that shitGrandmaster Flash, Toop, 1982, Pl30[018] 'Do<strong>in</strong>g Br<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> .. . ', Chuck D, Sleevenotes to Term<strong>in</strong>ator X, 1991[019] 'Given four film .. .', j oh n Cage, The Future of Music: Credo <strong>in</strong> Kostelanetz, 1970, P54;' I could take .. .', Marley Marl <strong>in</strong> Rose, 1994, P79; ' I wa nted to .. .', Marley Marl, ibid, P79[020] 'sudden multiplication of .. .', Viri lio, 1991, P72[021] 'turntabilization', from album title Strictly Turntabilized, Dj Krush, 1995[023] 'Mars needs', Double Dee Ei Ste<strong>in</strong>ski, 1984, Miles Davis, Bitches Brew, CBS, 1970a, Miles Davis : Yesternow from A Tribute to jack johnson, Co lumbia, 1970b, Miles Davis: He Loved Him Madly from Get up with It, Co lumbia Records, 1974, Miles Davis, Agharta, CBS, 1975, Miles Davis: Gondwana from Pangaea, Columbia Records, 1975, Miles Davis, Dark Magus, Co lumbia, 1975, Dr S. Gachet, Audiomaze, Labello Blanco, 1995• Herbie Hancock: Hornets from Sextant, Co lumbia Records, 1973• Herbie Hancock: You 'll Know When You Get There from Mwandishi, Warner Bros, 1971• Herbie Hancock, Cross<strong>in</strong>gs, Warner Bros, 1972• Herbie Hancock, Headhunters, Columbia, 1973• Herbie Hancock: Nobu from Realization, Columbia, 1974• jimi Hendrix: And <strong>the</strong> Gods Made Love from Electric Ladyland, Polydor, 1968• George Russell, Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature (1980), Sou l Note, 1980• George Russell, Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature (1968), Soul Note, 1985a• George Russell, The African Game, Blue Note, 1985b• Lenny White, Venusian Summer, Nemperor Records, 1975• Gunter Kaiser, The Medusa Head, Poster Art, 1969• Mati Klarwe<strong>in</strong>, Sleeve Art to Bitches Brew, CBS , 1970• Robert Spr<strong>in</strong>gett, Sleeve Art to Sextant, Columbia, 1973 ; to Cross<strong>in</strong>gs, Warner Bros, 1972;to Thrust, CBS , 1974• Tadanoori Yokoo, Sleeve Art to Agharta, CBS , 1975• II Deserto Russo, Michaelangelo Antonioni, 1964, NCA· The Term<strong>in</strong>ator, james Cameron, 1984, 4 Front Video• john Cage, Imag<strong>in</strong>ary Landscape No I (1937), Hat Art• Chic, Good Times, At lantic, 1979• Dj Krush, Strictly Turntabilized, Mo Wax, 1995• Dj Z<strong>in</strong>c, Supersharp Shooter Remix, Ganja Records, 1996• Double Dee Ei Ste<strong>in</strong>ski, Lesson 3, Tommy Boy, 1984• Eric B Ei Rakim : I Know You Got Soul from Paid <strong>in</strong> Full, 4th Ei Broadway, 1986• Grandmaster Flash Ei <strong>the</strong> Furious Five: The Amaz<strong>in</strong>g Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on<strong>the</strong> Wheels of Steel, Sugarhill, 198 1• Grand Wizard Theodore: Can I get a Soul Clap from Old School Butter, Tuff City Records, 1997• The Hellers, S<strong>in</strong>gers, Talkers, Players, Sw<strong>in</strong>gers and Doers, 1968, label unknown• The Incredible Bongo Band : Bongo Rock from Return to Bongo Mania, 1973, MGM• Bob james: Take Me to <strong>the</strong> Mardi Gras from Bob james Two, Columbia, 1975• The Knights of <strong>the</strong> Turntable, Fresh Mess / .. jam your Radiol, jDC Records, 1985• Kra ftwerk, Trans·Europe Express, Capitol, 1985• Mantronix: Electronic Energy Of. .. from Music Madness, Virg<strong>in</strong>, 1986• Mantronix: Loop Z; Loop 3; Loop 7 from K<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> Beats, EM I, 1988• Marley Marl, Marley Marl Scratch, Nia Records, 1985• The Mighty Upsetter, Kung Fu Meets <strong>the</strong> Dragon, justice League, 1975• New K<strong>in</strong>gdom: Animal from Paradise Don 't Come Cheap, Gee Street, 1996• Phuture, Acid Tracks, Trax, 1987• Public Enemy, Br<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Noise, Def jam, 1989• Queen, Ano<strong>the</strong>r One Bites <strong>the</strong> Dust, EMI, 1981• Sonz of A Loop da Loop Era: Skratchadelikizm from Flowers <strong>in</strong> My Garden, Suburban Base, 1993• Spoonie Gee Ei The Sequence, Monster jam, Sugarhill, 1981• Term<strong>in</strong>ator X, Term<strong>in</strong>ator X and <strong>the</strong> Valley of <strong>the</strong> jeep Beats, Def jam, 1991• Th<strong>in</strong> Lizzy: johnny <strong>the</strong> Fox meets jimmy <strong>the</strong> Weed from johnny <strong>the</strong> Fox, Vertigo, 1976


18(198)8(199)· 3D/ Robert Del Naja. Sleeve Art to Headz 2. Mo Wax. 1996· The W<strong>in</strong>stons: Amen Bro<strong>the</strong>r from Ultimate Breaks and Beats, Volume 2. Street BeatRecords, 1986· Flash Gordon. Michael Hodges. 1980. BMG VideoThoughtware: Sampladelia of <strong>the</strong> Breakbeat[025J 'build<strong>in</strong>g molecules on .. .'. Ultramagnetic MCs. 1996[026J 'We 're open<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> magnetic field', Critical Beatdown, 1987; '<strong>the</strong> auditory canalsare .. .', Ultramagnetic MCs. 1987; 'elevat<strong>in</strong>g a physicaL ..'. ibid; 'ultrapower flow<strong>in</strong>g'. FourHorsemen of <strong>the</strong> Apocalypse, 1993; 'AII elements converge .. .', Ultramagnetic MCs. 1996;'<strong>in</strong>habitants disappear through .. .'. Ultramagnetic MCs. 1996 (Smok<strong>in</strong>g Dust> ; 'wires leak<strong>in</strong>gwith .. .'. Four Horsemen of <strong>the</strong> Apocalypse. 1993 (Br<strong>in</strong>g it)[027] 'hypo<strong>the</strong>tical basic mechanisms', Ultramagnetic MCs. 1987; 'Iike a Commodore .. .'.ibid; 'rhymes <strong>in</strong> my .. .', Critical Beatdown. 1987 (A<strong>in</strong> 't it); 'comb<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g elements',Ultra magnetic MCs. 1996 (Bra<strong>in</strong>iac); 'O n vocab. connect .. .'. Critical Beatdown. 1987 (When IBurn) ; 'fuel ignite blood'. Ultramagnetic MCs. 1996 (Bra<strong>in</strong>iac)[028J 'power ignites <strong>the</strong> ...', Four Horsemen of <strong>the</strong> Apocalypse, 1993 (Br<strong>in</strong>g it); 'ArtemisLevel 4', ibid; 'I Get a Warp .. .'. Ultramagnetic MCs. 1996 (Smok<strong>in</strong>g Dust);'I'litakeyourbra<strong>in</strong>toano<strong>the</strong>rdimension.. .'. Ultramagnetic MCs. Critical Breakdown. 1987(Critical Beatdown) .. The Prodigy, 1992; 'truly confuse as .... Ultramagnetic MCs. 1987;'advanc<strong>in</strong>g technical'. ibid[029J 'charg<strong>in</strong>g energy at .. .', Ultramagnetic MCs. 1996 (Bra<strong>in</strong>iac); 'boost<strong>in</strong>g crystalloids.. .'as, ibid; 'cybotron. completely on .. .' ibid; 'To survive we must .. .'. Cybotron. SleevenoteManifesto to Cybotron. 1985; 'What is an .. .'. Rammellzee <strong>in</strong> Malu Halaza. Soul Underground.Summer 1988; 'your common and .. .'. Sunz of Man, 1995b; 'Sc ience and technology .. .',Virilio. 1983a. p62; ' Astro Black is .. .', Sun Ra <strong>in</strong> Lock. 1994. Pl48[030J 'Turntable Terranova ', The Mighty Upsetter. Sleevenote Manifesto to The MightyUpsetter. 1975; 'I'm here to .. .'. Eric B & Rakim. 1988; 'Graffiti is not .. .'. Bando <strong>in</strong> Chalfont &Prigoff. 1987, P72; 'G raffiti is a .. .', Rammellzee. Malu Halaza . 1988[031J 'Wildstyle is totally ... , Fab S Freddy <strong>in</strong> Gablik. 1982. P7z; 'ballet of postures .. .'.McLuhan . 1962. p61; 'I make letters .. .', Bando, Chalfont & Prigoff, 1987. p 71 ; 'You have<strong>the</strong> .. .'. Rammellzee. Ikonoklast Panzerism Manifesto <strong>in</strong> Beat Culture. Artforum, 1985,quoted <strong>in</strong> Tate. 1992. P155; 'Their sound is .. .'. Rammellzee. ibid, PIS5; 'a constellation ofMailer, 1970, Pl49[032J 'a ma<strong>the</strong>matician and .. .'. Rammellzee, 1987; 'builds weapons for ..'. ibid; 'Th e Romansstole ...', Rammellzee, The Movement of <strong>the</strong> Letter: The Polish<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> EquationRammellzee <strong>in</strong> Dery, 1993. P739; 'means symbol destroyer .. .', Rammellzee. Tate, 199 2. Pl5S[033J 'on Aerodynamics and .. .'. Rammellzee & Shock Dell. 1987; ' But we want .. .', ibid; 'Allformation and .. .', ibid; 'As <strong>the</strong> Interrogator .. .'. ibid; 'In a war .. .', Rammellzee. 1992. Pl4S115S[034J 'Wrath of <strong>the</strong> ...', from track title Wrath of <strong>the</strong> Math. Jeru <strong>the</strong> Damajaa . 1996; 'The<strong>in</strong>f<strong>in</strong>ity sign .. .'. Rammellzee, Tate. 199 2. P155; 'The 4 <strong>in</strong>tegers .. .'. Rammellzee & Shock Dell,1987; 'The effective ma<strong>the</strong>matician .. .', Wiener. 1989. p xi[035J ' Mental Mach<strong>in</strong>e', Electrify<strong>in</strong>g Mojo. from title of The Mental Mach<strong>in</strong>e: a Book Opera.Electrify<strong>in</strong>g Mojo. 1993. J Stone Audio Books. 1993; 'You must talk .. .', Rammellzee & ShockDell. 1987; 'Only he has .. .'. ibid; 'You hold <strong>the</strong> .. .'. ibid; 'You have just gotten .. .'. ibid[036J 'We want you .. .'. ibid; 'Sometimes I don'!. . .'. Kool Keith <strong>in</strong> Andre Daniel. TrueMagaz<strong>in</strong>e, July 1996; 'Space is my .. .'. Dr Octagon. 1996 (Earth People)[038J 'I study and .. .', Kool Keith " Dr Octagon <strong>in</strong> Dave Tompk<strong>in</strong>s, Rap Pages, July 1996;'When he says ... , Dr Octagon, Tompk<strong>in</strong>s, July. 1996; 'The forms of. . .', Felix Guattari,Chaosmosis, Power Publications. 1995, P36; 'elevation'. Dr Octagon. July. Tompk<strong>in</strong>s, 1996;'new terms .. .'. ibid; 'advance technical' Kool Keith · ,Dr Octagon, Tompk<strong>in</strong>s, July 1996;'program one and .. .'. Dr Octagon. 1996 (3000)[039J 'I'll take a .. .', ibid (Blue Flowers); 'It's like if. . .', Dr Octagon. Tompk<strong>in</strong>s, july, 1996;' Dr Octagon was .. .'. ibid; ' Haloes were found .. .', ibid; 'I see it .. .' Keith · . Daniel. july 1996[040J 'Va nish<strong>in</strong>g victims kep!. . .', Dr Octagon, 1996 (Dr Octagon); 'Megatron. Rejuvenate .. .'.ibid (No Awareness); 'Galaxy Rays powerful! ', ibid (Raise It Up); 'Controlled by gammalights .. .'. ibid (Earth People) ; 'Octagon . oxygen .. .'. ibid; 'walk<strong>in</strong>g through a .. .'. ibid (TechnicalDifficulties); 'My first impreSSion .. .', ibid[OHJ 'this sense of. . .', DuBOiS. 1969. P4S; 'talk<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> everyone·s .. .'. Sir Menelik from DrOctagon. 1996[042J 'What of <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rs .. .'. Sir Menelik <strong>in</strong> james Tai, Urb 50. Aug / Sept 96; '<strong>the</strong> timewhen .. .', Chris Marker. Sans soleil, 1983; 'Does science reach .. .'. Dr Octagon. 1996 (OnProduction); 'A II mank<strong>in</strong>d must .. .' Sir Menelik. from ibid[043J 'Acoustic death by .. .'. ibid; '<strong>in</strong>crease magnetic fields .. .'. Dr Octagon. 1996 (OnProduction); 'We th<strong>in</strong>k as .. .'. Mixmaster Mike <strong>in</strong> Bucky Fukumoto & Jamandru Reynolds.Grand Royale. Issue 4; 'It's <strong>the</strong> only .. .'. Disk <strong>in</strong> Kev<strong>in</strong> Marques Moo. URB 50. Aug/ Sept. 1996[044) 'Identification Code unidentified .. .'. Dr Octagon. 1996 (Dr Octagon); 'sk<strong>in</strong> is green .. .'.ibid; 'paramedic fetus of. . .'. ibid (Blue Flowers); 'cybernetic microscopes. ibid; '2 telescopesthat .. .' ibid; 'C hurch of <strong>the</strong> .. .'. Dr Octagon. 1996 (Blue Flowers); 'a future pathologicaL . .' •David Cronen berg <strong>in</strong> Chris Rodley. Sight and Sound. june 1996; 'out <strong>the</strong> skull: Dr Octagon.1996 (Earth People) ; 'necks for <strong>the</strong> .. .'. ibid; '1 study and .. .'. Kool Keith " Dr Octagon.Tompk<strong>in</strong>s. 1996; ·macroscope·. from track title Macroscope. Cyclops 4000 ' .Sir Menelik.1997; 'operate on patients .. .'. Kool Keith •• Dr Octagon. Tompk<strong>in</strong>s, 1996; '<strong>in</strong>test<strong>in</strong>al surgery'.Dr Octagon. 1996 (I Got to Tell You) ; ·saliva·. ibid; 'bas ic human design '. from track titleBasic Human Design from Jeff Mills. 1994[045J '1 would just .. .'. Kool Keith . ,Dr Octagon. Tompk<strong>in</strong>s. july, 1996; 'bees around your ..Dr Octagon. 1996 (On Production); 'naked pictures of: ibid (Dr Octagon); '<strong>the</strong> cartoonDonald'. ibid; 'Sometime I don't .. .'. Kool Keith " Dr Octagon. Tompk<strong>in</strong>s. july. 1996; 'halfshark. half. . .'. Dr Octagon. 1996 (Mr Gerbik) ; 'masturbat<strong>in</strong>g with humans .. .'. ibid (DrOctagon); 'Iead<strong>in</strong>g humans with .. .'. ibid; 'a ll Earth people .. .'. ibid (Earth People) ; 'you <strong>the</strong>relike ... . Kool Keith .. Dr Octagon. Tompk<strong>in</strong> s, july, 1996[046) 'Doctor Ludicrous <strong>in</strong>to .. .'. Dr Octagon. 1996 (Dr Octagon) ; 'The perfect enzyme·s .. .',ibid ( Technical Difficulties); 'Oh man homey .. .'. The Geto Boys. 1992[047] 'I'm hav<strong>in</strong>g illUSions .. .'. Cypress Hill. 1995 (Illusions); ' Look<strong>in</strong>g at <strong>the</strong> .. .'. Sly Stone.1972; 'schizo phony', R. Murray Schafer. Radical Radio <strong>in</strong> Strauss. 1993. P292; 'They took asonogram .. .'. Gravedigga2. 1994 (Diary of)[048J 'It's a form of psychosis .. .'. Tricky <strong>in</strong> Gav<strong>in</strong> Mart<strong>in</strong>. NME, 28 Oct 1995; '1 believeyou·re .. .'. Redman <strong>in</strong> Adario Strange. The Source. Nov 1994[049) 'Now I dwelL . .'. Gravediggaz. 1994; ·Holycore·. Scientific Shabazz .. Shabazz <strong>the</strong>Disciple <strong>in</strong> joyce. URB. 40; ' Heaven and Hell is .. .'. The RZA , Everett True. Melody Maker.Sept 17. 1994; 'Iearn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> torture .. .'. The RZA. Everett True, 1994


B[200)B[201)[050] '1 conta<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> ... ·. Sunz of Man. 1995b; 'Visions of me .. .'. Sunz of Man. 1995a; '<strong>the</strong>depths of'. ibid; '1 was shown .. .'. Genius. 1995[051] 'AII this seems .. .'. Anton<strong>in</strong> Artaud. On <strong>the</strong> Bal<strong>in</strong>ese Theater <strong>in</strong> Ro<strong>the</strong>nberg [,Ro<strong>the</strong>nberg. 1983. P239; 'soldiers of idolatry .. .'. Sunz of Man. 1995a; '<strong>the</strong> universalwarlord .. .'. ibid; 'came toge<strong>the</strong>r for .. .'. ibid; 'Hearken as <strong>the</strong> .. .'. ibid; 'be done away . .'. ibid;'side effects .. .'. ibid; '<strong>in</strong>sanity enters humanity .. .'. ibid; 'this technique is .. .'. ibid; '<strong>the</strong> 4run .. .'. Sunz of Man. 1995b; 'a light beam .. .'. Killah Priest. Genius. 1995; 'br<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>wicked .. .'. Sunz of Man. 1995a[052] 'Someth<strong>in</strong>g outSide had .. .'. Dick. 1992. P209; 'We rel<strong>in</strong>quished <strong>the</strong> .. .. ibid. P209-IO[053] 'The bra<strong>in</strong> is .. .'. Deleuze [, Guattari. 1987. p64; 'When you trip .. .'. Manuel De Landa <strong>in</strong>Erik Davis. Mondo 2000. Nov 1992; '1 could get.. .'. George Cl<strong>in</strong>ton <strong>in</strong> Lloyd Bradley. Mojo.Sept 1996; 'Descriptions of it .. .'. Stevens. 1987. P343[054] 'The catastrophe represents .. .'. J. G. Ballard. Cataclysms and Dooms. <strong>in</strong> Ballard. 1996.P209-lo; 'We can 't clean .. .'. Cl<strong>in</strong>ton. Bradley. Sept 1996; 'We took <strong>the</strong> .. .'. ibid; 'Thought isbiological .. .'. Rene Menil <strong>in</strong> Richardson [, Fisalkowski. 1996. P150; ·Behold. I AmFunkadelic .. .'. Funkadelic. 1970a[055] '<strong>the</strong> eat<strong>in</strong>g of.... Sontag. 1994. P99; 'If you will .. .'. Funkadelic. 1970a; '1 havetasted .. .'. Funkadelic. 1971 ; 'could scare you .... Roy Haynes. Sleevenotes to Funkadelic. 1993[056] '<strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> service .. .'. Salvador Dali <strong>in</strong> Sartre. 1988. P153; 'my bra<strong>in</strong> C3 .. .'. Jeru <strong>the</strong>Damajaa. 1994; 'Equipped with contradictory .. .'. Delany. 1976. p26; 'Can you fly .. .'. Tricky.1995 (Abbaon Fat); 'Sampl<strong>in</strong>g allows .. .'. Greg Tate <strong>in</strong> The Last Angel of History. 1995[057] 'Yesternow', from track title Yesternow, Davis, 1970; 'A mixture of ..', Ishmael Reed,Neo HooDoo Manifesto <strong>in</strong> Ro<strong>the</strong>nberg [, Ro<strong>the</strong>nberg, 1983, P420[058] ' Headspace is <strong>the</strong> .. .', Schafer, 1973, P31[059] '1 feel alien .. .', Tricky <strong>in</strong> Simon Reynolds, Melody Maker, June 24, 1995; 'everyth<strong>in</strong>ghappens at.. .', Tricky, David Bennun. Melody Maker. Jan 21 . 1995; 'My bra<strong>in</strong> th<strong>in</strong>ks .. .'.Tricky. 1995 (Hell is)[060] 'The first sign .. .'. Job <strong>in</strong> The Lawnmower Man; ' So it seems .. .'. Tricky [, Gravediggaz.1996; '1 smoke a .. .', Tricky, Mart<strong>in</strong>. Oct 1995; 'Space race <strong>the</strong> .. .'. Tricky [, Gravediggaz, 1996[061] '1 escape with .. .'. Organized Konfusion. 1991 ; 'There is no ..'. Tricky [, Gravediggaz,1996; 'You have been .. .' . ibid· James Brown: M<strong>in</strong>d Power from The Payback. Polydor, 1973• James Brown . Revolution of <strong>the</strong> M<strong>in</strong>d. Polydor. 1973• Critical Beatdown: A<strong>in</strong>'t It Good to You; When I Burn; Critical Beatdown from CriticalBeatdown. Next Plateau. 1987• Cybotron. Enter, Fantasy Records, 1985• Cyclops 4000 .. Sir Menelik. Macroscope. Ultimate Dilemma. 1997• Cypress Hill: Ultraviolet Dreams from Cypress Hill. Ruffhousel Columbia. 1992• Cypress Hill: J1Jusions; Temple of Boom from Temple of Boom, Ruffhouse/ Columbia. 1995• Miles Davis: Yesternow from A Tribute to jack johnson, Columbia, 1970· Dr Octagon: I Got to Tell You; Earth People; No Awareness; Technical Difficulties; BlueFlowers; Dr Octagon; Wild and Crazy; On Production from Dr Octagon. Bulk/ Mo Wax, 1996· Electrify<strong>in</strong>g Mojo, The Mental Mach<strong>in</strong>e: a Book Opera, J Stone Audio Books. 1993· Eric B [, Rakim , Follow <strong>the</strong> Leader Dub. MCA, 1988· Four Horsemen of <strong>the</strong> Apocalypse: Br<strong>in</strong>g It Down to Earth; We Are <strong>the</strong> Horsemen; Raise itUp from Four Horsemen of <strong>the</strong> Apocalypse, Mercury. 1993· Funkadelic: What Is Soul; Mommy What's A Funkadelic from Funkadelic. Westbound, 1970a· Funkadelic: Eulogy and Light from Free Your M<strong>in</strong>d And Your Ass Will Follow. Westbound, 1970b• Funkadelic: Maggot Bra<strong>in</strong>; Wars of Armageddon from Maggot Bra<strong>in</strong>. Westbound. 1971· Funkadelic: America Eats Its Young from America Eats Its Young, Westbound. 1972· Funkadelic. Cosmic Slop, Westbound, 1973· Funkadelic. Stand<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>the</strong> Verge of Gett<strong>in</strong>g It On, Westbound. 1974· Funkadelic. Let's Take It to <strong>the</strong> Stage. Westbound, 1975· Funkadelic. Tales of Kidd Funkadelic. Westbound, 1976• Funkadelic. Hardcore jollies, Westbound. 1976· Funkadelic, Music For Your Mo<strong>the</strong>r. Westbound. 1993• Genius: Greyhound Part 2 Remix from Experimental Remixes. Jon Spencer BluesExplosion. Matador. 1995• The Geto Boys. M<strong>in</strong>d Play<strong>in</strong>g Tricks on Me, Rap-a-Lot. 1992• Jerry Goldsmith. Planet of <strong>the</strong> Apes OST. Project 3 Records, 1967• Gravediggaz: Diary of a Madman; Mommy What's a Gravedigga?; Dial 1-800 Suicide fromNiggamortis, Island, 1994· Japan: Ghost from T<strong>in</strong> Drum, Virg<strong>in</strong>, 1981· Jeru <strong>the</strong> Damajaa: Mental Stam<strong>in</strong>a from The Sun Rises <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> East, ffrr. 1994· Jeru <strong>the</strong> Damajaa, Wrath of <strong>the</strong> Math, Payday, 1996· Led Zeppel<strong>in</strong>: Friends from Led Zeppel<strong>in</strong> J, AtlantiC. 1972· Massive Attack. Blue L<strong>in</strong>es, Virg<strong>in</strong>, 1991· Method Man: Sub Crazy from Tical, Def Jam. 1994· The Mighty Upsetter. Kung Fu Meers <strong>the</strong> Dragon. Justice League, 1975• Jeff Mills: Basic Human Design from Waveform Transmissions Volume J. Tresor, 1994• Organized Konfusion: Releas<strong>in</strong>g Hypnotical Gases from Organized Konfusion, HollywoodBasic. 1991· The Prodigy, Outta Space. XL. 1992• Public Enemy: Black Steel <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Hour of Chaos from It Takes a Nation of Millions to HoldUs Back, Def Jam. 1988• Rammellzee [, Shock Dell, The Lecrure. GeeStreet/ lsland Records, 1987· Rammellzee vs K-Rob, Beat Bop, Profile Records. 1983• Sly Stone: Thank You Fallet<strong>in</strong> Me Be Mice Elf Ag<strong>in</strong> from There 's A Riot Go<strong>in</strong>g On, Edsel, 1972• Sunz of Man. Soldiers of Darkness. Wu Tang Records. 1995a• Sunz of Man, Five Arch Angels. Wu Tang Records, 1995b· Tricky. Aftermath, Island, 1994· Tricky: Abbaon Fat Tracks; Hell Is Round <strong>the</strong> Corner from Max<strong>in</strong>quaye. Island. 1995· Tricky [, Gravediggaz. Psychosis. Island. 1996· Ultramagnetic MCs: Bra<strong>in</strong>iac; Smok<strong>in</strong>g Dust from The Basement Tapes. Tuff City Records. 1996· Ultramagnetic MCs : MCs ' Ultra {Part III, City Beat. 1987• Stevie Wonder. Innervisions. Motown, 1973• Jean-Michel Basquiat, Pegasus. pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g. 1987• Pedro Bell. Sleeve Art for Cosmic Slop. Westbound. 1973; Stand<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>the</strong> Verge of Gett<strong>in</strong>gIt On, Westbound. 1974; Let's Take It to <strong>the</strong> Stage. Westbound. 1975; Tales of KiddFunkadelic. Westbound, 1976; Hardcore jollies. Westbound. 1976• Don Brautigan, Sleeve Art for James Brown. The Pa yback. Polydor. 1973• Effram Wolf. Sleeve Art to Inner visions. Motown. 1973


8[202]8[203]• Atomic Cafe, Kev<strong>in</strong> Rafferty/ jayne Loader/ Pierce Rafferty, 1982, Academy Video• Beneath <strong>the</strong> Planet of <strong>the</strong> Apes, Ted Post, 1970, NCA• Coma, Michael Crichton, 1978, NCA• Dead R<strong>in</strong>gers, David Cronenberg, 1988, 20th Century Fox Home Enterta<strong>in</strong>ment• jacob 's Ladder, Adrian Lyne, 1990, 4 Front Video• The Last Angel of History, john Akomfrah/ Black Audio Film Collective, 1995, NCA· The Lawnmower Man, Brett Leonard, 1992, First Independent Video• The Man Who Fell to Earth, Nic Roeg, 1976, NCA• Sans soleil, Chris Marker, 1983, Academy Video• The Term<strong>in</strong>ator, james Cameron, 1984, 4 Front VideoThoughtwore: Inner Spotioliz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Song[062] 'I put my .. .', Lee Perry <strong>in</strong> Toop, 1995, Pl!3[063] 'I <strong>in</strong>troduce myselr. . .', Indelible MCs, 1997; 'I see <strong>the</strong> .. " Lee Perry <strong>in</strong> Toop, 1995, P1!3;'You are listen<strong>in</strong>g .. .', Lee Perry <strong>in</strong> Kev<strong>in</strong> Mart<strong>in</strong>, The Wire, May 1995; 'We ' re tak<strong>in</strong>g overThe Mighty Upsetter, Sleevenote Manifesto to The Mighty Upsetter, 1975; 'Well, <strong>the</strong>drums .. .', Lee Perry <strong>in</strong> Thomas Markett, Grand Royale 2, 1995-1996; 'The drum controlsLee Perry <strong>in</strong> Toop, 1995, Pl!4[064] 'We are here .. .. The Mighty Upsetter, Sleevenote Manifesto to The Mighty Upsetter, 1975[065] 'So me jo<strong>in</strong> .. .', Lee Perry, Mart<strong>in</strong>, 1995[066] 'His method or. . .', Steve Barrow <strong>in</strong> Dubcatcher, April/ May 1994• 4 Hero: The Paranormal <strong>in</strong> Four Forms from Various Artists, Macro Dub Infection, Virg<strong>in</strong>, 1995• Indelible MCs, The Fire <strong>in</strong> Which You Burn, Rawkus, 1997• Th e Mighty Upsetter, Kung Fu Meets <strong>the</strong> Dragon, justice League, 1975• The Mighty Upsetter: The Tackro from Shocks of <strong>the</strong> Mighty, Attack, 1988• The Upsetter: Bird <strong>in</strong> Hand; The Lion from Return of <strong>the</strong> Super Ape, Trojan, 1978• The Upsetter: Revolution Dub; Woman's Dub; Kojak; Bush Weed; Ra<strong>in</strong> Drops fromRevolution Dub, Esoldun, 1975· Farewell my Concub<strong>in</strong>e, Chen Kaige, 1993, Artificial Eye• Persona, Ingmar Bergman, 1966, NCAThoughtwore: Virtuoliz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Breokbeot[068] 'Technology has made .. .', Goldie <strong>in</strong> The Last Angel of History, 1995; 'Our drummersdon 't .. .', Kraftwerk, Andy Gill, Mojo, April 1997; 'th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g and hear<strong>in</strong>g .. .', ibid; 'we've lost<strong>the</strong> .. .', Goldie <strong>in</strong> Musik, 1995; 'you're read<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> .. .', ibid; 'You end up with .. .', DegoMcFarlane <strong>in</strong> Tim Barr, The Mix, Aug 1996[069] 'used to talk .. .', Dego McFarlane <strong>in</strong> Be<strong>than</strong> Cole, Mixmag, Feb 1995; 'audiomaze', fromtrack title Audiomaze, Gachet, 1995; 'subcraz<strong>in</strong>ess', from track title SubCrazy, Method Man,1994; 'kids com<strong>in</strong>g up .. .', Dego McFarlane <strong>in</strong> Musik, 1995[070] 'Science today has .. .', Paul Virilio, Block 14, Autumn 1988; 'phantasmaphysics',Foucault, 1977, P172; 'speculative fantasy or. . .', Ballard, 1996, Pl98[071] 'Phizical ', from track title Phyzical, Roni Size, 1994; 'limb by limb .. .', from track titleLimb by Limb, Marvellous Ca<strong>in</strong>, 1994; 'We are obliged .. .', Norman Mailer, The White Negro,<strong>in</strong> Feldman li Gartenberg, 1960, P295[072] 'temporal resolv<strong>in</strong>g powers', Chion, 1994, PI34; 'flava <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> .. .', track title Flava <strong>in</strong>your Ear, Mack, 1994; 'When k<strong>in</strong>etic sensations .. .', Chion, 1994, P137; 'we used to .. .', MarkClair <strong>in</strong> Tim Barr, The Mix, Aug 1996; 'needlepo<strong>in</strong>t magick', track title of Needlepo<strong>in</strong>tMagick, Magick, 1995[073] 'The graffiti artist', Go ldie <strong>in</strong> Musik, 1995; 'Wildstyle was <strong>the</strong> .. .', Kaze 2 <strong>in</strong> Chalfont liPalmer, 1984, P71 ; 'three gravitional forces .. .' j. j . Wagener <strong>in</strong> Escher, 1989, P99;'background and foreground', ibid[074] 'Across <strong>the</strong> horizontal', Goldie, Sleevenotes to Goidie, 1995a; 'I can conceive ..Escher, 1989, p121; 'The graffiti artist...', Goldie <strong>in</strong> Musik, 1995; 'The loops, <strong>the</strong>y'veGo ldie <strong>in</strong> Simon Reynolds, The Wire, Sept 1994[075] 'On Timeless, <strong>the</strong>re .. .', Rob Playford <strong>in</strong> Tim Barr, The Mix, Aug 1996; 'different stepsor. . .', Escher, 1989, p121 ; 'We'd go round .. .', Playford, Barr, 1996; 'snak<strong>in</strong>g out a .. .', Goldie,Reynolds, 1994; '<strong>the</strong> zord, <strong>the</strong> blade .. .', ibid[076] 'With a sample .. .', A Guy Called Gerald <strong>in</strong> Peter Shapiro, The Wire, Oct 1996; 'Doestime work .. .', A Guy Called Gerald, Sleevenote Manifesto to A Guy Called Gerald, 1995; 'Youcould create', Gera ld, Shapiro, 1996; 'We have advanced .. .', A Guy Called Gerald,Sleevenote Manifesto to A Guy Called Gerald, 1995; 'Say someone has . .', Gerald, Shapiro,1996· Brian Eno, Apollo Atmospheres [j Soundtracks, EG Records, 1983· 4 Hero: Solar Emissions; Shadow Run; Sunspots; Wr<strong>in</strong>kles <strong>in</strong> Time from Parallel Universe,Re<strong>in</strong>forced Records, 1994· 4 Hero: The Paranormal <strong>in</strong> 4 Forms from Various Artists, Macro Dub Infection, Virg<strong>in</strong>, 1995· 4 Hero, Inner City Life Part 1 Remix, ffrr, 1995· Dr S. Gachet, Audiomaze, Labello Blanco, 1995• Go ldie: jah <strong>the</strong> Seventh Seal from Timeless, London, 1995a• Goldie, Timeless, i. Inner City Life ii. Pressure iii. jah, ffrr Records, 1995b• Goldie, Inner City Life, ffrr, 1995C• Goldie, T3, Metalheadz, 1997· A Guy Called Gerald: F<strong>in</strong>ley's Ra<strong>in</strong>bow; The Glok Track from Black Secret Technology,juice Box, 1995· A Guy Called Gerald, Naz<strong>in</strong>ji Zaka, juicebox, 1995• Gustav Holst, Planets Suite, Deutsche Gramophon, date unknown· Craig Mack, Flava <strong>in</strong> Your Ear, RCA, 1994• jay Magick, Needlepo<strong>in</strong>t Magick, Metalheadz, 1995• Metalheadz, Term<strong>in</strong>ator, Syn<strong>the</strong>tic Hardcore Phonography, 1992• Method Man: SubCrazy from Tical, Def jam, 1994· Marvellous Ca<strong>in</strong>, Limb by Limb, Suburban Base, 1994· Nookie, Inner City Life Remix, ffrr, 1995· Peshay, Inner City Life Mix, ffrr, 1995· Peshay, jah Remix, Razors Edge, 1996· Roni Size , Phyzical, Full Cycle Records, 1994· Roni Size , Inner City Life Instant Remix, ffrr, 1995• Rufige Kru, Term<strong>in</strong>ator II Remix, Re<strong>in</strong>forced, 1993


8[204]8[205]• Ryuichi Sakamoto. Riot <strong>in</strong> Lagos. Island. 1980· Vangelis. Blade Runner OST. East West. 1994• M.e. Escher. Relativity. lithograph. 1953• M.e. Escher. Tetrahedral Planetoid. lithograph. 1953• Goldie. Future World Mach<strong>in</strong>e. aeroglyph. reproduced <strong>in</strong> Chalfont /j Prigoff. 1987. p65• 2001: A Space Odyssey. Stanley Kubrick. 1968. MGM Home Enterta<strong>in</strong>ment• The Last Angel of History. john Akomfrah/ Black Audio Film Collective. 1995. NCAThoughtware: Programm<strong>in</strong>g Rhythmatic Frequencies[078] 'It is <strong>the</strong> rationaliz<strong>in</strong>g ... •. Georges Canguilhem. Mach<strong>in</strong>e and Organism <strong>in</strong> Crary /jKwimer. 1992. p63[079] '1 need an .. .'. Edgard Varese <strong>in</strong> Ouellette. 1973. Pl47[080] ·Sonotron·. Xenakis. '974. P 237; 'Imag<strong>in</strong>e somewhere <strong>in</strong> ..'. Man Parrish. 1983[081] 'power <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> .. .'. Darth Vader <strong>in</strong> The Empire Strikes Back; 'Clear are <strong>the</strong>se .. .'.Cybotron. 1985 (Clear); 'Electronic Music affects .. .'. Merce Cunn<strong>in</strong>gham <strong>in</strong> Virilio. 1995.P'24; 'Boogaloo<strong>in</strong>', roll<strong>in</strong>· .. .'. Shrimp <strong>in</strong> Ben Higa. Rap Pages. Sept 1996[082] 'Tra<strong>in</strong>s <strong>the</strong>mselves are .. .'. Kraftwerk <strong>in</strong> Mark S<strong>in</strong>ker. Music Technology. 1991 [seealso Webtalk: Synthsite/ Roland Discussion Group http://neural 13 .cs . york.ac . uk/ cgibis/Roland(HK) I; 'our syn<strong>the</strong>sizers to .. .'. Kraftwerk <strong>in</strong> Mark S<strong>in</strong>ker <strong>in</strong> Kempster. 1996. P96[083] 'dreaded Drexciyan st<strong>in</strong>gray .. .'. The Unknown Writer. Label Fiction from Drexciya.1993a; 'pregnant America-bound .. .'. Drexciya. Sleevenote Manifesto to Drexciya. 1997[084] 'water breath<strong>in</strong>g. aquatically ...'. ibid; 'The ships landed ...'. Mark S<strong>in</strong>ker. The Wire.Sept 1992; 'Did <strong>the</strong>y migrate .. .'. Drexciya. Sleevenote Manifesto to Drexciya. '997; 'Theborder between .. .'. Donna Haraway. A Manifesto for Cyborgs <strong>in</strong> Haraway. 1991. P'49; 'Thisis Drexciyan .. .'. Drexciya. 1993b (Bubble Metropolis)[085] 'When <strong>the</strong> first .. .'. Clarke. 1992, P'57; 'magnetron which puts .. .'. Killah Priest fromSum of Man . '995; 'Video games are .. .'. Chris Marker <strong>in</strong> Sans soleil[086] '<strong>the</strong> factories that .. .'. Kraftwerk <strong>in</strong> Bussy. 1993. p63; 'automatic mach<strong>in</strong>es are .. .'.Wiener. 1989. pl62[087] 'More Bounce to .. .'. Shrimp <strong>in</strong> Ben Higa. Rap Pages. Sept 1996; 'a square rolloutjojo <strong>in</strong> Ben Higa. Rap Pages. Sept 1996[088] 'When you pop .. .'. Shrimp. Higa . 1996; 'android doowop·. Simon Reynolds <strong>in</strong>Weisbard. 1995. p216 ; 'We are beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g .. .'. Manuel De Landa <strong>in</strong> Erik Davis. Mondo 2000.Nov 1992; 'EssR·ays ·. from track title EssR 'ay [Reece Mix[. Reece. 1994[089] 'For a very .. .'. Gertrude Ste<strong>in</strong>. Composition as Explanation <strong>in</strong> Kostelanetz. '993; 'Itwasn't loop<strong>in</strong>g .. .'. The jungle Bro<strong>the</strong>rs. Toure. The Source. july 1993; 'Arhythmic.asymmetrical. al<strong>in</strong>ear .. .'. ibid[090] '<strong>the</strong> w<strong>in</strong>d or. ..'. Christopher Walken <strong>in</strong> The Addiction[091] 'You must learn .. .'. The jungle Bro<strong>the</strong>rs . Toure. july 1993; 'No .. We must.. .'. Thejungle Bro<strong>the</strong>rs. 1993 (Manmade Materiaf)[092] 'Bra<strong>in</strong>storms. Bra<strong>in</strong>storms. mass .. .'. The jungle Bro<strong>the</strong>rs. 1993 (Spitt<strong>in</strong> ' Wicked) ; 'Th eparadox I. ..'. Organized Konfusion. 1991; 'I'm gone .. I'm'. Af Next Man Flip <strong>in</strong> Da vid Davies.i-D. Nov 1991; 'scientific people .. .' . ibid· Art of Noise. Close [To <strong>the</strong> Edit!. lang Tuum Tumb. 1984• Cybotron: Clear from Enter. Fantasy Records. 1985· Drexciya: Sea Snake from Deep Sea Dweller. Shockwave Records. 1992• Drexciya. Aquatic Invasion EP. UR. 1993a· Drexciya : Danger Bay; Positron Island; Bubble Metropolis from Bubble Metropolis EP. UR 1993b· Drexciya: Intensified Magnetron from Molecular Enhancement EP. Rephlex. 1993c• Drexciya: The Red Hills of Lardossa; The Basalt lone 4. 97l from The Unknown AquazoneAquapak. UR. 1994 ibid· Drexciya: Darthouven Fish Men from The Journey Home EP. Warp. 1995· Drexciya. The Return of Drexciya. UR. 1996· Drexciya. Uncharted. Sold In Detroit. 1996• Drexciya. The Ouest. Submerge. 1997• Haashim. Primrose Path, Cutt<strong>in</strong>g Records. 1986• The jBs: [It 's not <strong>the</strong> Express! It's <strong>the</strong> JBs ' Monaurail from Hustle with Speed. Polydor. 1975· jomun Crew. Space Is <strong>the</strong> Place. Tommy Boy. 1983· The jungle Bro<strong>the</strong>rs: Blahbludify; Manmade Material; Spitt<strong>in</strong> ' Wicked Randomness; For <strong>the</strong>Headz at Company l from J Beez Wit <strong>the</strong> Remedy. WEA. 1993• The jungle Bro<strong>the</strong>rs. Crazy Wisdom. WEA. unreleased• Kraftwerk. Autobahn. EMI . 1975· Kraftwerk. Radioactivity. Capitol. 1976· Kraftwerk: Showroom Dummies from Trans-Europe Express. EMI . 1977• Kraftwerk. Tour de France [Francois Kervorkian Remix!. EMI . 1984• Man Parrish: In <strong>the</strong> Beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g from Man Parrish. Importe/ ,2. 1983· Organized Konfusion: Releas<strong>in</strong>g Hypnotical Gases from Organized Konfusion. HollywoodBasic. 1991• Reece: EssR 'ay !Reece Mix! from Forces. Network/ KMS 1994, Soul Sonic Force. Planet Rock. Tommy Boy. 1982• Sum of Man. Soldiers of Darkness. Wu Tang Records. 1995• The Velvet Underground, White Light White Heat, Verve. 1968• Zapp: More Bounce to <strong>the</strong> Ounce from lapp. Warner Bro<strong>the</strong>rs. 1980· lapp. Computer Love from lapp IV U. Warner Bro<strong>the</strong>rs. 1986· lapp: I Play <strong>the</strong> Talkbox from lapp 5. Warner Bro<strong>the</strong>rs. 1987• The Addiction. Abel Ferrara. 1997. Pa<strong>the</strong> Distribution• The Empire Strikes Back. George Lucas. 1980. 20th Century Fox Home Enterta<strong>in</strong>ment• Sans soleil. Chris Marker. 1983. Academy VideoThoughtware: Syn<strong>the</strong>tic Fiction/Electronic Thought[093] 'The world of ..'. Marshall McLuhan /j G. E. Stearn. A Dialogue <strong>in</strong> Stearn. 1968. PH3[094] 'For <strong>the</strong> white ..'. Brown. 1972; This is Coca<strong>in</strong>e .. .'. Phuture. 1987; 'You have been .. .'. ibid;'Take a shot .. .'. ibid[096] 'Some Gods will ..'. Reed. 1976. PII ; 'Parents. Don 't let ..'. Bam Bam. '994; 'Where'syour child? .. .'. ibid[097] 'Nobody likes to ..'. ibid


B[206)B[207)[098J 'In <strong>the</strong> beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g .. .'. F<strong>in</strong>gers Inc featur<strong>in</strong>g Chuck Roberts. 1988; 'Once you enter ....F<strong>in</strong>gers Inc, 1988; '<strong>the</strong> automatic community', Walter Hughes, In <strong>the</strong> Empire of <strong>the</strong> Beat, <strong>in</strong>Ross IJ Rose , '994, Pl52[099J 'The way to', Pat Cadigan <strong>in</strong> Trill<strong>in</strong>g IJ Swezey, '993, PliO; 'emotions electric', tracktitle Emotions Electric. A Guy Called Gerald, 1988[100J '[Kraftwerkl sounded straight .. .', Model 500 <strong>in</strong> Mark EG, Eternity 29, May 1995[101J '<strong>the</strong> music is .. .', Rhythim is Rhythim, Sleevenotes to Various Artists. 1991; 'a cont<strong>in</strong>ualtelescop<strong>in</strong>g .. .', Rene Menil <strong>in</strong> Richardson IJ Fisalkowski. 1996, P73; 'We are misled .. .',Samuel Butler. The Book of <strong>the</strong> Mach<strong>in</strong>es, <strong>in</strong> Butler. 1969, pZ39; 'Geography is replacedVirilio, 1983a, p 61[102J 'Techno City was . .', 3070 <strong>in</strong> jon Savage, Sleevenotes to Cybotron, 1994[103J 'We dedicate this . .', Cybotron, Sleevenote Manifesto to Cybotron, 1985[105J 'th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g and hear<strong>in</strong>g .. .', Kraftwerk, Gill, April '997; 'drum sounds on .. .', Model 500<strong>in</strong> Tim Barr, Generator, May 1995; 'Science <strong>fiction</strong> doesn 't .. .', William Gibson <strong>in</strong> james Fl<strong>in</strong>t,UK Wired, May 1996; 'It was so .. .', Model 500. Barr. May '995; 'If you listen .. .', Model 500,E.G., May 1995; 'Then I heard .. .', Model 500. Barr, May 1995[106J 'medium which processes .. .', Marshall McLuhan <strong>in</strong> Mol<strong>in</strong>aro, McLuhan IJ Toye, 1987,P 427; The mach<strong>in</strong>e is .. .', Donna Haraway, A Manifesto for Cyborgs <strong>in</strong> Haraway, 1991, p180; 'takes<strong>the</strong> immediate .. .', Norman Mailer, The White Negro, <strong>in</strong> Feldman IJ Gartenberg, 1960, p 298[107J 'Berry Gordy built ... , Model 500 <strong>in</strong> Sleevenotes to VariOUS Artists, 1987; 'Today <strong>the</strong>plants .. .', ibid; 'I'm probably <strong>more</strong> .. .', ibid; ·automanikk'. album title Automanikk, A GuyCalled Gerald, 1991[108J 'My concept has .. .', Rhythim is Rhythim <strong>in</strong> Kempster. 1996, P53; 'My str<strong>in</strong>g soundsibid[109J ·UFOs. <strong>the</strong>y're drawn .. .'. Fox Mulder <strong>in</strong> The X Files; 'When <strong>the</strong> syn<strong>the</strong>sizer . .'. Model500, Barr, May '995; '1 was <strong>in</strong>to .. .', ibid; 'a story about.. .', Eddie 'Flash<strong>in</strong>' Fowlkes <strong>in</strong> TimBarr. Musik, Aug 1996; '1 wanted to .. .'. Model 500 <strong>in</strong> The Last Angel <strong>in</strong> History. 1995; 'Tellme if .. .', Model 500, 1985b[110J 'They say <strong>the</strong>re .. .', ibid; 'Th<strong>in</strong>gs you haven't.. .', ibid; ·ufonic'. album title Ufonic,Sabalon Glitz, 1996; 'I'm driv<strong>in</strong>g through .. .', Model 500, 1985a[111J 'It's like somebody .. .', Hank Shocklee <strong>in</strong> Rose. '994, p80; 'technical assaultsquadron .. .'. from Sleevenotes to Public Enemy. 1989[112J 'Iaunched, fuelled, planted ... , ibid; 'It started <strong>in</strong> ... , Public Enemy. 1992C; ·Slaveships.There are .. .', ibid; 'already been <strong>in</strong> .. .', Public Enemy, 1989[113J ·robot'. Karel Capek from Opilec, 1917, from Capek, 1923 (from <strong>the</strong> Czech term robota,mean<strong>in</strong>g compulsory labour or servitude. from robornik mean<strong>in</strong>g workman); '<strong>the</strong> automaticmach<strong>in</strong>e .. .', Wiener. 1989. p162 ; 'Not only physical. . .'. jones, 1963, P7; 'At <strong>the</strong> eve .. .', PublicEnemy, '994; 'There is someth<strong>in</strong>g .. .', Public Enemy. 1990 (Contract on)[114J 'alarm for <strong>the</strong> World'. Public Enemy, 1987 (Rightstarter); 'That noise came .... Chuck D<strong>in</strong> Simon Reynolds. from jones, 1996. pZ6; 'The drone on .... ibid[115J 'Related to schizophrenia .. .'. Sch afer. 1977. p 91 ; '<strong>the</strong> overkill or. . .'. ibid; 'Turn it all ..Eric 'Vietnam' Sadler <strong>in</strong> Rose. 1994. P74; 'functions of eyesight .. .'. Virilio. 1991. p 27[116J 'F<strong>in</strong>al transmission .. .'. Mad Mike, Run-Out Groove Communication. Galaxy 2 Galaxy.1993 (Hi-Tech jazz); 'Technology is not .. .'. Virilio. 1983a. Pl38[117J 'a project devised .... Mike Banks <strong>in</strong> Dow jones. Touch , june 1991[118J 'hard music from .. .'. Underground ReS istance. 1991 e; 'you just want . .'. joey Beltram<strong>in</strong> Vaughan Allen. Mixmag, jan 1992[119J 'No hope. no .. .'. Underground Resistance, several Communications. 1991 12; 'We couldhave .. .'. jon Hassell <strong>in</strong> Toop. 1995. p167; ·Undetectible'. track title of Scan 7. '995; 'you canhear .. .'. Doyle Foreman <strong>in</strong> Reed, 1989, Pl93[120J 'Techno is like ... . Mike Banks <strong>in</strong> Peter Walsh, jockey Slut. july/ Aug '994; 'There aredef<strong>in</strong>ite .. .', ibid; 'We're silent and .. .'. ibid; 'a sort or. . .'. Baudrillard. 1995. P 43; 'SpectralNomad'. track title of The Vision . · Robert Hood. '995; '6 dark energy . .', Label Communique.Suburban Knight. 1994[121J '<strong>the</strong> deprogramm<strong>in</strong>g of.. .'. Banks. Walsh, july/ Aug 1994[122} 'The World Power .. .'. World Power Alliance. 1992; 'Disappearance is our . .', Virilio.1983a. P148; 'Every visible power .. .'. ibid. Pl48[123} 'is a CPU .. .'. Label Fiction from Scan 7, '995; '<strong>in</strong>duce viruses and .. '. ibid; 'designed todestroy .. .'. ibid; 'digitized and returned .. .'. ibid; 'Technology takes <strong>the</strong> .. .', Goldie <strong>in</strong> NME. 1995[124} 'repudiated any ethnic .. .'. juan Atk<strong>in</strong>s .. Model 500. Kempster. 1996. P44; 'It becomes<strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>gly <strong>in</strong>formative to simulate <strong>the</strong> thought of <strong>the</strong> cops'. Nick Land <strong>in</strong> o[rphan]d]rift.l,1995, P356[125} ·Inventions. <strong>the</strong> creations .. .'. Virilio. 1983a. p 63; 'An electronic <strong>in</strong>strument .. .'. RobertMoog, Historical 6 Prophetic Writ<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> Vale IJ juno, '994. PI34; 'personal electronic .. .'.Banks. Walsh, july/ Aug 1994[126} 'The syn<strong>the</strong>siser is .. .'. Kraftwerk. Gill. April 1997; 'Techno will be . .', Banks. Walsh.july/ Aug 1994; 'Thought forms <strong>in</strong> .. .', Tristan Tzara <strong>in</strong> Leiris. 1989. p87[127} 'Techno to me .. .', Banks, Walsh. july/ Aug 1994[128} 'so that ir. . .'. ibid[130} 'Electric circuitry confers .. .'. McLuhan IJ Fiore. 1967. Pll4[131} 'mythic worlds or. . .'. ibid. PIOO[132} 'materialize an idea .. .'. jeff Mills <strong>in</strong> Paul Benney, jockey Slut. june/ july. 1996;' Everyth<strong>in</strong>g you press .. .'. Mouse on Mars <strong>in</strong> Rob Young. The Wire, Dec '994; '<strong>the</strong> needlespirals'. Catalogue Notes, Axis Catalogue. 1995[133} 'showed us a .. .'. Banks. Dow jones, june 1991; 'a sudden multiplication', Virilio. 1991 .p 72; 'You have to .. .'. Mills, Benney. june/july 1996[134} ' lmag<strong>in</strong>e be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> .. .', Sleevenote Manifesto from X-102. 1992; 'Saturn's r<strong>in</strong>gs were .. .'.ibid[135} ' How long a .. .', Mills. Benney, june/july 1996; 'What he sets .. .', Anton<strong>in</strong> Artaud, On<strong>the</strong> Bal<strong>in</strong>ese Theater, Ro<strong>the</strong>nberg IJ Ro<strong>the</strong>nberg, 1983, P239 ; 'Theories and subjects .. .', AxisManifesto from Axis Catalogue, 1995[136} 'When <strong>the</strong> needle .. .'. Mills, Benney, june/july 1996; 'I recall a NASA .. .', Sleevenotesto Mills. 1997· Bam Bam: Where 's Your Child from Bam Bam, Best of Westbrook Classics, Tresor, 1994• james Brown, Revolution of <strong>the</strong> M<strong>in</strong>d, Polydor, 1968• james Brown, K<strong>in</strong>g HerO<strong>in</strong>, Polydor, 1972• Alice Coltrane with Str<strong>in</strong>gs, World Galaxy, Impulse!, 1971• john Coltrane, Interstellar Space, Impulse!, 1967· Cybotron, Techno City, Fantasy, 1984• Cybotron, Enter, Fantasy, 1985· Cybotron, Interface: The Roots of Techno, Fantasy Records, 1994• F<strong>in</strong>gers Inc, Can You Feel It, jack Trax, 1988• F<strong>in</strong>gers Inc featur<strong>in</strong>g Chuck Roberts, Can You Feel It, Desire, 1988


B[208]B[209]• 4 Hero, Mr Kirk's Nightmare, Re<strong>in</strong>forced, 1991• Galaxy 2 Galaxy: Astral Apache {Star Stories}; Hi-Tech jazz {The Science}; Hi-Tech jazz {TheElements} from Galaxy 2 Galaxy EP, UR, 1993• A Guy Called Gerald, Automanikk, CBS, 1991• A Guy Called Gerald: Emotions Electric from Peel Sessions, BBC Records, 1988• Herbie Hancock, Quasar, CBS, 1972• Grace jones, She's Lost Control, Island, 1982• joy Division: She 's Lost Control from Unknown Pleasures, Factory, 1979• Roland Kirk, Volunteer Slavery, Atlantic, 1969• Kraftwerk, Die Mensch Masch<strong>in</strong>e/ The Man Mach<strong>in</strong>e, EMI , 1978• Kraftwerk, The Model, EM!. 1981• Mandrill: Two Sisters of Mercy from Solid, Polydor, 1971• A Martian from Detroit: Stardancer from Red Planet 2, Red Planet, 1993• The Martian: 808' {Surface Temperature mix! from Red Planet 3, Red Planet, 1994• The Martian: journey to <strong>the</strong> Martian Polar Cap, from Red Planet 4, Red Planet, 1994• The Martian: The Long W<strong>in</strong>ter of Mars: Renegades on <strong>the</strong> Red Planet; Season of <strong>the</strong> SolarW<strong>in</strong>d; Base Station 303; Skypa<strong>in</strong>ter from Red Planet 5, Red Planet, 1995• The Martian: Marisian Probes over Montana; Ghostdancer, Starchild (as by The Martiansand Starchild on <strong>the</strong> Mo<strong>the</strong>rship LMNO-Funk); W<strong>in</strong>d walker (as by The Martians, AdditionalProduction by The Suburban Knight) from Red Planet 6, Red Planet, 1995• The Martian: Firekeeper from Red Planet 7, Red Planet, 1997· The Meters, just Kissed My Baby, Epic, 1973• jeff Mills, Inner Sanctum, Axis, 1993• jeff Mills: Utopia; Man from Tomorrow from Cycle 30 EP, Axis, 1994• jeff Mills: i9 from The O<strong>the</strong>r Day, Axis, 1997• Model 500, Night Drive {thru Babylon!, Metroplex, 1985a• Model 500, No UFOs {Orig<strong>in</strong>al Vocal Mix!, Metroplex, 1985b• Phuture, Your Only Friend, Trax, 1987• Public Enemy : Rightstarter {Message to A Black Man!; Term<strong>in</strong>ator X Speaks with his Hands,Megablast; Timebomb from Yo! Bum Rush <strong>the</strong> Show, Def jam, 1987• Public Enemy: Countdown to Armageddon; M<strong>in</strong>d Terrorist; Show 'em Whatcha Got; RebelWithout a Pause; Term<strong>in</strong>ator X to <strong>the</strong> Edge of Panic; Louder <strong>than</strong> a Bomb from It Takes aNation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Def jam, 1988• Public Enemy, Welcome to <strong>the</strong> Terrordome, Def jam, 1989• Public Enemy: Contract on <strong>the</strong> Love World jam, War at 33.3, Incident at 66. 6FM, F<strong>in</strong>alCount of <strong>the</strong> Collision Between Us and <strong>the</strong> Damned, Welcome to <strong>the</strong> Terrordome fromFear of a 81ack Planet, Def jam, 1990• Public Enemy, Arizona Assass<strong>in</strong>ation Attempt Acca Double Dub, Def jam, 1992a• Public Enemy, By <strong>the</strong> Time I Get to Arizona, Def jam, 1992b• Public Enemy, Can 't Truss It {Almighty Raw 125th Street Bootleg Mix}, Def jam 1992C• Public Enemy: Whole Lotta Love Go<strong>in</strong> ' On <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Middle of Hell from Muse Sick N 'HourMessage, Def jam, 1994• Reece, just Ano<strong>the</strong>r Chance, KMS, 1988• Rhythim is Rhythim, Ikon, Buzz/ Transmat, 1992• Rhythim is Rhythim, Kao-tic Harmony, Buzz/Transmat, 1992• Saba Ion Glitz, Ufonic, Organico, 1996• Scan 7, Undetectible EP, UR, 1995• Scientist: Laser Attack; Space Invaders; 8eam Down; Red Shift; Time Warp; Pulsar; DeMaterialise from Scientist Meets <strong>the</strong> Space Invaders, Greensleeves, 1978• Second Phase, Mentasm /joey Beltram Remix!, RI.iS Records, 1991• K. Alexi Shelby, All for Lee'Sah, Transmat, 1989• SIee2Y D, I've Lost Control, Trax, 1986• Suburban Knight, The Art of Stalk<strong>in</strong>g {Stalker Mix!, Transmat, 1990• Suburban Knight: M<strong>in</strong>d of a Pan<strong>the</strong>r from Dark Energy EP, UR, 1994• Underground Resistance, Cyberwolf EP, UR, 1991a• Underground ReSistance, Death Star EP, UR, 1991b• Underground Resistance, Piranha EP, 199 1c• Underground Resistance, The Punisher EP, UR, 1991d• Underground Resistance, Riot EP, UR, 1991e• Underground ReSistance, Revolution for Change, Network, 1992• Underground ReSistance, Sea wolf EP, UR, 1992• Underground Resistance: Biosensors <strong>in</strong> Tunnel Complex Africa from Electronic Warfare:Designs for Sonic Revolutions double EP, UR, 1996• Various Artists, Electro H 2, Streetsounds, '983"988• Various Artists, Techno The New Dance Sound of DetrOit, 10 Records, 1987• Various Artists, Retro Techno, Network, 1991• Various Artists, The JO<strong>in</strong>t, Suburban Base/ Mov<strong>in</strong>g Shadow, 1994• Various Artists, The Deepest Shade of Techno, Re<strong>in</strong>forced, 1994• Various Artists, Macro Dub Infection. Virg<strong>in</strong>, 1995• Various Artists, Deep Concentration, Om Records, 1997• The Vision, Spectral Nomad EP, Metroplex, 1995• j ohn Williams, OST Title Theme from Star Wars, '977, label unknown• World Power Al liance: WPA 8ack<strong>in</strong>g Plate 'I from Kamikaze EP, UR, 1992• World 2 World: jupiter jazz from World 2 World EP, UR, 1992• X-IOI : Rave New World; M<strong>in</strong>dpower from X'IOI EP, Tresor, 1991• X-102 : Phoebe; Titan; Rhea; Tethys; Hyperion; CoR<strong>in</strong>g; B- R<strong>in</strong>g; Enceladus; A·R<strong>in</strong>g; GroundZero {The Planet! from X'102 Discovers 'The R<strong>in</strong>gs of Saturn ', UR, 1992• jean- Michel Basquiat, Pegasus, pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g, 1987• Gun<strong>the</strong>r Frohl<strong>in</strong>g, Sleeve Art for Die Mensch Masch<strong>in</strong>e, EM I, 1978· Alien, Ridley Scott, '979, 20th Century Fox Home Enterta<strong>in</strong>ment· Alien Resurrection, Philippe jeunet, '997, 20th Century Fox Home Enterta<strong>in</strong>ment• Alien], David F<strong>in</strong>cher, '992, 20th Century Fox Home Enterta<strong>in</strong>ment• Aliens, james Cameron, 1986, 20th Century Fox Home Enterta<strong>in</strong>ment· The Empire Strikes Back, George Lucas, 1980, 20th Century Fox Home Enterta<strong>in</strong>ment· Ghost <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Shell, Masamune Shirow. '996, Manga Enterta<strong>in</strong>ment· The Man Who Fell to Earth, Nic Roeg, 1976, NCA· The Last Angel of History, j ohn Akomfrah/ Black Audio Film Collective, '995, NCA· Metropolis, Fritz Lang, 1927, Eureka Video· Predator 2, Stephen Hopk<strong>in</strong>s, '990, 20th Century Fox Home Enterta<strong>in</strong>ment· 2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick, 1968, MGM Home Enterta<strong>in</strong>ment• Tron, Stephen Lisberger, 1982, NCA· The X Files, Chris Carter, '993, 20th Century Fox Home Enterta<strong>in</strong>ment


B[210]B[211]Thoughtware: Mixadelic Universe[138] 'Good Even<strong>in</strong>g. Do .. .', Parliament, 1975a (P Funk) ; 'an <strong>in</strong>visible excitement . .'. R.Murray Schafer. Radical Radio <strong>in</strong> Strauss. 1993. P292[139] 'We have taken .. .'. Parliament. 1975a (P Funk) ; 'Welcome to <strong>the</strong> .. .'. ibid; 'Com<strong>in</strong>g toyou .. .'. ibid; 'Draw a spaceman .. .'. Overton Lloyd <strong>in</strong> Lloyd Bradley. MojO. Sept 1996[140] 'ego tripp<strong>in</strong>g and .. .'. Parliament. 1975b (Dr Funkenste<strong>in</strong>); 'And funk is .. .'. Parliament.1975b (Prelude) ; 'Like a trick .. .'. Parliament. 1975a (Unfunky UFO) ; '1 was merely .. .'. BootsyColl<strong>in</strong>s <strong>in</strong> Michael Gonzalez. The Source. Dec 1994; ' <strong>in</strong> which a .. .'. Reed . 1989. P259; 'I'vegot a .. .'. Coll<strong>in</strong>s. 1978 (Hollywood Squares)[141] '<strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d to .. .'. Stuart Cosgrove. CollUSion. Sept 1983; 'When you meet. . .'. Sly and <strong>the</strong>Family Stone. 1973 ibid; 'sw<strong>in</strong>gs low'. Parliament. 1975a (Mo<strong>the</strong>rship ConnecCion); 'Lightyears <strong>in</strong> .. .'. ibid; 'have returned to .. .'. ibid; 'has been hidden .. .' Parliament. 1975b (Prelude) ;'c itizens of <strong>the</strong> .. .'. Parliament. 1975a[142] 'In <strong>the</strong> days .. .'. Parliament. 1975b (Prelude); 'There <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>se .. .'. ibid; 'super cool ohOverton Lloyd from Booklet to Parliament. 1977; 'And <strong>in</strong> a .. .'. Lloyd. ibid; '<strong>the</strong> activerepreSSion .. .'. Sidran. 1995. PliO; 'Picture with<strong>in</strong> a .. .'. Parliament. 1977 (Sir Nose)[143] '1 am Sir .. .'. ibid; '<strong>the</strong> sub lim .. .'. ibid; 'do<strong>in</strong>g it to .. .'. Parliament. 1975a (P Funk)[144] 'Threee bl<strong>in</strong>d mice .. .'. Parliament. 1977 (Sir Nose); '1 wanna be .. .'. Coll<strong>in</strong>s. 1978 (Roto­Rooter); ' Have you ever ... ; Parliament. 1977 (Funkenrelechy)[145] 'you are a .. .'. Burroughs. 1987. P156; 'a part or. . .'. Ray Davis. Sleevenotes fromFunkadelic. 1993; 'gam<strong>in</strong>g on ya ·. track title Gam<strong>in</strong>g on Ya. Parliament. 1975a; ' Pay attentionbecause .. .'. Parliament. 1977 (Funkenrelechy); 'operative signals direct<strong>in</strong>g .. .' Schafer. 1977;'overburden with logic'. Slogan from Gatefold Inner Sleeve. Parliament. 1979; 'a positiveforce .. .'. Parliament. 1979 (Theme); 'you're dest<strong>in</strong>ed to .. .'. Slogan from Gatefold InnerSleeve. Parliament. 1979[146] 'metaprogramm<strong>in</strong>g is an operation <strong>in</strong> which a central control system controlshundreds of thousands of programs operat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> parallel simultaneously ..metaprogramm<strong>in</strong>g is done outSide <strong>the</strong> big solid state computers by <strong>the</strong> humanprogrammers'. Lily. 1974. pix; 'Look at you .. .'. Sly and <strong>the</strong> Family Stone. 1972; 'How doYeaw .. .'. Funkadelic. 1976a; 'really dog you'. Pr<strong>in</strong>ce Paul. Vibe. 1995; ·burn<strong>in</strong>g. churn<strong>in</strong>gand .. .' Parliament. 1975b (Dr Funkenste<strong>in</strong>) ; 'burn<strong>in</strong>g you on .. .'. ibid[147] 'urge overkill'. Parliament. 1977: 'This is Mood .. .'. ibid; 'Fasten your seat .. .'. ibid; '00thoughts or. . .'. Funkadelic. 1976a (How do Yeaw) ; 'Mood Mood. Someone .. .'. Parliament.1977; 'whole cultures could .. .'. McLuhan. 1994. p28; 'Someone's talk<strong>in</strong>g. funk<strong>in</strong>gParliament. 1977[148] 'A funk a .. .'. ibid; 'The secret to .. .'. ibid; 'There's noth<strong>in</strong>g that . .'. ibid[149] 'You deserve a .. .'. ibid; ' Everyth<strong>in</strong>g was stacked .. .'. Cl<strong>in</strong>ton. Bradley. Sept 1996[150] 'Funk not only .. .' Parliament. 1977 (Funkenrelechy) ; ' "I'm gonna add .:'. Larry Graham<strong>in</strong> Danc<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Streets. BBC2. 1996; 'Whatcha gonna do .. .'. Sun Ra . 1982[151] 'We are <strong>the</strong> .. .'. Parliament. 1978b; 'Now I lay .. .'. ibid[152] 'just Me. Myselr. . .'. De la Soul. 1989; 'A motion picture .. .'. Parliament. 1978a (AquaBoogie) ; 'We are a .. .'. Karlhe<strong>in</strong>z Stockhausen <strong>in</strong> Bjork. Dazed and Confused. Aug 1996; 'raiseto <strong>the</strong> .. .'. Parliament. 1978a (Deep) ; 'a mystical meet<strong>in</strong>g .. .'. ibid ( The Motor). 'on <strong>the</strong>same .... ibid (Water Sign)[153] 'With <strong>the</strong> rhythm .. .'. ibid (Aqua Boogie); 'Technology automatically causes .. .'. Pedro Bell<strong>in</strong> James. 1995. P141 ; '<strong>the</strong> primal act .. .'. William Gibson. Academy Leader <strong>in</strong> Benedikt. 1991. P27- Bootsy Coll<strong>in</strong>s: Hollywood Squares; Roto-Rooter from Player of <strong>the</strong> Year. WarnerBro<strong>the</strong>rs. 1978· De la Soul. Me Myself and I. Big Life. 1989, Funkadelic: How do Yeaw view You? from Tales of Kidd Funkade/ic. Westbound. 1976a• Funkadelic: Un disco Kidd from Hardcore jollies. Westbound. 1976b• Funkadelic: One Nation Under a Groove; Who says a Funk Band Can 't Play Rock Musicfrom One Nation Under a Groove. Warner Bro<strong>the</strong>rs. 1978• Funkadelic. Music for Your Mo<strong>the</strong>r. Westbound. 1993, Parliament: P Funk {Wants to Get Funked Up{; Mo<strong>the</strong>rship Connection (Star Child);Unfunky UFO; from Mo<strong>the</strong>rship Connection. Casablanca. 1975a, Parliament: Prelude to Dr Funkenste<strong>in</strong>; The Clones of Dr Funkenste<strong>in</strong>; Gam<strong>in</strong>g on Ya fromThe Clones of Dr Funkenste<strong>in</strong>. Casab lanca. 1975b- Parliament: Funkenrelechy; Sir Nose D'Voidofunk; The Placebo Syndrome fromFunkenrelechy vs. The Placebo Syndrome. Casablanca . 1977• Parliament: The Motor-Booty Affair; Aqua Boogie {A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop{;{You 're a Fish and I'm a! Water Sign; Deep from Motor-Booty Affair.Casablanca. 1978a· Parliament. Flashlight 12 " mix. Casablanca . 1978b· Parliament: Gloryhallastoopid {P<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Tale on <strong>the</strong> Funky!; Theme from <strong>the</strong> Black Holefrom Gloryhallastoopid. Casablanca . 1979· Parliament: Funkencyclo-p -dia from Tear <strong>the</strong> Roof Off 1974-1980. Casablanca . 1993· Sly and <strong>the</strong> Family Stone: Runn<strong>in</strong>g Away from There 's a Riot Go<strong>in</strong> ' On. Edsel. 1972· Sly and <strong>the</strong> Family Stone: If You Want Me to Stay from Fresh. Edsel . 1973· Sun Ra. Nuclear War. Y Records. 1982• Danc<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Streets. BBC2. 1996• Dune. David Lynch. 1984. Electric Pictures· The Man Who Fell to Earth. Nic Roeg. 1976 . NCA· Tw<strong>in</strong> Peaks. David Lynch. 1989. Warner Home VideoThoughtware: syn<strong>the</strong>siz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Omniverse[154] 'The Impossible attracts .. .'. Sun Ra <strong>in</strong> Lock. 1988. P15; '1 a<strong>in</strong>'t part ... Sun Ra <strong>in</strong> Lo ck.1994. Pl50[155] 'The people have .. .'. Sun Ra <strong>in</strong> Space Is <strong>the</strong> Place; 'It's after <strong>the</strong> .. .'. June Tyson. ibid[156] 'New Philosophy or. . .'. James. 1992. PPI53-160; 'even <strong>the</strong> dead .. .'. Walter Benjam<strong>in</strong>.Theses on <strong>the</strong> Philosophy of History <strong>in</strong> Benjam<strong>in</strong>. 1992. P 247; 'turns to <strong>the</strong> .. .'. Fanon. 1967.p169 ; 'very beautiful and .... ibid. pl69[157] 'If you launch .. .'. Rammellzee. Peter Shapiro. The Wire. April 1997; 'a reasonablecitizen .. .'. Ellison. 1984. P355; 'I'm not a .. .'. Su n Ra . Fallen Angel <strong>in</strong> Oasis Semiorext{e!Volume IV. Number 3. 1984. P1l5; 'It's an <strong>in</strong>ner. . .'. Stockhausen <strong>in</strong> Nevill. 1989. P18; 'Th eImpossible is .. .'. Sun Ra . Sleevenote Manifes to from Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra. 1992[158] 'The Mo<strong>the</strong>rship and .. .'. 01' Dirty Bastard <strong>in</strong> Emma Forest. The Independenr. 5 July.1996; 'How do you .. .'. Space Is <strong>the</strong> Place; . Chronicle of Post Soul Black Culture' <strong>in</strong> George.1992. PPI-40; 'a spacite picture .. .'. Sun Ra . Sleevenotes to Sun Ra. 1956[159] 'In Bra<strong>in</strong> ville. I. . .'. ibid; 'Earth is al ready .. .'. Killah Priest from Genius/ GZA. 1995;


d8[212]8[213]'INSTRUCTION TO THE .. .'. Sun Ra. Sleevenotes to Sun Song. quoted <strong>in</strong> Lock. 1988. PPI4-15;'We didn't have .... Phil Cohran. Sleevenotes. Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra. 1992; 'With <strong>the</strong>aid .. .'. Xenakis. 1974. PI44[160] 'Sonotron: an accelerator of sonorous particles. a dis<strong>in</strong>tegrator of sonorous ma sses.a syn<strong>the</strong>siser·. ibid. P237; ·EssR·ays·. from track title EssR 'ay {Reece Mix{. Reece. 1994; 'Are<strong>the</strong>re any .. .'. Space is <strong>the</strong> Place; 'Multiplicity Adjustment. Readjustment ..'. ibid; 'Anysufficiently advanced ... ·. Clarke <strong>in</strong> Haldeman. 1979. pI; 'At <strong>the</strong> materiaL ..'. Delany <strong>in</strong> Dery.1993. P748[161] 'In fact. I've .. .'. Sun Ra <strong>in</strong> Steve Dollar. Eight Rock Vol z No 3. 1993P168. '1 am an .. .'. from Sun Ra. Poem. Sun Ra . 1994; 'When <strong>the</strong> army .. .'. Sun Ra <strong>in</strong> Wilmer.1977, p 77[162] 'Only one th<strong>in</strong>g .. .'. Lewis Mumford. The Myth of <strong>the</strong> Mach<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> Brockman IiRosenfeld. 1973. P104; 'kao-tic harmony'. track title Kao-Tic Harmony {Relic of Relics!.Rhythim is Rhythim. 1992[163] 'Space is a ...'. Phil Cohran. Sleevenotes. Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra. 1992; '1 wasUS<strong>in</strong>g .. .'. Tab Hunter. Sleevenotes to Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra. 1992; 'What is<strong>the</strong> .. .'. Space is <strong>the</strong> Place; 'This music is .. .'. ibid• Earth W<strong>in</strong>d and Fire. I Am. CBS. 1979· Genius/ GZA : Basic Instructions Before Leav<strong>in</strong>g Earth from Liquid Swords. Geffen. 1995· Herbie Hancock. Thrust. Warner Bro<strong>the</strong>rs. 1974• Reece : EssR 'ay {Reece Mix! from Forces. Network/ KMS 1994· Rhythim is Rhythim. Kao-Tic Harmony {Relic of Relics!. Transmat/ Buzz. 1992· Sun Ra: Bra<strong>in</strong>ville from jazz by Sun Ra/ Sun Song. Delmark. 1956• Sun Ra. The Heliocentric World of Sun Ra Vol z. ESP. 1965• Sun Ra : Astro Black Mythology from Astro Black. Impulse. 1972• Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra. Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy. Evidence. 1992• Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra. Interstellar Low Ways (1960). Evidence. 1992· Sun Ra and his Astro Inf<strong>in</strong>ity Arkestra. My Bro<strong>the</strong>r The W<strong>in</strong>d Volume II. Evidence. 1992• Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra. Fate <strong>in</strong> a Pleasant Mood/ When Sun Comes Out.Evidence. 1993• Sun Ra . I Am an Instrument. Blast First/ Wire Editions. 1994· Shuzei Na gaoka. Sleeve Art for Earth W<strong>in</strong>d and Fire. I Am. CBS. 1979• Alien Nation. Graham Baker. 1988. 20th Century Fox Home Enterta<strong>in</strong>ment• Blade Runner. Ridley Scott. 1982. Warner Home Video· Bro<strong>the</strong>r from Ano<strong>the</strong>r Planet. john Say les. 1984. Arrow Film Distributors· Intolerance. D. W. Griffiths. 1916. Vision· La jetee. Chris Marker. 1962. Nouveau Entertai nm ent· Night of <strong>the</strong> Liv<strong>in</strong>g Dead. George Rom ero. 1968. Tartan Video• Planet of <strong>the</strong> Apes. Frankl<strong>in</strong> j . Shaffner. 1968. 20th Century Fox Home Enterta<strong>in</strong>ment• The Term<strong>in</strong>ator. j ames Cameron. 1984. 4 Front Video• Space Is <strong>the</strong> Place. Sun Ra and his Intergalactic So lar Arkestra. 1994. Blast First VideoThoughtware: Cosmology of Volume[164] 'The audience for .. .'. julian Schnabel. Basquiat; 'It's like rewrit<strong>in</strong>g .. .'. Rashied Ali <strong>in</strong>Wilmer. 1977. P234[165] 'Ohnedaruth [john Coltrane) .. .'. Alice Coltrane. Sleevenotes to Alice Coltrane. 1971 ;'Electric channels of .. .'. Marshall McLuhan <strong>in</strong> Mol<strong>in</strong>aro. McLuhan !j Toye. 1987. P443[166] 'Cosmic energy - atomiC .. .'. Alice Coltrane. Sleevenotes to john Coltrane/ AliceCo ltrane. 1968; ' Before Ohnedaruth's <strong>in</strong>itiation .. .'. Alice Coltrane. Sleevenote Manifesto toAlice Coltrane. 1972; 'embrace is so .. .'. ibid; 'Andromeda is a .. .'. ibid[167] 'extraord<strong>in</strong>ary tran<strong>sonic</strong> and .. .'. Alice Coltrane. Sleevenotes to Alice Coltrane. 1971;'embraces cosmic thought .. .'. ibid; 'is rem<strong>in</strong>iscent of .. .'. ibid[168] 'S he is a .. .'. Ameer Baraka . · Leroi jones. Sleevenotes to Alice Coltrane. 1968[169] ' He always felt .. .'. Alice Coltrane. ibid; 'He was do<strong>in</strong>g .. .' Alice Co ltrane. Sleeve notesto Alice Coltrane. 1978; '1 am look<strong>in</strong>g .. .'. john Coltrane <strong>in</strong> Alice Coltrane. Sleevenotes toAlice Coltrane. 1968; '1 do wish .. .'. Alice Co ltrane. 1978[070] 'Nuclear death gives .... Sylvere Lotr<strong>in</strong>ger <strong>in</strong> Virilio. 1983a. P1S8; 'plexus of voices .. .'.A. B. Spellman. Sleevenotes to john Coltrane. 1965a; 'Most of <strong>the</strong> .... Archie Shepp <strong>in</strong> ibid;'what <strong>the</strong> action .. .'. ibid; 'textures ra<strong>the</strong>r <strong>than</strong> .. .'. ibid; 'Coltrane's stress on .... · Sid ran.1995. P148; 'a complex <strong>the</strong>ory .. .'. ibid. P148; 'We're tak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>m .. .'. ibid. Pl41[071] 'We are gett<strong>in</strong>g .. .'. ibid. P141 ; 'a n energy field .. .'. ibid. P148; 'Kiyoshi Koyama :What .. .'. Thomas. 1994. p 210; 'When john Coltrane .... Sidran. 1995. P147; 'an <strong>in</strong>strumentwhich .. .'. ibid. P140; '"1 perceived <strong>the</strong> .. ."'. Coltrane <strong>in</strong> Thomas. 1994. P2IS; 'Wh en you tripManuel De Landa <strong>in</strong> Erik Davis. Mondo 2000. 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Impulse!, 1971· Alice Coltrane with Str<strong>in</strong>gs: Galaxy around Olodumare; Galaxy <strong>in</strong> Turiya and Galaxy <strong>in</strong>Satchidananda from World Galaxy. Impulse!. 1971· Alice Coltrane: Andromeda 's Suffer<strong>in</strong>g from Lord of Lords. Impulse!. 1972· Alice Coltrane. Transfiguration. Warner Bros. 1978• john Coltrane/ Alice Coltrane: The Sun from Cosmic Music. Impulse! . 1968· john Coltrane. A Love Supreme. Impulse!. 19 63· john Coltrane. Ascension. Impulse!. 196sa• john Coltrane. Kule Se Mam a. Impulse!. 1965b· j ohn Coltrane. am. Impulse! . 196sc· john Coltrane: Out of this World from Live <strong>in</strong> Seattle. Impulse! 1966• j ohn Co ltrane: Saturn; Mars; Venus; jupiter from Interstellar Space. Impulse!. 1967• j ohn Coltrane with Str<strong>in</strong>g Orchestra arranged and conducted by Alice Coltrane: Liv<strong>in</strong>gSpace {Alice Coltrane Remix! from Inf<strong>in</strong>ity. Impulse!. 1972· Egyptian Empire. 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8[214]· Roland Kirk, Blacknuss, Atlantic. 1972· Roland Kirk, Black Mystery Has Been Revealed from Left and Right. Atlantic, 1968· Pharoah Sanders: Capricorn Ris<strong>in</strong>g from Tauhid, Impulse!, 1967· Pharaoh Sanders: The Creator Has a Master Plan. from Karma , Impulse! , 1969• Pharaoh Sanders: Let Us Go <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> House of <strong>the</strong> Lord, from Deaf, Dumb and Bl<strong>in</strong>d,Impulse! / Probe, 1970· Pharaoh Sanders, Black Unity, Impulse!. 1971· Pharaoh Sanders, Hum Allah - Hum Allah, Hum Allah, Impulse!, 1972· Pharoah Sanders: Sun <strong>in</strong> Aquarius {Part I [j Part 21 from jewels of Thought, Impulse! 1973, Sun Ra , Astro Black, Impulse!, 1972• Bridget Riley, Phase, pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g, 1962• Basquiat, julian Schnabel, 1997, Pa<strong>the</strong> DistributionC[ 215]DATAMINING THEINFOVERSEjerome Age l (ed) , The Mak<strong>in</strong>g of Kubrick's 2001, Signet, 1970Umbrio Appollonio, (ed), Futurist Manifestos, Thames and Hudson, 1973Archigram, A Guide to Archigram 1961-1974, Academy Editionsj. G. Ballard, The Atrocity Exhibition, Pan, 1970j . G. Ballard, Myths of <strong>the</strong> Near Future, V<strong>in</strong>tage, 1994j. G. Ba llard , A User's Guide to <strong>the</strong> Millennium, HarperColl<strong>in</strong>s, 1996Roland Bar<strong>the</strong>s, Sa de, Fourier, Loyola, jona<strong>than</strong> Cape , 1977jean Baudrillard, The Gulf War Did Not Take Place, Power Publications, 1995Paul Beatty, The White Boy Shuff/e. M<strong>in</strong>erva, 1996Michael Benedikt (ed), Cyberspace: First Steps, MIT Press, 1991Walter Benjam<strong>in</strong>, Illum<strong>in</strong>ations, Fontana Press, 1992Adrian Boot & Chris Salewicz, jimi Hendrix: The Ultimate Experience, Boxtree, 1995john Brockman & Ed Rosenfeld (eds), Real Time, Picador, 1973Scott Bukatman, Term<strong>in</strong>al Identity, Duke University Press, 1993William Burroughs, The Ticket that Exploded, Palad<strong>in</strong>, 1987Pascal Bussy, Kraftwerk, SAF Publish<strong>in</strong>g, 1993Samuel Butler, Erewhon, Heron Books, 1969Pat Cadigan, Synners, HarperColl<strong>in</strong>s, 1991Karel Capek, RUR, Rossum 's Universal Robots, Vydalo Avent<strong>in</strong>ium, 1923Ian Carr, Miles Davis, Ouartet Books, 1992Henry Chalfont & Martha Palmer, Subway Art, Thames & Hudson, 1984Henry Chalfont & james Prigoff, Spray Can Art, Thames & Hudson, 1987Michel Chion, AudioVision, Columbia University Press, 1994


C[216)C[217)Arthur C. Clarke, How <strong>the</strong> World was One, Victor Gollancz, 1992Peter Cook (ed), Archigram, Studio Vista, 1972john Corbett, Extended Play, Duke University Press, 1994jona<strong>than</strong> Cott, Stockhausen, Conversations with <strong>the</strong> Composer, Robson Books, 1974jona<strong>than</strong> Crary !i Sanford Kw<strong>in</strong>zer (eds), Zone 6: Incorporations, Zone Books, 1992DenniS Crompton (ed), Concern<strong>in</strong>g Archigram, Archigram Archives, 1998Critical Art Ensemble, The Electronic Disturbance, Autonomedia, 1994Salvador Dali, The Secret Life of Salvador Dali, Vision Press, 1968Salvador Dali, Diary of a Genius, Creation Books, 1994Les Daniels, Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of <strong>the</strong> World 's Greatest Comics, Virg<strong>in</strong> Books, 1991Les Daniels, DC Comics: Sixty Years of <strong>the</strong> Worlds Favorite Comic Book Heroes, Virg<strong>in</strong>Books, 1995Manuel De Landa, War <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Age of Intelligent Mach<strong>in</strong>es, Zone Books, 199 1Samuel R. Delany, Dhalgren, Bantam, 1976Gilles Deleuze !i Felix Guattari, Anti Oedipus, Athlone Press, 1984Gilles Deleuze !i Felix Guattari, A Thousand Plateaux, University of M<strong>in</strong>nesota Press, 1987Gilles Deleuze, Negotiations, Co lumbia University Press, 1990Mark Dery (ed), Flame Wars, Duke University Press, 1993Mark Dery, Escape Velocity, Hodder !i Stoughton, 1996Philip K. Dick, Valis, Grafton, 1992W. E. B. DuBoiS, The Souls of Black Folk, Signet ClaSSiC, 1969Ralph Ellison, The Invisible Man, Pengu<strong>in</strong> Books, 1984Brian Eno, A Year with Swollen Appendices, Faber !i Faber, 1996M. C. Escher, Explor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Inf<strong>in</strong>ite: Escher on Escher (trans Kar<strong>in</strong> Ford), Harry N. AbramsInc, 1989Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of <strong>the</strong> Earth, Pengu<strong>in</strong>, 1967Gene Feldman !i Max Gartenberg (eds), Protest: The Beat Generation and <strong>the</strong> Angry YoungMen, Pan<strong>the</strong>r, 1960Michel Foucault, Language, Counter-Memory, Practice, Cornell University, 1977Suzy Gablik, Brand New York, ICA Editions, 1982Hartmut Geerken !i Bernhard Hefele, Omniverse Sun Ra, Waitawhile, 1994Nelson George, The Death of Rhythm and Blues, Pan<strong>the</strong>on Books, 1988Nelson George, Buppies, B-Boys, Baps li Bohos, HarperColl<strong>in</strong>s, 1992William Gibson, Neuromancer, Victor Gollancz, 1984William Gibson, Virtual Light, Vik<strong>in</strong>g, 1993Paul Gilroy, The Black Atlantic, Verso, 1993j ean-Luc Godard, Pierrot Ie Fou, Lorimer Publish<strong>in</strong>g, 1969Felix Guattari, Chaosmosis, Power Publications, 1995joe Haldeman, The Forever War, Futura, 1977j oe Haldeman, Star Trek: World Without End, Bantam, 1979Donna Haraway, Simians, Cyborgs and Women, Routledge, 1991David Henderson, 'Scuse Me While I Kiss <strong>the</strong> Sky, Bantam, 1981Arthur jafa, 69 <strong>in</strong> Michele Wallace (ed), Black Popular Culture, Bay Press, 1992Darius james, That's Blaxploitation, St Mart<strong>in</strong>s Press, 1995George M. james, Stolen Legacy, Africa World Press, 1992Allan jones (ed), First Among Sequels, BPC Paperbacks, 1996Leroi Jones, Blues People, Morrow Quill, 1963Leroi jones, Black Music, Quill, 1967Charles Keil !i Steven Feld, Music Grooves, University of Chicago Press, 1994Kev<strong>in</strong> Kelly, Out of Control, Fourth Estate, 1994Chris Kempster (ed), History of House, Castle Communications, 1996Richard Kostelanetz (ed), john Cage, Allen Lane, 1970Richard Kostelanetz, Dictionary of <strong>the</strong> Avant Garde, accape lla books, 1993Donna Kurtz, Kooks, Feral House, 1995Michael Kurtz, Stockhausen (trans. Richard Toop), Faber !i Faber, 1992Michel Leiris, Brises: Broken Branches, North Po<strong>in</strong>t Press, 1989john C. Lily, Programm<strong>in</strong>g and Metaprogramm<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Human Biocomputer, BantamBooks, 1974Graham Lock, Forces <strong>in</strong> Motion, Quartet Books, 1988Graham Lock, Chas<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Vibration, Stride Publications, 1994Rob<strong>in</strong> Maconie, Stockhausen, OUP, 1976Larry McCaffery (ed), Across <strong>the</strong> Wounded GalaXies, University of Ill<strong>in</strong>ois Press, 1990Marshall McLuhan, The Gutenberg Galaxy, Signet, 1962/ 1969Marshall McLuhan, The Mechanical Bride, Beacon Press, 1967aMarshall McLuhan, Understand<strong>in</strong>g Media, Sphere Books, 1967bMarshall McLuhan !i Quent<strong>in</strong> Fiore, The Medium is <strong>the</strong> Massage, Pengu<strong>in</strong> Books, 1967Marshall McLuhan !i Quent<strong>in</strong> Fiore, War and Peace <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Global Village, Bantam Books, 1968Norman Mailer, A Fire on <strong>the</strong> Moon, Weidenfeld !i Nicholson, 1970Philip Marchand, Marshall McLuhan, Ticknor !i Fields, 1989Richard Marshall, jean-Michel Basquiat, Whitney Museum of American Art, 1994Stephen Metcalf (trans and ed), Friedrich Nietzsche, Hammer of <strong>the</strong> Gods, Creation Books, 1995Walter Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz, Lipp<strong>in</strong>cott, 1960Matie Mol<strong>in</strong>aro, Cor<strong>in</strong>ne McLuhan !i William Toye (se lec and ed), Letters of MarshallMcLuhan, OUP, 1987Tim Nevill (ed), Karlhe<strong>in</strong>z Stockhausen, Towards a Cosmic Music, Element Books, 1989Friedrich Nietzsche, Untimely Meditations, Cambridge University Press, 1983o[rphan[ d[rift ,l. o{rphan/ d{rift ,/, Cab<strong>in</strong>et Editions, 1995Fernand Ouellette, Edgard Varese, Ca lder !i Boyars, 1973Yambo Ouologuem, Bound to Violence, He<strong>in</strong>emann, 1986Robert Pepperall, The Post Human Condition, Intellect Books, 1996Sadie Plant, The Virtual Complexity of Culture <strong>in</strong> Future Natural, Robertson, Mash, Tickner,Bird, Curtis !i Putnam, (eds), Routledge, 1996Ishmael Reed, Flight to Canada, A<strong>the</strong>neum, 1976Ishmael Reed , Mumbo jumbo, Alison !i Busby, 1978Ishmael Reed, Neo Hoodoo Manifesto <strong>in</strong> jerome fj Diane Ro<strong>the</strong>nberg (eds), Symposium of<strong>the</strong> Whole, University of Chicago Press, 1983Ishmael Reed, Shrovetide <strong>in</strong> Old New Orleans, A<strong>the</strong>neum, 1989Wilhelm Reich, The Function of <strong>the</strong> Orgasm, Bantam Books, 1967Simon Reynolds, Blissed Out, Serpents Tail, 1990Simon Reynolds !i joy Press, The Sex Revolts, Serpents Tail , 1995Michael Richardson !i Kryzystof Fisalkowski (eds and trans), Refusal of <strong>the</strong> Shadow, Verso, 1996Robertson, Mash, Tickner, Bird, Curtis fj Putnam, (eds), Future Natural, Routledge, 1996Cynthia Rose , Liv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> America, Serpents Tail , 1990Tricia Rose, Black Noise, Wesleyan University Press, 1994


C[218)C[219)Andrew Ross [, Tricia Rose, (eds), Microphone Fiends, Routledge, 1994jerome [, Diane Ro<strong>the</strong>nberg (eds), Symposium of <strong>the</strong> Whole, University of California, Press, 1983Ross Russell , Bird, Ouartet Books, 1994Dorion Sagan, Biospheres, Arkana, 1990jean Paul Sartre, What Is Literature? and O<strong>the</strong>r Essays, Harvard University Press, 1988Susan Sontag, Aga<strong>in</strong>st Interpretation, V<strong>in</strong>tage, 1994R. Murray Schafer, The Tun<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> World, Alfred A. Knopf, 1977R. 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C. Thomas, Chas<strong>in</strong> ' <strong>the</strong> Trane, Da Capo, 1994Carol<strong>in</strong>e Tisdall [, Angelo Bozzola, Futurism, Thames [, Hudson, 1977Stephen Todd [, William Latham, Evolutionary Art and Computers, Acadamic Press, 1992Alv<strong>in</strong> Torrier, The Third Wave, Pan Books, 1980David Toop, The Rap Attack, Pluto Press, 1982iJ994David Toop, Rap Attack 2, Serpents Tail , 1991David Toop, Ocean of Sound, Serpents Tail, 1995Roger Trill<strong>in</strong>g [, Stuart Swezey (eds), The Wild Palms Reader, St Mart<strong>in</strong>s Press, 1993Amos Tuotola, My Life <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Bush of Ghosts, Faber [, Faber, 1990V. Vale [, Andrea juno (eds), Re/ Search 8/ 9: j. G. Ballard, Re/ Search, 1984V. Vale [, Andrea juno (eds), Re/ Search 15: Incredibly Strange Music Volume II, Re/ Search, 1994Rickey V<strong>in</strong>cent, Funk, St Mart<strong>in</strong>s Griff<strong>in</strong>, 1996Paul Virilio, Pure War, Semiotext(e), 1983aPaul Virilio, Speed and Politics, Semiotext(e), 1983bPaul Virilio, War and C<strong>in</strong>ema, Verso, 1989Paul Virilio, The Lost Dimension, Semiotext(e), 1991Paul Virilio, The Vision Mach<strong>in</strong>e, BFI , 1994Paul Virilio, The Art of <strong>the</strong> Motor, University of M<strong>in</strong>nesota, 1995Eric Weisbard with Craig Marks (eds), Sp<strong>in</strong> Alternative Record GUide, V<strong>in</strong>tage Books, 1995Norbert Wiener, The Human Use of Human Be<strong>in</strong>gs, Free Association Books, 1989Valerie Wilmer, As Serious as Your Life, Ouartet Books, 1977jack Womack, Terraplane, Grafton Books, 1991jack Womack, Elvissey, HarperColl<strong>in</strong>s, 1993jack Womack, Random Aces of Senseless Violence, HarperColl<strong>in</strong>s, 1993lannis Xenakis, Formalised Music, University of Indiana Press, 1974Co Pilots: Steve Beard, Edward George, Mark S<strong>in</strong>ker.Optimizers: Grandpa, Adelaide Eshun, Joe Eshun, Esi Eshun, Araba Eshun,Ekow Eshun, Helen Boateng, Tony Boateng, Angela Ackun, Sam Mensah,Kwesi Eshun, Thomas Eshun, Janet Karikari, Joseph<strong>in</strong>e Eshun.Accelerators: Sadie Plant, J. G. Ballard, Marshall McLuhan,Simon Reynolds, Greg Tate, Fred Ver<strong>more</strong>l, Paul Beatty, Archigram(Ron Herron, Warren Chalk, Dennis Crompton, David Greene, Peter Cook,Michael Webb), David Toop, Ian Penman, Chris Marker, Jack Womack,Filipo Mar<strong>in</strong>etti, Giacommo Balla, Umberto Boccioni, Maya Deren,William Gibson, Samuel R. Delany, Yambo Ouologuem, Manuel De Landa,Pat Cadigan , Ben Sidran, Masumune Shirow, Lynn Margulis, Rene Menil,lIya Prigog<strong>in</strong>e, Arthur Jafa, Isabelle Stengers, Rodney Brooks,O[rphan) D[riftl. Neil Kulkarni, Peter Shapiro, Dave Tompk<strong>in</strong>s,Suzanne Cesaire, Samuel Butler, Vera Chytilova, Nic Roeg,Daniel Dennett, Ishmael Reed, Jean-Luc Godard, Michel Chion,Tom Wilson, David Henderson, Geert Lov<strong>in</strong>k, Aime Cesaire, Erik Davis ,Bruce Sterl<strong>in</strong>g, Jean Michel Basquiat, Robert Rauschenberg,Gilles Deleuze, Frantz Fanon , Felix Guattari, William S. Burroughs,Paul D. Miller, Paul Virilio, Mat<strong>the</strong>w Barney, Colson Whitehead,Bridget Riley, Christof Ste<strong>in</strong>egger, Brian Eno, Nick Land, Francis Bacon,Wong Kar-Wai, Oswald de Andrade, Leslie Fiedler, The Wire,Wyndham Lewis, Katsuhiro Otomo.Intensifiers: Ian Sen , Deirdre Crowley, Duke Odiachi, Stella Kane,Jim McClellan, Travis, Jeni Glasgow, Tony Marcus, Mat<strong>the</strong>w Coll<strong>in</strong>,Be<strong>than</strong> Cole, Rupert Howe, AnnMarie Davy, Matt ffytche, Melanie Beer,Pippa Moreau, Nadja Abdelkader, Dego McFarlane, John O'Reilly,Sharon Bowes, Black Audio Film Collective (David Lawson, John Akomfrah,Reece Auguiste, Avril Johnson, L<strong>in</strong>a Gopaul), Orly Kle<strong>in</strong>, Simon Hopk<strong>in</strong>s,Raymond Oaka, Stephen J. Metcalfe, Joy Press, Heiko Hoffmann,Thaddie Hermann, Michael Cornelius, Peter Kruder, Ulf Poschardt,Robert Jel<strong>in</strong>ek, Hans Kulisch , Richard Sen, Lynn Leaver, Dympna Sherry,Mark Fisher, Anne Greenspan, Cybernetic Culture Research Unit,Richard Thompson, Viv Boyd, Ela<strong>in</strong>e O'Donoghue, Olywn Doran,Helen Leary, Helen Mills, Mart<strong>in</strong> Takawira, Gideon Hollis, Adele Yaron,Kev<strong>in</strong> Mart<strong>in</strong>, Rob Bulman, Sean 'P-Ski ' Pennycook, Howard Hageman,Adrian 'Blunt' Hughes, Hector Heathcote, Mick Kirkman.In Memoriam: Michelle Stavr<strong>in</strong>o


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