put your hands up

Literature Review

I am working on a literature review in preparation of my thesis. I have actually never written a literature review before, I have done plenty of papers but no literature reviews. I am going to have to consult "the google" for this one. One guide I found seems like a good starting point.
I am starting with notes on Sound Unbound. Sound Unbound is an anthology of remix culture. It was edited by Paul Miller, aka DJ Spooky, a musician and professor. The selection of writers is incredibly diverse. If you have any interest aspects of digital music at all, you will find something cool to read. I particularly liked the section written by Jonathan Lethem called "The Ectasy of Influence: A Plagarism Mosaic".

Good Copy, Bad Copy

I do not think I would have a thesis topic if it were not for Rip: A Remix Manifesto and Good Copy, Bad Copy two very good documentaries. Both are available for free to watch online.

Rip: A Remix Manifesto can be watched here.

Good Copy, Bad Copy can be watched here.

dub, plunderphonics, and Glee

Mashups are some of my favorite things to listen to. When done right each sampled song elevates the other and creates new associations with the familiar. When done wrong they are awesomely bad and reveal a lot about what we have come to value in popular music. The track "99 Problems in the USA" is a great example. In Miley Cyrus's song "Party in the USA" she mentions Jay-Z as being played on the radio, this hook is now used as the chorus of the new track with the lyrics of "99 Problems" rapped over it. Even a casual listener can hear a serious disconnect - it's doubtful that the sweet character that Cyrus embodies in "Party in the USA" really relates to a song with lyrics like "Rap mags try and use my black ass/So advertisers can give 'em more cash for ads, fuckers".

beginning

From 1960s Jamaican dance hall culture to today's contemporary plunderphonics music has relied on the sample. Sampling is the act of taking a portion of an existing piece of music and using it within a new piece of music. Sampling crosses all genres of music. Sampling has also been an area of contention from a legal perspective.

I would like to do more research on sampling culture. This would include interviews with music experts and the creation of both analog and digital samples. This research would culminate in a performance where I present a piece chronicling the history of the sample from its early roots to the now established culture.