Thursday, March 31, 2011

Blog 8 Miller/Sampled Beats

First, pull 1-2 quotes you find appealing from each section and explain what they mean

By far this book’s content is hard to grasp and understand.  I found some interesting quotes but just couldn’t really put my finger on what exactly he was talking about maybe someone else would like to take a crack at it?

Rhythmic Cinema
“ ….any shift in the traffic of information can create not only new thoughts, but new ways of thinking.”  We can think of this when an artist or anyone samples an old material to that to their own work that creates new thoughts and new ways of thinking about that newly created material thus adding to something completely different.  
Rhythmic Space
“Speaking in code, we live in a world so utterly infused with digitality that it makes even the slightest action ripple across the collection of data bases we call the web” (89).  I agree with his statement it seems like we cannot live without anything that is digital nowadays. 

Errata Erratum
“When he was talking about his mix of Errata Erratum project he continues with what I think are his ideas of originality and making something your own work out of something already made or old. “Whatever mix you make of it, it can only be a guess – you have to make your own version, and that’s kind of the point.  With that in mind, I ask that you think of this as a mix lab – an “open system” where any voice can be you” (93).  Then he later states “the Errata Erratum remix is a twenty-first-century update on the idea.”  The idea that “Dj-ing deals with extended kinship system of rhythm-one beat matches or doesn’t match a sound-flow, and it’s the interpretation of gestures that make up the mix that creates the atmosphere in a room” (96).

The Future is Here
“We’re probably the first generation to grow up in completely electronic environment” (101).  
I’m just happy to be alive in this era.  It’s truly exciting to travel around just checking out how strange it all is.  I’d say this is going to be a century of hyper-acceleration, and I just get a kick out of seeing it” (100).  I thought he was just going to leave it there but I like his mini stories explaining his opening statement to this section.  I find it interesting because I have travelled to a few places and everything new always seems strange. 

The Prostitute
“Enter the keyword “truth,” and the search engine brings you conflicting meanings.  That’s the prostitute’s revenge: so many people, so little time.  In the network, you can’t take a bite.  The prostitute in the conveyor belt.  It’s a simpler one.  In both cases you must realize that it’s not about a person, but the locus of intent and the negative dialectics of a role playing where your demands of a person are based just as much on their willingness to play a role as on the basic fact that the money being handed over is an emblem of your time and energy.” 

“-the transfer of information between them is an Interrelationship between music and art and writing.”  He is talking about his work later he states “the paradox here is that you have a culture founded on unceasing change and transformation-“  I find this quote very true, everyone is always borrowing (sampling, mixing) old stuff to make new and he uses prostitution as the oldest profession as a metaphor to this view of what is going on this culture of borrowing. 

Second, spend some time at Who Sampled Choose a song and notice the samples, the related songs, possible covers or remixes

One of all time favorite songs is Slippin’ by DMX in the album Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood Def Jam 1998. The song's music video portrays DMX's youth. Slippin' is also known as one of DMX's most poetic songs created and it's also a song that has influenced a lot of people suffering from depression. I never knew that he had sample the melody (not sure what else to call it) from Grover Washington, Jr’s Moonstreams from the album Feels So Good Kudu 1975. 

When I listened to the original beat, first thing that come to mind was boring in 1975 Jazz and blues seemed to play a major role in the music scene but the producer of the beat of Slippin’ took that old, dull beat and added a few more drum patterns and turned it into something new.  He remixed and sampled the beat of the song onto DMX works made it more hip….Creating a Hip-Hop beat that would sure capture the ears of the new generation something new.

3 comments:

  1. Miller is tough, but I would've liked to see you dig a bit more into the "what the heck is he saying." You're a smart guy, I know can do it. That being said, good use of an example here. A few more connections could've been made between the DMX song and the reading, but overall good job.

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  2. Blog MAKEUP comment:

    Interesting quotes you grabbed from Miller, I especially like the first quote from the Prostitute section. I've never really listened to DMX so I should give it a shot.

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  3. I really like what you said here:
    "Rhythmic Space
    “Speaking in code, we live in a world so utterly infused with digitality that it makes even the slightest action ripple across the collection of data bases we call the web” (89). I agree with his statement it seems like we cannot live without anything that is digital nowadays."

    This was a very interesting quote you used. However, when I interpreted it, I saw it more as a way of explaining how the interactions we have via the digital world, can have larger consequences because it 'ripples' throughout the entire web with very little effort. I think that this section called to light, more about how the digital language, or way we communicate online, is easily transfered into many new forms. Not only will you see the original message but also as it could be changed and acquire new meanings. With this accessibility of mass communication, the overall way we choose to interact will transform, since every dital action has the potential to ripple across multiple platforms, without any boundaries.

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