A Guide To Music Micro-Genres 2: Gazewave

Gazewave (UK/US) / Digi-Gaze (Aus) / Nu Gaze (EU):

What i really like about this genre is the idea- this tv/video sound that's stuck in the past// It's all nostalgia fuel but it's funny to me that both the kids and get-off-my-lawns are seeing eye to eye on this one/ particularly its notion of the fixity of the relationship between the signifier and the signified// I find this music a lot more emotionally charged and interesting when done right// It serves either to break any (awkward) silence and mask irritating background noises or to increase working productivity// Within this seamlessly endless repetition, the mind is being taken on a transcendental journey// A beacon of familiarity (and some might say cheesiness) emerges// Even the more gimmicky copycat stuff can be cool.

There are interpretations through which we understand the world and give it meaning. Interpreting is something we can not go without// Does anyone remember when I went insane and came up with a concept called 'the octopus lounge'// I figured out that if you applied just the right amount of pressure to the pause button of the recording deck, it slowed the motor down/ which seemed to promise everything and yet not quite to deliver// Now, fascination (in contrast to seduction, which was attached to appearances, and to dialectical reason, which was attached to meaning) is a nihilistic passion par excellence, it is the passion proper to the mode of disappearance// It is just odd seeing accolades thrown at people for things they aren't even doing// Structures are the "real things" that lie beneath the/ appearance of meaning// It's like the whole thing is based on suspension of disbelief.

(i'm not going to become a defender of this "genre" fyi, so if you have an axe to grind i'll kindly step out of the way)// It is necessary to utilize a variety of perspectives to create a multi-faceted interpretation of a text, even if these interpretations conflict with one another// There's no fucking way this will become anything but a bunch of/ sarcastic anti-capitalists/ who don't actually remember the 80s or 90s taking a piss// Language enchantment is focussed on as their last hope/key to possibly unlocking the traps/ and slippages of modern techno-culture// I can't believe they make money from/ a genre based around albums that never actually get released, but the creators release 10 second samples every 5 years or so & millions of fans maintain that this one'll be a game changer/ shivering with delight upon each new wave of delicious sound// The thing that bothers me about this is the trust fund kiddies making this really easy, minimally composed/altered stuff have so much free time they could actually learn how to be musicians first// The dissolution of civilisation wrought by capitalism should not and cannot be resisted, but rather must be pushed faster and farther towards the insanity and anarchically fluid violence that is its ultimate conclusion// SLAKE MY BLOODLUST, I HUNGER

A Guide To Music Micro-Genres 1: Hedomatic Skepto-Crunk

My recent return to considered criticism have reminded me just how baffling and complex, the edifice of music has become.  In order to 'dance about architecture' successfully, some sense of context has always been necessary.  However, in our current digital age, the categorisation of music into an ever more fractal  labyrinth of genres, sub-genres and micro-genres has made understanding a specific piece of music's place in the grand scheme of things near impossible.  If we are to continue to shoehorn musical expressions into arbitrary pigeonholes, or to appreciate how they may now even be tailored in their genesis to the parameters of genres devised as specific marketing tools - some clarification seems necessary.

Here then, is the first in a series of hopefully useful definitions, designed to provide a little clarification of some of contemporary music's more obscure micro-genres... 

Hedomatic Skepto-Crunk:

This was one of the first of these musical movements to integrate a meaningful sampling of corporate/commercial aesthetics/ rejecting all conventional desires for health, wealth, power and fame// In this glass bubble, certain trends and techniques are used to the point of exhaustion, and it is the normative claim that we should always act so as to produce our own pleasure.

What we have here then, is without a doubt the least prominent of all music genres// It's on no local radio stations, besides perhaps once a month on a small Indy station// However, it does accept the idea of declining marginal utility/ just more fucked-up and better// Everything just sounds good slowed down with reverb// It has an indescribable feel; a special something that/ furthers the interests of a well-off individual to a lesser degree than it would the interests of a less well-off individual// For those that like their ice cream way above and beyond the regular taste/ eventually, there will arise a need for more content, and different angles at which to approach things.

Music Re/View 5

What a time to be alive// Outright comedy is on the agenda/ but we cannot recognize it any more// I already feel like my review may not do this album justice with it/ reading like the work of an online Sun Ra album name generator// It's not really that good/ but if it was background atmosphere for a board game night I would not complain.

I am writing this on a flight surrounded by sleeping people// I grind my head in circles and listen to my neck popping, waiting for the current song to finish// It’s a feast for the senses/ feeling like the end and me being bored as fuck but it doesn’t come so I just/ get pretty sceptical// The concept of a jazz album with heavy use of electronics is a bit eyebrow raising, and sub genres like Jazzstep and Electro Swing certainly don’t help// When the two feelings combine it becomes uncomfortable// This likely goes without saying, but these three musicians are deep cats// We see that robot that is obviously a robot but still vaguely feels familiar, and we shun it as creepy// I am sad about this as the synth initially excited me// The future is going to be worse than we probably imagine// Its a bit more unknown for us/ and I think the mystery is not saying what it is, not knowing what it is yet . . .// With only electronics, drums and saxophone, each of the member provides an amazing performance individually/ but I can’t apply for a credit card even if I wanted one as I am untrustworthy// You wonder how on earth only three people can make this much noise// I damn with faint praise here to recommend them more than anything else, as/ the apps have made our lives worse// This is a band that should rightly be finding an audience well beyond old bores like me.

Ew gross// The constantly shape-shifting and explosive dynamics of this brutal yet accessible blaze of glory are borne from/ a giant wooly mammoth wrecking a telephone booth// It aims more to build a heavy atmosphere and/ it’s a total banger// It will manifest new realities, perceptions, levels of awareness and abilities to coexist// There is some good mammal character checking stuff out in a cute way whilst more ominous things are happening in the background/ with characters being introduced and having a montage and some kind of progress// We might not necessarily know what that looks like/ and that’s significant/// We just keep marching forward unwavered, uninterested, guilt-free// The influences are often 70s prog// Only the saxophone offers any tension as it floats atop a calm ambience// It's true that the uncanny valley is often not the most attractive, but I've always found it the most interesting/ and the electro-experimental is often so otherworldly and odd that it becomes fascinating in how little familiarity there is in it// Its vibrant and joyful and I think of supermarket shelves stacking themselves with loads of enthusiasm// Also, the cover is awesome - a Neowave dream by some bright spark.

This isn’t just a band that works on high-level concepts or highbrow musical vision/ effortlessly outclassing the competition// They face down the end times with radical space-jazz and celestial funk/ building to an overwhelming peak that would’ve been interesting if it was done in a different way// You instinctively grasp the trio's liberation from received jazz wisdom, let alone any form of decorum// All they accomplish together is making music with more yelpy texture// The tools are no more human than others. A guitar is not closer to homo sapiens than a synthesizer no matter how more rootsy or authentic it sounds// There are no monsters or civilizations, just the cold harsh climate of the unknown, and as the experiences deepens you begin to find some affinity for the place.

These cats have no interest in revivalism; theirs is an evolutionary new thing// Its rules don't make sense, but neither do humans// Cosmic jazz tends not to fully lift the lid on and release bitterness/ so you get along fine// The production and mixing is scintillating/ and over time you see/ it builds and trills and sounds spacey and baron like someone is lost// I really don’t think you need any particular prior knowledge of Jazz// I listen to that stuff, and I think, well if that’s jazz/ carnivores may pray for mercy and vegans may pay for a hamburger// [Jazz has] this very deep tradition that goes back a long way, and it’s hard to really claim it and say that I’m a jazz guy, because/ Bruce Willis/ just drooled all over me// If that’s jazz/ I didn’t get it// I tried to buy some cigarettes on the plane I am on as they where duty free. I knew I shouldn’t but it was $47 Canadian dollars for ten packs (it’s like £12 so about $20 for one pack for 20 in the U.K.) As someone not particularly Jazz-literate, this is brilliant// There is an incredible amount of historical evidence/ but I also knew I would smoke some and I am trying to quit or at least cut down.

It’s not hard to imagine fans of instrumental grime or darker jungle finding and loving/ cosmic streams of sludgy spirituality and twinkling sax freakouts// Our basket of cultural allusions might also accommodate a cheeky artifact like this/ implying mischief, in a meta sense, even when they're playing it totally straight// As much as it’s bound to piss off bebop purists and avant-garde experimentalists alike/ the album closed with a big long fart// Maybe that alien planet we woke up on is our own.

Music Re/View 4 (Retrospective)

I decided to first listen to this album just before dusk and stare into the sun for every track except number 17// Mine came in a large box with other stuff I ordered and was at the bottom of the box with a 5 pound box of car care products stacked on top of it// That evening, I fell into a place where two seas met// It was boring and not interesting at all// I was expecting a cosmic ride of nature and bliss/ but I guess that'd really depend on the sort of party you'd throw...// My theory is that the album is about extinction of our species, technology as a replacement, and then the extinction of that//  I can only listen to it on my PSP, and the folder lists everything in alphabetical order and I'm so frustrated// What was once considered imagination has now become a global discourse which is rooted in/ The Little House on the Prairie// Color me hyped// I just wrote this review because it really is my opinion and I think this view should be represented a bit better.

Some artists like to push the square boundaries and it undermines them (not genuine), others like to remain safely within the square and it undermines them/ much like the doomsayers who constantly complain about society's lack of a global conscience// As it stands, however, their aural magic is as evocative as ever, and with their alchemical skills, they could well invent a fifth element, or more// They have families now. How cool is that?// Sure, the endless game playing, the continual puzzles do tire after a while/ but it sounds fresh and vital. They're looking back to take their sound forwards// I've been fantarding over them for the past 10 or 11 years, and they're one of my favorite bands ever// Their target market? Doomsday preppers/ faggots, white people, Fins, posers, serious americans and blatant trolls!

If, heaven forbid, Google does become sentient and chooses to turn our nuclear weapons against us for the ‘greater good’ I couldn’t imagine a better soundtrack to accompany an endless trek across the barren wastelands// Listen with the lights on/ because the fabric of their music is creating complex, confounding scenarios that tease the mind as much as they satisfy it// You just let it happen to you like rape role play// The granular murk of earlier albums is gone, allowing/ an eclectic mix of grimy, melodic moments that range from creepy to happy, and all the grey in between// Informed by some of the more unhinged talents of the dubstep sphere, the drums are delivered with near physical precision, impacting on your chest with a tribal grace// A symphony of mobile phone interference (or some equivalent digital noise) is looped into a rhythm with a low-slung bassline and slo-mo beats// Behind a wall of undulating synths there are fragments of what could be alien transmissions/ like a buzzing fly trapped in a jam jar – or maybe a synthesised didgeridoo// There are some strange, distended vocal yelps// This album is one of the deepest stuff I ever listened in my life// Listen to it tonight and then listen to it tomorrow night and then listen to it monday night, and preferably tuesday night as well.

You ever felt like you really gotta use the bathroom and when you're doing your business, next to nothing comes out?// There is nothing radically new here – just a slight overhauling of tone, a broadening of theme and a refinement of technique// Such an approach is perfectly suited to the echo chamber dynamics of modern music news, where each new tidbit of information brings the story back to the top of the timeline// Occasionally it'll pull you out of your work-induced trance to induce a "whoah" kind of moment, but it's not DEMANDING of your full focus to enjoy it// Some might call that art, but I call it an easy fish to fry, and not particularly memorable// Imagine quarantines, shady military decisions made coming through your walkie talkie, and total desolation// Nobody would notice if you put a rubber band on your glasses, so they wouldn't fall down while you're talking.

One day I was falling in and out of sleep while listing to this album, the results of this were extremely interesting// I saw not a soul in sight, and I remember feeling so lonely and terrified of how surreal and empty the whole world felt// I'm afraid I can't really remember what it sounded like// I honestly couldn't finish the album in one sitting because I found it really redundant// I'm ill and potentially facing serious medical problems at the moment, so maybe this just puts me in a really bad mood// As such it’s difficult not to feel a bit cynical about the whole thing, particularly given that/ I somehow own three of their albums so far but I can't say I'm head over heels about any of them// I just wanted to let you know that your face is the most annoying thing I have ever seen// If you haven't even read this far, if you're already thinking of ways to insult me or tell me I'm wrong or explain why you're not pretentious: you're pretentious// I feel like my dog and I are on this desperate escape from the abyss and nothingness of my environment.

Here's how you can tell if someone is pretentious about their music: they can't understand why someone might like/dislike a certain song/band/genre// Besides the fact that they seem to over do the arppegiator/ they argue constantly that they have GREAT taste in music and explain in detail why this is so and why others are wrong. Maybe they need more time to realize the opposite?// I recommend the 6-900 µg range// It creates a mixture of emotions so closely fused that they're almost unidentifiable// The way it’s framed warrants unfriendly feelings of isolation, grief, and malaise yet there’s also this nagging, embalming warmth to it that surfaces shortly after// Its the fuckin shits!

This review is total clown shoes// I am currently testing my trackpads sensitivity as it keeps jumping around/ so before you call me an idiot make sure you actually understand what you are talking about// There is a lot more that I could say about this record. But as with many critically acclaimed albums I often wonder if I should even bother// I can also judge your judgement and say it is invalid. I'm judging everything but I hate people who judge things.

Shaun Morris: 'Quiet Signs' At Asylum Gallery, Wolverhampton

A lack of dynamism, and adequate forward thinking on my part, mean I'm posting this at unreasonably short notice - for which, apologies to all concerned.

Nevertheless, it would be remiss not to publicise the fact that my friend, Shaun Morris, has another exhibition of his paintings about to open at Asylum Gallery, Wolverhampton.  By the time I post this, the Opening Event will be only hours away (Friday 15 March, 6 pm - 9 pm), but the exhibition itself is in situ until 5 April, which at least provides three weeks to see the work.

I'm not familiar with Asylum, and the publicity suggests that visiting the show is by appointment - which may be a sign of the times, perhaps.  Anyway, it's probably worth a scan of the their website (here), or perhaps a phone call, before setting out.  I notice Shaun's also running a 'Wine and Painting Workshop' on 30 March.  That sounds like an admirable combination to me, particularly as there's not much Shaun doesn't know about pushing the gooey stuff around - with wine, or otherwise.

Sadly, I can't even show you any of Shaun's most recent paintings, as he's obviously keeping them under wraps a bit - at least until they've had a proper outing in real time and space.  However, I'm assured he's been pretty busy of late, and that the new stuff isn't too far removed (in subject matter at least) from the paintings he showed, when we exhibited together in Nottingham, last year.  As I understand it, some of those older ones will gain repeat exposure this time round too.  You can get a pretty good impression of what Shaun and his work are about on his own site (here), or his Blog (here), and he tells me he also has a healthy Instagram presence now; although being totally dim as to the workings of 'Insta' (as I hear the kids calling it) - I'll have to take his word for that.  For some reason, I can hardly find the enthusiasm to maintain even my existing low levels of social media participation of late, and I suspect this whole Internet thing is just a fad, really.

Hopefully that gives enough clues to at least follow the trail.  As ever, and particularly with work like Shaun's - there really is no substitute for looking at the real thing.  You know what to do... 


'Quiet Signs: Recent Paintings By Shaun Morris' opens on Friday 15 March, and runs until Friday 5 April, at Asylum Gallery, 21 Clifton Street, Wolverhampton, WV3 0TZ

Completed Painting: 'Untitled (From The New School) 12'

'Untitled (From The New School) 12', Acrylics, Adhesive Tape, Ink & French Polish
On Panel, 30 cm X 30 cm X 10.6 cm, 2017

One of the advantages of my current to-and-fro creative process, is that individual works seem to emerge, almost by surprise.  Such is the case with this - the latest in my 'From The New School' series of paintings.

A lack of overall focus shouldn't really be a recipe for successfully resolved work, but it actually seems to have suited me quite well over recent months.  On reflection, '12' might not be exactly my favourite of the 'FTNS' series, to date - but it does feel reasonably well sorted out, and also pushes the ever-evolving series in yet another direction.

Whilst geometric formality within a standard format is the cornerstone of these paintings, this is one of the looser, grungier members of the family, and is wholly constructed from roughly-painted 'gumstrip' adhesive tape

'Flagging 7', Acrylics, Paper Collage, Adhesive Tape, Ink, Spray Enamel & French Polish
On Paper, 45 cm X 60 cm

The seeds of that particular approach lie in 'Flagging 7', from 2017, which is part of another series under the 'This S(c)eptic Isle' banner.  As with that flag-based image, there is, I think - a sense of something lashed together, or even bandaged.  If each of these 'FTNS' panels is intended to invite a new idea about, or interpretation of institutionalised education - I'll leave the viewer to decide what that might in turn imply.

The work on this particular piece was mostly done during lunch breaks, and after hours, 'on the premises', and at least one colleague claims to see the suggestion of a crucifix in it.  She's not religious (to my knowledge), and I'm certainly not - but it does lead me to question whether it's actually possible to employ any kind of cruciform motif, without someone freighting it with unintentional symbolism.

It's not the first time that's happened to me; which in turn makes me wonder if it might not itself trigger another body of investigative imagery, one day...