Alright. Sorry about the delay. Let me tell you I have nothing better to do so I can't understand why it's been so hard for me to post on here the last couple of days. I've been watching a lot of movies and been allowing them to influence my own music. In order, A Clockwork Orange, Requiem for a Dream, Funny People, Igby Goes Down, Liquid Sky, 500 Days of Summer. New and old, Hollywood and indie - but each one inspiring and together even more so, showing me that as a musician I should not only be influenced by other musicians but by other art and my own life experiences...
Anyway, a lot has been happening since the last time I wrote. DJ AM, Adam Goldstein, is no longer with us. Granted, I only know him from the tabloids, but I feel like this is definitely a big loss for music. I've read a lot about him in the last few days but the most moving were words by his friend and fellow DJ, Diplo, who said that AM was the MJ of DJ-ing. From what I've read, AM had the ability to combine different genres in his music effortlessly and was a complete natural behind the turntables. The type of musicians I love are those that combine all of their influences to create something completely their own and so I have great respect for Adam and my sympathy goes out to ever person that was touched by Adam through his music or otherwise.
On a lighter note, it occurs to me, dear reader, that our beloved indie Blogosphere music is about to hit a turning point. This belief comes from the fact that two huge rap artists, one emerging and one classic, have embraced artists from our world to assist in their own genre. Both Jay-Z and Kid Cudi have announced that several big names from our world will be involved on their albums.
Jay-Z's the Blueprint 3 (which has, as you probably know, or would have guessed, leaked) features Luke Steele of Empire of the Sun, an artist who yours truly loves. Jay-Z has also expressed a love for Grizzly Bear saying that "what the indie-rock movement is doing right now is very inspiring. It felt like us in the beginning. These concerts, they're not on the radio, no one hears about them, and there's 12,000 people in attendance. And the music that they're making and the connection they're making to people is really inspiring." (Stereogum)
I haven't read Gladwell's The Tipping Point in 2 years but from what I remember - a movement begins with a devoted tribe (to borrow from Seth Godin), just like Hov is talking about. These people, people like you who read blogs like these. Jay-Z touches a whole different genre, age-group, and tribe. If even 10% of his tribe take a peak into ours and see what we are doing, that could be enough for this thing we have on our hands to tip. Hmm.
MGMT, one of our proudest gems, are also featured on Kid Cudi's upcoming Man on the Moon: The End of Day (here) along with Ratatat. MGMT has destroyed enough barriers on their own but they could also be a vehicle to push indie rock over the edge...
All just food for thought.
I mean, we all know the great music that these last couple of years have produced but if the rest of the public also opens their eyes, Jay-Z could be right. We could very well be approaching the point that rap was 20 or so years ago. I mean, after all, this is the guy who declared Auto-Tune dead... he's already done us at least one huge favor haha.
We can only hope,
Nick
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