I'm going to continue adding some material to this blog - mainly images that are useful for the PhD work I've started. I say 'started' although the past few weeks have been a real blur. It's really only the last few days that I've been able to sit down and fully consider what it is that will be my main focus. In a nutshell, it's about design for 'anonymous' music.
This week's plan is to complete and submit the researcher's ethical approval form to the university so that I can properly start the interviews that I need to carry out. I also have a literature review that needs completing over the next month plus an updated research proposal that should be filed for the beginning of January.
24/10/2010
02/10/2010
The Aesthetics of Music
A few last minute things to complete regarding some visual material for the introductions, and then I'll be heading to The Aesthetics of Music panel. I'll try and take some pictures.
I have a meeting this week with Michael Goddard, Lawrence Giles and David Sanjek regarding my PhD too. I actually met David for the first time at a brunch-time welcome event for the new music post-grads yesterday. I had read some of his work prior to this. But it's going to be great having his experience to draw from once I get started properly. Oh, and I found the (shared) office that I'll be using. It has windows. Again, I'll try to get some snaps of what could loosely be described as "the view".
I have a meeting this week with Michael Goddard, Lawrence Giles and David Sanjek regarding my PhD too. I actually met David for the first time at a brunch-time welcome event for the new music post-grads yesterday. I had read some of his work prior to this. But it's going to be great having his experience to draw from once I get started properly. Oh, and I found the (shared) office that I'll be using. It has windows. Again, I'll try to get some snaps of what could loosely be described as "the view".
28/09/2010
This week
I will be moderating on that panel at Un-Convention at the People's History Museum on Saturday. Before that, I'm teaching on 'Introduction to Media', 'Introduction to Popular Culture' and 'Critical Thinking and Writing'.
My teaching obligations have actually meant that I don't have time to do the classes that teach me how to teach this semester. I've had to postpone those until January. [When I should also be doing the second year 'Music Journalism' module again.]
There was an additional university offer of learning another language for free but timetable clashes have meant that I won't be able to expand my French vocabulary beyond ordering beer for a while. Oh, and I've officially started on my PhD. I had a great time online ordering books the other day. It's like Christmas here. Only every 'present' turns out to be a book of some description.
I also think that I've passed my Masters. Officially I won't know for sure - specifically regarding grades - until January. But due to my PhD offer based on a condition of MA completion, Lawrence had to give the past year the nod so that I could start on this pretty epic study.
A bit gutted that I'm alone on this one, by the way. I'll miss Amy, Dave and Nicky.
My teaching obligations have actually meant that I don't have time to do the classes that teach me how to teach this semester. I've had to postpone those until January. [When I should also be doing the second year 'Music Journalism' module again.]
There was an additional university offer of learning another language for free but timetable clashes have meant that I won't be able to expand my French vocabulary beyond ordering beer for a while. Oh, and I've officially started on my PhD. I had a great time online ordering books the other day. It's like Christmas here. Only every 'present' turns out to be a book of some description.
I also think that I've passed my Masters. Officially I won't know for sure - specifically regarding grades - until January. But due to my PhD offer based on a condition of MA completion, Lawrence had to give the past year the nod so that I could start on this pretty epic study.
A bit gutted that I'm alone on this one, by the way. I'll miss Amy, Dave and Nicky.
20/09/2010
Un-Convention Poster Separations
The poster I proposed for Un-Convention will be getting printed and displayed as part of the conference/festival. I've just been doing the separations for it and, given how much time I've spent there already this month, it will be nice that it will be someone else at Hot Bed that will be printing them.
The stipulated colours are respectively a metallic silver, a chartreuse-like shade [picked as #381] and black. Obviously, Pantone colours are less useful within a screen-print studio but that's just a guide. Anywhere between a yellow and acid green would be nice. And I think the poster stock tends to be cream.
The stipulated colours are respectively a metallic silver, a chartreuse-like shade [picked as #381] and black. Obviously, Pantone colours are less useful within a screen-print studio but that's just a guide. Anywhere between a yellow and acid green would be nice. And I think the poster stock tends to be cream.
16/09/2010
Mosca - 'Tilt Shift'
MP3 Links:
Tilt Shift
Square One EP
Square One VIP
Following on from the last post there was another idea I'd played with involving the QR-Code's aesthetic. This was developed for a forthcoming independent release by Mosca that really doesn't suffer from any issues of utilising supposedly corporate elements. In fact it subverts that idea in an attempt to display an underground artist/producer as a branded commodity complete with a bold logotype.
Other influences for this included a colour reference to Mosca's previous 'Square One' on the excellent Night Slugs label plus a nod to some psychedelic-edged/retro-futurist 'seeping' style that was triggered by the track's often amorphous and percolating structure. But, visually and sonically, that's a very personal interpretation. I dare say that the official release may come with a more literal reference to the tilt shift photography that gives the record its title.
Tilt Shift
Square One EP
Square One VIP
Following on from the last post there was another idea I'd played with involving the QR-Code's aesthetic. This was developed for a forthcoming independent release by Mosca that really doesn't suffer from any issues of utilising supposedly corporate elements. In fact it subverts that idea in an attempt to display an underground artist/producer as a branded commodity complete with a bold logotype.
Other influences for this included a colour reference to Mosca's previous 'Square One' on the excellent Night Slugs label plus a nod to some psychedelic-edged/retro-futurist 'seeping' style that was triggered by the track's often amorphous and percolating structure. But, visually and sonically, that's a very personal interpretation. I dare say that the official release may come with a more literal reference to the tilt shift photography that gives the record its title.
15/09/2010
Electronic Battle Weapon
The Chemical Brothers began their 'Electronic Battle Weapon' series in 1996 so that fans and DJs could obtain the records that the duo had created with their own club sets in mind. Now ten strong, some of those tracks have since featured on official Chemical Brothers releases although, at the time of their issuing, they were very much part of an underground tradition of promotional material.
I wanted to propose a design for a hypothetical number eleven that would address a number of issues. Firstly there is the problematic nature of big selling artists maintaining those undergroud credentials. I put something in my report about the 'under-design' being used to suggest "a dependable realness" or what Redhead described as "a regime of truth" (Redhead 1993:121).
Particularly identified in subcultures that retain elements of exclusivity through the shared self-identification of being an outsider, there can be a rejection of anything approaching mainstream assimilation. In clubbing circles, this can manifest as a rejection of commercially-minded major labels. But the problem regarding a major label promoting material that it wants to be taken seriously outside of the Top 40-oriented demographic also related to my own desire to utilise QR-Codes within this project: as much as I love their pixelated nonsense and what they can do, they just seemed too corporate. So the idea here was to go back to a quote from producer Andrew Weatherall (who remixed The Chemical Brothers' first single, by the way) about the notion of the future as being this sleek, shiny techno vision. He believed that his 'future' aesthetic is one where the world is falling apart. I wanted to allow that to be used with this contemporary gadgetry. While also relating a proposal to the more underground design that is used to promote low budget, independent dance releases - the white label and the crudely applied stamp [figure 3]. So basically, after some deliberation, I wanted to revise the QR-Code as a deteriorated rubber stamped, monochromatic image across a 12" single.
For the vinyl itself, I went back to the laser-etching approach for a disc with one playable side. But the design was very much about going back to roots - albeit while acknowledging the year 2010 - so it additionally took layout inspiration from the pair's oldest 'Dust Brothers' releases through the Junior Boy's Own label. While it emulates the rubber stamp, given the size it is actually screenprinted using a pre-deteriorated digital image.
The B-side will feature a 'correctly' printed QR-Code directing users to a similarly rough looking Chemical Brothers microsite with all info, a MP3/WAV version, mailing list sign-up [for upfront details of new tracks] and a gateway to other currently available purchases including more general releases.
I wanted to propose a design for a hypothetical number eleven that would address a number of issues. Firstly there is the problematic nature of big selling artists maintaining those undergroud credentials. I put something in my report about the 'under-design' being used to suggest "a dependable realness" or what Redhead described as "a regime of truth" (Redhead 1993:121).
Particularly identified in subcultures that retain elements of exclusivity through the shared self-identification of being an outsider, there can be a rejection of anything approaching mainstream assimilation. In clubbing circles, this can manifest as a rejection of commercially-minded major labels. But the problem regarding a major label promoting material that it wants to be taken seriously outside of the Top 40-oriented demographic also related to my own desire to utilise QR-Codes within this project: as much as I love their pixelated nonsense and what they can do, they just seemed too corporate. So the idea here was to go back to a quote from producer Andrew Weatherall (who remixed The Chemical Brothers' first single, by the way) about the notion of the future as being this sleek, shiny techno vision. He believed that his 'future' aesthetic is one where the world is falling apart. I wanted to allow that to be used with this contemporary gadgetry. While also relating a proposal to the more underground design that is used to promote low budget, independent dance releases - the white label and the crudely applied stamp [figure 3]. So basically, after some deliberation, I wanted to revise the QR-Code as a deteriorated rubber stamped, monochromatic image across a 12" single.
For the vinyl itself, I went back to the laser-etching approach for a disc with one playable side. But the design was very much about going back to roots - albeit while acknowledging the year 2010 - so it additionally took layout inspiration from the pair's oldest 'Dust Brothers' releases through the Junior Boy's Own label. While it emulates the rubber stamp, given the size it is actually screenprinted using a pre-deteriorated digital image.
The B-side will feature a 'correctly' printed QR-Code directing users to a similarly rough looking Chemical Brothers microsite with all info, a MP3/WAV version, mailing list sign-up [for upfront details of new tracks] and a gateway to other currently available purchases including more general releases.
14/09/2010
Dead Formats series
Bockingford Ex Rough 300gsm haunted by the ghosts of music past.
Set of three.
Edition of 20.
Set of three.
Edition of 20.
12/09/2010
The Big Pink - Tapes
A format proposal for the Tapes compilation put together by The Big Pink for the K7 label. This takes 'Tapes' to its most literal conclusion yet it also uses the unplayable format to highlight how the majority of the compiled music doesn't even exist in a physical form. The package also attempts to create intrigue by secreting the information (download links, sleeve notes, etc) inside the spool-less cassette. The opening of the case with the supplied screwdriver forces the purchaser to invest effort and time into the download process culminating in a forced ritual aiming to heighten anticipation.
External text is laser-etched on card and internal text is printed on lightweight tracing paper. Initially there was a suggestion of incorporating a 'euro hole' for hanging the card as "product" but, later, it was felt that a more minimal approach captured some of the eeriness of the 'haunted' hypnotic tracks selected by The Big Pink's Milo Cordell. A key influence in the use of restrained aesthetic was Cordell's description of it as "the sound of America slowly dying" so, like some of the other deliverables for this semester's project, it tries to communicate a sense of 'the memorial'.
*Additional note: I should have mentioned that the dimensions of the pack was determined by the kind of media mail packaging that amazon uses for DVDs, books, etc. The hand-in will be presented in one of these. The additional layer is not just to post the item: it relates to Tal Brosh's comments about opening an item which, of course, influenced the deliverable itself.
External text is laser-etched on card and internal text is printed on lightweight tracing paper. Initially there was a suggestion of incorporating a 'euro hole' for hanging the card as "product" but, later, it was felt that a more minimal approach captured some of the eeriness of the 'haunted' hypnotic tracks selected by The Big Pink's Milo Cordell. A key influence in the use of restrained aesthetic was Cordell's description of it as "the sound of America slowly dying" so, like some of the other deliverables for this semester's project, it tries to communicate a sense of 'the memorial'.
*Additional note: I should have mentioned that the dimensions of the pack was determined by the kind of media mail packaging that amazon uses for DVDs, books, etc. The hand-in will be presented in one of these. The additional layer is not just to post the item: it relates to Tal Brosh's comments about opening an item which, of course, influenced the deliverable itself.
11/09/2010
Fabric series
I was thinking about the serial nature of music releases and how this contributes to collectability. So I considered the Fabric and Fabriclive catalogue which has been issued with some interesting artwork. A large amount of it has employed esoteric illustration/photography but, as a series, it does shift after a few releases; seemingly created as a smaller series before a new batch, employing an alternative style, arrives. However the promo versions (pictured) have eschewed the full artwork for a more consistent and simple colour-based series.
From my own perspective these reverse board slip cases have become a visual shorthand for the releases and I now recognise the one by Martyn as green, Buraka Som Sistema as yellow, Filthy Dukes as orange, etc. I decided to use Fabric's logo to devise an alternative code system that would work together visually in some way yet rely on a more complex form for recognition.
The dogtooth image Fabric uses immediately presents an opportunity for it to be used in a number of alternative ways as a tesselated pattern. Subsequently I created a few alternatives that would then be used in conjuntion with a circular form [owing to the fact that there is a relationship between the circle and the music format]. The idea is that these lightweight card options - perfect for mailing as part of a membership series - are issued with their respective download links as decorative objects. Alligned, multiples make up further shapes (that are dependent on their number and order) that I felt were almost sci-fi in their approximation of a representation of music. In fact one of the kids I was working with thought that it looked like the Death Star from Star Wars which I'm sure has something to do with the created illusion of a sphere.
From my own perspective these reverse board slip cases have become a visual shorthand for the releases and I now recognise the one by Martyn as green, Buraka Som Sistema as yellow, Filthy Dukes as orange, etc. I decided to use Fabric's logo to devise an alternative code system that would work together visually in some way yet rely on a more complex form for recognition.
The dogtooth image Fabric uses immediately presents an opportunity for it to be used in a number of alternative ways as a tesselated pattern. Subsequently I created a few alternatives that would then be used in conjuntion with a circular form [owing to the fact that there is a relationship between the circle and the music format]. The idea is that these lightweight card options - perfect for mailing as part of a membership series - are issued with their respective download links as decorative objects. Alligned, multiples make up further shapes (that are dependent on their number and order) that I felt were almost sci-fi in their approximation of a representation of music. In fact one of the kids I was working with thought that it looked like the Death Star from Star Wars which I'm sure has something to do with the created illusion of a sphere.
10/09/2010
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