Links to Dom Smith…

I have decided after much deliberation that rather than keep too many blogs at once, I would just place essential links here for people who want to read my work OR get in touch…

Myspace – my personal page where I blog.

Khaoz Media – I am the blog editor for this group in York.

SPHERE Magazine – I am the Editor of this online alternative and dark music publucation.

SPHERE @ Myspace.

SPHERE @ Twitter.

Website – My personal website is here and it details the services that I can provide and also has a blog which I update often.

Thank you.

All the love in the world…

Dom [S]

To leave you on a happy note…

Coming…

back around…

Sophie cases from the court: Online coverage comparison

 

With a court decision coming next week deciding the fates of the two young teenagers who attacked Sophie Lancaster in August of last year, I examine how two major publications have covered the instances in court.

Firstly, to look at the BBC’s online coverage from 7 September of last year, one month after the murder of Sophie Lancaster and the brutal beating of her boyfriend Robert Maltby.

Link to the BBC article

The BBC’s website said:

“Two boys aged 15 and 16 from Shawforth, and a 17-year-old from Bacup were bailed by Burnley magistrates.

Two other youths, a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old, are due to appear in court later.

The five had initially been charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent but the count was changed to murder following a review by the Crown Prosecution Service.” 

Second BBC News Online article

The BBC’s method of coverage when the incident was first reported was, as one would expect very formal and factual. Similarly early this year on March 27, BBC.co.uk reported on the up to date proceedings of the case:

“Prosecutor Michael Shorrock had told the court the gang, who had been drinking, had turned on the young couple simply because they were Goths and were dressed differently.

Harris admitted punching Mr Maltby once in the face, but claimed he played no further part in the attack.

Both Harris and Herbert pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm to Mr Maltby, along with three other males, two aged 17 and one 16, who still cannot be named.”

The article carried on to state that the judge was bound to give the boys life sentences but that the tarriffs would be set on 28 April. 

Here we can see that the BBC are completely objective and give essential facts and quotes from those involved in the investigation.

 The Mirror’s Online Article

The Mirror’s site on the other hand displays a more colloqual approach, speaking directly to the reader in their report from March 13:

“A chilling 999 call made by a sobbing girl as she saw a young couple being savagely beaten just because they were goths was played to a court yesterday”

One could argue that using leading lexis such as “Savagely beaten” gives too much information for the average reader, but that The Mirror’s way of reporting the story will inspire more of a reaction from the audience. Although this is not always the best way to report, I think it identifies with the reader more in keeping with the “red top” convention.

The article continues:

“A witness said: “They were kicking her all over her head, at jumping on their heads.”

Again, in my view the paper does not need to include this kind of quote, though it gives a true sense of the gravity of the story, again this emotive language is more than likely to inspire an angry response from the middle class male readership of the Mirror who will probably associate their children with Sophie in someway.

I do prefer the BBC’s method of looking at the story, purely because it gives more un-biased facts and there is an argument that with the Mirror inspiring more of a reaction, and as aforementioned this could have negative implications in areas local to the story now that the young teens, who are over 18 have been named.

I think in cases of this magnitude, The Mirror need to have far more consideration for the personal and “harrowing” details that are being released in the above report. 

On the final day of proceedings on April 28 outside Preston Crown Court there will be a peaceful protest organised by Sophie’s supporters, with no banners or noise, to illustrate the growing power behind the S.O.P.H.I.E campaign.    

The origins of Cyberpunk?

Cyber fashion?

 

I had always assumed that Cyberpunk was an incredibly obscure sub genre to Industrial music. I found that it could just be this, but it could also be a completely different thing, it could be an obscure but powerful movement that inspires writing and rebellion.

 

Science-fiction editor Gardner Dozois is thought of as the person who first made a use of the term “cyberpunk” for his literature, although I believe that it is more applicable and relevant to cite American writer Bruce Bethke who used the term in 1980 for his short story “Cyberpunk,” which was published in the November 1983 issue of Amazing Science Fiction Stories.

 

Here are a number of publications and titles avaliable through Amazon which are about Cyberpunk in some form.       

The stories as far as I understand would turn your average computer hacker into a hero of sorts, the hacker would use his skills to fight injustice. Of course this protagonist would be a loner and have some kind of dark past.

 

 Now, I am not discrediting the idea, the style has inspired numerous films in recent times including the clever animation and real life combination that was 2006’s A Scanner Darkly or even the computer led age specified in Blade Runner (1982), where manufactured beings are slaves to human bounty hunters.

 

There is even a “Cyberpunk” Anime Series. It is also worth mentioning, and this maybe obvious to any reader that The Matrix embodies the Cyberpunk aesthetic to a huge degree. The common ground of course, is that there is a harsh reality brought forward within a futuristic landscape. It sounds cool, but I think if this world ever got cyber punk’d we would be finished and robots would rule the world, but that is another story for another time.

 

It is my belief the Cyberpunk’s writers are trying to describe what they perceive to be a very intelligent and powerful underground side of an “electronic” based society. It is my opinion also, that people who believe in the ideas are intrigued in joint parts by punk ideologies and image, and also by the power of the internet age and how it can be used to benefit the individual, giving them notoriety for example that otherwise they would never have received.

 

Perhaps the most recognizable recrding of Cyberpunk is author William Gibson (with his novel Neuromancer from 1984) is credited by Wikipedia as someone who is likely to be the most famous writer connected with the term cyberpunk.

 

Wiki says of the book:” He [Gibson] emphasized style, a fascination with surfaces, the “look and feel” of the future, and atmosphere over traditional science-fiction.”

 

Others seem unable to come up with a sufficient definition, though I have become rather fond of this one to do with the music that has become associated with the style. Calling myself a music journalist I think that this description from  Boston Globe journalist Nathan Cobb (1992) turns this obscure word into something exciting and wholly relevant to the youth of today and to the punks, goths and alternative culture of the 70’s and 80’s as well.

 

Cobb said: “Starting around the year 1990, popular culture began to include a movement in both music and fashion that called itself “cyberpunk,” and that became particularly associated with the rave and techno subcultures. Cyberpunk artists used technology in their music just because they could; it was “the wizardry of the hacker meets the alienation of the punk.” 

 

 

To conclude, I think that Cyberpunk, cannot really be defined it’s more a concrete definition for obscure sub genres in music, film and art. It’s certainly more commercially viable (in terms of attracting more attention) than Industrial (in music) or I would argue “Film Noir” (in film). I doubt the phrase will ever really catch on in mainstream society, but the style certainly deserves to be written about and recognised in some form, so here you go.

 

 Please enjoy some Cyberpunk clips with typical films, anime and some music from Juno Reactor attached to it. This video was put together by Teh1337Fist on Youtube. (no copyright clearance)  

 

If you would like more information about contemparary Cyberpunk and it’s relevance please check out The

CyberPunk Project at: The Cyberpunk Project , though the site ended in 2002 it has a wealthy library of background information on the subject.

 

You may also want to check out this very good quality site:

- Cyberpunk Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The UK “Alternative & Underground Music Scene”

Leading the charge from out of the underground – Panic Cell

 In this blog I would like to look at how other people look at the underground music divide between the UK and US in terms of quality.

It is my view that the U.K has trailed behind the US for years in terms of good quality “alternative” or underground music. I mean for alternative rock, our standouts in recent years have been Muse, Gallows and Funeral For a Friend. These are all bands that have garnered critical acclaim over here and gone on to bigger and better things in the States.

 There is so much credibility for a band who breaks into the States, in my view there is not enough faith put in the younger generation of bands coming from the underground who need to take inspiration from the sound of bands like The Clash, TheCure or Iron Maiden. However, bands are so set on “The Big Time” that more and more are trying to sound like the last great American band because they feel it will make them more successful.

The US has always had an answer to everything we have thrown at them (until Leona Lewis, but we’re talking rock here people) with bands like 30 Seconds to Mars, Panic At The Disco and Fallout Boy leading the Yanks to mass commercial success in British charts and in merchandise sales. That’s the alternative side, and that is where sides had been pretty much equal.

James Wignall’s 2007 blog for The Guardian examines this idea of us vs. them looking at the calibre of alternative and underground bands we have had right from the 70’s and onward:

“It wasn’t always thus: up until about a decade ago, there was no disparity. Through garage to punk, for every Sonics, Voidoids and Ramones we matched them with the Pretty Things, the Sex Pistols and the Clash. With alternative/indie rock, they had the holy quartet of Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr, Pixies and Pavement – but then we had bands of their equal such as the Fall, My Bloody Valentine, Jesus and Mary Chain and Stereolab.”

Wignall goes on to say that back in the day we matched the States in electro music as well, with Aphex Twin, Autechre and more recently (1995..) Mogwai keeping our dreams of weird music domination alive and shouting, for the US though, Wignall argues that bands like Battles and Eat Tapes have taken the lead in the last few years leaving us eating major dirt.

So what’s the problem? In my view as I outlined above it is because our market is dominated by US bands so that’s all young musicians can really be inspired by at the moment. The Guardian blog doesn’t exactly offer  a great counterpoint and proceeds to describe a British label who puts on American acts:

“There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Formed in 2003 by “a bunch of kids who were bored of the London music scene”, London-based promoters Upset the rhythm are one of the most important allies of underground music in the UK. While the majority of the acts they put on are US-based, for the reason I’m laying out here, they also are also fiercely supportive of UK acts, and, as they put it, are committed to “showcasing and supporting new, and often unheard of, local musicians”.

While there is merit to what they are doing, it seems that we cannot escape the clutches of the all powerful US Industry.

You see my own counter to this argument would be the up and coming independent rock and metal label Casket Music based in Oxford, housing a crème of Northern bands like Systemyk, and Southern bands (like Panic Cell or Caffeine Kill) some, have attracted the attention of bigger US labels like Roadrunner and some, have stuck it out and continued to play the U.K building a powerful reputation.

In my view, this label houses some of the best underground talent the U.K has to offer the bands have a range of musical influences and a different sound, some are progressive rock, some are powerpop. There is so much choice, but just because they don’t look like one million pounds and have to pay (still) for transport to their own gigs doesn’t mean that they are going to provide you with a less quality show that current US alternative rock favourites HelloGoodbye or Madina Lake for example.  

Casket say: “Not to be set by any genre limitations, Casket deals have been purposely designed to help self-financed product get into the shops, and enjoy the fruits of a Record Label team for Marketing, Distribution and all manner of promotion.”

With labels like this supporting all aspects of a band’s progress, hopefully the British alternative and underground scene will thrive again making our music truly original and something to be very proud of.

 

John Prescott and the press

 

 

MSN.com’s report

 

In the wake of John Prescott announcing that he has struggled for 20 years with Bulimia, I wanted to examine how the story has been seized by the press, and how John Prescott’s reputation is maintained.

 

In April 2008, MSN.com gave a very balanced and un-biased account of Prescott’s condition, which I personally believe is admirable given the seriousness of the condition and also taking into acount Mr.Prescott’s past decisions (in government) and how they have been percieved by the press.  

 

 

The Author Ambika Behal wrote in the above: “Prescott fell into the bulimic cycle by devouring junk food and then making himself ill. His typical comfort foods included Marks & Spencer’s trifles, digestive biscuits and fish and chips. 

 

Behal continued: “He [Prescott] confessed that he hoarded snacks in his office and stuffed himself when no one was around. The routine made its way into his home as well. Prescott never had seconds when his wife, Pauline, offered, but then he would raid the refrigerator and pantry when she was out of sight.”

 

The article was particularly positive and left Prescott in a good light, and I think that this article will win him newfound popularity where previously it has been lacking. This piece of work “paints the picture” of this public figure as a hero, and perhaps there is weight here to the argument that the British press are often fickle, and will change their tune easily.

 

By this I mean that, where previously all the papers have criticised the former MP for his policies and his decisions now they will champion him for his bravery. Though of course, for his choice to admit his condition, in this instance he deserves kudos.

 

The writer of the article also needs to be commended for the detail used to describe the symptoms of the condition and giving sufficient links so that a reader who maybe a  sufferer can get help and support.

 

This is something that sets it apart from other articles dealing with this topic. However this could be due to the more colloquial tone that MSN.com adopts which will relax the reader.

 

A look at The Independent’s coverage

 

The Independent similarly keeps a positive view of Prescott’s confession, giving a balance of positive and negative that gives the overall tone of the article a “triumph over tragedy” feel, first we have the tragic element:

 

“Other people might have taken to drink, said Mr Prescott. But he would “scoff” a whole packet of digestives. “I could sup a whole tin of Carnation Condensed Milk just for the taste… Marks and Spencer’s trifles… I can eat them forever. Whenever I go to Mr Chu’s in Hull, my favourite Chinese restaurant… I could eat my way through the entire menu.”

 

And then the triumph element comes into play at the conclusion of the story, aimed at inspiring both sympathy and emotion within the reader:

 

“Eating disorder experts praised Mr Prescott’s bravery. A consultant psychiatrist, Dr Ty Glover, said Mr Prescott’s confession would help other men with eating disorders. “It’s hard enough for a young girl to confess to, but for a high-profile male politician approaching 70, it’s especially impressive,” he said.

 

In this instance, the paper will know that readers will be used to seeing Prescott in a political role, and portrayed in a negative light. This story seems to be aimed at changing people’s opinions of the subject, rather than focussing on the condition like the first article.

 

The Guardian coverage

 

The Guardian takes an interesting view on the matter, choosing to look at the affects of the condition on men, rather than the pre-conception that it only affects girls and women. This idea is displayed here as Dr Glover, a specialist with Affinity Healthcare, at Cheadle Royal Hospital in Cheshire, states:

 

“It’s believed that one in 10 bulimia sufferers are men but I have never in all my years as a consultant specialising in eating disorders come across a man this old suffering from bulimia.”

 

Glover continues: “It seriously makes me think that maybe we’re completely missing a whole audience of middle-aged men who are too scared to admit they have a problem. While girls and young women aged 12 to 20 account for 80% of new cases of eating disorders, boys and men are also affected, eating disorder support charity Beat said”.

 

The article carries on adding to the focus: “Susan Ringwood, the chief executive of Beat, said: “It is probably under-diagnosed – even a doctor doesn’t necessarily think it can affect a boy or a man.”

 

Obviously The Guardian have realised the need to address an issue that so far seems to have remained uncovered, or at least has been ignored by the British press. I think this article has the most appropriate focus, instead of just concentrating on Prescott, the paper chooses to pull focus and concentrate on how the condition could be affecting men as well as women.

 

I think that although the first article (MSN) gives valuable information about Bulimia, and the second, Independant article is more personal, and looks at Prescott’s character, the Guardian article is far more likely to make the reader react because the tone is more factual and so arguably more urgent.

 

As a result, I believe after reading that a parent or wife will be more willing (and aware) when it comes to helping their child or partner.

Mixing beats: Electro/Rock & Genres

The Prodigy

 For your pleasure, here is a definition of a music blogger in blog form no less!

This is what I will attempt to be here, I will introduce you to new music and bands, I will discuss genre and I will discuss genre and its impact. Here goes!

 I would like to argue in this week’s blog that there is not enough exposure for a genre that melds two of the most popular forms of contemporary music today. I question, is that because the way it is described is too ambiguous i.e: Industrial? Electroclash? New Wave?

Taking the best parts of dance and electronica and mixing in cutting guitars and emotive vocals usually pasted over from the rock genre, this style has its roots in the music of Depeche Mode, Gary Numan and The Prodigy. Over the years it has been developed into a prominent and defined style by the likes of Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson in the United States.

With so many sub genre’s linked into it, industrial being an example on the heavier end of things, the above bands like Manson (who mix heavy metal with electro beats) and indie/electronica bands like the Postal Service arguably also deserving of inclusion in this study, purely because of the way they blend dance and rock together with such ease.

The scope is so wide here particularly when examining the level of cohesion avaliable between these two genres, that there is arguably limitless potential. In the commercial world bands that mix dance music or drum and bass beats with guitars are Pendulum and Nightbreed UK to name a few. Shy Child are a  softer more indie styled band and are a recent discovery of mine. Other recent discoveries worth a mention in this context are DOES IT OFFEND YOU, YEAH? (UK) and a now defunct band that blend electronica with hard punk, metal and a fair bit of swearing added in called THE SHIZIT (US)

Each of these bands are unique in the truest sense of the word, give them a click and see if you agree?

In other blogs the genre of industrial is described and I feel this is the most “eerie” description for any reader, penned here by a writer under the name of Vixen Crabtree in 2002. I would like to contest with the writer’s argument, in my view, all bands that meld the genres of electronica, dance and rock should be put into a genre! People who like The Prodigy should be able to easily find bands that are alike…but there is no specific genre classification and so it becomes impossible.

Now, I know some argument will come from those who believe that you should not lump music into sections or specific styles…that it “defies the point of the music”. What I mean by this is that so often people who listen to electronica or indie music would not think to listen to an amalgamation of the two because this type of music because they cannot describe it coherently, and so there is no point of reference for a listener who simply wants to find more exciting and top quality music.

This inventive and forward thinking style (and indeed others, which I’m sure you can think of ….*INSERT HERE*) deserves exposure and should be allowed to flourish, however they cannot because unlike “house music” or “pop-punk” there is nowhere on the web or in the commercial media for them to reference to find a specific tag for this kind of music.

Using this idea as a spearhead, I would to look at if a genre classification is needed to boost enjoyment of music, so people can find what they want a little easier! I will look now at other blogs that discuss music genre. 

Here the Guardian presents a useful blog that discusses trying to name a specific band, and how in all honesty, it’s fun to try and find bands and to pigeonhole them. The example the author Trevor Baker uses is “Vampire Weekend” a popular band of the moment and definitely one of the picks of 2008 to discuss the problem that I have been having with electro/rock music.

This is the most comprehensive blog I have found on the subject. Trevor Baker describes the genre that “his” band falls into:

 “I still find it weird that fans of music with walls of distorted guitar and breathy vocals have uncomplainingly accepted Shoegazing as the name of the genre they love. Why did the much more flattering and arguably more descriptive American term Dreampop never catch on?”

Baker continues: “More recently I’ve seen complex and intelligent bands like Battles described as Math-Rock which is even worse, especially when reduced to “a bit math-y”. The problem seems to be that new scenes are often christened by people who don’t like the music very much.”

The author of this blog finds the music he writes about difficult to “put into a box” as he concludes:

 “Anyway, it’s not too late to give Vampire Weekend and their lesser-known ilk a decent scene to belong to. Apparently they’re influenced by the African musical style Hi-life so that may need to be incorporated in the title somewhere. They also have a touch of the clean-cut poppiness of Hanson’s Mmmbop about them. So how about Hi-bop? No, that’s rubbish isn’t it? It turns out this isn’t as easy as I’d thought…”

At this point I would like to leave the floor open, as I seem to want to start a fight that I am destined to loose. Fighting for genre classification when I do not even have the conviction to come up with a viable and solid tag for The Prodigy and their unique entourage…I’ll keep trying though. 

The Prodigy – Poison

 

 

Army WAGs and their exposure in the British press

I would like to talk about the exposure of Army Wives and Girlfriends in the U.K.

Stumbling upon a site which specifically holds WAG blogs it is interesting to note, that this “haven” offers up a far more interesting look at this culture than any other media thus far. It’s a gossip site but in turn it seems to create a community.

The site gives these women a chance to vent their issues, ideas and opinions online as part of an original and powerful body of people that will accept, inform and entertain each other. From an outsiders perspective feasibly this would be far more interesting and educational than anything that has been written on paper.  

The site in question is HERE As a website, it is raw featuring everything from WAG’s celebrity opinions, and sexually provocative advertisements to news and current affairs. The point is that these girls are proud and independent people. They are strong willed and deserve a platform to express their views, this is one major opportunity for them to exploit and I believe that the website goes along way into shaping the WAG’s identity as a valid group within contemporary society. By this I mean that the site offers an opportunity for the group to expand and evolve.  

Though, it should be noted that the website does not take away from the established image of WAG’s as a group who seem to be the epitome of the “STAND BY YOUR MAN” adage giving everything they have to maintaining a homelife while their men are away fighting the “good fight”.

While of course the tremendous courage of the men in the armed forces is not to be “sniffed” at, their “other halves” deserve better exposure from the contemporary press who continuously portray them to be a sideline of the male’s efforts. It is worth exploring whether this is the case recently:

Compliments must go to this writer, who in 2006 exposed a dangerous string of death threats involving wives and girlfriends to the national media. View the article here.

Similarly, in the previous year (2005) the Telegraph put forward an article which is both intelligent and informative giving an insight into WAG life, the second article is here.

In my view, the WAGS are still an under-appreciated voice in British society and they should be recognised as remarkably independent and strong willed. I do not think that enough exposure within the media has been given to this group especially within the last year (2007).

Though with the articles mentioned in this blog, it is true to say that they are not completely ignored at least.

 

The disputed genre….Industrial Metal?

 I want to talk to you about the music industry and the usefulness of genre classification for bands trying to find an identity.

Let’s take one really obscure sub-genre….Industrial Metal

Let’s look at some of it’s more powerful acts and associations: Marilyn Manson, Ministry & Nine Inch Nails are prime example.

These bands have found something niche, a heavy music blend of technology machines and acoustic instrumentation. It’s not mass, it’s underground. It is in fact, a cult.

For more information on the genre, visit these links for me:

Wiki definition (for a “simple” definition) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_music

Here is somebody’s review of an industrial act from earlier this month: (a different view)  http://www.waytooloud.com/2007/12/03/havoc-unit-hiv-hoarse-industrial-viremia/

Here are the three aforementioned bands at myspace:

www.myspace.com/marilynmanson

www.myspace.com/nin

www.myspace.com/ministrymusic

Some of the contemporaries of the Industrial genre include:

American Head Charge: www.myspace.com/americanheadcharge

Sybreed: www.myspace.com/sybreed

Orgy: www.myspace.com/orgy

 And for those who don’t believe NIN started the “Industrial revolution” (which would be true, really) there are many bands that influence the genre and it’s artists. From the commercial sect of Depeche Mode and The Cure to the harder and more niche stuff like Die Krupps (www.myspace.com/diekrupps) and the essential mentalists http://www.myspace.com/endisca (Einstürzende Neubauten )  

I hope you will check these bands out, and in turn recognise Industrial and all it’s sub-genres as a powerful style and form of expression. No genre should be ignored, they are anchors for us to find the music we like. Something for us to search for on google when we are starved of inspiration. Something that will keep us sane and interested in the music industry for decades.

Ministry – Lies, Lies, Lies

 

DprS (EYEMUSIK)