LISTENING TO THE FUTURE

LISTENING TO THE FUTUREA new experimental approach to musicBrighton - 20/03/2014 Davide Costantino

FdA Music Production - Year 1

MUSIC AS THE VOICE OF RIOTSThe New nationality Act in Britain

The decline of punk movement

A New Wave

Using electrical signals to create new sounds

The New Nationality Act in BritainLabour government of James Callaghan's attempt to enforce limits on pay rises to curb inflation was the major factor that caused a series of public strikes during the winter of 197879 in the United Kingdom.

The government's inability to contain the strikes earlier helped lead to Margaret Thatchers Conservative victory in the 1979 general election and legislation to restrict trade unions freedom of action.

In January 1981 the Conservative party passed a new Nationality Act which effectively removed the right to British citizenship from significant numbers of New Commonwealth citizens who had previously been classed as British citizens.

A huge increase in raids carried out by police and immigration officers, mainly on Asian businesses with large numbers of workers, the vast majority of whom had committed no offence yet and were questioned and arrested under the new immigration legislation.

Warrants were now issued without having to refer to the names of particular individuals. These effectively gave carte blanche to police and immigration officials to raid both the businesses and the homes of black and Asian residents in Britain.

Margaret Thatcher

Bristol - 1980

Brixton - 1981

Liverpool - 1981

Southall - 1981The decline of Punk movement The lack of opportunities or alternatives to the prevailing economic conditions gave rise to a much angrier cry of protest, more aggressive and even at times more violent.

British Punk Rock was a working class sub-cultural response to the conditions of existence of sections of the working and unemployed youth. When the Sex Pistols topped the charts in Britain, and climbed high in America, Canada, and elsewhere, punk enjoyed its most flourishing period.

When the raw forces and ugliness of punk succumbed to corporate-capitalism within a few short years, the music/style was proven profitable. Punk degenerated from being a force for change, to becoming just another element in the grand media circus.

On the other hand, British punk was a dynamic stimulus for British new wave, it was more the aggression and energy that tended to revitalize and challenge other musicians to explore new and extremely diverse range of musical styles and approaches and political attitudes. As a category it most accurately describes the new field of young musicians open to experimentation and different musical forms such as reggae and other West Indian sounds (steel drums), as opposed to the more conservative established rock and roll stars.

The Dead Boys A new WaveWhile the African, Caribbean and Asian populations of multiracial Britain were divided by language, religion, national origins and cultural practices, they nevertheless shared a common history of colonial oppression, common description as Commonwealth immigrants and similar discriminatory treatment as the victims of race hatred, housing discrimination and social and political exclusion.

The Specials are a good example of a new wave of musicians expressing public discord and racial issues. They were socially as well as racially mixed.

Ghost Town addresses themes ofunemploymentandviolenceininner cities, the song is remembered for being a hit at the same time asriotswere occurring in British cities.

The Specials

The Specials Ghost Town7Using electrical signals to create new sounds

TheProphet-5 - synthesizer of the late 1970s-early 80s. Synthesizers changed the way music was produced since the late 1970s. This machine was able toimitate other instruments or generate electric signals (waveforms), to be converted into sound.

By the early 1980s companies were selling compact, modestly priced synthesizers to the public, which made them more accessible.

Tubeway Army- Are Friends Electric?

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