pleasure || machines of joy: i have seen the future and it is squiggly

Machines of Joy: I Have Seen the Future and It Is SquigglyAuthor(s): David ByrneSource: Leonardo Music Journal, Vol. 12, Pleasure (2002), pp. 7-10Published by: The MIT PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1513342 .

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Machines ofJoy: I Have Seen

the Future and It Is Squiggly

David Byrne

B lip Hop as it is represented here is a form of music created at the end of the 20th century, primarily by Northern Europeans. For centuries these people have lived in a cold, damp climate, where the winters are long and gray. The social-democratic governments take care of their needs, leav-

ing the people with many hours of free time to spend with their computers, electronic devices and binary hierarchy trees (see Fig. 1). As a result of this ample leisure time, they have in recent years devised radical new programming languages and

unparalleled mobile-phone technology, and, as early as the late 1950s, they were the first people to enjoy art and music made entirely by machines.

These are the first people on Earth to create and live in

complete harmony with their machines. They have learned to think like machines and reflexively have developed machines that mimic the seeming quirky randomness of the human mind. Other societies have chafed at such symbiotic relation-

ships, but the Northern Europeans have turned, through years of trial and error and the process of natural selection, a seem-

ing handicap into a virtue and a unique way of life. A life that suits them, maximizes their strengths, minimizes their weak- nesses and lessens the effects of their unfortunate geography.

The geography and climate in Northern Europe (see Fig. 2) has historically necessitated the development of unusual per- sonal strength and perseverance-qualities evolved no doubt in order to survive the harsh months in the isolated villages and hamlets in that region (see Fig. 3). The long and dark winters favored a people who could look inward for months at a time and not go crazy. It would also favor intense social coop- eration-rules and sets of elaborate prescribed behaviors-all

designed to maintain the delicate social balance during those

long, difficult months. In addition, the inhabitants became ac- customed to a monotonous diet and sporadic social contact.

Naturally, all this has led to the evolution of a rather extreme but focused frame of mind. Order and thought became their

companions and allies. To survive in these harsh lands, one must live in an orderly fashion-the climate does not allow for much leisure or idleness. Every moment counts, and the sea- sons and hours during which farming is possible are short.

Fig. 1. Northern European binary hierarchy tree. (Illustration ? Danielle Spencer)

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00 0 0 0

nfy n"

0 0 00

Grazing lands are limited, and therefore fields and pastures are well delineated, marked out pre- cisely. The unforgiving geography has also led to the development of a society in which social relation-

ships are by necessity formal and well defined. A society in which op- portunities are infrequent and not to be squandered is a society in which order, planning, sacrifice and

diligence become one's closest friends.

ABSTRACT

The author discusses the relationship of human and machine in Northern European "Blip Hop." The embrace of electronic and computer technology by the region's inhabitants finds its musical expression in peculiar stylistic attributes. The author identifies a preference for obviously non- natural sounds, an avoidance of rhythms easily danced to and a disposition toward effects only achievable through computers (as well as the sounds of the malfunctions and failures of such technologies) as indicative of Northern European acceptance of this modern symbiosis.

Fig. 2. Map of Northern Europe.

David Byrne (composer, musician), Luaka Bop Research Facility, Todo Mundo, Box 652, (ooper Station, New York, NY 10276, U.S.A.

I,EONARDO MUSICJOURNAL, Vol. 12, pp. 7-10, 2002 7 ? 2002 ISAST



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Never comfortable with their bodies, due to years of wearing bulky warm clothes (Fig. 4) and to infrequent social interaction, the Northern Europeans have developed elaborate rituals in order to facilitate the physical contact needed

by all human beings. The football match and the disco have become the foremost

among these. We will ignore the football match for the time being, that phenom- enon being covered in depth and beau-

tifully by Professor Le Duc in his paper "The Bodies in The Bowl-A Study In Stadium Physicality," and will focus in- stead on the disco.

The disco developed in the middle

part of the century; a small-scale phe- nomenon limited to Gays, African- Americans and Socialites in the world's

capitals, it spread rapidly. From that sim-

ple seed it evolved in myriad directions- each manifestation unique and separate, with various aspects exaggerated or elim- inated in order to suit the needs and de- mands of the local inhabitants. Some music evolved in response to particular drugs and social situations and from the various economic classes involved with these clubs. Often the delineations between the various forms of music would be a means of marking social and class

territory (see Neil Withers, Handbag House and the Flavor of the Month [Cam- bridge Univ. Press, 1999]). Early discos were small compared to today's massive rave events involving tens of thousands of participants, but their formative patterns of behavior were similar, even in

Fig. 4. Traditional Northern European dress. (Illustration ? Danielle Spencer)

Fig. 3. Isolation of Northern European communities.

those primitive models. We see the elaborate dress codes, the repetitive rhythms, the consumption of intoxicants and/or psychoactive drugs and the restrictive

entry policies all in place years before the

emergence of the more famous models.

Typically, discos present dancing for the most part without physical contact, dancing that implies and insinuates fan- tastic sex later at a more private location. The promise is of better things later, pleasure deferred. This is a comforting and familiar mode of social and even spiritual interaction for the Northern Europeans, and therefore they adapted this form of dance to their own needs very rapidly. (Not as thoroughly as in Japan, it must be said, where the men and women danced facing away from each other dur-

ing this period, but the idea is the same.) It was therefore in this region that the

mechanically produced beats of Giorgio Moroder [1] and Kraftwerk [2] were created and eventually went on to gain worldwide acceptance. Other, more severe human-machine models were de-

veloped simultaneously by others.

Alongside these popular developments, the academic and intellectual communities saw the evolution of extremely conceptually based musics. The psychoa- coustic and direction-based music of Stock- hausen and others sometimes interacted with-and certainly had an influence on- the popular rituals and music for dancing developed by these same cultures. This academic music took forms in which both the performers and creators were treated somewhat like machines-both were given a set of written instructions (as opposed to musical notes, which are also a set of instructions) and were then asked to merely follow said directions. What differed between this mode and that of reading musical notation (e.g. Bach and the tempered scale, another process by which musical

production was ordered) was that instruc-

tionally based music was not only the means by which the music would be per- formed, but also the way in which it was created. The parallels to computer algorithms are obvious and need not be spelled out here (Fig. 5), but this might be the first instance of creative cultural production being willingly given over to a mechanized

process. Is this the triumph of Cartesian

logic (see Fig. 6) in an aspect of life not

prone to such ordering? One would think so, but there are many elements of this work, and of Northern European culture, that imply that things are not as simple as

they seem. The sense of irony and humor of the

Northern European has evolved to become something exquisite and refined. Herein lies the ghost in the machine. After many dark days and cold nights, and after many, many years, the mind

eventually begins to turn inward; and after such long periods of contemplation, of waiting and shivering, a person begins to differentiate between extremely subtle nuances of mental and emotional states, philosophical concepts and

thought patterns. In all peoples a sense of humor presupposes a common knowl-

edge and experience among the popu- lace, and that developed by the Northern

Europeans is based on the common in-

wardly directed interior experience, as it is one that they all share. Therefore, the

resulting sense of humor is subtle, fre-

quently extremely so, and can often be overlooked or go unnoticed by the out- sider. Often there appears to be no humor present at all, but this, it will be seen, is clearly not the case.

I would like to propose that much of this music and cultural production by Northern Europeans is meant to be per- ceived as humorous and ironic, and that their imitation of machine processes and

languages-even their imitation of mechanical dancing-are meant not to be taken at face value.

I would further propose that the Northern Europeans are in fact laughing at themselves, their own obsessions, psy- chological hang-ups and complexes, at the same time as they are indulging in these obsessions. They are laughing at

Fig. 5. Parallels to computer algorithms. (Illustration ? Danielle Spencer)

8 Byrne, Machines ofJoy

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Fig. 6. The triumph of Cartesian logic.

their own peculiarities and fixations on order, rules and rational thought, and yet they are producing music and rituals that both emanate from and encapsulate these same obsessions. The music ex- presses a love of order and logic and, at the same time, an anxiety regarding it.

There are three aspects of this music that might support this hypothesis:

1. The attraction to non-natural sounds, obviously not produced by natural or acoustic means.

2. The preponderance of herky-jerky rhythms and beats. The abhorrence and avoidance of smooth, "sensual" rhythms.

3. The attraction to structures and effects only possible through the use of the computer.

The use of almost exclusively non- natural sounds could be said to be an identifying feature of this music. Other electronic-based dance music styles made attempts to emulate and imitate the sounds of acoustic instruments-of drums and percussion especially, often using samples of acoustic instruments as their foundation. In this music there is a conscious denial of anything resembling acoustic "natural" sounds (for obvious ex- ceptions see below). This appears to be an aesthetic decision based on the invis- ible doctrine that honesty is virtuous; not only in daily behavior but also in cultural matters as well (consider the Bauhaus, Mies van der Rohe, etc.). The honest use of materials, in this case sonic materials, the acceptance of their machine origins and of their mechanical qualities, is a hallmark of this music. The music says that there is no need anymore to disguise the artificial sources of the sounds, no need to emulate "real" drums or pianos. In fact, the more obvious it is that the sounds were produced by artificial means, the more honest, and therefore better, the music is. More unnatural is natural, if you follow my meaning.

Some workers in this field (Matmos [3] and Skist [4], for example) use acousti- cally produced sounds to imitate elec- tronically produced sounds. This could be seen as a sonic equivalent of a philosophical conundrum. Illogical logic. Ir- rational rationality. These apparently twisted impulses also serve as examples

Gsoo sI \ooo?e?

Fig. 8. Some Blip Hop music utilizes the sounds of broken electronic filters. (Illustra- tion ? Danielle Spencer)

of the convoluted insider sense of humor referred to above.

As stated above, this outlook and ap- proach is not applicable only to music; it informs all aspects of the cultural life of the Northern European. Although its influence sometimes filters in slowly, im- perceptibly. The humor and slyness is always apparent if one looks closely.

The preponderance of herky-jerky rhythms (Fig. 7) is another unifying aspect of this music. Again, there seems to be a willful attraction towards rhythms that have no obvious references to African- rooted music-Funk, Hip-Hop, House or any of the other sensuous body rhythms. Paradoxically, that is not to say that the music does not have roots in many of these same styles. Pole, for example, uses the delays and techniques of Jamaican dub as a foundation for their experiments [5]. Other artists are clearly indebted to Hip-Hop. They have strayed far from their musical parents-these children are for the most part unrecognizable.

These "spastic" rhythms also announce an intention to admit to the music's mechanical origins. It is a true celebration of those origins and a love of what they can produce. The Northern European has come to embrace what many other cultures abhor, and in so doing has created something hilarious and wonderful: Machines that laugh, sigh and swoon.

The third aspect of this music is that it revels in effects, structures and techniques

Fig . w9 . Bp Hp rhms inspire oe

Fig. 9. Blip Hop rhythms inspire one to twitch, to oscillate and to vibrate in an asexual sexuality-similar to the dance of single- celled organisms. (Illustration ? David Byrne)

that could only be possible using the computer as a tool and instrument. Impossibly accurate rhythms, inhumanly accurate in- terplay of sounds and beats, sudden abrupt transitions and perfect repetitions-all these effects revel in and are proud of their mechanical origins. The sounds themselves are flags and banners, heralding the aesthetic of the machine and of those machines gone slightly haywire.

Yes, as an apparent opposite to this per- ceived perfection, as a kind of sonic mind game, many composers findjoy and pleasure in the use of the sounds of their machines malfunctioning. Pole and the Mouse on Mars contemporary Oval [6] use the sampled sounds of stuck records and CDs, while others utilize the sounds of broken electronic filters. (Pole, the group, is named after a type of filter [see Fig. 8].) The obvious use of the sounds of their world-the world of ones, zeros, zips, pings, hisses and clicks-falling apart is another example of the willfully perverse celebration of the machine and simultaneously its limitations and fail- ings. There is humor inherent in this music and in its attendant rituals. This convoluted logic is in itself both a joke on obsessive rationality and an acceptance of its importance to this culture.

Fig. 7. Blip Hop has a preponderance of herky- jerky rhythms.

Byrne, Machines ofJoy 9



Fig. 10. Blip Hop points to many influences outside of itself. (Illustration ? Danielle Spencer)

This music has part of its roots, but not its sound, in dance music-House, Techno, Dub-Reggae, Hip-Hop and Elec- tro. But much of this music simultane-

ously and willfully also seems to deny the

physical. It is often difficult, if not im-

possible, to dance to it-not that it has no rhythms; it has lots of rhythms, but

they are often rhythms that do not relate to the body, to the human anatomy. They are rhythms that inspire one to twitch, to oscillate and to vibrate rather than to

sway and swing. It is an asexual sexual-

ity-possibly closer to the dance of sin-

gle-celled organisms (Fig. 9). To some extent the music refers to dance music; it is a signifier for dance music in that it uses the same technology and similar sound sources; it points to it, but it itself is not that thing, not true dance music. It points at things outside itself (Fig. 10), but prefers not to associate with those

things. It is Meta Dance Music. It is sometimes, significantly, referred to as "dance music for listening." A contradiction in terms, which these artists may enjoy. In other words, the original source, the rai- son d'etre, of the music has been removed, and we are left with a beautiful shell. The

shape of a shell is a memory of the animal that produced it, but that animal has

long since vanished. Oh yes, did I say that the music is beau-

tiful? It is. In its own self-defined universe

it is eminently listenable and beautiful. This beauty is the seductress that draws one in to thisjoyous mechanical universe, makes the introductions and invites one to linger. It is a vision of a future that is severe, squiggly and only semiserious.

Acknowledgment Danielle Spencer greatly aided the author and edi- tors by coordinating the details of publication, as well as the article's illustrations.

References and Notes

1. Giorgio Moroder is known as the 1970s father of computer disco; he produced such lasting hits as Donna Summers's "Love to Love You Baby" and "I Feel Love." See <http://www.geocities.com/ moroderzone/>; <http://www.algonet.se/~jonwar/ moroder.html>.

2. Formed in 1968, Kraftwerk were, according to Kraftwerk member Ralf Hutter, "the spirit of Bauhaus in electronic sounds." See <http://home7.swip net.se/%7Ew-74559/cave/kraftwerk/kraft.htm>; <http://www.kraftwerk.com/>: <http://home. t-online.de/home/0625138143/discog.htm>; <http://web.bham.ac.uk/busbykg/kraftwerk/links /resources.html>.

3. Matmos is the San Francisco-based duo of M.C. Schmidt and Drew Daniel. For information about Matmos, see <http://www.brainwashed.com/mat mos/>; <http://www.popmatters.com/music/re views/m/matmos-chance.html>.

4. Skist is the Tokyo-based electronic music impro- vising duo of Samm Bennett and Haruna Ito. For information about Skist, see <http://www. japanimprov.com/skist/>; <http://www.headlight journal.com/music/more_scan_than_warp/more scan-jukebox.html>.

5. For information about Berlin-based Pole, a.k.a. Stefan Betke, see <http://www.matadorrecords. com/pole/biography.html>; <http://www.pole- music.com/>.

6. For information about Oval, see <http://www. thrilljockey.com/bandpage.html?artistnum = 28>; <http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/o/ov al-commers.html>. Oval's Vario is included on the Ghosts and Monsters: Technology and Personality in Con-

temporary Music CD of the LMJ CD Series, Vol. 8, cu- rated by Matthias Osterwold (EMF CD 012). Available through <http://www.cdemusic.org>.

For information on Mouse on Mars, see <http:// www.mouseonmars.com/>; <http://www.sonig. com/>.

Manuscript received 24January 2002.

David Byrne co-founded the group Talking Heads (1976-1988), and through the years he has been involved in a variety of projects spanning music, film and visual art. In 1987 he won an Oscar for co-writing the score for Bertolucci's film The Last Emperor. In 1988 he founded a record label, Luaka Bop, which has evolved from a label specializing in world music compilations to one with a wide range of emerging artists. Byrne has just com- pleted a year of touring in support of his most recent solo album, Look into the Eyeball. He has been publishing and exhibiting his visual workfor the past decade, and he has published three books of his work: Strange Ritual, Your Action World and The New Sins. Byrne continues to exhibit internationally in galleries and museums and has created pub- lic art installations in cities around the world.

10 Byrne, Machines ofJoy



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