Saturday, August 5, 2023

Sonic Anarchy

I never was interested in "just" creating tracks.
The 20th century was the era of sonic exploration, even at the beginning of the century.
Old ideas were challenged or thrown overboard. Composers and musician tried new methods and concepts, and they tried to get away from the old. Almost every "accepted theory" in music was questioned - and regarded.

I was inspired by that "avantgarde tradition". And I tried to experiment with, and explore, music as much as I could. To check out other artists who did the same. To read as much on it as I could find.

But there was also something. Not just rebellion and drift.
I wanted to get to the bottom of music. Try to find out if there is some hidden, important truth, that can be found deep within my favorite tracks and the sonic avantgarde.
I sometimes strayed from that path - but I always got back on it for some reason.

I'm also an anarchist. I often had the idea there is much, much more to anarchism than those who are against it realize. That it's not "just" about ultimate freedom, liberty, uprising, self-organisation and so on (even if these are already very high goals!). Something that is *felt* by most actual anarchists.
Was there a hidden, pure truth - hidden inside anarchy, too?

Over the years, over the decades, something began to dawn on me. I'm not saying that what I communicate is the "ultimate truth" - not even for me. Yet, for me, maybe not for you, it is something that comes very, very close.

So here is what I want to say:

Think about it: What is anarchism? What does anarchy mean?
A lot of people would say anarchism ultimately leads to the concept of "do what you want, as long as it harms no other" - or a similar wording.
I agree. But I think this concept goes beyond, transcends, the mere political, economic, social realm. It extends to the cultural, philosophical, epistemological, "cosmic" realm - and even far beyond that.

"Do what you want, as long as it harms no other"

But not only on a social level. Treat *philosophical truths* in the same way, for example. Discard Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, if you want to. Create your own truth, and walk along with it. As long as you mean no harm.

And this holds true for the sonic realm, too.
Do whatever you want in music. Play the notes you want, use the rhythms you want, sequence everything like you want. You decide what's right or wrong, what sounds good or bad. You are free, you make the "rules" and "laws" in music, and free feel to shape them in any way you see fit.

And, I think only if an artist starts this ultimate rebellion and revolution - against any "rule" in music that comes from someone else - something truly epic and important can be created.

Do not let anyone tell you how music *should* sound, how your music should sound, what "rules" there are regarding music production, and which concepts to follow.

This is my little message to you. Become a sonic anarchist. It will be rewarding.


Note: The ideas here are very condensed and may even sound a bit "harmless". But if I had to, and could, write down every thought connected to them, that are not expressed here right now, this would be a massive output. In my opinion, this notion here goes way deeper than it first appears.
I don't claim ownership, of course, or pride - I just wanted to share it.

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