Mix for the Listeners/Write for the Readers

The mix tape project highlighted the amount of effort that is needed to provide an enticing experience for an audience, for nearly the whole process centered on pleasing the target listener. For example, a relevant theme had to be chosen along with appropriate songs that conveyed the selected mood onto the subject. Liner notes, a title, and a cover design not only added a degree of variability to the mix, but also served as another form of engaging the listener, of layering down more icing on the cake. It all came down to what we, as DJs, wanted our listeners to hear and feel. Of course, this process involved taking some of our own tastes into account, for that's what served as the inspiration for our mixes. However, an effective mix tape, one that is listened to in full, must feature certain tweaks that are designed in some thoughtful manner around the listener. For example, for my End of the Day Brew mix, I had to have a general idea of what my friend would enjoy at the end of her day. Amy had to know which movies her friend had seen to create the movie soundtrack mix we listened to in class.

The same rules should go for writing. The mix tape assignment freed us out of the box so that we could view the “writing process” in yet another light. What should an author be worried about? Sure, getting a point across may be important, but the priority may lie in engaging the reader. It is important to keep the audience in mind when you write because that holds the power in generating creativity at the other end. That’s what keeps originality churning in our society. We all got something different out of DJ Spooky, but that’s because he created a unique product with flow and illustrations. He was inspired by personal events from his past, but he tweaked them in such a manner so that an audience would find the information appealing. Creating the mix tape has challenged me to approach and view composition as an act of engagement.

Mix Tape Essentials

I think the most important thing to keep in mind in making a mix tape is to provide an experience for the listener. You must engage your target audience in some manner to keep that person from ejecting the CD. It is important not to simply throw a random hodgepodge of songs on a blank CD and call it a day; although that is a mix of some sort, it’s not interactive enough. There must be flow, some type of storyline supported or created by the music, an experience from start to finish. This is challenging enough on paper, so doing it through music may even be tougher. I think that the liner notes will be key to the efficacy of the mix tape, for they will provide us, the mix tape creators, with an outlet to reveal our intentions if they are unclear through the music alone. Of course, mix tapes of the highest quality should be capable of standing independently without support, but the liner notes can add a whole dimension to the experience that we are trying to piece together for the listener. I’m looking forward to not only seeing how the mix tape turns out but also to hearing feedback from my audience.

Snip & Spin

In creating my cut-up, I used an in-fold method where I folded articles from the left side of a newspaper halfway onto articles on the other side. Although the result may have thin strings of coherency, I am most impressed by the creation of new words, such as "beeve," "infanerant," "altitillation," and "starsistent." This method allows us to appreciate our language for more than the meaning it is capable of producing. The juxtaposition leads to a creation of new sound from independent sources, essentially breaking ideas while connecting them simultaneously. This method transcends the boundaries of language, both within the mind and within the dictionary, and that is probably why it has stirred interest for so many years.

What's the Right Way to Write?

Since I wasn’t able to make it to class on Wednesday, I’d like to share my impressions of Serial Composition. The speech touched base upon what we discussed in class on Monday – reconfiguration of the writing process – but advocated for a different kind of change. The alterations we proposed on Monday seemed to add complexity to the process, creating more of an organic experience as opposed to a linear method. However, this work seeks to promote a minimalistic approach in order to promote the development of writing skills. I agree with this stance, for I never felt that 20 page research papers improved my ability to write. In fact, such length requirements often result in dry writing, making it especially difficult to “amaze” readers, which may possibly be the true purpose of writing.

The work also extended its argument to other media, such as art, mixtapes, and blogs. Keller’s argument against the convenience of our current technology in creating mixtapes really caught my attention, for I think this was the first time in our readings that someone besides a corporation was looking down upon the possibilities of the internet. He stated that “quality and discernment” are lacking from mixtapes these days because almost anyone can make them with access to nearly every type of song (free culture, in a way). Although this does not contradict my experience in the sampling project, I wonder how my mix tape experience will compare.

On a final note, do you think that your blog has enhanced your writing skills, or would a single thesis paper have been more effective?

Tell Me What You Hear

The unique thing about Rhythm Science is not necessarily the argument that it presents but rather the experience that it creates for the reader in delivering its purpose. It's all about going along for the ride and taking away certain aspects that personally resonate at a distinctive frequency. The message is, of course, in the words, but the structure of the book and the CD complement his argument. What is his argument? Well, I'd say that's highly up for grabs (perhaps that's part of the argument itself), but there is definitely something in there about a balance between pattern and ingenuity.

If you've listened to the CD and have trouble visualizing the argument dispersed within the beats, I would suggest checking this out. It's a music video for one of DJ Spooky's creations on the Riddim Warfare album that he mentions in the text. What do you pick up from this video? I definitely see the fusion of the material and digital world (virtual city and millipede) as well as the manifestation of our "era of multiplex consciousness" that is mentioned in Rhythm Science.

A number of quotes have grabbed my attention, but the one that really raised a flag was the following: "When people are faced with conditions where 'conservatives' control the zone, they have to innovate to get their message out, but innovation leads to constant elevation." This automatically made me think about my sampling experience and how I felt that my permission based culture collage was more effective (elevated, so to speak) in portraying my message. DJ Spooky recognizes that there are restrictions on free form in our society, but our craftiness in working around these boundaries is what keeps that record table spinning throughout the book.

A Vision of ©larity

I found this sampling experience to be a lot of fun. The last time I had to make a collage was back in art class in high school, but two things differed about this assignment. Everyone seemed to use pictures from the internet as a main source, as opposed to magazine clippings or something along those lines, and there was a restriction on the range of material for the second experiment. I was originally worried that this would serve as a barrier to my creativity, but, in actuality, it only forced me to think further outside of the box.

The first experiment was undoubtedly easier, for the main challenge was to formulate a visual argument. Thanks to the insurmountable amount of information on the internet, it was fairly easy to convey that argument from mind to matter, putting all technological difficulties aside. The challenge of the second experiment, at least in my case, was essentially to portray the same argument in a different manner. I found this to be difficult not necessarily due to the available resources but more so due to my stubborn mindset; once I visualize something, I find it hard to switch it up. However, being placed in that situation only stimulated my creativity, for I had to work above and beyond my original intentions.

The product for my second experiment portrayed my message more clearly. I didn't really have trouble attaining the materials I needed, albeit there was usually a greater variety of the copyrighted material, but perhaps this restriction forced me to choose my pieces more carefully, leading to a less convoluted argument. Unless my case was odd, I may conclude that less permissible material seemingly leads to more clear-cut and thoughtful creations.

I don't think Lessig would be too pleased with that conclusion; in fact, neither am I. Without the extensive work of putting together a Creative Commons, I would have had to attained permission from a number of copyright owners, most of whom I would probably not have heard from in time. If anything, current copyright laws allow the creative expression of only those who are dedicated enough to jump through a number of hoops, which in my case were mental. People who aren’t issued mandatory assignments will never wish to deal with that, and thus copyright currently suppresses the cultural expression of the masses.

Here is my remix of Malarie's piece.