Punk ethnography : artists and scholars listen to Sublime Frequencies

A critical companion to the radical DIY record label that challenges the conventions of ethnography, representation, and the category of "world music" This ground-breaking case study examines record production as ethnographic work. Since its founding in 2003, Seattle-based record label Sublime Frequencies has produced world music recordings that have been received as radical, sometimes problematic critiques of the practices of sound ethnography. Founded by punk rocker brothers Alan and Richard Bishop, along with filmmaker Hisham Mayet, the label's releases encompass collagist sound travelogues; individual artist compilations; national, regional and genre surveys; and DVDsall designed in a distinctive graphic style recalling the DIY aesthetic of punk and indie rock. Sublime Frequencies' producers position themselves as heirs to canonical ethnographic labels such as Folkways, Nonesuch, and Musique du Monde, but their aesthetic and philosophical roots in punk, indie rock, and experimental music effectively distinguish their work from more conventional ethnographic norms. Situated at the intersection of ethnomusicology, sound studies, cultural anthropology, and popular music studies, the essays in this volume explore the issues surrounding the labelincluding appropriation and intellectual propertywhile providing critical commentary and charting the impact of the label through listener interviews. Background Context. Introduction / Michael E. Veal And E. Tammy Kim -- The Sublime Frequencies Of New Old Media / David Novak ; Meet The Sun City Girls / Marc Masters ; Interview With Alan Bishop / Andy Beta ; Interview With Hisham Mayet / Andrew R. Tonry ; Collage, Creativity, And Copyright : Sublime Frequencies And The Ethics Of Intellectual Property / André Redwood -- Interlude. Sublime Frequencies Listener Interviews. Interview With Brian Shimkovitz / E. Tammy Kim ; Interview With Robert Hardin / Michael E. Veal -- Visual And Sonic Culture. Just Pure Sound And Vision : Rawness As Aesthetic-ideological Fulcrum In Sublime Frequencies' Videos / Lynda Paul ; Interview With Olivia Wyatt / Jonathan Andrews ; Ambient Sound In Sublime Frequencies As Art (and/or) Ethnography / David Font-navarrete -- Interlude. Sublime Frequencies Listener Interviews. Interview With Chris Becker / Michael E. Veal ; Interview With Ethan Holtzman / E. Tammy Kim -- Local Forays : Trekking Africa. Bush Taxi Mali : Taking The Long Way Home / Julie Strand ; Interview With Tucker Martine / Julie Strand ; Dry Spell Blues : Sublime Frequencies Across The West African Sahel / Michael E. Veal -- Local Forays : Middle East Steps. Engineering Social Space : The Silent Structures Of Alan Bishop's Radio Palestine / Joseph Salem ; The Punk Arab : Demystifying Omar Souleyman's Techno-dabke / Shayna Silverstein ; Interview With Omar Souleyman And Rizan Sa'id / Wills Glasspiegel -- Local Forays : Asian Emissions. Radio India : Eternal Dream Or Ephemeral Illusion? / Stanley Scott ; Interview With Laurent Jeanneau / Gonçalo F. Cardoso ; Radio Java / Andrew C. Mcgraw ; Noraebang With The Dear Leader : Sublime Frequencies' Radio Pyongyang / E. Tammy Kim -- Local Forays : Blaring Americas. Collecting The Cultures Of Latinamericarpet : Pop Primitivism And The Shadows Of History / Rachel Lears ; Funk Carioca And Urban Informality / Cristina Cruz-uribe. Edited By Michael E. Veal And E. Tammy Kim. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 401-402, Discography (pages 403-409) , Videography (page 409) , And Index. Title Page 4 Copyright 5 Table of Contents 6 Part One: Background Context 8 Introduction • Michael E. Veal and E. Tammy Kim 10 The Sublime Frequencies of New Old Media • David Novak 31 Meet the Sun City Girls • Marc Masters 62 Interview with Alan Bishop • Andy Beta 71 Interview with Hisham Mayet • Andrew R. Tonry 79 Collage, Creativity, and Copyright: Sublime Frequencies and the Ethics of Intellectual Property • André Redwood 85 Interlude: Sublime Frequencies Listener Interviews 102 Interview with Brian Shimkovitz • E. Tammy Kim 104 Interview with Robert Hardin • Michael E. Veal 108 Part Two: Visual and Sonic Culture 112 “Just Pure Sound and Vision”: Rawness as Aesthetic-Ideological Fulcrum in Sublime Frequencies’ Videos • Lynda Paul 114 Interview with Olivia Wyatt • Jonathan Andrews 142 Ambient Sound in Sublime Frequencies as Art (and/or) Ethnography • David Font-Navarrete 149 Interlude: Sublime Frequencies Listener Interviews 176 Interview with Chris Becker • Michael E. Veal 178 Interview with Ethan Holtzman • E. Tammy Kim 181 Part Three: Local Forays 184 Trekking Africa 186 Bush Taxi Mali: Taking the Long Way Home • Julie Strand 188 Interview with Tucker Martine • Julie Strand 213 Dry Spell Blues: Sublime Frequencies across the West African Sahel • Michael E. Veal 217 Middle East Steps 242 Engineering Social Space: The “Silent” Structures of Alan Bishop’s Radio Palestine • Joseph Salem 244 The Punk Arab: Demystifying Omar Souleyman’s Techno-Dabke • Shayna Silverstein 272 Interview with Omar Souleyman and Rizan Sa’id • Wills Glasspiegel 295 Asian Emissions 300 Radio India: Eternal Dream or Ephemeral Illusion? • Stanley Scott 302 Interview with Laurent Jeanneau • Gonçalo F. Cardoso 327 Radio Java • Andrew C. McGraw 330 Noraebang with the Dear Leader: Sublime Frequencies’ Radio Pyongyang • E. Tammy Kim 347 Blaring Americas 372 Collecting the Cultures of Latinamericarpet: Pop Primitivism and the Shadows of History • Rachel Lears 374 Funk Carioca and Urban Informality • Cristina Cruz-Uribe 395 Discography 410 About the Contributors 418 Index 424 This ground-breaking case study examines record production as ethnographic work. Since its founding in 2003, Seattle-based record label Sublime Frequencies has produced world music recordings that have been received as radical, sometimes problematic critiques of the practices of sound ethnography. Founded by punk rocker brothers Alan and Richard Bishop, along with filmmaker Hisham Mayet, the labels releases encompass collagist sound travelogues; individual artist compilations; national, regional and genre surveys; and DVDsall designed in a distinctive graphic style recalling the DIY aesthetic of punk and indie rock. Sublime Frequencies producers position themselves as heirs to canonical ethnographic labels such as Folkways, Nonesuch, and Musique du Monde, but their aesthetic and philosophical roots in punk, indie rock, and experimental music effectively distinguish their work from more conventional ethnographic norms. Situated at the intersection of ethnomusicology, sound studies, cultural anthropology, and popular music studies, the essays in this volume explore the issues surrounding the labelincluding appropriation and intellectual propertywhile providing critical commentary and charting the impact of the label through listener interviews. Hardcover is un-jacketed.