Does Britain need a new weekly diverse and radical music magazine? the case for
Look what the MM under Mark Sutherland - has achieved - I hope the ignorant smug slimey bastard is pleased with himself, for lowering the Maker into the gutter with the lowest common denominator rubbish "the tabloidisation" and "sound bites" and "trivialisation" of music
His stewardship of MM has been an utter sham, shameful and discraceful to music. Journalists such as Simon Price, and Jonathan Selzer - have been openly critical of what Mark Sutherland did to the magazine.
You could not criticise standard MM "house bands" such as Oasis - when they made some truly horrible bog standard meat and two veg laughable sub Beatles showbiz karoake muzak.
From the peaks in 1987/ 1988 with front covers for Skinny Puppy/ Jane's Addiction/ Front 242/ Faith No More/ Cocteau Twins/Swans/Arkane/ Pixies/ Throwing Muses/My Bloody Valentine etc - to the final lowest point of the last edition of the Maker next week- with the most horrible mainstream wanker in rock - Fred fucking Durst ! (as trailed in this week's edition) - a truly sad end to the Maker!
The "Maker" had sunk to an alltime low both culturally and sales wise, to 32, 000 copies a week.
the MM had totally lost its way, and the NME I find too scatter gun dull and predictable and lacking in quality control, risk taking and wisdom and style and tone and substance and interesting content.
I am sure that there are many people in the UK, from diverse music backgrounds are not being satisfied with the weekly music press as it stands with NME only left: (the only other weekly publications are 7 - a poor mans Jockey Slut and Kerrang - which completely lacks quality control and celebrates about a dozen key big names a year on a rolling basis - that are average and boring, readers of Terrorizer demand more for extreme rock music and more than a once a month fix)
- industralists, goths, post rockers, fans of IDM/ electronica music, terrorizer types - hardcore, noisecore and extreme metal, Wire intellectuals, junglists, ambient heads, technoheads, tech housers, -all are neglected by NME
and NME's coverage of the following is totally inadequate - techno/ tech house/ electronica/ electro/progressive house. Relegated to one page !
NME's coverage of industrial and darkwave is non existent.
What is needed in Britain is a radical weekly music magazine, with a High IQ agenda - to be our guide to modern sound exploration
There is room for a magazine with a radical, eclectic, knowledgeable and challenging take on contemporary music as well as having a solid appreciation and understanding of the best music of the past "a coalition of underground and creative margins"
A weekly magazine that is a mixture of The Wire meets Terrorizer meets Wax meets Side Line meets Alternative Press
I am thinking of something as excellent as The Lizard magazine in 94/95 or Zigzag in the late 70s/ early 80s
covering
abstract sounds/ downtempo ambient dark ambient dark metal digital hardcore dub electro rock electro/ breakbeats epic rock experimental electronica gothic/darkwave/ethereal hardcore/ emocore industrial/electro industrial/ ebm jungle math rock metalcore/noisecore Noisey US Indie Rock post hardcore rock post rock/ spacerock/drone rock/ Lo fi progressive house/trance tech house techno
DJ Martian
djmartian.blogspot.com
― DJ Martian, Thursday, 14 December 2000 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Sterling Clover, Friday, 15 December 2000 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Tom, Friday, 15 December 2000 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
Music and it's culture is at all time low - thanks to Pop these days just being a factory line with no room for being creative. The marketing is more important than the songs. Dance keeps repeating itself and people who listen to it are twats anyway. Indie has become boring and stale, and needs a good firm kick up the arse if it is to be at least a little fresh and exciting again. (Ha!).
― Phil Paterson, Friday, 15 December 2000 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Lutra Lutra, Friday, 15 December 2000 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Dan Chedgzoy, Friday, 15 December 2000 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Josh, Friday, 15 December 2000 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
god help us.
Bill
― Bill, Saturday, 16 December 2000 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
fact - taking an overall knowledge of contemprary music, there are few people who can match me with knowledge across the sound spectrum from dark metal to tech house to spacerock to electro industrial etc.
fact - However there are MANY people with specialist indepth knowledge of particular genres and music scenes that I continue to learn from on an ongoing daily basis.
Josh, even you mentioned the overload of keeping up with music in relation to Uncle Fester best of lists.
Why can't there be one weekly music magazine, that rather reflects sets and shapes the music agenda. With the best music writers, both cross genre types and other writers have a deep specialist and informed knowledge within particular genres. But rather keeping the best music locked into music ghettos, a quality focused eclectic music magazine - can inspire, rather than reading 10 average market researched niche music titles, give me one excellent one - that breaks the rules, challenges, questions, informs, has strong opinions and enthuses.
Music for me is about discover, sound exploration. Yes the internet is a very useful tool - but I also want to read an exiciting weekly printed music magazine.
Rather than keeping music in ghettos, interesting creative music deserves a wider audience.
josh stated "Your question implies (to me at least) that you think there's stuff you can't read about on the internet. Like what? "
that is not my intention, there are many websites that I check and read on a regular basis, see my website for details, it can be time consuming!. However most of the deep knowledge of new music, is initially locked into specialist genre scene websites - with few exceptions, the idea behind a radical, diverse, eclectic music magazine - is that it would break music out of scene ghettos, fasttrack new talent, inform a wider audience, interesting music deserves a wider audience.
This past year I have had a growing interest in artists in noisecore, metalcore etc such as Botch, Dillinger Ecape Plan, Isis, Drowingman, and there a growing number of artists that I am taking an interest in such as Taken, Zao, Sky came falling, Grade. Does MM or NME cover these artists no!
Does the MM/NME cover artists such electro industrialists such as Hocico or VNV Nation ? no
Has the NME/ MM picked up artists such as Ulver, Artcturus, In the Woods, Strapping Young Lad, Beyond Dawn,3rd & the Mortal, Anathema, Solefald in recent years? No
Why does the MM/ NME choose to put dumbasses such Fred durst on the cover? and not Cave in, Trans Am, or And You Will know Us by the Trail of Dead
Has the NME/ or MM - celebarated jungle - this year - no
Why have NME/ MM - ignored an exceptional talented artist such as Zan Lyons this year - Zan's talent deserves a wider audience
Why has NME not put Laurent Garnier - on the front cover this year?
Why has the NME not celebrated the excellent tech house music as featured on MR C show on Kiss? Circulation, Layo & Bushwacka etc
I could go with countless other examples !
So yes there are a range of artists (that I am aware of from the internet or John Peel or other music magazines/ fanzines)that NME does not cover that I would like to read reviews, interviews, and writers perspectives on, also a good music writer/magazine should also be able to introduce and switch me on to artists that I am unfamiliar with - e.g Terrorizer, Wire, Outburn, Knowledge, Beware the Cat, Wax, Side Line, etc - however these magazines range from monthlies - to quarterlys per year etc. However I want a weekly fix.
I simply would like to read an interesting, informed, passionate music magazine each week, - is this to much to ask for? the MM did this well in 87/ 88, and I also enjoyed reading Sounds in the 80s.
NME - does not inspire me, it does not cover the across the spectrum music that I enjoy and am interesting in learning more about, it offers poor analysis, and its writers are not given space and encouraged to voice their opinions.
Indeed a better approach to music journalism, would be to give key writers there own page, with their thoughts on music, internet websites to check out, playlists, albums of the week etc - rather the NME today has a dull house style of journalism - that is merely consumerist PR rehashed, inane waffle with mainstream musical non entities, single reviews that are through away, album reviews that are insubstanial, no analytical thought pieces, over familiar artists that offer nothing new, the ignorance of many areas of contemporary music, no fasttracking of exceptional musical talent regardless of sales figures etc. NME is way sort of what a music magazine should be.
NME, MM, Select, Q, Mojo etc - have failed music and discerning music fans over the the last decade. Surely we deserve something far better? I dont want indie smash hits (MM/NME), John Lennon/Q deadrock mags like mojo/Q, clubs and drugs lifestyle not music magazines such as Mixmag/ Ministry.
Now will EMAP relaunch Sounds(they bought the rights to the name) when Morgan Grampian publishers sold out to EMAP along with Kerrang in 1991.
EMAP in 2001 I believe will launch a rival weekly music magazine, instead of a 3 way tie, with MM out of the way, and the NME having so many weaknesses - this is too good a chance to take on IPC/ NME. They will do it.
DJ Martian djmartian.blogspot.com
― DJ Martian, Saturday, 16 December 2000 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
Also, where does the idea that it takes skill or ability to keep up with music come from? I'd say it takes a lot more disposable income and spare time than skill. I can find out what records people recommend easily; it's having the money to buy them and the time to listen to them that I find difficult.
― Greg, Saturday, 16 December 2000 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― keith, Saturday, 16 December 2000 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Josh, Saturday, 16 December 2000 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
I suppose also we're nastier about music. Hmm. Okay, try this romantic analogy on for size - Tangents is about putting pop on a pedestal, whereas FT is about a relationship with pop, the downs as well as the ups. But if you think we're not 'devotional' you're not reading hard enough.
― Tom, Sunday, 17 December 2000 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Josh, Sunday, 17 December 2000 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― A lover of long, melancholy walks, Sunday, 17 December 2000 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Sterling Clover, Sunday, 17 December 2000 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Robin, Wednesday, 20 December 2000 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Richard Tunnicliffe, Wednesday, 20 December 2000 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
"WE'RE NOT REALLY IN COV HONEST MR AND MRS NICE SOUTHERN TORY PARENTS" :).
― The World of Science, Thursday, 21 December 2000 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
"Cherry red doc wearing stupid Bronx hat and shorts combo sidewinding Carter shirt over PWEI long-sleeve stripey-tights pony-owning drippy horse-faced please hit me Mazola-haired spotty sack-of-subservience girlfriend-having ... put 'Glory Box' on to show how hip you are and with every word of your cretinous jabber make me wanna rip your face off ... do the sailor's hornpipe to The Levellers have a zany 'Quotes Board' in your communal kitchen sneer at townies ruin every pub you set foot in for nine months ... tie chequered shirt round your waist goatee-beard attempting waiting for your balls to drop say pants when annoyed Terry Pratchett reading Vic'n'Bob quoting stupid dense thick crass sottish doltish dumb imbecilic dim idiotic asinine fatuous inane gormless banal snide mindless brainless daft backsliding pig cunt bastard scab insect bitch shiteating monkeyspunk gorging faced arseheaded sweaty ring-pierced fucking SCUM. Yeah, I'm talking to YOU, MOTHERFUCKER!!!
Oh, you'll *love* it."
MM, 15th July 1995. The only way to go was down ...
― o.munoz, Friday, 19 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― DG, Friday, 19 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Robin Carmody, Sunday, 21 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― DG, Wednesday, 24 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
Go figure :).
― Robin Carmody, Monday, 29 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Tom, Friday, 2 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Tim... who could be seeing MJ Cole tonight but is not... damn., Friday, 2 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
As for Scott's article, well it's hardly surprising that a US piece would end up having such a skewed perception of the whole thing (Tim says, living in Australia, but then I bet Scott doesn't spend nearly as much on 2-step as I do) and so on average Scott did a pretty good job. The jungle comment was the only one that actually shocked me - how can you possibly like 2-step and not like at least some jungle?
― Tim, Friday, 2 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Sterling Clover, Wednesday, 7 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― , Monday, 12 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― the pinefox, Saturday, 28 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
Here's where the story (of music) ends
― DJ Martian, Saturday, 28 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Monday, 12 May 2003 11:55 (twenty-two years ago)
― DJ Martian (djmartian), Monday, 12 May 2003 12:00 (twenty-two years ago)
― revive, Friday, 13 May 2005 09:59 (twenty years ago)
― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Friday, 13 May 2005 10:03 (twenty years ago)
― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Friday, 13 May 2005 10:03 (twenty years ago)
― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Friday, 13 May 2005 10:05 (twenty years ago)
Maybe not.
― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 13 May 2005 10:06 (twenty years ago)
― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Friday, 13 May 2005 10:08 (twenty years ago)
― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Friday, 13 May 2005 10:10 (twenty years ago)
― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Friday, 13 May 2005 10:11 (twenty years ago)
― N_RQ, Friday, 13 May 2005 10:17 (twenty years ago)
Why not?The original question is still relevant don't you think?
― revive, Friday, 13 May 2005 10:45 (twenty years ago)
― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Friday, 13 May 2005 10:47 (twenty years ago)
NME's dull complacency? I disagree, they seem frantically desperate to keep solvent by any means possible while bigging themselves up at every opportunity.
Apart from that, relevant.
― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 13 May 2005 11:43 (twenty years ago)
Err...no.
― doomie x, Friday, 13 May 2005 11:44 (twenty years ago)
riight. fine logic!!! does iraq need peace? no, becasue otherwise it'd have it.
― N_RQ, Friday, 13 May 2005 11:48 (twenty years ago)
― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Friday, 13 May 2005 11:49 (twenty years ago)
― doomie x, Friday, 13 May 2005 12:02 (twenty years ago)
― N_RQ, Friday, 13 May 2005 12:04 (twenty years ago)
― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Friday, 13 May 2005 12:04 (twenty years ago)
― doomie x, Friday, 13 May 2005 12:06 (twenty years ago)
― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Friday, 13 May 2005 12:08 (twenty years ago)
― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 13 May 2005 12:16 (twenty years ago)
Replace "Britain" with "the US" and "NME's" with "Rolling Stone's and Spin's" and you're ridiculously OTM.
Rolling Stone is ten times duller than NME.
― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Friday, 13 May 2005 12:21 (twenty years ago)
What the Britan might have benefited from was if Q turned into a weekly mag, giving good reviews and positive coverage to the music that actually sounds good, regardless of time and trends, rather than what the kids decide they want to use to provoke parents and teachers with right now.
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 13 May 2005 12:21 (twenty years ago)
― Tom (Groke), Friday, 13 May 2005 12:24 (twenty years ago)
If Q 'enthused' about stuff that 'sounds' good, why criticise anybody? Everything 'sounds' good.
― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 13 May 2005 12:25 (twenty years ago)
― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Friday, 13 May 2005 12:28 (twenty years ago)
A completely wild guess on my part, but I'm thinking that maybe you're not incredibly familiar with the British dance press?
― DJ Mencap0))), Friday, 13 May 2005 12:35 (twenty years ago)
― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Friday, 13 May 2005 12:41 (twenty years ago)
I did, I stopped buying the NME.
― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Friday, 13 May 2005 13:05 (twenty years ago)
― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Friday, 13 May 2005 13:07 (twenty years ago)
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1821508769/decompression-music-magazine
getting a warm djmartian glow off of this
― Julian-Joachim Roedelius (DJ Mencap), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 00:11 (twelve years ago)
― caek, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 03:47 (twelve years ago)
first ilm thread I ever read. I recall a friend linking me to it saying that I would enjoy ILM.
― pfunkboy (Algerian Goalkeeper), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 03:53 (twelve years ago)
If they're going for that design aesthetic, I'm already out.
― dog latin, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 09:51 (twelve years ago)
That's horrible.
― they all are afflicted with a sickness of existence (Scik Mouthy), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 10:22 (twelve years ago)
"Philosophy". Yeah, right.
― Manfred Mann meets Man Parrish (ithappens), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 10:31 (twelve years ago)
oh my god WHERE IS THE APOSTROPHE in that massive strapline
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 10:37 (twelve years ago)
The 'FREE CD' on the cover is kind of quaint.
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 10:42 (twelve years ago)
"Sales of music itself" are not "rapidly declining."
Not exactly the Paris Review.
― Here he is with the classic "Poème Électronique." Good track (Marcello Carlin), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 10:43 (twelve years ago)
This would have been amazing for 15 y/o me in 1995. What is "Crossover"?
― dog latin, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 10:47 (twelve years ago)
what is EBM
― Alice 2 Chainz - "I Luv Dem Bones" (zachlyon), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 11:09 (twelve years ago)
"electronic butt music"
9 results (0.27 seconds)
― Alice 2 Chainz - "I Luv Dem Bones" (zachlyon), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 11:10 (twelve years ago)
english black metal, they hurl eggs at football stadiums
― Black Sabbath - violence, religious obscurantism (imago), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 11:11 (twelve years ago)
nah sticking with mine
― Alice 2 Chainz - "I Luv Dem Bones" (zachlyon), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 11:12 (twelve years ago)
EBM in fairness was actually a thing - basically industrial dance music.
The only two photos visible feature a white dude with dreadlocks and a bloke in a balaclava. All they need is a dog on a string and they've got the hat trick.
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 11:15 (twelve years ago)
the dreads guy is Aaron Spectre, I quite like him because I'm up to speed with the hot squat sounds of 2004
― Julian-Joachim Roedelius (DJ Mencap), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 11:52 (twelve years ago)
pledge £178.95 and they can upgrade to Photoshop CS4.
― bendy, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 12:11 (twelve years ago)
I don't think they've really thought this through if they think they can produce a decent print magazine for a grand.
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 12:28 (twelve years ago)
i was gonna say they'd have a hard time selling it, but maybe a squatter/crusty revival is just round the corner.
― dog latin, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 12:41 (twelve years ago)
looking at the sort of stuff they're talking about covering, I think it's more for metalheads who like a bit of dance music on the side as long as it reminds them of metal. the dummy issue has Anaal Nathrakh on the cover. if they're only printing 250 copies they'd prolly do better making it look like an authentic shonky cut'n'paste fanzine instead of something made on a government training scheme
― Julian-Joachim Roedelius (DJ Mencap), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 13:16 (twelve years ago)
Is Rock a Rolla magazine still going?
― ジー・ニュー・マイ・ブラッディー・バレンタイン・リッコード・カインダー・ブローズ (MaresNest), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 13:18 (twelve years ago)
No, I think it married Kate Winslet.
― Here he is with the classic "Poème Électronique." Good track (Marcello Carlin), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 13:40 (twelve years ago)
A "physical magazine of musical style"? With a free CD and sticker bundle?
OMG TAKE MY MONEY
― On Being Blue (Da Ba Dee): A Philosophical Inquiry (wins), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 14:19 (twelve years ago)
don't pretty much all the monthlies still have a covermount CD on every issue? surely this is no more quaint than printing on paper?
― SOYLENT GREEN IS SHEEPLE (stevie), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 15:20 (twelve years ago)
For extra redundancy there should be a PDF of the magazine on the CD.
― "Did you see the sign on my car park that said 'Dead King Storage'?" (snoball), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 15:26 (twelve years ago)
The fact that they felt the need to list breakcore, speedcore and gabba seperately speaks volumes. Reeks of crusty.
― straightola, Tuesday, 12 February 2013 15:30 (twelve years ago)
http://rock-a-rolla.com/main/
― pfunkboy (Algerian Goalkeeper), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 17:06 (twelve years ago)