Author: edejaegher

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The Government Knows…

As technology grows, the boundaries of the musical experience continue to expand. Ironically, this music video, from the group KNOWER, comments on the government’s invasion of privacy through technology. KNOWER is a duo band comprised of Louis Cole and Genevieve Artadi that combines jazz, disco, dubstep, funk and all sorts of other genres with their self-made videos on YouTube. With 1.5 million views and 29,000 likes, it has become quite popular since its release in early 2016. It is quite a spectacle to watch, accompanied by an incredible musical experience with all the drops and catchy synth grooves. Some people may not be able to handle the grunge and the high intensity, but something about watching about it is addicting. Fair warning, listen to this video and you’ll be looping “the government knows when you masturbate” in your head for the rest of day. His song has been very well reviewed by a large audience and his dramatic use of costumes, dancing along with multiple audio/visual effects elevates the musical experience to another level.

Evidence of this musical experience can be found in the infamous YouTube comments. Upon first review of the comments, they are all relatively positive towards the video and are very supportive. 

Evidence of this musical experience can be found in the infamous YouTube comments. Upon first review of the comments, they are all relatively positive towards the video and are very supportive. This first comment really strikes me as a great way to sum up this video in three words. This video takes a disturbing topic not typically discussed, and makes a huge monumental presentation out of it. The ironic use of an upbeat and catchy tempo to explore a very awkward/dark topic is genius.

The reference to Snowden at 2:01 in the track is what gives this political message some context. On June, 2013, Edward Snowden revealed that NSA had taken control of the internet to increase surveillance on “persons of interest” in an effort to protect America’s security. This disclosure created much controversy and protest regarding if and when the government’s role to protect us from terrorism was worth losing our personal privacy. With the potential threat of having ‘Big Brother’ looking over our shoulder many felt that their personal freedoms were being infringed upon.

One comment suggests that this there is empirical evidence to back up the public fear of being watched by our governments:

After googling the term, it was found that with the help of the United States NSA, government security in Britain was able to collect webcam data from Yahoo users. Some of this information contained sexual/explicit content. It furthered reinforced the realization that governments were actually spying on their citizens for nefarious reasons and thus the need for more public awareness. The continuous repetition of the comedic political message of this song is well conveyed in and therefore is an integral part of the musical experience.

Indeed, there are a lot of different images displayed in this video. Everything from the patriotic suits, president masks on the background dancers, clips of blowing up houses, army soldiers, and clips of political leaders make on head spin after the first take. It is a lot for the listener to absorb, but I believe that it complements the intensity of the song itself, and that is why it really works.

Another comment points out how comedic the performance is. It adds another element to the musical performance that makes it unique. With the aid of technology, the synth/dubstep pads in the song, as well as the audio visual effects, it provides a humorous factor to this rather home-spun musical experience. It is funny in many different ways including the weird content and the offbeat reference to Snowden. It also provides the listener relief while focusing on a sensitive issue.

One aspect of the performance in this video cannot be forgotten: what is the purpose of this song and is it being realized? One comment even provides a “thank you” to KNOWER for writing this song. It is almost as if it this issue was not discussed enough, and that this song was bringing awareness to both the people and the government about our surveillance state. Given the amount of likes on this comment, it seems that this statement was well supported by others as well.

Last but not least, we cannot forget the music itself:

The beginning synth pad has a futuristic/electronic feeling that has been stuck in my head for days. There is no way that this song can’t get you bobbing your head at the minimum. This song can be appreciated by both unexperienced listeners and musicians. A trained musician may have heard the jazz harmonic substitution, going to E major instead of Eb major in the third bar of the last vamp before going back to F major in the first chorus (1:24). This provides a surprise to listeners right before the break going into the second verse. The catchy and repetitiveness of the chorus will appeal to just about any listener even if they might be offended by some of the lyrics.

I believe that with the overwhelming support by the YouTube community and outside sources, we can recognize the importance of this music video. This video has a lot more to it than the weird impression you may get in watching the first 10 seconds. This video is political, comedic, relatable, and musically satisfying and really pulls people in to watch. Most importantly, the technological aspects in both the music and video were imperative to projecting this songs message convincingly.

Extra sources: 

https://www.laweekly.com/music/la-duo-knower-stretches-the-boundaries-between-jazz-funk-and-sanity-7016203

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/27/gchq-nsa-webcam-images-internet-yahoo

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/04/27/new-study-snowdens-disclosures-about-nsa-spying-had-a-scary-effect-on-free-speech/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.169bb229d2bb

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Some things will never change

Bruce Hornsby performing live

This message is embodied in Bruce Hornsby’s The Way It Is released in 1986. The song went triple platinum and went straight to the top of the Billboard 100. It’s personally one of my favorite songs ever because of how catchy it is, but the lyrics brings a new listening experience. It reveals the realities of racism and poverty in America as a political response to the existing conservative government. The message in the lyrics is implying that it is time to take action in order to achieve racial equality, or will things never change? This song was meant to create a palatable melody in order to smoothly deliver a painful message to the American audience. You cannot pull apart this song or find the true intention of this artist by just enjoying the music aspects. This song was written to say that America is not equal in race now, it was not in 1986 and not any time before then either. The music is not meant to be used just for the sake of saying it sounds great, but it is meant to convey a meaning.

The jazz influenced melody/tune has a very relaxing, almost sentimental mood. There is a catchy piano vamp that is repeated in the song, but the lyrics represent a melancholy protest against the political landscape of the 1980’s. Specifically, Bruce Hornsby wrote this piece about the Reagan administration. He was directly targeting the Republican party and accusing them of neglecting the Civil Right Act that was passed in 1964 allowing for equal opportunity and treatment of black Americans. Amazingly, not much has changed today with continued protests about everything from racial profiling, movements such as Black Lives Matter, police brutality against blacks, and disproportionate percentages of young black men being incarcerated for non-violent offenses.

Starting in 2001, Sean Hannity, a conservative radio host, decided to use The Way It Is instrumental version for his theme song. He longer believed that the lyrics were important to the song, and did not want to include them. Hornsby was a liberal democrat and did not like that this was happening; however, he could not do anything about it since he was still receiving royalties. However, it wasn’t about receiving the royalties that mattered, it was that the song was being misused. The song taken without the lyrics is selling it short of its’ intention. This shows the difference of how receptive the audience is for this song. With the focus on just the melodies, the true intention of this song is blurred. The real intention lies behind the larger social implications coming from the lyrics.

Standing in line, marking time
Waiting for the welfare dime
‘Cause they can’t buy a job
The man in the silk suit hurries by
As he catches the poor old lady’s eyes
Just for fun he says, “Get a job.”

The first verse talks about how there were a growing amount of people cashing out on welfare, waiting in a long line just to catch a spare dime. It calls out the government for not taking the initiative to help people in poverty, and instead ignoring them ruthlessly as useless individuals while the government pockets and spends all their wealth. This also reflects the very high and increasing poverty rate in 1986 (14.6%). The message still rings true today with Trump taking massive cuts to Medicare, Medicade, and Social Security. For years, conservatives were completely against cash handouts to “undeserving” poor people. They believed welfare made people “lazy”. They refused to believe that there were any other benefits to having it unless it was food stamps, since those could only be exchanged for food.

Said hey, little boy, you can’t go where the others go
‘Cause you don’t look like they do
Said hey, old man, how can you stand to think that way?
Did you really think about it before you made the rules?
He said, son

The second verse is pointing out the racism in the attitudes of white people towards black people. Bruce Hornsby’s questions these attitudes from the old white man, asking why people have to think this way? Are people never going to change their minds no matter what rules they make? This type of public perception/attitude that white people have of black people still exists in the United States. I have witnessed it happen to my friends as well as many others. Social movements and protests against this perception that I mentioned earlier are very prevalent as well in today’s social-political landscape.

Well, they passed a law in ’64
To give those who ain’t got a little more
But it only goes so far
Because the law don’t change another’s mind
When all it sees at the hiring time
Is the line on the color bar, no

The last verse talks about the Civil Rights Act in 1964. However, it has not done much to change the way people behave or think about it. Even though the laws have passed, there was still a lot of employment discrimination and racist behavior. White unemployment in 1986 was 6% nationwide while black unemployment was more than twice as much at 14.1%. The differences can still be seen today (2018) with black unemployment (6.3%) at least twice as high as white unemployment (3.2%) on the national level. The highest point of white unemployment is in West Virginia at 5%, not even surpassing the national average of black unemployment.

That’s just the way it is
Some things will never change

The ending chorus statement is what makes this song powerful. It also posses the question of would it be possible for things to change for the better? It takes all the statements that were made and sums them up as a seemingly disappointing status quo. In 2019, it still seems like these racial issues are still just the way it is for some Americans. The lyrics seemed to be very present in the Trayvon Martin case and the acquittal of George Zimmerman. The song was also re-adapted by others reaffirming the same political message, one example would be Tupac’s hip-hop song Changes (1998):

The music has acted as a medium for this important political statement to be made across a large audience. The music was used as a way to increase awareness of issues and to challenge the unfair normalities of society. The music does can’t always focus on the “greatness” of how it sounds, because sometimes the deeper meaning is what gives music that power. The lyrics have really stood the test of time, and they continue ring just as much truth now as they also did in 1986.

Sources:

https://pilotonline.com/entertainment/music/article_a6cc6911-3840-5dde-94c8-f67f2a5441e3.html

https://world.wng.org/2009/09/bruce_goes_berserk

https://www.laweekly.com/music/bruce-hornsby-on-tupac-the-original-changes-was-a-lot-dirtier-had-a-lot-of-the-n-word-2410784

https://www.songfacts.com/facts/bruce-hornsby-the-range/the-way-it-is

https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1987/02/art1full.pdf

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2018/06/donald-trump-snap-tanf-welfare-reorganization

https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/brucehornsby/thewayitis.html

https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2600/1*CqIo31XeftQhS_KC2bfOzQ.jpeg

Black unemployment is at least twice as high as white unemployment at the national level and in 12 states and D.C.: The highest African American unemployment rate is in the District of Columbia at 12.4 percent, while the highest white unemployment rate is in West Virginia at 5.0 percent
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EWI: The musical instrument of the future

The EWI, otherwise known as an electronic wind instrument, is a technological invention that has made a huge impact on many different genres of music and has a recent history that is often overlooked.

The History of the Instrument:

It all started in 1981, with inventor Nyle Steiner. In its first stages, the EWI was made by hand, and was essentially an analog controller that didn’t have very many sounds other than the ones built in. The top of the EWI contains sensors inside the mouthpiece that measures how much wind is being blown into the instrument and would change the volume. The front of the instrument was made of non-movable buttons/parts on the front. On the back close to the mouthpiece, there is a series of metal rollers that would allow the user to control the octave register with their thumb.

The front of the EWI
The back of the EWI

Shortly after being created, its increasing popularity caused some of the users to carry lots of extra equipment in order to create extra sounds as well as cords that made the it compatible with other synthesizers. The solution to that problem came when Steiner integrated the MIDI box into the EWI in 1985. This allowed the it to be more compatible with commonly used samplers and mimicked any real sound the user wanted to make. That is why the instrument itself was so versatile, including it’s ability to program different fingerings (for brass instruments or saxophone) that are more familiar to users.

Once Steiner was no longer able to make the EWI’s by hand, he went to Akai Professional who were already working on their own digital sampler at the time with music instrument company Electroharmonix, and made a deal for the prototype to be mass produced. It continued to be revised over the years to improve its technological abilities and playing ability. The most recent model, the Akai EWI 5000 was revealed in 2014, and even contains its own soundboard to change reverb, delay, chorus, and pitches. It features the same button/octave mechanics as the original but in a much slimmer form containing more advanced technology, and more patch sounds.

The Akai EWI 5000 model

The EWI and Michael Brecker:

The most prominent figure in the early advancement of the EWI was virtuoso jazz/fusion saxophonist, Michael Brecker. He used the it as a platform to expand the range of sounds possible on a MIDI controller, as well as a tool for improvisation in a jazz/fusion related context. He even used it as a solo unaccompanied instrument in some contexts, looping certain sections as well as harmonize itself to create sounds representing an entire ensemble. Considering the more common pop/dance/jazz fusion sounds that existed in the 1980’s, I would consider the EWI groundbreaking in terms of surpassing what people thought was musically possible.

The first major breakthrough for the EWI occurred when Michael Brecker performed Steps Ahead in Tokyo in 1986, only five years after the it was invented. It features the EWI’s full technological capability with the help of extraneous pedals/synthesizers/foot switches to create a plethora of futuristic sounds. All the way up until 3:33, it is just Michael Brecker alone venturing into fascinating harmonic depths.

Another example would include my favorite piece featuring the EWI: Original Rays on Michael Brecker’s Michael Brecker (1987). It is also plugged into an Oberheim Xpander (a six voice keyless interval generator/analog synthesizer). The notes that are being played on the EWI are marked as pink, and the color coated chunks mark each time the Oberheim Xpander generates a new set of six intervals harmonizing the main note.

One last example, just because Michael Brecker is that awesome, is the song Itsbynne Reel on Don’t Try this at Home (1988). It showcases the EWI in a different context as described in the liner notes by George Varga: “The opening section, ‘Itsbynne Reel’ begins with a vigorous traditional Irish-reel-cum bluegrass duet between Brecker on EWI and violinist O’Connor before leading into a driving, harmonized vamp…” It’s not the typical setting for an electronic instrument with violin, but it totally works and that is the best part. The EWI is not just limited to jazz or fusion music, it can go anywhere if it fits the context. I also highly recommend listening to the rest of the track, it’s quite unbelievable.

EWI in the context of contemporary music:
Although the EWI became more popular among other users, more artists became critical over its legitimacy in music after Michael Brecker didn’t use the it as often in the 1990’s. Despite that, there are a lot of musicians that continued to use it at a very high level, one of them being Bob Mintzer. There is a group called the Yellowjackets that features him on the saxophone and on a more recent model of the instrument. One of my favorite snippets of the group is them performing in Stockholm in 2009, showcasing the amount of technical ability that can be achieved while being musical and assimilating vocabulary from the blues/jazz.

EWI as its own instrument:

As awesome as the EWI can sound, people often mistake it as being too similar to being able to play an acoustic instrument, specifically the saxophone, clarinet and flute. As described in an article regarding technique and expressivity on EWI, the reason why the it is incredible is because it requires its own technical mastery, completely separate from any other instrument. That is why people often experiment with the EWI, but do not get past the early stages. One major difference is that the buttons are touch sensitive, as opposed to physical finger buttons that can be pressed down or tone holes that can be covered as well. It is essential that the finger movement is clean and precise. If users are not paying attention, their fingers can be easily touching buttons and swirling between notes that were not intended. Another challenging concept is the touch sensitive thumb roller for the octave register. It is not the same as producing the upper and lower harmonics on an acoustic instrument. If users aren’t careful, the thumb can easily roll quickly between octaves and creates a huge whirlpool of morphed unintentional sounds. There are also seven/eight octaves on the instrument, which is a lot more than usual acoustical instruments are accustomed to having. Figuring out how to properly incorporate this huge range on the instrument into music can be very challenging as well. The continuing capabilities of the EWI include pitch bend, vibrato, and glissandos is not as easy to use in context as users might think. The mouthpiece is also made of hard rubber, which can feel much different than actively vibrating a reed or buzzing in a brass mouthpiece. As an EWI 5000 user myself, I absolutely love the instrument, but the technical challenges are certainly apparent.

EWI and its place in music today:

One issue that the EWI ran into at the beginning of its development is that it was considered as a replacement for 80’s jazz/pop saxophone. This limited the usage and its credibility to be continually used in other contexts. I believe that the EWI should be treated as its own instrument and should be assimilated into any musical context of which is appropriate. Considering that it is somewhat like a technological version of what an acoustic wind instrument, it is very unique and has a futuristic/contemporary feeling to it. It can certainly push the boundaries of what is possible in music and can also yield to the creation of other music niches/genres in the future.

Sources:

https://www.patchmanmusic.com/JoelPeskinEWIStory.html

The EWI

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/penny-will/the-amazing-ewi_b_1746317.html

http://www.gwhitty.com/ewi.html

https://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1577&context=oa_dissertations

Varga, G. (1988). [Liner notes]. In Dont Try this at Home [Vinyl, LP]. New York: Impulse record label, MCA Records, Inc.