Re:Mixing to a Postmodern Beat
Radiohead recently sold their downloadable album "In Rainbows" for whatever the buyer wanted to pay for it. And now they've decided to make themselves even more internet savvy and accessible by creating a way for fans to remix their song Nude and post it online.
www.radioheadremix.com
I think this is just amazingly postmodern.
One of the main tenants of postmodernism is the death of the author. In layman's terms, it basically means that the audience rather than the author have the final say on what things mean and how they're supposed to work. In the realm of literature, a symbol could mean anything to anyone. We bring meaning to the words rather than the words bringing meaning to us.
In a similar matter, music could have a postmodern death of the composer. Already, there's plenty of remixes and mashes of songs and beats by some amazing people. Sampling and the like have been infused in our music thanks to early hip-hop and dancehall DJs. But what sets Radiohead apart from these others (making them postmodern examples) is that the band is actually making stems (individual tracks of guitar, vocals, drums, bass, and strings) accessible to the masses. On the internet, in fact. And not only that- they're also allowing (encouraging, in fact) fans to upload their remixed versions onto the web for others to hear. They're letting go of their "authorship" and asking the audience to bring meaning and perspective to what they've produced.
This is one of the more amazing things about postmodernism. And although I hate to give up "ownership" of my own words and creativity- it's cool to see what sort of creativity the "death of the author" can inspire when it's done in a manner like Radiohead is doing.
www.radioheadremix.com
I think this is just amazingly postmodern.
One of the main tenants of postmodernism is the death of the author. In layman's terms, it basically means that the audience rather than the author have the final say on what things mean and how they're supposed to work. In the realm of literature, a symbol could mean anything to anyone. We bring meaning to the words rather than the words bringing meaning to us.
In a similar matter, music could have a postmodern death of the composer. Already, there's plenty of remixes and mashes of songs and beats by some amazing people. Sampling and the like have been infused in our music thanks to early hip-hop and dancehall DJs. But what sets Radiohead apart from these others (making them postmodern examples) is that the band is actually making stems (individual tracks of guitar, vocals, drums, bass, and strings) accessible to the masses. On the internet, in fact. And not only that- they're also allowing (encouraging, in fact) fans to upload their remixed versions onto the web for others to hear. They're letting go of their "authorship" and asking the audience to bring meaning and perspective to what they've produced.
This is one of the more amazing things about postmodernism. And although I hate to give up "ownership" of my own words and creativity- it's cool to see what sort of creativity the "death of the author" can inspire when it's done in a manner like Radiohead is doing.