"Fire is motion / Work is repetition / This is my document / We are all all we've done / We are all all we've done / We are all all we've done / We are all all defenses."

- Cap'N Jazz, "Oh Messy Life," Analphabetapolothology

Monday, February 12, 2007

music for activists

hello-
ok, so i'm going to take a break from my usual fare and pose a query of a very urgent type:

WHAT DO ACTIVISTS LISTEN TO TO PUMP THEMSELVES UP FOR A RALLY/ PROTEST/ ACTION?

i stress again that this is a very urgent matter and i would like to hear back from you post-haste.

alternatively, what kind of music sustains ur anger tantrums? what kind of music elicits u to dance/ stomp around?

this is of ultimate importance. all i got right now is Marvin Gaye [mp3-"Inner City Blues"]...
-stephan!e

21 comments:

Rae Jin Devine said...

lol
I don't consider myself qualified for any professional answer...
But I know if I'm angry and I want to embrace that American Hi-Fi, Buckcherry, Jet, Puddle of Mudd, Hoobastank, System of A Down, Linkin' Park, Royal Bliss, Shined Down, etc. tends to do the trick. A lot of that is pretty poppy though. Just find some rock you like.

In terms of "pumped" though...Alien Ant Farm, Weezer, White Stripes, The Strokes (definently), etc. get's me moving.

IDK, I'm not much of an audiophile. I know you know way more about music than I do. I'm kinda surprised your asking actually.

I mean, you're the one with a radio show. Ha. At least, you had one. Do you still do that?

Wow, I'm disconnected. : /

Rae Jin Devine said...

You know Stephanie, it's rather hard for me to think of a time I have not enjoyed with you. In fact, you have an incredible knack for getting me to think, laugh, or (often) both.

For example:
http://devinews.blogspot.com/2007/02/tangential-link_13.html

Rae Jin Devine said...

Aww, thanks Steph.
The bl0g, as well as your comment regarding it really mean a lot to me.
The pic was taken on my new celly, we should trade numbers sometime.
I'll be at Alex today for lunch round 12:20. See you there?

The ZenFo Pro said...

Hmmm...this is an interesting question...way too hard for me to even begin to answer in under 1000 words :)

For me, though, it's usually activist underground hip-hop - lately, it's stuff out of Developing Nations and Conflict Regions (rap music is the medium of choice for the 21st C. Woody Guthries of the world.)

For instance, lately I've been grinding to the Palestinian protest grooves of The Ramallah Underground collective. Check this track out: Amputate - Boikutt & The Unpeople.

And check out Turkish emcee Jonturk and an international collective of some of Europe's best kept underground rappers (Germany's Albino and Russia's Big Black Boots, for example) : Resfuse Resist Say No (video) Right now, this video is one of the biggest anti-war protest pieces in the world - nothing like a track in six languages to unite people.


Lol...I'll spare you the novel. Drop me an email or swing by the office. Can help you out further, just let me know what you need.

stephanie lee said...

thanx j.
i really like that Boikutt jam. nothing like good hip-hop to get you in a rhythm. i've been practicing my speech and i noticed i develop this spoken word poet's gait that is really quite uncharacteristic of me. but it's exhilirating taking on a rhythm, and owning it.

i think M.I.A. is going to be my music of choice. she's tiiite.

-steph!e

The ZenFo Pro said...

Ooo...since I'm sorta Last Man Standing here at work today, and I'm on a bit of a techno kick in the office...

Another mp3...

Bucky Done Gun (Eye of the Tamil Remix) - M.I.A./Cracker Farmboy (Au.) Mp3

I put it on the Special Projects Anarchy mix CD I made for my students. Let me know if you want a copy... :)

SR said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I hope you don't mind a little heavy stuff.

Freedom or Fire by Fear Factory, ,Boom by System of a Down ,WWIII by KMDFM, and The Great and the Good by Napalm Death and Jello Biafra

anything by ISIS, especially from their albums In the Absence of Truth and Panopticon

If you do mind the heavy stuff, Astral Projection's Another World album is classic, and myspace.com/dubstep has artists from a fairly new and and catchy genre of electronic dub.

stephanie lee said...

thanks, SR.

i've been told to check out System of a Down. i don't personally have any of their music, but i'll try to find some.

;-) -sL

Anonymous said...

Ack! I can't believe I forgot to mention Act III Scene 2 (Shakespeare) by Saul Williams.

and you're welcome.

SR

smert' bazara said...

"All You Fascists (Bound to Lose)" seems appropriate enough. Billy Bragg/Wilco, lyrics by Woody Guthrie. Though technically about civil rights, its strong beat and simple message sufficiently, if slowly, incite. A good start at the least.

Otherwise, I'm going to go with Atari Teenage Riot or KMFDM (already mentioned). Both tend to be fast paced and/or revolutionary. ATR, however, is more consistently empassioned. I find that industrial music, while often angry, tends to contructively apply its energy (and inspires the listener to do so as well) more so than metal. Or does it inspire chaos? Either way.

This music is accessible through iTunes and ourTunes under WBGR. Wireless or wired should work.

Will

stephanie lee said...

thank you, young william!

ur suggestions reminded me that Sonic Youth's "Teenage Riot" is a worthy addition to the list. always gets me pumping...

maybe i'll get dressed in my activist garb while listening on thursday...

thank you again.
-steph!e

Unknown said...

Its terribly cliché, there is no angry music like The Prodigy.
For something a little more obscure so I'm actually contributing, look into Moon Thoery, I'm quite found of them and it seems suited to both questions.
Now back to work, looks like I'll be rounding out my week of only 4 hours of sleep per day and still being behind.
-PAPPP (huh, GMail logins work with blogger now, I suppose I'll go ahead and let Google data mine)

stephanie lee said...

thank you PAPPP.

yes, it's frightening how much Google is slowly taking over our lives.

p.s. do i know you somehow? won't u reveal urself to me?

Unknown said...

Yes, you do know me, I posted on your previous/other blog a couple times too (Thats not where you know me from).
Since we're on the offtopic of Google creeping into everything, I bet you could figure it out (and even possibly contact me for bonus internet stalking points) by the end of the first page of hits for my handle :P (Hint: I have nothing whatsoever to do with the biological sciences hits.)
...playing with the internet is way better than Bode plots or sleep.

stephanie lee said...

PAPPP-
i genuinely have no idea. tho yr mystery intrigues me...

come on, a hint?
-stephan!e

Unknown said...

Oops, I sometimes forget people don't use the phrase "handle" except in certain contexts; in the google search for "PAPPP" hit 3 will provide a name, and hit 6 a current place, both without even clicking the link. Hit 6 can also be used for a screen name if you do that.
Additional non-internet information, we were last in the same place this past winter break at Common Grounds, and know you from two schools. (Not that the latter narrows the former any)
Again, way more entertaining than what I should be doing, everyone should practice their internet stalking skills every now and then.
-PAPPP

stephanie lee said...

oooooh!! hello, friend!

cool to still c u around. it's nice to see ppl i really know read my sight [sic].

maybe i'll even c u in Common Grounds again some time soon...

-sL

Anonymous said...

w007 2 der kmfdm here too!

Me is unable to resist Thacid9 and more from Asian Dub Foundation at times of certain, uh, excitement "therez only wu thin tha the fashish undastand...".

Black Uhuru is still awesome. I do not know their albums per se, and usually just play at random.

ceau

p.s. like your post entitled Chance Imagery!

stephanie lee said...

hey rem! long time no comment, eh?

i'm glad u liked the chance imagery article. i liked writing it.

Anonymous said...

LOL

Thanx for just making my day. Actually in need of some basic human interaction and didn know it. Did miss your blog, believe it or not!

Also did wind up getting my copy of Oldboy working (not that you were asking). HS what a movie, woman! Guess double thanx is in store, eh? Chukl...

I mean, holy crap that is one kicker of a storyline. aStOuNdInG computer enhanced washes between scenes... I seem to recall one when a streetcar just rolls across the screen to lay in the next scene. Wow.

Anyhoo, check your blogger dashboard comment feed or whatever, I will add somesome to Change Imagery too.

Rehi to you and your friends here.