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The music-scene concept is, for starters, extremely limited. Identifying four characteristics in common and leaving everything else aside does nothing more than turn us into photocopies of the others who belong to the same group. But, at the same time, who wouldn’t like to be part of the elite, even if the elitism barely lasts six months?
We are not talking here about great cultural movements, but rather the fast pace at which music scenes come and go; that is, their ephemeral nature. Because – let’s not kid ourselves – the moment fast arrives when a given scene stops being “authentic” and it becomes necessary for us to deny that we belong to it… until we come across another kind of music and aesthetic and we are moved to identify with it. But, besides this, it is a rather polemical subject. This year’s line-up features representatives of the major music scenes, from the most established and long-lasting to the latest new thing. However, in a good number of cases, the identification of a group with a label is categorically denied by the group in question and/or its fans. Many times it is the music press, always in need of something new, which creates a scene; other times, it is bands and their fans. Either way, we should take a look at some of them. When you get down to it, the differences are not that many, and in the end it is more about what connects scenes than what separates them: music, regardless of whether it will still appeal to our tastes down the road and into the future.
NU RAVE: In the 90s, we saw the rave movement. A few years ago, the revival of new wave (or the new wave of new wave and such successive revisions). The revival of the former, with a certain irony that makes reference to the name of the latter, is the so-called Nu Rave. Klaxons are widely considered the greatest exponents, so if you are into acid, fluorescent colours and psychedelic imagery, and you feel like listening to a band that sounds “like when Buzz Aldrin returned from the moon and became Muslim”, you have a date Friday at the Green Stage. And, for real Nu-Ravers, Cansei de Ser Sexy is another must-see act. Even though they are not exactly Nu Rave, they are close enough, and have many of the same fans in common. These gutsy Brazilians are the bomb, and they are bold enough to dedicate a song to Paris Hilton in which they rhyme “beach” with “bitch”.
POST PUNK: By this name we refer to bands at the end of the 70s and beginning of the 80s that completely opened up to experimentation with diverse influences and results. Representing post punk, we have the absolute standard bearers, Devo, with their personal aesthetics and imagery (“Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!” they asked and answered back in ’78) and electro-pop classics like “Peek-a-boo” and “Whip It” , whose video was among the very first to be broadcast on MTV.
And, since all scenes experience an obligatory revival, at the beginning of our decade came the post punk revival, spearheaded by bands like !!! and The Rapture, who have built their sound on electronic, disco and funk foundations. And, both of these bands are known for the original titles of their songs: “Me and Giuliani Down by the School Yard” (!!!) and “Whoo! Alright - Yeah…Uh Huh” (The Rapture) .
INDIE BOHO: Truth be told, it is a valid question to ask if such a thing really exists or not, but Indie-bohemian, whether aesthetically or musically, does exist, combining the Indie spirit with a bohemian look, or the sinister halo of people like The Horrors. In this bohemia we find, for example, the multifaceted and multitalented musician Patrick Wolf, who mixes folk with electronic music in the least orthodox way, and with unpredictable but always right-on results.
The possibilities, in short, are unlimited. We could name and/or create other scenes speaking of the ‘60s retro spirit of The Pipettes, of the hip-hop pop of The Go! Team, of the scene of the new romantics and their cyclical evolution and return upon mentioning The Human League, or of the quintessence of Spanish indie exemplified by Los Planetas…
Follow the thread if you feel like it, play with the names and the proposals to construct your own aesthetics and your own family tree of references. Because, when you get right down to it, there are no watertight compartments in music and styles are permeable and nourished by similar sources. Then we can call it whatever we want.
NEWS
Domingo, 06 de Julio de 2008