The Icons

The National Portrait Gallery is exhibiting a Gay Icons series - ten prominent gay "selectors" are asked to each name six individuals whom they regard as inspirational. The icons are not required to be gay, but rather the show provides insight into who - and what characteristics of an icon - influence the lives of todays prominent gay figures. The portraits themselves are secondary to the stories behind the inspiration.

You couldn't see the exhibition without questioning who has been instrumental in your own life. Here are a few of my own ...

Neil Tennant

Stylish, ground breaking, and with seemingly endless stamina. Neil Tennant has always provided musical inspiration via the Pet Shop Boys - but beyond that obvious link he has been a pop culture icon on every front. Where he stands above so many of his contemporaries is through his inimitable dignity. He is a trusted and respected voice of British culture and the world is a better place because of the joy he has brought through his career.

James Dean

Those who leave the world prematurely often have iconic status thrust upon them. James Dean was a pop star in his own right. His skill as an actor was evident despite appearing in only three films. What would he achieved if his time had not been cut so short? Though we must decipher his true life story from the legend it appears he was an outlier in every aspect - it is no surprise that he continues to inspire new generations.

David Bowie

Bowie is a true genius. His songwriting skill is unparalleled, as is his talent for invention of all aspects of his world. He takes risks and in doing so has been an influence on probably anyone making music today.

John Cage

For some reason I have been fascinated by Cage from the moment I became aware of him. Odd considering my love for pop music and melody! He was a many of layers of complexity - philosopher, composer, artist, activist, Buddhist. Yet everything he did was with consistency and conviction. He gave me silence and for that I will be forever grateful.

Barrack Obama

Because very few individuals actually give hope to the world. It's a gift that we should never take for granted. Obama has only been with us for a short while but already he has achieved so much - the simple act of his rise to the top is overwhelming. He is the only politician I have ever believed in - he can actually change the world.

Thank You, Clone Records

It is with deep regret that I read today about the closure of Clone Records.

Around the time we started to release our own records, I really began to admire Clone. Here was a label releasing brilliant electronic music, often beyond the radar of the status quo - but always consistent within their vision. They are what I have always admired a label to be.

Their press release states:

"Now we do understand the tricks and formulas of dance music and the different users. However using these tricks and formulas just to ensure maximum effect would be betrayal to our own musical ethics because our goal with Clone records is to entertain ourself with the music we release (and to be clear... with the music...and not the side effects)."

Their goal was to release quality music, not generic throwaway trash for the dancefloor. It is the most marvelous of ambitions - one which we have always held as a Gaymonkey value. 

Perhaps in this dying age of vinyl they have suffered from not increasing the frequency of their releases. But I applaud their integrity - and most of all, I thank them for discovering Putsch '79 - one of my favourite electrodisco acts. For my second single I asked them to remix "Strut" and was very honoured when they said yes - out of respect I offer it here for download. 

DOWNLOAD MELNYK - "Strut (Putsch '79 Discoblaster Mix)"

No Music Day

Today - the 21st of November 2008 - is No Music Day. 

Devised by former KLF-frontman (and overall philosophical musical tinker) Bill Drummond, this day is set aside so that we might acknowledge the role that music plays in our lives. A sort-of aural-Lent, the concept strives have us individually recognise our relationship with music simply by giving it up for one day.

I think the concept is genius; in our current mass consumption + devaluation model, our appreciation of music has been tarnished. Days like today force us to think about something very precious in our lives that we take for granted.

On the No Music Day site you are asked to make a pledge as to whether you will - or won't - be observing todays festivities. Personally, I shall - no listening, no humming, no whistling. Unfortunately I can't stop the music in my head, but perhaps by observing today I will gain a better appreciation of the joy of the jukebox in my mind.

Long Tail Epiphany Pt 1: The Death of Distribution

I've been delving deeper into the concept of the Long Tail - which is proving to offer me multiple epiphany moments.  Anyone working in the music industry that hasn't read it should - in fact, I have a feeling most major label suits have read it - and it scares them shitless.

One of the laws of the Tail is to "Democratize Distribution". In the digital world of infinite choice, the old rule of the industry does not apply - physical distribution is no longer the key to reaching your audience.

When Gaymonkey launched we worked hard to find a distributor. We were rejected by many of them because we didn't have the sound they were looking for (which puzzled me greatly - what did a distributor know about what music people wanted to listen to - surely there is an audience for everything?). But when Silence started to get a lot of attention, the distributors came to us.

We thought we had it made - the door was unlocked - finally people could get our music. And at the same time we had made some strong decisions around our digital presence. Things were great.

But soon I realised it wasn't going to be so rosy. Distributors don't just sell your music - they control it to maximise their profit potential. To sell more units, they strive to push your catalogue into "the curve" - the mass market space everyone has traditionally battled to be in. Selling a few units a week to stores is too time consuming to them - they need you to have a hit, or you aren't worth their time. 

So in true freakenomics fashion, they force albums into big retailers hands (HMV, Virgin, Fopp, Play.com) - the distributor makes money on initial units shipped - even if it is returned, they still keep their cut, while the labels are forced to foot the bill. The label loses out, and so does the artist.

It was suggested by our distributor that we were "too niche". They worked hard to get all their albums into the curve, and we needed to be there too. Last year they went bankrupt.  So did Fopp. Virgin has gotten out of its music retail division, and HMV has significantly trimmed down its inventory to focus on games and compilation CDs that they can flog at high volume over xmas. Maybe the curve isn't so great after all. 

In our new world of democratized distribution, the label and artist controls the release schedule. We still work closely with our digital distributor to plan our releases, but there is no pressure to modify our catalogue or promote within the curve. Because in the Long Tail niche is respected - and in the end the listener has the infinite choice.

Image by noseacuerdan on Flickr

The Polyartists

Couture died today.

Yves Saint Laurent was obviously a huge force in fashion.  Reading his obituary today I couldn't believe that he took over from Dior when he was just 21 years old.  Truly a talented man.

One of the most fantastic aspects about art is when brilliance inspires even more brilliance. YSL's most iconic piece is of course the Mondrian dress.  The dress is memorable not because of its homage to the great paintings that precede it, but due to the way the designer interpreted the landscape of Mondrian into his own work.  It is not a pastiche, but something that stands as a success on its own.

This weekend I discovered some new work by Gerhard Richter - a series of six paintings titled Cage (1-6).  The identically sized paintings dominate a single room of the Tate Gallery, each realised in a similar style of smearing paint horizontally across the canvas. The work is inspired by Cage's music and his Lecture On Nothing.   They seem to have a sound of their own - colour fighting to get through the noise of the layers that smother from above.

Cage was himself inspired by art, keeping the company of artists such as Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenburg (who also recently past away) - Rauschenburg's White Paintings were a direct influence on Cage's signature piece 4'33".  I find these connections fascinating - they form a road map to our cultural history.

Literature is perhaps the more commonly accepted cousin to music, but for me the visual arts have always been the most inspirational, capturing emotion far beyond the written word - having the ability to motivate and push you to constantly strive for more within your own work.