Theme: Dissapearing cultures and communities
Med udgangspunkt i afsnit 5 af podcasten Crossover Frequencies undersøges musik fra forsvindende kulturer og samfund.
Af: Niels Bonde Jensen
17.05. 2023
Crossoverfrequencies.com
In collaboration with:
DJ Spincycle, Second To the Left, WORT 89.9 FM, Odense Musikbibliotek & Resonator.
In the Afghan film Khan-e tarikh (The House of History) from 1996, ruins in Kabul are shown, which previously housed important cultural institutions - museums, libraries, etc. - but have been destroyed as a result of the civil wars in the 80s and 90s. Thousands and thousands of documents and objects, each of which was an important piece in a history and the continued life of a culture, turned to dust. The film itself is a unique historical document - perhaps the only documentary produced by Afghan Film, Afghanistan's state-owned and monopolistic production company, during this period.
In the last episode of the podcast Crossover Frequencies, Ankur Malhotra, AKA DJ SpinCycle, on the other hand attempts to immortalize some other pieces from the disappearing cultures of the world before it's too late.
Among other things, he also turns his ears towards Afghanistan, where music is struggling due to the Taliban's systematic imprisonment and execution of musicians and the burning of instruments and recordings. However, he unearths a joyful memory from the past - an upbeat dance number by musician Gafur Khan on the stringed instrument dutar. And in this way, this little glimpse into a culture in a specific place, at a specific time, is now immortalized through the podcast's RSS feed and the internet's global network.
I ask Malhotra what role media and curators play in the preservation of these cultures and, most importantly, what exoticizing pitfalls one should avoid in the process:
"The role of the media has become larger and more important. People have tremendous access now - through phones, the internet, etc. - so the act of documentation itself has expanded. In that way, the curatorial aspect is also more important than ever," he answers and continues:
"It's about avoiding something being presented as the flavor of the day. One must respect that these cultures have centuries or millennia of history behind them. So it's about doing proper research - gaining an understanding of the traditions, communities, music, etc. - so that one can amplify the voices that are so distant that they would otherwise not be heard. In the end, it's about functioning as a channel for peoples who are in vulnerable positions."
This channel can thus take the form of a kind of digital museum: a cultural infrastructure that corresponds to the destroyed cultural infrastructure in the material reality by gathering the fragments and putting them together in new ways.
I ask Malhotra why it is important to preserve these historical documents and what the global community loses if they disappear:
"Many folk traditions have typically been oral traditions. So what has been documented is sometimes just a small snippet of a particular culture, but often these snippets are the last remaining documentation: whether it's a particular playing style, a specific genre, or in some cases, entire dialects and languages that are otherwise becoming extinct," he explains, pointing to the relevance for current and future generations:
"That's why it's absolutely essential for these snippets to be preserved because they serve as reference points for the people of that specific culture, but also because in some cases, they can lead to a revival of traditional instruments, musical treasures, etc." plains, pointing to the relevance for current and future generations:
The podcast series thus concludes with the timelessness at the core of the art of preservation and its unifying potential: by allowing the sounds of the past to resonate in the present, the foundation for the future music is secured.
Theme: Spiritual music
The concept of spiritual music is explored in episode 4 of the Crossover Frequencies podcast.
By: Niels Bonde Jensen
19.05. 2023
Crossoverfrequencies.com
In collaboration between:
DJ Spincycle, Second To the Left, WORT 89.9 FM, Odense Musikbibliotek & Resonator.
"By hearing, in a way, I gained a completely new knowledge," says the German music journalist, publisher, and walking encyclopedia of spiritual music, Jean Trouillet, in the fourth episode of the Crossover Frequencies podcast. He describes his first encounter with the music of qawwali legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. A meeting that involved a rare vinyl recording and a solid dose of LSD, and which became a form of revelation in his life - not only in relation to Sufi culture and its musical traditions, but also in relation to a possible connection to the spiritual through music.
Across many of the world's religions, one could say that such encounters are at the core of the religious experience: that one is enlightened through listening. From Moses on the mountain to the priest's sermon in the church.
Earlier in the episode, the host, Ankur Malhotra AKA DJ SpinCycle, plays different songs associated with Hinduism, which have a particular sound as a common foundation. It is the word "om," which in Sanskrit refers to the holy, elevated, and infinite. The word is chanted before and after recitations of sacred texts, it is used in prayers and is part of the Hindu iconography. It is used in wedding ceremonies, in yoga, and as part of meditation.
A simple syllable, a basic vocalization, a round, almost instinctive resonance in the oral cavity that branches out into a plethora of meanings associated with the idea of the divine. Does this spiritual quest hide in all musical sounds? Is there something, indeed, god-like, about the act of creating music itself? Malhotra asks himself the question in the episode and elaborates here:
"From blues and gospel to songs directly related to various religious entities to pagan rituals, animist traditions, and music about the earth and nature, there is a common quest for strength at play. It may then be reflected in the musicians' personal spiritual beliefs and quest, but in the bigger picture, it is this common core that one wants to connect with," he says.
Of course, this common strength can be understood both concretely and more esoterically. For example, it is a striking characteristic of the music that Malhotra plays in the episode that it floats in melodic and harmonic progressions. Like the word "om," it is as if spiritual music invites tones ringing out instead of seeking ecstasy in rhythmic repetitions, as was the case with work music in the third episode. Or maybe not? Malhotra also finds a kinship with rhythmic music in the ritual's concrete anchoring of the spiritual. He explains based on his work as a techno DJ:
"At techno parties, there is this clear ritualistic element. But it is a term that is often used to come together for prayer or sermons as well. It refers to a shared space where everyone's bodies move to the same beat. In the temple, it could be the ringing of the bell, and at a rave, it's obviously the bass. A shared emotional connection is created, where people smile and cry together in this physical space - it creates a strong connection that is central to spiritual music."
One could also say that music, human arrangement of sounds, acts as a link between the concrete physical space and the spiritual space. Not that enlightenment stops here - when the door is opened to, for example, Pakistani Sufi music, the work of more down-to-earth knowledge-seeking begins, but once the connection between body and soul is established, it is often difficult not to be moved.
Theme: Rhytms of work
In relation to the 3rd episode of the podcast Crossover Frequencies we look in to the rythms of work.
By: Niels Bonde Jensen
04.05. 2023
Crossoverfrequencies.com
In collaboration with:
DJ Spincycle, Second To the Left, WORT 89.9 FM, Odense Musikbibliotek & Resonator.
Imagine a hunter sneaking through the grass on the African savanna thousands of years before our time. Or a worker on the assembly line at a Ford factory in the early 1900s. Or imagine a nurse thrown into an understaffed ward in a modern super hospital.
What sounds characterize these widely different forms of human labor throughout history? How would one translate it into music? "Through rhythmic repetitions," is the obvious answer. Sound fragments from bodies and materials in motion, synthesized and finding a common pulse. A patchwork of everyday sounds, gathered and woven in and out of each other.
This is the basis of music tied to all kinds of work - music that, like work itself, has followed humans from the first hunts to today's open office landscapes.
In the third episode of the podcast Crossover Frequencies, Ankur Malhotra AKA DJ SpinCycle delves deep into work music and highlights examples from all over the world of this musical processing of the rhythmic repetitions of the working human body. He explains his own fascination with the sonic universe of work:
"I'm a mechanical engineer, and I worked at one point in an aircraft engine factory in India, surrounded by about 900 machines - each with its own rhythm. I think that's where I also found my love for techno. And when you think about percussion and rhythm, I think the earliest sounds have been the cutting of a tree or even the making of fire, where two stones hit each other and create a rhythm. So I think it's something deeply embedded in humans meeting with natural world."
He goes on to talk about the musical detective work that the podcast has thrown him into:
"There are some very surprising discoveries, because when you dig into the nature of the sounds, you end up at some very specific sources. Take harvest music: maybe you've heard of harvest songs in general, but harvesting mushrooms, for example, who would have thought there would be a song about harvesting mushrooms, but yes, there is."
But what about today's disconnected, digitized work? If the rhythmic pulse that is the basis of work music comes from active bodies and the kinetic processing of materials, what does inactive work sound like? How is music created over documents that are circulated in a ministry? Or investments from online bank accounts flowing in time with the fluctuations of stock prices? Or what about the sound from the creation of this article? Will the future of work music be composed solely of keyboard clicks and notification dings? Malhotra gives his answer:
"Work forms are always transforming themselves, so music naturally evolves as well. Kraftwerk could be an interesting example, where robots make music. Even machine music is always music made by humans. So I don't think humans will be replaced by AI or anything like that. But I think, and that's also what makes this collection fascinating, that parts of the nature of the work itself disappear. So there's, for example, a song about cabin building, and it's not because people are particularly busy building cabins these days," he explains and continues:
"Such things are interesting to think about, how the nature of work will change, and how the nature of this music may be less and less concerned with people walking around performing their daily activities."
Work music is thus moving towards new forms, which, like work itself, is largely adapted to technological development and the fusion of everyday physical life and digital life. What rhythmic pulse, what pumping beat, what musical expression will this produce in the future? Only time will tell.
Theme: Protest music
Med udgangspunkt i afsnit 2 af podcasten Crossover Frequencies undersøges fænomenet protestmusik.
Af: Niels Bonde Jensen
02.05. 2023
Crossoverfrequencies.com
Et samarbejde mellem:
DJ Spincycle, Second To the Left, WORT 89.9 FM, Odense Musikbibliotek & Resonator.
*Podcasten er på engelsk*
The second episode of Resonator's new podcast, Crossover Frequencies, starts with Tom Waits' raspy voice interpreting the legendary Italian protest song, Bella Ciao - originally a lament from the late 1800s about the harsh working conditions in the northern Italian countryside, but immortalized as the partisan resistance anthem against the occupation during World War II.
Turning our ears to Denmark in 2021, the protest movement Men In Black gave their own bass-amplified, autotuned and in every way updated version of the same song with Mette Ciao as a call to action against the country's prime minister and the government's extensive Corona restrictions. The lyrics and melody can be tweaked, translated, and adapted to different social and political contexts, but as a basic formula, Bella Ciao has the same function in contemporary uprisings as it did in the 1800s: to inspire mobilization.
The musical framework - both melancholic and uptempo, with cyclic lyrics and intensifying rhythms - is tailor-made to be performed in groups, on the streets. It points back to hymnic traditions and forward to the chants at the football arena. In other words, Bella Ciao is an archetypal protest song and one of the most widespread and well-known of its kind. But what does it have in common with, for example, Sega music from Mauritius and protest music from the Algerian revolution in 1954-1962?
That's my first question to the man behind Crossover Frequencies, Ankur Malhotra AKA Dj SpinCycle:
"The unifying theme behind all this protest music must be the injustice that exists in the world. This injustice exists across cultures, which shows that there is still no utopia as such. It is also a theme that remains relevant - it's not like this music was only made in the 1700s and 1800s and then slavery ceased. In the 21st century, protest music has simply taken on new forms, including as a rebellion against modern fascism," he explains and continues.
"In that sense, it's an evergreen-theme, because there will always be artists who feel an obligation to interpret the injustice in their surroundings through music."
In the podcast, Malhorta illustrates how such an interpretation materializes very literally in Sega music from Mauritius. Here, special instruments were built to mimic the sound of the slaves' chains, while the dance mimics the slaves' struggling footsteps. In other words, a concrete and unique musical innovation born directly out of suffering and oppression. And what to make of that?
Do we as listeners and curators of this protest music also glorify the real injustice that is the foundation of the music? Malhorta answers:
"It's always a balancing act. In the podcast, I play music from revolutions and wars in places like Palestine and Algeria, where there is a direct connection to violence and bloodshed - which I personally, of course, would not advocate in any way. But fundamentally, one must see this type of music as a tool for mobilization, but also as a collective voice for populations that have otherwise been silenced. In many cases, they have not been in a position to get up on a podium and speak out, but they have always been able to sing."
And it is precisely the singing - voices that unite in harmonic sounds or marching chants - that is pervasive in the podcast's examples of protest music. The instrumentation is a pulse, a particular mood that lifts the vocals, but the voices must also be able to stand, in unison, on their own. For what is a protest without its voices?
Podcast: Crossover Frequencies
The cellar under Odense Musikbibliotek has a secret, only the few know that this is where we find one of the biggest vinyl collections of folk- og roots music in Scandinavia.
By: Ankur Malhorta
04.18. - 05.16.2023
Crossoverfrequencies.com
A collaboration between:
DJ Spincycle, Second To the Left, WORT 89.9 FM, Odense Musikbibliotek & Resonator.
You're about to hear a very special story. This podcast is the product of several years of work, by Indian DJ Ankur Malhotra, also known as DJ SpinCycle. Ankur has visited Denmark on several occasions among others to visit Resonator Festival and Odense Music Library. The basement of the music library holds a secret, this is where we find one of the largest vinyl collections of folk and roots music in Scandinavia.
Ankur Malhotra's focus has been to delve into the roots music from the basement. From the hours of digging in the basement he has recorded mixtapes and made the podcast by the name ‘Crossover Frequencies’. With music as a focal point, we embark on a journey in global culture and history with DJ SpinCycle as a guide. In these first trips, we will explore the world through music within the themes of: protest music, work-related music, spiritual music and music from disappearing cultures.
In the following you will find a brief description of the 5 episodes, that Ankur’s digging has resulted in
EP 1 Introduction to Crossover Frequencies:
An overview episode that highlights each of the forthcoming episodes with examples of music from each episode. Interview with a student of Music Conservatory of Esbjerg doing research on the music library, what the collection means, and how it is interpreted for listening, production and enjoyment in the current day.
Broadcast date: 17 April 2023, 11am Central Time (US) on the Global Revolutions program
Published on streaming services: 18 April 2023
EP 2 Protest Music:
The episode covers the music of protest and resistance, both old and new - from Haiti to Mauritius, Algeria, Palestine, and North America. Explore the origins and evolution of Sega Music, music and censorship, and the sounds of resistance from hot spots of the world.
Broadcast date: 24 April 2023, 11am Central Time (US) on the Global Revolutions program
Published on streaming services: 15 April 2023
EP 3 Work Music:
Humans have created songs to accompany work since time immemorial. Finding rhythms and harmonizing with and in their activities -from our hunter gatherer past, to farming and herding animals, to sounds from our urban work environments. Featuring field recordings, music from Suriname, Ladakh, Dahomey, Cameroon, India, Brazil and more..
Broadcast date: 1 May 2023, 11am Central Time (US) on the Global Revolutions program
Published on streaming services: 1 May 2023
EP 4 Spiritual Music:
Different styles and emotions of spiritual music are explored in this episode. From devotional hymns and temple bells and qawwali from the Indian sub-continent, to avant garde sonic interpretations from Europe and Brazil, Gregorian chants, learn about the universal sound Om + interview with Jean Troulliet (radio, journalist, music presenter based in Germany) + Music from the Denmark, India, UK, United States, Pakistan, Brazil
Broadcast date: 8 May 2023, 11am Central Time (US) on the Global Revolutions program
Published on streaming services: 8 May 2023
EP 5 Disappearing Cultures and Communities:
Featuring shorter sub-segments that tackle the subject through the idea of disappearing instruments, music dying in countries due to conflict, climate change and how that will affect the communities and cultures that are immediately impacted by it, and music of cultures and communities that do not have a land (with an example of Kurdish music). Music from field recordings in India, Inuit and Native American music from North America, Afghanistan, Rwanda, Solomon Islands, Australia and Denmark.
Broadcast date: 15 May 2023, 11am Central Time (US) on the Global Revolutions program
Published on streaming services: 16 May 2023