What can 12 musicians create in 12 hours with only $12 worth of thrift store finds?
January 29, 2008 9:15 AM Subscribe
The Crate Digger Death-Match. A couple of weeks ago, Drown Radio challenged 12 musicians to create a complete album in 12 hours while utilizing only $12 worth of materials purchased at thrift stores. Here are the results of round one, complete with MP3s.
Demogorgon, my first thought was creating instruments from junk found at the thrift store (my thrift store never has anything as valuable as instruments in any case). So participants would be strumming rubberbands stretched over a beat-up bookshelf and tapping mismatched water glasses. Guess I'm not very electronically-minded.
Love some of the tracks, but wish I could see the thrift store receipts, or see a writeup of what was used in them. Is that there anywhere?
posted by artifarce at 9:40 AM on January 29, 2008
Love some of the tracks, but wish I could see the thrift store receipts, or see a writeup of what was used in them. Is that there anywhere?
posted by artifarce at 9:40 AM on January 29, 2008
This would have been a blast to do. I love these type of comp contests.
posted by bigmusic at 9:46 AM on January 29, 2008
posted by bigmusic at 9:46 AM on January 29, 2008
Yeah, I thought the same thing artifarce. Looks like what they did here was mostly buy albums and sample and mix them, with surprisingly good results.
It looks like most of the artists have scanned the reciepts and put them up to view. The winner's receipt is here.
posted by Demogorgon at 9:46 AM on January 29, 2008
It looks like most of the artists have scanned the reciepts and put them up to view. The winner's receipt is here.
posted by Demogorgon at 9:46 AM on January 29, 2008
"Texas is Probably Pretty Hot" is pretty nice. I dig the groove and the horns. "Boom-a-lakka-boom," too. The others really didn't grab me at all (the samples in "Jack, the Story of a Cat" are particularly jarring and a little irritating, I think).
artifarce: Click on the band names on the results page; they show you what they bought.
posted by uncleozzy at 9:46 AM on January 29, 2008
artifarce: Click on the band names on the results page; they show you what they bought.
posted by uncleozzy at 9:46 AM on January 29, 2008
I too thought that they would be purchasing equipment as well as records...
Im sure a second hand turntable wouldnt be that much anyway...
posted by subaruwrx at 9:51 AM on January 29, 2008
Im sure a second hand turntable wouldnt be that much anyway...
posted by subaruwrx at 9:51 AM on January 29, 2008
I was about to yawn, until I saw the 12 hour time limit. I haven't listened to the tracks yet, but fantastic idea.
posted by cashman at 10:00 AM on January 29, 2008
posted by cashman at 10:00 AM on January 29, 2008
The word musician has apparently been redefined. I like the old meaning better. And the contest as stated would also be interesting.
This, however, is "What can 12 DJs sample and remix in 12 hours..."
posted by lothar at 11:06 AM on January 29, 2008 [1 favorite]
This, however, is "What can 12 DJs sample and remix in 12 hours..."
posted by lothar at 11:06 AM on January 29, 2008 [1 favorite]
DJs are musicians.
posted by First Post at 11:24 AM on January 29, 2008
posted by First Post at 11:24 AM on January 29, 2008
My three year old can turn on the radio, so he's a musician too.
/flamebait
posted by fleetmouse at 11:28 AM on January 29, 2008
/flamebait
posted by fleetmouse at 11:28 AM on January 29, 2008
"What can 12 DJs sample and remix in 12 hours..."
That's just not true. That was not the case at all, hell even one of the contestants (Tyler2000) mostly did his live, on instruments that he bought from the store.
A cursory dismissal of anything that includes sampling as not art is also pretty much bullshit. You would also have to dismiss any art that used other's artists as a basis on which to expound. If I take a motive from one of Bach's works and create a new song based on it, is that not art? If I take a picture from Ansel Adams and use that as a basis for a new painting, is that not art. Both of those surely are art.
posted by bigmusic at 11:28 AM on January 29, 2008 [1 favorite]
That's just not true. That was not the case at all, hell even one of the contestants (Tyler2000) mostly did his live, on instruments that he bought from the store.
A cursory dismissal of anything that includes sampling as not art is also pretty much bullshit. You would also have to dismiss any art that used other's artists as a basis on which to expound. If I take a motive from one of Bach's works and create a new song based on it, is that not art? If I take a picture from Ansel Adams and use that as a basis for a new painting, is that not art. Both of those surely are art.
posted by bigmusic at 11:28 AM on January 29, 2008 [1 favorite]
DJs are musicians.
WordNet: mu·si·cian (noun)
1. someone who plays a musical instrument (as a profession)
2. artist who composes or conducts music as a profession
Technically correct. Both are art and require expansive memory/quick reflexes.
But, there is a difference between (a) selecting/mixing prerecorded songs or snippets thereof using the controls of a playback device and (b) quickly reading sheet music and manipulating the keys/valves of an instrument to produce individual notes.
The lack of differentiation in using one word to describe both is a source of confusion.
posted by CynicalKnight at 12:39 PM on January 29, 2008 [1 favorite]
WordNet: mu·si·cian (noun)
1. someone who plays a musical instrument (as a profession)
2. artist who composes or conducts music as a profession
Technically correct. Both are art and require expansive memory/quick reflexes.
But, there is a difference between (a) selecting/mixing prerecorded songs or snippets thereof using the controls of a playback device and (b) quickly reading sheet music and manipulating the keys/valves of an instrument to produce individual notes.
The lack of differentiation in using one word to describe both is a source of confusion.
posted by CynicalKnight at 12:39 PM on January 29, 2008 [1 favorite]
DJs are musicians.
I don't consider all DJs musicians. I do, however, consider turntablists to be musicians. Anyone who spends that amount of practice backspinning/scratching/manipulating sounds on one or more records has gone above and beyond most DJs. Your average wedding/club/house DJ doesn't come close (with exception to those DJs who mix harmonically).
posted by sewshi at 1:11 PM on January 29, 2008 [1 favorite]
I don't consider all DJs musicians. I do, however, consider turntablists to be musicians. Anyone who spends that amount of practice backspinning/scratching/manipulating sounds on one or more records has gone above and beyond most DJs. Your average wedding/club/house DJ doesn't come close (with exception to those DJs who mix harmonically).
posted by sewshi at 1:11 PM on January 29, 2008 [1 favorite]
Impressive. To the naysayers out there, go download Fruityloops/Acid/whatever and try to compose a track worth listening to. It's harder than you (apparently) think.
posted by iamck at 2:18 PM on January 29, 2008
posted by iamck at 2:18 PM on January 29, 2008
Apologies on being the catalyst to the flames that appeared after my post. Also, apologies on not noting that one of the contestants *did* create his own music.
That being said, however, ***NO***.
DJs are not automatically musicians.
Turntablists have musical skills, and may be musicians.
Defining "musician" to include DJs demeans the word in the same way "engineer" and "technician" can now be used to mean the person emptying trash or pulling fries out of hot oil upon hearing a beep. Somewhere between "turning on the radio" and "improvising a well-structured melodic line with harmony and rhythm" lies the threshold of "musician." And I choose to place that threshold well above DJ skills, just as I avoid "sanitation engineer" when I mean trashman.
I've deejayed, I've created music from samples, and I am also a professional musician. I do this for a living, selling my work and services internationally. You've heard my work. Unless you believe that someone playing Guitar Hero is also a musician, I think you're misusing the word.
posted by lothar at 10:56 AM on January 30, 2008
That being said, however, ***NO***.
DJs are not automatically musicians.
Turntablists have musical skills, and may be musicians.
Defining "musician" to include DJs demeans the word in the same way "engineer" and "technician" can now be used to mean the person emptying trash or pulling fries out of hot oil upon hearing a beep. Somewhere between "turning on the radio" and "improvising a well-structured melodic line with harmony and rhythm" lies the threshold of "musician." And I choose to place that threshold well above DJ skills, just as I avoid "sanitation engineer" when I mean trashman.
I've deejayed, I've created music from samples, and I am also a professional musician. I do this for a living, selling my work and services internationally. You've heard my work. Unless you believe that someone playing Guitar Hero is also a musician, I think you're misusing the word.
posted by lothar at 10:56 AM on January 30, 2008
Well, y'all enjoy your opinions, and we'll see ya when you catch up with this century I guess.
If you don't agree that remixing a song as per this contest implies musicianship, I don't really care about convincing you.
posted by First Post at 11:06 AM on January 30, 2008
If you don't agree that remixing a song as per this contest implies musicianship, I don't really care about convincing you.
posted by First Post at 11:06 AM on January 30, 2008
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posted by Demogorgon at 9:33 AM on January 29, 2008