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This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from Explore Bristol Research, http://research-information.bristol.ac.uk Author: Charles, Christopher Title: Psyculture in Bristol Careers, Projects and Strategies in Digital Music-Making General rights Access to the thesis is subject to the Creative Commons Attribution - NonCommercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International Public License. A copy of this may be found at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode This license sets out your rights and the restrictions that apply to your access to the thesis so it is important you read this before proceeding. Take down policy Some pages of this thesis may have been removed for copyright restrictions prior to having it been deposited in Explore Bristol Research. However, if you have discovered material within the thesis that you consider to be unlawful e.g. breaches of copyright (either yours or that of a third party) or any other law, including but not limited to those relating to patent, trademark, confidentiality, data protection, obscenity, defamation, libel, then please contact [email protected] and include the following information in your message: •Your contact details •Bibliographic details for the item, including a URL •An outline nature of the complaint Your claim will be investigated and, where appropriate, the item in question will be removed from public view as soon as possible. Psyculture in Bristol: Careers, Projects, and Strategies in Digital Music-Making Christopher Charles A dissertation submitted to the University of Bristol in accordance with the requirements for award of the degree of Ph. D. in the Faculty of Arts. 79,104 Words ii Abstract This thesis looks at the careers of psychedelic trance or ‘psytrance’ musicians in the city of Bristol, UK. Looking at the various projects and strategies enacted by a small group of interviewee- correspondents, I demonstrate the ways in which these contribute to a musical participant’s overall career, creating and foreclosing opportunities for further musical engagement. The activities of different participants are also shown to interlock, forming the local, translocal and virtual aspects of the scene. Crucially, I do not divide these activities into ‘amateur’ and ‘professional’ status, but rather look at the multitude of approaches available to participants, many of which are aimed at building the scene rather than making immediate profit. Throughout, conventional notions of cultural value and hierarchy building on Pierre Bourdieu’s ‘capital’, ‘field’ and ‘habitus’ (and Sarah Thornton’s related notion of ‘subcultural capital’) are challenged by way of Actor-Network Theory and a wider musical network ontology which stresses the importance of ‘boundary’ objects and concepts which can belong to more than one network. This, I suggest, allows us to more fully appreciate diversity within musical systems, a point which I demonstrate through analysis of music by local producers. Musical and technological detail are also given, drawing on my own experience as a producer, performer and learner of psytrance music. The seven chapters of the thesis deal with event promotion, DJ and live-electronic performance, the use of internet platforms and services, genre and internet tags, genre and music production, and creation of resources for self-directed learning. Together, these build up a picture of a modern-day career in digital music-making. iii iv Acknowledgments Thanks are due to: My supervisors Dr Justin Williams and Prof Katharine Ellis, who gave me lots of great books to read. My participants Globular, Krosis, Snowdrop, Tetrasound, Lurk, Nervasystem, Colin and Steve OOOD, and Fractal Forest, who whose patience and willingness to share their knowledge with me made it possible to write this thesis. DJ Basilisk, Jason Frog, Kodama, Mystical Voyager, Spatialize, Ian Spore, Rev. Dread, Nimi, Liquid Lounge, Artemis Complex, and the many other musicians who aided me in my research. Gemma Farrell, Raquel Campos, and Steve Gamble, and other friends from conferences who have inspired me with their intellect and passion for music. Emma Hornby and the department writing group, who read my work and made helpful suggestions. Carmen Ho, Will Finch, Peter Relph, James Taylor, Lindsay Carter, Christopher Tarrant, and all the other staff and postgrad students in the music department, who shared their thoughts with me over many pints at Racks. Stephan Binar, Frankie Roe and the other residents of the postgrad writing room. Michael and Priita who made me coffee every morning. Argun Çakır and Tolgahan Çoğulu, who shared my passion for board games and came to see me play at Tribe of Frog. Freddie, Javier, Patricia, Maggie, and Alberto, who took me to my first psytrance party and taught me to appreciate ‘the open steppe’. My parents, who bankrolled the whole operation and bought me new shoes when the old ones had holes in them. My boyfriend Matthew Sansom, who was there at the start of the thesis and was still there four years later, and who knows more about psybient music than I ever will. v vi I declare that the work in this dissertation was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the University's Regulations and Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes and that it has not been submitted for any other academic award. Except where indicated by specific reference in the text, the work is the candidate's own work. Work done in collaboration with, or with the assistance of, others, is indicated as such. Any views expressed in the dissertation are those of the author. SIGNED: ............................................................. DATE:.......................... vii viii Contents Table of Figures ..................................................................................................................................... xii Introduction and Literature Review ........................................................................................................ 1 0.1 Literature Review Part 1 – Musical Careers, Grassroots Music-Making, and Underground Musical Cultures .................................................................................................................................. 2 0.2 Literature Review Part 2 – Electronic Dance Music .............................................................. 12 0.3 Psytrance and Psyculture ...................................................................................................... 17 0.3.1 What is Psytrance? ........................................................................................................ 17 0.3.2 Psytrance Music ............................................................................................................ 23 0.3.3 Psyculture and Music-making ....................................................................................... 26 0.3.4 Psyculture in Bristol ...................................................................................................... 28 0.4 Method ................................................................................................................................. 31 0.5 Chapter Summaries ............................................................................................................... 36 0.6 Personae ............................................................................................................................... 39 1 Chapter 1 Musical Systems and Musical Careers ......................................................................... 43 1.1 Subculture, Scene, and the Ontology of Musical Systems .................................................... 43 1.2 Fields and Networks; Projects and Strategies ....................................................................... 53 2 Chapter 2 Promotion and Performance........................................................................................ 67 2.1 Bristol Music Venues and Cultural Heritage ......................................................................... 67 2.2 Bristol Music Venues and Underground Dance Music ......................................................... 72 2.3 Event Promotion as an Activity ............................................................................................. 75 2.4 Event Promotion and UDM Cultures .................................................................................... 77 2.5 PEDM Events in Bristol .......................................................................................................... 81 2.5.1 Tribe of Frog .................................................................................................................. 81 2.5.2 Planet Shroom ............................................................................................................... 85 2.5.3 Psychedelic Jelly ............................................................................................................ 91 2.6 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 95 3 Chapter 3 - Performing ................................................................................................................. 97 3.1 DJ Performance and Bookings .............................................................................................. 97 3.2 Residence and Affiliation .................................................................................................... 103 3.3 Live