Miele RADIO 1-48 24-10-2005 11:43 Pagina 16 NO air / ON air: Negativlandinterview interviewby <A/B-ROSSBIN> Negativland air: ON <WWW.ROSSBIN.COM> / air NO What is Negativland? way, from original songs to lengthy As a group (Mark Hosler, Chris symphonies of attack clips on a subject or Grigg, Don Joyce, David Wills, theme. Our samples and dialogs come from and Richard Lyons), they do any and all mass media, the whole world of create music, but calling consumer access to audio material in this Negativland a mere “band” age of reproduction. Negativland doesn’t do them justice. On Negativland The radio seams to play a special role their recordings, they too in Negativland activities; when did appropriate, dissect, you first start to get involved in the scramble, reassemble, and radio and how does it happened? regurgitate sonic material When and how did the group start? When I first met Negativland, I was doing a culled from a variety of DJ Negativland: Mark Hosler started this radio show, Over The Edge, at KPFA in sources – anything from whole thing in his bedroom back in high Berkeley. I invited them up to play live and network broadcasts to private school, around ‘78-9. He met David Wills then we started doing it every week. That phone conversations. They (the Weatherman) and Richard Lyons at was 1981. mix this with an equally that time and they started working together on their own record. Chris Grigg also joined What exactly is the show about and eclectic variety of instruments how does it works? – keyboards, guitars, the group then and left in the 90s. I came how does it works? samplers, tape loops, squeeze along in the 80s, and Peter in the 90s, and Over The Edge is a weekly 3 hour radio toys, and so on. The end result here we are. show in which I and sometimes any number of people mix live, usually on a is incredibly funny, often Does the name Negativland has a theme or idea of some kind. We just use all making a wry social comment. special meaning? the playback equipment that actually exists And they don’t just record. It’s open to interpretation. My favorite is in in a broadcast studio, but use it all more They perform on-stage. They the photo negative sense-perception simultaneously. If it’s a group mix, it’s all even produce a weekly live reversed. But sometimes it fits better in the touch and go improv, start and stop, all radio show, Over The Edge, contrarian sense too. together. If I’m doing it solo, I can control heard early Friday mornings You have been making music for more all this playback equipment myself, but still on KPFA-FM in Berkeley, thanYou 20have years been now, making how musicyour music for more is employ it all simultaneously. I think I was California. changed/evolvedthan 20 years now, during how the your years? music is one of those doing mash-ups before it had I changed/evolvedguess the stylistic feel during of our the sampling years? a name. When others mix on the show, collagesI guess hasthe stylisticprogressed feel from of our cassette sampling they also usually bring in equipment of editingcollages to hasPro Toolsprogressed over 20 from years, cassette but the their own to patch in, as I do too. This can processediting remainsto Pro Tools very over much 20 the years, same but in the be instruments, electronics, computers, FX principle.process remainsWe are usuallyvery much combining the same in devices, mixers, etc. A broadcast studio has whateverprinciple. music We are and usually sounds combining we make with all the same potentials as a recording allwhatever kinds of musicpre-recorded and sounds material we makethrown with in studio, and we use it that way for forall a kinds progression of pre-recorded of sonics material and content thrown you in broadcast. We also add “receptacle couldfor a describeprogression as audioof sonics surrealism. and content you programming” to this, which is allowing From: the The Unofficial, Abstract,could describe with a assense audio of surrealism.“actuality”. listeners to call in, unscreened and Unnecessary Negativland Page We’veAbstract, done with various a sense kinds of of“actuality”. “music” this undelayed, to deposit whatever sounds, www.l2g.to/negativland We’ve done various kinds of “music” this talk, live or recorded music, or whatever 14 1717 Miele RADIO 1-48 24-10-2005 11:43 Pagina 18 Negativland NegativlandNegativland Can you talk us about your policy Negativland concerning copyright and anty- coorporate? they want via telephone into our mix as it Can you talk us about your policy owner has – then you can “rent” the stuff we use is much more obscure, and junk yards. Looking for parts for his own stage presentation of Over The Edge (a progresses. “When your phone stops concerning copyright and anty- appropriation legally. These two barriers to therefore pretty safe to use. Nobody is used cars, he would find these text things “radio” format) which will be all about this ringing, you’re on the air. Don’t say hello.” coorporate? free expression are diametrically opposed going to sue you for using something off a inside the junked cars, and photograph the new/old idea that there is no God, and it’s So we maintain a lot of randomness and Our policy is that present copyright laws to the stated purpose of copyright law - to thrift store out of print kids record… The car each was found in. This became a book all in our heads, so what next with this unpredictability in this essentially esthetic are anti-art in a certain aspect. This crucial encourage the creative arts. Except U-2 suit was when we started studying to which we then added the “soundtrack”, evolving, internal mental impulse flaw resides in how they collage? Requiring payment and permission copyright law and discovering the offenses which is made of “wrecked” make no legal distinction to reuse old art in new art means that to art within it. We fought that suit in press electronic sounds. The sound between counterfeiting source owners can control and censor any releases only, settling out of court due to of destroyed sound, but fairly whole works of art for reuses they do not approve of. It’s actually the enormous, intentionally destructive ambient in nature. On the resale as if by the author, pretty easy to distinguish between expenses involved in attempting to other hand, our next release, and sampling or counterfeiting whole works and cultural convince a judge that art is not defined as No business, is entirely appropriating fragments sampling in new works, and we would like a business. But that got us a reputation for recomposed out of other of existing art to reuse in to see fair use for fragmentary perhaps embarrassing those who would people’s music, with nothing the creation of new art for appropriation in collage, and every song sue us, and has maybe had an effect of original from us in it at all sale. The former should with samples IS collage. making others think twice before suing the – except the whole remain illegal. The latter kind of entirely virtual threat to their recomposition of it. When you release the album Dispepsi, should be decriminalized. When you release the album Dispepsi, commerce we represent. you didn’t think that Pepsi could have We are anti-corporate to you didn’t think that Pepsi could have What is The mashin’ of sue you? Why take the risk? the extent that they sue you? Why take the risk? You are releasing your work on your the Christ video? believe art is defined as a We thought they could, but they probably label and you distribute them through The video is made of many business. Instead of wouldn’t, and they didn’t, so we were right. your web site, why do you choose to different crucifiction scenes seeing sampling as the Art involves some risk. We felt it was do it yourself instead of using labels from the history of movies, inevitable progression of perfectly respectable to mirror them with and distributors? The bad experience mashed together. We would creative methodology their own commercials, to put them on with SST have to do with this each have our own answer since the turn of the 20th display in a critical way that was out of decisions? to the God question. Century (collage, their control. Yes, you can be sued for this, Yes, after the lawsuit, it divorced us from Mine is that supernatural combines, the found which kinda makes the idea of free our label at that time (SST - That was monotheism is just as naive object, Pop Art speech/free expression appear way too Island Records who owned U-2 suing STT and dangerous as the appropriations etc.) finally dangerous for this “democracy.” who owned us, and the two bands involved paganisms and then the reaching music too, they were hardly asked or informed on the polytheisms that preceded it obliviously call it theft (for How the case U2/Island affected the proceedings!) so after that we started our were, that these are all the first time in art!) and group? Did you have any advantage own label so that from then on, whatever historically temporary stages go to legal extremes to from it, in term of notoriety for criminal music we did was on us alone, of an advanced intelligence suppress and inhibit this example? and we could contain the entire evolving conscience, and that whole practice of the That was the one and only time we have responsibility for defending it ourselves.