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- Ed Vaizey: Music education funding will still be ringfenced
Culture minister Ed Vaizey reveals local authority music education schemes will continue to receive funding, but the future of In Harmony projects remains uncertain
News just in, and some potential revelations on the future for music education. In tomorrow's Music Matters, culture minister Ed Vaizey tells me that money for music education and music provision in England and Wales will still be ringfenced when the previous government's Music Standards Fund lapses next year. That settlement was £332m for local education authorities and their music services, and while there's isn't a snowball's chance in the fires of Mount Doom of the new settlement being as much as that, it's at least a concrete commitment to the survival of a discrete pot of money for music education, and means the coalition won't go down the route of allowing LEAs to have the choice over how much money they give to music in their area, as the Tories did with such disastrous consequences in 1984.
For more on the coalition's plans for music education, we'll have to wait until Classic FM's Darren Henley finishes his report on music in schools sometime in the new year. But there's some potentially painful news for the three In Harmony projects in England: having affirmed his commitment to keep funding them in a pre-election debate on Music Matters, Vaizey only says now that he'll "have to check the figures" and wait to see what Henley says on the subject. Fingers crossed he keeps to his word on this one for the schools and their pupils whose lives have been changed by In Harmony so far.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More FeedsПереслать - New music: Cocknbullkid – One Eye Closed (Jakwob Remix)
Anita Blay is finally ready to release her debut album as Cocknbullkid, and she's gone all 80s riffs and echoey drums
Cocknbullkid, aka Anita Blay, appeared on our Buzz Chart in 2009, albeit with an extra 'the' at the beginning of that slightly awkward moniker. Big things were expected and, after a clutch of pretty exciting electropop singles, she decided to scrap the lot and take her time over recording her debut album (now due in February 2011).
One Eye Closed, the first single, is like a lost John Hughes soundtrack song, all pogoing guitar riffs and big echoey drums, but here dubstep DJ and remixer extraordinaire Jakwob slows it down, adds some throbbing beats and turns the guitar line into a juddering bassline.One Eye Closed is out on the 8 November. The Jakwob remix can be downloaded for free from here.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More FeedsПереслать - Warpaint: 'Ari Up never lost her ability to captivate an audience'
Emily Kokal supported the Slits with her band Warpaint. She describes how Ari Up helped her find a voice, and how she felt when she first saw the cover for Cut
I heard the Slits a lot when I was growing up, through my parents and their friends, but I only became aware of them in high school. A friend had a copy of Cut and I just remember seeing the art work of them standing topless, covered in mud and thinking: "Wow, they don't give a fuck." Even then I didn't actually listen to their music properly. It wasn't until I was about 23 and had just started singing for the first time that I really listened. I was struggling to find my voice; it was a weak muscle that wobbled, and I wanted to strengthen it. My boyfriend handed me Cut, saying he thought it might help. I knew what he meant: Ari Up had this tension in her voice that she managed to totally liberate. I found that inspiring. For the next two weeks after that I listened to no other CD in my car.
We actually got invited to support the Slits not long after we formed in 2004. It was incredible; we actually got asked to share a bill with them. But I only saw Ari in passing so never properly met her, though she'd watch us play. It wasn't until last year that we found ourselves at a mutual friend's house at the same time. She arrived in this huge padded jacket, kind of like a football coach, and sandals. I loved that. It was her finding a way of being at the exact right temperature so she could wear sandals. She was tough and had a cool exterior, but she was also playful and expressive. Like the Slits' music, in a way. I remember her talking about bringing up kids and being very funny.
A friend of mine runs a night called Dub Club, which Ari used to perform at. Often she'd just turn up and dance. Watching her perform, it struck me that she had the same energy and ability to captivate the audience as she'd always had. There was no sense that she'd lost touch; she was still in it, still dominating. In that sense, she was timeless, because she was an artist who commits and stands by what they're saying.
When I think of her in that big Jacket and her crazy hair, she was such a force. She was so necessary. That's why it is very hard to believe that energy isn't here anymore.
• Emily was speaking to Rosie Swash
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More FeedsПереслать - Readers recommend: songs about uncertainty
Last time was all about surprise cameos. Sticking with the unexpected, this week we're looking for songs where the outcome of a situation is in doubt
"Ladies and Gentlemen ... Mr Elton John!"
I love that line, it's one of my all-time favourites. The surprise, the delight, the self-regard – George Michael puts more emotion into those six words than he does the entirety of Careless Whisper.
Anyway, I digress. At time of writing the Special Guests thread is still below the 1000 post mark, which saddens me slightly. But for why? It ain't nothing but a number and it's the community that counts (by which token, I was pleased to notice a minimal amount of flouncing on the thread last week too).
After much deliberation, here is your A-list (you can read the column that seeks to explain it all): Solomon Burke – We're Gonna Hold On; Massive Attack – Teardrop; Pet Shop Boys with Dusty Springfield – What Have I Done to Deserve This; Faust v Dalek – T-Electronique; Joanna Newsom – Go Long; Small Faces – Tin Soldier; A Tribe Called Quest – Scenario; Lou Reed – Street Hassle; Art Tatum and Ben Webster – Night and Day.
Your B-list is as follows:
Love – The Everlasting First (take 16)
This is definitely the "all pals together"-style special guest with Jimi Hendrix fitting in alongside Arthur Lee and Bryan MacLean until one final flare at the end.
KLF – Justified and Ancient
I think this is an ironic collaboration. If for nothing other than having Tammy Wynette sing about Mu Mu Land. I think this song has dated, but the choice of special guest is inspired.
Sonic Youth – Kool Thing
Deliberately underplayed guest ahoy! In a video that features the eroticised stroking of cats (not something I'm in favour of), Chuck D is restricted to leaning against a wall, looking moody and saying "Fear baby" in a disjointed exchange with Kim Gordon. That said this song still rocks and then some.
Prince & George Clinton – We Can Funk
Gorgeous George lends his vocals and his trademark chord progression (Atomic Dog et al) to the mix for this prime piece of Purple. Like all good funk it meanders to all heck, but the groove abides throughout.
Bat for Lashes – The Big Sleep
A beautiful, yet melancholic song that seems typical of the late work of its guest, Scott Walker. The moment he enters, the song comes almost as a shock, such is the contrast between his baritone and Natasha Khan's vocals. A delicate balance between the two voices is struck after that, before everything fades away, replaced by a mechanical hum.
Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack – You Are My Heaven
A classic soul duet, with everything sprinkled in sugar, from the keyboards to the vocals and the lyrics. Oddly, I liked it for this. And the tempo is high enough for one to wiggle around to. (PS listen right to the end to hear Flack hit a phenomenal high note).
Kanye West ft Chris Martin – Homecoming
Not cool and quite cheesy in places (the chorus – I'm looking at you) but in Martin's little piano flourish and the way in which Kanye loops it so it begins on the offbeat makes for a proper piece of raw hip-hop.
The Rolling Stones – Shine a Light
I think someone observed that much of Exile On Main Street could have been selected but I chose this number, featuring Billy Preston, a regular Beatles collaborator. Preston on keys and Keith Richards on guitar is some combination, with the outcome close to euphoric.
Terranova – Equal Rights
Featuring Ari Up, who passed away this week. Agitprop politics plus looped rock guitar and beatboxing. Makes for a propulsive combination.
Simple Minds – Hunter and the Hunted
The early 80s was a funny period in musical history. Here we have jazz pioneer Herbie Hancock playing with Jim Kerr and his band as they make the transition from post-punkers to stadium crotch-jigglers. Hancock's conventional keyboard part is the best thing on this song by a mile.
This week now. We live in uncertain times, whether you're Wayne Rooney or working in the public sector. This week's theme is songs that articulate uncertainty, whether at a macro level (a world in tumult) or a micro one (a relationship breaking down). It's a lyrical theme this week, so I want close reading and articulate justification. If you want an example of how to justi right, may I recommend Nilpferd's post from last week? The significance of Art Tatum's collaboration with Ben Webster explained in under 5,000 characters.
The toolbox: Archive, the Marconium, the Spill and the Collabo (thanks Mnemonic) .
The rulebook:
DO post your nominations before midday on Monday if you wish them to be considered.
DO post justifications of your choices wherever possible.
DO NOT post more than one third of the lyrics of any song.
DO NOT dump lists of nominations – if you must post more than two or three at once, please attempt to justify your choices.
Finally, no biting, spitting, buking, puking or hair-pulling.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More FeedsПереслать - Behind the music: An interview with Pitchfork founder Ryan Schreiber
The brains behind indie's online bible on how his site grew from just two reviews a day to a worldwide operation read by millions
Entrepreneurs are often told the key to success is to come up with something you crave that is not yet available. Ryan Schreiber, founder and editor of Pitchfork, is certainly proof of the validity of this advice. "When I got on the internet for the first time I realised its potential," says the self-professed music obsessive. "I could see where it was going from a mile away."
At an early age, Schreiber became a fan of indie music, but found there were few online resources. Some of his friends were printing their own fanzines, which they Xeroxed and distributed around his hometown, Minneapolis. "They were getting interviews with bands that I had tremendous respect for and would just love to talk to for 15 minutes," says Schreiber. "The reviews I was reading at the time lacked strong opinions. They were all pretty much reverent. And I thought: 'Where's the honesty?' I knew that if I listened to 100 records I was going to dislike at least 20 of them. Also, a lot of the music that was getting popular at that time was second-wave Nirvana, such as Filter and the Deftones. I didn't feel it was independent music. It didn't come from independent labels." So after graduating from high school, Schreiber started his own online fanzine.
For the first few years hardly anybody paid attention to Pitchfork, says Schreiber. Meanwhile he was working in a record store and did some other odd jobs. The site kept him going as he "didn't really have any prospects in the real world" and loved being able to talk to artists and receive promos.
Around 1997-98, he recruited a few more writers – remunerated with free promo CDs – and the site went from two reviews a day to four ... and kept on growing. Today Pitchfork has around 50 freelance writers worldwide and 20 full-time staff, based in New York and Chicago.
So how do they choose which acts to cover? Schreiber and his staff dig through stacks of promos (he says they can't, and won't, listen to everything), search MySpace, and follow word-of-mouth and message-board recommendations. He is also a big fan of Mary Anne Hobbs (he's "bummed" that she's leaving her job) and Annie Mac.
In the US, commercial radio has six genre formats, and artists that don't fall into these categories have to find other ways of getting heard. Pitchfork provides a vital alternative for many of these acts. "I don't really pay attention to what happens with independent artists in the mainstream," he says. "We care about musicianship and songcraft above anything else. The stuff that stands out to us is the stuff that doesn't sound like everything else we hear. Like James Blake from the UK, who came from dubstep. His music is largely electronic and sampled, but he has a distinctive approach. Some of what we like, from the outside looking in, is quite pretentious – but some of it is straight-up pop that will appeal to everyone. "Whereas many blogs are niche-specific or taste-specific, we try to be comprehensive in terms of the independent music world – even if we don't like it," says Schreiber. "We're very, very frank."
This frankness has been criticised, however, with some claiming that a bad review on the site can have a detrimental effect on an artist's sales (of course, Pitchfork has also helped to break many acts). Schreiber seems unfazed by this. "There have been many instances of artists coming out against (negative) Pitchfork reviews and attacking us. Sometimes it gains favour with their fans and sometimes they say: 'Oh, shut up – it's music criticism. Why don't you grow up'.' It's not as common as I thought it would be. Everybody on the internet is so critical of anybody who steps out of line."
In fact, stepping out of line appears to have worked well for Schreiber: Pitchfork now has more than 2.5 million unique visitors each month and 400,000 visits each day, with many indie music fans seeing the site as one of their primary music references. Not bad going for a 34-year-old music geek with no prospects in the real world.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More FeedsПереслать
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