Beholder Halfway #27 - Popular Motives

Monthly investigations of music politics with Paul Rekret.

This week: Popular Motives. 'I believe, in fact, that attempts to bring political protest together with ‘popular music’ – that is, with entertainment music – are for the following reason doomed from the start. The entire sphere of popular music, even there where it dresses itself up in modernist guise is to such a degree inseparable from the commodity, from the cross-eyed transfixion with amusement, that attempt to outfit it with a new function remain superficial. And I have to say that when somebody sets himself up, and for whatever reason accompanies maudlin music by singing something or other about Vietnam being unbearable….I find, in fact, this song unbearable, in that by taking the horrendous and making it somehow consumable, it ends up wringing something like consumption-qualities out of it." (from a television interview with Theodor Adorno)

Tracklist

Ryuichi Sakatomo, Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence
Famous Dex, Like Wow
N.E.E.T. (Not in Education Employment or Training), Pythagoras Hammer
Linda Di Franco, My Boss
Caterina Barbieri, Scratches on the Readable Surface
Interview with Theodor Adorno
Argile, Tagtraum Eines Elefanten
Steve Roach, Quiet Friend
Tupac, Best Interview 1992!!
Keith Fullerton Whitman, Feedback Zwei
Justin Bieber Meets a Super Fan
Lonnie Liston Smith, Astral Travelling
Klein & MBO, Wonderful
Neil Young on being political
Future & Jodeci, Whatever U Need (A JAYBeatz blend)
New Edition, Can you Stand the Rain
Kk null, z'ev & Chris Watson, Invocation - Kami, (The Celestial) Jupiter Sight Wood East Spring Dawn
Leon Thomas, The Creator Has a Master Plan
Unknown, Old School Rave the Morning After
Steve Miller Band, Fly Like an Eagle