
You know what … I think I’m going back to the future!
I hate to admit it, but as someone who is as digitally savvy as you get – I miss the old times. It’s not a case of nostalgia or a simple lament of an aging person. It is just a reminder of the speed of the information dissemination in today’s’ society. It has never been easier to instantly connect with all things one would ever think of. You can get your hands on pretty much anything within seconds, minutes and sometimes just hours. Compare it to the good old days where you had to wait days, weeks and months for anything worthy to actually get your hands on. Today, I’m kind of feeling lost in the digital jungle. There is simply no time to ponder and reflect on your own personal preference as choices are fed to you constantly and an immediate approach to download and not to download is expected. Gone are the days of persuasive filtering through material as you don’t even have the time or energy to go filter through the immense amounts of content which is being thrown at you. Once you had to rely on the good judgment of people in the position of informational powers – today each and everyone of us is a source of opinionated content, whether it’s on our Facebook profile, our twitter account or our blog. These days everyone seems to have one. The question is – who to follow?
I would ask you to think back when HipHop first started. It was the use of technology that paved the way for the Dj’s to start cutting records up. Back then, something as certain as a mixer – was just as much a crazy idea as wireless power is today. However, that didn’t stop the creativity and the drive of the determined and DJ Red Alert soon had the first prototype of the Vestax dynasty. Throughout the years you can see how samplers, keyboards, vocoders and what not was introduced by HipHop way before it hit any mainstream genre. I would even go as far as saying that technology probably is the fifth pillar of the HipHop culture as you witness the constant evolution of the game which reflects only the progressions made by the tools we use to express ourselves. How is Rap and Street oriented music different than any other genre. If you think about it, the independent record movement started by the same time the Internet got it’s breakthrough. No other style of music had such a changeover in the years after 1997. The era of Fun Crusher Plus made sure you only needed two turntables, a microphone and a computer to record it all. Soon you could be flooding the street with home made discs, tapes and what not. Take a further look to see how the HipHop genre has ruled the Billboard charts of lately. My opinion is that the industry players here were the ones that embraced the Guerrilla Marketing strategies to put their music out by any means necessary. The Internet has always been the cheapest way of spreading your word – and the HipHop movement, itself grounded in hard times and poverty, is all about finding the most effective & cost efficient means of disseminating it’s message! Needless to say, HipHop music, even in it’s most diluted form, now holds the records for most downloaded ringtones. No surprises here …
So let me say this …. Basementality as a movement and as a state of mind is all about empowering yourself with means of using technology as a means of expression. I rely on consistency! Scout for people you know are trustworthy in terms of content generation. Your old sources are probably feeding some good tips towards you without you realizing it. I look forward to be a source of inspiration in this regard. I WILL hunt the right people down and I will bring you the content – no matter the cost! That is why you want to stay put with this blog. Classic – but never behind is the motto!
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