Iurii Shevchuk (DDT) is besides Mikhail Borzykin (Televizor) known for being one of the more outspoken musicians within the russkii rok tradition. Following the presidential elections 2008 he has also performed at the Marsh nesoglasnykh and has been featured on the compilations “Muzyka NEsoglasnykh 1 and 2”. On the first compilation the song “Kogda zakonchitsia…Continue reading Bleeping DDT’s Kogda zakonchitsia neft’
Category: academia
Bozhe, Tsaria khrani & MP44
While listening to MP44’s “Avtoritsarizm” (word play on autocracy and tsarism) on the compilation “Muzyka NEsoglasnykh – chast’ 2” this morning it struck me that the melody they sample was very familiar – some quick research confirmed that the group sampled a male choir singing “Bozhe, Tsaria khrani” (God save the Tsar) – the Russian…Continue reading Bozhe, Tsaria khrani & MP44
Eurovision as a new battlefield in the Russian-Georgian war
After the short, but intense military conflict in Georgia last summer the Georgian-Russian conflict which started after the Rose Revolution 2003 has been transported back to Russia – to Moscow and the 2009 Eurovision competition. Unlike some other Eastern European groups (Ruslana…) Georgia’s Stephane and 3G with the song “We Don’t Wanna Put In” decided…Continue reading Eurovision as a new battlefield in the Russian-Georgian war
Back in Vienna
I am back in Vienna, this time for a month visiting the Institute for Folk Music Research and Ethnomusicology (Institut für Volksmusikforschung und Ethnomusikologie) which is part of the University of Music and Performing Arts (Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien). During my visit I will both be doing research as well as presenting…Continue reading Back in Vienna
Vigdal’s Tonereise
In my master’s thesis Signifyin’ Vigdal: Aspects of the Ragnar Vigdal tradition and the revival of Norwegian vocal folk music which I finished in 2003 my main point of focus was the Ragnar Vigdal tradition and how vocalists today interpret him (his style is known for it’s nasal timbre, ornamentals and special tonality). As a…Continue reading Vigdal’s Tonereise
back in piter
I’m back in Piter for the year-end-vacation after a break of a year and a half and places, as always, change. Some changes are induced by collective destruction – the lack of snow in St. Petersburg now is probably to some extent due to global warming. However, other changes have direct causes. What really knocked…Continue reading back in piter
Copyright and youtube
The popular music scholar Philip Tagg has compiled information on how to file a counter claim if one of your movies is removed by youtube due to copyright complaints which are unwarranted. It can be found here: YouTube Counter Claims, etc.. The page also has a link to the article “Copyright versus the democratic right…Continue reading Copyright and youtube
two reviews published
two reviews i wrote this year were just published in the journal popular music (volume 27:1, 2008). the books i reviewed were: García, David F.: “Arsenio Rodríguez and the Transnational Flows of Latin Popular Music”, Philadelphia: Temple University Press 2006 Biddle, Ian; Knights, Vanessa (eds.): “Music, National Identity and the Politics of Location – Between…Continue reading two reviews published
Book: Rock Culture in Liverpool
I just finished a book I should have read a long time ago: Sara Cohen’s “Rock Culture in Liverpool – Popular Music in the Making”, Oxford 1991. This book is one of the first ethnographies of local popular music production / a local popular music scene – and a very detailed one as well. Cohen…Continue reading Book: Rock Culture in Liverpool
digital fieldwork
i have been considering doing interviews over the computer, but have been looking for a good (and simple) program to use with skype and ichat. a friend recommended wiretap pro which i have been testing during the last days. not only can it be used to tape conversations (both what you say and the one…Continue reading digital fieldwork
Article: Pop and the Nation-State: towards a theorisation
I spent the last week reading and reviewing “Music, National Identity and the Politics of Location” edited by Ian Biddle and the late Vanessa Knights (Ashgate 2007). One article which was quoted in the introduction was Martin Cloonan’s “Pop and the Nation-State: towards a theorisation” (Popular Music 18:2 1999, p. 193-207). In his article Cloonan…Continue reading Article: Pop and the Nation-State: towards a theorisation
new group blog on (post) soviet popular music
together with sergio mazzanti i have started a group blog on (post) soviet popular music. the idea is to collect people doing research on (post) soviet popular music within different fields and create a communal blog on the subject. the blog is located at ps-popular-music.blogspot.com/. if you read this and want to be included as…Continue reading new group blog on (post) soviet popular music