rggc
New Member
Posts: 10 
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Post by rggc on May 18, 2015 17:08:39 GMT
hey yall, i'm writing a paper for a college class about the formation of a local music scene both online and off that surrounds pc music + sophie. my main focus is on highlighting that the scene exists in the real and virtual world, and how it is not quite like any other scene that has existed before it. to provide a better insight into this, i'm trying to conduct an unofficial case study of sorts of members who are actively involved within the scene. i would be very grateful if you could answer the questions that follow, i appreciate any help that you can give! once finished, i'd definitely be more than willing to share the paper with yall! thanks!  what draws you to the scene surrounding pc music + sophie? how is it significant to you? what would you say are the defining characteristics of the scene? in what ways have you actively participated in the scene in real life? online? do you think there are in any differences in the scene online compared to real life? do you find anything associated with the scene to be problematic? what may result from the scene? (ie. creation of new music, new labels, fashion, etc.) any other questions, comments, etc? |
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Post by newmember on May 18, 2015 18:39:23 GMT
its great pop music that feels really good to listen & dance to.
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Post by valetgirls on May 18, 2015 19:18:23 GMT
Ooh, fun topic and I'm sure it'll be enlightening (at least new) to your prof haha
what draws you to the scene surrounding pc music + sophie?
I've always been a poptimist at heart and a pop historian in the brain. Tracing genre evolutions and career arcs and seeing where we're going really interests me, especially as it interacts with the forces of globalization and commercialism. Ergo, no surprise to my Britney fandom. thus, PC music satiates all that I want. It's all ear candy, drawing from the best of synth pop, nearly every electronic rhythmic subgenre, avant garde, and compiling it into self contained universes. It's also a modern day Warhol factory, but musically speaking, and their noncommittance to this mythos is what gives them their mystique. In an era of overexposure, this calculated restraint builds a mystique and hype lost upon other recent post-Internet genres. It's as little or as much as you want it to be, making it timely and tasteful for all occasions - as long as your company is as aware as you are about it. Much like a parable, its outward appearance can be cryptically to outright defiantly impenetrable, until you put in some work. It challenges you, but like all challenging music, it rewards you for your effort with a redefined sense of "hook", "structure", and ultimately, "music" and a ready-made playlist of high quality material baying for you to apply your newfound skills and jam to your hearts content.
how is it significant to you?
See above. In my friend group I'm always the one showing new music, and PC music is always a fun introduction haha the other day my best bud n I were listenin to GFOTY and Spinee's dog food mix and it finally clicked for him. What a moment!
what would you say are the defining characteristics of the scene?
An encyclopedic understanding of electronic pop, really. It goes from there, incorporating/distorting/progressing upon synth pop, kpop, trap, dub, minimalism, house, and a variety of -cores.
in what ways have you actively participated in the scene in real life? online?
There was an incredible opportunity where SOPHIE came stateside to Dallas last November for Gorilla vs Bear IV and even tho it was headlined by Panda Bear's new artsy dj set, I immediatelt bought tix solely based on SOPHIE's presence. Online, I'm on the forums, I make PC music-inspired tunes, and I share em on social media and other forums (the britney stans love th PG mix, esp since it sounds wayyy different from most commercial brit remixes. Many of them also enjoy kpop, which probably helps.
do you think there are in any differences in the scene online compared to real life?
Oh yes. Online, we're all well versed in PC music doings. Pc music, due to its presence scarcity, cultivates two things: 1) fans are actually fans, because of PC music's relatively obscure structure and challenging material and 2) they are very tenacious and well-informed. At the GvsB showing of SOPHIE I went to, we were all singing along to his hits and excitedly dancing to his deep cuts, because SOPHIE, like most other artists in this genre, is someone you don't passively buy a ticket to, but rather, actively seek out, which breeds a specific type of fan. That they are centered geographically in London, away from the major US market, adds a certain online presence which also carries with it certain fan tropes and stereotypes.
Contrast that to the rather turgid press response to PopCube, where a bunch of disaffected music reviewers from a bevy ivory towers and socialites with no clue what was going on came down to stand around and watch instead of experience. Watching videos of Hannah Diamond trying to rile this (mostly) funless bunch compared to the rollicking set SOPHIE put on for us before the hipsters showed up for Panda Bear was almost night and day.
do you find anything associated with the scene to be problematic?
Lack of a defined goal, apparent lack of ambition, general ambivalence, which is probably why SOPHIE chooses not to ball and chain himself to the aimless label and pursues bigger and better things commercially. No shade intended, but I don't see AG Cook producing with Diplo for Madonna.
Another note. I've aforementioned Warhol's factory. Warhol to me represents one side of the avant garde, and on the opposite spectrum is Salvador Dali. The spectrum is talent and longevity, with Dali embodying creativity, vision, shock, talent, and personality, while Warhol seems to represent a void of all those things. I feel PC Music is more on the Warhol side of the spectrum than on th Dali side, which is problematic for longevity, impact and success.
what may result from the scene? (ie. creation of new music, new labels, fashion, etc.)
Hopefully SOPHIE gets far which his commercial connections! I'd love to see pop music bend more challenging. I also think many demographics are waiting for our current top 40 fixations, rather stationary since 2007-08, to shift. I doubt that, perhaps beyond a tee or two at UO or H&M, that it'll impact fashion too big.
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Post by ¬ on May 18, 2015 20:00:20 GMT
Sure, I'll do this  what draws you to the scene surrounding pc music + sophie?
First and foremost, of course, the music. I'm a big fan of the digital art "aesthetic," but what matters is that the central members especially have made the most exciting music of all time in just the past couple of years, and I'm a sucker for the sound in general. Just when I think they can't top their previous best work, they go ahead and do it, so I'm constantly awaiting new releases. how is it significant to you?I think the best way to put it is, when I was discovering PC Music & Sophie a year ago, I thought, quite narcissitically, that this is music practically made for me, and that only me & a few internet friends would be as much into it as half of the PC fan community that built up. So I think PC attracts a scene full of people with similar mindsets, and it's really interesting to meet so many people like this, in a way that's relatively unprecedented in terms of socialisation in music. Plus it helps keep me up to date on the rare stuff, making anticipating new releases more exciting yet painful. what would you say are the defining characteristics of the scene?
In terms of the music, I've always said that it's that rare music that doesn't sound any better sped up. Not a sound is wasted in a single PC Music or SOPHIE track, a lot of attention is paid to it so that it comes across as exciting as possible. In terms of fashion, I don't think PC members have any unifying characteristics, which is interesting because it seems that a lot of the surrounding community (its fans) seems to consist of young, 18-25 people interested in dressing colourfully and stuff. There is an element of queerness to the whole thing, and it doesn't surprise me that SOPHIE started out by making music for queer art shows whilst several PC members got their start in magazines like Super Super. I wish I could dress like a "stereotypical PC Music fan," but I don't have the money. in what ways have you actively participated in the scene in real life? online?
In real life, the only opportunities I've had is when Danny L Harle played a free show down the road from me. I went with my boyfriend and he got sick halfway through so we had to leave, so I didn't socialise much, but I got really nervous and accidentally told Danny I loved him. He was really polite about it though. Online, I post quite often in the fan forum and am constantly on the plug.dj room for said forum. I also made a list on rateyourmusic.com showcasing the scene a few months before it blew up properly and people still tell me that's where they know PC Music from, which surprises me. do you think there are in any differences in the scene online compared to real life?
Well, it actually exists more online, as far as I can tell. It's much harder to meet PC Music fans in real life, and that's perhaps just as a result of how relatively obscure it is now, how spread out they are across songs and even artists rather than the standard album formats. I've heard accounts of people in real life going to shows for the "street cred," which is just kind of cynical and nasty, for me. do you find anything associated with the scene to be problematic?
Appropriation of black culture is something that should probably be paid attention to more - only Serious Thugs is really guilty of this in the main PC catalogue, but it is something I've noticed with some people associated with Manicure and the like. I do understand concerns that people are only listening to PC Music because they are, at their core, white guys doing similar things to people of colour - J-pop is the tired example, but I don't believe that's the case at all, they just make good tunes in a style distinct from those. (Though now that I mention it, QT's initial Boiler Room performance could be seen as appropriation of J-Pop standards.) I will address that appropriation of femininity, however, does not exist, and is not only an abhorrent radical feminism, gender binary concept but completely ignores the roles the women in PC Music and beyond play. what may result from the scene? (ie. creation of new music, new labels, fashion, etc.)
I've come across a tonne of music from Soundcloud and the like that, though I wouldn't dare say is a rip off of PC Music, is very inspired by that scene. There's even a mini nu-Nightcore scene forming with people like Nightcorey, Sign Offline, etc. and Simon Whybray's JACK has acted as a pretty reliable centre for it all. It almost distills PC a little, and there was a big argument here about Henrik the Artist. I don't think anything new has come from the fashion surrounding PC Music (we'll see how that changes once that SOPHIE store opens!) but The Fader's feature on Pop Cube styles is a good example of how several styles have come together in the PC Music community. any other questions, comments, etc?Probably. |
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a_M
Junior Member
Posts: 62
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Post by a_M on May 18, 2015 22:33:23 GMT
what draws you to the scene surrounding pc music + sophie?The music before anything else... actually, at first I was only into Sophie and it took longer for me to "get" A.G. Cook and the rest of PC Music, but now I would say I'm drawn to it because its fun, danceable but also really interesting music. how is it significant to you?As nice as it would be to say that I feel connected to it in some sort of significant way, I think my relationship with it is the same as my relationship with all music - which is first and foremost as a consumer. in what ways have you actively participated in the scene in real life? online?As far as I know, there haven't been any fully PC Music organised events in London (like at SXSW or Pop Cube) but I have seen Sophie, Felicita, Danny L Harle, GFOTY, Spinee and Kane West at various nights. It is sometimes nice to have a mixed line up (Felicita and Lotic was an insane combination!!!) but a 100% PC club night would be a dream. Other than that I've tried to pay for as much of the music as I can (both physical and digital releases). do you think there are in any differences in the scene online compared to real life?At first it was strange seeing PC artists in real life I think because their online personas seem so hyperreal and constructed. I think some of them are more "genuine" than others - I reckon Hannah Diamond is HD 24/7 for example. do you find anything associated with the scene to be problematic?As much as I love Sophie, I think there is something slightly problematic about using a female name in an industry overwhelmingly dominated by men. It seems sort of like a bait and switch (Re: this article www.thefader.com/2014/12/31/feminine-appropriation-2014-electronic-music-trend). That said, one person can't be held responsible for an industry wide problem... Also, I can't decide whether or not its a problem that PC Music has no political stance whatsoever. Maybe its unwise to expect artists to be overtly political - does it actually achieve anything? (The Knife, for example www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F37Yg17-JQ)
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Post by dr on May 18, 2015 22:58:54 GMT
what draws you to the scene surrounding pc music + sophie?
A very exciting and multifaceted experiment with sound, "club" music, "pop" music, "art" music, and identity. Very timely in our already-posthuman century.
how is it significant to you?
I believe that humanity and technology are intertwining in a terrifically interesting and important way, but that we do not yet understand what is happening to us. I believe that music speaks to and helps us express this "what is happening to us" in a really incredible way and that the mutations and chemical mixtures we are hearing from PC Music and SOPHIE are very exciting and significant. In a word, I view this music (as well as the process of immersing oneself in it and coming to love it) as a kind of playful preparation course for our ears, gradually acclimating us to the strange, new, electric world we inhabit
what would you say are the defining characteristics of the scene?
Someone mentioned PC Music's encyclopedic approach to electronic, club, and pop music (especially late 80's thru 10's pop). That genuine appreciation for contemporary musical influence and history, combined with an approach that I would describe as "devilishly playful" (in response to those who find PC Music vapid and "ironic," or a kind of joke), seems common among the artists. The fans, I dunno, I like this forum tho
in what ways have you actively participated in the scene in real life? online?
I love these forums, have seen SOPHIE, AG and QT live
do you think there are in any differences in the scene online compared to real life?
I dunno, most of us fans don't personally know the artists, but the online medium seems to have been incredibly conducive to the creation of a kind of fandom that fits the PC "vibe" perfectly
do you find anything associated with the scene to be problematic?
Not really, I'm either doing my own research or trolling these forums, and everyone here seems chill. I think PC Music tries to be deliberately problematic in at least one particular way: I'm not the first person to read their antics and artschool sensibilities as a kind of response to mainstream British club culture, but there's something about making your tracks super poppy/hyperactive/feminine or changing the BPM every few measures that I personally view as a kind of "fuck you" to the average club DJ. But then again, fuck the average club DJ
what may result from the scene? (ie. creation of new music, new labels, fashion, etc.)
No idea, let's wait and see
any other questions, comments, etc?
Had 1 by A.G. Cook is a really good song. EasyFun is the future. GFOTY is a genius.
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