Several months ago I spoke with radio reporter Jon Kalish, who was working on a story about Lou Curtiss and his collection and the GRAMMY Foundation-funded digital preservation project that we’ve been a partner in. Well, Jon emailed me recently to let me know that the story was finally going to air [...]]]> Happy New Year!

Several months ago I spoke with radio reporter Jon Kalish, who was working on a story about Lou Curtiss and his collection and the GRAMMY Foundation-funded digital preservation project that we’ve been a partner in. Well, Jon emailed me recently to let me know that the story was finally going to air on The California Report, produced by San Francisco public radio station KQED.

Listen to the story here: http://www.californiareport.org/archive/R201012171630/e

Well, sort of.  As the record industry laments the decline of the CD — and along with it, the “purchasable object” paradigm upon which the whole industry was built — in [...]]]> Chances are, if you’re not a record collector or follower of certain “niche” bands, you may not have heard the news: vinyl is back.

Well, sort of.  As the record industry laments the decline of the CD — and along with it, the “purchasable object” paradigm upon which the whole industry was built — in deference to the “downloadable content” model, there’s something of a counter-trend going on.  A small but growing number of musicians and labels are releasing their latest recordings on 12-inch-33-1/3-RPM-analogue-good-ol’-vinyl-records.  And a small but growing segment of the market is there creating demand for the stuff.  I don’t think anyone has delusions of a return to the days of LPs as the dominant mass-market format, but the trend is still significant.

The connection to archiving here is that the “purchasable object” for consumers has also been the collectible, shelvable, accessible, preservable object for libraries and archives.  While digital content management for both preservation and access is clearly our future (and is rapidly becoming our present), the technological and legal issues entangling digital file-based content are legion.  And they aren’t likely to be solved any time soon.

What’s not so clear is if and how the growing niche market for newly-minted LPs will impact library and archive collections.  My guess is that, since most new recordings issued on LP will be rather limited pressings (the current model seems to be the release of a “collector’s edition” LP in addition to MP3s and maybe a CD), the only way they will be heard in a generation or two from now is if some archive has acquired and preserved a copy.

This has in fact been the case with many of the “ethnic” recordings issued in the first half of the 20th century and held here in the Ethnomusicology Archive: produced by specialty labels in limited runs and often meant only for consumption by a particular immigrant community in the United States, they quickly went out of print.  Now, fifty to one hundred years later, many of these recordings are to be found, if at all, in either institutional archives or private collections.  This is especially true of 78 RPM shellac records, which both wore out more quickly from playing, and broke more easily (think of dropping Grandma’s fine china on a sidewalk) than their vinyl successors, LPs and 45s.  And as the private collectors die off, and their families decide what do do with all those records taking up so much space in the house, that leaves archives as the guardians of those bits of our cultural history.

Anyhow, about that evidence I mentioned… This was posted the other day by Tom Fine, one of the very knowledgable contributors to the ARSClist.  Note that what’s important is that most of these plants are re-starting, or starting for the first time, pressing vinyl LPs because of the recent increase in demand:

Here is the finalized list of vinyl pressing plants I could confirm. There is allegedly an old Russian plant about to restart, but I could get no first-hand confirmation. Also, I would be very surprised if there are zero vinyl pressing plants in Latin America, Africa and Asia outside of Japan. That said, I could track down no first-hand information of such plants.  This list may be used on your websites or blogs as you see fit.

CONFIRMED VINYL PRESSING PLANTS AS OF 4/8/09

RECORD TECHNOLOGY INC (RTI) – Camarillo, CA USA
http://www.recordtech.com/

UNITED RECORD PRESSING – Nashville, TN USA
http://www.urpressing.com/

RAINBO RECORDS – Canoga Park, CA USA
http://www.rainborecords.com/vinyl.htm

MUSICOL RECORDING – Columbus, OH USA
http://www.musicolrecording.com/vinyl/index.html

MMP – Neunkirchen-Seelscheid, GERMANY
http://www.master-media.net/en/index.php

ERIKA RECORDS – Downey, CA USA
http://www.erikarecords.com/

DYNAMIC SUN – Newark, NJ USA
http://www.dynamicsun.com/

CURVED LTD – Hackney, London, UK
http://www.curvedpressings.com/abou.htm

ZENITH RECORD PRESSING – Albion, Victory, AUSTRALIA
http://www.zenithrecords.org/

ARCHER RECORD PRESSING – Detroit, MI USA
http://www.archerrecordpressing.com/

BROOKLYNPHONO – Brooklyn, NY USA
http://brooklynphono.com/

RECORD INDUSTRY – Haarlem, Netherlands
http://www.recordindustry.com/

PORTALSPACE Records – Hayes, Middlesex UK
http://www.portalspacerecords.com/da/13007

BILL SMITH CUSTOM RECORDS – El Segundo, CA USA
http://www.billsmithcustomrecords.com/index.html

A&R RECORD MANUFACTURING – Dallas, TX USA
http://www.arrecords.com/

GZ VINYL – Lodenice, CZECH REPUBLIC
http://www.gzdm.cz/vinyl/

TOYOKASEI CO., LTD – Yokohama, Kanagawa, JAPAN
http://www.toyokasei.com/

PALLAS GROUP – Diepolz, GERMANY
http://www.pallas-group.de/

OPTIMAL MEDIA PRODUCTION – Röbel, GERMANY
http://www.optimal-online.de/Vinyl.341.0.html

R.A.N.D. MUZIK – Leipzig, GERMANY
http://www.randmuzik.de/english/home.html

MPO GROUP – Averton, FRANCE
http://www.mpointernational.com/en/services/vinyl.asp

TAIL RECORDS VINYL – Göteborg, SWEDEN
http://tailrecvinyl.com/index-eng.php

Editor’s Note: This is one in a series of selected reviews written by students in the course series Ethnomusicology 20A-B-C: Musical Cultures of the World.

Third World [...]]]> Title: Third World Child
Published/distributed: Hollywood, CA: Capitol Records, © 1987
Publisher number: CLT-46778
Performer: Johnny Clegg & Savuka
Archive Call Number: ARLP 5261

Editor’s Note: This is one in a series of selected reviews written by students in the course series Ethnomusicology 20A-B-C: Musical Cultures of the World.

Third World Child is Johnny Clegg and Savuka’s first album, the album that won Johnny Clegg international acclaim.  The name Savuka means “we have awakened,” and is indicative of the band’s political and musical objectives.  As a South African band, Johnny Clegg and Savuka created and released Third World Child in a country divided by apartheid, a context that would dominate the band’s career and this album in particular.  Only forty-four minutes in length, this album seeks to communicate three things: the value of diversity, the tragedy of apartheid, and the universality of its message. The value the band places on diversity is apparent in many of its creative choices.  A glance at the album cover tells us that the band itself is diverse.  Half of the members have light skin; half have dark skin.  This diversity in the band’s lineup facilitates its exploration and integration of various Western and African themes.  Johnny Clegg, the British-born composer and lead vocalist, finds inspiration in both Celtic and African musical styles.  He also mixes English and Zulu lyrics.  The band accompanies these lyrics with both Western and African instruments.  The guitar, keyboards, and saxophone are accompanied by drums, flutes, and the mouth bow.

Indigenous and Western influences also merge in the album’s spiritual references. In the song “Are You Ready” Johnny Clegg sings “Remember to cross yourself twice,” a clear Christian reference.  Later on in the album, however, the song “Great Heart” reflects more indigenous religious sentiments.  This song is about the search for the spirit of the Great Heart, and it references the power of natural elements like wind, thunder, and grass.  The inclusion of both types of religious belief ties the various cultures of South Africa together.  The overall sound of Third World Child is therefore a mix of Western and African traditions.  By making popular music that incorporates both of these traditions, the album proves the potency of such a union in music and in society. While the overall tone is thus one of general support for union, some songs on the album are more specific to South Africa and the conditions there.  “Asimbonanga,” the second song on the album, is one of the most powerful.  It calls for the release of Nelson Mandela — the leader of the South African anti-apartheid movement was imprisoned on Robben Island at the time — and it remembers those who have died for his cause.  The music for this song is simpler than for others on the album.  The track begins with a single voice, which is then gradually accompanied by percussion, and later by keyboards.  The voice is calm, which seems odd for a protest song until it is understood as a calm but tireless voice of resistance.  The music is a gradual yet inescapable buildup of passion.  The opponents of apartheid, the music tells us, will not stop, and they will only grow more forceful with time.

The homophonic texture of the song is also significant, as it is reminiscent of the Zulu people’s traditional use of harmony.  It is a reminder of the importance of indigenous culture.  The call-and-response vocals further emphasize this importance, as they recall a great African tradition of community.  South Africa’s development was not simply the result of Western contributions.  Much of the prosperity enjoyed by White South Africans came as a result of the foundations laid by Black South Africans.  Now that these Black South Africans have found a leader worthy of their cause, this song warns, they will not give in to such exploitation.  They will demand recognition and they will demand the return of their leader.

The sixth song of the recording, titled “Missing,” similarly addresses the unacceptable condition of South Africa, but it does so in a very different way.  This song begins with an instrumental introduction.  It has an intense beat and the voice is slightly relaxed; it cracks at points, as if the strain is too great.  This time, therefore, the pressure is on the band and the anti-apartheid movement, rather than the established government.  The Western bass is featured more prominently, and the Western element in South Africa seems to be the dominant force.  Thus while “Asimbonanga” encourages the anti-apartheid movement through its confidence about its inevitable victory, “Missing” encourages people to support the anti-apartheid movement out of fear of its possible failure, and of what that failure would mean.

These South Africa-specific songs are followed by songs that stress the universality of South Africa’s struggle.  The song “Third World Child” for example addresses the mentality of the West and the effect that it has on Africa and the entire underdeveloped world.  It looks at Western advice — like

You should learn to speak a little bit of English.
Don’t be scared of a suit and tie.
Learn to walk in the dreams of a foreigner.

– from the perspective of a third world child.  The message is that violent oppression in places like South Africa is not the only means by which Western forces have hurt local identities and freedoms.  Johnny Clegg and Savuka’s crusade against injustice does not, therefore, end with South Africa.

On an even more broadly inclusive scale, the song “Berlin Wall” ties the struggle in South Africa to a contemporary struggle in the West.  It asks Berlin and its people to take up the call for a global community.  The divisions it highlights feel artificial and inappropriate for a nation anywhere, whether it be in Europe or in Africa.  The global reach of this song thus helps to connect Johnny Clegg and Savuka with its Western audience.  There can be a common goal and a common community, but only if injustices like those in South Africa are mediated.

Third World Child thus comes out strongly against apartheid and oppression.  The bravery of such an act in its time is unarguable.  The artistry involved in the perfect match between music and lyrics is admirable too.  Johnny Clegg and Savuka are successful in conveying their message because of their understanding of the music and lyrics.  The often upbeat and dance-inducing music makes the initial connection and draws the listener in.  The lyrics then personalize the music and explain its meaning.  The variety of musical styles balances the consistency of the message, creating an overall enjoyable and yet simultaneously meaningful political commentary.

- Review by Erin Swen

Three week program June 28-July 19, 2009 Application Available at www.cudamani.org Register Early. Enrollment Limited! Artistic Team: I Dewa Putu Berata & Emiko Saraswati Susilo

Intensive study of balinese music and dance with 6 master artists and a team of 12 assisting teachers [...]]]> A message from Professor Judy Mitoma at UCLA’s Center for Intercultural Performance:

Three week program June 28-July 19, 2009
Application Available at www.cudamani.org Register Early. Enrollment Limited!
Artistic Team: I Dewa Putu Berata & Emiko Saraswati Susilo

Intensive study of balinese music and dance with 6 master artists and a team of 12 assisting teachers using pedagogy developed collaboratively by Ibu Ni Ketut Alit Arini, Bapak I Nyoman Cerita and Çudamani; lectures and demonstrations by internationally renowned scholars and artists; observation of rehearsals, ‘backstage’ preparation and performances; visits to sacred sites and ceremonies. Participants engage with Pengosekan’s community of artists, well known as weavers, painters, dancers and musicians.With the success of the 2007 and 2008 summer programs, Çudamani will once again invite 35 individuals from around the world to participate in a rigorous study of Balinese music and dance in the village of Pengosekan, Ubud, Bali. Çudamani has provided gamelan and dance instruction to hundreds of youth and adults over the past eleven years. The company’s technical accomplishments on the seven-toned Semarandana are unparalleled. FEES Includes: Instruction, Shared Housing, Breakfast, Lunch & Excursions.  The program is suitable for experienced musicians and dancers as well as beginners. CONTACT: UCLA Center for Intercultural Performance. cip@arts.ucla.edu  T: 310-206-1335 .

Promotional Photo: Çudamani Music & Dance Summer Institute, Bali

Congratulations to Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano.  For [...]]]> Jesús Guzmán, the UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology lecturer who directs the UCLA mariachi ensemble and is musical director of Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano, won the Grammy for BEST REGIONAL MEXICAN ALBUM for “Amor, Dolor Y Lágrimas: Música Ranchera,” Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano.

Congratulations to Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano.  For anyone who would like to listen to the CD, please come to the Archive and ask for ARCD 6856.

Archive Access Hours for the Week of 16-20 February

The Archive will be CLOSED on Monday February 16th for the Presidents’ Day holiday.

We will not have regular access hours from Tuesday the 17th through Thursday the 19th. If you wish to use the Archive during this time, please fill out an Appointment [...]]]> ANNOUNCEMENT

Archive Access Hours for the Week of 16-20 February

The Archive will be CLOSED on Monday February 16th for the Presidents’ Day holiday.

We will not have regular access hours from Tuesday the 17th through Thursday the 19th. If you wish to use the Archive during this time, please fill out an Appointment Request Form.

Regular access hours will resume on Friday February 20th, when the Archive will be open from 10 am – 2 PM.

Cheryl Keyes was nominated for an NAACP Image Award under the category of “world music” for her debut CD, “Let Me Take You There.” The 40th NAACP Image Awards airs live on February 12, 2009 on FOX.

The CD and Professor Keyes were recently the [...]]]> This just in from the Department of Ethnomusicology Faculty News:

Cheryl Keyes was nominated for an NAACP Image Award under the category of “world music” for her debut CD, “Let Me Take You There.” The 40th NAACP Image Awards airs live on February 12, 2009 on FOX.

The CD and Professor Keyes were recently the subjects of our inaugural EARcast and an extended recording review (with audio examples!) by a fellow scholar of African-American music, Dr. Miles White.  A copy of the album is available in the Archive, ARCD 7175.

Congratulations, Dr. Keyes!

See more information and a full list of nominees [PDF] at the 40th NAACP Image Awards site.