As done as it will ever be...

After what feels like an eternity, I submit the latest in a long line of spirit of space projects:


THE SPIRIT OF SPACE - PLACE TO PLACE

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What is the role of critical thoery?

Thesis 1: The role of critical theory is the disillusion of reality as it appears.
Inherent in this statement looms the threat of that easily appealed to notion of 'false consciousness'. But this is not the case. It is not the role of critical theory to reveal a 'truth' that is behind the object/objects/totality, but rather to show the very truth of that object itself. The "disillusion of reality" occurs not through a turning away from the appearance, but rather by holding the appearance up to itself.

Thesis 2: The role of critical theory is to take what is given and show what it does not show in its showing; to reveal, or even revel in, how it is that what is shown has come to show itself. And so...

Thesis 3: The role of critical theory is to historicize what appears to be non-historical, eternal, or given.
What does it mean to use this space? Why do I use it? etc.


Outside, passing cars scatter the dark slush, defiling the piles of white.
In the hall, the clicks and pops of feet.
Next door, people talk loudly in several languages.
The house (that is not a house) settles in for the night.
The pipes in the walls clink and clank.
From the inside, the role of critical thinking is to push apart the world by bringing it together.

reflection #1

it is clear by my profusion of opinions that i have not been very busy. in this moment when i am confronted by the pending tasks at hand, each calling out in its own unique voice, conspiring to create a masterful symphony that sing of (potential) labor, opinions are a luxury. negative critique, even of its self, requires the existence of surplus. but what is this surplus but the surplus labor of leisure, which hides its own parasitism in the guise of a languid pose or its opposite: a frenetic cleaning or arranging that nods along to the notion of "idle hands are the devil's play thing" without recognizing its ideological capacity to ensure the totality of labor.

Quit Hatin' the South (unedited version of MAPH blog post)

(AJ made me appear like a much better writer there than I am here, or in reality. Scroll down for a link to some audio intended to compliment the post.)

Taking the title of this post from a song off of Port Arthur, Texas’ own UGK (Pimp C & Bun B) album titled Underground Kingz, I come with a gift of sorts. A six-song mix comprised exclusively of rappers from the South (UGK = Houston (Chewston), Texas; Lil’ Wayne = New Orleans, Louisiana; Project Pat/Three 6 Mafia = Memphis, Tennessee (Tennekee); Clipse = Virginia Beach, Virginia).

In a way I am here to enlighten you. Excuse me as I add yet another joke about the material that we read, which sometimes has a tendency to smack of taking this material not as serious as it demands (and David Wray recommends as well it seems). I know that this all sounds patronizing, and I only apologize to the extent that I don’t want the messenger to ruin the message.

I will not stand here (as a digital avatar) and preach that I am an expert on Southern rap music or possess an exhaustive knowledge of the complete history of rap (see: Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop for the history lesson). To quote “Quit Hatin’ the South” one more time as a means of defending my lack of interest in exhaustive knowledge: “There’s some trash in the south, I promise you/from the east to the west, some of y’all [rappers are] garbage too.” I have not heard it all and, in a way, I don’t want to; I cherry pick, though I prefer to call it bricolage.

But for the last year, as I listened and re-listened (and re-listened) to some of these songs, I felt like they called out in their own language with their own metaphysical system (Order of Things as it were); there is an internal logic, and my (continued) goal is to investigate that logic.

Yes, it can be uncomfortable. There is rampant homophobia, misogyny, promotion of illicit activity, including tame things like smoking pot, but also regularly drinking promethazine (‘purple,’ ‘syrup’) whilst operating vehicular units, which clearly is not safe…Oh yea, and the persistent discussion of guns, assault and murder. I clearly do not condone these things and, honestly, part of my interest in this music comes from this fact. The challenge to myself has been to see beyond, or rather to contextualize, those things, to see in what way they work together with other pieces of the music, discussions of employment, external (social) and internal (individual) pressures, etc. to paint a portrait of American life that exists simultaneously with mine. As I clearly don’t represent my life in this way, nor have I had to experience 95% of what they are discussing, I wonder what it must be like to have experienced it…

I feel that this music is indispensible for someone who is attempting to understand the complicated fabric of American society, which is my interest. As a demonstration of the pervasiveness of this music, I have included the first song off of Girl Talk’s Feed the Animals, which opens with Pimp C’s verse from the song “International Players Anthem.” Where as Girl Talk disseminates these rappers and their music by co-opting for musical purposes, I want to do the same, but co-opting it for social theory, hence why I’m at MAPH…Questions/comments, bring ‘em. But try to enjoy the music.

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The Spirit of Space - Sonic Assault

Oh kiddies! How we have all waited fer this day to come! And by we, i mean the four members of the now disbanded SPIRIT OF SPACE. the basic tracks were recorded in january 2009 with mr. troupe dammage of a certain band called SPEAK (www.myspace.com/hearspeakhere). despite taking way too long, in this humble bloggers opinion, the record is fucking smashing. mr. dammage did a wonderful job bringing together the structured chaos of this music, which i coined "bourgoise punk." give it a listen and tells us we suck. cause it won't matter, we broke up dummy! still...hands down the best spirit of space record of the 10 that have been recorded so far.


THE SPIRIT OF SPACE - SONIC ASSAULT

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Boolar - Found Album (Palindrones)

Boolar is two friends of mine from Portland, OR. I met them at a coffee shop in NE Portland during a cosmic trip a musician i was working with dragged me on. We ended up recording a few tracks at the old locations of Elliott Smith and Larry Crane's Jackpot Studios, lost touch with each other, then re-connected and ditched the errant tripster. They have always been an inspiration to me, musically and mentally, and I am glad to call them friends. We would randomly jam in their basement and I somehow ended up with one of the tapes. There were a couple co-lab songs on it that I am glad I recovered and digitized, but the real treasure was this previously unheard, slowed down, layered, mostly improvised, ambient, delayed piano music that kept me up all that night and all that winter. I did a bit of mixing and editing and ended up with 4 'movements' out of the whole tape. Really beautiful stuff.

Their website is full of songs, pictures, and recipes. Make sure y'all check it out!

here is the found album

The Woods - Sunlit 7"

I picked this up at the Woodsist showcase during SXSW. Tour only release, from what I can tell. 

'The Dark' has definitely been my favorite single all year.

don't you run in the dark, oh oh oh