El Maglis (We All Love SCAF)

Mamnou3 El Intizar

Work continues on Mamnou3 El Intizar. I want to thank everybody for their comments and downloads, and I can assure you that the album is almost finished, and I’ll start working out release options pretty soon.

So far, the track listing includes tracks such as ‘Shafshaq’, ‘Ghali’, and ‘Be3eed’ – which you may have heard through this site or through my facebook page – and many unreleased tracks such as ‘Tadrib’, ‘Tamam’, ‘El Zaman’, ‘Hinak’, and several others. All in all – I expect the final album to contain around 12-14 tracks.

Working on Mamnou3 has been a rewarding and educational experience, I hope you enjoy it :)

Chinese Democracy Starts Now!

You’ve had too many Yesterdays, and it’s been 14 Years since you’ve heard anything good – meanwhile, Anything Goes. You’ve taken the Nighttrain straight from a Breakdown into a Coma, and you’ve been feeling Estranged from Paradise City, and all you feel like during this very un-Civil War is that you just want to scream ‘Don’t Damn Me‘ – but the time IS come, the moment is NOW, and Dr. Pepper owes all of America a free drink.

Chinese Democracy is here.

It’s been a long time coming for Guns N’ Roses fans – over 16 years ago – the band left us with the Use Your Illusion albums and since then it’s been a rough ride. If you’ve been following the people involved, itching to hear something, anything – that FEELS like Guns N’ Roses then you’ve probably been sorely disappointed. Slash’s Snakepit, Duff McKagan’s solo album, Izzy Stradlin’s decent but unrevolutionary work and the Weiland-inspired disaster that I’ve personally found Velvet Revolver to be – have all failed to deliver the bite, the wall of heavy groove and the cry of unabashed unambigious almost painful honesty, the sheer depth of what the best Guns N’ Roses tracks have ever offered.

Does this read like a long lead up? Then take the short end of it – Chinese Democracy is brilliant. It’s not brilliant all the time, nor could it possibly be – even if it were not for the sheer weight of expectation that surrounds it. But – when it is what it aims to be it is nothing short of awe-inspiring greatness.

If you’re still wondering where I’m going with this – get the damn thing. Pay the man, and get it. Or get it now, and then pay the man. Whichever, in both cases, do both.

Some of the tracks harken back to the Gn’R sound – and they are a tight manifestation that shows quite clearly that, despite all the fan nostalgia for the old band members, Axl can, quite simply, pull that off.

Just like that.

You’ll find that on tracks like the title track ‘Chinese Democracy’ as well as tracks like ‘I.R.S.’, ‘Street of Dreams’, and ‘Catcher In The Rye’.

The title track, ‘Chinese Democracy’, for example – has a long-ish intro with some music and layers of chinese murmers, and then it kicks into song proper. The main riff is a super-charged guitar line that really signals the side to side headbang that a proper Gn’R track is known to illicit. Axl is still Axl, and the unmistakable twist to the step of the groove is right here.

Where things get a lot more interesting – in terms of sheer sound and overall direction – is with tracks like ‘Better’, ‘There Was A Time’, ‘Madagascar’, & ‘Prostitute’. These songs don’t just kick a phenomenal load of butt – they do so in absolutely wonderful ways. You’ll know that Axl’s up to something as soon as you hear the starting part of ‘Better’, for example, but even when you’re well into the bit that’s as close to a chorus as the song might have you still won’t quite see what’s coming next. There are quite a few surprises here :)

‘Better’ is a bit of an iconic track, a signal in many ways. Of the first leaks it was easily the one I immediately got into. The second it starts you’ll know you’re listening to something fresh, and when both the guitar and Axl kick in, it’s a solid, bendy, hard groove that chugs beautifully and powerfully along – with some brilliant vocals. The chorus is a bit difficult the first couple of times you hear the song, but when you get a grip on how it moves, it’s just peachy keen. It’s a kicker.

‘Prostitute’ is sheer genius. Let me say that again – absolute sheer genius. The music and lyrics just move along together with massive amounts of passion and power. It feels like every bit of a Gn’R song – even though it doesn’t really sound like a Gn’R song. If that sounds confusing – you’ll soon see what I mean. It doesn’t sound half as good if you don’t know the lyrics because then the musical changes don’t carry the meaning they need. Just look up the lyrics somewhere and play this track and see what Axl says, and how he says it, and just scream along like a total maniac and fall in love with this song. Yeah, do it. You can read this crap here any time ;)

‘Madagascar’ is a slower track, starting off with horns and strings and sounding epic in a grave sort of way – and the instant Axl comes in singing ‘I won’t be told anymore / that I’ve been brought down in this storm / and left so far out from the shore / that I can’t find my way back / my way anymore” you know you’re ‘in’.

If you’ve heard the ‘Oh My God’ single from the End of Days movie soundtrack, then you’ll find that the industrial tones of ‘Shackler’s Revenge’ and ‘Scraped’ refine that aesthetic into a tighter more perceivable groove, but even these take a few listens before you adapt to their feel.

There are softer tracks on the album – ‘If The World’, ‘Sorry’, & ‘This I Love’ are all much mellower than the rest of Chinese Democracy. And even though I tell you clearly that Axl will surprise you – you still won’t see these coming. Nope.

I sure as hell didn’t.

So first impressions (based though they be on over year of listening to the occasional demo-leaks) – are that the only thing ‘wrong’ with Chinese Democracy is that not every single track is a monster of a song.

That Axl does not yield miracles 14 times in 71 minutes ;)

The closest to a clear headed review that I’ve read online is by Chuck Klosterman who despite not ‘getting’ Estranged had this to say in conlusion:

“The final truth is this: He makes the best songs. They sound the way I want songs to sound. A few of them seem idiotic at the beginning, but I love the way they end. Axl Rose put so much time and effort into proving that he was super-talented that the rest of humanity forgot he always had been. And that will hurt him. This record may tank commercially. Some people will slaughter Chinese Democracy, and for all the reasons you expect. But he did a good thing here.”

This won’t stop the bashers of course. I’ve already seen reviews of the album that don’t even talk about the songs – they basically bash Axl for existing. It’s easy to do – The Botox rumors, the cornrows…being rich and reclusive is always a draw –  and the flip side of an icon is always a cartoon. So they make jokes.

It’s quite clear they haven’t heard the music, though – and by the way – you can find the whole album right here on their myspace page.

The big hope, of course, is that the release of this album might finally signal the start of a trilogy of albums which would finally allow us to hear some of the +60 songs that Axl’s rumored to have worked on during the last 16 years.

We wait.

He does make the best songs :)

PS: Riad & The Bedouins does not exist.

Foundations of A Broadcast-Based Financial Compensation Model for Digital Media

As a listener – as audience – I am driven towards media that I like.

I am infotropic, so to speak. Some data, some information, some inherent artistic or intellectual order manifests to me through songs, books, movies, and various other forms of media. Wanting this information is as basic to my spiritual/intellectual/cultural self as water is to my biological. In that sense, it feels like more than a want, it feels like a morally justifiable right. I want to pay for the stuff I like, in fact – proud to pay for it when it’s easy to, and when the compensation requested is within my budget. However, it seems that withholding the data, on condition of compensation is somehow contrary to the essence of information itself, to a moral imperative inherent in information – to the very fact that information seems to want to spread. It is self-reproducing.

As a musician – I am in a quandary.

I know that the best of the music that I make is not truly only mine. That is not ontologically exclusive to my self. That I am simply partner to a history of sounds, a history of lyrics, a history of patterns and shapes, and tempos. A whole data cluster to which I have been privy, and to which I am host. I try to take some credit, of course, but all in all – there is a partnership.

At the very best of times – and this can be confirmed, I think – by any musician or any anybody who has engaged in artistic process..at the best of times – it seems that a partnership is created between the whole data cluster itself, and the moment I find myself in. At those times, ever so briefly, the thing lives, and moves seemingly at its own accord – the guitar player, singer, or actor experiences an actual ongoing sense of surprise. It as though the information itself has become alive – taken over both artist and time.

It is very, very hard to take complete credit for experiences such as these. For many, the experience itself is so humbling – so necessary – that incurring the wrath of its muse doesn’t quite seem wise.

As a musician, I want everybody to hear all of my tracks. I might not need, and excusing myself with vanity, might choose not to want everybody to like my tracks – but it somehow seems to matter that anybody that would like something, should get the chance to hear it.

Charging people for this seems, on the face of it – stupid.

But the less music pays me, the more I have to do something that isn’t music. The more I do something that isn’t music, the less music I make. The less music I make, the less music you hear.

So, this just doesn’t work.

Copyright issues on the web have had us all in flames. I assume that everybody is right.

1. There is absolutely no excuse for different regional release dates in an online world – or data-blockages of any sort. Any data available anywhere should be available everywhere.
2. Data, in all forms – must be available to whoever can reach it. A ONE TO ONE profit situation (where a certain profit unit is made PER unit data-form sold) – should only be levied on products in which it the data-form is encoded into actual material. All pure data-forms (non-material) cost no material to duplicate and therefore a ONE TO ONE profit situation should neither be expected, nor condoned. Any attempt to do so is nothing less than a willful chocking of information.
3. Data that has no purpose other than the creation of material profit is almost by definition working against the very nature of informational growth – which seeks to free itself from material as much as possible so as to propagate as fast as possible, ultimately – as fast as light. This point must be understood.
4. Artist must be compensated in accordance with a) the will of the audience to listen to those artists, and b) the ability of the artist to sustain their art work through self-sustaining artwork or engaging some of their time towards more high-yield commercial investments.

Having established the above – a mechanism is necessary for satisfying points 1-4. Copyright protection schemes ALL violate 1,2, & 3 because they all attempt to establish a one-to-one relationship between data-form duplicated and material compensation.

The situation as such:

1. User pays his ISP for his web connectivity.
2. User downloads data. Some downloads are paid for, others are not. Protection systems increase the suggested price of the data to the paying user, and further convince the non-paying user that product is not worth the compensation requested.
3. As far as the user is concerned – he has (in his mind) somewhat already paid. He did that back in step 1 when he paid his ISP.
4. RIAA and other such entities sue the ISP for duplicating their data without license, and the user for downloading the data.

The failure to create un-crack-able data protection systems is due to the inherent desire of information to grow. All such attempts are attempts to dry wetness.

What needs to happen is:

1. The user, who previously paid X/bandwidth pays 2x or some such ratio for his web connectivity. The user might initially gripe about this, but once he absolves himself of the paranoia of the RIAA beating down his wife’s door, and savors the contribution he knows he is actually materially making to the artists whose work he enjoys – will be more than happy. The industry needs to understand one thing – it’s not that the user doesn’t want to pay, it’s that he either cannot afford it – or that the mechanism of payment is too awkward.
2. The ISP collects the money and keeps its share of it – let’s say one of those 2 x’s.
3. The other ‘x’ or portion goes to a Data Indexing and Re-Investment authority along with a file detailing the file-download stats for that month – anonymously reported in totals.
4. This authority then compensates the authors of the data in proportion to their downloads share. This raises one issue still in need of resolution – simple ideas – the paper-clips of ‘data’ – let’s say – will be picked up so ubiquitously that by sheer number – even though the data-packet itself may be small – it’ll still make something for its creator. Other data-packages such as movies or video games, might take up a greater bandwidth share per duplicate simply because they are bigger in size. So in that sense, the big productions will still make more money. Some problems might arise with people bloating their data consciously in order to get have more of a duplication index – but the counter to that, is that online reviews will work against it the more it chooses to do so.
5. Payments will not always be one-to-one, more importantly, they shouldn’t be. People who have the luxury to pay will always be the first to get it cause that’s where the streams originate. They are the people who are most data-hungry, and the ones that most can afford it. They want to pay if it means they get it, and they will pay a high bandwidth premium to download sooner as well as in quantity.
6. This may well mean that artists might take a hit, honestly, not many will mind. Most complaints come from the companies whose main gripe is simply because they are in the habit of thinking of their data as matter, and not information. In doing so, they still expect a one-to-one data-form to money relationship when it neither possible, nor good.
7. ALL attempts to block data duplication are inherently ill conceived. Release or don’t release. The only protection necessary is a copyright registrar. The producer need not get paid per duplicate as much as he needs to be able to prove that it is his data-form.

Similar systems are already used for radio. Artists get compensated by authorities that monitor the airwaves and get reports from radio stations and broadcasters. That’s how somebody somewhere gets paid whenever a radio stations somewhere plays ‘Happy Birthday’. Systems for doing this are already somewhat in place for radio. By all means – a completely digital medium should be even easier to administer.

And that’s how I think this particular dragon can be laid to rest.

Like A Rolling Stone…

I received an email yesterday informing me that the Rolling Stones are planning a concert in Israel, and asking me to include my name among people who are asking the Rolling Stones to boycott Israel; as various other artists and academics have. I replied to the email, included my information as requested, and then set up an online petition using the same text I was sent. Since, to my mind, that is probably a better way of collecting signatories. I then forwarded the web address of the petition to everybody on my contact list. In case you still don’t know where the petition is – it’s at http://www.petitiononline.com/suncity/petition.html

At least one person replied to the effect that we are impotent in this matter, that we cannot ask the Rolling Stones to boycott Israel, and that the Rolling Stones, along with the rest of the West, simply don’t ‘give a rat’s ass’.

Here’s my reply to that:

In the eyes of the uneducated and unwilling to learn, maybe. But that only applies if your expectations are very low. Mine aren’t.

Some people know damn well what’s going on. A good example that I came across a couple of weeks ago is Alan Rickman of Die Hard, Galaxy Quest, and the Potter movies. Rickman directed a play based on the diaries of Rachel Corrie – the 23 year old American woman who was killed on March 16, 2003 by an Israeli Army bulldozer while she was protesting against the demolition of Palestinian civilian homes.

I wouldn’t for a second think that Alan Rickman, for instance, didn’t give a ‘rat’s ass’.

Artists who choose to inform themselves of the realities of the situation should act responsibly. And in this day and age, not informing yourself is simply irresponsible.

If the Rolling Stones don’t, as you say, ‘give a rat’s ass’ – then we should make it clear to them that we, in turn, won’t give a rat’s ass about them. It’s that simple.

Of course we can ask the Rolling Stones to boycott Israel. Whether or not they do so is another matter. One of the people who signed the petition laid it out very simple, and I quote him:

“Would you Exchange your fans in the Middle East (around 300 million people out of which more than 70% are in the youth stage) with just 10 million people (out of which only 45% are in the youth stage)??Let Your Manager do his job and calculate the correspondent risks and negatives of such a concert, before you take that risk.”

Amen.

In any case, the whole ‘it’s hopeless and we can’t do anything attitude‘ – just doesn’t cut it for me, and it shouldn’t for anybody who’s still got a pulse.

You do what you can.

Yawm El Ghadab

Made this years ago for the track ‘Yawm El Ghadab’ from the Shabaka album.

Enjoy.

You can watch it at YouTube right here.

Stakka Bo? 1993? Well, yeah.

I remember hearing this song ages ago – lately I downloaded it again, just for kicks – I’d missed the chorus. This time, I actually paid attention to the rest of the lyrics…well worth quoting in full:

Here we go again
Here we go go go
To the temple of consumption
Get your gear and start to spend
Here we go go go with total dedication

Here we go again
Here we go go go
To the temple of consumption
Get your gear and start to spend
Here we go
Here we go
Here we go

As some sort of prototype I serve to be - you see tomorrow’s dream has never been part of me - consume today and leave the rest behind you - tomorrow’s a surprise party buy a ticket too

faster livin’ faster live as fast as you’re able - eat the food while it’s still hot on the table - spend if you can the greens are burning in your pocket - if you spend it right now you’ll get as high as a rocket

Everything you don’t use will loose it’s value tomorrow - consume too much today and you can always borrow - this paradigm’s the best one since the day of creation - get your gear and shape up this is the revelation - shop till you drop has built this civilization - don’t believe what you hear ’bout the next generation - if you go wtih a lot of toys you’ll slip away a happy man - the greens are burning in you pockets just spend it while you can

Here we go again
here we go go go
to the temple of consumption
get your gear and start to spend
here we go
here we go
here we go

The moon and the stars they all look down on me and say - there’s a correlation between tomorrow and today - I say you won’t gain a thing on that sick repudiation - we’re right here right now that’s the only situation - you can’t fool me we live on borrowed time - so I spend the funds I have to the nickel and dime - check it in check it out it’s not a matter of contention - get your gear and shape up and join the church of consumption

Use it in wear it out than throw it all away - go get yourself a new one all you gotta do is pay - because the more I will get the more I will own - with a lot of things around me I won’t never fell alone - I work around the clock just to earn my livin’ - and I wanna get I won’t spend my funds on givin’ e="font-size: 85%; font-style: italic;">- now I’m acting irresponsible is that what you say - hey somalia got my toaster just the other day

Not so bad, eh? It’s weird, cause the track is totally dancy, fairly bouncy, and unless you’re paying attention to the lyrics, just way upbeat.

Reminds me of the bit in Surplus – where you see a single billboard in the street in Cuba with two words on it; Consume Less.

Well, like they say…

Here We Go Again…