Comments on: The Potential of the Crowd – The Case of Kutiman http://flipthemedia.com/index.php/2009/03/the-potential-of-the-crowd-the-case-of-kutiman/ At the crossroads of Media, Culture and Technology Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:53:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Suna http://flipthemedia.com/index.php/2009/03/the-potential-of-the-crowd-the-case-of-kutiman/comment-page-1/#comment-3416 Suna Tue, 12 May 2009 06:31:02 +0000 http://flipthemedia.com/?p=2980#comment-3416 This is one video that's still going to be cool in a year from now, just from its shear awesomeness. It's the ultimate mashup of mediocrity that together becomes great because of a visionary/creative genius. The NY Times Magazine's Virginia Hefferman recently wrote an article about this. (See "World Music", http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/magazine/03wwln-medium-t.html). At the very end of her article, under "Points of Entry" she points out the similarity to Thru-You and The Beatles "Revolution 9," a classic sound collage from The Beatles' 1968 White Album, which one either loved for it's originality or loathed for its cacophony. http://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/Revolution-9/ No doubt Revolution 9 inspired others to try out their own collage sound; however, what makes Kutiman's video so different is the whole range of musicians making music and seeming to play together... and yet not. Nor heck, do they even know each other. What will be interesting if others try to do the same thing. Or create video responses. My guess is that this is so hard and complicated (and the need for real musicality and training is apparent) that there won't be as many as we'd like to see. So, what really makes a band? And can they have groupies? This is one video that’s still going to be cool in a year from now, just from its shear awesomeness. It’s the ultimate mashup of mediocrity that together becomes great because of a visionary/creative genius.

The NY Times Magazine’s Virginia Hefferman recently wrote an article about this. (See “World Music”, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/magazine/03wwln-medium-t.html). At the very end of her article, under “Points of Entry” she points out the similarity to Thru-You and The Beatles “Revolution 9,” a classic sound collage from The Beatles’ 1968 White Album, which one either loved for it’s originality or loathed for its cacophony. http://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/Revolution-9/

No doubt Revolution 9 inspired others to try out their own collage sound; however, what makes Kutiman’s video so different is the whole range of musicians making music and seeming to play together… and yet not. Nor heck, do they even know each other.

What will be interesting if others try to do the same thing. Or create video responses. My guess is that this is so hard and complicated (and the need for real musicality and training is apparent) that there won’t be as many as we’d like to see.

So, what really makes a band? And can they have groupies?

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