After my DJing comeback in March, I’ve now turned my attentions back to writing. The concept remains “500 songs that define a scene”, although the final title won’t be decided for some time yet. At time of writing, just over 150 songs have received a draft write-up. Challenges include working out a fresh ways of describing periods where many songs sounded pretty much the same (thank you aggrotech), and how to sensitively handle the whole ‘musically notable-ideologically problematic’ issue. “Leaving those bits out” isn’t an option – re-writing history to eliminate things you don’t agree with causes more problems than it solves.
I’m hoping to launch some crowdfunding to actually get this book published – forget about the established press. However, as a sign of good faith, I won’t launch this until the first draft is nearly complete (probably around the 400 song mark). It will also be the point where I hope to engage other subject matter experts on corners of the scene I haven’t personally been involved in – so if you think you know your stuff RE: digital hardcore, deathrock revival, 2010s EDM-that-had-a-scene-following or whatever it is steampunks listen to, hold that thought – we might have something to discuss!
Until then, I haven’t counted out DJing again from time to time, particularly if I get to play under-represented styles (as was the case with ‘Work!’) or have the opportunity to work up a decent genre-spanning setlist.
If you have any interest in any of the above, get in touch!