7.20.2010

FUNK

Another great David Axelrod production. This one is posted for its illustrative value as much as musical. There should be no question why hip-hop peeps pillage this guy. This album is produced while Prestige is still the shit for jazz production. Soon after this album (around 1975), studio technology ruined the industry as it did with rock and other genres. Engineers took over studio production and their equipment overran creative influence. The complexity of an album's production became more important than just writing a good song. Look back at bands that produced records from the late 60's and throughout the 70's. If they survived past 1975, their albums became quite different and far less accessible. (See Soft Machine, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Roxy Music, etc.)
I wonder if our field is falling to a similar fate. It seems to be more important to have created ceramic art with 3D printers, casting technology, laser cutters, etc. than to have created something profound, good or unique. The ceramic world has fallen into the trap of technology and research. Like the recording engineers of the 70's, ceramics is moving further and further into the private studio and away from public interest. Needless to say, punk rock and metal responded to the musical trends of the 70's. What will happen to us?