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symbioidljThis is just the start of the letter(obviously), I think it does a decent critique of his latest statements compared to his actions. Certain things, I think may not be the best reasoning, or necessarily be in complete agreement with his train of thought, but if he reads it, perhaps he'll respond so I can get a better understanding of where he's coming from. I'm just really aggravated at his vitriol towards Ninja Tune, it's totally uncalled for, IMO...
---------------------------------
Open Letter to Tom Jenkinson(AKA:Squarepusher)
Mr. Jenkinson,
Lately, I've seen some interesting statements made by you. Some of these comments, I very much appreciate, but there is one that bothers me.
I will get this negative point out of the way so I can focus on what I perceive to be a more positive assessment of your other statements.
Initially, I've heard it said in an article that you were asked to be on the Ninja Tune label and declined because you had different philosophies. This I could accept.
Recently, however, I've read an article posted at http://www.warprecords.com where you take a much stronger anti- Ninja Tune stance.
Essentially, your claim is that Ninja Tune is all about "personality" and thus localized in time. The music is somehow attached to the various personae that are creating the music, and that in a hundred years, no-one will listen, because the people that created it aren't there to perform said music.
From there, you proceed to talk about the direction you're going with your music. You essentially state that your music is less ego-centered, and more about the cybernetic interaction/being of you and the machine. This is the statement of yours that I *do* appreciate, and will be dealt with in more depth later.
Let me mention, however, a certain sort of hypocrisy that emanates from your negative assessment. Namely, based upon your assessment, it would appear that your ego is becoming dissolved in the man/machine interaction. Your ridicule of the "ego" and "personality" of Ninja Tune backs up up this theory.
And yet, in this very same interview you state that you wish to be seen in the future as the greatest musical genius of all time, who somehow pushed the boundaries of music further than ever before.
You then give the impression that in your ego dissolution, your mahine-cyborg-nirvana, you shall live eternally through your music and in, say, 100 years(should humanity, or robots?, survive until then) your music will still be played and that of Ninja Tune will be utterly forgotten in the sands of time, basically because there is a Ninja Tune "image". An ego of these artists that will die with their physical presence, and somehow, because they didn't have the proper doctrine of ego-transendence through the cyborg-music interface, that they have no relevence in the grand scheme.
You see this as all some sort of grand historical narrative, and up to a point, I concur. However, there is still the fact that beyond the matter of the timelessness of music(or lack thereof, as in your claim regarding Ninja Tune), there is still the essential need for immediate presence. Else, why would you present a show? Why even bother going out to the masses to perform? Or at least, why show your physical form at a show, or even differentiate yourself with a name? Of course, there is an ego there, Tom.
Speaking of "image"... You're so concerned with the self-annihilation, with the desire to realize that you aren't in control of the creative process, and yet, on "Ultravisitor", your latest album, which I assume was created during the time that these statements were made, I notice a headshot of a certain individual A face. A face that belongs to that individual who calls itself Tom Jenkinson/Squarepusher/The Fucking Daddy, etc... What could be more ego-bound? You, who hates this cult of personality. Or is this a prologue to your inevitable self-destruction. You claim that great geniuses die a tragic early death or suffer a horrific malady. Do you plan for your ego to be finally offed in the next album? Is this the penultimate expression of self before you sacrifice yourself to that cyborg machine of music? Or even further, do you plan to have your physical form to truly dissolve into the cosmic machine and this is that last gasp for breath, that last chance to say "I"? Why this display of ego? Why this desire to be hailed as a visionary?
Now, on to the point I'd mentioned about the immediacy of experience. A show is meant to be felt, heard, seen, experienced. It is on thing at one time. It may be sampled(as you've done on "Ultravisitor") for future reference, but the initial event which casts that signal out is only one. Someone must experience that music, whether it be the self, the collective party, or the radio listener.
In the case of a show, the purpose, generally is to entertain, to create something greater, to be the shaman which induces the cybernetic spirit of the feedback loop between performer, machine, audience and back.
In this you have failed, and Ninja Tune has utterly succeeded.
---------------------------------
Open Letter to Tom Jenkinson(AKA:Squarepusher)
Mr. Jenkinson,
Lately, I've seen some interesting statements made by you. Some of these comments, I very much appreciate, but there is one that bothers me.
I will get this negative point out of the way so I can focus on what I perceive to be a more positive assessment of your other statements.
Initially, I've heard it said in an article that you were asked to be on the Ninja Tune label and declined because you had different philosophies. This I could accept.
Recently, however, I've read an article posted at http://www.warprecords.com where you take a much stronger anti- Ninja Tune stance.
Essentially, your claim is that Ninja Tune is all about "personality" and thus localized in time. The music is somehow attached to the various personae that are creating the music, and that in a hundred years, no-one will listen, because the people that created it aren't there to perform said music.
From there, you proceed to talk about the direction you're going with your music. You essentially state that your music is less ego-centered, and more about the cybernetic interaction/being of you and the machine. This is the statement of yours that I *do* appreciate, and will be dealt with in more depth later.
Let me mention, however, a certain sort of hypocrisy that emanates from your negative assessment. Namely, based upon your assessment, it would appear that your ego is becoming dissolved in the man/machine interaction. Your ridicule of the "ego" and "personality" of Ninja Tune backs up up this theory.
And yet, in this very same interview you state that you wish to be seen in the future as the greatest musical genius of all time, who somehow pushed the boundaries of music further than ever before.
You then give the impression that in your ego dissolution, your mahine-cyborg-nirvana, you shall live eternally through your music and in, say, 100 years(should humanity, or robots?, survive until then) your music will still be played and that of Ninja Tune will be utterly forgotten in the sands of time, basically because there is a Ninja Tune "image". An ego of these artists that will die with their physical presence, and somehow, because they didn't have the proper doctrine of ego-transendence through the cyborg-music interface, that they have no relevence in the grand scheme.
You see this as all some sort of grand historical narrative, and up to a point, I concur. However, there is still the fact that beyond the matter of the timelessness of music(or lack thereof, as in your claim regarding Ninja Tune), there is still the essential need for immediate presence. Else, why would you present a show? Why even bother going out to the masses to perform? Or at least, why show your physical form at a show, or even differentiate yourself with a name? Of course, there is an ego there, Tom.
Speaking of "image"... You're so concerned with the self-annihilation, with the desire to realize that you aren't in control of the creative process, and yet, on "Ultravisitor", your latest album, which I assume was created during the time that these statements were made, I notice a headshot of a certain individual A face. A face that belongs to that individual who calls itself Tom Jenkinson/Squarepusher/The Fucking Daddy, etc... What could be more ego-bound? You, who hates this cult of personality. Or is this a prologue to your inevitable self-destruction. You claim that great geniuses die a tragic early death or suffer a horrific malady. Do you plan for your ego to be finally offed in the next album? Is this the penultimate expression of self before you sacrifice yourself to that cyborg machine of music? Or even further, do you plan to have your physical form to truly dissolve into the cosmic machine and this is that last gasp for breath, that last chance to say "I"? Why this display of ego? Why this desire to be hailed as a visionary?
Now, on to the point I'd mentioned about the immediacy of experience. A show is meant to be felt, heard, seen, experienced. It is on thing at one time. It may be sampled(as you've done on "Ultravisitor") for future reference, but the initial event which casts that signal out is only one. Someone must experience that music, whether it be the self, the collective party, or the radio listener.
In the case of a show, the purpose, generally is to entertain, to create something greater, to be the shaman which induces the cybernetic spirit of the feedback loop between performer, machine, audience and back.
In this you have failed, and Ninja Tune has utterly succeeded.
