A Tribute to "volunteer" Artists

As the title says, this thread is about volunteer (for lack of a better word) artists of the music industry. That is, artists who produce music for the enjoyment of their audience and ask for donations/sales only to cover their costs and nothing more.

My entry will be about the Australian remixer widely known as "Pogo".

See his website here: http://www.pogomix.net/

This guy makes some of the best remixes I have ever come across, and they're not even part of my favorite genres (House, Electro Tech, Breakbeat, Drum N Bass).

I don't think there's a genre to describe this guy's work with.

If you go on his website, you can download most of his released tracks for free (simply put a "0" value at the price you're willing to pay). If you like what he's done, support him with a donation.

My favorite tracks are:

1. Upular



2. Alohomora



3. Alice



Have a listen.

EDIT: And here a house mix of "Upular".

 

Bloody hell, Remixer!

I reckon these are prime examples of why over-restriction of web products needs to be defended against: this guy would come right under the copyright heavy hammer and that would be a crying shame. I've witnessed many conversations, vigorous debates and all-out flame wars on a music forum. They centered around intellectual copyright and use of samples. I've always reluctantly been of the opinion that 'second order' creation is valid. As much as it has, for some reason, pained me when I've seen chunks of work lifted ... transformed, but still identifiable as someone else's work, I have had to give credit to creative combination and morphing. I think this is because I was born and musically raised at the end of the age where the only sounds people could make would be the result of playing 'musical instruments'. This sense of discomfort is my heritage, but negative judgment shall not be my legacy.

I reckon these are fantastic pieces of work. For example, 'Alice' was doing things to my head that I've not experienced since seeing some of the earliest Mickey Mouse cartoons, where cartoonists were still adrift in a sea of possibility that their freedom of expression launched into a zero serotinin area.

I am surprised to be reminded of Brian Eno's early solo work ... eg "Ambient Music" and "Music for Airports". This is not about similarity of sound, but of similarity of 'structured divergent thinking'. Hah .. Hah NO. It was closer to the feelings inspired in me by Byrne and Eno "My Life In A Bush Of Ghosts": it was close enough to what I know to provide a conceptual rope bridge. It gave me the means to preserve my identity as a listener with a history, a foundation of appreciation, yet pulling many of my comfortable carpets away from under me. In this guy's pieces, I suppose the rope bridge is of images which are already linked to my feelings through many years, and I am therefore dragged far further than if the guy had drawn his own cartoons.

IMO, he's done what Spielberg does, but in a more 'uncovered' way: I am manipulated like a puppet ... the creator is pulling chains attached to some of my deepest and long term anchors; however, these anchors are explicit. Not quoted tropes, but direct source.

Thank you so much for sharing this.

Take care

 

Cheers for the extensive comment, Zen.

I'm drawn to Pogo's music because of the fast-paced complexity of his works, especially the vast range of sounds he incorporates into a single track. It brings out another level of musical enjoyment for me and really calms my mind despite the speed and complexity.

The great thing about Pogo's work for me, is that I can completely shut off while listening to his tracks and appreciate every single nuance this guy included. Having done remixes before, I can also appreciate just how much effort this guy puts into his creations - extensively listening to/recording sounds, play them back repeatedly and select the best audio samples, create a flowing melody and rhythm that incorporates the selections (extremely hard), painstakingly revise and revise again for better ways to include the audio samples, and remove those unfit for the track.

To me, this appreciation of his work - coupled with his modest sales requests - display an artist's passion for his creations and for doing what he does. Simply for that, I have deep respect for Pogo as an artist.

Here's two more awesome tracks of his. The first one was made by going to Johannesburg and recording the various sounds in and of the city, then making an awesome compilation out of it.

1. Pogo - JoburgJam


2. Pogo - Dot's Vinyl Gone Bad