![](https://image.librarything.com/pics/fugue21/magnifier-left.png)
![](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/147461633X.01._SX180_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg)
Fai clic su di un'immagine per andare a Google Ricerca Libri.
Sto caricando le informazioni... Liberation Through Hearingdi Richard Russell
Nessuno Sto caricando le informazioni...
![]() Iscriviti per consentire a LibraryThing di scoprire se ti piacerà questo libro. Attualmente non vi sono conversazioni su questo libro. nessuna recensione | aggiungi una recensione
'If sound is the fifth element, then Richard has nurtured and enhanced some of the most important soundwaves of our time' M.I.A 'Taking us from the rap 80s to the rave 90s into the grimy 21st century, Richard Russell is a Firestarter in his own right and his story is a riveting adventure' Simon Reynolds 'This memoir is required reading for anyone who cares about the recent history of British music' Gilles Peterson 'Russell reveals his forensic love of music and its strategies. A fascinating read' Damon Albarn When I stopped wanting things for the wrong reasons, they became possible. For almost 30 years as label boss, producer, and talent conductor at XL Recordings, Richard Russell has discovered, shaped and nurtured the artists who have rewritten the musical dictionary of the 21st century, artists like The Prodigy, The White Stripes, Adele, M.I.A., Dizzee Rascal and Giggs. Growing up in north London in thrall to the raw energy of '80s US hip hop, Russell emerged as one part of rave outfit Kicks Like a Mule in 1991 at a moment when new technology enabled a truly punk aesthetic on the fledgling free party scene. For most of the 90s identified with breakbeat and hardcore, Russell's stewardship at the label was always uncompromising and open to radical influences rather than conventional business decisions. Liberation through Hearing tells the remarkable story of XL Recordings and their three decades on the frontline of innovation in music; the eclectic chorus of artists who came to define the label's unique aesthetic, and Russell's own story; his highs and lows steering the fortunes of an independent label in a rapidly changing industry, his celebrated work with Bobby Womack and Gil Scot Heron on their late-career masterpieces, and his own development as a musician in Everything is Recorded. Always searching for new sounds and new truths, Liberation through Hearing is a portrait of a man who believes in the spiritual power of music to change reality. It is also the story of a label that refused to be categorised by genre and in the process cut an idiosyncratic groove which was often underground in feel but mainstream in impact. Non sono state trovate descrizioni di biblioteche |
Discussioni correntiNessuno
![]() GeneriSistema Decimale Melvil (DDC)781.49092The arts Music General principles and musical forms Performance & Recording Technique Recording of musicVotoMedia:![]()
Sei tu?Diventa un autore di LibraryThing. |
I’m happy to say it turned into something else. I’ve never met Richard Russell but if he’s like his words in this book, he’s probably a humble and astute character.
He’s also a fucking fanatic when it comes to music, more so than a simpleton capitalist:
Sure, I love Beastie Boys—and I must give Russell an arse-kicking for writing ‘the Beastie Boys’—but what enthralls and made me read this book quickly is Russell’s proliferous spirit: he makes music that I’ve not heard of seem alive and makes me want to dig in.
I actually used to love Russell’s own music as Kicks Like A Mule (KLAM), whose song ‘The Bouncer’ I still love. About it:
That song broke the band onto the burgeoning UK electronic-dance scene.
Another thing that I love about Russell’s writing is how he seems to be honest by seemingly mixing the good with the bad and self-deprecating. An example of this:
Then: The Prodigy. Liam Howlett, the person who made nearly all of the music in the band, sought out XL Recordings because he felt they would represent his band and his music well. He became friends with Russell.
When The Prodigy became really big with their second album, that’s when eyes in the USA started widening.
Lovely people. Not.
It’s interesting to see how Russell writes about The Prodigy’s song Smack My Bitch Up:
I still remember the day that The Prodigy’s Firestarter was debuted on MTV Europe. I actually rushed home after school to see it. It’s like a world exploded to me, there and then, and I started thinking about how I’d buy the CD album the very instant it was released.
Instead of turning this book into a classic sort of rags-to-riches kind of book, Russell delves into why he was feeling horribly.
Reading his words on trying to free and elevate musicians like M.I.A., Gil Scott-Heron (with whom he made a very good album), Bobby Womack, and The White Stripes, makes me happy. It’s obvious that Russell hasn’t written about them to show the reader his ego, but to make their music heard.
The parts about Keith Flint are truly harrowing:
All in all, this is a remarkable non-fiction memoir about life in the music business. There are deeply human elements embedded in and throughout all of this book. It’s not often one can say that, I think, about books that are written not only about the music industry, but about books that are written by somebody who’s revered by a lot of musicians and others. I’m sure other people may have other stuff to say about Russell, and there are probably reasons as to why he didn’t include the words of others—as Beastie Boys did with their book—but that’s another story.
This is a human book and if you love music, regardless of genre, you might just dig this one. (