A MUSICIAN TAKES ACTION

    

by G.W. Rees

Music... Nothing conveys spirit in a more succinct manner than this sonically-mystic entity which forms an essential pillar of even the most savage of the world's cultures, for good or for ill.  Far from being an innocuous substance for leisurely consumption, music is a force whose audible raw materials have immense potential either to degrade or elevate the character of Man, and today it–more often than not–functions as a sonic Trojan Horse, inconspicuously making its way into the minds of men while simultaneously, albeit subtly, releasing destruction upon his being. These notions of music's potentially corrosive effects are wholly anachronistic in our age of flaccid Liberalism; overlooked as well as scoffed at by common men and cultural commissars alike.

But that is how we ended up here–because we began to question the scoffers...

For quite a while now I have been lurking in these regions of the internet. In this time, good fortune has brought my attention to the likes of many excellent writers, bloggers, philosophers, pundits, polemics, activists, and humourists. However, there seems to be a noticeable dearth of persons from other arts disciplines such as film, visual-art, television... as well as music. It could be they do exist and that I have yet to discover them, or just that there is little communication or cross-pollination between like-minded creators from different domains. Nevertheless, I have been inspired to take action by creating an assemblage of musical works.

In these creative circumstances, the idea of "action" constituted generating music with little or no preconception in mind. My recently completed body of musical works is essentially action-oriented, as opposed to being merely contemplative. Action was chosen as a guiding philosophy is as a response to the lack of it in our civilization at a time when we need to be undertaking severe measures to preserve our traditions, as well as ourselves, in light of the various forms of internal rot and external threats. 

One of the most significant pitfalls of modernity is our over-reliance on rationality, which comes at the expense of the intuitive. A great deal of the insanity we are plagued with has been foisted upon us by way of rationality, and there so these cultural pathologies now remain entrenched due to this suffocating matrix of rationalism and all that encompasses it. Absurdities of colossal perversity are conceived and birthed daily from the minds and mouths of our intelligentsia via this mechanism–severing us further from a traditional natural way of navigating the world. If more people–specifically those within our sphere–could look inside themselves in order to cultivate this state of knowing, it would be not the first step yet the footwear for enduring the journey on the pathway to transforming our culture into its proper and dignified orientation.

For this recent undertaking, an instrumental and technological confine was adhered to: thus under these constrictions no new instruments or recording and production equipment was purchased for the purposes of composing the works. I used either my musical accessories immediately on hand, or what I could procure from friends. This parameter was chosen so as to take a small stance against the deeply embedded culture of consumerism currently smothering the Western world. So it is in life that unnecessary purchasing of intrinsically useless items ultimately does not make for a life worth living, likewise, music composed from all of the most contemporary technology and best quality instruments does not necessarily make for music worth listening to. 

Operating within such clearly defined boundaries can be a positively challenging venture inducing previously unknown creative ideas, and as a consequence, culminating in some unlikely but still worthy outcomes.To hear an example of a piece that best exemplifies such a modus operandi see G.W. Rees - No Minuet. This is a song made almost entirely from children's keyboards purchased at a local thrift store some years ago. One could argue that this is a rather kitschy approach to take, perhaps even suffering from a touch of lame irony, however, it is my opinion that–considering the piece was conceived with one of the absolutely most substandard as well as limited forms of musical instruments available–the end result was quite mature.

If you have enjoyed my musings and are intrigued by the music linked to above, you are encouraged to preview my other currently posted work (G.W. Rees Youtube channel)–the rest will appear in due time..