Entrevista: Hélder Bastos

Hélder Bastos é professor de Ciências da Comunicação na Universidade do Porto e foi um dos primeiros a escrever sobre os novos media e a evolução do jornalismo. Do seu ponto de vista, ele vê que as mudanças estão a decorrer muito rapidamente, e quanto a Portugal ele diz: «Continuamos a chegar pontualmente atrasados ao futuro que outros já conquistaram.»

Com o boom dos novos media, vai-se anunciando o fim dos jornais e de outros meios, como aconteceu com a rádio quando apareceu a televisão. No entanto, ambos coexistem ainda hoje. Porquê tanto fatalismo?

O fatalismo sempre fez parte da história das novas tecnologias ligadas aos meios de comunicação de massa. E os catastrofistas sempre negligenciaram aquilo a que Roger Fidler chama a mediamorfose, ou seja, a capacidade que os media têm de se adaptar ao aparecimento
de novos media. Acresce que, pelas mais diversas razões, nem toda a gente se “converte” aos novos media.

Dito isto, há aspectos que, de facto, não têm precedentes no que toca à Internet: trata-se de um meio com uma taxa de expansão muito rápida (nem a televisão andou tão depressa) e com uma capacidade inata para absorver e dar novas formas a todos os media tradicionais (começamos a ouvir falar em Web TV, Web rádio, etc.). Esta realidade serve, inevitavelmente, de combustível à argumentação catastrofista. Para Bill Gates, por exemplo, os jornais de papel já estariam extintos no ano… 2000.

Que características dominam no paradigma actual dos meios de comunicação?

Talvez possa responder a esta pergunta com palavras ou conceitos-chave: convergência, multimédia, interactividade, redes sociais, imediatez, virtualização, mercantilização, concentração.

Qual é o erro mais comum na avaliação das influências das novas tecnologias sobre a sociedade?

É acreditar-se que a influência é uniforme e generalizada, isto é, que toda a gente é influenciada da mesma maneira, que todos lidam com as novas tecnologias do mesmo modo e que estas estão ao alcance de qualquer um. Acresce que, não poucas vezes, essa influência é
sobrestimada.

A diferença entre o ciberjornalismo e o jornalismo tradicional assenta apenas numa questão de meio e formato, ou implica uma renovação na aproximação e nos métodos de tratamento da matéria jornalística?

O ciberjornalismo implica, de facto, novas técnicas e modos de tratar a informação, uma vez que a Web é um espaço “naturalmente” hipermédia. Há, portanto, necessidade de, desde logo, o jornalismo se adaptar ao meio e à gramática do novo espaço em que se move. E isso passa por novos modos de arquitectar, hierarquizar e apresentar a informação. Mas não só: o ciberjornalista precisa também de perceber o ambiente – interactivo, informal, conversacional, 2.0 – da Web, o que nos conduz à questão da renovação na aproximação.

A questão da ética é também importante: há um património comum de valores e standards partilhados por jornalistas e ciberjornalistas (esta distinção é um pouco instrumental, mais do que real ou efectiva), mas estes debatem-se com questões, sem precedentes, levantadas, quer pela natureza do meio, quer pela falta de regras claras em relação a diversas matérias, incluindo as legais.O jornalismo é uma profissão em mutação, não só ao nível das aptidões, mas na diversidade de funções: o jornalista tem a seu cargo a recolha e redacção da informação, mas a estas funções juntam-se agora o papel de moderador e de produtor hipermédia.

Como professor, qual caminho é que acha que se deve seguir: o da especialização ou da polivalência?

Eu diria que o caminho é o da especialização na polivalência. Cada vez mais, é preciso ser-se bom em cada vez mais coisas, todas elas exigentes em termos de especialização. A procura aponta para uma espécie de jornalista especialista em “banda larga”, que saiba de tudo o que se relaciona com a produção textual e hipertextual, mas que a isso junte o domínio de diversas competências multimédia, videojornalismo incluído. Basta olhar para os anúncios de emprego que surgem, por exemplo, nos EUA.

Definitivamente, já não basta a um jornalista saber escrever e ter boas fontes de informação para sobreviver nos ambientes embrionários da convergência e da multitextualidade. Não há muito tempo, havia alguma resistência nas redacções aos cursos superiores de jornalismo, já que, para muitos, era uma profissão que se aprendia a trabalhar.

Hoje em dia, qual é o papel das escolas e o que é que se lhes exige?

O papel das escolas, e sobretudo da universidade, é o de preparar os futuros jornalistas para o trabalho num ambiente profissional cada vez exigente, competitivo, flexível e carregado de desafios constantes, nomeadamente no que às novas tecnologias concerne. Compete à escola fornecer as ferramentas técnicas, práticas e teóricas essenciais a uma boa preparação para o cabal exercício do jornalismo. Exige-se, portanto, que as escolas e universidades estejam atentas aos desenvolvimentos no campo jornalístico e que sejam ágeis o suficiente para não correrem o risco de ficarem desfasadas em relação às novas realidades.
Mais: do meu ponto de vista, as universidades devem esforçar-se por estar um passo à frente, antecipando tendências e experimentando laboratorialmente novas ferramentas e narrativas.

Quais são os maiores riscos éticos para um jornalista hoje em dia? As novas tecnologias trouxeram mais ou menos dificuldades neste campo?

As novas tecnologias trouxeram novas questões para o debate da ética jornalística, mas também vieram levantar novos problemas deontológicos. Novas questões têm que ver, por exemplo, com a possibilidade de uma maior interpenetração entre publicidade e notícias e entre entretenimento e informação nos ciberjornais poder afectar a qualidade do trabalho jornalístico, com a relação entre a imediatez e a eventual degradação de certos standards jornalísticos, com problemas gerados pelo cruzamento de interesses empresariais, com a indefinição legal à volta da Internet, com a política de hiperligações (ex: estando a realizar um trabalho sobre racismo e xenofobia, deve o ciberjornalista fazer link a uma página de apologistas do nazismo?).

A grande vantagem para o enfrentar destas questões é que os jornalistas já têm uma base ética e deontológica tradicional bastante consolidada (apesar de, não poucas vezes, ser desrespeitada impunemente).

Os novos media são a verdadeira democratização do 4º Poder? Será a Mass Self Communication, como Castells a definiu (

http://diplo.uol.com.br/imprima1379 ), mais poderosa que os mass media?

Depende do que se entende por democratização do quarto poder. As novas formas de expressão e participação dos cidadãos na Web não vieram propriamente democratizar os media tradicionais, pois estes, no essencial, mantêm as suas características básicas mais ou menos inalteradas.
Os blogues, por exemplo, democratizaram a publicação e a expressão individuais, mas não se pode dizer que tenham democratizado o quarto poder, nem tão pouco que constituam um novo poder em si. A chamada «mass self communication» ganha terreno e força, mas ainda está muito
longe de constituir uma alternativa realista aos mass media: apesar de estarem a procurar adaptar-se ao avanço da Internet e das suas modalidades comunicacionais, estes mantém o seu poder e hegemonia nas sociedades contemporâneas, quanto mais não seja porque ainda detém o monopólio da comunicação de massa.

A mass self communication pode influenciar, ou mesmo contagiar, a mass communication, mas não é, por enquanto, mais poderosa.

De que forma é que a agenda noticiosa se pode alterar com o jornalismo participativo?

O impacto do jornalismo participativo, que ainda está numa fase embrionária, na agenda noticiosa mainstream ainda é muito reduzido, algo que é ainda mais notório em Portugal. Mas, em certos casos, pode fazer com que certos temas sejam incluídos naquela agenda, caso os acontecimentos sejam suficientemente fortes, inesperados, polémicos ou inéditos.

À partida, uma agenda noticiosa ciberjonalística será mais propensa a absorver contributos do jornalismo participativo do que a agenda dos média noticiosos tradicionais. Mas, quanto a esta questão, convirá lembrar que a própria definição daquilo que é “jornalismo participativo” ainda não devidamente solidificada e enquadrada, algo que torna ainda mais complexas as suas dinâmicas com o jornalismo tradicional.

As novas tecnologias vêm rotuladas de agregadoras, participativas, democráticas. No entanto, existe uma maioria de info-excluídos (por factores educacionais ou estruturais).

Como é que se ultrapassa este paradoxo?

Creio que este paradoxo nunca irá ser ultrapassado definitivamente. Haverá sempre camadas da população, mesmo nos países mais desenvolvidos, excluídas do progresso comunicacional e informacional (veja-se que todo o século XX não foi capaz de erradicar por completo o analfabetismo e a iliteracia). Apesar disso, nota-se o empenho das empresas ligadas às novas tecnologias no desenvolvimento de produtos cada vez mais acessíveis, manuseáveis e baratos.

Neste aspecto, nem todas as intenções são filantrópicas, obviamente.

Tecnologicamente, a evolução da sociedade de informação tem sido exponencial. Mas terá a sociedade acompanhado este ritmo, a nível político por exemplo?

A política tem, em si, problemas estruturais e conjunturais demasiado graves para poder acompanhar devidamente a evolução tecnológica. A tecnologia, por diversos motivos, corre sempre à frente dos ritmos políticos e sociais, obrigando-os, mais tarde ou mais cedo, a mudar.

Os políticos e os cidadãos fazem o que podem para não “perderem o comboio”, mas a velocidade é de tal modo elevada que se torna quase impossível acompanhar os desenvolvimentos e digerir as alterações que as novas tecnologias provocam. A política reage à tecnologia, não a antecipa e, muito menos, a controla.

Há 11 anos atrás, o Hélder Bastos escreveu : «Em Portugal, o mercado de trabalho na área dos novos media tem de ser procurado, pacientemente, com um microscópio. A maior parte dos diários nem sequer jornalistas a tempo inteiro tem nas suas edições electrónicas (…) projectos do género não deixam qualquer espaço para a descoberta e afirmação de jovens talentos. Também nesta área o país está a fazer os devidos esforços para chegar pontualmente atrasado ao futuro». O que mudou entretanto e o que é preciso ainda mudar?

A área dos novos media evolui, claro, mas muito lentamente em comparação com países tecnologicamente mais avançados. Há pouca capacidade de empreendimento e de risco (um problema que se estende a múltiplas áreas da economia nacional), e muito menos se aposta na investigação e desenvolvimento.

No campo mais específico dos media noticiosos, a evolução foi ainda mais lenta. Continuamos a chegar pontualmente atrasados ao futuro que outros já conquistaram. Ainda hoje o mercado de emprego no ciberjornalismo, por exemplo, é diminuto.

Em paralelo, a qualidade geral dos sites é muito fraca e paupérrima nalguns casos de órgãos de comunicação de expansão nacional. È preciso mudar quase tudo: modelos de negócio, hierarquias, modos de funcionamento, estratégias empresariais, formação, políticas de contratação.

Mas nada disto é fácil de fazer num país pequeno, com um mercado de media pouco competitivo e estrangulado por falta de escala nas audiências e nas receitas.

E como será daqui a 10 anos?

Estaremos melhor, sem dúvida. Mas os outros, nessa altura, já estarão dez anos à nossa frente.

Alexandre Gamela

Fotografia: D.R.

English version

Hélder Bastos is a teacher of Communication Sciences at Porto University, and one of the first in Portugal to write about new media and the evolution of journalism. From where he stands, he sees that things are changing fast, and when it comes to the Portuguese scenery he says: «We are still timely getting late to the future that others already conquered.»

With the new media boom, the end of newspapers and other media is being proclaimed, like it once did with radio when television appeared. However, both mediums still co-exist today. Why such fatalism?

Fatalism always took part in the history of the new technologies connected to mass media. And the catastrophists always neglected what Roger Fidler named as mediamorphosis, in other words, the capability that media have to adapt to the appearance of new media. To this adds, for several reasons, not everybody “converts” to the new media. Thus said, there are aspects that in fact don’t have any precedents when it comes to the Internet : it’s a medium with a fast expansion rate (not even television grew so fast) and with a innate ability to absorb and give new shapes to all of the traditional media (we’re starting to hear about WebTV, Web radio, etc.). This reality fuels, inevitably, the catastrophist argument. For Bill Gates, for instance, the paper newspapers would be extinct in the year..2000.

Which characteristics rule media’s present paradigm?

Maybe i can answer to this question with keywords or concepts: convergence, multimedia, interactivity, social networks, immediacy, virtualization, marketing, concentration.

What is the most common mistake in the evaluation of the influence of new technologies over society?

To believe that the influence is constant and generalized, i mean, that everybody is influenced in the same way, that everybody deals with the new technologies in the same way and that these are in anyone’s range. Adding to this, not seldom, that influence is overrated.

The diference between cyberjournalism and traditional journalism sits only in a matter of médium and format, or does it imply a renewal of the approach and treatment methods of the journalistic subject?

Cyberjournalism implies, in fact, new techniques and ways to handle the information, since the Web is a “naturally” hypermedia space. Therefore there is the need, from the start, to journalism adapt to the medium and grammar of this new space in which it moves. And this means new ways to architect, hierarchize and present the information. But not only: the cyberjournalist needs also to understand the environment - interactive, informal, conversational, 2.0- of the Web, which leads us to the issue of renewing the approach. The ethics subject is also important: there’s a common inheritance of values and standards shared by journalists and cyberjournalists (this distinction is a bit instrumental, more than real or effective), but both debate with unprecedented questions, raised either by the nature of the medium, or by the lack of defined rules regarding different matters, including legal. Journalism is a changing profession, not only on the skills level, but also on the tasks diversity: journalists had to gather and edit the information, but now they have to these tasks the role of moderator and hypermedia producer.

As a teacher, what do you believe to be the way to follow: specialization or polyvalency?

I’d say the way is specialization in polyvalency. More and more, you have to be good in more and more things, all of them demanding in terms of specialization. The search points to a sort of journalist specialist in “broad band”, that knows about everything related to textual and hypertextual production, but that adds to that the mastery of different multimedia competences, video journalism included. Just take a look at the job ads that are appearing, for instance, in the USA. Definetively, it’s no longer enough for a journalist to know how to write and have good information sources to survive in the embryonic environments of convergence and mutlitextuality.

Not so long ago, there was some resistance at the newsrooms to superior journalism courses, since, for many, it was something you learned “on the job”. Nowadays, what is the role of schools and what is demanded from them?

School’s role, and mainly university’s, is to prepare future journalists to work in a more and more demanding, competitive, flexible and filled with constant challenges professional environment, namely on what new technologies are concerned. It’s up to the schools to be aware of the developments in the journalistic field, and to be agile enough so they don’t get out of touch with the new realities. More: from my point of view, universities must make an effort to be one step ahead, anticipating trends and lab experimenting new tools and narratives.

Which are the biggest ethical risks for a journalist these days? Have the new technologies bring more or less difficulties in this matter?

New technologies brought new issues into the journalistic ethic’s debate, bur they also raised new deontological problems. New issues that have to do with, for instance, with the possibility that a larger interpenetration between publicity and news, and between entertainment and information could affect the quality of the journalistic work, with the relation between immediacy and the possible degradation of certain journalistic standards, with problems caused by the crossing of business interests, with the legal indefinition around the internet, with the hyperlinking policy (ex: on a story about Nazism and xenophobia, should the cyberjournalist link to a page of Nazism supporters?). The great advantage to face these questions is that journalists already have a rather consolidated traditional ethical and deontological basis (though, not rarely, is disrespected with
impunity).

Are the new media the true democratization of the Fourth Estate? Can Mass Self Communication, as defined by Castells (

http://diplo.uol.com.br/imprima1379 ), become more powerful than mass media?

It depends on what you understand by the democratization of the Fourth . The new forms of citizen expression and participation on the Web didn’t quite really came to democratize the traditional media, since these, in their core, still keep their basic characteristics somewhat unchanged. Blogs, for instance, democratized individual publishing and expression, but it can’t be said they democratized the Fourth Estate, nor, much less, that they are a power in itself. The intitled "mass self communication" is gaining terrain and strength, but it is still too far from being a realistic alternative to mass media: though they are looking to adapt to the Internet’s advance, these still keep their power and hegemony in contemporary societies, even if it’s only because they still hold mass communication monopoly."Mass self communication" can influence, or even infect «mass communication», but it is not, yet, more powerful.

In what way can the news agenda change with citizen journalism?

The impact of citizen journalism, that is still at an embryonic stage, in the mainstream news agenda is still very reduced, some that is more notorious in Portugal. But in certain cases, it can make that some subjects may be included in the agenda, should the events be strong enough, unexpected, controversial or new. In principle, a cyberjournalistic news agenda will be more inclined to absorb contributions from citizen journalism than the traditional media’s news agenda. But, as far as this question goes, it should be reminded that the very definition of what is “citizen journalism” is not yet duly solidified and framed, which makes even more complex it’s dynamics with traditional journalism. New technologies are labeled as gregarious, participative, democratic. However, there is a majority of info-excluded (due to educational or structural factors).

How do go beyond this paradox?

I believe this paradox will never be definitevely surpassed. There will always be population layers, even in the more developed countries, excluded form the communicational and informational progress (remember that not even the entire 20th century wasn’t enough to eradicate illiteracy completely). Despite that, the commitment of the companies related to new technologies in developing more and more accessible, easy to handle and cheap products is noticeable. On this side, not all intentions are philanthropic, obviously.

Technologically, society’s evolution has been exponential. But has society kept up with this pace, politically?

Politics has, itself, structural and conjuncture problems too serious to be able to duly follow the technological evolution. Technology, for several reasons, runs always faster than political and social rythms, making them, sooner or later, to change. Politicians and citizens do what they can to not “miss the train”, but the speed is so high that it is almost impossible to keep up with the developments and digest all the changes cuased by new technologies. Politics reacts to technology, does not anticipate it and, much less, controls it.

11 years ago you wrote: «In Portugal, the job market in the new media field must be examined, patiently, with a microscope. Most of our dailies don’t even have full time journalists in their electronic editions (…) projects of this kind leave no space for the discovery and affirmation of young talents. In this area too, the country is making the due efforts to timely arrive late to the future». What has changed meanwhile and what is still needed to change?

The new media área evolves, of course, but very slowly comparing to countries more technologically advanced. There is few enterprise and risk capability ( a problem that extends to several other areas of our national economy), and much less is invested in research and developing. In the most specific of news media, the evolution was even slower. We are still timely getting late to the future that others already conquered. Still today cyberjournalism job market, for instance, is reduced. At the same time, the general quality of the websites is very weak and very poor in some cases of media companies with national coverage. Almost everything must be changed: business models, hierarchies, working methods, corporate strategies, formation, hiring policies. But none of this is easy to do in a small country, with a rather competitive media market and strangled by the lack of magnitude in the audience ratings and revenues.

And how will it be in 10 years time?

We will be better, no doubt about it. But the others, by then, will already be 10 years ahead of us.

Osso Exótico + Z'ev

Curious. Just curious. A collaboration between Z'ev, legendary player of percussion and tape-manipulator (among many qualities) and the Portuguese trio of Osso Exotico (André Maranha, David Maranha and Patrícia Machas), the little chamber orchestra of all things minimalist? Maybe it's less of a mystery than it seems.

This release lacks any information besides artist names and label's website (unless some insert is missing), so we have to be guessing (again). Unlike some of his previous collaborations I think it's not the result of some postal exchange of sound material, but the actual playing together of these four musicians. When you hear it than the unlikeliness of the recording seems to vanish - this is music that actually sounds like it belongs together. The drones of Osso Exotico, tight, layered, minimalist fits actually very well with Z'ev tribalesque percussion work here. It's a jam, that seems a sure thing. No editing or overdubbing has been used here, which is a pity, sinceas a whole thing it is somewhat too loosely played. Certainly when the four players are 'searching' for a sound. Once the ball gets rolling, it rolls, it makes ripples becoming waves, waves becoming thunder storm. It's in these moments when the true power of the music comes alive.

Osso Exótico

A tribal version of LaMonte Young, the grittiness of Tony Conrad on a multiple instruments and the psychedelic power that is found in more of the recent Osso Exotico recordings. Despite a few flaws in the recording, and the fact that it sounds a bit muffled, this is a very nice work. Get them in a proper studio and let them work on it more extensively.

Z'ev

[CD by Crouton Music]

Frans de Waard / Vital Weekly

Photos: R.R.

“Is this why newspapers are dying? Because there are no communities?”

Mindy MacAdams comenta no seu blog uma passagem do livro de Clay Shirky "Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations", onde se faz uma diferenciação das relações entre o público e os media, e entre os próprios utilizadores e criadores de conteúdos. E a meio faz esta questão avassaladora: «Is this why newspapers are dying? Because there are no communities?»

Se antes, e por motivos estruturais, um jornal estava mais próximo de um grupo ou de uma comunidade, com os novos media a transversalidade nas audiências aumentou, assim como os conceitos de especialização e hiperlocalidade se tornaram preponderantes para a definição e sobrevivência de alguns meios de comunicação.

Citando Shirky, «audiências não são o mesmo que comunidades, e as comunidades são feitas de pessoas em diálogo», Mindy MacAdams deixa talvez a questão mais fundamental para a identidade dos media em transição: o que é que as comunidades precisam e como é que os jornalistas o podem fornecer?

O jogo já não é feito apenas com a premissa de responder às perguntas básicas do jornalismo, mas com a problematização e participação por parte de todos que queiram participar na construção do hiper-senso-comum, da hiper consciência colectiva sobre a realidade. O público não é mais um ponto de destino, mas um princípio activo, e é aqui que a mudança está realmente a ocorrer.

Alexandre Gamela / O Lago

Imagem: D.R.

English version

Mindy MacAdams comments on her blog a passage from the book by Clay Shirky "Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations", where is established a differenciation in the relations between public and media, and among the users themselves and content generators. And then she makes this overwhelming question: «Is this why newspapers are dying? Because there are no communities?»

If before, and due to structural reasons, a newspaper was closer to a group or a community, with the new media the transversality in the audiences increased, just like the concepts of of specialization and hyperlocality became prevailing to the definition and survival of some media.

Quoting Shirky, «Audiences are not the same as communities, and communities are made up of people talking to one another», Mindy MacAdams leaves perhaps the most fundamental question for the identity of the media in transition: what do communities need and how can journalists provide it?

The game is longer played under the premiss of answering to the basic questions of journalism, but with the problematic rendering and participation of all who want to participate in the construction of a hyper-common-sense, of a hyper collective conscience upon reality. The audience is no longer the destination but an active principle, and this is where the change is really happening.

Robert Curgeven with Chris Howden: "Alice Springs, Central Australia"

I am not entirely sure what this release is about. «The first volume in its (Recorded Fields - the label) Sound Atlas Series. [...] the sound atlas comprises field recordings made over eight days in twenty-two locations through the township and surrounding MacDonell Ranges, creating stunning sonic vistas from the unique arid land environment». So, what we hear is culled as mix of field recordings from twenty-two locations. Then I am impressed, as it sounds like an open microphone recording made in one place.

Birds, insects, somebody walking - the usual ingredients of untreated field recordings. Not exactly strong stuff, I must say. It's nicely recorded, perhaps a bit soft, and it sounds alright, but somehow I have the idea something is missing here. Perhaps an unique edge, something that makes it more their own thing, rather than some building blocks of what could have been music made from field recordings.

More work in progress than finished work, I thought.

[CD-R by Recorded Fields]

Frans de Waard / Vital Weekly

Image: Recorded Fields

Matt Elliott ao vivo

D.R.

Matt Elliot, aka Third Eye Foundation, vai estar em Coimbra no dia 22 de Março.

O músico britânico apresentar-se-á ao vivo no Salão Brazil, num registo acústico bastante diferente do seu antigo projecto, terminado em 2001, após a edição de "Little Lost Soul" - um belíssimo álbum lançado pela Domino, que, de alguma forma, antevia já o final da viagem de cinco anos pelos caminhos mais excêntricos do drum & bass.

Dia para a Livre Expressão Online

Os Repórteres Sem Fronteiras vão promover o Dia para a Livre Expressão Online já no próximo dia 12 de Março.

Com o apoio da UNESCO, este dia pretende denunciar a censura governamental na Internet, e exigir maior liberdade online. Em simultâneo irá ocorrer uma ciber-manifestação, onde todos os internautas poderão participar contra a actuação de nove países: Birmânia, China, Coreia do norte, Cuba, Egipto, Eritreia, Tunisia, Turquemenistão e Vietname . No ano passado, uma iniciativa semelhante envolveu cerca de 40 mil pessoas.

Neste momento, estão detidos cerca de 63 pessoas em todo o mundo, por expressarem as suas opiniões na Internet.

O Lago

Imagem: D.R.

English version

Online Free Expression Day

Reporters Without Borders are launching the Online Free Expression Day, next March 12th.

With the support from UNESCO, this day aims to expose governmental censorship on the Internet, and to demand more freedom online.At the same time, a cyber-demo will be promoted, where all internet users can demonstrate against the actions of nine countries: Burma, China, North Korea, Cuba, Egypt, Erithrea, Tunisia, Turkmenistan and Vietnam. Last year, a similar event involved about 40 thousand people.

A total of 63 cyber-dissidents are currently in jail worldwide for using their right to free expression on the Internet.

Interview: Felix Kubin

Trans Culture Express

Musician operating in the fields of both futuristic and experimental soundwaves. Interdisciplinar artist with productions on film, radio and theatre. Author of articles and curator. Talking on these and other subjects, directly from Germany, GPInformation presents you Felix Kubin.

You started 2008 with the “Music for Theatre and Radioplay” album, by Felix Kubin & das Mineralorchester. What can you say on the production of this work, as well as its concept? In which way is it related with your previous works in these areas?

It links back to the first album I’ve made: „Filmmusik“. I was always in love with film music because of its atmospheric simplicity. If you listen to Bernard Herrmann („Psycho“, „Vertigo“) or Jerry Goldsmith („The Omen“), they created simplified yet very dramatic pop orchestra versions of the composing technics that Ives, Bartok, Strawinsky, Holst and other 20th century classical musicians invented one or two generations before. Same with Louis and Bebe Baron who made the amazing soundtrack for „Forbidden Planet“: they constructed a pop version of electroacoustic music of artists like Stockhausen, Nono, Ferrari. I like short tracks that immediately let you jump into a scene, like sketches.

So, for the theatre plays which form side A of the LP „Felix Kubin & das Mineralorchester“, I had to create some intermissions or breaks on the one hand, and longer atmospheric pieces on the other. Most tracks I have edited for the release, I made them shorter and more concise. As they stand for different scenes their characters are quite different.

In the Nabokov play „Zufall“ („Coincidence“) the general atmosphere is sad and uneasy. It’s about a guy working in a train who has lost his hope in finding his wife – without knowing that she is on the train. They both miss each other because of several coincidences and he commits suicide. The other play is more joyful, although the circumstances are quite serious, too. It’s about the destiny of immigrants in the US. The story is based on a song circle by socialist artists Hanns Eisler (music) and Bert Brecht (texts) who emigrated to the US when the Nazis took over in Germany. They were living in Hollywood, together with other European emigrants, both fascinated and disgusted by American capitalism and freedom.

For this play I created some revue-like tracks (like the „Fischrevue“) and some sweet poisonous themes dedicated to the seductions of Hollywood. Side B is the soundtrack of the radio play „The Raft“ by Xentos Bentos (a hyper-productive artist who used to play with the Homosexuals and had lots of releases on the „It’s War Boys“ series under many pseudonyms).

Here the music is kind of psychedelic and eclectic. Xentos wanted some „cheesy organ tunes“, some „memory loops“, jingles and typical film score effects. That’s why the music has such different approaches. I tried to tie the pieces together by using a musical motif – which I had also done on the „Filmmusik“ album, without anyone recognizing. And with the soundtrack of „The Raft“ for Xentos, again no-one recognized that I worked rather classically by varying a motif: from sailor choir style to Electro-Disko. I presented that album live with some other bands of the label Dekorder in Hamburg and Berlin.

And in what are you currently working on?

I have just finished music for a radio play called „Tempo“, about a fanatic race car driver called Caracciola, who made a career in Germany between the 1920s and 1940s. Although he was severely injured he kept on driving under strong pain and tranquilizers. The soundtracks I made were quite dense for radio play music. I invented a song and typical sound for every different car brand that Caracciola was driving. It was a very difficult as some of the sountracks had to be hectic, noisy AND eight minutes long!

At the same time I am finishing four new releases of different artists on my label Gagarin Records. My label gets ten this year and I probably go nuts therefore. I have no-one to help me and my label can only be a side-project because I am creating constantly things to survive with my art and that’s my main occupation.

I aways have much more ideas than I can realize. Some new plans are the translation of a Japanese Catch Fight record to chamber music and a radio play about instruction manuals.

I somehow like to work beyond the capacities of my body. I am recently so exhausted that I fall asleep on the computer or even while writing things down in a cafe – like today! Deprivation of sleep can become a drug and it’s good against depressions [laughs].

One of the most meaningful aspects of your work is the large number of collaborations with other artists, at several levels. What are the main reasons for that philosophy of yours? Is it the proactive side of the question, or a continuous will for experiment?

In music people are usually very collaborative. it has to do with the social aspect of music. With fine arts people are more on their own. They are taught not to show their „tricks“ and to keep away from other artists who could be a danger for their career. I find that very outdated but I understand the reason: their artworks are treated like shares on a stock market. The unique artwork has to be as expensive as possible to describe the „value“ of the artist. In music, collaborating was always necessary until the rise of the solo entertainer and electronic musician. But still, musicians are basically exchanging their works and knowledge. Their works are distributed as multiples – CDs or LPs that everyone can afford.

I have started making music always in couples, with another person being like a mirror. All my last collaborations were with strong characters like Wojtek Kucharczyk and Boris D. Hegenbart. This can be exhausting, especially when you became very professional and don’t want to discuss things anymore.

But I have always learnt most things from such collaborations and it makes me reconsider my own routines. making music alone can be like single cooking: you don’t feel that much joy about the meal, even if it is good.

Your career as a musician goes back to the mid 1980s. In a general way, what are the main developments that you would point out in your work, throughout the years, conceptually and technically?

From 1980 to 1987 I learned to work with multitrack and create short, mostly out of range weird pop songs, fast and slightey hectic. In 1987 that totally changed. I started working with Tim Buhre on „slow“ music with a different approach, more psychedelic and sound-oriented(understanding sound as music). This project became more and more atonal, until it was Klangkrieg, our band for experimental electroacoustic music. Uli Rehberg’s amazing record shop Unterm Durchschnitt in Hamburg was very infuential at that time. I got to know a very different world of music.

In 1992 we founded our dada-communist party KED which was a great experiment in „using“ the official media as a canvas. Also, happening and improvisation became important. we had to prepare ourselves very well for interviews that we gave on huge German state’s TV stations. The more arrogant we became the more the media was interested in us. This was an interesting study for two years and then I left the group. It didn’t exist for much longer.

The owner of that mentioned record shop was the chief of our party who held great speeches.In the 1990s I also got into track music (techno, jungle, etc) because I liked to see the matrix of a song where some tracks were just turned on and off instead of using classical song structures. I still use some of this today.

In the mid 1990s I also started composing music for Mariola Brillowska’s animation films. I had more and more joy in electronic pop again and picked up the thread of my work in the early 1980s. I think I found a good form to present electronic music on stage – which I also owe the fact that some artists didn’t do anything more than just putting their laptop on stage and press „play“. In ten years this will be looked at as a very bizzare minimalism in the history of electronic music.

Another strong element in my life became "HOERSPIEL" (radio play). I have started doing that since 2001 and it also led to some works close to sound installation.

Equally strong was the influence of lectures and especially workshops. The last workshop was a short opera that I created with students within five days. Totally mad. We hardly slept during that week – but the performance was very successfull. My recent influences come very much from contemporary music.

Since 2004 I am working with the ensemble Intégrales. Their audience and the approach of musicians in that field is something totally new for me, although I was always fond of 20th century classica music.

In spite of the experimental nature of your music, your solo compositions also have this, let’s say, pop “touch”. Do you agree with this interpretation? If yes, is that approach ironic or genuine?

Yes, I agree. But my idea of pop goes very far. I think, good pop music has the ability to simplify or focus a concept, melody, sequence of harmonies without making it shallow. Look at the famous works of classical music: „Lontano“ by Ligeti, „Le sacre du printemps“ by Strawinsky, „Music for strings, percussion and celesta“ by Bartok, „Omaggio a Joyce“ by Berio – they all have this secretful clearness in concept which makes them kind of pop and accessable. It’s like in mathematics: if the formula isn’t elegant and simple, it’s probably not the right one.

«Let’s become idiots before the politicians write a book on it». That statement was written by you some years ago. How would you relate it with our present societies?

When our mayor in Hamburg – a conservative man – was asked in a radio programme which music he’d like to be played he asked for „Tocotronic“, a quite political and very popular rock band that was considered underground and left-wing.

The borders between friends and enemies disappear in the information society. It’s very difficult to have a clear attitude because we are forced to be flexible to survive. At the same time it’s more important than ever to say „NO“ sometimes. And to prevent yourself from being taken in (pocketed). Independence was always the most important value for me. It’s easier to keep it up when you are not so famous.

You issued that same statement after a talk we had on the cinema of Lars Von Trier – a director you said to like – and, in particular, “The Idiots”. In which would you consider Von Trier to be an influence, at any level?

At the level of independence and passion.

Is the political dimension still present in your work?

Yes but not in an parliamentary way.You can find it more in my radio plays because there I have a better context for language.

In music it’s difficult to be political. However, in general attitude towards rules and patterns of behaviour I can be political in any discipline. I think the people who don’t talk about things but impersonate them are more political than the ones who love to discuss. I still like utopias and I am glad that they have come back into the conscious of the youngest generation.

The Germans don’t trust their youth very much, they never did. That is one of the biggest problems here. Another problem I see in general is the disappearance of criticism in culture but especially music. Since the aggressively positive Myspace culture and since magazines get „paid“ by companies to push their products, everyone is becoming smooth. We need more gooseskin, I guess.

Nuno Loureiro
Photos: R.R.

This interview is also available at Chain D.L.K.

Felix Kubin and Das Mineralorchester: "Music for Theatre and Radio Play"

The wonder of modern German pop, Felix Kubin that is, hardly makes it into these pages, which of course is a great shame. Armed with his organ and korg he plays popmusic, but ever throughout his career as Kubin, he has been playing music that he was asked to compose for film, theatre and radio. They form an equally important feature in his work.

However it's not the music we/you might know him best for. From three of these pieces, the best parts (why not the complete work?) are now released as "Music For Theatre And Radio Play". Five pieces for "Zufall", a theatre piece , six pieces for "Hollywood Elegien", also a theatre play and eleven pieces for the radio play "The Raft". Twenty two pieces in total with a total playing time of thirty nine minutes, makes twenty two short pieces.

No doubt dictated by the rules of the theatreplay, but separated from that, it's a bit hard to figure out what these plays are about. There is no extra information on their content and pieces stand by theirself. From uptempo party like music (including guestmusicians on guitar, saxophone, violinand percussion - the Mineralorchester) to moody, sketch like pieces and semi orchestral pieces like "Drifting".

The sketch like character of the pieces doesn't make a coherent listening affair and it's hard to tell the difference between the various plays they were composed for. However if you see them a bunch of songs, separated from their original context, this is wild gang of pieces, joyful, sorrowful, funny and hilarious. It shows us a more experimental Kubin who hasn't lost his wit and wisdom.

[CD by Dekorder]

Frans de Waard / Vital Weekly
Image: Dekorder

Mathias Delplanque: "La Plinthe"

Like many other musicians, Mathias Delplanque works under different guises to present different kinds of music. As Lena he plays dub like music, and under his own name things are more microsound.

I wasn't blown away by his previous "Le Pavillon Temoin", but this new one, "La Plinthe" (meaning The Baseboard) is better. Although, I readily admit that the differences aren't that big. Again, Delplanque seems to be using various acoustic instruments (such as guitar, piano, drums etc.) but treats them to such an extent that that can be no longer traced back to the original source, so I must admit I am guessing here.

It's a bit hard to say why I like this album better than the previous. Maybe it's because there are lesser attempts to create small melodies and overall it seems that album is more abstract, working more along the lines of say Richard Chartier or Roel Meelkop. The pieces are more worked out, and have tension throughout, which grabs the listener more than before.

Throughout "La Plinthe" is a pretty strong album. Maybe not in its genre per se, but quite a leap forward.

[CD by Optical Sound]

Frans de Waard / Vital Weekly
Photo: R.R.

Angel: "Kalmukia"

The word "hobby project" is a word I don't particularly like. It sounds like something is not serious or for plain fun, without too much effort. With various releases as Angel, it's probably safe to say that Angel is no longer the hobby project of Ilpo Vaisanen (from Pan Sonic), Dirk Dresselhaus (Schneider TM) and since their last CD also Hildur Gudnadottir (Lost In Hildurness, she also plays on the latest Pan Sonic release) - it's as much a real thing as their "main" occupations.

Four lengthy cuts here of guitar, cello and loads of electronics - loads as in many, but they are not used all the time and to the same extent.
The pieces are rather empty, like a dessert can be empty, yet full of sand, if you look at the detail. "Kalmukia" seems like a concept album, with the four pieces linked together. It moves away from the previous, much louder and fuller releases. More is less it seems. The empty music is not always bright, or rather: hardly bright. This is not black but grey music - an area in between the sun doing down, or autumn changing for winter. In between space music. The music howls about like cold wind over the tundra - perhaps a better reference than a hot dessert. Cello and guitar strum about, while the electronics shiver in the background.

A bit of raw and a bit quiet. Very nice, this grey and cold winter music.

[CD by Editions Mego]

Frans de Waard / Vital Weekly
Image: Editions Mego