News
Column - Mind the gap: why the 'underground' is still one step ahead of the mainstream
Is the underground dead? It's unlikely, but what constituted the 'underground' when the term was first used in a cultural context and what it means now are probably very different things. For Frank Zappa it used to be an escape from the prevailing culture of the day, explaining that the "mainstream comes to you, but you have to go to the underground". However when now much of 'the underground' is just a click away, the distance between mainstream and counter culture is just paper thin.
Just take Q's cover star this month, Lana Del Rey. She began 2011 very much as a word of mouth, underground phenomenon yet ended the year with Video Games enjoying clear mainstream success on both YouTube and in the world's charts.
What the 'underground' was and its distance from the mainstream was well defined 20 years ago. It was stuff that wasn't played on the TV or the radio. It was what you traded on tapes or CDs. It was artists playing gigs in small bars to 14 hardcore fans who'd travelled heroic distances to see them, then do it again and again over a series of months or years as they slowly built up some recognition. It was music unknown to the charts, but beloved by a few. However now, because the world is an inevitably more interconnected place, that distance has evaporated.
Ubiquitous communication and social media have excavated many of the secret places where the underground used to thrive, but despite this proximity to the mainstream, the 'underground' survives. It has adapted.
Take kvlt black metal for example. You can find it easily on the web, shared on tiny blogs and filesharing hubs, or on websites with names like Anus. You can even listen to it, but the purists will try to discourage you through a mixture of strong elitism, swearing and bitter coldness. The bands making the music will try to discourage you from listening too. This they do by putting out the harshest, most anti-commercial noise as they can. Think chainsaw guitars, blastbeat drums, and a singer who sounds like he's choking on blood. And then Google the lyrics...
Of course the fans of these bands enjoy their music too, but it abrasive sounds also work as a harsh selection mechanism that weeds out only the angriest and truest of fans. It takes a certain sort of listener to really enjoy this music - it's mainstream proof.
There are those with a different, less angry approach who survive outside the mainstream as well though. In fact in the last few years, possibly more 'underground' artists (ie completely unknown by most of the musical world) have emerged than ever before. They can earn hundreds of thousands of 'likes' on Youtube, thousands of followers on Twitter and even build-up mailing lists boasting more fans, all without a major label. Sometimes without any label at all.
In fact in an age where you can make (or break) a career on the X-Factor in around 20 seconds, Youtube, Tmblr or whatever the latest mechanism for sharing online is, can help bring fans and bands together almost as fast.
Yes, the mainstream can quickly absorbs parts of the 'underground' as they become successful - it always did - but at its fringes alternative culture is now adapting so quickly to the new technological environment that some cases the mainstream is struggling to catch up.
Take an act like The Weeknd, they can release a host of free albums, build-up a large loyal fanbase, get covered by the world's media, even book a Coachella festival slot and remain anonymous and independent, before you can say major label A&R scramble, all because he's not signed to a conventional deal or followed the traditional route. Artists can leading the industry.
So while the underground and the mainstream might be closer than ever, in its most progressive corners, the 'underground' is still streets ahead.
Jack Oughton @koukouvaya
10:09 AM | 13/01/2012
More Photos Of:
Latest News
-
Campaign for New York park to be named after Adam Yauch, Flaming Lips will try to beat Jay-Z's record, Paul Simon on Gracelands, Beyonce on poll, Florence in fancy dress... Daily Hot List
A round-up of all the news, views, interviews and cool music things online today (23 May)
-
Q&a Tom Jones - on his new album, working with Jack White, covering Leonard Cohen and whether Elvis Presley would do The Voice
The real star of The Voice uses his voice to talk to about the show and his new album
-
Stone Roses record new songs, watch Lady Gaga's Simpsons song, Damon Albarn & Portishead collaborate, Green Day man plays Facebook chief's wedding... Daily Hot List
A round-up of all the news, views, interviews and cool music things online today (22 May)
-
Bee Gees' Robin Gibb RIP (round-up) Muse carry Olympic torch, Mick Jagger plays with Foo Fighters & Arcade Fire, Jack White new record attempt, Citizens session, Crowded House drummer dies... Daily Hot List
A round-up of all the news, views, interviews and cool music things online today (21 May)
-
Column - Robin's Reign: the remarkable career of the Bee Gees' Robin Gibb
Following the Bee Gee's death last night, Dorian Lynskey looks back at the singer and songwriter's multifaceted work
-
The Cult: 'Nirvana's arrival was like a nuclear bomb for rock bands' - Q311 extract
As the band release a new album today (21 May) they recall how Kurt Cobain and co made them split the first time - get our current issue for the full interview
Advertisement
User Comments
Post A Comment
Post A Comment