Love is the Message: Dance, Music and Counterculture

Latest Episodes:

All For One and One For All: The NYC Record Pool pt.2 Nov 03, 2022

Show notes

In this episode Tim and Jeremy continue the story of the NYC Record Pool. We hear how the Pool invited the record labels to their inaugural meeting in the basement of David Mancuso's Prince Street Loft, the demands they made of them, and the egalitarian way they wished the Pool to be organised. These techniques of self organisation and collective self-assertion are set against the wider contemporary context of political and social movements of the New Left.

We also hear about feedback forms, the changing status of the DJ as a professional category, modern platform capitalism, and how the DJs of the Pool staged a sit-in protest at the offices of a record company who refused to play ball.
Produced and edited by Matt Huxley.
Tune in, Turn on, Get down!

Become a patron from £3 a month by visiting www.patreon.com/LoveMessagePod
Check out our new website: https://www.loveisthemessagepod.co.uk/
Tracklist:
Double Exposure - My Love is Free
D.C. LaRue - Cathedrals
Blood Hollins - Don't Give It Up
WAR - Why Can't We Be Friends
WAR - Leroy's Latin Lament
Brass Construction - Movin'

LITM Extra - Music and Marxism pt.1 [excerpt] Oct 27, 2022

Show notes

This is an excerpt from a patrons-only episode. To become a patron from just £3 a month, got to Patreon.com/LoveMessagePod
In this patrons-only episode, Jeremy dons his professorial gown to deliver the first of two lectures on music and Marxism. What is historical materialism? What does it mean to apply historical materialist analysis to culture? Jeremy shows how Marxist theory can be - and has been - applied to music from Bach to Jazz, illustrating ways in which we can explain cultural and aesthetic changes with Marxian thinking.
In this episode Jeremy gives a whistlestop refresher on Marxist thought, then introduces us to some of the writers whose work can be applied to analysing music: Lukács, Bakhtin, Voloshinov, and members of the Frankfurt School including Benjamin, Adorno and Horkheimer. Jeremy considers the main innovation of the interwar period - the development of recording technology - and introduces the idea of reification as both a positive and negative phenomenon. He also considers how various forms of music-making embody egalitarian or bourgeois subjectivities, and tees us up for the next episode, starting in the 1940s.
Tracklist:

JS Bach - Harpsichord Concerto No.1 in D Minor BWV 1052
Beethoven - Symphony No. 3 in E flat major
Beethoven - Symphony No. 5 in C minor
Igor Stravinsky - Firebird
Arnold Schoenberg - Verklärte Nacht

Books and Articles:
The SAGE Handbook of Marxism
Jeremy Gilbert - A Brief History of Marxist Cultural Theory (https://jeremygilbertwriting.wordpress.com/2022/07/24/a-brief-history-of-marxist-cultural-theory/)
György Lukács - History and Class Consciousness
Valentin Voloshinov - Marxism and the Philosophy of Language
Walter Benjamin - The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
Adorno & Horkheimer - The Dialectic of Enlightenment

"We The Undersigned...": The New York City Record Pool pt.1 Oct 20, 2022

Show notes

In this episode Jeremy and Tim begin the first of a two-parter on the New York City Record Pool - a cooperative venture that saw DJs in the city come together to distribute the records they received from the labels equally and with a spirit of egalitarianism.
We hear about the lay of the land for early DJs in the city, the ways in which they tried to make money, the role they played in 'breaking' records, as well as what early disco journalism was doing. Naturally, we also hear about the important role David Mancuso played in setting up the Pool.
These developments are contextualised as part of an international wave of people in different areas of life seeking ways to self organise and democratise, from Italian Autonomia to American and British trade union militancy, and in the tradition of 'commoning'.

Produced and edited by Matt Huxley.
Tune in, Turn on, Get Down!
Become a patron by visiting Patreon.com/LoveMessagePod
Check out our new website: https://www.loveisthemessagepod.co.uk/

Tracklist:
B.T. Express - Do It ('Til You're Satisfied)
Gloria Gaynor - Never Can Say Goodbye
Esther Phillips - What A Diff'rence A Day Makes
Labelle - Messin' With My Mind

Books:
Theodore Roszak - The Making of a Counter Culture
Tim Lawrence - Love Saves the Day: A History Of American Dance Music Culture, 1970–1979

LITM Extra - David Mancuso and Louis Vuitton: Can They "Fall in Love"? [extract] Oct 13, 2022

Show notes

This is an excerpt of a full length episode currently only available to patrons. To become a patron and support what we're doing from £3 per month, head to www.patreon.com/LoveMessagePod.

In this patrons-only episode, Tim and Jeremy react to Louis Vuitton's latest menswear line "Fall in Love", designed by the late Virgil Abloh and, according to the LV publicity, inspired by David Mancuso and the Loft. Tim published a long article on this topic, linked below, in which he tears into the claim by Louis Vuitton, the largest and most profitable luxury corporation in the world, that it shares David’s concern with egalitarianism.

The show opens with Tim outlining his argument after which Jem and Tim dig deep into the problem of corporate appropriation, the luxury brand market, conspicuous wealth in music culture, the role of language in fashion reportage, Roland Barthes, private luxury and public squalor, how to deal with corporations, and some extended biographical recollections about David.

You can read Tim's article here: https://www.timlawrence.info/david-mancuso-and-louis-vuitton

And join the conversation on facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/tim.lawrence.3152

Tracklist:
The O'Jays - For The Love of Money
Jah Wobble - How Much Are They?
Heaven 17 - Play To Win
Dan Boadi and the African Internationals - Money Is the Root of Evil
TW Funkmasters - Love Money
Ashford & Simpson - Stay Free

Happiness is Just Around the Bend: Living in NYC 1975 Oct 06, 2022

Show notes

Love is the Message series 4 continues apace. In this episode Jeremy and TIm continue to examine the dynamic environment of New York City around the 1975 Fiscal Crisis, contrasting pessimistic and optimistic accounts of the time: was the Big Apple a depressed town cut off from the rest of the country, or a city enjoying its own cultural renaissance? Or both?

We hear about the early emergence of Neoliberalism, the cybernetic revolution, and the affect and aesthetics of Heroin. Tim and Jeremy introduce some early electronic music outfits, spend time on the singular sound of Suicide, discuss artistic representations of alienation, and introduce us to the downtown 'Loft Jazz' scene. Plus, Richard Hell and Morton Subotnick.
Produced and edited by Matt Huxley.
Tune in, Turn on, Get Down!

Become a patron from £3pcm by visiting www.patreon.com/LoveMessagePod

And check out our new website: https://www.loveisthemessagepod.co.uk/
Tracklist:

Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - Bad Luck ft. Teddy Pendergrass
The Main Ingredient - Happiness is Just Around the Bend
Morton Subotnick - Silver Apples of the Moon
Suicide - Dream Baby Dream
Suicide - Rocket USA
Suicide - Keep Your Dreams
Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Blank Generation
Kalaparusha - Jays

Books:
Jane Jacobs - The Death and Life of a Great American City
Michael C. Heller - Loft Jazz: Improvising New York in the 1970s

LITM Extra - What We're Listening To, September '22 [excerpt] Sep 29, 2022

Show notes

This is an excerpt of a full length episode currently only available to patrons. To become a patron and support what we're doing from £3 per month, head to www.patreon.com/LoveMessagePod.

In this patrons-only bonus episode, Jeremy and Tim have a conversation about what music has been on their turntables recently. We hear more music from the Californian psychedelic renaissance, another dose of celestial harp music, cosmic Gwoka, and a good time party-startin' sitar funk jam.

TIm and Jeremy also recount some of what they've been playing out, including a pair of genre-hopping Brazilian Bass bops, some deep and murky Bayou beats from the Dixie Cups, as well as Italian ambient house and Weather Report. Plus - will Jem every make it to Ibiza?
This is part of a rough series of more conversational, unplanned episodes reflecting on what's been on our record players recently and what we've been up to that we'll be releasing to patrons to say thank you for your support.
Produced and edited by Matt Huxley.

Tracklist:

Arushi Jain - The Sun Swirls Within You
Weather Report - Boogie Woogie Waltz
Sven Wunder - Sun-Kissed
The Dixie Cups - Two-Way-Pock-A-Way
Fabriano Fuzion - Kominike
Almir Ricardi - Festa Funk
Gigi Testa - Moments in Time
Maga Bo - Cadê Zé (Nirso Remix)
BaianaSystem - Água (Diogo Strausz & JKriv Remix)
Georgia Kelly - Rainbow Showers

So Good They Named it Twice: Back to New York City Sep 22, 2022

Show notes

Love is the Message is back for a new series! Early this year we travelled the world in search of Afro-Psychedelic sounds, but in now we're bringing it back to New York City. Tim and Jeremy will be exploring the melting pot city around the year 1975: at the pinnacle of the musical and art worlds, yet teetering on fiscal collapse and almost bankrupt, transforming from industrial to post-industrial and at loggerheads with the rest of the American population.

In the opening episode of the series, Jeremy and Tim set the scene on the political and economic backdrop of the age. As the Fordist settlement begins to collapse, we hear about the creeping neoliberalisation of the city. We explore the austerity aesthetics of the proto-punk scene emerging from bands like the Ramones and the Modern Lovers, and think about how Patti Smith bridges this new sound to the rock songwriters of the late '60s. Plus a Loft classic and the return of Adam Curtis.
Produced and edited by Matt Huxley.
Tune in, Turn on, Get Down!
Become a supporter from just £3 a month by visiting Patreon.com/LoveMessagePod

Tracklist:

Patti Smith - Free Money
Miroslav Vitous - New York City
Jonathan Richmond and the Modern Lovers - Roadrunner
New York Dolls - Looking For A Kiss
The Ramones - Sheena Is a Punk Rocker

Books:
Jeremy Gilbert and Alex Williams - Hegemony Now
David Harvey - A Brief History of Neoliberalism

LITM Extra - Phantom Power Podcast Episode Swap: 'Screwed and Chopped' Sep 01, 2022

Show notes

As listeners will know, we've come to the end of our series on Afro-Psychedelia. Tim and Jeremy will be back soon with a whole new series, but in the meantime Love Is The Message is very happy to share 'Screwed and Chopped', an episode from the archive of the Phantom Power Podcast.

Phantom Power is an excellent podcast about sound, sound art, music, and the scholarship that surrounds it. It's beautifully put together and is a real treat for the mind and the ears. Host Mack Hagood was kind enough to share an episode of ours with his listeners recently, and we're happy to return the favour with you today.

If you like what you hear, do check out the back catalogue at PhantomPod.org, or search wherever you get your podcasts.

'Screwed and Chopped' features an interview with folklorist and Houston native Langston Collin Wilkins, who studies “slab” culture and the “screwed and chopped” hip hop that rattles the slabs and serves as the culture’s soundtrack.
Since the 1990s, many of Houston’s African American residents have customized cars and customized the sound of hip hop. Cars called “slabs” swerve a slow path through the city streets, banging out a distinctive local music that paid tribute to those very same streets and neighborhoods.
Wilkins shows us how sonic creativity turns a space—a collection of buildings and streets—into a place that is known, respected, and loved.

Un Día Bonito: Salsa and NYC pt.2 Aug 04, 2022

Show notes

As we finally come to the end of our series on Afro-Psychedlia, Tim and Jeremy bring us back to New York, David Mancuso and the dancefloor of The Loft via Puerto Rico, Salsa and the Latin influence on the city in the early '70s. We hear about the mighty Fania Records - a classic example of the sort of small labels who found a commercial audience while still releasing amazing music - and the band they fostered, the Fania All-Stars. We also spend time exploring the catalog of Ray Barretto, who's track Acid featured at the very beginning of the LITM project.
Jeremy and Tim also interrogate the idea of New York as a 'melting pot', consider the construction of the Nu Yorican identity, and contrast it to the other cultural and musical formations of the late '60s we've heard about in this series. We're also introduced to Boogaloo, 'the Watusi', and close with Eddie Palmieri's fantastic, epic track 'Un Día Bonito' - a worthy place to end for now.

We'll be taking a bit of a summer break and back with a new series in the Autumn - but keep an eye on the feed, we'll be throwing out some extra bits for patrons to tide you over.
Produced and edited by Matt Huxley.
Tune in, Turn on, Get Down!

Become a supporter of the show for as little as £3pcm by visiting www.Patreon.com/LoveMessagePod
Tracklist:

Estrellas de Chocolate - Fania
Pacheco - Cañonazo
Fania All Stars - Guatacando (Live at the Red Garter)
Joe Cuba - Bang Bang
Ray Barretto Y Su Charanga Moderna – El Watusi
Ray Barretto - Despójate
Ray Barretto - Acid
Ray Barretto - Tin Tin Deo
Bobbi Humphreys - Harlem River Drive
Ocho - Oriza
Eddie Palmieri - Un Día Bonito

Nu Yorica! Salsa and NYC pt.1 Jul 28, 2022

Show notes

We're almost at the end of our series on Afro-Psychedelia. The final stop on our tour is the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the USA, with a rich musical tradition and close migratory ties to New York City, where our journey began. We hear about the accessible complexity of the percussion-rich music of Puerto Ricans like the mighty Tito Puente; hear how Cuban and Jazz flavours made their way into Salsa and Mambo; and consider the role played by Puerto Ricans in the construction of NYC as an immigrant city. Plus, Celia Cruz, Louis Vega, and how purchasing a vacuum cleaner secured Tim his first trip to the Big Apple...
Produced and edited by Matt Huxley.
Tune in, Turn on, Get Down!
Become a supporter of the show by visiting www.patreon.com/LoveMessagePod
Tracklist:

Cortijo Y Ismael Rivera - Bomba Carambomba
Tito Puente - Abaniquito
Tito Puente - El Rey Del Timbal
Tito Puente - Tito And Mongo On Timbales
Tito Puente - Hong Kong Mambo
Tito Puente - Oye Como Va
Celia Cruz y la Sonora Matancera - Mi Bomba Sono
Eddie Palmieri - Tema La Perfecta

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