| Issue #003 (March 2003) |
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| Blatant Propaganda - Label Interview |
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Interview By Glen Martin
Many things lurk in Canberran suburbs. Behind the fences and hedges there’s an unsettling calm which is in part due to the city’s layout: meticulous, neat and circular; and in part due to the sense of transience that pervades the place: the ghostly presence of folks who come to town to study or take up a contract with the public service, laying no real foundations and unwilling to think of the city as anything but a stopover.
At least, that’s a common outsider appraisal of a city that, in reality, houses many committed creative renegades dedicated to making a mark from within the city’s confines. While the refrain of ‘Why don’t you move to Sydney or Melbourne?’ is a common one here, the ideal standard of living, not to mention the proximity to fantastic bush land, is a drawcard for many. While acts formed in Canberra like Dark Network, Biftek and Meem have moved on, J Citizen of the Blatant Propaganda label has stayed and built a worldwide following for his label through a simple mail order business and the quality work of his own projects and a number of other acts.
Alongside his variant electronic projects (the industrial activist outfit EYE, the dancefloor shaking analogue electro outfit E.L.F., and the non-specific DJ Citizen, amongst others), Citizen is a political instigator of some note, and uses Blatant Propaganda for culture jamming and political activism as much as he does for musical outpourings.
The scope and scale of Blatant Propaganda's following was evident in the multimedia campaign led by Citizen against recent propositions in Parliament to implement the Government’s police-state-style anti-terrorist laws. Senate Leader John Faulkner was quoted as saying that the passing of the Bill was stalled mostly because of the online campaign Citizen put in motion.
The label itself is run from a borough in Canberra’s suburbs, more familiar to young families than media activists and fantastically talented electronic producers. He takes his tunes to Canberrans through the highly energetic live shows of E.L.F. and EYE, and through his radio programs on the city’s community radio station 2XX. After the release of last year’s industrial compilation A.S.I.N.G.E.D., he’s set to release Electricity, a low price and top value double CD of Canberran artists from all across the electronic field.
Where did it all start for you, musically and politically?
Musically it all started in about 1991 with EYE. After years of noodling with various bits of gear, getting a job and being able to afford a 4-track, a synth and some effects units led to a couple of (self produced) EPs, which were much more raw, industrial and soundscape-y type sounds as compared to later EYE releases. Receiving arts grants hugely helped finance the early studio sessions.
E.L.F. grew out of hanging with the Canberra Clan Analogue crew and buying a couple of older synths, a 303 and a Juno 6, and toying with something more dancefloor oriented. Hearing the early works in progress of Dark Network in particular made me want to diversify.
Politically, I had an "ah-ha!" experience ideologically when I was 19, although I had been politically minded throughout my teens on issues like sexism, racism, homophobia, and environmentalism. Still, in 1992 I came across a booklet that detailed how the animal rights movement is controlled by the pharmaceutical industry. This exposé on how big business takes over, or even sets up, their opposition groups, and then controls the information flow to grass-roots opponents (rendering them ineffective with misinformation) totally blew my mind as to how propaganda and thought-control works in our western "democracies". That is, to give us the illusion of freedom and to keep us passive, the media features seemingly democratic debates, but which are, in reality, tightly controlled within parameters that are safe to advertisers and establishment interests. Sometimes truly alternative views do pop through, but it's rare. I was studying university-level biology at the time and through the subjects raised in the booklet, my beliefs in modern medicine, pharmaceuticals, medical research and science were totally undermined and drastically reformed. It was that booklet, which switched the button within, that made me "an activist".
How have the musical output and your ideas about music changed since those early days?
The early EYE and E.L.F. stuff was a helluva lot more experimental than the current work, so I guess that’s an indication of my influences and interests changing over time. I’m also becoming more interested in the music I used to hate, the commercial element in dance. I’ve got another project on the boil called Q-T, which is glossy, polished dance music- it’s coming from the pipe dream angle of being able to give up my day job, so if I can do something trashy and commercial and make money from it, then I can do the E.L.F. and EYE stuff full time.
Making music can be an all-consuming thing, though it ebbs and flows, depending on my other demands. It’s like a second full time job: from 1998 to 2000 I’d get home from my public service job, log on and answer promotion related emails for two hours, then if I had the energy I’d make music till two in the morning, get up five hours later and do it again. That can only be done when you’re working jobs that aren’t mentally taxing- now it’s more of a weekend operation.
How open is the Blatant Propaganda label to submissions from like-minded folks sitting on a demo CDR?
Pretty open but with limits. I'm always keen to receive material. I can't promise to release absolutely anything though. Blatant Propaganda is a small d.i.y. mail-based label and we can only do so much. I've got about a dozen Australian artists on the catalogue at present or soon to be added, as well as about a dozen internationals I aim to add sometime this year. We're interested in original, innovative electronic and experimental music of all varieties and/or political pop-punk if it's well recorded and topically links in with our ideals. Even if submitted material doesn't end up on our catalogue, it'll probably end up on one of our radioshows on 2XX.
The label, and in particular the work of EYE, is quite clearly aligned with a certain kind of politics which has become somewhat 'unfashionable' since the late 1990's. Has the nature of the content shut any doors that were once open to you in terms of airplay and government assistance?
No. EYE receives tonnes of airplay on community radio in general. Strangely enough, the one place where I detect that political music is deemed unfashionable is on electronic music shows hosted by people who are already somewhat aligned with the politics we espouse. There is a certain unspoken rule in electronica, and in art generally, that “content is BAD”. On the other hand, electronic music is closely associated with dance music, which is primarily about hedonism, partying and not thinking about serious issues. Nevertheless, I think all music (even instrumental) and art is political. Personally, because the mainstream (and alternative) media is so biased towards the views and interests of the rich, I feel compelled, on the radio shows I host, to play as much political, topical and thought-provoking music I can.
What is the motivation behind the compilation projects? Is it simply the feeling that there's too much good music not getting its due?
Yes, that's the primary aim of the Blatant Propaganda samplers, A.S.I.N.G.E.D., Electricity and other upcoming ones. The secondary aim is to turn myself into a sleep-deprived nervous wreck. Both aims are being achieved.
Are you passionate about your location, or is it more of a convenient lifestyle thing? Electricity suggests that you feel some level of commitment towards Canberra and its artists. Also, some folks would assume what you're doing would be easier done in the big city.
Yes, I love Canberra. Canberra is a magnificent place in which to grow up. It can get a bit frustrating when you hit the “I want to party lots” phase of the late teens and early 20s. That's when a lot of people tend to move to bigger cities. However, if you get through that phase, the advantages of Canberra (clean air, lots of open green space, relaxed vibe, wildlife, etc.) shine once again. As for culture, there's always been lots of groovy stuff going on Canberra in various scenes but it's not always evident on the surface. Like anywhere, it ebbs and flows.
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