Author: Alan Kortbaek
Wispy Dreams
For we have sung and dance and dreamed, higher and further than wispy thoughts could ever have carried us
Beyond the tuft- strewn fabric of soft white clouds in clear, unpolished skies
Far away, hidden in the refinement of a simple, beautiful moment
Alas, the world apart seems a world away, an echo astray
Time is but the now and the news, space, a bendy furl of smoke in the dry air
A toast ! To the twist of fate upon this forgotten road, a path of dance, song and untidy seams that have become our wispy dreams.
Plan (et) B
I long for the a society which doesn’t love in order to hurt itself, of places faraway from the menaces and perils of the time, of sundowns that need no words to describe them and dreams that seem too good to be true. I want to wake up in the dawn’s embrace one morning and look into her eyes and know that every inch of her feels the same way about me as I feel about her. I want to be faraway from this decadence, from the jaded character of the world before me. I want to understand, I want to discern the truth behind the mockery,the savagery, the hatred, the divisions of society. I want to know what the world has done to itself and if we are destined for another place, why are we still here fighting ourselves ? I want to know why the only audience for all these words is a musical instrument and a sheet of paper, why fallen leaves and butterfly wings are the only things that can hear the screams of the world, the pains of the past and the doubts of the present. I long for many things, and many more, but what good is longing when there’s 7 Billion more that long for just the same ?
Corporate Social Responsibility
Altruistic Ethics In Action
I love the manner in which multinational enterprises jump at the opportunity to be associated with positive publicity that casts their purely money-driven corporate philosophies in a more appealing guise to their unquestioning, highly-gullible customer base. Corporate social responsibility has become the latest fashion trend on the commerce catwalk and like much of fashion itself, only serves to mask the banal and basic truth underneath all the swagger and sophistication. The truth is, multi million dollar giants such as Van De Kaap, Shell, McDonalds, Coca Cola, Nokia, Toyota and so on care very little for the interests of the impoverished Tricontinental inhabitant (Tricontinental is a literary substitute for “the third world”) but will happily pretend that they do if doing so casts them in a better light to their customers.
Just how much the clothes retailer “United Colours of Benetton” and electronic giant “Sony” care abut the interests of the proletariat and the downtrodden in global society (i.e. the majority of Tricontinental states and their subjects) is up for open debate. However, the company does have an established and controversialist history of provoking the norms by which the world is governed through its advertising and branding campaigns. The question to ask when one looks at the following set of campaign pictures from United Colours of Benetton and Sony is whether they’d make any difference whatsoever if all the subjects that feature in them were of the same ethnic composition. The fact that they have been as provoking as they are ratifies and explains the discomfort that many feel about the idea of racial heterogenity and solidifies the notion that the majority of political and economic power is concentrated in the hands of a particular group of society who’ve built a cultural hegemony that suits their own interests at the expense of greater gains that could be made for the good of all society.
The following pictures are taken from various advertising campaigns from the clothes retailer, United Colours of Benetton and Sony. United Colours of Benetton advertisements have, for the last couple of decades been anchored on images to promote peace, tolerance, multiculturalism and to challenge stereotypes.
The altruistic or genuine motives of such a campaign are debatable. They do however transcend the purely profit- driven commerical campaigns of the majority of large multinationals, many of whom simply flirt with the notion of encouraging togetherness through branding through the pseudo idealism of a banal advert that reeks of cash-seeking intent and does little to provoke the fundamental stereotypes that our world is plagued by.
Sony Playstation Controversy part 1: The battle of the races ?
Sony Playstation Controversy part II : The battle of the races ?
United Colours Of Benetton: Black mother breastfeeding white baby. This is arguably the most controversial of all UCB ads. Take away the difference in colour between the two subjects in the picture and there’s no issue whatsoever. We live in a world tainted in the idiocy of mankind’s inability to his judge his fellows on terms that are not exclusively and solely based on skin pigment.
UCB: Large White palm overshadowing a smaller, child-likeBlack hand. Reflects global social hegemony in a world that is oddly enough termed postcolonial for the most part.
UCB: Black and White bound together in handcuffs. The forced coexistence of separate forms of interpreting the world ?
UCB: Black, White & Yellow hearts, all of which are identical to each other. Mankind stems from the same core genetic structure, unlike other organisms such as monkeys and birds, who oddly enough even though they are physically extremely different from each other (certainly more than one human being is from another) do not deliberately and with predetermined motive specifically hunt down and kill each other based on criteria that has anything to do with their physical attributes (colour included.) Who are we to say that we are the most intelligent race on this planet ? We haven’t even gotten past the notion of accepting all the different versions of ourselves which is rather elemental if not wholeheartedly daft!
UCB : A swipe at religious conformity. Love transcends the banal and inconclusive rules and norms that various parts of human society have attempted to codify.
UCB: The world is a melting pot of different races and peoples that are bound inseperably.
UCB add in which the white child is depicted as angelic and divine whilst the black child is elucidated as devlish if not cynical. Invariably, they are both bound to each other. This is a parody on the hegemony of the current world order which does everything it can to come across as being fair, just and superior when compared to those who are subjugated by it.
UCD: A Black, White and Asian child each with their tongues’ stuck out. This ad was banned in the Arab states where advertisements are foribidden from depicting internal organs. The children seem to be cheekily mocking the social norms of our world, i.e. that racial differences are something that the better nature of man (if such a construct even exists) ought to look beyond.
Year in Review: Best Danish music acts of 2012
1. Tako Lako
Tako Lako are a Danish band that make loud, chaotic Balkan beat with a gypsy twist. To pull off such a cocky concoction in a pop-obsessed nation is a bold move. The band remains allegiant to their roots in Balkan music despite their meteoric ascendency to fame this year, the catalyst of which was being signed to none other than Sony records. An assault on the kitsch wasteland of mainstream pop music is nigh.
2. Raske Penge
Humility and honesty are as rare as moon pearls on the local dancehall scene. Raske Penge’s anthems have added a soulful stroke of genius and quick wit to Denmark’s music scene, and unlike many performers on the dancehall stage, the Nordvest resident hasn’t gotten ahead of himself.
3. The Rumour Said Fire
Just when we were starting to forget the familiar, friendly folk sounds of their amazing 2009 hit ‘The Balcony,’ the indie-folk band burst back on the radar with a stunning new album, Dead Ends. As lively as the blue and lilac cover art on this album, The Rumour Said Fire are on course for a great 2013 if their achievements this year are anything to go by.
4. Lukas Graham
He may be a tad too sure of himself, but Christiania-bred Lukas Graham has had a big year in 2012. His sublime vocal talents alone are worth credit and for a debut album, his eponymous work is something he can be very proud of. Watch out for this kid.
5. When Saints Go Machine
The Saints haven’t been as active this year as they were in 2011. However, a well earned ‘P3 Guld’ award back in April accompanied by a modest performance at DR’s concert house just about does enough to squeeze them into the top five.
The best of the rest:
6. Vessel
7. Klumben
8. Spleen United
9. CTM
10. Efterklang
Year in Review: Best albums of 2012
1. Of Monsters and Men, My Head is An Animal
The epic rise of Iceland sextet Of Monsters and Men introduced the world the genre of chamber pop. Hailed as the new Arcade Fire by some, in truth they sound more like a witty mix between Indie-rock starlets Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros and popular folk rockers Mumford & Sons. Their debut album is a diamond in the rough and may be Iceland’s best export yet.
2. Beach House, Bloom
The aptly-named Bloom represents a coming of age for the captivating, soul-stroking music of this enigmatic duo from Baltimore. Their fourth album is a sheer listening experience; a journey through time and space rather than solely an amalgamation of songs.
3. Mumford & Sons, Babel
Outdoing a debut album like 2009’s Sigh No Moreseemed a daunting if not almost impossible hurdle for the now familiar Mumford & Sons,. Babel keeps the best of what we remember from its predecessor, which is rare for a second album. Little wonder that their 2013 show at Falconer Salen has sold out so quickly.
4. Grizzly Bear, Shields
Shields is as experimental and as contemplative an album as you’ll hear this year. Rock/electronica à la New Yorkers Ratatat meets alt-rock influences not too unlike those of Icelandic heavyweights Sigur Rós in a marriage woven in the clouds.
5. John Talabot, Fin
Barcelona’s John Talabot has somehow managed to weave a mix of house disco and indie together with the panache of a true innovator. Fin is Barcelona in an album; vehemently unique and ice cool albeit welcoming and accessible at the same time.
The best of the rest:
6. Hot Chip, In Our Heads
7. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Here
8. Chromatics, Kill For Love
9. Grimes, Visions
10. Orbital, Wonky
Year In Review: The Best Concerts of 2012
1. The Roots
Roskilde Festival, July 7
The Roots are what hip-hop used to be way back when. The Philly natives shun the pathetic self-referential, revenge-tinged bollocks and swap it for purely eclectic, instrument-rich genius at its most refined. This is what the legendary crew managed to pull off at Roskilde’s massive Orange Stage.
2. Klumben & Raske Penge
Roskilde Festival, July 3
Roskilde’s bookers must have had their hearts in their mouths as the chaos unfolded at Klumben & Raske Penge’s show at Pavillion Junior. The stage is a breeding ground for some of Denmark’s soon-to-be-huge bands and rarely gets packed over capacity. This show was one of a kind however, crammed long before the dancehall dons even set foot on stage.
At his Lille Vega show in April, Kiwanuka showed that he was on his way to stardom (Photo: Søren Bo Basselbjerg / soerenbo@gmail.com)
3. Michael Kiwanuka
Lille Vega, April 27
BBC Sound of 2012 winner Michael Kiwanuka’s soulful music has drawn comparisons to legends such as Otis Reading. Genuinely talented and refreshingly humble, Kiwanuka delivered his best on his debut on Danish soil at Lille Vega. This show paved the way for a second Danish appearance a few weeks ago, this time at Store Vega. Read the full review.
4. Coldplay
Parken Stadium, August 28
Despite their latest album being something of a disappointment, Coldplay’s live shows repeatedly prove why they are one of the best bands around. Glow-in-the dark bracelets, giant balloons, four huge screens and an explosion of special light effects made optimal use of the stadium space, so a good show was always guaranteed.
5. The Vaccines
Pumpehuset, October 24
In a country where audiences are, in the words of Mike Skinner of The Streets, “almost impossible to please,” The Vaccines set Pumpehuset aflame with their dangerously contagious infusion of driven indie-rock. Props to the audience for dropping their usual poised appearances.
The best of the rest:
6. Of Monsters & Men, Store Vega, September 19.
7. Paul Kalkbrenner, Roskilde Festival, July 7.
8. Charles Bradley, Lille Vega, April 29.
9. Tinariwen, Lille Vega, April 23.
10. Joe Sample & Randy Crawford, Store Vega, March 22.
Spleen United, Store Vega (Dec 2012)
The last time I saw Spleen United perform, they were but a few metres from my tattered tent in the lakeside camping area at Roskilde Festival where they played a mammoth 24-hour set underneath a specially constructed rondavel. I’d heard plenty about the band and as such, anticipated a solid 24 hours of quality music, only to be disillusioned by a seemingly never ending stream of downtempo electronica that didn’t quite pack a punch.
It was a bold and dedicated act nonetheless, particularly considering that the electro rock quartet went on to perform at Roskilde’s Arena stage later in the festival where their downtempo affiliations were flung out of the window and replaced by rib-cracking rock with a vicious electronic twist.
The show at Vega Thursday night was a display of Spleen United at their best, on the edge and as driven as one could imagine. Slowolf did the opening honours with a heavy if not trippy excess of heavy percussive rock that, combined with a dazzling light show and a topless, impassioned drummer-slash lead singer, was a bit too much. The wind chimes were an impressive element of their show however, and in a different context they may well be a solid act.
Coming on in front of a static, eager-to be-pleased audience, Spleen United took to the stage looking slightly nervy and opened their set in the same manner. However, a dexterous performance of their 2008 single ’66’ got the audience in gear, before a thunderous, Depeche-Mode sounding thunderstorm that saw the Nørlund brothers showcase their vocal talents whilst Rune Wehner and Janus Ringsted did their bit on the synth and drums respectively.
Four songs in and the Spleen United quartet were huddled around their secondary synthesiser and studio gear, each twisting and pushing different buttons that created something of a frenzy that was amplified by a series of flashing strobe lights and a swarm of neon laser beams. Vocal samples of Opus III’s epic 1992 number ‘It’s a Fine Day’ interwoven with The Prodigy’s well known ‘No Good (Start the Dance)’ gem followed as Spleen United ventured deep into electronic territory.
A return to their rock base saw tunes such as ‘Days of Thunder’ and ‘Dominator’ played towards the end, accompanied by the acid-house influenced ‘Sunset to Sunset’, a track that set the pits alight as the front row audience scrambled onto each other’s shoulders. Spleen United veered more towards their electronic roots, playing with the usual passion and zest that one has come to expect from them and look set to end 2012 in style.
Camaraderie
The other side of Copenhagen
Kortbæk_Travels 