What kind of content for future issues of SI?

[FreakAnimalFinland]

SI#12 is pretty much done. It was supposed to be March, but the current world situation made it somehow useless to publish magazine on moment when it may not be possible to ship it. Still now (mid may) some of routes are not working. Or are terrible slow. Anyways, #12 shall be quite the same as #11.

It is mostly random chaos what dictates what comes into each issue, but I am considering minor shifts in focus. Not focus of style or format, but overall balance. Opinions may not really matter that much, since each issue basically just emergers and it becomes what it becomes, but out of curiosity, I'd be interested to hear if any preference what type of material 'zine should have.

Emphasis on:
-long interviews of known artists / unknown artists that deals with their whole output
-shorter interviews and more up-to-date recent things focus of known artists / unknown artists that deals with what they are up to now
-short features that are not only q+a type of interviews, but edited articles combining reviews & interviews (see SI#11 Bizarre Uproar and Torba)
-Starting again the traditional reviews?
-Introduction of columns? Columns/essays/writings/opinions of some sort. Perhaps guest writers - if someone still "writes stuff"...
-One off articles of selected themes? Examples "heavy electronics of 2019", "look into harsh noise tapes of 2019", "Finnish noise 2019", "remarkable reissued classics of 2019".....
-etc.

Considering that format shall be now for few issues, 40/A4, it can't be "more of everything", but removing one interview may be space for couple pages of reviews. Removing one long interview makes possible to have two short ones.


My personal feeling, today, at this very moment, is that I feel tempted to shift emphasis of content to:
-less about "whole career spanning long interviews", in favor or looking more carefully to artists current happenings. This may also mean that those with long legacy, but no relevant new activity, are not covered.
-more shift towards "edited writing". Mixture of interviews / reviews
-Columns/essays/writings/opinions, including release introduction in "look into harsh noise tapes of 2019".



Any why?
To me, it feels as if we are creating void of information. While a lot of things happen, it is very so little documentation that is left behind. I was listening to mr. Sienko's (ALAP) interview in Noisextra and he mentioned how discussion of releases is very crucial in noise. I would agree on what was said there. I would also add that reading about something, something that sparked your interest to check out, and possibly even vocabularized and assisted in making shape for rather abstract form of noise is not mandatory, but helpful.
I feel there is a reason why people still today talk about GROSS tapes or HANATARASHI or get all excited of DAVID GILDEN reissue finally happening. It is the stuff that has history and legacy, that is remembered. One can't simply state that all the new stuff is worthless, since "nobody talks about it". I feel that A LOT of people talk about it, but pre-internet situation of physically immortalizing the legacy is not what it used to be. In this digital era, vast majority of good stories, recommendations and insights just.... disappear in cyberspace.
Oh yes, and this is probably type of "opinion text", that I may start to publish in SI as well. It does not have to be groudbreaking insights and philosophy. Remember the times in noise zines like Chemical Castration when readers letters were published! After several decades, those are still golden reading!

[Yrjö-Koskinen]

Very brief thoughts:

The notion of trying to re-establish fanzines as something to make the musical present solid and part of "the history of the scene" is excellent. Doing interviews focused on what artists are up to at present do seem like the most basic approach to accomplish this. Articles on microgenres, national scenes and "trends" could also be part of it. In fact, such articles wouldn't even have to focus on literal trends (i.e. what the plurality of people are doing at the moment), but could just as well take a snapshot of something that isn't that trendy right now. "Who if anyone is doing old school edgy CDr Power Electronics 2020", "5 Japanese harsh noise tapes released in the past year that ARE about bondage"... The sky is the limit.

I don't think career spanning interviews should disappear all together. Perhaps one or two massive ones with a very established or long-active artists per issue would be enough, and then the rest could be more "updates" on what has happened lately. Or about a certain release, gig, etc.

Finally, simply for reading pleasure, I am very much in favor of reinstating the reviews. It was the high point of Degenerate, and I was sad to see them go from Special Interests. Browsing forum threads simply isn't the same. That being said, perhaps there should be some limits to improve their utility and make them fit with your other ideas? For instance, they could be limited to very recent releases likely to remain available in physical format until after the publication of the issue. Writings about older releases could be included in other types of articles (The Essentials, etc).

[Theodore]

Difficult question to answer cause at the end it all depends on who is interviewd, who does it, who is writing, reviewing, the themes, and any judgements can be made based only on the final 'product' of each specific issue. - A long interview if interesting could be much better than reviews or if boring is just waste of space. Readers will probably have different opinions about the very same interview. - So it's all on the zine's creator to decide what should be published, you. So i would say, yes, keep doing it as you do, and let each issue be what it turned out to be, based more on your taste than stick to any specific in-advance directions, even if they are set by yourself.

[Soloman Tump]

I am definitely keen on "what artists are doing now" and also NEW / recent artists / projects that are making an impact.

I have basically stopped doing reviews of music in Snare/Rush zine as I was bored of writing them.... everyone's opinion on the hot new releases differ greatly, I decided to just do a list of what i've been listening to recently and people can go listen and make up their own minds.

Guest charts can help to give you an idea of what a particular label / act are listening to at that moment in time. 

Themed articles are also a great idea, the state of things as is.  How Covid-19 has affected the scene would be a good starter.

Whatever happens... glad to hear that the next SI is almost ready

[Batteryxcage]

A big of fan of columns/essays by guest writers on a multitude of topics related to noise music. Features that focus a few pages on a specific label, artist, or even sub genre within noise always pique my interest.

Either way, I am excited to dig in to a new issue!

[WCN]

I'm for more current information on what's going on right now, in print form. So much is scattered around the internet, buried in threads on social media or forums - all so ephemeral. All that can disappear in the blink of an eye. There was so much important and formative information on the old Troniks board that's just gone now.

With shorter more varied interviews and pieces on current activities, we'd have a much more direct and honest document of the era for future generations - much more so than long "retrospective" pieces written on a particular artist/label/era years after, once everyone has forgotten how it really was, lost most of the materials and can talk about it in either unclear or aggrandized terms.

Sometimes I'm slightly annoyed with sloppy formatting in the SI zine, or interviews with artists who aren't very articulate or don't have much to say, but I think this is a reasonable trade off for direct and current fresh information as opposed to excessive time spent editing, formatting, making sure everything is perfect.

I'm also for bringing reviews back and continuing with a wide variety of contributors. Mikko is definitely one of the better "journalists" in this field, but I like that SI isn't just his mouthpiece and it should stay that way. Finding good writers who deliver the goods on time etc. is surely a big challenge to the whole operation... Manuel from Narcolepsia is a great interviewer who I'd recommend asking to submit (has he in the past?).

[Goat93]

Maybe its a little bit out of Content, but a CD with the Zine was something i really favor, since i can listen to the sounds which are spoken of in the interview.
Would also replace the Reviews, in my opinion.

I prefer always long Interviews/essays/articles with as much information as possible. Its really great to read them and it change also the aspect of the music a lot. And it opens the eyes for artists and music, i won't listen in the first place (a Review wouldn't)

[narcolepsia]

some good points discussed here.

My personal feeling, today, at this very moment, is that I feel tempted to shift emphasis of content to:
-less about "whole career spanning long interviews", in favor or looking more carefully to artists current happenings. This may also mean that those with long legacy, but no relevant new activity, are not covered.
-more shift towards "edited writing". Mixture of interviews / reviews
-Columns/essays/writings/opinions, including release introduction in "look into harsh noise tapes of 2019".

I agree with that direction for the near future.

I'm also for bringing reviews back and continuing with a wide variety of contributors. Mikko is definitely one of the better "journalists" in this field, but I like that SI isn't just his mouthpiece and it should stay that way. Finding good writers who deliver the goods on time etc. is surely a big challenge to the whole operation... Manuel from Narcolepsia is a great interviewer who I'd recommend asking to submit (has he in the past?).

thank you for the kind words, Oskar. once I sort out everything related to this recent batch, I will finally be able to sit down and finish the layout for Troubled Sleep #4 (most likely the final issue) that has been sitting here for a while. after it is released, hopefully within the next 2-3 months, my plan is to focus on helping more regularly with Special Interests. I will write Mikko about that when time is right.

[pentd]

a cd would be xlent addition, it makes night science stand out, also it establishes dominance over lesser publications.. although xerox shitcore stuff is great too

[C601]

+1 on the companion cd !

[Potier]

A big of fan of columns/essays by guest writers on a multitude of topics related to noise music. Features that focus a few pages on a specific label, artist, or even sub genre within noise always pique my interest.

Seconding the columns and essays request. I feel like a magazine should cover a broad variety of aspects of "the culture" of noise/industrial/experimental. I always like reading about what inspires people - literature, movies, art in general. Historical overviews of labels are great if paired with an interview of the operator. I like to feel like I am getting to know people outside of their musical/non-musical output as well - what hobbies do people have, where do they live and how do they live...if things like that are thrown in, I am bound to pay more attention.

Often enough it appears that there has to be professional distance maintained that I find counter-productive. Friends interviewing friends makes for an interesting approach.

[Soloman Tump]

Not necessarily suitable for SI but you may think otherwise.... I always wanted to interview behind the scenes people for Snarerush zine. Such as sound guys from venues, people who run labels, pressing factories and distros.... I think there would be some interesting stories to tell.

[yosef666]

Long form, in-depth interveiws are definitely my preference. Regardless of content/format I'm sure I'll read each issue cover-to-cover as always.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Not necessarily suitable for SI but you may think otherwise.... I always wanted to interview behind the scenes people for Snarerush zine. Such as sound guys from venues, people who run labels, pressing factories and distros.... I think there would be some interesting stories to tell.

There has been couple things kind of this type. Like feature covering people who made noise documentaries being one good example. Other was Festival organizers.
I think things like distributors and private venue owners could be good indeed!

[AdamLehrerImageMaker]

Would love to see content on the visual side of noise. The art, the artists, the influence that noise has had on the broader art world and visual culture (Darja Bajagic and Jukka and so forth)