Quote from: TheGreatEcstasy on January 15, 2010, 02:00:18 PM
Sure, that's one reason but I'd say there is more to it than that. If I'm wrong then by all means correct me but my impression is there is not seldom a near total lack of knowledge or interest from the US in what goes on outside the US. A golden comment from Ron a while ago (I wish I could find it and stick it in the quote section here) was something along the lines of noise started in Europe, moved to Japan and currently lives in the US.
But isn't this pretty common observation, not just Ron's view? And we can see it is not totally groundless. You can see most of bands being influenced by likes of TG, Whitehouse, SJ, TNB, etc. Not that there wasn't noisy recordings before (experimentations were probably all around), but if we talk about underground noise, not about some art music, then we can see bands like Ramleh, TNB, Whitehouse and so on set examples for many who followed them. Then go forward to late 80's and early 90's, and all you hear is talk of Merzbow, Masonna, Hijokaidan and other Japanese artists. While many european old bands (like mentioned above) were on hiatus for years, everybody seemed to be into what Japs were bringing and those were the bands who gained international press attention. Every label wanted to have some Japanese bands. You can see labels everywhere, with pretty high % Japanese noise. Then suddenly Jap noise seemed to interest very few. While people were investing insanities for rare hand made noise tapes of Americans. Many of Jap noisers lowering their profile or just blatantly stopping.
You look where most of labels seem to put out material. Where most of gigs are being organised. Where scene if filled with flood of new blood, instead of tired old relics. That's the promised land of USA.
Does it mean things stopped elsewhere? Of course not. And above is naturally very very simplistic version, ignoring many things like whole boom of CMI, rise and blitzkrieg conquering german PE did all over the place. Very creative era of older UK bands going strong. Italian monstrocities not only early 80's but mid, late and also whole 90's. Sweden, Finland, whatever... But all that said, one simply can't argue against fact USA being the focal point of current noise. In good and bad. Even topic as this, we can probably see dozens of messages suddenly in slightly heated discussion. Same possibly would happen on every forum. And on every forum topic like "japanese noise" or "japanese industrial" awakes just few yawns and couple guys posting few remarks. There are several good acts there, new things happening, but probably as funny as it sounds, noise just dwells now in USA. Everything is about USA or position of X versus USA. And only, because its let to be so. Even topic such as this, couldn't be just list of good bands worth checking out and observation their characteristics, but it automatically turns XX vs. XX setting where it's about making their problem "ours" (read: blaming them not knowing history or what happens in europe, while on same breath admitting not caring what they do and not knowing what happens there or supporting any of their stuff).
I don't think European or japanese labels lose anything if some American guy doesn't know, care or buy "our" stuff, since most often it is really not "our audience". Why should he? It's like complaining why Sunn o))) fans won't buy my stuff. They just don't, and most likely will never do so and that's it. I can't really blame them for it, just as I can't blame someone being into reggae, instead of Grey Wolves. There is relatively big audience in US for PE. More than say UK, Sweden or Finland. Collectors who know their stuff, and fanatics who keep supporting the labels. How much more is needed? It's impossible and most of all unnecessary to insult audience for lack of appreciation towards Genocide Organ, when they really just want Prurient, Aaron Dilloway and John Wiese. When that audience approaches PE, they probably need it to be just as mentioned. The ones they can relate to. Not some old bald fatso talking about history of foreign countries they barely know to exist, hah.. So, in end, I'm pretty much all in favor of this neo PE. It's nothing away from me.
