FR4GGLESMASH – We Have Chosen (1st draft, Version 0.2)

As you may know or not, the GEMA (German equivalent to ASCAP e.a.) does not allow their members to publish any work under any other license, but their own (which is strictly commercial and exclusive “all rights reserved”). GEMA does not permit any per-track/label or per-album licensing models – if you sign up with them, they will own everything you will ever produce. No exceptions. Due to the facts that GEMA holds a 100%  monopoly  in Germany and that most radio stations will not play records without a GEMA-label and many big record stores won’t sell records without one, you don’t have much choice.

This means: as an artist in Germany you are not allowed to publish your own content under CC license – or you will lose all royalties for anything else you have published or will publish in the future to the GEMA.

(I don’t understand, how this is compatible with the 5th amendment (liberty of arts, science and research), but me  no lawyer,  me just bongo-bongo. so me better no ask questions – amendment no good for bongobongo anyway.  amendment only good for lawyerman.)
But bongobongo may sign pledge (and hope lawyerman don’t read).

To be honest, I think it’s a shame, that a lousy “pledge” is all we can actually do against this sort of clear discrimination. But it’s still better that nothing.

FR4GGLESMASH Initial Promo

This is the initial blast of  FR4GGLESMASH: “Fragglesmashing”, a quite hard and at fluffy 176 BPM also relatively fast Dark Psy track. The almost-melodic theme (which indeed consists from nothing more melodic than 100% white noise, cast through a phaser at variable rates) has a very unusual effect in this context: somewhat hymnic, some sort of  mean travesty of  a “Refrain” or theme.  The bassline, which is a mostly straight  speedcore-style staccato at 1/16 lenghtes gives a pretty strong contrast to this, until the counterpoint, which is surprising, but in no way arbitrary or even out of key. But listen yourself…