I totally agree, transparency is key, in everything. I really appreciate your route with this.
The track titles are quite funny. I’ve seen this before and interestingly in the same area of music, which is quite interesting. Eva Justka comes to mind…love her stuff.
“Behringer Fark Mell” hahaha, that’s super hilarious. I have been loosely following the general feelings around Behringer and always find that area of emulation/copying, a kind of copying done with intentions of giving back or evolving, developing etc versus one that perhaps is done more with capitalising, or marginalising really probably the main difference. It feels to me it’s often down to the intentions, be them more self-serving or founded in respect. It’s clear you have a ton of respect. I guess the Behringer version of your release would have to be packaged to look the same, sound the same minute for minute, but be sold for less in some way and also provide questionable additions, coming from a more is better mentality. An extra distortion circuit for example haha.
It is interesting though because in principle, the idea of providing otherwise unreachable sounds and technology at a cheaper rate with the intention to better enable peoples creativity is a great thing to do. However, when you consider that aim and then consider what else could be done or what might be done around such a challenge, the fact this is not done with Behringer is telling of their real intent. Your music, given the fact Mark Fell can occupy that musical space so successfully, is due to him being around for so long with SND, that it’s clear it’s not just the music that propels him to the position he is in, it’s just a part of it. If anything emulation or copying in the way you have, shows more clearly what it is about Mark Fells music and his success for want for a better word.
I guess the concerns around being accused of ripping Mark off are arguably irrelevant. I think you already need to have the opinion that copying automatically means ripping someone off, and not something that only happens based on the intent really. Plagiarism, by definition, is already wrapped up in a load of bias views of right and wrong based largely around capitalistic ideologies. It immediately only becomes relevant if someone feels they are losing money, value or are maybe greedy and want to gain more money, or perhaps ideas of owning a sound. The more we can share, learn and evolve together openly the better really.
I also like the idea that someone who might have the opinion that what you have done is wrong, only to learn that Mark is already aware and supports it, might suddenly change their opinion. It’s telling really about that idea of right or wrong being wrapped up in generic and arguably flawed ideas about right and wrong.
Yeah, I find this super interesting.
Calums stuff is great. Super nice fella as well. I have the stuff he put on Github a while back using Supercollider somewhere. I remember that being very Mark Fell-esque. Happy to share that if you like? I pinged him a message pointing to your release by the way.
You totally should of asked for a remix, it would have been interesting to hear his response. I know he has asked others to perform for him at events he couldn’t make in person and sent them the patch with a few notes of guidance. I can imagine doing the same to him might have grabbed his attention. Might even be worth doing anyway, as you could pose it as “Mark Fell in the style of Mark Fell?” which creates some ambiguity around authorship and his involvement which could be a way of working both for you in terms of getting him involved and for him not feeling the need to be commercially connected, should that be a concern for whatever reason. I’d be well interested in hearing that.
Just bought it by the way.
