The Beauty of Degraded Media
Vložit
- čas přidán 23. 07. 2024
- For a limited time (now through April 30, 2023), Skillshare is offering 40% off your first year of membership. One of their best offers out there!” skl.sh/polyphonic40
Watch this video ad-free on Nebula: nebula.app/videos/polyphonic-...
If you think this video was worth $3 - ko-fi.com/polyphonic
Merchandise: standard.tv/collections/polyp...
TikTok: / watchpolyphonic
Twitter: / watchpolyphonic
Join the Polyphonic Discord: / discord
Or get started with Skillshare today at: skl.sh/polyphonic04236
Theme Music by Pracs: / pracs
00:00 Intro
01:39 Title Card
01:47 Aesthetic Flaws
02:43 Temporality
04:19 Rutherford’s White Album Collection
05:41 Digital Media
06:12 Nostalgia
07:56 Intimacy
09:29 Horror
10:18 Noise Music
10:32 The Disintegration Tapes
11:57 Conclusion - Hudba
If you noticed a jump at 7:01, it's because WMG made a claim that blocked the video worldwide, so I needed to trim a clip of Bruno Mars' "Treasure" video out. You can find the full video on Nebula at watchnebula.com/videos/polyphonic-the-beauty-of-degraded-media
Because WMG owns EVERYTHING -- Natalie Wynn, "Opulence"
I dislike your tone of speech but otherwise an ok video. Maybe a bit too long. Although, actually your voice makes this video quite hard to watch.
@@emilsgosko5217 To me it's the opposite. I like his tone of voice and the way he articulates
@@emilsgosko5217 It's always a hit or miss when it comes to voices. I like his voice a lot actually.
Big Joel?
"Whatever you now find weird, ugly, uncomfortable, and nasty about a new medium will surely become its signature. CD distortion, the jitteriness of digital video, the crap sound of 8-bit - all of these will be cherished and emulated as soon as they can be avoided. It's the sound of failure: so much modern art is the sound of things going out of control, of a medium pushing to its limits and breaking apart. The distorted guitar sound is the sound of something too loud for the medium to carry it. The blues singer with the cracked voice is the sound of an emotional cry too powerful for the throat that releases it. The excitement of grainy film, of bleached out black and white, is the excitement of witnessing events too momentous for the medium assigned to record them" - Brian Eno, probably my favorite quote on this subject
Damn that’s a really good way to put it
Adam Ogilvie c
yes, I was looking for this on the video, now it's on the comments, thank you
I wanted to write a comment woth this quote. Thanks for fulfilling my wish.
in the future, people will create a cracked iphone screen aesthetic
One form of media that I was surprised wasn't mentioned was books. They beautiful capture this same idea. There's nothing like buying a new book to imprint your life on, dog-earing pages, writing in the margins, underlining sections, wearing out the spine, etc. And what's just as great is buying a used book to see the life of someone else imprinted on it.
Gabriel Smith They do, the way the pages mellow and splotches following the oils of fingers on well thumped pages, the smell of an aged volume, is wonderful.
But if you dog ear a book thou art a heathen.
Bill Wade In Britain at least they seem to be going strong.
Gabriel Smith I never borrow books off friends because I have tendency to read in the shower/bath. All my books have a bit of water damage so I know they're mine!
Specially with shared books in libraries, you could tell there was something interesting coming because of the wear in the pages, really a very interesting effect that could make reading a lot more joyful.
veggiedragon1000 lol
An older relative use to say, "It's the wear that makes it real."
A profound truth wrapped in simple words.
That’a a smart relative!
Cf. The Velveteen Rabbit.
Finally an A E S T H E T I C Polyphonic video.
We need MORE.
This video reminded me of Contrapoints’ “Opulence” and hbomberguy’s “The Power of VHS.” I would highly recommend them too!
@@theocean1973 I'll check em out, thanks for the suggestion.
Pikaia Gracilens. Thanks so much for spreading the name of those channels mate
god i hate the word "AESTHETIC"
i think the beauty lies in the fascinated horror we hold for degradation in a world that seeks to sanitise and preserve everything. And as we realise the futility of that adventure we find beauty in loss itself
you can find people's mixtapes from 30 years ago in second hand stores, but in 30 years from now will anyone be able to find our spotify playlists? it's interesting how digital media is both permanent and fragile, both flawed and sanitized.
They’re like two sides of the same coin. The perfectly preserved digital media lost and forgotten in the sea of information and copies and the degrading physical falling apart and wearing but passed through so many hands with so many memories
My favorite color is that gradient between the yellow of adged paper and the stains where someone spilled coffee.
nice profile pic
My favourite colour is chromatic aberration
you're so random and quirky!!!
so beige
Cowboy Bebop stood in my mind during the whole video. Although it came out in the 90's, the show captures the nostalgia that I believed people felt watching that decade come to an end, the serie's universe seems frozen in time, not wanting to let the go of the culture.
For me, the show it's an ode to 90's nostalgia.
I agree. Something that many people notice in cowboy bebop is how worn and lived in the world is. In contrast to many sci fi settings where everything is sleek and futuristic, in the cowboy bebop world every single object seems to have its own history, it's humanity. For example the scratches on the bebop or old posters on the walls. It fits in really nicely with the shows themes of coming to terms with your past and nostalgia.
It makes me think of visual art in general. For the longest time, painters strived for lifelike realism. But as photography was popularized, realism became boring and mundane. So artists started experimenting with how far from realism they could go and still be able to call it a painting. Same thing with movies. As the medium codified what is the most efficient way of telling stories counter culture broke it down in several new waves. Purposely doing it as wrong as possible to see where the boundraries break.
I think it's the same in most, if not all mediums of art. That once you get past perfect imitation of reality you het bored and want to break it and put it together badly just to see and hear what the result is.
I feel like the "deep fried memes" have this same aesthetic but for a younger generation. The generation loss caused by careless screenshots, each time getting re-compressed with the same lossy algorithm, cropping and stretching and converting until the image becomes a blocky noisy mess, frequently with a few captions added along the way. Sure, the fact that it's "memes" makes it seem of a lower value than music is seen as.
But I think modern memes are no less than neo-dadaist pop art, the graffiti of our generation. It won't be seen as art now, but come a few decades, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a gallery dedicated to showing off the strange nonsensical images created simply to amuse a few friends on social media.
C O R N N F L A E K
@@bluethelucario6194 *C O R M F L A E K
@@masicbemester I have it on good ground that 106 says cornn
The worst part about memes as an art form is that untold numbers of them will be lost to time.
@@knightwing5169 Internet archivers: "Not if we have anything to say about it!"
when I was a little kid (80s), I had this same concept in mind, so I went and crushed up all my best baseball cards to make them look older 🤦♂️
Like when you’d take a shirt and tear it up to make it look rough and worn...Did that too
I have a copy of Green Day's "When I Come Around" that I recorded off of someone's VHS tape because it sounds so much better that way. It actually gives me the chills when I listen to it, it's so comforting.
I know it’s been three years but if you at all have any sort of copy of it that could be digitally sent I would LOVE to hear that
In the 1970's the Star Trek animated series was transferred from one incomparable media format to another for distribution. The audio recording pitch was off by 1/4 and made the soundtrack and dialogue surreal, warbling and chaotic. To me it is the most ASMR thing I grew up with.
Music that sounds slightly messed up, or grainy, or sound far away, takes me to a time I wasn't yet alive for, but still have an appreciation for it's existence. Not saying "I was born in the wrong era" but I feel a fondness for older stuff, and it's a weird feeling being nostalgic over something you have never experienced yourself, yet seem to miss it anyway.
This was a beautiful video, visually and audibly. Absolutely superb. One of my favourites out of all of yours.
Interesting video. I'm an artist that grew up using traditional medium - paints, pens, inks, brushes, papers. When digital started making headway, I transferred over. I thought it was great. It was smooth, mistakes were quickly corrected, sketches were quickly transformed into completed works. And it all mimicked what I was using before, but with no mess, and everything was at the tip of my fingers... apart from equipment and software costs, I didn't have to deal with supplies. If I wanted to make an "oil painting", or a "water colour" presto - I had what I needed. Cut to today, and I rarely do anything using digital. I feel more comfortable using the old ways, and I now love the mistakes, and things that are essentially un-correctable. Further, I now have a better eye for what was created digitally and what was created analog. Digital is great, and I would not decry it... but I feel there is so much more to explore when things are more tied to reality.
This reminds me a lot of why I love Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats. They actually recorded the majority of their guitar and bass on a cracked amp for a very atmospheric, early 60's garage band sound.
This is one thing i always loved about the Mountain Goats, he only released on cassette for a good while
As someone who loves collecting vinyl, VHS, cassette tapes and all other outdated forms of media, I can definitely say this video does a great job explaining why we like these things. Keep thrifting my friends.
I'm so happy he talked about the mountain goats
Did you see his video on Tallahassee already?
My favorite rendition of Hey Jude is the one where you can the band talking in the background.
This is one of the best videos I have ever seen in 10 years of watching on line videos. Thank you. This relates to my painting practice where I purposely introduce errors, hack at the board with carving tools, contrast areas of hyper-realism with roughly painted areas, purposely draw attention to the process used (leaving guide marks and pencil under drawing visible) and introducing visual artifacts that emulate digital capture, transmission, recording, compression and display errors as well as reproducing the conventions of screen based viewing ( overlapping windows, abstracted icons, buttons and the like).
I love to hear music through big distortions or to hear far away music in open air through wind and sounds of summer. When music is barely felt it's just like from another world.
You know, it's kind of like characters in a story.
When you want to create a character that the audience loves, imperfections make the perfection. A character without flaws seems boring, without conflict, outside the zone of relatability. There's a reason why Marie Sues are avoided, unless for creative reasons.
That's just my thoughts anyway, and I've just passed the 4 minute mark.
Most used VHS copies of Fast Times At Ridgemont High have issues right as Pheobe Cates is emerging from the pool ! 😥
I wonder why. 😂
I swear this guy can make anyone seem like a genius
Exactly
I was listening to disintegartion loops like yesterday, and when I saw title of this film, this album was the first thing that came into my mind.
I love this different but still related kind of video
Oh man, every one has that one vhs tape. And we all know exactly where it's gonna drag.
Mine is Last of the Mohicans, and the whole into is warbly from rewinding to listen to the music so many times.
I will find you - Clannad
This channel has become one of my favorites ever on youtube. Thank god i stumbled into one of your videos a year ago. Your analysis through logical argument and careful, precise description of topics carefully selecting each word is astounding.
Keep up the good work. I hope you never stop making these videos
EDIT: i almost forgot to mention your amazing video editing. Your video essays are amazing in almost every facet
Damn that William Basinski story nearly made me cry :O Such a deep meaning.
What is no degradation of imagery was cutting-edge back in my day. The old VHS movies, 80s shows, horror flicks. The glitches on the VHS tapes...All of that brings back a nostalgia that I long for. That’s why I collect vinyl, because the crackling of those records, the covers, and the stories they tell you can’t get with digital. Seeing this really makes me miss my childhood
So good to see Basinski get more recognition. I told his story in an old video of mine. You really connected some amazing dots here.
Your videos are just incredibly good, Polyphonic. You make some of the most interesting material on CZcams.
I like comparing sound quality to heat. Digital music is like using the furnace in your house and a vinyl is like a campfire. Sure digital is more efficient and what you use most of the time, but nothing has the charm of sitting around the campfire. It’s a very intimate, very real experience that you don’t get very often anymore. That’s what makes it so appealing to me.
Oh I rue the loss of so many of my vinyl albums and singles...just too many manic moves & loss of attention
“You never know what you’ve lost until it’s gone “
This is a fantastic take on so many musical styles.
It’s been said when we say someone has character we are referring to there character flaws .
Great video essay ! Thank you for the all the time and effort you put in to these videos !
The begining of wish you were here is my favorite example
Another great video essay. You always have great topics and such knowledge, keep up the great work! :)
Beautiful job, great video as always.
Every Video is better thank the last. Thanks so much for all the work that goes into these and keep it up.
So far this is my favorite Video from you. Thanks!
Amazing video as always, Polyphonic. I enjoy researching the references that you present in every video.
Great stuff!
One of your best. Thanks for the work and all the great videos.
Fantastic video again as always! Would love to see more videos on production and ideas associated with the production of music and other media ❤️ really dug the video 🎶💋🎶
I want to say, the bit at 5:21 where you can just *barely* hear Happiness is a Warm Gun through all the noise is the first time I've gotten legitamite chills in a while.
passing mention of caretaker chills me from head to toe still
I think I and a lot of YT video guzzlers can agree that you're a real gem of a channel in this sea of weird and crazy channels on YT.
There's something special about the aesthetic of the past, nostalgia of people who lived in the era and the new generation that want to live like the old era.
this is one of my favourite videos on youtube, everything covered was necessary to the whole yet every little idea was explained so articulately about a topic that i find very interesting. thank you so much for this.
your videos have such a high quality, congratulations!
This was unexpected and sooooooo interesting! Thank you!
Music seems as the soil where cool ideas are grown by you for this channel. This is another great video. Thx!
Oh my god I am SO SO happy you brought up Disintergration Tapes! One of my the most amazing pieces of music ever.
awesome analysis!
I hope you're enjoying your stay in Raincouver! Loved every second of my 2 year stay there.
And what a fascinating video essay!
like you mentioned, this is the backbone of Gerard Way's Hesitant Alien album. he aimed to emulate the eighties fuzzrock and Britpop he grew up with, and incorporated their flaws (such as vocals being put under guitars in mixing so you could barely hear them) into the songs and music videos. he even filmed the videos on old cameras and film
This is probably my favorite video you’ve made, as a music creator it really gave me a different perspective on things. You also managed to enlighten me on some incredible music I will check out
This is my favorite video of yours yet. You nailed it man.
Dude your videos are GREAT!!!! love your work. CHEERS!!!
Clicked because of the cool thumbnail, hooked when I realized how interesting a topic this is
Thank you so much for this.
This video is AMAZING!
This video is a masterpiece of an essay.
this is soooo necessary - thank you.
Holy crap this dug into a thought train I've had for so long. Thank you for analyzing this for us, it's so nice to have someone put this into words, why older sounds effect us the way they do. Well done, per the usual my dude.
Blankface91 oh my god me too
My favorite video of yours!! I love this topic, most especially lofi-hiphop. Anywayyy, this was nice and I love the balance you have found between objectivity and subjectivity. Please, please keep, the subjectivity because that's what make you more enjoyable, intimate and real. God, I love how delivery of a line when it's some thing very personal to you or something intimate. I also love how your love for something almost crosses the screen and hits my face. You're amazing!! You're video editing is so good as well!! Keep up the good work!!
Just think of how many people have fond memories of listening to a static-filled AM radio broadcast of baseball or hockey games from a famous announcer (or a famous moment). It's not just the moment; it's how the moment was heard - degraded audio or not
Yo I've seen all of your vids. Great stuff but this one is my fav. Nice work.
As usual an amazing video!! I’m personally a sucker for using vintage mediums like vinyl records and film cameras for a long while but never really understood why I enjoyed the aesthetic so much? Your video explains why so well. Much appreciated Poly.
awe man, i just got seriously into making mix tapes. Thanks SO much Polyphonic!
I love the pops and crackles of vinyls, it makes it gives it so much more character and worth buying vinyl used
Ahhhh. This channel is so good!
This was awesome, thanks for the video
Am I the only one who thinks there is fine line between musicians doing their best on flawed technology and musicians trying to sound flawed on perfect technology?
There can be. One likes the ruggedness of sound, the other has no choice in what they use. But do they provide the same kind of beauty, though?
@@thecosmicblueautie I think the latter has a big risk of appering fake. It's like when you buy a pair of 'factory worn' jeans: They look worn but there is something that seems wrong, something that sets them apart from jeans you have worn yourself over many years. It's the same with media. My pet peeve at the moment is artificial film scratches.They are often used in documentaries to make everything look dated, even if the footage is new, but the scratches are often cyclic (the same scratch appear at the same place at a fixed pace) so they look added instead of real scratches that are random.
Amazing video. Cheers.
Wow what a fantastic video. Keep up the amazing work dude I love your vids!
Great video!! You are super smart!
You worded the reason why I collect VHS tapes and LPs much better than I ever could have. Great video!
Welcome to Vancouver! Hope you enjoy it here
This is one of my favorite videos of yours and I’m glad you brought it up. There is definitely something special about it.
That Caretaker album is something else. Aaron Dilloway is a great noise artist as well.
Your videos provide me a very pleasing perspective to improve my approach to art, specially being me a musician that, due to my limitations, have to learn how to work with imperfections
Love your channel buddy, you're really doing something special here
Very insightful and thought-provoking. Thank you for covering this subject. I think it gives me insight on why I continue to hang onto all of the CDs I collected over the years, even though I never listen to them now. Each one is more than the 1's and 0's that are contained on the disk. They each are pieces in the story of me and the evolution of my musical interest.
This is definitely one of your best videos, and a special one too.
I was just having a conversation with a friend....about this exact topic and the warmth of a worn record...cool video yet again.
💖💖💖💖 thank you!
I like the distorted noise sound in Windsor Airlift "This Is Television" and "Love" combine with a calming piano
i don't see it like you do bc i lived through that era, younger folks such as yourself are the only ones who have this feeling of nostalgia they never experienced the real thing
I watched the whole naruto in 360p this year because that's the quality I remember as a kid. It made it 10x more immersive.
I love all your videos!
Please talk about vaporwave
dude this sounds like a good idea I love vaporwave
I would recommend this video. Have you seen it?
czcams.com/video/5bBS74fnJSk/video.html
Why is no one talking about Vaporwave?
@@theocean1973 a lot of people did when it reached its peak a few years back
@@harrylane4 Peak? Maybe in terms of mainstream popularity, but not in terms of quality or number of releases.
Your Tapestry story really hit me close to home. I recently got a hand me down vinyl copy of "Tapestry" as well. It was given to me by my aunt who got it from my grandfather after he passed away. Over a decade ago in a different country, I discovered a home recorded reel to reel containing a dub of Tapestry in my grandma's attic made sometime in the early 70s, with a locked groove towards the end of the recording. Curious, I played the vinyl from my aunt, and sure enough, the same scratch as that 40+ year old dub is still there. That locked groove now serves as a wonderful reminder of both grandparents, and seemingly has quite a bit of history.
I wonder if we're going to see a similar appreciation for the rough edges and tags on this era of 3d printed objects as their printers get wider distribution and better quality.
Also, the 'Clair De Lune but in a haunted, abandoned ballroom' genre of youtube is totally leaning into the horror/beauty of degradation.
I remember being very little, and everytime we would go to the movies I would search for the little burns and black marks. It made that film seem precious and used. I cant really describe it but it's the same feeling that degrade music gives me....
I have an old, well-loved, it also obviously cared for and cherished copy of Led Zepplin's Untitled I found in a tote bin on the curb I feel the same about as you do about that record you mentioned.
It's a bit rough but there's something special about knowing it's because it's nearly 50 years old and was likely someone's favorite album they experienced Stairway to Heaven on for the first time back in the day. It gives listening to it a special feeling like hearing a window into the past.
This is my favorite video of yours!!!
It is worth mentioning that there is a mountain goats song literally about this or at least named for the phenomenon--source decay
Oh man, this video hit me. One of the things I’ve noticed lately as I rewatch Inuyasha (an anime I watched in middle school), it makes me feel little again when I see the little pink and green streaks, the little ghosts of old tv in the sections of white and grey. And listening to my music on a record player always just feels so much more personal than on my phone. I mean, I remember the afternoon I listened to Billie Holiday and Simon and Garfunkel while I drew and it rained outside, but I can’t remember many specific days where I listened to music on CZcams. There’s certainly something to be said for the stronger presence in analog media than in digital.
So happy to see all of these different amazing artists being mentioned in this video.
10:17
that has to be one of the most well-known drumbeats in the history of music by this point.