44: Derrick Gee, the internet's most professional music fan
We’re back! And booting off a busy season of No Tags content by speaking to 'professional music fan' Derrick Gee. You’ve likely come across Derrick on your feeds already. He’s a beacon of sophistication in the murky waters of social video, and a true enthusiast for music of all kinds – from audiophile sound systems to viral TikTok trends to his favourite bossa nova recordings. He’s racked up millions of views, toured Japan and America, lured huge names onto his YouTube show – and done it all by focusing almost exclusively on music outside the mainstream. So is he a music journo? A critic? A content creator? Derrick dialled in from Sydney to talk to us about his curious content niche and how he earns a living from loving music.If you continue to get a kick of what we’re doing on No Tags, consider throwing us a fiver a month – or spread the gospel to your friends. Get full access to No Tags at notagspodcast.substack.com/subscribe
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1:18:10
43: Should dance music boycott Boiler Room over Palestine?
There was only one topic we could tackle this week. The argument boiling over around Boiler Room and the BDS movement is one of the most divisive and emotionally charged intra-scene disputes we’ve seen in a long time.There’s a lot being said in public and in the comments, with much of it relegated to Instagram Stories with a 24-hour timer. So in the spirit of our mission statement – chronicling underground music culture – we’ve attempted to document what’s been going on, provide some vital additional context, and offer our own thoughts on what’s at stake.In this episode we look at the relationship between Boiler Room and its owners – the global events company Superstruct and the private equity giant KKR – and their connections to Israeli tech firms and the Palestinian-led boycott movement. We talk about Boiler Room’s recent statement of solidarity with Palestine and the resulting backlash from fans, DJs and former BR employees, as well as Ben UFO’s defence of the platform, which triggered its own, unusually fierce backlash.Can Boiler Room consider itself part of the boycott on Israel? What’s the right way for DJs, fans and BR employees to show solidarity with Palestine? Why has BR received so much flak compared to the 70-odd other brands and festivals in Superstruct’s portfolio? Can dance music be mobilised into a force for change? And what can Boiler Room – or any of us – practically do in a landscape where private equity firms have their claws in everything?If you’re enjoying No Tags, thanks – we really enjoy making it. But we’d love you to help us out by leaving a review on your go-to podcast app, which really does help visibility. We’d also ask you to consider subscribing to our paid tier, which costs £5 a month and helps us continue planning, recording and editing these regular podcasts. It also gives you a discount on our book. Get full access to No Tags at notagspodcast.substack.com/subscribe
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1:22:51
42: Between two hardcores with aya
We’re pretty confident about slapping the “AOTY contender” badge on this one: aya’s second album hexed! is out on Hyperdub next week, and it has blown our tiny minds to pieces.The South London artiste joined us in the No Tags “studio” to reveal the pills, thrills and bellyaches behind the phenomenal follow-up to 2021’s im hole. We talked about shaking off the curse of drink and drugs, embracing her teen metalcore past, putting worms in your mouth in the name of Art, and just who is the best aya on Discogs?We also debated donk as worship music, her plans to be the next Prince, and of course her favourite film.Dive in – but before you do, final call for No Tags with Paul Woolford at AVA London tomorrow! We’ll be joined by AKA Special Request for a conversation at 1pm in the British Library’s Knowledge Centre. Taganistas get a 20% off code. Skive work and pop down? We’ll have a few No Tags books for sale too.If you’re enjoying No Tags, that’s just GREAT. We really love making it. Why not rate, review and subscribe on your podcast app of choice? We’d also ask you to consider subscribing to our paid tier, which costs £5 a month and helps us continue bringing you these regular podcasts (and it gives you a discount on our book.) Get full access to No Tags at notagspodcast.substack.com/subscribe
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1:15:34
41: Major labels are hoovering up what's left of independent music
No guest this week, but plenty of meat as we take our previous episode with Spotify chronicler Liz Pelly as a jumping off point to talk about the idea of independence.We use the word ‘independence’ a lot on No Tags without really investigating what we mean by it. In a era when the major labels are all stake-holders in the biggest streaming platform on Earth, and are hoovering up indie labels and distributors like never before, how feasible is it to operate as a truly independent artist – whatever that means? And how can the term ‘independent’ apply to indie labels with multiple offices and millions in the bank as well as one-person DIY operations?To explain, we think about the important history of independent distribution, catch up with the latest music biz headlines affecting independent artists, and ask ourselves… have the major labels simply won at this point?It’s a little lighter elsewhere, as we talk ghosts (4:15) and debrief Anora’s Oscar sweep (49:52), followed by some thoughts on The Brutalist, Nosferatu and 1971’s The Working Class Goes to Heaven.If you’re enjoying No Tags, please do rate, review and subscribe on your podcast app of choice. We’d also ask you to consider subscribing to our paid tier, which costs £5 a month and helps us continue bringing you these regular podcasts (plus it gives you a discount on our book.) Get full access to No Tags at notagspodcast.substack.com/subscribe
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1:00:30
40: All the things Spotify didn't want you to know but Liz Pelly found out
No journalist has contributed more to our understanding of the streaming era than Liz Pelly.A contributing editor at The Baffler and a lifelong DIY scene participant, she’s been investigating the inner workings of Spotify since 2016, writing a series of increasingly alarming stories that exposed the streaming giant’s black box of profit-seeking operations: mood-based playlists filled with mysterious fake artists, lean-back listening, algorithmic curation and ‘streambait pop’.Her journalism has provided us with an arsenal of terms to better understand Daniel Ek’s dismal vision of context-free listening. And now she’s expanded her work into a new book, Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist.It’s essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how we came to live in a world where ‘coastal grandma’ is a genre and where ambient electronica playlists are filled with cheap stock music by unknown artists.We asked Liz to explain the pivotal moments in this decade-long transition, whether Spotify has changed the sound of the underground too, and what Daniel Ek’s endgame might be. Get your hard hat on.Elsewhere in this week’s episode, Chal runs down the best music she saw on a trip to Ljubljana’s MENT festival (3:49), we talk the films that could potentially tank a new relationship (9:47), Tom highlights a new release on CDR’s Pathways programme (13:00) and we even briefly discuss get-rich-quick schemes. Niche music recs and iffy financial advice? It could only be No Tags.As ever, if you’re enjoying No Tags, please do rate, review and subscribe on your podcast app of choice. We’d also ask you to consider subscribing to our paid tier, which costs £5 a month and offers you nothing but the warm glow of philanthropy and a discount on our book – the second pressing of which is finally out now! Get full access to No Tags at notagspodcast.substack.com/subscribe
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