Episode 39: REVERSE POLARITY - with Negativland

Sound Propositions

Negativland has always been about media literacy; their pranks are not only humorous but reveal something about how media function. But in recent years, as the world has changed around them, their relationship to this aspect of their practice has had to evolve. What was subversive in the 80s is mostly met with a shrug today. While sampling has become less essential to their work, the group continues to reappropriate and recontextualize human speech, and in an age of AI voice clones, the importance of using actual voices becomes even more significant. Last fall, I sat down with Negativland’s Mark Hosler and Jon Leidecker (Wobbly) at Krakow, Poland’s Unsound festival to discuss the history of their long running group, the importance of radio, and how the changing mediascape has transformed the meaning of their work as collage has gone mainstream.

TRACKLIST

ARTIST – “TITLE” (ALBUM, LABEL, YEAR)

Negativland - “Is It Or Isn’t It” (Speech Free: Recorded Music For Film, Radio, Internet and Television, Seeland, 2022)

SP INTRO

Don Joyce - “We'll Be Right Back [excerpt]” (Mort Aux Vaches, Mort Aux Vaches, 2020)
Negativland - “Content” - (The World Will Decide, Seeland, 2020)

Negativland - “5” (Negativland, Seeland, 1980)
Negativland - “The Answer Is…” (Points, Seeland, 1981)

Negativland - “Christianity is Stupid” (Escape from Noise, SST/Seeland, 1987)

New Order - “Blue Monday” (Blue Monday 12”, Factory, 1983)

Negativland - “I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For” (U2, Seeland, SST, 1991)
Sarah Davachi - “ghosts and all” (Vergers, Important Records 2016)

iPad Synth demo youtube Ipad Synth or Original IVCS3 compared to EMS Synthi AKS

Negativland - “[Excerpt]” (Live at Unsound, 2023)

Edgard Varèse - “Poème électronique” [1958] (Poème Electronique And Other Selections, EAV Lexington, 1973)

Karlheinz Stockhausen - “Kontakte” [1958–60] (Kontakte, WERGO, 1963)
Wobbly - Failure Analyst (Failure Analyst, Bandcamp, 2024)
Christian Marclay - “Excerpt” (Live on Night Music 1988)
Charli - “Apple” [tiktok] (brat, 2024)
Negativland - “Failure” (The World Will Decide, Seeland,2020)
Negativland - “True or False” (True False, Seeland, 2019)

Negativland - “The Stain of Music” (Over The Edge Vol. 9: The Chopping Channel, Seeland, 2016)
Negativland - “Death Is Optional” (Speech Free: Recorded Music For Film, Radio, Internet and Television, Seeland, 2022)
Negativland - “I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For” (U2, Seeland, SST, 1991)
Negativland - “Algorithmic Me” (Speech Free: Recorded Music For Film, Radio, Internet and Television, Seeland, 2022)

Chopping Channel - “Happiness Is The New Productivity” (Independent Therapy, 2016)

Bana Haffar - “Castles in Beirut” (Castles in Beirut, Bandcamp, 2019)

Negativland - “The World Will Decide” (The World Will Decide, Bandcamp, 2020)

Over the Edge - “1991/06/06” (The Best of Over the Edge, Archive.org, 6 June 1991)

E L U C I D - “[excerpt]” [2020] (SEERSHIP!, PTP, 2022)

Ween - “I Hate Morrissey (Home Demo)” (Boognish Rising 2013 Sampler, 2013)

Negativland - “A Nice Place To Live” (Points, Seeland, 1981)

Chopping Channel - “Safe Place Orientation” (Independent Therapy, Seeland, 2016)

Don Joyce - “We'll Be Right Back [excerpt]” (Mort Aux Vaches, Mort Aux Vaches, 2020)

—-Sound Propositions is written, recorded, mixed, and produced by Joseph Sannicandro.