October 14-20, 2004

cover story

Sound and Vision

by Patrick Rapa

Of course music isn't a strictly auditory experience. It's all tangled up with fashion and persona and sex and image and ideals and product placement. At least that's the rule laid out by the industry.

And it makes sense; like Elijah Spiritoso of hip-hop duo Biggup and Elijah says on p. 34, "The more senses you can stimulate, the greater the impact."

Biggup and Elijah are just two of surprisingly many independent Philly artists who’ve decided to make a music video in the last six months.

Really. In this day and age?

Isn’t that medium dead, irrelevant, abandoned to the made-for-TV monsters created and promoted by the six major labels?

Well, as it turns out, yes, yes, yes. And also no. The Big M, as you know, has sworn off videos until every room has been raided, every road ruled. And there are some televised alternatives, like Fuse and college stations and this MTV2 everybody swears is real. But don’t we all have the magic free cable? Damned if we’re gonna subscribe to dish or digital just to get VH1 Classic.

So why are independent artists still making videos? Why risk the time and money and effort and embarrassment?

Because it’s fun. Fun is a good enough reason -- most of these guys aren’t swimming in coins from their music gigs. What’s one more irrational creative enterprise?

Besides, television is no longer required. Thanks to DVD burners, enhanced CDs and Quicktiming, Realplaying, computer-crashing web technology, nobody has to sleep with Carson Daly to get a video seen. Click, click, boom. Instant connection to the audience, however small it might be. Philadelphia artists have picked up on this.

We’ve been watching. Taking notes. Occasionally crashing and rebooting.

Which brings us to the Music Issue currently staining your fingers. We sought out the best Philly music visible to the naked eye -- from players at the top of the game like The Roots making big-budget videos to underdogs like Biggup and Elijah striking poses with their friends in a Southwest Philly bar. It’s a mix of motion and music right here in the static newspaper medium. Hopefully it’ll stimulate more than one of your senses.

Next time we’ll try doing it scratch ’n’ sniff.