2009-09-25

Tiki the Subculture - and Tikitech

Everyone reasonably immersed in American popular culture knows about tiki. Primarily a theme for bars and restaurants with a supposedly Polynesian flavour, it was born in the thirties, blossomed immensely in the fifties and died, more or less, with the counterculture of the late sixties. Besides a style of interior decoration and a set of drink recipes, a notable aspect was the music, with the theme being closely related to classic 50s-style exotica.

But did you know there is a tiki revival subculture? Starting (according to this great article, which is one of my main sources here) with a tiki-styled camp at the Burning Man festival in the mid-nineties, it soon blossomed out with zines, clubs, festivals, a music scene... and it has reached Scandinavia. My friend Simon down in Malmö showed me the shelf in his local record store where they kept tiki records, and claimed that it had grown fairly big over here in the past few years. Somehow, there's a resonance across the decades and countries, and the style that was prevalent in the United States fifty years ago has found a home in southern Sweden today.

Of course, the fifties are not the noughties. What was considered acceptable then is not necessarily so now. But while there are obviously problematic differences, there are also significant enough similarities across the ages, not just with the revival but with other contemporary music as well, not least with global ghettotech...

There can be a very thin line indeed between subtle irony and utter seriousness, but one of the remarkable features of the tiki revival is that it doesn't see it all as a big joke. Contrast it (and contrast they do) with what would seem a natural neighbour - lounge revival - and the whole distant camp aspect seems completely absent, a playful humour, sure, but no self-conscious sarcasm. Tiki affectionados are as likely to talk about intricate arrangements, design craftsmanship and zones of relaxation as anything kitchy. In fact, a more natural neighbour than lounge seems to be rockabilly revival, with an equal focus on serious dressing up, forming cultural bonds and listening to a certain subset of bands.

In a lot of ways, then, the whole "revival" aspect of tiki seems wilfully perverse, since there was no subculture to begin with. Tiki, once seen as a clear precursor to architectural postmodernism in is playfulness, has been recast as an ultimate primitivistic modernism in the footsteps of Stravinsky and Picasso. It's been imbued with earnestness and nostalgia that was never present the first time around, just like the world modern seems to have shifted firmly from an indicator of the future to a conservationist clinging to the past. The "modern primitive" theme used in some previous events here carries a double meaning: self-chosen "primitivism" both contemporary and harking back to a bygone modern era...

This earnestness, of course, makes it all the more problematic from a historical standpoint.

Accusations of racism are obviously not new to tiki, as the interviewees in the 1996 article indicate. One of the people involved is trying to "be sensitive" to actual Polynesian culture, but for the most part it straightforwardly passes on the mixed-up fantasy of the 50s. Again, there can be a very thin line indeed between detached academic obsessions and underhanded participation. Besides all the more obvious ideas about distortion, social orders and domination one aspects stands out for me: the depopulation. In both the old tiki world and the new, there seems to be no context to the exotic images, and the items are eerily divorced for their creators, like an old colonial fantasy in the Robinson Crusoe tradition where the colonised subjects are faded, like ghosts, into traces.

Which brings me back into global ghettotech.

[Album cover by The Very Best]

[Post illustration from Generation Bass about Edo Rinaldi and his track "Safari"]

[Club poster for Secousse, previously discussed here]


Once, what seems to be an awful many years ago now, the scene was about "exploring" the self-made music of ex-colonial subjects and bringing it up to western attention, in contrast with the exoticising old world music. Then the DJ's involved starting making their own music which imitated or referenced the music they'd previously transmitted, sometimes in "collaboration" with third-world artists. At the lowest end of this there are offensive caricatures, like the ones Rachel so eloquently criticise in this post, but even then the people involved try to put themselves on the same level as the people involved - they're (sarcastically, perhaps, I guess) trying to be colonised subjects.

But now, it seems, the path is open for the colonised subjects to disappear completely, like they have in tiki revival. (The word "tikitech" is from a Reader comment by Wayne.) Rather than reference some cultural manifestation from the third world, they reference a kitchy european or american fantasy of third world culture, or often not even that, merely an empty paradise, exotica for exotica's sake. Tiki revival has its ancient, mystical statues, and global ghettotech has its safari imagery - the Lion King, Madagascar, lion costumes. Animals abound but there are absolutely no people. This, of course, happily mirrors the simultaneous decrease of third world musicians in the actual music. The issue lies deeper than just some pictures.

For me, as I stated in my comment to Rachel's post, the self-consciously colonial imagery is a lot worse than the clumsy caricatures. As the tiki example shows, seriousness is but a small step away, and though it may be (in Rachel's words) "snarky / cheeky / hitorical / self-referencial" now it's still being used, and somehow appreciated by the creators and listeners. To take up a recurring theme in this post again: there's a very thin line indeed between being privileged and self-referentially pretending to have a colonial mindset, and actually having one in the midst of that privilege.

11 comments:

Sabina said...

What's up with the cat dressed up as I don't know what?

Anonymous said...

What I'm about to say might prove to be pretty controversial but so be it!

Let the colonized peoples speak for themselves. They don't need white, middle-class, westerners doing it for them.

Cause that happened far too often in the past and actually led to colonization in many instances.


DJ UMB - GENERATION BASS
(Second Generation British-Kashmiri - from a colonized ancestry).

And just for the record, that image from Madagascar was chosen because my Kids & I are big fans of the animation and I find that particular image hilariously funny and light.

A colonial mindset was as far away from my mind as it is that you're ever likely to experience colonialization first hand!

Nevertheless, thanks for caring!

Anonymous said...

What I'm about to say might prove to be pretty controversial but so be it!

Let the colonized peoples speak for themselves. They don't need white, middle-class, westerners doing it for them.

Cause that happened far too often in the past and actually led to colonization in many instances.


DJ UMB - GENERATION BASS
(Second Generation British-Kashmiri - from a colonized ancestry).

And just for the record, that image from Madagascar was chosen because my Kids & I are big fans of the animation and I find that particular image hilariously funny and light.

A colonial mindset was as far away from my mind as it is that you're ever likely to experience colonialization first hand!

Nevertheless, thanks for caring!

Birdseed said...

I'm certainly not speaking for anyone in this post. (Although when I sometimes do what you do, repost contextually reinterpreted third-world music, I guess you could punt me up into that category. Pot calling etc.)

I'm critiquing wholly western (and mostly white) artists here. I do that from my own perspective, in effect also continually critiquing myself. Maybe you should try it sometime.

Anonymous said...

Hey, I will try critiquing myself cause I'm very open to that but I really don't need to do when we have people like you already doing it for me.

I didn't say you had no right to critique non-white/western artists! I'm not saying a white person has no right to criticize black artists.

What I did say was, perhaps it would only be right for you to sometimes ask people for their reasons for posting whatever they did that offended you, without first jumping to your own assumptions!

Plus, I'm sure colonized peoples/black artists or whatever have the intelligence themselves to challenge colonial mindsets or ideologies!

I've been doing that since the day I was born!

And also, I really don't see any problem in posting or "reposting", as you put it, contextually reinterpreted "third-world" music. (BTW I don't view it at all as being third-world or uncivilised, god forbid!)

What harm is there in that?

It's all music to me regardless of where it comes from. I don't really care whether a person in a white, brown or black skin has produced it to sound black, white, yellow or pink. If it sounds good to me, I'll post it.

But the point you made about why I posted that Safari image is innacurate. It's even more innacurate for the assumptions you arrived at to make your point.

I can take take criticism when it's constructive and fair and indeed I accept many of your points about Global Ghettotech.

This is the reality though my friend:

I posted a pic of Madagascar and the finger is pointed at me for having a colonial mindset, man that's not just laughable but utterly ridiculous.

Next time, please just ask me for a reason/explanation and I'm happy to give it to you anytime of the day, brother!

DJ UMB

Birdseed said...

Dude, I've not accused you of having a colonial mindset. (I perfectly buy your explanation, and I like your blog a lot.)

What I'm saying, or meant to say, is this. A lot of people involved in the gg scene, especially around the tropical scene in London, self-consciously and jokingly play around with old colonial stereotypes or "africa as wild kingdom" stereotypes in order, I guess, to be edgy or to defuse any discussion about power (because it's all fun and games), or because it's "cute". I think (and I've said this before wrt the self-defined "liberal elite") that there's a real danger some of it will seep into what people actually think, you don't just go around playing with images like that. It seems to be a way to gloss over other issues, too, but maybe that's just me.

Thanks for the frank comment in any case. I think the point about defending etc. is an interesting one, and one worth discussing futher. When does being an ally (I'm e.g. a "male feminist ally") become standing in front? I need to blog that, and I don't necessarily disagree with you.

Anonymous said...

Thanks mate, I like your blog a lot too and those of your fellow academic writers too.

I just wish you guys would engage a bit more with us on the front line here.

Cause yes, what you're saying is true about stereotypes and the dangers inherent within that....trendy, stylish, playing to what's fashionable or cute or in at the moment just to appear hip...

I know all that bullshit exists in large quantities in this scene...and that sometimes the people who make this music don't appreciate the cultural heritage that comes with it....but just mess with it cause they reckon it's trendy.

But I don't like to be grouped in with that category....cause for me it's never been a fashion or a fad..for me it's genuine love for the music BUT I appreciate it when white kids make an effort or attempt to get into some of this stuff and I don't wanna discourage it.....by questioning their motives.

If you ever think for example that I'm/we're stepping into that shallow, meaningless territory then of course we'd like to know so that we can think about things a bit more.

Maybe sometimes we do unwittingly or even wittingly step into that shallow, meaningless territory.

I think the problem is just that, you guys have some great analytical and important things to say but what's the point of saying it if it's not directly addressed to the scene makers...or if they don't hear it unless on the off-chance like this post.

A dialogue between us should exist...after all we're all into the same kind of music, it's just that we approach it differently, you, approach it more senstively and I have no gripe against that at all ;-)

DJ UMB

rachel said...

I like this "kitchy fantasy / empty paradise" point. not just for gg, reminds me of fashion running a bit banana republic, colonial chic the past few years. i think rockabilly is a good connect, actually steampunk too - fantasy pasts? immaginary retro futures? i think theres something interesting in not trying to be real about it, no less complicated than authenticity.

Canalh said...

Johan, I really understand your preocupation, and recently I made quite an aggresive accusation on this caricature / stereotype, and in some way i miss the point too... cause i didn't dialogue first with the artist like UMB is suggesting... We need more comunication in this world and blogs/music are here for that...

there seems to be no context to the exotic images and and global ghettotech has its safari imagery - the Lion King, Madagascar, lion costumes. Animals abound but there are absolutely no people. This, of course, happily mirrors the simultaneous decrease of third world musicians in the actual music. The issue lies deeper than just some pictures.

Sure it lies deeper man, so I just think the point you're making may be valid. BUT, like UMB I think you should ask a bit more... I share you the context of aparition of the image on my blog (which result to be the same as UMB an affective/love context...):

Found douster remix " king of Africa" real big > wanted to share it (especially with my girl friend which is comparing me to a lion cause I have a enormous pilosity !!) > I search for a lion photo/illustration in flickr which had relation with title and my girlfriend's comparison > saw that cat !! > my girlfriend is crazy for cat !!!! > she'll love that picture, I'll brighten her day when she'll open it at work !!!!!! > got my pitcure...

Sabina you got your response !!
:)

Birdseed said...

Haha. Sabina is my (ex-)girlfriend, obviously the cat thing goes deep.

Look, I appreciate the fact that you just picked out a picture, and it's not inappropriate to the music concerned (which in itself is fairly tikiish). But the pictures of animals connected with western global ghettotech imagnings of africa just keep cropping up - look at this post on leading Hungarian gg blog Ghetto Bazaar, just a couple of days ago:

http://ghettobazaar.blog.hu/2009/10/16/mi_mi_mi_majom_safari

Monkey Safari, the mixtape? Nice, eh?

I'm adding your blog to my feed, I think, that longer analysis was interesting. I'll have to painstakingly work through it with my highschool french, but then I already do that with Masala and fluo kids... :)

Canaille said...

Hi, so do I with english on various blogs !! You know you can use the google translator tool...

Hey you really scared me with your post, I was about to publicate an humble mix: "reggaeton's not dead" and... the illustration for the mix using some Papous photo... Hum... I forgot a lot about my semiology courses/analysis in University... Really I think I'll do it cause I thought it like that, but I'd love to have your opinion and alimentate your analysis, cause I do it without any conscience of what you are denounciating. Anyway there's so much inconscience in this world...

Send me your email please, at radiocanalh - arobase - gmail.com. I'll send you the pic ! (just can't find it in your page..). Thanks for the link, I'll do the same: love to think... :)