Where to begin with... Archives - Slow Culture Magazine

WHERE TO BEGIN WITH… The Fall (music band)

14 May 202014 May 2020Music & Records, Where to begin with... Marc Louis-Boyard

A guide to the music of The Fall is much needed once the novice is confronted to the dizzying immensity of Mark E. Smith’s prolificacy.

Smith’s quote “If it’s me and yer granny on bongos, it’s the Fall” is quite close to reality, and if the result can be sometimes confusing, Mark’s art is never deprived of interest. That’s why we asked the members of the Facebook group Mark E Smith & The Fall: It’s not Repetition, it’s Discipline to write a few lines about their favorite songs, in their own words.

Alexander, Erik, Steve, Andy, thank you very much for your time and generosity of soul. Main picture courtesy of Montecruz Foto.

WHERE TO BEGIN WITH… Niki de Saint Phalle

28 April 20203 May 2020Visual arts, Where to begin with... Aurélie Lemaire

Strong and fragile, feminine and feminist, Niki de Saint Phalle keeps on marking spirits as we reach the 20th anniversary of her passing. In this article, I invite you to dive into the rich and complex universe of this cult artist.

Here are my three reasons to immerse in her engaged, occult, colorful and laid back world.

Forte et fragile à la fois, féministe et féminine, Niki de Saint Phalle continue à marquer les esprits près de 20 ans après sa disparition. Je vous propose un plongeon dans le monde riche et complexe de cette artiste culte, intemporelle et iconique.
Voici mes trois raisons pour vous immerger dans son univers engagé, ésotérique, coloré et décomplexé.

WHERE TO BEGIN WITH… Adam Neely (YouTube music theorist)

6 April 202010 April 2020Music & Records, Where to begin with... Marc Louis-Boyard

Excellent news for the world of curiosity and musical enlightenment: Adam Neely and his videos just passed the 1M subscribers mark on YouTube. Numbers are numbers, and there’s another reason why Adam Neely is joining the Where to Begin With… club today.

Long story short, I tried to have fun at conservatories twice in my life. Always failed. If I humbly consider enjoying a decent level of musicianship, Adam Neely managed to transform the way I have lunch. Weird connection. Let me explain.

My keyboard coexists with my plate, and my computer overheats at the sole idea of running Google Chrome and my favorite DAW app at the same time. Watching Adam Neely’s videos made me feel like discovering music again. This knowing that my initial discovery of jazz was one of the few real milestones of my life.

E m o t i o n. But not only.

Now comes the time to enjoy our guide to Adam Neely in 3 videos and 6 adjectives.

For those needing more context, this guide has no biographical motive, but you can check Adam’s Wikipedia page.

WHERE TO BEGIN WITH… Stevie Wonder (best performances)

25 February 202026 February 2020Music & Records, Where to begin with... Marc Louis-Boyard

Stevie Wonder (born 1950 in Saginaw, Michigan) is everywhere in our culture, and is here to stay. His performances too! Who could pretend they ever had a major life moment (or even several ones) in which Stevie’s music wasn’t present?

Let’s not insult your intelligence: this article is not the occasion to make you discover his music, but to broaden your horizons and enrich your relationship with its music and humanity… the live way.

Let’s get enchanted (once again, before next time).

WHERE TO BEGIN WITH… John Coltrane (jazz)

18 November 201918 November 2019Music & Records, Where to begin with... Marc Louis-Boyard

Fact: the jazz world is essentially difficult to read. John Coltrane has been one of the first jazzmen to introduce us to this major movement of music. Did you know that jazz is the oldest form of music that is still active and evolving? You should. Worry not: you will soon learn much more with this guide.

Let’s have a few minutes with The Wise One’s short but impressive career and discover your next rudiments.

WHERE TO BEGIN WITH… Dostoyevsky Wannabe (indie press)

10 November 201910 November 2019Literature, Where to begin with... Marc Louis-Boyard

Slow Culture just turned 3, and we’re back to basics. Since Frank Zappa and Miles Davis have their own guides, it’s due time for Dostoyevsky Wannabe to have theirs. Are we exaggerating? Certainly not.

Dostoyevsky Wannabe helped us falling in love with literature again, and are not likely to leave our seasonal and massive book wishlists any time soon. In the span of 4 years, the Mancunian small press founded by Richard Brammer and Victoria Brown edited, designed and published dozens of titles. In our opinion, it’s been a quality over quality affair all along.

Here are six titles that enchanted our life until now, one page at a time.