Australian DJ is Elbphilharmonie’s new ‘content creator’
NewsSome part of me wishes this was fiction. Or irony.
Press release:
Derrick Gee is the Elbphilharmonie’s new Creator in Residence
Hamburg, 24 September 2024: The new Creator in Residence at the Elbphilharmonie is the well-known Australian content creator, presenter and DJ Derrick Gee. Throughout the 2024/25 season, the social media star is set to take his nearly one million subscribers across various platforms on a musical voyage around the Elbphilharmonie. Describing himself as a »professional music fan«, Derrick Gee has grown an international community of music lovers, primarily on TikTok and Instagram. He shares his knowledge and experiences with them, in humorous and well-informed videos. Whether he is unearthing hidden treasures from the Tokyo jazz, country music or UK garage scenes, taking a closer look at loudspeakers and headphones, or reflecting critically on the impact of streaming platforms on our listening behavior, Derrick Gee has made it his mission to open up the sometimes inaccessible world of music listening to everyone.
Well…the Elbphilharmonie hosts a variety of genres. What’s the issue at hand?
The issue, since you apparently haven’t noticed, is that all of our institutions are now slaves to “likes” and “clicks”, putting centuries of Western art music and the very lives of those who spend decades of intense labor and sacrifice to match it, down at the playing level of 20-somethings touting their OnlyFans and blackhead extraction videos. People like this, and even worse examples like the grinning root-position-chord specialist and “ambassador” Anna Lapwood, and many many others, would never have had a snowball’s chance in hell of being invited onto the great stages without their apparently sacred “reach” – whilst those of real talent mostly struggle to be noticed.
“Influencers” are a cancer.
What sad existence it must be to belittle those who bring music to new audiences simply due to their using a medium you don’t like. Lapwood has introduced thousands of youngsters to organ music. Do you like her? No? It doesn’t matter because you’re not the intended audience.
But despite what the SlippedDisc comment section so fervently believes, the Western classical tradition is (shock horror) not superior to other forms or music, past or present.
Organisations need to move with the times and those times are moving rapidly. Sometimes it’s a case of trial and error… but how do you propose doing it instead if not this way?
Stupendous programming and expensive print brochures? Both futile endeavours if you’ve not reached your intended audience. Empty seats all round.
(That you choose to cite Onlyfans and blackhead extraction videos sheds interesting light into your own online pursuits).
“But despite what the SlippedDisc comment section so fervently believes, the Western classical tradition is (shock horror) not superior to other forms or music, past or present.”
A typical remark from the corner of cultural relativism: any cultural product is as good as any other and has as much right on our attention as anything else.
But that is not true. There is high level culture, and low level culture, and all kinds of gradations in between. That does not mean that low culture has to be looked-down upon, but that we should try to develop some discernment as to quality, meaning, effect. A good photo is not on the same level as a good painting, as a good hiphop burp is not on the same level of a good classical music symphony or piano concerto. Who thinks otherwise, is unfit for any serious discussion about culture, or classical music, or its problems in the modern world.
It is a simple observation for anyone who takes the trouble to think things a bit through, that history is always changing but that this does not mean that all change is for the better, and that change in itself is good. Looking back to the history of the West, there are ups and downs, improvements and impoverishments, progress and decline (sometimes at the same time).
‘Going with the times’ does not say anything as to whether this is a good thing or not, it entirely depends upon the case in hand and its context. Going along with trends that obviously, for any discerning person, means an undermining of the art form of ‘Western classical music’ is very superficial and plain silly.
I haven’t come across any other living composer other than you-know-who who would say that traditional music of other cultures is not as good as the Western tradition
Surely the Western classical music tradition is by far the richest of all musical traditions in the world. That is something else from saying it is ‘better’ – better in which respect? On what level, in what sense? All musical traditions form together the world’s heritage.
How do you quantify richness? There’s somewhere between 150 to 350 Chinese opera varieties, and that’s just Chinese opera, not to mention other things like the guqin tradition.
The styles and conventions of traditional Eastern musical traditions are much limited by general structural formalities. This ensured their rather stable survival over the ages because much of the music was – at least partly – improvised and transmitted aurally. No Eastern tradition developed a notation system as in the West, which made so many more different stylistic formations possible, and so much more individual interpretations.
It is amazing that such very obvious traits have to be explained.
You mention more individual interpretations, but different improvisations on a raga (for example) literally has different notes, whereas you’d be hard pressed to find interpretations of Western classical music which deviate from the score
“Not the intended audience”? Of course I’m the “intended audience”, as if the intention matters one whit, which it doesn’t. EVERYONE is the intended audience. The poisonous reality of “influencers” is perfectly demonstrated in your obfuscating, skirting comment, and you can make any judgements you want about how sad that is or isn’t, but responding to it was certainly worth your time. “How sad must someone’s life be that they had to take the time…”. etc.
By the way, this attitude of “oh isn’t it wonderful how many YOUNGSTERS (it’s always fetishization of the young in classical music, always) got INTRODUCED to something, as though this is the only singular thing that matters – and also as though there were any kind of verifiable consensus on what that even means. I don’t believe for a second that Anna Lapwood or anyone like that has made any significant accomplishment, at all, in this direction. Loads of attention and clicks is like yesterday’s news; it’s nice today, it’s forgotten tomorrow, and the bulk of “YOUNGSTERS!!!1!!” who actually end up playing – of all things – the organ, were most likely organ nerds to begin with, or proximal in some way.
There is, however, one “yOunGStEr!!!” who Anna Lapwood has helped immensely, and that is – mainly, principally, and by design – Anna Lapwood. The fact that there are still people so rosy-eyed as to miss this is truly good for a laugh. Thanks for that!
It sounds like you could make better use of your time by embracing the unfamiliar and approaching it with curiosity and openmindedness. Instead of yelling at strangers on the internet.
I’m so glad you’re not the president of the Royal College of Organists, or the American Guild of Organists
How would you know?
I am not sure about your viewing habits. Only fans has of course become famous as a porn site and maybe if you have dermatological issue you should try seeing a specialist.
I dread to think what you do when watching Anna Lapwood but that is your private prerogative.
Irrelevant, as well as none of your business; anyway, as John rightly pointed out, you’re just another cultural relativist.
Must be tiring to live a life hating what people choose freely to do just because it doesn’t measure up to your quality yardstick.
Or, more likely, fund the employment you feel entitled to.
If this appointment is meant to make classical music accessible to youngsters, surely it will not stimulate interest in classical music with crowds who enjoy such simple pop genres. Because classical music cannot be presented in the wrong wrapping paper without causing deep disappointment.
Have you seen his instagram post about the appointment? It’s great. Full of joy and curiosity . This is not about wrapping paper it is about communicating.
Oh I LOVE communicating! There’s far not enough of it in that music world, there’s not enough music in it. Nice sounds: OK, but what really counts, is what people are saying.
Sally
”Creator in Residence” sounds weird.
An interesting appointment which could pay dividends. Firstly a million followers is a not insubstantial amount and if only a small percentage of them visit the Elbphilharmonie for the first time it is worth doing.
Secondly he has a wide and diverse range of musical interests and that has to be welcomed as it will refresh those parts of the audience that are not missed.
Thirdly only a fool ignores the massive power of social media as a platform to engage .
Finally is the issue that he is an influencer first and only or a lover of music who happens to be a successful influencer ? I suspect it is the latter.
Anything that brings interesting and challenging thinking to auditoria is just grand. I mean Diaghilev was no slouch at influencing!
So overall a good appointment made.
The point is not to dismiss social media but to object to the suggested relationship with genres of music that have nothing, really absolutely nothing, to do with Western classical music.
To draw, of all people, Serge Diaghilev into the fray is plain silly: he was absolutely focussed on artistic quality and would not sacrifice quality to easy marketing. He always tried to get the best artists working for him: the best dancers, and the best composers around, and stage setting artists.
Oh no he wasn’t . He was focussed on selling seats as well.
Do read a bit. And only THEN try to formulate a comment.
Nonsense.
Experimentation is not wrong nor bad. And most experiments fail. The world shall not end.
get ready for: ‘selfies at the symphony’
This “content creator’s content” is not “accessible” to me. I like classical music created by composers.
I have just watched Derrick’s video on how to buy a hifi system. It is beyond parody. I did learn that it’s still with-it to refer to ‘er indoors as ‘wifey’, which surprised me.
Does this content creator speak German? (The short biography makes no reference to any experience working with German-speaking musicians/organisations, hence the question.)