Letter #134 ❤️
Love Will Save The Day
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09.04.21
Hey, hello, hi, hi...
How are you? I hope you’re good. Well, it looks like I well and truly fell for 'fake spring' last time we spoke. There I am saying that it feels like spring is on its way, and then it snows three times in April. At least the sun is back, though!
Anyway, on to this week... And have I got a treat for you! The music is exceptional. Expect optimism, happiness, funk, soul, and some brain-rattling, universe-vibrating music. It's a bloomin' celebration of the power of love!
Despite the wonderful subject matter, this week's edition was a tough one to put together – I’ve tried hard to tell a story through the music and the ideas - but I think it works. The music is powerful, and the ideas are (hopefully) provocative. I'd love to know what you think. (On a side-note, now we're a handful of shows / podcast editions in, I'd also love to know what you think of the new format - I know, I know, I'm so demanding of you.)
I've also been working on a sort-of manifesto for how I think we can create a better world through art, culture, and community. I've published the manifesto below, but there's much more context and explanation on it on the show...
Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Stay safe, stay happy, and stay in touch.
See you on the dancefloor,
Jed x
PS. If you're new then this is how it works. Here’s what you’ve missed so far. And this is me.
PPS. If you're still reading this bit here, then would you mind sending this email on to a few friends that might like it? Or tweeting or posting on on Facebook about it?
🌪 TL;DR Section 🌪
The TL;DR Section is a little different at the moment, as I've been trying to read more books, so naturally my other reading has shrunk a little.
Stuff from the show
Post Capitalism, by Paul Mason
K-Punk, a collection of essays by Mark Fisher
Is the fate of UK film being determined by an algorithm? An excellent exploration of the future of culture from Little White Lies (subscribe here)
Some added extras
Mat Dryhurst is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in the future of music - this piece in Forbes shows why
Shawn Reynaldo has hit a real purple patch recently - this interview with Jeff Mills is great (subscribe to First Floor)
The upcoming album from Howie Lee on Maisum Discos is amazing
This Wax Poetics piece on Coltrane is mega (support Wax Poetics)
Trevor Jackson's latest NTS show is great (support NTS here)
Lots of interesting thoughts in this piece called The Dark Forest Theory of the Internet... (subscribe here)
Watch this BBC feature on No Signal (support No Signal here)
Tereza had SHY ONE and Josey Rebelle on her excellent worldwide show recently (support worldwide here)
This article on the world after capitalism in Foreign Policy is fascinating
Anti-racism resources
Akala’s Native’s
Reni Eddo-Lodge’s Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race
Afua Hirsch’s Brit(ish)
🙋🏻♂️ Driving Change 🙋🏻♂️
Platforming; If you are black, a POC, or you're a person that has been marginalised, and you would like to guest edit an edition of Love Will Save The Day, please get in touch with me. I want to ensure that your voice is heard. Just reply to this email.
Mentoring; As a senior white man in a media agency, I hold a very privileged position. If you, or any one that you know, is interested in a career in advertising or media and needs a mentor and/or a leg-up, please contact me / get them to contact me at jed.hallam@initiative.com
📖 Old notes 📖
Notes on culture
Rebuilding culture: fixing the asymmetry of art, culture, and commerce
A response to the argument that culture is boring these days
Notes on music
Notes on mental health
❤️ The manifesto ❤️
-
The Earth is on fire. The ice caps are melting. Nature is in retreat.
The Earth's thermostat is broken.
'Real wages' are still at the same level as the mid 1970s. The world's richest 0.1% are wealthier than the poorest 90%. Infinite growth, yet finite resources.
Economic growth, it seems, is not for everyone.
Non-white, non-middle aged, non middle-class, non-male people are still marginalised. Politics has polarised beyond comprehension. Trust is in short supply.
Society is split.
Neoliberal capitalism is destroying the environment, creating drastic inequalities in the economy, and fracturing society.
Art is starting to reflect life.
Culture is humanities early-warning system, and the alarm has been going off for a while.
But the 'share price' put on art, on culture, and on community has decreased.
Culture has become a bear market.
Yet it's culture that binds us together. It's art that teaches us about the world.
It's community that gives us love.
Without them, life is without purpose, people without identity, and the future is empty.
But art, culture, and community also hold the key to our future.
We can use art, culture and community to rebuild a fairer, more equal society.
But to do that we have to put love above money.
Love is the message.
(Through) Love (We) Will Save The Day.
We have to love and support those that create art that helps us understand the world.
We need to love and nurture the cultures that we're part of and contribute ourselves.
We need to love and support one another, and give without expectation.
Our strength comes from the connections that we have to each other. Our shared values and beliefs make our network open to good, and impenetrable to bad.
We don't need to overthrow the system. We are what fuels the system. Our decisions support the system. Our decisions can navigate the world away from environmental, economic, and societal disaster.
There are two types of decisions we can make; those to do with our consumption, and those to do with our production.
If we want to drive change we must consciously steer our money towards those creating art, supporting culture, and those contributing actively to communities. We must choose to buy from companies that support our values.
And we must ensure that what we're creating and the businesses that we are contributing to share our values and invest in and support art, culture, and community on a truly meaningful level.
The individuals, the institutions, and the ideologies that are destroying our world are also entirely reliant upon each and everyone of us, and the decisions that we make.
We can better distribute our capital to ensure that the existing inequalities in the system are redressed and that artists have the means to create.
We can work for companies that see their contribution to the world beyond trickle down economics.
We are in control.
(Through) Love (We) Will Save The Day.
📃 The tracklist 📃
Jane - It's A Fine Day
Dorothy Ashby - The Windmills Of Your Mind
Kruder & Dorfmeister - Love Hope Change
Rare Earth - Smiling Faces Sometimes
Stevie Wonder - You Haven't Done Nothin'
Sounds of Blackness - Optimistic
Vex Ruffin - Mabuhay Boy
Eddie Chacon - Hurt (Seahawks remix)
Oscar Jerome - Give Back What U Stole From Me (Nightmares on Wax remix)
Emanative & Liz Elensky - Love & Light
L'Imperatrice - Anomalie Bleue
Keita Sano - Life Has Changed
Gloria Gaynor - Anybody Wanna Party?
Rick James - You & I (extended M&M mix)
Marko Militano - Good People (Directors Cut signature remix)
Nubla Garcia - The Message Continues (Mark de Clive Lowe remix)
DJ Jazzy Jeff - The Way We Cool
Osunlade - Lizards
Prequel - And That's The Story Of Their Love
Theo Parrish - Took Me All The Way Back
Jimi Tenor - Forgotten Planet Awakens (Ricardo Villalobos remix)
rRoxymore - Price Of Highest Consciousness
Reece Cox - Emotion 1(upsammy remix)
India Jordan - And Groove
Marie Davidson - C'est Parce Que J'm'en Four (Jlin remix)
IMOGEN - Bizant
u-Ziq - Brace Yourself Jason
Juan Atkins - Track Ten
Fatima Yamaha - Migratory Floozy
Spiritualized - Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
💥 If you enjoy this letter, then please take a second to forward this email, or share this link with a recommendation on Facebook or Twitter 💥
See you on the dance floor.
Love Will Save the Day