March 10, 2012: Zepelim: People's Choice

ZEPELIM: PEOPLE’S CHOICE

This episode of Zepelim presents a sound collage that aims to stir people’s hearts by featuring the most cherished and praised Western popular music.  Inspired by the Chartsweep of the teacher and pop music archivist Hugo Keesing, Zepelim offers a Chartsweep with the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time according to Rolling Stone. This chart was first presented in a special issue of Rolling Stone, issue number 963, published on December 9, 2004. The Beatles are the most-represented musical act and John Lennon is the only artist to place multiple songs in the top 10. This is the chart that radios are made of, and to prove it, Komar and Melamid united with the composer Dave Soldier to determine precisely what people “liked” and “hated” in music. Using a sophisticated experimental design, a sample of 500 American citizens took a survey with items like Favorite and least favorite musical instruments; favorite duration for a musical composition; favorite song subject, etc. The result is The Most Wanted and Unwanted Music - an expression of democracy by statistics and the best example of Demographic Art.  Everything the media told you to love and hate is condensed here in less than one hour – be ready for an overload of radio memories and the 99% chance that you will hear the song that made your heart skip a beat.

Carlo Patrao is a 27 year-old native of Coimbra, Portugal.  He attended the University of Coimbra and has been working in radio since 2007, when he became a member of the student-run radio station Rádio Universidade de Coimbra (RUC). His education at RUC immersed him in the independent spirit of exclusively author-oriented radio programs free from the pressure of ratings, advertising, and profit-earning. Carlo began his radio career covering several areas of radiophonic activity, ranging from weekly shows featuring pop and folk music to more topical programs presenting cultural events, reviewing books and music, and promoting the work of local artists. In 2008, he created the program Zepelim with his friend Afonso Biscaia in order to explore the diverse possibilities of radiophonic space through the use of field recordings, experimental music, musique concrete, drones, archived sound and live improvisation. Episodes of Zepelim are 60-minute sound collages based on specific themes every month.  The tracklists of sounds featured in each program are annotated in his blog. In addition to his work at the radio, Carlo has a degree in Psychology and works as a therapist in the field of drug addiction.

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