10/25/2014

(Musical) Health Manifesto


Buy a physical product. Listen to it away from the computer and the Internet. If you order by traditional mail order, choose your records from a physical catalogue, put down the order on paper, place it in the mailbox. Enjoy the extra time it will take for you to get the record. Don't look up information about records on the Internet, build your own opinion. Think hard before you buy a record, do you really want it? Don't buy too many records at once, preferably just one at a time. Don't buy records too often. Don't necessarily buy a record even if you want to. If there are several versions of a record available, always buy the one that makes up the lowest common denominator, that is, the one that contains the core of the material without bonus tracks, alternative takes et cetera. Only listen to what you're prepared to pay for, even if it's available for free. Only buy official products. Never listen to music on your computer or mobile phone. Never listen to music through Internet based streaming services. Neglect YouTube, Spotify, iTunes and all the others. Never listen to compressed formats. Don't buy digital music, always listen to a physical product away from the Internet. Don't do anything else while listening, just listen. The artist is trying to tell you something, that matters. Plant that knowledge into your immediate local surroundings, not some desolate, abstract virtual universe. Let time be as slow as it is, again. Let space be as big as it is, again. Physical, physical, real, physical, physical, feel, physical real. Your mind.

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