Intelligent Shit Music
From Intelligent Shit Music
Intelligent Shit Music, or ISM, is the genre of music which this wiki is dedicated to, that originated on the ateaseweb.com messageboard.
History
The term ISM is a reference to the common name of the genre that the label Warp Records promotes, 'Intelligent Dance Music' or 'IDM', and was coined by Mutual Slump. It is somewhat misleading in that it suggests all ISM must bear a resemblance to IDM, whereas this is not the case at all.
Ash is generally credited with being the first to make ISM, and indeed has kept a mysterious aura surrounding its origins, what inspired him to begin making it, and suchlike. It is believed he began making ISM circa 2002. The Moose Thong EP by TrevAsh, released in July or August 2003, is generally held to be the catalyst for the explosion of Intelligent Shit Music and the pinnacle of fine ISM. This inspired Hoodlum to begin making ISM, and in time others followed - 2004 saw many new artists and people take up ISM, and this continued into 2005.
As of 2006, ISM continues to be made, although for some who saw it as a fad, and the naysayers, the hype has died down. However, ISM is not a fad. Nor is it a way of life. It is just a genre of music. In fact early 2006 saw the release of one of the most critically acclaimed ISM albums to date, the harmonious eagle's '2012 disc 0' which even avid haters of the genre regarded as 'interesting.'
No known website catering for ISM as a full genre had been set up previous to this, although there have been attempts. Schlock is notable for having said that an ISM site (CommunISM, 'a community for ISM') would be created, although that never happened (some individual artist sites and pages do exist, however). One reason for the existence of this website is that since there have been attempts to write about ISM at Wikipedia, place artist profiles on RateYourMusic, and similar, it was thought that a site that was easy to use and could unify ISM for its cause, and make it more notable in general, as these sites have no place for underground cult movements as esoteric as Intelligent Shit Music.
Definition
There is no formal definition of Intelligent Shit Music.
The ISM ethic could perhaps best be described as with the following paraphrased quote from a track by The Cork Examiner: "If Gang of Four have a 'punk' ethic, and Kaiser Chiefs have no ethic as the people who like their music are generally not capable of understanding the concept of 'ethic' as otherwise they wouldn't listen to it, then ISM has a 'shit' ethic - a postmodern, self-indulgent, objective, eclectic, all-encompassing, silly yet serious, brutally honest stalk of wheat that revels in its own exuberance". The ethic, as a concept, of course, doesn't necessarily have to relate to what the music sounds like, although it can often be a very important factor in determining the artistic value of something such as music.
Ash has stated that "to understand ISM you must become ISM" and that the only rule in the genre is that there are no rules.
Making ISM
Anyone with a computer with the correct software can make it - a microphone isn't even strictly necessary (although it can be greatly beneficial).
In general, artists have used programs such as Windows Sound Recorder and Audacity to record their music, and edit it.
The difficulty of defining ISM makes it easier to call any music without professional production, planning, or any kind of forethought Intelligent Shit Music. Recording 'on the spot' is great, although it stands in contrast with the 'Sound Recorder fuckery' school of thought - the idea that all ISM must be chaotic random noise, as Ash seems to believe. Hoodash Chittolo is a good example of an ISM artist who has balanced both, and much more.
However, it's up to you how you choose to make it. If you find you've invented a new method of making the stuff, then that's all the better for you. Just try recording and editing some stuff, compile it, burn it to a CD-R if you like, and there you go - you have an ISM album. You can even make your own artwork if you like!
And yes, you can use real musical instruments, but equally you can use computer music making programs, or a few cups you might have on your desk and a spoon in a combination with your voice, or combine them all. It's really up to you. Just be creative and make ISM!
Oh, and don't forget to ask your friends if they'd like to join in too, if you think they'd like it. These can be real life friends or people you know online that you can digitally exchange music with. It's great!
