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I usually have these old school analogue microphones

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this is really a politician like

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You need to turn this up a little bit

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*music*

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00:00:36,700 --> 00:00:39,880
Do you remember this piece?

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you can even turn it up a little bit more

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*boom*

8
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*boom*

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00:01:05,376 --> 00:01:24,999
*introduction music of 30C3*

10
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*still music playing*

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Hello and …

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*applause*

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… welcome to Hamburg!

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My name is Alec Empire

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and what you just heard was the music piece

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I wrote for last years anniversary opening video installation

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The 30C3

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Those of you in the audience,

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who couldn’t attend last year,

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there was a video installation

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that ran on multiple screens

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it showed the 30 year history

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of the Chaos Computer Club.

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The beginning - the 80ies,

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then the 90ies, you know,

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when the internet became accessible for everyone,

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then the years after

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and now we’re here…

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This is really amazing for me, to be here

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and thank you for coming!

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And thanks also to the CCC for this invitation

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because I'm a musician, you know,

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I'm not really a hacker.

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So when I received the request

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I have to admit, it kind of blew me away

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to be invited here and speak to you.

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I assume most of you in the audience

38
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do not know who I am,

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and there is probably also a percentage of people here

40
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who want to forget that they’ve ever heard a song of me.

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*laughter*

42
00:05:01,490 --> 00:05:04,750
So, I wanna quickly introduce myself.

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I am a musician, producer, composer,

44
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also sound engineer,

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I am the director of Digital Hardcore Recordings,

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which is a record label which is based in London.

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I'm a member of Atari Teenage Riot,

48
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*applause*

49
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which is a collective of musicians.

50
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I was born in West-Berlin in the 70ies,

51
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so I experienced the Berlin Wall and its Fall,

52
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yes, I was very involved in the techno and electronic music scene

53
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when it exploded in Europe via Berlin

54
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in the early 90ies.

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I don’t want to go into this for too long

56
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but I basically have been involved

57
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in the production of around 400 releases,

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worked with tons of musicians

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like Björk, Gary Numan, Rammstein,

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Primal Scream, Slayer, or classical musicians

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like The Brotzki Quartett,

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The music press calls me “sonic terrorist”.

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I toured with Nine Inch Nails,

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Wu Tang Clan, Rage Against The Machine,

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Moby and many others.

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Here you see a poster from the late 90ies,

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and I think you get the idea,

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where we stand politically.

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*some laughter*

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here you see Trent Reznor wearing

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an Atari Teenage Riot shirt…

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*laughter*

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00:06:48,599 --> 00:06:51,370
and here's a legendary photo of Aphex Twin

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and as someone on the internet pointed out

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in the corner there …

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there's a mysterious person sitting in the garage

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wearing an Atari Teenage Riot t-shirt.

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*laughter*

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For years I didn't even notice this,

80
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so, who was pulling the strings?

81
00:07:13,300 --> 00:07:18,729
In the late 90ies the Beastie Boys

82
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put out an album by Atari Teenage Riot

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called “Burn Berlin Burn”,

84
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it went gold in the United States,

85
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the international release of “Burn Berlin Burn”

86
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was a slightly different version

87
00:07:34,409 --> 00:07:41,330
and it was called “Delete Yourself”.

88
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So the last 20 years of my life were an absolut ride.

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We're the collective, we try to

90
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stay off the grid as much as we can,

91
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because we know about the dangers

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of the music industry and its hype machine.

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It can swallow you and then it spits you out.

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And most artists can’t get back up again.

95
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So when I spoke to Thorsten and Erdgeist,

96
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and a little bit to Frank,

97
00:08:11,669 --> 00:08:13,409
they told me that they want me to speak

98
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about my approach to music today,

99
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the political ideas and methods behind it

100
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because they are very unusual

101
00:08:21,069 --> 00:08:24,680
and have a lot in common with hacking.

102
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Usually musicians are inspired by other musicians,

103
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but we are inspired by hackers.

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00:08:33,948 --> 00:08:36,900
So, there're like 3 words:

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Atari – Teenage – Riot

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I wanna play you a little clip from 1999

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*music: “Revolution Action”*

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Okay

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*applause*

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the video for the song “Revolution Action”

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was directed by Andrea Giacobbe.

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It opens with a shot of Wall Street

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and then the company faces a little

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… technical problem.

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This was in 1999 and it's maybe interesting

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for you to know, that MTV UK banned it right away,

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because they feared, that people would get

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epileptic fits or something like that.

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But actually MTV international did show it

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in many other countries.

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Over the past ten years

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the internet spread this video

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and – you saw an edited version of it now –

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and the internet is probably,

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where most people saw it.

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Atari Teenage Riot is not a band,

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that is often a misunderstanding.

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It’s more a lose collective

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of like minded musicians.

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What might be interesting for you to know is

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that we program every song on the Atari 1040 ST.

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*applause*

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The Atari 1040 ST, do you remember this even?

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*more applause*

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Who doesn't even know this computer anymore?

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I guess the majority of you guys here.

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It has 2MB RAM, *laughing*

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it's always a fucking pain to make music on it.

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It's like solving a difficult math equation

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or something at our time.

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But it's great.

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It has a very fast and tight MIDI attack,

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and every year that passes

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it becomes a new challenge

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to drive this little thing in the red.

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But it’s cheap also at this point.

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You know it's 20 bucks maybe on ebay

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or something …

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You can create art and beauty on a computer

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and – I always say this to musicians,

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who try to figure out like

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learning the skills of a

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“more traditional” instrument.

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And you can also use music and art as a weapon.

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William S. Burroughs wrote a text in the “Electronic Revolution”

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about how riot sound effects can produce riots

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when you play them in a riot situation

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you simulate a riot, people hear the sounds,

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they change their behaviour, call the cops,

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the cops appear on the scene,

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you have a riot.

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*some laughter*

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When we started in 1992

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the far right and Neo-Nazi scene in Europe

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was on the rise,

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especially in Eastern Germany.

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We knew we had to fight against that. With music.

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So we decided to make electronic music

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on an Atari computer based on Burroughs’ text.

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Sampling technology was affordable at this point

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and we created these tracks that were almost collage like.

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Back then the music scenes were pretty divided

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into groups like punks, ravers, metal fans,

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and the Hip Hop scene and so on …

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But our idea was to tear down those barriers

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and unite people from all genres for the politics.

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Fashion, race, sex, social background and so on

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shouldn’t exclude anyone from joining.

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I still believe in this approach even though

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the music has to be adjusted from time to time

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to make this work!

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Germany just celebrated the 25th anniversary

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of the Fall of The Berlin Wall

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and again we see racist and fascist ideologies

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spread all over Europe.

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Anti-Semitism, attacks on Jewish people

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and the demonisation of Muslims.

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20 years ago we hoped these problems would be solved by now.

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But they aren't.

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It's important, that culture reacts to this

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and maybe even prevents this.

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The physical aspect of the music is very important.

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Using frequencies that give the listener an adrenaline rush.

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When people hear music

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they often fall into certain patterns of behaviour.

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We have all witnessed this many times.

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You hear a christmas song,

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your brain switches immediately.

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Or when soldiers hear the national anthem,

200
00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:07,200
their body language changes very fast.

201
00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:11,440
Weddings, funerals, supermarkets, rock concerts,

202
00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:14,440
raves, birthdays and so on…

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Be aware of those, become immune to them,

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and you are in less danger

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of being tricked into something.

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For those of you, who never attendend an Atari Teenage Riot show

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this is, how it looks like

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*video*

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00:18:26,750 --> 00:18:32,540
*applause*

210
00:18:35,150 --> 00:18:38,970
The footage was filmed by visual artist Zan Lyons

211
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who was there to take some photos first

212
00:18:42,990 --> 00:18:45,020
but then switched to filming

213
00:18:45,020 --> 00:18:52,020
when the crowd started to tear down the barriers.

214
00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:56,430
This was filmed at Fusion festival near Berlin.

215
00:18:56,430 --> 00:19:02,410
It's a festival which is completely corporate sponsor free

216
00:19:02,410 --> 00:19:06,320
that we played in 2010.

217
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These things still exist and I think

218
00:19:08,590 --> 00:19:12,960
it is important to support them and go there.

219
00:19:14,060 --> 00:19:18,710
Last August we premiered a video at the EFF event

220
00:19:18,710 --> 00:19:25,710
at Defcon in Las Vegas in the US, which was this one.

221
00:19:30,140 --> 00:19:37,140
*music video: “Modern Liars”*

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“Modern Liars love machines,

223
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they get inspired and steal your dreams.

224
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The price of victory was never higher. …” *cont.*

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*applause*

226
00:22:31,150 --> 00:22:36,520
*laughing* I wish, I would have these comments during our shows

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00:22:37,130 --> 00:22:41,530
so people would know what to do. *laughter*

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00:22:44,120 --> 00:22:47,180
In the video animated by Rob McLellan

229
00:22:47,180 --> 00:22:53,270
we wanted to use a 90ies style video game aesthetics

230
00:22:53,270 --> 00:22:59,170
to criticise sexism in video games, the entertainment industry

231
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and how it creates stupid rivalries between creatives.

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You know, a few weeks later

233
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the whole Gamergate thing happened

234
00:23:10,100 --> 00:23:13,950
so we were slightly off time with this video.

235
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I think … little bit later,

236
00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:20,070
it would have been a good commentary, maybe.

237
00:23:20,070 --> 00:23:23,250
This was also an edited version,

238
00:23:23,250 --> 00:23:25,900
the whole thing is longer of course.

239
00:23:25,900 --> 00:23:27,780
I think the message is becoming clearer,

240
00:23:27,780 --> 00:23:30,410
if you see this whole thing.

241
00:23:30,410 --> 00:23:34,870
I often get asked by people from the hacking community

242
00:23:34,870 --> 00:23:40,100
why is it that not more musicians participate or help?

243
00:23:40,100 --> 00:23:45,190
Okay, people have maybe some friends who do some music

244
00:23:45,190 --> 00:23:50,630
and … you know … but I think, we can all agree

245
00:23:50,630 --> 00:23:54,470
that since that Metallica Napster fight

246
00:23:54,470 --> 00:23:59,650
musicians and artists don’t really want to get involved.

247
00:23:59,650 --> 00:24:03,870
But I think they should.

248
00:24:03,870 --> 00:24:10,870
Often people ask me ‘why isn’t there more protest music?’

249
00:24:14,980 --> 00:24:18,510
There's that triangle, that a lot of creatives use.

250
00:24:18,510 --> 00:24:22,929
It's like high quality, high speed at low cost

251
00:24:22,929 --> 00:24:24,200
and you can never have the three …

252
00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:31,200
It's just the reality of the creative process.

253
00:24:31,750 --> 00:24:33,020
Now think about what happens –

254
00:24:33,020 --> 00:24:35,830
and make no mistake about it

255
00:24:35,830 --> 00:24:39,040
because it is happening now since a few years –

256
00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:43,230
so what happens when you try to do it with zero cost?

257
00:24:43,230 --> 00:24:48,470
It's almost like you're freezing culture.

258
00:24:48,470 --> 00:24:49,679
Now we could argue:

259
00:24:49,679 --> 00:24:55,990
If creativity is a resource, and compare it to fuel let’s say,

260
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then it is limited and can run out.

261
00:25:00,550 --> 00:25:03,610
When there is nothing left to loot.

262
00:25:03,610 --> 00:25:10,610
Decentralisation, but we are witnessing the exact opposite of that.

263
00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:14,820
Jaron Lanier often gets criticised for his view

264
00:25:14,820 --> 00:25:21,820
and analysis of the situation, but he is right and it’s a fact.

265
00:25:23,950 --> 00:25:28,750
This philosophy, this thinking, has led to a notch curve,

266
00:25:28,750 --> 00:25:34,320
very tiny amount of people become very rich in this scheme,

267
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everybody else loses or is driven out of business.

268
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It used to be more like a bell curve, more equal,

269
00:25:43,820 --> 00:25:47,370
fairer, it empowered the creatives,

270
00:25:47,370 --> 00:25:51,120
it brought us the music we love.

271
00:25:51,120 --> 00:25:54,250
And all musicians creating music right now in the digital age

272
00:25:54,250 --> 00:25:57,070
depend on that second half of the last century

273
00:25:57,070 --> 00:25:59,790
for musical references.

274
00:25:59,790 --> 00:26:02,020
The era when recorded music flourished.

275
00:26:02,020 --> 00:26:05,140
So when then people say:

276
00:26:05,140 --> 00:26:09,670
“Wait , Alec, we rode horses and then cars came,

277
00:26:09,670 --> 00:26:11,800
they were invented and everything got improved …”

278
00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:17,610
I've never fully agreed with that comparison.

279
00:26:17,610 --> 00:26:21,730
I don't think it really works here.

280
00:26:21,730 --> 00:26:24,820
And you can really identify a con man

281
00:26:24,820 --> 00:26:27,520
when you hear him argue this way.

282
00:26:27,520 --> 00:26:29,300
It's just too simple.

283
00:26:29,300 --> 00:26:32,080
Because, if this was true,

284
00:26:32,080 --> 00:26:36,090
then the work of the greatest music composers in history

285
00:26:36,090 --> 00:26:38,809
would be shared the most,

286
00:26:38,809 --> 00:26:44,290
people would understand complex music more and faster.

287
00:26:44,290 --> 00:26:48,350
But the exact opposite is the case right now.

288
00:26:48,350 --> 00:26:50,510
Music education was the first that was cut

289
00:26:50,510 --> 00:26:54,290
in most countries since the financial crisis.

290
00:26:54,290 --> 00:26:56,040
The reality is that young people today

291
00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:59,030
only hear something like classical music in a soundtrack

292
00:26:59,030 --> 00:27:02,440
for blockbuster movies like Transformers

293
00:27:02,440 --> 00:27:07,710
instead of learning and understanding it via the internet.

294
00:27:07,710 --> 00:27:11,140
Even popular mainstream artists who make pop music

295
00:27:11,140 --> 00:27:13,570
can only survive if they enter into, in my opinion,

296
00:27:13,570 --> 00:27:18,880
very compromising corporate sponsoring deals.

297
00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:21,540
Independent artists are doing other jobs by now

298
00:27:21,540 --> 00:27:24,480
and can’t take risks.

299
00:27:24,480 --> 00:27:29,890
In this system it gets harder and harder to speak out.

300
00:27:29,890 --> 00:27:33,820
It is well known that if we look at the charts

301
00:27:33,820 --> 00:27:37,740
that the majority of artists are coming from upper class

302
00:27:37,740 --> 00:27:40,900
or upper middle class backgrounds.

303
00:27:40,900 --> 00:27:43,290
Even Noel Gallagher of Oasis pointed this out

304
00:27:43,290 --> 00:27:49,679
in an interview with the BBC a few weeks ago.

305
00:27:49,679 --> 00:27:52,190
Many artists don’t like corporate sponsoring

306
00:27:52,190 --> 00:27:54,960
because it corrupts creativity.

307
00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:57,290
I think, they are right.

308
00:27:57,290 --> 00:27:59,590
Because once you enter these agreements

309
00:27:59,590 --> 00:28:04,240
your mind just starts to think in a different way.

310
00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:09,549
Think of a politician who knows he/she took bribes

311
00:28:09,549 --> 00:28:14,340
but acts in the media like he/she was ‘employed by the people’,

312
00:28:14,340 --> 00:28:18,970
and works ‘for the people’.

313
00:28:18,970 --> 00:28:21,270
So artists or those who work with artists

314
00:28:21,270 --> 00:28:26,720
access culture funds, government funds, especially in Europe.

315
00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:30,610
We all know when libertarians, especially those from Silicon Valley, say

316
00:28:30,610 --> 00:28:35,640
“We don’t pay people. Not our problem, let somebody else worry about that.”

317
00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:39,929
Well these companies are basing their businesses

318
00:28:39,929 --> 00:28:43,330
on the tax payer repairing the damage.

319
00:28:43,330 --> 00:28:46,700
That is just a reality right now.

320
00:28:46,700 --> 00:28:48,910
So we have created a system

321
00:28:48,910 --> 00:28:51,309
in which we are not driving creativity anymore,

322
00:28:51,309 --> 00:28:54,530
but by voting with our dollar, we handed that power

323
00:28:54,530 --> 00:29:00,010
over to bureaucrats and corporations.

324
00:29:00,010 --> 00:29:03,470
Those people don’t like to see political ideas expressed by creatives

325
00:29:03,470 --> 00:29:07,120
because it could get them in trouble.

326
00:29:07,120 --> 00:29:08,710
I really want you to understand this

327
00:29:08,710 --> 00:29:11,429
because I honestly believed and I think many of you

328
00:29:11,429 --> 00:29:15,080
believed the same thing 2 decades ago:

329
00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:18,809
We thought this problem was solved already.

330
00:29:18,809 --> 00:29:20,640
Solved distribution via the Internet

331
00:29:20,640 --> 00:29:25,809
and the rest will work itself out somehow.

332
00:29:25,809 --> 00:29:27,890
Maybe it was working for a little while

333
00:29:27,890 --> 00:29:30,530
but things got out of balance again.

334
00:29:30,530 --> 00:29:34,110
It’s not so easy to point out the gatekeepers anymore

335
00:29:34,110 --> 00:29:36,710
in this more complex world,

336
00:29:36,710 --> 00:29:39,460
but they are out there and they are very busy,

337
00:29:39,460 --> 00:29:42,950
and they have adapted to our times.

338
00:29:42,950 --> 00:29:46,220
When I started I strongly believed in this principle:

339
00:29:46,220 --> 00:29:49,780
Political art becomes corrupt when it's becoming part

340
00:29:49,780 --> 00:29:52,920
of a corporate ad campaign.

341
00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:55,170
The context matters so much

342
00:29:55,170 --> 00:29:57,220
that it can shut down an artist forever

343
00:29:57,220 --> 00:30:00,000
because we stop trusting their words.

344
00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:02,870
*video*

345
00:30:03,980 --> 00:30:06,370
(Julian Assange: I'm here to show solidarity)

346
00:30:06,370 --> 00:30:09,390
(with the occupy London movement)

347
00:30:09,390 --> 00:30:12,700
(In our experience over the last five years)

348
00:30:12,700 --> 00:30:15,750
(the most frequent attacks on our organization)

349
00:30:15,750 --> 00:30:21,150
(have not been, even by intelligence organizations)

350
00:30:21,150 --> 00:30:22,770
(or military organizations,)

351
00:30:22,770 --> 00:30:27,390
(they have, in fact, been by banks.)

352
00:30:27,390 --> 00:30:34,390
*music starting*

353
00:30:50,669 --> 00:30:57,669
… “are you ready to testify” …

354
00:32:08,140 --> 00:32:11,290
(Assange: People cannot wear masks in London)

355
00:32:11,290 --> 00:32:15,450
(they cannot wear facial coverings in London)

356
00:32:15,450 --> 00:32:18,910
(and that basic anonymity is denied to people.)

357
00:32:18,910 --> 00:32:23,809
(I say, that sometimes it may be legitimate)

358
00:32:23,809 --> 00:32:27,230
(to deny anonymity. But we should not accept it)

359
00:32:27,230 --> 00:32:30,660
(until Swiss bank accounts and off shore bank accounts)

360
00:32:30,660 --> 00:32:33,710
(are also denied all their anonymity!)

361
00:32:34,570 --> 00:32:41,570
*more music*

362
00:32:45,580 --> 00:32:52,580
… “are you ready to testify” …

363
00:33:16,510 --> 00:33:24,120
*applause*

364
00:33:24,350 --> 00:33:27,390
So, what is quite interesting: This is from 2011,

365
00:33:29,280 --> 00:33:33,400
so we were going onto a US tour and

366
00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:37,570
we needed like a video and the video directors

367
00:33:37,570 --> 00:33:43,049
that we wanted to work with didn't have time enough to do it

368
00:33:43,049 --> 00:33:44,760
for the beginning of the tour basically,

369
00:33:44,760 --> 00:33:49,809
so that we have it ready, so …

370
00:33:49,809 --> 00:33:53,150
we tried to do this typical kind of viral thing

371
00:33:53,150 --> 00:33:54,690
involving the fans,

372
00:33:54,690 --> 00:33:59,830
but what was quite interesting is, that we got sent

373
00:33:59,830 --> 00:34:05,669
a lot of these kind of clips by Anonymous activists

374
00:34:05,669 --> 00:34:11,730
and we put up the first version of the video,

375
00:34:11,730 --> 00:34:16,230
went on tour and in every city, we played in America,

376
00:34:16,230 --> 00:34:19,260
like about a week or two weeks after,

377
00:34:19,260 --> 00:34:22,049
there was an occupy protest.

378
00:34:22,049 --> 00:34:26,869
I don't think, that we caused it, but …

379
00:34:26,869 --> 00:34:29,619
It was very interesting to see

380
00:34:29,619 --> 00:34:34,079
how a pretty boring idea in the first place

381
00:34:34,079 --> 00:34:38,329
became something that connected activists

382
00:34:38,329 --> 00:34:40,248
basically on a global level.

383
00:34:40,248 --> 00:34:43,940
This is also where I met most hackers

384
00:34:43,940 --> 00:34:48,248
like from that scene, let's call it like that,

385
00:34:48,248 --> 00:34:50,418
for the first time, you know, backstage

386
00:34:50,418 --> 00:34:52,659
and it was a very exciting thing

387
00:34:52,659 --> 00:34:54,799
and then it ended up with the third version

388
00:34:54,799 --> 00:34:58,130
that you've just seen, where we even got

389
00:34:58,130 --> 00:34:59,349
that footage from Wikileaks

390
00:34:59,349 --> 00:35:02,099
and because it was a free song we thought,

391
00:35:02,099 --> 00:35:07,979
‘why don't add this donation thing to the video?’

392
00:35:07,979 --> 00:35:14,680
But then, a few months later –

393
00:35:14,680 --> 00:35:15,900
and I don't want this too long,

394
00:35:15,900 --> 00:35:18,720
it is a real long story and Quinn Norton

395
00:35:18,720 --> 00:35:22,109
did a great piece on it in Wired,

396
00:35:22,109 --> 00:35:25,589
I think you can still read it online –

397
00:35:25,589 --> 00:35:31,369
of course the corporate music industry reacts to that stuff.

398
00:35:31,369 --> 00:35:35,629
And they are linked also, you know, to selling devices.

399
00:35:37,639 --> 00:35:44,639
*video: Sony advertisement*

400
00:36:10,090 --> 00:36:13,119
*some laughter*

401
00:36:13,119 --> 00:36:20,119
So … no this

402
00:36:20,119 --> 00:36:27,119
was aired on American televison in February 2012.

403
00:36:29,769 --> 00:36:33,640
The thing is, they used our music, which …

404
00:36:33,640 --> 00:36:39,420
you know, if you work with a publisher together, you kinda work it out,

405
00:36:39,420 --> 00:36:45,269
the money comes to you as a composer or a band or whatever.

406
00:36:45,269 --> 00:36:51,130
So what we did, to react to it, we donated …

407
00:36:51,130 --> 00:36:56,410
it was quite a lot of money, I think,

408
00:36:56,410 --> 00:37:01,430
to freeanons.org to the legal fund and …

409
00:37:03,830 --> 00:37:10,419
*applause*

410
00:37:10,419 --> 00:37:14,609
The thing is I kinda wanted to keep it quiet

411
00:37:14,609 --> 00:37:18,509
and do it without any … publicity,

412
00:37:18,509 --> 00:37:24,779
but the same weekend, that this ad aired on American television,

413
00:37:24,779 --> 00:37:27,239
there were a lot of arrests,

414
00:37:27,239 --> 00:37:32,539
so, of course, the Anonymous scene –

415
00:37:32,539 --> 00:37:35,829
or I don't exactly know what you call it at this point –

416
00:37:35,829 --> 00:37:40,069
a lot of people tweeted about this

417
00:37:40,069 --> 00:37:47,069
and it was, kinda little win in that situation.

418
00:37:53,089 --> 00:37:57,029
So, information wants to be free.

419
00:37:57,029 --> 00:37:58,220
Music is like language.

420
00:37:58,220 --> 00:38:02,369
There are so many layers of information in a music piece

421
00:38:02,369 --> 00:38:04,859
that most of us can only understand a fraction

422
00:38:04,859 --> 00:38:07,859
of what is communicated.

423
00:38:07,859 --> 00:38:12,119
Before music could be recorded people wrote it down,

424
00:38:12,119 --> 00:38:14,789
so other people far away were able to play it.

425
00:38:14,789 --> 00:38:16,749
I am still blown away by the fact

426
00:38:16,749 --> 00:38:19,660
how amazing music notation actually is

427
00:38:19,660 --> 00:38:22,569
and has worked since centuries.

428
00:38:22,569 --> 00:38:26,509
When you look at sheets of let’s say a symphony of Beethoven or Bach,

429
00:38:26,509 --> 00:38:31,349
there is a beauty that some of us feel when we look at code,

430
00:38:31,349 --> 00:38:34,249
that's what I was told by some hackers.

431
00:38:34,249 --> 00:38:39,849
It is almost like something very deep inside of us

432
00:38:39,849 --> 00:38:43,400
understands something before we can even explain that

433
00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:46,130
to a colleague or a friend.

434
00:38:46,130 --> 00:38:48,640
I was always interested in the personality,

435
00:38:48,640 --> 00:38:50,239
the character of the creator

436
00:38:50,239 --> 00:38:53,690
that would shine through in those works.

437
00:38:53,690 --> 00:38:55,430
Even when these were anonymous,

438
00:38:55,430 --> 00:38:57,859
the work could tell me so much

439
00:38:57,859 --> 00:39:00,460
I could look at the world from a different perspective.

440
00:39:00,460 --> 00:39:04,519
Like, I was looking through them.

441
00:39:04,519 --> 00:39:08,279
Empathy is the key word here.

442
00:39:08,279 --> 00:39:10,180
For most people using the internet now

443
00:39:10,180 --> 00:39:13,559
it means defending your own world view,

444
00:39:13,559 --> 00:39:16,690
staying strong while standing in a shit storm,

445
00:39:16,690 --> 00:39:21,739
reading articles or comments that just confirm your opinion.

446
00:39:21,739 --> 00:39:28,700
Empathy is something that is hard to learn or to find right now.

447
00:39:28,700 --> 00:39:31,619
One thing, I just read a few days ago on Twitter and I really liked it,

448
00:39:31,619 --> 00:39:38,279
was the statement from Tor about the bullying and all that stuff

449
00:39:38,279 --> 00:39:42,289
and I think, to remind ourselves of that is so important.

450
00:39:42,289 --> 00:39:43,950
Some people are so cynical at this point

451
00:39:43,950 --> 00:39:46,279
that they don't think it matters,

452
00:39:46,279 --> 00:39:49,180
but I think, it really does.

453
00:39:49,180 --> 00:39:52,979
So it's well known that Mozart embedded secret codes in his compositions

454
00:39:52,979 --> 00:39:57,069
that would link to the Free Masons, for example.

455
00:39:57,069 --> 00:40:00,309
Music was always open, but you had train your ears

456
00:40:00,309 --> 00:40:04,369
to decipher the information embedded in it.

457
00:40:04,369 --> 00:40:06,519
When I wrote the little anniversary piece

458
00:40:06,519 --> 00:40:11,619
for last year’s opening video, that we heard in the beginning,

459
00:40:11,619 --> 00:40:15,940
I knew I just had to start with three C’s

460
00:40:15,940 --> 00:40:19,339
and, I have to admit,

461
00:40:19,339 --> 00:40:23,880
it was the first time, that I ever did that.

462
00:40:23,880 --> 00:40:27,809
Usually children songs or christmas songs start like that

463
00:40:27,809 --> 00:40:32,099
and in my world it's … taboo. *chuckling*

464
00:40:32,099 --> 00:40:39,099
It was like ‘how can I make this kind of cool?’

465
00:40:42,239 --> 00:40:43,890
We all know that when different musicians

466
00:40:43,890 --> 00:40:49,690
play from the same note sheet, they will sound different.

467
00:40:49,690 --> 00:40:50,369
The better they are

468
00:40:50,369 --> 00:40:52,619
the more their own personality shines through

469
00:40:52,619 --> 00:40:55,219
and we can later analyse these differences,

470
00:40:55,219 --> 00:40:58,009
e.g. with technology or software.

471
00:40:58,009 --> 00:41:01,710
But what we can’t do is to predict those micro decisions

472
00:41:01,710 --> 00:41:05,619
that an artist will make when creativity is happening.

473
00:41:05,619 --> 00:41:08,650
Too many factors of the universe are influencing that process

474
00:41:08,650 --> 00:41:12,019
and it's outcome is always different.

475
00:41:12,019 --> 00:41:17,180
Yes you can copy somebody else, that is happening all the time,

476
00:41:17,180 --> 00:41:19,259
but every once in a while there are artists,

477
00:41:19,259 --> 00:41:21,150
people who do something so special

478
00:41:21,150 --> 00:41:23,859
that they seize the time.

479
00:41:23,859 --> 00:41:27,690
Historically collectives have suppressed those people,

480
00:41:27,690 --> 00:41:31,329
because they did not fit in.

481
00:41:31,329 --> 00:41:33,450
But I hear people saying like to me:

482
00:41:33,450 --> 00:41:38,829
“But Alec, every creative act is just a copy of a copy of a copy.”

483
00:41:38,829 --> 00:41:43,059
“Authors just write down what other people say,

484
00:41:43,059 --> 00:41:48,269
painters just paint what the world shows them.”

485
00:41:48,269 --> 00:41:53,210
We all have heard this idea in all its variations before.

486
00:41:53,210 --> 00:41:54,999
Especially when tech giants want to justify

487
00:41:54,999 --> 00:41:58,499
monetisation of their users creations,

488
00:41:58,499 --> 00:42:03,900
monetisation that just takes from their users without giving anything back.

489
00:42:03,900 --> 00:42:07,759
Instagram is a very good example for that.

490
00:42:07,759 --> 00:42:11,640
And I keep hearing the same simplification again and again

491
00:42:11,640 --> 00:42:14,049
and it is dangerous.

492
00:42:14,049 --> 00:42:15,940
Because it is an open attack

493
00:42:15,940 --> 00:42:18,749
on the rights and freedoms of the individual.

494
00:42:18,749 --> 00:42:23,239
And when you question those ‘new’ business models,

495
00:42:23,239 --> 00:42:25,210
the corporate PR machinery kicks in

496
00:42:25,210 --> 00:42:29,599
and peer pressure is applied to shut critics up.

497
00:42:29,599 --> 00:42:34,920
In my opinion the fight for privacy, the fight against surveillance

498
00:42:34,920 --> 00:42:37,809
and the fight for creators’ rights have a lot in common,

499
00:42:37,809 --> 00:42:41,410
they are linked, they are connected.

500
00:42:41,410 --> 00:42:46,009
Authorities, corporate or political, who invade your privacy

501
00:42:46,009 --> 00:42:49,539
are also the ones who seize the products of your mind.

502
00:42:49,539 --> 00:42:53,739
That’s why open source and creative commons are great

503
00:42:53,739 --> 00:42:57,099
because those who participate in those adventures

504
00:42:57,099 --> 00:43:00,099
do it with consent.

505
00:43:00,099 --> 00:43:07,009
In my opinion, sharing MP3s creates passive consumers.

506
00:43:07,009 --> 00:43:09,829
I say share your whole recording sessions

507
00:43:09,829 --> 00:43:12,999
so people can look at how the beats were programmed,

508
00:43:12,999 --> 00:43:15,559
which combinations of notes and frequencies

509
00:43:15,559 --> 00:43:19,440
trigger those feelings that you like.

510
00:43:19,440 --> 00:43:21,150
This way people learn and understand

511
00:43:21,150 --> 00:43:25,110
and we can start moving forward.

512
00:43:27,429 --> 00:43:34,260
*applause*

513
00:43:36,200 --> 00:43:39,680
When I started Atari Teenage Riot in 1992

514
00:43:39,680 --> 00:43:43,430
I wanted to take the revolutionary spirit of punk

515
00:43:43,430 --> 00:43:47,979
and digitise that so it could be transported into our time

516
00:43:47,979 --> 00:43:49,390
and hopefully be preserved

517
00:43:49,390 --> 00:43:53,430
so future generations could further develop it.

518
00:43:53,430 --> 00:43:54,499
When I use the word punk

519
00:43:54,499 --> 00:43:58,009
I don’t mean a certain look, fashion or music genre,

520
00:43:58,009 --> 00:43:59,950
I mean something that can be of course

521
00:43:59,950 --> 00:44:03,450
found in punk fashion or the music genre punk,

522
00:44:03,450 --> 00:44:04,710
but I mean this virus

523
00:44:04,710 --> 00:44:09,710
that makes people question authorities & control systems.

524
00:44:09,710 --> 00:44:14,849
Usually universities don’t produce those minds.

525
00:44:14,849 --> 00:44:20,450
But these minds are needed to bring necessary change or innovation.

526
00:44:20,450 --> 00:44:24,210
I think the hacker world is full of those,

527
00:44:24,210 --> 00:44:26,160
but the music world?

528
00:44:26,160 --> 00:44:29,729
Platforms like YouTube and Facebook do not produce them,

529
00:44:29,729 --> 00:44:33,369
they make it impossible for these minds to get anywhere.

530
00:44:33,369 --> 00:44:35,769
The only interesting artists were those

531
00:44:35,769 --> 00:44:38,339
who knew how to trick those systems,

532
00:44:38,339 --> 00:44:43,119
fake stats, they thought like hackers.

533
00:44:43,119 --> 00:44:44,489
Introverts have created

534
00:44:44,489 --> 00:44:49,390
some of the most important works in the history of mankind.

535
00:44:49,390 --> 00:44:52,700
And introverts do not fit into that system

536
00:44:52,700 --> 00:44:58,229
that has the goal to generate the most clicks in order to sell ads.

537
00:44:58,229 --> 00:45:00,940
This system favours those who come up with the loudest

538
00:45:00,940 --> 00:45:03,499
and most conformist content fast.

539
00:45:03,499 --> 00:45:06,450
We can all sit back and enjoy

540
00:45:06,450 --> 00:45:09,729
when things get even more absurd

541
00:45:09,729 --> 00:45:11,239
but deep down we all know

542
00:45:11,239 --> 00:45:14,279
that it is all very short sighted

543
00:45:14,279 --> 00:45:17,739
and even goes against the hacker ethics.

544
00:45:17,739 --> 00:45:22,049
To create art and beauty on a computer.

545
00:45:22,049 --> 00:45:23,979
I always loved the phrase that I saw

546
00:45:23,979 --> 00:45:27,079
on one of the Anonymous twitter accounts a few years ago

547
00:45:27,079 --> 00:45:29,779
“On the internet you can be anything you want.

548
00:45:29,779 --> 00:45:32,630
It’s strange that so many people choose to be stupid.”

549
00:45:32,630 --> 00:45:34,379
*laughter*

550
00:45:34,379 --> 00:45:39,150
I think, you've heard about this …

551
00:45:39,150 --> 00:45:44,219
*applause*

552
00:45:44,219 --> 00:45:48,440
But it's also true, like on the internet you can consume anything you want

553
00:45:48,440 --> 00:45:52,400
and it's strange that so many people choose to consume something stupid.

554
00:45:52,400 --> 00:45:55,069
And you can replace consume with produce

555
00:45:55,069 --> 00:45:57,619
and it will also make sense!

556
00:45:57,619 --> 00:46:00,579
Most creatives produce for a target audience,

557
00:46:00,579 --> 00:46:04,960
an audience that is already defined by the content industry.

558
00:46:04,960 --> 00:46:10,170
It’s understandable that one wants to minimise any risk beforehand.

559
00:46:10,170 --> 00:46:14,009
Netflix praised this when the series “House of Cards”

560
00:46:14,009 --> 00:46:17,089
became successful with their viewers.

561
00:46:17,089 --> 00:46:21,259
Critics say that its success had probably more to do with the fact

562
00:46:21,259 --> 00:46:25,279
that it was based on the great original BBC series.

563
00:46:25,279 --> 00:46:29,869
So not as innovative as Breaking Bad for example.

564
00:46:29,869 --> 00:46:31,859
I noticed something interesting –

565
00:46:31,859 --> 00:46:35,249
in the media and by talking to other people about it,

566
00:46:35,249 --> 00:46:37,849
there was always that underlying idea

567
00:46:37,849 --> 00:46:42,329
that the algorithms are so smart and precise at this point,

568
00:46:42,329 --> 00:46:48,099
when they tell you you will like this, yes, you will totally like this.

569
00:46:48,099 --> 00:46:52,840
And many people accept that without even questioning it.

570
00:46:52,840 --> 00:46:57,059
So, are too many people becoming passive consumers again?

571
00:46:57,059 --> 00:47:00,479
Like our parents generation?

572
00:47:00,479 --> 00:47:06,999
High approval ratings prove that content is of high quality?

573
00:47:06,999 --> 00:47:09,229
If we are honest than then we must admit

574
00:47:09,229 --> 00:47:13,009
that most people make a judgement by looking at stats and comments

575
00:47:13,009 --> 00:47:15,069
before they have read the article,

576
00:47:15,069 --> 00:47:17,880
watched the video or listened even to the song.

577
00:47:17,880 --> 00:47:22,380
While culture is becoming more fragmented,

578
00:47:22,380 --> 00:47:25,630
we see an even more centralised accumulation of power

579
00:47:25,630 --> 00:47:29,539
when it comes to who is deciding over the future of the internet

580
00:47:29,539 --> 00:47:33,150
and how the majority of average people use it

581
00:47:33,150 --> 00:47:36,769
or have access to it.

582
00:47:36,769 --> 00:47:40,690
I know very well that I am speaking to probably exactly to the –

583
00:47:40,690 --> 00:47:42,390
I don't know how many people are here tonight –

584
00:47:42,390 --> 00:47:46,690
thousands of people on the planet right now

585
00:47:46,690 --> 00:47:49,420
who have not stepped into those traps,

586
00:47:49,420 --> 00:47:54,319
you are very conscious about how you use technology.

587
00:47:54,319 --> 00:47:57,569
I am saying this to you because at this point one could argue

588
00:47:57,569 --> 00:48:00,859
that we are all losing the war here,

589
00:48:00,859 --> 00:48:04,369
even though some smaller battles are won here and there

590
00:48:04,369 --> 00:48:07,869
every once in a while, but the bigger picture?

591
00:48:07,869 --> 00:48:10,859
I think it looks dark!

592
00:48:10,859 --> 00:48:15,369
I remember last year, the 30th anniversary, I couldn’t attend,

593
00:48:15,369 --> 00:48:17,329
but I felt it on the other side of the world,

594
00:48:17,329 --> 00:48:23,259
the Snowden revelations killed all doubts of what we’re up against here.

595
00:48:23,259 --> 00:48:25,950
It was like a reality shock,

596
00:48:25,950 --> 00:48:28,079
some even compared it to events like 9/11;

597
00:48:28,079 --> 00:48:33,429
there is the time before and after you got hit with the news.

598
00:48:35,039 --> 00:48:40,369
Everyone wanted to celebrate the 30 years of this great club and then this …

599
00:48:40,369 --> 00:48:47,369
I admit I was depressed on a constant basis since the summer of 2013.

600
00:48:48,969 --> 00:48:52,209
What depressed me most wasn’t the magnitude of the surveillance,

601
00:48:52,209 --> 00:48:54,150
it was how I witnessed a young generation

602
00:48:54,150 --> 00:48:56,849
that was so excited about democracy

603
00:48:56,849 --> 00:49:00,579
and the possibilities to improve it with technology,

604
00:49:00,579 --> 00:49:03,390
I witnessed how the spirit of that generation

605
00:49:03,390 --> 00:49:08,440
was crushed within almost a few weeks, it seemed.

606
00:49:08,440 --> 00:49:15,209
Hopelessness, cynicism and frustration spread like a virus.

607
00:49:15,209 --> 00:49:17,200
But the worst thing was that indifference

608
00:49:17,200 --> 00:49:18,999
from most people out there,

609
00:49:18,999 --> 00:49:22,519
people we really needed to mobilise those masses

610
00:49:22,519 --> 00:49:24,739
who make the difference in the end.

611
00:49:24,739 --> 00:49:28,759
To get the snowball rolling, turn it into an avalanche.

612
00:49:28,759 --> 00:49:31,959
I didn’t even feel like I wanted to perform anymore,

613
00:49:31,959 --> 00:49:36,880
our new album was finished, we were setting up its release,

614
00:49:36,880 --> 00:49:39,509
preparing videos, getting all the tools ready.

615
00:49:39,509 --> 00:49:44,249
But the energy that everyone felt in 2010, 2011

616
00:49:44,249 --> 00:49:49,359
and perhaps even in 2012 seemed gone.

617
00:49:49,359 --> 00:49:56,359
I think decline of the Pirate Party in Germany shows that, too.

618
00:49:57,039 --> 00:50:00,069
In the first hours of when the Snowden story broke

619
00:50:00,069 --> 00:50:01,579
I tweeted this:

620
00:50:01,579 --> 00:50:04,589
“I’m surprised how indifferent so many feel

621
00:50:04,589 --> 00:50:07,420
about the US surveillance scandal.

622
00:50:07,420 --> 00:50:09,989
Look up Germany’s history.

623
00:50:09,989 --> 00:50:11,219
I have spoken to people

624
00:50:11,219 --> 00:50:14,819
who lived in Nazi and Eastern Socialist Germany –

625
00:50:14,819 --> 00:50:17,599
the spying on your life by the State is one thing,

626
00:50:17,599 --> 00:50:21,049
but what it does to your friends and family in the long run

627
00:50:21,049 --> 00:50:23,890
is beyond anything you can imagine right now.

628
00:50:23,890 --> 00:50:26,930
You lose trust in people you love,

629
00:50:26,930 --> 00:50:30,769
every conversation becomes half lie, half truth.

630
00:50:30,769 --> 00:50:34,170
It becomes part of everybody's lives.

631
00:50:34,170 --> 00:50:36,769
Nobody is an exception.

632
00:50:36,769 --> 00:50:39,459
So ignore music, games or whatever you do right now

633
00:50:39,459 --> 00:50:41,999
and research the topic.

634
00:50:41,999 --> 00:50:43,239
Anything you have said in the past

635
00:50:43,239 --> 00:50:46,529
can be twisted against you in a surveillance state.

636
00:50:46,529 --> 00:50:48,109
Made the wrong joke in ‘private’?

637
00:50:48,109 --> 00:50:52,749
You are constantly being blackmailed by those in ‘charge’.

638
00:50:52,749 --> 00:50:56,349
History has shown that these types of societies never last,

639
00:50:56,349 --> 00:51:01,489
they get so corrupted with lies that many people will suffer in the end.

640
00:51:01,489 --> 00:51:04,469
Everybody loses.”

641
00:51:04,469 --> 00:51:07,719
That was in the summer of 2013

642
00:51:07,719 --> 00:51:11,829
and my words resonated with many people in the online community.

643
00:51:11,829 --> 00:51:13,910
Even the Green Party contacted me,

644
00:51:13,910 --> 00:51:18,870
asked if I could see myself somehow working with them.

645
00:51:21,640 --> 00:51:24,149
I said no …

646
00:51:24,149 --> 00:51:29,499
*applause*

647
00:51:30,910 --> 00:51:35,640
and actually let me make one thing very clear right now,

648
00:51:35,640 --> 00:51:38,410
if you are a politician and you wonder

649
00:51:38,410 --> 00:51:41,739
why people are disillusioned with politics and don’t vote …

650
00:51:41,739 --> 00:51:45,689
Yes, we don’t trust you anymore.

651
00:51:46,490 --> 00:51:52,889
*applause*

652
00:51:54,149 --> 00:51:57,950
And in these situations I can’t thank everyone in the CCC enough

653
00:51:57,950 --> 00:52:00,289
for their hard work, commitment and passion.

654
00:52:00,289 --> 00:52:04,109
Let me say this as a musician, and I speak for many when I say this:

655
00:52:04,109 --> 00:52:07,900
People like us, we don’t understand every technical aspect of this stuff

656
00:52:07,900 --> 00:52:10,390
but what the CCC does sends a strong message

657
00:52:10,390 --> 00:52:12,959
and gives people hope out there.

658
00:52:12,959 --> 00:52:15,709
And that is very important right now.

659
00:52:15,709 --> 00:52:19,900
The right of privacy is very important to creative people.

660
00:52:22,190 --> 00:52:26,249
Culture can be a strong weapon!

661
00:52:26,249 --> 00:52:29,119
Even though at this point most of the information was known,

662
00:52:29,119 --> 00:52:32,229
feeling the atmosphere together with likeminded people

663
00:52:32,229 --> 00:52:36,289
in this old cinema in former East Berlin energised me again.

664
00:52:36,289 --> 00:52:39,950
You know, Jacob Applebaum, he invited me to the premier

665
00:52:39,950 --> 00:52:46,950
of the film “Citizenfour”. I don't know, if you've seen the film yet.

666
00:52:50,599 --> 00:52:53,930
It's a great documentary and I think, everyone here kinda knows it,

667
00:52:53,930 --> 00:52:56,239
but I wanted to point something else out today

668
00:52:56,239 --> 00:53:00,349
When I sat in this packed cinema next to Frank Rieger and all the other guys

669
00:53:00,349 --> 00:53:02,599
and the room was filled with amazing people

670
00:53:02,599 --> 00:53:04,239
who deeply cared about this topic

671
00:53:04,239 --> 00:53:06,499
and then Laura spoke to the audience and so on,

672
00:53:06,499 --> 00:53:08,349
I was so glad that I did not watch

673
00:53:08,349 --> 00:53:14,529
a crappy stream online, alone, in my cubicle.

674
00:53:14,529 --> 00:53:18,400
So when things look hopeless, remember to use culture,

675
00:53:18,400 --> 00:53:22,549
bring people together, share time and space together.

676
00:53:22,549 --> 00:53:29,549
Here is a photo of protestors in Tokyo during the Fukushima rallies in 2011.

677
00:53:33,099 --> 00:53:37,009
It says “Anti Tepco Riot”,

678
00:53:37,009 --> 00:53:38,849
so if you are an artist, be open

679
00:53:38,849 --> 00:53:41,160
and let others develop your art further.

680
00:53:41,160 --> 00:53:42,930
It’s ok to let go sometimes,

681
00:53:42,930 --> 00:53:46,819
if you disagree or something, just create new stuff

682
00:53:46,819 --> 00:53:50,799
and move forward.

683
00:53:50,799 --> 00:53:53,160
I was just told I have ten more minutes –

684
00:53:53,160 --> 00:53:56,229
damn, I really wanna speak about something

685
00:53:56,229 --> 00:53:58,589
that happens to me with Spotify,

686
00:53:58,589 --> 00:54:04,630
I hope, I have enough time. *chuckling*

687
00:54:04,630 --> 00:54:06,089
Because you might have heard it,

688
00:54:06,089 --> 00:54:08,459
in 2014 more and more artists started to speak out

689
00:54:08,459 --> 00:54:11,630
against streaming services like Spotify.

690
00:54:11,630 --> 00:54:15,619
Usually it is about royalties and I will not go into this too much right now,

691
00:54:15,619 --> 00:54:18,709
it is clear to everyone who can do basic math

692
00:54:18,709 --> 00:54:21,829
that these services are not the future business models,

693
00:54:21,829 --> 00:54:25,420
because they don’t put any money back into the hands of the musicians.

694
00:54:25,420 --> 00:54:27,339
These systems can’t be maintained.

695
00:54:27,339 --> 00:54:30,499
But I want to tell you my experience with Spotify.

696
00:54:30,499 --> 00:54:33,469
So in 1997 Atari Teenage Riot released an album

697
00:54:33,469 --> 00:54:36,349
on the Beastie Boys label called “The Future of War”.

698
00:54:36,349 --> 00:54:40,069
It was the album that introduced us to the world.

699
00:54:40,069 --> 00:54:43,579
Its sales reached gold status,

700
00:54:43,579 --> 00:54:45,959
critics praised it as possibly the strongest

701
00:54:45,959 --> 00:54:49,420
musical Anti-fascist statement to come out of Germany.

702
00:54:49,420 --> 00:54:53,150
For many it’s still the blue print of what can be done with a computer

703
00:54:53,150 --> 00:54:56,459
when it comes to pushing the limits of sound,

704
00:54:56,459 --> 00:54:59,729
connecting political lyrics with very physical music.

705
00:54:59,729 --> 00:55:03,660
Songs from it still get played at protests around the world.

706
00:55:03,660 --> 00:55:07,009
Influential music blog Stereogum rates it at number 9

707
00:55:07,009 --> 00:55:09,359
of the loudest albums ever,

708
00:55:09,359 --> 00:55:13,670
so to put this in perspective for you:

709
00:55:13,670 --> 00:55:20,229
ACDC is at 19, Aphex Twin at 16, Motorhead at 13.

710
00:55:20,229 --> 00:55:25,329
*some applause*

711
00:55:25,329 --> 00:55:27,619
What is maybe interesting for some of you,

712
00:55:27,619 --> 00:55:31,009
we used to print the recording set up in the booklet

713
00:55:31,009 --> 00:55:35,420
so more cyberpunks could join the digital hardcore movement.

714
00:55:35,420 --> 00:55:42,339
So 6 years later, in 2003 our label received a 40 page document

715
00:55:42,339 --> 00:55:44,309
from this institution in Germany called

716
00:55:44,309 --> 00:55:48,439
Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien.

717
00:55:48,439 --> 00:55:52,519
*laughter*

718
00:55:52,519 --> 00:55:56,449
This album was suddenly put on the Index.

719
00:55:56,449 --> 00:56:01,589
And they explained it over 40 pages.

720
00:56:01,589 --> 00:56:04,900
To give you an example of what they were criticising:

721
00:56:04,900 --> 00:56:06,930
African born rapper Carl Crack sings

722
00:56:06,930 --> 00:56:09,249
“I have a fear of a white planet”,

723
00:56:09,249 --> 00:56:13,519
so he was expressing his experiences with racism growing up in Germany

724
00:56:13,519 --> 00:56:18,180
where he was often the only black child and had trouble ‘fitting in’.

725
00:56:18,180 --> 00:56:22,819
A reason for the Bundesprüfstelle to shut him up,

726
00:56:22,819 --> 00:56:26,849
they argued that people of “caucasian skin color“ or something

727
00:56:26,849 --> 00:56:30,369
are being discriminated against here.

728
00:56:30,369 --> 00:56:34,089
*some laughter*

729
00:56:34,089 --> 00:56:38,059
You read this stuff, first you laugh about it,

730
00:56:38,059 --> 00:56:41,180
and when you get to page 18, you get so mad

731
00:56:41,180 --> 00:56:44,380
that you want to burn this thing.

732
00:56:44,380 --> 00:56:48,160
*some laughter*

733
00:56:48,160 --> 00:56:52,959
I think, people who work on video games know what I'm talking about.

734
00:56:52,959 --> 00:56:54,809
What does the Index mean? You are forbidden

735
00:56:54,809 --> 00:56:57,859
to sell the music, or play it in public.

736
00:56:57,859 --> 00:57:01,150
It’s a form of censorship.

737
00:57:01,150 --> 00:57:03,190
What actually happened was that a teacher in Bavaria

738
00:57:03,190 --> 00:57:06,739
found the CD with one of his students and reported it.

739
00:57:06,739 --> 00:57:10,019
Classic scenario where an outsider who doesn’t look deeper into something,

740
00:57:10,019 --> 00:57:12,670
takes action against something he doesn’t understand.

741
00:57:12,670 --> 00:57:16,079
It would have been easy to contact us,

742
00:57:16,079 --> 00:57:20,059
maybe even get us in the class room and clear this up. But no.

743
00:57:20,059 --> 00:57:24,729
How Germany deals with anti-fascist art is one thing

744
00:57:24,729 --> 00:57:27,589
but now it gets better.

745
00:57:27,589 --> 00:57:32,089
Years pass, the internet, thanks to Pirate Bay and the fans

746
00:57:32,089 --> 00:57:34,339
people can access the music –

747
00:57:34,339 --> 00:57:37,279
we didn't even care about the Index anymore.

748
00:57:37,279 --> 00:57:39,829
I made my peace with this whole thing and moved on.

749
00:57:39,829 --> 00:57:43,599
Ten years passed, when suddenly we receive notice from Spotify

750
00:57:43,599 --> 00:57:46,749
that we have been flagged.

751
00:57:46,749 --> 00:57:52,829
Because they were notified by the Bundesprüfstelle.

752
00:57:52,829 --> 00:57:55,930
And we were given an ultimatum:

753
00:57:55,930 --> 00:58:00,259
We remove this album from Spotify, or

754
00:58:00,259 --> 00:58:05,989
the whole catalogue of the whole label will get removed.

755
00:58:05,989 --> 00:58:08,969
So we are not even talking about Germany,

756
00:58:08,969 --> 00:58:14,160
we are talking worldwide and all other artists on the label.

757
00:58:14,160 --> 00:58:16,529
So my guys from the label put a call in,

758
00:58:16,529 --> 00:58:20,569
hoping to get to talk to a human being so we can clear this up.

759
00:58:20,569 --> 00:58:23,219
The woman on the other end is looking at her screen explains

760
00:58:23,219 --> 00:58:29,729
“this happens to bands who use Nazi references in their songs.”

761
00:58:29,729 --> 00:58:31,839
So my label manager explained

762
00:58:31,839 --> 00:58:37,449
that this artist Atari Teenage Riot has not only one Anti-Nazi song,

763
00:58:37,449 --> 00:58:42,369
all the music for over two decades was written to fight Nazi ideology

764
00:58:42,369 --> 00:58:48,339
and he offered to send the evidence, like song lyrics, articles, etc.

765
00:58:48,339 --> 00:58:50,709
So the Spotify woman’s answer was:

766
00:58:50,709 --> 00:58:55,390
“You know, Nazi or Anti-Nazi, it doesn’t matter you’re being flagged.

767
00:58:55,390 --> 00:58:58,630
We won’t change anything.”

768
00:58:58,630 --> 00:59:01,869
*some laughter, some booing*

769
00:59:01,869 --> 00:59:03,489
For now we decided to remove it

770
00:59:03,489 --> 00:59:06,680
because we didn’t want the other artists to suffer, too.

771
00:59:06,680 --> 00:59:10,099
But we are still looking into taking legal action.

772
00:59:10,099 --> 00:59:12,380
So whenever marketing people try to convince you

773
00:59:12,380 --> 00:59:16,369
that you should have one service hosting all content for you,

774
00:59:16,369 --> 00:59:18,969
in the cloud, convenient, keep this in mind.

775
00:59:18,969 --> 00:59:25,969
Out of sight, out of mind. Mistrust authority, promote decentralisation.

776
00:59:27,469 --> 00:59:34,469
*applause*

777
00:59:47,640 --> 00:59:49,279
I think when we speak about streaming services

778
00:59:49,279 --> 00:59:51,519
and how much they suck *chuckling*

779
00:59:51,519 --> 00:59:55,829
hopefully will be seen in a few years what they are

780
00:59:55,829 --> 00:59:57,660
if they don’t change.

781
00:59:57,660 --> 00:59:59,890
They are for me kind of a destructive force

782
00:59:59,890 --> 01:00:01,349
that doesn’t help creatives,

783
01:00:01,349 --> 01:00:04,079
only exploits them for short term profits.

784
01:00:04,079 --> 01:00:06,160
But I want to mention that the guys from Bittorrent

785
01:00:06,160 --> 01:00:09,299
are doing the right thing, in my opinion.

786
01:00:09,299 --> 01:00:12,390
I really think that Bittorrent is moving into a direction

787
01:00:12,390 --> 01:00:18,079
that gives the creatives control and let’s them decide.

788
01:00:18,079 --> 01:00:21,219
If you love music and everything that comes with it,

789
01:00:21,219 --> 01:00:28,199
support this service, use it, help build a better system.

790
01:00:28,199 --> 01:00:30,499
I don't think I have enough time, right?

791
01:00:30,499 --> 01:00:32,440
Herold: How much time do you need?

792
01:00:32,440 --> 01:00:37,650
Alec: I wanted to talk about us trolling Apple with our iPhone app

793
01:00:37,650 --> 01:00:41,390
*laughing*

794
01:00:41,390 --> 01:00:43,089
I don't want to make it too long.

795
01:00:43,089 --> 01:00:47,319
Herold: okay, five more minutes.

796
01:00:47,319 --> 01:00:54,349
Alec: I was told, I have an hour, this flies by so fast

797
01:00:54,349 --> 01:00:56,549
I'm overtime, okay.

798
01:00:56,549 --> 01:00:58,249
Damn it, let's come to an end.

799
01:00:58,249 --> 01:01:00,489
You know what? Let's forget this,

800
01:01:00,489 --> 01:01:04,769
I'm gonna put that up online, the rest

801
01:01:04,769 --> 01:01:09,809
*chuckling*, *applause*

802
01:01:15,119 --> 01:01:19,989
To me it seems like the world is split into two sides

803
01:01:19,989 --> 01:01:22,999
One sees the creative as a slave to the audience,

804
01:01:22,999 --> 01:01:26,199
self-exploitation 24 hours a day,

805
01:01:26,199 --> 01:01:29,670
the other sees the creative as the master of his audience,

806
01:01:29,670 --> 01:01:34,670
like they are an army of slaves that have to pay and pay and pay.

807
01:01:34,670 --> 01:01:36,359
If you never saw it this way,

808
01:01:36,359 --> 01:01:39,079
go read the comments below YouTube videos.

809
01:01:39,079 --> 01:01:40,979
*some laughter*

810
01:01:40,979 --> 01:01:42,229
Suddenly it all makes sense.

811
01:01:42,229 --> 01:01:46,359
By the way this is a phenomenon that is part of our culture,

812
01:01:46,359 --> 01:01:50,319
we inherited that from the times of the Cold War,

813
01:01:50,319 --> 01:01:52,979
when the battle between capitalism and socialism,

814
01:01:52,979 --> 01:01:54,949
West and East was fought.

815
01:01:54,949 --> 01:01:57,390
Other cultures, for example in Africa,

816
01:01:57,390 --> 01:02:00,369
have never looked at music through those lenses.

817
01:02:00,369 --> 01:02:03,180
I think it’s time to look at those, get inspired by them,

818
01:02:03,180 --> 01:02:05,819
so we can move forward and create something better,

819
01:02:05,819 --> 01:02:08,759
and finally leave these old battles behind.

820
01:02:08,759 --> 01:02:14,269
We were all born into this, but together we can find a way out of it.

821
01:02:14,269 --> 01:02:15,519
We just have to.

822
01:02:15,519 --> 01:02:18,119
How the media reported on the latest hack

823
01:02:18,119 --> 01:02:23,619
of “Sony by North Korea” couldn’t symbolise this better.

824
01:02:23,619 --> 01:02:27,150
Ask around in a few months, how will people remember this story

825
01:02:27,150 --> 01:02:30,559
and most people will probably repeat the headlines

826
01:02:30,559 --> 01:02:36,890
that were written to generate the most clicks, fast.

827
01:02:36,890 --> 01:02:42,279
Maybe we can just see a video at the end –

828
01:02:42,279 --> 01:02:48,209
damn it, there's so much I wanted to speak to you about …

829
01:02:48,209 --> 01:02:53,150
You know what, I show you two last things

830
01:02:53,150 --> 01:02:58,890
in case you haven't seen it yet, I think,

831
01:02:58,890 --> 01:03:03,209
culture needs to be used more for political battle and,

832
01:03:03,209 --> 01:03:07,920
erdgeist mentioned it, the protest of the May 1st demonstrations,

833
01:03:07,920 --> 01:03:10,299
I don't know, how many of you have seen this …

834
01:03:10,299 --> 01:03:17,299
let me just show it to you

835
01:03:18,099 --> 01:03:25,099
*video*

836
01:03:28,179 --> 01:03:35,179
*hardcore punk music in the background*

837
01:05:41,950 --> 01:05:48,340
*applause*

838
01:05:49,190 --> 01:05:52,430
Okay, there's a lot of other stuff I wanted to mention to you,

839
01:05:52,430 --> 01:05:55,890
but I don't have enough time right now,

840
01:05:55,890 --> 01:05:58,029
but basically what I wanted to say is, I think

841
01:05:58,029 --> 01:06:01,449
hackers and the artists must unite more

842
01:06:01,449 --> 01:06:05,170
and they have to start working on a much deeper level.

843
01:06:05,170 --> 01:06:06,529
Just build something better.

844
01:06:06,529 --> 01:06:08,359
Use culture, also in the fight.

845
01:06:08,359 --> 01:06:10,561
Okay, thank you.

846
01:06:10,561 --> 01:06:14,761
*applause*