Illegal Art
Encyclopedia
Illegal Art is a sampling
label that was started by a person using the name Philo T. Farnsworth in 1998
. The label was instantly launched to infamy with the legal threats surrounding Deconstructing Beck
, a compilation made exclusively from sampling Beck
's music. This was followed by two other theme-based compilations, Extracted Celluloid and Commercial Ad Hoc. All three were co-released with Negativland
's Seeland Records
label and sponsored by RTMark
. After these theme based compilations, Illegal Art focused on artist releases. One of the most popular artists on Illegal Art is Girl Talk
(aka Gregg Gillis), who in 2006 released his third album, Night Ripper
, to critical acclaim on the label, earning a Wired Magazine Rave Award a year later.
Illegal Art also released the Steinski Retrospective, spanning his work from 1983-2006. It includes the legendary Lessons, that have been described as "one of the most desirable and prized bootleg recordings in hip hop" (Antidote). It also contains a variety of other essential tracks, and his critically acclaimed Nothing To Fear: A Rough Mix, an hour-long mashup
that was produced for Solid Steel/BBC London and hailed as "the closest to a masterpiece the genre has produced."
Magazine, who asked permission from the label for the use of their name. The exhibit debuted in New York City
and has since traveled to several other cities. Subsequently this show of appropriated art was appropriated by San Francisco based artists Elliot Lessing and Gordon Winiemko; the two artists created a "shadow" website, www.illegal-art.com (the "Stay Free" show's site is www.illegal-art.org) and reflecting their concerns about the simplistic binary implied by "illegal art," they launched a show at the now defunct BUILD artspace, called "I Want a Mainstream." The show was a collection of "mainstream" artwork (from movies, popular music, design, and such) to which visitors could offer up their own selections. It also included images from the "Illegal Art" show appropriated from the web.
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
label that was started by a person using the name Philo T. Farnsworth in 1998
1998 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1998.-Events:*January 28 – "Weird Al" Yankovic gets LASIK surgery to cure his myopia...
. The label was instantly launched to infamy with the legal threats surrounding Deconstructing Beck
Deconstructing Beck
Deconstructing Beck is an album that was produced in 1998 by an anonymous group posing as Illegal Art. The album is a compilation of 13 songs created completely from Beck samples, samples that were not legally approved by Beck's recording label. Illegal Art's actions set off a large scale legal...
, a compilation made exclusively from sampling Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
's music. This was followed by two other theme-based compilations, Extracted Celluloid and Commercial Ad Hoc. All three were co-released with Negativland
Negativland
Negativland is an experimental music and sound collage band which originated in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1970s. They took their name from a Neu! song, while their record label is named after another Neu! song...
's Seeland Records
Seeland Records
Seeland Records is an independent record label created by Negativland in 1979 to release their own recordings. It is a reference to the song "Seeland" by the band Neu!, who also gave Negativland the basis for their name, Sea-Land Corporation, a freight company, and the micro-nation of Sealand,...
label and sponsored by RTMark
RTMark
RTMark is an activist collective that subverts the "Corporate Shield" protecting US corporations. The name is derived from "Registered Trademark"....
. After these theme based compilations, Illegal Art focused on artist releases. One of the most popular artists on Illegal Art is Girl Talk
Girl Talk (musician)
Gregg Michael Gillis , better known by his stage name Girl Talk, is an American musician specializing in mashups and digital sampling. Gillis has released five LPs on the record label Illegal Art and EPs on 333 and 12 Apostles....
(aka Gregg Gillis), who in 2006 released his third album, Night Ripper
Night Ripper
Night Ripper is the third album by Girl Talk. It was released on Illegal Art in 2006 and re-released as a pay-what-you-want download on Illegal Art's website in June 2009. It is composed almost entirely of samples taken from other artists' songs, with minor original material by Gillis...
, to critical acclaim on the label, earning a Wired Magazine Rave Award a year later.
Illegal Art also released the Steinski Retrospective, spanning his work from 1983-2006. It includes the legendary Lessons, that have been described as "one of the most desirable and prized bootleg recordings in hip hop" (Antidote). It also contains a variety of other essential tracks, and his critically acclaimed Nothing To Fear: A Rough Mix, an hour-long mashup
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
that was produced for Solid Steel/BBC London and hailed as "the closest to a masterpiece the genre has produced."
Art Show
Illegal Art is also the title of an art exhibit/project sponsored by Stay Free!Stay Free!
Stay Free! is a non-profit magazine about the politics of culture based in Brooklyn, New York. Founded by Carrie McLaren in 1992 while working at Matador Records, it tends to focus on "the perversions of media and consumer culture." Each issue has a theme, such as pranks, copyright, or marketing...
Magazine, who asked permission from the label for the use of their name. The exhibit debuted in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and has since traveled to several other cities. Subsequently this show of appropriated art was appropriated by San Francisco based artists Elliot Lessing and Gordon Winiemko; the two artists created a "shadow" website, www.illegal-art.com (the "Stay Free" show's site is www.illegal-art.org) and reflecting their concerns about the simplistic binary implied by "illegal art," they launched a show at the now defunct BUILD artspace, called "I Want a Mainstream." The show was a collection of "mainstream" artwork (from movies, popular music, design, and such) to which visitors could offer up their own selections. It also included images from the "Illegal Art" show appropriated from the web.
Artists on Illegal Art label
- B'O'K
- The Bran FlakesThe Bran FlakesThe Bran Flakes are a sound collage pop group with members in the United States and Canada who specialize in creating music from pre-existing sources...
- Christopher Penrose
- Corporal Blossom
- Girl TalkGirl Talk (musician)Gregg Michael Gillis , better known by his stage name Girl Talk, is an American musician specializing in mashups and digital sampling. Gillis has released five LPs on the record label Illegal Art and EPs on 333 and 12 Apostles....
- Hot Troche
- Junk Culture
- The Legion of Doom
- Oh AstroOh AstroOh Astro are an American mashup group formed in Illinois, United States in 2004.-Discography:*Hello World *Champions Of Wonder...
- Økapi
- P. Miles BrysonP. Miles BrysonP. Miles Bryson was born in August 1964, and is an obsessive collage and sound artist residing in Arizona. He has released music on a variety of music labels such as Illegal Art, Self Abuse, genesungswerk, SSSM, Cynfeirdd, Anaemic Waves Factory, and 6 on the dot. Releases include Long Day's Tango...
- People Like UsPeople Like Us (musician)People Like Us is the stage name of London DJ multimedia artist Vicki Bennett. She has released a number of albums featuring collages of music and sound since 1992. In recent years, she has performed at a number of modern art galleries, festivals and universities.-Musical career:Since 1991 Vicki...
- Realistic
- Steev Hise
- WobblyWobbly (band)Wobbly is the moniker of Jon Leidecker a San Francisco based musician/composer of experimental electronic music. He has released works on Tigerbeat6, Illegal Art, Alku, Phthalo, and others...
- Touch People
External links
- Illegal Art's Website
- Radio Feature The Some Assembly RequiredSome Assembly RequiredSome Assembly Required is a sound collage radio program in the United States, produced in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the first radio show known to focus exclusively on works of sample based music, and appropriation in audio art...
Interview with Illegal Art's Philo T. Farnsworth (2001). - Illegal Art Exhibition Compilation CD
- I Want a Mainstream!