WEEK 8 – Forum: Gender in Music Technology #2

Bradley – Kraftwerk

Rock and roll has always pushed society's boundaries. Something to do with overt sexuality as much as anything else. Totally agreed that marketing has a major affect, rather than gender. And emotions are human.

Then there was KraftWerk, come to weave their seductive magic; appealing to a human fascination with machines, robots - cyborgs before their time. Gender was a feature in as much as people were a bit unsettled by their lack of any.

The music machines used in Pocket Calculator were actually pocket calculators bought 'off the shelf' from a local shop! They wired the circuit boards to produce sound and added a mini jack, so they modified them. Gotta love those organisms. (1)

The lads - powered up, 2002. (2)

Laura – Lyrical Labours

There is one other boy/girl band making a heap of cash right now … Hi 5. Maybe a sign of things to come, definitely a sign of why stereotypes exsist. The girls dress in strange smocks and tights and their figures are almost normal (not waif-like) and the guys have singlets and bulging biceps.

Someone say stereotype? Hi-5. (3)

Ben – Queen

Amazing how good things get better! The band still look evocative and they still provide a living for The Darkness. Strange, at the time I never noticed Freddy Mercury being gay and was surprised to hear people thought the whole band was gay! Not how I remember it.

Kinda bright for The Darkness ... Queen gone mad(der)? (4)

Peter – What Are the Differences and Why

Social, metaphysical, spiritual. Yes. In the past we have, currently do, stew in a wash of stereotypes, but I don't know if ratios are an answer. If women are genuinely not interested, you would wind up with a severe skills imbalance. Men and midwifery? Statistics show it is becoming more popular. (5) Astrology?

References

Whittington, Stephen. "Gender in Music Technology (2)."
Presenters:
Bradley Leffler, Laura Gadd, Ben Cakebread, Peter Kelly. EMU Space, University of Adelaide, South Australia. May 3, 2007.

1/ At least that's what the magazine article told me in the early 80's. Check out the Pocket Calculator among other things Krafty at their great site ...

Kraftwerk. 5 May 2007 <http://www.kraftwerk.com/.>

2/ World Tour - 2005. 5 May 2007 <http://kraftwerk.technopop.com.br/pictures_2005.php>.

3/ Hi-5, Meet the Gang. 5 May 2007 <http://hi5.ninemsn.com.au/meetthegang/index.aspx>.

4/ "The Darkness." 2006. Wikipedia. 5 May 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Darkness#2006>.

5/ "Statistical Analysis of the Register." November 2002. The Nursing and Midwifery Council. 5 May 2007 <http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:tctxHGXbKIsJ:www.nmc-uk.org/aDisplayDocument.aspx%3FDocumentID%3D778+midwifery+men+statistics&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=au>.