The MeFi Music Challenge wants YOU!

June 1, 2008 6:36 PM

The MetaFilter Music Challenge is back, (*cue triumphant fanfare, followed by sound of jubilant, cheering throng*) and suggestions for the monthly Challenge themes are open to all MeFiers. This means YOU! You are hereby encouraged, month by month, to offer suggestions, and if yours is chosen, not only will your name go up in lights at the Music page, but you'll also be the spark that ignites the creative genius of some MeFi Musician. A chance at a little slice of immortality!

You'll note that the MeFi Music Challenge top bar includes a link to my user page. There you'll find details about the categories and so forth. I'd like to highlight two points here, though:

The LYRIC Challenge will be selected each month from (mostly) MetaFilter comments. The first one for this month was chosen from a comment by (*ta-daaaah*) Jessamyn. Fun, huh? But that doesn't mean specific suggestions for lyric phrases in the LYRIC category are unwelcome. They are welcome. Send them along just as you would any suggestion for the MUSIC or WILDCARD Challenges.

The WILDCARD Challenge will hopefully often (though not necessarily always) include ideas that ANYONE with sound-recording capabilities could jump on. I'd really like to see more non-musician MeFiers jumping in and getting their feet wet over at MeFi Music. Non-musicians, yay!

posted by flapjax at midnite to MetaFilter Music at 6:36 PM (31 comments total)

Hey, this thread has already resulted in some MeFiMail to me with some LYRIC suggestions. Thanks, Rhaomi! And take note, what Rhaomi did was to send links to some MeFi comments, pointing out which phrases in those comments might make good LYRIC Challenges. This is very cool. Please note, however, that in cases like this, the ORIGINAL COMMENT will be linked to (if used) on the Music page, but probably not the user who pointed to it. I'm afraid it'd get a bit too cumbersome to link to the comment and the MeFier who pointed it out... hopefully that'll be OK.

By the way, lots of MeFiMails with suggestions came in during and after this thread, which is recommended reading for anyone with an interest in all this. There's some great suggestions in that thread, and several of those will definitely be finding their way into the "officially chosen" category at the Challenge in months to come.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:31 PM on June 1, 2008

Thanks again for setting this all up, flapjax. I'll get to work!
posted by danb at 7:42 PM on June 1, 2008

Oh NICE choices for the challenges! It's ON.
posted by cashman at 7:42 PM on June 1, 2008

I suggest that for a future challenge y'all have to write a song for an existing Bond film. (Mostly because I almost always hate those songs and can't imagine you can't do better.)
posted by dobbs at 7:46 PM on June 1, 2008

These challenges are great and I'm so pleased it's back. Thanks for spearheading this, and let the music begin.
posted by ORthey at 9:55 PM on June 1, 2008

I feel challenged.
posted by not_on_display at 10:18 PM on June 1, 2008

Speaking as someone with no musical talent, I urge you all to stop being so lazy, and get this done so I have something to listen to.
posted by blue_beetle at 10:39 PM on June 1, 2008

I'm going to make Bobby McFerrin proud with the WILDCARD. Just watch me hit the sauce and develop new sounds from my body parts.

no, you probably don't want to actually watch that.
posted by self at 11:56 PM on June 1, 2008

Here's Silkworm's Michael Dalquist demonstrating the proper form for challenge three.
posted by bunnytricks at 11:59 PM on June 1, 2008

I'm halfway through with my MeFi cover song already! (I started working on it when flapjax spilt the beans over here.)

yaay
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 12:09 AM on June 2, 2008

OOh, please please please somebody do a cover of "Blah Blah Blah"? I just don't have the ability or technology to do it right, but I know it could be the massive best new thing in the hands of a competent musician.
posted by Meatbomb at 2:00 AM on June 2, 2008

Thanks for picking this up and running with it. I just don't have the time to devote to it.

I will try and post something, since I've been pretty slack.
posted by chuckdarwin at 2:50 AM on June 2, 2008

How music-ish do the Wildcard ones have to be, or do folk not really care? Because I'm sure I could record some interesting noises according to the Wildcard rules, and edit the tape into an interesting sequence, but the results probably wouldn't be music by any usual definition (and I'm not quite enough of a wanker to suggest I'd be making 'sound art' or 'field recordings' or whatever).
posted by jack_mo at 2:51 AM on June 2, 2008

...but the results probably wouldn't be music by any usual definition...

C'mon, jack_mo, this is 2008! There really is no "usual definition". And even if you perceive there to be one... fuck it! But really, "interesting noises" edited into an "interesting sequence" is the very definition of a rather large percentage of music these days. Go for it.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:04 AM on June 2, 2008

(and I'm not quite enough of a wanker to suggest I'd be making 'sound art' or 'field recordings' or whatever).

OK then, call it "field art". It'll be a "sound recording" of "field art". You'll be inventing a whole new genre!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:17 AM on June 2, 2008

Right-oh then, field art sound recording here I come. Now I just have to find that minidisc recording of a nurse removing a plastic tube from a hole in my side... sluuuurrp-POP!-whimper.
posted by jack_mo at 3:33 AM on June 2, 2008

I think the way the envelope works on mefi for what is vs. isn't Really Music is if there's not a pretty clear answer on the books you should probably just try posting it and then we can yell at you if you're wrong.
posted by cortex at 9:01 AM on June 2, 2008

That is, the envelope re: the pushing thereof.
posted by cortex at 9:02 AM on June 2, 2008

Hey, if it ain't music, we'll just put it through an envelope filter till it sounds right!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:15 AM on June 2, 2008

Thanks for bringing it back, once my 2 week old poop producing machine begins to sleep more, I'll take a stab at it.
posted by drezdn at 11:14 AM on June 2, 2008

"Now I just have to find that minidisc recording of a nurse removing a plastic tube from a hole in my side... sluuuurrp-POP!-whimper.
posted by jack_mo at 3:33 AM on June 2 "
This comment is useless without pictures
posted by Cranberry at 12:25 PM on June 2, 2008

once my 2 week old poop producing machine begins to sleep more, I'll take a stab at it.


the mefi music project, or the poop machine?
tee hee
posted by CitizenD at 3:53 PM on June 2, 2008

Can we use various effects and audio processing on our body part sounds to modify them, or do you want straight recordings? And also, can we overdub?
posted by self at 4:06 PM on June 2, 2008

self: No "side" rules of such specific sorts are (or will be) in effect with this (or any) Challenge. Effects, overdubs, absolutely! Whatever works. Just no musical instruments: body only.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:11 PM on June 2, 2008

The challenge says: "submit music using only your body as a sound source". Does this mean all songs have to be the sole creation of one person -- no duets, no choirs -- or may it be read as "only the body..."?
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 11:04 PM on June 2, 2008

The challenge says: "submit music using only your body as a sound source". Does this mean that if we don't do it intentionally, but if there is some other sound (radio, passing traffic), that is OK because we aren't using it, it just sort of happened?
posted by Meatbomb at 12:32 AM on June 3, 2008

There would appear to be a body of evidence steadily growing here that you fellers is a'pullin' our leg...

But one thing I'd recommend: don't use a dead body. You don't want flesh falling off, limbs becoming detached, etc.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 1:26 AM on June 3, 2008

Hey, look! It's only June 2 and someone's already covered another Mefier's song! And linked to the original, as requested! Great!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 1:31 AM on June 3, 2008

Cranberry wrote: "Now I just have to find that minidisc recording of a nurse removing a plastic tube from a hole in my side... sluuuurrp-POP!-whimper.
posted by jack_mo at 3:33 AM on June 2 "
This comment is useless without pictures

Here you go. Possibly NSFW, probably NSFSP (Not Safe For Squeamish People).
posted by jack_mo at 2:47 AM on June 3, 2008

So, what's the protocol, should we announce who are we going to cover, or keep the surprise factor 'till the end?
posted by micayetoca at 9:21 AM on June 3, 2008

Just in case someone comes here, and is wondering how to approach the cover thing, this is how you do it. What a great one.
posted by micayetoca at 3:10 PM on June 6, 2008