There’s something seriously wrong with the New York noise scene right now (aug 2024). Idk what it is about New York, and im also definitely just as hater, but I get so annoyed at the over saturation of the music scene here. And I suppose it’s because everyone comes to New York to “make it” or in hopes of finding their outlet into certain music or scenes. I’ve been preforming for a while now in ny and it didn’t used to be this way. I genuinely feel like noise is being gentrified. Which is so weird to say, because it makes sense for other genres, business techno, all of EDM, pop, hyperpoop whatever. I think it’s the performance aspect of it? Doing being so big right now as a performative and HEY LOOK I’m a DJ and I’m SEXY has ruined how people in ny specifically view the idea of performance. NY is a performance most of the time, I feel like it’s not real. And noise music is such a performative medium. But you can really tell when someone does not care at all about the music they’re preforming, they only care about the image of being a noise musician, which like, since when is this happening in the noise scene?? It used to be the annoying noise guys with 10 metalzone pedals, I’m a baby and I still remember that, but they felt that shit for sure, even if it was the same 40mins of harsh noise wall. Now everything is so internet and I wanna be loud that laptop sets are normalized and multimedia noise shows exist (why do that, I hate it when you have a 8-12am show but you’re like, we have 4 dancers, we have 12 screenings, and 30 “noise” musicians, how could that possibly go well, this has happened to me so many times where ill play some bushwick show (mind you its the same click of people too, a different click then livecode-nyc, but they were annoying too for a sec, I have no qualms with them now) and there will be “movement” and then some crazy long lineup with barely any time to set up in between sets or perform, and then some shit happened recently where some improv dancer tried to flip my table with all my shit on it as part of their dance routine, what could possibly compel you to even want to do that, to someone else’s shit, idk man. Get your shit together, and that shit does not stand at a punk show you’d get thrown, and noise shows too, but the scene in ny is too young, or maybe I just play the same spots because I don’t know too many people or too many venues. I should try and play some different spots. The best shows ive played in the past couple months have been coffee shops and bars.) On a separate note, Im not sure if my music classifies as capital N Noise, sometimes it does but not all the time. And I guess would it even be a noise show if my gear is not at risk. Maybe I should think about the gear I use more, all of it came together after years of collecting stuff, and now diy stuff on top if that, they really are precious items to me, ritual objects, and preforming is a very sacred act for me, which is why when its not authentic, not in a someone is exploring performance, but in a clearly this is with ill intent and a weird niche noise popularity contest, it really hurts my brain. If you want to explore, please explore, through practice and sound, not what it looks like to be a noise artist, or what you think the aesthetics of noise are, that will come with your personal practice, and dancers for god sakes don’t knock over gear or touch people without permission, the dancers on the 2 train are more careful about hitting people with 1/12th of the space that you guys have to perform in. Im still exploring what it means to be a noise artist (whatever that is) but be genuine, NY especially ruins people, don’t let it get to you. I may be biased, ive made a lot of really talented friends in music and noise in providence, which has also been kind of knows for its noise scene all the way back to the 80s and 90s, so maybe ultra-authentic of the sorts (not that this shit doesn’t happen In Prov cus it does, its a collage town, and oh boy don’t let me get started on the art kids).