News

Musical Heavyweights Sign Up To Cage Against The Machine

• 3rd Dec 2010

On Monday 6th December a band made up of influential artists and musicians of the alternative scene from Pete Doherty to Penguin Prison, Kooks to Coldcut and Crystal Fighters to Dan Le Sac, will be gathered at the legendary Dean Street Studios in Soho to make history by re-recording John Cages’s celebrated piece, 4'33″, which comprises of four minutes and thirty three seconds of silence. The single (and subsequent ‘pocket call’ remixes by Alex Metric, Herve, Adam F, Mr Scruff and Hot Chip) will be released on Wall of Sound Records on December 13th.

Just about this time last year what started off as two ‘likes’ on a Facebook page, and which quickly turned into a million, made Rage Against The Machine’s anthem ‘Killing In The Name’ Christmas number one, in now legendary fashion. This year the Facebook community at link has reached over fifty thousand people committed to buying this single and, with a nation of indie/rock/punk communities ready once again to make a stand against bland, vacuous pop music; the clarion call is ‘Cage Against The Machine’ for Christmas Number One!

All the proceeds from sales will go to five charities. These music-related charities were chosen by the Cage Against The Machine Facebook community's organisers as something they feel John Cage would have whole heartedly approved of. These are not fluffy or ‘sexy’ charities but five charities who are pitifully underfunded and desperate for funds to help research cures and improve awareness: Specifically:

1. The British Tinnitus Association (BTA): When Cage's 4'33″ begins, anyone with Tinnitus will just hear their own dreadful ringing. This condition can drive people suicidal and affects musicians more than any other illness. BTA can't even afford to fund a single phone line 24 hours a day to help cope with suicidal calls from sufferers. We can change that.

2. Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM): When Chazz Haddon, singer of Ou Est Le Swimming Pool, tragically ended his own life at Pukkelpop festival in August, a spotlight was put on the fact that the biggest killer (aside from road accidents) of men under the age of 35 in the UK is suicide. Men are 4 times more likely to kill themselves than women. CALM is the only charity to soley focus upon addressing young male suicide.

3. Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy: Nordoff Robbins brings music's transforming power to children and adults in need, through the delivery of music therapy services.

4. Youth Music: Youth Music is the leading UK charity using music to transform the lives of disadvantaged children and young people.

5. Sound And Music: Promotes challenging new music and sound art. “Your support enables us to conceive, experiment and pioneer programmes to engage and inspire audiences of all ages.”