Artistic talent is equally distributed across the globe.
Media attention should be as well.
What is No Chambers?
No Chambers is a project focused on highlighting artists making music everywhere. Its goal is to be the answer for anyone who’s ever looked at a globe and thought, “what’s happening out there, musically?” There are people and publications writing about this, however infrequently. This project attempts to bring that coverage into one place and (ideally) add some original coverage of its own.
To do this, No Chambers features albums and articles from the wider world of music that often goes less-noticed in existing (English-language) coverage. Other than this, there is no organizing principle to No Chambers. Featured albums can be from any genre, time period, and point in an artist’s discography.
Whether this newsletter is providing new finds or reminders of records to revisit, the hope is that No Chambers will provide a welcome break from the echo chamber that Western music coverage can too easily become.
More questions? See below.
I already subscribe to so many music newsletters. Why would I subscribe to this one as well?
I get it - information overload has become a defining characteristic of today’s media landscape. No Chambers can’t fix this, but it tries to make its own contribution a little less overwhelming by keeping its newsletters to a minimum. Hopefully this will make keeping up with No Chambers a treat rather than a chore.
What can I expect from a No Chambers subscription?
On the first Friday of every month, No Chambers sends out a “Scene Report Report,” which is a compilation of articles reporting on under-covered music scenes around the world. This is accompanied by a short playlist featuring one song from each scene (available for paying subscribers), as well as an “album highlight” showcasing a record from the articles (or elsewhere) that I particularly enjoyed.
How long is “longer-form”?
Anywhere from one paragraph to several - it depends on how much I have to say.
What is a “scene report”?
The definition’s a little fuzzy, but basically it’s a piece of writing (or other media) diving into some of the background and context surrounding a music scene in a particular place. It highlights key artists in that scene and, ideally, features interviews with some of those artists. In stricter definitions, the artists probably have some connection to each other as well, either by sharing venues, playing in each others’ bands, or otherwise setting up the building blocks of a true musical community.
This newsletter does not take a strict definition. Although it tries to focus on pieces that dive deep into the interconnected tissue of niche music scenes, its overarching goal is to highlight articles that provide additional context on music coming out of a specific place. This can be a report on contemporary scene, a history of a past scene, or even just a piece about how music from different corners of the map are making an impact in our increasingly globalized culture. If a piece provides a view into the expansive world of music that exists outside the chart-topping mainstream, it may have a place here.
Why on first Fridays?
If you’re not already acquainted, let me introduce you to Bandcamp Fridays. Although these may or may not still be happening when you receive this newsletter, No Chambers aims to keep the spirit of these events alive.
Are these albums “fresh finds”?
Ideally they’re not stale, but it’s a big world out there. Although I try to highlight work that I feel deserves more recognition than it’s getting, I can’t commit to staying on top of all the latest releases and deepest cuts from the vast geographic area that this newsletter tries to cover. It’s likely these albums will be familiar to anyone who’s tapped into a particularly scene, but hopefully the coverage will be broad enough that you’ll find new recs from places you’re less familiar with. Also, some albums are just good enough that they’re worth a re-up.
So they’re all critically acclaimed?
Who knows? I’m not a critic.
Who are you?
Part-time writer, full-time music fan. Some of my writing from elsewhere is available here.
So is this “world music”?
No.
I have a question/comment/recommendation, can I contact you?
Definitely! I’m very aware that, by virtue of my language and background, No Chambers is also a part of the Western media apparatus and is subject to the same pitfalls. Feel free to send constructive criticism, feature suggestions, and all other outreach to nochamberscontact@gmail.com. I’m not too social in the media sense, but you can also find me on Instagram and that other site.
Photo Attribution: “opening doors” by Jeff, licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0 DEED
