Outsider Music

This is the first post of my first ever blog. Perhaps I'll continue to write it, perhaps not. Only time will tell!

A few years ago I was introduced to the notion of outsider art; art made by those outside the mainstream art community. Not just non-artists but those who's work could not necessarily be thought of as art in the conventional sense of the word. People with no understanding of the memes of art or the archetypes of art yet produce fascinating and complex images regardless.

Moving on from this, I didn't think about it for a few months. Then I came across a video on youtube which struck me as something like the musical equivalent of outsider art. Not strictly unaware of the archetypes, perhaps maybe even more intensely aware of the archetypes of rock music and trying hard to emulate them. But never quite striking the target;
www.youtube.com/watch - Lil Wayne - Prom Queen.
So far as I have established its the opening track from his "rock album". Wayne is a well known artists for those of you not interested in hip hop but obviously listens to rock and strives to emulate it. But doesn't quite manage.

Then I came across some more tonight;
www.youtube.com/watch - Die Antwoord - Zef Side
www.youtube.com/watch - Die Antwoord - Ninja
Same sort of idea, South African hip hop. they're aware of the archetypes of hip hop but fail to deliver them in a way that we as consumers are familiar with. I think in this case its somewhat intentional, they've been bandied about as a joke band all over the net for ages but I don't know for sure.

I find the idea fascinating in that these are obviously both somewhat mainstream bands, certainly not well known but if their viewcount on youtube is anything to go by, very exposed. So why is this music consumed? Does it exist elsewhere? There are other bands that come to mind that strike me as outsider music. The indie solo act Wavves is the product of lofi guitar experimentation accidentally running an entire album through Garageband's distortion unit. Yet the popularity is no where near that of the two previously mentioned bands. Why?
Lil Wayne is certainly promoted by his record company but there must be a degree of word of mouth and so on.

Are there any other well known bands out there doing this?