Culture Wars, a collaborative program run by Fresh Eye and Documentary Monday, presents the only screening of Other Music in the Czech Republic to critically examine the phenomena of gentrification, commercialization and digitalization which brought the story of one of New York’s independent music culture hubs, the cult shop Other Music, to an end; a story you may know from your place, too.
In the summer of 2016, New York lost its beloved and significant independent music venue. Other Music, a record shop located at 15 E 4th Street between Broadway and Lafayette Avenue in the very heart of Manhattan’s East Village, was more than a place crammed with CDs, tapes, magazines and vinyls. Other Music gave rise to many bands and labels and kickstarted many careers. It was a place with a capital P where a whole generation of New Yorkers in the early Internet era came to discover essential music by artists who later became big names and underground icons: Animal Collective, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Vampire Weekend, the National, Interpol, TV on the Radio, Regina Spektor, William Basinski and many others.
How can community, iconic and cultural places of the past survive in the contemporary digital world of streaming services? Why is it important to have a space where fans and friends can meet in person? How can places on the independent culture scene survive while facing the commercial pressures of developers and ubiquitous gentrification?
The film will be screened at the Small Hall of Kino Světozor. Tickets are available online.
