Pure Punk Picks
Time Zone – “World Destruction”
I’ve always consider rap to be “black punk.”
I can’t say I’m a huge fan of rap but I’ve always had a huge respect for the genre, especially the more cutting edge work of its’ style.
When I first heard Public Enemy’s album “It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back,” not only did I love it, but it gave me the same feeling, the same goose bumps when I first heard The Sex Pistols “Never Mind The Bollocks,” the same anger, the same energy was there.
And the similar beginnings between punk and rap are startling! (Oh, I scared myself!)
Punk was born in The Bowery of New York City and rap about a decade later in The Bronx. Both styles of music were, at first, rejected by established record companies, considered by most music fans as “noise not music,” and looked down upon as not created by “real musicians.”
And both had intense, social commentary that went against the powers that be, that control us. And just like how the punks invented names for themselves- like Poly Styrene, Rat Scabies and Johnny Rotten; so did the rappers such as Grandmaster Flash, Chuck D and Afrika Bambaataa.
Both styles were anti-establishment, anti-music establishment and were embraced by the most adventurous of the young. And to me, they had a vibrant, urgency and energy that was clear and evident to anyone with some sense of awareness.
Time Zone was an electro-band project that rapper Afrika Bambaataa led using different people. This song was a collaboration with famous, underground producer Bill Laswell and John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) who was then in PIL.
“This is a world destruction, your life ain’t nothing. The human race is becoming a disgrace. The rich get richer, the poor are getting poorer. Fascist, chauvinistic, government fools.”
This song is from 1984 but is actually, quite relevant, thirty-five years later in 2019.
The backing track is a hard-hitting, militant sounding electronic beat with a growling, guitar poking its’ head in- along with the combined, forceful, angry vocals of Afrika and John united, laying down the law with righteous anger and emotion of what’s to come within the song.
I guess, without the vocals, this might pass as a simple, electronic pop song from the eighties, much like “Blinded Me With Science,” by Thomas Dolby. But the combined disgust and intense disturbance put forth by these two fellows put forth a feeling that is overwhelming.
When the simple, sparse synth line descends in dissonant discord while visions of apocalypse are shown upon the video screen- I realize this was a perfect match of words and music and image to express, relay a message of grave concern, one that this song so effectively creates.
The music of this song sounds like the forces of society closing in on you, ready to grab you and stuff you in your place, your slot in society- with its’ mechanical, militaristic, overbearing grip. While the voices combined, the voices of black and white, join in in a moralistic, impassioned plea of protest and dissent.
“Nationalities are fighting with each other. Why is this? Because the system tells you.”
My favorite part of the song is when Johnny Rotten wails emotionally, desperately- “I’m in a time zone, I’m in a time zone.” And Afrika chimes in gruffly, “This is a world destruction.”
In my opinion, this song is best mix of rap and punk, I’ve ever heard in the world!
“We are Time Zone. We’ve come to drop a bomb on you. World destruction, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom!”
(Slimedog)
