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Emergency Broadcast Network

From Alfawiki
Emergency Broadcast Network
Company typeCollective
IndustryMultimedia performance, experimental music
Founded1991
FounderJoshua Pearson, Gardner Post, Brian Kane
Defunct1999
Area served
United States
Key people
Joshua Pearson, Gardner Post, Brian Kane, Ron O'Donnell, Greg Deocampo, Tracy Brown, Mark Marinello
ProductsCommercial Entertainment Product (1992), Telecommunication Breakdown (1995)

Emergency Broadcast Network is a multimedia performance collective established in 1991 by Joshua Pearson, Gardner Post, and Brian Kane, all alumni of the Rhode Island School of Design. Kane, known for creating the Vujak VJ software, departed from the group in 1992. The EBN Live Team featured DJ Ron O'Donnell; video artist and technologist Greg Deocampo, who founded Company of Science and Art (CoSA) and served as the initial CTO of IFilm.com; artist and designer Tracy Brown; alongside programmer-technologist Mark Marinello.

History

The inaugural project of EBN was a musical remix centered on the Gulf War in 1991, drawing inspiration from the media’s transformation of war coverage into entertainment. Their VHS tape showcasing George H. W. Bush's rendition of "We Will Rock You" gained underground popularity, circulating extensively as unauthorized copies. During that summer, EBN participated in the first Lollapalooza tour, distributing their tapes and presenting videos atop a customized station wagon equipped with rooftop televisions. Gardner Post was responsible for creating their distinctive media sculptures and stage props.

Bono from U2 enlisted EBN to produce visuals for the Zoo TV Tour, where their cover of "We Will Rock You" was used to open each concert. Additionally, they crafted visuals for The Edge’s "Numb" performance at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards, incorporating audio snippets to enhance rhythmic elements. In 1997, EBN partnered with U2 on the MTV miniseries ZooTV: The Television Program, which included satirical videos and remixes. The following year, they created montage videos for MTV Video Music Awards nominees employing their trademark "video scratching" technique.

In 1996, EBN contributed to Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip, an AIDS benefit album produced by the Red Hot Organization. Later in 2011, they collaborated with Nico to mark the 10th anniversary of the EJ Midi Turntable at First Avenue.

Commercial Entertainment Product

Released in 1992 through TVT Records, Commercial Entertainment Product was described by Spin as a "dizzyingly hypnotic, politically subversive sound-and-vision barrage" that dares listeners to "try psychoactive drugs!" The album’s videos include a rendition of "We Will Rock You" originally by Queen, featuring remixed vocal samples of George H. W. Bush delivering announcements related to the Gulf War.

Track listing

  1. Psychoactive Drugs
  2. Get Down, Get Down
  3. Station Identification
  4. Don't Back Down
  5. I Will Teach You
  6. Behavior Modification / We Will Rock You
  7. I Am A Man
  8. Lawrence Welk Is Dead
  9. Watch Television
  10. Syncopated Ordinance Demonstration #1
  11. Operational Report

Telecommunication Breakdown

The 1995 release Telecommunication Breakdown stood out as one of the pioneering Enhanced CDs, featuring contributions from artists such as Bill Laswell, Institute of Technology, Grandmaster Melle Mel, Brian Eno, and Jack Dangers. Tracks like "Get Down" and "Electronic Behavior Control System" offer critical commentary on television’s societal impact. Particularly notable is "Get Down," which includes a sample from R. Budd Dwyer’s suicide. According to Wired.com, EBN’s sampling approach on this track resembles the video counterpart to Public Enemy's Bomb Squad production style.

Style

Josh Pearson, the frontman, composer, and principal video editor for EBN, highlighted that the group employs sampling technology to produce multimedia performance art rather than relying on conventional musical skills.

EBN's method centered on remixing cable television content with rhythmic beats, crafting lyrics from short television audio fragments instead of traditional singing. For instance, the phrase "electronic behavior control system" was assembled by merging clips from Ross Perot, George H. W. Bush, Ted Koppel, and Bill Clinton. This pioneering method is referred to as video scratching.

Legacy

Scholar and author Holly Willis credits EBN with laying the groundwork for contemporary VJing.

Following his time with EBN, Kane helped develop the video sampling software Vujak and partnered with UK-based AV artists Addictive TV on projects such as Mixmasters and performances at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts.

Deocampo established Company of Science and Art, the team behind After Effects. He remains active in creating video remixes, notably utilizing footage from the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Since 2006, he has collaborated with London-based video turntablists Eclectic Method: Jonny Wilson, Ian Edgar, and Geoff Gamlen.

Joshua Pearson serves as Senior Editor at Outpost Digital / RadicalMedia and has worked on numerous commercials, television programs, and documentaries including Sundance selections like Under African Skies: Paul Simon's Graceland Journey and Whitey: The United States V James J. Bulger. In 2015, he edited the Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning documentary What Happened, Miss Simone?, directed by Liz Garbus.

Gardner Post continues his work in sculpture and audiovisual performance art, including collaborations with the band United Content Providers.

External links

Interviews

  • Deocampo Interview – Greg Deocampo discusses The EJ MIDI Turntable.
  • Radio Feature – Interview with Emergency Broadcast Network's Gardner Post on Some Assembly Required.
  • Kane Interview – Interview conversation with Brian Kane.
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