“…Granted, a lot has been written about the free software-free
music link in recent months. Thanks to recent innovations such as
Napster, Gnutella and Freenet, the age-old hacker mantra of
“information wants to be free” has found a new voice within a new
generation of oppressed Slipknot and Limp Bizkit fans.”
“Aside from the rebels-without-an-effect angle, however, little
has been written to address the interesting similarities between
free software and modern music in the less visible area of creative
development.”
“After all, today’s hackers and DJs share more than just a
penchant for expensive electronic toys and ill-advised haircuts. In
a world characterized by information overload, both cultures have
emerged as separate appendages of the same post-modern beast.
Whether it’s Gnome hackers appropriating the GIMP tool kit for
their own benefit or musicians such as DJ Spooky overhauling
Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” throwing in hip-hop samples
underneath, the underlying creative concepts are the same: Take the
best. Dump the rest. Integrate and start over.“