http://www.smithjournal.com.au/blogs/arts/the-boombox-project-book-giveawayThe Boombox Project (book giveaway)
The size of a suitcase and just as heavy, the boombox was as much a part of the hip-hop scene as the fresh beats it blasted. Brandished by hip-hop luminaries such as Run-DMC, Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa, they could be heard on every urban street corner, where listeners competed for sound, breakdanced on cardboard boxes and swapped tapes like anti-piracy laws weren’t no thing.
But with the ascension of the Walkman, Discman, MiniDisc and iPod, the boombox went the way of the gramophone, abandoned by all but the most diehard hi-fi fans. They must be pleased (if a little smug) that, like the record player, ‘street art’ and the 808 before it, the ol’ boombox is undergoing something of a modern day renaissance.
Photographer Lyle Owerko is clearly one such fan, and he’s compiled a book detailing the storied history of the world’s most clunky music player to prove it. With a foreword by Spike Lee and interviews with Fab 5 Freddy, LL Cool J, DJ Spooky, and Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys, The Boombox Project is as much an authoritative aural history of early hip-hop as it is a tribute to a piece of technology. Littered with documentary photographs and smart infographics, it’s also visual dope. To use the vernacular of the times.
Thanks to Lyle Owerko we have a copy of The Boombox Project to give away. To enter, send your name and address to giveaways@smithjournal.com.au.
Featured: We spoke to Owerko about his top five boomboxes in Smith Journal volume 10. Grab a copy, find a local stockist, or subscribe.
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