[Column] Angine de Poitrine VS The Residents: Anonymity - How the art of anonymity has changed music
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Introduction
| Text: mmr | Theme: Anonymity is not simply concealing one’s identity. Focusing on The Residents and Angine de Poitrine, we will decipher how anonymity as a form of musical expression was born, evolved, and has been passed down to the present day. |
When we listen to music, we unconsciously try to figure out who is singing.
A photo of the artist appears on the record jacket, and you can see the artist himself on stage during live performances. In the age of the Internet, this trend has become even stronger. People’s daily lives are posted on SNS, and not only their works but their personalities themselves are now treated as having commercial value.
However, there are some musicians who have gone head-on against this trend.
they don’t show their faces.
Don’t tell me your real name.
Don’t reveal your profile.
Sometimes, even the composition of the members remains secret.
From a general marketing perspective, this seems like an extremely disadvantageous strategy. This is because people are attracted to people they can empathize with. However, if we look back at the history of music, there are many examples of people sublimating anonymity into art.
A representative example of this is The Residents, which has been active since the 1970s.
Wearing giant eyeball masks, never showing their true faces, and keeping their true identity public for over half a century, they are known for bringing the concept of ““anonymity’’ to the world of rock and experimental music.
Nowadays, there are people who update this idea in a completely different way.
Angine de Poitrine.
Their activity style and musicality are very different from The Residents. However, a common ideology can be seen in the way they push the work itself to the foreground, while intentionally relegating the author to the background.
Of course, the two do not claim to be directly descended from each other.
Still, in that they make ““anonymity’’ function as a part of their work, it can be said that they are facing the same artistic challenge.
In this article, I will compare these two groups and consider what “anonymous” means from three perspectives: music history, art history, and media history.
Does anonymity mean hiding?
Or is it a new form of self-expression?
The answer is hidden in approximately 50 years of music history.
Anonymity has developed not as an act of reducing information, but as a device that changes the perspective from which works are viewed.
How Anonymous was Born in Music
At first glance, the act of musicians hiding their faces seems like a novel idea.
However, the background to this is deeply related to the artistic philosophy of the latter half of the 20th century.
From the late 1960s to the 1970s, the question of ““who is the author’’ became a hot topic of discussion in contemporary art in Europe and America.
Is a work a mirror that reflects the artist’s personality?
Or do works, once released into the world, exist independently of their creators?
These discussions gradually influenced not only literature, movies, and art, but also music.
In the rock scene at the time, the star system was rapidly maturing.
Musicians not only perform, but also become fashion leaders, symbols of youth culture, and central figures in the media.
Works and personalities were closely linked, and ““who made them”’ became part of the work”s value.
That’s why the idea of doing the opposite was so powerful.
“Let’s erase the author.”
This is not just a rebellion.
It was a methodology to have people purely see the work.
For example, in contemporary art, anonymous production and collaborative production begin to increase.
In conceptual art, the idea itself became more important than the author.
Similar changes occur in music.
Works began to appear that presented the concept itself, rather than competing in performance technique.
Developments in recording technology also supported this trend.
With studio recordings, it is difficult to tell who played which notes.
Tape editing allows you to create performances that don’t exist in reality.
The work was no longer a record of a live performance, but instead became an artificial work of art.
At that time, the ““face of the performer’’ will no longer be as important as before.
What was important was the finished work itself.
This change in values would later become the foundation for the acceptance of entities like The Residents.
Anonymous is not secrecy.
It was gradually formed as a means to shift the center of gravity of art from the ““person” to the ““work.”
Then, in the 1970s, a group appeared on the West Coast of the United States that pushed this idea to the extreme.
The name was The Residents.
The idea of anonymity did not emerge suddenly, but was the result of a series of changes in artistic thought during the 1960s and 1970s.
Before The Residents – music revolved around “stars”
The new myth of rock star
To understand The Residents, you first need to know the era in which they appeared.
The rock scene of the early 1970s was the height of the ““star era,’’ so to speak.
Rock, which was born in the 1960s, was not just a youth culture, but had grown into a major industry. Albums sell in the millions, huge arena tours are organized, and musicians become as famous as movie stars and athletes.
Record companies also actively supported this trend.
The jacket features a large photo of the artist, and the music magazine features features on his personal life, love, and fashion.
The value of a product was not just ““what kind of music he made,” but ““what kind of person he was.”
This trend was by no means a bad thing.
In fact, many great works were created by musicians with strong personalities.
However, at the same time, the number of situations in which a work’s popularity and brand image are evaluated before the work itself is gradually increasing.
It will be difficult for new artists to compete on their work alone, and we are moving into an era where the value of a work is determined by who created it.
For this reason, a movement began to emerge among some avant-garde artists to fundamentally overturn these values.
The idea of an “invisible author”
From the late 1960s to the 1970s, ““erasing the existence of the author’’ itself began to be treated as expression in art, theater, and film.
A work of art is not meant to tell the story of its creator’s life.
Shouldn’t the work itself be appreciated as an independent entity?
This way of thinking gradually permeates into music.
Of course, this does not mean that there were no musicians working anonymously.
Masked bands and pseudonymous projects have existed for some time.
However, many of these were just a part of staging or creating a buzz, and did not advocate ““anonymity itself’’ as an artistic philosophy.
What was groundbreaking about The Residents was that it placed anonymity at the center of its creative philosophy, rather than as an advertising method.
For them, anonymity is not a game of hiding one’s true identity.
It was a system that allowed only works to be established as works of art.
Anonymous creates freedom
The more famous the author, the more the audience will look at the author before the work.
“This is a work that is typical of that person.”
“How does it compare to your old masterpieces?”
“Do you think it will sell this time?”
These preconceptions are quite natural.
However, these preconceptions can sometimes limit the way a work is received.
Being anonymous removes that filter.
All that remains in front of me is the sound.
Only images.
Just an idea.
Of course, it is not possible to completely eliminate preconceptions.
Still, at least we can distance ourselves from judgments such as ““people are appreciated because they”re famous” or ““we like them because they”re so-and-so.”
The Residents deliberately tried to create this situation.
That”s why they don”t give out their names.
I can’t even show my face.
He doesn’t even talk about his background.
Even the interviews were carefully controlled so as not to disrupt the world of the work.
Anonymity was a frame to protect the purity of the work.
This idea was extremely unusual at the time.
However, it is this unusualness that makes The Residents unique.
They weren’t just a “band that hides their faces.”
Crossing the boundaries of music, video, art, design, and performance, he transformed ““anonymity’’ itself into a work of art.
The innovation of The Residents was that it designed anonymity not as a secret but as a ““structure of the work.’’
The experimental city of San Francisco
Why West Coast?
When The Residents began their activities in the early 1970s, the West Coast of the United States, especially the San Francisco area, was one of the most active regions for experimental art.
After the Summer of Love in 1967, the city was home to a diverse mix of forms of expression, including not only rock but also contemporary art, experimental film, electronic music, performance art, and underground theater.
It was not uncommon for works to cross genres, and there were many cases in which a single artist was also a musician, artist, and videographer.
It is thought that the unique comprehensive artistic approach that The Residents later displayed was nurtured in this cultural soil.
Their work contains many elements that cannot be explained solely by the rock format.
Although it is a music album, it is also a work of art, a live performance, a play, and a video work.
His attitude of blurring boundaries deeply resonated with the atmosphere of West Coast avant-garde art at the time.
A sense of distance from commercialism
While the music industry continued to grow in the 1970s, independent artists were also beginning to build their own networks.
The idea of producing and distributing music by oneself without relying on major record companies gradually spread.
The Residents would also build their own base of activities within this flow.
At the center of this was the existence of independent labels, which would later play an important role.
The idea of anonymity cannot be achieved with music alone.
The entire system of how the work was presented and delivered needed to support that philosophy.
The expression “anonymous” was a concept used not only in the work but also in the design of the activity itself.
The Birth of The Residents: Anonymity was not a coincidence, but a designed art.
The work existed before the name
What”s interesting about the early days of The Residents is that the name “The Residents” wasn”t originally planned.
In their early days, they sent demo tapes to record companies. However, no deal was reached, and the returned package reportedly had the word “Residents” written on it instead of the sender’s name.
Eventually, they adopted that name as their own group name, which is widely known as the origin of the name The Residents.
It is difficult to completely verify the authenticity of this anecdote. However, what is important is that they themselves did not actively deny this story, but rather allowed it to function as part of the world of the work.
In addition to the facts, ““how they are told’’ was also a component of the work.
This attitude remained consistent until later years.
Despite repeated discussions about the identity of the members, they did not provide a clear answer.
The important thing was not to hide the truth, but to not fix the answer.
The work is the main character, not the author
When you look at the cover of The Residents, you get a distinctly different impression from your average rock band.
There are almost no photos of the members, instead strange illustrations, collages, and experimental designs are front and center.
Even if you pick up an album, you won’t know what kind of person is playing.
Instead, what catches your eye is the world of the work itself.
This visual design is also common to music.
Rather than aiming for the familiarity of pop music, his music creates a sense of anxiety, discomfort, humor, satire, and dreaminess.
In other words, the listener does not encounter a ““person” but the ““world of the work.”
Anonymity does not mean reducing information.
It was an editing process that redirected the gaze from the person to the work itself.
What the giant eyeballs mean
The most famous visual symbolizing The Residents is the giant eyeball mask.
Once you see him in a tuxedo, with only his eyes standing out, you’ll never forget it.
What is interesting is that this mask was both a tool for ““hiding one’s true identity” and a device for creating a ““new personality.”
As a result of hiding their faces, they became ““nobody’’.
However, at the same time, a fictional personality called “The Residents” was born.
This is a little different from an actor playing a role.
Actors have real names, but in The Residents their real names are pushed to the outside of the work.
Until the end, the only thing the audience is exposed to is the existence of ““The Residents.’’
Anonymity is not just for erasing one’s identity.
It was also a way to create a new subject that exists only within the work.
By erasing “who they are,” The Residents gave a strong impression of “what they represent.”
Ralph Records──Independent label that supported the idea of anonymity
A vessel to protect expression
In the 1970s, many musicians released their work through major record companies.
However, in an environment where commercial success was sought after, it was not easy to continually release experimental works.
The reason The Residents have been able to maintain their unique expression over the years is due to their independent label, Ralph Records.
This label was more than just a distributor.
It was a place where they could reflect their ideas, including the design, worldview, and distribution methods of their works.
The idea of anonymity does not apply to music alone.
It only works if a consistent worldview is maintained, from album jackets, advertising methods, live productions, and video productions.
Ralph Records became an important foundation supporting that worldview.
Balancing commerciality and experimentation
The word independent production gives some people the impression that it is a small-scale, closed activity.
However, The Residents continued to release works while maintaining their independence, and continued to receive acclaim all over the world.
This was not a complete denial of commerciality, but rather the result of creating a system to prioritize their own expression.
Works do not exist solely to sell.
At the same time, if it doesn”t reach anyone, it won”t become a culture.
This sense of balance is one of the reasons The Residents have been able to continue their work for nearly half a century.
Although they are anonymous, they have never disappeared from society.
Rather, they built their own brand while maintaining a form of anonymity.
The Residents’ anonymity was supported not only by their works but also by the entire system of production, distribution, and presentation.
The Birth of The Residents: Anonymity was not a coincidence, but a designed art.
The work existed before the name
What”s interesting about the early days of The Residents is that the name “The Residents” wasn”t originally planned.
In their early days, they sent demo tapes to record companies. However, no deal was reached, and the returned package reportedly had the word “Residents” written on it instead of the sender’s name.
Eventually, they adopted that name as their own group name, which is widely known as the origin of the name The Residents.
It is difficult to completely verify the authenticity of this anecdote. However, what is important is that they themselves did not actively deny this story, but rather allowed it to function as part of the world of the work.
In addition to the facts, ““how they are told’’ was also a component of the work.
This attitude remained consistent until later years.
Despite repeated discussions about the identity of the members, they did not provide a clear answer.
The important thing was not to hide the truth, but to not fix the answer.
The work is the main character, not the author
When you look at the cover of The Residents, you get a distinctly different impression from your average rock band.
There are almost no photos of the members, instead strange illustrations, collages, and experimental designs are front and center.
Even if you pick up an album, you won’t know what kind of person is playing.
Instead, what catches your eye is the world of the work itself.
This visual design is also common to music.
Rather than aiming for the familiarity of pop music, his music creates a sense of anxiety, discomfort, humor, satire, and dreaminess.
In other words, the listener does not encounter a ““person” but the ““world of the work.”
Anonymity does not mean reducing information.
It was an editing process that redirected the gaze from the person to the work itself.
What the giant eyeballs mean
The most famous visual symbolizing The Residents is the giant eyeball mask.
Once you see him in a tuxedo, with only his eyes standing out, you’ll never forget it.
What is interesting is that this mask was both a tool for ““hiding one’s true identity” and a device for creating a ““new personality.”
As a result of hiding their faces, they became ““nobody’’.
However, at the same time, a fictional personality called “The Residents” was born.
This is a little different from an actor playing a role.
Actors have real names, but in The Residents their real names are pushed to the outside of the work.
Until the end, the only thing the audience is exposed to is the existence of ““The Residents.’’
Anonymity is not just for erasing one’s identity.
It was also a way to create a new subject that exists only within the work.
By erasing “who they are,” The Residents gave a strong impression of “what they represent.”
Ralph Records──Independent label that supported the idea of anonymity
A vessel to protect expression
In the 1970s, many musicians released their work through major record companies.
However, in an environment where commercial success was sought after, it was not easy to continually release experimental works.
The reason The Residents have been able to maintain their unique expression over the years is due to their independent label, Ralph Records.
This label was more than just a distributor.
It was a place where they could reflect their ideas, including the design, worldview, and distribution methods of their works.
The idea of anonymity does not apply to music alone.
It only works if a consistent worldview is maintained, from album jackets, advertising methods, live productions, and video productions.
Ralph Records became an important foundation supporting that worldview.
Balancing commerciality and experimentation
The word independent production gives some people the impression that it is a small-scale, closed activity.
However, The Residents continued to release works while maintaining their independence, and continued to receive acclaim all over the world.
This was not a complete denial of commerciality, but rather the result of creating a system to prioritize their own expression.
Works do not exist solely to sell.
At the same time, if it doesn”t reach anyone, it won”t become a culture.
This sense of balance is one of the reasons The Residents have been able to continue their work for nearly half a century.
Although they are anonymous, they have never disappeared from society.
Rather, they built their own brand while maintaining a form of anonymity.
The Residents’ anonymity was supported not only by their works but also by the entire system of production, distribution, and presentation.
The transformation of anonymity following Angine de Poitrine
Anonymity has changed from “hiding technology” to “designing aesthetics”
The anonymity established by The Residents in the 1970s gradually changed its meaning in subsequent music culture.
Anonymous was originally born as a reaction against the star system of commercial music. The idea was to show the work itself by stripping away information such as faces, names, and backgrounds.
However, in the 21st century, the situation changes.
With the spread of the Internet and SNS, musicians have become ““always visible.’’ Communicating daily life, sharing production process, and visualizing personality. These will be consumed at the same rate as the works.
In this environment, anonymity does not work through mere defiance.
Rather, it will need to be designed as a “deliberate absence.”
What is important here is modern anonymous expressions such as Angine de Poitrine.
“Absence with contours” called Angine de Poitrine
What makes Angine de Poitrine unique is that it differs from the excessive characterization of The Residents.
What is there is not a strong character, but rather a ““minimization of information’’.
It is not uncommon for people not to show their faces.
However, the important thing is that its absence functions as a “blank space.”
In other words, it is not a form of anonymity to hide something, but a ““structure based on the premise of not explaining anything’’ from the beginning.
This is where the distance from The Residents arises.
The Residents created an “excessive anonymity.”
A huge centerpiece, a thorough setting, and a mythicalization of the world of the work.
Angine de Poitrine, on the other hand, goes in the opposite direction.
Information is stripped down to the extreme, leaving only room for interpretation.
Here, anonymity becomes ““tranquility’’ rather than decoration.
Changes in the meaning of anonymous in the SNS era
Being anonymous today is not as simple as it once was.
Complete anonymity is almost impossible, and listeners are always trying to find out some information.
For this reason, modern anonymous expressions are moving away from ““completely concealing” to ““controlling how they are displayed.”
Figures like Angine de Poitrine are a prime example of this.
Don’t give out more information than necessary.
But it won’t be completely zero.
This balance creates a structure that strongly influences the listener’s imagination.
This is a different strategy than The Residents.
Where The Residents created ““anonymity as a character,” Angine de Poitrine creates ““anonymity as a blank space.”
Anonymous diverges here in two directions.
One is ““anonymous creation of stories’’.
The other is “Anonymous, which erases stories.”
Although the two seem similar, they have completely different design philosophies.
Modern anonymity has changed from ““hiding” to ““designing how much information cannot be shown.”
Two genealogies of anonymity: excess and silence
“Visible Anonymous” created by The Residents
The anonymity of The Residents is contradictory at first glance.
This is because, even though they hide their faces, they are remembered as being strongly visible.
Giant eyeball masks, tuxedos, bizarre album covers, and conceptual works with strong narratives.
All of these functions as symbols to emphasize ““anonymity.’’
In other words, the anonymity of The Residents is not erasure.
Rather, it is a construct designed to “show that one is anonymous.”
Even though the audience does not know their true identity, they still receive a powerful image.
Anonymous, yet extremely visually remembered.
Herein lies the peculiarity of The Residents.
Angine de Poitrine’s “Disappearing Anonymous”
Angine de Poitrine, on the other hand, goes in a completely different direction.
Their anonymity is not encoded.
There are no iconic masks, no characterized visuals.
What there is is a ““lack of explanation’’ itself.
The lack of information becomes the structure of expression.
If The Residents is “excessive anonymity,” Angine de Poitrine is closer to “thin anonymity.”
The former remains visually strong, while the latter spreads thinly in recognition.
This difference is not just a difference in style.
The use of the concept of anonymity itself is different.
Anonymous becomes a spectrum
What is important here is that anonymity is no longer a binary choice of “yes/no.”
Rather, anonymity exists as a spectrum.
The Residents is located at one extreme, pushing visual and symbolic anonymity to the extreme.
Angine de Poitrine is closer to the other extreme, turning the lack of information into her work.
Within this spectrum, anonymity is not just a state, but a designable parameter.
How much can I show?
Where should I hide it?
The choice itself becomes part of the work.
“Freedom of interpretation” created by anonymity
The essence of anonymity is not a lack of information.
Rather, it is about creating a margin for interpretation.
If a person”s name is known, listeners listen to the music while referring to that person”s image.
However, if you are anonymous, those references disappear.
As a result, the music itself emerges as a “direct experience.”
In the case of The Residents, this white space was transformed into narrative.
Strange characters and concepts guide the direction of interpretation.
On the other hand, in Angine de Poitrine, even such guidance is avoided as much as possible.
Interpretation is left entirely to the listener.
Even though they are both anonymous, there is a crucial difference here.
Anonymity is not a technique for hiding information, but a structure designed to allow for freedom of interpretation.
Anonymity and technology: the meaning of “absence” changed by the digital age
Has the Internet destroyed or amplified anonymity?
In the past, being anonymous was almost synonymous with being physically invisible.
Without a photograph on the back of the record, there were limited means of obtaining further information. Rumors and interview fragments were all that existed, and anonymity existed as a kind of quiet state.
However, the advent of the Internet fundamentally changed this structure.
Even anonymously, traces remain.
Sound source waveform analysis, distribution channels, live video fragments, SNS quotes, fan community speculation.
In fact, with so much information out there, “anonymous” has become more visible than before.
What happened here was not a disappearance of anonymity.
This is an anonymous redesign.
The Residents and “anonymous information overload”
The Residents established anonymity before the internet, but that structure has paradoxically been strengthened in the digital age.
This is because from the beginning, they placed ““uncertainty of identity’’ at the core of their work.
The more information we have, the more it is treated as “material” rather than “answers.”
Instead of trying to pinpoint the identity, fans will instead enjoy the uncertainty.
This is the moment when anonymity changes from a “mystery” to a “continuing structure.”
Angine de Poitrine and “anonymity as silence”
On the other hand, Angine de Poitrine’s anonymity has a different meaning in the Internet environment.
In their case, lack of information is not just a lack of information.
Rather, it functions as a deliberately designed “silence.”
It doesn’t come up when I search.
Even if it comes out, it’s fragmentary.
By maintaining a state with little definitive information, the density of the work itself increases.
What is important here is that silence acts as “pressure” rather than a blank space.
The lack of information conversely focuses the listener’s attention.
Anonymity in the digital age is not “zero”
Modern anonymity does not exist through simple absence.
Complete zero information almost never exists, and there is always some kind of noise mixed in.
As a result, anonymity has changed into a form of ““controlling the amount of information.’’
The Residents moves in the direction of “mythologizing” information.
Angine de Poitrine moves towards “minimizing” information.
Both are working toward the same goal.
This means taking the center of gravity of the work away from the person.
Anonymousness does not mean a lack of information.
This is a design problem of how to arrange information.
Anonymity in the digital age has changed from ““disappearing” to ““controlling one’s appearance.”
What anonymity brings to the work: Restructuring the listening experience
What remains when “who made it” is lost
When listening to music, the information from the creator has more influence than you might think.
What kind of background does this person have?
What genre did it come from?
What kind of works have you released in the past?
This information quietly directs the meaning of music itself.
However, once anonymity is achieved, this reference axis disappears.
All that remains is the texture of the sound itself.
As a result, the listener’s perception changes.
You will start to focus on ““what is happening” instead of ““who made it.”
“Amplification of meaning” in The Residents
The Residents’ work is the type of music whose meaning is rather amplified by its anonymity.
Their music is not just experimental music, but is closely tied to concepts and visuals.
The fact that the identity is unknown directly emphasizes the eeriness and humor of the work.
For example, strange stories, distorted pop songs, and excessive theatricality.
These things become even more persuasive when you don’t know who is doing it.
Anonymity expands the meaning of the work.
“Erasure of meaning” in Angine de Poitrine
On the other hand, Angine de Poitrine’s anonymity does not amplify meaning, but rather reduces it.
Since there is almost no explanation for the work, listeners are left facing the sounds without a framework for interpretation.
There’s no story, no structure, just the arrangement of sounds.
By rejecting meaning, the auditory experience becomes more pure.
The listener can create their own meaning, but that meaning is not fixed.
It becomes a fluid, personal, and irreproducible experience.
Two effects of anonymity
The important point here is that anonymity is not just an effect.
Rather, it diverges in two directions.
One is anonymity that “amplifies” meaning.
The other is “anonymity that erases” meaning.
The Residents is closer to the former, Angine de Poitrine is closer to the latter.
Although both are anonymous, the results appear to be diametrically opposed.
But the underlying purpose is common.
That is to separate music from ““an extension of the person.’’
The moment when the listening subject moves
When anonymity reaches its maximum, the subject of the listening experience changes.
Normally, the structure would be ““listening to music created by an artist,” but in anonymous cases, the structure approaches ““the music is there.”
The creator recedes into the background, and the sound itself comes to the foreground.
At this point, the listener begins to “encounter” the music rather than “read” it.
The Residents creates this state through production,
Angine de Poitrine is produced by a lack of information.
The methods are different, but the goal is close.
The essence of anonymity is not to erase the creator, but to transform music into a direct experience.
Chronology of anonymity: Disappeared faces and remaining structures
Overview of the evolution of the concept of anonymity
Anonymity is not a single style; its role has changed over time.
From the 1960s to the present day, its meaning has shifted from “concealment” to “design.”
Here, as an intersection of music history and art history, we will organize the flow as a simplified chronology.
Anonymity timeline
1960s-70s: The Collapse of Authorship and The Residents
During this period, the central theme of art was ““Who is the author?’’
Should the work be an individual expression or an independent entity?
Out of this question, extreme anonymous expressions like The Residents emerge.
They did not simply hide their names, but separated their authorship from the structure of their works.
1980s-90s: Anonymous Extension
With the expansion of independent labels, anonymous and pseudonymous projects will increase.
However, at this point, anonymity was still the main focus as a ““strategy,’’ and its thoroughness as an artistic philosophy was limited.
2000s: Redefining the Internet and Anonymous
With the spread of the Internet, anonymity has paradoxically become visible.
Anonymity is not a special condition, but rather a standard part of online culture.
Here, anonymity changes from “secret” to “circulating information.”
2010s: Overvisualization of personality
In the age of social media, a musician’s personality has become inseparable from his or her work.
Music is consumed not only as a sound, but also as a summation of posts, comments, and daily life.
In this day and age, complete anonymity is rather alien.
2020s: Angine de Poitrine Anonymous
Anonymity in this day and age is no longer an act of concealment as it was in the past.
Rather, it has changed to ““the act of designing how much information should not be released.’’
Unlike the symbolic anonymity of The Residents, Angine de Poitrine modulates the amount of information itself.
As a result, anonymity once again begins to function as part of the work’s structure.
The history of anonymity is also a record of the change from the technology of concealment to the aesthetics of design.
Current status of anonymity: Why does the “absence of a face” still have meaning?
What”s happening in a world that”s too visible
In today’s music environment, the ““person’’ is distributed before the work itself.
SNS posts, production scenes, live footage, interviews, and daily snippets.
By consuming these things at the same speed as the works themselves, music has always come to be understood in terms of humans.
In this state, anonymity is not just a novelty.
Rather, it is reevaluated as a conscious structure.
In a world where visibility has become the norm, invisibility itself has meaning.
The Residents” legacy of “excessive anonymity”
The anonymity of The Residents seems extreme now.
Giant eyeballs, theatrical worldviews, and mythological settings.
But this excess was important.
It is significant that anonymity is presented not as ““non-existence,” but as ““a form of existence.”
They did not erase “who they are.”
The work depicts the state of not knowing who someone is.
As a result, anonymity became not just a strategy, but a genre of art.
“Quiet anonymity” as shown by Angine de Poitrine
Angine de Poitrine, on the other hand, is renewing anonymity in a completely different way.
What is there is neither a symbol nor a character.
The choice is to reduce the density of information itself.
I don’t talk.
Don’t explain.
Don’t give too much meaning.
As a result, the work stands up quietly.
If The Residents is ““anonymity that shows itself”, then Angine de Poitrine is ““anonymity that is established by not showing it.”
The two anonyms are complementary, not opposed.
Although these two are often contrasted, they are not essentially contradictory.
Rather, it shows both ends of the concept of anonymity.
One increases symbols, the other decreases symbols.
One creates the story, the other erases the story.
However, what they both have in common is a departure from a person-centered understanding of music.
Anonymity is not a technique for creating “distance”
Anonymity is often understood as an act of distancing.
But actually the opposite is true.
Rather than creating distance, we are changing the type of relationship.
From relationships with people to relationships with sound itself.
From the relationship with story to the relationship with structure.
Anonymousness is not a blockade, but a relocation.
The current role of anonymity is to reconfigure the relationship between music and listeners from “person-based” to “experience-based”.
Transformation of listening created by anonymity: From “understanding” to “encounter”
From the era of “reading” music to the era of “encountering” it
Conventional music experiences have been predicated on a certain kind of “understanding.”
Understanding the meaning of a work by knowing its genre, background, and context.
In the case of rock, we trace history, and in the case of electronic music, we trace technological evolution.
In other words, music was also an object that could be understood as information.
However, in works with strong anonymity, this structure collapses.
Because there is little prerequisite information, listeners are drawn into ““experience” before ““understanding.”
At that moment, music changes from something you read to something you encounter.
“Constructed Encounters” in The Residents
The Residents’ music is more than just a collection of sounds.
There is always an intended sense of discomfort and narrative embedded therein.
Weirdly distorted pop songs, fragmented narratives, and interlocking visual concepts.
These force the listener to ask, “What is this?”
In other words, their anonymity is not just obscurity, but functions as a device to sway recognition.
Encounters are not by chance but by design.
“Undefined Encounters” in Angine de Poitrine
Angine de Poitrine’s anonymity stands in contrast to The Residents.
There is no narrative guidance, nor is there an overabundance of symbolic visuals.
Only the sound is presented.
As a result, listeners face the work without any sense of meaning.
This state is not “blank”.
Rather, it is closer to the state immediately before meaning is generated.
In other words, it is an experience itself that has not yet been fixed.
If The Residents is an “encounter that shakes up meaning,” then Angine de Poitrine is an “encounter before meaning is born.”
The moment when the role of the listener changes
In music, where there is a strong sense of anonymity, the role of the listener also changes.
Usually the listener participates in the work as an interpreter.
However, when anonymity increases, we are drawn back to the pre-interpretation stage.
Instead of searching for meaning, we witness the process by which meaning is created.
This difference may seem small, but it is large.
This is because music is perceived as something that continues to be created, rather than something that is finished.
Two encounter models
The Residents and Angine de Poitrine each offer different encounter models.
Both “delay understanding” in different ways.
That delay is at the heart of anonymity.
Anonymity is a technology that creates a “preliminary stage of meaning”
Anonymity is important not because it hides meaning.
This is because the state before meaning is established is maintained for a long time.
During this time, listeners come face to face with the sound directly.
There are no explanations or labels.
There’s just sound and time passing.
And it is this state that creates the purest listening experience.
The essence of anonymity is not to hide meaning, but to delay the moment when meaning emerges.
The critical point of anonymity - to what extent is it possible to “disappear”?
Is complete anonymity possible?
When we push anonymity to its limits, what remains in the end?
This question is not just a theoretical one, but also a practical problem in musical expression.
Erase your name.
Erase your face.
Erase history.
Even so, the sound itself always leaves traces that ““someone made it.’’
Sound habits, structure choices, recording textures, mix trends.
Complete anonymity is actually an ideal that is technically impossible to achieve.
Even so, the reason why anonymity continues to be pursued is because it is ““an expression that is possible precisely because it is impossible.’’
The critical point of The Residents - the limit area of turning anonymity into a work
The Residents were among the first to push anonymity to the extreme, but they didn’t stop there.
He not only maintained his anonymity, but permeated his visuals, music, and story.
What was born as a result was ““a world where anonymity is the premise.’’
In other words, anonymity became an environment rather than a state.
When you reach this stage, the very idea that ““someone is hiding’’ loses its meaning.
What we find here is a body of work that was designed from the beginning to be anonymous.
Angine de Poitrine’s critical point: Design approaching zero information
The direction Angine de Poitrine is heading in contrasts with The Residents.
They do not “enhance” anonymity, they “dilute” it.
Don’t create symbols.
It has no character.
Do not introduce excessive settings.
What remains as a result is a very simple structure.
But this simplicity is not empty.
Rather, it is a design that maximizes the very room for meaning.
The less information there is, the more the listener will complete the meaning themselves.
Completion of that becomes an experience.
The paradox of anonymity - the more you disappear, the stronger your presence becomes
There is a paradox to anonymity.
The thinner the presence, the stronger the impression it leaves.
The Residents became memorable by making the invisible visible.
Angine de Poitrine has a presence that stimulates the imagination by completely refraining from saying anything.
What both have in common is that ““disappearance’’ does not end there.
We are turning the idea of disappearing into a design.
Critical structure of anonymity
The critical point of anonymity is not ““disappearance,” but ““a change in the form of existence.”
Anonymity becomes a “structure” rather than a “lack”
If we view anonymity as a mere lack, we lose sight of its true nature.
What is important is not what is not there, but what is there.
The Residents establishes anonymity as a “mythical structure.”
Angine de Poitrine established anonymity as a “blank structure.”
Both remove the “person” from the center of the music, in different ways.
The critical point of anonymity is ““the moment when the structure itself becomes a work’’ that remains after the person has disappeared.
Comparison axis of anonymity ─ The design philosophy of The Residents and Angine de Poitrine
Even though it’s the same “anonymous”, the design is completely different
As we have seen, both The Residents and Angine de Poitrine are musical expressions centered on anonymity.
However, the design philosophy is surprisingly different.
On the one hand, there is an “overconstructed anonymity.”
The other is “anonymity stripped down to the utmost.”
Although they are spoken using the same words, their content is contrasting.
The Residents──Design to “show” anonymity
The anonymity of The Residents is thoroughly visual.
A giant eyeball mask.
unified costume.
An album concept with a strong narrative.
All of these functions as symbols to convey ““anonymity’’ to the outside world.
In other words, they offer anonymity rather than hiding it.
Anonymity has become a brand in itself.
In this structure, anonymity becomes an “expression” rather than a “blank space.”
Angine de Poitrine──Design to “erase” anonymity
Angine de Poitrine’s anonymity is at the other end of the spectrum.
Symbolic visuals are minimal.
There is no characterization either.
Explanations are also extremely limited.
The important point here is not to “hide” but to “not talk about it from the beginning.”
Anonymity is built in as a prerequisite, not as an intention.
As a result, the work remains separate from the person.
Comparison of two anonymous designs
Looking at this structure, you can see that the difference between the two is not just in style.
The ““handling’’ of anonymity itself is different.
The purpose of anonymity is the same, but the means are different
Both have one purpose in common.
This is a ““departure from a person-centered understanding of music.’’
However, the means to achieve this are exactly the opposite.
Instead of erasing characters, The Residents created “alternative personalities.”
Angine de Poitrine “creates nothing” while erasing the characters.
This difference may seem small, but it is large.
The former is a construction, and the latter is a non-construction.
Anonymity Direction Map
Anonymity is not a single concept, but can be organized as a vector of directions.
- Anonymous to increase visibility (The Residents)
- Anonymous to reduce visibility (Angine de Poitrine)
Between these two axes, there are countless intermediate forms.
Anonymity is no longer a matter of “yes/no.”
The question is how far should the design go?
Comparison of anonymity is not a difference in the amount of concealment, but a difference in the extent to which the worldview is elaborated.
The legacy of anonymity: its influence and reverberations in music history
Anonymity was not just a temporary measure
Being anonymous was originally a very special choice.
This is because the center of the music industry has always moved in the direction of clearly stating ““who made the music.’’
But something like The Residents offered a different possibility to that trend.
Anonymity is not a temporary stage performance, but can be a sustainable form of expression.
This fact would quietly influence later musical culture.
Impact on independent culture
Since the 1980s, with the expansion of independent labels, anonymous projects have increased.
However, in many cases, the anonymity was based on ““pseudonyms” or ““project names” rather than complete anonymity.
Still, what is important is that there is a growing recognition that music does not necessarily have to depend on an individual’s name.
The idea that the work is the subject and the author can retreat to the background is gradually becoming commonplace.
The affinity between electronic music and anonymity
The development of electronic music is also strongly tied to anonymity.
Mechanically generated sounds dilute information about who played the music.
Synthesizers and samplers partially dissolve the performer’s physicality.
As a result, the music becomes more abstract, and ““traces of the person’’ are less likely to come to the fore.
This structure has a strong affinity with the anonymity of The Residents.
Anonymous Projects in the Digital Age
After the Internet, anonymous music projects become even more diverse.
However, many of them operate in a “semi-anonymous state” rather than completely anonymous.
It presents only the necessary information and leaves the rest intentionally vague.
This intermediate anonymity has aspects similar to Angine de Poitrine’s design.
In other words, modern anonymity exists as a gradation between these two extremes.
Anonymity influence structure
Looking at this trend, we can see that anonymity is not just a peripheral phenomenon.
Rather, it is an element that has influenced the very structure of music.
Anonymous is not a “disappeared name” but a “remaining structure”
When talking about anonymity, the aspect of ““not knowing who is doing it’’ is often emphasized.
But that’s not the point.
What matters is what remains of anonymity.
The Residents left behind a “mythical structure.”
Angine de Poitrine left behind ““structure as a blank.’’
Both create a ““center other than the person’’ in the music in different ways.
The biggest legacy of anonymity is not the artist but “music as a structure.”
Leading the way to the final chapter - where will anonymity lead?
Is anonymity over or has it begun?
As we have seen, anonymity is not simply a technology that disappears.
The Residents mythologised it, Angine de Poitrine minimized it.
Both of them, in different ways, are trying to remove the focus of ““person’’ from music.
So where is this trend heading?
Is anonymity a concept that has already served its purpose, or will it continue to evolve?
The limits of visibility and the re-emergence of anonymity
We live in a time when musicians have become extremely visible.
The production process is made public, everyday life is turned into content, and the work and personality are treated as almost the same thing.
In this environment, anonymity cannot be achieved simply by being contrarian.
Rather, it needs to be redefined as “information design philosophy.”
It”s not about what you don”t show, but how much you don’t show.
It”s not about what you don”t talk about, but how much you don’t talk about it.
This arrangement is the essence of modern anonymity.
“Excessive models” after The Residents
The anonymity offered by The Residents still functions as a pole.
This is the direction of ““completely turning anonymity into a work.’’
Characterization, visualization, mythologizing.
Anonymity becomes a “narrative device” here.
This model continues to be influential, but it is also an area that is difficult to replicate.
This is because in the age of information overload, it is extremely difficult to maintain a ““complete myth.’’
“Subtractive model” after Angine de Poitrine
Angine de Poitrine anonymity, by contrast, has a more modern structure.
It is a design that does not ““create something,” but ““makes it work without adding anything.”
This subtractive model is well suited to the social media era.
Precisely because we are overflowing with information, it makes sense to reduce it.
Silence doesn’t become a style, it becomes a structure.
Future structure of anonymity
Anonymity may become even more polarizing in the future.
On the one hand, there is more narrative anonymity.
The other is a more diluted anonymity.
Both extremes are different answers to the same question.
“How far can you separate the person from the music?”
The final question of anonymity
Anonymity does not ultimately erase “who created it.”
Rather, it leaves us with the question, “Do we need to know that?”
The Residents visually expands on that question.
Angine de Poitrine left the question in silence.
And in between, there are countless intermediate forms.
Anonymity is not a condition, but a question itself.
The ultimate role of anonymity is not to erase the person from the music, but to present an experience that can exist even without the person.
Summary: Anonymous “center that doesn”t exist”
Where was the center of music?
When you look at The Residents and Angine de Poitrine side by side, a strange composition emerges.
The point is that although both are ““music for erasing the center,’’ they end up creating a different center.
The Residents created a “mythic core.”
Angine de Poitrine created “the center as silence”.
Both center on something other than a person.
Anonymous was not a blank space but a center of gravity.
The word anonymous originally conjures up a ““state of nothing’’.
But actually the opposite is true.
Anonymity is not a blank space, but a shift in the center of gravity.
From people to works.
From author to structure.
From explanation to experience.
As a result of this movement, music is reestablished in a different form.
What The Residents Leave Behind
The Residents’ greatest legacy in music history is not proof that expression can be achieved even anonymously.
In fact, the opposite is true.
The discovery is that by being anonymous, expressions can have a stronger structure.
Visual symbolism, storytelling, and characterization.
All of them functioned as supplementary lines to establish anonymity.
Anonymity was not erasure, but design.
What Angine de Poitrine showed
Angine de Poitrine pushed the design in yet another direction.
They don’t make symbols.
Don’t add more explanation.
Don’t fix the story.
What remains as a result is an extremely open interpretive space.
Here, anonymity becomes “stillness itself.”
The point where two anonymities intersect
These two seemingly polar opposites have one thing in common.
This is the principle of ““not placing the person in front of the work.’’
As long as this principle exists, even if the form of anonymity is different, the destination will be the same.
The idea is to liberate the music from the person.
“Absent presence” as the final form of anonymity
When anonymity is pushed to the limit, what remains is ““the presence of absence itself.’’
There is no name or face.
But music does exist.
And its presence is rather strongly perceived.
Because it’s not a “replacement” for anything.
In conclusion: Anonymity does not mean disappearing.
Anonymous does not mean disappearing.
It”s not like you can”t see it.
It’s about changing the way you are seen.
The Residents turned anonymity into a “device for seeing.”
Angine de Poitrine turned anonymity into a “margin for feeling.”
And both of them intersect in one point: liberating music from the person.
Anonymity does not mean erasing the creator from music, but rather it is a structure that allows music to exist without a creator.
This column has already reached the “summary” stage, and structurally the main story is complete. From here on, it is not a “continuation”, but rather an auxiliary part (appendix) for Jekyll.
However, as requested, I will add it as a final appendix to extend the aftertaste after reading it.
Appendix: Why the concept of anonymity persists
Anonymous is not a “disappearing idea” but a “remaining structure”
Although the concept of anonymity seems to become more tenuous as time progresses, it actually moves in the opposite direction.
The more visualization progresses, the more interest in the ““invisible’’ becomes a reaction.
In other words, anonymity is not a concept that disappears, but a structure that continues to exist, changing its form depending on the environment.
Sometimes it is mythologised, as in The Residents, and sometimes it is silence, as in Angine de Poitrine.
Anonymous is constantly being reinvented, albeit in different forms.
Recursiveness of anonymity
The interesting thing about anonymity is that once it”s established, it doesn”t end.
When anonymity attracts attention, that anonymity itself takes on new meaning.
When that meaning is retold, the anonymous transforms into a ““being that is talked about’’.
This recursive structure is what makes anonymity special.
It”s gone, but it”s not gone.
Even though you can’t see it, it exists strongly.
Anonymous position in music
In music, anonymity is not a genre or a style.
It’s a structural choice, a device that changes the listening experience itself.
It’s not about who created it, but how it exists.
In order to establish that question, anonymity appears repeatedly.
What remains at the end
The Residents left behind “Seeing Anonymous.”
Angine de Poitrine left behind “feeling anonymous”.
And the countless attempts in between have shaped the modern musical environment.
Anonymity never disappears.
It just keeps changing shape.
Anonymous is not a concept outside of music, but a ““perspective device’’ that continually updates the way music itself is viewed.
YouTube Podcast
*This podcast is in English, but you can watch it with automatic subtitles and translation.
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