Negativland: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

The Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future. Introducing NPR Music's Tiny Desk (home) concerts, bringing you performances from across the country and the world. It's the same spirit — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space.

Bob Boilen | May 6, 2021
It may at first seem that Negativland's sound collage is an unlikely candidate for a Tiny Desk concert, but honestly, how many bands can you think of making music since the late 1970s while sitting pretty much at their desks? Formed in the Bay Area, Negativland are proud subverters of culture, causing trouble while having fun.

The found sounds of Negativland come from original members David Wills, Mark Hosler, and Jon Leidecker (from left to right on the bottom of the screen), with visuals by Kevin Slagle and Sue Slagle (top of the screen).

Negativland are provocateurs, taking aim at the media and how technology alters our perception of the world. You can hear that on their 2020 album, The World Will Decide. This Tiny Desk (home) concert looks frightfully similar to the way many of us work these days — on video conference calls, reacting in real-time to our colleagues, dissecting our interactions ... but also occasionally having fun.

SET LIST
• "It's Normal"
• "No Brain"
• "Reality Game"
• "I'm Going To Sing Now"

MUSICIANS
• Music and found sounds by Negativland, David Wills, Mark Hosler, and Jon Leidecker

CREDITS
• Visuals by SUE-C & Co., Kevin Slagle and Sue Slagle
• Production and A/V traffic control by Jennifer Bennett

TINY DESK TEAM
• Producer: Bob Boilen
• Video Producer: Kara Frame
• Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin
• Associate Producer: Bobby Carter
• Tiny Production Team: Maia Stern
• Executive Producer: Keith Jenkins
• Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

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