Boards Of Canada and Warp Records have hit out at the White House for using their music on one of their social media videos.
The elusive Scottish duo’s music was heard over the top of a new video shared by Donald Trump’s administration on Instagram, which showed eerie clips of American flags blowing in the wind, a border patrol boat, and detention centres.
The song that soundtracked the clip was Boards Of Canada’s ‘Deep Time’, which features on their new album ‘Inferno’ and was previously released under the title ‘Tape 05.’. That record is their first in 13 years and released today (Friday May 29).
Interestingly, the aesthetic used in the video from the White House is distinctively similar to that used by the band – appearing like it was filmed on crackly, static VHS.
Following numerous fans commenting on the video, tagging the band and asking if they gave permission for the White House to use their music, the Scottish group and their label have clarified that the song was used without their permission.
“Warp Records and Boards of Canada do not condone the unauthorised use of their music for political messaging,” the record label said (per RA).
This isn’t the first time that an artist or their estate have hit out at the Trump administration for using their music without permission. Just last month, Nancy Sinatra slammed Trump for sharing footage of her father Frank performing his seminal hit, ‘My Way’ on Truth Social, describing it as “sacrilege’.
Before then, Trump played songs including ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ and ‘Start Me Up’ during his 2016 rallies, leading The Rolling Stones to request that he stop.
Others to have hit out after their music was used without permission included Adele, Neil Young, Steven Tyler, Jack White, the estate of Isaac Hayes, Eddie Grant, Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, Kenny Loggins, ABBA, Celine Dion, Foo Fighters and more.
Meanwhile, some acts have pulled out of The Great American State Fair in Washington D.C., which is being held as part of Trump’s Freedom 250 celebration. “The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event,” wrote Young MC
